“I don’t know. I’ve been to three meetings now. This one was fairly typical. They're encouraging students to be in key positions. The other students seem to have high integrity. I haven't been uncomfortable in the meetings. Far from it, I can voice my opinion that modernizing the country is vital to our survival. They smile at me. I think they're committed to helping the country through peaceful means.”
“I'm committed to helping the people of my country in whatever way I can, but I don't want to be involved in something that leads to civil war.”
“I think civil war is what they are trying to prevent.”
“Do you think civil war is possible?”
Andrew sighed. “Yes, I can't see how much longer the northerners
are going to put up with the senseless oppression from the south. I apologize if I offend you. I know you respect your family and that's good. The fact remains that the inequality has erupted into violence in the past. It will again unless things change to give the northerners equal rights.”
“I'm not blind. I know the north has grievances. I also know that most just want to go about the business of caring for their families. The rest seem to drown their grievances in alcohol.”
“You're hard on them.”
“I've stepped over the bodies on the sidewalk. I agree in equality. I agree in social justice and equal rights. I hate to think of the northerners getting to the point where they start a civil war.”
“Jake Jaconovich, have you ever considered that it may not be the north who starts it?” We walked on, silent for a long time.
Finally, I said, “I don't see why the south would attack the north. The south has all the power and privileges. I can see why the north might resort to violence. Why would the south?”
“For the same reason it has resorted to violence periodically for the past three hundred and fifty years; to keep the north down. Don’t you read between the lines of your history texts? The wool rebellion—who got killed? The cannery rebellion—who got killed? You must know something about the burning of M’TK—who got killed?”