New Gods of North America

As a bodyguard,

There are many places where Wayne is not convenient to go with his employer.

For example, the governor's office, or a place where a group of staff and consultants meet with two congressmen.

But also as a bodyguard,

There are some places where Wayne can wander around without being suspected after following him in.

For example, Wayne at this time,

Just wandering around the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.

The Virginia State Capitol is built on a hill surrounded by green space and gardens.

The main body of the building is a large building that looks like an ancient Greek temple. The overall exterior is pure white, with several thick and tall round stone pillars on the front.

It is called a "building", but it actually has only two floors when viewed from the outside.

But the floor height is very high, one floor is at least equivalent to two and a half floors of a modern ordinary residential building. And the building area is not small, a bit like a building lying down.

This is the seat of Virginia's state government and state legislature.

The governor, secretary of state, state treasurer and other figures usually work here. Some members of Congress also have offices here.

The security of the Parliament Building is the type that is loose on the outside but tight on the inside.

The interior is divided into open area and non-open area - there are "open days" here. The so-called open area is the area that tourists can visit when it is open to the public.

Although today is not an open day, after Wayne followed Mr. Ben Harmon through security check and entered the Parliament Building, no one cared about him in the open area.

There are not many interesting things in the open area, some symbolic oil paintings, statues of several "founding fathers" and outstanding southern figures, and the place where the state legislature meets.

Wayne looked at the paintings on the wall, then walked along the corridor.

As soon as he turned a corner, Wayne realized he had crossed the line.

There is a subtle smell of "holy water" here. You can't smell it, but you feel as if your whole body has plunged into the holy water, and your skin feels slightly hot and spicy as if chili peppers have touched it.

And the flame of a kerosene lamp hanging in the corridor was slightly brighter at this time.

Just as Wayne was about to turn around, a security guard came out of an office at the corner of the corridor:

"Sir, this place is off-limits."

"Okay." Wayne stepped back obediently.

The security guard turned his head to look at the kerosene lamp whose flame was gradually calming down, and pulled a switch on the wall. "Please wait, today is not an open day. Please cooperate with our routine inspection."

…

In the small dark room, a guy who looked like the head of security sat across the table from Wayne.

He was holding in his hand a copy of the charter signed by the bishop.

The other person looked to be in his early thirties. According to Wayne's aesthetic standards, he was considered to be a handsome type with both good looks and temperament.

“Knock, knock.”

At this time, the door of the small dark room was knocked twice, and another security guard in uniform opened the door and then leaned half of his body in from outside:

"Boss, it has been confirmed that he did follow Mr. Ben Harmon through security. After our Mr. 'Annoying' found out, he asked his secretary to come and let him go."

"I understand." The security chief nodded and continued to look at the materials in his hand.

"Wayne Constantine?"

"Yes, I am." Wayne nodded confidently.

Wayne himself had been a sheriff, so he was familiar with some of the rules in law enforcement.

For example, he just accidentally entered the no-entry zone. Even in a small town where there is more freedom of discretion, the most he would do is question him or give him a warning.

The only problem is the so-called "fallen" identity.

But he has proof.

The copy of the charter itself was also obtained by Wayne when he took the charter to the cathedral to register.

So it seemed that after the other party read the contents and preliminarily verified the authenticity, he folded the copy of the charter again and handed it back to Wayne.

At the same time, the other party also stretched out his hand:

"David Mills, captain of the state government's special services. Thank you for your cooperation, you may leave."

Wayne smiled and shook his hand.

Tsk,

Why does it look like chili water is smeared on this person's hands?

The other party observed Wayne's reaction for a moment and explained, "I'm sorry, this is also a necessary verification. Although we must obey the orders of our superiors, those political officials are rotated too quickly, and we must do it as a routine."

Wayne secretly wiped his hands on his trouser legs, with an unchanged smile on his face: "Yeah, I understand."

Today's government officials in the United States can be roughly divided into two categories: "political officials" and "administrative officials". In addition, there are some ordinary "government employees".

Political officials are the chief officials of governments and administrative departments at all levels, as well as some of the senior managers therein.

Big ones like the president, governor, mayor, etc., must all be elected.

Smaller ones, such as the heads of departments at all levels of government, need to be appointed by the highest person in charge of the government at that level, or be nominated and approved by the parliament at that level.

Theoretically, although the sheriff of a small town is just a commander without troops, he also has corresponding management authority and falls into the category of "political official".

In recent years, due to the "decline of morals", after coming to power, the various political parties in the United States often appoint and replace a large number of civil servants at their level. Many policies may undergo a major change every few years, which is jokingly called the "party spoils system" by the media in newspapers.

Administrative officers are officials of a relatively lower rank, mainly promoted from government clerks. They are responsible for implementing specific policies and orders from civil servants at all levels. They have relatively fewer responsibilities and are relatively more stable. They are considered the "backbone" of governments at all levels.

However, there is still no clear rule for the promotion of administrative officers these days.

All I can say is that any civil servant who can stay in the position longer and more stably is usually relatively neutral between the parties and is personally more capable. Civil servants with partisan leanings may be promoted quickly, or they may be replaced overnight.

There have been comments in newspapers recently suggesting that the model of the Kingdom of Windsor be followed to make the promotion and performance of duties of the civil servants more "neutral" and "stable".

Captain Mills,

It sounds like an officer who “came up” on his own.

Anyway, everything was fine and he was free, so Wayne sat down and continued chatting with the other party:

"I heard before that Virginia seems to have strict management of 'fallen people', but I feel that there are still some."

David Mills thought Wayne might have misunderstood. "The Virginia State Government Special Service needs to be reviewed by both the church and the state government before they can be employed. Strictly speaking, we are also members of the church."

Hmm...

Well, that's to be expected.

Then Captain Mills thought for a moment and added:

"But what you said is not wrong. Compared with other states, Virginia does have relatively fewer 'degenerates'.

"This was originally a colony of the Kingdom of Windsor. Their Anglican Knights and Hunters Association were very active here, and the local 'Fallen' were almost wiped out.

"After the Windsor forces were expelled, the several bishops who took office in this diocese were all very powerful. Those who were weaker or whose identities were easily exposed did not dare to settle in Virginia."