THE DAY: A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series) (4 page)

America’s
Kitchens and Family Rooms

              
America’s
network and cable systems were simultaneously interrupted by a National
Emergency Message. Most viewers assumed that it was about the invasion of
Israel. The President must have changed his mind and would announce that the
U.S. would now come to Israel’s defense. But, instead of the President
making a prime time public service announcement, Americans saw a different
President on their TV screens. Seated in front of four American flags was
former President Wilbur Jackson Calhoun, staring straight into the lens of the
digital television camera. He wore a red and white striped regimental tie,
bright white shirt and a finely tailored suit. The expression on his carefully
powdered face was one of stern concern.

              
"My fellow Americans.
Your local station or cable network has
made this time available for me to come to you with an urgent plea. As your
former President, I am urging all Americans to support our President during
this time of national crisis and war in the Middle East. Many are violating the
law by criticizing our President’s decisions regarding the defense of
Israel. These harsh and illegal attacks on our Chief Executive come on the
heels of several months of widespread civil unrest in America. Much blood has
been shed. Our President has taken steps to quell this unnecessary violence,
including the imposition of martial law. In response to the President’s
much-needed actions, though, some have violated our nation’s hate speech
laws. Hate speech is against the law. I am urging you to report anyone whom you
hear criticizing our nation’s President, which also violates the
McAlister Act. Also, be sure to turn in anyone you know of who has not yet
turned in their hate weapons, their weapons of violence, their firearms. To
report hate speech and hate weapons, just call the FBI at the number on the
bottom of the screen. It’s your duty as a loyal American citizen to help
stop words and weapons that violate the law. Thank you for your attention to
your civic duty. Together, we can stop hate speech in America against our brave
and beloved President…..May God bless America."

              
Ten
days after the PSA message was carried across the nation, the Director of the
FBI, an appointee and fellow college classmate of the President, released a
news statement to America’s media. The release read,
"As a result of former President Calhoun’s widely-viewed
PSA message, the Bureau has received many thousands of calls, in all fifty
states, identifying hate speakers in the callers’ communities.
America’s dedicated FBI Agents are following up on each and every tip and
will insure that appropriate criminal charges are filed where warranted. Hate
speech is illegal in America. There is no right to criticize our nation’s
leaders, especially the President of our country. Hate speech criticizing,
attacking or ridiculing our nation’s elected Chief Executive is illegal
and can result in significant time in jail. The FBI is serious about enforcing
these laws. You are so advised."

Ambergris
Caye
, Belize

              
"Yes,
Mister Madison, we
are
Mirandizing
you. You think just because you avoided going to prison once, that you can get
away with the crime of harboring a fugitive? If you do, just think again,
sir
."

              
John
Madison was seriously concerned that he might suffer a cardiac problem. He knew
that his blood pressure was nearing a dangerous level. He was close to
physically grabbing the FBI agents on the porch of his Belizean condo and
heaving them over the side. John had at least 50 pounds on each of the agents and
at least four inches. He briefly considered what the prison sentence would be
for assaulting a federal officer and whether the fact that it happened offshore
would affect the number of years he would have to serve. Eventually, though,
his better senses kicked in. He half-listened to the younger agent read him his
rights. He had, after all, been read his rights back in Texas when the
government tried to convict him for exercising his Constitutional rights of
free speech.
 

              
"….if
you can’t afford an attorney one will be provided to you. Did you
understand these rights that I have read to you, sir?"

              
"
Of course
, I understood them,"
John replied in anger. "Now would you be
so kind
as to tell me why you’re here? Can you tell me why my
government is so fearful of
its own
citizens
that it has to spend tax money to give you guys a trip to the
tropics? Don’t you know there is a war about to set the Middle East on
fire? Don’t you have
better
things
to do?"

              
"
Look
, Madison, you obviously think
we’re not aware of how much trouble you’re in. Your son is a
fugitive from justice. The Texas jury may have exonerated him on the hate
speech charges, but whether you know it or not, though we suspect you are well
aware of it, he was then indicted in a sealed indictment, and…."

              
"
What
? He’s found
not
guilty and the government still
comes after him?
For
what
?
Sealed? What the…."

              
"Calm
down, sir….
I’m
not at liberty to reveal
the new charges, but we think your son must have gotten word from somebody
right before he jumped the border into Canada. Though his wife and children
haven’t been charged with any crimes….
yet
….they
appear
to have fled with
him. We have good reason to believe that they have come here to Belize and that
you and Mrs. Madison are
harboring your
son
. Thus, you, sir, are about to be charged with
a class D felony
."

              
John
Madison said nothing in response. He stared at the two agents, gritting his
teeth, gripping and then releasing both hands.

              
Recognizing
that John Madison didn’t intend to reply, the lead agent barked, "
Mister
Madison, do you intend to
cooperate
with our investigation Are you
going to tell us where your son is located?
Where
have you hidden him?"

              
John
Madison continued to be silent, just glaring at the agents.

              
"
Sir?
Are
you going to answer my questions? Failure to cooperate with an ongoing federal
investigation can have serious
consequ
…."

              
"Now
you
look
….
I’m
not
‘harboring a fugitive’. I have
no
idea where my son is located….I wish I did. I just
can’t believe that he’s been charged
again
with federal crimes right after being found not guilty in the
first witch hunt. Gentlemen, if there’s nothing else, I have an important
appointment with some Tarpon."

              
"
Very
funny, sir.
If you won’t cooperate that’s up to you. The district attorney will
be duly advised of your failure to assist in the investigation."

              
"The district attorney?
Which
district attorney would that be, exactly? Thanks heavens,
there are no U.S. government district attorneys here in Belize. I no longer
live in the U.S., so I don’t know
what
in the world
you are talking about."

              
"We
don’t provide legal advice, sir, but I would highly recommend that you
consult with your Texas attorney, Mister Webster, as I recall? He can advise
you as to the federal grand jury sitting in Dallas and the evidence that has
been presented to them concerning your son….and yourself. The federal
government doesn’t take lightly to persons charged with crimes leaving
the jurisdiction of the United States."

              
"
Really
?
Even when they don’t know anything about the charges? You did say a
sealed
indictment didn’t you? To
quote Jack Nicolson, why don’t you fellows try selling
crazy
someplace else? We’re done
here. Enjoy your trip back to the asylum."
     

St.
Patrick’s Cathedral

Manhattan,
New York City

              
Cardinal
Thomas Micah Bolton was wearing his most casual clothes, which for a Cardinal
of the Catholic Church was never very casual. He wore the mandated black wool
cassock, the
rabat
Roman collar and red silk skull
cap. He preferred this most acceptable non-formal clothing when he was in his
working office at St. Patrick’s, the 150 some year old edifice which
occupied a full city block, from 50
^th
to 51
^st
streets and
from Madison Avenue to Fifth Avenue. Today was a working day, as he needed to
finish his remarks to be delivered as part of the upcoming Sunday service,
though normally, he didn’t participate in the weekly mass, which was
handled by one of the priests honored with the task. Cardinal Bolton had
wrestled with the title for his homily, which he recognized would ruffle
feathers at the White House. No stranger to doing so, the Cardinal had
frequently stood up for the church when it was under attack by the
administration. When the White House ordered that religious organizations must
provide abortion coverage to employees, he spoke out, leading the legal
challenge in the courts. Consequently, Cardinal Bolton was widely perceived as
a leading vocal opponent of the President by many Americans, most of the
mainstream media and certainly by the President and his advisors.

              
Cardinal
Bolton had been watching the news with rising horror as he realized that his
country was apparently not going to come to the defense of its most valued
Middle East partner, the State of Israel. With each hour the news from northern
Israel got worse, as Russia and Iran rolled south. The video showed hundreds of
tanks and troop carriers manned by troops numbering in what appeared to be many
tens of thousands, prepared to kill Israelites. Cardinal Bolton knew that he
could be quiet no longer. His church had remained largely silent during the
holocaust. This Cardinal, for one, was about to assail his own government for
not defending Israel. He was well aware that some within his denomination did
not see Israel as God’s chosen people, but his reading of scripture and
history convinced him. He knew that it was time to call on the President to do
the right thing.

              
Earlier
that morning he had shared breakfast with his best friend in the media, the
international affairs reporter for Fox news. During their sharing of everything
bagels and cinnamon cream cheese, the Cardinal let it be known to his friend
that he would strongly assail the President this Sunday. His reporter friend
asked if Fox could run a trailer at the bottom of its news screen revealing
that Cardinal Bolton during Sunday services at St. Patrick’s would call
on the President to come to Israel’s defense? The Cardinal thought about
it for a moment, decided it couldn’t do any harm. In fact, as he shared
with his media friend, advance notice of his upcoming words might even push the
President to help Israel, now, rather than later after more Israelis were dead.
The Cardinal’s hope that the White House would take action once it read
the trailer on Fox reporting on his upcoming verbal assault was correct. What
was incorrect was what kind of action the President would order.

Hannah
and Gary’s Family Room

Birmingham,
Alabama

              
Scott
was angry at what the three couples in their small group Bible study were
seeing on TV. "You just heard the same thing I heard. The Russians and
Iranians invade Israel, the President announces that the US
won’t
come to Israel’s
defense and then no other country is willing to do so. I was hoping that maybe
Canada or France, who have been friendly to Israel recently, would step in and
help little Israel survive. Blood is about to start flowing in Israel. How
could this be anything
except
what
the Bible said would happen?"

              
Beau, who had demonstrated through the years his widespread recall
of scripture, responded, "Yup.
Jeremiah said it in chapter 51.
Let’s see….here it is….verse 35….and 36.
May the violence done to our flesh be upon
Babylon, say the inhabitants of
Zion.
May our blood be
on those who live in Babylonia, says Jerusalem. Therefore, this is what the
Lord says: ‘See I will defend your cause and avenge you’….
and
I think there’s a similar verse a little later….yes, here it is.
Verse 49.
Babylon must
fall because of Israel’s slain.
"

              
Hannah
asked, "Beau, didn’t we study a verse in Psalms along the same
line?"

              
"Good
memory, Hannah. It’s in 137 as I recall….un-
hunh
….verse
8.
O Daughter of Babylon doomed to
destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us."

              
"We
all concluded from the thirty prophecy clues revealing the identity of Mystery
Babylon, that
it has
to be
America, our country. It’s also named in scripture as the
Daughter of Babylon and Babylon the Great. Beau, didn’t one of the
prophets label Babylon as a betrayer?"

              
"Again, good memory guys.
It was Isaiah. Let’s
turn to Isaiah, very powerful language. Go to 21:2….You all there
?....
OK, here’s what Isaiah said.
A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor
betrays, the looter takes loot
. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will
bring an end to all the groaning she caused.

              
Audrey
looked up from her well-worn Bible and asked, "
Who
are Elam and Media again? I know we discussed this
before."

              
Gary
said, "Didn’t we learn that both Elam and Media are in present day
Iran
? And just as Ezekiel said, some of
those troops that we’re seeing on TV invading Israel are from Iran.
Look….right there….see those tanks, look at the emblem on the
turrets.
Looks something like a bird.
That’s the
emblem of
Iran,
it’s in the middle of their
flag. Iran and Russia, and the other Muslim nations that Ezekiel listed, are
definitely invading Israel.
To kill Israelites.
What’s
wrong
with our country….that we can’t keep our
word….that we
betray
our
only
friend in the Middle East?"

              
Scott
had been paging through his notes as the others talked. "Do you all
recall The Message translation of Lamentations 4:17 that we looked at last
year? Let me read it,
We
watched and watched, wore our eyes out
looking for help.
And nothing.
We mounted our lookouts
and looked for the help that never showed up.
" What a sad description
of what the people of Israel have been going through since the invasion
started. America promised to bring the full might of our military into Israel
to protect what?
The trees?
The
buildings?
No,
the
people
of Israel.
The millions of men, women and children who may
either
already
be dead or facing
imminent
death. We are truly betrayers.
I love my country, and I don’t want to see it destroyed, but I completely
understand why God is about to do what He said He would do.
Completely
understand."

              
There
was silence in Gary and Hannah’s family room as the three remaining
couples of the small group realized the enormity of what would soon happen in
America.

              
Audrey,
tears obvious on her cheeks, broke the silence, "Men, we women have
talked and we’re scared.
Really scared
.
Once America’s major cities are nuked,
it looks like that’s what’s prophesied,
then
it won’t take long before every grocery shelf in town will be cleaned
out. We’ve all laid up a fair amount of canned goods, rice, beans and
such, but we all know that our minimal prepping efforts won’t last very
long. People….we are going to be out of food
soon
. Maybe, by scrimping, being very careful, we might make it two
months, not much longer."

              
"Audrey,"
Hannah, also crying, sniffled, "We gave a lot of our food to Uncle
Paul’s family. Since he was killed, they’ve had some financial
problems, so we wanted to help them out. So….I doubt that we could feed
ourselves for
even a month
….what….
are….
we….going….to….do?"