Resist: A YA Dystopian Thriller

The riots in OP-441 had been the last straw. He took Madalyn’s threats seriously, but people were still without food, and even though he wasn’t perfect, he couldn’t sit by any longer and watch people starve. Not only had Madalyn created this crisis in the first place, she didn’t seem to be able to rectify the situation. He took his seat in front of the camera, knowing that his address to the American people was of vital importance. He was changing the rules of the game and calling Madalyn’s bluff.

“My fellow Americans, our nation has, through long tradition, assumed the responsibility to provide aid to our weaker neighbors. We intervene when we perceive an enemy nation is guilty of wrongdoing against one of our allies. We generously give aid to foreign countries who suffer natural disasters and wars. Our allies and enemies alike have, at one time or another, counted on us to provide for them. But now, something of seemingly small import has set off a chain of events and rendered us unable to adequately feed ourselves.

“It seems impossible. We’re left asking why. Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the past. Settlers on the American frontier planned ahead. They brought supplies into the wild, unsettled regions to keep themselves alive until they could establish homes and plant crops. They couldn’t expect to rely on anyone else; in fact, they were wise to expect setbacks and failures. And if they failed, it was with the knowledge that they had freely assumed the risk.

“We tried to eliminate risk through Restrictions designed to protect our citizens—and now, that carefully planned system has failed us.