The smiths and joneses, p.1
The Smiths and Joneses, page 1
part #4 of 2015 Second American Civil War Series
2015 Second American Civil War
Book 4
The Smiths and Joneses
1st Edition August 2014
Copyright 2014 Ira J. Tabankin
Sterling VA 20166
Dedication
This book, as all of mine are, is dedicated to the love of my life, my wife Patricia.
Thanks to everyone who’s provided feedback and support for my writing. A special thanks to Cheri, who again was able to proofread and edit my words into something readable.
The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual names, persons, businesses, and incidents are strictly coincidental.
Prologue
The story so far;
The right wing of the Republican Party won additional seats in the House, and they took control of the Senate at the 2014 midterm elections. The right wing of the party demanded the impeachment of President Obsma for their support in getting other Republicans elected. President Obsma tried to buy off and bribe the Speaker of the House to delay or indefinitely delay, bringing Articles of Impeachment against him. Part of the President’s plan was to cause massive conflict, pain and suffering at home so the population would be distracted. He used his Executive powers to nullify the second amendment; he offered to buy back, with tax-free dollars, everyone’s guns and ammo. Due to the on-going recession and with over 100 million Americans out of work, most took advantage of the tax-free offer and sold their firearms to the government. The President next reduced the size of the US Military, including ending the proud history of the US Marines. The President backed the occupy movement who took class warfare to the 1%. The rich were attacked in their homes and offices. In addition to class warfare, the President incited race wars, all to distract people from his pending impeachment.
To solve the problem of massive unemployment, on the eve of his impeachment President Obsma announced that every unemployed American could be hired as a government worker, entitled to full government pay and benefits. The increased employment, many with no previous experience almost destroyed every government program as costs soared.
The last Commandant of the US Marines, General Brownstone, started to build a government on the sidelines to take over the country.
Glenn Back and Rash Linebacker, two of the most popular talk show hosts, were kidnapped by the DHS and held in the Greenbrier hotel. Unknown to all, General Brownstone was using the old cold war bunker buried under the Greenbrier as his headquarters. A US Navy SEAL attached to the General’s staff, discovered and released Glenn and Rash. Glenn told his audience to form a human wall around Washington, DC; he called it the ‘Hands-around-DC’ march, a non-violent march to show support against the President. President Obsma called out the unions to form a counter march hoping to push Glenn’s marchers into violent action so he could ban all such gatherings. The unions attacked the peaceful marchers and ten people ended up dying in the conflict.
Russia and China decided to crush the American economy by dumping their dollars and accepting other currencies, including giving discounts for payment in other currencies. General Brownstone pulled together a cabinet and a plan to rebuild the country while he tried to push Congress into impeaching the President. The American people were split on the subject of impeachment, but the majority was for it. With the economy falling apart, international tensions rising; the US military all but useless due to massive reductions; the President went so far as announcing the removal of all US nuclear weapons. The Congress moved forward with the impeachment of not only President Obsma, but his entire cabinet. General Brownstone was sworn in as the new Secretary of State placing him the line of succession to become the 45th President of the USA. Newly sworn in President Brownstone wasted no time in appointing his cabinet and making changes. He backed the US dollar with gold and silver; he closed the Federal Reserve and cancelled the paper debt the fed held on the treasury. He rebuilt the military. President Obsma didn’t take his impeachment lying down. He started the formation of a new nation within the USA; he called his new nation the Liberal States of America (LSA), with him being its first President for Life. His Vice President became Harold Ried. President Obsma was set to make the formal split on New Year’s Eve in New York City on December, 31st, when the power failed. He was swept away in the panic, hitting his head giving him amnesia. He spent time living in an old tunnel as a homeless person until he was found. Reid used Obsma’s absence as an excuse to take over the new LSA. He placed President for Life Obsma in a special hospital, one he never left. Reid’s computer was hacked by Anonymous, who filled his personal drive with thousands of child pornography files, a crime not even the most powerful could escape in the LSA. The Governor of California took over as President of the LSA, he swore to serve for a single six-year term, allowing the people of the LSA to vote for their next leader.
When President Brownstone entered office, he was sued as a war criminal and for the murder of President Obsma in the World Court. In building his defense, his staff uncovered the sealed files on President Obsma’s past, proving he wasn’t a US citizen and should never have been allowed to run for the office. The US Supreme Court ruled that every bill signed into law by President Obsma had to be overturned as if it was Jan 18, 2009. Most of the people who were behind the scandal fled to the LSA to avoid jail.
The previous stories ended with Canada splitting up, part of the Canadian provinces joined the USA, a few joined the LSA, and Quebec became an independent country. Three countries shared the North American land, the LSA and the USA. The LSA built a wall to separate themselves from the USA. This story begins twelve years after the split and the building of the wall between the LSA and the USA.
Chapter 1
Former United States of America Presidents Rod Brownstone and Ted Cruise each looked forward to their quarterly dinners together. These dinners allowed the two men to get together face-to-face and discuss anything on their minds. The two men became good friends when Rod was President with Ted serving as his Vice President, then following him as President. The two men lead the country through the break up of the United States into two countries, the Liberal States of America (LSA) and the United Sates of America (USA). They had narrowly avoided what could have been the bloodiest war in America’s history. The decision to allow then President Obsma to create a new country based on progressive policies, was very controversial. Half of the country was for it and half against the split. President Brownstone knew it was better for the country if he didn’t run on his own. He served out the remaining term left on President Obsma’s presidency and retired to private life with his wife, Sally. His Vice President and good friend went on to win the Presidency in a landslide victory in 2016.
After President Cruise had left office, the two men agreed to meet quarterly on a purely social basis. The location and menu alternated between the two men. Their tastes in food were very similar and so far neither had selected a restaurant the other didn’t enjoy. Sometimes the restaurants were small local restaurants, sometimes, like this evening, well-known chains were selected. Rod made tonight's dinner reservation. Both men found themselves in Washington, so a restaurant close to both of their last meetings for the day made the most sense. Rod selected one of his favorite eateries; Morton’s Steak House located at 1050 Connecticut Ave. Rod arrived early, sitting at his favorite table in the right rear corner. Dennis, the restaurant’s Maître D, brought Rod a glass of Jack Daniels, neat. “Mr. President, how are you this evening?”
“Dennis, fine as always, how’s the wife?”
“Very good sir. Waiting for President Cruise this evening?”
“Of course, it seems that he’s always late on my nights.”
“Sir, the snow has brought the entire city to a stop, more than half of our reservations have been cancelled. You and President Cruise won’t be disturbed by anyone.”
“Dennis, it’s never a problem, neither of us minds the few who want an autograph or a picture. It’s the price we pay for having been in office.”
“Sir, if I may, the two of you were not just in office, the two of you held the country together, you saved the world. You rebuilt our economy; you brought pride back to America…”
“Dennis, enough kissing my ass, you know I’ll tip you.”
“Sir...”
“Ah, here’s President Cruise. Dennis, why don’t you have his drink ready for him?”
Dennis turns around to go and meet President Cruise and his protective detail when they enter the restaurant.”
Ted extends his right hand, “Dennis, good to see you again; I imagine he’s here waiting for me?”
“Yes sir, he’s sitting at his normal table. He got here about ten minutes ago. He’s been sipping on a Jack, waiting for you.”
“Did you notice if he brought anything with him?”
“Mr. President, I didn’t see him carry his old battered briefcase if that’s what you mean. When I served him his drink, I didn’t see anything at the table. Of course, as you know, his protective detail could be holding his briefcase.
“How well I know that.”
Walking between tables, Ted stops to chat with two Senators, who are the only other diners in the restaurant, before reaching the table where Rod was waiting, Rod stands leaning on a cane to greet Ted.
The two men hug each other. A deep and mutual friendship developed between the two men. “Ted, it’s good to see you, sit, your Wild Turkey is on the table.”
“Rod, I look forward to our dinners, it almost seems like old times
doesn’t it?”
“When we started, we never had time to have a leisurely dinner. There was always a crisis.”
“Price we paid to sit in the big chair. By the way, have you read Rash’s book yet?”
“Not yet, he sent me a copy already loaded into an E-reader.”
“Sounds like Rash, he didn’t want you to forget, or give you any excuses for not reading it. He told me you were mentioned in at least a third of the book.”
“I wouldn’t have forgotten. I’m not sure I want to read it. Some of the events went by so quickly; some of the decisions we made, we might have made differently if we had the gift of time and the ability to look forward and backwards. I’m not sure I want to review those first couple of insane years.”
“Rod, I sense you’re still feeling you made many mistakes. Do you still torture yourself over the decisions you made.”
“Ted, the more I review the decisions I made, the more I question them.”
“Rod, I was right there with you. I agreed with you. Looking back, I don’t think we should have changed anything.”
“What about the special missions we gave Major Grover?”
“We did what we had to do at the time in order to survive. Negotiations didn’t work.”
“Ted, my hands, my arms are covered in blood up to my elbows. I still have nightmares every week. I spend a lot of time thinking about, what if.”
“Rod, if you didn’t have second thoughts, you wouldn’t be the man I respect so much. Your conscience is what makes you the man you are. Your refusal to run for your own term was based on your feelings of guilt wasn’t it?”
“Ted, you know that’s true. I was the only President to oversee the breakup of the nation which I swore an oath to protect and defend. I allowed the nation to break up ending 239 years of our history. We became so polarized we couldn’t live together. I still blame the press for forcing the break up. To this day, I’m not sure what they got out of the breakup. Their overall ratings have never been lower. The LSA runs their own national networks. Instead of acting like the honest fourth estate they were supposed to be, the press created and wrote the story the way they wanted it to end. They nudged the stories, so they always came out or at least were always reported to reflect their built in biases. The damned media created the news much more than they did reporting it. I blame the media for the breakup more than I blame Obsma or Reid.
“I couldn’t run for the office after everything that happened. You should have been President, not me. I had no political experience. I spent my entire life in the Marine Corps. It’s one thing to take a life in a war and another to order the taking of the lives of world leaders. The office should have been yours. I’m happy you succeeded me.” Taking a deep sip of his Jack Daniels, Rod paused, before continuing. “I kept my promise to stay out of the news while you were in office. I promised you I wouldn’t interfere in your term.”
Taking a sip of his Wild Turkey, Ted responds, “Rod that you did. Even when I invited you to attend state dinners and other affairs, you refused to step foot back in the House. I don’t understand why you refused all requests for interviews and hid until Sally passed. I’m sorry for your loss. Sally was a very special lady.”
“Sally was very happy when we left the House and moved back into our own home in Virginia. She didn’t like what she called the glass house. She couldn’t go down for a cup of coffee wearing a housecoat, she never got used to having servants to do everything for her.”
“I remember when the two of you moved into the House, and she proceeded to fire most of the First Lady’s staff. I laughed my ass off at her actions.”
Smiling, Rod replied, “She said she was my wife, nothing more, she hadn’t been elected to any office, she didn’t deserve nor did she need any staff. If she wanted to go someplace, she would just go.”
Ted picks up the conversation, “Oh man, I remember the first time she called a cab because her car was still at your Virginia house. She called a taxi to take her shopping. She took the Secret Service by totally by surprise. Alarms sounded in the house; they didn’t know why a taxi was approaching the front door. She drove the Secret Service crazy. She wanted to continue her normal way of life. She didn’t want to be in the news or be followed everywhere she went. “They ended up quickly arranging for a car to take her shopping. Looking back, it was very funny, I’m sure it wasn’t at the time. The Secret Service finally got Sally to agree to a Chief of Staff if only to give the agents a heads up when she set her mind on going somewhere or doing something. Do you remember when she turned the tables on one of the vulture press always trying to catch her in an embarrassing picture?”
“I could never forget that; she went for a walk with her detail, when the press followed her, she reached into her bag pulling out a camera. She turned around and started taking pictures of the reporters. She turned around and started walking towards them asking them question after question about their families, their private lives all while taking their picture. I understand her protective detail almost wet their pants.”
“The press gave her a little room after that. She sure had guts. She didn’t take crap from anyone.”
Rod’s eyes turn very sad, fluid starts to build in his eyes. He says, “Five years later one morning she just didn’t wake up. I couldn’t wake her. I felt her neck and knew. I dialed 911, when the EMT’s arrived they told me her heart had stopped while she was sleeping. She had passed away in her sleep, thank God she never felt a thing. It devastated me; I didn’t leave our house for a year. Ted, we were together for 45 years. My life isn’t the same. It never will be.”
Ted places his drink on the table. “Rod, I’m so sorry for your loss. Everyone who knew Sally misses her. She was a good woman, a special woman. I wish I could do something to take your pain away.”
“Ted, thank you. I have nightmares that I shortened her life because I became President. I feel that the stress we lived with every day for three years was more than she could handle. She never said anything; however, I knew she didn’t like being in the spotlight. She didn’t like the press following her everywhere. She didn’t like living in the White House. Ted, by becoming President, I killed her.”
“Rod, you shouldn’t have nightmares or second guess what happened. You led the country through the craziest of times. I think anyone else would have either stumbled into a major world war or sat in the office allowing the country to break into many parts. You led the nation through a period that could have terminated the American idea. You quickly converted our monetary policy to the gold standard; you rebuilt confidence in our dollar; you made us energy independent within 36 months. You increased the standard of living for the average American. Rod, you saved the country. You saved millions of lives. I’m so sorry about Sally. At least she never suffered. My dad lingered and suffered from cancer for two years. I don’t wish having to watch a loved one die a little every day on anyone. Rod, you can’t blame yourself.”
“Ted, think about all we don’t know about the LSA. I don’t think their lives improved much. In fact, I think their take home income has decreased.”
“Rod, twelve years later, we know less about our neighbor than we used to. When they built the wall and RF blocking electronic fence, they became totally internally focused. They surprised most of the world by turning completely inward.”
“Ted, I was the only President, who stood by and allowed the breakup of America. I was in office when Obsma and Reid split the country in two. That damn Obsma, a complete fraud, he caused the country and the world more problems than a world war. Even now, twelve years later, I wonder what would have happened if we had pushed for Obsma’s impeachment much earlier. What would have happened if our lawyer, what was his name? Hadn’t found Obsma’s hidden files. Twelve years has flown by much quicker than I thought possible. Twelve years that changed the world, I’m not sure it was for the better or worse. Ted, do you have any regrets?”
“I don’t, we did what we had to do. I think we did a good job. I know we left the country better off than when we started. I say we because I look at my terms in office as an extension of yours.”
