by Jack Strain
That was a good one. “Well, what do you have in mind, Edith?”
Her tone changed a bit, became more serious, all the banter gone. “John, I don’t know how much more of this the country can take. A week ago, I was hearing that Wolfe was losing it - completely unbalanced, perhaps even unfit to hold the office. Now, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it’s like the man is some avenging angel… no. More like the devil. I know you’ve seen the same videos that I have. How much longer are we going to stand by and just watch the country that we both love rip apart like this?”
Appealing to the Arizona Senator’s well-known love of country was a good place to start. He was in a great deal of pain this morning, so he braced himself on the sink as he slowly slumped down to sit on the covered toilet seat and tried to stretch out his back while he listened to the new darling of the American Left.
“Well, what do you want me to do about it, Edith? Hell, people on your side of the aisle think I’m some nutty war monger, and my people think that I’m just some old cantankerous bastard who plays to the Liberal Media and is riding out his final term.”
Templeton was no fan of Mitchum’s politics, but she had a deep abiding respect for the man and responded with genuine emotion in her voice, “John, there is no one in our Chamber who commands the respect of the American people more than you. I know you think that I’m some left-wing nutjob, but I love this country every bit as you do, and I’m literally sick at heart at what is happening. I’m asking you to gather as many fellow senators from your party as you can and join me to jointly condemn the president and call on him to stop these mass arrests and end this war.”
“You’re asking a hell of a lot Edith. I won’t back off on the war, you know that. I may not agree with how we’ve fought this one, but those Iranian mullahs have been asking for it for decades. I won’t turn my back on the men and women fighting this war even as we speak.”
Cutting him off, Templeton interjected, “But John, how many innocents have we killed in the past two weeks? Thousands? Tens of thousands? What happened in Jerusalem and everywhere else, including here, is an abomination, but now we look like monsters to the world. I know that bothers you. Can you at least stand with us for what he’s doing against fellow Americans, John? He’s using private contractors to hunt down American citizens and sending them God-knows-where because I don’t know where these people are being housed. Do you? Do any of us?”
Mitchum suddenly flashed on an ugly image from another lifetime ago of a packed, steaming hot prison cell with that ever-present fetid smell that never washed away. He remembered the feeling of absolute helplessness and fear that his country had abandoned him and his fellow POWs. Not here…not here.
Clearing his throat first, the eighty-year-old former naval pilot stood up and spoke with a hard edge in his voice. “Edith, I’ll talk to my people this morning. Let’s hold a joint press conference to condemn the president’s actions and announce the formation of a joint committee on the conduct of the war and give notice that we will be recommending an appointment of a special counsel to determine if the president has exceeded his Constitutional authority and broke the law.”
Senator Templeton’s heart skipped a beat, never expecting such a powerful show of support. She was about to thank him when Mitchum added, “Before you get all proud of yourself, let me warn you, Edith, if you or any of your people turn this into some fucked up political circus, I swear to you that I will shut it down and whatever happens will be on you.”
Mitchum’s powerful words hung there for a moment until the former university professor turned social activist and now senator responded, “Thank you, John, you have my word on this that this is no political stunt. History is watching us right now, judging. We can do this John. We can stop the madness.”
Chapter Thirty Nine
The White House
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
“…once we’ve isolated the city, we expect to begin the assault soon after…”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
“…Marine units have finally secured the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian militia units have been largely defeated and driven out of the city, but the fighting was rough in spots. We have teams on the ground now dismantling their ballistic missile and anti-shipping bases…”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
“…twin car explosions near the American embassy in Paris have left three dozen or so killed, including six Americans…French security forces are keeping us in the loop…”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
The loud chanting from the protesters seemed to envelop the room. Chief of Staff Baxter Davis convinced the president to allow a video team in for his morning Intel briefing with instructions to edit out any confidential information but wanted to show the country that even in the face of anti-American protests, the president was at work running the country and trying to make everyone safe. It was starting to backfire.
President Wolfe’s face was flushed, his blue eyes wincing ever so slightly as the chants seemed to get even louder, and his shoulders were so taut with tension that his arms seemed to tremble as he pressed his hands together. He stopped paying attention to the intel briefing ten minutes ago and wanted to escape to the situation room or the bunker.
How in the hell am I the bad guy? It was my daughter who got killed.
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
I’m trying to protect American lives, you thankless shits. Let’s see what happens if some jihadi fucker sets off a big old bomb right in the middle of all this bullshit. That’ll stop their fucking chanting.
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
“…we now have more than twenty-seven thousand suspects in custody. One of our security teams suffered serious injuries when a crowd surrounded them at the University of Vermont. Local police refused to cooperate with our contractors, five suffered severe head trauma, and fifteen students were also injured, the suspects got away….”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
Holding his hands tightly against his ears, Wolfe suddenly stood and shouted, “Can’t someone make them fucking stop? My head is about to explode. That’s it, I’m done. No more of this bullshit! Shut it down, Baxter.”
The intelligence and military briefers exchanged uncomfortable glances, all secretly happy to get the hell out of dodge. They quickly exited the room after Davis gave them the okay.
“Baxter get me the hell out of here. I don’t care where. I’ll even go to Camp David, and I hate that fucking place.”
Oh shit. “Mr. President, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. It wouldn’t look good, you leaving the White House with everything going on right now.”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
Livid at this point, President Wolfe stood inches from Davis’ face and roared, “Oh and this looks politically fucking great? A couple of hundred thousand people screaming how much they hate me. What type of message does this send to the world?”
Davis didn’t know what to say, but the president beat him to it and yelled, “I can’t sleep at night. My wife can’t sleep. No one can get anything fucking done with all this chanting. We need to clear Lafayette Square,
and I don’t give a shit how you do it, just get it done.”
Davis felt his body grow tense. Very calmly, Davis said, “Mr. President, I am not sure we can do that. In fact, if we try then things may get out of hand.”
“Good, let them get out of hand. Maybe if we start cracking a few skulls, then we can go about the business of keeping this country safe.”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
For the first time, Davis suddenly wished that old Dutch Schultz was still here to take the heat from the president. Too late for that Baxter, you are on your own. Speaking in a calm voice, Davis said, “Mr. President, we need to stay the course. Today will be rough with so many protests around the country, but most Americans support what you are doing. Let me arrange to move the first lady out of the White House, and we can get you situated in the bunker until things blow over…maybe two days at most. Hopefully, by then, the military can nail that Rahimi bastard, and we can dial things back some.”
Then it hit Wolfe like a lightning bolt, and he exclaimed, “That’s it, Baxter, you hit the nail on the head.”
Confused, Davis said, “I don’t understand Mr. President. What are you getting at?”
“The American people do support me, Baxter, it’s high time we leverage that support. Get that little prick Measly on the phone. I want him over here to help me put together a little video message to my people and then we’ll see how those bastards out there like it when real Americans start sending a message. And tell LaHue don’t stop, keep pushing, this is a war, and I won’t go down in history as a loser.”
“1,2,3,4…WE DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING WAR…5,6,7,8…THIS WON’T MAKE AMERICA GREAT…9,10,11,12…WOLFE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL…”
All Davis could do was shake his head and say, “Yes, Mr. President. I will get right on it.”
Chapter Forty
October 24th
By noon the video feed was loaded on every major social media and streaming site from Twitter to YouTube. The video was less than five minutes, but some Americans would have to live with its effect for a lifetime. Wolfe’s director of social media, Stefan Measly, the thirty-three-year-old who singlehandedly transformed then-candidate Wolfe’s anemic social media presence into the all-powerful tool that enabled him to leap over traditional Media and speak directly to his enthusiastic base of supporters jumped at the chance to help the president.
The video was released under the title, “It’s Time for Real Americans to Fight Back.” The first forty-five seconds delivered a series of still images from the horrors of the past two weeks; the dead in Jerusalem, a still-smoldering jet liner on a bombed out tarmac with American soldiers laid out in body bags, deadly images from terror attacks in London, Paris, Munich. It ended with a series of horrific scenes from dead Americans laying in contorted heaps on a bridge in Long Island to a picture of a five-year-old little girl whose still body was laying on the edge of a schoolyard, partially covered by a makeshift blanket with her blonde hair streaked with blood.
Next, a short video feed lasting about twenty seconds showed groups of Americans marching and protesting around the nation; close-ups of signs vilifying the president, calling domestic security officers fascists and thugs, and showing support for Muslims being arrested around the country.
Next, the video opened with a visibly angry President Wolfe delivering his message directly from the Oval Office. Dressed in a crisp navy-blue suit and wearing a blood-red tie with a small white lily on his lapel, President Wolfe looked directly into the camera and began his scripted message.
“My fellow Americans, these are trying times for the American people, but we remain strong and will not allow our enemies from abroad or here at home weaken our resolve to win this war on terror. I will not allow it, but more importantly, I know that you will not allow it.
“I, like all too many Americans, have suffered unimaginable painful loss these past few weeks: whether it be a soldier on the battlefield, an airman in the skies, a sailor on the seas, or like my daughter, an innocent civilian caught up in this monstrous war against humanity.
“I didn’t want this war. The American people did not want this war, but as I said last week, we can no longer turn our backs to the reality of the enemy we are fighting or the measures necessary to protect Americans here and abroad.
“We have struck the enemy hard. The Islamic Republic of Iran has paid a terrible price for its support of terror for the past four decades. Thousands of brave soldiers and marines standing shoulder to shoulder with our valiant ally, Israel, have taken the fight to the murderous thugs of Hezbollah. The mass murderer Assad and his closest supporters have been wiped from this earth as have thousands of others from Boko Haram in Nigeria to the Al Shahab terrorists in Somalia and the Taliban fighters who no longer enjoy safe the haven found in neighboring Pakistan.
“We have taken their money, killed their leaders, destroyed their weapons, and even now as we speak heroic American service men and women continue to risk their lives as they have begun to assault the cowardly group who dare to call themselves Allah’s Avengers. These are the same animals who killed hundreds of defenseless civilians when they used deadly chemical weapons in the Holy City of Jerusalem and have inspired scores of deadly attacks around the globe, including here in America.
“While brave American war fighters abroad and dedicated Homeland security forces at home take the war to our enemies, some of our own people are blaming America for what is happening - not our enemies, not those who stab, and shoot, and drive vehicles over the innocent.”
The president paused for a moment, his eyes narrowed, and then with a clear sense of his absolute disdain for these people evident, his voice reflected this anger as he added, “You know who these people are…listened to them blame America over the years and make excuses for those who seek to kill for their own evil purposes.
“Their own moral weakness and hatred for their own country have made other American presidents too frightened to bring the war to our enemies. Real Americans know that I am a man of my word, that I am not going to back down to anyone or any group who threatens to kill Americans, but I need your help.
“Today these protesters have taken to our city streets, given sanctuary to those who seek to avoid justice and condemn me and all Americans who wish to crush those who seek to destroy us. I need real Americans to take to the streets today, this very minute, and confront those who seek to weaken our resolve and whose empty rhetoric will ensure more dead Americans will lay in our streets and our schools in the days and months to come.
“I know we can do this. Now I ask you to stand not just by me, but America. I say we fight back, take back our city squares and downtowns from those who hate America…shout them down…take back your streets…take back this country and if you do so help me God, I will stand with you as you now stand by me.
“God Bless America and God Bless the fighting men and women of this great nation. I know you will do your duty as I have pledged to do mine.”
◆◆◆
Within three hours, reports started to flood media outlets across the country, and violent footage began appearing on social media feeds. From Miami to Portland, pro-Wolfe supporters came out in droves and staged counter-marches against the growing torrent of anti-Wolfe protesters. Police around the nation were already spread thin due to increased security measures protecting government and popular gathering locations and didn’t have the manpower to be everywhere. It wasn’t long before angry mobs from both sides started clashing in the streets across the country.
Pro-Wolfe marches were far fewer than the organized anti-Wolfe crowds, but the ones who were fired up by the president’s social media message came ready to do battle. Crowds soon formed waving American flags and holding up signs attacking the media and supporting the troops and security forces across the country. More menacing, organized bands of white nationalists whose past
support had greatly embarrassed the Wolfe administration were out in force and in “open carry” states, armed and ready to engage in violence.
Bands of white nationalists were already suspected in dozens of mosque burnings, more than twenty suspected murders, and hundreds of incidents of violence against Muslims across the nation. Opposing these groups was the highly organized and violent Left, known as Antifa or anti-fascist groups. Antifa was thought to be responsible for numerous acts of arson and property destruction and had become a fixture in social protests across the nation centering on the anti-free speech marches on college campuses and the Confederate statute controversies from the previous year.
Austin, Texas was the scene of the first major violence when club-wielding Antifa groups attacked a group of pro-Wolfe supporters. Pepper spray and urine balloons were directed at the much smaller group of pro-Wolfe forces that included about seventy white nationalists flying Confederate flags and carrying signs supporting the roundup of Muslims. People were temporarily blinded and sickened by the pepper spray and soaked with urine and started to stampede away from the brutally effective Antifa protesters who were about to declare victory when the first shots were fired.
Heavily armed and no strangers to violence, all it took was for one enraged white nationalist to get a face full of urine to lift his safety on his AR-15 and without warning empty an entire clip into a group of Antifa’s. Horrific shrieks were heard as five were struck immediately by the sudden burst of semi-automatic gunfire. Two more guns opened fire and were quickly joined by three more angry nationalists.
Fifteen people were hit, though not all Antifas, and the crowd surged the other way creating further panic. Dozens were trampled in the ensuing flight. Police officers returned fire and struck several white nationalists. When footage hit social media, a veritable firestorm was lit across the nation.