Chapter 495 - 230: Schism (Part 4)
"Here, abortion is considered murder. A doctor who dares to perform the procedure will be sent to prison."
"But in California, the government will even pay for underage girls to get free abortions."
"Is this even the same country?"
Roosevelt posed the question.
"Can you imagine this kind of division happening in any unitary state with strong central authority?"
"No, it’s unthinkable."
"In the same country, even law and medical licenses aren’t universally accepted. A law license you get in Pennsylvania is just a worthless piece of paper in Ohio."
"When we’re in Pennsylvania, we have no idea how powerful Mormonism is in Utah. When we’re in Utah, we don’t understand the refugee crisis on the Texas border."
"This fragmentation, this fundamental flaw of the federal system."
"This is our weapon."
Roosevelt’s voice grew passionate.
"Leo, tell them."
"Threatening them by splitting the vote isn’t enough."
"We’re going to turn Pennsylvania into an independent kingdom on the map of this Federation."
"We’re going to enact an administrative decoupling."
Leo began to speak.
"Mr. Stern, you’re right. The state apparatus is powerful."
"But you may have forgotten that the buttons to operate this machine are in our hands."
"We’re not just forming a party."
"In Western Pennsylvania, we’re going to use all the administrative resources controlled by the Industrial Revival Alliance."
"To establish a zone of immunity from federal law."
Stern was stunned. "What did you say?"
"I said, a zone of immunity."
"In this zone, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards will no longer be enforced because we will override them with local ordinances."
"In this zone, federal healthcare laws will be replaced by our Mutual Aid Alliance. All medical payments will bypass insurance companies and be settled directly within our system."
"In this zone, if a subpoena from a Federal Court arrives, our Industrial Revival Alliance’s city police will refuse to enforce it under the pretext of maintaining local public order and stability."
"We will even intercept federal marshals."
Stern was floored by these words.
’Leo is talking about rebellion.’
"You’re insane!"
Stern slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. He pointed at Murphy, his finger trembling violently.
"Do you have any idea what you’re saying? This is unconstitutional! This is treason!"
"The President can invoke the Insurrection Act at any time to mobilize the National Guard! If you think you can fight the Federal Government with a few truck drivers and a mob, you’re hopelessly naive!"
"We will drive tanks into Pittsburgh! We will send every single one of you to federal prison on charges of treason!"
Faced with this thunderous rage, Murphy’s face turned pale, and he instinctively wanted to back away.
But the laughter from the other end of the phone was like an anchor, pinning his feet to the floor.
"The National Guard?"
Leo laughed.
The laughter echoed from the phone’s speaker.
"Sir, have you been in Washington for too long? Have you forgotten how the world works out here?"
"Have you forgotten that command of the Pennsylvania National Guard rests with the governor?"
"Unless there’s a large-scale armed insurrection, for the President to bypass the governor and mobilize troops directly requires an extremely lengthy legal process. And what we’re discussing right now is a legitimate political campaign."
Leo’s voice suddenly turned cold.
"Besides, do you think the current governor of Pennsylvania will listen to you, or to me?"
Stern froze.
"Of course he’ll listen to the White House!" Stern retorted instinctively. "He’s a Democrat!"
"No, he is first and foremost a politician who needs to get reelected."
Leo cut him off.
"And right now, I hold the will of the entire Rust Belt in my hands."
Leo’s words were like a hammer, striking the conference table again and again.
"Erie, Scranton, Johnston... those forgotten industrial cities, those angry blue-collar workers—they only recognize one name now, and that’s the Industrial Revival Alliance."
"With a single phone call, I can put hundreds of thousands of workers on the streets."
"And then there’s Luigi’s case."
Leo continued.
"Did you really think I let the state police take him because I had no other choice?"
"I could have had the local courts in Pittsburgh intervene directly, but I didn’t. That was me showing you my good faith, telling you that I still want to solve this within the rules."
Leo’s voice grew low.
"I let him be taken. I let him go to Philadelphia. I even played along with your little show and didn’t let the situation spiral out of control right away."
"That was my biggest concession, Mr. Stern."
"But you mistook that concession for weakness."
"You pushed your luck, even trying to use legislation to brand him a terrorist and erase him completely."
"Since you don’t want to be civil, then we don’t have to be."
The breathing on the other end of the line became heavy.
"I can call Harrisburg right now."
"Tell the governor, tell those fence-sitters in the State Assembly."
"If they dare to cooperate with the Federal Government to suppress us, if they treat the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution like a piece of scrap paper."
"Fine."
Leo’s voice turned ice-cold.
"I’ll have the Unions go on an indefinite strike. I’ll have the truck drivers block every interstate highway. I’ll bring construction at the ports to a complete standstill."
"I will send Pennsylvania’s economy back ten years overnight."
"I will set all of Pennsylvania on fire."