Chapter 17
The Political Process
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Following the decision on The Restoration's medical breakthroughs, The Leader issued the following message:
To All Restoration Clergy, Medical Personnel, Volunteers And Soldiers
"At the outset, it was recognized building
hope and confidence were the essential first steps in any effort to restore
American. Over time, many efforts, or proposed efforts, have been directed
towards this goal but somehow became misplaced in the minds of those in the
political process. Often, well-intended ideas were consumed by any number
of expediencies and took on political aliases such as trickle down economics,
civil rights, privacy rights, human rights, local control of government and
equal opportunity. Our purpose cannot be to explore the merit of such
ideas that only became issues in the sense that they provided debating points
for those of various political persuasions and cast the governing process into a
state of ideological inertia where little or nothing was done. As a
result, the political process took on a confrontational nature where the
real issues, and needed solutions, were cast aside and the whole progression
took on an exposé sequence of charges and counter charges against the motives
and personal ethics of those representing the opposing sides. Lobbyists
feasted on the inability to get anything done and protected the special
interests of those whose only interest was cooperate profit, allowing no
changes in the system and preserving the theory of progressive statistics and
loyalty of the stockholders. Through it all, emerged what is known as the me
generation. If this were the only resultant phenomenon,
the needs of the country would not stand as they do today where we find a
terribly segmented society, various races suspecting each other of all sorts of
self-serving goals, fragmented political power delegated to state governments,
economic decline and perhaps worst of all, transformation
of medical science from one of healing to warehousing the sick in the most
cost-effective manner until they die.
Through the wonderful efforts of The Restoration's Medical Corps, great
advances in the treatment of disease has been made but even that was challenged
in the legal system. Such progress could not be allowed to upset progressive
statistics or threaten the existing power structure, now largely controlled
by large corporations created by mergers. This power structure has all but
eliminated competition; and through controlled markets, there is the ability to
direct product lines only towards those who can afford them. This purpose,
as well as the theory of progressive statistics, has best been served by
outsourcing jobs, especially in the manufacturing industries, to foreign
countries and with that has come unemployment at its present level, loss of
medical and retirement benefits and a marked decline in standard of living among
those who have been forced into jobs paying far less than their previous
employment. Partially responsible for this has been unreasonable demands
by labor unions, often adding thousands of dollars in cost to the end products and
eventually creating yet more corporate mergers. The me generation
may well be disappearing only to render these suspicious factions to fragmented
races, all having a
feeling of resent towards one another and what has happened to them. They
all blame each other.
Recognizing that, our task is obvious - it must take on an entirely different
direction but at the same time, cannot avoid conceding these facts - not as an
item of political debate resulting in nothing but well-informed will and intent
towards constructive action. We have started not at the top of the
economic ladder through some self-serving idea of trickle down economics,
but at the bottom. We have taken in the homeless, given them jobs and most
of all, began to restore their confidence in themselves. All these
combative segments within the country must first have hope and confidence in
themselves before any progress towards national unity can be made. The
worse thing we can do is to announce our goals, put up a logical political
platform and expect everything to fall in step the next day. The
rebuilding must occur one level at the time, and at least for the moment, we
cannot depend on much of corporate America to share these goals. The
economic system is now controlling corporate policy, it has developed a mind and
will of its own and the conscience of those in charge has been devoured
as though it were a cholesterol-inundated meal at a fast food restaurant.
With efforts to assist the homeless, create jobs at the bottom of the economic
ladder and assist the sick well underway, the next step will be to launch the
political crusade of The Restoration that will operate under the name The
National Artisans. The Crusade is one that
advocates the Doctrine Of Central Control and reestablishment of
government at a central level. Only through that can the present
fragmentation brought about by states' rights be repaired. Again, progress
will not come overnight; and as with the medical research, must
opposition should be expected. You may well ask how can we ever expect to
defeat the existing power structure? Only consider that in the last
presidential election, only 43% of the population even bothered to vote.
There is a substantial power base among those most likely not to vote - those at
the bottom of the economic ladder, so with local campaigns in state and federal
districts, we must organize aggressive voter registration efforts. Unlike
present trends, these efforts should not be directed towards any existing voter
blocks among different races. The campaigns and voter registration must be
directed towards benefiting the country as a whole and not only special
interests. Voters should be urged not to consider unfounded claims and
allegations against The Restoration, or each other, but to consider the substance of the
issues and proposed means to address them. We will offer specific, logical
steps to deal with all the many issues and must admit at the outset there are
some existing special interests that will not benefit from our platform.
Finally, many have asked why so few of our efforts to this points have dealt
with religion - especially when our claim is that only one religion can unite so
many conflicting interests. Imagine yourself homeless, hungry and sitting
on a street corner. A well-dressed person approaches you, and you ask, 'Can you spare me a few dollars for a meal?' How would you feel
if the person simply said, 'No, but I'll pray for you.' For
someone who the system has placed on a street corner, someone who has lost his
job or may be sick without medical benefits, prayer alone is a shallow
offering. Resent, hunger and sickness can harden the heart but a kind
hand, a few gentle words and sincere concern can lift someone's spirit, set him
or her on their feet and then....then when they know someone truly cares, it is
they who will pray their thankfulness and seek to live it out in the lives they
lead."
As expected, opposition from numerous political candidates and newspapers immediately erupted. Georgia United States Senator Tom Morton issued the following statement:
"The latest threat to your freedom was manifestly spoken in The Leader's recent instructions to those stupid enough to be taken in by a bunch of Neo-Nazis. The educated can clearly see through the mask to gain power by using the sick and homeless as convenient modes. Conveniently, all mention of acts of terror, acts for which everyone knows they are responsible, were omitted. There was, however, one hint of the dictatorial powers they are planning for the future - that being abolishing states rights and privacy rights protection by centralizing government power under the control they hope to gain. One need only look into the past at the time when a church with such power became hopelessly corrupt causing those of true faith to form the Reformation. This church is already corrupt; and how does it propose to gain the political power it seeks? By drives to register voters who haven't been employed or paid taxes in years and are responsible for the very burden on the economy The Restoration proposes to remove. They seek to create a voter rebellion against suspicion and fear they have created through acts of terror and manipulation of circumstances to justify their dictatorial agenda. It is the responsibility of every true American to resist this effort to lead the country away from the very tradition they claim they can restore."
Very much part of the political process is to discredit candidates, often on issues that have no bearing on concerns of the voters. The next day after Morton's statement, the following article appears in newspapers throughout the country.
Atlanta Prostitute Claims 5 Year Relationship With Restoration Candidate Joseph Adamson
The National News Network has learned an Atlanta prostitute has revealed she had a 5 year relationship with Restoration presidential candidate, Joseph Adamson. In a brief statement, she claims he first picked her up in a bar and over the next 5 years, had what she calls "dates" at certain motels and later at her apartment. The relationship was broken off when he resigned from the United States Senate and became involved in the activities of The Restoration. It was reported to this news organization, she will soon appear on the Benny Queen Show and give a detailed account of this relationship. This is expected to have a devastating blow on his candidacy as well as the political crusades of The Restoration which are beginning with the registration of a number of national candidates as well as voter registration, especially among lower income and unemployed citizens. A primary plank in the platform of The Restoration is central control of government, and the party plans to offer only federal candidates and will not seek to elect anyone at state levels.
The Benny Queen Show is a nightly interview presentation that began as a news program
but gradually has changed to one dealing with entertainment personalities and
controversial issues such as re-establishing
the right to display the Confederate Flag, rights of illegal immigrants and
changes in the American culture through diverse populations, life styles and
sense of values.
As she sits in the guest chair, Jennifer Gardner does not present the normal
image of a prostitute. She has short, black hair, wears no makeup and is
dressed in a conservative gray suit with white blouse that does not display any
part of the anatomy. One could say the 37 year old is of ordinary
appearance, attractive but not pretty.
Benny says, "Tonight, we have an exclusive interview with Jennifer Gardner
who this week, revealed she had a 5 year relationship with Joseph Adamson after
having been picked up in a bar - a relationship that found him as a client in
her profession as a prostitute. Miss Gardner, before we ask any questions
about Joseph Adamson, perhaps the viewers would like to know what led you into
your profession."
Jennifer hesitates a moment to gather her thoughts before saying, "I was a
mother at age 17 and abandoned by the father. I had no education and was
forced into making use of the resources I had. First, I worked as a
stripper, and all the customers thought I was a prostitute. I was
continually receiving offers, most of the time not in the best of taste.
In most strip joints, after being on stage, the dancers come around the bar,
hustle high-price drinks and entertain offers from the customers. Once the
word got around, I was not a 'full service' date, I couldn't make enough tips to
support myself and child. Most of the men around the bar were married and
many of them were in town on business trips for a short period. All they
wanted was an occasional 'experience,' as they put it, and I found they were
willing to pay quite a lot to escape what must have been boring marriages or
prove something to themselves. After I began working the bar exclusively,
I found there was quite a skill in getting as much money for a date as the
person was willing to pay. Almost without exception, they all followed the
same approach. They all knew any woman alone at the bar was more than
likely a working girl. All of them had a brief story that would justify
their trying to get a pickup and then, they would enter a very careful
exploratory process in feeling out how much it was going to cost them."
Benny folds his arms, leans forward and asks, "Is that how you met Joseph
Adamson."
"Yes."
"Did he follow the same approach as the others?
"No."
"Exactly what did he do?"
"He asked if he could join me. He was very polite but after working
the bar for awhile, you can tell from the tone of a man's voice what he wants
and many times can even know how much money to ask for. His approach was
quite different. He didn't try to buy me several drinks and cloud my
judgment, and he didn't start laughing at his own jokes. I could see he
was having trouble knowing exactly what he should say, so I finally told him I
was a working girl. He was immediately relieved and told me something no
one had ever mentioned before. He said he needed to meet someone he could
see regularly, he already had a motel room; and since this would be our first
date, he would give me $400 so we could stay together longer. That really
struck me. I couldn't recall anyone ever saying 'together' before."
Her facial expression changes but it's difficult to read her mood.
"Especially during the first date, it was me that had the 'experience,' if
you want to call it that. When we left the bar, he held my hand just as
though we were on a normal date, and never
asked me the questions I had heard so many times before - how long have you been
in the business, what sort of tricks do you do, is it necessary to use a condom,
do we have to do it straight up or can we try something a little more
adventurous? He asked me how long I had been in Atlanta and about some of
the things I liked to do at home. I began to get the feeling what he had
said in the bar might be true. He wanted to meet someone he could see
regularly and really was interested in some of the things I liked.
Finally, I recognized him from seeing him on the news. I asked him wasn't
he Senator Joseph Adamson and wasn't he afraid of being discovered or revealed
on such a date as this. He only said he had just been divorced and needed
to meet someone. I expected him to go into the usual story about how he
had been the victim in the marriage but he never did. He never answered my
question about being discovered and turned the conversation back to the things I
liked. You learn very early in the business the need for sex will lead a
man into doing all sorts of things without fully considering the
repercussions."
Benny asks, "I've been told in other interviews that as soon as a man gets
a working girl into a motel room, his whole mannerism changes. Was that
the case with Adamson?"
She shakes her head and says, "Not at all. I always got the
impression satisfying me was just as important to him than the thrill most men
get from 'strange stuff,' as they call it. Sometimes when I saw him, we
would just go out, go to a movie or walk through a mall holding hands, and he
never mentioned sex or brought up any of those teasing questions that are
belittling to a woman but offer some type of gratification to men I've really never
understood. After we had known each other for awhile, he kept asking me
what I planned to do in the future. Younger women are much preferred to
someone my age by someone who never plans to see the woman again."
"Are you still seeing him?"
"No."
Benny is somewhat amused and asks, "Did he finally decide he wanted to find
a younger woman?"
"No, he said he had come to care for me quite a lot and couldn't continue
the sort of relationship we had. He wanted me to quit and said he would
take care of me until I could find a job. I was angry he wouldn't make a
firmer commitment and for the first time, began to question his
motives. I thought he just wanted to get me in a regular job and still
reserve me for his private use."
"What did you tell him?"
"I wanted to hurt him, so I said I enjoyed being with men and didn't want
the boredom of what he was suggesting. Immediately, I was very sorry,
because I could tell it hurt him very much."
Queen's interview technique takes on more of an analytical nature.
"Why did you decide to make all this known? Surely, you must have
realized it would ruin his political future."
"He was being investigated by some detective. He offered me more
money than I made in a whole year. I'm 37 and am at the age I'm always a
pickup's 3rd or 4th choice, depending on how many younger women they are at the
bars. It was a way for me to get the money I needed and get back at him
for trying to put me in some type of exclusive rental category."
"Do you regret what you did?"
"No. You get by however you can."
After the television interview, this expose' is at the front of every
television, radio and newspaper article. United States Senator Tom Morton
ceases the opportunity that he could not buy with millions of dollars of
campaign contributions and issues the following statement:
"We now have a whore-monger as the presidential candidate from a faction which calls itself, among other things of considerable dispute, a religious movement to restore the American spirit. His candidacy has been exposed as that of a hypocrite and may well leave the voters wondering what other dark secrets exist behind the mask of The Restoration. What trust can one place in such a man or more to the point, what trust can one place in a party that would offer such a candidate for office? The best thing Joseph Adamson and The Restoration can do to restore the American spirit, assuming it has been lost to the extent they maintain, is for Adamson to remove the insult to the voters and withdraw from the campaign."
After the Benny Queen interview and
Morton's statement, the press conference Adamson holds a few days later has more
viewer appeal and advertising cost benefit than the hottest television shows
about alternate life styles, wife swapping and drug culture. It is his
usual relaxed disposition and speaking skills that greet the mass of
reporters in The Restoration's press room. Before speaking, quite
calmly, looks at all the reporters, all of whom look like they are in the
starting block before a 100 meter sprint at the Olympic Games. Speaking in
a mild tone, he says, "Scandal and alleged scandal are very much a part of
the political process - sometimes to the extent it becomes the central
issue. Properly administered, with embellishments for added effect,
scandal can indeed become the central issue and cause the political and economic
issues to fall to the side. This tactic is especially useful to those who
have failed in office or have no substance to their platforms in dealing with
the important issues facing the voters."
"When such a scandal comes forward, the traditional
response is to deny everything and claim it is just an effort by the opposition
to do just that - mask the issues and direct the news media into a tabloid-type
reporting mechanism that by election day has successfully removed the issues
from the voters minds and placed them into a self-endearing duty of voting
against an impression that has largely been created and often may bear little
resemblance to fact. I can't make such a denial. The stories you
have recently heard about me are largely true, but I'm afraid your impressions of
how such a relationship developed and continued for 5 years may well be
inaccurate. I'm going to speak in frank terms. You may feel that
isn't something a politician often does but I'm not going to try to direct your
attention away from my personal life by bringing in all sorts of accusations
against others. The issues facing America are the same - regardless of my
past." He pauses before saying, "I know you have many
questions."
There is an immediate uproar as every reporter raises his
hand and almost shouts, "Senator Adamson!"
The first reporter asks, "How can you now expect the
voters to trust you?"
Adamson looks directly at the reporter and says, "By
recognizing I have not lied."
Another reporter shouts above all the rest, "If you
expect to gain the confidence of the voters, what explanation can you
give?"
Briefly, Adamson shakes his head and says, "I'm going to
give you an answer that is directly to the point. I'm not going to offer
an excuse - only the explanation you seem to be seeking. It's something I
should not have done." He pauses a moment before saying, " No, I'm not going to say that nor am I going to try
to justify it by saying I was hurt due to my divorce shortly before I found
myself in the bars where I knew prostitutes worked. Everyone has certain
needs. Some can control them better than others. The company of a
woman is something I've found I can't do without. After the divorce, I had
no inclination to seek some typical introduction to another woman.
Involvement, if you want to call it that, was the last thing I needed.
Still, I couldn't make it without the company of a woman. That's how and
why the relationship began."
Another reporter asks, "Isn't it a little unusual for such....what shall we
say....an arrangement to continue for 5 years?"
This time, Adamson looks directly into the television camera
and says, "At the time it began, I wasn't thinking of the next 5
years. I felt an emptiness and decided on filling it in the most
expeditious manner."
The same reporter asks, "Then why did it go on for 5
years? Surely, this hurt you are claiming didn't last that long.
I've got to be careful what I say, because I don't want you to accuse me of
being a homosexual, but you're an attractive man and surely could have met a
woman in 5 years that would have given you what you needed and not charged you
for it."
After the brief laughter subsides, Adamson says, still in his
calm tone, "I found she was filling needs other than physical. I
found I was becoming to like her very much and looked forward to being with
her. You might recall from her interview she said we sometimes had dates
that were not paid for and involved no sex."
Another reporter chimes it, "So whatever type
relationship you're making of this conveniently ended just as your political
campaign was about to begin."
A slight smile comes to Adamson's face as he answers,
"No, you must not have paid attention to what she said. I asked her
to quit the bars, because I had come to care for her very much. Think
about it. I'd been seeing her for 5 years on a paying basis. How
could I conceal that from being revealed. If I was worried about that, the
best thing for me to do would have been to keep seeing her and keeping paying
her. Maybe that would have kept her quiet, if you want to look at it that
way, but I didn't. Even after it was broken off, I never expected it would
come to this."
"What do you think of her now?"
"You could say that looking for a prostitute was my way
of rebelling against my divorce. She explained how she felt when I broke
it off. This might well be her way of rebelling against me."
"Will you resign from the campaign?"
"No. As I stated, my past does not change the
needs of the country or the goals of The Restoration. I will
address the issues and not scandal. I'm going to give you one example of
what the voters probably don't want to hear in this campaign, and this will be
the only time I make anything that might resemble a personal attack on any
candidate. I only do so now to show certain facts exist about many
politicians they had just as soon remain unknown. Recently,
Senator Tom Morton made a very to the point statement about me. I'm
holding in my hand a contract between Deaton Enterprises and Georgia Industrial
Products that is a large supplier of construction materials used in renovations
to Georgia government buildings. At one time, Tom Morton was an executive
officer in Deaton Enterprises who operated as a general contractor, primarily
dealing in renovations. After a lengthy investigation, the state of
Georgia brought suit against Georgia Industrial Products for contract overruns
caused by inflated billing charges for materials. The case developed that
it was not Georgia Industrial Products that was inflating the material costs but
Deaton Enterprises who billed Georgia Industrial Products for one sum and
inflated the charges in the costs to the state. Tom Morton maintained he
had no knowledge of this practice or this specific contract but
acknowledged the obvious conflict in interest and resigned his position at
Deaton Enterprises. Here is an addendum to the contract, dated after
Morton's supposed resignation, but it bears his signature. Also, here is
another contract dated 6 months after his announced resignation from Deaton
Enterprises but you will notice it is signed by Tom Morton as an executive
office of that firm. I will make no allegations as to the truthfulness of
Morton's statements or conflict of interest. The suit determined the state
had been billed for well over one million dollars in materials that were never
used. I only ask the voters to ask themselves what did the state the most
harm? What has been revealed about me or the facts established in court on
the activities of Deaton Enterprises. Author's note: During the
Clinton impeachment proceedings, facts very similar to this were revealed about
one of his chief critics and forces behind the impeachment. The item
stayed in the news for about one day and disappeared. The sexual exploits
of a president made much more entertaining news copy, and that continued for the
full length of the impeachment and for months thereafter. At the time this
book was being written, the same senator was under ethics investigation.
During the impeachment process, the chairman of the Judicial Committee made the
following statement about Clinton: "Some have said this is trivial
and should not be pursued; but if we did that, what sort of message would this
send to our children. This is the way the founding fathers intended it to
be." Somehow, during the whole process, I got the idea the goal was
to discredit Clinton with little thought to children or the founding fathers.
With the intent to end the conference without additional questions, Adamson says, "My purpose during the campaign will be to do as I have done now - to gain confidence by telling the truth and not bypass the real issues by making malicious and retaliatory claims against anyone. The simple truth is that after I got to know her, my hope was we could both come out of our pasts together. If she had quit the bars as I asked and found a regular job, it would have been better for her, regardless if she kept seeing me or not. It was a worthy intent, I'm not going to apologize to anyone, and if I were faced with the same circumstances as I was after my divorce, I'd do the same thing again."