Sweetness in the Dark (17 page)

Much of liberal Canada had prided itself on being more civil than the United States. But with the collapse, Canadians had quickly resorted to an armed struggle for survival. They just had fewer guns than the United States due to their restrictive gun ownership laws. Unfortunately, the criminal gangs had found plenty of other weapons, with the result that urban Canada was overwhelmed.

“It won’t be necessary to read any of our previous agreements,” Petrasek said. “I just think cooler heads have prevailed. We should decide right now if this is going to be an American country or not.”

Paul looked at the delegation from Alberta. They had a cloud of defeat on their faces. Paul was afraid they were ready, along with the other Canadians, to get up and leave. Their three votes couldn’t measure up against the twenty-seven American state votes.

“I would remind the Convention that the term American can be referred to any person from North or South America. That the United States has long used the nomenclature as its exclusive term doesn’t preclude a new definition of the term. And we don’t know yet how the remaining United States will settle themselves,” Paul answered. It wasn’t the best answer, but he knew the real answer to the question was oil.

After the declaration had been signed, the ‘cooler heads’ that Petrasek referred to were the oil interests of Dallas. They controlled the oil industry of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. It was bad enough having the new oil fields of the Dakotas to contend with, but adding Alberta’s massive oil reserves into the national mix would diminish the Dallas money machine.

Paul was frustrated that with the existence of the country at stake, people were maneuvering for a bigger piece of the money pie. He steeled himself that this time the merchant class wouldn’t usurp power from the people of the country.

“Well, Dr. Kendall, you can call them anything you want, but they’re still foreigners to me. I suppose we’ll have to throw the stars off the flag and insert a maple leaf. We can all then sing ‘The Leafs and Stripes Forever’. Doesn’t quite have the same ring as the ‘Stars and Stripes’,” Petrasek said. He was pushing hard and making points with the other delegates.

By allowing the Canadians to join with the Americans, what would the flag look like? What national anthem would be used?
Paul wondered. He shook himself and focused on the ultimate goal, a free people with the invaders removed.

“I would remind the Convention of what is at risk here. Our people are threatened with basic survival. Our country is in danger of an invasion from the most populous nation on earth. Western Civilization itself is at risk, as our friends in Australia and New Zealand withstand similar invasions. We can only imagine what is taking place in Europe, where the little news we receive isn’t good,” Paul said. He looked at Amanda sitting off to the side and received her look of encouragement.

He continued. “We should look for all the freedom-seeking friends we can find. Our neighbors to the north have supported our work from the beginning. We should not let certain commercial interests try to profit in our struggle.”

Horst Petrasek almost exploded with rage as he jumped to his feet. “That’s a filthy lie and you know it. Texas has always supported a free society. Any statement to the contrary would be libelous down in our neck of the woods. Men get shot for less.”

“Gentlemen, settle down. I’ll have order or I will remove any delegation that disrupts this Convention,” the moderator demanded.

“To my compatriot from Texas, I want to point out Dr. Kendall mentioned no state in his reference to ‘commercial interests’. Any member that puts financial gain ahead of our collective future would be guilty of a treasonable offense, in my opinion,” the governor of Nebraska said.

Horst sat down, red-faced. The governor of Texas, sitting behind his chief delegate, looked resigned. Paul hoped that his adversary had been put in his place long enough to seat the other Canadian provinces.

When the vote was called, the first question of the states admittance passed, thirty to nothing. Six additional states were now members. The second question on British Columbia and the Yukon admission would be the test vote.
How states voted would show if they were in the Texas camp or not
, Paul thought.

The moderator called for a vote of the original members. The new members wouldn’t be allowed to vote yet. As the states announced their votes, Paul kept track. The tally grew as each state answered in alphabetical order.

The final vote showed the Idaho faction winning, 18-12. British Columbia and the Yukon were admitted. Texas had cornered much of the old Confederacy along with a couple of other states. Paul was amused at how old allegiances would still effect current decisions. He made a mental note that he needed to work on those states to better explain his position.

He knew Nevada had sided with Texas for its own benefit. Many of the states were talking about outlawing gambling in the new constitution. Casinos had contributed to the change in American values, as people gambled their Social Security checks in the hope of striking it rich.

The more religious states wanted an end to gambling in the new country and they didn’t mind announcing their intention to close down all the ‘Indian casinos’ in the deal. Paul could understand such an attitude as the country looked at many years of hard work. The future had little time for distractions like gambling.

But Nevada had obviously cut a deal with Texas to keep gambling legal, at least in Nevada. Paul thought that such a compromise might be his opening with the old Confederate States. They tended to be the most conservative, and might be persuaded to switch sides. As any constitution needed a two-thirds vote, he needed to recruit more votes to his side.

“Now that we have the issue of who is a member of this Convention settled, I wonder if we can get to the important issues at hand.” Everyone looked up to see a woman in her thirties, standing and addressing the Convention. With short hair and wire-rimmed glasses, Rebecca Richards was determined to be heard, “You gentlemen can spend all day seeing who can spit furthest, but while you do, fellow Americans are dying. I would ask the question that our next order of business be the extending of aid to the starving areas of our country.”

Paul looked in his Convention guide under the Colorado delegation. He found a Rebecca Richards listed. Her credentials showed that she had attended Reed College outside Portland, Oregon, and then got a Masters Degree in Women’s Studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

“A Colorado delegate warned me about this one. Seems she’s a close friend of the governor’s wife and he was obligated to appoint her. The governor said that she should liven up the discussions,” the Idaho governor whispered to Paul. “Good luck.”

Yeah, thanks a lot. With those credentials, she might as well put a neon sign on her forehead flashing ‘flaming liberal’
, he thought.

“Mr. Moderator, I would make a motion that all our members be instructed to allow any refugee to enter and seek sanctuary immediately. And further, that all comfort should be provided to such refugees,” Rebecca said. A woman from the Wisconsin delegation seconded the motion.

“We have a measure on the floor. It is open to discussion,” the moderator said.

Paul raised his hand and was recognized. “Ms. Richards, I would point out that this meeting is to determine the future government of our new nation. It is not the governing body for day-to-day functions of domestic affairs. That role still resides with each state governor or provincial minister meeting in the Governor’s Council. Your question has no standing here. The moderator was out of order to even take the question under discussion.”

Several delegates mumbled agreement. Rebecca stared at Paul with a look that would kill. Paul returned the stare and chuckled inside over how liberals were the most agreeable people in the world until you disagreed with them. Then they turned to venom and attacked, which Rebecca proceeded to do.

“Mr. Moderator, obviously rich white men like Dr. Kendall don’t understand the suffering of millions of women and children in our distressed areas. These people need our help immediately and can’t wait for a bunch of state governors to act. I would call for my question.”

“And provincial ministers, Ms. Richards. Don’t forget our friends to the north. If it would move this along, then let’s call the vote. But I would enjoin the Convention to stay on topic. We have a duty to present a new constitution to our states and provinces as soon as possible,” Paul said.

“And what’s with that deal, presenting the constitution to the states? When do the people vote for it?” Rebecca asked.

The governor of Virginia raised his hand in recognition. “Maybe I can help with that question. As a direct descendant of one of the original signatories of the U.S. Constitution, I would offer a personal perspective. Obviously it’s a more accurate account than our honorable Colorado delegate has learned. I don’t want to besmirch her ill-educated opinion, but the original Constitution was an agreement between the states. As such, the state legislatures voted on approving the document.”

“Thank you, Governor for the history lesson, but rich white men were in charge back then and I don’t recall any women being part of that whole thing,” Rebecca retorted.

“Your history is right on that account. No women participated in the founding of our original country. Perhaps we can give credit to Dolly Madison for sewing the first American flag,” the Virginia governor replied. He received a scowl and a death stare in response. “But in recognition of Ms. Richard’s education in the great State of Rhode Island, perhaps she learned that Rhode Island was the only state that let the people vote on the issue.”

“No, we didn’t waste our time studying old dead white men.”

“Well then, since Ms. Richards is so fired up for a vote of the people, she should be encouraged that when offered an advisory vote on the constitution question, the opponents in Rhode Island defeated the question with almost eighty-percent of the vote. Consequently, Rhode Island did not join the other twelve original states for some time. At one point, Rhode Island was considered its own separate country and the other twelve states all treated Rhode Island as such,” the Virginia governor finished.

“Well, women didn’t get to vote on it. Obviously the patriarchal, oppressive society at the time thought that it was a load of crap,” Rebecca hissed.

“Ms. Richards will refrain from such language in the future, if she wishes to remain part of these proceedings,” the male moderator admonished. He received a death look for his efforts.

“Mr. Moderator,” the Missouri governor said. “I move the question on the floor be stricken and removed from consideration.” A second on the motion was received. The motion was quickly called for and the vote was 35-1, with Wisconsin voting to keep Rebecca’s motion in place.

Rebecca sat and sulked as the Convention moved on to writing a new constitution. Paul looked at her as the motions started flowing and realized that they hadn’t heard the last from Ms. Richards.

She represented an ideology that had taken the United States to the edge of disaster. If ‘the Pulse’ hadn’t happened, the United States was certainly headed to similar chaos due to its financial bankruptcy. In the years leading up to the sun’s Coronal Mass Ejection, Washington, D.C. had taken the country over a financial cliff.

After the economic downturn of 2008, the country had turned to new leadership in the 2008 presidential elections. Unfortunately, the new president increased borrowing and spending, doubling the national debt in three and half years. All that was for nothing, as high unemployment continued and housing prices stagnated.

As an economist, Paul was familiar with the results of a Keynesian approach to climbing out of a recession. Unfortunately, creating more debt and deficit spending was not an answer to the largest ‘credit bubble’ that had ever been created in history.

Paul knew at that time that it was all going to end badly, with credit markets imploding. The world was about to enter into the largest depression in the last three hundred years and unlike those other depressions of the past, the world was awash in people dependent on government for their existence; the ‘takers’.

‘Cash is King’ in a depression
, Paul thought. And the United States was out of cash. Even the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank didn’t understand the problem when he postulated that the Federal Reserve could just print money and drop it from helicopters to get the country back to work.

Paul knew that the economic future would not have been good, but fate intervened when the sun answered the question for the entire world. Now societies around the world were worried about basic survival, not what the stock markets were going to do next year.

“Paul, there’s a question on the floor,” the Idaho governor brought him back to reality.

“Mr. Moderator, could the question be repeated for clarification?” Paul asked.

“The gentleman from Texas has called and Louisiana has seconded the motion calling for adoption of the U.S. Constitution as written and amended in total,” the moderator said.

Paul sighed as he braced himself for the coming fight. “If the floor is open for discussion I would offer that there are numerous provisions in the old constitution that need changing. We have seen where our country was headed before the sun intervened. Canada was somewhat better off, but they too were headed down a similar path.”

“We’ll be here all year if we’re going to start monkeying around with changes,” Horst Petrasek said. “We need stability now. A quick adoption of what worked for us for over two hundred years will suffice. We can meet later, once the emergency is over, to change things at our leisure.”

“We need to take our time. Future generations expect us to give them a new government that eliminates the old problems that the Founding Fathers failed to foresee,” Paul said.

Rebecca perked right up. “I agree with that. All those old white men couldn’t possibly know the suffering this country caused. Half of them were slave owners. How could they write a document guaranteeing freedom when they looked at some people as common chattel? And don’t get me started on their treatment of women.”