A Guide to Patriot - by Dave Williams

Militia:
Opening track, theme song for the United Military Alliance. Marcus (the album's main character) is walking down the street in lower Manhattan when he's accosted by a group of street musicians that are playing. The lead singer is a tall gangly fellow with a huge Adam's apple. Marcus is smitten by Amelia, a beautiful longhaired brunette with dark green eyes and an alluring smile, who flirts with him during their set. Afterwards they go out for coffee wherein Amelia professes an attraction to Marcus and he to her. The only way that he can be with her, however, is to join the U.M.A. so Marcus quits his job at the Bakery, sells most of his belongings, and follows Amelia back to the commune / compound that the U.M.A. have in Northwest California.

Pilgrim's Progress: This is probably historically incorrect. Doctrine from one of the U.M.A.'s head Honchos who separates Marcus from Amelia (under heavy protest), shoves him in a room, and sings him this song accompanied by video images projected on to a screen which Amelia edited together from various movies and newsreels. There's various allusions to the Lost Colony (if you don't know the story then check it out: I've always considered it to be a real creepy part of North Carolinian folklore) as well as premonitions of things to come.

Faith Dance: This piece takes place in the future with Marcus finally in prison, sitting in his cell, talking about his capture, and recapitulating some of the events that took place during and After the U.S. Military's overthrow of the U.M.A. A few sympathetic musicians that are disguised as inmates accompany Marcus before the prison guards decide that they've had enough and grind things to a halt.

Reiki Gone Wrong: Meanwhile, on the home front, all is not well with Amelia and Marcus. The intense love and affection that they displayed at first has dwindled to petty fighting and bickering. Marcus, tired and depressed over the situation, tries to overdose, mixing various prescription drugs (mostly Amelia's) with alcohol, landing himself in the U.M.A. Medical Ward (basically a modified broom closet) with the tube of a stomach pump rammed down his throat. It's decided, after Marcus' act of desperation, that Amelia and Marcus should be apart, so Marcus gets his belongings and moves in with a fanatical terrorist named Bethany who is 180 degrees different from Amelia: she manages to focus all of Marcus' attention on the preparation of the up-coming U.M.A. "activity" that's scheduled to happen next month. Marcus quickly learns about Terrorism and perfects his Marksman skills.

Anarchist (not available on album): Marcus in his glory days of service (in present time) describing some of the events that were instrumental in convincing all of the groups to unite and decide to overthrow the United States Government. Timely historical figures such as Ronald Reagan and Ted Turner are used as reference points. The U.M.A. is growing by leaps and bounds as more disgruntled citizens decide to join up. Marcus now holds the position of Corporal, although a twinge of contempt and mistrust for authority still lingers. He tells himself that the important thing to concentrate on with the U.M.A. is social change, not an age-old rehash of egos and power trips.

A Righteous Kill: The U.M.A.'s first target of violence is, of course, the Federal Building in Washington, D.C. A huge banquet is being given in honor of the passing of Bill HB706 which allows surveillance of private citizens 24 hours a day via a chip installed (demandatory) in home computers, T.V.'s, radios, and telephones. The bombs are made up of good old fertilizer and diesel fuel set to timers. At precisely 12 'o' clock the next day, just when the proceedings are ready to get underway, the explosions start happening, 15 in all. Everyone inside the building perishes the body count well over a thousand. By this time the bombers are on their way back to the compound for a celebration and to prepare for their next act. Marcus sings the song in present time.

Take Them Home: Marcus is one of the first to arrive back at the compound and sings this quaint ditty for the awaited return of the bombers. The countries of the world are mourning the loss of their leaders and ambassadors while the FBI is going crazy with rage trying to find the perpetrators. The trucks (purchased By the U.M.A.) that contained the bombs are charred pieces of metal, with no license plates or registrations that can be used to trace the identity of the suspects. Marcus and the rest of the U.M.A. lads set about getting ready for their next act of Terrorism, perfecting their techniques, and mapping out their future territory. They also manage to draw up Last Wills and Testaments, provided the unfortunate possibility that they don't make it back from this mission.

White House: Three months of preparation pass. The U.M.A. has successfully managed to stay hidden and recruit more disillusioned American citizens who are scared and angry about the U.S. Government's tightened vise-grip control on their private lives and consider the U.M.A. to be underground revolutionaries. The U.M.A.'s mission is to arrive in Washington D.C., ninja-style where the President and surviving world leaders plan to draft a Global Peace Plan, and kill everyone in attendance. The Peace Plan will usher in a One-World Government that is so commonly feared by various religious communities. After all of the killing and carnage, 100 U.M.A. troops perish but 36 of the attending leaders are dead, including the President, as well as a heaping pile of Secret Service Men ("They died with wires in their ears," reads one newspaper headline), National Guardsmen, and Police Officers. The U.M.A. appear invincible at this point.

Memorial: The U.M.A. has a funeral for the deceased. Marcus, wearing a black armband, sings and plays acoustic guitar in an attempt to console himself and his fellow mourners. By this time the U.M.A. has set about building secret inter-connecting underground bunkers. These bunkers will serve as hideouts when the all-important day of reckoning arrives.

Hopes and Fears: Marcus in the Present. One of the things that the U.M.A. begins are "Conditioning Seminars" that are designed in training people to get rid of unwanted emotional baggage. Fighters strive to become androids, unable to feel, knowing that this is one of many sacrifices they have to make so that themselves and countless others can eventually be free.

Take A Look Around: The U.M.A. gets the news that it's been both looking forward to and dreading: the U.S. Government has discovered the compound and has been ordered by the Secretary-Treasurer (now acting as President) to destroy it without hesitation. The U.M.A. increases its military training and exercises, preparing for the unwelcomed visitors. Ninja warriors are sent out in the woods, armed with poisoned darts, to wait for the intruders. The compound is turned into a fort with tanks, machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, even an innovative laser gun that can cause the victim to disintegrate on contact. The troops spend time by themselves or with those that they've grown close to, getting ready for what lies ahead.

Share Your World (not available on album): Marcus spends this time trying to make things right with Amelia but Amelia remains cold and unforgiving, saying that she never loved him anyway. Marcus cries, begs, and pleads for another chance but she wants no part of it. Marcus leaves Amelia's inner sanctum, a sad broken man with his heart dangling from his sleeve. He realizes that she lured him into the U.M.A. and that there's nothing left for him to do except ride out the consequences and accept his fate.

Survival and Capture, Mvt. 1: Death in Heaven
The U.M.A. first notices the bombs at 1 a.m. when a huge orange cloud explodes five miles down the road, rattling windows. The air-raid sirens go off and the troops man their stations and grab their weapons. In the end the U.M.A. is no match for the U.S. troops both in size and in arsenal. Countless U.M.A. troops are dead and the compound and its surroundings are leveled. Marcus has been held steadfast in the bunker watching in horror on the various monitors, unable to communicate to the ground troops. Suddenly a near-by hit from a grenade launcher sends the bunker into a sea of blackness, killing all of the electrical power. Marcus sits for what seems like a miniature eternity listening to the sad rumblings coming from above, knowing that, at some point, he'll have to emerge from his sanctuary and face the terror that awaits him above.

  • Survival and Capture, Mvt. 2: Afterwards
    Marcus finds a box of matches, lights a candle, and slowly makes his way out of the bunker in which he has been secluded in for the past couple of days. He opens a hatch that leads outside and is blinded by bright sunlight. He's shocked by the looks of the compound that's now just a pile of rubble, a wasteland of debris. What few survivors he sees are either crawling around in shock or wounded so badly that they lay moaning in pain. Marcus gathers an AK-47, a small hand-held revolver, and a rifle. He proceeds to walk down the road away from the compound.

  • Survival and Capture, Mvt. 3: Leviathan Wanders
    About a half-mile down the road Marcus sees the corpse of Amelia lying dead on an embankment. He kneels down beside her, noticing that heart and chest have been ravaged with bullets. He begins to cry and holds her in his arms, rocking her back and forth like a Baby for awhile. His heart full of sadness is doing battle with his head that springs tears of rage. He spots an army truck with a driver that's been hit in the face with an ice-pick. He dumps the body, hot-wires the truck, and heads down the road. Three miles into his journey, Marcus encounters a roadblock complete with helicopter. He tries to drive through it but is stopped by two tanks that occupy both lanes. Within Seconds he's surrounded by Feds, FBI, and CIA officials. In one last gesture to Amelia and the U.M.A., Marcus pulls out the revolver and shoots one of the Federal Agents in the face, killing him instantly. He's maced, searched, and handcuffed to an armed guard who kicks him in the ribs, breaking three, and says to Marcus "I hope they fry your balls off, you sonofabitch !" They throw Marcus in an armored car containing five more guards who take turns interrogating him and beating him up on the way to jail. Marcus' face appears on all of the television networks and magazines and, for awhile, he becomes a much-loathed and misunderstood celebrity. The Government tries to make Marcus a scapegoat for the U.M.A.'s past terrorist activities but can't find enough evidence to support their claims. All they can pin on him is the killing of the Federal agent and his association with what is now called "a deadly anti-government organization." Miraculously Marcus escapes the death penalty and is given five consecutive life sentences. He's sent to the newly-renovated Los Alamos prison camp near Death valley, a maximum-security facility that's been built to the specifications of those found on Devil's Island.

A Hero's Welcome: A zoom back to the present as a 60 year old Marcus closes the story. He sits in a small cell with a dirt floor and rats scurrying about. He has long gray hair, a beard, and his skin and prison uniform are dirty. A blank expression fills his eyes. He has given up hope. The camera backs away to show a small cell on a deserted island in the middle of the South Pacific then, backing further away, a blue ocean that's punctuated by several other islands in size and scope.

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