Chapter 46
"You don't mind putting yourself out there."
"Nope he kept calling me boy, so don't get respect he shouldn't expect respect."
"Your advance team is here Commander Grimes my head of security and part of the local police force is showing them the set up. It wasn't long and caters arrived my girls all in their short maid uniforms. The Premier arrived with the mayor commissioner and a bunch of RCMP in their red dress uniforms. I said, "I thought this place was big it got small real quick."
The florist arrived with fresh flowers for the rooms the girls took care of that. In came a truck with the American podium they set it up in the foyer with the Canadian and American flag. An ABC news affiliate pulled up with CNN and CBC, they set up in the foyer as well.
I wanted to tell them and before I got the words out of my mouth, "We know indirect lighting we know batman."
"Elli I need you again." She showed up and I said, "Another TV appearance."
"Yes master," she said. The Premier said, "She called you master." "Yep, when Elli is at home that what she calls me."
She comes back and I fasten her cuffs ball and chain and collar. "Cameramen where is the best place for this criminal to stand so that most of the time she is in the picture." They positioned her and I put a piece of tape on the floor.
The president arrived with the governor general he was still in the dark everyone was ushered up to the landing except for the three of us. Chairs had been set up and then the song lyrics played when the president entered a room.
He walked up to the podium and he said, "Welcome fellow citizens of my country and of Canada. I am in the home that some of you have heard a lot about Mr Scott Hanson also known by some as Batman. I am here this evening with Prime Minister Stephen Clapper. Over the past few weeks what seemed to be a fall through the crack thing is so much bigger."
"Canada has suspended high school competitive sports. I will now present Prime Minister Stephen Clapper."
Stephen took the stand and said, "First time for everything here I am standing at the podium with the American eagle." He reached in his pocket and came up with a small Canadian flag on a stick which he placed in front of him and said, "Now people can remember me."
"Down to business this young man found out that the schools had a policy of writing a contract that basically stated attend practices and games and you would get a slide on courses. It started off with one cheer leader then all then the hockey team and so on it was across the board well it became so big and vast it couldn't be swept under a rug and this young man made sure of that. I am going to turn the mechanics of this over to him he tells it better than I and with more passion ladies and gentlemen I give you our own version of batman Scott Hanson."
I took the stand and moved the Canadian flag and said I told you guys before I am out of 5 dollar bills. I reached in my pocket and I brought out the twin flags American and Canadian that cross each other. "People on both sides of the border this is a criminal convicted of drug dealing and other offenses pointing to Elli."
"This can be your daughter or your son look how beautiful she is but yet she is an uneducated criminal. if she were let go on the street tomorrow the only job she is qualified for is to use her body."
"Unfortunately there is an even more cynical part she does not know how to make change so she would be ripped off and could be convince she owed the john and I kid you not."
"I have her math test she can't add. How could this grade 10 student not add simple math. She was the head cheerleader and here is the contract and I read it."
"This poor creature is not alone if she were none of us would be here today. We checked with our law enforcement checked 10 % of these that fall through the crack committed suicide 1 made it and 8 ended up in a life a crime. That is 8 out of every 10 were known to the police."
"Were still only talking a few people so what watch this in my school alone there are 55 of these contracts in five years after graduation that is 275 people from one school that means there are 220 that are now known to police 27 dead by suicide and 27 that have a life of some sort."
"In our province alone and we are small only a million people but 300,000 are students over 400 schools that have competitive sports multiply that 400 x 220 8800 people known to police. The numbers are there, the facts are here," holding up a pile of blank pages."
"We are one of the smallest provinces in our country do you have any idea what it cost you the taxpayer to house a criminal."
"Especially when it is unnecessary you already paid to educate them. Want to multiply that by 10 provinces the figures are staggering it is no longer a few falling through the cracks, now understand we are dealing with big business."
"This industry is huge selling gear ice time park time gas food and the list goes on. It is huge business but how huge is our bill for ruining a kid's life from not protecting him. We adults where are we? Wait a minute we elect people to take care of this where are they?"
The school committees the local government the federal governments this can't be a revelation so why is it now our Prime Minister did not realize the scope of the problem when he realized that we needed a healthy mind it is more important than a healthy body without the mind we are nothing."
"To sit and watch your children play hockey and know that he or she has a 1 in 8 chance of being a criminal while the ones not in these completive sports and get an education is 1 on 976 of becoming a criminal."
"Which odds would you pick for your child?"
"The president has graciously let our people see the stats of his country my god in all that's holly they are the same with the fact that your country has 10 times the population ten times the amount of criminals. I don't know how you can afford to house them and what are they like when they come out."
"Here it is a 90% chance to reoffend. This is mainly due to the fact that prison educates them but not it school it teaches them how to be a more violent criminal and now with a criminal record they don't have a chance."
"Why are we interested in what the United States does?"
"It's purely selfish we clean up our act and you don't your criminals will rush in here. We need to both sides working together to stop it and save our children. We need to give them the chance they need by education."
"I am sure you could find a lot better uses than housing the thousand of high school graduated that may have a grade 5 education. You don't need to examine ever detail send it to a committee see what need to be done let big business stall it in your committees."
"Mr. President of the United States if you stand for the people, speak for the people, you will join with our Prime Minister and say yes to education an no to crime."
"The facts are in front of you Mr. President will you use your power today to stop the criminal and start education my suspending completive sports until the players can pass their education level and there sport is govern by a judicial body so there test are fair and impartial?"
Mr President walks back up and said, "Nothing like being put on the spot but this young man is right."
"I do support the people and education. The hand writing is on the wall we let completive sports get out of hand as President of the United States I use my veto power and stop all completive sports in our high schools until such time our players meat the academic standard and maintain it."
The Prime Minister and president shake hands and as I step in to the background the president grabs me and puts me in front with them on each side and their hand shake was by my stomach.
He whispered, "You started it take the laurels were your puppets in this." The lights went out and people came rushing down the stairs and the president and Prime Minister says, "This is your victory stand with us."
We went through the receiving line and Elli took one of the chefs to the wine cellar and brought up some very expensive wine May Ling opened the fine crystal something Elli used to do. As soon as the line was finished Elli come to me and I removed her shackles and kissed her passionately I said aloud, "Elli you are doing as much to stop crime as all of us. Your part is huge and you don't have to say a word."
"Thank you master she says aloud and then leaves."
Stephen says, "She shouldn't be calling you that."