Iranian Hubris or Lack Thereof...

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran/Iranian-military-official-We-laugh-when-US-threatens-to-attack-411923

After reading the article in the above link, all I can say is "How stupid were we to make a deal with them?" The Iranian military official talks about how he laughs when the US threatens to attack Iran and how they made us bow before them.  This is obviously part of the sick and twisted plan by Iran to have us make the deal with them, then humiliate us by making us bow before the thug nation and then ultimately attack us and Israel after developing their nukes if they haven't done so by now in their five or much more nuclear facilities located throughout the Islamic Republic.

     I know that President Obama is trying to make peace with the Arab world (so he says) in order to soften the US image worldwide, but this is not the way to do it. In fact it only strengthens the case that some of his critics have made that he is essentially anti-American and is plotting to destroy America from within along with the argument that he is Islamic or even an Islamic operative. As much as wasn't a fan of Reagan or both Bushes, they wouldn't have allowed this deal to go as far as it has to this point. Bill Clinton would've never allowed this deal to occur. Former President Clinton would've bombed Iran if he felt that it was necessary. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush obviously were gutless cowards in that regard. They not only failed to bomb Iran, but only after doing what they should have done first. That was to make an honest and serious effort to rescue the Americans and other Western hostages in Beirut from the mid-1980s to the early 1990's instead of being so lazy about it and letting Terry Anderson, Thomas Sutherland, Terry Waite and the other hostages rot in Beirut instead of being REAL presidents and have the sack to rescue them.

Palestinians and Iran to disarm alleged Israeli nukes

http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/08/11/palestinians-and-iran-agree-to-disarm-israels-alleged-nukes/

All I can say upon reading this article is that this plan is a cover for their master plan to nuke Israel. If Israel has nukes, it would only be for use in situations where Israel must defend itself. Such a scenario in inner circles would be The Samson Option. This would only occur as a last resort when Israel would face nuclear attack from its surrounding Arab neighbors.

Yes I can only envision the Iranian argument that they are using nuclear energy for peaceful means and the the U.S. and Israel have no right to prevent Iran from having nuclear energy. However Iran's true intention is to build a nuclear warhead. They supposedly have at least five such facilities and quite possibly much more and people complain about Israel's alleged nuclear weapons. No wonder Israel has denied that they have nuclear weapons.  Look at whom they are up against. I don't blame the Israelis not only for denying that they have nuclear weapons, but also for having them as well. Israel must have the God given right to defend themselves.  At least that is why they have their alleged nuclear program. Iran desires to have nuclear weapons only to strike the U.S., Israel and Iran's other enemies. Need I say more.

Tom

Paranoia or not...that is the question

Obama on Iran: The Specter of World War III http://flip.it/kL39U

I had to share this.  I have read many scenarios of how World War III would play out through the years. I have news for everyone World War III began on September 11, 2001. However this is not the World War III as we would know it to be nor was World War I or World War II for that matter. Presently I am working on a non-fiction historical book tentatively titled "World War I: The War That Never Ended." To give everyone a brief sneak preview, World War has played out in three stages over the past century. World War I in my first foray into non-fiction will be explained as World War: The First Series of Battles. World War II will be explained as World War: The Second Series of Battles. World War III will be explained as World War: The Third Series of Battles. I know that this will be looked upon as a very unconventional look (and I say this very mildly I might add) and will take some time, but read the book when it is finished and published and you will have a better understanding of it.

That said back to the article on Flipboard. The case that President Obama made for allowing the Iran Deal to pass through Congress can be best described as intimidating the House and the Senate along with the American people.  The scenarios that he presented should the deal be votes down in Congress are left field arguements. Russia and China would go to war with each other should the deal be voted down as the article mentioned. What would this war have to do with Congress vetoing any such deal? There would be no such war. The president argued that such a veto would make the world look upon the US as a laughingstock (Those were not President Obama's exact word. I was just paraphrasing). I could go on about this but all I can say is that I hope the president's support for the Iran Deal will not ultimately result in an actual war with Iran. However I am concerned that it's not if such a war would take place but only when such a war will occur...

August 2001 revisited? Could history repeat itself once more?

Al Qaeda branch: Attack U.S. http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/middleeast/al-qaeda-branch-yemen-united-states/index.html

al-Qaeda has urged its followers to attack the United States. In August 2001 it urged its followers to do so. Hence the CIA memo Bin Laden Determined to Strike the United States. Need I remind anyone what took place a month later?

Fast forward to August 2015. This time an al-Qaeda branch in Yemen has issued a similar order. A pattern seems to be now forming. Does anyone remember the saying history repeats itself over and over again? As a lifelong student of history especially American History as well as Middle Eastern History, I have been reminded of that very saying on many occasions.  Then twenty years ago this month, I remember Dr. Fabiano teaching me and the rest of my U.S. History after 1965 summer school class at Monroe Community College the second half of that saying. It was "If we don't learn from our mistakes."

     Once again the United States of America is at a similar crossroads. It was a crossroads that we as a nation were at fourteen years ago this month. Our national security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies as well as other parties failed to connect the dots back in 2001. Now fourteen years later in 2015 we are at a similar juncture. Do we connect the dots this time or will be subjected to another 9/11esque attack, but one that could be much more devastating in loss of life and other damages? In my debut novel "Black Friday" the mantra "History repeats itself time and time again unless we learn from our mistakes" was a prevailing theme. If you wish to know either follow the excerpts on this blogsite or buy the novel. If we are to prevent another actual September 11th caliber or worse attack, then we must learn from our past mistakes.

Americans, the choice is ours. Do we allow history to repeat itself or do we learn from our mistakes and prevent another devastating/catastrophic terrorist attack from ever occurring?

Tom

Free Chapter Two Excerpt from my first novel Black Friday.

Check it out and enjoy reading it!

Tom

12:30am

 

 

 

 

 “Men.” began Harvey Harrison “The chatter has died down.” he noted in reference to Afghanistan.  However there is still a cause for concern though “We are in the midst of a long and protracted recount.  One that could very well divide this nation.  It is obvious that al-Qaeda will somehow take advantage of this.  We must be on our toes.  I need your suggestions on how to beef up our security.  We know that something may be in the works, but there is no credible threat out there as of this hour.”  Harrison was the 5’8”, 175 pound leader of Ridgemont.  He was clean shaven with gray hair as well as a ruddy appearance from his many years in the field tracking and capturing a considerable number of terrorists.  Those present were in the twenty foot by twenty five foot conference room was the most start of the art room in Ridgeview.  The twelve foot conference table was made of cedar and would seat up to ten people.  The walls were covered with either state of the art computers as well as the newest tracking devices that have been made available to the intelligence community.  The maximum of ten people were seated at the table.  The group leader Harvey Harrison and the rest of his ten man crew including his assistant Reginald Patterson occupied each seat at the table.  The only topic of conversation in the room was what had been the sudden increase in chatter throughout the Middle East until the sudden silence which took place exactly nine hours earlier. 

 

“As our intelligence has evolved so they have evolved.” Ian Daley acknowledged “We need to beef up our security in the most vulnerable of places.  I suggest that the malls would be a good start.”

 

“You think so?” Graves said sarcastically “And where do we get the extra security from, your average Joe walking down the street.”

 

“Enough!” Harrison said sternly.

 

“We need a more coherent plan.” Daley urged.

 

“Would you like to come up here and run this meeting?” Harrison snarled.

 

“That would actually be a good place to start.” Daley replied with contempt in his voice “I lost my wife on 9/11 and what is our intelligence community doing to prevent another attack.” as there was silence in the room “Zilch.” Ian noted “We need to improve our National Security and fast or there will be another attack like 9/11 but on a far more devastating scale.”

 

“Has there been another attack since 9/11?” Harrison asked challenging Daley.

 

“Not yet, but if we are not careful, one will soon occur.  We can’t keep getting lucky like we’ve been since 9/11.  The odds are against us.” Daley exhorted.

 

“You do your job and I will do mine!” Harrison ordered “If there is anything you would like to say that would be a contribution for fighting this threat then say it.  If not sit down and keep your mouth shut!  Do I make myself perfectly clear!” he exploded.

 

“Just listen to what I have said about how to fight this war!” Daley noted.

 

“I am taking what you have said and put it on the record.” Harrison noted as his tone became very irritated over the direction that the meeting was heading in.  “Is there anyone else who feels the same way that I am not doing my job properly?”  Everyone else in the room shook their head no in unison.  “Alright then let us pick up where we left off.” Harrison noted as the meeting went on for another twenty minutes.  Harvey Harrison had long been a member of the National Security Department.  He first joined the department during the early years of the Reagan Administration.  Harrison slowly worked his way up the ladder.  When Harrison first became a lower level manager of the National Security Department during the second year of the Clinton Administration, among his first hires was Art Graves as well as Ian Daley.  Graves and Daley quickly became rivals of one another.  Daley was more concerned about doing his job while Graves was more concerned about being a star employee while quickly moving up the ladder.  This resulted in a lot of tension between the two men.  At times the tension threatened to become counter-productive to the NSA.  After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security was created.  Harrison, Graves and Daley were transferred over to the new governmental agency.  Daley was very gung ho in joining the Department of Homeland Security since his wife was killed while working in the Pentagon on 9/11.  They were joined by a CIA agent who specialized in Counter-terrorism named Reginald Patterson.  The four gradually moved up the ladder of the Department of Homeland Security.  They were now among those who not only analyzed data but were very influential when it came to making recommendation about how to handle the latest terrorist threats while deciding where to allocate governmental resources to.  They were now meeting once again to decide where they would allocate governmental resources in order to prevent another terrorist attack from taking place.

 

 

 

“Do you have any stories to share about Black Friday?” Irene Daley inquired.

 

“Believe me I have more than my share.” the lady with the platinum blonde hair began “Before I continue my name is Harriet.”

 

“I’m Irene.” she responded “Nice to meet you.”

 

“And I’m Irma.” the younger twin by five minutes replied “It’s nice to meet you too.”

 

“Before I share my stories with you, do you have any questions about how to get through Black Friday?  I see that you have the food and drink part well taken care of.” Harriet noted.

 

“How crowded do the lines actually get?” Irene asked.

 

“Ten times more than what you see now by the time the first doors open.” Harriet responded.

 

“Have there ever been any problems during the wait or when the doors first open?” Irma inquired.

 

“Other than the occasional rowdy person waiting in line and having too much to drink, nothing major during the wait.  However, when it comes to the medical personnel arriving due to people getting hypothermia or passing out due to exhaustion or fatigue while waiting in line, I see at least ten for both cases every year.” Harriet recalled. 

 

“What time does it usually start?” Irene asked.

 

“I would say between one thirty and two o’clock in the morning.” Harriet replied.

 

“That should begin in less than an hour from now.” Irma mused aloud.

 

“You two should be fine.  You’re both well bundled up for the occasion.  You have more than enough food.  I would say don’t be afraid to take frequent rest breaks.  One of you rest up while the other waits in line.  My daughter Sophie got a head start with the resting.  I’m about to call her in a little while to switch places.  You two might want to work out a similar plan.” Harriet then suggested.

 

“We will definitely listen to your advice.” Irene replied.  Irene and Irma Daley were twenty six year old college students who had graduated from Johns Hopkins University and were now in the process of getting their doctorate’s degree at Syracuse University only three months earlier.  Since their mother’s death, the twins had been withdrawn for the most part and had rarely socialized among their peers.  However when they arrived in Syracuse, they befriended by another set of twins who had lost their mother in the World Trade Center on 9/11.  Alexis and Andi Davies quickly befriended the Daley twins and quickly brought them out of their shell.  Irene and Irma learned about how both Alexis and Andi lost their mother on 9/11 and saw how the two refused to let tragedy rule their lives.  The Daley twins began to feel very enthusiastic about life once more.  They became very outgoing and like the Davies twins became very popular among the SU graduate students not to mention among the undergraduates they befriended along the way.  Alexis and Andi were now among the people who the Daley twins would do their Christmas shopping for on this very day.

 

     House Speaker Nate Grumbly was reclining in the chair in his study while surfing the internet.  Grumbly was fifty years old and had gray hair and brown eyes.  His customary attire included silk suits which were professionally tailored as well as white silk shirts and dark silk ties.  Grumbly was known by his nickname Silk.  He was now scanning the NFL website looking over the scores.  He was very pleased about Detroit losing to Denver 24-3, not happy about both Dallas beating New England 35-31 and his beloved Packers being blown out by the Bears 42-7 in the nightcap.  The study had tan walls and a series of ten well organized bookshelves which ranged in subjects from ancient history and philosophy up to American History and Political Thought to Sports.  The tan walls had white trim.  The curtains were a dark brown given the fall and winter seasons.  During the summers, the curtains would be white.    There were displays of maritime scenes throughout the room which ranged from paintings to model ships.  The maritime collection ranged from America and the West Indies to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.  The works of the collection that also ranged from depictions of the Roman Era through the mid-1800’s.  Classical music was the only music that Grumbly would ever play while he was in the room.  The combination of classical music and an old book brought the feeling of complete relaxation to him.  It was in this very study that Nate Grumbly would be able to do his best thinking.  Grumbly’s cellphone. Grumbly then reached for his cellphone.  He was about to place a call to his answering service in the nation’s capital when the phone rang.  Grumbly picked it up and then spoke to the person on the other line.  The conversation would last for a few minutes.  After it was over, Grumbly hung up the phone and placed a call to the answering machine in his office “I have decided to take a later flight back.  I should be arriving around 4pm tomorrow.  I have some matters to take care of tomorrow morning in Milwaukee.  I apologize for any inconvenience that I may cause because of this.”  Grumbly then hung up the phone and proceeded to look at the website for another moment.  He then retired for the evening.  However, he received another call.  Grumbly answered the call.

 

“Nate, it’s me Kirk.” Kirk Roberts began “The president would like to meet with you in the morning.”  Roberts was fifty eight years old and was tall and lanky.  His light brown hair and blue eyes made him look youthful.  His causal dress by Washington standards helped bolster the case that Roberts was youthful beyond his years.

 

“Tell the old windbag that I have a few things to take care of tomorrow morning first.  After that I will take the noon flight back to DC.” Grumbly replied.

 

“It’s very important that you attend the meeting.” Kirk noted.

 

“It was more important that President Wolcott chose Thomas as his running mate instead of remembering all that I did for him through the years.” Nate shot back “I’m sorry, but I have more important matters to attend to.”

 

“The meeting is about a grave national security matter.” Roberts said.

 

“Look every time there has been a grave national security matter, nothing happened or it was a false alarm.  Please don’t bother me anymore for the night.” Grumbly added as he hung up the phone.  The tension between Nate Grumbly and Jeff Wolcott had lasted since the before the George H. W. Bush Administration when they worked on both the Mike Dukakis and the Al Gore campaigns respectively.  They later parlayed their work in the 1988 presidential campaign into victories in the 1990 mid-term elections in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania respectively.  Both men were considered to be conniving and shrewd while becoming rising stars in the Democratic Party.  Their political rivalry became even tenser during the 2008 presidential campaign when Wolcott worked on the Obama campaign while Grumbly worked on the Hilary Clinton campaign.  Four years ago, they were vying for the Democratic presidential campaign.  The two were the last candidates standing and it resulted in a brokered convention.  One that would last for three ballots until Wolcott barley had enough ballots for the nomination.  Wolcott both courted the support of Texas Senator Vince Thomas whom they both offered the vice presidency too.  Grumbly thought he had the perfect deal in place where Thomas would be able to convince enough delegates to support Grumbly until Wolcott blackmailed Thomas into endorsing him.  Thomas not only threw his support as well as the delegates that he controlled to Wolcott, but this convinced Grumbly that the nomination process was rigged.  Since then the only thing that consumed House Speaker Nathan Grumbly was revenge and the desire to bring down Jeffrey Wolcott once and for all.   

 

 

“Men, we must begin final preparations to reclaim Taiwan.” Sung Ju Luang began “I have come here directly from a meeting with the chairman of our military.  He has informed us that Premier Ming has approved the excursion that is to take place within the next twenty four hours.  As soon as he gives us the official order we will enter Taiwan and take it back.”  It was these words that made the soldier’s day.  Meanwhile in North Korea similar scenes were being played out among the various military branches.  However it would not only involve South Korea, but Japan and the United States as well.  At the same time, another teleconference was taking place throughout the Middle East.  This time it would involve various Arab leaders discussing a covert military plot.  As the meeting ended, they agreed to inform their military commanders to prepare their soldiers for war while awaiting their final orders to carry out the military strike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Black Friday excerpt Chapter 1

Just thought I would try something different.  I will be posting an excerpt from one of my novels every day.  I will be leading off with the first chapter of my first novel Black Friday. 

Friday November 23

12:00 a.m.

 

 

 

 

“How low is it supposed to go tonight?” Irene Daley asked her sister Irma.

 

“I heard that it was going down to twenty five.” Irma Daley replied as the two twenty six year old twin sisters were waiting in the one hundred person long line for Target to open just three hours from now. 

 

“I wonder if Dad’s finally home.” Irene mused in reference to Ian Daley returning from his job at Homeland Friday November 23

Security.

 

“It had to be very serious for Dad to leave in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner.” Irma noted.

 

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Irene remarked as the twins were now freezing in the cold crisp night air.  They were outside Target in The Suburban Mall.  The popular strip mall was located in a suburb of Bethesda.  Meanwhile the two slender 5’6” twins were sipping on their thermoses of French Vanilla coffee.  They were bundled up wearing light blue and tan winter coats respectively.  Their scarves and knit hats matched up.  The two now saw more people get into the line.  “I think we will be at two hundred people in line before we know it.”  The clear crisp night sky was illuminated by the countless stars which dominated the sky.  The Target store was the centerpiece of The Suburban Mall which stretched in an L-shape that would take up a total of three NFL football fields.  The parking lot would fit at least two thousand cars while it had enough room for a bus stop that would hold five commuter busses at any one time.  Across the street of The Suburban Mall was known at “Tech Row.”  Tech Row was a series of technological businesses that were next to one another on Maryland Avenue.  Several yards away behind The Suburban Mall as well as Tech Row were forests.  The trees had been standing since the Meso-Colonial Period.  Birds, deer, fox, raccoon, possum and insects resided in the forests to this day.  The Bethesda area chapter of the National Wildlife Federation had been staging a series of protests periodically every time the developers of both The Suburban Mall and Tech Row desired to expand their respective businesses by proposing to mow down the forests that were behind them.  Each time this was proposed it outraged the local as well as the regional conservation activists to the extent that the plan was ultimately abandoned after months of haggling.  This made the residents of Hopkins, Maryland become emotionally numb whenever the proposals were made given the fact that they would never be passed into law.

 

“I take it you two are bored.” a middle aged woman began “I’ve been through this ritual every year since 1987.”  Her tan overcoat and knit hat covered her lithe 5’0” frame.  The platinum blonde with blue eyes continued “Believe me, you two will be a veteran at this like me someday.”  With that the Daley twins and the middle aged women began to have a lively conversation with one another.

 

 

“Unusual chatter coming from Afghanistan.” Ian Daley began as he then added “Brings back memories of 9/11.”  The 5’9” sixty one year old veteran of the counterterrorism community with gray hair and green eyes as well as a medium build noted as he kept looking over the latest report.  He was casually dressed in a blue button down denim shirt and tan khaki slacks with blue, brown and tan argyle socks and brown loafers.

 

“Come on Daley, we’ve seen this since 9/11.” Art Graves replied.  The 6’2” fifty year old grizzled data analyst began to roll his eyes as he then added “Remember that supposed threat two years ago.  We thought for sure that something was going to happen, but we all know that nothing occurred.  How about five years ago when…” Graves wore a tan sweater and brown dress pants along with tan shoes and dark brown socks.

 

“You’ve made your point!” Daley stated exasperatedly as he put his hands towards Graves.  “What if we ignored the signs and we actually have another 9/11?”

 

“Do you really think that there will be another 9/11?” Art inquired with a quizzical look on his face.

 

“Look anything is possible.  We must never rule out any scenario.” Ian said.

 

“Whatever you say, but federal resources are being depleted by the day.” Graves began as Daley cut him off “It is that same mindset that resulted in 9/11.  Look we must never be complacent.  Do I have to remind you what happened the last time we were complacent?” as an African American male walked over to the men and said “Briefing in Harrison’s office ASAP!”

 

“Yes sir.” they replied as they walked briskly to Harvey Harrison’s office.

 

“Could you tell us what this is about?” Graves asked Reginald Patterson.”

 

“Let’s just say that it’s urgent.” Patterson noted.  The 6’5” 220 pound former forward for the Washington Bullets was immaculately dressed in a gray suit, black shirt and a charcoal gray tie.  His black socks and matching shoes as well as a receding pate which never went gray gave him an aura of self-confidence.  His mustache matched his hair and his black glasses give him a dignified look. His voice had the inflection of an individual with an Ivy League pedigree.  The complex which housed this particular branch of the Homeland Security department was in the middle of the complex of businesses in Washington, DC.  However the complex was aptly named Ridgemont in honor of the first director of Homeland Security former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge who served less than one term during the first four years of the George W. Bush administration.  Ridgemont was surrounded by a seven foot metal fence which made the peaks of the three story building visible.  Outside the complex stood armed guards at the gate.  They checked for ID each time someone would enter Ridgemont.  Once they saw the identification card, the guards placed a call to a desk secretary who verifies if the person was supposed to be working on a particular shift or was summoned to work on an emergency basis.  Once their identification was confirmed, they would proceed inside where their cars went through a rigorous security search.  This is the reason that the employees of Ridgemont hardly kept anything inside their cars and kept it empty for the most part.  Their identifications were then quickly vetted while they went through a series of metal detectors as well as body scans.  After that they would be allowed to enter the main sections of the complex.  The main sections of the complex actually looked like corporate offices with modern desks, furniture as well as art deco.  The only exceptions were in the private rooms there were state of the art computers with the latest technology to track down terrorists as well as the latest terror threats that Ridgemont would receive every fifteen minutes. 

 

     It was now late morning inside the al-Qaeda camp in a mountainous area in Afghanistan.  Five men were inside Ayman al-Zawahiri’s tent.  The al-Qaeda leader was holding court with his top lieutenants.  They were going over planning for future operations.  Now Omar Ali Mustafa inquired “How is Operation Yarmuk going?” in reference to the first battle against the Byzantine Empire which was led by Khalid Ibn al Walid.  This very scenario mentioned in the book Future Jihad by Walid Phares.

 

“We have our agents in place and ready to strike at the given signal.” al-Zawahiri replied. 

 

“What is the signal?” Khalid Isawi asked.  The higher up in the al-Qaeda hierarchy was 5’11” and 185 pounds.  He wore a white turban and long multi-color flowing robes.  His gray mustache and beard cover most of the olive skin on his face.

 

“Watch CNN today.  You will find out soon enough.” al-Zawahiri remarked.  He then changed the subject “Do you have anything new to report about the trade?” he inquired in reference to the heroin fields that have been recently proliferating throughout Afghanistan that were primarily run by the Taliban, but were partnered up with al-Qaeda as well. 

 

“There are four shipments that are on the way to America, Venezuela, Columbia as well as Mexico.  We have operatives in each place of destination.” Isawi replied.

 

“When do you think that the shipments will be arriving?” Ayman al-Zawahiri asked.

 

“Any day now.” Isawi noted.  Khalid Isawi for years had worked as a peasant farmer who was unable to make ends meet in a small village that was outside Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  His life was basically a dead end road in which that he would realize that being essentially a migrant farmer who was basically serving a life sentence of poverty despite the fact that his family owned the farm and that as the middle child he would never be able to own the farm.  Isawi was resigned not by choice to live a life in which he had no future until he first heard of al-Qaeda through a fiery sermon being given from one of the Imams at a mosque in the next town over rail about how the infidels were occupying Saudi Arabia.  This would begin a series of a chain reaction of events that would forever change the life of Abdul Isawi.  Isawi became not only a radical Moslem but also befriended the Imam who convinced Isawi to join al-Qaeda.  Isawi left his family behind and made his way to the camp which was outside Kabul, Afghanistan.  For the next few months, Isawi was not only trained with weapons, but with explosives as well until he first learned of the drug trade.  He knew that there was a lot of money to be made by harvesting drug crops such as heroin and opium.  Meanwhile his parents and two older brothers died due to a flu that raged its way throughout the Jalalabad area during the winter of 1997-1998.  It was then that Abdul Isawi inherited the farm that he had toiled at without making enough money to live on.  He immediately began to plant heroin as well as opium and practically overnight he went from living a life of poverty to one of opulence.  Isawi overnight became the wealthiest person in the Jalalabad region and he never forgot how and when his fortunes began to change.  He was known for making numerous donations to the mosque where he first converted to radical Islam, al-Qaeda as well as the Taliban.  Isawi also had numerous customers who were drug lords in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Columbia and Venezuela.  It was the drugs that were sold to those aforementioned drug lords that seeped its way into the United States and made millions of Americans into drug addicts.  Their craving for those drugs resulted in more sales of the heroin crops from Afghanistan.  It was the proceeds from the sale of drugs such as heroin and opium that were used to finance terrorist attacks against the United States as well as other western nations and Israel.  The drug business not only made Isawi very wealthy but the Taliban and al-Qaeda as well.  As a result, al-Qaeda now had another income stream that would finance terrorist attacks globally.  The plot that they are about to bring to fruition was financed by the drug trade. 

 

 

“What is the status of your readiness to strike if needed?” Chang Huang Dong the commander of the Chinese military asked his commander of the 10^th Chinese Fleet which was stationed off the southeastern Chinese coast.  The 5’5” 140 pound sixty year old who was born in Beijing was a product of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.  His gray hair and piercing black eyes gave him an intimidating look about him.  He was in much better physical condition than most of his military counterparts.

 

“My men are as ready as they will ever be.” Sung Jin Liang replied “How soon would you like me to enact Operation Reunification?”  The fellow Beijing native stood 5’6” and weighed 150 pounds.  Although he was fifty five, he and Chang went back to their twenties when they served in the same battalion.  Chang took Sung under his wing and the two would go on to advance in the chain of command in the Chinese military to such high levels. 

 

“We have a spy who is well placed in the upper levels of the United States government.” Chang began “We have reason to believe that such an operation may commence within the next twenty four hours.”

 

“Very well then.” Sung responded “When would you like me to inform my men to become battle ready?”

 

“They must be informed as soon as this meeting comes to an end.” Chang ordered “Remember the pride of the Motherland hinges on how well we carry out this excursion.  Dismissed.”

 

 

     Meanwhile at another meeting inside a nuclear facility in a secluded area in the central part in North Korea, the head of the North Korean Atomic Commission was meeting with the North Korean Defense Minister.  Also present was the commander of the North Korean Military.  

 

“Are the missiles ready for use?” Defense Minister Hung Su Kim asked the head of the North Korean Atomic Commission Jang Nuan Do.

 

“Yes.” Jang began “An underground test of the Taepodong VII was successfully executed early this morning.”

 

“We will need you to carry out a nuclear launch within the next twenty four hours.” Hung ordered Jang who now looked not only shocked but had the look of someone who was about to realize his lifelong dream of striking South Korea and annexing it in the process.  Meanwhile Hung noticed the look on Commander Kim Song Park who was about to ask a question.  He then said to Kim “I know that you are about to ask about the American military presence at the 38^th Parallel.  We will use one of the bombs on them as well.  Besides their government will not be able to respond to us anyways.”

 

“How so?” Kim inquired.

 

“We have an agent inside the upper levels of the United States government.  He has been working with us as well as the Chinese government in order to make sure that both our objectives are carried out successfully.” Hung noted “First have the soldiers and the weapons ready and second we must wait for the events in the United States to take place.  Trust me you will know when to carry out the operation.”

 

 

“The recount has now entered its seventeenth day with no end in sight.” the CNN reporter began “The Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona and West Virginia State Supreme Courts will be hearing arguments regarding the disputed votes.  As it stands, President Jeff Wolcott will be updating the nation this afternoon on the latest in the crisis.  Meanwhile his challenger Virginia Governor Dick Freeman has indicated that he will not back down on any challenges that he has made regarding the disputed votes.” as the screen now showed the fifty one year old Freeman state for the record “I am no Al Gore.  I will not back down until every last vote is counted.  My father died in Vietnam so every vote can be counted.  This is America; we must never surrender our democratic standards.”

 

 

“What do you think?” Hussein Ibrahim asked Saleh Bowadi.

 

“They are making it too easy for us.” Bowadi replied “These infidels are so incompetent.  They have not changed no matter what they claim.”  The skinny 5’5” Bowadi weighed not even 150 pounds and was clean shaven.  He shaved his mustache and beard before he and Ibrahim departed for the United States years earlier.   

 

“Soon they will have something else to talk about.  Maybe then they will realize that their idea of democracy is not such a good thing after all.” Ibrahim noted.   The 6’1” 180 pound man with jet back hair and tan skin was casually dressed just like Saleh in order to blend in with American society.  The two men in fact did everything they could so they would not stand out like a sore thumb.

 

“They will be in for one rude awakening before the day is over with.” Saleh said confidentially.

 

“That is an understatement my brother.” Hussein observed.  The two men were born in Saudi Arabia.  They had been interested in joining al-Qaeda since they were ten year olds.  After the September 11^th attacks took place, their parents had filled their minds with anti-American beliefs for as long as they could remember.  They had long been incensed by the American troops who long overstayed their welcome after Operation Desert Storm.  All Hussein and Saleh could remember was the presence of the United States military.  They had learned not only from their parents but from their textbooks that the United States was obsessed with world domination as well as oil in the Middle East.  The two also learned that it was the United States desire to control all of the oil in the Middle East.  This was reinforced by the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States as well as the continued presence of the American military long after Saddam Hussein was toppled.  The two were taught that the Israeli Mossad and the CIA carried out the 9/11 attacks and not only framed al-Qaeda for the attacks, but used as an excuse to invade both Afghanistan as well as Iraq using it as a guise in order to control the oil in the Middle East.  Hussein, Saleh, their families as well as Saudi Arabia feared that the War on Terror was also a war to eradicate Islam.  This was also a feeling that was felt especially among the Wahhabi’s.  The Wahhabi’s are followers of Wahhabism which is a puritanical sect of Islam.  One that desires to teach Islam in the manner that it was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad in the early 600’s AD.  The Wahhabi revival became very evident during the siege of the Grand Mosque in Mecca back in November, 1979.  The Wahhabi’s claimed that the Mahdi who is the Islamic Messiah had come to usher in the last age of the world.  The siege lasted for a couple of weeks until French troops who were enlisted by the government of Saudi Arabia and converted to Islam in order to even enter Mecca would storm the Grand Mosque and end the takeover.  The takeover of the Grand Mosque had shaken Saudi Arabia to the core.  The nation was divided and the Saudi Government infused Wahhabi Islam in every area of Saudi Arabian life in order to bridge the gap between the divisions which threatened to tear the nation apart. 

 

     Hussein Ibrahim and Salah Bowadi both grew up together and immigrated to Afghanistan and were trained by al-Qaeda.  For years they learned the art of bomb making, surveillance, as well as being trained with machine guns and rocket launchers.  The men had desired to someday carry out a 9/11 style attack but on a much larger scale.  For the past few years since they were recruited for the Black Friday strike, they relocated to the United States and blended in with the rest of American Society while becoming law abiding citizens.  There was never as much as a peep or a traffic ticket from the two.  They made friends along the way while earning their trust among their circle of American friends.  It was this mindset that made them among the least threatening among the American public.  Their apartment was on the outskirts of Bethesda and had the look and décor of an apartment that would blend in with the other apartments in the area.  The more recent furniture coupled with displays of seashores and the occasional Monet replicas were on the walls of their apartment.  Also on the walls would be the occasional art house movie poster of a foreign movie which was mainly European or Latin American in nature.  Other than that the apartment had the look of one where they could be able to move out with relative ease should they have to relocate elsewhere.          

 

 

“I’m concerned that Cypress will be linked to this recount.” Dick Tilden began as he was also watching CNN.  He was aware that the voting machines that Cypress manufactured for the states whose votes were being disputed.

 

“Cypress is already linked to this recount.” Dan Merkel replied as he then continued “I hope that another company also manufactured the voting machines that have been linked to this fiasco.”

 

“I wish I could say that was the case.” Tilden noted.

 

“You mean there isn’t another company who manufactured the voting machines that have been linked to the disputed ballots in five states.” Merkel wondered aloud.

 

“That would be correct.” Tilden started as he then continued “Twenty states chose us to supply them with voting machines because of our integrity and now that is going to go by the wayside.  No one will want to do business with us!” the founder and Chief Financial Officer of Cypress exploded “This is beyond intolerable!  How is the internal investigation going?” he now demanded.

 

“We are looking into Gary Barton’s role in this mess.  We sent out someone to trail him in the months leading up to the recount.” Dan Merkel replied.

 

“What did you find out?” Tilden inquired.

 

“I am going to learn more this afternoon.” Merkel began “As soon I find out about Barton, you will be the first to know.”

 

“Please do not even think to call me between eleven and four this afternoon.” Tilden ordered “I will be testifying before that bi-partisan congressional committee that is investigating the disputed ballots.”

 

“In that case, please call me once you are done with testifying before the committee.” Merkel said as the conversation came to an end.  Cypress, Incorporated was formed at the height of the dotcom boom during the late 1990’s.  Cypress was the shortened name for Cyber Express which provided internet service to those who resided in the southern United States.  They gradually expanded to the southwestern United States as well as the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic states.  Cypress would fail in its repeated attempts to successfully tap into the Northeast especially New England, the Plains states as well as the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast.  Despite these shortcomings, Cypress became a profitable niche company with its subscribers becoming not only the most loyal customers, but its most passionate ones at the same time.  They began to branch out into the voting machines after the controversial 2000 presidential recount.  Gradually Cypress began to market as well as sell voting machines while taking advantage of the recount as well as the need for new voting machines.

 

 

“I would like to sell 1,000,000 shares of Cypress and instead purchase 5,000,000 shares of Pan Arabian Oil.” Ishmael Younis began as he placed the call from his office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to his broker in Zurich, Switzerland.

 

“I will take care of it right now.” Hans Guibioso replied as he processed the transaction “I just found out that Cypress may have been involved in the voter tampering.”

 

“Same here.” Ishmael said as he continued “I think that Pan Arabian Oil would be the safer bet.  It is undervalued as it is compared to the other oil stocks that are out there.”

 

“Transaction done.” Hans stated as he then asked “Is there anything else I can help you with Sheikh Younis?”

 

“Not at this time.” Ishmael added as he then ended the call.  The fifty eight year Saudi investment broker first took advantage of the securities game while attending King Khalid University in the mid-1980’s.  He quickly showed that he had a knack for making one successful investment after another as he first invested in Saudi-owned businesses.  Soon after he branched out into Japanese-owned businesses.  He then invested heavily in the dotcom boom during the late 1990’s.  Each time he had a knack for pulling out of his investments at the right time.  Despite concentrating most of his investments in the Pacific Rim businesses as well as Indian and Chinese-owned corporations.  Ishmael also became a prominent investor not only in Cypress, but also in the off shore companies that both were fronts for the heroin and Opium fields for Afghanistan and the drug cartels in Mexico, Columbia and Venezuela.  Among his close friends in the Afghanistan drug trade included Khalid Isawi.  Ishmael now turned on Al-Jazeera and watched it for a little while and then he switched to CNN and proceeded to watch it for most of the afternoon knowing that he had begun to set off another round of events.  The first wave had already been completed.  It was the second wave that would lead to the third wave and ultimately the fourth wave.  The first wave took a while to complete and the final three would be completed within the next twenty four hours.

 

 

“Where do we stand?” Tim Lake asked Allan Bridges regarding the security at The Galleria.  The two men were in Bridges’ office inside the security area of the Galleria Mall.  Bridges only had papers on his grey metal desk which consisted of three drawers on the right side and a fourth in the middle of the desk.  The office only had displays which promoted the mall as well as security requirements as prescribed by law.  Bridges’ office was deliberately devoid of pictures as well as any other effects that would identify him to those who ran amok of mall policy or allegedly ran amok of mall policy.  This would not only protect Bridges from retaliation by any disgruntled individual or individuals who visited the office, but Bridges’ family as well as his friends would be protected from any reprisals which may be carried out against Bridges and the other security personnel. 

 

“We have our men prepared and every security apparatus in place.” Bridges the heard of the Galleria security force responded.  He had blond hair and blue eyes.  He stood 6’0’ and weighed 200 pounds. 

 

“I am concerned about one thing.” Lake began.  The manager of the Galleria proceeded to continue on “There has been an increase in the presence of Arab looking individuals here in the past month.  That presence has only increased in the past week.”  Lake was 6’5’ and weighed 250 pounds.  His wavy white hair and mustache helped give him an air of toughness while remaining fair as well as very open minded. 

 

“What are you driving at.” Bridges asked.  His demeanor tended to be lackadaisical at best on occasion.

 

“How prepared are you should there be a Westgate Mall-style attack?” Lake inquired cautiously in reference to the September 2013 terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya by al-Shabab.  The aforementioned terrorist group was an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

 

 “As prepared as we can be.” Bridges stated.

 

“That means you aren’t prepared enough are you.” Lake surmised.

 

“We have armed guards.” Bridges said.

 

“How many?” Lake inquired as his patience was being tested.

 

“Ten to fifteen.” Bridges responded.

 

“I’m afraid that that is not good enough.  I must enlist the sheriff’s department to have some more officers ready.” Lake acknowledged.  The Galleria Mall stood on a huge area of land which was previously a forest up until Colonial times.  Through the years farms stood where the wooded area once dominated pre-colonial America.  Then the farming industry suffered a gradual decline until the 1980’s where the farms were abandoned since the families had either died off or went into another line of work.  During the economic boom of the 1980’s the land was bought by a developer who envisioned a shopping mall that would become the hub of business in the Southern Maryland-Northern Virginia-Washington, DC area.  Once the Galleria Mall was construction and opened for business on October, 19 1987 it had suffered from a financial setback especially since the mall opened for business on the same day that the stock market crashed.  It would take eight years and a change in ownership before the mall would begin to turn a profit.  The new owners began a series of expansion projects in the late-1990’s while capitalizing on the dotcom boom in the U.S. economy.  During the recessions of the early as well as the late 2000’s, the Galleria Mall continued to turn a consistent as well as an expanding profit annually while expanding and adding new stores that were not only cutting edge, but would be able to successfully cater to their clientele in the region.  The Galleria’s owners opened a series of malls in the Mid-Atlantic States that would consistently follow the business model that made the Galleria a phenomenal success.  Although none of the malls were as successful as the Galleria, they would turn a consistent profit that increased annually.  It was the owners of the Galleria that had the business savvy to be able to tap into the mindsets of the clientele in the regions that they opened their malls in and were able to make their respective malls a success at the same time.  It was the Holiday shopping seasons that made the owners of the Galleria and other shopping malls in the region the most successful shopping mall developers in the United States.    

 

 

     Ohio Secretary of State Eric Watson was tossing and turning in his bed.  He was nervous about the hearing that was to take place only hours from now.  It was one that would set the tone for the possible expedient resolution to the allegations of voter fraud in Ohio.  He was wondering how his counterparts in the other states were holding up this evening.  Were they concerned that their states would also be found guilty of voter fraud?  All these states whose GOP votes were being disputed all because of allegations of voter tampering.  This is a lot worse than the 2000 Presidential Recount.  Would the Republican Party be forever known as the party that hijacks presidential elections in their favor when their candidate does not win fair and square? 

 

“Honey, try to get some sleep.” Donna Watson said to her husband.

 

“How can I know that I may be wrongly implicated in voter tampering?” Eric replied.  Watson’s brown hair, blue eyes and clean cut movie star good looks gave many an indication at first glance that he was in the wrong line of work.  He usually wore dark suits which fit professionally well and had a tendency to wear a white dress shirt with a sequence of multi-colored ties which gave him a look of someone who seemed very happy in life.

 

“Look, I know that the votes were cast honestly.  You know that they were cast honestly.  God knows that they were cast honestly.” Donna said as she drew on their Christian beliefs.  Donna also had the look of an actress.  Both Watson’s were named sexiest political couple.  She worked as a trustee for the Columbus City Council.  She would be up for re-election within the next year.  Her dark pantsuits and light color shirts were professionally appropriate.  The couple had been married for almost twenty years despite being in their early forties.  They were childless and too busy to even have children for that matter.

 

“Will the American people feel the same way?  That is what I want to know.” Eric added.

 

“Believe me, we are not a nation that resorts to voter tampering.”  Donna said confidentially.

 

 “Tell that to Katherine Harris.” Eric added in reference to the Florida Secretary of State back in 2000 “We haven’t heard from her since.”  The Watson residence was in an affluent neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.  Their marble tables and post-Victorian chairs as well as the top of the line oak bookshelves and wooden floors along with the carpets that were brought in from the Orient made the house a throwback to the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth centuries.  The book collection on the maple shelves has been a family heirloom which dates back to the early 1600’s.  Authors ranging from Plutarch, Plato and Aristotle right up to Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor as well as Joel C. Rosenberg are placed in order of the date of publication throughout the eighteen shelf reading room in which a marble desk and a reclining chair dated back to the antebellum period.