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Message: <blockquote data-quote="stevew" data-source="post: 250776" data-attributes="member: 130">Episode 3Police and protestors class on the streets all across America, tear gas flies and fills every nook and cranny. Shots are fired and bodies lie on the cold pavement. Blood flows down gutters. Placards, calling to “Stop the Steal” painted in blue and red, litter everywhere.A television news broadcaster says, “The Mexican government has confirmed the death of Boris Sechin, Russian oil and gas billionaire. His compound in the Yucatan Peninsula, raided by Mexican federal troops, lead to a deadly confrontation in which Sechin and dozens more were killed. The SPCA in on hand to rescue hundreds of animals, mostly dogs, held in squalor for fighting. The Mexican government has called in the American National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, stating that over two hundred children were found, held captive on the compound, many believed to be American.” A videos plays as the man talks, a somber horror in his voice. Mexican federal troops and Branch Water mercenaries, clearly marked, walk the grounds, rescuing dogs and children.A fleet of limousines twist and turn in a line through the Rocky Mountains coming to an enormous, old, brick mansion turned resort and then letting out the passengers of each, among them Richard Channing and Sophie Barkley, John Ross and Jacobi Ewing, and Dia Chi.Inside a crowd gathers in a large reception room and a wide barrel vaulted hallway. Coming to the end of the corridor a grand staircase appears where Lucy stands on the landing, a magnificent window behind her, leaning against the railing, watching as the people below wonder. Nodding to friends and acquaintances below. She holds out her hand and says, “Jacobi. Welcome to the Tamarack Institute.”Among the crowd Richard says, “Queen Muna. How are you? I’d like you to meet my niece Sophie.”“Hello Sophie. I’ve heard a great deal about you from your uncle.”Greg Sumner says to John Ross, “I assume you heard before the rest of us, about Boris Sechin.”“Of course. The Mexican government asked for Branch Water’s help. Terrible that they couldn’t bring him in to stand trial.”“I hear the records they captured are going to take the news off Bower’s trial.”“I don’t know if anything could do that. What I’m curious to find out is if Bouton’s special assistant, Jeremey Steinberg, is in any of Sechine’s videos.”Greg chuckles, “I’m curious to see if Bower and/or Bouton show up in any themselves. They were both chummy with Steinberg. But then you already know if they will, I suspect.”“Greg. Do you know my son, Jacobi?”“Yes I do. Nice to see you again, Jacobi. He and my son, Mattie, are friends.”“Oh really. Always nice to have a journalist for a friend, you just have to be careful; they’re always taking notes.”Greg says, “I’m sure, so are you. I bet your files are packed full of notes.”“Well my daddy taught me to keep everything organized.”Greg chuckles, “I bet he did,” and walks off to meet the next person.John Ross says to Jacobi, “One day remind me to show you the red files.”Jacobi questions, “The red files?”“Just remind me. And when I do, don’t forget the black box. We just a whole lot more information we have to decide what to do with.”“From this raid in Mexico?”“Exactly. What to keep? What to release. When to release it. There’s a lot of work to be done.”Before Jacobi can follow up, Dia Chi walks over to them, “John Ross. Was that Senator Sumner?”“The one and only.”“You think he’ll end up the Senate Majority leader?”“I do. Of course, if the Republican’s loose the special election. Then they’ll also loose in Wisconsin, eventually, because that idiot doesn’t know when to stop. You got to love dumb folks. They just keep giving and giving.”Richard approaches next. “Dia. John Ross. Jacobi.” Looking at John Ross he says, “Excellent job in Mexico.”“Thank you.”In an auditorium the crowd gathers in comfortable seats while a panel takes to the stage. One of the members on the panel says, “Well actually, I don’t see how originalist judges cannot throw-out preemptive pardons and pardons for confessions of guilt - maybe reduced sentences at best, but not pardon someone who confessed. A pardon, when reading what the intention was, has to do with a court case going awry. Pleading guilty isn’t awry, it’s an admission of guilt. Maybe the sentencing went awry so you commute it, but that’s not what happened. A check on the court system finding him guilty was used, the pardon because he was bullied or some such. But he wasn’t found guilty. He confessed to guilt. And the same applies for preemptive pardons. You can’t pardon someone for something on which they haven’t been found guilty. I get what you’re saying about president, but I’m talking three originalist judges. How do you look at the original thought behind pardon and accept that a President can pardon someone preemptively or even someone who confesses to guilt? Even the Texas Attorney General was only under investigation. He wasn’t found guilty.”Another panelist asks, “And as an originalist lawyer yourself, this is your take on how the three Bower appointees will come out, if, or when, this comes to their court?”“That’s the thing about being an originalist, just as you can predict the ruling or a partisan judge, you can predict the ruling of an originalist if you study the original documents surrounding the insertion into the constitution.”“And this is coming to the court, having wide ranging impact, through this case of sedition. Define for us an originalist’s definition of sedition under the 14th amendment.”“Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of the constitution, that to which we swear an oath.”“And by supporting the Texas case for the Supreme Court to take up the issue of election fraud, these members of Congress, and others, engaged in sedition?”“No. Supporting a court case is your constitution right to speech and even petition, even if such a case is baseless and the court calls you out on it.”“Meaning so little evidence they don’t even give it a trial.”“Exactly. What is sedition is the act of inciting people to rebel which has gone alone with this case and all the others. Words on record matter. Those words are sedition.”Another speaker says, “Link that to the fact that clearly what is being attempted here is a divide of the United States on par with what happened to the Soviet Union in the early nineties and that the Russian government is not ever held to task for his acts of war on the United States under Bower, including a massive raid just prior to his leaving office, and you have a conversation of Treason. High Treason.”This statement is followed by a lot of mumbling in the crowd.Later in the day, under a beautiful tent, everyone gathers for a meal around a hundred round tables, candlelight and twinkling crystal. John Ross and Jacobi find themselves at a table with Richard, Sophie and Dia. Richard says to Jacobi, “So what did you think about that discussion on Rouge States?”“I found it fascinating that so many have been removed from the list so quietly. It’s impressive how a simple speech from our President at the time can lead to a revolution in another county. And the next thing you know, no more rogue state.”“Your great grandfather was involved in helping the U.S. with Venezuela and your grandfather had business dealings with a company involved with the Venezuelan government. It’s been a long play. A very long play.”“Yes, my grandfather was murdered in Venezuela and today Ewing Industries owns DeLeVega. Yet, I’m not sure we’ve made any progress.”“Oh we have. I assure you we have.”“And what about North Korea and Iran?”“Two complicated stories. I wish we’d put into practice the agreement we had with Iran.”“Wasn’t it kind of us bending over backwards for them.”“Not at all. The most important part is we get access inside that county. We’ve got to lift sanctions. Not so the ruling class can horde it all and continue behind our backs working on nuclear weapons, but so the American culture intoxicates the Iranian culture. It’s how you turn a rouge state friendly.”Dia says, “Unfortunately, we’ve lost Syria to Russia.”Sophie says, “And why isn’t Russia and China on the list?”“Counties like Russia, China, the United States, they can’t be rogue by definition,” Dia states.Jacobi says, “It just seems like a very complicated chess came.”Richard replies, “Exactly. The point is to be many moves ahead of your opponent so that he continues to play, not to win.”“So the conspiracy theories people buy into, some of them are true?”John Ross says, “Of course not. If you think you’re smart enough to know the play, you’re the one being played.”Arnold sits alone on a bench surrounded by the walls of towering shrubs when Mattie finds him. Out of breath he sits down next to him, “Don’t you find this a bit extreme?”“Find what?”“Being here.”“No. Why?”“Never mind. It is beautiful here. Kind of peaceful, considering all the people on the other side of this shrubbery. I was in high school when my mother brought me here. I was studying French and having a hard time of it. I look Japanese in elementary school and could actually read and write something so far removed from English, but I couldn’t master congregating verbs in French. It was . . .”“Don’t tell me how educated you are. Tell me how much you’ve traveled.”“My mother and I traveled a lot actually. All over Europe. Every nook and cranny. Then one day she decided we should go to Japan. I guess I’ve been traveling my entire life. A lot of it for work.”“But now, you’re mostly in Washington, for work?”“I guess so. I don’t, things changed in the last four years.”“That they did.”“So why did you come all the way here?”“I like it here. There’s a little café I think about a lot. Not far from here. Want to grab a bite to eat?”“Sure. You don’t want to walk around some?”“I have. It’s one of the places in the world that just makes you feel small, it’s size, it’s precision, it’s place in time.”Mattie hugs Arnold. They sit there holding each other, in that small outdoor room, part of a maze, part of a garden, part of the landscape of Versailles, in the shadow of the chateau.John Ross meets Jacobi as he gets out of the pool, drying off in the early hours of the morning, the mountains in the background. “Good to see you up early.”“You’re up early yourself,” Jacobi says.“Oh, I’ve been up. I start my first meeting at five.” He hands him a piece of folded note paper.“What’s this.” Jacobi looks over it.“That’s a list of Ewing assets.”“It’s a list of names.”“Yes.”“Since when are people assets?”“When you own them. Look it over. Everyone on there should know by the time we leave you’re my number one.”“Your number one?”“The person I most count on.”“What’ll I do, go up to them and say, ‘hi, I’m Jacboi, John Ross Ewing’s number one.”“Don’t be silly. You have to decide if you want this. There’s no going back.”“Of course. I told you I did.”“Yeah well, without any prior knowledge. But you’ll get there. I didn’t have a choice. It’s what my father wanted. He worked hard to join. And, I was all he had. I’ve got one more task and then I’ll have completed everything he left me to do.”“Venezuela?”“Yes.”“I want to help you.”“No. This is something I have to do on my own. I heard you meet Carol Lynne.”“I did. Thanks to Sophie.”“Don’t let Lucy hear, she’ll be pissed.”“Well and I don’t want momma to know either. Things are difficult enough for her.”“Probably best. You OK?”“Of course. Is Sophie Richard’s number one?”“No. Her father is. I think his intention might be for Sophie to be Lance’s number one. Have you heard about Lance’s brother, Cardinal Rossini? He on a short list for Pope next go round.”“You’re kidding?”“Not in the least. Watch out for Sophie. Hear me?”“Why?”“Because I told you to.” The Ewing men watch a gorgeous Asian girl in a bikini make her way from the building to the pool and dive in. “That’s Oliva Fang. Everybody knows she works for Dia Chi.”“What’s up with that dude?”“What do you mean?”“Is he on our side or the Chinese?”“You’re a long way from getting those questions answered.”From the Oval Office President Boutton addresses the nation. “I come to you tonight with a heavy heart. As our nation faces its great existential threat in a hundred and fifty years, an age old enemy continues to relentlessly attack us in cyber space. While I have sent a team to negotiate with China, demanding a ceasefire in the meantime, the Russian government has refused such, claiming that they are innocent. Yet all intelligence sources, ours and our friends, have made it very clear to me and the Congressional leadership that they are the culprit for what has been happening to this nation for over four years. It is not a witch hunt to say that President Bower’s team colluded with the Russians and it is not fake news to say that President Bower did not address them once, over anything they did, not so much as even calling them out. And so it falls on me to address an emboldened enemy. At the invitation of Georgia, as I speak the United States Navy has arrived in Poti to set up a permanent U.S. military base. We are also recommending Georgia and the Ukraine for NATO membership. Furthermore, the U.S. Military has begun a cyber-attack on Russia the likes of which has never been seen. This attack will last for twenty-four hours. Following that I ask that the Russia government present themselves as more thoughtful in their actions. The United States will not stand by while a corrupt authoritarian dictatorship attacks our very institutions of government. We will attack in kind.To my fellow Americans I say that as we come out of this most trying time, I ask that you stand by each other. The enemy is not here among us. He rests out there, revealing in the belief that he can divide and conquer us. He cannot. We are one nation, under God, indivisible.”Jacobi and Olivia ravish each other as they enter his hotel room, still in their swimwear, mostly naked, hands all over each other, mouths groping one and other.Mattie walks along a cold, rocky shore to find Arnold sitting on a stone tossing pebbles into the crashing waves. “Why am I having to crisscross the globe to find you? First Paris. Then Tibet and now New Zealand. What’s going on?”“Aren’t you terrified?”“Of what?”“The confrontation with Russia.”“Well, I guess I’m concerned. But I’m more concerned about you right now. Besides you were on the run long before Boutton made his announcement. You were in that monetary in Tibet. How did you even get here about it up in those mountains?”“I knew about it before I left Washington.”“What the Russian’s hacking?”“That and Boutton’s response. He was meeting with Congress.”“Yes but no one knew about that. You’re saying you knew what he was planning?”“I’m saying I knew what going on as it was going on and I’m terrified. It’s just stuff you see. You wish you didn’t. You wish you could stuff it all back in the box, but you can’t. You can’t unsee what you saw.”Mattie sits next to Arnold and holds him in his arms.In the early morning Jacobi swims across the length of the pool before coming to the end and walking up and out, soaking wet, pushing his hair back. Richard stands where the steps of the pool water meet the deck and hands the young man a towel. “Good morning for a swim.”Jacobi takes the towel, “Yes I suppose it is.”“Dia and I would like to have a talk with you.”“Sure.”The three take a seat at a round table near the pool, a few other’s swim and meet around the large outside deck just off the hotel. Richard says, “Olivia Fang.”“What about her?” Jacobi asks.“An attractive woman, but she may compromise you and the last thing any of us wants is for you to be compromised.”“I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”“None of can, so don’t go talking stupid. Your father’s got a lot on his plate, with Venezuela, this woman from your room last night, she’s friendly with the Chinese and that’s my play.”“Play?”“Has your father mentioned the Tredecium?”“No.”“I’m one of them.”“And my father?”“No. John Ross is what we refer to as an associate. There are different levels of associates but your father is of the highest regard.”“So who else is part of this Tredecium?”“That I can’t tell you.”“And what is it?”“Friends who organize things, business, government.”“Like some sort of conspiracy theory shadow government?”“No. Those are for people to pretend they know what’s going on, but once you think you know the play, well, you’re being played.”“Something my father would say his father said.”“Your mother, your biological mother.”“Carol Lynn David.”“Carol Lynn Rosemont.”“Rosemont?”“Her father was a member of the Tredecium. I had the opportunity to address him and his friends at one time, thinking there was something that could be done, but they only became stronger. Just as you think they’re defeated they come back stronger. Just as you think you know what they’re up to, they’re playing you for a fool. But make no mistake, without them, what you call a county does not exist.”“And you’re now one of them?”“And I believe, that one day, so will you, be one.”“You’re not passing this title down to your son?”“No. That’s not how this works. I certainly wouldn’t wish the burden on them. It’s not a gift Jacobi. It’s a responsibility.”“Why bring this to me?”“I want your help.”“With what?”“China. I’ll leave you with Dia. If you stay, you’ll learn more than you can ever forget. But there’s no turning back. So, if you don’t want to hear what he’s offering, then leave the table as well and we’ll find someone else. But as a friendly bit of advice, no matter what path you choose, Olivia Fang, she is not who you think she is.” Richard gets up and leaves Jacobi at the table with Dia Chi.Inside the lobby of the mansion there’s a stirring, a commotion of people sharing with one and other a major news event. Greg Sumner stops a very handsome, young blond man and says, “What’s going on?”“The news . . . Russia’s power grid has collapsed. They’re saying they can’t even access the money in their banks. Planes can’t take off. Trains have stopped, right in their tracks. Aircraft carriers are just floating out to see.”</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?