Justifiable Homicide: A Political Thriller (Robert Paige Thrillers Book 1) (31 page)

“That’s an entirely different situation.”

“How is it different?”

“Well, I don’t know. But it’s different.”

“Would killing their goons be justifiable? Would it be a patriotic act? Wouldn’t it be an act of self-defense?”

“Yes, I think so, but the situation in the United States is different.”

“How is it different?”

“We are a democracy. We elect our leaders.”

“Hitler was elected.”

“You keep pointing that out.” Steinman smiled. He thought Paige put up some pretty good philosophical arguments for an accounting professor. He was enjoying the discussion, even though he strongly disagreed with the direction Paige was taking it.

Rona and Sveta walked back into the room. Rona was carrying a bowl of sliced fruit. Sveta was carrying small plates and forks.

Saul noticed as they entered the room. “What, no ice cream?”

Rona feigned a disagreeable expression on her face. “We just had brisket and you know it. I’m not going to give you dairy after you just ate meat. As long as you live in this house you’re going to eat like a good Jew, even if you’re an atheist.”

Paige was enjoying the conversation, too, but he was also getting upset by it. He wanted to tell Steinman that he had probably been targeted for assassination, even though he wasn’t quite sure because of Wellington’s repeated denials. He wanted to scream it out so the whole neighborhood could hear. But he kept silent, just like the masses kept silent after Ruby Ridge and Waco. But, unlike the masses, he planned to do something. He just didn’t know what to do – yet.

“No people and no part of a people shall be held against its will in a political association that it does not want.”

Ludwig von Mises

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed … whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”

U.S. Declaration of Independence

Late afternoon. Steinman and Paige sipped coffee at Starbucks on the FIU campus. It was raining heavily in Miami, too heavily to go outside. The pitter patter of the raindrops against the windows was soothing, almost hypnotic. One could smell the ozone in the air. They decided to stay inside and wait until the rain stopped. A week had passed since Rachel’s attempt on Paige’s life.

Earlier that day, Steinman had given a lecture in his political science class about secessionist movements in nineteenth century America. A few of his students raised some questions about recent news reports that discussed the possible secession of California. Steinman expressed concern about the secession movements that were popping up all over the country.

“Bob, what do you think of these secession movements? Legislatures in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Kansas have voted to secede, and the California legislature is talking about scheduling a vote on it next week.”

“I like the idea. The federal government is out of control. They’re racking up multi-trillion dollar deficits every year and are borrowing the money from China. My children and grandchildren are going to have to pay that debt unless we either declare national bankruptcy or secede.”

“Do you think national bankruptcy is an option? That’s never been done before.”

“Sure it’s an option. Other governments have done it. We can, too. The alternative is to have our children and grandchildren burdened with the debt that our incompetent representatives have created.”

“Don’t you think we can pay it off by cutting spending and raising taxes?”

“No, I don’t. The national debt has grown too large for that. Besides, Congress is incapable of cutting spending, and for every extra dollar they raise in taxes, they spend an extra dollar and a half. Even if the feds confiscated 100 percent of the assets of the richest five percent of the population, it wouldn’t be enough to fund the government for more than a few months. And they could only do that once. What would they do next year?”

“You’re a lawyer and a CPA. Can’t you think of a better solution?”

“Actually, secession is a better solution.”

“Why is that?”

“We could pay off the debt by printing money, but that would destroy savings and the value of the dollar. Or we could declare national bankruptcy, but if we did that, we would still have the Patriot Act and all those other laws that take away the right to an attorney or a jury trial and that allow warrantless searches, wiretaps, monitoring emails and drones flying over our homes. If we seceded, we would get rid of the debt and the Patriot Act at the same time.”

“But wouldn’t that lead to a civil war? That’s what happened the last time states tried to secede.”

“Not necessarily. The fifteen Soviet republics seceded from the Soviet Union without any problem. We could do it, too. We could follow the lead of our Soviet comrades.”

Steinman leaned forward to emphasize his next point. “Funny, Bob. But this is serious stuff. What would happen to the smaller states? I think that the larger states like California and Texas could survive as independent nations, but what about Rhode Island?”

“I don’t think it would be a problem for the smaller states. Rhode Island’s economy is about the same size as Luxembourg or Slovenia. They’re doing fine as independent nations. Rhode Island could survive.

“And it wouldn’t have to survive alone. The states that seceded could set up a free trade zone like the European Union did. And it doesn’t have to be a 50-state secession. There’s a two-state option. The Democratic blue states could form one independent nation and the Republican red states could form another nation. States that are evenly divided could choose which new state to join. States like Florida that are split 50-50 could divide into smaller units. Miami-Dade County and the other Democratic strongholds could join the Blue Republic and the rest of the state could join the Red Republic. There’s no need for the political units to be contiguous. If Alaska and Hawaii can be hundreds or thousands of miles away from the mainland and still be part of the United States, Miami-Dade County can be a few hundred miles away from the rest of the Blue Republic. I don’t see it as a problem.”

“Hmmm. I never thought of that. You make it sound so easy, but I’m uncomfortable with it. I’ll have to think about it some more.”

“Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of secession at first. They thought the Civil War ended discussion of secession once and for all, but there have been lots of successful secessions all over the world. If other countries have done it successfully, so can we.”

“Well, I’ll have to think about it. I still feel uncomfortable with the idea.”

“Sure. Go ahead and think about it. And while you’re thinking about it, you can also think about how you’re going to apologize to your children and grandchildren for burdening them with the debt they’re going to have to pay and for the freedom they don’t have because you allowed the government to pass the Patriot Act.”

Steinman had a serious look on his face. He wanted to counter Paige’s arguments but he couldn’t think of a way to do it.

“Bob, I’m in a bit of a quandary. I want to refute your arguments, but I can’t think of any good counter-arguments. That never happens to me. I can always think of good counter-arguments, but the way you just put it seems to make sense.”

Paige picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. “Yeah, it’s tough to refute logical arguments that are backed up by facts.”

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Attributed to Edmund Burke

“There comes a point when the only way you can make a statement is to pick up a gun.” Sara Jane Moore (attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford)

“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

H.L. Mencken

“John, we can start with you. Tell us about your two choices.”

The team had assembled at the Versailles Restaurant to give their presentations. Each member was given a homework assignment by the Boss to select two individuals who were a sufficient threat to national security to be terminated.

The Boss had called the meeting to order. He chose the Versailles Restaurant for symbolic reasons. It had deep historical significance. It was the restaurant in Miami where Cuban-Americans met to discuss politics, especially how to overthrow Castro. Politicians went there to pander for the Cuban vote. Television crews went there whenever there was news about Cuba so they could interview real live Cubans. It was in the heart of Little Havana, on Calle Ocho between 35
^th
and 36
^th
Avenues. The Boss saw it as a fitting place to plot to kill people who were threats to national security. He’d rented a private room so the general public wouldn’t be able to listen in on their conversation. It was noisy outside, but most of the noise got blocked out when the doors were closed. The closed doors also served to prevent the aroma of the four bouquets of flowers that had been left by the last party to escape. They waited until the waiters had delivered the drinks.

“My first choice is David Reynoso. He’s a law professor at Florida International University. He’s one of the leading advocates for allowing American courts to use United Nations mandates and European Union law as precedent in American courts. He also thinks that Sharia law should be recognized in Muslim divorce settlements and contract disputes.”

“Good choice. People like that are undermining the fabric of American society. Who is your second choice?”

“Alfredo Cardera. He’s the dean of Arts & Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. He has an avowed policy of hiring far leftists. He hasn’t promoted any white males in five years. He sees them as the oppressor class. One of the black female professors he hired had to be fired by the provost for gross incompetence. She lied on her resume about having a PhD.”

“Another good choice. People like that undermine our educational system. People should be hired solely on the basis of merit. Jim, who are your choices?”

“My first choice is Fabio Perez. He’s a journalist. The kind of stuff he writes could just as easily be published in Havana. His main theme is conflict between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. He advocates class warfare.”

“OK, that’s a good choice. Who else?”

“Carlos Tapanes. He’s a philosophy professor at Florida International University. He gives his students assignments to apply Karl Marx’s ideas to social and political issues.”

“Another good choice.” The Boss was starting to fidget. Actually, he thought most of their choices were mediocre. He had other ideas and a more bold approach, but he wasn’t going to unleash it on them until they had finished their presentations. He cleared his throat.

“Santos? You’re next.”

“I have four people. My first choice is Francisco Guzman. He’s a Unitarian minister. He preaches one-world government and gives speeches about why we should allow the United Nations to tax us.”

“My second choice is Brett Frantoff. He’s the anchor for the 6 o’clock and 11 o’clock news. He chooses stories that show a left-wing bias. He never has anything good to report from a conservative perspective. Besides, my wife has the hots for him.”

That caused the group to laugh and lightened the atmosphere in the room. They stopped their discussion as a waiter entered to take their orders. After the waiter left they resumed.

“My third choice is Jorge Cardona. He’s a senior editor at the
Miami Herald
. He writes about Latin American law and advocates adopting laws similar to what Hugo Chavez pushed through in Venezuela before he died.”

“My fourth choice is Yanisledy Cruz. She’s a political commentator and journalist. She’s a propagandist for every left-wing cause in the United States and Latin America.”

“Well, I’m glad to see that you chose a woman, finally. I was beginning to think you were a bunch of sexist pigs.”

The Boss’s remark drew a smirk from the crowd.

“Tomás?”

“I don’t want to spoil the party, but I don’t think we should be assassinating professors and journalists. All they’re doing is exercising their First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. I think we should only kill people who do more than just talk about doing things that would harm America.”

The room grew silent. The other members of the team knew about Tomás’s view on this point, but what he just said was a direct challenge to the Boss, and the Boss didn’t tolerate challenges to his authority. Their eyes shifted to the Boss, waiting to hear his response.

The Boss’s face turned red. The veins on his neck looked ready to pop, and everyone in the room noticed. He had just been challenged in public, in front of his team members. He couldn’t ignore it. He had to reassert his authority in as strong a manner as possible. He took a deep breath and hesitated for what seemed like an eternity before responding.

“Tomás, I hear what you’re saying, and I agree – in theory. The problem is that those people are giving aid and comfort to the enemy with their words and actions. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy is treason. They have to be punished, and stopped. However, we need to prioritize. Tomás, I think you will like what I am about to say.

“The assignment I gave you was to choose two individuals who were worthy of extermination because they were a threat to national security, or because they gave aid and comfort to the enemy, which is basically the same thing. Since I gave you that homework assignment, my thinking has changed. Well, not really changed. Rather, I’ve improved on my initial idea. Although all of the people you chose are worthy of extermination, we must prioritize. We must eliminate the worst people first, the ones who pose the most immediate danger, the ones who could cause the most damage if we allowed them to continue living. So, I’ve made up my own list.”

They looked startled. It came as a surprise. They were expecting the Boss to verbally rip Tomás apart and they were anxiously anticipating exactly how he would do it. The Boss noticed the expressions on their faces.