impossible. Not to mention that no one would believe us anyway. I even heard reports that people were burning dollar bills in Boston last month for heat!"
"The worst situation, of course, is in the Northeast and California where the only currency available is Federal Reserve dollars. Rather than use our money, companies, the ones that haven't failed, have resorted to a barter system. But without a national currency, raw material aren't being sold or delivered. Companies are running on inventory and recycled materials. With no foreign exchange, diesel and gasoline imports have halted. We're now living off inventory. Soon, no truck or train traffic. What few food shipments there still are will halt."
"How are the Free States coping?"
"In the Free States, they've dropped the dollar and either issued their own gold backed currency through state banks or the states are printing when-issued script for TBUS notes. That's working. Also, they've restarted their oil wells and refineries and they're starting to fire up the old coal electric generating plants that EPA shut down."
"I don't suppose we can issue TBUS script?"
"Not likely, Madame President. It wouldn't pass the laugh test."
Salazar interjects, "If we don't get control of the situation soon, we're not going to be able to hold the mobs in check. The riots will start again and spread. Unless we get control of the producing parts of this country, and their assets, and get them to take our money, we're facing total disaster in the next few weeks."
Nods and sounds of agreement come from around the table.
"Well, you better get control of something," interjects angry federal union boss Betty Fleischberg. "My members are not happy. A lot are refusing to pay their dues and when they don't pay me, I don't pay you'se guys. You got it?"
"We got it," answers Bob Cooke, chair of the party. "We can't afford to lose the government unions. We know that."
"Then you better damn do something," barks Devon Johnson.
"Cutter, Goldberg, how did you let this get out of control? Since when do people in this country get information we haven't approved of? Can't your people just put together some propaganda package to change public opinion? Get the sheeple worked up about something else. Give them an enemy. For God's sake, isn't that what you do?"
"I don't think anyone's listening anymore. We tried all the usual focus group tested hot-button slogans, we care, the public welfare, sharing, it's for the children, the public interest, saving the planet, social justice, the 1%, racism, war on women, it's Bush's fault, tax the rich, income inequality, minimum wage, trickle down economics, they'll take your social security, change we can believe in, world peace, all the oldies. But nothing's working. We've scripted all the usual couch potato TV icons, no result. We worked the themes into the news shows, soap operas, late night talk, comedy shows, dramas, you name it. We've told them they'll lose their EBT cards, Medicaid, Medicare, all the scare lines, no sale. They've heard it all before. They don't believe us anymore."
"Not a surprise. Alright, Harry, what's the political situation, as things stand now?"
"If, or, rather, when, the new constitution is ratified, no one knows exactly what will happen but it won't be pretty. However, in the unlikely event we make it until the elections this fall, the House, of course, is lost and, this time, so is the Senate. And it won't be just a small loss. The convention people will probably take 68 seats in the Senate and 80% of the House, then they'll be able to pass anything they want. They'll be able to override any veto."
"Congress is an obsolete relic of the eighteenth century. It should have been done away with long ago. It blocks social progress," snarls DeWitt.
"That may be true Madame President but it's a reality we may need to deal with. Our first problem, however, should we get past the elections, will be impeachment. You can consider it a done deal. First you, Madame President, and then Vice President Jennings. And then the Speaker of the House will become president. And I think we know who that will be."
General nods and groans around the table.
"And to think Obama wanted impeachment!"
"And, when they take control," interrupts Admiral Black, "you can expect they will place everyone in this room under arrest. This will not be a nice, neat and orderly transfer of power. Once they start digging up what's been done for the past few years, there will probably be executions. You can count on it."
"And what if we refuse to play along with their impeachment charade?" asks Shouter.
"I'm afraid we won't have any choice unless we do something very drastic and do it quickly. It's them or you. There's no middle ground any more," answers Black.
DeWitt gives an exasperated sigh and says, "Well, then, that's where we are. We either stop this and seize control or every person in this room will be either out of a job, in jail, or dead by January. So, we have no choice but to take action and do it now. Do you all agree?"
"Madame President, I think I speak for us all when I say that our cause is too important to let these conventioners succeed. I'm sure you know we'll do anything under your leadership," says George Cutter as others around the table mutter approval.
DeWitt, nodding, says, "Yes. Desperate times demand desperate measures. The Convention is social treason and we need to treat it as such. We cannot let the government of this country slide back into some eighteenth century, town hall democracy run by a bunch of hicks, rednecks and yahoos. If we don't act, we'll lose it all. So, Bader, tell us the plan you, Bunker, Simpson and Black have cooked up."
"Quietly and secretly, for the past few months, we've been inserting an undercover army of NSA, FBI, Homeland and other Federal police agents into all the major Free State capitals. Also, we've activated our network of moles in the command structures of the state and local police forces. Loyal army units, where available, are on standby as well."
"Munson will be making a speech in two weeks at a small state university in Iowa as part of his speaking tour on the new constitution. This is where we will make our move. He'll be vulnerable and out of touch with Kansas City."
"How will you get your people close to him? Iowa is pretty much a rebel state."
"We have people. As you will all know, we've been working closely with state police organizations since the beginning of the Obama years. We provide them training, weapons and insider information gathered by NSA. As a result, we have a lot of loyalists. In Iowa, it so happens that we've managed to place senior Secret Service agents inside the State Patrol Intelligence Division. This is the agency that will be responsible for the event security and our guys will be in charge. Additionally, DIA will also be secretly placing assets nearby, just in case."
"What kind of assets?"
"Helicopter gunships from Chicago, mainly."
"Won't they be obvious? People will see them and know something's up."
"No we'll place them in some very rural areas and conceal them in barns or with camouflage. I don't expect we'll need them, however. They're only a backup in case we need more fire power."
"So, what's the plan?"
"The plan is very simple. We silence Munson, seize control of the Free State political leadership, halt the ratification process, arrest the convention delegates, declare marshal law, suspend the constitution and take full power. And we do it quickly."
"By silence, I assume you mean kill?"
"That's the general idea."
"Sounds risky," says Salazar.
"Not as risky as being put before a convention tribunal," says Black, menacingly.
"The key to success is speed and surprise," says Bunker. "We hit them hard and fast. They won't be able to regroup. Their organizational structure is too segmented. They have no central leadership besides Munson. With him gone, there will be no coordination. It will be each state for itself. And, if all goes according to plan, we'll have state leadership in chains as well."
"How will you sell this to the public?"
"We're manufacturing evidence to prove that the attack on Munson was due to dissidents in the C
onvention movement and that they planned a series of coordinated terror attacks which we thwarted. The usual media disinformation campaign."
"And they'll believe that?"
"The lowfos will believe it once their benefits start flowing again. And if they don't? Who cares! What difference does it make?"
"My people," drawls the Reverend Bo. "They'll believe whatever I tell them to believe."
"What if they fight back?"
"We disrupt and sabotage their communications, command and control structure, launch ground assaults, and call in Mexican drug gang mercenaries. But I don't think it will come to that once Munson is out of the picture."
"Admiral Black, do you want to comment?" asks DeWitt.
"According to their communications that we can read, we know there is a lot of internal bickering between the states and very little internal coordination on a day-to-day basis. They have no backup plan for command and control. That is their fatal weakness. If we hit them hard, it is my opinion that they will fall apart."
"How many Homeland and other agents have we in the field?"
"About twenty thousand."
"What about the local and state police forces?"
"As you know, for the past ten years we've been infiltrating them. All those Federal grants, equipment and training programs. They won't be a problem. Many will be sympathetic or even supportive."
"National Guard?"
"More of a problem. Many units are loyal to the Convention. We will, of course, issue orders to