[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
three of our ten regions, I
immediately retaliated. In spite of my long-standing and most sincere
opposition to war, I made a strategic decision. Now I am legislating morale.
People who want to get along and live together will find me most generous and
conciliatory. Those who want to cause trouble will be gone. It is as simple as
that.
So, what are you saying, Nicolae? You're going to wage war on the
fundamentalists?
In a sense I am. No, we will not do it with tanks and bombs. But I believe
the time has come to enforce rules for the new Global Community. As this would
seem to benefit you as much as it would benefit me, I would like you to
cooperate in forming and heading an organization of elite enforcers, if you
will, of pure thought.
How are you defining 'pure thought'?
I foresee a cadre of young, healthy, strong men and women so devoted to the
cause of the Global Community that they would be willing to train and build
themselves to the point where they will be eager to make sure everyone is in
line with our objectives.
Rayford heard someone rise and begin pacing. He assumed it was Mathews,
warming to the idea. These would not be uniformed people, I assume.
No. They would blend in with everyone else, but they would be chosen for
their insight and trained in psychology. They would keep us informed of
subversive elements who oppose our views. Surely you agree that we are long
past the time where we can tolerate the extreme negative by-product of free
speech run amok.
Not only do I agree, Mathews said quickly, but I stand ready to assist in
any way possible. Can One World Faith help seek out candidates? train them?
house them?
clothe them?
I thought you were running short of funds, Carpathia said, chuckling.
This will only result in more income for us. When we eliminate the
opposition, everyone benefits.
Rayford heard Carpathia sigh. We would call them the GCMM. The Global
Community Morale Monitors.
That makes them sound a little soft, Nicolae.
Precisely the idea. We do not want to call them the secret police, or the
thought police, or the hate police, or any kind of police. Make no mistake.
They will be secret. They will have power. They will be able to supersede
normal due cause in the interest of the better good for the global community.
To what limit?
No limit.
They would carry weapons?
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Of course.
And they would be allowed to use these to what extent?
That is the beauty of it, Pontiff Mathews. By selecting the right young
people, by training them carefully in the ideal of a peaceful Utopia, and by
giving them ultimate capital power to mete out justice as they see fit, we
quickly subdue the enemy and eliminate it. We should foresee no need of the
GCMM within just a few years.
Nicolae, you're a genius.
Buck was disappointed. When it came time to run Hattie back up to Milwaukee,
he felt little progress had been made. She had a lot of questions about just
what it was these women did with their time. She was intrigued by the idea of
Bible studies.
And she had mentioned her envy of having close friends of the same sex who
seemed to really care about each other.
But Buck had been hoping there would have been some breakthrough. Maybe
Hattie would have promised not to have an abortion or broken down and become a
believer. He tried to push from his mind that Chloe might get the idea of
taking and
raising as their own the unwanted baby Hattie was carrying. He and Chloe were
close to a decision about whether to bring a baby into this stage of history,
but he hardly wanted to consider raising the child of the Antichrist.
Hattie thanked everyone and climbed into the Range Rover with the women. Buck
implied he was going to take one of the other cars back to the Global
Community
Weekly office, but instead he drove to the church. He stopped on the way for a
treat for his friend, and within minutes he had gone through the labyrinth
that took him to the inner sanctum of Rabbi Tsion Ben-Judah's personal study
chamber.
Every time Buck sneaked into that place, he was certain that claustrophobia,
loneliness, fear, and grief would have overcome his friend. Without fail,
however, it was Buck who was warmed by these visits. Tsion was hardly gleeful.
He did not laugh much, nor did he offer a huge smile when Buck appeared. His
eyes were red, and his face showed the lines of the recently bereaved. But he
was also staying fit.
He worked out, running in place, doing jumping jacks, stretching, and who knew
what else. He told Buck he did this for at least an hour a day, and it showed.
He seemed in a better frame of mind each time Buck saw him, and he never
complained. That afternoon Tsion seemed genuinely pleased to have a visitor.
Cameron, he said, were I not living with a heaviness of soul right now,
certain parts of this place, even its location, would be paradise. I can read,
I can study, I can pray, I can write, I can communicate by phone and computer.
It is a scholar's dream.
I miss the interaction with my colleagues, especially the young students who
helped me. But Amanda and Chloe are wonderful students themselves.
He greedily joined Buck in their fast-food snack. I need to talk about my
family. I
hope you don't mind.
Tsion, you may talk about your family with me anytime you want. You should
forgive me for not being more diligent in asking.
I know you, like many others, wonder if you should bring up such a painful
subject. As long as we do not dwell on how they died, I am most pleased to
talk about my memories. You know I raised my son and daughter from the ages of
eight and ten to fourteen and sixteen. They were my wife's children from her
first marriage. Her husband was killed in a construction accident. The
children did not accept me at first, but I won them over by my love for her. I
did not try to take the place of their father or pretend I was in charge of
them. Eventually they referred to me as their father, and it was one of the
Page 150
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
proudest days of my life.
Your wife seemed like a wonderful woman.
She was. The children were wonderful too, though my family was human just
like anyone else. I do not idealize them. They were all very bright. That was
a joy to me.
I could converse with them about deep things, complicated things. My wife
herself had taught at the college level before having children. The children
were both in special private schools and were exceptionally good students.
Most important of all, when I began to tell them what I was learning in my
research, they never once
accused me of heresy or of turning my back on my culture, my religion, or my
country. They were bright enough to see that I was discovering the truth. I
did not preach at them, did not try to unduly influence them. I would merely
read them passages and say, 'What do you deduce from this? What is the Torah
saying here about qualifications for Messiah?' I was so fervent in my Socratic
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]