BRIGHTEN AMERICA’S
TRADITIONS AGAIN! (BATA)
Democracy Jones Podcast (DJP) is a science fiction-horror & dark humor audio drama by shortlisted author, Eamon Loingsigh.
This page is our wiki, also known as “The Bible,” where you can find more detail about the Democracy Jones universe.
DJP takes place in the fictional town of Ellington, Florida. The first season follows the small town’s residents on the day a military coup takes place on 7/13/2040 as they find themselves swept up in the tragic, life-altering event.
On that morning of Friday the 13th, someone lit a wooden cross aflame on the Capitol Grounds ahead of an important vote. Rumors began to spring up on news channels, the biggest one comes from NeuraLuc—>HIH, a famous hacker, who reported evidence online of a Pentagon-hatched coup plot known as The Constitutional Liberty Plan. The drama and brutality that played out on the day of the coup would live in infamy. And would forever be known simply as 7/13.
Main Characters:
~HAISLEY JONES, 27, Liberal, mixed-race, pregnant former Marine, veteran of the Seoul War. While on leave in 2032, she committed suicide, but woke up in a white room to a man leaving. She then moved to New York and got her life together. In 2040, she moves back to her hometown of Ellington, Florida to start a family.
~CAPTAIN DICK, 42, Conservative, Ellington Chief of Police and Army Officer veteran of the Seoul War and Moscow Putsch.
~ABRA FRIDMAN, 5, Liberal, loves cats, wants to be the best.
~DE’ONTAY JONES, 30, Liberal, Husband of Haisley Jones, member of The Crowned (see THE CROWNED below).
Secondary Characters:
~ZEKE GREENLEA, 34, Conservative, veteran of the Seoul War, Zeke was conscripted from prison in 2030 after he killed four Black men. While he was in prison and war, his family’s construction business was “Cancelled” by Liberal End-Fluencers. His mother committed suicide. Zeke wants revenge on Isaac Fridman, who funded the Liberal cause to put Greenlea Contracting LLC out of business.
~EMILY STAMPS-VAN ROTEN, 42, Liberal, Wife of Captain Dick and Ellington Mayor. Her campaign for State Senator was funded by Isaac Fridman
~HAMBONE HAMILTON, 72, Conservative, leader of the Crassus Gang.
~BRENDA HAMILTON, 34, Conservative, Mother Martyr, daughter of Hambone.
~MASTER SERGEANT RODNEY LUMBECK, 25, Conservative, head of the 82nd Regiment of the Florida Militia
~GENERAL SCHENK, 56, Conservative, mastermind behind the victories in the Seoul War and the Moscow Putsch. He is also the most powerful lobbyist in Washington
~DR. O, JULIAN OWUSU, 61, Biological Physicist and Mitochondrial Engineer. Lead research that developed dangerous software for neural chips called RHETORIC. Dr. O disappeared in 2030, then reappeared with General Schenk after the successful Moscow Putsch.
~ISAAC FRIDMAN, 58, Liberal, ultra-rich property developer who financially backs Liberal causes and candidates
~ABRA’S OLDER BROTHER, 18, Liberal, gay anarchist
~ABRA’S MOMMY, 40, Liberal, from Flushing, Queens, NY
~NeuraLuc—>HIH, 29, Liberal, Hacker-in-Hiding. Not much is known about her, other than her profile picture, which is a simple fly on a wall.
~SABINA Xú MANZANA, 44, Liberal, Mexican-Chinese ancestry, won US Presidential elections in 2032 and 2036. Controversially running for a third term in 2040.
~MONIQUE SHIPLEY, Liberal, 72, popular Liberal journalist/activist who spearheaded the fight to shut down Bernays News Network (below)
~Lt. BARNES – Conservative, murdered in 2030 by his daughter, Haisley Jones. Now appears as a ghost to Captain Dick, his former partner on the Ellington Police Department.
~FYVUSH FINGERHUT, 36, Liberal, mayor of Naples
~IMANI MACK, 24, Liberal, Lesbian, daughter of NFL player
~CAT-FOX NINJA GIRL, 16, Liberal, Asian, cosplayer, real name Fay Kwan, sister of Luo Ying Kwan, a somewhat famous Liberal “End-Fluencer.”
~LAYTON O’HER, 69, Liberal, on the Ellington HS team that won the 1987 state championship, played for the Mets, then coached the Rays.
~DR. AGARWAL, 51, Liberal, Hindi, Neurologist at Ellington General
~JONNI HAMILTON – 37, Hispanic, changed his surname “Hernandez” to Hamilton, his wife’s surname.
~TODD WITKOWSKI – Originally from the Midwest somewhere, he is now Magistrate of Clareton, Ellington’s crosstown rival. Todd is still angry about his 1987 high school baseball team’s defeat at the hands of Ellington, who went on to win the State Championships. Ellington’s team had Layton O’Her on it, as well as Hambone Hamilton, who mostly sat on the bench.
~ELIJAH JENNINGS MARION (1979-2036), Conservative, longed to bring together the Liberal and Conservative parties. Won the 2036 Republican nomination for President of the US, but was poisoned to death before the election. General Schenk blamed Manzana. Manzana blamed Schenk.
~SUA (Save Us All), Conservative, supposedly a man from the future who drops posts for BATA followers hyping a conspiracy that Liberals will ruin America unless American patriots stop them in the prophetic year of 2040.
~HARLAN DUNN – 59, Conservative, BATA.
~PASTOR OGDEN – 59, Conservative, Local pastor.
~SALLY – 35, Conservative Proud Karen, mother of the deceased Sally Skinnylips.
~SALLY SKINNYLIPS – 9, Conservative, FemCademy student with Abra.
~LT. ADAMS, 38, Liberal police officer, lesbian.
~LT. HUTTENDORF, 41, Liberal police officer, gay man.
~LUO YING KWAN, 18, Chinese, Liberal, cosplayer
~HECTOR, 43, Hispanic, cook at Trump Diner
~JABARI, 56, Black, Liberal, CP Grunt and Security Guard at bank
~MR. EDGAR JOHNSTON, 51, Liberal, Gay, Manager at bank
~DISPATCHER – 40, Conservative, Ellington Police Dispatcher before 7/13.
~SUSAN SONTAG JONES – Haisley and Deontay’s miniature Schnauzer
~GATOR DUNN – Harlan Dunn’s kitten.
~FIRST LADY SATURNINUS – 23, Liberal, wife of President Manzana
~GAIA SERVILIA GLAUCIA – 23, Liberal, daughter of President Manzana, co-Vice President.
~PUBLIUS SULPICIUS RUFUS – 23, Liberal, son of President Manzana, co-Vice President.
~QUEEN SINATRA – 38, Liberal, transsexual man, Director of Secret Service
~POST MODERNIST – 38, Liberal, transgender woman, Secretary of Homeland Security
~MOMS – 74, Leader of the Chatham Group, which includes survivors of the burning of Chatham Projects Town by BATAs on 7/13.
~SAMNIGHT – 39, Moms’s son
~BETTY OSCEOLA – 30, Member of the Seminole Tribe based in the Everglades
NEURAL CHIPS – In 2030, Dr. O developed software for neural chips that had incredibly dangerous computing power, called RHETORIC. Instead of releasing it to the general market, he disappeared. And so did RHETORIC. The use of regular neural chips became very popular with Liberals, albeit without RHETORIC‘s software. Conservatives took a polemic stance against them and argued that they control people’s minds.
THE SOCIAL WAR was not in fact a war, but a Conservative political and rhetorical construct that essentially waged culture war against perceived elitist Liberal domination of American culture. Conservatives argued that 7/13, when the Constitutional Liberty Plan was put in place, would effectively end the Social War because Conservatives would take that power back and “Brighten America’s Traditions Again.”
THE SEOUL WAR (2030-2033) – Was an armed conflict between the United States/South Korea vs China/North Korea. After almost four years, it was suddenly ended by surprisingly brutal tactics taken by General Schenk. Afterward, he effectively colonized Chinese and Korean businesses and extracted their wealth. Officially, Elijah Jennings Marion, a moderate Conservative general and politician, was credited with winning the war, but General Schenk was the mastermind.
MOSCOW PUTSCH (2036) – In a shocking move, General Schenk and his followers overthrew the Russian government by kidnapping the most powerful oligarchs, tactical bombing raids and invading Moscow/Kremlin. All of this was accomplished without consulting Congress or President Manzana.
BERNAYS NEWS NETWORK (2031-2039), was a Conservative news channel that was shut down by President Sabina Xú Manzana and the Department of Homeland Security via the controversial Algorithm Sabotage after calling American militias and BATAs to violence against Manzana’s administration.
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE (July 13, 2040) – President Sabina Xu Manzana, running for third term as president, convinced Congress to have a Vote of Confidence, questioning General Schenk’s fitness to run on the Republican ticket. Conservatives saw this as a political power move to undermine his legitimacy, while Liberals claimed it was needed.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON – After the Moscow Putsch in 2036, President Manzana and Congress officially relieved General Schenk of his duty and sent a new general to take over command. But the military was more loyal to General Schenk than to Congress and murdered the new general as soon as he arrived in Moscow. General Schenk then led his army across the Atlantic Ocean for Washington. The act was unprecedented and shocking. President Manzana called it treasonous and went into hiding. In a press conference with Dr. O after he arrived from Russia, General Schenk promptly resigned. But he had proven his point already: He had more power than the president, but decided himself not to take over.
CP GRUNTS – “Kill till ya die,” is their motto. In 2030, General Schenk lobbied to conscript millions of prisoners into the military. The majority of conscripted prisoners were Black and were sent on suicide-diversionary missions that led to overwhelming casualties in order to stop the spread of Socialism in Asia.
THE CROWNED – After the Seoul War, college-educated African-Americans united with Black CP Grunts during the Color Fodder Protests (2032-2034) and influenced President Manzana to pass laws to give free housing and healthcare to those who were conscripted from prison and sent on suicide missions during the Seoul War. Original members of The Crowned came together via college fraternities/sororities and utilized lax gun laws to arm themselves. Members of The Crowned often wear jeweled diadems. BATAs call them “Black Bourgeois Terrorists” and refer to the Color Fodder Protests as “Riots.”
SOCIAL BOT – Was a politically-charged pejorative during the Dirty Thirties used by BATAs to describe any Liberal “Socialist” person who had power and was persuasive. In this way, the person was discredited as if they were some sort of computer-engineered activist (re: myth of the “paid protester”) using algorithms to sabotage the true American patriots.
CRASSUS GANG – A violent motorcycle gang in Ellington made up of older-generation BATAs. They are fierce supporters of General Schenk and are often armed with their own weapons and modify old tanks and F950s with heavy weaponry. They are known as being very undisciplined and obese. Their leader is Hambone Hamilton.
82nd REGIMENT of the FLORIDA MILITIA – During the Dirty Thirties, Conservative militias popped up in most rural and suburbs towns. They are made up of locals who were former or current military members from all branches of service. The majority of them are loyal to General Schenk due to the plunder he shared with them after the Moscow Putsch as well as successfully lobbying for free healthcare and housing for them in Congress. They are known as being highly disciplined.
MOTHER MARTYR and PROUD KARENS – In 2036, after conservative politician Elijah Jennings Marion died, a wild conspiracy claimed god was so angry that he made thousands of children disappear across America. Mother Martyrs were their mothers. But General Schenk gave Mother Martyrs power over all local Proud Karens, who are essentially female BATAs.
VietPopPorn GIRLS QUINTET – Controversially, the five-piece girls dance/sing quintet were actually Chinese. Because the lead singer was a distant relative of American President Sabina Xú Manzana’s matriarchal genealogy, this group was able to connect agents with the creators of the greatest television event of all time, Ringlorn. Their authentic cosplay outfits alone made billions of dollars in profit in the first week of sales. The two most popular outfits were “Princess Fuck You” (worn by Luo Ying) and “Cat-Fox Ninja Girl” (worn by Fay Kwan).
GREENLEA CONTRACTING LLC – Was a construction contractor originally signed to deforest part of the western Everglades contiguous with Ellington and develop an upscale, gated housing community called Golden Door Estates. When it refused to sell a home to a gay couple, Isaac Fridman, a billionaire activist and property developer, financed a case against Greenlea Contracting and bankrolled Liberal “End-fluencers” to turn it into a Liberal cause. Greenlea Contracting was then socially “cancelled” and a judge liquidated the company. Fridman then took over the development of Golden Door Estates.
RINGLORN – Was a webseries that was by far the biggest pop culture/entertainment brand of all time during the Dirty Thirties. It became so big, that all other web series, television programs, movies, documentaries and the like disappeared after Ringlorn blew up. The hero of the story, of course, was the famous actress-turned-Liberal president of the United States of America, Sabina Xú Manzana, fighting righteously against tradition and the powerful Conservative Senatorial oligarchy. The series itself was based on the nonfiction book “Archetypes of the Late Republic” by Elem Aizenshdadt, about the Late Republic of Rome and the opposing characters that together ruined democracy in the ancient world (Marius, Sulla, Sulpicius, Saturninus, Pompey, Crassus. . .).
ELLINGTON, FLORIDA – Ellington is a fictional small town in Southwest Florida, east of Naples on the edge of the Everglades. It has four major neighborhoods:
1) Royal Palms (North) is middle class families
2) Chatham Projects Town (South) is mostly Black, Hispanic and poor white
3) Golden Door Estates (East) is an upscale gated community that was recently built by cutting into the Everglades. Many of its residents live their part-time as Snowbirds with their northern money.
4) Downtown (West) is where most of the economic action happens. Ellington High School is there as well as Bank of the Constitutional Republic, Lucullus Coffee Shop, Trump Diner, City Hall and the Ellington Police Department.
DEMOCRACY JONES: 7/13 (fiction podcast)
or
Adventures in Late Phase American Democracy
by Eamon Loingsigh
EPISODES:
TEASER – “Rhetoric,” the name of the software in Haisley Jones’ neural chip, is cycling through millions of simulations which appear in her dreams as a prophecy of her impending death on Alligator Alley, six days from 7/13/2040. But what does it mean?
OPENING CRAWL – This Opening Crawl gives important background information on the events leading up to 7/13/2040, the day American Democracy falls. Look for multiple episodes to be released on 1/6/2022, the anniversary of the infamous date that inspired DEMOCRACY JONES Podcast.
AIE1 – HAISLEY – The neural chip in Haisley’s brain is trying to warn her of a great doom, but she is in denial. She just wants a safe place to carry out her pregnancy. But nothing can stop the cynical conspiracy to overthrow Democracy now. For Haisley Jones and all Americans, it’s too late.
AIE2 – CAPTAIN DICK – Captain Dick, Ellington Chief of Police and his wife, the mayor, Emily Stamps-Van Roten have a complicated relationship that will be tested during the impeding BATA storm.
AIE3 – ABRA – Five year-old Abra Fridman’s life is about to be turned upside down, and she’s only now beginning to see it coming in the distance. Men watching her through windows, buzzards flying above and a prophetic message from a Hacker-in-Hiding introduce Abra to something she’s never felt before, fear.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE – Taking a break from the narrative for a little personal message from Eamon Loingsigh.
PREVIOUSLY ON – A lot has happened, here’s a short “Previously On” of the most important events from each episode, and a look toward the next.
AIE4 – HAISLEY – Things are beginning to look dire for Haisley and her husband De’ontay, who just moved to Florida to start a family. But Haisley is in denial and tries to stay positive about the future of the child that grows inside of her. But there is no escaping the earth-shattering coup by General Schenk.
AIE5 – ABRA – Everything is falling apart in Washington. The Department of Homeland Security Headquarters, the muscle behind great Liberal changes over the last decade, is on fire. Gunfights between Emergency Service employees have broken out. But how is the coup going to effect Abra and her family in Florida?
AIE6 – CAPTAIN DICK – Ellington’s Chief of Police, a BATA leader, has been tasked by the Constitutional Liberty Plan with delivering his township to General Schenk. But Captain Dick’s wife, a Liberal, is the mayor who will most certainly be butchered during the coup. Captain Dick’s old partner suddenly appears, advising him to forget about his wife, who has been cheating on him.
AIE7 – HAISLEY – Haisley’s delusions, caused by excessive use of the drug Lozapine and denial of reality, causes her to walk right into a hostage standoff at a bank on 7/13. Captain Dick must deliver the contents of the bank to General Schenk to fund the coup. Horror and choas ensues.
AIE8 – SEPARATION AND EXTRACTION – Horror marches into Golden Door Estates. Rogue BATA Zeke Greenlea utilizes General Schenk’s military coup for his own personal revenge on Isaac Fridman and collides into Abra’s world with horrific violence. Across the street, De’ontay runs away toward the only place that is safe, the Everglades. But Zeke, a tracker, hunts him down.
AIE9 – RUN FOR YOUR LIFE – De’ontay runs for his life as he is being hunt down in the Everglades by Zeke, a tracker. In the horror, Abra’s emotions become displaced and she blames her father for everything, then runs away only to find herself in the warzone of Chatham Projects Town. Captain Dick and the BATAs celebrate victory in downtown Ellington when something mystical and unexpected changes everything.
AIE10 – BELLY OF THE WHALE – Captain Dick is shocked to see his wife again, although she is not the same. Out in the Everglades, De’ontay meets some other survivors who begin to organize. In the infirmary, Abra sees Haisley Jones sleeping on a bed of flowers as BATA cult followers pray to her, while General Schenk gives a speech about America’s newfound direction. Maya then reveals information about Haisley’s baby.
INSIDE DEMOCRACY JONES – We are at the threshold between acts 1 & 2, so let’s take a breath and connect some of the dots before Haisley wakes up in the infirmary where Abra and her mother are, and before Captain Dick figures out what to do with his injured wife, Emily,and while De’ontay gets his bearings out in the Everglades with the group of 7/13-survivors.
A2E1 – VENUS GENETRIX – Haisley finds herself having the same dream-simulation where she dies on Alligator Alley six days from 7/13, yet she has learned how to have agency over her fate within the dream-simulation. The aftermath of the coup in Ellington reveals that the BATAs and ROTCs have revolted against Captain Dick, who is besieged inside City Hall. His attempts to pacify the people of Ellington have failed and a grim ending looks certain.
A2E2 – Shadows & Scapegoats – De’ontay finds himself pushed aside by Fyvush as the refugee camp out in the Everglades begins to fall apart, struggling to secure resources while being haunted by their Shadow. Abra is in FemCademy with the BATA girls but quickly realizes she will never be accepted when the town of Ellington is faced with a terrifying danger no one saw coming.
A2E3 – A Marriage Proposal – Thirty minutes before tragedy, Haisley has a chance to avert it. But her Guide, Maya, and the simulations she draws data from, ended up being wrong, causing the deaths of too many of the town’s residents. Captain Dick angles his way back into the graces of the people after being deemed a Lady Killer, and proposes a union between Ellington’s two most powerful personalities. Abra witnesses more atrocities, learns a lesson, and makes friends.
A2E4 – Mother, Father – Zeke hunts down two different groups in the Everglades and must keep them from finding out about each other. Haisley begins to author the story of her own life. De’ontay is the first casualty when turkey vultures overrun the main camp of refugees in the Everglades.
A2E5 – Brenda’s Agenda – Captain Dick has to make a difficult decision and pressures Brenda to side with him against the Venus Genetrix. Abra wants to go on a Girl Adventure to Golden Door Estates and runs right into a nightmare at the Jones’s.
A2E6 – Trial in Golden Door – Zeke hears gunshots back in Ellington. Captain Dick hears the same thing on Harlan’s walkie-talkie, and the BATAs converge on Golden Door when they realize it’s a member of The Crowned. Haisley directs De’ontay on how to avoid capture. An armed standoff takes place in the house Abra is hiding in.|
A2E7 – Sabina – Flashback to 7/13, the President of the United States of America Sabina Xú Manzana and her staff learn about the Pentagon PSYOP masterminded by General Schenk as it unfolds. Chaos ensues!
A2E8 – Come Together – While Captain Dick investigates the recent invasion of Golden Door, the Proud Karens debate on whether or not to reveal Haisley’s true identity to Ellington’s Magistrate. De’ontay is on a mission to get the Chatham refugee camp to join forces with the Golden Door camp, but hadn’t foreseen their perspective on saving American democracy.
This is a SERIAL podcast, which means you should listen to the episodes in order by date.
contact: artofneed@gmail.com
Copyright 2021, DEMOCRACY JONES Podcast is created and performed by Eamon Loingsigh, including music, story, narration and editing in both GarageBand and Adobe Premiere Pro.
