"William W Johnstone - Ashes 17 - Battle in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

Richmond. "We can't have this. Why, this is positively unamerican!"

Then the central government in Richmond learned that criminals were
actually being hanged in Tri-States, for such innocuous things as murder
and rape and armed robbery and other such minor offenses that everyone
knows is not the fault of the perpetrator, but rather the fault of
everyone else. After all, if the homecoming queen won't date a person,
or the coach won't let a person play in the big game, or if somebody has
a nicer car or newer tennis shoes or flashier jacket, a larger TV set,
or a better boom box or Walkman, why it makes perfect sense for that
less fortunate person to go out and steal a gun and blow somebody away,
for the mental scars left there by these horribly traumatic situations
would certainly justify violent acts against an uncaring society.

So after the liberals in Congress ceased months of blubbering and
snorting and weeping and stomping on hankies, and after forty-seven
committees had concluded 5,593 meetings and fact-finding tours (all at
taxpayer expense), the central government reached its decision: The
Tri-States would have to cease and desist and disband and stop all this
foolishness.

The citizens of Tri-States, through their elected leader, Ben Raines,
told the President of the United States and the members of both houses
of Congress to go fuck themselves.

11

Well! Nobody tells Congress to do that!

The government of the United States declared war on the Tri-States. They
thought they had wiped out all those malcontents who had the nerve to
think they knew more about running a government than professional
politicians.

They were wrong.

Ben Raines gathered a handful of survivors around him and proceeded to
rebuild his army. Once that was done, the Rebels proceeded to kick the
crap out of the thugs and bully-boys the central government sent after them.
The Rebel philosophy spread and the Rebel army grew in numbers. Just
when Ben Raines and the Rebels had seized control of the central
government, tragedy struck the world in the form of a rat-borne plague,
and when it was over, there was not a stable government left intact
anywhere in the world.

Anarchy reigned. Gangs of thugs and warlords ruled the cities and
countryside, wreaking havoc and misery on the battle-torn and weary
population. Everywhere except inside the borders of the new Tri-States,
that is.