Dear Bookstore Owner, February 16, 2021 Hello! My name is Capt. Christopher German and I would like to introduce you to Whither We Tend. ​ ​ Whither We Tend is a new novel that was released earlier this month by IngramSpark that I wrote at the ​ close of last year, during the political strife that gripped our nation. The winds of political change inspired me one night in October, in a dream I had, where I envisioned what a second civil war might look like for the United States. It no doubt came to me in light of the current events of the end of 2020, especially with what appeared to be the eventual outcomes that have indeed occurred since that time. What came from that dream was a pair of men who represent some of the perspectives of modern Americans, as well as a President who is so committed to saving his America, that he is willing to stomp on the Constitution and the necks of Americans to do it. Here is an excerpt from the description, “Simon Gates is a mild-mannered insurance agent from Stratford, Connecticut. Major Gus Spiros is a war-weary ex-contractor for the US Government. The two men meet by accident and start a series of events that will lead them both toward a war that will attempt to reclaim America. ….Just as Lincoln asked of the people in his House divided speech, Whither We Tend asks the question, whether we are heading towards a war that will tear us apart or a war that will unite us as a stronger and better Nation. The answer is entirely up to us.” What I hope I have created with this novel is a dystopian political fantasy that might convince a nation that we are playing with fire when we put our political beliefs ahead of our human condition. I invite you to read the first chapter of this book, which I have included here. If you would like to read the full book, I can provide it to you at no charge if you let me know. I wonder if you do enjoy it, that you might consider sharing this book with your customers. In support of your sales, I am more than willing to do either in-person or virtual book signings, promote your store within my social network and offer any other assistance in helping you succeed in making your efforts profitable. I feel this is an important book to share with America and hope you might consider adding this to your collection. Many thanks Capt Christopher R. German 252-617-3792 captchristophergerman@gmail,com ​ www.thechartedlife.net Chapter One ​ “The restoration of American Democracy is complete. The United States Army has secured all the territories that displayed acts of rebellion following the recall of the presidential electors from the 2020 Presidential race. As such, President Franklin Crawford is asking all volunteers to register in person with their local Patriotic Unity Station at their earliest convenience. There, those seeking to support the cause of restoring services to the affected areas will be assigned a volunteer service. For more information or to find your local station, please go to www.AmericanStatesUnited.gov” ​ ​ ​ ​ He read the email with a sense of incredulity. “How did we get here? What does this all mean now?” he asked himself. Ever since the rebellion started, strange emails and texts similar to this would show up regularly on his phone. He wondered why we needed a “restoration” when, supposedly, we never lost the Nation. It had been three years since the emergency election, and Simon was getting tired of the mixed messages he read constantly. One day, the rebellion was just a rumor and a bad hoax, while the next it was going to be the undoing of our American way of life. It was just like the covid pandemic: One day it was a hoax. The next day we were all going to die. He had no idea what to think, and he hated feeling as though he could no longer trust his judgment. Where was the truth, he wondered. The general election was just the start of it. The protest and scuffles at the Million MAGA march should have been the first sign of trouble. No one confirmed how many known seditionists were in attendance or how many were actively tracked by the FBI. When they stormed the Capitol Building, they finally started arresting extremist individuals, but no individual or group was ever identified as the leader or organizer. The blame was laid solely on President Donald Herzog and his cronies. Despite their rhetoric, it seemed that no one took any real notice or considered the white demonstrations a threat to national security until they bombed the bank buildings in Tampa. Oh sure, they rolled out the National Guard for every black lives matter protest and every announcement that yet another cop wouldn’t be charged for killing yet another black man. For the seditionists however, it was hands-off, until something big happened. Thank God for Covid-19, though. If the pandemic hadn’t killed a million people in the US already, everyone would have been rioting in the streets when Congress passed the “Highway National Safety Act." I-95 was closed along with every other major highway when the administration said it would help to keep corona from spreading further. They never mentioned it, but it also helped the authorities tamp down the unrest. Simon didn’t know what to think anymore, other than things had most definitely changed. Now, the police were making daily “keeping the peace” runs throughout the neighborhoods in their armored Humvees. The Navy parked an aircraft carrier off Charles Island, right after the Tampa bombings, and it never left. The only time that ever happened before was when the World Trade centers were hit. This time, the Navy moved in overnight and three years later, everyone just accepted it as normal and moved on. The local deli flew flags out front and named a sandwich after the ship when it showed up, “The JFK." It was a chicken cutlet with bacon, pepper jack, and ranch dressing on a pretzel roll. Simon had no idea what a chicken sandwich had to do with a Navy Aircraft carrier or the former President but the local radio jocks spent a week broadcasting about the deli, its new sandwich, and the boat. Soon following, the local McDonald’s had a similar version of the sandwich on the menu, and everyone was all jazzed about the “NEW USA," as they liked to chant, with Navy ships parked in their front yard. Unlike the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy, this time there were no freedom fries or other gaudy patriotic outpourings. To all appearances, the swing towards national loyalty was a tacit one, which allowed the Government to move in unprecedented fashions toward authoritarianism and the seditionists to grow “the rebellion," in the quiet undercurrent. Both sides of the extreme fringe, Antifa and QAnon, were already armed to the teeth before the gun ban went into effect three weeks after O'Leary was inaugurated. When that happened they went underground and started organizing online and in the backwoods of places like Arizona and Montana. By the end of 2022, online groups with names like The Q Republic, The Seditionists, and The Black Reclamation, were organizing and active in all fifty states. Some blew up old cars, barns, trailers, and storage containers on camera and streamed it live from Bumfuckville, USA. They put the videos of their “tactics” on social media sites for the alt-right like QNEWS and Parler with captions like, “Death to Dems” and “Payment for the Steal” to prove their commitment to their ideals. Others marched and rioted, burning down businesses and blowing up police cars. Conservatives called their side patriots and blamed the libs for their Antifa antics. The liberals called their side activists while referring to the conservative fringe as terrorists. Fingers were pointed in every direction, but in truth, neither their tactics nor their beliefs mattered. Whether they torched police barracks or raided the Capitol Building, they all had the same ax to grind: they hated the Government. When the protesters who fought so hard to keep Herzog in office, finally banded together with the white supremacist groups, they called themselves the Seditionists. These were the groups that blew up six of the major bank buildings in Tampa Bay. In response to the attacks, Naval ships were moved into American harbors, the Army was ordered into the streets and all of it was to protect hometown America. ​ ​ The military occupation of America began. The Army set up security offices in places like New Bern, North Carolina; Stratford, Connecticut; and Kalamazoo, Michigan. They called them Military-Political offices. They were set up in local municipal buildings, and people were encouraged to report seditious neighbors. They thought that would root out the bad elements. At first, it bothered Simon, but he, like everyone else, accepted it after learning that either Antifa or a group of white power extremists bombed Tampa. The general public was never told exactly who did it, just that they were the “seditious fringe." Three years later, the mixed messages from the media and the emails from the Government made Simon wonder what he wasn’t being told and what was really going on. He started questioning everything. Looking back, he couldn’t remember a time when the military wasn’t in town hall, although he knew it wasn’t always so.