Solomon's Private File #320
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 30 in this story, in the Spring of 2056.
Solomon's Private File #320 "Politicians In Need"
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I shifted to the office of the Prime Minister of England, and said,
"I apologize for the interruption, but you are about to receive a
letter with a deadly poison in it. I suggest you have a police lab open
it for you. The sender isn't a good writer." She said, "I see. In that
case, I would have no interest in reading it." I said, "Ordinarily,
when somebody working for the people causes a bad person to be so
annoyed to do something like this, it means you're going good." She
grinned. I said, "And for a politician, it's even better. You really
know you aren't being ignored. So, you have been officially validated."
She tried not to grin, and said, "I shall be properly grateful, and see
he receives proper attention, himself." I said, "Which will be a
welcome surprise to him. Er, for us." She had to chuckle.
She said, "You could have stopped this in his kitchen." I said, "Then
he wouldn't have been motivated to change, and others with him.
Possible intent doesn't make a full crime. Suffering the full
consequences of the act, will serve to help him realize the seriousness
of his desire and act." She said, "I suspected. Thank you for
explaining it well. May I make a call?" I said, "Please. For the
of her protection. He was nearby, and rushed into the office. I said,
"No need to panic now. You can always do that later at your
convenience." I told him were the letter was, and that I wouldn't allow
anybody but proper experts to open it. I gave him some papers and a
memory card. He thank me a lot, and ran off. She said, trying not to
grin, "At his convenience!" I said, "That fabled stiff upper lip was
moving a little." She laughed. I said, "At least he didn't have
kittens." She laughed harder. We hugged.
U.S. President asked to see me. He said, "I'm going for a second
term." I said, "Right. Can't admit defeat, without showing all your
toes. Throw your shoes at them?" He grinned, and said, "Not exactly.
May I still ask for approvals?" I said, "Always, for the torture. All
politicians, and who they want to hire to do the REAL work. You know
the other side is doing it." He said, "Any good ones?" I said, "Now
that they have to, it's about the same as your side." He said, "Oh, I'm
sorry for you!" I said, "You'd better be, or I may hold back on the
entertaining details." He grinned, and said, "Very amusing! A shame we
can't make some of them public." I said, "We can't have everything we
want. Good thing. Wouldn't be enough room." He said, "True. My Vice is
threatening to leave, if I don't give him something important to do." I
said, "I don't suppose polishing your shoes is what he has in mind." He
said, "I wouldn't ask him to do that! I like my shoes." We grinned. He
examples you shouldn't follow, at least in public. Shame to waste them
in private, though."
He said, "I don't need him now, demographically. Space program states
are looking good." I said, "Depends on if they believe the Dems, about
doing more. You know that. This fishing of yours, is full of worm
holes." He said, "Can't fault me for trying." I said, "Yes I can." He
said, "Oh, please don't." I said, "Alright, for now. Got other things
to tackle. Really." He sighed, and said, "You're too much for me." I
said, "True. So, have you asked Vice exactly what job he wants?" He
said, "I haven't. Afraid of the results." I said, "Don't need to be.
Depends on how you word it. You could say, 'You want more
responsibility. Good for you. Give me a list of the jobs you have in
mind, that you can prove you can do better than those already doing
them, and I'll consider it, for the good of the country'." He stared at
me, and then said, "I'll be, er, darned! Thank you!" I said, "You're
not at your best. You could have thought of that, easily. Tactic; frame
the question to get the answer you want, and they will better accept
that, because it came from them, instead of being imposed on them." He
said, "Right. Great tactic. I should have known. But doesn't that work
better with stupid people?" I grinned, and he returned it, with a
chuckle.
The Vice President asked to see me. He said it was for counseling. He
told me about what the President had said to him about asking for more
responsibility. I said, "Is what he said, wrong?" He said, "Not
exactly, but it means he thinks I can't handle more responsibility." I
said, "That sounds like a reasonable assessment. You obviously feel bad
about it. Is it because you agree, or disagree with that?" He said, "I
think both. I think I can, but I know he's very intelligent and
capable, and cares about doing good for the country." I said, "That's
reasonable. Let's talk about what responsibility is. What do you think
it is?" He said, "Doing a job well." I said, "It also means taking the
credit it for it, if you can, but also taking the blame, if it goes
bad, even if it's not your fault. Some people can't do that." He said,
"I understand. I think I have." I said, "To other people who know your
record, they might not think that." We discussed what made that true.
He said most of that wasn't fair. I said, "Being fair, or unfair,
doesn't have anything to do with the record, and that's what people
base their judgement on. This isn't a playground. This is literally
life and death for a lot of people. Being responsible isn't about
whining about it being unfair, but getting things done, and moving on
to the next task." He said, "Oh!"
I said, "Your record shows people you blame others for things you
could have fixed, but didn't, because it wasn't your job, even though
it was your responsibility, as their boss. Wait! You know I don't play
politics, and I can't lie. I'm sure not doing any of this for fun, but
because you asked for help. Not taking useful criticism, IS a common
fault of your group, though. I think you know that." He sighed, and
said, "I apologize. The Ego defense you talked about." I said, "We
shrinks do that." He smiled, and said, "So I've noticed. What can I do
about this?" I said, "First, you can try to see yourself as others see
you. It's NOT easy to do it right. And who can you trust to do it for
you? You know they won't tell you the truth, even if they could. It's
all on you. Then you take responsibility for YOU. What have you done,
lately, to improve yourself? University courses? Yoga classes? Any
volunteer work? See where I'm going?" He said, "I really missed the
whole thing, with responsibility. I didn't know what it really meant!"
I said, "We, ALL of us, are a continuing work in progress. It's our
RESPONSIBILITY to make that work well, for ourselves, our family, our
community, our country, all humanity, and for God. Don't let Him down.
Don't let yourself down. It's never too late to be the new YOU." We
stood, and hugged. He had some tears. He left. We were using the usual
approval office in the Bureau.
Another approval applicant came in, and said, "What was the Vice
President here for?" I said, "What is done in this office, including
the reasons, and even if it happened, is private to the individual.
that, you won't be approved, and there may be a consequence. I will NOT
be used to harm another, or be used to play politics by unethical
people. Do you understand me?" He said, "I don't have to sit here and
take this!" I leaned back, with a small smile, and waited. He laughed,
and said, "And here I am, sitting and taking it. I sounded like a fool.
I apologize." I said, "I accept. Going to keep private things private?"
He said, "I will."
We did some tests. I said, "There is a problem, and it's not as rare
as you might think. I don't do vetting, but this might show up, and the
public won't take it well, and your base, even less." He was very
embarrassed, and said, "That was in the test?" I said, "Actually, yes.
Combination of passive/aggressive, and submissive tendencies, in
personal relationships. Also shows a strong wife. Fear of violence is
psychologists can really see into us!" I said, "And there's more. I
watched you very carefully while you were reading and answering the
questions, and I analyzed those reactions, too. Your wife beats you."
He said, "Yes. I can't let people know. My career would be ruined." I
said, "And fighting back, would land you in jail, to the same result,
but with the added feature of a sex starved cellmate." He had a slight
smile, saying, "True. What causes it?" I said, "Spouse beating is often
prompted by frustration and lack of respect. For male abusers, it's
also about dominance. Well, almost everything is, for men." He grinned.
I said, "For female abusers, it can have some dominance, but not
usually by nature, but because the woman feels she needs to, because
the male isn't being as dominant as she thinks he should be, but if he
actually were, she would probably kill him."
He laughed, and said, "So true!" I said, "Men fall in love with the
woman they see, because they are mostly visual in that. When the woman
changes, as all people do over time, they sometimes fall out of love.
Women fall in love with their romantic fantasy of who that man can be,
not so much who he is at that time. Then she sets to work, trying to
For some, it's impossible. Gods aren't made by wishing. When their man
doesn't change into who they want him to be, then they can turn bitter
with frustration and disrespect, and take it out on their man in a
number of different ways, including physical abuse. So, for her, you
most likely have not risen in prominence fast enough to suit her. And
are not masculine enough. She may fantasize you even raping her, but
you know if you even thought about doing that, she would cut it off and
put it down the disposal, while ordering you to lick up the blood."
He stared at me, and had to laugh. He said, "You must know her!" I
said, "I'm a psychologist. Your problem is NOT uncommon, but hardly
ever made public. You both need serious counseling. You know I can't
approve you. Would really put her in a jam when she finds out SHE is
why she can't get the status she craves through you." He said, "Wow!
She would go ballistic!" I said, "Wonder what kind of warhead she would
use." Chuckles. I said, "All in our group have doctorates in
Psychology, as a requirement for graduation. With math, physics, and
education, minimum. With IQs over 200, they're VERY good shrinks. Who
your wife needs, is a few sessions with my mother. At least a few. What
do you think? Besides the severely overused wow." He said, "I was just
going to say that! If that could help, it would be wonderful!" I said,
"Yes. Would have to include you, at times. You two need to build a new
dynamic, or someday it's going to go too far, and your children will
have to have a new family." He said, "I understand. For myself, I'm
willing to accept all the help possible, that you recommend." I said,
"We've been privileged. May I break that, and tell Rose?" He said,
"Yes, please. But will she want to help?" I said, "We all do. We also
try to make the best fit for that help. Selfish, too. Helping is what
we're for. It helps US, to do it. Think. We have all this ability. It
practically demands to be used." He said, "I never thought of it that
way. Thank you for this insight!"
Mom ported in, after I gave her the history, verbal and time dive,
and said, "Sol's right. This IS for me. Let's get this over with, now.
There's going to be sexual issues. I'm NOT a shrinking violent." I
said, "Ha!" He noticed, and had to grin. I said to Mom, "One of your
best!" She said, "Thanks." He said, "Great one. Fitting. I understand.
No holding back. Embarrassment or not." He said to me, "You'll
monitor?" I said, "I ah, er, can't avoid that. I know all. That's
alright. People never get that." He said, "Oh. Right." We all hugged,
and they ported to his house. They're in for some very active times.
A woman came in. She said, "You already know who I am, and all about
me. So you've already decided." I said, "I haven't decided. People are
changing every second. With me, more than in most other situations. And
there are often issues that need to be worked through, causing more
changes. And part of the evaluation is how the person handles THIS
situation, because it's more than possible we could be meeting in job
related issues, depending on where you work." She said, "Oh! I've got
off on the wrong foot here, for sure!" I said, "Tasty?" She grinned,
and said, "Not very." I said, "Your error was in assuming it would be a
static situation, and not dynamic. I know your past, but we are more
concerned about the future you." She said, "I see that now. May I start
again from the beginning?" I said, "Sure, but I'm not doing potty
training." She laughed.
We did some tests. I said, "I don't usually tell people about things
that aren't problems, but you have a high personal regard for honesty.
That could be a problem for you in what you're pursuing." She said,
"Oh! Er, in what way?" I said, "A lot of elected officials didn't get
that way through perfect honesty. They couldn't. The public doesn't
elect the truth they don't bother to understand or accept. What those
officials do and say, and in their fickleness with that, is going to
seriously annoy you. And you them, for calling them out on it. Believe
me, I know the feeling!" She said, "That bad?" I said, "Worse. Think
you can handle it without pistols at dawn?" She said, "Swords, maybe?"
I said, "Somebody would get the point. But Aaron Burr lost more in
winning, than he wanted to." She nodded, and said, "I see what you
mean. I can't fight the system, and do a good job at the same time." I
said, "Could even get worse than that, if those over you require you to
violate your ethics, even the law. You can still be pure, and out of a
job, and even blacklisted. Or not. Luck of the draw. All life is risk.
Don't try, can't fail. Can't succeed, either."
She said, "Thank you for your counseling. I'm going to risk it." I
said, "Good. Er, oops!" She grinned, and said, "I won't tell." I said,
"I'm not promising anything, but I would be seriously unhappy of your
honesty isn't respected. Yes, there are others who have my er, personal
approval, good or bad as that might be to anybody. Don't spread it
around." She said, "I would be a fool to do that!" I said, "Which you
are not. At least not now. Variable definition." She said, "I
understand." We hugged, and she left. Mom said in my mind, "I like that
one. Watch?" I said, "Yours if you want. Like you in a lot of good
ways." She said, "Oh. Yes, I can be embarrassed, too. Don't do that!" I
gave her a rude noise, and she laughed.
I said to the woman in my politician approval office, "I was
wondering when you would be here for this." She said with a smile, "So
was I. Just that the current administration is dragging their feet so
much, they can't change their shoes fast enough to look good for
putting in their mouthes." I said, "Oh, you've GOT to use that!"
Chuckles. She said, "Going to be tough not using you." I said, "Like my
wife." She said with a smile, "You never stop, do you!" I said, "Right.
It's all through my actions, too. Let's compose your approval." We did.
She said, "It's tricky, like you did for the Governor of Virginia. They
read between the lines, they'll get the impression I walk on water with
you." I said, "We can do that, if you want. You were VERY good at
State. That shouldn't go to waste. Family alright with it?" She said,
"Pushing." I said, "I guess that's a yes. Think any other Dem will run
against you?" She said, "I hope one does. I don't want to let the other
side make all the news in the primaries." I said, "Tell them."
I said, "A favor. If you win, I request DOT stays, if he wants to."
She grinned, and said, "Already decided that. Any place else he wants,
if not that." I said, "He's sent me more from his Department for
approval than all others combined." She said, "He would. Why waste
anything you offer? I'm sure it's made a difference." I said,
"Applicants say so, causing more to want to work there. President's
noticed it a little, but doesn't know what to make of it. He's a good
man, but just not strong enough to lead his party well. Would have been
great on your side. He should have switched, but chickened out." She
said, "Did he know his son was gay before he ran?" I said with a smile,
"You know I can't tell you that." She said, "Yes, but not telling me
the way you do, is very helpful." I said, "Ha!" Chuckles. We discussed
some of the tactics she could use, including her experiences with Dad
and me. She said, "This is very helpful. I don't want to cross that
line of using you, but I don't want to waste my experiences with you,
either." I said, "I agree. If I'm asked about that in shows, I can use
said, "I really learned my lesson then!" Grins. We hugged with love.
The next day, the former Vice President came in. I said, "Really?" He
grinned, and with some embarrassment. He said, "Party wants me to run
to lose. I have nothing better to do, so in support, it's a good
thing." I said, "A little dishonest." He said, "You'll oppose?" I said,
"Not at all. It's politics. Understandable reason. You know your
approval isn't going to be as er, long a statement as your opponent's."
"Don't say it! At least not to me." He said, "Right. Sorry." I said, "I
wish you good luck in your er, campaign." Grins. We hugged with love.
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Grant
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