The Blackfire Protocol by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 48

It was January 20th, and shortly after the President was sworn in, each new Senator and House Representative was also sworn in during an open session of the Senate. Frank stepped up and, placing his right hand on the Bible, raised his left hand. Upon direction, he repeated the oath of the office he would soon occupy.

“I Frank Miller, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully

discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me, God.”

The reality here is that the oath means very little to those entering office and is simply a formality—a ceremony. Many in Congress do not seem to take the oath seriously, as they are there not to govern but for the acquisition of power and money. What good is an oath if one does not intend to live up to it? Politics has become devoid of humanity.

After the inauguration was complete, the Republican Senate majority leader escorted Frank to his office. His predecessor had cleared out his possessions days

162

ago, allowing him to see the grandiose beauty of what had been constructed decades ago. Standing back near the door, he marveled at the dark stained woodwork and paintings hung perfectly on every wall.

“Are those paintings real or just prints?” he asked. The response jolted him as he discovered they were actual paintings created by masters for display in not only the White House but every room and hallway on Capitol Hill.

“They’re magnificent,” he said.

Turning to senate leader, he joked about moving into his new office.

“Well,” the senate replied. “Some of us do sleep in our offices when there’s a lot of work to be done. You’ll find out. When we vote on the next budget, I’m sure you’ll be spending a night or two in here. So you might want to buy a cot and keep it in a corner, just in case.”

Frank remembered back to one particular administration when members of both the Senate and the House did exactly that. But those were the days when the government cared about the country and its people and was willing to go the extra mile for the good of both. Now, he saw the country going to hell as the government was leading the way. No one seemed to care anymore, but Frank hoped to change that, or to at least provide that illusion to the public. The rest would be based on his agenda. Although he guessed it was consistent with a few of his other colleagues, he had something far more sinister in mind, something no one would believe or even have guessed.

163

Now that Frank was sworn in, he would take the time to become familiar with his fellow congressmen, cozying up to members of both parties. When questioned about why he chose to converse with the Democrats, he quoted Sun Tzu who wrote, ‘Know thy enemy’. His words rang a certain degree of truth to those who had questioned his actions and congratulated him on his cunning. His next concern was to study the issues. There were many bills coming out of the house that the senate would vote on, and he needed to know as much about each as possible. Then there was the budget. It was likely the most important piece of legislation to be introduced to Congress and had to be voted on every year.

His new job would require many late nights, and weekends were now a thing of the past. It didn’t take long for Frank to come to the belief that writing his Doctoral dissertation was far easier than what he faced as a new Congressman. But he also had help in the form of two interns—both female and working towards their bachelor’s degrees in political science. They would run errands for him, saving him time and performing other duties, freeing him up to do what any congressman did. He had also taken the advice of his predecessor and purchased a fold-up cot, knowing that he would be spending more than a few nights in his office.

The work seemed constant, with the only relief being the summer break Congress got every year, and Frank already had plans having invited Betsy on an outing of sorts. When he had a free moment, he scrolled through a website dedicated to renting

164

cabins in New England. As summer approached, he rented one for a month and would spend that time in that time in the Lakes Region of Maine. Of course, Betsy accepted his invitation, knowing there would be no one there to document their activities. She had heard of how beautiful Maine was and was looking forward to the trip.