Solomon's Private File #462
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 Fall of 2062.
Solomon's Private File #462 "Confirmation And Honor"
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I shifted to a Temple and Monastery complex in northern Burma. I
asked to meet with the Abbot. After polite things, I said, "I sense
some fear here, among your people." He said, "I too sense that. It is
unusual that one so holy has so much power to er, do things." I said,
"I think part of their fear is their knowledge that they would have
done much more in my place, and know that I can still do that." He
smiled, and said, "I think that is so." I said, "There are many
independent Christian churches in America. In many communities, that's
all they have. People do what's called comparison shopping, in choosing
which church to attend. That causes the churches to cater to the desire
of the people, in order to have them enter and be guided, rather than
what they know of the desire of God. The leaders knew that, but the
people didn't." He grinned, and said, "Until you told them."
I said, "True. Unfortunately, that is at least a little common to ALL
places of worship. If they don't like what you say, they won't be
guided by you. It's a great temptation to appease them in that, if only
to have some relevance for your own existence. That is a severe
intrusion of self into your lives as you are to live here as
representatives and teachers of your religion. You know the Buddha
would not approve, just as those others know that Jesus or Muhammad
would not approve. While those last two are not with God now, The
Buddha and Stephen are. They would tell you more, strongly. Well, at
least my father would. The Buddha would be more gentle." He tried to
look serious, and said, "I understand. YOU are being unusually gentle."
He laughed.
I said, "That has reduced some of the fear of your people. Others are
just a little wondering about your sanity." He laughed again. I said,
"You didn't have to encourage them." He tried not to laugh. I said,
"Fortunate they can't see you do that." He had to laugh. I said, "Would
you like to know if one of this country has attained enlightenment
recently?" He said, "I would!" I said, "It happened. He is not now in
this country, and may never return. I shouldn't have to tell you why."
He bowed his head in sadness. I said, "What is easy, isn't worth doing.
Doing good is it's own reward, and more, if it's difficult, but there
is one other; enlightenment. You won't achieve that goal, none of you
will, as you are now. Is that really how you want to be?" He said, "It
is not. I will do better in guiding my people." I said, "Here is a
crystal Buddha that has a recording of this meeting. And other things.
It's meant to be shared. In one part is a dream experience that my
people, the Natives of America, experience, that shows them who they
are. All in the crystal are independently chosen to be read. There is
no force. It's for all here, as you wish." He accepted it with a bow.
did. Do you think you deserve his blessing now?" He said, "I will ask
later." We shared smiles. I offered to hug him, and he accepted. I
shifted out. I said in Kam's office, "Big strain!" She said, "Poor Sol.
After giving consequences to a whole world, reduced to being polite to
one lazy Monk. Oh how can you ever live with that?" I said, "Obviously,
with sarcasm." Grins.
I said to the American President, "A Supreme Court Justice is going
to leave soon. Just a generic premonition, so far. Don't even know
which one, or how. Got a candidate who withdrew in the last Dem admin,
who's ready now. DOJ." She said, "I suspected. Top of my list. Why did
she withdraw?" I said, "I have her permission to tell you. She thought
she wasn't ready for it. I helped her to see that. Now she is." She
said, "All cleared in vetting. It's a go when needed. We'll look for a
replacement. Thanks!" We hugged. I hugged DOJ, too.
A man walked into my political approval office. He said, "I'm being
considered for a position in DOJ, but I don't know which one." I said,
"Admin likes to keep spares on hand. State has a lot. DOT has an
insistent multitude." He laughed. I said, "DOJ doesn't seem to be as
popular." He said, "Do you have a general idea where I could be
placed?" I said, "For general, check DOD. For you now, from the top
down in DOJ. You're an ADA in the Big Apple, so, let's get to the core
of things. What do you think of the weather?" He laughed. I said, "From
a liberal point of view, considering the remaining time of this admin,
it looks cloudy, with a chance of meatheads." He laughed loudly. I
said, "Really got Hawk." Grins. I said, "So, if you ever do get a job
in DOJ, you might be out of it sooner than later. Can you live with
that?" He said, "I can. If nothing else, it would be good for my
resume. Do you know who will win?" I said, "I don't, and I wouldn't
tell if I did. Probably going to be a bit awkward for people still
working in the admin, to campaign."
He said, "On the Republican side, it looks like the current Secretary
of Transportation is their best chance." I said, "Campaigning against
actually seen a pretty pickle?" He laughed.
I did more of those, and then one said, "I think I know what's
happening. Supreme Court vacancy coming up?" I said, "There's been no
evidence of that. My knowing all, kind of makes that, that." He
grinned, and said, "I think it does. Current President is a suspenders
and belt, er, person?" I said, "I would agree with that assessment.
She's been known to fire people who didn't measure up. Resigning to be
with family, sure." He grinned, and said, "I suspected." I said, "You
and all the media. But she also drafts people that others wouldn't
have." He said, "A vice president. Stranger than that. A Republican
under the skin, with the tight budget." I said, "What would you give me
for not telling her about that insult?" Chuckles. I said, "You've got a
problem. Too much of a good thing, isn't always a good thing. Your
intelligence, for example."
He looked strange, and said, "I'm not sure I understand." I said,
"Most people aren't prepared to be out thought before they finish
explaining things. Some can become very irritated, even angry. And
people with your kind of mind often spend too much time looking for
problems that aren't there, because you have the urge to solve them,
and the ability. I know this personally." He said, "Oh! Just when I was
about to feel insulted." I said, "It's MY job to make Hawk laugh."
Chuckles. I said, "You let the cat out of the bag to often, sooner or
later, you're going to get clawed. And a lot of people are going to get
it with you." He said, "I think I know what you mean. My comment about
the Court." I said, "How much of that is ego, showing you can, so you
do? What would happen if I did that?"
He said, "Oh! Bad in politics, I see." I said, "The most important
attribute for political appointees is the ability to keep one's
speculative mouth sewn shut. Who wants somebody rocking the boat, after
they've shot it full of holes?" He said, "Now I know it's really you.
And you're right." I said, "I have your problem, times trillions. After
God, I'm the most intelligent being in existence. I've always got a
cramp in my mind, restraining what I COULD say, that while true, would
be counterproductive. Won't be fun for you, too, but you should work on
it. Could help you land a nice job." He said, "Has it held me back?" I
said, "A little, yes. Could have been worse. More likely, the higher up
the food chain, you eat." He looked odd. I said, "I think you should
escape while you can." He grinned. I said, "Evaluation is on hold. Give
it a couple of weeks, if you want to try again." He said, "Thank you!"
Hawk said to me, "You've had some odd ones today. And you topped
them!" I said, indignantly, "I did not! None of the men were gay. But
That man did some back, and during the interview, I said, "From your
mouth to God's ears?" He said, "It actually happened?" I said, "Minutes
ago. Big car crash." He said, "Let me guess. A Conservative?" I said,
"The swing voter." He said, "Oh." I said, "I examined it in past time.
No evidence it was made to happen. Sometimes God puts his hand in the
mix. I can detect that now, if I look carefully. He's er, clean." He
said, "I don't know if I should like that or not." I said, "Same here."
He said, "Could you tell me about one time where he did it?" I said,
"After one of Rose's fights in the GC gym, a catwoman challenged her
about the claws. God influenced her to do it. It was out of character,
so I looked. He obviously wanted to increase the respect they had for
us, there." He said, "I saw that on CNN. Wow! Must annoy you, He does
that." I said, "It does. We do know about annoying people. It's part of
my job. Not yours." He tried not to grin, and said, "You noticed." I
said, "Yep. Sure did. You couldn't stop yourself. That kicks you out of
the top spots for a few years. You're young, with time to learn. Use
it. DOT assistant would be a better fit for you, but there are many
others ahead of you. I can't let my liking a person interfere with my
duties." He said, "I understand. I'll work on it." I said, with a
smile, "Don't you mean, work on working on it?" He smiled, and said,
"That, too."
A woman came in. I said, "You're already in State." She said, "I
heard the news. I expect DOJ to come open." I said, "You're really not
the only one." She said, "Oh. What's the competition like?" I said, "I
can't make that kind of judgement. I'm not doing the hiring. My
assessment is only part of what goes into the decision making. In
general capability, you're even with a lot. In demonstrated drive, near
asked for specifics. In job specific experience, most are ahead of you.
I don't evaluate party loyalty and connections, and really not as it
relates to the plans of other people. Networking might help you, or
hurt you. That's all I've got for you. That position might not last
past the next election. Still want to request consideration?" She said,
"Yes. If nothing else, it will show ambition." I said, "Oh, that's what
you call it." Grins.
Head of DOJ was nominated, and now sits on the Supreme Court. A
filibuster was attempted, but Dems had a super majority, and called for
a vote. Went with party lines. My first candidate got DOJ, also the
same way. I asked to meet with the Senate republications. I said,
"What's with the nominations? Why did you try to filibuster, and why
didn't any of you vote for them? What was wrong with them?" Minority
leader said, "Did you approve them?" I said, "As competent, yes, and
more of them. Can you imagine any future administration not requiring
that?" Nods. I said, "I'm still asking." He said, "It's a party thing."
I said, "I DID noticed that. How about why? Dems don't do that as their
policy, so it's not a universal practice. It seems you would do your
best to block ANY appointment of the other party, for no other reason
than it's not your own party. Is that REALLY what the founding fathers
and mothers had in mind?" He said, "We're the loyal opposition." I
said, "No, you're NOT. This is not Parliament. Different system. And
you're not loyal to the nation in this blind opposition. You're
supposed to work together, for the benefit of the country. You're not
doing that work together thing. In fact, you're dragging the system
down. You knew they would have their way. What you did was to delay
things unnecessarily. That's a conspiracy in acting AGAINST the
government you swore to serve. Some people would even call that
treason!"
I said, "Tell me, did you do that to try to harm the administration
for your political gain? No answer? All know you would have denied it,
if that wasn't your aim. That's treason. You're thinking I'm not
supposed to get involved in politics. True. But with unjustly harmed
individuals I counseled, yes I can. You acted unjustly toward the
candidates for dishonorable reasons. Fair warning. Do that again, all
this goes public." He said, "Would you tell the President about this?"
I said, "No. That would be interference. You still don't understand. I
treat you with more leniency than I do them, yet you continue to act as
if you don't appreciate that." One said, "Why us more lenient?" I said,
"Like I do with children. They're more adult than you are. You work
from petty selfish motivations, like little children do. They work for
the greater good; a much more mature base. They can take constructive
criticism, even welcome it. You take it like an attack on your inflated
ego, and cry, and try to hit back, blindly, damaging everything around
you, even to your own detriment. Tantrums. Revenge. Petty opposition.
Ego boosting posturing. That's really not what a mature person does."
I said, "Let's get back to the President. I'm not going to tell her,
but she knows me MUCH better than you do, and she's VERY intelligent. I
think she'll suspect. And she knows how to get around me not telling.
My not lying problem. She can worm her way around that, to get a pretty
good picture of what happened. Yes, I can avoid talking with her. That
would make her suspicions concrete." Nods, and some suppressed smiles.
I said, "Next. Don't think I'm the only one who noticed this. What if
CNN asks me about it on a show? I think at least one of them will, who
most wants me to entertain people with interesting barbs. No, I won't
feed it to them. Stop assuming I'm as dishonorable as you are! No, I'm
not reading your minds. I know all, remember? That includes all
thought. NOT fun, believe me. Haven't you learned anything from my
actions? Act with dishonor, more of that comes back on you. Opposition
for the sake of opposition is NOT a valid agenda for ANY political
action. TRY to act like you will honor your oath, and work FOR your
country, instead of against it! One more thing. Any of you shares any
of this with any other, I will take that as permission to make this
public, and with proof of what justified that." They really didn't like
that one. I shifted out.
Mom said, "That last statement really jabbed them where you know it
hurts them. Great!" I said, "Eh, worse. Some Ki was involved. Not only
can they not forget what I said, they're going to be thinking about it
much more often than they want to, and they're going to have an urge to
share it." Hawk said in the air, "Great!" Galya said, "Will one blab?"
I said, "We hope." Big grins. President asked to see me. I said right
off, "I'm not telling you." She said, "Proof!" I said, "I did tell them
you would confirm it that way." She grinned widely. I said, "I also
said I wouldn't feed it to CNN. Better not let your family see that
expression, except on halloween." She laughed.
CNN called me, and said, "We've received some information that agrees
with something we suspect that involves you. We would like to discuss
it on air." I said, "I know you would, for anything. Wait a little, and
something might happen that allows for more than you, well, you'll love
it. If we're thinking of the same thing, it was a private conversation.
Until one of them makes it not private, which they know. Isn't that
great?" He had to laugh.
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Grant
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