“President Hutchings was formerly the president of the Hardin County Board of Supervisors.”
“You’ve got to be joking! Before the Crunch hit, I was the president of the University of Idaho, just ten miles from here, in Moscow. What’s to say that I can’t get together with some of my friends and declare myself the president of the United States?”
After a pause, Clarke replied indignantly, “Two things. One, you don’t have more than fifteen thousand trained and equipped U.S. and UN troops under your control. Two, you do not control the sixty billion dollars in gold in the National Depository.”
The former university president stroked his chin and asked, “When will elections be held?”
Clarke answered matter-of-factly, “None will be considered until well after the entire country is pacified and the economy has been revitalized. That may be several years. Now, if there are no further questions….”
He was again interrupted, this time by a man dressed in coveralls and wearing a baseball cap emblazoned “CAT Diesel Power” and carrying a holstered single-action revolver. He raised his hand and shouted, “You said something about a new currency. What’s that all about?”
Clarke smiled again and replied, “Sir, I’m glad that you asked me that. The old federal currency has been declared obsolete, null and void, at least the paper money. The old coins are still considered legal tender, however. Distribution and acceptance of the new currency has already started in the Quad State area. In fact, I have an example of it here.” Clarke then held up a small lime-green bill.
The man in coveralls asked, “Can I see that, mister?”
“Certainly,” Clarke answered, and passed it into the crowd. It was passed hand-to-hand back to the questioner. After examining both sides of the five-dollar bill, he asked, “Is this new currency backed by the gold at Fort Knox?”
Clarke replied instantly, “Yes, indeed sir. Backed one hundred percent. We guarantee it.”
“If it’s backed in gold, then why doesn’t it say ‘Gold Certificate’ or ‘Pay the Bearer in Gold,’ or something like that?”
Clarke looked at his pilot nervously. “Well… uhh, due to the problems of transport under the ongoing crisis, the new currency will not be redeemable in gold, but it will still be lawful tender.”
The man in coveralls shook his head vigorously. “That sounds like a bunch of horse hooey to me. In the Bible that’s called ‘diverse weights and measures.’
That’s an abomination. Either the currency is gold backed, or it isn’t. If it’s not redeemable in the gold or silver, then this might just as well be Monopoly money, far as I’m concerned.” Murmurs began to sweep through the crowd.
Waving his arm, Clarke implored, “Sir, as I’m sure you recall, the old Federal Reserve currency wasn’t redeemable in gold or silver, either. That didn’t stop people from trusting the currency, now did it?”
The man again shook his head from side to side and retorted, “Well it darn sure should have! That was an abomination, too. I don’t think this depression would have ever happened if we had real money. As far as I could tell, the thing that started the whole ball of string unraveling was when Uncle Sam fired up the printing presses round the clock.” Throughout the crowd, there were shouts of agreement.
After a pause, the man in the coveralls crumpled the bill into a wad, and tossed it to the ground.
Clarke stammered, “You’re oversimplifying a very complex chain of events.
As the president pointed out in his statement, there will be vigorous controls on the economy to prevent another economic catastrophe. It’s for the public good.”
A heavyset middle-aged woman asked, “What was that bit your Mister Hutchings wrote about a National ID Card?”
Clarke replied nonchalantly, “Oh that’s just one of the new Federal security measures. As you’ve probably heard, there were hundreds of thousands of Mexicans that crossed the border illegally following the economic collapse.
The authorities have to be able to distinguish between residents and illegal aliens. Under the latest Federal proclamation, the new National ID card must be carried by everyone ten years old, or older, at all times. The latest version has a magnetic strip on the back that will make shopping very convenient. It works like a bank debit card. In the long term, the card will have to be presented to conduct any sales transaction. For now, at least, it will be required when crossing any of the new regional or sub-regional security checkpoints.”
The murmuring in the crowd increased. Roger Dunlap raised his hand and in a firm voice asked, “What about our guns, what does your new government have to say about that issue?”
Clarke put on his saccharine smile again, and replied, “The Constitution guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms. President Hutchings is a strong believer in the Second Amendment. He has stated publicly that he believes that every resident can continue to enjoy the privilege of owning firearms for sporting purposes, even under this period of martial law. However, due to the exigencies of the current lawless situation, the president has seen fit to institute a system of national firearms registration. This is, of course, aimed at curbing the tide of lawlessness. The only way to stop the bands of vicious brigands roaming the countryside is to disarm them. As you know, there were many government weapons that disappeared in the early stages of the crisis. Dozens and dozens of National Guard armories were looted. All of those weapons must be rounded up. In addition, certain categories of weapons have been declared a threat to the public safety, under the executive order, in compliance with the United Nations Arms Control Harmonization Accord. That treaty was signed by the president last year.”
Dunlap asked, “And what exactly are those categories?”
“Sir, I’ll be happy to answer your more detailed questions later with you privately.”
Dunlap raised his voice sharply. “No, Mr. Clarke! I want to know what categories of weapons have been outlawed, and I want to hear your answer right here and now. This is a matter that concerns all of us, and we deserve an honest answer, post haste!”
Again opening his notebook and leafing through poorly photocopied pages, Clarke cleared his throat and read, “‘The categories of weapons banned by the United Nations Accord include:
All fully automatic weapons, regardless of prior registration under the National Firearms Act of 1934,
any rifle over thirty caliber,
any shotgun or weapon of any description over twelve gauge in diameter, all semiautomatic rifles and shotguns,
all rifles and shotguns capable of accepting a detachable magazine, any detachable magazine regardless of capacity, any weapon with a fixed magazine that has a capacity of more than four cartridges, all grenades and grenade launchers,
all explosives, detonating cord, and blasting caps, all explosives precursor chemicals,
all firearms regardless of type that are chambered for military cartridges such as 7.62 mm NATO, 5.56 mm NATO, .45 ACP, and nine-mm parabellum, all silencers,
all night vision equipment including infrared, light amplification, or thermal, all telescopic sights,
all laser aiming devices,
all handguns regardless of type or caliber’… And…”
Clarke turned a page and went on. “The Accord further proscribes private possession of armored vehicles, bayonets, gas masks, helmets and bulletproof vests, encryption software or devices, and all radio transmitters—other than baby monitors, cordless phones, or cell phones.
“In addition: full metal jacket, tracer, incendiary, and armor piercing ammunition, all ammunition in military calibers, chemical agents of any sort including CS and CN tear gas, OC ‘pepper spray,’ and all military-type pyrotechnics and flare launchers.”