by Mark Goodwin
North Carolina Governor Taylor said, “That’s a grand concept, but we do a lot of good things with the revenues from property taxes. It seems most of you are against public schools, but still, there are fire departments, police, code enforcement, libraries and many other public services funded by property taxes. Are we willing to go back to the pioneer days where there are no public services?”
Jacob Schmidt responded, “I don’t have a problem with fire departments, police departments or even code enforcement if a community decides they want those things. I would argue that they could all be provided through the private sector or by volunteers, but even if you want them provided through states or municipalities, it could be done through a sales tax. If the state or municipality raises taxes to an uncomfortable level, residents are free to move to a place where services and taxes better meet their needs.”
Paul Randall said, “Your point is valid, Governor. We’ll definitely discuss it further.
“Gentlemen, the last item on today’s agenda is the Twelfth Amendment. I saved this until last, because I think we may have more varied views on this subject than most of the others we’ve discussed today. I don’t anticipate that we’ll get it completely hashed out today, but I would like to give you a few things to think about until we get back together, hopefully the same time next week.
“The current Electoral College system is a real mess. It’s defined in Article two of the original Constitution. Senators and representatives are barred from being electors, but I feel they are the very people their constituents sent to make decisions for them. Our founders set this country up as a republic. The current Electoral College is directed to choose a presidential candidate through a democratic process. What this has done is turn presidential elections into popularity contests and a means to vote for the person with the most handouts. The campaigns are often funded on both sides by the same banks and corporations. No matter who wins, they are beholden to those corporate and banking interests. This should not be the case in a republic. Once this new American Idol is elected by mostly low-information voters, they select Justices to fill the vacancies in the judicial branch of the Federal government. Thus, the banks and corporations have effectively hijacked two thirds of our entire government through the supposed democratic process. For generations, we’ve done it this way and now our country is ripped apart, broke and people are resorting to cannibalism all around the nation. I think we need to make a fundamental change to the presidential election process.
“First and foremost, I recommend taking a step back to being a Constitutional Republic. I recommend that the House and the Senate be the ones who select electors and instruct the electors on who to vote for in the presidential and vice presidential elections. This maintains the integrity of the Constitution and restores the Republic. Senators and representatives would still be elected by popular votes from their states and districts, but in order to vote, citizens must pass a basic test that shows they understand the process, our history and our founders’ intents. We require this simple test of new citizens who wish to immigrate to this country. Why shouldn’t we make this simple requirement of those who wish to participate in the election process? For those who are content to remain slack-jawed imbeciles, that’s their choice, but they should not be allowed to vote.”
North Dakota Governor Abrams spoke up. “Requiring a test will dissuade many people from participating in elections. I think it will have a disparate effect on the poor who don’t have time to study or take the test.”
Jacob Schmidt said, “It will only have a disparate effect on those who don’t care enough to take the test and study the material. We don’t use that argument when it comes to drivers licenses, yet selecting our country’s leaders is a much higher calling than driving a car.”
Mark Shea added, “I liked Senator Randall’s term, ‘low-information voter.’ I think it was probably too kind. Perhaps ‘no-information voter’ would be more accurate. The disparate effect of allowing those with no knowledge and no understanding to elect our government officials has been the absolute and complete destruction of this country and our monetary system. I think this is the most important point that has been raised all day. I agree with Senator Randall emphatically.”
Governor Harvey Simmons of Kentucky said, “It’s a lot to think about. I suppose I’m used to the way things were, but like Governor Shea pointed out, that’s not working for us. I’d like to take the week to think that one over before I issue my verdict.”
Sam Richards of Tennessee said, “I agree with Harvey. I’m used to thinking of America as a democracy. I suppose that is what I’ve always thought we were supposed to be. I’ll have to go back and read over some history with Paul’s comments in mind.”
Paul Randall made his closing comments. “Thank you, gentlemen, for being open to these suggestions. I know they appear very radical, but so were our founders in their day. Please consider everything we’ve talked about today, and we’ll plan to reconvene next week.”
The men said their farewells and agreed to meet again in seven days’ time.
CHAPTER 24
“The constitution ought to secure a genuine militia and guard against a select militia...all regulations tending to render this general militia useless and defenseless, by establishing select corps of militia, or distinct bodies of military men, not having permanent interests and attachments to the community ought to be avoided.”
-Richard Henry Lee, Virginian
Delegate to the Continental Congress
Justin’s alarm went off at three in the morning. He shut the alarm off and felt the heaviness of his eyelids as they began to close. He knew better that to lay there for one more second. He looked over at his wife beside him. Her eyes were open. She reached over and touched his arm.
“Be safe,” she said.
“I will.” He kissed her on her head and her eyes closed.
Justin got dressed and headed for the kitchen. He used three scoops of coffee this morning. He never violated the coffee ration limits, but today was different. He was sure everyone would understand. He made a batch of pancakes. They were high in carbs and would keep him full for a while. The leftovers could go in his assault pack and could be eaten by hand while they were hiking to the ambush site.
Justin checked his gear for a third time. Adam would do a pre-combat inspection once all the team members were assembled, but it would be too late to get anything from the house. Justin decided to put together a second Individual First Aid Kit or IFAK. There was the possibility that Matt or his fellow prisoners could be injured in the firefight. Justin’s personal blow-out kit contained an Asherman chest seal to address sucking chest wounds, a packet of Quickclot, an Israeli Battle Dressing or IBD, EMT shears, a TK4 tourniquet and a selection of gauze and bandages. It was all contained in a small MOLLE pouch that affixed to the MOLLE straps on the back of his assault pack. While he was digging through the medical supplies closet, Karen came out of the bedroom.
“Good morning,” she said.
Justin hadn’t expected her. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”
“I’m a light sleeper these days. What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Do you have an extra IBD or any extra Quickclot?” Justin knew the Bairs were preppers prior to the crash and assumed they had more trauma supplies than what Matt was carrying when he was captured.
Karen rummaged through the closet and produced two of each item Justin requested. She didn’t ask any questions. “Here are two Combat Application Tourniquets. Can you use these?”
Justin said, “Wow. That’d be great.” He figured she must have some idea of where he was going, otherwise she’d be quizzing him on why he needed all of this stuff.
They returned to the kitchen and Karen assisted him in packing the extra supplies into his assault pack. “Aren’t you wearing your body armor today?”
Justin shook his head. “I have to be light today. It weighs too much for the.… We’re doing some training and
we have to cover a lot of ground.”
Karen said, “Then we’ll just have to pray that God will be your armor today.” She picked up her Bible off the table and turned to Psalm 91. She read out loud.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’"
Karen laid the Bible back on the table and put her hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Father God, I pray that you will watch over Justin and the other men today. I pray that you will find it in your heart to return my husband to me safely. We love you and always seek to accept your will, but please bring Matt home to me, God.”
Justin looked up. He smiled at Karen and gave her a nod. He heard Gary’s truck pulling into the drive and saw the headlights shine through the window.
“I gotta go,” he said.
Karen said, “I’ll be praying. All day. I’ll be praying for all of you.”
“Thank you.” Justin grabbed his gear and headed out the door.
Justin closed the truck door. “You ready?”
Gary responded rhetorically, “Do turkeys get nervous at Thanksgiving?”
“Then let’s go get Matt,” Justin said.
Gary put the truck in gear and they headed to Adam’s.
When they arrived, Shelly, Adam and the three men from Manchester Company were sitting around the picnic table outside.
Adam introduced Justin to the men from Manchester. “Justin, this is Sam, Jeff and Jeremy. These are the guys from Manchester Company that fought alongside us at Lt. Joe’s. They’re all military veterans and have the experience we need for this operation. Sam, Justin was on the recon mission while we were getting hit at Joe’s. He brought all the pictures and helped us piece together the maps for the raid. If you need more details, he is the one to ask.
“My plan is to wait until after Matt’s shift. We’ll hit the buses on the way home. By the time the prison camp figures out that the buses aren’t returning, they’ll only have a couple hours of daylight left to search for us. I don’t know if they’ll chase us into Kentucky or not. I spoke with the Warfield militiamen who have been guarding the section north of the border where we’ll be crossing. They’ve offered us their full support once we cross back over. They’re ready to fight. I had to talk them out of coming with us on the rescue mission; but we need to keep this team small and agile.”
Adam arranged some sticks and rocks on the table which represented the buses and the rescue team.
“I’d like to find a decent-sized tree that looks a little rough and cut it to fall in the road. We’ll have to use a chainsaw which is going to make a lot of noise, so it will have to be a good distance away from the mine and the camp. I want it to be a small tree so they’ll get out and move it themselves rather than call for assistance. That’s when we hit ‘em.
“We’ll eliminate the hostiles from the cover of the trees, then free the prisoners. We’ll turn the buses around and head back toward the border. We have pictures of the one-lane bridge where we’ll be crossing. I don’t trust rolling a full bus over that small bridge. Besides that, the buses would be too easy to spot by aerial surveillance drones. If we can get there without being detected and if everyone is still in good enough shape to run, we’ll ditch the buses under this overpass and run like heck to the border. Once we cross, we’ll take up positions with the militiamen on the other side of the river. If we’re pursued, we’ll engage there. If not, we’ll pull back to Warfield which is about six miles north of the bridge. We’ll wait it out in Warfield ‘til morning. If they haven’t hit us by first light, we’ll head on home.
“Sam, you and your boys will take this side of the road about fifty feet up from the ambush site, Shelly and I will be here. Gary, you and Justin will be up the road from us. Our positions form an angle, so everyone has to be very aware of where they’re shooting. You have to focus on the targets in your sector. If you pivot your line of fire too far, you could be endangering other team members. Any questions before we roll out?”
Gary inquired, “Why isn’t there a checkpoint at that bridge?”
Adam answered, “It’s only two miles outside of Williamson, West Virginia. DHS is using that town as a forward operating base. They have patrols running around the area non-stop. It would be asking for a fight to put a checkpoint there and the local militia men don’t have the strength, so they just maintain the outpost in Warfield.”
Justin said, “We have to drive the buses right back by the mines to get on Route 52. There are about four guards stationed at the mine.”
Adam answered, “If we have to fight them, we have to fight them. There’s no other way back to the main road.”
Justin asked, “Could we send in a sniper team and try to pick them off?”
Adam said, “The guards on the trucks will have already called in the ambush. We’ll be racing against the clock to get back to the bridge before backup arrives from the camp. If they see us, we’ll kill as many as we can while we’re driving by.”
Sam Hart said, “They’ll be on the same radio channels. The guards at the mine will be waiting for us. We’ll just have to ride straight through and shoot as many as we can, like Adam said. If they block the road with vehicles, we’ll have to ram them.”
“Any other concerns?” Adam asked.
Everyone confirmed that they understood the overall plan. Justin knew it wasn’t fool proof. It was going to take some divine intervention if they were to pull it off. He was glad that Karen was going to be praying for them all day.
“Okay,” Adam said. “Let’s go.”
The rescue team loaded into two trucks and headed toward the militia outpost in Warfield, Kentucky.
When they arrived, Commander Jonas Lee welcomed them. He recognized Justin and asked, “Where’s that pretty little wife of yours?”
Justin laughed. “She’s holding down the fort. She’s actually very good at that.”
Jonas said, “Well, you tell her I said hello.”
Justin answered, “If we make it back, I’ll tell her.”
Jonas slapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll make it back. You have a tough crew here. I spoke with Adam. He knows what he’s doin’. Y’all will be just fine.”
Adam’s team left their vehicles at the Warfield outpost. Jonas and another man ferried them to the bridge. When they arrived, they jumped out of the pickup truck beds and went straight to the cover of the brush on the roadside. They crossed the bridge undetected, and Justin led them along the river bank to the railroad underpass which was less than a mile north of the bridge on the West Virginia side. They travelled through the woods in a straight line to the road where they would be setting up the ambush. When they came to a small country road, Justin whispered to Gary, “This is the road that we’ll be taking back to US 52. That way goes to the mine where Matt works, and this
direction goes to the main road. The team crossed the road slowly in pairs being cautious to check for patrols.
Once on the other side, Justin tapped Adam and pointed to a spot on the map. “If we go straight, we’ll hit the road that runs from the mine to the camp. Up this hill, the road runs through a thick patch of woods that will buffer the sound of the chainsaw. It’s a good three-quarters of a mile from the mine, I doubt they’d hear anything from there. That might be a good spot.”
Adam agreed and they continued on. They arrived and set up their positions. It was now 11:00 AM. They still had several hours before the ambush, so they waited until a half an hour before to cut down the tree. This would prevent other vehicles from locating the downed tree and removing it.
Everyone was set, now the only thing left was the anticipation.
CHAPTER 25
“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference—they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.”
-George Washington
Matt could feel himself getting weaker. He’d only been a prisoner for two weeks now, but he’d lost a lot of weight. A week ago, he looked trim. Now he was starting to look skinny and it was beginning to eat away at his muscle. The days in the mine were long, but Matt usually had the stamina to get to the end of the day. He kept going, because he knew the moment he was no longer considered useful, he’d be sent to the infirmary.
Doc gave a short talk and reminded everyone in the mine that they should work just enough to not draw attention to themselves. They had to conserve their calories. The way the men were fed, they wouldn’t last long if they worked hard.
The day was nearly over. Matt asked Doc, “How long do you think we have until we start getting too weak to fight or run?”
