The Balkanization of America (37 page)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re really entering a recovery. This time, it’s real. You can see this yourselves; prices for food and energy are going down, and employment is going up, take home pay is increasing. I’m confident everyone will be sharing in the country’s growth.

To our neighbors in the LSA, I extend our hand in peace and friendship. We wish you well. To Acting President Reid, I say, stop trying to attack our people. Stop trying to create chaos in the USA, if you continue, we will lock down our borders and cut off trade with you. We will cease selling you food and fuel. Stop dumping people you no longer want on our front door. We are no longer going to accept those you find undesirable. You promised your people a worker's paradise, that paradise covers all of your people, not just those you deem worth it. You committed to your people for a free national healthcare system, honor the commitments you’ve made to your citizens.

I promised to not ever take over fifteen minutes as such, good evening. God bless the United States of America.”

President Reid and Vice President Polsi laugh at President Brownstone’s comments. “Harold, we both know he’s not going to turn away our needy. We can send him a message that if he doesn’t continue to accept our people we’ll let them die; their deaths will be blood on his hands. We’ll promise to keep the numbers a secret, so he doesn’t appear weak.”

“You’re correct; he’s not going to stop selling us food or fuel. His people won’t accept ours going hungry. Once their news programs show our hungry children the public outcry will be so loud he’ll have to send us, food and fuel or he’ll be impeached. That would be a fitting end to his administration. Facing the same end, he brought upon President Obsma.”

“Harold, by the way, how is President Obsma doing?”

“Nanny, I’m sorry if I haven’t kept you up to date. I know how much you care about the man’s well-being I’m sorry to say his condition is getting worse.  I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be with us.”

“What are we going to do when he passes?”

“We’re going to declare a national week of mourning and continue on the path we’re on.”

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While life is constantly improving in the USA, it’s not going as well in the LSA. High costs and inflation have taken a toll on the average citizen. Many consumer items are hard to find. The hardest are paper products. The LSAs mandated pure water rules have stopped the production of all paper products. Newspapers, advertising materials and books are completely digital. Schools convert to tablet computers. School children are taught how to write on their tablets. All school books are stored on their tablets. Each child is issued a tablet and is expected to use it for at least five years when due to technology advances the tablets are replaced.

Homework and class work is submitted through the web. What most of the school children and their parents don’t realize is the government uses the tablets to spy on everything the tablet can see and hear, every keystroke is recorded. The LSA government can remotely turn on the video camera and microphone to see and hear what is happening inside the children's homes.

Spying is common in the LSA. Almost every street corner has video surveillance cameras mounted on them. In many neighborhoods, streetlights have cameras and sensitive microphones built inside of them. Facial recognition software is constantly kept running in the background. Every person living in the LSA has to carry a national biometric ID card. The card doubles as a new social security card and drivers license. School-age kids use the card for admittance to school buildings. All new cars sold in the LSA are mandated to have a new black box that records where the car has gone, at what speed and even if the driver was wandering on the road. The car’s speed is automatically compared to the posted speed limits, anyone driving more than 5 MPH over the speed limit is electronically sent a ticket. Anyone who receives five tickets in a 12-month period discovers their ID card won’t start their car, their right to drive is turned off for 30 days. Taxes are collected based on every mile driven.

People accept the constant spying on them as a trade-off for security. When their car is involved in an accident, the black box automatically calls for help, when an air bag deploys, the black box calls for help. If the black box senses the driver has had too much to drink the car won’t start. A new generation of ID cards is being developed that will enable the government to track a person just by the card. RFID chips combined with receivers built into the security camera systems will enable no more lost children. No one will have to worry about the elderly of ill wandering off; the ID cards will track those allowing help to arrive quickly. The LSA national press loves the new tracking technology. They run stories on how many lives the technology is going to save. How many needless deaths are going to be avoided because help is going to be automatically dispatched when it’s needed?

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Most of the LSAs food comes from the US or from abroad. Every truckload from the US is stopped at the USA/LSA border for inspection. The value of the shipment is taxed which is due and payable at the border crossings. This forces the drivers to carry gold and silver coins to pay the import tax. Knowing this; criminals wait for the trucks just before the border crossing locations to hijack or rob them. The US reorganizes the Border Patrol arming them with automatic rifles, machine guns, and armored vehicles. The Border Patrol and criminals battle each other along a 1,000 miles border on the west coast. The US deploys armed drones to break up criminal groups.

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Many people living in the LSA aren’t happy with the government totalitarianism. It’s illegal for groups of five or more to meet in public. One-time book codes and hand signals are used to communicate since no one trusts emails or phone conversations. All know the national police monitor and record and review all communications. For different reasons many couldn’t move out of the LSA, they decided if they had to stay they were going to risk everything, including their lives to try to force the LSA government to change. Many had been members of militias before the breakup of the country. Weapons were once again legal in the USA, but still illegal in the LSA. Militias in the USA smuggle weapons into the LSA. The West LA Militia plans an attack against the Cuban base at the Ex Naval base located at Point Mugu. Their plan is to attack the base from both land and sea. The militia’s first goal is to recruit some of the women who work at the base. The LSA government hired hundreds of women as “social workers” to provide their guest Cuban military with “female friends.” The women are happy to help the militias attack the LSA for drafting them into prostitution. The militia asks the women to get keys, watch cycles and access codes to the base. Ten nights later the West LA militia using small black inflatable boats slip onto the base from the Pacific Ocean.  One hundred men and women slip into the base from the boats.

They slip in from the rifle range which is unguarded. The militia uses the access codes the women provided to get into the inner base where they kill four security guards. Taking the guard’s uniforms they replace the guards allowing them entry to the next checkpoint where they surprise and overpower the guards manning the main gate of the base. Silently the militia gains access to the base armory where the militia arms themselves with the latest Russian assault rifles the AK97 that fires a 5.45 mm Amax caseless round at 3,800 fps from a 14” barrel. The AK97 uses a round 90 round magazine. The round easily penetrates the US military’s body armor. The Russian round also penetrates the new Russian body armor enabling the militia to give the Cuban’s a nasty surprise. The militia dresses in Cuban uniforms allowing them to walk through the camp unnoticed, they surround and attack the officer’s quarters, capturing the Cuban Colonel and two captains. The balance of the Cuban soldiers surrenders to the militia who transfer them to a US freighter standing just off the base. The Cubans are taken out to sea where a US battle group waits to interrogate the Cubans. Samples of the Cuban armor and rifles are given to the Americans in payment for their support. Once dressed and armed in the Cuban uniforms the militia takes the Cuban vehicles to the next base where they surprise the Cubans. The militia is able to take over the small forward Cuban base. They share armor and weapons with other militia groups in Southern California who plan to attack LSA national police offices. Most of the LSA national police are armed with 12 gauge shotguns and M4s, which won’t penetrate the Russian armor, the police are going to get a nasty surprise, they’ll never forget.

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Evening on the German border doesn’t end the fighting, night vision, and thermal sights allow the two armies to continue fighting all night. Germany is down to 60 tanks and 150 armored personnel carriers. The German Air Force has been decimated by the Russians. Many times a German fighter finds itself being attacked by three or four Russian fighters. Germany has 28 fighters left none without any battle damage. The German Prime Minister places a call to President Brownstone. “Mr. President, we’ve been able to slow the Russian advance, but not stop it. We’ve lost most of our ability to fight the Russians. We’re now defenseless. Is there anything else you can send us?”

“Madam Prime Minister our two other SSGNs are in the Pacific, it will take them five days to get into missile range. The two we leased to you won’t be rearmed and in the range for another seven days. Our long-range bombers are going to have to fight their way through the Russian air defense network to get into range. Neither of us wants to turn to nuclear weapons. The only other weapons we have that can slow the Russians a little are air-launched cruise missiles. We’ve recently changed over their warheads from conventional to nuclear; it’ll take us a couple of days to change them back and test them. Germany is going to have to lease the B52s; we’ll put German national markings on them,”

“Mr. President, we’ll lease a squadron of your B52s, we may need them in order to give our people time to escape from the Russian advance.”

“Madam Prime Minister, same terms as with the submarines.”

“Not a problem, I’ll have a group of our air force officers arrive at your base in the UK today. The Parliament and I are going to leave Germany and set up a government in exile in London.”

“I honestly think that’s your best option. What have you heard from France?”

“Mr. President, they’ve massed their forces along our border. The French Prime Minster informed me that they would only fight if they’re attacked.”

“I understand, I don’t expect them to fight for long. The Russians are going to hit the French with over 4,000 tanks.”

“The British have offered to host us. They too said they need their forces in case the Russians attack them.”

“My advisors think the Russians are going to stop at the channel.”

“That’s logical. My staff shares the same thought.”

“Madam Prime Minster, order your troops to disperse and become insurgents. Attack the Russians rear areas and their supply chain which grows longer every day.”

“Mr. President, I’ll be in touch from London.”

“Goodbye and good luck.”

President Brownstone lifts his eyes to his Vice President, who listened to the call. “Ted, what do you think?”

“She and Europe are paying the price for drawing down their militaries. In the end, they were nothing but a speed bump along Puten’s plan to conquer Europe. Is there really nothing we can do?”

“I think it’s best right now for us to sit this one out. If we attack the Russians, we’ll be giving the LSA an excuse to attack us in our rear areas. Remember they are allied with the Russians. We can’t afford to send any of our forces to Europe where they’ll have to make a hostile landing. We’ll lose too many resources, which we can’t afford to lose. There are going to be many battles in our future. The LSA isn’t going to leave us alone forever; they’re going to want what we have. They’re not satisfied until they control everything and everyone. Puten will continue to grab territory. Sooner or later we’re going to have to fight the Russians. I’m hoping when we do the LSA will join with us to fight for a free world.”

“Sir, I don’t see Reid joining us in anything. I agree with you the LSA, or I should say their leaders won’t rest until they’ve won control over the entire country. Reid wants to run the entire country, not just a few states. I agree with you that they’re going to continue to probe us for weaknesses and try to turn our people against us.”

“Ted, I never thought I’d say this, after two world wars and the thousands of brave Americans who lost their lives to free Europe we’re now forced to surrender Europe to the Russians.”