The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
I don’t know what has come over me, but for the first time in over a week I am having a moment of clarity. I cannot believe I have let this nigger and his family get me so shook up. Well, I am back to thinking clearly now and I know what I have to do. I have sent for some reinforcements because I intend to strike fear in the hearts of all those who dare oppose me, and I am going to rid myself of those damn Abbotts once and for all. I have also requested the presence of the governor because his influence will go a long way with helping me execute my plan. Now I need to get cleaned up and make myself more presentable if I am going to pull this all off.
While soaking in the tub, I let my mind wash over my plan just as the water washed over my body, cleaning up all the little messy details while refreshing my mind and my body. Once I was done in the tub, I shaved and tamed my hair to a more presentable state.
I was down in the polar when the governor arrived. He joined me, and I offered him a drink, and we got right to business.
“So what is this mess you have gotten into now, JW?” he said in an irritated but cautious tone.
“Nothing I can’t handle, old friend,” I replied, somewhat beaming with arrogance.
“You know this type of public black eye is not good for a political campaign. The negative press could hamper the policies we try to create.”
“There won’t be any negative press, I will see to that. When this is all said and done, we will look like saviors.”
“You seem mighty sure of yourself, but I don’t want anything to do with this. I only came as a friend and business partner, but I don’t want any parts of a conspiracy.”
“Relax, Pollard, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I have this all under control. You see the key to this whole thing is feeding the press the story we want them to tell.”
“Why are you saying ‘we’? I told you I am staying out of it.”
“I say ‘we’ because I will need your help to sell the story and to execute the second half of my plan, which goes a little something like this. After I declare lawlessness in the town and my men go and take it over, I will need you as governor to influence the necessary people to reward the land and everything on it back to me. This way will be able to rule Asante with an iron fist and tax anyone living on my property. I will get everyone living there to sign a lease for having built upon my land. That town is a little gold mine.”
“I see you have put much thought into this, but there is one problem in your scheme.”
“And what might that be?”
“That town may be one of the most peaceful and respectable places on earth. Not likely that you will be able to prove lawlessness. Those folks in that town are organized and committed to one another.”
“You aren’t seeing the big picture, old friend. I don’t have to prove anything. That is the beauty of historical editing. If you control the press, you can tell the story anyway you see fit. By the time people read about this town, it will sound like the pit of hell.”
“You have a point there,” he conceded.
“Lucky for me people don’t want the truth, they want what they can believe. Do you know why some of the best plans or ideas fail?”
“No, but I am sure you would love to enlighten me.”
“The best plans or ideas fail because people don’t believe in them. No matter how simplistic the concept or rewarding the outcome, some people just won’t allow themselves to believe something that is outside of the norm. Take Asante for example, Buck has been able to build a small community void of greed and selfishness. I will be the first to admit that it has worked on a small scale. However, that same concept would never get off the ground for the entire country. They have benefited from careful selection of residents. If you take away that control, then you will introduce those people that I was referring to who, no matter what will not buy into something even if the results would be favorable to them. Someone is bound to say it’s too good to be true and conjure up some underlying problem that doesn’t exist, but it makes them feel better because of the norms they have been conditioned to, such as corruption, backdoor deals, or some unsavory dealings that would contradict the entire system. People feel safe dealing with the norm, but they fear change and the unknown. So my point is that it won’t take much misdirection for people to take my fabricated story of lawlessness and create their own legends. I can see it now, someone will call it a cult and say that they were brainwashed into giving up all their money to the Abbotts as an offering for devil worship. Or it could be a land con that some former slaves cooked up and the land doesn’t really belong to them. The story could possibly even grow to a point where there are reports that this type con has been reported all over the country since the emancipation.”
“You truly have a devious mind, JW.”
“Governor, you just got to think two steps ahead of your opponent. You may want to keep that in mind for future political races. Consider it one of my many contributions during my temporary stay as your lieutenant governor.”
Just as I was finishing up schooling the governor, one of my servants announced Doug O’Connell and some of the other men I had sent for. I had to switch gears from talking delicate strategies with Governor Pollard to the down and dirty details with my crew. I outlined my plan to invade Asante under the guise of the town uprising in the wake of the Joshua incident, which I was going to spin as my men chasing down a robber, who they unfortunately had to kill bringing him to justice. I gave explicit instructions that I wanted all of the Abbott’s dead. Anyone else killed or injured during our attempt to restore order to the town would be considered collateral damage. It didn’t matter to me much because once I was giving ownership of the land again I was going to tax whoever was left.
I was back to my old self, in control and barking orders. I loved it. I could feel the adrenaline rush of power and respect. It also was an added boost to know that I was going to finally beat Buck Abbott once and for all. I didn’t want it to come to this, but he and his family have crossed me for the last time. And I would spare no expense to ensure my victory. I put a reward on his head for whoever brought me his body. For one, I wanted to see with my own eyes that he had no more breath in his body, and two, I wanted the satisfaction of standing over him and looking down upon him in his defeat. My plan was to be there to witness the fall of the town as it happened. That too was an added bonus because I knew that town was his dream, and I aimed to see it destroyed.
I spent the entire night going over and over my plan. I meticulously walked every man through his specific responsibilities. I wanted to ensure everyone understood their role and that they knew failure was not an option.
The last message I let all the men with was the importance of secrecy. No one under any circumstance was to divulge any of the details of the plan to anyone. The element of surprise was going to be a major advantage, and I could not risk having that spoiled. That is also the reason for the short timeline. We would set my plan in motion tomorrow just before dawn.