I Miss Garrison Keillor & 52nd in the Amanda Saga ATI Council Ruling

Good Morning Ted and Jody:

I miss Garrison Keillor. So, I did the only thing reasonable.  I Googled him.  Now I have him again.  I am always surprised at how easy it is to find things.  Generally, they pop up when you misspell them in a Google search: did you mean x.  Now, that is how I found Garrison Keillor—I misspelled both his first and last names.  And Google popped up with did you man Garrison Keillor.  YES, I did.  But, how does Google know what I am misspelling.  Is it the Alexa (SP) that I have on my kitchen counter that Nancy uses for shopping lists?  Is it listening all the time and reporting back so Google knows what I am trying to spell from the context of my conversations in my own home? But then I realize Alexa (SP) is not reporting to Google, it reports to Amazon.  Once I realized that my paranoia deepened. Are Google and Amazon in a deep conspiracy to take over the world and did they start with me?  Well, I wish them luck.  They should have started with someone that counted for something.  Me, I count for no one any more.  I used to be an empiricist and counted a lot of stuff, but I gave that up for retirement.  I didn’t actually give it up, the computer guy in the old Arts and Science College, wouldn’t give me a copy of SPSS so I lost my ability to analyze how many angels dance on the head of a pin (sic, the relationship between presidential popularity and midterm elections results).  So, that caused me to go back to school and learn accounting.  However, that didn’t work, for I was taking my last semester, including auditing when Enron happened.  Now after Enron and the mess-up of their auditors, who in their right mind, other than a crook could become an accountant (well, it makes a pretty good excuse for never sitting for the CPA exam.  I don’t know it that excuse if better or the one where I refused to take English 201 as it was a course I taught at CMU.  Either way I managed to convince myself that in retirement I could pass on that test.)  So, I found Garrison Keillor and can now access him any time as he is online.  (Of course, Ed, everyone is on line.  To think we used to have to go to the library and ask a reference librarian for help to find stuff, now we just go on line.  I must confess, some of those reference librarians were cute.)

Speaking of finding stuff on line.  A friend steered me to a funny video on Facebook.  However, she couldn’t remember how to get to it.  Then she used the find friends bar and used it as a search engine and found it.  Cool. “A find friends bar” sounds like a song Carole King should have written.  Anyway, I found it and “shared” it with the public and no one apparently viewed it.  Pity, for it is one heck of a good parody.  You can use your friends bar to look for “Netherlands number 2” and view it there (the guys posting it wonder why so many people are viewing it.  Because it is funny and people like me repost and recommend it.  So, with luck they will pick up one more hit if your view it.

Once again, I am attaching an episode of the Amanda Saga.

I trust this finds you happy, healthy, wealthy and warm.

Warmest regards, Ed

052 ATI Council*** Ruling

Fiction in 1427 words by T. Edward Westen, 2017

“Special Agent Fleishman, you have requested a ruling on the status of the seven women you located who emanated from what you refer to as level 4 number 7, a universe parallel to our own.  You have requested this status ruling in conjunction with an arrest warrant for Byron Mellon.  It is our understanding that there is some question as to whether they fall under the protected status of human beings whose futures are guaranteed by this Agency and its agents.  We further understand that the reason for this ruling is that they are in danger of becoming formerly extant with no future in our universe.  This action would result if you arrest one Byron Mellon in approximately the year 2692 for destruction of the initial two, mechanically based transporter units in that same year when he did willfully open the transporter units to lava flows callusing their destruction and the death of Adrian Dougherty, then a technician in our service thus depriving Adrian Dougherty of his natural future.   Such an arrest would change the events that may have allowed these six women to become extant.  Finally, arresting Byron Mellon may result in loosing contact points with that alternative universe you refer to as level 4 number 7, for it is probable that destructive event caused the contact points with the level 4 number 7 alternative universe. Is this correct and complete, Agent Fleishman?”

Agent Fleishman fidgeted, scratched his nose, and shuffled his feet.  He finally answered, “Yes, except the evidence strongly supports the hypothesis that the seven females in question are all the same person existing and overlapping in one continuous period of time albeit for different durations.”

“We have considered that possibility. We found that since they are extant at the same time, they are separated individuals.  They, by your testimony, do not share memories beyond the age of 4 years old.  So, we choose to treat them as seven distinct entities.  One or seven, it is all the same.  Any further concerns Special Agent Fleishman?”

Special Agent Fleishman’s face screwed up into a cross between anguish and consternation.  He said, “They are all fine women who contribute to the society in which they find themselves, through no fault of their own, I might add.  They are all pleasant people with whom to converse and have a cup of coffee.  As a small child, they were all delightful and full of wonder about the world around them.  Two still are.”

“We found the evidence and report you delivered clear about their deportment, contribution and, as you appear to find them, overall, likable.  Anything further, Special Agent Fleischman?”

A grim faced Special Agent Fleishman replied, “No, that about covers it.”

“We direct you to arrest Byron Mellon in the hour before he transports and initiates the destruction of the transporters and the murder of Adrian Dougherty.  Take action to stop the destruction of the transporters and the murder of Adrian Dougherty.  We further order you to return Byron Mellon to this chamber for our disposition.  However, we also direct you to delay this order until you receive notification from The Agency’s Research and Outreach Staff with their plan to prevent the erasure of futures for the seven individuals from the parallel universe known as level 4 number 7.”

The Council chambers dissolved around Agent Fleishman depositing him in his transporter base. ‘Perhaps I should pop in to R&OR to see if I can help,’ Special Agent Fleishman thought.

Arriving in ATI RO Special Agent Fleishman checked the assignment board    

and found that Outreach Agent Jonathon Simmons caught the level 4 number assignment and would be in tomorrow at 4:00 A.M.  So that is where and when special Agent Fleishman went.

Arriving in the corridor outside Outreach Agent Simmons’ reception room, Special Agent Fleishman approached his entry in a way he had observed during his case, he knocked.  Outreach Agent Simmons stuck his head out the portal and said, “What is making that annoying noise?”  He looked up at Special Agent Fleishman and declared, rapid fire, with a grin, “Anderson, what a nice surprise.  I haven’t seen you since that training session with the translator gizmo.  How are you,” he said pointing to the scar on Special Agent Fleishman’s forehead.” Are you going to keep it?  What are you doing here?”

Agent Fleishman returned Outreach Agent Simmon’s grin and replied, also in rapid fire. “I am. It is called knocking: a form of getting someone in a room to realize someone on the outside of that room might want to see and speak with them without interrupting them. I am fine.  I haven’t decided yet.  I have come to offer my help with the level 4 number 7 assignment they stuck you with because I’ve been there. And why are we talking in rapid fire bursts?”

Special Agent Fleishman’s last sentence stopped Outreach Agent Simmons for speaking other than to say, “it is a bitch to get there.”

Special Agent Fleishman asked “What’s the matter, never seen a swing before?”

“No.  I went back to when you jumped through and saw how you did it.  I realized that if I tried that I would have to sit in your lap and that would have been awkward.   Besides, I am not sure there aren’t mass constrains since a little girl popped out when you went back. Then you came back so quickly.  I’ve been working on an attempt to model what happened in a virtual reality constructor.  As far as I can tell we only have six points in time when we can pull that trick. What did you see over there?”

“Well if it helps there are 7 points in time we can do that. Another Mandy jumped off the swing out of sync with the others,” Said Special Agent Fleishman.  “I . . .”

Outreach Agent Simmons held his hand up to interrupt Special Agent Fleishman. “The Physics folks tell me that is a sign of an instability and it could mean one of three things.  First, there will be no more and the static will stop as will the influx of Mandys.  Second the contact points will increase until we have a permanent connection at that point of time and space—which isn’t particularly good for that will require that time here and there simply stop.  And, third everything will blow to smithereens.”

“I think we can discount the third possibility,” Said Special Agent Fleishman.

“Why?” Asked Outreach Agent Simmons.

“Because I went up line six months to my twin nephews birthday yesterday.  Tomorrow is still there so it hasn’t happened yet,” said Special Agent Fleishman.

Outreach Agent Simmons rolled his eyes.  “By that logic, we could rule out time stopping also.”

“Fault in my reasoning?” asked Special Agent Fleishman?

“Just a small one, just a small one.  For what is happening between our universe and the level 4 number 7 universe is meta.   Once it happens it happens in all eleven dimensions of our universe and how ever many dimensions there are in that universe,” replied Outreach Agent Simmons.   “However, your reasoning makes a much sense as that knocking thing in not interrupting someone in a room.”

 

 

 Footnote 

***Councils meet in chambers. They always have and always will.  Council chambers have not changed substantially in several thousand years.  Council Chambers can be described, almost universally as, in a room larger than needed, containing a raised dais upon which rests a continuous semicircular desk behind which members of the council sit and a pit centered on the semicircle for witnesses and petitioners with or without a place for the witnesses or petitioner to sit.  Generally, the more autocratic the council, the less likely providing for the comfort of witness or petitioner are.  Unlike all other council chambers, the council chamber of The Governing Council of The Agency for Timeline Integrity lacks doors, windows or openings of any kind.  One had to know where and when the Council is meeting to execute an eleven-dimensional pivot into its chambers.

The Council for the ATI met in camera or with but a single witness or petitioner.  When in camera, it is presumed the council members spoke with each other.  There is absolutely no evidence to support this presumption.   However, when hearing testimony or a petition or rendering an order (more politely a decision), the council utilized one voice—The Council Voice, a commanding, loud and authoritative voice.  There is much speculation that The Council adopted this voic vehicle from a legendary (and probably fabled) land where once Oz ruled.