Chapter 6
I was nervous as I headed out for Jacks farm. I did not know if he was even home. Over the last couple of days I had wracked my brain to figure out a way I could make a difference. Gradually I had put together a plan that might help but I had to know where Jack stood before I could go any further. He had expertise in communications, amateur, Satellite and CB. When you add in the fact that he grown up in this area and knew it like the back of his hand and you had a very valuable partner if he chose to help us.
So here I was getting ready to approach someone I did not know all that well and ask him to help us take on the government. Then there was the not so minor fact that there was a half million-dollar reward for my capture. He could become considerably better off financially just by turning me in. Scott, Kevin and I had spent the last couple of days figuring out what could be done. When I had come up with the idea of enlisting Jacks help they had not been too crazy about it at first. But I gradually won them over. In the end they had given me their blessing to contact him.
It was an unusually warm day for this time of the year and there was not a cloud in the sky. I had not seen anyone all day and I guess I got a little careless. Because when I topped the crest of the hill there were 3 people on the trail. For a second I froze then I realized that if I did not panic I would just be another hiker out taking advantage of the unusually warm weather. They were using their cross-country skis and I had on my snowshoes. So I just waved as I passed. I was grateful that I had on my wrap around sunglasses and a ball cap. They would make it hard to identify me particularly if I played it cool and did not attract any attention.
After I passed them I swore softly under my breath. I had to pay more attention to what was going on around me. If they had been a military patrol I would have been arrested or dead right now. I should have thought it through. It was a nice day and people in this area went cross-country skiing as recreation.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and I arrived at Jack’s around 11:00 AM. His pickup was in the driveway and I relaxed a little. Sometimes I had to wait several hours for him to back home. Carefully I surveyed the area. But it looked like he was alone.
As I made my way across his yard I took a quick look in the barn but it was empty. So I headed up to his door. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I heard him call out “Who is it.” There was a tension in his voice that had not been there before and I hesitated before I said, “Its me Jack, I wanted to see if I could pick up some things from you.” We had decided that I would approach him as if I was there for supplies and then feel him out about helping us.
“Hold on, I will be right out.”
When he came out he looked around to make sure I was alone. Then he said, “Sorry if I am a little suspicious but these last couple of days have got everyone shook up.”
I nodded and said, “Tell me about it. Jack what do you think is going on?”
He gave me a hard look and said, “ Son don’t play stupid with me. You know damned well what is going on.”
“Yeah I do but I wanted to see where you stood.”
He nodded.
“Do you think that this whole Marshal Law thing is just a way to hold onto power?”
Jack shook his head and said, “I never thought I would see the day that my own government would betray me this way. I served in the military for 20 years and I was damned proud of it. But right now…” He hesitated then he said, “I just don’t know. What they are doing is wrong.
I nodded and said, “To me it seems like the president knew that he was about to be impeached and decided to hold onto power. What he had done at the work camps was unconstitutional and he knew it.
I can’t just sit here and watch my country fall apart.” He nodded and I continued. “The national and local news media are all under control of the Government because of Marshall Law.
Jack what I want to know is will you help me figure out a way to get reliable consistent news out to people. Right now the Country is teetering on the edge of all out civil war and people are only getting the official government version of the facts."
He nodded and said, “Yeah especially since they kicked out all the foreign news services. And they have done their best to discredit any news agency that does not toe the line. Since most people get their news on Cable TV, the government has a pretty good control on what people know.”
“With the way the government has deliberately used peoples fears to stay in power it is not going to be easy to calm things down. Then when you add the fact that most people assume that the foreign radio stations have their own agenda. Most people don’t know what to think. What we need is a US based source of information they would take it more seriously. Somehow we have to try and diffuse the situation.”
Jack looked at me like I was out of mind and said, “Who the hell is going to pull that off?”
“It would have to be someone who was know nationally. If the appeal is made correctly then they should be able to draw support from both sides. We cant be the only ones out there who are terrified of where this is heading. I think that right now the country can still pull back from the edge. But if something is not done soon it will be too late. I don’t think it will happen overnight but it has to happen.”
He looked lost in thought for a moment then he said, “Where are we going to get someone with enough national recognition to be listened to.”
He reaction was just what I had hoped it would be. I knew from my dealings with him that he did not take commitments lightly.
I had been sure that he knew who I was but now it was apparent that he did not. It was time that I let him know so I said, “Do you remember the group that broke the story on the work camps?”
He nodded and I continued. “If you remember they captured 2 of the 3 involved and put a large reward out for the third. Its kind of ironic that the guy that is still at large has achieved so much notoriety. They have made a folk hero out of him.”
“So what. The last I heard they thought he had left the country. They have tried to say that he was cowering in Canada somewhere afraid to make himself known.”
I looked him in the eye and said, “Well he is a lot closer to you than that.” And I took off my sunglasses and cap without saying anything else.
Suddenly he caught on and said, “Shit! How did I miss it? I knew you were living around here somewhere but I just figured that you were just another of those back to nature freaks.”
In a way I was glad that he had been fooled by me as well. It made me feel a little better being too quick to judge him.
“Damn you are awful young to have caused so much trouble. But then it is usually the young ones who are passionate enough about causes to be involved.”
Then he got a thoughtful look and said, “What’s the reward up to now?”
Looking straight at him I said, “Was a half million last I heard. But if I have anything to do with it, you will see it go higher.”
He laughed and said, “I bet you will. Son I have to admit that I would have never guessed who you were.”
“Will you help me?”
“Hell yeah I will. But we can’t go off half-cocked. They are playing for real. The military officers who plotted along with the president are in too deep, they cant just say “sorry about that. They are guilty of treason. And they will do every thing in their power to shut you up and would not think twice about having you killed.”
He paused and I could tell he was deep in thought.
Then he said, “What we will need is a way to get out the information that makes it difficult to trace. I can broadcast all over the world from here on my amateur radio. But that will not reach enough people. Amateur radio is regulated and you have to be licensed. It would be too easy for the government to track them down. We could target the truckers with CB‘s. They are mobile and very vocal.”
He paused then said, “But that would not work. The only truckers out there right now are carrying food and medicines and they are closely watched. Even if they were on the road they are a rather conservative group as a whole. But they do have a healthy distrust of government authority so that would work in our favor. If they lift the ban on travel they would become a viable option.
There is one way that would work. If we could establish a satellite uplink we could use it to hook up to a foreign news service satellite. Then they could broadcast it back through to the U.S.”
I will have to get into touch with some friends of mine. I don’t have all the equipment we will need but I do know some people who might be able to help.”
He paused and I asked. “Is there any way you could help me send an email?”
“That depends. Email is a lot easier to trace.”
“Yeah I know. But what I had in mind was sending the email to a “safe” box.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was involved with OpEds site we had people overseas that we could send email to. Then they would make sure that it got to the appropriate individual or group.”
“That might work. But I have to warn you. Out here in the boonies we don’t have broadband.”
“That’s fine. All I want to do is alert some of OpEd’s group overseas that I am still alive and am ready to carry on his work. Don’t worry the email won’t have any red flag wording. We learned the hard way. They data mine almost every email for key words. We developed simple cover email. In this case it will go to a business and the questions I asked are all in line with what would be expected. It is the order of the questions that lets them know who I am. They know better than to email back. This is just an alert code.
When they know I am alive they will be looking for additional communications from me.
“You don’t have much of a death wish do you?” I could not read his expression but I could tell that he was serious. Then it dawned on me. He wanted to know if I was committed to this. We could easily end up in one of the camps or dead. He would be risking his home, way of life and possibly his life. So I knew that I had to give him a serious answer.
“I have laid low for over a year now. This is too important. While I am not crazy about risking my neck I have to try.”
“I just wanted to make sure that you were serious about this. The email should not be a problem. You can come inside and type it out and I will send it.”
“Thanks.”
“Lets go and get your message ready.”
It took me about 10 minutes to type out the email. I did it directly in his email program so when it was ready so Jack just sent it out.
After it was sent Jack and I talked some more about different ways to get out our message. I did not know much about radios or satellite uplinks but I did know that you could trace them. So I asked, “If you broadcast from here won’t they just trace it to you?”
He grinned and said, “Let’s just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve. There are ways to get around their fancy gadgets. I did not spend 20 years in the service working with communications equipment for nothing. As a matter of fact I still do some repair and trouble shooting work. If I can get my hands on a few pieces of equipment I think we can pull it off. Fortunately for us they cant put troops in every small town in the U.S. and out here people tend to be a little more independent than in the other areas. There is a lot of resentment right now towards the government. The owner of the electronics store in town is a good friend of mine. We go way back. I will go into town and see if he has what I will need.
Before I could say anything he said, “Don’t worry I won’t tell him what I want it for. I wont do that till I am sure that he is willing to help.”
For the first time he smiled. Then he said, “The real trick will be tailoring the message. But the more I think about it the more I think I think we can pull the communications end of this off.”
Half smiling half grimacing I said, “I hope so I would not mind actually surviving this.” Though I don’t think the odds are very good.”
“Yeah me to.”
© 2006, Joseph Men