“Yes, I suppose that is quite an incentive to young men living under Islamic rule.”
“Quite honestly, it’s probably quite an incentive to young men living under any rule!” Lannis quipped.
“Yes, that’s true, Commander, but is attacking us militarily the smart thing to do?”
“Well, sir, that question raises several issues. First, the terrorists know there is no one for us to strike back at with our most powerful and lethal weapons — our nuclear arsenal. Our strategic assets, designed for the Cold War, are useless against terrorists. Second, by spreading out their attacks, with five or more years in between, the media and our civilian leaders never fully realize we are at WAR. Even today, five years after the destruction of Washington DC, the media still refer to terrorists as criminals rather than combatants.”
Buffalo was astounded. That little weasel! He’s got no honor! Can’t he voice a single opinion that’s his own?
“Yes, and while our executive branch and military think they are fighting a war, our legislative and judicial branches continue to follow peacetime procedures providing each suspected terrorist with the full range of constitutional rights,” noted Admiral Yates. “One has to wonder what the rest of the country thinks of our screwed up government, which doesn’t know which way to turn.”
Lannis responded, “Well, no doubt, sir, what they think is what they see and hear in the media. And the media, in general, still support individual rights above all else. It’s what our country was founded on and what we have stood for and fought for, for over two hundred and thirty years.”
Admiral Yates sighed and looked thoughtfully at the papers on the table in front of him as silence filled the room. “Yes, but during times of war, Commander, things have to change. It’s always a balancing act between individual freedoms and national security. But when terrorists are armed with nuclear weapons and are determined to kill as many of us as possible, the scale has to tip in favor of national security. It’s high time the media realized that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“But I think the problem goes beyond that,” the admiral continued. “Just as our government is divided into political parties with differing political ideologies, the media seems to be divided as well. While they all claim to be objective, some news organizations obviously impose a liberal slant on the news while others are conservative. Unfortunately the result is, no matter which political party is in power, there are reporters out there, it seems, trying to discredit or embarrass the administration, not because of some righteous desire to protect our democracy, but because they personally disagree with the ideology of the ruling party. It’s not right. It’s counterproductive, and it’s dangerous because they don’t know where to stop.”
“Yes, sir. It’s true that ever since Watergate, when the Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke the story about the Republican break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters during the Nixon administration, newspaper reporters have been in what I’ll call the ‘Watergate mode.’ That story made Woodward and Bernstein immensely famous as the only reporters to ever cause a president to resign. For years other reporters have been trying to duplicate their fame by publicly reporting anything they can get their hands on — even top-secret national security information. They think it’s a great scoop.”
Buffalo was growing more and more incensed. I’ll kill Lannis with my bare hands! If George was here, Lannis would be dead already!
“Yes, it’s a shame,” responded the admiral. “I realize public oversight serves the purpose of placing checks on the executive branch, but over time the constant media barrage and the continuing leaks from the government totally erode our capability to gather the information we need to identify and prosecute terrorists. And it also turns public opinion against those who are trying to protect them because the intelligence agencies are always portrayed as bad guys invading our privacy.”
“It affects members of Congress as well, Admiral. They get a lot of their news from the same place we do. Even after DC, there is still a large contingent who continue to block all efforts to wage an effective war against terrorism because, by design, such a war must violate some people’s civil rights. There’s simply no other way to find terrorists in your midst.”
At this point, Buffalo went into a coughing fit. I can’t believe my ears! Earlier this morning, Lannis espoused differing opinions on every issue. Now he’s presenting George’s opinions as if they’re his own! Lannis said the terrorists were trying to take away our freedoms, not spread radical Islam. He said we needed the media to control the runaway executive branch and protect our civil rights. Now, just because the admiral suggested that he shared George’s opinions, Lannis is changing his story and presenting them as his own. I knew this guy was an asshole, but this is a new low, even for Lannis!
“Are you all right, Commander Sewell?” asked the admiral.
“I’ll be fine, sir. I just got choked up a little there,” responded Buffalo while glaring in disbelief at Lannis.
The admiral turned back to Lannis and said, “Very perceptive of you, Commander, but unfortunately those issues are beyond our scope of responsibilities. We live in a country founded on principles of freedom and on civilian control of the military. It’s not our position to second-guess Congress.”
“That’s true, sir. I’m merely pointing out that with such long periods between attacks, our country never gets into a wartime mode. While we initially fight back vigorously after an attack, with no additional attacks forthcoming, we seem to lose our way. Congress erodes powers it initially gave to the president. Eventually, we lay out the red carpet for another attack. That’s what happened in DC, and here we are five years later doing it again.”
“So give me your assessment, Commander. Can the radicals do it? Can they radicalize the whole world?”
“I don’t know, sir. It seems to me, the Muslims themselves have to be the ones to combat this threat. If the burden continues to fall on Western countries to combat radical Islamists, the War on Terrorism will be perceived more and more as an attack on Islam itself. As I said before, it is estimated that eighty-five to ninety percent of the world’s one point three billion Muslims are not yet radicalized. Someone has to educate them and get them actively involved in combating radical Wahhabi/Salafi ideology. Otherwise, I believe this crisis will engulf the entire world.”
When the briefing ended, Buffalo tried to cut between Lannis and the admiral so he could isolate Lannis and give him a piece of his mind. I’m going to tell that asshole to find his own way home. After today’s performance, he’s no longer welcome in our carpool. However, Buffalo had to fall in behind. Lannis was so tightly stuck to the admiral’s ass there was no getting between them.
Chapter 10
Around 1500 hours the afternoon of the briefing, George wandered down the hall to get a fresh cup of coffee. A strong shot of caffeine should give me some energy, he thought. Arriving at the coffee maker, he found a pot that had obviously been sitting on the burner for several hours, condensing the coffee into a thick, dark, concentrated sludge. George chuckled. Strong enough to strip paint… maybe I should take that last cup — might be just what I need… these early mornings are killing me! Quickly deciding against it, George poured out the sludge and made a fresh pot. Not chicory coffee, but it’ll do in a pinch!