Solomon's Private File #449
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 36 in this story, in the Spring of 2062.
Solomon's Private File #449 "Plumbing And Plastics"
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I said to the Secretary of Homeland Security, "Seems you've got a
plumbing problem." He nodded, and said, "Leaks." I said, "Relative of
the onion, that causes more crying when in government." He said, "Good
one! Too bad it wouldn't do well in sharing it." I said, "Hawk couldn't
decide if he should laugh. Now he did!" He laughed, too. I said,
"People have asked me for information about a lot of things, and I gave
it to them. Do you know why I haven't made most of that public?" He
said, "Secrecy?" I said, "Initiative. Didn't want to stifle that. DOT
has probably the biggest record in US government for asking. Electorate
might wonder why some people haven't."
He thought a while, and said, "I request an inspection and
effectiveness report on our Department, including leaks and how to
reduce them, and anything illegal any of our people are doing, on the
job, and in their private lives." I said, "Job related, and anything
else likely to reduce that, only. No spying on people. Yes, that will
include things that would impact security clearance if they use one.
Also includes contractors." He said, "Yes!" I said, "Not so fast. This
kind of thing, if accepted, comes with a price. You get it in secret,
and agree to keep it that way, but if you don't do your best to correct
the problems listed in it, and use DOJ when you should, it goes public,
and with that. Same conditions to the Governor of Florida, the first to
ask. Motivation worked." He said, "Wow!" I said, "And they asked out of
the blue, unlike you." He said, "I have to agree to the terms." I
filled his office with boxes. I said, "Color coded with the level of
seriousness. Here's the most serious." I dumped that onto his desk. I
said, "Your staff will know where it came from. Caution them about not
revealing that. A strain. Good test for your people. Yes, I do this
kind of moral testing all over. In my job description. Yes, you can say
it." He said, "Wow!" We hugged.
The next day, I shifted to his office, and said, "Fair warning. I
would do this for other governments as well, if they ask, and they
probably will, with what you're thinking. You mess with their spies,
well, the Golden Rule of that is obvious." He said, "You could have
told me!" I said, "What you should have known? Really?" He sighed, and
said, "This initiative thing is severely overrated." I said, "Open
Pandora's box too wide, expect to get waxed." He produced an odd
expression, as he worked through that. Then he said, "Hawk?" I said,
"Oh, don't ask!" He laughed.
Hawk had been posing for Galagos. He was still laughing when I
shifted there, and said, "I'm sorry, but you know how it goes. He
needed that." We all hugged. I said to Gal, "Wiping your brush on YOU,
is one thing, but smearing YOU all over me, is really another!" They
laughed. I explained what happened, and he said, "Wow! You really
messed him up." I said, "Yes, isn't that great?" They laughed. I said
to Gal, "Are you going to paint with that?" He said, "I've tried, but
it loses interest. But not when you're here." I said, "We should fix
that." It jumped almost out of my hand. I shifted my clothes off, and
we had wild sex with multiple orgasms. While we were resting, I said,
"You know the women were wondering when this would happen." Hawk said,
pointing at his husband, "Not just them!" I said, "Old news." Chuckles.
President of Russia asked me to meet with him. I said, "We're secret.
You'll know why, soon. So, what are we to discuss?" He said, "American
Homeland Security discovered some of our spies. Too much at the same
time to be anything but your cause." I said, "Department Secretary
asked me for effectiveness reports on his people, including job related
crimes. How could I refuse?" He said, "Oh. I see that. I apologize for
thinking poorly of you." I said with a grin, "It wasn't just poorly."
He had to laugh. I said, "I warned him about messing with the spies,
and how that could be repaid." He said, "Stupid of him." I said, "I was
going to say that." He laughed some more. I said, "My gift came with a
cost that you might not want to pay." He said, "Oh? What was it?" I
said, "I had done that before at the request of a state. I would give
the report in secret and require it be secret, but they must work hard
to correct the uncovered problems, or the gift would go public, and the
reason for that. They have fair laws to correct those problems, and use
them fairly. You don't, which I would have to oppose."
He said, "That IS a good warning, that I think you didn't need to
give me. I understand. Thank you! I still don't understand why you
don't eliminate all spying." I said, "When you think you know secret
things about your opponent, it reduces your fear of him. Mutual spying
is a very good aid in international relations, in the reduction of
tension. The competitiveness is also beneficial. There are other social
benefits. For example, it employs people who would otherwise engage in
far more destructive activities. My Russian spy. Would you want a
person like that, free to do whatever he wanted to?" He laughed, and
said, "That, I understand!" I said, "My people hadn't thought of those
things." He said, "Why is that, for such geniuses?" I said, "They're
good people. They just don't think like bad people. It hurts them even
to try. For me, bad people are in me as memories, so I can positively
think like them, in understanding these things."
He said, "Thank your for your explanation. I see something from this.
Other countries will also have the problem we're having with spies,
those who would treat spies you uncover, unfairly. China." I said,
"True. They won't ask. Smarter." He laughed. I said, "But France
isn't." He said, "They will ask?" I said, "Not smart enough." He
laughed. He said, "Israel?" I said, "Two issues. Pride, so they
probably won't ask, and they try too hard in their spying, and that
gets noticed by smart people who manage them." He grinned, and said,
"So you know." I said, "I know all. From this, you should know I don't
have favoritism for any country." He said, "Equal insults." I said,
"Far from equal. Loudest gets the most. And those who come to me with
poor honor, leave me with even less." He grinned, and said, "I DO know
that!" We hugged.
George said, "Added to the school database. Important. Any other
insights your unique perspective causes, please share." I said, "As if
you had to ask." We shared humor.
I said to the new King of Saudi Arabia, "I'm sorry for the cause of
your promotion. I liked him." He said, "I know and appreciate that.
Thank you." I said, "I like your new manufacturing initiative. Oil and
plastics are so closely related, it's good that they can be physically
close. But you have a problem." He said, "Water. It needs water! And
without salt." I said, "So do people. There is a new process that will
be available soon that could make producing desalinated water from the
sea, less expensive. Israel is developing it. I just spoke to them.
Yes, they would have told you, but I asked to, as a kind of excuse to
meet with you." He grinned, and said, "Well managed!"
I said, "You have another problem, and that's with people. Your men
don't want to work in manufacturing. Your women do, and in small item
assembly, would do it better. That would be much less expensive than
importing foreigners, and MUCH less cause of trouble with that. To do
that work, women need transportation and financial independence. You
can no longer disregard your women as a useful resource." He said,
"That's very true, but many oppose that." I said, "They would oppose
poverty even more, if that happened, and be very unhappy being the
cause of it. Other people would see to that." He tried not to grin, and
said, "That may be so, if they were to not know this." I said, "That's
also true. They should know the world doesn't need your oil, now. Your
country needs to find another thing to sell, to have a useful economy.
Aid from other countries is demeaning, when you need it, but much more
so when the cause of that need is of your own doing. Those who would
oppose this, should think more about that, and how others in your
country will view them, and what they might want to do about it.
Pushing one's personal beliefs onto other people, and requiring that
they obey them, is becoming less acceptable in the world, mostly
because God has said He doesn't want that. He requires that people
should be free to chose their own beliefs about God, and their duty to
Him. And this applies equally to men AND women. Good people of all
religions wouldn't want to disobey God in that."
He said, "That is VERY true! Our people should hear this. May we
broadcast it?" I said, "Good idea. Sharing is good, but sharing truth
is even better." We hugged. It went on their main channel. Some liked
it, and some didn't. Some of those asked to meet with me. I invited
more of these who opposed, and some did come. I had also invited the
Imam of Medina, and the Grand Mufti, which was a big surprise to most.
I introduced the important people there, and said, "Here we are. Most
of you wanted to tell me something I already knew. Knowing all, is just
that." One said, "We don't want our women to work!" I said, "So? People
want and not want a lot of things. If just that, doesn't make it
happen. So, what would you do to prevent your women from working?" He
said, "We would stop them." I said, "How would you stop them? Chain
them to their stoves?" He said, "Yes!" I said, "Then you will shop for
the food for your family. And clean your house. And care for your
children." He said, "I won't do that." I said, "Then your family will
die. If you don't have enough intelligence to think about this
usefully, borrow some from your friends. If they have any to spare.
Hmm, doesn't look like it." Some laughed well.
One said, "We will beat them!" I said, "Two reasons why that's a bad
idea. They have knives, unless YOU do all the cooking. Better not sleep
where they can find you, or you'll be missing a few things in the
morning, if they let you live." They felt very vulnerable. I said, "The
other reason is, Rose, my mother, really wouldn't like that. Hawk is
personal to Pakistan. I think you know that." Some nods. I said, "Rose,
is personal to this country. You beat your women, or kill them, expect
to have serious consequences. That's already happened to some." Nods.
That was noticed by the others. I said, "It's going to happen. Women
will be working more outside of the home, because YOU don't want to do
real work. If you all don't work well and hard, men AND women, to make
your country live, it will die, and you with it. Who will give you aid
money, you who won't do anything to deserve it?" One said, "We will
die, rather than let our women work!" I said, "Good. Do that. Now. I'm
waiting." Stunned silence.
The two religious leaders were grinning. I said, "Ask them why their
expression is like that, before you would misjudge this." Mufti said,
"Solomon meant what he said. We are looking like this, at your shock of
that. You said what you would do, and he's calling you on it. Fools
deserve that, I have to agree." I said to the men, "You haven't killed
yourselves yet. Cowards?" Some said, "I am not a coward!" I said, "Then
you will go back on your word? Choose one, unless you wish to claim you
are insane, and ask me to send you to a special hospital for that." One
mean it. You remembered about not lying to me. Good. For you." He
nodded. One said, "I was stupid!" I said, "Partially, yes. The best
answer is you spoke before thinking. Simple as that. WHY didn't any of
you think? I think you won't like me to tell you why." One sighed, and
said, "I know what that means."
I said to the Mufti, "Want to try it?" He said, "Thank you, I will."
He said to them, "Of the people who feel strongly about this, as you
do, the actual intelligent men would never have come to a meeting with
Solomon. They know he is never wrong, and truly speaks for God, and
know that opposing him directly will only make things worse for them.
Didn't some advise you against this meeting?" Some nods. He said, "I
don't like this any more than you do, but Solomon is correct. Our
country will die, if we all don't work, and work hard, to keep it
alive. We have thought very hard about this, and consulted with many
experts. We can't escape this. We need more people to work in ways that
earn money. We have oil that other countries don't need. They DO buy
things MADE from oil, such as plastics. That requires manufacturing,
and people to do the work. We have two ways to find people to work.
People from other countries, or our own people. Both sources come with
their own problems."
He said, "People from other countries will NOT be like us, even if
they are Muslims. They will want their families here, and they will
have children. They are many more than we are, so, sooner than we
realize, our country will not have more people who are Arabs, than not.
Our culture and identity will be lost."
Imam said, "Some of you may be thinking we could keep them separate,
and prevent them from having children. The world will not allow such
ill treatment. You should know Solomon would rule that unjust, as it
would be." Nods. Mufti said, "In employing our people, we just don't
have enough available men for that, and there are a lot of women who
are available to work, who want to. So many, that will cause a serious
problem if we do NOT let them work and earn their own money. The world
is changing. We change with it, or we die."
Imam said, "You may choose to die rather than change, but you have NO
right to choose that path for other people." I said, "I'm not your
enemy. Change is not your enemy. As it is for most people, you are your
own enemy. Life is change, and change is life. Oppose that, you die,
and change happens without you. Oppose that strongly, and you cause
others to die with you, but change will still happen. Choose wisely, or
others will choose for you. Work WITH the change, you can help to
manage how it happens, and some part of the form it takes. Then you OWN
the future you helped to make, and helped your country to STILL be your
country, strong and proud. I who was Ali, do NOT want the home of The
Prophet to DIE!"
That shocked them, like probably nothing else did in their lives. I
said to my friends, "I think we have said all there is to say at this
time, and it was broadcast live." Imam said, "Will you do a God
contact?" I said, "I'm not required to do that in a meeting that isn't
religious. I strongly advise against it here. God has said some bad
country. God came in and said, "Solomon was not going to ask Me to come
to his meeting, knowing I would say unpleasant things. He cares even
for people who go against Me. I say this now for all to hear: Women and
men are equal before me, in love, respect, and holiness. ALL who have
souls, are required to be free, equally free, in choices and religion.
All who oppose that, oppose ME, and will be judged harshly when they
come before Me after death." I said, "God, may I stand with them at
that time, and ask for your mercy?" He said, "Solomon, you may do that
for any and all your people, and I will listen, but judgement is Mine."
Mom broke in, and said, "Solomon! You're crying! Why?" I said, "Some
people will understand what this means about me. I don't want that."
to happen someday." I said, "God! You said you loved me!" He said, "I
do, more than any who ever lived, as a parent to a child. Now I love
you as something more, and closer to me. You knew it would happen.
Unlike all that lives, you are no longer a child to me, but one to
share in who I am." I said, "May I stay here?" He said, "Yes you may,
with part of you, just as you have been doing. The major difference
now, is in acknowledging that reality that you were reluctant to. You
are still who you are. You have not lost anything, but gained a new
insight." I said, "Didn't I have too many of those already? Where am I
going to put that new one?" He said, "My love of your humor will not
distract me." We shared that feeling, and he left. I said in the still
active link, "I request that this not be shared with any other person."
Mom said, "Would you do something bad to who goes against that?" I
said, "You know I can't. Just a request. If any care about me." I
closed the link. I stood and bowed, shifted out.
I said to Mom, "Shouldn't a devil's advocate at least have some
horns?" Galya said, "Wasn't she more God's advocate?" I said, "Oops?"
Hawk ported in, and said, "So that's what people meant by you filling
Limbo. You were already with God, like Stephen is!" Daren said in the
air, "Butt kicking time. I should have known!" I said, "Bend over,
know some are going to post it." I said, "In seconds. Wow! I'm
responsible for a lot of sprained thumbs." Laughter. I said, "And it's
all confused. As usual, the louder and faster, the less sense they
make." Loud laughter. Arrow said, "I don't care. What's important is
you're still you. Whatever that is." Grins and hugs all around.
Harahm, said, "They think Dad's somebody else?" Dawn said, "Actually,
they don't know what to think." Hawk nodded, and said, "Until somebody
tells them. They'll think that, until the next person tells them
something different. So, what they really know, isn't real, really." We
grinned, and Harahm laughed, and jumped on Hawk, and they wrestled a
little. I said, "I'm being asked to confirm some confused things. I
said to some, 'I don't do confusion.' That didn't satisfy anybody at
all." Dawn said, "Good!" We hugged. I said, "There are some lonely beds
that need company." Kids got the hint.
In the morning, I said to the president of CNN, "I'm not going to
comment on rumors." He said, "Some are saying that you didn't want
whatever happened to be told to others." I said, "If true, that means
you're asking me to go against my own request." He said, "Oops?" Grins.
I said, "I'm no different today, from how I was last week, even though
I've used a few different bodies." He said, "They said God made a
broadcast to the whole country against your wishes." I said, "He's done
that before, even to a whole planet, and will probably do it again. I
REALLY don't rule Him!" We felt a touch of humor. He said after a gulp,
"I see that." I had to laugh. We hugged.
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Grant
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