It's been two months since the lights came back and Fema came rolling into town today along with some National Guard troops. The troop went door to door telling us that all townfolks must attend a meeting being held by Fema at 7 pm tonight at the high school. They will be explaining why they are here, taking names of everyone in each household and gathering what other information they want or need.
At 6 pm we headed up to the high school. We wanted to get there early so John and Dave could get in with their power chairs. The gym was already beginning to fill up. Everyone wanted to hear what Fema's plans were. We all knew they had already seen all the gardens growing every where so we were sure they were going to take what food we had. By 7 pm the place was completely packed and some people were having to stand outside the doors. The speaker system had been set up and our mayor apporached the mike. He did not look happy. Either he already knew what Fema had planned or he was mad that they had not told him of their plans.
The mayor thanked us all for attending the meeting and that he was proud of our little town and how we had all pulled together this past year and we had made it through the worst of it with out the help of Fema, Homeland Security or the National Guard. You could tell his words irked Mr. Fema Man. Then he told us that the president had given Fema and Homeland Security so from now on we would have to deal with them. Then he introduced the man from Fema.
Mr. Fema Man took his place at the mike and gave a bla bla bla speech about how we all must stick together and work together in order to ensure the safety of our town and our people. When he said that one men for town stood up and hollered out "How in the hell do you think we have held on this long with out your help? We worked together. we fought off the gangs who came and tried to take our stuff and rape our women. It wasn't Fema, Homeland or the National Guard. We didn't need you then and we sure as hell don't need you now!" The whole town was cheering when he was through. Some of the guardsmen were pushing their way through the crowd and once they made their way to the man they arrested him and hauled him off. A few more townsfolk stood up and started hollering that they had no right to arrest him. They were promptly arrested and haul off to. Seeing what would happen if we continued to speak up we all remained quite. Mr. Fema Man started his little speech all over while the people sneered. He gave a long drawn out speech of how it was important that every one in the country got their fair share of food and since rural areas had more room to grow food then city folks we needed to share our food with those less fortunate. In others words it was another case of redistrabution of wealth only this time food was the money. Not real money.
We would be allowed to continue growing our gardens but all food must be handed over to them and they would hand it out so that everyone would get the same amount. We would have no way to know if we were getting back the food we grew which we were growing organically or food some one used chemicals on. Fema would be going house to house starting tomorrow morning and they would be collecting all the food in town they they would be handed it out a days worth at a time from now on. All hell broke out at that little bit of news. People were standing up hollering that Fema would be getting their food over their dead bodies. Mr. Fema Man had a smug look on his face when he replied that resistence would be met with surperior firearms. Then he dropped the big bomb. All young adults would be taken to the near by farms daily and they would have to work to help the farmers grow as much food as they could. Anyone from the age of 14-30 had to work on the farms no exceptions. All other able bodied men had to work to fix the building in town and in the home gardens. The women in town had to take turns cooking for all the personal from Fema, Homeland and the National Guard. We were to report to the high school cafetreia on are assigned days and had to remain there till after the evening meal had been served and the kitchen cleaned up. People were jeering left and right. No one was happy about the new turn of events. After the meeting was closed we all went home. People were talking and yelling about their rights all over town. Some were talking about outright riots.
I remained quite on the walk home thinking about how we could thwart Fema. If we did it out right then a lot of people could or would be killed. We needed to work in ways that Fema could not prove we were doing anything. I had a few things in mind but nothing concrete yet. I would sound them out with the rest of the group once we were safely in the house. It was going to take more than one mind to come up with ways to stump Femas plans.
At 6 pm we headed up to the high school. We wanted to get there early so John and Dave could get in with their power chairs. The gym was already beginning to fill up. Everyone wanted to hear what Fema's plans were. We all knew they had already seen all the gardens growing every where so we were sure they were going to take what food we had. By 7 pm the place was completely packed and some people were having to stand outside the doors. The speaker system had been set up and our mayor apporached the mike. He did not look happy. Either he already knew what Fema had planned or he was mad that they had not told him of their plans.
The mayor thanked us all for attending the meeting and that he was proud of our little town and how we had all pulled together this past year and we had made it through the worst of it with out the help of Fema, Homeland Security or the National Guard. You could tell his words irked Mr. Fema Man. Then he told us that the president had given Fema and Homeland Security so from now on we would have to deal with them. Then he introduced the man from Fema.
Mr. Fema Man took his place at the mike and gave a bla bla bla speech about how we all must stick together and work together in order to ensure the safety of our town and our people. When he said that one men for town stood up and hollered out "How in the hell do you think we have held on this long with out your help? We worked together. we fought off the gangs who came and tried to take our stuff and rape our women. It wasn't Fema, Homeland or the National Guard. We didn't need you then and we sure as hell don't need you now!" The whole town was cheering when he was through. Some of the guardsmen were pushing their way through the crowd and once they made their way to the man they arrested him and hauled him off. A few more townsfolk stood up and started hollering that they had no right to arrest him. They were promptly arrested and haul off to. Seeing what would happen if we continued to speak up we all remained quite. Mr. Fema Man started his little speech all over while the people sneered. He gave a long drawn out speech of how it was important that every one in the country got their fair share of food and since rural areas had more room to grow food then city folks we needed to share our food with those less fortunate. In others words it was another case of redistrabution of wealth only this time food was the money. Not real money.
We would be allowed to continue growing our gardens but all food must be handed over to them and they would hand it out so that everyone would get the same amount. We would have no way to know if we were getting back the food we grew which we were growing organically or food some one used chemicals on. Fema would be going house to house starting tomorrow morning and they would be collecting all the food in town they they would be handed it out a days worth at a time from now on. All hell broke out at that little bit of news. People were standing up hollering that Fema would be getting their food over their dead bodies. Mr. Fema Man had a smug look on his face when he replied that resistence would be met with surperior firearms. Then he dropped the big bomb. All young adults would be taken to the near by farms daily and they would have to work to help the farmers grow as much food as they could. Anyone from the age of 14-30 had to work on the farms no exceptions. All other able bodied men had to work to fix the building in town and in the home gardens. The women in town had to take turns cooking for all the personal from Fema, Homeland and the National Guard. We were to report to the high school cafetreia on are assigned days and had to remain there till after the evening meal had been served and the kitchen cleaned up. People were jeering left and right. No one was happy about the new turn of events. After the meeting was closed we all went home. People were talking and yelling about their rights all over town. Some were talking about outright riots.
I remained quite on the walk home thinking about how we could thwart Fema. If we did it out right then a lot of people could or would be killed. We needed to work in ways that Fema could not prove we were doing anything. I had a few things in mind but nothing concrete yet. I would sound them out with the rest of the group once we were safely in the house. It was going to take more than one mind to come up with ways to stump Femas plans.