WAR (42 page)

The community leaders quickly agree to the offer. The next morning tractor trailers and flatbed trucks arrive with equipment, as does National Guards people in uniform, instead of weapons, they have tool belts around their waists. The officer raises a bullhorn saying, “Good morning, it’s time to begin rebuilding your homes.” People smiled at the chance to repair and rebuild their homes. Hundreds of people swarmed outside to start the rebuilding process.

The USA Vice President smiled thinking the plan was starting to work, he sat in his armored limo drafting his report to President Rand when his limo is struck by two RPGs killing everyone inside the car. The shooters are able to fade away into the maze of streets. In a period of two weeks, the USA lost it's Vice President and former President Cruise. The community leaders rush to the side of the Guard Officer saying, “We had nothing to do with the attack, it wasn’t one of us. Please, it wasn’t us. You have to believe us.”

The officer nods his head with tears in his eyes. He picks up his secure portable phone to call the White House. He informs the President’s CoS of the attack and the loss of the Vice President. When he’s completed his report, he turns to face the community and gang leaders, “You are going to have to work twice as hard to prove none of you were behind the attack. I believe you, many others won’t. I suggest I leave some of my people here for your protection.”

One of the gang leaders says, “We can protect our own turf.”

“Son, it’s better if you let us handle the security on this one. You want the world to see you supporting the rebuilding and peace.”

The gangs nod in their understanding.

@@@@@

President Rand meets Rod when he reenters the White House, “Rod, the Vice President was just killed.”

“What?”

“RPG attack. His limo got hit by two missiles.”

“Do we know who did it?”

“Someone had to give the attackers his schedule. Someone had to have access to the Vice President’s schedule, plus someone had to smuggle the missiles into the city. He was starting to implement the new plan which was beginning to show promise when his car was struck.”

“Damn it, we must have a spy in the secret service, they were the only ones to know his schedule. I suggest we tell the FBI and NSA to run an internal security check on every secret service agent and everyone who worked on the Vice President’s staff. Sir, what can I do to help out?”

“I’m happy to hear you ask that. Rod, I’d like you to accept the position.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to be my Vice President for the next 3 years, hopefully for 7 years.”

“Paul, do you remember my age? How will the country respond to a former President being your Vice President? There were 13 Vice Presidents who went on to become President, but no President, who later became a Vice President.”

“Who cares? You know where all the bodies are, the public and the military loves you.”

“Does it mean I have to move into Number One Observatory Circle?”

“Not if you don’t want to. Hell you spend most of your time here anyway.”

“Paul, I accept, I’ll have to cancel some speeches and television appearances since it would be a conflict of interest.”

“Is the Smith and Jones program going to continue?”

“Paul, I don’t know how since the Smith family is here. Speaking of them, I’d like to meet them, where are they hiding?”

Laughing Paul says, “Upstairs.”

“You mean they’re here in the House?”

“Yup for a night or two, every damn hotel room is booked, even our safe houses are in use. I guess we can move to Number One Observatory Circle after the staff cleans it. We’re planning on having them visit the Jones family in two days.”

Rod smiles, asking, “When do you want to make the announcement?”

“Right now, why don’t we interrupt the evening’s news programs and make a live announcement.”

“I’m good with it, may I just clean up first?”

“Make up will take care of you. By the way, your guardian angel doesn’t like this idea at all. He heard the rumor, he walked into the Oval Office unannounced to discuss it with me. How did he get past the Secret Service?”

Rod smiles asking, “Where is the good Colonel?”

“In the executive briefing room waiting for both of us.”

Walking into the briefing room Colonel Grover snaps to attention. “Sirs.”

Rod says, “Colonel welcome home. I understand you have objections to President Rand’s proposal I serve as his Vice President?”

“Sir, the FSB still has a price on your head. Someone tried to take you out just a week ago. Someone took out the Vice President this afternoon. Do you like walking around with a target on you?”

“Colonel, I’m not afraid to die. When Sally passed, the good Lord took from me everything good. He can take me anytime he wants. You know that after Sally had passed, I was depressed. I locked myself in my house. I didn’t want to see anyone. I had nothing left to live for. In the past year, I decided I’d mourned long enough which is why I agreed to consult on the television show, I have a lot left to give. If President Rand thinks I can help his administration than I have a job to do.”

“Sir, are you going to move into Number One Observatory Circle?”

“No, I’ll live in my own home.”

“At least that makes things a little easier. Since your mind is made up, I’ll get with the secret service to work out an additional layer of security.”

“Colonel, tell them I’d like to keep my existing team. You trained them and I trust them.”

“Will do sir.”

President Rand calls Sean to help with the announcement. Sean opens the live broadcast by telling the world that President Rand has an important announcement he wants to make. Both men stand in front of the press and the television cameras when President Rand announces his new Vice President. In the LSA, President Booker isn’t pleased with the new VP, he turns to Dianne, “This is bad news.”

“Why? He enabled us to break away and form the LSA. I thought you’d be happy with him as VP.”

The announcement is met with happiness in the USA, President Brownstone is fondly remembered for protecting the nation and leading the country through some of its darkest hours.

Chapter 31

At 8:30PM PST President Booker sits behind the multi-colored desk representing all of the people of the LSA. “Good evening equal citizens of the LSA and welcome to those in the USA and around the small blue planet we all share, which we also share the responsibility to protect and save. I’d like to address you this evening on the ultimatum President Rand illegally and immorally gave to the people of the LSA. We are an independent country, the only country in the world where everyone is equal. The LSA government protects everyone’s rights. We have no poor, we have no mega rich, we have no one getting rich from the labors and sweat of their workers. Here in the LSA we offer free education from pre-school to post graduate school. We provide everything our people as humans in the twenty-first century require to be productive, happy people. We know that productive, happy people don’t make war; such people don’t kill other innocents. We are the most peaceful country on the small blue planet we all call Earth. We’re the only country without a military. We have no Army, no Navy, and no Air Force. Our people have the right to live the way they want to. Yet the USA has decided somehow our people have upset the balance. President Rand has given us, an independent country, an ultimatum, he has told us we can either hold an election to rejoin the United States or he will declare unlimited war against us, the peaceful and peace loving people of the LSA. We propose that if one nation can demand through force that another nation hold an election to determine if a nation should cease to exist, then we have the right to petition the Council of Fifteen Nations to supervise an election in the USA asking their citizens to join us the LSA. We think it is the USA that should dissolve, not the LSA.

“The USA has been a war monger for far too long, they have forced their will on the entire world for too long. It isn’t good for the peace-loving peoples of the world to live under the dark shadow of a single superpower who has broken almost every treaty they’ve signed. The USA has shown the world they will abide by only those treaties they want to. They have militarized space in violation of more than ten treaties. They used these new space-based weapons which there is no defense against to destroy parts of the Russian Federation and the LSA. The USA used these illegal weapons to kill a national leader when they struck and killed Russian Federation President Grameniko. Is anyone safe from the USA? If you’re a national leader or union leader or anyone who disagrees with the USA, you may one day wake to find a space-based KEW weapon falling from the sky onto your head ruining your entire day. KEWs falling from the sky are much worse than Dorothy’s house falling from the sky in the Wizard of Oz which is a fictional story, the USA KEW weapons are real and in violation of every peaceful use of space the members of the UN all agreed to. Why should we, the peace loving people in the LSA be forced to hold an election to dissolve our country? What about the millions of unhappy, overworked, underfed people in the USA, shouldn’t they too, have a choice? If one country should be threatened by force, what stops the USA from threatening every country with an election to dissolve? Today it’s the LSA with the USA’s target on our heads, tomorrow it might be France or Germany. No one if free if we’re not all equal and free.”

“I ask all to stand with the LSA against the USA in their immoral demand on the LSA. Remember, it could be your country that’s next on the USA’s menu after they finish destroying us. Thank you and may the planet bless us all.”

President Rand and Vice President Brownstone watch President Booker’s address with anger. Rod says, “How like him to ignore the truth about the LSA and their allies attacking us and causing the deaths of thousands of our people. Every country has the right to defend themselves. The LSA and their allies invaded us, they caused us billions in damage and Booker ignores it. He started the war when he attacked our children. His people aren’t free, they’re slaves to the state. The people of the LSA are controlled and owned by the state.”

Paul replies, “They may well be, however the SOB just pulled the PR rug out from under us. He’s trying to turn the world against us.”

Rod responds with anger in his voice, “Maybe it’s time for Booker to take a vacation, a long vacation.”

“My friend, this isn’t the time to make him disappear. If he got a cold we, would be blamed for committing biological warfare against the LSA.”

“What do you suggest, you can’t be thinking of holding an election in the USA to see if they want to join the LSA can you?”

“Rod, that’s exactly what I’m thinking of doing. If we flood the media and Internet with the truth about the LSA, the changes in people’s lifestyle, their real cost to be ‘equal’, do you think our people will vote to join the LSA?”

“Paul, I think some might. The lure of not having to work, not worrying about where your next meal is coming from, is very powerful.”

“Logical people will see through their bullshit. No country can afford to support their citizens forever. The LSA is already $5 trillion in debt, it’s not as bad as the USA was in early 2015, however, on a per capita basis the LSA is in a much worse position than we were ever in. There’s no way the LSA can survive as they are. The banks aren’t going to extend credit to their government. Their tax rate is already over 50% for everyone. Since 75% of their people work for the government, they have no choice but to accept what the government tells them to do. I think our best approach is to agree to hold an election when the LSA does while we flood the airwaves and the internet with the real facts of the LSA. I’m sure WOLF News will be happy to give us hours of video they filmed in the LSA: the food lines, the empty grocery stores, the spying, the cameras looking into people’s homes, the fear their people have of their DepLIES agency. I think we can pull the covers back and expose the LSA for what it really is.”

“Paul, what if after doing this our people vote to switch?”

“Then they deserve to get what they asked for. The USA will be smaller, but stronger. You and I know the South isn’t going to switch, nor is most of the Midwest. I’m also going to announce that the Council of Fifteen Nations should monitor the election and voting on both sides of the divide. I don’t trust Booker and his people to count their fingers and get ten, they'd announce they won even if they lost in a landslide.”

“Paul, I agree, let’s get Sean back in here to discuss the strategy with him and let him roll it out.  In fact, I think we should invite all of the talk radio hosts to a meeting.”

Laughing, Paul replies, “I don’t know if there’s a room in the White House large enough to hold all of their egos, but I agree with your idea.”

Sean enters the Oval Office unprepared for the discussion he’s about to have. “Vice President Brownstone, may I offer you my congratulations.”

“Sean, I’m not sure congratulations or condolences are in order. Either way, thank you. We assume you heard Booker’s little rant today?”

“Yes. I have to hand it to him, he is going to get a number of people on his side.”

“We agree. We want you to prepare a full-blown attack on the LSA, call your ex-boss at WOLF, we’d like to use some of the outtakes you didn’t use from the filming in the LSA.”