The Psychological Regulator
And those who say otherwise shall be crushed!"

Winters stared him in the eye. "If you're not mad," he said, "you're giving a very accurate imitation of megalomania. But, for the sake of the record, I assure you that I shall never be a Rightman, and that many others have told me the same. Alfreed, you'll never get a majority in any election, so why continue a futile opposition?"

The doctor frowned. "Get out," he said. "You will see how a man gets what he wants. He takes it!"

As the door closed on Winters' back he relaxed in bed. "Rightman," did the old fool say? Not bad. Not bad at all. He leaped out of bed and dressed. He was nervous, almost hysterically so. As he strode down the corridor of the dwelling, his friends greeted him with cries of "Right!" They were on his side, he thought.

He had to make a speech in the breakfast room of the dwelling and left with the cry of "Right for Alfreed!" crashing in his ears. Time to organize now, he thought. The enthusiasm must not be allowed to die down, for once cold reason was permitted to set in, his cause was lost. There could be no such thing as full debate; he must imbue his followers with such a sense of their truth and right that they would, unthinkingly, stamp on the first murmur of opposition, without listening to what the opposer had to say. Had he really been fooling when he intimated to Winters that he would take over by force? Maybe. He didn't know yet. First thing the Rightmen would need, he decided, would be some sort of identification. Badges--stars? No, these were too flimsy; they might get lost easily, or then some scoundrel who had no right to them, who did not swear allegiance to the cause, might get hold of them.

What was needed was an ensign more substantial--a staff, perhaps. How about a rod, he thought. A nice, heavy one, of course--it'd look better that way--and it should be painted with bright colors. They could even wear bandoliers and shorts of the same color. Red, of course. Red stood out, attracted attention, and was the color of enthusiasm and violence. The sight of solid red ranks would at once intimidate opposition and attract recruits. "Right Red," it should be called. "Right Red" for the "Rightmen." It is the duty, he thought, of the Rightman to defend his person against irresponsible attacks, that he may be preserved for the good of the state.And, a few hours later, these same words thundered through a microphone
to all parts of the city: "It is the Duty of the Rightman to defend
his person against irresponsible attacks that he may be 
 Prev. P 14/24 next 
Back Top
Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact