The Three Sisters (45 page)

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me
away, Jerry.”

“Next on the schedule is the three’s appearance at the Capitol where Congress will recommend to the President whether any of the three should be pardoned or not. The chances of their being pardoned are thought to be slim, and if I were a betting man, I don’t think I’d put any money on a pardon, but they must be given their chance. After announcing their recommendation, President Carter will then act on the pardon according to
Congress’s decision.”

“That’s right, Jerry. Each of the condemned will be asked three questions to determine their true spiritual natures and their feelings about America. In this way, the three will be given a chance to redeem themselves and possibly gain their freedom. Isn’t
that wonderful?”

“You know, Anita, what impresses or rather shocks me is how many opportunities these three atheists have been given to accept God and save themselves. Yet no matter how much others try to help them, they persist in their blasphemy; they refuse to change. Even now, hours before they are to die, Congress is providing them with a chance to gain their freedom. What more could
they want?”

“I don’t know, Jerry, but we’ll find out soon when we return to live coverage of the Festivities after these words from our sponsors. Robert and Susan will take over from their control booth at the Capitol, so don’t go away because we’ll be right back.”

“Once upon a time there were ten virgins, all of whom were waiting for a bridegroom to return from a long journey. Each of them silently waited in the night with their flashlights, but five were foolish and five were wise. The ones who were foolish had bought ordinary batteries for their flashlights, but the wise had bought RCC alkaline batteries. While the bridegroom tarried, the virgins tired and began to rest, then fell asleep. Then all of a sudden around midnight, there was a cry that went out. ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’ All the virgins arose and turned their flashlights on, and the foolish virgins said, ‘Let us borrow your RCC alkaline batteries for our flashlights have gone out,’ but the wise answered and said, ‘No, for if we gave you our RCC alkaline batteries we could not find our way with your cheap batteries. Go to those who sell RCC alkaline batteries and buy them for yourselves.’ But while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage. The door was opened, then shut. When the five foolish virgins returned, the bridegroom was gone. They died old maids. So don’t be left outside the door when the bridegroom cometh. Buy RCC alkaline batteries today.”

VPM: We are honored this morning with the presence of three Presidents who have dutifully served our nation. They have come this morning to help us decide what to do with the three women who are seated before you. Each of the three Presidents has been instructed to ask one question of the three sisters to which the condemned will be asked to reply. Upon hearing their answers, it will be left up to you, the Senators and Representatives of the United States Congress, whether to recommend that President Carter pardon them or not. If you decide that the three have been unjustly punished by the Supreme Court, you will have the opportunity to redress the sentence, but remember, your choice lies only between carrying out the sentence given to them, and recommending a full pardon. The sentence itself cannot be changed. If you approve of a pardon, the three shall immediately be freed. If not, the Festivities shall continue, culminating in the three’s deaths. President Nixon, you may
proceed first.

PN: Before I begin, I would like to say that I have dealt with some dishonest and degenerate people in
my life….

K: You can say
that again.

PN: But you three take the cake. Never before have I seen such total disrespect for a society which has given you everything you need. You care for no one but yourselves. Even so, the government is still offering you an opportunity to redeem yourselves. So my question to you this morning is, if you were pardoned and given a chance to live, how would you mend your ways to make up for the lives you have led
so far?

K: If I
were pardoned?

PN: Yes.

K: I don’t know. I’d probably be different, act differently, but not as much as you’d like me to. Besides, what would you want me to do? Wear sackcloth and ashes? You couldn’t get me to humiliate myself in exchange for a pardon if that’s what
you want.

PN: But would you change
your life?

K: I don’t think my way of living would change that much. Maybe it would. I might be more cautious, less antagonistic, but I wouldn’t do a
volte face
. The question is not whether I would change, but if I have changed, if my goals in life and what I want out of life have become different. Then on the other hand, considering all that’s happened to me since last May, maybe I’d become more antagonistic. Hell, why should I mend my ways? Society has wronged me, not
vice versa.

PN: So you would do nothing to repent of
your past.

K:
Did you?

PN:
That’s immaterial.

K: Why should I repent for making myself and others happy? I might change, but I wouldn’t repent. If I mended my ways it’d be because I had changed, not because people like you told me to change. I don’t even know why I’m answering your question. Look, I never should have been sentenced to die to begin with, so why should I grovel
before you?

PN: And you
Ms. Suora?

TS: I think my life would change. My months in jail have made me think, and if I were let free, I’d probably go back to school or teach, unless some citizens’
committee objected.

PN: Would you repent of what you
have done?

TS: Probably I wouldn’t, not because I’m unrepentant, but because I’m not sure what there is to repent about. I think there are others, whom I needn’t name, who have used us and are more in need of repenting than
we are.

PN: So you would change, but
not repent?

TS: If
you like.

PN: And what about you,
Ms. Grant?

RG: I don’t know, what do most politicians and celebrities do after they get out of jail? Usually they don’t go around asking forgiveness. They go straight to a publisher, a producer, or an agent. If they feel guilty, it’s only because they got caught or saw how they were used. They rarely change. Instead they justify their actions before audiences on the lecture circuit or even pride themselves on what they’ve done. Let me see, what would I do if I were pardoned? Of course, I guess I should say yes, I’d feel sorry, yes, I’d mend my ways, yes, I’d repent, but even if I did, I doubt it’d save me. If I were pardoned, I’d probably seize upon my chance to become the actress I’ve always wanted to be. I’d go
to Hollywood.

K: Famous criminals in America don’t have time to mend their ways. They’re too busy
making money.

PN: In other words, what all three of you are saying is that if we gave you the chance to live, you might change, but would
not repent.

K: We’d just be following in
your footsteps.

PN: That’s all I wanted to know. I have no further questions. Their answers speak
for themselves.

VPM:
President Ford.

PF: What is your idea of what America ought
to be?

K: The Declaration of Independence guarantees us life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, none of which we will have in a few
hours, right?

PF: Well, that is in the Declaration
of Independence.

K: Then, that’s what America ought to be about: to be alive, to have the liberty to do what you want, and to pursue happiness. But I think I’d make the nation more anarchic. Less government, fewer lawyers—I guess that’s redundant—certainly, fewer reporters. Then life’d be more fun. And less religion, of course. But the only way of getting rid of these nemeses of society is by making this country a better place to live in. Any country that can produce as many lawyers and drive as many people into the arms of religion as America does must have something wrong with it. Didn’t Thomas Jefferson say there ought to be a revolution every twenty years? We need a change. There are too many rules and regulations. We need more freedom, fewer laws. As long as someone respects the rights of others, why shouldn’t she be allowed to do as
she wants?

PF: Not everyone respects those rights. Laws are needed to make
freedom possible.

K: So what? The laws are just there so one group can exploit the other. I should know. The rules are there to ensure that society’s members stay in their place. Religion gives the reason for the rules, the government makes them up and enforces them, and capitalism makes sure you obey the system, since otherwise you starve. If there were more freedom, this would be a
better country.

PF: And you
Ms. Suora?

TS: I think the problem with America today is that there is too much concentration on the present. If we all had a more realistic understanding of the past, realized how much better our lives are than those of our forefathers, didn’t always seek the simplest solution, but were more inclined to try and understand others instead of trying to make sure they believed as we did, I think this would be a better nation. As it is now, there’s no common purpose, other than what the President decrees it to be, and he changes his mind
every month.

PF: But what
about America?

TS: It should try to understand, not preach. Other nations admire us for our accomplishments, not for the advice we hand out. We should be helping them, not telling them how
to live.

PF: And you
Ms. Grant?

RG: I don’t know. I don’t really think I can answer that because America is already so many things. You can’t just pin it down in one sentence. American movies, music, TV, popular culture, they all have so many voices.

VPM:
President Carter.

PC: A Moral basis for the actions of the individual as well as for society is of the utmost importance if either is to survive. In the Catholic religion, saints as well as Biblical figures are used to instruct others how God would have us act. My question is, if you were a saint, Ms. Gott, what kind of saint would
you be?

K: Why should I want to be a saint? I’d rather die than be a saint. Those stories are just lies. They’re just used for propaganda purposes to get people to behave. I’m not going to ruin someone’s life with lies. Now, if you asked me what kind of a heretic I would like to be, I could answer
that question.

PC: You would not be a
saint then?

K: Never. Besides, I don’t think God would like having an atheist for
a saint.

PC: And what about you,
Ms. Suora?

TS: I don’t know if I’d want to be a saint either, but for different reasons than Coito’s. Most of the saints, especially the martyrs displayed an unquestioning faith in God which I could never share. It’s the single-purposedness of their lives that repels me. They sacrificed all for a noble purpose which didn’t exist, except in their heads. Some doubtless did good, but others harmed people either physically or psychologically through condemning them. I can’t subscribe to their actions. No, I wouldn’t want to be
a saint.

PC:
Ms. Grant?

RG: Who would want to be a saint? They always get the most boring roles in the movies. How many saints won an academy award? Besides, they all had too many hang ups about morals and life and everything. There are too many things in life to be enjoyed without having to worry every step of the way whether God approves of what you’re doing. I couldn’t see wasting my life like that. No, I could never be
a saint.