The Balkanization of America (26 page)

Thousands try to leave the city, many make it across the George Washington Bridge; hundreds start walking towards the tunnels when they’re jumped by gangs waiting for them. The gangs heard them coming two blocks away. Without lights, the crowds never saw the gangs waiting for them. Every male is robbed and killed; every woman is gang raped, and most of them are killed when the gangs are finished with them. The gangs barricades the tunnels and bridges forcing everyone to remain in the city. When New York City joined the LSA, 60% of the NYPD officers resigned moving to various cities in the USA.

The labor and birth of the LSA is very painful. As promised President Brownstone cut off all support and government programs on Christmas day, the official LSA Independence Day with the exception for veteran benefits to those living in the new nation. The President issues an offer for citizens, veterans and companies to relocate to the USA. He offers a speedy application process with a response promised within three hours. Any veteran who applies is automatically accepted, all they had to do was raise their hand and say “I want to move," the USA provides assistance to relocate the veterans to a new home and help them get back on their feet.

President Brownstone is worried that the USA is going to be swarmed with mass deportations of undesirables from the LSA. He signs an executive order mandating the issuance of a new national ID card. The President rebuilds the border patrol and INS to patrol the large borders between the two countries. He deploys the military to keep an eye on the southern border. Members of Congress question the President’s plans, they have good reason to be concerned because the people are very upset over being issued national ID cards. They expected Obsma to issue national ID cards, not Brownstone. Congress also worries the people the LSA dump on the USA’s border will be shown on national television making the USA look bad. Congress appoints a special committee to try to work with Obsma’s administration in finding a solution to the problem the USA knows is coming when the LSA runs out of resources.

Life in the USA starts to improve due to the high demand for labor from the many companies moving into the USA. With its currency backed by precious metals and the rollback of most of President Obsma’s crippling mandates the mood in the country quickly improves. Fracking and oil drilling permits are quickly approved; government lands are opened for exploration. Mandates against coal mining are overturned, coal-fired power plants are reopened. Months ago many cities experienced brown and black outs, within ten weeks of President Brownstone being sworn in, electricity is plentiful in the USA

Life in the communities along the border of the two countries is very different; those living in the LSA constantly cross the border looking for low-cost gasoline, food and anything else that is in short supply or banned on their side of the border. Many communities on the USA side set up farm stands, and small tent cities to cater to those crossing the border for banned items or simply products that sell for much less in the USA. The border communities on the USA side learn the items with the highest demand in the LSA are toilet paper and cigarettes. Producing paper products creates a large amount of wastewater, something that is under tight environmental controls in the LSA. Four roll packages of toilet paper that normally sell in the USA for $4.00 command prices of $15 on the border, while if available in the LSA they sell for $40.00. Customs officials on both sides turn a blind eye to the cross-border trade. Both sets of inspectors handed the cross-border shoppers small maps showing the safe and trusted locations to make purchases at. Some of the items in short supply in the LSA in additional to paper products and cigarettes, (which have been banned in the LSA), are over the counter and prescription medicines. Local border drug stores set up a call ahead system; those living in the LSA call the local pharmacy to order their needs, the medicines are packed in white bags with a bright red cross on them, the packages wait at the border. Both sets of customs ' agents agreed to not add their normal personal handling tax to these bright white bags.

The LSA national insurance doesn’t cover payments for these cross-border purchases if the drugs are available in the LSA the prices are doubled or more. Over the counter items and prescriptions can cost three or four times as much. Wal-Mart, Target, and others announce plans to build superstores at the major border crossings. These announcements are protested by those making double or more their normal profits selling to the LSA. The communities on the LSA side set up a series of mailbox and shipping portals. Any products are normally crossing the border are subjected to large import taxes which can double or triple their prices. The border portals collect the requests, send their people across the border paying a small fee to carry the goods across the border where they’re shipped to their customers.

As the wealth of the small border communities, grow they soon attract the wrong attention. Organized crime, street gangs and anyone else with a plan to separate people and their gold grows. Many of the small communities don’t have enough police officers to maintain the peace. Many local shops wake up to discover themselves paying weekly “protection” insurance to one gang or another. Those that refuse to pay on the LSA side of the border usually wake up to find their mail portal shops burned to the ground, those on the USA side respond with community armed watch groups. After a few midnight shootouts, the gangs decides it’s much safer to collect protection fees from those on the LSA side where firearms are still illegal.

Life in the LSA is going differently than many expected, all sources of fuel require importation, generation of electricity has been reduced 70%, every city and community experiences rolling brown and blackouts. In California, San Diego cut off all electrical power transmission north. Interstate routes 5 and 15 are blocked to ensure nothing of value is shipped north without the export duties being paid. Ships that normally docked at Long Beach, or any of the other maritime ports on the West Coast now unload in San Diego. The US Navy quickly converted part of their base into a commercial shipping facility. San Diego quickly built new access roads leading to and from the port. Lines of trucks line up to attach the trailers arriving via ship. Shippers quickly realize without unions in the way their costs are lower going through San Diego, plus security is vastly improved with their facility being patrolled by members of the US Marines. Looting of their trailers ceases. Even fresh water is in short supply in many cities of the LSA because many LSA locations receive their water from rivers and lakes which now are in another country. President Obsma was never good at the details of any plan. He never gave the everyday issues of power; fuel and water much thought He never thought about where these critical items came from. It’s the same with food. Most of the farms are now located in the USA.

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Almost everyone in the LSA watched the New Years Eve program eagerly waiting to hear what President Obsma was going to announce. Watching the lights go out, and the President swept off the stage panic spreads through the LSA’s new Presidential Mansion. The one question on everyone’s mind is, where is President Obsma? What happened in New York City? Harold Reid announces to the nation that the United States of America cut off electrical power to New York City, putting millions of innocent people at risk. He reports that the deliberate cutting off power just as President Obsma was going to make a major announcement proves the USA can’t be trusted. Reid warns President Brownstone to be careful in not pushing the LSA too far. Reid demands the restoration of all electrical power to the LSA state of New York City. Reid also calls upon the world’s socialist states to provide humanitarian aid for those wandering the dark in New York City.   

Five minutes after Reid completes his announcement, Rash Linebacker takes to the air to say, “The United States of America wishes everyone a happy and healthy New Year. Every New Year is a fresh start; some use the time to make resolutions, some use the holiday to make excuses. I can state with 100% truth the United States of America had nothing to do with the blackout in New York City. I have personally tried to contact the Mayor of the city to offer aid. My calls were not accepted; our messages have not been returned. Hence, I want it known to the world; the USA had nothing to do with the blackout, we stand ready to offer medical and humanitarian aid to all who may require it in the affected area. All we need is for the LSA to say yes we want and accept your aid. Our people, trucks and support planes can start entering New York City within minutes; we have a rapid response team standing ready.”

Reid gets very angry listening to Rash’s remarks. He goes back on the air to announce, “This is Harold Reid, the newly appointed Vice President for the LSA. The simple fact that the USA has a rapid reaction team that can begin moving within minutes should be all the proof anyone in the world needs to prove the USA is responsible for this disaster to millions of people stuck on New Years Ever with limited options to leave the island. We call upon President Brownstone to correct the problem he caused; we call upon the USA to restore power to New York. Our two countries may have their differences of opinion on some issues; however, these differences should have never used as an excuse to put innocents at risk.”

President Brownstone laughed when he and his aides watched the lights go out in Time Square. He addresses the group asking, “Just to be sure; we didn’t do this did we?”

Everyone in the room responds no, many are holding back laughing remembering the look on President Obsma’s face as he was swept off the stage.

“Well, if we didn’t do it who did?”

Rash responds, “Maybe the idiots didn’t pay their electric bill.”

The entire room breaks out laughing.

Chapter 25

President Obsma is swept away in the mass of people thinking the blackout is the start of another terrorist attack against New York City. He’s become separated from his security detail who wade into the crowds trying to secure him. Obsma tries to work his way across the mob to exit Broadway. He sees a small opening he tries to push through, he tries to push people out of his way, no one in the mob pauses long enough to listen to the black man trying to walk upstream against a wave of composed of thousands of people The mob’s panic is so high none recognize the President. He mistakenly strikes a large African American in the face with him arm while trying to get to a cross street. Obsma’s arm is grabbed; he’s dragged by the man he accidently hit to the sidewalk, before President Obsma can thank the man, he hears, “Hey bro’s this dumb shithead done punched me.”

Obsma yells, “No, wait, you don’t understand who I am, don’t you recognize me?”

Before he can finish the sentence, he’s punched in the mouth and stomach by three men. They stomp on him until he’s lying on the street bleeding and unconscious. The three men pound his head against the street curb. The men go through his pockets; they steal his watch, $2,000 in cash and his overcoat, they don’t even look at his ID; his attackers toss his wallet into a dumpster three blocks away. They’re happy with what they taken from him.

Thirty minutes after the black out the mob has spread out, leaving Broadway clear. President Obsma’s security detail is tearing the stores and office buildings around the stage apart looking for him. They didn’t know; Obsma woke, penniless and not able to remember anything. He followed the people in front of him running because he didn’t know what else to do.

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With no word on the President’s where about, Vice President Harold Reid makes an announcement to the people of the LSA that he is temporarily taking over the office of President until President Obsma is located. Reid appoints his close friend Nanny Polsi as acting Vice President. After Reid’s announcement he and Nanny look at each other, she smiles saying, “I don’t know how you pulled off a black out and had him swept away. I have to hand it to you; you pulled that rabbit out of your ass.”

“Reid smiles, “I wish I had planned it. I really have no idea what caused the blackout or where he is. I hope they never find him allowing us to rule.”

“Do you think we should offer assistance to the NYPD to help locate him?”

“I’m going to offer assistance to make sure he’s never found again. He was an idiot; he was nothing more than a means to an end. Now that he’s gone, and I hope forever we can mold the LSA into the land we both know it can and will be. I like not having to run for election again. I don’t have to account for the reelection cash.”

“Harold, is the Vice President position for life too?”

“I’m sure we can arrange it to be, how much is it worth to you?”

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The country wakes on January 1st, 2016 to a massive winter storm that covers most of both countries, heavy rain falls in the Pacific Northwest causing large mudslides, Interstate 5 is washed out in a number of locations between Portland Oregon and Seattle Washington. Hundreds are stranded on the road. Key bridges have washed away leaving people on their own. Ice covers the roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; the DFW airport is closed because the airport workers can’t get to the airport to move airplanes, or do any of the other hundreds of tasks required, such as loading and unloading luggage, fueling the planes. Snow falls in the mid-Atlantic and New England states; the National Weather Bureau projects 24 inches of snow will fall on Central Park in New York City. The city remains blacked out. The 8.5 million people who live in the city are cold, hungry and confused. Where’s their help? Where’s the government? When will FEMA arrive? Most residents of New York City have only a single day’s food available.