Paranoia ✓

XXIX: Conner - The Inauguration

Today was the day that America dipped its fingers in salt and twisted them inside the gunshot wound it had dealt Conner over the past few months. Conner was watching his country crumble before him like a house of cards against a raging wind as Harry Sayder took to the podium in front of the White House.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Donald Franklin, stood with a Bible in front Harry Sayder. Harry's hand was on the Bible, and Donald Franklin instructed him to repeat the words he was about to say.

"Repeat after me: 'I do Solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.'"

Conner couldn't stand hearing Harry say the oath. He practically ignored him for the thirty seconds he spoke the oath of the office of the presidency. Conner was even planning not to show up to the inauguration. Conner knew that the Constitution would be trampled beneath Harry's foot as he marched up the steps towards the White House.

Harry did the oath first and proceeded to talk to the public—he wanted to show where his 'priorities were.' In reality Conner was pretty sure he wanted to be called Mr. President, as soon as possible. For what does a rich man want after having enough wealth for forty lifetimes but power. This was how Conner knew that the Constitution would be nothing but an ancient artifact during Harry's term, because the president, in all actuality, has little power. Everything he does, Congress must approve off. But right now, Congress was on Harry's side.

What Harry was saying after the oath, his inauguration address, was just noise to Conner. His mind was stuck on how helpless this country was, since they had voted in a man who wished to imprison a group of people because of their religious beliefs, ban people from the country who belong to this sect of religious beliefs, and deport any non-citizen within the country because of belonging to this religious belief. Just the thought of the TT's and what went on inside them was enough to frighten Conner. Maybe the zombie king himself was transforming good Muslim people into actual, real-life zombies—feral beasts with an animalistic instinct to fight rather than flee. In other words, Harry was adding to the enemy's numbers with his messages of hate. Conner could only expect to see some other religious belief, or ethnicity, or gender, next on the list of persecution in America. Was the Third Reich being reborn in front of Conner's eyes?

Conner couldn't help but think about all the signs that showed the destruction of the Bill of Rights. The NSA spying on American citizens—even those who were in good standing. The recent debate between a major tech company and the FBI over the creation of a software that would allow all of their users' devices to be unlocked with a switch of a button—all for security purposes of course. Heavily armed police officers and vehicles patrolling the streets of major cities to ward off terrorism. Extremely tedious security procedures at airports, sporting venues, and even charitable walks or marathons because of a fear that one person might be carrying a weapon—and in the end the procedures either missed the device it should've been looking for, or the people hired failed to do their jobs correctly 95% of the time.

Conner had to wonder if these security proceedings were really to keep us safe, or were they for an ulterior and, perhaps, evil motive. Then again, Conner wasn't the type for conspiracies. He still had a belief that America was genuinely good—but right now, America was genuinely lost and afraid....

So afraid that they elected a man who ran a campaign solely on keeping Americans safe. No one dug into his legitimacy to lead, or even his other policies. Deep down Conner knew that by electing Harry we weren't solving the problem—we were only making it worse.

And as Conner heard a massive commotion behind him, he realized how royally screwed he was for not deciding to stay home. By being in the sphere of the rising persecutor, he had put his life in danger.