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Never Trump, true conservative cruise director Bill Kristol, recently tried a run at Kurt Schlichter, calling him a–what else?–racist.  Schlichter has, upon occasion, called Kristol out as a Never Trumper, true conservative cruise director and failed magazine editor, so Kristol’s ankle biting was not unexpected.  However, there is no evidence whatever Schlichter is racist–quite the opposite–not that a lack of evidence deters socialists/Trump haters from crying racist.  In any case, as the responses indicate, Kristol didn’t so much as penetrate Schlichter’s socks: 

Schlichter is doing quite well, thank you.  However, in June of 2016, I wrote a review of Stephen Coont’s then new novel, Liberty’s Last Stand.  The book was particularly timely as it proposed an Obama-like president who used terrorist incidents as an excuse to declare martial law and remain in office for life.  CIA Director Jake Grafton and CIA troubleshooter Tommy Carmellini eventually save the day.

Far fetched?  Coonts is an excellent novelist, and paints a compelling picture of just how such a scenario would be likely to play out.  In the America of the book, many federal employees, FBI, DOJ, FEMA and other agencies gladly went along with the would be tyrant, though most of the military, particularly enlisted personnel and lower ranking officers, did not.  Events since the publication of the book have confirmed that in any such attempt at overturning the Constitution, many federal employees would betray their oaths and their fellow Americans.

Now comes Kurt Schlichter.  Army Officer, lawyer—we won’t hold that against him—and author—he writes a Monday and Thursday article for Townhall.com, which you should bookmark–who has produced a three book—4th coming this summer–series of thrillers based on an all too likely premise: a second civil war, followed the negotiated red/blue sundering of America.  As regular readers know, I have been writing on the possibility of a second civil war for some time, in the ardent hope it never comes to pass.  That archive is available here.

The first book in the series—People’s Republic—is the story of Army special forces veteran Kelly Turnbull, who is making his way as an operative for Red America, the remnant of constitutional America, whose capital is Dallas, TX.  Turnbull often penetrates the hostile and repressive formerly blue states, now The People’s Republic, to gather intelligence, and to rescue people, bringing them back into the red.

Indian Country is the prequel to People’s Republic.  Turnbull is sent to a strategic part of Indiana as negotiations are underway to adjust the red/blue borders.  His job is to assist citizens who, stuck in the blue, want their part of Indiana to return to the red.  He ends up successfully leading an insurgency, at great cost.

Wildfire takes place after the action of People’s Republic. Turnbull, with the help of the head of the People’s Republic secret police, intercepts a jihadist plot to loose a deadly virus that could kill billions.   This novel takes him to Europe, and is played out on a more international stage.

Schlichter is experienced enough to depict combat, firearms, and related issues realistically.  As always, there might be a quibble about this or that detail among those knowledgeable about such matters, but any potential errors–and they are rare–are that: quibbles.

The world Schlichter creates, set in the near future, is an entirely logical extension of what is likely to happen as Socialists continue to reject American constitutionalism, and in the process, demonize everyone that does not slavishly support their deranged, murderous, socialist worldview.  I’m only annoyed I didn’t think of this narrative first.

The People’s Republic is a standard, one each, socialist worker’s paradise. Everyone has varying personal pronouns.  The wealthy elite live behind walled, guarded compounds.  They have all of the things middle class Americans have always had, and more. Everyone else is a communist worker. Grocery store shelves are mostly empty, there are virtually no choices, toilet paper is rare, everything is broken down and falling apart, and food is scarce and rationed.  Everyone must carry ID, which identifies their privilege level. There is a federalized police force composed of criminal thugs–all the real police fled to the red states at the split–and a secret police force, charged primarily with keeping everyone in line.  Education is political indoctrination–lies about history and the reality of red America. There are reeducation camps, ubiquitous government brutality and oppression, summary executions, all the delightful trappings of every socialist state that has ever existed.  Schlichter didn’t need to make anything up, merely mirror the realities of socialism and take political correctness a very few steps beyond its current state.

Red America is very much like the constitutional America envisioned by the Founders, but there are several significant changes: immigration is strictly enforced.  No one gets in unless they are a net benefit to the nation; there is no welfare for immigrants.  No one is allowed to vote unless they serve in the military.  Food, gas, electricity, toilet paper, running water, all the trappings of modern civilization, unlike the People’s Republic, exist as they do now—in most of America.  As one might imagine, Red America is mostly Flyover Country, the traditional red states, while the always leftist coasts are the People’s Republic.

Kelly Turnbull is a hard man, and thus far, he has had no time for assignations ala James Bond.  He lives in a world where maintaining a low profile is life itself. He does interact with women, and he’s no celibate, but he’s a very, very busy and capable guy, and is realistically written.  Romance isn’t easy to write, but I suspect Schlichter will eventually get around to it.

Military thrillers of this sort are something of a guilty pleasure with me.  I read a great deal of non-fiction as well, but this kind of reading is, in a way, practice.  When I retire in the near future, I may try my hand at that sort of writing.  It’s a difficult genre, but I’ll have the time, and I’m not getting any prettier.

Like me, Schlichter writes in the hope the world he has created never comes to pass.  Things don’t have to turn out that way, but it’s not looking good.

Entertaining, perhaps prophetic, this series of adventures is very much worthy of your time, gentle readers, as are Schlichter’s other books, and his weekly articles.