American Meltdown: Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles (7 page)

CHAPTER
13

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."

- Romans 13:1a

Pastor John Robinson held the Wednesday service just after lunch because everyone could meet together in the barn. There was no other meeting area at Young field. The barn held four wood stoves which helped quite a bit, but it was still drafty and cool. The temperatures had been mild. The highs had been near 40 degrees which was not bad for Idaho in late January.

Pastor John began with prayer then went straight to the announcement of the states and territories that had decided to secede from the authority of Washington, D.C.

"Church, we have known for some time that a season of testing was coming for our nation. We know that the enemies of freedom have taken root in our nation’s capitol. We were able to reasonably predict that the economic disaster, which has now fallen on us, would come. No one knew the day, nor could we guess the severity of the collapse, but simple fourth grade math told us that this day would inevitably come. Now, it is upon us. We have done the best we knew to prepare, and we’ll trust God to take it from here. As I have said many times, ‘do your best and trust God with the rest.’

“With that being said, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that those who have been elected to lead us have submitted to the governing authority. Here in America, the governing authority is the Constitution.
The first line of the Constitution plainly spells out who is in charge of seeing that the governing authority is followed. The framers, who established that authority with God’s help, wanted to make it abundantly clear who were to be the ultimate overseers of that authority. To accomplish this, they wrote those words larger than any other words on the document. Can anyone tell me what those words are?"

Four or five people near the front row yelled out at roughly the same time, "We the people."

"We the people," Pastor John echoed. "When we read Romans 13, we must keep that in mind. It is the guidestone to correctly interpreting this area of scripture which I will be speaking on today. Romans 13:1 reads 'Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.' 

“So we have determined that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the governing authorities that were established by our founders. Verse one also states that they were established by God and, in fact, there is no authority except that which has been established by God.  The entirety of our legal system and our government system has its foundation on that governing authority. If any of our leaders are to derive authority, it must come from that ultimate authority that was originally established by God.

“Romans 13:2 reads 'Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.'

“Our present administration has risen up in rebellion against that authority. The Bible says that the present administration is rebelling against what God has instituted. They have rebelled against the authority established by God by going against the Bill of Rights. They have rebelled against the First Amendment by suppressing freedom of religion for the very men and women who have fought to keep this nation free. Our military are no longer free to speak of their religion if they are Christian. They can be punished for belonging to a Christian church or even donating money to a Christian church. They are not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus.

“The press is no longer free. Any member of the press that crosses certain lines can expect to be arrested or harassed by the DOJ or the IRS.

“I don't think I have to mention the infringements against the Second Amendment which reads 'A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'
I won’t insult your intelligence today by enumerating the infractions by this administration in violation of the Second Amendment.

“The constant snooping by the NSA and the increasing warrantless searches of homes, personal effects and automobiles are gross injustices against the Fourth Amendment.

“The Fifth Amendment states that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, yet even Senator Paul Randall is hiding out from a criminal government that sought to assassinate him in the middle of the night.

“The Sixth Amendment guarantees a speedy trial, yet the 2012 NDAA Indefinite Detention Clause allows our government to indefinitely hold citizens without charging them. This unjust law also violates the principles in the Eighth Amendment which prohibits excessive bail. I would say indefinite detention would have a more egregious effect than excessive bail.

“And finally, the Tenth Amendment is grossly violated. It states 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'

“The Federal Government has taken over education, welfare, healthcare, agriculture and many other areas that no government, state or federal, has authority over. Laws about what drugs are allowable for medicinal purposes ought to be the decisions of a state. If a person feels the laws in one state are excessive or too relaxed, they ought to be able to move to a state where they are more agreeable. States ought to be in charge of their own food regulations. If Idaho wants to drink raw milk and folks from Utah don't because of the health risk, so be it. All the minor rules of day-to-day governing are supposed to be
set by the states. The Federal Government has a very, very small role to do in defending our borders, maintaining a post office, writing bankruptcy laws and coining money. Notice the government was allowed by the constitution to coin money, not print it. 

“Romans 13:3 and 4 says, 'For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.'

“For this verse we need to know who the rulers are. Does anyone remember who the Constitution puts in the top position of authority?"

This time, most of the congregation yelled out almost in unison, "We the people.”

"You guys are catching on!" Pastor John complimented playfully.

The congregation laughed.

"Okay, this one is a little bit harder, but I'll give you a hint." Pastor John continued to teach the heavy subject with a light heart. "We just went over it. Who is granted the authority of bearing the sword by the constitution? Who is the one that Romans 13:4 calls the agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer?"

The same group in the front that had answered the first time answered somewhat together, "The militia."

"Everyone up here in this front section gets an extra piece of cake at dinner tonight." Pastor John kidded. The room laughed for a bit then quieted down to hear more of what the pastor had to say.

"The militia is the only group specifically tasked by the ultimate authority established by God, the Constitution, with the security of a free state." Pastor John continued, "Now I want everyone to get extra cake at dinner, so you folks put your thinking caps on because this one is tricky. Who is the militia?"

The crowd cried out in perfect unison, "We the people."

Pastor John smiled as he said, "I think you've got it!"

He continued, "Romans 13:5 and 6 says, 'Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.'

“So that is why we pay taxes. We are to support those who have given their time and energy to following the ultimate authority established by God which we have identified as the Constitution. We are not commanded by God's word to pay taxes to support those who are in rebellion to authority which is the Constitution. Remember, we are God's agents of wrath to punish the wrongdoer, not reward them for their bad behavior.

“We are not commanded by God's word to pay taxes to support the sluggard. Quite the contrary, II Thessalonians 3:10 tells us, 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.' Not only are we not to pay taxes to support the sluggard, we are not to pay taxes to support the poor and needy either. I am not saying that we should just let them all starve, but the Bible instructs the Church to fulfill that mission, not the government. James 1:27 says 'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.’ If the government does this with our money by the barrel of a gun, they deprive us of the opportunity to do it out of obedience to God. And if you don't think it is by the barrel of a gun, try not paying your taxes or don’t show up for court after not paying your taxes. When the IRS agent shows up at your house, tell him you won't let him in and you aren't going with him. I bet if you look real close, you'll be able to see down the barrel well enough to tell if that is a hollow point or full metal jacket bullet pointed at your head.

“We
’re not commanded to pay taxes to support endless wars across the globe. Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 4:11 'Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business’ and in Romans 12:18 he says 'If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.'

“Let us be grateful that we have leaders that are willing to stand up to those who are in rebellion against the authority that has been established by God. Let us ask God for strength as we fulfill our duty as his servants, as agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

After the service, everyone came together for a late lunch. There was an established custom where the congregation ate lunch together and everyone ate the rest of their meals with their individual families.

CHAPTER
14

"They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind"

-Hosea 8:7a

Howe's Chief of Staff Alec Renzi brought him the phone. "It is former President Al Mohammad, sir."

"I'll take that in private." Howe waved his hand dismissing Renzi.

Al Mohammad had some video evidence of personal indiscretions committed by Anthony Howe back when Howe was governor. Al Mohammad let Howe know that he would be acting in an "advisory capacity" throughout his administration. He also let Howe know that he wouldn't take "No" for an answer.

"Anthony, how are you?" Mustafa Al Mohammad asked in a tone that let Howe know he really didn't care.

"Just peachy, Mr. President," Howe replied. He was sickened every time he had to talk to this man.

"You may call me Mustafa now, Anthony. I believe you have earned that right," Al Mohammad said.

"Thank you, Mustafa," Howe replied. Being granted "permission" irked him even more than referring to him as “Mr. President.”

"Stanley Klauser just spoke with me
," Al Mohammad began. "He is very concerned that if things aren't resolved with the American financial system, it will have a domino effect around the world. He said that communications broke down between the IMF and the White House."

"Jane called him last night to try to work things out and he wouldn't accept her call," Howe said. "We
’re trying to work this out ourselves."

"And how is that coming along?" Al Mohammad asked sarcastically. "You
’re President of the United States. You don't have your staff call the Director of the IMF when you are in an economic crisis. Certainly not when it’s a systemic failure of this magnitude."

"You know how he is, he wants to dictate to me...” Howe started to respond, but Al Mohammad cut him off.

"Stop it!" Mustafa scolded. "You offended the only person in the world that can help you keep the country together. States are seceding. You’re hiding out in a bunker. The banks are closed. The stock market is closed.  Credit card machines are not taking payments. People can't get benefits, they can't go to the ATM's. People are looting grocery stores, hardware stores, department stores and convenience stores. Fast food restaurants are being robbed not for money, but for food. People are starving. People are rioting and burning down cities. Do you not understand what is happening? This is not about your pride. This is about whether or not America is still a country tomorrow. And it may be about whether or not you still have a head tomorrow.  Mount Weather is quite a fortification, but so was Versailles in its day. Never underestimate a starving crowd."

"Fine!" Howe conceded. "I'll call Klauser."

Al Mohammad continued, "Make sure you start out with a very sincere apology. I'll let you get to work."

"OK," Howe said.

"A simple thank you would be in order, Mr. President," Al Mohammad said.

"Thank you, Mr. Al Mohammad
," Howe said. He bit his tongue to keep his anger in check. Howe was seething. He knew Al Mohammad was probably right about apologizing to Klauser, but the way he held it over him, the way he had just scolded him like a child, the way he was blackmailing him to keep a noose around his neck, he could not tolerate. It was time to start shopping around for someone who could find a permanent solution to this problem with Mustafa.

Howe poured himself a stiff drink as he came to terms with what he had to do. He had to lay his pride down for just a moment and make the call. This is something
he never had to do, until Mustafa came along. Howe had grown up as a child of absolute privilege. His father’s financial firm was among the largest in the world. All through school, college and all through life, everyone respected Howe. Even his teachers and professors were careful about the way they spoke to Anthony Howe. When he had done things against the law as a youth, the police and judges knew better than to prosecute him.

Howe refreshed his drink and made the call. "Mr. Director, I just want to start by saying how sorry I am for the way things were said yesterday."

"The way things were said, is not the problem, Mr. Howe. Your defiant, aggressive tone that you spoke to me with, that is the problem.  Would you like to apologize for that?" Klauser was making him grovel.

"Yes sir, I apologize," Howe responded.

"For what, Mr. President?" Klauser asked.

"I apologize for the aggressive and defiant tone with which I spoke to you yesterday, Mr. Director," Howe choked out.

"I do not accept your apology, Mr. Howe," Klauser began, "but in the interest of the global economy, we’ll do what we can. I am not negotiating with you, Mr. Howe. I am going to lay out the terms by which the IMF will agree to aid the United States.

“First I will clarify the terms where we left off yesterday. The US will cut spending by 50% from current levels. When I say spending, I am referring to necessary government activities such as military and programs that your citizens have paid into such as Medicare and Social Security. I am not referring to wealth transfer payments to your citizens who have not paid anything into the system. Those programs are to be cut by 75%. I would recommend starting some type of a triage operation to find out who the truly disabled and needy are as this money will not go far; particularly in the hyperinflationary environment that is about to overtake your country.

“Our previous arrangement which we had discussed loosely was that the IMF would seize 90% of all deposits over $50,000 dollars from US banks. This is no longer possible as the entirety of all US banks have lost their liquidity in this present derivatives debacle. Fortunately, the FDIC limits were not reduced from $75,000 to $50,000. We will have the FDIC payout the insured amount to the depositor’s accounts. From there, the IMF will assess a bail-in tax of 90% of the deposits over $5,000. All depositors with $5,000 or less in the bank will not be affected by the bail-in tax. I think that represents the majority of your citizens as your government has never encouraged them to save, so this should not be as politically dire as you may think. Those with more than $5,000 will keep the first $5,000 and 10% of the amount over $5,000. I doubt most of the ones with more than $5,000 in the bank were your constituency anyway."

Howe thought this must be Klauser’s way of being gracious. It probably made Stanley Klauser feel magnanimous, but it rubbed Howe the wrong way. Howe sat and listened as he poured himself yet another drink.

Klauser continued, "China has agreed to purchase your excess military equipment for 25 cents on the dollar, which I think is very generous. What is more, they have agreed to pay in gold."

"Mr. Director," Howe interrupted
, "I humbly apologize for interrupting, but it will be difficult for me to get the congress to agree to give up military equipment which has top secret technology to the Chinese."

"You'll find a way, Howe. America’s days of being a superpower are over. Your country is going to have to come to terms with reality. The reality is, if you want this assistance to stabilize your currency and prevent the death of most of your citizens, you will have to agree to all of these terms exactly as they have been presented.

“The remaining gold reserves in the US will be held by the IMF as collateral until all loans made in SDRs are repaid in SDRs with interest at the prevailing rate. Currently, that rate is 19%."

SDR stood for Special Drawing Rights. SDRs were the currency of the IMF. It was a completely fiat currency just as all the other currencies on the globe. The value of each SDR was determined by a basket of currencies of all the member countries, in proportion to their economies.  The IMF loaned money in SDRs as opposed to the currency of the debtor country to keep them from devaluing the loan by printing excessive funds.

"The IMF will lend the money to keep the US Government operating at the spending level we discussed for six months. Payments will be made each month to your treasury after a monthly approval process by the Council of Member States. You must be found to be in compliance with the terms of the agreement each month or the monthly payment will not be credited to your treasury's account. If your country descends into a civil war or fragments into more than one state claiming authority, the IMF will be unable to help you until the domestic issues are solved. We will overlook those issues until the end of April, but on the first of May, you must have these issues with seceding states resolved. The IMF retains the right to alter this agreement as it sees fit and when necessary to protect the vested interest of member countries.

“You may announce this agreement to your citizens tomorrow morning." Klauser hung up the phone without so much as a "goodbye" or "have a nice day."

Immediately after the call, Alec Renzi walked timidly into the room. It was obvious that Howe was livid.

"Sir," Renzi began, "the mob has breached the fence on the White House lawn. Secret Service recommends that you evacuate the remainder of the staff."

Howe stood up. He still had authority over this situation, and he intended to use it. "Tell Secret Service to have the Marines to fire on anyone who breaches the fence. All of the remaining staff are in the subterranean bunker. They are safer there than anywhere else."

Renzi responded, "Yes,
sir, but they could be trapped there for days."

Howe yelled, "I said leave them there!"