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The President's security team was on edge, they'd tried to convince him that walking around the Mall wasn't a great idea. There were still people who didn't like the idea of him being President.
"So what do I do, Bill? Sit in the White House all day, hide out at Camp David? I'm tired of this routine. Besides which, it's so cold today that I doubt there will be many people out there."
Bill Aspinall was walking with the President, he'd been right about one thing, the Mall was practically deserted. It also had to be close to ten degrees below zero as well. At least the wind wasn't blowing.
The sky was clear, a washed out blue which hurt the eyes it was so bright. Aspinall stopped when the President did. John Nakagawa was standing absolutely still, staring at the Washington Monument.
"Did you know Bill, that back in 2022, I think it was, there was a guy who threw paint all over one spot on the Monument? Wrote an obscene message as well, but I don't remember what it was. Red paint I think it was."
"Isn't it always red paint, Sir? Someone making a statement about one thing or another. I recall that out at Udvar-Hazy, at Dulles, they had to put a plexiglas shield to protect the nose of the Enola Gay after someone threw paint on the aircraft."
Right after saying that, Aspinall bit his lip, he had no idea how the President felt about that moment in time. After all, John Nakagawa was of Japanese descent. He held his breath.
The President turned to look at Aspinall, "Really Bill, you're worried about offending me? I'm an American damn it. Truman did the right thing with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, do you know how many would have died had he not done that? An invasion would have cost the lives of tens of thousands of Americans, I have no doubt. It would have cost the Japanese millions of lives. There's a good chance that Japan would have been completely destroyed. Huh, my wife wouldn't be here, that's for sure."
"I wasn't thinking, boss. Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for, do you think I'm any different from Truman? At least he bombed an enemy combatant, I sicced the United States military on an American state. I feel like shit about that, but it had to be done. Had to. Full stop."
Aspinall held his tongue as the President sighed and turned to walk back to the car. A small crowd had gathered nearby, no more than twenty people. They had recognized the President. Before Nakagawa got in the car, he heard a shout. He turned.
"God Bless you, Mr. President! Good luck in November!"
The small group began to applaud, Nakagawa waved to them, then bowed slightly. Entering the car he turned to Aspinall and said, "See, I told you the fresh air would do me good."
Major General Cameron was sitting in an office on Mather Field reading a message which had come in not two minutes before.
He grunted and handed the paper to MSGT McKellar, "Read that, Don. Has DC lost their minds? Or are they smarter than we give them credit for?"
McKellar read the message, then set it down on the desk. "It's the smart move, Sir. The state is in chaos, the governor is dead, the lieutenant governor is nowhere to be found, and we've got the state legislature locked up awaiting trial I guess."
"But appoint me as the military governor? Place the state under martial law? Is that wise?"
"Who else, Sir? You're the man on the spot. San Francisco and L.A. are virtually under siege, the Navy is blockading the state, martial law is a fact, whether anyone declares it or not."
Cameron looked up as Benny Wilcox and Rob Kasparovich came into the office.
"I thought you two had left already?"
Wilcox spoke, "Midnight flight, General. C-17 to ...," he turned to look at Kasparovich, "Where are we going?"
Kasparovich grinned, "JBAB, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. No doubt the boss wants us in the office first thing in the morning."
"Yes, JBAB. We just wanted to stop by and say our farewells. Good luck trying to get California back up and running." Wilcox held his hand out.
Cameron stood and shook Wilcox's hand, then Kasparovich's, "Thanks for helping out, it's not often that the government shows up and does something useful."
"Ouch." Wilcox said with a grin.
"Master Sergeant." Wilcox nodded to McKellar, who held out his hand.
"Gentlemen, you're welcome on my team any day. Thanks for the assist. Now get your asses out of the General's office, we've got work to do."
"Roger that. Good luck with this mess."
"We're going to need it, I'm sure."
are we done here?
ReplyDeleteWho wants to know?
DeleteAnonymous- leaving CA under Martial Law wouldn't be a very good wrap up- although I wouldn't mind it here for a little while!
DeleteOne always leaves a little something dangling, that way you can have a sequel!
DeleteMy state could have it's own series.
DeleteWon't argue that.
DeleteLOL are you asking the Muse? Time will tell but I'd say not completely as Martial Law is like saddling a Bear. You're riding it but just wait for the dismount.
ReplyDeleteRoger that.
DeleteState legislators awaiting trial, tell me moar! A pol on the run! Good news this morning Sarge, thumbs up for your Muse.
ReplyDeleteWe're not done yet. Still have a referendum to get through.
DeleteBeing a firm believer in "10% screw things up for the 90%", I'd say "Ten Percenters" will be very malcontented.
ReplyDeleteAren't they always?
DeleteMartial law in California after a seesech governor and Legislature is taken down. That would almost require firearms confiscation. Which could prove interesting. The anti-gun UC Davis Dept of Public Health in its 2018 California Safety and Wellbeing Survey says only about 15% of Californians own guns with another 11% "live in in a home with someone who does." that lines up pretty well with other studies that show about 28% of CA households have guns. UCD gives a laughable guestimate of only 10,000,000 gunz-r-bad in The Once Golden State. Not a few of us are, at least vocally, 2nd Amendment absolutists. That could prove interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlso, almost every time martial law has been declared in the US (68 times is the number I found of 3 sites) there has been a national backlash against it. Might be enough to topple a president who got into office through the puting down of a coup, and used his power to have one of the pretenders executed/assassinated.
Feels to me as if Muse is only about a third of the way through this story. Or is maybe segueing into the sequel about the West Coast.
Martial law does not require firearms confiscation. Law enforcement switches to the military rather than the civil authority.
DeleteWhich is why I wrote "almost" and outlined the existing situation. Martial Law doesn't require expulsion of Jews, but look at General Order 11 of Dec. 1862.
DeleteContrary to what "everybody knows " about the hardcore leftists, Winsomeites (Winsomists?) you might say, not all are anti-gun and many own firearms and practices. At least that's my impression from the bumper stickers I've seen on cars at the range. Of course, that range serves the Counties of Marin and Sonoma, so somewhat biased.
Martial law can be twisted as you note. Yes, even leftists own weapons, which, in their stunning ignorance, they think the State will let them keep should their Marxist "dreams" come true.
DeleteHey Old AFSarge,
ReplyDeleteThis run of the muse will be interesting, you are correct, the declaring of martial law don't require firearm confiscation, but usually curfew if required and things of that nature until things settle down. Normally firearms get confiscated if the people declaring martial law want to do something and they absolutely want no resistance to their endgame, and that is a 'nother kettle of fish. totally unrelated question, you still considering publishing your WWII story?
The WWII story will eventually get published, I just need to find the time to do that.
DeleteI agree with Mr. Garibaldi. Martial Law can be used for good. Quick shutdown of looters, drug dealers and users and other bad people who have made California such a wonderful place to live.
DeleteWill Military Justice be harsh? Well, duh. It's military justice.
But it can be a good thing. Allow the state to settle down, remove animosity from various groups towards various other groups, which will allow tempers to cool, and allow the Military Government to be able to say, "You want us gone? We want us gone. Get your poop together and we'll be able to leave and you can go back to living the California Life."
And private ownership of guns? So? As long as no-one fires upon Military Government troops, it's all good. And those firing upon Military Government forces will find that there will be a lot more civilians firing at them than the military firing back. And the civilians will be a lot more pissed off and vindictive.
Hopefully it will be a clean quick governorship and sensible people get reelected and/or appointed and California gets back on track. After all, California has a long history of being under martial law and military governorship.
Kind of a thing with them, innit?
DeleteThe president acted faithfully to uphold Article IV Section 4 of The Constitution Of The United States.
ReplyDeleteHow do you ensure the guarantee therein to a state which has become belligerent against the several states?
Note only those acting to immediately bring force against the U.S. were gunned down. The others, no less antagonistic, by not taking up arms, won themselves some time to be prosecuted in other means.
The blockading forces could have shelled the ports and airports. But they didn't. Only Mather, so far as we know, was counterattacked. Because rendering of the belligerents at the base required exigency.
I think I would place only place LA, SF, Sacto under martial law. No one in, or especially our, without authorization.
The ports and installations are a given.
Given that every podunk airfield is a potential gateway to the national airspace, and in this day of Starlink and other similar systems, and satphones, it will be very tough to secure the people by martial law.
I reckon the best recourse would be limited in time. The shortest possible. Still, that might be one year or so. Ringleaders and layers and cells upon cells.
It would be fortunate indeed if the hostility to the U.S. was only one later deep, composed of pols so astoundingly full of themselves to think they had wide support.
I don't see martial being imposed outside of those cities you mention, unless the need arises.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see what support the current set of politicians in this country actually have, once you stripped away the media's propaganda.
It is fully under the provisions of martial law that local governmental units can be pulled into the fold of the military government. So, yes, martial law for all the state with a military governor, but pretty much day-to-day life in non-touched areas will go on the same. Same cops, same drivers' license bureaus, same schools (though school may be canceled for a month or two) and so forth.
DeleteThat's the velvet glove of a military government. Act nice, things go nice and stay the same.
The iron gauntlet is the one that crushes and controls the areas that are fractious and a problem.
After all, we in WWII pulled German units in to do work in Germany after the surrender. Handled well in "Band of Brothers" with the scene where the Easy Company patrol is talking to the Kettenhund at a crossroads.
A lot of folks don't know that Japanese forces were used in much the same way after the Japanese surrender.
DeleteSome can say the failure to do the same with the Iraqi army after the fall of Iraq is what led to the years of suckage. All those unemployed men with nothing to do and no pay coming in.
DeleteAnd, yes, under Shogun MacArthur, the Japanese Army and Navy worked hand in hand with US forces. And it's that cooperation/working with that got us access to all the hidden caches and bases and other places that really freaked out the follow-up invasion study in 1946.
We don't remember the past.
DeleteWinding down .... if the muse wants to....
ReplyDeleteThere are days, this might be it. It is a clean break point. The Muse keeps muttering about wanting to go on vacation. I might have to let her.
DeleteThe big thing about martial law to me is the ability of the Governor to repeal/revoke existing laws as required. I.e. Make Shoplifting over $100 misdemeanor or over $1000 is a felony with jail time instead of hand-slaps at best as a recent example. Same thing with removing DAs who refuse to prosecute Black offenders, Sanctuary City status, etc.
ReplyDeleteHe can also purge the voter rolls and require in-person reregistration with proof of citizenship.
I'm expecting California to loose statehood down the line and be broken up into at least three states.
I'd have a heck of time proving I'm a citizen. I have a certified copy of my birth certificate that I got from the County of San Diego so I can get my internal passport, aka Real ID, somewhere. Other than that I have my CA drivers license. My Social Security card is somewhere safe. It's my original one that's printed on about 30# paper and has printed on it, as all SS cards used to, "Not to be used for identification."
DeleteRe breaking up California into several states. Look up "California geomorphic provinces." Using that map it's easy to make a case to break The Once Golden State into 6 or 7 states based on the economic interests of each province. A few would need to be combined, or maybe absorbed by Oregon. What are States, or nations, for that matter, but political entities with common economic and cultural interests? And the economic interests often dictate the culture of a region.
Rick T, i.e. enforce the laws on the books and punish those who refuse to enforce them. I like that.
DeleteJoe - How is the birth certificate not sufficient proof of citizenship? Do you have a U.S. passport?
DeleteI have multiple ways.
DeleteIt's really not onerous to do. Rather easy-ish. Some hoops, like getting said certified birth certificate and certified licenses and changes of names, are somewhat a pain depending on the efficiency of various state and local governments, but, really, in states that require Real ID to vote, it does cut down a lot on voter fraud.
I'm amazed that polling stations don't outright require valid ID, boggles the freaking mind.
DeleteI'd have to find my birth certificate. Our important papers got jumbled up last time we had to bug out due to a wildfire. I suppose I can go through the process of getting another from San Diego County. I just really resent having to have an internal passport like Real ID.
DeleteNo passport. Never thought I'd need one.
Well, if certain states hadn't decided to hand out IDs to illegals we wouldn't "need" Real ID. (As I have a U.S. government issued ID, I'm good. But I have a passport as well, The Missus Herself likes to occasionally visit foreign lands.)
DeletePolling places in Florida do. And it's one of the many reasons I hate with a burning passion mail-in voting.
DeleteAs to your BC, Joe, it's not an onerous process. And then you can put it in a nice safe in your house.
As to those state, OAFS, funny that the same states that do that allow illegals to vote in 'only local elections.' And California even appointed a foreign national onto a voting board. Chinese foreign national, of course.
No surprise there.
DeleteAh, my dreams have been brought to fictional life! Commiefornia hoist by its own petard and the zealous lefties corralled, at least what is left of them at the power level. But,then I wake up and realize it's only a fiction story. The Commie scum are still in power there, oppressing their citizens, so just another day in paradise. But, interesting "what-if ism."
ReplyDeleteGreat writing, as always.
JB
The way things should be versus the way things are.
DeleteI had to go there to fulfill one of my fantasies. Seeing the left brought down in flames, literally.
Honestly Sarge, ending seems to be one of the hardest things. There are those stories that have natural endings, those stories the author ends and I wish would go own (yours are always those), and those that the author should have ended a while ago.
ReplyDeleteThat said - much like your WW II yarn - perhaps there are parts and pieces that can make a return in other forms.
There are lots of threads I could chase with this tale. Probably in a new story, this ending seems somewhat natural. Not saying this is it, but it might be. For now.
DeleteBe interesting for segments of California's wild population of weirdos to find out how exactly unacceptable certain behavior is to the average real US citizen, let alone the people who make up most of America's military. Might even shock those outliers in America's military that think deviancy and perversion is A-Okay in military ranks.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that happen.
DeleteWill it? I don't know, depends on November I suppose.