Disclaimer: Terry chemistry and American Politics inspired this story.
Quote: "…Our danger is in the forces of the world today which are trying to use man's fear to rob him of his individuality, his soul, trying to reduce him to an unthinking mass of fear and bribery – giving him free food which he has not earned, easy and valueless money which he has not worked for… That is what we must resist, if we are to change the world for man's peace and security… …So, never be afraid. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed. If you, not just you in this room tonight, but in all the thousands of other rooms like this one about the world today and tomorrow and next week, will do this, not as a class or classes, but as individuals, men and women, you will change the earth." ― William Faulkner, to his daughter's graduating class in Oxford Mississippi, 1951 (source below)
24hour News Cycle
Sandwiched between victim statements from 'survivors' of the church service and flashbacks to the Twin Tower attacks in 2001, was Edison Davis.
His message was clear. It was strong. It was Presidential.
"My goal is to make America safe again. We must send a strong message to those who would deny us our freedoms while we continue to fight for theirs. We will not stand not stand for it. Our rights, our freedoms, the American way of life – that was not presented to We, The People, on a silver platter. Through every bloody massacre, every civil rights march, every legal challenge to right the wrongs in our history, We the People have fought for a better tomorrow. That tomorrow is here. Today and every day from now on, our challenge is to continue to fight for what's right. To honour the sacrifices made by the brave men and women in uniform, and the brave men and women out of uniform. From today on, We The People must say No to Terrorists, No to their cowardly acts of terrorism and No to those who support and shield the enemies of our nation…"
Felicia clicked the television off.
"I can almost see the smoke coming out of your ears," Karen said, half seriously.
"That man…argh!" Felicia went about picking up the toys left by Teddy all over the hotel suite the previous night, then checked to make sure the 'babies' were still fast asleep, cuddled together in the cot, that was meant to be for Gracie.
Karen took a picture. "They are so cute together," she smiled, tucking the blankets more securely around them.
Felicia walked around the cot and gave Karen a hug. "You are a brave girl, but is that brave face for real?"
Clinging to other woman, Karen shook her head. "I'm scared Mom is going to lose to Edison."
Felicia tightened her hug. "Baby, I don't know what's going to happen, but you know your Mom, she won't go down without a fight, and heaven help any man, or woman, who stands in her way."
That made Karen chuckle, a little watery chuckle.
Breaking News
'We interrupt this news segment to go live to the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, where the FBI director and representatives of the Department of Justice have an update on the events of last night…"
FBI Director: 'Good morning. Let me cut to the chase. The FBI is committed to protecting the citizens of this country from terrorists, that's our number one priority. We're not alone in this endeavour. That's the goal of all intelligence agencies in the United States, to keep everyone in this country, safe from cowardly acts of hate and destruction. Today is a good day. Today the FBI, with the help of the Justice Department, will bring to justice those who planned to murder our people and destroy our values..."
Justice Department official: 'We have enough evidence to indict Obeid Hussein and his home-grown terror network. The charges filed today include the conspiracy to murder United States citizens; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization that has caused the deaths of both US citizens and foreign nationals, either directly or indirectly. The maximum penalty for each defendant will be life in prison, if they are convicted.'
Media: 'Is there fresh evidence other than leaked photographs, leaked phone message, leaked teaching schedules, and Mr Hussein's resume?'
Officials: 'New evidence will be presented at trial.'
Cornelius 'Mack' Ryan sat on the steps of the mosque, rolling a cigarette.
He didn't have long to wait.
"As-Salaam Alaykum, brother, are you waiting for someone?" A bearded man in a white dishdasha sat down beside him.
Mack turned his not-unfriendly gaze on the man. "I'm just resting my weary bones. Been walking all day and my feet are tired out." Mack offered him a rolled cigarette but the man shook his head.
The man's gaze took in Mack's street clothes and the shopping trolley parked just inside the street entrance. "We have food inside and we can organise a place for you to stay, if you need a bed for the night."
"That's mighty friendly of you. I won't say no to the food, if it's free."
"I am Zulfiker, you can call me Joe for short. I am the Imam here," The man grinned, standing up. "Food is free. You have come at the right time, we are breaking fast."
"You're having breakfast now? Isn't it more like dinner time?"
"During Ramadan, we fast from sunrise to sunset. At sunset, we break our fast and eat." Joe led him to a room full of tables, all occupied.
When Mack hesitated, Joe motioned him forward. "We don't bite. Come, I will eat with you."
After Mack and Joe sat down with heaped plates of rice, Arabic bread, a meat stew and salad, there was little talk for the first few minutes. Then Mack said conversationally, "The security here must be pretty good. I didn't even have time to finish rolling my cigarette before you came out."
"We are cautious. Even more cautious than before. Two of our worshippers were arrested this morning on terrorism charges. That usually brings out the trouble-makers."
"Man, it can't be easy being Muslim in this country."
"You ain't lying," said the guy to his left. "We get arrested and tortured for being terrorists in America, and we get shot and bombed for being terrorists in our home countries. We can't win."
"It would be okay if all of us really were terrorists," said the guy seated opposite to the first guy. "But those two boys taken into custody, they weren't terrorists. I know their families. We lived as refugees in the same camp. We arrived as refugees on the same boat. Those boys know the sacrifices their families made to be here, which is why they wanted to study hard and go to university."
Two men, from the neighbouring table, brought their plates over. "You talking about what happened this morning? It was a set-up, pure and simple."
"Why do you say that?" Mack asked, mopping up gravy with bread.
"The guy with the red beard who was in all those photographs with those kids. He only showed up here a few days ago."
"Before that he was hanging around a mosque a couple of neighbourhoods away. They called the police on him for telling people he admired Osama bin Ladin and wanted to join ISIS. I know this because my cousin goes to that mosque. He thought the dude was crazy, but he was afraid some dropout, rebellious kids would start listening and get themselves in trouble. So they called the police. And he disappeared. My cousin thought he'd been arrested. But then the same dude shows up here. Same red beard. Same crazy talk. Same everything."
"You should have called the police, like I told you," one of the guys looked at the Imam.
"I thought he needed his meds. Guantanamo Bay is not a good place for crazy people."
"Better him, than those kids. Or Obeid Hussein."
Mack sighed. "I been living on the streets long enough to know you can't trust the cops. They'll shoot an unarmed man in the back, hen swear he had a knife and was going to attack them. I hope things work out for those boys."
"Inshallah. We're collecting money for a good lawyer right now."
Mack reached for a couple of dollars tucked safely away in his sock and held it out to the Imam. "Take it with my blessings. I don't need a meal tonight. But those boys will need a real good lawyer."
Oscar laid down several images of a red-bearded man on the polished surface of the Resolute Desk.
"This guy goes by many names – Ahmed El Shabib, Zahid Hamza, Mohammed Sharif. He was born Rashid Malik. Has a rap sheet longer than my arm. He was wanted for drug smuggling and aggravated assault before he went on the FBI's payroll as an informant."
"Aggravated assault? Bar fight?"
"Tried to kill his wife."
"Glad to know the FBI recruits only the best and brightest to keep our country safe."
Oscar gave a wry grimace. "There's more. The FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide talks about 'Trash Covers' – informants taking on fake names and fake histories to target a group. They can recruit them as informants, take pictures, record conversations without any evidence the target group was intent on committing any crimes."
"A blank canvas. Probably makes it easier for the FBI to plant evidence and orchestrate crimes for some sucker, fool enough to get caught in their net." Zeke got to his feet and walked towards the windows to stare out towards the Rose Garden.
Oscar addressed his stiff rigid back. "The FBI has more informants now than during COINTELPRO. Stands to reason, with Congress throwing moneybags at the FBI since 9/11, their informants have hit the jackpot, earning between $80,000 to $100,000 a job."
Zeke turned to face Oscar, with a bitter smile. "Nice work if you can get it." He sighed. "Man, sometimes I wonder if Liv knows what she's signed up for."
"She knows. She didn't want to run for President, we had to talk her into it."
Zeke sighed again, and turned his attention back to the Rose Garden.
Earlier that day, Abby and Quinn started door-knocking around the neighbourhoods of the two 'terror' suspects, known to Obeid Hussein. Most people politely shut the door in their faces, but one woman opened the door wider and said. "You need to speak to my daughter."
After serving Abby and Quinn glasses of mint tea, and almond cookies, in a living room with an oriental carpet on the floor, and a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Aisha Al Shamri sat down on a cream brocade couch and said solemnly, "My daughter will be here soon."
"Do you know the Husseins?" Quinn asked, reaching for another couple of cookies.
"We know Mr Obeid Hussein. All the Arab families in this neighbourhood, we know him. He helps the children. He is very patient. He helps them with their math and science homework. Free of charge. My sister's boys finished school because of him. Bilal and Ali were always in trouble until Obeid started working with them. Now the media is calling them all terrorists."
"Bilal is not a terrorist!"
They turned to see a girl, her face swollen from crying, glaring at them from the archway into the room.
"Hana, come." Aisha gestured the girl closer. "These ladies are investigators. They know Mr Obeid Hussein's family." Then turning to Abby and Quinn, she added, "My daughter, Hana, knows Bilal."
"He's my boyfriend," Hana said fiercely, glaring at her mother, as she plonked onto the nearest armchair.
"Hana is too young to have boyfriends," her mother said calmly.
"I'm 16!"
"Would you like a cookie, Hana?" Quinn proffered the plate to the girl.
Hana subsided back in her seat, shaking her head. "I am fasting."
"Why don't you tell us about Bilal?" Abby suggested.
"He's not a terrorist!" She repeated, with a return of fierceness, along with her tears. "That man, the one with the red beard, he told Bilal and Ali that white supremacists had kidnapped Mr Hussein's wife. He said she was being held hostage in the basement of the church. The FBI and Police were supposed to rescue Mrs Hussein, but the boys had to go in as… bait or something..." Hana frowned, lost in thought.
"Decoys?" Quinn asked.
Hana nodded. "Bilal, Ali and the other two men had to go in looking like foreign students who had lost their way, and needed directions."
"Bilal and Ali were friends?" Quinn ventured.
Hana nodded.
"What about the other two who were also arrested? Were they seniors at the same school?"
"No. They didn't go to school. They met at the kebab shop round the corner. One of them introduced himself to Ali, saying Ali looked a lot like his friend in Basra, a medical student, who was killed by his kidnappers last year. Ali had a cousin who was murdered like that, and Ali is from Basra."
"Why did he and Bilal agree to carry a backpack full of explosives into a church?" Abby got down to brass tacks.
"They would never have done that! They couldn't have known! Bilal didn't even have a backpack when he left his house."
"How do you know this, Hana?" Her mother asked.
"I was there," Hana said defiantly. "I was scared something bad would happen to him. He was scared something bad would happen to him too, because he said he tried to tell Ahmed that he didn't want to be a decoy. He didn't think being a decoy would save Mrs Hussein. Bilal thought the plan was strange. If the FBI knew Mrs Hussein was a hostage, why didn't they rush in and rescue her? He called Ahmed when I was with him, to say he wouldn't be going, but Ahmed – the red bearded man – threatened to put Bilal on the no-fly list. He said he would never be able to get on a flight that starts, ends or flies over the United States. Bilal wants to study space exploration at Arizona State. He was scared to say no after that."
Breaking News
...'Official sources have released notebooks belonging to the two students known to Mr Obeid Hussein, showing what look like the workings of chemical formulas that would cause explosions. At first glance, they appear as harmless attempts to work out the best fuel and how much would be needed to propel an off-the-shelf rocket a few feet in the air. But one entry has caused concern among the intelligence community, as it focuses on the chemical compounds of fireworks. In August 2020, fireworks and ammonium nitrate caused a massive explosion in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, with some experts comparing the force of that blast to 2.2 kilotons of TNT being detonated ...'
White House Press Briefing…
Zeke opened the door to the Oval Office, inviting the journalists to enter.
As they took their positions around the room, guided by White House staff, Zeke walked over to the Resolute Desk. He didn't take a seat, as it was already occupied, instead he stood beside the girl in the President's chair.
After the room settled down, and silence descended, Zeke spoke.
"We have a change of venue because we have a special guest. She's a minor, and I don't want to see her being intimidated. We don't want her to regret her brave decision to step forward and speak her truth to y'all. I'm going to let her take if from here."
Zeke smiled at the girl and nodded.
The girl stared at the people seated before her, then quickly looked down at the piece of paper in her hands, which were shaking. After taking a deep breath, she began to read her notes.
"My name is Hana. I am Bilal's girlfriend. The media has been calling him a terrorist, but he's not a terrorist. He was set up by the FBI." She put the paper down on the surface of the desk, then looked up and asked, "Any questions?"
Media: 'Did the President's office ask you to speak to us today?"
Hana: "My mother drove me to the White House gates. I spoke to Morris, the gatekeeper. I told him I wanted to speak to the President about the lies people were telling about my boyfriend. I had to speak to the Secret Service before they let me to speak to the President."
Media: "You have said your boyfriend has been set up. What proof do you have to support that?"
Hana: "I was with Bilal when Ahmed El Shabib threatened to put Bilal on the no-fly list, if he didn't go on the church mission that night. Bilal had him on speaker phone and I heard Ahmed clearly."
Media: "Two members of Mrs Olivia Grant's crisis management team are here today. Did you call them or did they call you?"
Hana: "They came to my house, asking about my boyfriend and his friend. When I told the President Zeke about their visit, he called them to verify my story. And they came to the White House in person, to protect my rights because I am a minor. They are lawyers."
Media: "Do you think your word is sufficient proof to make America believe your boyfriend was set up?"
A flash of anger swept over Hana's face, and she leaned forward. "Why should America believe the truth when liars get more publicity? Nayirah Al Sabah lied before Congress about Kuwaiti babies being thrown out of incubators and left to die on the cold floor by Iraqi soldiers. Her lie was promoted by a President Bush who ordered bombs to be dropped on my parents' country during the Gulf War. My parents tell me the media even showed videos to make a lie seem true. And when it was discovered that Nayirah had lied, people were not that upset. I'm told they got more upset when Saddam Hussein's government told the world half a million children starved to death because of US sanctions on Iraq. The media wanted the world to know that it was only a quarter of a million, not half a million, Iraqi children who starved due to a lie.
"I cannot produce believable evidence like the United States governments or the FBI or CIA, but their believable evidence were lies when it came to the country of my heritage. I am the daughter of Iraqi migrants. They had to leave Iraq because of another lie. In 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell lied in front of the United Nations Security Council about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, that Saddam Hussein was supporting terrorists and that he wanted to build nuclear weapons. They were all lies but he was believed and another Bush President sent more bombs to destroy Iraq and kill more people.
"I am not trying to start a war here or anywhere else. I came to the White House to ask for President Zeke's help. You all came because of the President. I have an audience with the media because of the President. I don't want Bilal to be sent to Guantanamo Bay. I have read how people have been tortured there. How people have been killed there. I don't want him to spend the rest of his life in Guantanamo Bay, I don't want him to be tortured or killed. I want him to be safe. I want him to be free. That is why I am here."
Several hours later, President Zeke got word that security was on high alert after several thousand 'Moslems' had gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. Morris had been asked to vacate the guard house for his own protection as the police, Marines and National Guard gathered outside the gates.
When Zeke walked out to meet the men with Oscar by his side, surrounded by the Secret Service, followed by the White House Press Corps; most of the men sat down on the asphalt concrete, leaving a handful on their feet facing the President.
"As-Salaama-laikum."
Everyone gathered responded as one, "Wa-alaikum-salaam, Mr President."
Zeke grinned. "Did y'all come to break fast with me?"
The men standing, looked at each other, then one spoke. "We are not here to cause trouble, Mr President."
Another said, "We are here to speak to the media."
A third said, "We are Imams of mosques where the man calling himself Ahmed Al Shabib, and several other names, has been trying to recruit worshippers to form terror gangs and to carry out deadly attacks on the public."
A fourth added, "When we realised what this man was doing we called the police and the FBI. Every time we did, he disappeared. We thought he'd been arrested, but he had just moved onto another mosque. We have been trying to tell this to the media but no one is interested."
The fifth man standing explained further. "The major networks are not interested, just the community news channels. Our communities already know what's happening. We need the rest of America to know about this man and how the FBI has been trying to create terrorists within our communities. We come in peace, Mr President, but more than that we want to live in peace. We don't want to see our communities full of fear, at the prospect of being victimised as terrorists."
Zeke looked at the men. "Gentlemen, I am glad you've stepped forward to share your concerns with your fellow Americans." He turned to the Press Corps inviting them forward to speak to the men in person.
As the media dispersed through the seated crowd, Zeke and Oscar organised for Halal food to be delivered.
Once the media had done their work, the President, Oscar and the White House Press Corps all sat down on the asphalt to break fast at sunset, watched over by the Secret Service, Marines and Police.
James arrived in a dusty little town in the MidWest.
He got out of the car he'd hired at the airport, removed his jacket and lay it on the passenger seat. Squinting in the blazing heat, he reached for a pair of sunglasses in his jacket pocket, and tried to get his bearings in relation to the map he'd bought at the tourist shop. His phone was useless as a navigator in these parts.
Fortunately, there was only one main road. So he got back in the car, checked the fuel gauge and took off again.
Driving mile after mile, and seeing nothing except for a few abandoned houses with broken down fences dotting the horizon, James was beginning to think he'd come on a wild goose chase when he started seeing signs of life – washing on a clothes line, a tractor in the distance, a couple of kids riding horses…
Then he saw the house. It looked just like the picture Oscar had sent him.
James drove through the open gates and parked in front of the steps to a timber and stone cottage with a front porch.
He'd just stepped onto the deck, when a double barrel shotgun was shoved through an open window.
"Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?"
It took James several seconds to find his voice. "Hi, I'm James," he croaked, then after clearing his throat, he tried again. "James. My name is James Novak."
"What the hell are you doing on my property?"
"I'm a journalist and I'm writing a story on your ex-husband."
"Oh yeah, the hero of the hour, who's saving the world from terrorists?"
"No, the man who nearly killed his wife and didn't serve a day in prison for it."
There was a silence.
"Who did you say you were again?"
James introduced himself again. The next thing he heard through the window was,
"Maybeth, can you look up a guy called James Novak. He's on my front porch telling me he's a journalist. Yeah, he is a bit of a runt, yeah dark hair and glasses. He is a real journalist? Wait, what? He knows Olivia Grant, the black chick running for President? He was chief of staff when she was First Lady? Hell, why didn't he say so, I like her. She's got cojones. Okay, I'll let him in."
Breaking News…
"A source close to Mrs Olivia Grant, the controversial Republican Candidate for President, who has been media-shy of late, claims Ahmed El-Shabib became an FBI agent provocateur who appears to have specialised in entrapment, to keep his generous FBI income and to avoid jail time for his own crimes.
"El-Shabib, also known as the 'Red-Bearded Man', was at the centre of the FBI sting that led to the arrests of high-profile terror suspects Obeid and Sameera Hussein and members of their domestic terror organisation.
"James Novak, the former chief-of-staff to Mrs Grant, when she was First Lady, reveals that Ahmed El-Shabib whose legal name is Rashid Malik, has a long list of convictions for drug smuggling and assault. He was facing serious charges relating to assault on his former wife, which left her a paraplegic. Those charges were dropped when Mr Malik joined the FBI payroll. His primary task was to find domestic terror targets. Documents show that Mr Malik was paid as much as $90,000 per job…
'The FBI was not available for comment…'
Following James' report, lawyers and families targeted by Ahmed El-Shabib and other FBI agent provocateurs from all over the country appear out of the woodwork, to tell the mass media about how their clients/family members had been set up and the cases that were languishing in court…
FBI were still not available for comment….
Edison Davis had just finished playing a game of basketball with young men of different faiths – all proudly displaying their faiths on their heads (the Sikh Dastar, Jewish Kippah, Palestinian Keffiyeh, Hindu Tilak and Bindis painted on their foreheads) – or their T-shirts (the Christian Cross and Buddhist Dharmachakra).
As he walked off the court, the waiting media mobbed him.
Media: "Mr Davis, do you have a comment on the FBI entrapment allegations?"
Edison: "Have they got proof to back it up? The entrapment defense hasn't worked in nearly every terrorism related court case since 9/11."
Media: "In the Newburgh Four, the presiding Judge found the government cooked up the crime, provided the means and removed any obstacles to make a terrorist out of a man with Shakespearean-level buffoonery."
Edison: "After 9/11, the FBI was blamed for failing to prevent the attack. As a result, President George W Bush promised 'never again' would America suffer such a trauma to our nation's psyche. But this war on terror isn't easy to fight. The bad guys don't wear uniforms. They don't follow military rules of engagement. They attack when you least suspect it. They could be your neighbours, your friends, your family. The FBI is one of many agencies tasked with trying to root out evil. It's a tricky, thankless business."
Media: "So you don't agree with Trevor Aaronson's assertion that the FBI spends $3 billion a year to hunt an enemy that is largely of its own creation'?"
Edison: "Since 9/11, preventing terrorism has topped the list of FBI priorities, and yes, nearly half its budget goes to its counterterrorism operations. Preventing terrorism is not only a priority for the FBI, it used to be a priority for the United States Government, and its Presidents. Congress has kept its eye on the ball, we've increased FBI funding to prevent terrorists from carrying acts of monumental destruction; more than that to prevent terrorists from holding our nation hostage to fear. If I win the election, I can promise you, doing whatever it takes to keep America safe will be my priority.'
Breaking News
'This just in… sources from the Department of Justice have leaked text messages between three men arrested in the failed terror attack on a local church. Mr Obeid Hussein, believed to be the mastermind behind the planned suicide bomb plot, is encouraging the men to stay strong reminding them that God compensates those who sacrifice their lives for a cause. He says that God will bestow on every martyr – 72 virgins, 72 wives and everlasting happiness when they reach heaven.
'Mr Obeid Hussein and his wife, Mrs Sameera Hussein are in FBI custody. Mrs Olivia Grant, the Republican Candidate for President is rumoured to be representing Mrs Hussein in the current investigation.
Meanwhile, members of the GOP are seeking legal advice on how Mrs Grant can be removed as Presidential candidate. They say, most members are keen to forfeit the right to stand a candidate for the next election…
Preethi almost crashed into her brother on the landing.
"Watch where you're going," he said. When she didn't respond in her usual cutting sisterly fashion, he stepped closer. "What are you staring at?"
"Those text messages that the media is saying Obeid sent…"
"Talking about virgins? Obeid didn't send those."
Preethi stared at Vikram. "You know that?"
"Obeid and I had a talk about the 70 virgins in everlasting heaven for martyrs..."
"Just came up in conversation, did it?"
"I had just read about this German dude who has a book saying that phrase has been misunderstood because it was translated in the wrong language. People use Arabic instead of Syriac. This dude says it's not virgins waiting for those guys, it's food and drink. Obeid said the Imam at his mosque had been saying that for years, and he wants "teachers" in the Islamic community to share that information with their students, you know, to keep them out of trouble. Especially those guys who have trouble getting girls here on earth."
"Why didn't tell me about this before?"
"What could I say? It sounds lame anyway, especially when it's just my word about a conversation we once had, and I don't have dates or times." Vikram shifted his gaze to Preethi's phone "What were you looking at?"
"I was checking my call log for the times I tried to contact Sameera. I made a call to her just as I was walking up their front path that night. A minute later, Obeid opened the front door. That's around the time, they say he sent the first text to his students about a Jihadist terror plot."
"Did he have his phone with him?"
"No. He had left it on the kitchen table. I saw it when we sat down."
"I got something to show you," Vikram said, leading the way to his room. "I have a couple of hacker friends who are real big fans of Edward Snowden. They sent me some videos and media posts on stingrays and dirt boxes or DRT boxes. They've even got websites advising people how to make their own equipment."
"What are you talking about?"
"Watch."
Preethi watched the videos, then said slowly, " So the cops, military, FBI, whoever is doing the spying, can steal your cellphone's unique ID or International Mobile Subscriber Identity, which allows them not only to track your phone, and get you to download spyware/malware, but they can send fake texts as if they are coming from the phone user, instead of a bunch of spies trying to set him up."
"That's probably a tip of the iceberg. Officially, the story is that these devices are used to locate criminals. No one really knows if they are using these devices to create criminals or make them look like they were taking part in criminal activity when they weren't."
"In other words, Obeid Hussein could have been set up by the FBI?"
"I'd say yes."
"How do we prove it?"
Edison Davis arrived at the studios of a major music channel for a Town Hall on Homeland Security that would be broadcast on BET, MTV and CMT.
So far Edison had focused on people old enough to remember 9/11, but seeing that most of Olivia's support came from Millennials and Zoomers too young to remember the horrors of the Twin Towers' collapse and the state of terror that resulted, Edison felt the need to speak a few home truths to the 'youth of tomorrow'.
Once they were seated under the blazing lights of the live studio, Edison was given considerable airtime to expound on the homeland security themes he'd previously expressed in public.
Host: 'It's no secret that you think our spy agencies aren't doing enough to find out what Cathy is telling Stephanie about her secret crush when the FBI and police can already tap into that conversation, record it, find out where Cathy and Stephanie live and who their phone contacts are. What else could these guys possibly want to know?'
Edison: "What kind of guy is Cathy's crush? Is he the type to walk into a church with explosives in his backpack or the kind of guy who'd ask Mom and Dad if he could take Cathy to the Prom?"
Host: 'Whoa there, the guy – wait how do we know it's a guy, maybe it's a girl..'
Edison: 'My bad. Sure, Cathy's crush could be a girl, but we still need to check her out. Think of it like Dad on the front porch with his shotgun, making sure Cathy's safe from Big Bad he- or she-wolves lurking beyond the fence.'
Host: 'Big Bad Wolves or Big Bad Brother? We've got a question from the audience on this very topic…'
Audience: 'Isn't government surveillance more about control? George Orwell wrote about that in his book, 1984. So given what we're talking about today, they'll start by checking Cathy's secret crush, but end up banning all relationships and demanding complete loyalty to The Party. Don't you think this is a case of give the Feds an inch, they'll take a mile?'
Edison: 'Orwell's book was about a Totalitarian regime with One Party that spied on citizens through their televisions. America is a democracy with two major parties, independents and minor parties. I'm not asking the FBI to police your relationships but with technology and globalisation, we need to be realistic about what it takes to catch criminals who get away with murder. And they are getting away with murder, just ask any number of victim rights groups all over the country. They'll agree with me."
Audience: 'Does the level of secrecy concern you? Anyone who asks how much spying is going on, what's being collected and how it's being used – gets asked 'what have you got to hide'? But it's the national security agencies that are opaque about their operations – so what have they got to hide?"
Edison: 'If you're spying on bad guys, you don't want them knowing that. It would be their get-out-of-jail-free card. Every good hunter uses camouflage and stealth to stalk and catch their prey. And we're talking some really bad guys out there, not Bambi."
Vikram Chand got to his feet in the audience. "My question to Edison Davis, is - do you think secrecy, lack of oversight, non-disclosure agreements with police departments, and judicial ignorance about the tools, methods and extent of spying operations could lead to entrapment accusations for the FBI?"
Edison: "Are you a law student?"
Vikram: 'I'm studying computer programming."
Edison: "That's quite an indepth question you asked. Entrapment isn't an accusation that the FBI takes lightly."
Vikram: "I'd like to show you how it's possible. Can I ask you to take out your phone, unlock it and give it to the show host. They will need to turn the phone towards the camera."
Edison looked at Vikram, without taking any action.
Vikram grinned. "What have you got to hide?"
Edison took out his phone and gave it to the host, who turned the screen towards the camera, after following Vikram's instructions to bring up Edison's text messages.
When he heard the audience gasp, Edison turned towards the big screen behind him, and felt his blood turn cold. On his phone was a series of messages between him and 'Al Capone' talking about taking a hit on Olivia Grant. This conversation had taken place in the last five minutes, while his phone had been in his pocket.
Vikram: "Your phone was in your pocket, and you weren't using it. But here we can see a conversation between you and a dead guy. How is that possible? Is it magic? No, I used the same surveillance technology that's available to the police and FBI. Not only can these devices track you, but they can make your phones vulnerable to hackers who can set you up to look like a criminal. Maybe even a terrorist."
Edison turned to the host: "Call the police. I want this guy arrested."
A/N: Thank you for the welcome back . And the generous reviews. There is one that I will reply to here, from Clio who always writes with thoughtful, incisiveness. You haven't mentioned the circumstances of your loss and I am sorry you experienced anything like that, but I have wondered if Marianne Pearl, with her journalistic background, has ever tried to find who the real killers of her husband were?
With my minuscule journalistic background, I spent decades trying to understand why my peaceful, friendly, multi-ethnic neighbourhood was destroyed by death and flames in 1983, escalating a 40-year civil war between [successive] governments and one group of terrorists. I discovered it was because Foreign Powers wanted to interfere in local politics and install a strategic puppet government (terrorists, sanitised) that could be guaranteed to cause trouble in the Asia-Pacific region whenever required, like Israel does in the Middle East.
For this reason, I didn't believe for a second that the Easter Sunday Bombings in 2019 were orchestrated by rich kid students and imams. Please. Just like you wouldn't give a scalpel to an untrained, unqualified man on the street and expect any of his patients to survive; you can't organise a coordinated-multipoint suicide attack, without military and intelligence training, and expect everyone to die.
This was confirmed by the Indian media, who revealed the suicide bombers had trained in Tamil Nadu for at least 6 months before the attack. And also by our criminally-negligent members of Parliament who revealed, later, that they had been warned to stay away from places of worship and hotels that Easter weekend. Apparently, someone decided corrupt ministerial lives were indispensable, unlike the lives of 250 'ordinary' people murdered that day.
So, who should we NOT forgive - the minions or the masterminds? The Foot Soldiers or the Power Hungry? The problem is we're told to focus only on the minions, and not even attempt to see who the masterminds could be. IMO, this allows serial killer governments and their psychopathic dirty-work agencies, all around the world, to keep getting away with mass murder for ignoble reasons like theft and bullying. We wouldn't tolerate this from from 'ordinary people', yet we're expected to applaud this in our elected legislators.
References for this story that is again fluid with time and the use of facts [especially around technology]:
'Never Be Afraid': William Faulkner's Speech to His Daughter's Graduating Class in 1951 – Open Culture
FBI Director Christopher Wray's Remarks at Press Conference Announcing Indictments of ISIS Militants – FBI government website (to more or less plagiarise his speech)
ISIS Militants Charged With Deaths Of Americans In Syria – Department of Justice Press Release (for the kind of charges that can be brought against such persons of interest) How family terror networks impact terror attack investigations – Police1 The Anatomy of a Federal Terrorism Prosecution: A Blueprint for Repression and Entrapment – Columbia Human Rights Law Review
Tanzin v. Tanvir - Becket Law
Medical faculties decimated by violence in Iraq - National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine
How Cops can Secretly Track your Phone – The Intercept
Virgins? What virgins? – The Guardian
Stingray Documents offer rare insight into police and FBI surveillance – The Guardian
Stingray spying – FBI's secret deal with police hides phone dragnet from courts – The Guardian
Cell-site Simulators , IMSI Catchers – Electronic Frontier Foundation
Stingray: "The Biggest Threat to Cell Phone Privacy" - LinkedIn
What Are Stingrays and Dirtboxes? - The Intercept
Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis was on bail for 40 sexual assault charges and accessory to murder – Sydney Morning Herald
Creating Terrorists: Issues with Counterterrorism Tactics and the Entrapment Defense – Ramapo College of New Jersey
Illusion of Justice, Human Rights Abuses in US Terrorism Prosecutions – Human Rights Watch
How False Testimony and a Massive U.S. Propaganda Machine Bolstered George H.W. Bush's War on Iraq – Democracy Now
Iraqi Sanctions: Were They Worth It? – Global Forum
The Iraq War: In the beginning was the lie - DW
The Torturers Wanted to Stop, but the CIA Kept Going – The Atlantic
Guantánamo Bay: 14 years of injustice – Amnesty International
Disgraceful' Guantánamo Bay detention facility must be closed now, say UN experts - UNHCR
Fireworks, ammonium nitrate likely fueled Beirut explosion - AP