The Balkanization of America

by Ira Tabankin

  “President appoints far right wing nut as Press Secretary.”

  “President attacks peaceful Mexican tourists. Mexican government files a formal protest.”

  “Who is this war monger in the White House?”

  “President Obsma forms the ultimate new country. The LSA will be the perfect country. Hundreds of thousands request permission to move into the LSA.”

  Chapter 22

  The formation of the LSA tears communities apart. The majority of the public classifies themselves as center-right, only 20% associate with the left; yet these 20% are very vocal. The most devout practiced their progressiveness as a religion. They chanted the mantra; they followed the party’s principals as if they were handed down on stone tablets. Many felt they had to convert everyone they knew to the progressive beliefs. They believed that others either converted or should be put to death, most of the time they didn't care which. After all, they alone know what’s best for everyone, if everyone were a progressive there would be no crime, no hungry, no uneducated and no wars. Their answer to every question is based in the emotional heart of the party. Logic never entered their thought processes. In fact, logic was bad, it was to be overcome by smearing their opponents. Progressives functioned via emotions; centralists looked for logical reasons to back their arguments. When emotion enters a discussion logic goes out the window. Centralists relearned an old lesson; it's impossible to debate emotion with logic. Emotional people ignore logic. They always fall back on the simple statements of "we are doing this for the greater good, or we’re doing this to save our children. We need to do this to feed the hungry; we have to raise taxes on the wealthy to spend on the poor to bring about income equality." It never dawned on the left that bringing down the wealthy doesn’t rise the poor. It will increase the size of the middle class; it does so by reducing the wealth of the upper class. Pulling down the upper class never pulls up the lower class. Increased wages and progressive policies lead to increased costs. Progressives believe people aren't educated enough to make their own decisions.

  Many in America quickly accept the fact the country is going to split, many on both sides accept it, but they’re not happy about it. The central/right knew they should get their freedoms back, over time costs, and inflation will decrease. They would no longer have to pay taxes to provide a middle-class lifestyle for people whose life goal is to suck off of the government tit. The left liked the idea they weren’t going to spend countless hours debating with the racist right wing. They weren't going to have spend billions on defense. They felt they had a chance to build a perfect society. While the majority of people accepted the split, when it comes to the individual level many are very upset with the spit. People feel the other side was wrong. While many accepted the fact of a breakup, most felt on a core level it was wrong, the other side should give in and accept a comprise to hold the country together.

  Communities fought among themselves in coffee shops, barber shops, restaurants, and schools. Even the inside of churches aren’t immune from the arguments. Soon it wasn’t unusual to see people start wearing small pins showing the American flag or the new LSA flag which is the American flag with a circle of 12 multi-colored stars representing the 12 founding multicultural states in place of the 50 white stars on a blue background. Places of business put up small signs displaying either or both symbols. People browsing knew from the symbols on the business’ windows that side they supported. The businesses that tried to straddle the fence by displaying both flags soon learned that neither side trusted them. Those who sought security by sitting on the fence watched their revenues collapse. The message is very simple, pick a side of the debate, no one accepted or trusted those sitting on the fence.

  Hundreds of thousands of skirmishes break out between the two sides. Families fight among themselves. Families break with the young usually on one side and their parents on the other. The first month after the impeachment of President Obsma sees the highest number of divorces since records were kept on the subject. Tens of thousands of businesses are burnt because they picked the “wrong” side to support. Brothers and sisters fight, business coworkers fight, some large companies, realize they have to separate workers by the side of the issue they support.

  Acts of looting and violence increase hundreds of percent from pre-impeachment times. Flash mobs attack and loot right wing businesses. Many store owners are dragged into the streets and beaten or raped. Over ten thousand small stores and companies close because of the violence. Insurance companies tried to claim losses from flash mobs are classified as acts of war, hence not covered by the store owners insurance policies. Without insurance thousands of companies go bankrupt destroying many families. Tens of thousands lose their jobs as the small companies and shops close. In Illinois alone the US Army has to be called out four times in six weeks to stop the clashes between the two groups, four small towns are burnt to the ground, entire streets, and subdivisions simply disappear.

  The main target of the LSA supporters is the fracking sites. Progressives claimed fracking polluted the drinking water; President Brownstone quickly opened millions of acres for fracking, many LSA supporters saw this as part of the right-wing racist government poisoning the lower income families. Hundreds of sites are attacked by protesters causing hundreds of millions of dollars damage and in four cases large oil spills when the pipes carrying oil are broken by the people trying to save the Earth. In one case, the gas line is broken causing a huge explosion that kills hundreds. The progressives caused the very contamination of the ground water they swore the fracking caused. The media claimed the fracking caused the contamination, they never mentioned the fact that mobs and rioting broke the oil pipes.

  In Parkersburg West Virginia thousands of government, union members are bussed in from New York City and Pittsburg. They attack the area’s largest coal mine. President Brownstone used an executive order to reopen the coal mines President Obsma had closed. Obsma’s supporters KNEW coal mining was bad; coal mining destroyed the land; burning coal polluted the air and water. To them, this was another example of how the radical new President was creating hell on earth. They knew the air and water are going to become so polluted many children will die. Global warming is going to increase rapidly, causing the coastal cities to disappear under the rising oceans. Sea life will die from the water temperature increasing. Unions advertised President Brownstone is destroying the world. Many knew that Brownstone and his policies have to be stopped. Millions of LSA supporters refuse to move to LSA states, they thought that by staying behind in the USA and fighting showed them to be the best of the best, they are saving the world from the evil racists. They are the new progressive insurgents who’ll bring the right to their knees.

  @@@@@

  “Ron come on it, look at the neat pins Kathy made.” Handing the small flag pins to Ron he looks them over, his eyes light up, Ron breaks out laughing.

  “I like these, Kathy can you make a bunch more, wonder why no one thought of this before, if we’re first we can sell them at the farmer's market. We’ll launch a new site on the web tonight. We have to get on the market first. Brad, Ron, let me help you see if we can trademark the design.”

  Ron, how can it be trademarked? She took an LSA flag pin and drew a red circle and line through it like the European no entry signs. I like them, do you think we can trademark and sell them?”

  “Let me call a lawyer I know, we did some favors for each other when I was a sheriff.”

  “Before I forget, congratulations on becoming the town’s new police lieutenant. How’s it feel to be back in uniform again?”

  “I like getting a paycheck; I like getting paid in money backed by something real. Since the dollar recall, which I understand caused over fifty battles with drug lords trying to turn in hundreds of millions of shrink-wrapped hundred dollar bills. President Brownstone’s administration had the druggies on their most-wanted list. Every time one showed up to exchange they were arrested or were killed, and the money conf
iscated. The rumor is these swaps have collected more than $5 billion.”

  “I wonder how the other countries are handling it.”

  “We hear some countries got an even exchange like the UK, others were forced to take a massive haircut on the exchange. Between the canceling of the debt owed to the Fed and the confiscation from the mob and cartels, I think the President has lowered our debt by trillions. Got to say so far I’m really impressed.”

  “Us too, prices jumped four times a day the impeachment vote was announced. Prices have dropped every day since his new economic policies were announced. I really have to hand it to Brownstone; he’s operating the government as if it was the Marines. He gives them the broad plan he wants, the staff either returns with a plan or excuses, and he doesn’t take kindly to excuses. I love it when Rash announces every day the number of Federal Government workers fired for trying to slow down the recovery. With the Full Employment Act overturned, and the welfare state ended those fired are going to have to change their ways, or they're going to be hungry.”

  Laughing Kathy says, “They could always pack up and move to the LSA; they will be right at home there.”

  Ron laughs saying, “Many on both sides are moving, I think moving companies are booked six months out.”

  “I wish they weren’t so overwhelmed, I know a number of people living close to us I’d like to see a move.”

  Ron deadpans, “Can’t we all just get along?”

  Both Kathy and I throw pins at Ron, who laughing says, “If one of those pins strikes me and draw blood, I’ll arrest you for assaulting a police officer.”

  Kathy says, “Go ahead, and just remember who feeds you almost every night. Who let you live rent free until you could find a new place?”

  After we stop laughing, I ask Ron, “Is it true Brownstone is compensating people like you whose homes were destroyed by the DHS?”

  “It’s true. I couldn’t believe it. I got a call inviting me to a meeting with six others in the area whose homes were destroyed by the DHS. The meeting was led by a member of the new FBI; we were each handed a package which documented the destruction of our homes, the estimated recovery cost and offer for our belongings that were in the house. Let me tell you since the insurance companies refused to cover my loss this was a godsend. The bank forced me to make payments on a home that was a pile of ashes; the insurance company told me they weren’t going to pay on my policy because it was an act of war; we were deemed to be domestic terrorists, we were classified as combatants fighting against America. I was shocked at the openness at the meeting. At first I thought it would be a typical government bullshit. When my name was called I was led into a conference room with an insurance company auditor, an FBI agent and a Representative from the Department of Treasury. They had Google images of my house before and after the drone attack. I have to tell you, I expected them to low ball me; they gave me a list of real estate comps in our area, hell I think one was your home. I agreed to the price; it was more than I expected, they paid me via direct deposit after paying off my old mortgage at a discount they negotiated on my behalf. I understand they did this for everyone who lost their homes to the DHS strikes. I think you and others like you that had their homes ransacked will be getting compensation too. The DHS senior staff were arrested; they are being tried in federal court for treason.”

  “How are we paying for this?”

  “The President stopped all foreign aid; he stopped many welfare programs, and he even closed some government agencies.”

  “Man, I’d heard rumors of arrests of the upper-level DHS staff and even some field agents. The web is alive with chat of the government paying for the damage done. I wonder if I can expense on my taxes the pants I ripped the night we stole back our weapons.”

  Laughing, Ron responds, “I can see the IRS laughing over that one. Have you heard the President is going close the IRS and move to a national sales tax?”

  “Yes, I also heard the government is also going to run a national lottery, like a super Powerball. The winner gets the money tax-free!” Glen, this morning, said the government is going to bring in more revenue at a much lower cost this way, no more hundreds of thousand IRS agents, I wonder how he got Congress to approve this since so many industries live off of the complicated tax code?”

  “Does it matter? He’s putting more money in our pockets. Prices have stabilized and in some cases started falling. Fuel is still in short supply with high prices that should start coming down since supply won’t be a long-term problem given the new tax incentive to build new refineries and bringing in new petrochemical reserves. Man in another year we’ll be completely energy independent.”

  “Brad, it looks like the LSA is our going to be our largest customer. Obsma won’t allow fracking or drilling on his lands, but he’s OK with buying oil and gas from us. I thought it was great when Brownstone told Obsma he won’t accept LSA currency; they have to pay in precious metals.”

  @@@@@

  “Jefe, we have a major problem. Our dollars are no good.”

  “What do you mean our dollars are no good? I have $2 billion stashed in banks and invested in real estate.”

  “Jefe, the new Norte American President, he’s changing all of the dollars. He said we had 60 days to swap old for new.”

  “Louis, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. How can the crazy Americans switch dollars there are quadrillions of dollars out there.”

  “Jefe, that’s what they’re hoping, many like us won’t make the swap saving them a fortune.”

  “I didn’t work as hard as I did and killed two other Jefe’s to be cheated out of my money. I made the money; it’s mine. I refuse to be cheated out of it.”

  “Jefe, in order to swap, we need to contact the Americans. The instructions say we are to give the Americans one week to ensure they have the cash to make the swap. Their website also says the history of the money won’t be questioned.”

  “Louis, what does that mean?”

  “Jefe, it means they don’t care how we made the money. They’ll turn a blind eye to how we made the money.”

  “Louis, do you think we can trust them?”

  “Do we have a choice?”

  “We can always sell more product to make up whatever shortfall from us not turning in our dollars.”

  “Without new dollars how are we going to pay our people? They’ve got us over a barrel; we have to do the swap. Tell the men to collect the cash, we have an appointment with the Americans.”

  Four days later, at an abandoned runway, Jefe, Louis and ten armed men guard five ¾ ton trucks loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars, most wrapped in clear plastic on wooden pallets. Jefe stands with his hands at his side, “Hello Mr. Alexander, as we agreed, I’m here with our cash. We have $986 million with us in these trucks, where are my new dollars?”

  “Listen, do you hear the trucks coming?”

  “Yes”

  “Those trucks have your new dollars in them; they will be here within a couple of minutes; they got delayed due to traffic.”

  “Very good.”

  Four minutes later five LAVs pull onto the old runway, the first LAV stops, the rear doors are opened; Jefe and Louis look inside the LAV seeing pallets holding sealed packages of new dollars. Jefe smiles, he orders his men to unload his trucks. Jefe asks, “Mr. Alexander, can I buy the LAVs from you? I like them.”

  “Jefe, since we plan to burn the old dollars right here after we confirm the amount by weighing the piles of your money, I think we can arrange to sell you the vehicles.”

  “Do they come with the machine guns?”

  ‘For a price, however, they are not new, they have been used.”

  “May I have a demonstration?”

  “Of course, Sergeant Jefe and his men would like a demonstration of the M240s.”

  Laughing, the sergeant says, “Sir, it’ll be my pleasure.” The sergeant lowers himself into the LAV; he speaks quickly to the other vehicles on his headset, a
fter a minute he comes back up, he grabs the machine gun, pulling the charging handle he swings the machine gun to the left, He quickly begins firing, the other LAVs join in, they swing the guns across Jefe’s men and trucks, three short bursts are all it takes to kill them all and disable their trucks.

  Mr. Alexander says, “Sergeant, nice demonstration, you can dispatch your troops to burn their bodies, trucks, and the old money. We have another appointment in three hours, I hope the next drug lord is as dumb as the last three have been,”

  The next drug lord is a little more untrusting; he’s able to shoot one of the American troops making the exchange before the drug lord, and his people are all killed. The Army Ranger Sergeant tells his people, “time to wrap it up and head for the barn, we have two appointments tomorrow. Does anyone realize we’ve burned over $5 billion dollars?”

  @@@@@

  “Mr. President, we’ve met twenty large and fifteen medium-sized drug lords, all have been taken down along with their lieutenants. The Rangers followed up by attacking the drug lord’s base camps. We’ve killed out eight hundred fifty people, destroyed thirty labs and burned ten thousand acres. We destroyed a street value of over a billion dollars of drugs.”