The Second American Revolution - The Building of an Empire Page 12

  Next day, Jerrick met the old man at the Moose Club and signed the lease.

  Old man gave Jerrick the keys, but he didn’t know Jerrick planned to live there too.

  Jerrick bought a twin-size air mattress that barely fit in the office. However, the mattress provided some protection from burglars. If a burglar entered the office, the door would swing inward, bumping the mattress, waking Jerrick up.

  For the first three days, Jerrick slept in the dark because the City of Detroit took a while to turn on the water and electricity.

  Accommodations were not bad. Jerrick prepared his meals in the kitchen. He had a problem taking showers because the men’s room had two sinks, two urinals, and a toilet stall. He used washcloths and a plastic pitcher to wash his hair and body in the sink.

  Jerrick worked hard at the electronics store, and Gary paid him $8 per hour.

  Of course, Gary worked Jerrick and his employees 39 hours per week so he didn’t pay for health insurance.

  After work, Jerrick returned to the Moose Club. He cleaned and scrubbed the place; he also painted the walls, and rearranged the ceiling panels. Ceiling panels in the kitchen were in good condition, so he exchanged these with the broken ceiling panels in the bar area.

  Then around 10, Jerrick lay on his air mattress for an hour and studied the speeches of famous Americans, such as President Ronald Reagan, the Great Communicator, and Malcolm X, the infamous troublemaker.

  Sometimes, Jerrick thought of Amaliji. He wished she had come to Michigan, but Jerrick knew she wouldn’t like his accommodations, sleeping on a floor in an old bar.

  Of course, many Russians considered these accommodations a luxury. At least, the plumbing and wires were tucked neatly inside the walls and swarms of cockroaches didn’t scatter as one turned on a light during the night.

  After three weeks, Jerrick had cleaned the old Moose Club. He scrubbed the floors, wiped down the dusty walls, and cleaned all the chairs and tables. The Moose Club was ready to receive guests.

  Jerrick called in sick on an early Saturday morning. Next, he arranged all the chairs into 10 rows with 8 chairs each. Along the long wall with the windows, he pushed three tables together.

  Afterwards, Jerrick donned on a white dress shirt, blue slacks, and a red tie and spent the day at several shopping plazas, passing out pamphlets to the public.

  Most people avoided Jerrick, but he was determined to get his message out. He designed simple pamphlets.

  ______________________________________

  The National Workers’ Party

  Building Michigan’s Future

  Putting Hard Working Americans Back to Work

  Meeting starts at 7:00 P. M.

  September 24, 2005

  The Moose Club, 1915 LaSalle Avenue

  Refreshments will be served.

  ______________________________________

  Spending an exhausting day passing out pamphlets, Jerrick glanced at his watch and saw it was 5 o’clock. He returned to the Moose club and opened the club to the public for the first time in 15 years.

  Jerrick placed an assortment of refreshments on the long table. He neatly laid out small plastic plates, paper napkins, plastic cups, and disposable silverware at the beginning of the long table. Then he placed several bowls of chips, a bowl of pretzels, cans of cold soda sitting in a bath of ice, a box of cookies, and a coffee pot.

  Finally, Jerrick turned the coffee pot on, filling the air with freshly brewed coffee. Nothing stated a warm welcome better than walking into a cozy place and smelling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

  Jerrick glanced down at his watch and saw it was 7:05.

  Ten people sat in the audience.

  Jerrick wondered if Augustus experienced the same problem. Augustus planned his first speech, and only 10 Romans showed up. Augustus screamed ‘to hell with it,’ I would raise an army and take the power.

  Jerrick advanced to the center of the stage and started his first speech.

  Global warming is a scam, perpetuated by our political leaders.

  Most people do not care if the earth is warmer.

  That most of Florida will be under water in 100 years.

  We will not be around in a 100 years.

  Plus, I thought global warming made the earth warmer.

  Why I am wearing a light jacket in August in Michigan?

  Summers in Michigan used to be hot and humid.

  People would go cool off at Michigan’s beautiful lakes.

  Even if global warming is true, most people do not care about global warming.

  People want good-paying jobs to support their families.

  People want to pay off their homes and buy cars.

  People want to send their children off to college.

  Jerrick placed pauses in his speech, when the people shouted his name in approval. Today, nobody shouted his name, and two people yelled, “Alright.”

  Government punishes the hardworking.

  Government is pushing for new regulations to stop global warming.

  Government is pushing for new taxes and fees.

  Government has punished our factories enough.

  Local government imposes high property taxes on them.

  Government even levies property taxes on their machines and equipment.

  Government taxes their products.

  Government taxes their profits.

  Government forces them to pay for unemployment insurance.

  Government forces them to pay for disability insurance.

  Factories must comply with numerous environmental regulations.

  No wonder why our factories are leaving and moving to China.

  The Chinese government does not impose all these taxes and regulations on their businesses.

  The Chinese government is happy that the businesses produce there.

  Our industries are creating jobs and wealth in China.

  Now here is the real kicker.

  Government passes these laws to slow down global warming.

  Our factories head to China, creating even more greenhouse gases, making the earth warmer, supposedly.

  Then those Chinese factories ship their products into the United States.

  Thus, these stupid laws accelerate global warming!

  Our stupid politicians do not see the fallacy of their policies, making things worse in the U.S., putting good, hard-working, decent Americans out of work in the process.

  Jerrick ended his speech and scanned his audience of 10 people. Eight nodded their head in approval while two had blank expressions on their face.

  Then eight people, including the two with blank expressions, stood up, and dashed for the front door.

  Remaining two, Dan Bigler and Chad Hendricks, became the core leadership in Jerrick’s party and stuck with Jerrick to the end. Besides, what did they have to lose? Nothing else occurred in their lives, and they were tired of the regurgitated crap that talk shows and news reporters spewed on the people every day. At least, Jerrick spoke the truth, unlike everyone else in the media.

  Jerrick fixed himself a plate of pretzels and grabbed a soda, joining the audience. He suspected they were using him because he had this awesome hangout pad, a place to hang out and party. Over time, they became true, close friends, forming a tight circle.

  Dan, a smooth-talking law student, was a poster child for an attorney. He stood at six feet tall with jet-black hair and dressed well. He always wore dress shirts and slacks.

  Chad stood at 5 feet 9 and had curly brown hair with a muscular build. He participated in sports and has an unusual characteristic. Whatever one hand did; his other hand mimicked the same movements as if both hands were wired to the same spot in his brain.

  Dan started talking politics.

  At certain key points, Chad blatantly disagreed with Dan on several issues while Jerrick sat back and listened.

  It was nice spending a Saturday night in the compan
y of friends. A large, cavernous place like the Moose Club intensified the feelings of loneliness when no one was around.

  After two weeks, Dan’s parents kicked him out, and he packed all his possessions in his car and drove over. He arrived at the Moose Club on a Wednesday night.

  Jerrick opened the door for Dan as Dan sauntered through.

  He carried a large duffel bag filled with his clothes. He had a long look on his face because he had nowhere to go.

  Before Dan said a word, Jerrick said, “Dude, I don’t have a problem with you crashing here but no wild parties!”

  “Thanks,” Dan said while placing his duffel bag in the corner.

  Before the end of the night, both Dan and Jerrick laid their mattresses out, placing them near the stage about two feet apart.

  Dan and Jerrick became brothers, spending many nights talking.

  Dan was neither a loser nor a druggie. He enrolled at the University of Michigan’s Law School and worked full time. Unfortunately, his earnings went to the university.

  A top rated law school was expensive. University took every penny and nickel from Dan. He would donate several pints of blood if the university would accept it for payment.

  All universities promise their students. Pay your exorbitant tuition bills and then graduate. Good-paying jobs are waiting for you at the campus exits. That was partially true before 2008, but, after 2008, a student needed a miracle to find a job, especially a job that paid enough to cover living expenses and student-loan payments.

  Dan’s parents didn’t agree with his decision to go to law school. They wanted Dan to drop out and find a factory job. High-paying factory jobs were everywhere in Michigan. Dan needed to get off his lazy ass and find one.

  Dan explained, “Good-paying factory jobs are leaving Michigan.”

  His parents were in a state of denial and replied, “No factory jobs? How can that be?” You come from a very long line of factory workers. Those factories were always there, and they’ll always be there!”

  ***

  One night, Jerrick and Dan were lying down on their inflatable beds, making small talk. They usually put their drinks on the floor between the mattresses.

  Jerrick asked, “What are your plans after you had graduated from law school?”

  “I’m thinking about going to California to practice.”

  “California? You’ll ditch Michigan, your home state?”

  “Yes buddy; I’m going for the jobs. People are making tons of money from real estate out there. They need lawyers to help with the mortgage paper work and title transfers.”

  “This real estate bubble can’t last forever.”

  “I don’t give a shit. When the bubble bursts, then I will help people with bankruptcies and foreclosures. People always need attorneys. If people have no demand, then we as lawyers create a demand for our services.”

  “Like what? Give some examples.”

  “One attorney stole from his client. Client tried to dump the attorney, and the attorney turned around and sued his client. Attorney claimed his client wasn’t acting in his best interest.”

  Jerrick and Dan burst out laughing. After several seconds, they quieted down.

  “Dude that’s dishonest,” Jerrick retorted.

  “I’m studying to be an attorney. That’s what we do. We have a slow day at the office, and no clients are coming in. So, I pull out the files and glance through the paperwork. Then I send my clients a bill for services rendered.”

  Now Jerrick understood why he hated attorneys. Along with the government bureaucrats, the attorneys became a blight on the American society. However, Jerrick liked Dan a lot, even though Dan wanted to become a scum-bag attorney. At least, Dan was honest about it and planned to twist the law into his financial gain.

  ***

  Jerrick established the pecking order for the National Workers’ Party. Jerrick became the chairman while Dan became the vice-chairman. They evolved into the driving force behind the National Workers’ Party.

  Jerrick scheduled speeches every two weeks, and Dan helped and gave speeches too.

  Jerrick suspected Dan wrote speeches to hone his speaking skills, becoming an effective attorney in court. Then he could brilliantly sway any jury or judge with his rhetoric. However, Jerrick must admit. Dan gave speeches from the heart. He came from a long line of Michigan factory workers, and he developed a rapport with his audience.

  Over time, Jerrick improved his speaking and improvisation. He possessed an advantage over the politicians and political leaders. He believed what he said in his speeches because his words came from the heart.

  Politicians and political leaders are used car salesmen. They tricked the customer to buy the junky cars. As the customer drives onto the street, the car engine would blow up, or the transmission would fall out of the car.

  Jerrick noticed more people attended his speeches. One person, Jennifer Adams, in the crowd caught his eye.

  Jennifer graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. She would be attractive if she styled her long blonde hair, changed the style of her clothes, and added a touch of makeup in the right places. However, Jennifer pulled her long hair back in a ponytail and wore t-shirts and blue jeans. Although tall and slender with small peach-like breasts, she wore thick, brown, horn-rimmed glasses that covered half her face, making her eyes large and buggy.

  Jennifer was a typical nerd, a lost soul, a leaf at the wind’s mercy. She had no friends and worked several jobs below her talents. She entered data into a computer for a warehouse supplier.

  Jerrick knew something was special about Jennifer, but he didn’t know what it was, but Jennifer would become an integral member of the National Worker’s Party.

  Jennifer was the best computer hacker around. If you gave her ample supply of soda, junk food, and a fast internet connection, she could break through any computer’s defenses. She was known infamously in the dark world of computer hackers as the ‘silent thunder.' By the time, a computer administer detected her presence; she was already gone, and the damage was immense.

  Most people don’t realize. They think the key to a successful revolution is guns and soldiers. That’s true. Guns and soldiers are important, but a successful revolution relies on information. A revolutionary leader must know whom he can trust and not trust. Who will follow orders and not become a traitor at the last minute? A dictator appointing a wrong person at the wrong place and wrong time could jeopardize a coup. A wrong person at the wrong time is building a sand castle during a torrential rainstorm. Wrong person fucks everything up.

  After the revolution, the dictator must keep his eyes on his own people. He ensures an ambitious captain wouldn’t push him off the hill and claim his power. Path to total power is a treacherous one filled with many twists and turns.

  During one of Jerrick's speeches, he noticed Jennifer sat quietly in the audience. This was her third time.

  Once Jerrick finished his speech, he rushed to her and broke the ice first, “Hello. My name is Jerrick Davis. May I get you a refreshment?”

  Jennifer turned slightly reddish and replied, “No! I’m fine.” She tried to tuck her head into her shell like a turtle.

  Jerrick persisted, “I know this great coffee shop. Please be my guest of honor.”

  How could Jennifer refuse? Many men walked past Jennifer without a single glance. She felt invisible. In her sheepish voice, she said, “Okay.”

  Jerrick offered his hand to Jennifer, helping her out of the chair and leading her to his car. He drove to his favorite coffee shop, the Jitterbug.

  Owner of the Jitterbug, Cindy, restored a 1920s store to its original condition. She sanded and stained the dark wooden floors, painted the crown-molded ceilings a cool, light yellow, and restored the novel wooden-glass display cases. Décor projected a friendly ambiance, giving it style and grace.

  Jerrick and Jennifer sat at a table in the front, near the large shop windows
, where they had some privacy.

  It was 9 o’clock at night, so Jerrick ordered a black tea with no sugar, and no milk while Jennifer ordered herself a hot chocolate.

  Jerrick fidgeted, like was on a date, and Jerrick didn’t want to give any wrong impressions. “Where do you work?” Jerrick asked.

  “Wooden Instruments Industries,” Jennifer mumbled as her face reddened.

  “What’s wrong? You don’t like your job?”

  “Pay is low, and I must sit at a computer all day next to a conveyor belt. As a package goes by, I scan the label and check the contents. Then compare the contents to the customer’s order in the computer.”

  As Jennifer completed her sentence, the barista brought their drinks.

  Jerrick saw a hot, mist rising from his tea, so he left it on the table to cool.

  Jennifer picked up her hot chocolate and tried sipping it.

  “Why are you ashamed of your job? You’re doing honest work,” Jerrick replied firmly but softly.

  “It’s not the work, but I graduated from college with a degree in computer science. I was the best programmer in my graduating class. I wanted challenging work. A high salary is nice too!”

  Jerrick’s eyes brightened as if a gold prospector studied a nugget of gold at the bottom of his pan.

  Jerrick whispered, so the other patrons didn’t hear, “Have you ever hacked into a computer system?”

  Jennifer started blushing again and giggled. Jennifer would make a horrible poker player. If she held a royal flush, everyone sitting at the table would know.

  “I asked because I’m curious. I know some things about a computer, but a computer expert must eat, sleep, and shit computers 24 hours a day. I don’t have that dedication. I have other interests like expanding my political party.”

  Jerrick and Jennifer sipped their drinks, and Jerrick continued, “I designed my party’s website, and I think it’s okay. However, I need someone to assist me with computer security and data mining.”

  “Data mining?” Jennifer asked as her voice strengthened with interest.

  “Information is power. I listed all the political leaders in the United States. I want to know, who is corrupt or honest. Who can be trusted or not?”