W: The Planner, The Chosen (45 page)

There was so much still to do, so much ahead of them, so much to go through.  But they would be together, and they would go through it together. As all of these thoughts raced through Kris’ mind, she caught sight of Keith. He was smiling that same slight smile he had always smiled when he was completely pleased. It was a smile that said, “We did it.”  And with that he made his way down the hall with Kris following. The smile was enough—there were simply no words to express what they both felt at that moment.

As Keith pushed open the doors leading from the hall to the steps outside the Capitol,
they both recognized the man who was waiting for them.  Kris ran towards him, leaving a puzzled Keith at the top of the stairs.  “The court just ruled in our favor. He’s being released. Everyone is.  We’ll still have another trial to go through, but he’s coming home.”

“I heard. I was in the courtroom when the verdict was read; you just didn’t see me. You did it, Kris.”

“God did it; I just stayed in the fight until it was over.”

Keith had continued down the stairs towards them.  He had spotted David in the courtroom and had wondered how he had managed to be everywhere that anything significant was happening. Now, however, Keith was thoroughly confused. He had never introduced Kris to David—never even told her that he existed. How was it that she was talking to him as if he were an old friend? 

Seeing the confused look on his face, Kris reached out to her brother, “Keith, this is Michael’s brother, Moshe. He visited me in St. George and brought me Michael’s note shortly after he was arrested.”

“Of course he is,” Keith’s lips were pursed in that familiar slight smile, and then he turned to Moshe. “I knew you reminded me of him. You could have just told me who you were.”

“If I had told you, I would have had to kill you,” Moshe responded without a trace of a smile, but his eyes danced. 

Now Kris was confused, “You two know each other?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later,” Keith responded. “So, what now?”

“Now, I have a plane to catch, as soon as I confirm that my brother has been released. I just stopped by to say goodbye and to thank both of you.”

He turned and they watched him as he quickly made his way down the steps and onto the Capitol lawn, where he disappeared into the crowd.

When they could no longer see him, they turned and looked at each other.  “He’s good,” murmured Keith.

“Yes, he is.  Let’s go get something to eat while we wait for Julian to get back with us.” Kris took her brother’s arm, and they started down the steps together.

Kris felt the cold air on her face.  The slushy snow had stopped—the air was crisp and clear although the sky was still overcast.  Her heart was overflowing with joy—they were free. What had seemed impossible only the day before was now a reality. All of them were free.  She raised her eyes toward heaven and said softly, “Thank You, Jesus.  Thank You for saving us.”

Chapter 30

T
he crowd of professional men and women, journalists, doctors and community leaders stuffed their hands deep into the pockets of their coats and huddled together in the area immediately in front of the main building of the enormous new medical complex that was being dedicated that day. It was bitterly cold—even for late December. During the night the temperature had dropped to minus three degrees, and now, even though it was almost noon, the thermometer had risen only five degrees. At 9:00 A.M. a local meteorologist had announced that the wind factor made it “feel like minus fifteen.” A thin, blonde, middle-aged radiologist dressed in a knee-length skirt and pumps pulled her coat collar up, and shut her eyes to block out the icy gale that whipped her bare legs and played havoc with her perfectly coiffed hair.

As the radiologist tried to formulate a plan to leave the ceremony without attracting too much attention, a short, stout man in a gray wool coat and a red stocking cap and scarf walked to the podium. It was apparent that even in these severe weather conditions Mayor Hamilton Brady was pleased to have an audience, and the radiologist knew that the mayor would do nothing to cut the ceremony short and allow the hundred or so people gathered there to escape into the warmth of the reception area.

“Welcome friends and special guests,” the mayor began. “Thank you for braving the cold to help us celebrate the opening of this historical medical center. As you know, today’s event has been made possible through many years of hard work, fundraising and planning. Today it is my pleasure to introduce the man whose vision served as the inspiration for this facility, Senator Seth Conners, son of the late Congressman Jeffrey Conners. However, in keeping with the Senator’s commitment to always act in the best interests of the American people, he has asked me to move the dedication inside where it’s warm.”

As the mayor spoke that last word, the crowd cheered wildly and moved as one toward the door. When they were inside, Mayor Brady took full advantage of the situation and droned on for ten minutes before relinquishing the microphone to Seth Conners. 

At fifty-seven the senator still had a little-boy quality that caused his blue eyes to sparkle and made it almost impossible for him to stand still for long. Conners hopped up on the staircase so that he was standing on the third step from the bottom. A broad smile spread across his face as he addressed the crowd, “I want to thank all of you for being here today, and I want to thank each of you for the part you have played in making this occasion possible. I am so happy to have my wife Tiffany and our two daughters Karyn and Kristen with me. My sister Faith, her husband Robert, and their son Keith are also here. We are gathered here today to dedicate the Michael Linton Memorial Medical Center, but we have also come to commemorate the lives of the men and women who made it possible.

“My father Jeffrey Conners was a hardworking, honest man who loved God, loved his family, and loved his country. After he was released from prison, my father knew that he needed to use the rest of his life to stand for freedom. He ran for Congress to restore the Constitution and the principle of government for the people, by the people, and of the people. Congressman Jeff Conners sponsored, co-sponsored or authored more than two hundred bills to restore liberty and put the government back into the hands of the citizens. As part of his Restore America Initiative, he sponsored the Internet and Communications Freedom Act which prohibits the federal government from restricting internet content or access, the Restore the Constitution Act, and the Read the Bill Act, which requires that the final version of all bills must be posted on Congressional websites and that copies must be distributed to all media outlets thirty days before any vote on those bills can take place....” The crowd applauded, and Seth paused until their applause subsided. “Any additional changes or edits require that the bills must undergo an additional thirty-day waiting period, and, thanks to my father, your Congressional and Senatorial representatives are LEGALLY required to read every word of each bill they pass on the floor of the House or Senate….” This brought further applause. Seth held up his hand to silence the crowd, and his eyes sparkled and his smile grew broader as he continued, “There is a very good reason why every person in the United States can read every bill that is being considered. Jeff Conners passed legislation requiring that no bill may exceed twenty pages written in eight point type or larger. In addition, no riders may be attached to any bill. If it’s going to become law, it has to stand alone and be passed solely on its own merits. No more hiding one piece of legislation inside a massive bill that no one has read, and no one would understand if they did.

“Jeff Conners believed that the American people are smart enough to make decisions about their own lives and to weigh in on the laws that are passed, so he made sure that we will never again have legislation rammed down our throats by out-of-control legislators who tell us that we have to pass a law before we can know what’s in it. My father believed that big government was the problem—not the solution. He sponsored and co-authored the Judicial Impartiality Act which holds judges responsible for enforcing the existing laws—not legislating from the bench. Federal judges are now subject to a review panel, and judges who are found guilty of imposing their own ideologies to reverse elections or to legislate from the bench are subject to immediate removal and loss of their pensions.” The crowd again erupted into applause.

Seth continued, “But Jeffrey Conners never wanted to wake up one day and find that he was guilty of having become part of the problem—he wanted to make sure that he was always part of the solution. So after a decade of public service, he retired after gaining passage of what he considered his most important piece of legislation—the Term Limits Act of 2030. Thanks to Jeff Conners and others like him, we can never again have professional career politicians sitting in the House and Senate for decades conspiring to take away our freedoms.

“Jeff Conners knew that his work was not finished when he left public service. He devoted the remaining years of his life to making certain that freedom was protected. After he left Congress, he worked with my uncle Keith Mitchell and Keith’s second wife Cheryl to help citizens better understand government and interact more effectively with their elected officials. Together, they launched ReadTheBill.com which posts the full text of all bills that are being debated. ReadTheBill.com allows citizens to read and comment on each bill prior to any vote taking place and then transmits those comments directly to the committees that are drafting the bills as well as to the representatives of those commenting. Under the Citizen Involvement in Government Act, the committee members and your representatives must legally respond to your comments. That means that if you, the citizens, hate a particular law, and we in the Senate decide to pass it anyway, we will know in advance that we are probably going to be sent home when the next election rolls around.” This brought thunderous applause.

“As founders of WatchDog Government Jeff, Keith, and Cheryl, along with my mother Karyn, my aunt Kris, and my uncle Michael worked to make sure that ordinary citizens understood what was happening behind the scenes of government and that they understood what role they could play in shaping the country. Today the organization they founded has hundreds of thousands of members, and it is growing. When my father passed away seven years ago at the age of seventy-eight, he died knowing that he had made a lasting impact on his family and his country. My mother continued his work until her death early this year.

“I am proud to have followed in my father’s footsteps. I am now serving my second and final term as your Senator, but my commitment to uphold freedom will not end when I leave the Senate next year. As the incoming director of WatchDog Government I will continue the work that my father and my uncle began.

“My father, my mother, and my uncle Keith were ordinary citizens—my dad owned a construction company; my mother was a housewife; my uncle was a journalist. But they were inspired to do extraordinary things. The man who helped inspire their vision is honored here today as we dedicate the Michael Linton Memorial Medical Center. To complete the dedication ceremony it is my honor to introduce my cousin and Michael Linton’s son, Dr. Aaron Mitchell Linton.”

A tall, well-built man of fifty stepped up and took the microphone. His thick dark hair was streaked with silver and his gray-blue eyes were accentuated by thick dark lashes. To his left stood a petite blonde woman of about his age and two sons in their twenties.

The two men embraced, and Mitch turned to face the crowd. “My father Michael Linton believed so strongly in the sanctity of life that he gave up a career he loved rather than violate his conscience by participating in the murder of unborn children. When I was growing up, he often told me that before the Affordable Care Act was implemented he had been one of the youngest and most successful cardiac surgeons in the United States. Soon after the Act became law, however, the government required that all surgeons, regardless of their areas of specialty, be on call to assist with surgical abortions. My father then gave up his license to perform surgery and returned to school to specialize in geriatric care.

“My father always stood for freedom and the sanctity of human life. Eventually, he and my uncle Jeff, along with thousands of others, were charged as domestic terrorists and imprisoned for defending liberty. Three days after the Supreme Court ruled that the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA were unconstitutional, he and my Uncle Jeff were released and no charges were filed against them. In fact, out of the more than 108,000 American citizens being detained at that time, charges were brought against only fifty-six individuals, and of that fifty-six only twenty-three were convicted of crimes.

“After his release my father returned to practicing medicine. He and my mother Kristina set up the Choose Life Foundation that became the basis for the creation of this medical facility. In addition to their work with WatchDog, they also worked to promote a culture of life in the medical community that values all life, from the lives of the unborn to the lives of the most elderly.

“Today we dedicate the Michael Linton Memorial Medical Center to honor the memory of all those who fought for life when victory seemed hopeless. The mission of this hospital is to protect and preserve life. No abortion will ever take place within these walls; no senior citizen will ever be euthanized here. All who pass through these doors will be respected as individuals created in the image and likeness of a God who values them and has a purpose for their lives.

“I am also honored to dedicate the Nathan O’Brien chapel in this hospital. Father Nathan O’Brien was my father’s close friend and an ardent defender of the right to life for all people. In 2017 he was executed without trial as a domestic terrorist in one of the federal government’s secret prisons. We are able to stand here today because of the sacrifices of Father O’Brien and countless others who willingly faced imprisonment and death rather than choosing to live in slavery in a godless society with no regard for the most basic human right—the right to life. My father died at the age of ninety with my mother holding his hand. She joined him in heaven last year. Together they survived the darkest period in our country’s history and lived to see freedom re-established.

“Today is an especially appropriate day for this dedication. Tonight at sunset, we will celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. As an infant I was sent to live in Israel while my mother fought to secure my father’s freedom. During that time, I celebrated Hanukkah in the very land where the Festival of Lights began. My aunt Karyn learned firsthand what it means to live in a nation that has had to struggle every day for its very right to exist.

“After my father was released from prison and our family was reunited, every year at Hanukkah Dad told us the story of how in 168 B.C. one family, the Maccabees, stood against tyranny and oppression, and armed with courage and faith, fought for freedom against an unimaginable evil. Then, as he lit the Menorah, he reminded us that Hanukkah is a picture of the coming of the Messiah. The pure, uncontaminated olive oil from the flask sealed by the high priest which gave light to the lamp stand for eight days represented the Holy Spirit, who in less than two centuries would bring forth Jesus, the Light of the World. And then he would say to us, ‘In the days of the Maccabees, cleansing the temple was essential so that people could be restored into a relationship with the God of the Universe. But now we live in the Age of Messiah, and He rules and reigns in the hearts of every person who is willing to receive Him. The Maccabees received the privilege of witnessing the miracle of Hanukkah because they were willing to stand against injustice, tyranny, and blasphemy and to fight and even die to defend their faith. The same God who rescued His people then is at work today, but it is only when we  stand up and say that we would prefer to die rather than dishonor God, that we see the Holy Spirit rise up to fight for us.’

“Evil stalks every generation. Whether that evil succeeds is determined by us. To defeat evil does not require a huge force of people—all that is required is that a handful of people who know and fear God stand up for the truth. The Maccabees were just one family, but they fought for the laws of their country, and they set their people free.

“My children and I are the direct descendants of the Maccabees. We are the Chosen from among the Chosen. Like Esther, we know that God has put us here for just this time to stand in the gap in prayer for our nation and for the nation of Israel, to hold back tyranny, and to fight against the spirit of AntiChrist as it appears in every generation. Our legacy is to fight for the laws of our country and to tell everyone who is willing to listen that freedom is available through the one true God and Jesus Christ, the one He has sent.”