After the Republic (12 page)

“These rules are based on a few important, fundamental principles,” Joshua continued. “Those include personal freedom coupled with personal responsibility, free enterprise, private property rights, due process and limited government. No one person will be the ‘dictator’ of this camp. The power to make decisions lies with you and the people you elect to the council. I believe these rules will help ensure that everyone here is treated fairly and that we are all on the same page. Additionally, I would like to thank Drew for helping put these together. Does anyone have questions based on what you’ve just heard?”

“I don’t have any questions, but just wanted to say that this is impressive,” Jim said. “It’s almost like we’re developing our own Constitution.”

“In a manner of speaking that’s the idea, but I hope the real one will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.” There were no further questions. “We will get you copies of these and make them official next week. Without objection, we will consider these rules of operation to be in effect until they are formally adopted next week.”

“Mr. Winston, when do you plan to hold elections for the council?” Bob asked. “The past few days have shown us that events can happen very quickly. We need leadership in place.”

“I was planning to open the floor for nominations after we conclude our other business today,” Joshua answered. Bob nodded in approval.

“Next, I’d like to bring up Bob Kendall,” Joshua continued. “As you all know, over the past twenty-four hours Bob has gotten us out of hot water more than once.”

A round of applause sprang up from the crowd. Joshua cocked an eyebrow as he noticed Drew doing a half-hearted obligatory golf clap. “I believe we can all agree that Bob
earned
that applause over the past day. Now he is going to discuss security protocols which, after the troubles we encountered just trying to get here, are
very
much needed. Bob, come on up.”

Bob stepped onto the porch and addressed the crowd. “As the events of yesterday demonstrated, danger is all around. In the wake of this week’s incidents, people outside of this camp will become increasingly desperate. They will be desperate for food. They will be desperate for some sense of normalcy.
They will be desperate for the very thing we will build here.
Desperation leads to lawlessness. And if they find out that we are here and discover what we will have here, they will be a threat to us. While you are free to come and go as you please, I advise you to be cautious. Do not travel alone. If you travel outside the camp, let someone here know where you are going, who is with you, and when you expect to return.
Always
have a weapon with you. McGee learned that lesson at the gas station yesterday, didn’t you, son?”

“Yes sir, I did.”

Bob nodded. “Good. Further, if you encounter anyone outside of this camp, do not under any circumstances tell them where we are. Give them misinformation if you must, but do not lead them here. Always be vigilant in making sure no one is following you. Mind your surroundings at all times. Additionally, it is noteworthy that, other than the incident at the farm, the two altercations in which we were involved happened after dark. People will do whatever they deem necessary to survive, and they will use the cover of night to do it. If possible, all travel outside the camp should be done during daylight hours.”

“Next, I know many of you are accustomed to using these so-called ‘social media’ sites. If you find a way to access social media, it is imperative that you disable any functions which would divulge our location. Do not post photos. I recommend that you cease all usage of social media, period.” Bob puffed on his cigar and pointed in Drew’s direction. “That means you, boy.” Drew did not acknowledge the jab. Joshua cringed.

“Instruct your children on the importance of refraining from social media use or otherwise divulging our location,” Bob continued. “Additionally, we may want to investigate acquiring different vehicles than those we used to travel here. Further, wear dark clothes that do not stand out, even when you are in the camp. We do not want to draw attention from anyone whether on the road, on the trail, on the lake or in the air. With Mr. Page’s permission, Martin, McGee and I will construct a security perimeter around the camp to obscure our location and make it difficult for intruders to enter undetected. We will inform you of the appropriate places to enter and exit.”

“Every able-bodied male should be prepared to defend this camp if necessary,” Bob concluded. “Martin, McGee and I will hold trainings for the men who wish to assist with our defense. I advise every real man to participate. The trainings will continue daily until those who participate are prepared and will then be held with less frequency to ensure that you remain sharp. Do you have any questions? If not, that is all.”

“We’ll move on to the next item, elections,” Joshua said.

Jim interjected, “Joshua, before you get to elections, may I have a moment?”

“Sure, come on up.”

Jim stepped onto the porch. “As some of you know I was a pastor for a number of years. I’d like to have a worship service every Sunday. No one will be forced to come, but I’d love to see all of y’all there.”

“Good idea,” Joshua said. “Where do you propose to hold it?”

Drew offered a suggestion. “As Thomas mentioned earlier, there will be a community shelter up the path near my cabin. You are welcome to have it there.”

How in the world did he strike a deal for a cabin AND a shelter
? Joshua’s brow furrowed.
I hope he’s not pulling one over on Thomas.

“Thanks, Drew,” Jim responded. “I’ll take you up on that. We’ll meet at 11:00 every Sunday, beginning one week from today.”

“Thank you, Jim,” Joshua continued. “I agree that worship will be an important part of our community here. As Jim said, no one will be forced to come, but I encourage everyone to participate. And Drew, thank you for agreeing to provide a place.”

Ruth Moore raised her hand. “Jim, what kind of service will it be?”

Jim smiled. “Excellent question, Ruth. Well, I was a pastor at a Southern Baptist church, but I’ve always believed that denominations are unnecessary divisions based on man-made biases. I’ll discuss what I feel led to discuss based on Scripture, without regard to denominational divisions. We will focus on the foundational items that should unite us as Christians.”

“What are those?” Ruth’s shoulder-length blonde hair ruffled in the morning breeze.

Jim smiled. “I’m glad you asked, and I’ll be glad to explain what I believe. First, the Bible says in Romans 3:30,
there is one God
. Additionally, the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
. Romans 6:23 adds that
the wages of sin is death
. Put another way, each and every one of us has sinned against God and there is
nothing
we can do on our own to repay that debt. That’s the bad news, but there is good news. As written in Romans 5:8,
God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
. Put another way, Jesus Christ paid a debt that we were unable to pay ourselves. So what does that mean in our lives? Romans 5:8 not only states that the wages of sin is death, but also that
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
. However, it is not enough for a gift to be offered to us; we must accept that gift. The Bible states in Romans 10:9-10 tha
t
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
. If you have questions about how you can accept this gift I would love to talk with you after the meeting.”

“Hmm.” Ruth’s bright blue eyes narrowed, but she did not speak.

Joshua continued. “Thank you, Jim. If you have questions about what he just described, please talk to him
today
. Now we will move on to elections. As I stated earlier there will be five council positions. The floor is now open for nominations.”

Perry raised his hand. “I nominate Joshua Winston.”

Drew jumped in. “I move that we elect Joshua to the council before accepting any further nominations.”

Before Joshua could object the entire crowd yelled “aye.” Joshua felt his face flush red with embarrassment. “Thank you.” The group applauded. “That’s one spot filled and we have four remaining. I nominate Perry Edwards.”

Perry started to object. “Joshua, I don’t…” He was interrupted by a sharp elbow to his side from Caroline, who offered an equally sharp glare. “I accept. And I nominate Bob Kendall.”

Drew frowned but did not publicly object.

Jim raised his hand. “Given that Thomas Page is providing us with this land, I think he should serve on the council. I nominate Thomas.”

“Man, I don’t have to be on the council. But I will if y’all want me to.”

Jim stood firm. “I feel strongly about it. This is
your
land, and you should be on the council.”

“So far, we have nominations for Perry Edwards, Bob Kendall, and Thomas Page,” Joshua said. “That’s three nominations for four open seats. Are there further nominations?”

For a few moments no one spoke. Many in the crowd looked down to avoid making eye contact. Perry broke the awkward silence. “Joshua, what happens if we only have four council members?”

“We could call a special meeting at any time to fill the vacancy if someone was willing to step up. However, with only four people we would have the potential for tie votes, which could be problematic.”

Thomas spoke up. “Man, I’d like to nominate Drew Thompson. He seems to have a lot of experience with government-type stuff.”

Drew eagerly accepted the nomination. “Thank you. I would be honored to serve.” Bob let out a loud groan.

“We have nominations for Perry Edwards, Bob Kendall, Thomas Page and Drew Thompson,” Joshua said. “That’s four nominations for four remaining spots. Are there further nominations?”

Jim offered a motion to close nominations and elect the four nominees. The motion passed unanimously.

“We have our council,” Joshua said. “Perry Edwards, Bob Kendall, Thomas Page, Drew Thompson and myself. Council members, do you have a nomination for chair?” Joshua was unanimously selected as the council’s new chair.

“Thank you,” Joshua said. “As most of you know, I had been looking forward to
not
being in any kind of political office at any level. However, this is different. These are uncertain times, and I will do my best to uphold the trust you have placed in me. We do have a few more items to cover. We need to discuss our food situation. We asked everyone to bring as much non-perishable food as you could get your hands on. Rebecca and I have about three weeks’ worth of canned goods. Perry and Caroline, how much do you have?”

“Probably a couple of weeks,” Caroline answered.

“Bob, how about you?”

“Martin and I each have one week of rations and are prepared to begin implementing survival techniques, effective today.”

“Okay,” Joshua continued. “Drew?”

Drew’s answer turned a few heads. “About six months’ worth.”

“Hmm.” Bob cocked an eye.

“Very good. Jim, how about you guys?”

Jim’s answer included an invitation for lunch. “We have about two weeks of canned goods, and we also brought along a bunch of hamburgers on ice that need to be cooked today.”

“Excellent. Lunch is on Jim. Jack, how about you guys?”

“Maybe a week.”

“Thanks. Chuck and Sheri Jones, how about you?”

“Probably about ten days,” Sheri answered.

“John and Ruth Moore?”

“About two weeks,” John answered.

“Thomas, how about you guys?”

“Man, we’re good. Don’t worry about us.”

“As you can see our food supply could run out in fairly short order. This is the one critical area where we will have to work together, and
everyone
will need to contribute. A month will pass before we know it. If we don’t plan, we’ll have major problems. If we’re going to survive, we must become as close to self-sufficient as possible, as soon as possible. Your non-perishable food supply is not communal, it is
yours
. The longer you can make it last, the better. Those of us who have experience hunting and fishing need to put that experience to work starting
today
. The sooner we can begin generating new food sources, the longer our non-perishable supplies will last.”

Caroline raised her hand.

“Yes, Caroline?”

“Where are you guys planning to clean the animals you kill? Hopefully not too close to where we’re living…”

Most of the women in the group nodded in agreement. Joshua noticed a quick smirk from Rebecca. “Good point. We’ll set up a cleaning station somewhere a bit removed from your living areas.”

“Thank you.” Caroline sighed in relief. Bob let out a low chuckle.

Caroline again raised her hand. “Joshua, one more question. As you know I’m a vegetarian. So far you’ve talked about hunting and fishing. What vegetarian options do you have?”