Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 144 "Indivisible"

Good evening, North Carolina.

As the host's voice rang out, stage lights shone on the two candidates.

The Raleigh City Hall was packed to capacity.

Outside the venue, protesters continued chanting slogans.

The commotion behind the cordon was like a never-ending tide.

"Welcome to the final debate before the gubernatorial election."

"Tonight's first round will begin with public safety."

As the host spoke, he turned slightly to the left.

"Ms. Blair Lake, you go first."

Blair habitually squinted, then calmly spoke:

“In recent days, there has been a lot of discussion about my time at the Ministry of Justice.”

"I understand everyone's concern and I am willing to respond frankly."

"Yes, I have indeed been involved in the policy development of several federal and local law enforcement cooperation mechanisms."

"But it must be emphasized that these collaborations were all initiated at the request of the local governments."

“Any federal personnel deployed, whether from the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, or the FBI, are approved by the state attorney general and carry out their duties in accordance with a formal memorandum of understanding passed by the city council.”

"Never bypassed any constitutionally established procedures."

Her tone was steady, but she deliberately raised her voice for the last few words.

On the right, Norton raised an eyebrow slightly, opened his notebook, and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"Ms. Blair did not deny this."

"She was indeed involved in the deployment of federal law enforcement officers to the state."

She called it "compliance" and "responding to local needs".

"But I would like to ask the audience to think about a question."

"If a federal memorandum has never even been seen by the local patrol officers, then who is actually carrying it out?"

"For example, in 20** year ** month."

“Durham County sheriffs said they had no idea who assigned several detectives to their patrol cars.”

“I have that agreement document.”

As he spoke, he held up the documents and pointed to one section.

Please take a look at this—

"When necessary, federal personnel may assist in the execution of relevant defense missions."

"Necessary circumstances? Who defines them?"

"Is it our local elected officials, or federal offices hundreds of miles away?"

"That's the problem."

Blair's expression remained unchanged, though he slightly tilted his head, as if he were enduring something.

Norton then pressed his advantage:
"North Carolina is not Washington's testing ground."

“We have our own sheriffs, state attorneys general, and parliamentary system.”

"We are fully capable of deciding the state's security strategy."

"The Federation can be a partner, but it cannot make decisions for us."

As soon as he finished speaking, applause erupted from the audience.

Blair's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh, but he quickly suppressed it.

She didn't directly retaliate, but calmly asked:
"Then let me ask you, Matthew—"

"Regarding the hostage situation in Hanette County."

"You expect the county sheriffs to wait in place for six hours while SWAT teams are called in from three other counties?"

"Or would you prefer a registered, community-savvy rapid response team to take immediate action?"

Norton didn't fall into her linguistic trap and opened his mouth with a cold laugh:
"Several plainclothes federal agents in that rapid response team did not report beforehand."

"And ultimately, it was our local prosecutors and police station that were responsible for cleaning up the mess."

"Responsibilities should not be judged solely by their beginning, but also by their end."

Upon hearing this, Blair slowly turned his head and stared intently at him:
"But as you also know, they were the ones who made contact with the hostage-takers first and rescued the hostages."

"That task force you said was 'unregistered'."

"Reality is not so clean either."

"You are pursuing procedural justice, but the public is more concerned about the outcome."

“I acknowledge that the borders between the states and the federal government need to be clearly defined.”

"But when a child is trapped at gunpoint, no one will look up the articles of the Constitution."

"They only ask one thing: Are we ready?" "Are you ready?"

Natalie asked curiously.

Zhou Yi stared at the woman in a navy blue suit on the television screen.

“Of course,” he said.

"There are not many Americans who can maintain the foundation of the 'United States'."

"Just four horse-drawn carriages."

"First, the economies are interdependent."

“Interstate commerce provisions, the Federal Reserve System, and fiscal transfers.”

"Like a rubber band, it binds each state together tightly, and the more they struggle, the tighter it gets."

"Second, monopoly through violence."

"Nuclear weapons, standing army, not under the command of any governor, but only under the federal president."

"Third, constitutional mechanisms."

"The Supreme Court ruled in 1869 that states do not have the right to unilaterally secede from the Union."

"You want to amend the constitution? First, it needs to be approved by two-thirds of both houses of Congress."

"Then take it to three-quarters of the state legislature for approval."

"This structural design is for the purpose of maintaining stability."

"Of course, that would be during peacetime."

"Fourth, and most stubborn, is the political culture."

Zhou Yi paused, his tone becoming increasingly subtle.

"The American Dream, the Stars and Stripes, and the Pledge of Allegiance."

"A single nation under God, indivisible, where freedom and justice are enjoyed by all."

“These things are not laws, but without strong external forces, they are harder to shake than laws.”

"Of course, there are also unwritten rules."

"'Tolerance' and 'restraint,' ha!"

"Politicians should avoid using unconventional methods to settle scores with each other unless absolutely necessary."

Zhou Yi leaned back into the sofa after saying this.

"You ask me if I had a chance twenty years ago? Absolutely not."

"But now? Times have changed."

Natalie listened intently, her expression focused.

After he finished speaking, I subconsciously asked:
"So, how do you plan to dismantle these carriages?"

Zhou Yi didn't answer, but instead abruptly changed the subject:

"Do you know anyone in the North Carolina National Guard around Raleigh?"

Natalie was taken aback, clearly not following his train of thought:

"Uh, I don't know anyone directly."

“But I had a former colleague who resigned and went to the state defense office, so I must have had some connections.”

"what happened?"

"Very good." Zhou Yi clapped his hands in satisfaction: "Go and contact him now."

"I told them I wanted to do a feature interview."

"The content can be made up; it can be training grounds, recruitment propaganda, or emergency plans."

"They usually don't refuse reporters."

Natalie tilted her head and stared at him, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was trying to guess his plans.

A few seconds later, as if she had figured something out, her eyes lit up: "You're going to attack them?"

“Of course not,” Zhou Yi said. “Or rather, not entirely.”

"I need a lot of guns, lots of guns, enough to support all subsequent operations."

“Since we need firepower, why not start with the simplest thing?” Natalie asked.

"Like gangs?"

"Those prostitutes?"

Zhou Yi smiled and shook his head. "They have at most a few Glocks, plus two downgraded rifles."

"As for the police? They are underfunded, poorly equipped, and half of them are even working part-time as Uber drivers."

　Two points:
　　[1] On November 7, 2028, the presidential election and the North Carolina gubernatorial election will be held on the same day.

　　[2] North Carolina is more important because it is a swing state (but the last four elections have been predominantly Republican).
　　
　
(End of this chapter)