The Rangers Are Coming

by Phil Walker

  There were a dozen round tables set up elegantly in the hall, with room for six at each table. Generals Ramirez, Sims and their Chief of Staffs’ set at the table in front of the short stage, along with Compton and a new General officer.

  “This is General Riley,” said Compton, “he’s the commander of the 2nd Ranger Brigade. It was his men and equipment who provided the demonstration today.

  Riley struck out his hand and shook with General Sims, and then with General Ramirez. “Pleasure to meet you gentlemen, I hope my boys put on a good show for you today.”

  “It was impressive,” admitted Ramirez.

  Lunch was served. It was pure Kobe beef, with twice-baked mashed potatoes and asparagus with Béarnaise sauce, sweetened iced tea in ice, and a fresh slice of peach cobbler. Nobody left a single morsel on their plates and marveled at the ice in the glasses. By the time lunch was over, the conversation between the British, Spanish and contingent of Ranger officers who came with General Riley, turned to somewhat personal things, and many compliments over the delicious meat. A box of Cuban cigars were passed around each table and the Spanish and British enjoyed them immensely. They hardly noticed that none of the Americans was smoking.

  At last, General Compton went up the stairs to the stage and stood in front of a single pole with a bar at the end. He spoke into it and the sound reverberated through the hall. Everyone except the Rangers looked around in wonder.

  “Gentlemen,” said Compton, “we did not offer a blessing before the meal. I would like to do that now, with your permission.”

  “We in our new United States have worked very hard to create this country. Through the years, we have had the spiritual leadership of a truly remarkable person, who has been an inspiration to us all in more ways than I can count. She is our greatest treasure. I am proud to present… Arcadia.

  As she flowed onto the stage from the wings, there was an audible gasp in the audience. The Rangers smiled at this. Arcadia could be counted on to make a huge impression every time. She was wearing her shimmering silver-white dress that was so unusual. The silver belt was around her slim waist. Her flowing blond hair gleamed in the light and her noble, beautiful face was set off perfectly by her crystal blue eyes. Arcadia, bowed slightly to the audience and then said, “Let us Pray.”

  “Heavenly Father, we come to you today in humble praise of your majesty and our deep gratitude of the gift of your son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to live as a man without sin and as an example of the love we can all show to one another. We thank you Lord for your wisdom of allowing Christ Jesus to give His life as a ransom for our sins and the promise of an eternal life in the radiance of Your presence. May we join together today and may good will and strength of purpose be our guides as the old meets the new as brothers to the benefit of all. In the name of our Holy Savior, Amen.”

  She then repeated the prayer in perfect Spanish and French.

  There was a murmur of “Amens” from the seated men, but all eyes were on Arcadia. She smiled and said,” When we founded this new Republic, we were determined to leave behind the old ways that have brought so much grief, sorrow, war, and misery to this world. We asked ourselves, how we could make a country that is different and is an example for others. We found the answer in the word of God, who proclaims that every person is created equally, and is endowed by Him with certain rights that include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are other rights as well, which we have written in our Constitution, the law of the land. We believe the authority to govern comes from the people, and we have written our document in that manner, so that no government can rule the people without their consent.”

  “We have now had two elections to provide us with leadership at the national level. One of the mandates of this national government is to provide for the common defense of our United States, which is now the largest country in the world. You have all seen examples of how we do this. By this time you, the British, the French, the Spanish, and the Dutch know we are unconquerable. However, you should also know we would not use this power against any other country. The United States was established with borders we believe are the correct ones for us. All people who live within these borders have the same rights as citizens. We have outlawed slavery and freed all. We ask that you simply accept us as we are now, and in return we promise to be a neutral power, taking no sides in global affairs.”

  “The war you have brought to us is over. We do not hold any grudges and offer free trade to all. We also offer an open immigration policy for anyone who comes here and is willing to accept our laws and the sovereignty of our nation.”

  “The reason, Admiral Ramirez that 25,000 of your children do not lay dead on our fields is that we abhor what we were forced to do in the north. We offer you amnesty and the freedom to return to Europe without firing a single shot. If you permit it, we will accept as many of your soldiers as immigrants who wish to stay and to earn their citizenship, free land and a new life.”

  “As proof of our sincerity I would now like to introduce to you the President of the United States, who will confirm what I have spoken and deliver a written warrant of our resolve. Gentlemen, George Washington, President of the United States.”

  As Washington came on the stage it was General Sims who was the first to rise, followed almost immediately by General Ramirez. The Rangers snapped to attention as one, and the rest of the gathering followed.

  “Gentlemen, we offer our sincere apologies for the lives we took in New York last week. We offer the hand of friendship to you all. I confirm and declare all the words spoken by our great lady Arcadia to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I have here documents, which I ask you give to your governments upon your return that speak the same words of Arcadia and the true pledge of the United States. I say all these things in the presence of God, who is the true master of our people.”

  The applause began with the Rangers, but the entire room was soon applauding and even cheering.

  The doors burst open and waiters and waitresses entered the room with huge mugs of really good beer. It was passed out and rounds of toasts began. The crowd toasted Washington, Arcadia, all the European countries, and especially the United States of America.

  The party went on for the rest of the day and into the night. Washington spoke with Sims and Ramirez at length and they promised that the events that had occurred in America would be known to everyone in the world.

  Arcadia was mobbed by the Europeans and she chatted with them in French and Spanish fluently, much to their delight. Privately and publically, she was declared to be the most beautiful…and intelligent woman they’d ever met. Both Sims and Ramirez invited her to their homes in England and Spain.

  At one point, Ramirez got Sims off to the side and said, “I don’t know the words to express my gratitude to you, Sir. I grieve for your dead, but I celebrate mine who are alive.”

  “As do I, my friend.

  Later, when everyone was bedded down for the night and Ramirez had returned to his ship, Washington and Arcadia had a moment alone. “Well, Arcadia, you managed to avoid another crisis and left us in a better position than I could imagine."

  “It was quite a day, George.”

  “That’s the understatement of the year.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go to sleep. It’s been a long two weeks and we have another dragon to slay tomorrow.”

  As she walked off, Washington realized that in the past month, he couldn’t remember Arcadia sleeping at all. He just shook his head as he strolled off down the streets of Charleston.

  33

  Fort Independence, Virginia

  The people of the United States selected Thomas Jefferson as the second President of the United States in November 1788. Washington had served three terms, and was now happily retired to Mount Vernon. He remained active in government affairs, and his counsel was often sought.

  Arcadia had now been living in the 18th century for almost 20 yea
rs. Her appearance was unchanged, as were all those who came through the Portal of God. It was an exciting, memorable time for them all. They’d been so busy and focused on the business at hand, few of them had given much thought to what they had left behind, and were as dedicated as Arcadia to following the guidance of the Lord in altering the past in His way. She often wondered why God had let it occur this way in the first place, and why he didn’t just make a different plan. When she had asked why, the cryptic answer was, “They didn’t have Humvee’s in 1770.” She now had an inkling of what that actually meant. It was the Humvee’s and all the rest of the technology and mindset that went with it that was necessary to deflect the flow of free will of mankind in a different direction.

  Well, she and her colleagues had certainly done that. Perhaps more importantly she had managed to gain the support and active assistance of the very men who’d made it all happen. The fact she had superior insight into what the future held for these men, and the difficulties it presented, required a change in the actual optics of the leaders. This was the difference in many harsh realities the country would have had to face. By taking the steps they had, the result was a United States of America that could quickly change the rest of the world, just by being who they were.

  Arcadia and the men and women of the 21st century would often have church for them alone. They would thank God for his mercy and blessings. If there was ever a group that had to rely on God so completely, they were it. In many ways, it was a crushingly lonely undertaking, and their faith in the love of Jesus and his sure and steady grip on their lives, minute by minute, was what kept them going.

  In any case, the opening of the grand plan was coming to an end. Arcadia knew the changes in history they’d made would mean no war of 1812, no civil war, and no wholesale slaughter of the Native Americans. Those things alone were very good accomplishments. However, there were 230 years of history yet to unfold, and there was no assurance if they went back to their own time now, they wouldn’t still find a shattered country and 150 million dead people.

  She decided it was time to give more information, guidance, and direction to her original founding fathers. She contacted them all and asked if they would be willing to meet with her at Fort Independence. She sent helicopters to pick them up.

  The group arrived two days later. They were, obviously, in very high spirits. They had accomplished more in less than 20 years than would have been possible in a hundred years. They worshipped Arcadia, and all were amazed that she and the group from the future seemed completely unchanged. Arcadia said she had no idea how that was the case, but reminded them all that this was God’s idea in the first place, and he was in charge.

  Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin, and Madison were all there, and in the bloom of good health. 21st century medicine was able to work wonders. They sat in the big conference room with some of the key men from Arcadia’s group, Generals Compton, and Riley, the chief of medicine, the key sociologists, engineers, and the top techs.

  Arcadia went to the podium at the head of the room, and said, “All of you have every reason to be happy with what we have accomplished. I’m also happy, because we have bought ourselves some time and relative privacy from the big powers of the world. In fact, most of them now regard us as the big power, so much the better.”

  “However, 230 more years must pass, and if we don’t conduct our affairs properly, there is no assurance I won’t go home to the same shattered country I left. I sincerely hope what we’ve accomplished in the nearly 20 years since we arrived, has bought us enough good will to continue our sincere efforts to guide history.”

  “It was Washington who spoke for them all, “I have to say, Arcadia, it’s a little disingenuous of you to believe we, or America, would desert you now. We know a good deal of the near future, but only bits and pieces of the far future. If you will educate us, we will do our best to help you save an America that is yet to be.”

  “Thank you George,” said Arcadia, “it’s not you gentlemen I’m worried about. It’s the future generations of leaders who may have very different ideas of how America’s business should be conducted.”

  She turned and lit up the center screen at the front of the room, “We’ve made this as short and succinct as possible. There are expansions of each section of history as we get to it, but in general, what you are about to see are the true events that will occur in the next two and a half centuries.”

  For the next four hours, a documentary of American history unfolded. Washington and the rest, could see, right away what difficulties, problems and misery was avoided by the quick and decisive defeat of the British, and the years of waste under the ponderous Articles of Confederation. As time went by, they saw that the War of 1812 was simply not going to happen, and they were very grateful to see that the Civil War would not be fought because of the early emancipation and subsequent outlawing of slavery.

  They saw the expansion to the west and the disgraceful way in which the Native Americans were treated. They saw corrupt and incompetent presidents. They watched the rise of the two party system and how, often, it was not in the best interests of the country. It was interesting to see the Spanish American war, and America taking most of what it already had from the Spanish.

  Then they watched the great powers of Europe enter World War I, and how absolutely horrible it was, and how it was the Americans who turned the tide. But the Great War produced a deep depression in Europe and ultimately in the United States, that was the principal reason for the rise of the Nazi’s and Hitler to Germany. The holocaust was graphically shown. They saw the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, the long road back for America, and the end of the war by the use nuclear bombs.

  Afterwards, the Cold War came, and the near miss of a nuclear exchange in the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world looked safe again, but then came the rise of radical Islam, and the subsequent attack of 9-11.

  They watched America drive God out of the schools and many elements of public life. They saw the huge growth of the Federal government and the Entitlement Mentality it produced, keeping the same kind of people in office with no term limits.

  Then they saw the miracle of God in Branson with the appearance of the Park where the lion laid down with the lamb, and the resurgence of religion to America. It made the United States peaceful and prosperous again, but the hatred against America by the Islamists, overflowed and ultimately the bombs went off in Washington, New York, Los Angles, Denver, and the main intelligence-gathering center at Langley.

  When the documentary was over, Arcadia said, “Lots of us would often say that the Founding Fathers would turn over in their graves to see how your principles had been so disgracefully corrupted. Fortunately, none of you are dead, so I can ask you directly. Is this the United States that any of you envisioned or intended.”

  “Disgraceful,” said Jefferson.

  “Idiotic financial policy,” said Hamilton.

  “I would be in the streets forming a new Revolution,” said Adams.

  “I told a lady,” said Franklin, “when we came out with the constitution and asked me what kind of a government we had given America. I said, ‘a Republic, madam, if you can keep it. It looks like we couldn’t.”

  “I would not put my name as Father of the Country on such an abomination,” said Washington.

  “Glad to see you agree with us. Perhaps now you can understand why we came back to the beginning to keep us from making all the same mistakes.”

  “Yes,” said Washington, “I can completely agree with the solution God chose. I did not realize how much a part of the New Revolution in America you and your family was. No wonder He picked you, Arcadia, you are truly the best of the best.”

  “Now you can see why I insisted on making the United States so big. In my time, illegal immigration is a terrible problem from Mexico. Canada still only has about 30 million people, and 90 percent of them live with a hundred miles of our common border. I
wanted all the Caribbean to forestall the Spanish American war and the rise of Communism and Castro in Cuba. I wanted a more placid central America where a few million less people would die under dictatorships. Best of all, I wanted the land all the way to the isthmus of Panama to have a free hand to build and hold a canal to make the passage from east to west so much easier.”

  “I also see you have made adequate provisions for the Native Americans, particularly the Sioux with a state of their own, “ said Jefferson.

  “That situation is not stable,” said Arcadia. “We are going to have to help them along and honor our agreement. You see, there is a lot of gold in the Black Hills, their most sacred area, and we overrun them in my time.”

  “Very well,” said Washington. “What are our most important steps?”

  “One of the positive outcomes of producing a very strong Constitution was that it provides a solid base upon which to build the government,” said Arcadia, “Moreover, you can see the divisive nature of partisan politics. Even today, Aaron Burr is plotting to be Governor of New York and set up a political party to capture the Presidency. By the way, Alexander, he kills you in a duel, in our future. We will avoid that in this reality. We’ve decided there just can’t be such polarized political parties. There will be disagreements on certain policies of the government simply because of the diversity of the population and their primary interests. Agricultural states have different priorities than industrial states, even though we have worked hard, behind the scenes, using the powerful tool of money to insure all states have a good mix of both. That’s why the big textile mills are in the south.”

  “Our solution to this is to make the state primary election system where the real elections are held. They are very close to the people. All Congress will go directly to the capital without a partisan political agenda. Term limits for Congressmen and Senators without special privileges and high salaries, will keep the legislative branch from becoming a profession.