“Only a few parts for our cars come from China, and with the bill I introduced today, American companies will be free to supply all of the car parts we need to keep our vehicles running well into the future. Some of our clothing has come from China, but we get clothing from Malaysia, India and a dozen other countries. There will be no shortage of clothing. Yes, some items may be unavailable for a time, but everything we need will be restored by you and your neighbors as new life is breathed into American businesses and Americans go back to work to supply their friends and neighbors with the products we need and want in our homes and in our businesses.
“Some electronic items have come from China, but many also come from our friends in Japan, Korea and many other countries across the globe. Everything you want or need in electronic devices will soon be available to you, if not from our friends around the world, then from your neighbors working in American companies in your home town or a community close by.
“Instead of focusing on the few items we will have to wait a little while to buy, let’s embrace the massive resources and richness of our American culture, work ethic, and capacity to out-produce every other nation on the planet. We are Americans, and we depend on each other to create and provide everything we could ever need or want. We are not a nation of lack. We are not a nation of shortages. We are America. We are the nation of plenty, of opportunity, and of prosperity.
“Stand with me. Help me bring jobs back to America. Help me fill American shelves to overflowing. Work with me to re-establish the richness of America. We are the answer, but only so long as we stand together.”
She had anticipated the usual questions and her prepared answers flowed smoothly and naturally. The press was eating up her enthusiasm and energy and from the looks on the faces of the crowd, the public was on her side. It was all just the way she wanted it to be.
“That sounded down right presidential,” her Chief of Staff commented. “Do you have plans we haven’t talked about?”
“Maybe,” she said, as the smile on her face deepened.
Senator Elizabeth Bechtel and her security agent exited the first-class section of her United Express flight at 1:27 PM, in Missoula, Montana. The rental limo and local Secret Service agent driver were waiting outside the small brick terminal building as they emerged from the sliding glass doors.
“How long?” she asked.
“About a two-hour drive, ma’am,” the limo driver replied.
“Round trip?”
“No ma’am, each way,”
She cringed as she and the agent with her slid into the back seat. The ride down U.S. 12 to Hamilton went quickly enough, and then the limo turned up into the mountains. She was intrigued by the tall evergreens that lined the narrow valley, making it appear as if it were a giant verdant trough full of wrinkles. After another hour of snaking curves, the limo turned onto a gravel road which climbed steeply into the dense forest. Forty-three minutes later they arrived.
The log cabin was small with a railed porch and stone chimney. Green metal roofing complimented the stately Yellow Pines that surrounded the primitive dwelling. An old Jeep Cherokee was parked on the right side of the building. Glen Liechtfield stepped out of the cabin door and carefully examined her as she stepped out of the limo.
Glen was six-three, thin, with a gray beard and gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a red flannel shirt and faded jeans with light brown leather boots and an old floppy Special Forces jungle hat.
“Your agent will want to inspect my humble abode before he leaves you with me,” he said. Her agent drew his weapon and entered the open door.
“I don’t see why we couldn’t have had this conversation over the phone,” she said. “With encryption, it’s perfectly secure.”
Glen smiled. “You don’t believe that any more than I do or you wouldn’t be here to talk with me in the middle of nowhere.”
Her security agent came out of the cabin door and did a sweep around the exterior, venturing slightly into the trees. “It’s clear, ma’am.”
Glen motioned for her to enter. The inside was homey, in a rugged bachelor kind of way, with an antler light fixture hanging over the simple pine table.
“Coffee?” he asked, as he picked an old pot up off the propane stove.
“Yes,” she replied.
“I don’t get many guests — black is all I have to offer.”
“That’s fine,” she replied.
He poured her a cup and sat across the table from her.
“Thank you for seeing me, I…”
He held up a hand to stop her. “You have a lot of friends in important places. You’re on a career arc that might even take you to the White House. I find powerful friends to be beneficial, from both sides.”
“Meaning?” she asked.
“Meaning we help one another. You have access to me now; I get access to you later, when your address changes to something more easily recognized.”
She smiled. “You know why I’m here?”
“I assume it’s the situation with China, otherwise, it’s hardly worth my time.”
“Are we going to war with China?” she asked.
“Maybe, maybe not — it all depends if certain people can keep their wits about them when disaster strikes and I think you can help when that happens. That’s why we are having this conversation.”
“What exactly are we talking?”
“Wars are not what they used to be. In years gone by, an army was put together, moved into position and invaded another country. Once military movements became easily observable, a subterfuge was used to start a war. False flag operations became the popular instigating event — like Pearl Harbor for World War Two, the Pueblo for the Korean War, and the Gulf of Tonkin for Viet Nam. Now, military technology has grown beyond the use of false flags.”
“False flags?” she asked.
“A false flag operation is an attack upon one’s own territory or people with enough evidence left behind to implicate your enemy. Accusations are made, blame is assigned, and war is the retribution, at least in the public view.”
“And now?”
“In addition to false flags, we have entered into a new age of military weapons and tactics. Now we use weather to reward one country and punish another. We deliberately create earthquakes and tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts and floods. We starve people, we drown them, and we wipe out their homes, their towns and their livelihood, all so we can put pressure on their governments to do our bidding. That’s why I retired.”
“And they don’t fight back?” she asked.
“These attacks are made to look exactly like natural events — acts of God. There are no accusations, no blame is assigned and no war is started, simply due to a lack of knowledge of the technology.”
“And if a country such as China becomes aware of such an attack?”
He lifted his coffee cup and drank several swallows, glanced around the room, and set his cup back down. “A weapon is a tactical device. It is used to obtain a specific end result. The selection of which weapon to use, and when, is strategic in nature, and as such is determined not only by an end result, but by the perception it will create.”
“So what perception is China creating by throwing our people out, stopping trade with us, and pushing our Navy back from their shores?”
“Having studied Chinese philosophy and actions for many years, I can tell you what China is doing is defensive in nature. They don’t want war with the United States.”