Resources: Freedom Is Reborn Page 14

  Sam, I want to go to you first. What is your take on the initiative?"

  Sam Weeden, "As you know, I have supported the initiative from the beginning. It is about time that we have brought the third world countries out of the dark ages and into the 21st century. For far too long has capitalism and the developed countries raped and pillaged the Third World. The people of third world countries deserve better health and a higher standard of living!"

  "Sam, some people would say raped and pillaged is a rather strong statement. Why do you say that?"

  "Anybody can tell you it's true just by looking at the differences between the developed and the third world countries. You can't tell me that they haven't taken what they wanted and not paid for it."

  "Prof. Sandifer, are Sam's statements too strong?"

  Sandifer, "No, I don't believe so. My research shows that capitalist pigs have been stealing the resources of these third world countries and leaving the people to die. Furthermore, by returning resources and giving financial aid to the Third World countries, they will be able to take their rightful place in the world."

  "I understand Prof, Today's Political News has been trying to enlighten the American people regarding this issue. For too long the Third World countries have been looked at as a resource to use and be thrown away when the capitalists were done.

  What do you think about the supplemental resolution, Prof?"

  Sandifer, "I was surprised, to see that finally there is going to be some accountability of the individuals that manage these companies."

  Sam, "Yes, the tribunal in Geneva for crimes against humanity doesn't go far enough. These individuals should be hanged or shot immediately! They don't deserve a trial."

  "Gentlemen thank you for being on our panel today, we value your opinions. Please join us this evening for our two-hour long celebration of humanity's growing up."

  Control Center, OZ, Lagrange 5

  After looking around the control center, I nodded my head to the technician to connect Jackie and Theo in by video conferencing. Jim was looking a little shocked by what was happening.

  "I didn't think it would deteriorate to this level. The UN along with other countries are raiding companies that have anything to do with space. Thankfully some of them had just shut down before the Raiders came. Ones that scared me the most were those that decided to take a stand and resist."

  Jim, "Yes it is horrible Ben. I can't imagine how you guys feel watching what is happening to your company's and employees."

  Theo, "Thankfully the president has decided to wait on raids in the US until the Supreme Court has ruled. I have instructed all my employees to go home until further notice. As you all know my son went up to the space colony a few weeks ago, I don't have to worry about him.

  I, on the other hand, am currently in the middle of the Atlantic testing out the submersible ocean habitat. I have had the habitat down to a depth of 50 m, and everything is working correctly.

  It is going to be a week before I return so I might not make the last launch."

  Jackie, "Here in Jacksonville we are still gathering the passengers and preparing launch the last shuttle. That should be after Theo gets back from testing his newest toy. The national weather service is predicting that the tropical storm in the Atlantic could possibly develop into a hurricane. So that may cause a few days delay."

  Ben, "Rolls-Royce Aerospace overseas seems to have been hit especially hard. I assume they tried to defend the rocket engine manufacturing facility because the news feeds show that it is on fire at this time. Thankfully over the last several decades, they moved a large portion of their business to the US."

  Jackie, "It's disgusting the joy that media is taking in the raids. CNN and has especially been bad with the way they have been trotting around Sam Weeden and Jim Sandifer. With all the negative coverage public opinion seems to be trending more and more towards supporting getting out of space."

  Jim, "I agree it has been bad, but Fox News has been a little more balanced and presented information accurately about the benefits of staying in space. There are also worried about the UN meeting to move towards a one world totalitarian government."

  Ben, "Well there isn't much more we can do at this point so let's wrap this up. Jim if you would stay."

  "We need to watch some of the news as to what's going on and gather information for a press release."

  Jim, "I agree we need to get a press and release out but only after the Supreme Court makes a decision and we launched the last shuttle."

  News stories

  "This is Klaus Kruger reporting from Hamburg Germany. The Belbix company was raided today for not complying with the UN resolution to leave space.

  As you can see, employees are being led away in handcuffs. Due to the large number, they are being bussed to a temporary holding facility to be processed.

  UN officials have informed us that the employees will be interviewed and those that were complicit with not following the UN resolution will be detained indefinitely. The rest will be released and informed later as to the status of their employment.

  Stay tuned for CNN's analysis of the situation."

  The various news channels were all bouncing back and forth between the raids around the world.

  Surprisingly the raids in China were showing that everything was peaceful. They weren't even arresting anyone. The news channels were speculating that because China either owned or controlled the companies, that they were just going through the motions to give the impression that they were supporting the UN resolution.

  Reporter, "Jane's launch services in Europe has a large occupation force at their launch facility.

  They are not letting anybody in or out of the launch facility. While UN buses can be seen outside the administrative building, they haven't loaded anybody onto them as of yet.

  When officials at the gate were asked about the status of the raid and what was happening, they referred is back to the UN Security Council.

  We will be keeping an eye on the situation and return when we have more information.

  We now return you to CNN news"

  Breaking news

  Fox News, "The UN Secretary General Kumar Ganesha is going to speak momentarily regarding the status of the raids. We will have live coverage as the story breaks.

  As you can see the US as the Secretary-General is walking into the UN Press Briefing room. Let's go live to his comments."

  Secretary-General, "Ladies and gentlemen as you know in the US the UN passed the resolution yesterday to take action against the companies that are refusing to get out of space.

  I am happy to inform you that the raids are going good. A few of the companies are resisting the UN troops, and there have been deaths at some of the facilities. The vast majority have either surrendered or left the facilities before we got there.

  Intelligence information from various countries has informed us, that numerous ships sailed from water ports with equipment destined for space. We are working with other countries to intercept those ships. We will confiscate the equipment and detain the crews.

  We expect that 90% of the raids will have completed by tomorrow evening and the remaining 10% over the next week.

  At this time the US president has prevented any raids within the United States while he waits for the US Supreme Court ruling. We look forward to that happening in the next few days and finishing up our work.

  As usual, the UN Journal has complete coverage of this weeks historic events.

  US Supreme Court, Washington DC

  Today's Political News - Samantha Snow, "In an unprecedented news conference on the steps of the Supreme court. The court's decision on the presidents Sustainable Earth Initiative executive order was announced. Here is an excerpt from the press conference.

  Justice Roberts, "Because of the UN's resolutions and actions this week, we at the Supreme Court took the unusual step of moving up the courts decision on the case.

  The reason we felt that this was
necessary was because of the effect on US citizens and the citizens of other countries.

  In a 5 to 4 decision, we have upheld the president's executive order Sustainable Earth Initiative. While space is not a US territory and thus cannot be regulated by the United States, the president of the United States constitutional authority does extend to shutting down space operations that are supported by spaceports within the United States, since those are within US authority. It is also within the government's power to suspend any and all licenses authorizing space activities.

  It is it not however within the executive branch's authority to mandate that US companies and or individuals devote money or resources to UN resolutions external to the United States. Therefore that portion of the executive order has been ruled unconstitutional.

  The split opinion of this ruling will be posted to the Supreme Court's website within the next hour. You will be able to find the full transcript of the ruling including the dissenting opinions through the slip document.

  We will not be taking any questions at this time."

  ******

  Samantha Snow, "Well, it's official. US companies have to get out of Space.

  We here at Today's Political News are disappointed that the Third world investment requirement was struck down. This is a serious blow because th United States as the worlds largest economy it would have provided the majority of the funds and investments for the third world."

  Launch Center, Jacksonville FL

  Weather Radio, "Tropical storm Cleo has been upgraded to a class II hurricane and will be hitting the Florida coast within the hour. Take shelter immediately if you haven't already."

  ******

  Jackie, "Damn, with the National Weather Service upgrading the tropical storm to a hurricane the Supreme Court ruling couldn't have happened at a worse time!"

  Technician, "Ma'am, I have an update for you on the path of the hurricane. It doesn't look good though. The Weather Bureau is predicting that we have about 2 1/2 hours before it hits the Jacksonville area."

  After reading through the report, "Get me Launch control."

  "I have lunch control on the phone," replied the technician after a moment.

  "Control is there any way we can move the passenger shuttle launch forward?"

  Launch Control, "As you know the launch wasn't scheduled to happen for another 5 days. Ground control should be able to have the shuttle fueled within two hours, but the real issue is getting the passengers here and loaded. Only 23 of the passengers that are scheduled are on site or in the Jacksonville area."

  Jackie, "We are going to have to attempt to launch immediately to avoid the risk of the government shutting us down before we can launch the shuttle. Instruct the ground crew to start fueling immediately, and I will get the passengers ready to load."

  "Yes, Miss VanSwann, launch time will be at 11:30 am. The passengers need to be loaded 30 minutes prior," replied control.

  "Understood," I replied and hung up the phone. She grabbed her cell and selected Ben's number.

  "Hello Jackie, what can I do for you?" asked Ben.

  "I need you to issue an immediate message to all passengers of the shuttle that we will be launching at 11:30 am and need to be here ASAP or a minimum 30 minutes before launch."

  Ben, "Give me a moment and I will have one the technicians send the message." While I was waiting, I could hear Ben yelling for a technician to bring up the passenger list and have every one of them texted and that they needed to report for launch immediately.

  "Thanks, Ben. I'm not sure if we can get this done before the hurricane gets here, but we're going to try."

  Ben, "You do know that Theo's not going to be able to make it. He's still out testing that new habitat."

  "I forgot about him being out to Sea. Is there any way we can have a chopper pick him up and fly him in?"

  "No, regretfully since he submerged the habitat, we have been out of contact with him, and even if we could reach him, it would take at least an hour to get to his location." Ben continued, "Since Jacksonville is further north it would take several more hours to get him there."

  Phone buzzing, "I just got the text recalling all passengers for immediate launch. Well, I have to go and get ready for boarding the shuttle. I will see you when we get up there."

  ******

  FBI Headquarters Washington DC

  Agent Chane, "Please give me a rundown of what companies and their facilities we will be rating within the next few hours."

  "Currently we are scheduling raids for Spaceport America, Jacksonville, Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Humanity Holdings, Seaward Housing and Engineering, and Infinity Metals." Replied agent Brock. "Due to the hurricane, we are going to have to delay the raid on the Jacksonville and Kennedy Space Center's until it has passed."

  "Is there any possibility that they will be able to launch before we can to close them down?"

  Agent Brock, "Our intelligence indicates that the Jacksonville facility has a passenger shuttle that is scheduled to launch in 5 days. They assure me that they will not be able to gather all the passengers and prepare the shuttle for launch before the hurricane arriving."

  Agent Chane, "I want to be ready to move on those two locations immediately after the hurricane has passed. It is imperative that we do not let them launch that shuttle."

  Agent Brock, "That will be no problem since we started staging the agents a few days ago. The other raids are scheduled for the next five hours. Should I tell them to proceed when ready?"

  "Yes, except for the Spaceport America raid. Our team has been directed by the president to proceed to Spaceport America for a special operation. We will be picked up within 30 minutes and proceed to Langley Air Force Base for the flight. You are coming along, so if you need anything get it now and meet me at the parking ramp in 25 minutes."

  "Yes, sir!" Yelled agent Brock as she ran for the door.

  ******

  Jacksonville, Fl

  "Attention everyone, attention everyone, we are proceeding to load the passenger shuttle at this time." Came over the loudspeakers.

  Looking around, as we move towards the passenger shuttle, I realized we were short four people. The wind seemed to be picking up, and I was unsure if we were going to be able to launch or not.

  One of the launch technicians came rushing up to me, "Are you Jackie VanSwann?"

  Yes, I am. What can I do for you?"

  "The launch coordinator wants to talk to you, regarding the launch of the shuttle." He said as he handed me the portable phone.

  After taking the phone, I asked: "How can I help you?"

  Launch coordinator, "Jackie, I'm sorry to interrupt you getting on the shuttle, but I had some news regarding the weather. The hurricane has been upgraded to a class III. We cannot rely on launching with the high winds. The track that the hurricane is taking will put the center right over us when it passes. At that point will have a substantial drop in the winds. While it may be dangerous, we could try and launch during that period. I need your approval to proceed with a launch at that point."

  "Before I give my approval, what would be the downside?

  "You and the other passengers would have to be in the shuttle during the worst of the hurricane. If something goes wrong, everyone could be hurt or even killed. The shuttle could also be damaged, and you may have to sit through the rest of the storm after the eye passes." Explained that coordinator.

  "The way I see it is if we don't launch before the FBI gets here, we never will. I think it is better to take the risk than not too. Let's go ahead continue loading and launch during the eye of the hurricane."

  Coordinator, "Thank you, Jackie."

  A moment later the loudspeakers came on again, "Attention please, Attention! Please proceed with loading as fast as possible. Due to hurricane Cleo being upgraded to a class III, we are going to launch while we are in the eye the storm. Once you're on the shuttle, immediately stole your belongings and buckle up.

  Anyone that doe
sn't want to take the risk of launching during the eye of the hurricane, please return to the passenger waiting room area. Keep in mind this may be the last opportunity that you would have to get into space. Thank you for your attention!"

  ******

  Passenger shuttle, Jacksonville, Florida

  The loading of the shuttle went reasonably smooth, and everyone got their belongings stowed. The storm was making everybody nervous.

  When the hurricane hit, it started out with just a little bit of vibration, but that built up to a bone-rattling shake with bangs that could be heard from flying debris hitting the shuttle. I wasn't sure how much more we could take before something went wrong.

  "This is the captain, in a minute or two we will be entering the eye of the hurricane, at that point, and the winds will drop significantly. The technicians will need about five minutes to examine the ship before we launch."

  Well at least now, I knew we were getting closer to the end. Although the seconds still seemed to be going by slowly. Then all of a sudden the noises and shaking just stopped. The eye of the hurricane must have arrived. A few minutes later there was another announcement by the captain.

  "It took slightly longer for the technicians to check out the shuttle than expected, but we are clear to launch. Due to time constraints, we're going to do an abbreviated launch cycle. This means that we're only going to have a 30-second countdown."

  At the front of the cabin, a countdown clock started at 30 seconds and seem to be flying by. At 10 seconds we could hear some clunks and bangs as the gantry disconnected from the shuttle. When the timer hit zero, there was the sound of the rockets as they engaged. An entirely different set of vibrations started and I could feel myself being pushed back into my seat. While it was only minutes, it seemed to go on forever.