After the Republic

by Frank L. Williams

The President continued: As I traveled this great country over the past two years, one thing became even clearer than I could ever have imagined. America is filled with great people who love God, love their families, love our nation and want to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their children. And the federal government needs to get out of their way, not stand in it.

  For the better part of a century America was the undisputed leader of the free world. In World War II, our Greatest Generation helped turn back the face of tyranny by leading the fight to defeat Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. That war would likely have ended differently – and our world would be a much darker place today – if not for the United States of America.

  Joshua glanced at his grandfather’s flag from World War II, which hung in a framed case across the room. Granddaddy would be so happy if he were alive to hear this speech, he thought.

  President Wagner continued: We put a man on the moon. We stood down the Soviet Union and won the Cold War. Our nation has been the source of much of the world’s innovation over the past 100 years. America has been a beacon – THE beacon -- of freedom and hope to those who have neither. Joshua felt goosebumps form on his arms.

  That has been our past, and it can be our future -- IF we are willing to make the tough decisions that demand to be made. Before I discuss the specific steps we must take to get America back on track, it is appropriate to reflect upon the things that made America the greatest nation on earth.

  President Wagner reached into his jacket pocket and held up a small pamphlet. Let’s start with our Constitution. The entire chamber erupted into applause, with many Members of Congress rising to their feet. Joshua glanced up at the framed print of George Washington signing the U.S. Constitution.

  I challenge every person in this room, as well as every person watching at home, to read and study our Constitution. Get to know it. Understand how it applies. Learn what the framers were thinking when they crafted this great document. Don’t believe the snippets you hear on television. Read it for yourself!

  The Constitution of the United States outlines a framework for the greatest free government this world has ever seen. A system centered on the people, not the bureaucracy. A system in which the government derives its power from We the People, not the other way around. A system which recognizes that our rights are bestowed by God, not by the government. I fear that we have strayed from the timeless principles for which our founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

  We live in a great republic. But tonight, I am reminded of Benjamin Franklin’s timeless words. A lady asked him what form of government they had instituted. His centuries-old response speaks to us today. ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’

  I am also reminded of the words of another great American, President Ronald Reagan, who admonished us that ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.’

  That is the question before us today. Can we keep this great republic? Or will we one day be relegated to telling our children and grandchildren what life was like in the United States?

  Again, I believe our Constitution outlines the framework for the greatest free society this world has ever seen. The Constitution protects our God-given rights -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom to assemble. It protects our private property rights. It ensures that no one person – and no one branch of government – has too much power over the people. We must return to those Constitutional principles if America is to once again be the world’s greatest beacon of freedom, hope and opportunity.

  America is full of God-fearing, hard-working people who want to earn a living and take care of their families. To those of you watching at home, I believe you are more than capable of running your lives without the government watching over and micromanaging everything you do. What you need is for the federal government – and this goes for state and local governments as well – to get out of the way and let you live your lives.

  Joshua clapped. “He sounds more and more like Reagan!” Perry frowned, snatched the remote control and turned up the volume.

  “Let’s just watch the speech!” Rebecca said.

  President Wagner continued: Unfortunately, there are some in this country, and many who have stood in this building – even some who have stood at this podium – who have pushed the federal government into more and more aspects of your lives. They promise you everything and make the next generation pay for it. It has been said that a government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have. We must resist the temptation to go further down that perilous path.

  President Wagner again held up the Constitution. If this Constitution does not specifically give the federal government the authority to do something, we shouldn’t be doing it. Period. Unfortunately, for far too long our federal government has tried to be all things to all people. And every pet project, every handout, every new program costs money. The politicians have run up the bill with well-meaning initiative after well-meaning initiative, all of which sound good in a speech or 30-second ad and look good on paper, but none of which we can afford. That’s why our national debt is now over $20 trillion. We simply cannot continue piling on more debt for future generations to pay. That’s why we must--

  The screen went white and the only sound was static. Joshua cocked an eyebrow.

  “What happened?” Perry rubbed his fingers across his goatee.

  “I don’t know.” They had been watching on CSPAN. He flipped to Fox News, CNN, the major broadcast networks and even MSNBC. The result was the same each time: white screen and static.

  “Probably just a problem with the satellite.” Caroline pushed herself up off of the love seat. “This looks like a good time for a bathroom break.”

  Joshua switched to a movie channel. The scheduled program came through crystal clear. Next he flipped to a 24-hour sports network, where a sports news show was broadcasting uninterrupted. “Strange.”

  Joshua switched back to Fox. This time there was a picture, but it was from the studio in New York, not the Capitol.

  “That is weird.” Perry’s brow furrowed.

  “Let me see if I can find any news online.” Drew fixated on his smartphone for a few moments. “Nothing. I’ll try to call a few friends in D.C.” He dialed a first number. “Can’t get through.”

  Joshua left the television on Fox. The rattled anchor struggled to explain the situation. Folks, we are not sure what is happening. We are trying to reach our Washington bureau, but have been unsuccessful thus far. We will keep--

  The screen again went blank. White picture, static for sound. All of the major news networks were again blank.

  Joshua’s stomach twisted like a tornado. His gut told him something was very wrong. He glanced at Rebecca, who was nervously twirling her hair between her fingers.

  Joshua silently walked to his home office, returning with his tablet computer. He walked past Charlie and Allie, who were absorbed in a cartoon and oblivious to the fact that something was out of the ordinary. He went to the most reliable news source he could think of: Twitter. He felt the blood drain from his face as he looked at Rebecca, speechless.

  “What?” Rebecca’s jaw dropped.

  Perry, Caroline and Drew stared at Joshua, waiting for a clue. Rebecca twisted her hair tightly. “Josh?”

  Joshua swallowed and struggled to get the words out. “I… can’t believe it.”

  “What is it?” Perry asked.

  Joshua bit his lip. “Over Washington.” His hand quaked as he held up the tablet, which brightly displayed a photo of a mushroom cloud. “From Arlington.”

  Rebecca’s cup fell from her hand, splattering tea across the room as i
t crashed to the hardwood floor.

  “Someone probably just downloaded that and posted it,” Perry said. “Doubt if that has anything to do with the TV not working.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Drew held up his smartphone, displaying another picture of mushroom cloud. “From Bethesda. If this is real, then it took out the president, VP and most of Congress.”

  Joshua swallowed hard and looked at Rebecca. “Phil…”

  Drew grimaced. “Congressman Moyer would be a terrible loss.”

  Everyone stared at each other in stunned silence. Tears streamed down Caroline’s cheeks. Joshua closed his eyes for a moment. What is happening? Is this the start of World War III?

  “My best friend from college works on Capitol Hill.” Drew frantically made a call. “Still can’t get through. Fast busy signal.” He frowned and sent a text.

  “Who did this?” Rebecca’s voice quaked as she spoke.

  “Sounds like Al Qaeda,” Perry said.

  “Or ISIS,” Joshua said. “Or a copycat.”

  “Or anyone else with a nuke,” Drew said. “China. Russia. Pakistan. North Korea. Maybe Iran.”

  “What does this mean?” Caroline said between sobs. “Are we safe here? What do we do now?” Perry put his arm around her and silently wiped the tears from her face.

  “We don’t even know for sure if it’s real,” Drew said. “Twitter and Facebook are already lighting up with all kinds of wild conspiracy theories that this is hoax. Others are saying it’s an inside job.” He cleared his throat. “But I’ve got a bad feeling…”

  Rebecca squeezed Joshua’s hand.

  “No!” Joshua stared at his tablet, gripping it tightly. A deathly chill ran down his spine.

  Rebecca grabbed his knee and squeezed it. “What now?”

  Joshua shook his head, a tear in his eye. “Reports of mushroom clouds over five more cities.” Rebecca silently grabbed his hand.

  “No way!” Perry said. “This CAN’T be happening.”

  Joshua scrolled though Twitter photos of mushroom clouds. “Washington. LA. New York. Atlanta. Chicago. Houston.” He gulped. “I think this is real.”

  Perry silently rushed outside, returning with his Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. After reclaiming his spot on the love seat he double-checked the pistol to ensure it was loaded. Caroline buried her head on his shoulder, crying. Tears streamed down Rebecca’s face as she tightly gripped Joshua’s hand. A dark, impenetrable tension gripped the room.

  “Whoever did this clearly wants to destabilize our country by taking out our government,” Drew stated with an eerie calmness. “The protocol for the State of the Union is to have at least one member of the line of succession in a different, secure location. That person is called the ‘designated survivor.’ There are typically a few members of Congress in a different location. Today will be remembered in the same vein as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. I just don’t know who this year’s designated survivor is.”

  Joshua closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His head was spinning. A torrent of conflicting emotions rushed through his mind. Who did this? Are we safe here? Is it over? We have to hunt down whoever did this. Where does our country go from here? What do I do next? I have to be strong for Rebecca. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes. “Whatever is happening could make its way to us, here. This was well-planned. We need to make plans for what we’ll do, how we’ll survive when this gets too close to home. But right now we need to take care of ourselves and our families. I want to call some friends in the D.C. area and see if they are okay. Perry and Caroline, you two need to get your children home and talk to them about what’s happening. Can you guys meet here tomorrow afternoon at 5:00?”

  Perry shook his head. “Tomorrow will be pushing it. I need to process all of this, and I want to get some things in order around the house just in case.”

  “State government will be on high alert, so tomorrow is probably out of the question for me,” Drew added.

  Joshua pursed his lips. “How about Thursday?”

  “Okay,” Perry said.

  “I’ll do my best to be here,” Drew added.

  “There are a few other people I want to call. Please don’t invite anyone else without checking with me. We need to know who we can trust.”

  Perry and Caroline nodded in agreement.

  “Mama, what’s wrong?” Charlie stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, Allie beside him.

  Caroline shot up and put her hands on her hips. “How long have you two been standing there?”

  Before they could answer Perry said, “Kids, I’ll explain it on the way home. We’re leaving in a minute. Get ready.”

  “But we’re in the middle of a cartoon, Dad!” Charlie said.

  “Son, get ready NOW. We have to go.”

  Charlie huffed. “Okay.”

  “One more thing,” Joshua said. “Let’s pray before you guys go.”

  The children joined the group and everyone formed a circle, joined hands and bowed their heads.

  “Father, we come before you tonight as people who are uncertain and afraid,” Joshua prayed. “We don’t know exactly what is happening in our nation or why it is happening, but we do know that you are in control. We’re not sure what comes next. We ask that you guide us as we develop our plans and we ask that you bring us back together safely. We pray for the safety and future of our nation. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Joshua felt he should have offered a lengthier prayer given the circumstances, but was not sure what to pray.

  Rebecca wiped the tears from her eyes. “You guys be careful.”

  “We will,” Caroline responded, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

  Perry, Caroline, Charlie and Allie made a beeline for their truck and Drew headed for his red, late model Corvette. The flag snapped in the wind, illuminated by an in-ground light.

  Joshua waved. “Get ready for the fact that we might need to leave this area on a moment’s notice.”

  Joshua collapsed onto the couch and Rebecca plopped down beside him. After silently staring off into space for what seemed like an eternity he looked into her puppy-dog brown eyes. Even in the midst of a gut-wrenching moment like this they still had the power to hypnotize him.

  “So much for returning to a quiet, peaceful life on the farm.” He stroked her cheek. “I have a feeling the next few years of our lives will be drastically different than we’d planned.”

  “We can’t control what life throws at us. We’ll make it.” She wiped a tear away. “Somehow.”

  Joshua leaned back and closed his eyes. Rebecca rested her head on his chest. “Josh, what are we going to do?”

  He released a heavy sigh. “I don’t know yet. But I’m working on it.”

  Joshua’s mind raced as he anxiously searched the internet for more information on what had happened. Who did this? How many lives have been lost? Who is in control of the U.S. government? Who is in command of our military? Who has control of our nuclear arsenal? Are the attacks over, or are there more to come? What comes next?

  CHAPTER 2

  The welcome aroma of brewing coffee made its way to the bedroom. Joshua grunted as he forced himself out of the warm, comfortable bed. He dressed, covered his matted hair with a faded red N.C. State Wolfpack cap and lumbered down the hall in the direction of the coffee pot.

  Rebecca greeted him with far too much energy. “Good morning!”

  “’Morning,” he mumbled.

  “Somebody needs a cup of coffee.”

  “Even more so than usual.” Joshua savored his first sip. “Long night. Took me forever to get to sleep. Tossed and turned half the night.” He picked up the remote. “Maybe we can get some more info about what happened.”

  Most of the 24-hour national news networks were back up and running, broadcasting from alternate locations. The headline across the top of the screen read America Under Attack. The last time Joshua had seen a headline like this was September 12, 2001, but
even that nightmare scenario paled in comparison to the apocalyptic devastation described by the stunned news anchor: Eleven major U.S. cities were hit with nuclear attacks yesterday. Joshua’s jaw dropped.

  “Eleven!” Rebecca exclaimed.

  The clearly exhausted anchor had noticeable bags under his eyes. The first attack hit Washington during the State of the Union address, killing President Wagner and the Vice President and taking out most of the U.S. government. The attack on our nation’s capital was followed by blasts in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Houston. Overnight, nuclear bombs also went off in Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Dallas and Miami.

  Rebecca squeezed Joshua’s shoulder tightly as they watched the coverage in stunned silence.

  The anchor continued: These blasts do not appear to have come from missiles, and authorities are investigating the possibility of suitcase nukes or something similar. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. President Nelson Armando, who was administered the Oath of Office this morning--

  Joshua waved his fist at the television. “No!”

  “Your favorite.” Rebecca gently slapped him on the shoulder.

  Joshua groaned. “Just what we need. From bad to worse. I still can’t believe Wagner appointed him. He didn’t have the experience to be Secretary of Homeland Security, and he sure as heck doesn’t have the experience to be president.”

  Yet there he was: President of the United States, less than three weeks after being confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security in a razor-thin, controversial Senate vote. His confirmation had drawn opposition from nearly all of the same conservative Senators who supported Alan Wagner in the previous year’s election.

  “Well, for better or worse he’s who we’ve got now,” Rebecca said.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  They got quiet as President Armando appeared on screen wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie. The president spoke with a heavy New York accent reinforced by his dark complexion and slicked-back hair. My fellow Americans, yesterday was a tragic day in the history of our great nation. We were attacked in what can only be described as a savage act of war by an unknown, cowardly enemy. Many of our major cities have been devastated and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans have been killed.