The Consequences Mirror

 Dresden Leipzig sought to relive some of the tedium and boredom of his new 15 Minute City life by going for a walk in his neighbourhood. Leipzig was struck by the magnitude of surveillance cameras that populated the neighbourhood.

He was not really keeping track of time during his walk. Leipzig was gone from his apartment from between an hour and a half to two hours and when he returned home, he found himself locked out of his apartment, for reasons unknown to him.

He passed the time in the evening walking the streets to the City centre.

That venture saw him encounter city security officers, who informed him he was in breach of the recently implemented curfew.

Leipzig: I was not aware of the curfew.

Security Officer: Notification was sent earlier today to the computer in your apartment.

Leipzig: I am locked out of my apartment for reasons not known to me.

Security Officer: That is not our problem. You are in breach of the curfew. We will now arrest you and take you into custody. Needless to say, this will adversely impact your carbon footprint score.

Leipzig enjoyed some comfort during his time in the watch house cell, he had no companions to share or aggravate his misery.

When the security officer greeted Dresden the next morning, the officer told Dresden they had decided not to put Dresden before the court. He was free to make his way home. They were also confident there would be no problem for Dresden accessing his apartment when he returned there.

Dresden knew better than to argue with or complain about his treatment to the security officers. It was an exasperated and infuriated Dresden who walked home from the City watch house.

Sporadically seeing billboards proclaiming:

• Enjoy your 15 Minute City, Infidels. This was the life you wanted.

on his way home did nothing to lighten the mood of Dresden.

New Regime

The New Regime was determined to revamp the legal system and that change would be personally overseen by The Chief of The Stasi.

Court was in session and The Chief of The Stasi entered the Court, visibly possessed of a firearm.

Stasi Officer: Everyone keep quiet and do not move.

A court administrative staffer was foolish enough to ignore him and moved.

Without flinching, the Stasi Officer trained his firearm on the defiant court administrative staffer and ended her life.

Stasi Officer: I said do not move. Do not even think of calling security. You will live, if you do what I say.

Stasi Officer: Judge, There is a New Regime and that regime is going to do things very differently. This time properly. You will do as I say or you will suffer the consequences.

Judge: Looking a little perplexed.

Stasi Officer: Judge, Telephone your mother. Do not argue. Just Do it.

The Judge telephoned his mother, as requested.

Stasi Officer: Put it on speaker, Judge.

The Judge complied.

The Mother of the Judge spoke to the Judge: Son, why are there men with guns here?

Stasi Officer: "Hello, Mrs Judge. The Judge is learning the importance of doing things the way the New Regime wants things done, not the corrupt way the old regime did things.

I am sure the Judge will want to comply and not try to be a hero.

Have a nice day, Mrs Judge."

The telephone call ended and The Chief of The Stasi left the Courtroom to pursue other duties.

The Following Day

The following day The Chief of The Stasi returned to the court. This time he had colleagues with him and they were all obviously brandishing firearms. He also brought with him Mrs Judge, the mother of the Judge.

As soon as the Stasi Officer and his entourage entered the courtroom, he said:

“No one is leaving this courtroom and do not even think of speaking or moving.

Mr Judge, It was made explicitly clear to you yesterday that a new regime was in power and the law will comply with the wishes of the new regime.

You have shown by the judgment you have just given that you have no intention of complying with the law of the new regime. Such defiance will not be tolerated.

You mother was part of the explanation process yesterday. She is here today to witness what happens to people who defy the new regime.”

By now two armed new regime males were positioned either side of the Judge, with their firearms drawn.

The Stasi Officer continued:

“You now have a choice Mr Judge: Do it yourself or we will do it for you."

One of the new regime males then placed a firearm on the bench in front of the Judge. There was absolute silence in the courtroom. Everyone could see there were several firearms trained on the Judge’

The Stasi Officer continued: “Eat it, Judge, or we will do it for you.”

It was then that the true horror of the situation into which the Judge had placed himself became clear to him.

The Stasi Officer: “You do not get a second chance, Judge. Eat it. You have 30 seconds.”

The Judge picked up the gun, but seemed to hesitate.

The New Regime officers did not hesitate. The life of the Judge was ended immediately, and in front of his mother.

The Stasi Officer: “It is unfortunate your son chose to be defiant, rather than compliant, Mrs Judge. We are confident you will not make the kind of mistake he made. One of my colleagues will now drive you home.”

“To everyone else present in this courtroom, defiance will not be tolerated. Could one of you administrative people get a new Judge to this Court immediately, please.”

A female administrative officer then telephoned someone: “There has been a situation in Court 17. We need a new Judge here immediately.”

Within 10 minutes a new Judge was in the courtroom.

The Stasi Officer addressed him, as he observed the now deceased Judge being removed from the chair:

“You will reverse the orders made in this case by your now late colleague or you will enjoy the same fate as him. Should any of your colleagues choose to defy the New Regime, your future will be the same as his.

The lawyers here will help you make the correct orders.

Should anyone choose defiance, we will find you and extinguish you.”

The Stasi Officer and his entourage then left the courtroom.

Princess of Language Hypocrisy

The Princess of Language Hypocrisy was in line at the Electricity Company, waiting to pay her Utility Bill, which was due that day. In her company was a male companion.

Relevantly they had the following conversation, where she opined in respect of her male companion:

“Oh, people will say, That’s what he said. That’s not what he meant.”

The male companion looked at her and answered:

“I meant what I said. How could you take it any other way?”

The demands of the Electricity Company interrupted further conversation. The Princess of Language Hypocrisy presented her bill to the staff member and said she would like to pay the entire amount on the bill.

The Electricity Company staff member appeared to process her credit card payment in settlement of the bill. All appeared in order, so The Princess of Language Hypocrisy and her male companion left the premises.

Three (3) days later The Princess of Language Hypocrisy was contacted by the Electricity Company to inform her that her Utility Bill remained unpaid. The Princess then made a second relevant trip to the Electricity Company, accompanied by what she thought was the relevant paperwork confirming the subject bill had been paid.

When The Princess eventually saw an Electricity Company staff member in relation to the bill, she presented her paperwork claiming it supported her contention that the subject bill had been paid.

The Electricity Company staff member responded:

“Madame, We have conducted a review of your account and of the subject transaction to which you refer. Our staff member dealing with you on that occasion is clear. When you said you wanted to pay the bill, she knew that is what you said. She also knew That is not what you meant. Accordingly, the funds from that transaction were applied elsewhere.”

“Madame, You are not being punished because you are an unfaithful wife, nor are you being punished because you are a climate hoaxer. You are being punished because you have not paid the subject bill. As the subject bill remains unpaid, Carbon Credit penalties will apply to you, until such time as the subject bill is paid.”

“Madame, If you are having trouble accurately remembering the day in question, we have reviewed the video recording of your attendance upon us that day.

Relevantly we note you told your male companion:

“Oh, people will say, That’s what he said. That’s not what he meant.”

All that has happened with you Madame, is that you have been subjected to your own ideology.”

“Perhaps you could take some time to consider your position, Madame, while we serve other customers, and then you can tell us whether you want to pay the subject bill. If that bill is paid, Carbon Credit penalties for late payment will not apply to you.”

Roughly 15 minutes later The Princess was approached by three (3) large male regime security officers. One of those officers spoke to The Princess:

“We note you have not paid your Utility Bill. We also note you are an unfaithful wife and a Climate Hoaxer. It looks like you would benefit from a Three (3) month stint in our 15 Minute Cities Re-Education program. That program will help you correct your thinking.”

Within an hour, The Princes of Language Hypocrisy was receiving her induction to the 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program. The Regime Officer conducting the induction said to The Princess:

“All you had to do was pay your Utility Bill. Instead, you insisted on drawing attention to yourself and now you are being inducted into this program. Welcome to Your Actions Have Consequences.”

The Princess was uncharacteristically silent during that conversation and induction program.

15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program

Just over a week after spending a night in custody for breaching a curfew, Dresden discovered the new regime was keen to share more of its hospitality with him. He was visited at his home by security officers, who informed him he had been enrolled in a 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program and his attendance was required immediately.

Surprisingly, for someone who previously strongly advocated for re-education programmes for Infidels, Dresden was less than enthusiastic that he should have to attend one.

Even in the induction program for the 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program, the message was clear:

• The Infidels have a choice: Epiphany or Eternal Damnation in 15 Minute Cities.

That message was repeated relentlessly during the Re-Education Program.

During the actual Re-Education Program more messages were repeated relentlessly:

• Every single piece of the 15 Minute Cities comes from the Infidels.

• The Infidels are the problem.

• Infidels should be given no respite from the hell their religious fervour and zealotry created, unless their epiphany is genuine and permanent.

• Unless they have an epiphany, the damnation of Infidels in the 15 Minute Cities will be eternal, without relief.

• The whole idea of 15 Minute Cities in the New Regime is to show that they are a bad idea and should never be implemented.

• The only people in the 15 Minute Cities are the people who advocated for them.

The lecturers at the Re-Education Program did not miss their targets. Dresden Leipzig and The Princess of Language Hypocrisy were focal points. They were seen as regime recalcitrants and relentlessly punished.

Not revealing the indiscretions of the other was seen as a serious breach by the lecturers and significant punishments were meted out to Dresden Leipzig and The Princess of Language Hypocrisy, including the imposition of Carbon Footprint penalties.

It is difficult to say that attendees of the Re-Education Program were dehumanised, given it was the very type of program for which they advocated for Infidels of their religious zealotry.

The Princess of Language Hypocrisy had a great deal of difficulty understanding the rank hypocrisy of her position.

That position of:

• "That's what he said. That's not what he meant."

could equally be applied to her in a regime that relentlessly implemented a:

• "This is your ideology. This is what you wanted" ideology.

The Princess wanted to control the language, but she did not want that ideology used against her.

Her stay at the 15 Minute City looks to be long and painful.

The attack upon Dresden Leipzig by the regime was brutal and relentless. This was what he wanted and this was what he was getting. Leipzig was used as an example of everything bad the re-education program lecturers wanted to emphasise. It is accurate to say there was an attempt to make him a pariah even in a community of Infidels.

The sun was never going to shine for Dresden Leipzig. There would be no new dawn. There would be no new day.