American Meltdown: Book Two of The Economic Collapse Chronicles Page 2

  Wesley explained to Matt, “Several of the new members are having trouble with the fact that Johnson has no military experience, especially those who served in the military. Those of us who have been in the militia with Franklin for a while know better. Franklin never joined the military because he didn't trust the government’s decisions. He has no problem fighting or dying for his country, but he feels the military ambitions of the past few administrations, from both sides of the political aisle, had little to do with defending American soil. Franklin paid money out of his own pocket to get advanced weapons training. He studied military strategy and tactics and he worked his way up the ladder in the US Postal Service. That gives him a good understanding of logistics. He was promoted to upper level management with the Post Office and has good people skills.”

  Franklin began speaking. "I would like to thank everyone for coming out today. I know it's cold and you left your warm homes to be here. We don’t know when or if we will have to stand up to the tyrant, but we will do what is required to be ready if that day is thrust upon us. We must be ready to meet him in the snow or rain or blazing sun."

  Wesley nudged Adam and whispered, "You can tell he worked for the post office."

  "Shut up," Adam said as he fought to keep from laughing.

  Franklin continued, "None of you men need a lesson in the Constitution nor in the Bill of Rights. You are well aware of your rights granted by your Creator and the supreme law of this land. That is why you’re here. Today we’ll be working on information relay procedures, gear checks and some general combat techniques. After today, you’ll only be training with either your individual companies or, in most cases, your platoons.

  “I felt it was necessary for us to all come together this one time to see each other and be encouraged by knowing the number of men committed to this effort. In general, however, gatherings of this size will draw unnecessary attention. You’re all aware of the need for discretion. Even here in Eastern Kentucky, there are some among us that are loyal to the tyrants who have hijacked our nation. Those of us who have been in the militia for some time now affectionately refer to the loyalist as Tories. The moniker comes from the Revolutionary War. Tories were those loyal to the crown."

  Johnson continued speaking for about an hour explaining the protocol for reporting intelligence, measuring progress, and receiving orders. He spoke briefly about the minimum requirements for weapons and provisions for packs. He went on to give some advice about keeping a low profile.

  Johnson said, “Try utilizing a bivouac whenever possible as most of the tents I see around the camp range in color from bright orange to sky blue. They aren't the most tactically advantageous forms of shelter. When you are moving discretely through the country and have to shelter overnight, you can use the overhang of a cliff or build a shelter out of branches and leaves laid over a fallen tree to maintain a low profile.”

  After the meeting the men broke for lunch. Wes, Adam and Matt worked together to get a fire going before they ate. Matt shared a bit of his meatloaf with Wes and Adam.

  "Is this from that deer I shot?" Wes asked.

  "It's mixed," Matt said.

  "With what?" Wes inquired.

  "It's mostly that deer you shot," Matt said.

  "And what else?" Adam could tell Matt was trying to be evasive and that caused him to wonder as well.

  "Possum," Matt said.

  Adam’s eyes opened wide. He had just taken a rather large mouthful of the delectable meat loaf.

  Wesley looked at the meal in front of him for a minute, then decided to give it a try. "Not bad," he said.

  After the initial shock wore off, Adam said, "Actually, it's really good. But why did you put possum in it?"

  "The deer meat is a little too lean for meatloaf. Possum is a good source of fat. I put a good amount of Worcestershire sauce in it to bring all the flavors together," Matt said with a wink.

  CHAPTER 2

  "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all."

  -George Washington

  Matt woke up just before dawn. He was freezing. He had done all he could to stay warm, but he was still shivering. He hated the thought of getting out of the sleeping bag. The night before, he had used hot rocks to get his tent warm. He had put several larger rocks in the camp fire to get them red hot. He built a small platform of rocks inside his tent to act as a hearth. He used large sticks like oversized chop sticks to transfer the rocks from the fire pit to the hearth in his tent. The hearth kept the hot rocks from melting the bottom of the tent which was made of plastic. The hot rocks worked well for a while. When he had first gotten into the tent it was toasty and warm. As the rocks cooled, the tent became frigid again.

  Matt said to himself, “There is no use fighting it. I better get up and start moving to get some body heat going.”

  Matt did thirty pushups in the tent to get his internal temperature up. He put his boots and coat on, got out of the tent and started a fire. He placed a pot of water over the fire for coffee and got back in the tent to do another set of pushups. Outside there was not much of a breeze, but it still felt warmer in the tent. By the time the coffee was ready, he could see the first sliver of dawn in the eastern sky over the adjacent mountain. While it would be a while before the sun would warm the air, it was a sign that the coldest part of the night was over. There had not been much snow this year. Matt was thankful that he didn’t have to contend with the added discomfort of the moisture from the snow.

  Adam and Wes shared a tent and Matt figured their combined body heat kept them a bit warmer through the night than he had been. Adam and Wes woke just as first light was breaking from behind the mountain.

  They all shared the things they brought for breakfast. Adam brought a thick piece of country ham to have for breakfast with eggs. Matt brought biscuits that were already cooked.

  Matt commented on the biscuits “Just one day after I made the biscuits, they’re already hard.”

  Adam said, “A quick remedy for stale biscuits is to make us some red-eye gravy.”

  This was done by pouring coffee over the country ham after it was finished cooking, but while it was still in the pan. This rinsed off the excess grease and salt and made a sort of country au jus.

  Wesley said, “What would breakfast be without red-eye gravy.”

  The Bairs had all grown up with red-eye gravy. It was something of a family favorite.

  The day’s training started with building shelters and camouflage. Adam taught a class to all five companies on constructing a ghillie suit and basic camouflage.

  He began the class with a short description of the suit. “A ghillie suit is camouflage made from long strips of fabric that are sewn onto an over-sized outer garment like a jacket and trousers or a one-piece jump suit. Traditionally, the strips are made from burlap, but use whatever you can find. Any fabric in earth tones will work. Greens, tans, dark greys and browns are the colors that you want to use for the underlying garment as well as the fabric strips.

  “In the case of snow, you can use a simple white sheet as a type of poncho for camouflage. Your weapons can easily be concealed under the sheet and brought up to a firing position with little obstruction. We will also use face paint to break up the shape of the human face and match the colors of the seasons for the surrounding terrain.”

  After a lunch break, they reconvened for more training. Afternoon classes explained basic troop movement. Matt and the others learned wedge, diamond and file formations. Matt learned the difference between traveling, traveling over watch and bounding over watch.

  Dave, the instructor, explained, “Traveling is simply moving in formation when there is little threat of enemy contact. When enemy contact is more likely, squads will put more distance in between the individual fire teams, this is called traveling over watch. Bounding over watch is used when contact with the enemy is expected. This method has the two fire teams of each squad leap frog
forward, one at a time so one fire team is covering the other fire team as they move. For those of you who may not know, a fire team is simply a team of four or five guys. There would typically be two fire teams in a squad, so the squad size will ultimately define the size of the fire teams rather than some preset number.”

  When the troop movement lecture was over, all five companies broke up into platoons and practiced their troop movement. Double time file movement, low crawls and high crawl movements quickly revealed that many of the men in Matt’s platoon were in poor shape. The men practiced by marching for about ten miles total that afternoon and finished well after sundown.

  Adam gave a short pep talk to his platoon after the training. “I don’t want to sound harsh, but I hope this will serve as a wake-up call for many of you who realized that you’re more vulnerable because of your weight or poor cardiovascular conditions. As your platoon leader, I am going to make it my personal responsibility to get this platoon in shape by meeting more often than the required two days per week for training.”

  As Matt, Wes and Adam were returning to their campsite, Matt said, “The temperature is dropping fast and my clothes are wet with sweat. I’m going to make a pot of warm water and take a quick cat bath with a wash rag inside his tent. I’ll get into some dry clothes, then meet you guys for dinner.”

  Afterwards, he felt cleaner, but not really clean. He put on dry clothes and met the guys at the fireside.

  Wes said, "I’m done with this. I’m so ready to get home to a shower and a warm bed."

  "Me too," Matt said.

  Adam smiled and shook his head.

  "What's up, brother?" Wes asked.

  "Y'all better enjoy this little boy scout jamboree, because we start training for real next week," Adam said.

  "What do you have planned for us, Cousin?" Matt inquired.

  "You'll see," Adam said with a mischievous grin. “I don’t want to torture you guys, but you both are way too soft for combat. It’s unlikely that I will be able to simulate the ‘festivities’ of Paris Island, but I’ll do my best to prepare you for a fight.”

  Matt wondered exactly what Adam had in mind. They stayed one more night in the freezing cold. They were dismissed the next morning at first light. The extra night was not meant as punishment, it was just conditioning so they would be better prepared to operate in the elements.

  CHAPTER 3

  "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "

  -Isaiah 14:13-14

  Inauguration Day

  Anthony Howe sat in the back of the limousine as it drove up Pennsylvania Avenue. He had waited for this day for what seemed like forever. He felt just like a little kid on Christmas morning. He had asked Santa for the world and now it was sitting there, under the tree for the taking. The country was descending into economic chaos. Impossible choices lay ahead, but Howe was in it for the rush of power. He really had very little concern for the masses, who were suffering. This was his moment in the sun and no amount of trouble amongst the ‘peasants’ could take that away from him. This was the moment when the whole world would look at him as the most powerful man on the planet.

  The lead Secret Service agent said to Anthony Howe “Due to the political turmoil in the recent election, we’re advising you not get out of the limousine to walk the traditional last length of the presidential parade up Pennsylvania Avenue to the inaugural proceedings.”

  Howe thought back to all the turmoil he went through to get here. The election had been a three-way race and none of the candidates had received the required 270 electoral vote to be elected through the Electoral College. The vote fell to the House of Representatives. The independent candidate, Texas Senator Paul Randall had received the most electoral votes and had won the popular vote, but in the end, The House chose Democratic New York Governor Anthony Howe.

  The agent continued, “We’ve picked up chatter on the internet that suggests many of Randall's supporters are ready to fight against the government.”

  Howe countered, “I know you boys have your work cut out. Randall has convinced his followers that I have launched an all-out assault against the Constitution, but you can handle it. I appreciate your concern, but we’ll stop the limousine three blocks from the podium where I’m to be sworn in. These people have come out in the cold today to see their new president and I intend to fulfill their wish."

  Howe and his wife, Jenna, exited the car and began to wave to the crowds lining both sides of the avenue. These people were among his most loyal followers who bought every empty promise he made in the campaign. The crowd was enamored with Howe. The president preceding Howe, Mustafa Al Mohammad, had cultivated a personality cult among the liberals and Howe knew he was inheriting that hero worship.

  Howe’s smile grew larger as he drank in the cheers and the applause. He thought, This is the attention and respect that I deserve. He absorbed the praise and basked in the knowledge that all this pomp and ceremony was just for him.

  At the podium, Howe met Chief Justice Rosa Espinosa. Howe repeated after The Chief Justice, "I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States." The section about defending the Constitution had been removed from the oath as well as the bit about solemnly swearing. Howe also dropped the tradition of being sworn in with his hand on a Bible citing that the Book had been a source of division and contention for too many years in America.

  Howe had pre-arranged to have the oath altered from the oath required by the Constitution which reads in Article II, Section I, Clause VIII "I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

  The Chief Justice had deliberated with several other Supreme Court Justices and they determined that the document was written in a different era and that the present age called for more flexibility in the interpretations.

  Great amounts of liberty had been taken in the interpretation of the Constitution for many years now. The very people who had derived their authority from the Constitution were the ones who had relieved it of a vast portion of its substance. In fact, the portion of the Constitution that granted their power was the only part they held sacred.

  The crowd went wild as the band played and ceremonial canons fired in the background. Howe was announced as President of the United States and he stepped to the podium to make his inaugural address.

  “My fellow citizens, I am humbled by the outpouring of support I have received from you today. Our nation has been cast into a turbulent period both by unfortunate economic circumstances and political division.

  “A member of our own government has called for Americans to stop paying taxes and join him in his financial terrorism against this country. We will show Senator Randall that America is stronger than he anticipated. We will show him that this great country will not fall apart simply because he is a sore loser.

  “But I will not lie to you. Many weak-minded people in this country have succumbed to his blasphemous rhetoric and followed his septic advice. His so-called 'American Exit Strategy' has convinced millions to quit participating in economic activity and start illegal black-market barter networks which have abandoned the use of US currency."

  Howe knew he was only eight days from a major fiscal short fall in the federal budget. He needed to start damage control right away. It was true that millions of people had dropped out of the current system and followed Paul Randall's advice to establish barter networks, but millions more had lost their jobs due to the recent financial turmoil.

  Anthony Howe continued his inaugural address, "I will seek out and find Paul Randall and his co-conspirators. Once they have been dealt with, I will bring our lost sheep back into the fold and restore
our economy.

  “Paul Randall has also called for an armed resistance. I will not stand for this. I have left much room for the right to bear arms in my plan to remove weapons of war from our streets. As I promised in my campaign, I will be signing an executive order to ban all semi-automatic weapons later today. I have sought to maintain the rights of hunters and collectors to register and keep revolvers, single-shot and pump-action shotguns as well as bolt-action rifles that hold less than seven rounds of ammunition and do not have detachable magazines. These allowances will be suspended for any states, cities or territories where resistance to the ban is supported by state or local governments or law enforcement agencies. To ensure seamless compliance to the new law, DHS agents will be assisting state and local law enforcement in the collection of the banned weapons. We will join the rest of the civilized world that has for so long viewed Americans as savages in the Wild West.

  “I expect resistance in the less refined areas of the country and will make examples of those who openly defy this edict. We have brought home hundreds of thousands of our military men and women from foreign bases. They have been tested in the fire of battle and are well trained to deal with insurrection. The criminals who have predetermined not to comply with the new regulation will soon find that they have bitten off more than they can chew. A fist full of farmers and rabble-rousers will not long contend with the most powerful military force in the world."

  Anthony Howe put a stern, self-righteous expression on his face. He raised his voice to a low shout as he continued. "No more will this country be the laughing-stock of the world. No more will this country be mocked as our schools, streets, malls and theaters are painted red with the blood of gun violence victims."

  The crowd cheered their new warrior of peace.