"William W Johnstone - Ashes 16 - Vengance in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

was of a like mind concerning the criminal-justice system, crime was
very easy to control and eliminate. When a citizen could safely shoot a
burglar without fear of jail or lawsuits, those so disposed toward

11 crime quickly learned that it was not only unprofitable, it was
downright deadly. When every law-abiding citizen had access to a gun,
and shooting a criminal was not only legal, it was encouraged,
criminals, like rats and other creatures of the night, soon sought a
safer clime.

In the Rebel system, everybody that was able worked. There were no free
rides in the Rebel system. No police officer had to read anyone his
rights, for an individual's rights were taught in school, from
kindergarten on up. Public schools taught young people to respect the
rights of others and to respect the land and the animals who lived in
the woods and forests. Kids were taught both at home and in the schools
to respect warnings. They were taught that if they encountered a Keep
Out or No Trespassing sign, they stopped and either turned around or
found another way to get to where they were going. What few written laws
the Rebels had on the books were not there to be broken; they were there
to be obeyed.

What the Rebels had done, under the direction of Ben Raines, was to
uncomplicate living. Their way of life in the outposts was, by the very
nature of the times, harsh, but it didn't have to be complicated. Any
Rebel society was based on order and justice. Not law and order. Order
and justice. A criminal convicted of any major felony was given a
choice, however: a hangman's noose or a firing squad.

As it had been in the old Tri-States, in any Rebel society medical care
was free. So was education from kindergarten through college.
Kindergarten through high school was mandatory. In the Rebel societies,
the teachers were left alone to teach, and the students learned.

The Rebel army was made up of everybody-male and female-who lived in a
Rebel society. Everybody

12 became a member automatically at age sixteen. By that time, a person
had already completed hundreds of hours of paramilitary training. One
either joined the Rebel army or was kicked out from under the umbrella
of Rebel protection and put on his own, his ID card destroyed. Without
an ID card, no one could receive medical aid or buy supplies from any
Rebel outpost.

There were many thousands of people who lived outside the safety zones
of Rebel-held territory, many thousands more than who lived in the towns
controlled by Rebels. No one was forced to join the Rebels. But anyone
with any common sense at all did.
The members of the ten battalions of the regular Rebel army were, to a
person, trained to the cutting edge, honed down to hard muscle and