"William W. Johnstone - Ashes 01 - Out of the Ashes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

тАЬThe law of the land, Ed,тАЭ she reminded him.

тАЬBut,тАЭ the president stared hard at his wife of fifty yearsтАФmore than his wife: his friend, his confidante.
тАЬIs it really the law of the land? Of the people, for the people? Is it constitutional?тАЭ

тАЬThe supreme court says it is.тАЭ

тАЬFive to four,тАЭ President Fayers grunted. тАЬNot exactly an overwhelming majority.тАЭ He walked to the
window and looked out at the night. тАЬI cannot forget the news film of that fellow down in South Carolina.
That man never had so much as a traffic ticket in his whole life. And agentsтАФfederal agentsтАФemployed
by the very government his taxes help support, shot himstone damned dead! And for what? Because he
wanted to keep a .38 pistol in his house. Ah, hell!тАЭ The president waved his disgust.
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тАЬThe country is becoming prosperous once again,тАЭ she said, attempting to change the subject.

тАЬWhat's the matter?тАЭ He grinned at her. тАЬYou worried about my blood pressure?тАЭ

тАЬSomebody has to. You won't.тАЭ

тАЬAfter all the social blunders of the тАШ60s and тАШ70s ... I'll be goddamned if we're not heading down the
same old road. Just look at that new pack of liberals in Congress.тАЭ

тАЬIt's the will of the people, Ed.тАЭ

тАЬNo.тАЭ He shook his head. тАЬNo, honey, that's the shame of itтАФit isn't. It's the will of pressure groups,
lobbyists, so-called Christians.тАЭ He poured a drink under the frowning gaze of his wife. He downed it
neat, then sighed. тАЬSomething's in the wind. And it stinks. I just don't know what it is.тАЭ He sat down.
тАЬGod, I'm tired. I'm seventy-five years old. I'm tired. I just want out.тАЭ

Ben Raines sat on the front porch of his home in Louisiana and for the first time in a long time thought
about Vietnam and how, during the quiet moments after patrol, unwinding, but still too keyed up to sleep,
he would sit with his buddies and talk of home, women, movies, and politicsтАФas well as other topics.

Two decades had passed since that exercise in futility had ended for Ben. He didn't think about it often.
The nightmares had dimmed into occasional dreams, without substance, the blood in them no longer red
and thick and real. The screaming faint night sounds now had no meaning, and the smoke from the
burning villages was no longer acrid, did not burn his eyes or leave a bitter taste on his tongue.

It was just a fading memory. Nothing more.

He wondered, now that SALT 5 was two years old and the nuclear weapons around the world had
been greatly reduced, at least for the major countries, if there would ever be another war.

He felt there would be, and he also wondered if Russia and America were living up to the terms of the
agreement.