by Kurt Winans
Although most people from the outside would not be willing to admit it, the President understood that there had to be some reason why an economic juggernaut the likes of California had developed. The region had pushed aside various recessionary periods as if they never existed, and perhaps that explained why so many millions of people from within the United States, and other regions of the world, had uprooted their life throughout the previous two centuries to move there.
As for Nevada, the state had far less of a population base than that of her neighbor to the west. However it also offered a natural beauty of multiple mountain ranges along with nearly limitless wide open spaces. In recent years as a portion of its economic base the state had become a major player in the further development of alternative energy sources for America. As a consequence, some of Nevada’s desolate regions had been put to good use with massive solar panel fields and well placed wind turbines. Such a meaningful effort had helped to finally ween the nation away from the use of coal, which had been directly related to a range of health hazards for those who worked with it.
The President continued his rant by mentioning that the federal tax base generated by both states was significant, and that the loss of those funds as well as commerce flowing through the coastal population centers of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco would be staggering to the country.
Finally he spoke of the territory which would be lost, as the combined land mass of California and Nevada was huge. After quickly referencing the report on his desk, President Harwell looked at the man who had brought forth the report and exclaimed, “According to this, the square mileage of the two is slightly larger than that of Texas. And Chris, when you add all three together the figure exceeds half a million square miles!”
When the President finished, Christopher Westin attempted to calm his boss by responding with his belief that such an act by California and Nevada would never transpire. He cited the fact that unlike Texas, they couldn’t just leave the United States at a moment’s notice. Then he added, “Mr. President, constitutionally each state would among other things be required to receive the approval of Congress before they could seriously consider separation. In my opinion sir, such an approval just wouldn’t happen at any point in the near future.”
“What makes you so sure about that Chris?”
“Because Mr. President, Congress is still pissed off about how Texas left. With regard to actual standing or that of global perception, they are going to be extra cautious about allowing any internal agenda to further weaken the strength of our nation. They are not going to allow any single state or group thereof, let alone one which would contain the economic strength of California, to bring that into play by separating from the main body.”
“Well I suppose that’s true enough.”
“Yes sir. And if it will help with the present moment Mr. President, I’ll point out a relatable topic. With the exception of a few quickly arrived upon decisions such as your new flag mandate of this past Christmas season, Congress doesn’t seem to move in any direction with haste. If you need an example of that lethargy, then just look at how long they have been in deliberation over the question of granting statehood to our territories in the Caribbean.”
On the morning of Monday August sixteenth another milestone for the Republic of Texas was taking place, and Samuel couldn’t have been prouder of that fact. The event at the three locations of Texas A&M in College Station, the Corpus Christi Navy Base in Flour Bluff, and Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, would mark the final step in the complete separation of the republic from the United States. Because of what would unfold, Samuel believed that at the conclusion of the day Texas would no longer be known among other nations as the lone star rising. In his mind by establishing a military presence of ground, sea, and air, she would have proudly and fully risen to her rightful place among the powerful nations of the world.
Samuel and Victoria would not witness the proceedings at the Texas Naval and Air Force Academy locations, but as the procession of young men and women began at College Station, they stood out of respect for each and every one of them. It was indoctrination day for everyone associated with Texas A&M, and as the parallel to West Point for the republic, newly appointed students of the fourth through first class, as well as those within the higher classes who were returning, would initiate a new beginning. They would each in time become graduates of the Texas Military Academy to become officers in the army of the republic, and if called upon to do so, would put their lives on the line in her defense.
Joining them on campus for the glorious founding of the academy would be an extended amount of faculty and a graduated officer corps. Those men and women, who happened to include Jason Tillman, would remain at the institution for the purpose of maximizing the education and training of the current and future cadets.
As a reward for those first class cadets who had either endured three previous years at this institution, or had signed a loyalty oath to Texas and left West Point just prior to their senior year, they would be housed in a set of brand new barracks. The facilities had been constructed during the spring and summer months as a result of the most recent donation toward the university from Samuel and the Tillman fund. In accordance with that generosity the male and female barracks had rightfully been named in honor of Samuel and Victoria Tillman respectively, and the gracious donors had been invited as special guests by the University President to view the current proceedings.
Meanwhile at the new Texas Air Force Academy near Abilene a similar procession of eager cadets was underway, while a wave of midshipmen began their new adventure at the Naval Academy in Flour Bluff. At each of those facilities the number of enrollees was less than those of College Station, as there were none which were returning to campus. The student body would be slight during the first year of academy existence, as only recently accepted applicants for their plebe year, or those who had left either the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs of the Naval Academy in Annapolis during the course of their education were present. Even so, they had the benefit of being a part of something special for their republic, and for those midshipmen at Flour Bluff, they were present to witness the unveiling of the four ship fleet which had been masterfully coaxed away from the United States Coast Guard by Ambassador Pearson.
Samuel and Victoria sat quietly in the family room of the mansion with Ms. Holloway at their side. The three of them were each enjoying a nice cup of coffee while waiting for the broadcast of the evening news. A moment later when the lead story from Washington D.C. popped up onto the giant holographic screen, the content of it came as no surprise. Jordan Harwell had apparently made the obviously known intent official less than an hour prior, as his announcement on Tuesday the seventh of September stated that he would indeed seek the nomination for re-election to a second term as America’s President.
In response Samuel sarcastically stated, “Well that’s breaking news. As if the people of the world didn’t already know that he would run again, now he has gone ahead and made it official. And just in the nick of time too. Fourteen months, give or take a few days, to ramp up for his re-election efforts. I’m so glad that our Legislature had both the intelligence and foresight to eliminate such a ridiculous waste of time and resources for any of our future elections.”
Ms. Holloway replied, “Yes, but his particular timeline, or those of the other candidates outside of Texas, are not really our problem anymore Samuel?”
Looking over at the elderly woman, he responded with, “Well that’s true, and I suppose that I should give old Harwell a little credit. After all he has made his official announcement at a later date than any of his competitors from either party. And he did willingly, although blindly, provide Texas with nearly everything which we asked for throughout the past eight months. Now since one of his opponents will be his current Vice President, old Harwell has some hard work in front of him. Beyond whoever the opposition party puts forth, he will need to worry about securing any voters
that Sutherland could potentially take with him.”
Seated behind his desk in the oval office, President Harwell was concerned over the same issue. He had known Vice President Sutherland for many years while they both served in other elected capacities, and for the vast majority of that time they had worked well together. That was the main reason why president Harwell had asked the younger man to join him on the ticket of 2024, but there had been an additional positive to their union which could not have been ignored then. Unfortunately the positive which he was thinking of could now come back to haunt the President, as he was fully aware that his immediate underling had an innate ability to gather support for whatever his ambitions were. And if truth were to be told, Jordan Harwell was not sure that he would have been elected to the Presidency if it weren’t for the support of those that his running mate brought to their aid.
Looking toward his Chief of Staff who while seated on the couch was reading through a file, the President stated, “You know Chris, this situation with the Vice President could become a problem.”
Returning the gaze he replied, “Yes sir, perhaps on multiple levels.”
“So do you have any relatable strategy in mind which we could discuss?”
“Not at this time Mr. President. What about you?”
Understanding the complexity of the situation, he replied, “Well I have put some thought into the matter, and although the idea of it has certainly crossed my mind, I can’t just simply fire the man. After all he and I do have more of a positive history than negative, but I believe that the issue goes way beyond any of that.”
As there were only the two of them and Heath currently in the oval office, President Harwell went on to explain what he had pondered in recent weeks. He admitted that the possible separation of both California and Nevada was now less of a concern for him than at any point during the seven weeks prior, as their combined posturing to possibly form their own country separate from the United States had been stonewalled by Congress. In contrast to that potential problem, the President still maintained his obvious and ongoing concerns over the questions which involved Syria’s claim of innocence. But what really ate away at his insides more than the topics mentioned was his anger over Texas. Although the President was fully aware that each of the three issues he had covered were vitally important in their own right, the latter of the three centered mainly on how Texas had manipulated him and the State Department into conceding more than the United States should have. Agreements had been reached with Texas which granted far too many of their requests without anything in return. Sadly the treaties were signed while the republic hid behind the guise of needing those requests in order to develop and maintain a so-called heathy and friendly neighboring relationship.
Now aside from thinking about how to rectify that situation with kid gloves, there was the problem associated with Vice President Sutherland. The President understood that if he were to ask the Vice President for his immediate resignation, then it would send out a negative message. Many within the country, especially those from the opposition party, would view the action as proof that the two men hadn’t been the correct choice to lead this nation nearly three years prior. Beyond that opinion, President Harwell would be required to first identify and then put forth to Congress a suitable replacement for the position of Vice President. Then he would need to sit back and hope that they would subsequently confirm his selection. It was known that such a process could be rather lengthy, while also taking the President away from other pressing issues. To view the problem from another angle, if the Vice President were to resign of his own freewill, then he would have more time to ramp up his own bid for election while the President would be left with the same unpleasant task of replacing him. Adding intrigue to the issue would be the inevitable need to explain to the nation at large if his latest choice for Vice President would be with him for the intended second term. If not, then why was this person temporary, and who could be expected as the next solution to fill yet another vacancy? If either of those courses of action were to be taken at some point within the coming months, Jordan Harwell voiced his opinion that the opposition party would most probably win the White House.
To employ a different tactic, the President could use his power wisely by refusing to accept the Vice President’s resignation even if he brought one forth. That way he could keep the unity of the ticket in place, and unless Vice President Sutherland informed the press otherwise, most of America wouldn’t be any wiser to the fact that their unity was a complete fabrication. If Vice President Sutherland did so, then it would give the impression that he was not only attempting to undermine his boss, but that he also couldn’t be counted on to fulfill his current duty before moving on to the next. That could put the tenuous welfare of the nation at stake, while bringing forth the question of if he would also bail out from the Presidency when things became difficult. Such a move by the Vice President, in conjunction with his miscalculation over the Texas oil reserves and the attempt to secure them for his needs, could be most detrimental to his political future.
Christopher Westin listened to his boss as he outlined the various possibilities for a strategy, and realized the negative implications of each. Then he stated, “So we are faced with a difficult task Mr. President. You may need to keep your enemy close as it were.”
“I believe that’s the direction I’m leaning Chris, and unless we can think of something quickly, I really don’t see that I have another option.”
Standing in his familiar location mere feet away, Heath couldn’t help but take advantage of the current moment. With firm resolve he asked, “Excuse me Mr. President, but may I add something to your discussion?”
Swiveling his chair to the right, President Harwell replied, “Well I suppose so Heath. What’s on your mind?”
“Well Mr. President, if you are taking suggestions which could help the situation, then I believe I have one which could solve all of the issues which you just mentioned.”
“Alright Heath. Another opinion in this office couldn’t hurt, so let’s hear it.”
“Yes sir, and thank you. So if you could put an end to the unsavory attempts of California and Nevada, build a solid ally within the Middle East, and place the Republic of Texas squarely under your foot at the same time, then whatever Vice President Sutherland does or doesn’t do leading up to next year’s election would be irrelevant. If all of that could be accomplished, then you could easily win reelection Mr. President.”
“Well that sounds good in theory Heath, but to accomplish each of those things in such a short amount of time would be a tall order. However I will tell you something in all honesty, and don’t repeat this to anyone, I have been searching for a reason to get back at Texas for what they have done. So with regard to that aspect, you have my full attention.”
“Yes Mr. President, but I believe that you can accomplish all of what I just mentioned. If you will allow me sir, I think I have a plan for how you could go about it while earning the admiration for doing so with the vast majority of the American public.”
With a smile appearing on his face, President Harwell said, “Well if that’s true Heath, then I would definitely like to hear your plan.”
Christopher Westin chimed in by adding, “Yes Agent Bishop, so would I.”
Then the President stood and moved toward his protectorate to ask, “So how do you propose that I do such a thing?”
“Mr. President, it can and will be easily accomplished if you do one thing. All that shall be required is for you to severely punish the actual enemy who was responsible for the terrorist attacks of last November.”
Kurt possesses a spirit of adventure, which drives his thirst for experiencing new places and activities. He maintains a love for the great outdoors, and enjoys traveling whenever his schedule permits. One of his favorite activities is hiking in the clean mountain air, where the tranquil locations provide him with an opportunity to develop characters and storylines for his books. Kurt currentl
y resides in Northern Nevada, where he and his wife have lived for more than a decade.
Visit him at his website:
www.kurtwinans.com
