Blaze (30 page)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Thorp King is a serial entrepreneur, cigar lover, novelist, tattoo enthusiast, punk rocker, conservative Libertarian thinker, and a student of the eschatology of the three Abrahamic faiths. He holds ownership in two independent record labels (Sailor's Grave Records and Thorp Records), is partner in a variety of consulting and marketing firms, once owned a fitness center and is an executive for an online commercial bank. He has three children and lives in the Philadelphia suburbs.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

November 14
th
, 2012

B
LAZE: Operation Persian Trinity is a fictional tale. The names, characters, scenarios, depictions, and anecdotes contained within the story are the result of the author's imagination, or they are a cornucopia of fictionalized, multi-layered composites. Any resemblance to actual people, real life occurrences, or functional entities is a coincidence, unless otherwise noted in the following text.

The firefight depicted between the ANA Green soldiers and the ISAF NATO forces in blue is based on real life fighting that has occurred at Afghan checkpoints.

The ‘Pillar of Cloud' is currently being used to refer to Israel's organized defense campaign against Hamas' rocket attacks into Gaza as I type. It is a reference to the story in Exodus 13:21, in which God protected the Israelites when they were fleeing a horde of Egyptian marauders sent by the Pharaoh.

The Walther P99 MI6 pistol was indeed named as a tie in to the James Bond franchise.

The CTSA (Counter Terrorism Security Advisors) is, in fact, the real name for the counter terrorism unit within the Police Service in Northern Ireland.

Mark Loyd, the diversity officer for the FCC, has in actuality, called for actions that far outpace the punitive ideas of the Fairness Doctrine to censor the airwaves. In 2009, he praised Hugo Chavez' actions in Venezuela to take over the media for state control. He was quoted as follows: “In Venezuela, with Chavez, you really had an incredible revolution—democratic revolution—to begin to put in place things that were going to have impact on the people of Venezuela. The property owners and the folks who were then controlling the media in Venezuela rebelled—worked, frankly, with folks here in the US government—worked to oust him. He came back and had another revolution, and Chavez then started to take the media very seriously in his country.” If such an effort were to take root in America, the setbacks for liberty and free speech would be devastating.

Cliff Bell's is a real restaurant in Detroit, Michigan. I've never eaten there, but if the menu posted online is any real indication, it sounds delicious.

The
World Towards Illumination
was a real series of radio broadcasts that aired on official Iranian radio back in 2006 and 2007 for the purpose of informing the Iranian people of the need to prepare for the imminent return of the Twelfth Imam. In the novel, I expand upon this concept of messianic indoctrination.

In Ezekiel 38 the term ‘Magog' is mentioned. Biblically, Magog was a grandson of Noah. The descendants of Magog were known as Magogites and they lived geographically in the land we now know as Russia. Genetically, they were of an Aryan makeup. The Magogites were referred to by the Greeks as the Scythians. It is from this connection that I inserted the Scythian theme into the character of Maksim Koslov. The Scythian references described are based on true accounts of Scythian culture and history. Unlike Maksim Koslov, the Scythians historically did not drink the blood of their enemies out of a skull-shaped mug, but out of the actual skulls of their enemies.

The SoIntsevskaya Brotherhood is a real organization. They are one of the most powerful organized crime groups hailing from Moscow, Russia.

The LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) is a real political party that states one of its goals as being the conquering of land south of Russia (‘the final thrust South”) as part of an overall strategy of reestablishing the Byzantine Empire. Vladimir Zhirinovsky is one of the true-life leaders of the LDPR. Unlike I describe in the novel, it was not him, but the LDPR number two guy, Colonel Pavel Chernov, that was expelled from the LDPR for his drinking issues and loose use of machine guns.

There are all kinds of conspiracy theories about secret plans for a global currency. It is not these hushed fears that drove me to insert this idea into the novel, but instead, the actual words spoken in public by countries like Russia and China who have made very clear that they think the world would be best served by migrating to a global currency. The downgrading of the US credit rating and the perpetual quantitative easing taken by Ben Bernanke is not helping to restrain the global movement of pushing this idea.

GALOI, or the Gay And Lesbians Of Iran, is a completely fictional political action group. What is not made up is the fact that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that the phenomenon of homosexuals does not exist in his country. Of course, in reality, Iran does have citizens who are homosexual, and their cruel persecution at the hands of the oppressive regime is barely noted by Western press.

The Hojjatieh Society is a real fraternity in Iran consisting of devotees of the Twelfth Imam who view themselves as the guardians of the Mahdi. It was founded in 1953 by Sheikh Mahmoud Halabi. They believe strongly in ‘taajil', which is the notion that the actions of faithful followers of the Mahdi can effectuate the hastening of his return. It is believed that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a member.

‘Dajjal' is the term used in the Qur'an and the Hadiths for the Anti-Christ as seen through the doctrine of Islam.

The character of ‘Samere' in the novel, who serves as Hadi Samani's advisor on all things Messianic, is loosely based on the actual advisor on messianic issues to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad named Mojtada Samere Hashemi.

All descriptions, mentions, and outlines of the characteristics of the figure known as The Twelfth Imam, Imam Al-Mahdi, or simply the Mahdi are entirely based on thorough research over many years. I have consulted with way too many books, news articles, and commentary on this cultish sub-doctrine of Shia Islam to mention. I encourage you to research this thoroughly on your own and get a firm understanding of the seriousness of this belief, and the implications of this apocalyptic eschatological narrative in terms of being the main force behind current Iranian foreign policy. Regardless of how fantastical it may sound, those who believe it, believe it unequivocally, and we should take their belief as seriously as they do.

The mention of Kufa, Iraq in the novel was used as it is reported to have been the home of the Mahdi's birth, and the eventual location of his worldwide Islamic reign, according to the followers of the Twelfth Imam.

The mentioning of Jesus of Nazerath as the Chief Deputy of the Twelfth Imam was not included as a cute way to insert the main focal point of Christendom into an Islamic end times theology description. This is true to the narrative of the Mahdi's return according to the Hadiths.

There are many mentions of the ‘Caliphate' throughout the novel. It is the word used to describe a worldwide Islamic order in which all non-Muslims convert or die. Again, it may sound like hocus pocus, but the achievement of a Caliphate is a real, stated goal of radical Islamists worldwide. Western civilization, and all free people, dismiss the threat of this goal at their own peril.

The prophecies outlined in the 38
th
and 39
th
chapters of the book of Ezekiel are a huge thrust within the novel. I am not a bible prophecy scholar. I am not a reader of crystal balls. I have no idea if the war described in this prophecy is on the horizon or not. There are a lot of different scholarly opinions as to the interpretation of this prophecy. Most believe it most definitely involves Russia, and undeniably involves the nation now known as Iran. Some scholars believe that the alliances described in this prophecy have, for the first time since it was written, now been formed. And not only do many believe that those alliances now exist, but that their overt hostility towards Israel is consistent with the scenario described by Ezekiel. The notion of the possibility of this prophecy coming soon in the near term is one I thought important to insert in the novel so readers can study, research and form their own thoughts on.

The Neo Iranian Nazi Party does not exist and is a fictional construct. However, the Iranian National Socialist Party did in fact exist and was formed in the 1930's. What is also not fictional is the reality that there are a growing number of Iranians embracing their Ayran heritage and co-opting the ideology of Nazi Germany, particularly the hatred of Jews. The history of the Persian Aryan sensibility, and its ties to Nazi Germany, as described in the novel is true.

The descriptions of the Stuxnet computer virus are a true depiction of the worm that infected Iran's nuclear facilities. The narrative of a 2.0 version is fictional. At least as I type this.

The relationship between Mexican drug cartels and jihadists is rarely exposed and as a result, rarely recognized. However, the relationship is a real one, and is a growing threat.

Also, rarely reported is the growing number of human heads left along the border as a result of Cartel beheadings.

The rape tree described in the novel is also a real hallmark of Cartel activity. Rape trees are places where cartel members and coyotes rape female border crossers and hang their clothes, specifically undergarments, to mark their conquest and territory.

The character of Juan Herrara was derived from real news accounts of the cartels hiring teenagers as foot soldiers. Various news accounts referenced that these teenagers literally sat in their homes playing XBOX as they awaited their orders.

DTE Energy did in fact repossess streetlights in the city of Detroit.

Crown David cigars are a real independent cigar brand made by an Israeli entrepreneur from Philadelphia. And they are a damn good smoke, even though they've now been re-branded as Cuban Stock cigars.

Anchor's Away cigar lounge is a fictional place. However, there are several great cigar lounges in Toledo, Ohio. I would recommend Port Royal and La Casa De La Havana. And if you find yourself in the Philadelphia area, stop into Old Havana Cigars in West Chester, PA—but don't stay too long as you may not be prepared for handling the mayhem of the regulars.

The Dodge Tomahawk motorcycle described in the novel is real, and although I've never ridden one, it sounds like a badass bike.

The World Without Zionism conference is a real event. And David Duke really did attend.

In regard to the idea of Israel experiencing a wealth explosion due to great discoveries of natural resources, many Bible scholars believe that this is prophesied in scripture to occur in the last days.

The history described within the novel of the skinhead movement is true. Most skinheads, now and historically, abhor racism. SHARP (Skin Heads Against Racial Prejudice) is a real organization.

The punk band Murphy's Law did indeed write a song entitled “Secret Agent S.K.I.N.”.

I've never been to Charlestown, Massachusetts and have no real knowledge of the town's character. My only impressions come from the likely one-dimensional representations made in the film
The Town
and by the words sung on the album
Serenity
by the band Blood for Blood.

The street gang known as FSU is a real group, who is strongly identified with the straight edge lifestyle. A
Gangland
episode on the History Channel was dedicated to covering their history.

The mention of the character of Chuck Gallagher using a stand up desk was inspired by the real life fact that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld still uses a stand up desk, even in his retirement.

Pussy Riot is a real all-female Russian punk rock band. They were arrested and imprisoned as a result of their outspoken protests against President Putin. Two of the members are currently imprisoned in Penal Colony 14, a camp that was formally part of Stalin's gulag system, as I type.

Reza Kahlili is the real life cover name for a defected Iranian Revolutionary Guard CIA spy who now lives in America hiding his real identity.

The story described of a Nazi being beaten with a chair by Zack Batt in the novel is a fictionalized account of a real life occurrence in which a racist was beaten to death at hardcore metal show in New Jersey. In real life, the victim was not simply paralyzed and no chair was involved. The man who committed the violence—a member of FSU—later was seen in a Rolling Stone magazine article wearing handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit in court.

Evin Prison is real. The torture scene of the character of Arash Jafari was inspired by written accounts of those who have endured stays at the facility. Some elements of the character of Arash Jafari were loosely inspired by the story of Iranian Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini. He was persecuted for his beliefs and is still currently being held in Evin Prison and wrote about the experience in letters.

The Black Dog Group does not exist. It is an entirely fictional private mercenary firm.

SCG International is a real organization that contracts with the government and various private entities and individuals needing security. They assist many warriors in pre-deployment training.

I don't believe in ghosts in the traditional sense. The character of Harry Saylor as a ghost in the novel was inserted to illustrate the tormented mind of Blaze McIntyre and to hint at the possibility of spiritual visions and visitations in a world on the precipice of a nearing apocalypse. The character of Harry Saylor's ghost is loosely based on a very, dear friend of mine who has passed away after years of battling a heroin addiction.

Norman ‘Sailor Jerry' Collins, the renowned father of traditional tattooing, and the namesake of some of the best spiced rum known to man, was indeed a conservative libertarian talk radio host.

The references to music are ubiquitous in the novel, as I am a huge fan of many genres of music. The references to punk and hardcore artists are more evident, as I am a particularly huge fan of those genres. I have always valued punk and hardcore music as a tremendous vehicle to express pain and personal struggle. To me, punk always meant independence of thought and action, and had nothing to do with being bound to one political or religious (or anti-religious) ideology. Punk has always showcased everything from the profane to the profound and all variances in-between. As such, in my view, libertarianism is the most approximate political ideology congruent with the free thought and DIY (do it yourself) attitude of the punk rock ethos.