Patriots

by James Wesley, Rawles

  Soon after the meeting, Lon reminded Mary about a sore tooth he had reported two days before. Lon said that the pain was getting worse. With the assistance of Margie, and referring to her copy of Where There Is No Dentist, Mary extracted the tooth. Mary had a good supply of Lidocaine, and had had the foresight to buy a set of dental tools before the Crunch, so the extraction was not painful. Mary was surprised, however, how much force it took to remove the molar. Thankfully, it came out in one piece, using her tooth-extracting pliers. The procedure turned out to be a valuable experience for Mary Gray. It was the first of nine teeth that she would pull in the next few years.

  Three weeks after T.K. was buried, Todd and Lisa got together to decide how to dispose of T.K.’s gear. Because he hadn’t written a will, they did not know how Tom would have wanted his possessions distributed. They came to the conclusion that most of it should go to the Carltons and the Porters, as they had arrived at the retreat with little more than the clothes on their backs. T.K.’s AR-15 and Anshutz bolt-action .22 target rifle went to Della. His M1 Garand rifle, stainless steel Colt Gold Cup .45 automatic, and Remington 870 were given to Lon Porter. His Colt Commander and Ruger 10/22 went to Rose.

  Because they were both almost the same size as Kennedy, Della and Rose split T.K.’s six remaining sets of DPM fatigues and two DPM smocks. Most of T.K.’s field gear was divided between the Porters and Doug Carlton. His New Lile fighting knife was given to Lon. His Bronco was given to the Laytons.

  All of T.K.’s books went into the Grays’ library shelves, which were long hence communally browsed. Kennedy’s food and ammunition supplies were divided equally between the Porters and Carltons. Dan Fong asked if he could have T.K.’s TrinitY Fisherman utility knife, as something to remember him by.

  Todd filled his request immediately.

  Kevin Lendel, who had practiced from time to time with T.K.’s Benedict crossbow, asked if he could have it. He too got his wish. This left only a few odds and ends, which Todd and Lisa divided almost at random amongst the militia members. The only things that Todd set aside were T.K.’s journal, photo album, Bible, and Catholic Missal. He hoped to return them to Kennedy’s brothers someday, assuming that they were still alive.

  CHAPTER 21

  Federales

  “Diplomacy is the art of saying, ‘Nice Doggie,’ while you’re looking for a rock.”

  —Will Rogers

  A farmer five miles west of the retreat radioed to say that she had spotted a twin-engine airplane at low altitude heading toward Moscow. Early the next morning, Roger Dunlap called in to say that they had heard from Moscow that the same plane had brought a representative of the provisional Federal government, and that a speech was planned for late in the afternoon at the Pullman-Moscow airport.

  Most of the militia members at Todd’s retreat wanted to go. They piled into the open back of Todd’s Power Wagon, leaving behind the Porters and Nelsons to provide security in their absence.

  On the drive into Moscow, they passed dozens of people on foot or on horseback heading toward town. As they wheeled up to the side of the Pullman-Moscow Air Terminal, they could see a gray painted U.S. Army Beechcraft C-12 parked on the taxiway. Doug pointed out the fact that the white painted tip tanks on the plane did not match the rest of the airplane. He commented out the corner of his mouth, “Those tanks probably came from a Beechcraft Super King Air. It’s the commercial counterpart of the Army C-12.” By the time that the address began, more than four hundred people had gathered in front of the airport terminal. The fall air was crisp.

  The speech was given by the “Undersecretary of Information,” Mr. Clarke, an overweight man with a florid face. He wore a polyester suit, and carried a chrome-plated Savage .32 automatic pistol in a hip holster. In comparison to his great bulk, the small pistol appeared almost laughable. Standing next to him was an Army warrant officer wearing a digital camouflage Nomex flight suit, and a green nylon mesh survival vest with bulging zippered pockets. He carried a standard Army-issue Beretta M9 pistol in a shoulder holster. Both men wore sky blue armbands with a white United Nations “wreathed Earth” logo. The two stood on the steps of the terminal, with the crowd forming a half-circle around them. Clarke opened a notebook and began reading a prepared speech printed on poor quality photocopy paper. He began, “This address was written by President pro-tem Hutchings of the Provisional Federal government. Here is his message:

  ‘My fellow Americans. The United States is slowly recovering from the greatest tragedy in its history. I have recently been provided a detailed report on the extent of the catastrophe from the administration’s chief scientist. Some of the report’s findings are as follows: In the past three years, an estimated one hundred and sixty million of our citizens have died. Most died from starvation, exposure, and disease. Of the deaths by disease, more than sixty-five million were caused by the influenza pandemic that swept the eastern seaboard. Without antibiotics available, the disease simply ran rampant until there were no more hosts left to attack in the heavily populated regions.

  ‘At least twenty-eight million are estimated to have been killed in lawless violence. In addition, more than five million have died of complications of pre-existing medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, hemophilia, AIDS, and kidney disease. Hundreds of thousands more have died of complications of tonsillitis, appendicitis, and other ailments that were heretofore not life-threatening. The distribution of population losses ranged from in excess of 96 percent of the population in some northeastern metropolitan areas to less than 5 percent in a few areas in the High Plains, Rocky Mountains, the inter-mountain areas of the West, and the Inland Northwest. Order has been restored in only a few states, but we are making rapid progress.

  ‘As you are no doubt aware, the economy is still in complete disarray. The formerly existing transportation and communications systems have been completely disrupted. In the coming months, our biggest priority will be on revitalizing the petroleum and refining industries of Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. Next, we will strive to get electric power back on line in as many areas as possible. With bulk fuel, natural gas, and electrical power available, it is hoped that agriculture and the many industries critical to our nation’s economic health will be reestablished.

  ‘Here at Fort Knox, we have taken the lead in rebuilding a new United States. Already, with the help of security forces from other United Nations countries, we have pacified the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. But there is much more to be done. America must be put back on its feet again economically. Never again can we allow the economy to get so out of control. Strict economic policies will ensure that there will never be a repeat of the Crash. Wages and prices will, by necessity, be controlled by the central government. Many industries will have to be government-owned or government-controlled, at least in the foreseeable future. Reasonable limits on the press will stop the spread of unfounded rumors. Until order is completely restored, the Federal and state constitutions have been temporarily suspended, and nationwide martial law is in effect. The single legitimate seat of power is here at Fort Knox. It is only with central planning that things can be put back in order rapidly and efficiently.

  ‘Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama are already under the control of nine United Nations sub-regional administrators. I will soon be dispatching UN regional and sub-regional administrators to the other areas that have independently reestablished order. These include Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the southern portion of Georgia, most of Texas, part of Louisiana, most of Colorado, southwestern Oregon, all of Idaho, all of Utah, eastern Washington, all of Wyoming, and most of North and South Dakota.

  ‘The UN Regional Administrators will oversee the many tasks required to accomplish a complete national recovery. For example, they will be setting up regional police forces, which will be under their direct control. They will oversee the issuance of the National ID Card. They will appoint judges that they deem properly qualified. Each Regi
onal Administrator will bring with him on his staff a regional tax collector and a regional treasurer who will handle issuance of the new national currency. Rest assured that the new currency is fully backed by the gold reserves of the national depository.

  ‘I hope that you, my fellow citizens, will do everything in your ability to assist your new Regional Administrators, the sub-regional Administrators, their staffs, and those that they appoint under them. Only with your cooperation will America be able to quickly restore itself to its former greatness. Given this day under my hand, Maynard L. Hutchings.’ This document carries the official seal of the Provisional Federal government.”

  After looking up with a wide-faced grin, Clarke intoned, “I have some photocopies of the speech for those of you that would like them. I’ll be happy to speak with any of you individually if you have any questions about how we will be handling things.”

  A gray-haired man wearing a Pendleton shirt and with a MAK-90 rifle slung across his back raised his hand and shouted, “Sir, I’d like to ask my questions now, and hear you answer them publicly.” After pausing to look at some of the anxious faces around him, the man continued, “If I understand what you are saying, that this gentleman Maynard Hutchings is now the president of the United States.”

  “Actually his correct title is President pro-tem.”

  “I know what pro tempore means, Mr. Clarke. Can you tell me who elected this man Hutchings?”

  “He was elected by a unanimous vote of the council of the provisional government.”

  “And who elected this council?”

  Clarke’s eyes dodged from left to right. Putting on an officious tone, he stated, “They were not actually elected. They were self-appointed during the darkest days of the crisis. They were men of great vision who saw the need to restore order, and took the great personal risk of doing something about it.”

  The gray-haired man with the assault rifle spoke up again. “Well… exactly who is on this council?”

  “Fine upstanding men like yourself, sir. They come from all walks of life.

  There are two bankers, three lawyers, an IRS official, two businessmen, and an Army general.”

  “You mean to say that a bunch of cronies got together and decided that they were going to become the new federal government?”

  “Now, as I said, President Hutchings was legally elected by a unanimous vote.”

  The gray-haired man pointed a finger at Clarke and again shouted, “Yes, he was legally elected all right, under the bylaws of this ‘council,’ which you have admitted was self-appointed. The term legally is not synonymous with lawfully.”

  Clarke looked nervously from side to side.

  After letting his words sink in, the gray-haired man asked, “What did this Hutchings fellow do before the Crunch? Was he with the federal government or the governor or deputy governor of Kentucky, or something of that nature?”

  “President Hutchings was formerly the president of the Hardin County Board of Supervisors.”

  “You’ve got to be joking! Before the Crunch hit, I was the president of the University of Idaho, just ten miles from here, in Moscow. What’s to say that I can’t get together with some of my friends and declare myself the president of the United States?”

  After a pause, Clarke replied indignantly, “Two things. One, you don’t have more than fifteen thousand trained and equipped U.S. and UN troops under your control. Two, you do not control the sixty billion dollars in gold in the National Depository.”

  The former university president stroked his chin and asked, “When will elections be held?”

  Clarke answered matter-of-factly, “None will be considered until well after the entire country is pacified and the economy has been revitalized. That may be several years. Now, if there are no further questions….”

  He was again interrupted, this time by a man dressed in coveralls and wearing a baseball cap emblazoned “CAT Diesel Power” and carrying a holstered single-action revolver. He raised his hand and shouted, “You said something about a new currency. What’s that all about?”

  Clarke smiled again and replied, “Sir, I’m glad that you asked me that. The old federal currency has been declared obsolete, null and void, at least the paper money. The old coins are still considered legal tender, however. Distribution and acceptance of the new currency has already started in the Quad State area. In fact, I have an example of it here.” Clarke then held up a small lime-green bill.

  The man in coveralls asked, “Can I see that, mister?”

  “Certainly,” Clarke answered, and passed it into the crowd. It was passed hand-to-hand back to the questioner. After examining both sides of the five-dollar bill, he asked, “Is this new currency backed by the gold at Fort Knox?”

  Clarke replied instantly, “Yes, indeed sir. Backed one hundred percent. We guarantee it.”

  “If it’s backed in gold, then why doesn’t it say ‘Gold Certificate’ or ‘Pay the Bearer in Gold,’ or something like that?”

  Clarke looked at his pilot nervously. “Well… uhh, due to the problems of transport under the ongoing crisis, the new currency will not be redeemable in gold, but it will still be lawful tender.”

  The man in coveralls shook his head vigorously. “That sounds like a bunch of horse hooey to me. In the Bible that’s called ‘diverse weights and measures.’

  That’s an abomination. Either the currency is gold backed, or it isn’t. If it’s not redeemable in the gold or silver, then this might just as well be Monopoly money, far as I’m concerned.” Murmurs began to sweep through the crowd.

  Waving his arm, Clarke implored, “Sir, as I’m sure you recall, the old Federal Reserve currency wasn’t redeemable in gold or silver, either. That didn’t stop people from trusting the currency, now did it?”

  The man again shook his head from side to side and retorted, “Well it darn sure should have! That was an abomination, too. I don’t think this depression would have ever happened if we had real money. As far as I could tell, the thing that started the whole ball of string unraveling was when Uncle Sam fired up the printing presses round the clock.” Throughout the crowd, there were shouts of agreement.

  After a pause, the man in the coveralls crumpled the bill into a wad, and tossed it to the ground.

  Clarke stammered, “You’re oversimplifying a very complex chain of events.

  As the president pointed out in his statement, there will be vigorous controls on the economy to prevent another economic catastrophe. It’s for the public good.”

  A heavyset middle-aged woman asked, “What was that bit your Mister Hutchings wrote about a National ID Card?”

  Clarke replied nonchalantly, “Oh that’s just one of the new Federal security measures. As you’ve probably heard, there were hundreds of thousands of Mexicans that crossed the border illegally following the economic collapse.

  The authorities have to be able to distinguish between residents and illegal aliens. Under the latest Federal proclamation, the new National ID card must be carried by everyone ten years old, or older, at all times. The latest version has a magnetic strip on the back that will make shopping very convenient. It works like a bank debit card. In the long term, the card will have to be presented to conduct any sales transaction. For now, at least, it will be required when crossing any of the new regional or sub-regional security checkpoints.”

  The murmuring in the crowd increased. Roger Dunlap raised his hand and in a firm voice asked, “What about our guns, what does your new government have to say about that issue?”

  Clarke put on his saccharine smile again, and replied, “The Constitution guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms. President Hutchings is a strong believer in the Second Amendment. He has stated publicly that he believes that every resident can continue to enjoy the privilege of owning firearms for sporting purposes, even under this period of martial law. However, due to the exigencies of the current lawless situation, the president has seen fit to institute a sys
tem of national firearms registration. This is, of course, aimed at curbing the tide of lawlessness. The only way to stop the bands of vicious brigands roaming the countryside is to disarm them. As you know, there were many government weapons that disappeared in the early stages of the crisis. Dozens and dozens of National Guard armories were looted. All of those weapons must be rounded up. In addition, certain categories of weapons have been declared a threat to the public safety, under the executive order, in compliance with the United Nations Arms Control Harmonization Accord. That treaty was signed by the president last year.”

  Dunlap asked, “And what exactly are those categories?”

  “Sir, I’ll be happy to answer your more detailed questions later with you privately.”

  Dunlap raised his voice sharply. “No, Mr. Clarke! I want to know what categories of weapons have been outlawed, and I want to hear your answer right here and now. This is a matter that concerns all of us, and we deserve an honest answer, post haste!”

  Again opening his notebook and leafing through poorly photocopied pages, Clarke cleared his throat and read, “‘The categories of weapons banned by the United Nations Accord include:

  All fully automatic weapons, regardless of prior registration under the National Firearms Act of 1934,

  any rifle over thirty caliber,

  any shotgun or weapon of any description over twelve gauge in diameter, all semiautomatic rifles and shotguns,

  all rifles and shotguns capable of accepting a detachable magazine, any detachable magazine regardless of capacity, any weapon with a fixed magazine that has a capacity of more than four cartridges, all grenades and grenade launchers,