Chapter 7
The weather had began to clear up later in the afternoon that day. The sun shone through a space in the clouds and the people came out of their tents down by the river. A few that were given shelter from the downpour in nearby houses began leave their houses to walk down to the river. People in the village began to light fires and soon the rivers edge and surrounding perimeter had fires everywhere. The smell of meat cooking filled the air and the Red Shirts had meat on spits for everyone. People played guitars and violins, were relaxed and glad to be warm, dry, fed and cared for.
A soaked and military garbed Richard and Dave laid concealed on a rooftop under a tarp scanning the river area, watching the new society through their binoculars and rifle scopes. People in the village were protected from the dogs by some of the Red Shirts who arranged themselves all around the perimeter to shoot dogs that came within range of their guns. The odd gunshot had gone off throughout the day and most of the dogs had already learned to stay away.
Dave and Richard had been up there watching for hours making only small talk and casual remarks about what they were watching. Dave asked Richard "What if there was a family that had been given welfare all their lives, and they never had to work and the government gave them a free house?". Richard started laughing and looked over at Dave "Didn't that happen already in the powered society?".
Dave replied "Suppose that this house slowly started to fall apart, do you think that people who got the house for free and were not used to working would fix it up?" Richard started to laugh and said "Well, they usually don't but OK, go on.".
Dave said "Wasn't our freedom and once great society like a house when we had power? I mean it did protect people from barbarians and a house does ease economic load*, so in one sense it is very much like a society. Ours was good when it was first built but it started falling apart, just like anything does. Its nature.". Richard put his binoculars down and took a look through the scope on his rifle at what was happening below as Dave continued talking while watching through his binoculars. *The Social Contract, Rousseau
"The people that were in our powered society are now down by the river being led by the Red Shirts. Many of them believe that it is fundamentally wrong to question authority and will go along with anything, as long as they are fed, watered and kept warm. It used to be that questioning rather than trusting authority was the rule. They call people like me conspiracy theorists for pointing that the house was falling apart, that there were people deliberately tearing it down when we had power.".
Dave said "It seems to me that people were given this house when the power was on, in our case a free society by their forefathers and decided not to maintain it by not questioning authorities. They never really experienced political tragedy on a mass scale so they were never really aware of the danger. It was completely out of their experience.".
"Most are neither good nor evil and can be made to go along with anything for the sake of immediate social safety and material comfort. They had busy lives, were usually over worked, and didn't have time to think about eternal ideas. Morality is something they got from TV, the Legal system, and politicians rather than from conscience or a knowledge of law.".
Richard looked at him "OK. So what is your point exactly? I get what you are saying here but where are you going with it?".
Dave asked him "Should we fix this house for them and protect them from having to fix it themselves? Can these people be helped to help themselves or is the concept so strange that it cannot be understood? Who would lead them after we fixed this problem for them? Would they just be led by another tyrant? Maybe they need to experience political tragedy to become free again.".
Richard said "It sounds like you think too much.". He smiled and continued "A lot of them would have been in shock after two days without water and would have given their firstborn for a drink of water. They were probably too tired and too weak to question the trade-offs that were necessary to get water. What good is a gun or a bike when you are dying of thirst?".
He looked at Dave for a response but only received silence in return and continued "Many down there likely became fully aware of what was going on after they drank the water, ate, rested and learned what you told me about the EMP event. By then it was too late and they were too comfortable. The ones that didn't go to the river village probably died from drinking dirty water if that one Red Shirt that told you they were dirtying the water was right.".
"This gang just saw a crisis and converted it to an opportunity and recruited a lot of young unsuspecting members. They must have figured out after a few days of not seeing airplanes or helicopters that this power outage would be long term. Everyone else just went along to get along to stay warm and comfortable until the power somehow came back on. They saw the need for a leader, food and water for this interim period and the need to stick together.".
Dave asked "Where is the reward of leadership if all everyone wants is to be warm, comfortable and fed? Who would except a burden of leadership for a people that were nothing more than warm and comfortable? What would be the point? How would it be any different or more satisfying than leading a herd of sheep?".
Richard said "There is a benefit to leading a herd of sheep.".
He began scanning the area through his binoculars again and went on "When men rule, some end always justifies their means. The only real thing they have to concern themselves with is losing their position of power. This concern must be paramount in importance for the ones that stay in power for any worthwhile length of time. If they lose power, things could become dangerous for them and they could be held accountable for things they did to get or to stay in power. Many rulers must eventually rule in fear if not always in pure benevolence. Fear makes people irrational and the only way to secure power is to get more of it, become more powerful.".
"Some have a grand concern for humanity and want to point it in a direction that will benefit us in the future. The idealized end always justifies the means and there are no transcendent ideas about right and wrong. But the future never arrives.".
Dave added "Positivism is what happened in the powered society. We lived in this powered organic society, some people built cars, some people grew food, and others decided what was right or wrong and were held in especially high esteem, just by virtue of their positions and their self congratulatory behavior, calling their profession noble, honorable and distinguished. They became arrogant and easily corrupted. Their arrogance made their needs exceed their abilities. They would go along with anything to meet those needs and the needs of their masters, especially when they think they are like the masters themselves. They also needed social safety and respect among their colleagues.".
"Most people in the powered society were no longer conscious of law. They obeyed rules, the acts and statutes, as if they were laws and did not question them and did not understand jurisdiction. When Marx said that consciousness was born out of civilization, he was not referring to self awareness, he was referring to the knowledge of right and wrong. People in the powered society would gladly benefit from slavery without question, as long as it was said to be Legal. They supported the terrible wars even though they were unsure of the reasons or when the reasons were silly and ridiculous as long as their economy kept humming along.".
"The powered civilization went back to being unconscious and its members began to behave like herded animals, dependent on a government to determine right and wrong for the regulation of their behavior. Its not likely that these people will stop behaving that way just because the lights went out. Their past behavior made them easily herded in the first place it will likely be their future behavior, at least until they experience political tragedy.".
Richard said "I've haven't really thought about it this lately. I sort of came to the conclusion that the world was just starting to be full of assholes and idiots. I'm old and so I consigned myself to that view.".
Dave said "The changes that were happening in the powered society were be
ing brought about by the ruling classes desire to change consciousness itself. They had to destroy the notion that men have natural rights, that they owned their own bodies, had conscience and that law was born of reason and not for the sake of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the ruling classes. This destruction of consciousness caused a lot of insanity as the plastic human mind bends, twists and cracks to adapt to ideas that are silly and ridiculous.".
They continued to watch what was happening below at the river. Richard said that something was changing at the river. They watched as the Red Shirts collected all the bikes and started taking them up into the neighborhoods.
Richard suggested that the bikes would start to rust if they were left outside the next time it rained and they were probably putting them in garages to keep them dry. Dave said that they were probably beginning to realize the value of the bicycles but there is usually more than one reason behind the actions of people like these Red Shirts.
No Red Shirts were being sent out on bicycles to find resources in the neighborhoods, all the ones that would be riding bikes around the neighborhoods were taking the bikes up into the neighborhoods and leaving them there. In a few hours Dave and Richard watched twenty Red Shirts take hundreds of bicycles into the neighborhoods.
Richard said that the Red Shirts that were taking the bikes were being called into the big tents, one at a time then led to a part of the village hidden by trees from the others. He put his binoculars down to get a closer look through his rifle scope.
Dave looked at the scene folding out below through his scope for a few minutes before saying "They are disarming them and holding them in that area over there", pointing to an area that was small and at the edge of the village on the water, mostly concealed by trees and with a fire going. Richard looked over through his scope and said "That area is surrounded by guys with rifles.".
The two men watched as the Red Shirts gathered their own in an isolated area, one at a time, disarming each in the process and putting the guns in a large tent. It didn't seem to matter to any of the inhabitants of the village and it looked like most of them did not see or know what was happening. Richard watched the tent through his scope while Dave described how some of the Red Shirts were sending the other Red Shirts over to the tents, one at a time, as he watched the larger village area through binoculars.
Most of the Red Shirts had been in the village talking and socializing with the villagers, holding their weapons and keeping an eye out for dogs. Dave and Richard continued to watch the Red Shirts be gathered and disarmed. Within hours the only remaining people that were armed were those guarding the village from the dogs, the ones in the tent who had collected the guns, and the guards watching the disarmed Red Shirts that were gathered near the short and nearly invisible area of the village. Dave could partially see through the trees and he described the disarmed Red Shirts gathered at the village end. They were eating, drinking and laughing. They obviously didn't suspect anything. "They must have thought that guns and booze don't mix and that they were just going to a party!" Dave said as he watched them through his rifle scope.
He decided to get his night vision goggles before it got dark. He had to go back to the shelter and update the others about what was happening. He told Richard he would return very shortly with his goggles and some more water and food for them. He climbed back down the ladder they had set up and began to make his way through backyards, carefully, not to be spotted by any more Red Shirts in case a few were still riding through the neighborhoods.
He arrived at the shelter after climbing through several yards. He sat down inside the cool shelter and explained that he had gone to Richards and come back to look at what was happening at the river with Richard. He reassured Lisa and the others that they were safe and that Richard was very competent at what they were doing. He said they had run into a fair number of dogs but were not close to running out of ammunition.
Bob interrupted him and explained what had happened in the house and in the yard while he was gone. Dave calmly warned them not to leave the shelter, turn on the generator or empty waste water for any reason. He explained that things were changing down by the river and that he would explain more later and reminded them that he and Richard were watching everything from a safe distance. He got some supplies, kissed Lisa and told them all that he would be back later in the afternoon or early evening.
He left the shelter and went back to where Richard was and joined him on the rooftop with fresh water, nuts and fresh carrots and his night vision equipment.
He told Richard what had happened with the Red Shirts back at his shelter as they continued to watch what was happening at the river below. They settled and ate while watching the village settle down. Chairs, tables, bookshelves and other furniture were burning in small fires placed around the nearly half mile long perimeter. Material was being gathered beside the fires to keep them going to scare dogs away as it began to get dark. Fires kept the dogs outside the perimeter of the village.
People that were still sitting around in front of fires in the main area started going into their tents and shelters for the night. The remaining Red Shirts that carried weapons were still being led to the tents where the guns were being collected, one at a time, they each left the tents without guns and walked over to the concealed end of the village where the fire was going to join the others. Almost everyone that had carried a gun to protect the village was now disarmed and inebriated or in the process of becoming inebriated. They all sat around their big fire, laughing and joking on into the night.
The celebrating Red Shirts quieted down after a while and went into the main area and into their tents as it began to grow dark. The people that had guarded the disarmed Red Shirts walked to the tents containing the guns after the last of the inebriated Red Shirts had left for the main area to go to bed. All the guns had been sequestered to one area and were controlled by twenty Red Shirts. All the villagers had retired to their tents and small shelters for the night. The dogs were staying away from the fires that surrounded the river village as everyone went to sleep.
Dave and Richard moved to the top of another rooftop much closer to the river, leaving their supplies behind and carrying only their guns and the night vision goggles. Dave put the goggles on and watched the tent area. He watched and described the Red Shirts walking out of the tent carrying burlap sacks and back packs filled with guns.
The guns were being taken up into to the neighborhoods by moonlight. No one from the village could possibly see what was happening, even if they were carefully looking in the right direction. A few had stayed awake to watch for dogs and had their eyes elsewhere, usually with a garden tool in their hands. They were maintaining the fires and didn't expect to see any dogs. They stayed near the fires and their eyes were not accustomed to the moonlit darkness that covered the Red Shirts as they quietly moved sacks filled with the guns into the neighborhoods.
They considered an ambush while watching the Red Shirts carry the guns up the roads into the houses but decided it was too dangerous. Dogs could alert the Red Shirts of their presence and bullets would be flying toward every noise. Richard said they would have to get into a fight with the smarter and meaner subset of twenty or so Red Shirts from the two or three hundred if they were to get back all those guns. Many would escape and go back to the village to try it again on another day. The possible shootings could galvanize the villagers against them and they would be hunted down as enemies. Richard added that there were a few young men who moved around like they were soldiers in the group.
The two men watched the defenseless village sleep with only a few awake keeping the fires going as the last of the guns were gathered and carried up. They decided to follow the last of the Red Shirts carrying the last of the guns up in through the neighborhoods to see where the guns were going.
Richard said that the only way to get the guns and bikes back from the Red Shirts would be to find and lay siege to the house or building they had chosen to put them in. In
a matter of days they would run out of all the water they could have carried up there and have to get more from somewhere.
Dave's silence indicated that he agreed and they climbed down off the roof, jumped through a few backyards and quietly and expertly followed the line of Red Shirts that carried the guns to a house high up on a ridge and visible from the river. The house was lit inside by candle light and they could see shadows walking though the house on the walls through its windows through the binoculars.
The two men formulated a plan. They would get the guns that Dave had hidden during his earlier experience with the Red Shirts. Dave would carry the guns while Richard kept watch for dogs and Red Shirts, wearing the night vision goggles. The guns and ammunition could be given to the villagers after they found out what had happened to them the next morning and the people could take their own guns back from the Red Shirts. Neither of them would accept or be granted the burden of leadership for this.
Dave would walk down almost to the village with Richard, cover Richard from a distance as he walked to the village to explain the situation to the people. Richard could return and he and Dave could get back to their respective shelters. Richard could get back safely alone to his grand kids as there would be fewer Red Shirts, if any on the streets.
They went to collect the guns and brought eight guns back to where they were watching the village and hid them in the backyard shed. Richard climbed back up onto the roof and Dave went to his shelter to get more ammunition, wearing his goggles to see the dogs before they could reach him.
An hour later Dave came back from his shelter with the silenced forty-five, a few bottles of water and more ammunition for the guns they would give the villagers. The men soon fell asleep on the roof waiting for sunrise.
Morning came, they woke up as soon as the sunlight began to light the horizon. They carefully climbed off the roof and quietly moved back to their original position in the near darkness before most of the villagers got out of their tents. They had to get further back where they would not be noticed in the daylight.
They watched the Red Shirts go to the tents to get guns to guard the perimeter. They started yelling at and for one another. Dave and Richard could hear shouting voices and loud murmuring coming from the distant village that had all woken. People were gathering into large crowds. Dogs began wandering close to the village perimeter. The people had figured out that they were cornered and had no options. They saw that all the bikes were gone. Members stood up on picnic tables to tell the villagers what had happened.
Villagers picked up shovels and rocks to scare the dogs away. No one could leave. Richard and Dave watched as the dogs begin to experiment with moving closer to the village through the morning.
They didn't need to wait any longer, the people had realized they had no options. The people had to fully realize the predicament they were in before they could be helped. They had water but could not protect themselves from the dogs forever and would run out of food and firewood.
Richard and Dave picked up the guns and began to walk toward the river. As they approached it, Dave handed his bag of guns to Richard and went and climbed onto a rooftop. Richard continued toward the village, carrying a burlap bag of four guns in each hand. Dave watched him through the rifle scope to guard him from dogs. Richard looked in the direction of a dog, Dave's scope moved to center the dog and it fell over after the silenced shot. A group at the river watched Richards covered approach as he slowly walked toward them.
Dave watched as Red Shirts walked over to Richard and he began to explain what had transpired during the night. He led them behind some bush to blind the Red Shirts in the house on the ridge to what they were doing. He handed the bags of guns to the remaining Red Shirts in the village. The disarmed Red Shirts that had been excluded from the master plan looked angry, humiliated and disbelieving, some still didn't understand that they had been duped, others still refused to believe it. A growing crowd stood around looking at Richard as he drew pictures in the dirt with a stick to show them where to find the Red Shirts and explain what to do when they did. One of the villagers started looking in the direction of the house, another grabbed him and threw him on the ground. Dave was too far away to hear what was being said.