Phoenix Rising: (50 page)

After dinner, Jake Lantz stepped up to the podium. The silver stars on his collar flashed as they caught the overhead light.

“In a speech that Ohmshidi gave before he was elected president, he gave us a glimpse into his political agenda. This is what he said.”

Jake picked up a sheet of paper and began reading from it.

“
I see a world united! A world at peace! A world where there are no rich and there are no poor, a world of universal equality and brotherhood.

Jake lay the paper down.

“One man warned us of this, one man started beating the tocsin long before anyone else perceived that we were aboard the Titanic, on a collision course with an iceberg.

“To say that we should have listened is an understatement. Life is full of ‘we should have' and ‘if only.' Ladies and gentlemen, we have that oracle with us today, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, Mr. George Gregoire.”

There was generous applause at the introduction, and George Gregoire stepped up to the podium, smiling at his audience. He stood there for a moment, then lifted his clinched right fist high into the air.

“I have a new dream!” he shouted. His shout was met with applause.

“Hello, America. I say hello America, because I know that, through the technical acumen of our dedicated electronic wizards that, despite all efforts to prevent it, this signal is going out all over the continent. And to those of you who are huddled in your homes in such places as New York, Illinois, and California, with the windows blocked out so you can watch us without fear of being discovered by the evil under which you are being forced to live, what we do here today is as much for you as it is for those who are gathered here for this historic conference. Do not think for one moment, my brother and sister Americans, that we do not have you in our thoughts, and in our prayers.

“Back in 1927 Norman Thomas, a declared Socialist, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said that under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

“Bit by bit, we saw that happening as Socialists, environmentalists, those who were more interested in free stuff than freedom, those who thought their vote for a social experiment would be cool, and those who were totally uninformed, voted into office Mehdi Ohmshidi. We all know the disastrous results of that.

“As he tried social experiment after social experiment, such as attacks on fossil fuels, sharing the wealth, and gutting the military, our country became less and less stable. As Ohmshidi literally bowed to foreign leaders and acted with hesitancy and weakness in the face of our enemies, our country became more threatened. And as Ohmshidi continued with his failed socialist policies, all the while blaming the deteriorating conditions on his predecessor, our country became less able to sustain itself. With social instability, military weakness, and fiscal unsustainability, the result was inevitable. We witnessed the total collapse of a Republic that had stood as the beacon of the world for two hundred and thirty-two years.

“Jews and Christians have seen their property taken from them, their families destroyed, and even as I speak there are Jews and Christians confined in concentration camps, which are called Ultimate Resolution camps. We have seen beheadings, stoning deaths, and mutilations brought about by agents of Moqaddas Sirata.

“I am here to tell you that today is the turning point. Dedicated and courageous men and women are met here today to begin, piece by piece, to rebuild that republic, starting with the states here represented. It is my firm belief that this noble effort will expand until once again there will be on this continent a movement, inspired by God, that will pass above amber waves of grain, cross purple mountain majesties, and extend from sea to shining sea, an America reborn, an America that once again embraces the ideals, the honor, and the universal brotherhood of our founding fathers.

“Take back America!” he shouted.

“Take back America!” the audience shouted, as one.

The first items to be voted on were the amendments, and though there was spirited discussion for and opposed to the amendment that would establish term limits it, as did the other amendments, passed.

With the new amendments passed, the other proposals were voted upon. Nine of the ten proposals were passed by acclamation. The only one that encountered difficulty was the one dealing with Social Security.

“Mr. Chairman,” James Laney said, raising his hand and calling from the floor. “Permission to speak?”

“The chair recognizes the delegate from Alabama,” Bob said.

“Mr. Chairman, I have paid into Social Security since I was twelve years old. I don't consider Social Security as being any kind of a welfare program. It is a promise and an investment, and I don't think it's right to take it away.”

Stump Patterson was recognized.

“Like Mr. Laney, I paid into the Social Security system for many years. I also served in the army for twenty-four years. But my army retirement, like my Social Security retirement, was paid into a government that no longer exists. And because that government no longer exists, the accounts for Social Security, for military and civil service retirements no longer exist. There is no money available, therefore there is no Social Security to take away.”

The question as to whether or not to establish a Social Security system was tabled for further discussion.

It was decided to keep the current officers in place until one year after the new country was formed, at which time a national election would be held, and that kept Bob Varney on as provisional president.

One of the most contentious discussions arose over what to call the new country. There was a strong movement to name the country Fredonia, and because George Gregoire sponsored that position it had a lot of support.

“Fredonia has a connective history with the founding of the United States,” Gregoire said when he presented his argument. “It was a name first coined by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill in 1803 when he wrote his
Proposal to the American literati, and to all the citizens of the United States,
to employ the following names and epithets for the country and nation to which they belong, whereby they may be aptly distinguished from the other regions and peoples of the earth:

But it was no less than the new president who spoke in favor of the name United Free America. “We all know that when we say United Free America, what we actually mean is the United States of America. We have always called ourselves Americans, and with this name, we can continue to call ourselves Americans.

“I believe that we are all in agreement that what we want now is an interim country, a placeholder if you will, until once more our land will stretch from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. We have no ambition for a new country, or a new name. We exist for one purpose only, and that is to take back America.”

Bob's speech was met with a standing ovation, and, before the vote was taken, Gregoire asked for permission to speak one more time.

“Ladies and gentlemen of this historic convention, I withdraw my support for the name Fredonia, and move that we adopt the name United Free America by acclimation.”

The move was seconded, and by acclimation.

“The task before us is clear,” Bob said as he addressed them at the conclusion of the convention. “We must now return to our respective states to report to the people what we have done here. Then, with the full knowledge and support of those whom we represent, we will reconvene on the fifteenth of October, to organize our Republic. I am going to call upon Father Ken Coats to give a closing prayer.

Father Coats, the same man who had performed the marriage for Jake and Karen, stepped up to the podium, wearing the vestments of his office. The gathering grew quiet, as he intoned his prayer.

“Our Eternal Father, through whose mighty power our fathers won their liberties of old, grant, we beseech thee, that we, and all the peoples of this new endeavor, may have grace to reestablish these liberties in righteousness and peace for the benefit of all. Amen.”

 

 

During the time Mobile was under the dominance of the State Protective Service and the Janissaries, the Moqaddas Sirata had published a newspaper called the
Way of Enlightenment
. When Mobile was freed, the publishers of the paper, who had stolen the paper from its original publishers, were run off, and a new newspaper, the
Journal of Freedom
was started. The
Journal of Freedom
published an article telling about the convention just completed where a new nation was born, and a new constitution developed.