2nd most-quoted character in Jericho: in 32 of its 148 quotes Most scenes with: Jake Green (11), Gail Green (8), Eric Green (4)
Lines by Johnston Green 6
Johnston
Hey, Shep? You said earlier that you had heard that speech before. Ever ask yourself why I say it? ‘Cause I happen to trust you people. ‘Cause I love my town. Now, something happened in Denver, in Atlanta, and it could be that we wake up and find out that’s where it stopped. But, until we know, are we going to use our imaginations to solve problems or to cause them? Now, we can get the power back on. We can find out how big this thing is. If we have to we can fight. We can fight anybody, we can fight all enemies. The only way that’s going to happen is if we work together. Now, go on home. We’ll meet tomorrow at the town hall. And folks, don’t you break my heart again.
Right now these people need our leadership. I will not have you tearing this town apart. And when all this is over, if you and I are still alive, you investigate your ass off. In the meantime, if I hear anymore talk like that out of you, you and I are gonna have a problem. Do we understand each other?
Earlier today we buried 20 people, refugees from Denver. People we, we didn't know but, were prepared to welcome into our town. Unfortunately they died of radiation poisoning before we could reach them. For those people from Denver and for our own people, for Sheriff Daurs and Deputy Riley, for Deputy Connor and Deputy Saleam. For people out there somewhere out there that we know nothing about that might be suffering and dying right now, I ask that we take a moment of silence.
So anyhow, it’s like 3 am, I’ve got this flashlight in my face. Gail’s over on her side of the bed trying to find the phone to call the cops and finally I located the light switch. It’s Eric, who’s standing there and he says, “I can’t go to sleep until I confess – I’m drunk.” I said, “You’re what?” He said, “I’m drunk. It won’t ever happen again, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Meantime he looks perfectly normal, his speech isn’t slurred or anything. Gail starts grilling him, turns out he has had a beer and a half. I said to him, “Son, do you have any idea how much beer it takes to get drunk?” He said, “No, I don’t.” I said, “Well get out of here and don’t wake me up again until you do!”
Most of you have no idea what to do or what's coming, some of you do. This isn't a fight about land or about this town. Its a fight for our very existence. Pray for each other; and while you're at it, pray for the men and women of New Bern and pray that God forgives us.
Son, I don't want to hear that word again. Now look, this could have been a test. It could have been an accident. There's, uh, military bases near Denver. One explosion does not make an attack. If we stay calm, the town stays calm, okay.
Maybe they got captured by those tanks that Stanley saw?
JJimmy
Those tanks are probably just National Guard, okay?
BBill
You don’t know that, they could be China.
Johnston
Shhh!
BBill
They could be China, they could be Iran, Al Qaeda, North Korea; anybody who hates us. They could be coming here and what’s our line of defense? You’re looking at it.
You know what the hardest part about growing up your son was? It’s not the politics or the expectations, it’s… It’s that I always knew you were a good judge of character and you thought mine was lousy. When I left town, I was determined to prove you wrong but…but instead, everywhere I went I seemed to prove you right. Dad, I wasn’t just in San Diego.
I don’t care. If you need to tell me, I’ll listen, but…wherever you went, whatever you did, it changed you. And a stupid little punk may have left home but a pretty decent fellow came back. I can live with that.