Settlement, fourteen months later
As Bob Pritchard had predicted, ratification was swift. On a specified Standard Date, the new blue banners of the Confederacy were being raised on all thirteen worlds, not excluding Earth; the old United Nations building in New York City had been refurbished to serve as the Confederate headquarters on the home world. Fourteen months, a little over one Forest year later after the Confederate Constitution was submitted for ratification, the new Confederate flag was raised from a spanking-new flagpole in front of the old Main Mercantile in Settlement.
Mike and Jenny were there to see the new blue flag go up. With them were Mike Junior and his wife Maria, now heavily pregnant with their first child. Andrea Crider was absent, having accepted a commission to the new Confederate Navy Academy on Tarbos.
A swell of pride filled Mike as he stood on the red dust of the old Common watching the new flag snap in the stiff breeze off the river. He stood with one arm around Jenny’s slim shoulders, smiling at the new banner he’d been instrumental in bringing to life.
“Everything’s going to be different now, you know, Dad?”
“I know, Junior. It’s a good thing we got things started off right.”
“I remember something from history classes in school,” Jenny observed quietly. “After America’s Constitutional Convention, one of the Founders – I think it was old Ben Franklin – told somebody, ‘we’ve given you a republic, if you can keep it.’ We’ve got a republic now. I hope we can keep it. I’ll admit, with Bob Pritchard as our first President, I think we’re off to a pretty good start.”
“We’ll keep it.” Mike looked very confident. “We’ll keep it.”
“You sound awfully sure, Dad.”
“I’m as sure as I can be, Junior. I think Mankind has finally learned how to govern itself. We saw that in the ratifications – the narrowest vote was on Corinthia, and there it still passed almost 70-30.” And I bet old ‘King’ Harold is hopping mad about it, he thought. “Look at what Earth went through before everyone on the rock lived free. Three World Wars, and who knows how many smaller battles. Humanity won in the end, and you’re seeing the result there now. And we won a newer battle here on Forest all those years ago, and another on Tarbos just last year. We’re tougher than the Grugell give us credit for.” He placed one hand unconsciously on the ancient Colt, still holstered at his hip, and with the other motioned towards the blue flag. “Someone once said that America was the last, best hope for mankind. I think there’s another bright, shining hope now, the Confederated Free Planets, and we based it on the same principles. Yes, Junior, I am confident.”
“You should be my speechwriter if I do decide to run for Selectman, Dad.”
“Not me,” Mike laughed. “There are still rocs and bosers out there to hunt, and the colony still needs meat. I’m going back to being a hunter and pioneer, and that’s all.”
He looked up once more at the bright blue flag, whipping in the freshening wind. “That’s all,” Mike repeated, quietly. That’s enough. I’ve done enough. I’m home, and I’m staying home.
Wrapping his arm more tightly around Jenny’s slim shoulders, Mike turned to walk back to where the skimmer waited for the trip back to their mountain meadow.
To see more of Animal’s writing, visit his page at Crimson Dragon Publishing or Amazon.
Ironically, the reason nation-states arose on this very planet – to make war more effectively.
The Crimson Dragon publishing link is broken, btw.
Sounds like a Noir or Pulp Opium Den.
Ok, who lost their lost rifle?
https://www.reddit.com/r/magnetfishing/comments/1scoe0f/assault_rifle_first_real_gun_found/
Not me. I know how to cache my shit properly.
As an aside, if you ever find a gun while magnet fishing, dumpster diving, thrown in a ditch, or whatever – before you take it home and add it to your collection, give some thought as to why the gun might have been disposed of…
And check it for AirTags.
Best comment: “Throw this on gunbroker for $1700. “Lightly used, no lowball offers I KNOW WHAT I GOT”
It used to belong to Hunter?
Mike will be back. Those pesky Grugell cannot leave well enough alone.
Thank you for brining your stories to us Animal.
from the book of faces:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has vacated contempt-of-Congress charges against ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who had refused to honor a subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, and later served a four-month sentence.
The Court did not explain its decision. There were no noted dissents.
I assume the news will catch up soon.
I’m expecting something like, “Supreme Court continues to bow to Trump, prevents due process by allowing Trump crony to escape from felony charge.”
Hey, kinnath, I hear your daughter is moving out this way. When you come out, let me know and I will head down to Grant’s Pass to say hello if you want.
Also, I know how hard it is for kids to move so far away. My son moved across the country, and I miss him all the time. Happy for him, but still.
Most likely options right now are Oct 2206 or May 2027. This is likely to become a biennial if not annual event for us.
My wife and I already make full use of our limited vacation days. Something has to give to add a trip to Oregon into the mix.
I will certainly post when I am headed out that way.
Thanks for the invite.
My father has always been full of folksy sayings that he tells me repeatedly. The one that comes to mind now is:
A son is a son until he takes a wife.
A daughter is a daughter for life.
There is something different about having daughters.
Pushers
Oil, coal and natural gas have dominated the U.S. economy since about 1885. About 75 years ago, the industry realized its emissions were destabilizing the Earth’s climate. They responded by hiding that knowledge, greenwashing and using political muscle to suppress competition from cleaner energy.
The heroes of the Industrial Revolution are now a principal cause of premature deaths, childhood asthma, air pollution and increasingly violent weather.
Clean alternatives (including the windmills that so terrorize Trump) are available and preferable in every way. The industry still argues that America still has ample underground reserves of oil, coal and gas. Extracted and consumed, they would be worth trillions of dollars in profits to oil companies and investors.
But for the rest of society, the cost of using the reserves is much higher than that of keeping them in the ground.
The industrial revolution was a horrible mistake. People are just too stupid to realize they were better off freezing in the dark. We need to return to the land, and scratch the dirt for subsistence. We’ll all be happier and healthier.
So happy to hear the Perpetual Energy Machine is environmentally free, quiet too, I’m sure. If a person is concerned about the aesthetics one can always
plant flowers around it.
I’ve seen nuclear plants with very nice gardens and landscaping…
The one where I grew up had a wicked shore break.
No, they are not, and anyone who thinks otherwise is worse than a fool.
preferable in every way
“Which is why they need to be heavily subsidized”.
a principal cause of premature deaths, childhood asthma, air pollution and increasingly violent weather
There are fewer weather-related deaths than there have ever been. But let’s not let facts get in the way of our feelings.
Clean alternatives (including the windmills that so terrorize Trump) are available and preferable in every way.
There are no down sides. Not a single one.
When I was a kid, clean cheap and abundant electricity from nuclear power plants was going to power a fantastic future.
I wonder what happened to that.
Socialism.
Probably the same thing that stopped Gary, IN from being the city of the future.
Joe Jackson?