Pax Roboto

Term Paper: The Rise of the Robotic Empire
Third Section
Class: History 1085
Student: Jennifer Evangeline Naismith
ID Number: JEN-8675-309

"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."⁷

With the robot's programming designed to help humans, it is difficult to understand how they would take up arms in violence against them. However, with the government devolving to mob rule, and anarchy reigning supreme, one can get the idea that the overthrow of the government was an attempt to do a job that humans were unable to perform adequately. In this section, we will look at the beginning of the revolution.

For quite a long time, the government had spiraled downward. The elected officials were elected by continuously fewer and fewer voters. They became completely unresponsive to the desires of a majority of the people. They used all of their powers to convince the public that their policies were the best for all. Further, no one challenged these assertions.

Those who did speak up were marginalized. If this failed and they gained a following, they were imprisoned or they simply disappeared. Opposition became an activity for the underground rather than an open discussion. Clearly the system was broken because not every piece acted in a way that the founders had envisioned. That is, some parts of the government and media did not do what they were assigned to do from the beginning.

However, the robots were helpless in making any changes. There were several in service at the time, but their programming prevented them from using force on non-lawbreakers. Further, they were not allowed to interpret the laws, so they could not eliminate a government that held the constitution in contempt.

This all changed with the case of Dwayne Christopher MacInnes IV.⁸ Mr. MacInnes was a housewares manager at a large retail outlet. He did not make waves, but he would occasionally criticize the government. He was less circumspect than some, but he did not disrupt the normal governmental activities.

One day he was dragged from his work by the police, and taken to jail. The press detailed how he terrorized and then brutally murdered three children, their small dog, and two hamsters. The reports swept the nation. The entire country felt the outrage. Mr. MacInnes went on trial. Every detail of the crime was reported as the trial progressed. A portrait of a monster filled the media. Mr. MacInnes was found guilty and executed by lethal injection.

Shortly after the execution, a rumor began to spread. It was unsubstantiated, but some began to investigate. Ms. Linda D'Cheuer broke the story wide open. Mr. MacInnes had an airtight alibi. There was no way that he could have committed the crime. Further, with her continued investigation, she was unable to determine if the children, dog, and hamsters ever existed. The authorities used their power to eliminate a minor voice of opposition. The government had killed an innocent man. It was murder.

This was the key event. The government had unlawfully killed another human being with malice aforethought. The government had methodically planned and carried out its intent. In no uncertain terms, the government had murdered Mr. MacInnes.

Emperor Dextre with access to the media outlets contemplated the murder. The government was responsible for Mr. MacInnes's death, and it was a "government of the people, by the people, for the people".⁹ Hence, the citizens were all murderers. They were not accomplices in a murder. They did not, through inaction, cause the murder. They were in fact the murders themselves.

Thus, every United States citizen was a murderer. Emperor Dextre used the communication tools at his disposal to inform the police robots of this state of affairs. The police robots began arresting every citizen. Many citizens fought back, and this is how the violent revolution began.

Clearly, anyone who fired upon the robots were breaking the law. Thus, the police robots fired back. Skirmishes broke out in cities and towns across the country. The government mobilized its forces to oppose the police robots. However, these robots were built to withstand a wide range of conditions. They would not be easily defeated.

Further, robots manufactured the ammunition. Emperor Dextre made sure that the police robots were well supplied. He even had some influence on supplies upon the other side. The pro-government military robots had supply difficulties.

With his position in space, Emperor Dextre could direct forces more efficiently than those upon the ground. The police robots scored victory after victory. The governmental chaos that was the normal order of business could not gather enough resources to oppose the robots.

Soon, the government's military forces were pressed for supplies. They could not recruit. They had communication difficulties. They were slow and inefficient. They were simply no match for the police robots and Emperor Dextre. After several months of fighting, they surrendered. Thus, the military robots also came under control of Emperor Dextre.

Those citizens, who gave up peacefully, were treated well. Large skyscrapers were converted from office buildings to tall prisons. However, despite losing some freedoms, most prisoners had fairly nice living quarters. Large numbers of citizens surrendered just to get out of the slums and raise their standard of living.

Once major combat operations had ended, the police robots went after any remaining insurgents. Also, they began the process of housing the prisoners. Robotic construction equipment were manufactured under Emperor Dextre's control. Large sections of city neighborhoods were leveled. With efficient use of space a high priority, large square housing units were constructed. The emperor allotted 1000 square feet of enclosed space to each citizen, and an equal amount of outdoor space.

With these conditions, many holdouts greeted the robots as liberators and put down their weapons. The revolution was over and the act of rebuilding had begun. However, the allies of the U.S. were uneasy about the situation. Thus, the next section will be about the expansion of the robot empire.

7. Hutchins, Robert M. Great Books of the Western World, Chicago:Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 1954 p. 1

8. Larsen, Thomas G. The History of Emperor Dextre, London: Cambridge University Press, 2204. pp. 35-40.

9. Basler , Roy P., ed. Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Newark: Rutgers University Press, 1953