| Steal This Book Too |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
PROLOGUE:
It has been some fifty years since the events that led up to my being a Shaman of the Human Beings on the Island of
Humans. I am Michael McEwan, and I was twelve years old when it all started. There was a certain irony that the day was the
fourth of July when the big one hit. It didn't quite happen like everyone had thought it would; the old saying that California
would fall into the Pacific Ocean some day wasn't quite the case. What did occur was, along with California, the landmass
that held all states west of the Rocky Mountains, including part of Mexico, had slid half way out into the Pacific Ocean and
came to a halt near the Hawaiian Islands. The chaos that came along with this geological nightmare was horrific.
The cause of this disaster was the Pacific plate made a sudden shift eastward under the continental plate, thus forcing all
land west of the Rocky Mountains to break off, and slide westward into the Pacific Ocean. The tectonic plates have been
moving as long as they have existed, moving, separating, and forming continents on their way. Scientists had speculated
that the sudden shift of a landmass could occur, but there was no way of knowing when or where it might happen.Not only
did earthquakes destroy complete cities, but Tsunamis also completely wiped out entire coastal areas flooding inland valleys.
Volcanoes erupted in various places along the Sierra Nevada mountain range causing wild fires that destroyed all but small
areas of forests.
Dams burst, completely washing out towns and cities, needless to say, millions of people died, and most of those that
managed to survive had gone to live in what was left of the continental United States.
The world was already in dire straights due to the ever-increasing hostilities of what was the beginning of World War III. Dad
knew for some time that severe difficulties would begin to occur in the States, though not many other people had taken it
seriously. He knew there would be hard times ahead, so he had spent all of his spare time preparing for them. He had us all
working towards self-sufficiency on our little ranch for a couple of years before it happened. We lived in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains where we had a nice little ranch. We had a large cache of supplies, food, water, guns, ammo etc.,
in an underground bunker that dad and I, along with a few of his select friends had built.
We dug out the side of a hill, and lined the walls with steel plates that dad had scrounged up somewhere; we then poured
concrete about a foot thick for further protection. The room was shaped like an igloo before it was covered with dirt, and
once it was covered, the steel doors were set back twenty feet into a tunnel. Dad had spent a lot of time planning this
bunker, and it wasn't as hard as it would seem to build. The beauty of it was that if you didn't know it was there, you would
never know that it was anything more than a hill.
Because of dads planning, we weren't affected as hard by the difficulties as a lot of other people where. Our remote location,
and preparedness was a big factor in our lack of difficulties. It was starting to get pretty bad in the cities, with rationing of
food, and fuel. People were starting to loot with no regard for their fellow humans. Regrettably my mother, brother, and sister
didn't survive the big one; they had died in the fires. My Father and I had been in Texas on one of our annual snake hunts.
We collected data of endangered reptiles along with specimens for breeding. My father, Kelly McEwan, was a veterinarian by
trade, with an interest in herpetology - the study of reptiles. Dad had a particular passion towards snakes. I also possessed
awe for this incredible animal. Dad and I felt that snakes were an evolutionary wonder, and we especially didn't like the bad
reputation they had with humankind. Dad was a licensed breeder of endangered snake species and it was his goal to
educate as many people as he could about the positive aspects of all snakes. I was his protégé, and you couldn't stop me
from spending every minute with dad that had anything to do with snakes.
For the first year after the big one we were stuck in Texas on what was left of the continent. During that time the armed
forces had been busy locating and transporting survivors back to the mainland. After their rescue efforts were completed on
the new continent, the Army National Guard had stayed to keep law and order where needed. It was six months before we
got the news about Mom and my Brother and Sister; this made dad very angry. He had done nothing but try to find out about
our family since the big one hit, and he grew angrier by the day. The government hadn't been much help, and he
encountered "red tape” with every new lead. Dad was a big man, but he was very quiet and gentle, with a strong love of his
family. He didn't voice his anger very often, but I knew he was fed up with the whole damn mess; I felt the
same way.
It was almost a year after the big one before we got over to the new continent, as the military wouldn't let anyone except
mandatory personnel go over for rescue operations. When we finally did go it was only because dad was a veterinarian. The
army needed veterinarians to help manage the livestock that would feed them, and the rest of the remaining population.
There probably weren't more than a hundred thousand people on the new continent, most of which were military personnel.
The government wasn't allowing any civilians to go over there as they didn't want any large-scale revitalization until they
could properly govern, or control the new territory, as they already had their hands full with the war.
It was in the fall after the big one that the communist party started to regain control of the former countries of the United
Soviet Socialist Republic. They waged war on all of the republics that wouldn't come back under their control. This didn't go
over very well in Washington, and the President certainly wasn't going to let Communism run rampant. There was also the
fear that the Russians might want to conquer the new continent.
Fortunately, the immediate threat of war that was pending with Japan over some severe trade embargoes that had been
imposed on them was gone. When the new continent slid into the Pacific Ocean, it caused a Tsunami unlike any in recorded
history that completely wiped out most of Japan and its defenses. In the spring, not quite a year after the big one, the United
States declared war with Russia. The pending threat of World War III was close at hand once again.
The United Nations had all but resolved in the last few years, due to the United States involvement in just about every world
conflict that popped up. Global terrorism by Islamic fundamentalist was rampant, and the Middle East was immersed in wars.
The control of world oil supplies was at stake, teetering the scale of world dominance. The United States had been dubbed
the Globo-cops of the world. It was as if we would dominate the world, and the United Nations wasn't about to stop us. We
had all but conquered Mexico after their economy had collapsed, claiming their States as part of the United States of
America. The European Nations where fed up with our economic sanctions against them for purchasing petroleum products
from rogue Arab nations supporting Islamic terrorism. The only real good news after the big one was that war with Japan was
not going to happen. World tension was at an all time high, and obviously the United States had enough on their hands
without trying to rebuild on the new continent. Alternatively, they were not ready to lose it either.
Those were foreboding times, unlike any since World War II. I remember dad telling me that we would likely be much safer on
the new continent. He felt as though the world had had enough of the domineering policies of the United States, and it was
now our time of reckoning. He explained to me that history had seen many authoritarian, and tyrannical societies fall, and
that we would be no exception, as humans rarely take such conduct for long. I fully understood what he had told me, as I had
taken an interest in world history at an early age. I was especially intrigued with failed societies.
There has never been a domineering, and or conquering society that has not failed in the end. To name but a few there was
the great Roman Empire, British Empire, and the Soviet Union, all hell bent on conquering, and controlling as much of the
world as they could. In the end they all crumbled as the result of their own hypocrisy. There was no doubt that the United
States would suffer the same consequence for their hypocritical ideals. If the motivation were not in the interest of capitalism
perhaps the world would be more inclined to tolerate their medalling in others affairs, but greed was the only incentive, which
is in essence is tyranny.
The world would be forever changed by the “big one,” as it gave the rest of the world an opportunity to focus on ridding the
subjugation the United States was hell bent on. Before we left for the new continent dad had explained to me that now that
we were going to go to there that he had hopes of utilizing the philosophies of the Society of Humans, which he had joined
after reading Steal This Book Too! It was his belief that the outcome of the war would not favor the United States, giving us
the opportunity to secede. His greatest worry was that the continent would be concurred by another nation, thus losing the
chance to save humankind.
It has been some fifty years since the events that led up to my being a Shaman of the Human Beings on the Island of
Humans. I am Michael McEwan, and I was twelve years old when it all started. There was a certain irony that the day was the
fourth of July when the big one hit. It didn't quite happen like everyone had thought it would; the old saying that California
would fall into the Pacific Ocean some day wasn't quite the case. What did occur was, along with California, the landmass
that held all states west of the Rocky Mountains, including part of Mexico, had slid half way out into the Pacific Ocean and
came to a halt near the Hawaiian Islands. The chaos that came along with this geological nightmare was horrific.
The cause of this disaster was the Pacific plate made a sudden shift eastward under the continental plate, thus forcing all
land west of the Rocky Mountains to break off, and slide westward into the Pacific Ocean. The tectonic plates have been
moving as long as they have existed, moving, separating, and forming continents on their way. Scientists had speculated
that the sudden shift of a landmass could occur, but there was no way of knowing when or where it might happen.Not only
did earthquakes destroy complete cities, but Tsunamis also completely wiped out entire coastal areas flooding inland valleys.
Volcanoes erupted in various places along the Sierra Nevada mountain range causing wild fires that destroyed all but small
areas of forests.
Dams burst, completely washing out towns and cities, needless to say, millions of people died, and most of those that
managed to survive had gone to live in what was left of the continental United States.
The world was already in dire straights due to the ever-increasing hostilities of what was the beginning of World War III. Dad
knew for some time that severe difficulties would begin to occur in the States, though not many other people had taken it
seriously. He knew there would be hard times ahead, so he had spent all of his spare time preparing for them. He had us all
working towards self-sufficiency on our little ranch for a couple of years before it happened. We lived in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains where we had a nice little ranch. We had a large cache of supplies, food, water, guns, ammo etc.,
in an underground bunker that dad and I, along with a few of his select friends had built.
We dug out the side of a hill, and lined the walls with steel plates that dad had scrounged up somewhere; we then poured
concrete about a foot thick for further protection. The room was shaped like an igloo before it was covered with dirt, and
once it was covered, the steel doors were set back twenty feet into a tunnel. Dad had spent a lot of time planning this
bunker, and it wasn't as hard as it would seem to build. The beauty of it was that if you didn't know it was there, you would
never know that it was anything more than a hill.
Because of dads planning, we weren't affected as hard by the difficulties as a lot of other people where. Our remote location,
and preparedness was a big factor in our lack of difficulties. It was starting to get pretty bad in the cities, with rationing of
food, and fuel. People were starting to loot with no regard for their fellow humans. Regrettably my mother, brother, and sister
didn't survive the big one; they had died in the fires. My Father and I had been in Texas on one of our annual snake hunts.
We collected data of endangered reptiles along with specimens for breeding. My father, Kelly McEwan, was a veterinarian by
trade, with an interest in herpetology - the study of reptiles. Dad had a particular passion towards snakes. I also possessed
awe for this incredible animal. Dad and I felt that snakes were an evolutionary wonder, and we especially didn't like the bad
reputation they had with humankind. Dad was a licensed breeder of endangered snake species and it was his goal to
educate as many people as he could about the positive aspects of all snakes. I was his protégé, and you couldn't stop me
from spending every minute with dad that had anything to do with snakes.
For the first year after the big one we were stuck in Texas on what was left of the continent. During that time the armed
forces had been busy locating and transporting survivors back to the mainland. After their rescue efforts were completed on
the new continent, the Army National Guard had stayed to keep law and order where needed. It was six months before we
got the news about Mom and my Brother and Sister; this made dad very angry. He had done nothing but try to find out about
our family since the big one hit, and he grew angrier by the day. The government hadn't been much help, and he
encountered "red tape” with every new lead. Dad was a big man, but he was very quiet and gentle, with a strong love of his
family. He didn't voice his anger very often, but I knew he was fed up with the whole damn mess; I felt the
same way.
It was almost a year after the big one before we got over to the new continent, as the military wouldn't let anyone except
mandatory personnel go over for rescue operations. When we finally did go it was only because dad was a veterinarian. The
army needed veterinarians to help manage the livestock that would feed them, and the rest of the remaining population.
There probably weren't more than a hundred thousand people on the new continent, most of which were military personnel.
The government wasn't allowing any civilians to go over there as they didn't want any large-scale revitalization until they
could properly govern, or control the new territory, as they already had their hands full with the war.
It was in the fall after the big one that the communist party started to regain control of the former countries of the United
Soviet Socialist Republic. They waged war on all of the republics that wouldn't come back under their control. This didn't go
over very well in Washington, and the President certainly wasn't going to let Communism run rampant. There was also the
fear that the Russians might want to conquer the new continent.
Fortunately, the immediate threat of war that was pending with Japan over some severe trade embargoes that had been
imposed on them was gone. When the new continent slid into the Pacific Ocean, it caused a Tsunami unlike any in recorded
history that completely wiped out most of Japan and its defenses. In the spring, not quite a year after the big one, the United
States declared war with Russia. The pending threat of World War III was close at hand once again.
The United Nations had all but resolved in the last few years, due to the United States involvement in just about every world
conflict that popped up. Global terrorism by Islamic fundamentalist was rampant, and the Middle East was immersed in wars.
The control of world oil supplies was at stake, teetering the scale of world dominance. The United States had been dubbed
the Globo-cops of the world. It was as if we would dominate the world, and the United Nations wasn't about to stop us. We
had all but conquered Mexico after their economy had collapsed, claiming their States as part of the United States of
America. The European Nations where fed up with our economic sanctions against them for purchasing petroleum products
from rogue Arab nations supporting Islamic terrorism. The only real good news after the big one was that war with Japan was
not going to happen. World tension was at an all time high, and obviously the United States had enough on their hands
without trying to rebuild on the new continent. Alternatively, they were not ready to lose it either.
Those were foreboding times, unlike any since World War II. I remember dad telling me that we would likely be much safer on
the new continent. He felt as though the world had had enough of the domineering policies of the United States, and it was
now our time of reckoning. He explained to me that history had seen many authoritarian, and tyrannical societies fall, and
that we would be no exception, as humans rarely take such conduct for long. I fully understood what he had told me, as I had
taken an interest in world history at an early age. I was especially intrigued with failed societies.
There has never been a domineering, and or conquering society that has not failed in the end. To name but a few there was
the great Roman Empire, British Empire, and the Soviet Union, all hell bent on conquering, and controlling as much of the
world as they could. In the end they all crumbled as the result of their own hypocrisy. There was no doubt that the United
States would suffer the same consequence for their hypocritical ideals. If the motivation were not in the interest of capitalism
perhaps the world would be more inclined to tolerate their medalling in others affairs, but greed was the only incentive, which
is in essence is tyranny.
The world would be forever changed by the “big one,” as it gave the rest of the world an opportunity to focus on ridding the
subjugation the United States was hell bent on. Before we left for the new continent dad had explained to me that now that
we were going to go to there that he had hopes of utilizing the philosophies of the Society of Humans, which he had joined
after reading Steal This Book Too! It was his belief that the outcome of the war would not favor the United States, giving us
the opportunity to secede. His greatest worry was that the continent would be concurred by another nation, thus losing the
chance to save humankind.
| COMING SOON |
The Island of Humans is an enlightening story
wherein the Humans are presented with an
opportunity to live a harmonious life utilizing the
philosophies put forth in Steal This Book Too!This
opportunity occurs when the land mass west of the
Rocky Mountains breaks loose andslides into the
Pacific Ocean coming to a rest near the Hawaiian
Islands, thus forming an IslandContinent.In addition
to this geological nightmare, World War III is
beginning to become a reality.The story is narrated
by Michael McEwan, who was ten years old when
these events took place.It is some fifty years later,
as he recollects the events that led to him
becoming a Shaman forThe Humans on The Island
of Humans.The Island of Humans is the first in a
series of books about The Society of Humans. It
encompasses the tale of The Humans forming,
locating the location of their new home, building it,
and beginning the task of creating their Utopian
society.
wherein the Humans are presented with an
opportunity to live a harmonious life utilizing the
philosophies put forth in Steal This Book Too!This
opportunity occurs when the land mass west of the
Rocky Mountains breaks loose andslides into the
Pacific Ocean coming to a rest near the Hawaiian
Islands, thus forming an IslandContinent.In addition
to this geological nightmare, World War III is
beginning to become a reality.The story is narrated
by Michael McEwan, who was ten years old when
these events took place.It is some fifty years later,
as he recollects the events that led to him
becoming a Shaman forThe Humans on The Island
of Humans.The Island of Humans is the first in a
series of books about The Society of Humans. It
encompasses the tale of The Humans forming,
locating the location of their new home, building it,
and beginning the task of creating their Utopian
society.
Graphic design by: Damon Angelini