The Balkanization of America (19 page)

My fellow Americans, may God bless our great nation. Thank you and good night.”

Before President Brownstone completes his remarks the country erupts into chaos, the left screams racism is the reason for the impeachment of President Obsma, the President’s base swears to fight the new President, at every step. They beg the press to put pressure on President Brownstone to resign and reinstate President Obsma. The inner cities explode in flames; the sections that were burned and rebuilt are burned again. Anonymous fills the air with the support for the New President; They post millions supportive posts and stories how President Obsma was harming the country. Nothing slows down the violence from Obsma’s supporters. The country is closer to civil war than any other time since 1860. State Governors start talking about seceding from the country. The governor of California openly calls on President Obsma to form a new country. Millions march in support of and against President Obsma. The marches quickly turn very violent.

Impeached President Obsma flies to Chicago to figure out his next steps. He knows he has to act quickly if he wants to avoid being charged by the new Attorney General. He’s soon joined by his close friends, and political allies, Nanny Polsi and Harold Reid, who jointly issue an announcement asking their base to fight the new President. Rather than support President Brownstone for the good of the country, Obsma, and his political allies want to deepen the divide between the sides. They hope to create enough violence in the streets that President Brownstone will have to declare martial law. Obsma can then point to this showing he’s a better President.

Obsma and his allies speak with a handful of governors. The question on everyone’s mind is Obsma going to try to form a new nation. Obsma doesn’t care about holding the nation together; his only concern is his own political power and reforming America into a socialist state that controls every aspect of people’s lives.

The discussion goes back and forth for 14 hours. Some of the governors are worried that President Brownstone will use force to preserve the Union, others argue that the country is already split, and this is a better course of action for everyone. Obsma decides to have a quick poll taken of his strongest supporters. Unsurprisingly the majority of his supporters and those in the Democratic Party leadership vote to form a new country. Obsma smiles realizing he can pull it off and remain in power. This time, he can have a new constitution written, one that does away with those pesky amendments like the first, second, fourth and fifth. He’s not really concerned the new administration will use the military to force the country to stay together. Obsma thinks most people don’t want a second civil war; they’d rather the country split then face the issues a war at home will bring.

Obsma calls his major donors to ensure their money will continue to flow if he breaks away and sets up a new country. He promises his donor's positions of power within the new country. More than 90% agree to continue funding in exchange for favorable laws and positions within his new administration.

Obsma and his key supporters issue a call for a new nation. A nation based on the progressive policies of income equality. Of free national healthcare. Free schooling from preschool through college. A nation build on environmental friendly green policies. A nation without a lower class.

Many of the state governors take the offer seriously, they figure their people won’t accept the right wing administration. Governor Brownie of California is the first to announce his support for Obsma, he pledges that California will leave the union, Governor Cuma announces New York will join California in the formation of a new nation led by Obsma. Within the hour, Maryland announces they are joining the other two states. In four days, Oregon and Illinois announce they are joining the new union. Many citizens in the states announcing they’re leaving the union are angry. Not everyone within the breakaway states shares the views of their governors. Many take to the streets to protest breaking away from the union. Riots break out within the states announcing their intent to break free of America; riots also break out in many of the states who announce their intent to remain in the union. The rioting causes over one hundred billion dollars in damage. Money the government no longer has. Many in the states pledging to stay are upset the government aid programs are going to cease forcing millions to perform real work.  Firestorms are formed. These suck oxygen from the surrounding areas, winds rushing into the firestorm reach speeds of 100 MPH driving the flames to consume everything in their path. Towns are destroyed, burnt to their foundations.

President Brownstone quickly calls his advisors together, “Ladies and Gentlemen President Obsma just hit us with a sucker punch. He’s proposing breaking America up into two countries. He’s preaching the “Balkanization of America.” I have to admit I didn’t see this coming. I need your input and advice. We’re going to have to come out with an official statement as soon as possible. Our response will determine how or even if America survives.”

Ted says, “Mr. President, I agree he caught us completely by surprise, shame on us, we should have seen it coming. We can’t change the past, going forward I think we should let them break off and try to form a new country….”

Ted doesn’t get to complete his thought as the conference room explodes with everyone in it or on the conference call trying to speak at the same time. Everyone is trying to get a word in over everyone else. President Brownstone is trying to get control of the meeting; he tries to calm his staff. No one’s paying him any attention. Out of frustration he leans back asking one of his Secret Service agents for their sidearm. The Secret Service agent looks at the President with fear spreading over his face. “Mr. President, that’s not a good idea.”

“Pull the magazine, just hand me your empty side arm.”

The agent removes the magazine and the round in the chamber handling the Glock to the President, who picks it up; he holds the barrel in his hand banging the table with the Glock’s grip. The banging get’s everyone’s attention; they look at the President. Seeing he’s holding a sidearm, they all quickly quiet down. The President says, “Good, now that I have your attention, let’s discuss this in a civil manner. I want to hear each of your thoughts, but one at a time. Ted, you went first, why do you think we should allow Obsma to form a new country and break up America?”

“Sir, ladies and gentlemen, the country is already “Balkanized.” The country has been split for a long time. The North East and the West Coast are liberal; the central portion and the south are more central in their political views. In 08 when Obsma was elected, he made the split worse. He drove a wedge between the right and left. Rather than bring the country together, he worked hard to divide us. We’ve reached the point where the two sides can’t agree with each other on anything if one side said the sky’s clear the other side will say it’s raining. It’s a lot harder to form a country and run one that talking about it. I say we let them go. Then we sit back and watch them fall apart, when they’ve collapsed, their people will beg to rejoin the rest of the country. It will avoid a bloody civil war that will destroy the country.”

Steve Forbas quickly interjects, “Wait a minute, today the government is broke, and we owe more money than exists in the world. If we let them go, how much tax revenue are we going to lose? What about the benefits we currently pay to the people living in the states that leave? What about the government owned buildings land and assets in the states leaving? We need a lot more information before we can make any intelligent financial estimate.”

Randy quickly jumps in, “What about the border, how will we guard against Obsma’s people deciding six months from now they don’t like his system and swarm back here where we’ll have to support them. We’re broke now, I agree with Steve we need much more information before we make any statement.”

“Sarah what do you think?”

“Mr. President, ladies, and gentlemen, I’m leaning towards agreeing with Ted, to let them go and watch them fail. We’ve supported break away countries all over the world, how can we say we support the people’s efforts in Europe or Africa to form new nations but not here? I don’t think they’ll succeed, I also agree with Steve we need to figure out how much it’ll cost or save us. However, we are going to have to make a statement very quickly or watch the people fight each other over the issue in our streets.”

“Alvin?”

“Sir, Lincoln was faced with a similar question, should he have allowed the South to secede or force them back into the union. Many believe his action of forcing the South back into the Union was the beginning of the Federal Government grabbing power away from the states. Some think that President Lincoln exceeded his authority under the Constitution by going to war to force states that had voluntarily come together to form the United States to stay in the union. While Lincoln saved the union, the real question is, did he make it the situation much worse and did he lay the foundation of where we are today? I’m split; one part of me wants to hold the union together the other part of me says let them go. As Sarah said, they’ll fail and beg to come home. As Steve said, how much will it cost us to let them go and how much will it cost us to force them to stay. We’re in the middle of an economic world war. Russia and China have declared war against us. Can we fight them and still fight Obsma? Given the attack on the dollar by Puten and Xing can Obsma even get his new country off the ground? If we let them go will we be allowing a new Cuba being formed right next door to us? Will we be setting up our children to live in fear of the left-wing breakaway nation? To be completely honest, I don’t know how to answer. I need what we don’t have, time to digest the options and also figure out which states are going to stay and which may leave. I think Steve has a good point we need to model the financial impact. I’d like to propose we break into smaller groups to review the impact quickly in our areas of expertise. I also think we need to poll the governors to see which way their leaning.”

President Brownstone leans his chair back; he stretches, standing up. “Alvin, you’re correct this is the same question President Lincoln faced. The Civil War was the bloodiest in our history. It tore families apart; it tore the country apart. It took many years to fully heal the wounds; some say the country never really healed, I think they’re correct. Can, should we go through this again. I’d like each of you to review the following questions,

1. What’s the impact to your area if we allow them to leave
   
2. What’s the financial impact of them leaving?
   
3. What’s the financial impact of forcing them to stay?
   
4. Which states will stay and which leave?
   
5. If we allow them to leave can we defend our new borders?
   
6. If we allow them to leave and later they want to return should we let them?
   
7. What do we do about all of the government-owned assets in the states that want to leave?
   
8. What do we do about the infrastructure left behind?
   
9. What’s the impact to families who find themselves split up?
   
10.                     
    John, one just for you and the military, if we let Obsma take his supporters and go will we look especially weak to Puten and Xing and if so how will they use it against us?
    

People I think there are many other questions, but these are the ones at the top of my mind, let’s reconvene in four hours. One last thing, no, let me repeat NO hundred-page power points, make your statement as short as possible, time is not something we have a lot of.”

Everyone in the room agrees, those on the conference call agree and hang up so they can start work on the President’s questions. The members of President Brownstone’s new cabinet leave the conference room, Ted stays behind. “Mr. President, do you really think we’re going to end up fighting another civil war?”

“Ted, it’s one of my real fears. I think we’re facing a 75% probability of one. If another civil war breaks out I think, our Friends Puten and Xing will move against us. I expect Puten will take over Europe and then move to grab Alaska. Xing will grab all of Asia and then demand or just grab Hawaii.”

“Rod, could it really get that bad?”

“Yes, I think we may see the day Russian and Chinese troops set foot on American soil in anger. If I were Puten, I’d land Special Forces on our strategic bases saying he was protecting our nuclear stockpile from falling into the wrong hands. If I were him, I’d wait just long enough for our forces to be engaged with Obsma’s across a wide front so we couldn’t respond to his invasion. He knows we’d be faced with either accepting his grab or going nuclear.”

“Oh my God, I didn’t look that far ahead, this could lead into a nuclear world war that can destroy much of the planet.”

“Yes, it can. When President Lincoln faced this question, he didn’t have to also face a potential global war. When the civil war ended, it ended, sure there were a few who fought on, but in very limited numbers. We’ve seen from Iraq when the war ends it doesn’t necessarily end. We could be fighting internal insurgents for years or generations. Ted, I should have foreseen him pulling this stunt. I missed it; he pulled one over on us, and we can’t let him continue to pull surprises on us. The press is still on his side; they’re going to whip this into a firestorm. The press is going to try to turn our people against us. By the way have I told you I’m naming a really out of the box person for our new Press Secretary. He’ll be here tomorrow.”