Chapter 5: The Republic of California

Chapter 5

The Republic of California

            “What do you mean closed?” One of the guardsmen asked.

            “No one in and no one out. You know CLOSED.” The loudspeaker said.

            “We are on a direct order to enter the state of California. This order has come straight from President Richard Smith, himself.”

            “The governor makes the decisions here, not the president.” As the patrolman was speaking, another patrolman was on the phone with the governor and telling him everything that was happening.

            After another five minutes of this bickering between the Border Patrol and the National Guard, the Guardsmen convoy finally left and headed back to their headquarters in Reno, Nevada.

            Back in Sacramento, “Sir, are you sure about this?” asked Lieutenant Governor Samuel McGregor.

            Governor Stanton sat there, tapping his pen on his desk. “Do we have the support of the state senate?”

            “A unanimous vote, sir.”

            “Then I am completely sure.”

            “All right then. What do you want me to do?”

            “Set up a news conference for tomorrow.”

            The buzz all over the state that night was, what was the governor’s conference about? It had to be about the National Guard deployment into the state, right?

            July 4^th. Governor Stanton was pacing around his office. This was the first time he had walked around his office in days.

            “Governor, it’s time for the press conference.” Mr. McGregor said while sticking his head into the governor’s office. Mike Stanton acknowledged the Lieutenant Governor and followed him out of the office, down the hall, and into the press room.

            Samuel walked into the room ahead of the governor and walked up to the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention.” The entire buzz of the press room immediately died. “I introduce to you the governor of the great state of California, Michael Stanton.”

            Mr. Stanton walked up to the podium with the seal of California on the front. “Please sit. There will be no questions at this time and will be none later. I have called this national news conference to address a very serious and pressing issue. Issue #5572 to be exact. Yesterday at 5:00pm, a deployment of National Guard troops approached the California-Nevada border only to be turned away. They were originally supposed to only enter the state on order of controlling gang violence. But a convoy was sent just outside of Reno, Nevada, which was an unauthorized troop deployment which the senate did not vote on. This was a very blatant military action on behalf of the Republican Federal Government against our Democratic State Government. Therefore, I have been given no other option, but this. With the approval of the California State Senate, the state of California is formally seceding from the union of the United States of America. We will now be our own country. A completely sovereign nation, by the name of The Republic of California.”