Why the Law:
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.”iii
-The Apostle Paul (Romans 5:12-13 HCSB)
Paradigms are fragile societal patterns and with each new generation a new cultural paradigm emerges. Liberty means something different with each new generation and the role of government and law shifts ideologically with each new generation. Surprisingly, liberty can only be understood in the context of law and government. Without laws, one cannot dream of freedom from those laws. Without human law, did people dream of freedom, or was thought concerning human liberty a paradigm that began only after law was established? If human liberty depended on human law, could people actually be free without written laws and the enforcement thereof?
Detective Casey looked up from his phone after looking at the postal route as Melissa returned. There were only two suspects in his mind and the federal officer who handled Elliot’s note would not have mailed letters on this route. If he was involved, it was as an accomplice. This meant that only one person could be connected to these letters, unless Casey hadn’t thought everything through well.
“You look like you just got dumped,” Melissa said as Casey stood there looking at her in silence, “What happened?”
Casey looked toward the courthouse where the alarm was being shut off, “Did you kill Hardin?”
Melissa drew her firearm and pointed it at her partner, “I wish you wouldn’t have asked that…” She stepped behind one of the cars and was gone.
Feeling like his heart was in his stomach, Casey walked back toward the courthouse devastated.
Melissa stood up from the side of the hospital bed where her sister rested. It had been three months since she saw her sister awake and she remembered the accident vividly: one car, one abrupt stop and one coma. Melissa lost her mother and father earlier in her life, but her sister was also her best friend. If she did not survive, Melissa may not see a reason to go on.
It was one month before the summit. As she exited the hospital room, there was a man in a doctor’s outfit waiting for her, “Excuse me, Miss Daniels?”
“Yes?” she replied.
The doctor held up a folder and asked if they could talk about options. Melissa wanted nothing more than for her sister to be well. She followed him to the cafeteria where he explained a procedure that could repair the damage to her sister’s brain and possibly wake her up. The procedure was experimental, but in her mind it was worth every risk. There was only one problem, Melissa couldn’t afford it and insurance barely paid for her sister’s treatment up to this point.
She left the hospital toward the detective’s office where she worked. Before going into the department building, a man in a hood stopped her and handed her one of those letter-sized yellow envelopes and walked away. She did not recognize the man and he didn’t say a word.
When she arrived at her cubicle, she made sure no one was looking and opened the envelope. There were a number of pages with instructions. The first of which included the information to an anonymous offshore account with her name on it and enough money to take care of her sister and more.
The note on this page read:
This is already yours. You can begin using it immediately. If you do not follow these instructions, it will be taken and given to someone else.
The instructions described an education bill that Senator Elliot was already drafting and that the President already supported. She was directed to write letters to the senator with instructions regarding the bill and with a message for the president. These letters included threats to both the senator’s family and the president’s reputation. Apparently there was video evidence of his unfaithfulness to his own wife, but that video was not included here. On the last page, there were instructions on how to frame a member of the HDLS for the murder of Senator Hardin, who genuinely fought for the liberty of the people.
Melissa remembered that she was at work. She shoved everything back in the envelope and placed the debit card that was connected to the anonymous account in her pocket. She thought and thought. It was like one of those days where you sit at a computer fully intending on getting work done, but your mind doesn’t let you concentrate.
There was only one question that needed to be answered: Did Melissa consider her sister’s life worth the destruction of the lives of three other people? Melissa took the notes from the yellow envelope, addressed them to Senator Elliot, stamped them and placed them in the outgoing mail without placing a return address on them. She couldn’t turn back after that. Later that day she would meet Senator Hardin and later that month she would shoot him and frame Zack for the murder. Now her sister, her best friend, might live. She only had to be careful about how she paid for the procedure… and make sure she didn’t get caught.
Everyone in the humid room was speechless. Hardin was alive. Silence filled the room for a minute or so. All that could be heard was the drip of water from the loose pipes in the ceiling. Hardin stepped to the middle of the room,
“In this hour, I have gained the most unlikely of allies. This government has betrayed me and its people all to protect self interests. It plotted to murder me so that I would not win the presidency next year and failed. I know who pulled the trigger and will not stop until she sees justice. First, we must address the American people.”
Huddles spoke up as well, “Zack and T.J, you will be Senator Hardin’s personal security. Data will make sure the world receives our message.”
“Casey, where is your partner?” asked the detective’s supervisor as he got closer.
He reported all that had just transpired, “It was her…” Casey’s heart dropped deeper into his stomach as he said it out loud. Melissa was his partner. Not only that, but she was his friend. What hurt him most was that he didn’t find out earlier. How did she hide it so well?
“Sir, new report on the news!” a voice came from one of the tactical vehicles. Casey’s supervisor pulled up the live report on his phone:
“This just in, the lockdown at the courthouse in Glenn Bluff is over. Police have not made any arrests and the two perpetrators have now escaped. There are at least three dead on the scene, including one gunman. As far as we know there is no plan to pursue the two perps, but a manhunt has been declared. Law enforcement officials are not releasing…”
The feed to the broadcast stopped suddenly and Senator Hardin appeared on the screen. He was silent for a few seconds and the world was agasp as it looked on.
“For the last week I have been dead to the world. I have watched as my death has been investigated and as the wrong man was nearly convicted and I have seen some things that the good people of this country need to be aware of.
Terror operates on the basis of fear. If we fear the law, we will fight the law. If we fear for our security, we will assign unwarranted law. This last month, we have been attacked on both fronts. My supposed death and the taking of the courtroom was orchestrated to cause the American people to fear for their security. The circumstance of the HDLS summit was provided to cause the people to fear the law. This psychological act of terror was designed to cause an even greater divide amongst the American people. Under this pretext, Senator Elliot’s education bill would pass so that our young minds would be steered away from material provoking thoughts of liberty. They would be taught what to think philosophically and morally; and more money would be devoted to such a cause.
The great irony is this: personal liberty is of indubitable importance to our national security. They do not exist on opposing sides of the spectrum and I will tell you why. Law, when it is not abused, guarantees individual liberty. The protection of individual liberty secures the nation.
Now, there was a time when people had no written law and they were slaves to lawlessness. Ever since Adam rebelled against God people have grown in knowledge, while at the same time falling in wisdom. Even without a law, they sinned and died. God gave the law to lead people to wisdom and to life,iv and to reveal Himself to the nations.
In the same way, any good law strives to increase the wisdom of the people and leads to life so that people can be trusted to make decisions and be granted liberty through the law.
Without law, there is no wisdom. With tyrannous law, wisdom is stifled. Without law, liberty becomes tyranny. With tyrannous law, liberty is dead. In this fallen world, law is necessary. If anyone believes this world to be un-fallen, then he is blind because human law would not be written in a world where wisdom was complete.
America, I will fight for individual liberty on all fronts.
It is now that I announce my candidacy for the office of president as we move into election season and I hope this conflict is resolved soon. Until then, I must remain in hiding. Stay strong and stay free!”
The news feed cut back to the news anchors who both sat silently. The woman on camera looked at the other anchor and the at the camera, “This just in, Senator Hardin is still alive and has announced that he will be running for President. We will be back with another update as the story unfolds. Clyde, what does our weather look like for the rest of the week?”