Solomon's Private File #220
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 25 in this story, in the Fall of 2051.
Solomon's Private File #220 "CNN Self Reliant"
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Rangnorik asked to see me. We used my office. He said, "Your politics
and religions. Unique in the two galaxies I know." I said, "Not fun."
He said, "What if the leader of a major nation opposes you in public?"
I said, "Unlikely, if religion is prominent in that country. They would
be very unpopular." He said with a grin, "I knew that. I just wanted to
see your reaction." I said, "Was that all?" He said, "A tour of my
school." I said, "Let's go!" We went to the remote island on his home
planet in a different dimension. There were a lot of buildings, and a
big sports complex. I said, "Well done! Our schools should get together
for some recesses occasionally." He said, "Planned, with interest." We
grinned.
We went into the buildings, and greeted the students. I said to him,
"Everything looks fine. What about detection?" He said, "We copied
what's done in Belize." I said, "More advanced tech here. Better
satellites. If they look, they'll know something isn't right. If they
care." He said, "I know you. What will you do?" I said, "Mechanical and
people observation won't see anything unusual. If they look. But they
just won't want to look. Transportation won't come close enough to see
anything. Computers and pilots won't want to, and won't be aware of
that. This isn't a local condition. Not even a planetary condition, but
for the whole solar system, for this one island and surrounding water.
Only way to get to the island is by porting. But once here, and while
here, that condition doesn't exist for those people, out into the ocean
to about the longest dimension of the island, so your students can
enjoy extra wet activities. You know the answer to your question." He
said, "You can't tell me how?" I said, "Right. It's just my will, set
into this area of space. Got your computer linked to ours?" He said,
"Done, and to our planets, too. And we have some of the main school
teachers, commuting. Your crystals are great!" I said, "Er, thanks.
Need others, let me know."
I got a call from CNN. He said, "Would you do a show with us to
discuss the presidential race?" I said, "I'll help you by not doing
that." He chuckled, and said, "How would that help?" I said, "I just
have one basic opinion. As it is now, there is only one good reason to
run for president, and that is specifically to keep a horrible
candidate from winning. With what I see, that isn't likely here. All
the other reasons for running are in various degrees of negative. You
don't need me to say them. You already know them, and well." He said,
"But what about to make the country better?" I said, "The way it is
now, what president can actually to that? Much more likely make changes
just for the sake of marking territory, probably making it worse, like
most unnecessary changes do. Better just to piss in the corners of the
Oval Office." He laughed. I said, "People forget that ANY change costs
a lot of money to implement. One little change in the tax structure,
for instance, could cost billions in the short term, even if it adds
revenue." He said, "I hadn't thought of that. May I quote you as the
source?"
I said, "Sure. I'll give you a recording. Still, we do need a
president to be Head of State, and sign bills, and head the Executive
Branch. All new presidents want to make changes. That's one of the big
reasons they have for running. Problem is, most they run on are so
simplistic and naive, but sound great for the public, they turn out to
be impossible. That's good, actually, because some, while possibly
unintended, would be very destructive if they could be done. All new
presidents find out the hard way, to their utter shock, that what they
thought the presidency would be like, isn't at all what they had
assumed. I knew this even before there was a United States." He said,
"Wow! You were one of the founding fathers. Still haven't told us which
one, although we suspect." I said, "I knew that." Chuckles. He said,
"Why is the president so er, useless now?" I said, "No major wars, or
prospect of one. Not even a major crisis. My fault." He said, "I should
have thought of that. I see it now. Right. Just a figure head, now,
mostly." I said, "Not really great in the figure department." Chuckles.
I said, "Careful what you quote me on. I'll be watching." He said, "I
will. Thanks." He sent me the text for approval, and was surprised I
agreed to the pissing comment. It actually became very popular, but not
with the Candidates, who complained to me, while chuckling. My group
loved it, Hawk laughing all the way.
Both political party chairpersons told me they were requiring them to
go through my approval to have full party support. I told the
Republican, "Tea Party people will have a tough time of it. So will the
pledge people." He said, "Tea Party I understand. You won't approve
idiot fanatics." We chuckled. He said, "But the pledges?" I said,
"Forced fanatic, or possible pledge breaker. People I approve must be
able to make wise decisions they can't foresee they will have to make,
with no hands tied issues. I will not approve somebody who will break a
pledge. That's just wrong, on multiple levels." He said, "Oh, I
understand. That's very thoughtful. I'll definitely pass that on." He
did, and caused quite a stir in the party, but kept mostly quiet.
CNN called and said, "We know what you said to the RNC. We think it's
great!" I said, "I thought you weren't supposed to take sides?" He
said, "You would say the same thing to the DNC?" I said, "Don't do
that." He laughed. I said, "Oh, oh, it's happened. You should be
hearing about it soon. One candidate just said I'm making people less
self reliant." He said, "He's in for it, bashing you in a campaign!" I
said, "More so because he's right a little, but can't prove it." He
said, "What are you going to do about it?" I said, "I know what you
want." He said, "Shall I ask him if he wants to discuss it with you
live?" I said, "But tell him I'll probably be nice." He said, "With a
little hint of being slightly unsure of it?" I said, "Just so you don't
make him wet his pants." He laughed.
Wendy was the host. Bob was there when the show started, and I ported
in. I said, "I'm Solomon. It's nice to meet you." We shook hands. He
said, "Call me Bobby. It's good to finally meet you, Solomon." I said
with a smile, "You might want to hold on that until after the show." He
chuckled. Wendy did a recap of what caused the show. She asked him to
explain his controversial statement. He said, "With Solomon protecting
us from danger, we are becoming less self reliant. There is less need
for the military, less overall drive to excel." She asked me for a
comment. I said, "Before I express my opinions on that, I have some
questions for Bobby." She nodded.
I said to him, "Do you have statistics in support of your position?"
He said, "For the military, some. For the general population, just an
assumption based on what I believe." I said, "What were your feelings
in saying what you did, about what that would cause?" He said, "I knew
it would cause some controversy, and there was a possibility that my
party and you might not like it, even that it could ruin my career. But
I felt it needed to be brought out into the open, so it could be
discussed." I said, "So you might have knowingly sacrificed your career
to cause this dialog, because you thought it was important for the
American people that it should be discussed." He said, "Yes." I said to
the camera, "It's well known that I can detect lies. There weren't
any." We went to break.
Wendy said, "It wasn't time for a break. Oh!" I told Bobby, "She was
just told that I run these shows, because I know what I'll say, and
when the best breaks are for that. They agree from past experience when
they cut me off, and I dropped the subject they wanted more of." He
nodded with a smile, and said, "It's well known you're fair. No
complaints." Back on air, I said, "I'm ready to give my opinion your
position. You are correct. Oh, I love that expression when I cause it."
Chuckles. I said, "Yes, there is less America as a nation has to worry
about. And less need for the military to kill people. And because of
that, there is less need to excel. For some people. Who wouldn't have
before, actually. Try as we might, we will never have a lack of things
to push for. My group is one example. We can make anything we want, do
anything we want. But we train and work harder than anybody ever has in
the history of the world. Human beings have to. It's built into all of
us. It's true that some misdirect that urge into criminality, or give
up in frustration, but what I'm doing isn't causing that to happen
more. You know I care very deeply. I think you would assume I would be
monitoring this. My father said it first. It's dangerous to help
people. Your reason is a big part of that. My group could do much more,
but we shouldn't, and that hurts us terribly, but we have to do what's
best, even if it isn't best for our feelings. Even if we did help more,
people would find other ways to make er, trouble. We just can't stop
making waves. The new challenge is now redirecting the destructive
impulses of people into constructive ones, now that we have a little
less to distract us from that."
He said, "What of the Military?" I said, "The military still needed.
There is still violence in the world, and disasters to help victims to
recover from. Even in war, a lot of the military isn't involved in the
fighting. They know how to work in peace, just as they do in fighting.
I know, having been in a lot of wars. Military training is GOOD for our
people, even if they never have to fight. We need to find less
destructive things to motivate us. Americans, all people of the world,
will aways want to excel. Determining what goals to work for now, and
how to do it, is the first new thing we should strive to excel in.
Humanity has the chance now to put away childish toys like war, hate,
prejudice, and selfish greed, and start maturing into an exemplary
adult and responsible people, so we can achieve the stars, and meet the
people there as equals, and maybe even more than that. Self reliance?
That's not less, it's needed more now, than ever, with brave new
challenges before us! Now is the time for our leaders to actually DO
it, and not sit on their hands in comfortable sociability. Some
problems are being solved. Lets go out and find new problems to
challenge ourselves! The stars are waiting. Don't let them wait
forever." We went to break. There were a lot of wows in the control
room. Bobby and Wendy were in awe, eyes shining.
Back from break, Wendy said, "I think I speak for a lot of Americans,
and for others as well, when I say I'm not ever going to forget what
you said here today!" Bobby said, "I have to agree! That magnificent
inspiration, and that I'm a part of that, however small, I'm so
honored, I can't express it." I said, "Still, you're not doing so bad
with it. Has your position changed in any way?" He said, "It has, and
in a way I couldn't know was possible. I see a lot more hope for us,
and a bright future to work hard for." I said, "You haven't asked for
politician approval. Got a reason?" He said, "I wasn't sure you would
approve me." I said, "Why?" He said, "I don't know. Just a bit of
nervousness, I suppose." I said, "I can understand that!" Chuckles. I
said, "I'm ready to announce it now, if you want." He said, "I do.
Thank you." I said, "I made my decision before the first break. That's
what my questions were for." He said, "Oh! I should have realized
that." I said, "I think you would have, but for the controversy of the
cause of this er, situation." He nodded. I said, "For clear thinking,
the unusual courage to honestly express what you thought would benefit
the people, in spite of the possible serious personal consequences, and
the ability to change your opinion when you have more information, I am
required to approve you for high political office." He said, "Wow!" And
with tears. We went to break.
Wendy said, "I'm being asked to ask you, did you know in advance, all
this would happen?" I said, "Mostly, yes. But off the record. People
shouldn't assume I can do that all the time. I can't. But they would
want to believe I could, so making less their self reliance." Bobby
said, "I realize now, more than ever, how wrong I was. But why the show
then?" I said, "You'll think of the reasons, when you calm down a
little. Don't rush it. Hey, I'm a teacher. Best when the students come
to the right conclusions on their own. And to not favor you in the
political arena." He said, "Right. I respect you now more than I ever
thought possible!" I said, "Er, thanks. Revenge?" He chuckled. Back on
air, Wendy said, "We're out of time. Thank you both from all of CNN."
Off air, she said, "We couldn't think of anything that wouldn't lessen
what was said in the minds of the viewers, to close the show with."
Bobby said, "Saved me from putting my foot in my mouth." I said, "Or my
I said to Bobby, "Want to bet your competitors are now trying to
think of something controversial to engage me with, and that I would
think negatively of them for that less than honorable tactic?" He
grinned and said, "I'd lose that bet." Wendy said, "Can we use that
comment from us?" I said, "Sure. Think I speak in a vacuum?" Chuckles.
Bobby said, "I suspect more now." I said, "Yes. I allow some of my
private comments be used, if asked for, when they're appropriate. Why
waste them?" Nods. I said, "I'm getting calls. A lot of approval, and
some self butt kicking wishful thinking expressed." Laughter. I said to
Bobby, "If people had personal stock in you, they would have made a
killing." Grins. I said, "Now the others have to be more self reliant
in their lackluster campaigns, to try to equal you." He said, "You
won't let me forget that." I said, "It's your platform. I'm just
showing you it's more than you thought." He said, "Right. Even your odd
comments are to mean something." I said, "Exactly. Most of my humor is
calculated. Some just escapes." Chuckles. I said, "I think you both
want to get busy and take advantage of this, so I'll leave you to it."
I stood, and so did they. We hugged with love. I shifted away.
Mom said, "Wow!" I said, "Looking back on it, I have to agree. Only
time will tell if it's fallen on deaf years." Chuckles and pokes, with
love.
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