Inside Out: New Beginnings

I asked Ann what was wrong. She said, “Have you looked at the calendar lately?” I said, “Not really, why?” Ann said you graduate in three weeks. Jeff, that is three weeks – get it now!” I said that I understood, but quite honestly, I was hurting as much as Ann was about being torn apart due to graduation. The dreaded day came. Senior Promotion/Graduation day. Ann walked me down to the promotion area and gave me what seemed to be a good-bye kiss and hug. Ann said, “I’ll be over there crying my eyes out.” The Headmaster began calling students to step up to the platform. The same familiar black suited alumnae were there and selected seniors were sorted in different directions. I wondered where I was going to be sent. I hoped not back to Washington D.C. That was simply too far away from Ann. As I waited my turn, that familiar muscular hand of Jake grabbed my shoulder and said, “Come with me.” I was pulled out of line and I watched the other 238 members of my class graduate. My name was never called. I began to wonder if I wasn’t going to graduate. Ann saw that I was taken out of the graduation line and walked over to me and asked, “What’s going on Jeff?” I said, “I don’t know and Jake won’t tell me anything. He just pulled me out of the line.” Ann looked at Jake and said, ‘Spill it Jake. What is going on?” Jake said, “I promise, if I knew I would tell you. I was just told to take Jeff out of the graduation and promotion line.” *** Ann rode roughshod over the contractors reminding them that the construction deadlines were fast approaching. Ann would walk around in her white hard hat carrying a clip board with the construction plans and specifications for the area she was checking out. A new superintendent of the general contractor observed Ann and rudely asked, “Who in the Hell are you?” I don’t usually follow the directives of little girls, especially cute ones like you”. Ann asked his name and the name of his company. Ann then said that she was the Academy representative for the Associate Headmaster. I am also married to him. I am that little girl as you called me. I have the authority to make your life a living Hell if you know what I mean. Don’t you ever disrespect me or this institution or you will be removed from the Academy grounds and your company penalized. Do you understand me? He said, “I do”. As Ann walked away, she heard him tell his buddy, “What a bitch’. Ann turned around and said, “I have good hearing too and I heard that. You are now strike two. Would you care to strike out?” *** Ann and Mac met with me and informed me that for all intents and purposes, Phantom II was alive and working as expected. We would need to conclude a series of tests to make sure that our telephone and computer/internet communications randomly encrypted through the interface just like Phantom I did. This way, we could encrypt all Academy communications and not just our field computers to the OC and back. Mac explained that the ‘Rebounder’ was also in place. If anyone tried to break our encryption code, the program will rebound the inquiry with a death pill, meaning that our random encryption interface would be rebounded to the attacking source and wipe out their data. Mac said, “As you know, the data isn’t wiped out, it is hidden in our random encryption interface and they will never find their original programming again. Phantom II will cause potential hackers and the NSA to reinstall and reboot their systems over and over due to their system being unable to effectively establish the link. *** Ann woke up in the middle of the night quite excited and began tickling my ear and saying, “Wake up!” I looked and it was 01:30. I asked Ann if she was alright. She somewhat giggled and said, “I am more than alright. Do you remember your comment, “Our job is not to educate the masses”. I said that I remembered. Ann then said, “Do you remember that I wasn’t so sure you were right, but I would think about it?” I again said, “Yes.” Well, guess what. I have thought about it and I think we have been handling the citizenry of our country in an incorrect way. I recognize that we will never remove the apathy of most adult Americans that don’t care now. However, what about their children? Jeff, do you remember from our history class, the comment made by George Washington? I said, “Which comment. He made many historical comments”. Ann said, “If I recall correctly, it was, “A primary object ...should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing…than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country.” I said, “What is your idea.” Ann excitedly stated that the OC’s approach needed to refocus on educating Americans in the Constitution and helping Americans to know and fully understand their protected rights and liberties guaranteed under the Constitution. Knowledge is power back to the people. *** The Declaration of Independence recognized that Americans were to have unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and to secure our rights; our government was to be instituted by men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. The second critical part of the Declaration, that was clearly the focus of the Academy was that whenever our form of government became destructive of individual rights and personal liberties, that it is the right of the governed people to alter or abolish the government and institute a new government that would be responsive to the people. The Academy didn’t seek to overthrow the government. Instead, our approach was to revitalize the “governed” and hold government accountable under threat of abolishment.