Bjjonesmylife. Book 2

It was 2300 before we boarded the flight back to Andrews, midnight when we landed at Andrews, 0100 when I crawled into the big fluffy bed with Marcy and Jenny.
The day started early at 0500. I was awakened by the telephone – it was the CIA desk on the second floor in the basement. Iran had moved a step further. They were placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz right on the edge of the deep water channel.
It was the next step in the play book. If they could not sell any oil, neither was anyone else – if they had their way. The sanctions had been tightened again and again. There had been another round of sanctions just six months ago. They had been under sanctions of one kind or the other now for over twenty years.
That meant that the current or propeller wash could cause them to lose their anchoring. They then became a real hazard as a floating mine in the shipping channel.
Hitting the side of a tanker in the channel carrying gasoline, jet fuel or Naphtha would be disastrous, closing the channel for a very long time.
A national security meeting was the first thing on the schedule after breakfast and seeing my mates off. All of them were going back home to get things ready for our week at Deep Water Cay. They were going to pack for me.
I had just put them on the helicopter for home and was sitting at my desk when the green phone started ringing.
”Good morning Prime Minister Attenborough. How are you today?” I answered.
”I am good. I wanted to know what your thoughts are on Iranian’s actions in the strait?” he asked.
”It is troublesome but not unexpected from them, given the gradual increase of tensions there. We certainly have the ability to destroy them but we would gain nothing as they would just replace them.”
”Sanctions are already tight on them. The problem is more countries ignoring the sanctions so they are having less and less affect,” I added.
”I’m going to call for an emergency meeting of the Security Council,” the Prime Minister said.
”That would be the next orderly step, although it would be worthless. They haven’t complied with any in decades; they won’t start now. This is just another step to force negotiations to reduce the sanctions,” I said.
”I will inform our UN Ambassador to be ready to support the meeting and the position they are to take. Just remember, placing mines in or near navigable international waterways violates international law and may be considered an act of war,” I said.
”The Russians will not support any action against Iran. Higher oil prices are what they want,” he said.
”With the Saudis nearing completion of their long awaited Indian Ocean oil terminals, their output won’t be marginally affected. I think they are in the testing phase now. But that doesn’t help Kuwait and Dubai after the first tanker sinks in the Strait. That’s when things get dicey!” I said.
I sent a note to the General asking for the latest satellite photographs of Saudi Arabia and Oman.
I called Dick James and discussed the call and then ordered a transcript of the call sent to him and General Ingram.
”What’s your thought on sending mine sweepers to the area? There are docks at Mirbat to keep them out of the Strait if you like,” I sent as a text.
My next was a staff meeting; they needed to decide who was going to the island with me. The meeting lasted an hour.
The party chairman called with the assessments from the last three fundraisers covering the last week. Their coffers had grown by one hundred million. My fundraisers have raised more than three times what the other fundraisers had done.
He was still trying to get me to commit to putting my hat into the ring. It was one thing the girls and I were going to talk about while we were sunning on the beach.
We were just finishing up when I got the reports from Washington State. Things were looking good – arrests had been made. The tents were going up and homeless people were being removed from the streets. There was one note on the arrests – one hundred and ninety had been arrested trying to interfere with the operation. They were trying to block roads and harassing the soldiers picking up the homeless.
To make the day more cluttered, the Secret Service wanted a meeting about the vacation. They could not get things to come together for us to leave tonight, and that was hours away.
”We are leaving tonight, ready or not, what’s your problem?” I asked.
”We can’t get the Beast there for one thing,” the senior agent said.
”I would hope not – there are no roads. You get there by boat or helicopter; there are no paved roads on the island to use it on. Travel is by walking, ATV, Gator or golf cart and there are plenty there for us to use as there are boats and Skidoos.”
”We need to take sixty people plus equipment,” he said.
”Did you send all that to Lorrie? Did you think to tell all those people they could take their wives?” I asked.
”Yes, a couple days ago,” he said.
”OK, I’m sure Lorrie’s staff planned for all that. What’s the next problem?” I asked.
”Will there be enough food for everyone?” he asked.
”I’m sure there will be,” I replied.
Lorrie had sent me the list of things she had ordered to go with us. One thousand pounds of filet and other steaks. A thousand pounds of fresh and frozen chicken, fifty cases of beer and wine coolers, apple juice, sun screen and several cases of bug spray – just in case. An assortment of family favorite breakfast foods and many more things were included.
There were things for the boys to play with and grown men to play with. The boys were swimming now and we were going try to teach them how to snorkel.
As busy as the rentals had been, Lorrie must have been planning for months for us to have this week. I was happy about it. She had even saved rooms for Jake, Mindy, the twins and Jason and Lisa; they were coming for a few days.
A daily shipment of live crabs came from Savannah. Two cases of Old Bay seasoning for steaming crabs were in Lorrie’s order.
The gas, diesel and propane tanks had been filled. It would be bad to run out of fuel during our vacation.
Troy brought the responses from the Dayton fund raiser. The papers were as full of pictures as the editorial pages were full of opinions. People were wondering; bookies at Vegas were betting the best of both worlds.
”The odds are four to one. You will let us know before you make any announcement so we take our money and cut,” Troy said with a laugh.
”I do suspect you will know before anyone else,” I answered with a smile.
I still had a list to do and was running out of daytime when I got a text from Lorrie.
”Have all the agencies take everything that they want to go to Deep Water to Andrews. A C130 will pick it up and deliver it to the general aviation terminal at Grand Bahamas after dark. The cargo boats will make as many trips as necessary,” it said.
After dark was slow time at the airport there and was when general air cargo deliveries were scheduled.
The cargo boats was something I wanted to see. Jake had seen them in Alaska carrying equipment and supplies to the thousands of islands there where it seemed everyone was building cabins there.
They were a modified version of the old WW2 landing craft with the front drop opening. They even had two winches with an anchor that could be dropped off the stern to winch it off the beach as long as the tide hadn’t dropped too much while they were ashore.
Lorrie had found a company that built aluminum ones, they were of a shallow water design with twin outboards on them and were perfect for picking up materials and small equipment from the mainland to drop at Deep Water Cay.
The NSA sent a file with satellite pictures and other data from Nigeria; they was collected over several days. There were clear pictures of the group approaching from the north-west towards Gusau.
The photos from today showed they had stopped their trek for the last two days one hundred and fifty miles from the village. I wondered why? Then I figured they were sending women and injured in as spies to get the lay of the village and any police presence and defenses.
I took pictures of the photographs and everything in the file and sent them to Andy on my JBG phone with an FYI.
I called Frank Love and asked if he was in the building. When he arrived we discussed the file. Then an in depth discussion followed about the CIA’s operations and involvement in Nigeria. I wanted to know just how deeply involved the CIA was.
When the conversation was over, it confirmed everything I already knew. I wanted to confirm the people I could trust.
With the security staff in my office I called the Emir again. The conversation filled him in on the threat. I asked if he was open to additional security forces or was just going to rely on the existing personnel in the area.
”The forces we have seem to be working well, we will go with what we have. We are still considering your aid offer. We shall soon have projects selected and then I will travel to Washington to discuss them,” he said.
I received a note from the Secret Service ”Everything we want to go will be at Andrews by 1700.”
I forwarded it to Lorrie.
”Everything we wanted to take – including all the food – has already left Morton. We are flying in the business jet and will be there before you. Winds permitting, we will have a bonfire on the beach and a cold beer waiting for you. We can’t wait to get you in the sand on the beach,” Lorrie.
”PS. The business jet is flying back to Morton tonight and it is scheduled to bring Justice Copeland and her family back from Hawaii tomorrow.”
I finished up what I was doing as did the rest of the staff that was going with me. The staff was packing suitcases in a dozen vehicles for the trip to Andrews.
The White House press pool was drawing numbers; only two were going – one male and one female. I wondered if they were still loving a lottery? They had already been told taking pictures would be strictly limited.
Hanna and Melinda were with the girls at Morton. The press pool was going to be pissed.
Marine One delivered me and the football with some aides to Andrews at 1800. Everyone else was on board or waiting in line. Minutes later we were airborne.
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

I was up early; my mates were coming tonight for the fund raiser at Dayton Ohio. It was a sold out event at the coliseum with sixty thousand seats, plus all the floor space.
Dayton was home to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force museum. It was also part of the steel belt that was recovering after steel jobs went abroad to Japan first, then Korea and later China.
` President Thomas – being from Kansas – had a special place in his heart for what was known as the rust belt and fly-over country. His administration worked hard to continue and expand growth and jobs in the region.
Auto manufactures rebuilt several closed auto plants. New technologies cleaned up dirty industries. New machining and casting technologies along with better quality control had drawn big contracts from aerospace and other manufacturers.
Parts could be designed, manufactured, tested and delivered to aircraft manufacturing industries in Texas, California, Georgia, Maryland and Oregon in hours, not the days it took from China and Japan.
A new battery company had been started with the latest technology in batteries for hybrid and electric cars. Not only did they produce the battery, they produced super-efficient electric motors to go with them. Then they started producing the complete drive train. The company has expanded several times plus adding a second and third shift.
Adam had worked on the speech. I read the hard copy, made some suggestions, asked some questions and sent it back for refinement. I would test speak it with the teleprompter at lunch.
Grady Sinclair from the State Department was back; I spent the rest of the morning getting educated about Nigeria. At 1100 I put the process in play to make the call to the emir of Nigeria. A general outline of the topics of the conversation and a requested time for the call was some of the things that had to be discussed. Both parties had to be in agreement at diplomatic levels before heads of state could have an open conversation.
The only exception to that rule were the red and green phones on my desk in the Oval Office. The red phone was direct to the Kremlin and the green phone was to the British Prime Minister.
President Obama had the green phone and the bust of Churchill removed. President Trump had both reinstalled. President Thomas kept the bust and phone. President Thomas called the British Prime Minister often, usually to discuss NATO matters and other challenges in Europe.
I had talked with Prime Minister Attenborough multiple times. I had invited him to the White House and he had invited me to State visits and to address the Parliament. I had agreed to go in June and he would come to America in July.
After lunch the call was approved. The Emir would be available for my call at 1300; that would leave me an hour before my mates were to arrive. We were to immediately leave for Andrews and then Dayton.
I called on time and began a guarded conversation that slowly picked up steam. We talked about his vision for his country and then about its current problems. We discussed the agreement with Black Bear security forces in the northern areas.
I asked him if he knew that Black Bear had been taken over by Jones Business Groups and that I was President of Jones Business Groups before I became President of the United States.
”I know some of the details,” he replied.
”My family members took over because of US laws when I became President. But I must admit I follow some of the things that happen,” I said.
”I know through their intelligence that Boko-Haram was on their way to destroy Gusau. The Boko-Haram unit that ran into the JBG joint expeditionary force was only one of two that were to meet up close to the town,” I said.
”I know that President Thomas extended offers of cooperation in intelligence gathering and training for your army. I wanted to extend that offer again.”
”I would also like to have more talks with you about possibly helping you achieve some of your goals for your people,” I said.
”The Polokwane mining town and its rebuild – is that a JBG project or a US government project?” he asked.
”It is a JBG project. We bought the mines, the town and the surrounding area. We rebuilt everything and extended the runway so we could get men and equipment in and out, added a hospital, medical clinic and food stores.”
“We needed a Doppler radar there to assist the heavy cargo planes we use. The radar was a joint project with the US Air Force, NASA – our space agency – and NOA – our weather agency. All of them had various needs in the area; it made the radar affordable for JBG,” I said.
”Are you still helping the refugee camp?” he asked.
” Yes we do,” I said.
”We have the need for many such projects and have oil revenue to pay for them, but corruption from foreign companies cripple the projects with inferior materials and slow progress,” he said.
”Unless you don’t have any workers available, it doesn’t make sense to contract out the complete project. Contract out the engineering and supervision if necessary. But let the bidder train your people to be builders, masons, plumbers carpenters and welders and many projects will get done without outside contracting,” I said.
”You have a different opinion than the Chinese – they insist on what they call turnkey as loans,” he said.
”You don’t need turnkey or loans, you have more than enough oil revenue to begin pay as you go projects for your people by your own people. Improved infrastructure will increase oil and minerals output to pay the way without loans.”
”Beware of loans that are intended to get your resources for nothing and force you to give up control of your lands,” I said.
”I agree,” he said.
” I invite you and your advisors to Washington where can put together a plan along the lines we have discussed. We can discuss grants of assistance for construction training and additional security in the north,” I said.
”I will take your offer under advisement and respond soon. I do want to work closer with your JBG security in the north. We shall make contact with them and offer more assistance and it may require more from your company,” the Emir said and ended the call.
I had done all I could do. Did I open the door? Only time would tell.
The family is here – I saw them in the lobby. I had time to run through the speech before we had to leave. An hour and a half later Air Force One was gear up and climbing, heading north by northwest to Wright Patterson Air Force base. That was just minutes from Dayton Ohio where tonight’s fundraiser was to be held.
We had unannounced guests on this trip – General Ingram and the Joint Chiefs. I had invited them to accompany me since we were landing at Wright – Patt as it was known in Air Force circles.
Dayton was not only home to the Wright Brothers but the Dayton area was home to dozens of military bases; both active and reserve Air Force, Army and one Marine base. It also was a Macs base, same as Dover Air Force Base, another part of the base had the retiring F35.
The F35 had been discontinued with early models already headed to the bone yard and replaced with the F37 Viper.
The F37 Viper could fly fifteen thousand feet higher, substantially faster, turn shorter with better range and was stealthier. It’s fighting was done strictly with a new generation of smaller more powerful missiles; it no longer carried a gun. New flight suits had to be designed to keep the pilots from passing out in various maneuvers. Rumor was they had made several incursion flights over several hostile countries to check out the stealth.
Generals and high ranking officers by the dozen were waiting at the bottom of the ladder as I stepped down. By the time I shook hands, saluted and said a few words to all those people, we were getting close to ‘on time’.
I still had to do the donor meet and greet thing at the coliseum. In a convoy of military vehicles – including the Generals – we made the ten minute ride. The place was already filling up and I was still two hours from stage time.
My mates, the party chair, his group and I did the meet and greet in the large assembly room off to the side of the main stage. It took over an hour. While we were doing that my staff – with some direction from the Generals – set up the stage for my speech.
After a bathroom break, I was wired up for the sound system. Looking around the curtain at the crowd. I saw the front couple of rows were veterans in wheelchairs and chairs with crutches or walkers.
With the Secret Service in tow and the news group cameras following closely, I walked across the stage, around the items set up and down the steps and started talking to each of the veterans.
It was simple chatting. How are you doing? How long were you in for? Where were you injured? Are you getting the care you need? I shook each ones hand and thanked them for their service and saluted each one. Not only were the media cameras busy, so were hundreds of cell phones.
I walked back across the stage and was able to see all the posters that had been set up. General Ingram was gigging the Air Force. The Marine recruitment poster that was updated after I became President had been blown up to full life size. The rest were standard size.
With the area’s booming area economy and as many military bases, I expected a rowdy crowd.
The format was nearly the same as before. Push the growth and strength of the economy and advocate for more. Emphasize the strength of the military and the need to keep it strong.
I read the speech from the teleprompter, pausing in the right places, pounding on the podium, raising my hands and pointing on queue.
”We need to continue construction of solar farms,” but I stressed “We need to be aware we are losing precious farm land and residential lands that we as a nation will desperately need in the future. Wind farms are productive only when the wind blows and solar only efficient in the daylight. We still need fossil fuels and gas to bridge the gap! Nuclear makes more sense than ever with the modern advances in safety and other features.”
“Government needs to stop subsidizing both wind and solar. After almost three decades, it is time for the industry to stand on its own,” I said
”Our automobiles, trucks and industrial equipment are the cleanest and most efficient in the world. Mileage, durability and longevity continue to improve, with the exception of those pesky airbags,” I said to laughs from the crowd.
”Regardless of what the doomsayers, say our nation is strong. We are the most productive nation in the word per capita. With the exception of a few cities, the air we breathe is the cleanest since the fifties,” I said
”There is nothing we cannot do as nation as long as we stand united. We need eight more years to put our nation’s mark in history. It will be the most consecutive years of growth for our nation ever. We cannot allow the democratic socialists and communists to destroy all we have built. I need eight more years,” I said as the chants started.
”Eight more years! Eight more years! Eight more years!”
I backed the words up on the teleprompter as it just hit me what I had just said. Did I change, misspeak the words or were they written that way?
I was mobbed by my mates as they rushed me. They had been standing back against the curtain. They were chanting with the crowd, grabbing my hands, holding them in the air.
The party chair and his team were around me with my mates. The crowd was moving towards the stage. More Secret Service came up on the stage. The VIPs’ who were in the wings came out onto the stage.
The chants were deafening. The place had gone crazy. The flash bulbs were blinding. What had I just done?
We were two hours getting back to Air Force One. The conversations wouldn’t stop. The questions wouldn’t stop. The cameras wouldn’t stop!
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

At 1100 I went to the National Security meeting downstairs. I was right – they had a copy of the firefight report we watched last night. The CIA man filed a report detailing what had happened, including the causality report.
Some of the injured lived long enough to tell part of the plans. The Boko-Haram were on their way to the next village – they were going to destroy Gusau. Gusau was a larger village and two units of Boko-Haram were to attack it in ten days.
They were trying to divide Nigeria, Chad and Mali by the use of terrorism, wanting to join it with Niger and North Sudan that they were gaining control of.
The goal was to begin a new Caliphate now that ISIS was finally finished in the Middle East. It was a place for the disillusioned fighters to go and start over. It would give them control all of central Africa, if they could make it work.
It would be millions of square miles protected on the north by the Muslim controlled counties of Libya, Algeria and Egypt – with many sympathetic with their cause or unwilling to voice opposition – and on the east by Mauritania and Morocco.
With Sudan’s access to the Red Sea to smuggle arms from India, Iran, and Pakistan they would have an uncontrolled arms source. There were additional smuggling routes through Cameroon.
But there was a problem now for them to overcome. The three hundred man unit that was to attack from the east was no more – they had been eliminated to the man by Andy’s men.
With half the force now gone I figured they would have to resort to suicide bombings, and raiding parties of the hit and run type. The idea was to drive many people away before an all out assault. They were the old standbys for terrorist groups.
In this part of the world they also liked to ride through villages and rake the huts with automatic weapons fire, just for fun.
The other thing they could do was wait for reinforcements to gather up and arrive. One more thing was to set up ambushes to attack the JBG’s expeditionary force.
I ordered the NSA and CIA to use their satellites and everything available to find the group coming to Gusau from the west.
I called Secretary of State Dick James and told him I wanted a meeting in an hour and to bring his Nigerian experts.
The world doesn’t need another Caliphate – there are still flare ups from the last one.
I walked to the living section where nothing was recorded and called Andy with the JBG phone, filling him in on things he did not know that his group there needed to know.
Andy gave me information that had been collected off the bodies and from the few before they died. The CIA had neglected to tell me several things I was sure they knew.
It was just one more thing that I needed to keep in the back of my mind on everything they said or wanted. Was it the truth, the whole truth – or none of the truth?
Other things were happening this morning. HUD called to say they had been contacted by Oregon Governor Roseberry to set up arrangements for the money and to set up meetings for later in the day. I guess that made their commitment for real.
Now I could turn my attention to Washington. I called General Ingram and Attorney General Dunne to come to my office.
Dick James showed up first. We had a very long talk about the influence of the President on foreign policy and Congress on foreign policy. Then we discussed the difficulties of making the differences work.
The conversation circled around Nigeria, its problems and its wealth. Wealth was one thing Boko-Haram wanted. Nigeria was loaded with wealth of many kinds, oil was one of them and the easiest to turn into quick money.
The other was precious metals; Nigeria had plenty of them. The world wanted them any way they could get them, especially China. China was trying hard and so far Nigeria wanted nothing to do with China.
China was trying to make big inroads in all of Africa. They had built a military base on the Indian Ocean country of Djibouti during the Obama Administration. Obama wanted to be buddies with everybody, especially if they were Muslim or were helping Muslims; they could do no wrong.
He sent billions to Iran for a worthless nuclear treaty. Military supplies air dropped to the Kurds fighting ISIS mysteriously were air dropped miles from where they were supposed to be – the coordinates supplied by the Obama White House.
It was during the Obama administration China was allowed to expand without challenge. They built the base in Djibouti and pumped sand on coral reefs to build bases in the Pacific Ocean on territory claimed by other nations. China claimed almost everything that the South China Sea touched and sovereignty over the sea. When the world courts ruled against them, they ignored the ruling.
China continued to expand untouched, unchallenged during the Obama administration. By the middle of the Trump administration China had built a navy to challenge the US Navy, including four carriers equal to our Nimitz class and Fordson class – all to project its influence and show they could carry the big stick.
The Trump Administration found a way to slow them down by trade tariffs, taking away hundreds of billions in disposable cash, slowing the Chinese economy. The tariffs started moving jobs back to the US and expanding the US economy. In the early 2020’s China’s double digit economic growth collapsed to zero for the first time in twenty five years.
It was forced to use its huge cash reserves to prop up its economy and expansion dreams throughout the second Trump term. President Thomas continued and expanded pressure on China through both his terms but the damage was done. It had footholds in dozens of countries.
China had made loans to countries for infrastructure improvements. With the improvements the host country expected local labor to be used, boosting the area. However, the Chinese companies brought their own equipment with Chinese workers. The result was there was no help to the local economy.
A bridge or road was built but there were still no local jobs in the process to grow the country’s trained workforce and no building skills learned.
It was a loan and China demanded it to be repaid a couple years later. The trade-off was China bartered for natural resources – oil, precious metals, timber and more – for practically nothing, based on world market prices.
The next shocker was China sent the equipment and miners to do the work and advisors/soldiers to protect their investment and again – no work for the locals.
Third world countries weren’t the only ones caught in the scheme. Pakistan and other neighboring countries in the region agreed on pipelines and the new China belt road to end up with Chinese workers and soldier/advisors also in their countries.
The new China belt road was a grand scheme to rebuild the Chinese trade routes of the emperors of centuries past. Those routes encompassed Europe, Asia, Asia Minor and the Middle East. Of course there were bribes, payoffs, threats, and political funding to opposition parties, dirty politics to anyone opposing the road was normal.
Nigeria is destined to be one of the richest countries in Africa and the most populated. It has two hundred million now and the UN estimates that by the end of the century it will be nearing a billion people.
In the northern areas the women were very fertile, averaging seven to ten and more in a family. Those areas were ripe grounds for Boko-Haram to sow the seeds of discontent to gain followers. In the south the average family size was four or five; that resulted in generally a better quality of life.
The Emir was educated in Sharia law and held a degree in economics; he wanted great things for his country. Nigeria speaks several languages – one them is English. The religious mix is Christian and Islam and surprise – they got along until Boko-Haram came along, spreading radical Islam from the Iranians.
The Emir was smart enough not to bite on China’s offers but China was not willing to give up. With Boko-Haram unleashed, China was trying hard to sell them military equipment and trainers on how to use it. It was the foot in the door attempt again.
This is where the CIA, Black Bear and then the JBG connection came in. The Emir didn’t want his own small military fighting his own people. The temptation of Boko-Haram could easily divide the country into religious civil war, so Black Bear was contracted to counter Boko-Haram.
President Thomas had tried to sway the Emir but made little success. Like it or not, I needed to try. Just maybe I had an edge. To find out how much of an edge, I needed to talk to the CIA section chief for Africa to answer questions. Personally talking to Andy’s man there might be a big help.
People were waiting; I had tried to cram too much into the morning. Lunch was going to be soup and a sandwich at my desk while working.
AG Dunne and General Ingram were talking while I ate. Washington was next. After our discussion the troops in Washington were ordered to assemble at their barracks for assignment.
The Washington Governor was a liberal and had been a pothead too long. It showed in his thought process and his ability to carry on a conversation. JJ could out talk him on many subjects.
I called him as I had the governor of Oregon, trying to negotiate a solution. After a twenty minute conversation he basically told me to mind my own business. OK, I would I thought. Then I signed the emergency declaration and the martial law order and told the General and AG to contact FEMA and DHS and to have at it.
”There are empty cells at Gitmo; see to it that he and his cohorts fill them,” I said.
Seattle had been crazy for decades – radical liberals, radical labor unions and an even more radical green movement.
Puget Sound Navy Yard was one of the Navy’s biggest bases. Nearly every kind of ship the Navy had, there was one or more at Puget Sound. It was also the place where tired nuclear submarines met their final destination.
The reactor section was removed, placed in a sealed vault and shipped to an approved disposal location for eternity. The rest was cut up for scrap steel. The Navy’s reserve fleet was also docked there.
Carrier battle groups departure time from port – while technically a secret – was generally well known. The ships loaded supplies for days – crews that had been on leave returned by the thousands. Pilots returned to the ship to get instructions and orders as to when the air groups would fly out to the carrier.
Usually a carrier task force was six to eight ships and a submarine along with tugs to guide them safely out the harbor. All of these could be seen making preparations to sail.
With a few questions, environmental and antiwar protesters knew the time and day the fleet was leaving. They tried to fill the harbor exit with small boats – refusing to leave, even tying the boats together – blocking the task force departure, sometimes for several days.
A base realignment was making its way through Congress. If I could make any sense out of it, Washington was going to lose big time.
Before more distractions happened I sent a email to the director of the Secret Service, ”I am going on vacation with my family to Deep Water Cay on the evening of March twenty and returning on the evening of the twenty ninth. I will need a list of those required to accompany me so lodging arrangements can be finalized.”
”Please note there are fund raisers scheduled on the twenty first, twenty seventh and twenty eighth that I will attend,” I said. That was going to give the Secret Service a week to do their thing to cover the vacation.
But I had them covered when and if they came to ask.
It was 1600 and there were still people waiting to see me. Secretary of State Dean and Grady Sinclair were the next and last for the day. Grady was the State Department expert on Nigeria.
“Starting with the Emir, tell me everything you know about him. Then everything you know about Nigeria,” I said.
At 1800 I was still listening and Connie was taking notes. I closed it down for the evening.
”I want the two of you back here at 0800 tomorrow morning. I am sure I will have some more questions,” I said.
”Connie, have one of the night clerks type up your notes. I want to look over them really early in the morning. If you would please,” I said.
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

Book 2 Chapter 141
At 1600 shit hit the fan again in several ways; the Oregon governor held a news conference announcing an agreement with the White House to end the homeless problems.
He explained that the state government would fund this project with one hundred million a year for five years. Twenty five million was authorized immediately to HUD and FEMA to supply temporary shelter, food, medical and clothing. The homeless were to be moved from the streets to FEMA tents as in California. The state was going to borrow the money if necessary.
He explained that martial law would be in effect to help carry out the military working with FEMA. There would be no arrests of state and local officials.
The next thing, someone had leaked from Gitmo the growing list of charges against the California politicians. The emails and bank accounts collaborated millions in bribes and kickbacks between officials and unions along with the Chinese running the state’s largest international port.
In the news, the Chinese managers of the port were seen leaving for China on private jets.
Tonight was my turn to host Caroline and her family in the political barrel. I was hosting another meet and greet and fancy meal for selected people.
Members of the Senate judiciary committee were on the list. Chief Justice Burger, Justice Copeland and Curtis Warren were also in attendance. Marcy, Jenny and my little men would be here in a few minutes. Ching Lee and Vicky were at home resting up from too many hours in the air.
Justice Copeland and her family were leaving for Hawaii on Saturday in one of the long range business jets.
It was another great meal put on by the White House chefs. There was no doubt that I had to schedule time in the gym every day – or else. The conversation was lively and friendly.
We had been talking after the meal for two hours when an aide from downstairs almost ran into the room and handed me a note.
Most of the downstairs offices were staffed twenty four hours a day. The second floor was Joint Chiefs, the intelligence group, CIA, NSA, and the group that fed information to the two guys handling the football.
The note was from the CIA desk, ”You need to come down here ASAP.”
I excused myself and almost ran to the elevator. At the Joint Chiefs station the CIA guys were there. On the wall screens were satellite images – the best the CIA could produce.
There was a firefight going on. On the ground and in the air, there was aviation involved. I recognized aviation as JBG Air Tractors and I was willing to bet the helicopters were JBG as well. I looked at the location index at the bottom of the picture. The location was forty miles west of Kano, Nigeria, which was sixty miles west of where the last village was destroyed by Boko-Haram and all the bodies were found.
I sent an aide upstairs to get Marcy, Jenny and the two boys, ”Tell the guests I will be back in a few minutes.”
The room had multiple computers and screens attached to big flat screens. I sat at the nearest one and logged into the internet, then onto JBG’s system and then onto the ID card system. The ID card system was what JBG issued to every employee; all forty five thousand of them and all seventy thousand college students and administrators.
The card had a locator and identification chip in it that could be activated by satellite to identify, locate and track the individual, if necessary. These cards were expensive as hell. They had helped us locate missing college students, cleared others of crimes and helped convict a few of crimes.
Now only IF there was a satellite connected to the system and IF it was close enough and powerful enough to activate it and receive the responding signal. The vendor promised worldwide coverage; did it really cover the most god forsaken places in the world?
The system was searching and the CIA guys were watching, wondering what the hell I was doing with a classified White House computer on open internet.
The satellite finally found something and the whole screen flashed tags. Lots of tags.
Jenny, Marcy and the two little ones came in. I put the two little ones in a chair beside me, ”Sit, look and don’t touch anything, please,” I said.
”These are the JBG men in Africa in this area. They are in the fight we are looking at,” I said for the CIA men.
By looking at the satellite screen and the screen with the IDs, we could put names with the tags. I clicked the search box and added a tab to each tag giving the name and rank. There were one hundred and thirty names on the screen.
”Son of a bitch, look at that,” one of the CIA guys said louder than he intended. Rockets were being fired from the aircraft and helicopters. The puff of ignition and the explosion of what it hit could be seen on the CIA screen.
On the satellite screen four Air Tractors were flying with two helicopters and on the ground were three dozen vehicles or more.
We watched the dance as the Air Tractors were rolling and diving, getting set up and firing more rockets. On the other screen, there were men moving and running.
They had changed flying tactics now. They were flying straight. I knew what they were doing, they were street sweeping using the mini-guns. Killing everything in the brush and on the ground.
After a few minutes the helicopters moved in replacing the planes. The planes only carried five thousand rounds for the mini guns. The helicopters carried twenty five thousand in two racks and the barrels were water cooled.
The aircraft flew off in circles and patterns; they were looking for anyone that had gotten away. The helicopters stayed to provide cover.
I turned my attention to the JBG screen watching, looking to see if all the tags were moving. Several weren’t; they were either dead or injured. Others started to assemble around them. I knew, I looked at Marcy and Jenny; from their expressions, they knew.
I clicked the tags and expanded the box giving the data I didn’t really want to see. Ray Emory, David Boggs, Clyde Jenson, Devon Jackson – all former Black Bear – all soldiers for hire.
The other men were scoping the area, checking to make sure all Boko-Haram were dead and checking for intelligence. I closed down the computer after deleting recent files and history then hit the disc clean tab.
I had learned the disk clean tab was a security feature on the high security computers. When activated it cleaned the disc – except for the basic programs – and over-wrote storage sections several times with junk before the last cleanup.
”Use your fancy imaging, count the number of dead Boko-Haram and let me know,” I said.
”What should we put in the reports for tomorrow?” one of the agents asked.
”The truth – as you saw it happen. I will expect a copy sent to my desk in the morning,” I said as we left to go back to the party.
An hour later the party and conversations were winding down. Everyone seemed happy and were smiling. I guess they had heard things they liked. The Senate hearings started on Monday for Caroline’s appointment, with a vote on Friday to complete the process.
The liberals were likely to try to derail her nomination but the polling by my staff and the party said it was a done deal. It was another mark of accomplishment for my short administration.
February had gone into the history books and we were halfway through March. Early spring was here and predicted to stay through the end of the month.
The girls wanted to go to Deep Water Cay for a week’s vacation. It had been a busy winter. I agreed we should go. Lorrie had moved things so most of the properties would be vacant the last week of March. That would allow plenty of rooms for all the required people.
There was also another reason to go. The island next to the Cay had gone on the market in the winter. It was larger than the Cay by fifty acres and had a long wide gravel airstrip on it. Lorrie and Marcy bought it and wanted us to inspect it.
JBG now owned two islands – two hundred and forty acres of dormant volcano in the middle of Hurricane Alley. Just how crazy is that I thought.
But it didn’t have any rental units so was a limited return on investment. We didn’t care about that – just more privacy for now. It did have one large mansion retreat that needed repairs and upgrades.
The week would be interrupted by the three fund raising events but they were all in the south – technically close – so they would be only a minor interruption.
With the meet and greet winding down I asked if any of the guests need a driver to take them home since alcohol had been served.
I didn’t want to see any news reports that would cause anyone trouble from any party I held.
After answering the boys’ questions about tonight and after they were asleep, my mates took a long hot shower together. It was a great relaxing evening, one that helped make me ready to face tomorrow.
I was up early for coffee and reading the intelligence updates. The folder from last night’s adventure was included in the Africa update. Three hundred and twelve Boko-Haram had been killed.
A text update from Andy informed me that JBG had lost four men and had a dozen with other injuries last night. Handling it would be up to the girls now. There was no way I could intervene and help them now.
The next text from Andy said a C130 was taking replacements and to pick up the dead and injured. The problem was handled.
I walked Marcy, Jenny and the boys out to the Bell 406 that was carrying them back home and hugged them good bye.
The National Security Council meeting was today at 1100. I was sure there would be discussion and more information and then again, there may not.
The JBG group there was contracted to Nigeria through a grant from the CIA. It was a complicated tangle of international dealing, deaths and intrigue; the kind that books and movies are made of.
The NSA, CIA, M4 and Mossad all had a part of it. Two of the men there were British M4 and four were Mossad. The M4 were James Bond types, same as our CIA. There was one CIA agent included in the team.
The British were paying to have the two men there. The CIA was part of the inner JBG intelligence group and so was Mossad, so it was information sharing plus the Mossad was supplying JBG with weapons we could not legally buy – no questions asked.
The British wanted to be on the in circle. The people they sent to discuss it were arrogant and cocky with an attitude. They were told we didn’t see them as a fit in our group. Then things got busy and follow up conversations went by the wayside.
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

I was up early and had a light breakfast before going to the oval desk. I was there even before Connie and Troy arrived. I practiced tonight’s speech on the teleprompter; I was satisfied with the speech.

Aides started arriving with notes and information I needed to look at. One of them stated that Oregon’s legislature had worked until midnight. I wondered if burning the midnight oil was moving towards a solution or just for show. Twelve more hours would tell.

Another extended email was from General Wainwright and the head of ICE. With martial law they had fast tracked so many for deportation that there was a shortage of planes to carry them to back to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Two hundred thousand had been deported to Mexico alone and it was estimated that another two hundred thousand had left on their own.

It was only a drop in the bucket to the estimated twenty million thought to be in California alone.

Another was a note from the Navy. The Truman and Washington were at sea and had completed all redeployment training and tasks. They were returning to Norfolk for weapons and supplies. Those tasks would be completed in four days. The aircraft would be flown to the carriers as they were once more underway. They would be headed for their duty stations in the Indian Ocean and arrive there in ten days. Two down, five to go.

The Kennedy had been at Newport News two weeks; hull cleaning was under way. Ship fitters were removing the tons of corrosion preventative on the ships interior. Specialist were verifying all kinds of ships systems. Radar masts and towers were being reinstalled. Several new radars systems were also being installed.

Close in defense systems were being replaced with systems intended for the new Kennedy including new missile defense systems.

The Kennedy name plate, ship’s medallion and bell were gone, already attached to the new Kennedy. The Chief of Naval Operations wanted a name for the ship. It was simple – the USS Alexander Thomas CV67A. A new ship’s bell was in the process of being cast.

If one of the new unnamed Fordson carriers were to be completed, it would be named for Thomas and the medallion and ships bell transferred to it. Then the CV67A would be used as a museum ship – which was unlikely – or else scrapped or sunk as a target or for fish habitat and diving. A sad ending for a grand ship that had projected the power and might of the United States for fifty years on the oceans of the world.

It was 1000 when Caroline Brady and her family arrived at the White House. Their suitcases had been dropped off at the guest house. Her family was given the grand tour of the White House while Caroline and I started discussions.

”Have you thought about the offer and all the consequences that will take place? Your personal life will be laid bare for the world to see,” I said.

”We are prepared, we have led a clean life and we went through all of this when I was appointed to the Court of Appeals. I’m ready for it,” she said.

”That’s good. I have read through the questions that were posed to you for that appointment. Let’s clarify some of the answers, then I have a few questions of my own,” I said.

Connie, Troy and VP Harrison joined on the questioning. Two hours later we were finished. I was satisfied. To find out how the VP and Troy felt, I suggested a break so Caroline could find her family.

The senators would have days to question Caroline in various committees plus there were hearings in the full Senate before they would vote. It would be a month or more before the process was complete.

VP Harrison, Troy and I met at the coffee pot. We were all in agreement; Caroline was my candidate. I found her in the lobby looking at the historic pictures with her family.

”I’m pleased – I want you for my nominee for the Supreme Court. Do you want a few minutes discussion time with your family before we call a news conference?” I asked.

”Yes please,” Caroline replied.

”I’ll be in the Oval Office, come find me when you are finished. If you want a quiet place to talk, the meeting room is empty,” I said pointing to the room.

I went back to the Oval Office. In fact I met Troy, Attorney General Dunne and Eric Roberson there. Eric was the director of DHS.

”Are you going to sign the papers for Oregon?” Eric asked.

”I gave the governor and the legislature until 1700 to do the necessary things to avert martial law and enforcement. I haven’t heard anything yet,” I said.

”They are still in session or were a few minutes ago. The reason I came is DHS has been looking into the drugs getting on the streets in Portland.”

”They are coming in through the port. We have identified the people and groups at the port and have them under surveillance.”

”We have narrowed it down to a couple of the police departments giving cover and two city administrators involved. If you go with your plan, we want to make the arrests at the same time,” Eric said.

”If you don’t order the army in, we will wait a few more days,” Eric added.

”There is a news conference in a few minutes. I’m going to introduce my nominee for the Supreme Court to the nation. Let me find her – I’ll make the introductions and you can stand with us for the news conference,” I said.

Thirty minutes later the news conference was over and Caroline was left to her handlers – in this case it was the VP for the evening. The public relations would start tonight; a private dinner with key senators.

Jenny, Marcy and my two little men were headed with me to Andrews for the fundraiser in Vermont. Ching Lee and Vicky were not back from Dubai yet. Lorrie was staying home to watch the little ones.

Marine One carried me with an abbreviated staff to Andrews where Air Force One was waiting.

I did the usual politicking meet and greet and then gave them the ‘Out of their seat’ speech. I closed with the eight more years chant. It had gone over so well at Vegas that Adam insisted on using it to close out the fund raiders.
I was back in the White House and in my bed with Jenny and Marcy at 0200. At 0700 we were finishing breakfast. A JBG 406 was taking them home. Lisa would be late starting home schooling today. I turned to other issues.
After updates it was time to deal with Oregon and Washington. I had an aide call Oregon’s Governor Roseberry. Once the connection was made I was handed the phone.

”Did you reach an agreement along the requirements that were suggested?” I asked.

”Yes. With the army troops in town it wasn’t as much trouble as I thought it would be but it was still rough. Where do we go from here? Will the troops leave soon?” he asked.

”No, they are going to stay and help FEMA. We will temporarily copy the California model with emergency tents and services.”

”I need to put martial law into effect to be able to use the troops to collect the homeless. You will order your state police to report to the commander of the military to help collect up the homeless,” I said.

”State and local agencies will have to do the street cleanup,” I said.

”The military will assist FEMA in setting up the camps and proper facilities to care for them. Assistance from state agencies will be required and forced under martial law.”

”The goal here is to get them off the street, properly feed them and get them medical attention. Then we can address why they are homeless and correct it,” I said.

”With your swift action to provide funding and with what I anticipate full support and assistance in correcting this issue, I can see no need for any legal action against the elected officials. I will meet with the AG in a few minutes to verify that thought. Fax me a copy of the law you have passed,’’ I added.

I called the AG, then General Ingram and asked him to come to my office. The discussion was interrupted by a request for VCATS from Andy, Ching Lee and Vicky. They were on their way home from Dubai. They had stayed overnight and spent an extra day on the Boxer.

I couldn’t wait to hear about that experience from the girls.

”We have contracts we can live with for ninety days. There is also a clause that will allow the contract to be extended as needed. The financial portion is as Marcy specified, to be finalized at a meeting next week with the Navy in Washington,” Vicky said.

”We did have one problem on the way back from the USS Boxer. Three Iranian helicopters shadowed ours, at times trying to force us into Iranian airspace. I radioed for the Air Tractors to assist. When they showed up the Iranians left,” Andy said.

”When do the six ships report to Admiral West?” I asked.

”The captains report to him tomorrow for policy and procedures update and the ships start the first patrol on Saturday,” Andy said.

”When are the next shipment of ships to arrive?” I asked.

”The six from Texas and two more from Israel will be coming out of the Red Sea tomorrow,” Andy said.

”OK, at least that will keeps things balanced. Will chat with you later,” I said as I closed the window.

”I’m surprised you let your mates go that close to Iran,” General Ingram said.

”If I had made the decision, they would not have been there. They are the bosses now – it was their decision,” I said.
I signed the order putting martial law into effect in Oregon. General Ingram went to move the troops around sending ten thousand to Oregon and five thousand to Washington State.

There was already twenty thousand at various bases in Washington that could be utilized. They were ordered to assemble at base and stand by.

The order was conveniently leaked to the media who were already on alert after the one hundred Humvees had been scoping out the capital and city hall.

If the politicians in Washington capitulated quickly to avoid possible jail, the west coast mess would soon be over. Then it was on to New York and New Jersey.

The rest of the troops in California were being sent back to their home bases. Their job was done unless something went screwy.

Edit by Alfmeister
Proof Read by Bob W.

Tuesday morning I did a VCATS with Jenny and Marcy. They were over the open Atlantic on their way to Thimble Shoals. They were carrying more gold and diamonds to the meeting to keep the accounts up to Marcy’s liking.

Andy, Vicky and Ching Lee were headed to Dubai then taking one of the Blackhawks to the Boxer. Andy had the military records for our ships’ captains for the Admiral to review if he wanted. I did a VCATS with Marcy and Lorrie, then settled into my day.

The Congressional leaders did as they said they would. The proposed bill was read into the record to be fast tracked. Yesterday the leaders promised they would have the bill on my desk for me to sign by the close of business on Friday.

I scheduled a 1600 meeting with the director of HUD – property, building specs and contractors were the discussion topic. I wasn’t going to get deeply involved in it; I had no time for that. I just wanted a brief overview of what to expect as things progressed.

I met with the joint chiefs. They were following up on Boko-haram. With thermal imagining satellites and a dozen more secret things they thought they were on the trail of the terrorist group. They knew they were on the trail after a dozen bodies of children from the last burned village was found fifty miles from the village in no-man’s land. Then a day later more were found twenty miles to the south east.

”Put a team on it, see what we come up with,” I said.

By putting a dedicated team on the assignment with the latest tools, more detailed information could be gathered quicker. With enough confirmed evidence a field team would be assigned or hired.

It could be Army Rangers, Navy Seals, or hired mercenaries in this case – in that area they would be JBG’s former Black Bear teams. Oh the conflicts of interest.

It was 1100 and about the time the shit hit the fan in Oregon at 0700.

The two hundred or so Humvees and six hundred troops crossed into Oregon at 0400 driving up Route Five north. At 0700 they drove the circle around the city hall of Eugene. Then they drove through several of the business streets including the main street that had the local TV station and newspaper building.

The streets were packed with onlookers and news people as they left, again headed north on Route Five to Salem.

In Salem – the state capital – they did the same thing again only staying longer while being more visible. One hundred Humvees stayed in Salem; some riding around, some parking in the parking lots by the capital.

When questioned by the media on what they were doing, the Commander of the group responded, ‘‘Waiting on final orders from Washington.”

The last one hundred went on to Portland and did the same thing, parking around city hall.

At 1200 the two Senators and the Representatives from Oregon were in the White House lobby demanding to see the President. I was in the cafeteria eating with my staff. We were rehashing Saturday at Vegas and Sunday’s appearance on the news show. The media reactions were still coming in.

I waited until I finished lunch before returning to the Oval Office. I was learning the perks of having power – making people wait who thought they were important.

Troy gave me a folder with a picture of the people waiting and their names and positions. It was an idea to keep informed so I would not look like an idiot when I met people and the pictures were a godsend, I was meeting a lot of people now.

”Good afternoon Senator Bears and Senator Higgs, Reps Dell, Dillingham and Goodman. What can do for you today?” I said.

”Could we make this a conference call meeting with the governor and his staff?” Senator Bears asked.

Troy made all the connections happen; apparently the group was waiting for the call. There was a round of introductions and hellos.

”There are troops in Eugene, Salem and Portland. The residents are worried and they want them to leave,” Governor Roseberry said.

”They are the advance teams – the rest of the troops are behind them. I have made no secret they were on the way. I have given you and the legislature plenty of time to correct the horrible homeless issue you have created. Your legislature didn’t even bother to open a debate,” I said.

”They and you have discussed many options for the last four years, always to run out of time at the end of the session. But they had plenty of time to create more parks and to change the name of Columbus Day and Thanksgiving with a full week of televised debate. Then they spent fourteen days to protest the proposed international port expansion on the border with Washington State,” I said.

That research group of mine was as nearly as good at political research as Robert was at intelligence.

”The courts ruled years ago that it was illegal for the police to hassle homeless on the streets when there were no homeless shelters to take them in. Yet your city, state and county police have done just that repeatedly, even going as far as carrying them across city and county lines. On top of that you have harassed the aid groups trying to give shelter,” I said.

”Then there is the conditions in the streets, the same as California; full of crap, needles, tents, cardboard boxes and more. The law abiding people of your state deserve better- the homeless deserve better,” I said.

“I promise you the next session we will seriously tackle the problem,” the governor said.

”Your promises aren’t worth the air it took the say them. You have broken your promises for years,” I said.

”You have two more days left in this session. I will give you one day to pass legislation committing one hundred million a year for the next five years to end the homeless mess you have made. Twenty five million is to be delivered to the HHS and FEMA within twenty four hours to erect emergency shelters, provide food and medical aid and to clean the streets.”

”The other seventy five million goes into a housing construction fund. This fund is to be administrated by HUD to immediately begin construction of permanent shelters and low income housing. The state and counties will waive all impact fees, permitting cost, planning and zoning restrictions for these projects,” I said.

”You are breaking my arm. I’m not sure you can do this,” Governor Hilltop said.

”You can ask Governor Bright. The cell next to his is for you.”

”The paperwork declaring martial law and a national emergency in Oregon and Washington was just delivered to my desk for my signature,” I said. An aide had just placed several folders on my desk.

”You have twenty four hours. You better make them the most productive hours of your lifetime,” I added.

We had more discussion before they left – very unhappy. I had the General sent a message to have the Oregon troops find hotels for the night, preferably all in one hotel so a watch could be assigned to keep an eye on the equipment.

With that past I had a staff meeting where we decided on the Supreme Court nominee Caroline Brady. Carol was a respected jurist from the federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Her record was spotless as was the background checks. She was married to her college sweetheart with two children.

Politically she was brought up by a conservative family. One brother was a state representative and the other brother was the Lt Governor. She had given speeches at the state party level several times.

I had a call put through to Caroline at the court house. She was in the court room unable to take a call until the end of the session at 1700. I left my number with her legal clerk with a simple note ”Call me ASAP BJ”.

I moved on to other things, I received a text from Vicky that the signings on the Boxer were nearly complete. They were waiting on the six boat captains to appear for interviews. Three of them were flying to the Boxer in a Blackhawk. The other three were coming in one of our fast ships.

”Thanks, keep me informed. BJ.”

Adam came in to work on the speech for Wednesday night. This time it was in Vermont, weather permitting. It only took an hour from the start to finish; we were starting to work well together.

It was nearly five thirty when Judge Brady called my White House phone. All calls are screened, even though they are going to private numbers. After a couple of questions and a quick phone trace, the call was put through.

”Judge Brady, it’s good to hear from you. I will keep it short and to the point. Your name is at the top of the short list of candidates for the vacant position on the Supreme Court. I would like to know if you are interested?” I said.

We talked for the most part of an hour and finished as I was sent notice that my supper was ready. I would have a government G5 plane at the Abe Lincoln Springfield Airport to pick the family up at 0800. Caroline was definitely interested in the position.

We would interview and talk during the day and make the announcement at 1600. Vice President Harrison would host a dinner and reception that evening for selected senators. Usually that meant heads of committees that had to have hearings on the appointment. It would be the usual meet, greet and get to know one another.

Caroline and family would stay at the presidential guest house that visiting dignitaries stayed at. It was fully staffed with services that rivaled even the best five star hotel but far better security and access to the limo fleet, if they wanted to see the evening sights around Washington.

I finished supper, chatted with my mates and the boys. Contracts had been signed with the Navy. Everyone was happy, well nearly happy but that was normal. I was going to spend the part of the weekend at home in my own bed – a change I was going to enjoy.

I finished out the evening in the fitness center with several agents working out and spotting the weights for me.
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

Monday morning the big house was empty and felt empty. I was happy to get the mug of coffee and have the breakfast delivered to the Oval Office. It was already humming. I had left a note on my desk telling Troy what I wanted to do.

Today’s calendar was open with the exception of a few small items and I could take care of them on the flight to and from California. The Secret Service was upset – they did not have time to get the Beast out there.

It would be far better PR if I was shown riding in a Humvee for the TV cameras. I had ordered invitations sent by emails and cell phone texts to the ten Senators, ten Representatives and six department heads to be at the Capitol entrance at 0800 to catch the bus to Andrews to accompany me for an inspection of Camp Parks. The Air Force was already prepping Air Force One for the flight.

My staff were packing briefcases with the things we were going to discuss on the way. The White House news reporters from the news room were drawing numbers to see which four of them and a camera man were going, since they liked the lottery system so much. Melinda and Hanna were already told to be on the bus.

The other people going were the communications officers and the two individuals carrying the football and codes. They followed me everywhere.

General Wainwright was notified of our arrival time and to furnish transportation for approximately forty individuals. He was also to ask the other generals to join us.

Marine One carried me to Andrews; my staff were in the other helicopter. I was there before the bus arrived, sitting at my desk reading, with a mug of coffee.

Troy and I discussed the weekend and the media results. Everything in Washington revolved around media in one way or another. I really couldn’t care one way or the other, but I listened. He was excited about the numbers for the fundraiser and the sneak appearance on the Sunday news show.

Then we got down to business. First were the updates from Camp Parks. With the rioting over, those numbers were zero. The homeless pickups were down to a few hundred. We would get the actual numbers in the meetings there.

Then we discussed the Middle East with the generals, there were an unusual number of terrorist attacks. Some places there were more, some places there were less.

I intended to apply more pressure on the Russians and Chinese to work with us to eliminate the terrorist cells in Africa. The attacks were growing there.

I got an update on the progress by the Navy. Another carrier was scheduled for end of maintenance sea trials the end of this week and another by the end of next week.

The Air Force update was good news! Twenty one B21 bombers had been re-certified for flight again. They were out of service more than they were in service. That only left twenty more out of service.

The Air Force General and the manufacturer’s representatives kept saying these were just growing pains with new systems. I had heard that before from the Navy.

The first twenty were five years old and so far the Air Force hadn’t flown them across any oceans yet. I wondered – no confidence?

President Thomas had ordered the B52 to stay in service until there were ninety days of ninety five percent availability before any B52s were to be moved to storage. I continued that order, to the dismay of the generals.

The B52s were like the A10s – old and unwanted – as new wizard planes were talked about but were still the go-to planes day after day. Tough, reliable, hard as nails and easy to fly old school.

It was customary that all the media were each given 10 minutes with the President in the flying Oval Office. Who was I to break tradition? By the time I was finished, we were landing on the Camp Park runway.

The media was the first off the plane so they could record the arrival for tonight’s news. The generals met us with a salute for the cameras.

First up was a tour of the camp setup including the special tent that had been restricted to homeless families and women with children.

Luckily there were two dozen homeless picked up this morning. I suggested and the Congressional delegation agreed that they would each take one and follow them through the process. While that was going on I met with the generals and listened to how things were going on behind the scenes.

Connie was taking notes as the official decision was made to pull down the troop level in two days. I needed to make the decision in twenty four hours if they were going to Oregon. By the time we were finished, the Congressional people were back.

We loaded up in Humvees and headed into San Francisco to check out the damage and the general condition of the streets. With a state police escort we were carried through the main street of the sixty blocks that had riot damage. Then we went down the streets where many of the homeless were picked up off the streets.

The generals had clean-up going around the clock – even pressure washed twice after the trash was cleaned up – you could still smell the stench but the trash was gone, the crap and needles as well. I stopped the group and let all the Congress people get out and enjoy the aroma.

The next street they were taking us to – by my orders – was one that had not been touched yet and was really bad, according to the General.

We stopped and got out for another media event. I wanted the country to see firsthand the real reason my actions were necessary. It was also the reason I had pulled on rubber boots over my shoes. The media quickly got their fill with the piles of needles and piles of poop crawling with maggots – so many maggots, you could see the pile move.

Some of the Congressional people lost what food they had in their stomachs, some were dry heaving. The stench was as bad any place I had ever been, including third world countries.

Back at Camp Parks we held the customary news conference after the group went through the process of cleaning and disinfecting their shoes. I let the Congressional people speak first, giving descriptions of the process at the camp and what they had seen down town. Then I spoke to clarify various points.

I informed them that there would be a troop pull down at this site and reassignment. It was a fact that reassignment had started yesterday.

It was 1500 Pacific when we departed Camp Parks for Washington. I had the media group sequestered to the media area and went to meet with the Congressional group. The time to talk was now while the smell and the disgust was still fresh on their minds.

”I don’t know if you agree with what I did or not, but there is no doubt it was necessary. Let’s talk about a solution that you can rush through Congress.”

”One idea that I had was to put a billion dollars in a separate account at HHS to be used to build low income housing. Appoint an administrator at the federal level to keep local politics out of it.”

”We have all seen them – two and three bedroom apartments with cost based on the ability to pay, within reason. In this case the homeless we have picked up will have first options. Many of these people had jobs but the escalating taxes and fees simply killed them.”

”All the rent fees go back into the fund to keep building new apartments. The only thing that could be a problem is all the restrictions that are in effect, but I think the martial law can by pass them for now while the legal process can remove them.”

”We have to keep moving forward! I need your help with emergency legislation. I am asking you to fast track the funding request, one billion for the building and the military is going to need extra funding to defray the cost of all this,” I said.

”Starting tomorrow those that had jobs are going to have their cell phones returned so they can contact their employers to see if a job is still exist. Employment specialists are going to connect their skills with jobs. The process to help them help themselves is beginning,” I said.

By the time we landed in Washington there was a hand-written bill for emergency legislation that would be entered in both houses tomorrow.

Now to deal with Oregon. Army trucks would arrive there tomorrow. I was hoping they would spook the politicians into action. The FBI and DHS would start looking at the politicians tomorrow.

While we were in the air, one of the California Senators asked for an emergency federal injunction against the National Emergency declaration and the Martial Law order. The federal judge dismissed both injunction requests.

I was expecting a legal battle; that was the first hurdle. I expected the next would come from the California state employees unions. Under martial law union contracts were null and void. All that would come to a head when bids were sent out to build the housing.

Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

I was up early at 0600 – as had become custom. I dressed quietly and snuck to the kitchen for the first mug of coffee of the day. I headed to the Oval Office with a couple strips of bacon and the coffee to read the day’s updates.

Iran was still saber rattling with their exercises – no change there.

Admiral West had sent a thank you note to the Chief of Naval Operations that was forwarded to me thanking JBG for the excellent videos from the coastal patrol ships’ crews and the aircraft involved in the Tariq Sultan incident.

Also included was an acceptance of the offer to put six JBG coastal patrol ships at under his command for an estimated sixty days, until the Greek ship joined the assignment.

With the family now up and fed I decided to see if we could manipulate our way to into appearing on Sunday Morning America without a previous invitation. I was sure they would be glad to have me without the invitation given the entire news cycle since mid-week had been on the actions of my administration.

With Jason, Lisa, Jake, Mindy and my two little men, we would need eleven seats in the front row. The Secret Service and my JBG body guards agreed as long as it was kept relatively secret.

Having been there several times I knew how to get in and my way around. I sent a text to Arthur, ‘Save eleven seats in the front row. This visit has to remain top secret and a surprise or it will not happen.’ I would see if I could trust him.

Their advertised guests were Senator Jacobson a liberal and Senator Hart a staunch conservative and supporter of President Thomas. The other two guests were Representatives Mackey the liberal house minority leader and the House majority leader Richard Dawson. I was the last man out.

We waited until just ten minutes before air time. The agents went in first to clear the way and block the halls. Other agents followed in to view the live audience. I had the tech wire me up; makeup had been taken care of before I left the White House. I waited until after the announcer went through introducing the guests and gave them a few minutes of opening comments, then my family made their way to the front row seats and I walked from behind the curtain while pushing an office chair for me to sit in.

”Good morning, everyone,” I said.

”You did make it after all, I’m glad you did. I am sure we can come up with lots of questions,” Arthur said.

”The debate today is certainly going to be about California,” Arthur said.

”First off, the big question; how are the California martial law orders working out?” Candy asked.

”You are referring to operation ‘Sunshine’. Eighty thousand homeless have been moved to Camp Parks, they have had the opportunity to bathe, been issued new clean clothes, fed and are sleeping in hurricane recovery tents on cots, not on sidewalks. Those deemed to have mental issues or medical issues are being housed separately and medical teams are taking care of their needs.”

”Fifteen thousand rioters have been arrested and will be charged with a variety of federal crimes in force under martial law.”

”I question if you have the authority to order all these actions?” Senator Jacobson said.

”Of course you are referring to the Posse Comitatus Act that was passed after the Civil War to keep federal troops from policing the South. That limits federal troop deployment on U.S. soil and forbids using them to enforce domestic laws.”

”The act restricts troops from enforcing local or state laws. I ordered first a Natural Emergency because of the massive riots and then initiated Federal martial law. The troops are enforcing the laws that Congress wrote into the Martial Law act,” I said.

”Even though the Posse Comitatus Act has not been repealed, there are a variety of other laws that have had a major decreasing influence on its power.”

”During the great depression, laws were passed under Roosevelt that pulled the country out of the depression. Then there were the laws used to protect us from ourselves during WW2. Later on there was the race riots of the sixties and laws passed to maintain order. Then the cold war and more laws expanding powers of the President and the courts under a National Emergency. The same scenario repeated itself with the anti-war demonstrations of the seventies with more laws tweaked.”

”Then came 9-11 and more emergency statues were passed. Through all this came the ability to declare a National Emergency, giving the President a host of powers.”

“The War Powers Act and the Patriot Act gave the President even more emergency powers. Then came the pandemic of 2020 and unlimited power to the federal and local governments. All of these things together have made the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act nearly mute.”

”Back to the original question. I have not violated the Posse Comitatus Act because under my Martial Law order all the local police, sheriff’s departments and the state police are all working as they were before the order. They are reporting to their commanders following their orders. If there are questions, they have been instructed to ask for guidance,” I said.

”But why the roundup of the homeless? I can see the need to stop the rioting. And why put them in camps?” Candy asked.

”The streets are covered in feces, urine, used needles, blocked by homeless tents, card huts and other debris making the streets unsanitary and unsafe and in many cases, impassable. Serious infections and other diseases have been growing.”

”Short of putting them in your spare bedroom and living room, the camps are the best option for now,” I added.

”In a booming economy you have to ask why there are so many homeless. That is one question we are going to be asking a lot of them as we search for answers and then solutions to put into long term effect. Next week I am ordering a team from Housing and Urban Development and the DHS to go to California to find the answers so they can be implemented immediately.”

”One thing we do know, there is a terrible housing shortage and horrible property taxes for the poor and middle class, leading to the homelessness.”

”The planning and zoning laws have been written for the wealthy and powerful. Every low income housing development has been opposed for the last two decades by the politics of Hollywood and the politically connected.”

”Not one has been approved to completion for low income residents. The ones that were approved were regulated or opposed in the courts to the point they gave up. Or that the rents for a small one bedroom apartment is three thousand a month. That kills it for the low income and lower middle class.”

”An average two bedroom home – six hundred thousand, a three bedroom – eight hundred thousand is just totally insane, that is going to be changed. We are going to find ways to reduce the cost, and reduce the taxes.”

”Preliminary reports I am reading are telling me there needs to be two hundred thousand units of low income housing NOW to eliminate the crisis. There will be orders for HUD to get aggressive. I will ask Congress for the emergency funding necessary.”

”It’s intolerable to have thousands of Americans living in the streets. This is not the America I want us to be proud of. This is not the America I fought and lost blood for,” I said.

”I have to agree with most of what you have said here. I wish you luck,” Candy said.

”So there is no long term plan to keep them in camps?” David Young, the other panelist asked.
”Absolutely not, the politicians that took the bribes and peddled influence are going to spend a much longer time in jail,” I said.

”What state is going to be next?” Candy asked.

”Oregon. But there doesn’t have to be a next, they have the power to correct the issues themselves, they just have to act. The hourglass has only a few grains of sand left. We are preparing the move tomorrow while reducing troops in California,” I said.

”You spent yesterday in Vegas, from all appearances a very successful fundraiser for the party. The chants of eight more years was intended for the party benefit but are you sure there wasn’t more there?” Candy asked.

”To be President was never one of my ambitions and never in any of my dreams, yet here I am doing the job. I don’t know how history will judge my performance.”

”As for running for President – I can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind in the last few days. There are plenty of people that want me to throw my hat into the ring.”

”The current candidates just don’t have the spark the public wants. My mates would make the final decision. Either way I have plenty to do and there is still plenty of time,” I said.

The hour was full of questions, answers and challenges. During the session I decided to make an inspection trip to California tomorrow. I would take the Senate and House leaders and select committee heads, health and human services, and those that ruled over the DHS.

I would put the Senators and Representatives minds and my own at ease as to how things were being run.

My mates were leaving after supper and I would be alone until Thursday. Jenny and Marcy had another meeting at Pirates Bank on Tuesday. Vicky and Ching Lee were going with Andy to the Middle East to meet with Admiral West to finalize the agreement that would put six of our fast ships under Navy control for ninety days.

The captains of our six ships were all Navy officers, so it should be a smooth transition. However, captains on the Boxer might feel slighted if they found out what we were paying ours.

The Navy was also sending an advance team to the dry dock at Mirbat. The advance team was carrying the special keel blocks and other equipment needed to block the USS Wilmington high and dry for repairs.

Most of the crew was going to bunk in the recently renovated housing. The base was originally able to house five hundred in fixed housing and one thousand more in Quonset huts, but the huts were long gone.

Andy had decided to renovate the complete facility and use it as a central location. With the OPEC group happy, they were discussing an expansion of the contract with Marcy and Vicky.
Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

Saturday morning NSA sent me the morning updates while we were eating breakfast. I assumed there was something I should look at. The thing that was highlighted was Iran – again.

They were up their old tricks again – now they were flying drones over the Strait of Hormuz. They were entitled to by a mutually agreed treaty that gave them air space rights that in places went to the center of the waterway.

They were testing the response to excursions over the lines. It was normal intelligence gathering – the cat and mouse that powers played against potential adversaries.

The Soviets and Chinese were experts at it. They routinely flew such flights against our Alaskan airspace. The Russian flew Backfire bombers gauging our response and at what point our fighters were dispatched to challenge them.

The Backfires were loaded with listening equipment instead of bombs to monitor radio communications between our bases and the fighters.

The Chinese were even braver or else stupid. They flew spy planes miles inside the South Korean airspace, repeatedly ignoring all orders to leave. They flew while listening to frantic calls between fighter jets and control.

Of course the South Koreans were afraid to shoot them down. The Chinese had no such problems; they even shot down a KAL passenger plane in the past for an intrusion.

It wasn’t up to me to order them shot down, that was up to the host country’s defense – unless there was a mutual defense treaty. We did have a limited agreement with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. Our radar installations were to notify them if we saw anything but were to take no offensive action unless they came close to a US installations.

The host countries were to take military action against intruders. It sounded great on paper; in reality it sucked. Their chain of command for defensive action was just too long and too slow to be effective.

I expanded the shoot down security circle around all US installations for drones, aircraft and missiles. I also removed approval steps necessary to shoot down drones and missiles. Before it took six steps; I reduced it to three. Every step took time.

The motorcade that was carrying us to Andrews was waiting in front of the White House. The national security group brought a briefcase with more updates. I was going to read them on the way.

I wanted to be on the ground in Vegas around 1100. This was an afternoon and evening fund raiser. I wanted to walk the convention center and look at the displays before it was packed. I was wearing thin body armor, the Secret Service brought their approved armor and Ziva had brought the full JBG HD body armor. I was going to be well protected.

By the time we landed I was finished with the security updates and the JBG updates from my mates. We had not talked a lot last night about JBG things; we were just too glad to be together.

The security zone was down to one hundred and twenty five French prisoners left; all of the cartel prisoners from the Mexican project had gone to meet their maker.

I thought about sending the worst of the illegals – the ones that had been deported for crimes and had returned to the US – there. It was a thought. Ice was not returning any of those back to Mexico yet.

I would order it on Monday. There was no need to send them back to Mexico for a second or third time; they would keep coming back again and again at the first opportunity.

So far seventy thousand homeless had been removed from the streets and fifteen thousand rioters. Today as the sun came up the rioters were gone in all the cities. They had decided it was time to get out of Dodge.

The street rumor mill had started late yesterday. Anyone arrested under martial law was subject to the military criminal proceedings, far more restrictions on attorneys and challenging evidence, and more aggressive penalties. Hard labor meant hard labor and ten years meant ten years. That was enough to scare some of them away. Not getting California’s lax criminal courts that issued no fines and no jail time took all the fun out of rioting/partying.

We landed at McCarran International a few minutes before 1100. A motorcade was already waiting. I put on the heavy protection and waited while the Secret Service had a quick meeting with the advance group.

Everywhere I went that was planned, an advance group went first. A C17 carried the second Beast and a backup decoy Beast and several heavily armored Suburbans. The Secret Service arrived days in advance to plan for emergencies.

With three of these a week until July they were going to be busy. The party was paying some of the cost to keep Congress from complaining too much.

The motorcade carried us by casino row on the way to the convention center. The convention center was two million square feet; half of it was set up in a springtime home renovation theme for the week.

The other half – separated by huge doors with just a walkway through – was set up for the political arena with thousands of chairs, tables and bleachers along the sides.

A commercial vendor had the concessions center along one wall to make hot dogs, hamburgers and American fries.

It took some doing but I finally was able to talk the agents into letting me and my entourage walk through the home renovation displays and tools and toys. By the time we got to the front it was time to do the PR work for the event.

There were dozens of well to do contributors who were residents of Arizona, Nevada and even a few from California, that had contributed very large sums to the National Conservative Party and the Nevada Conservative party.

Some had paid thousands to be seen with President Thomas. Given the circumstances, I was the best they were going to get. I was more than willing to have my picture taken with them – if they wanted.

I took off the heavy vest as we were in a controlled environment. Everyone in this room had been investigated as time would allow and been through the hand metal detectors.

The heavy vest was just that and I was happy to take it off. It made me look more natural and not like I was a line backer.

I did what I said I never was – a politician. I made nice, smiling and shaking hands. I stood for photographs and signed the pictures after they came off color printers. And most of all, I talked politics.

My beautiful mates did the same thing. They had dressed the part. Decked out, the best clothes they had, the best jewelry and they talked politics. It only took a few minutes for everyone to know they were my family, with interest in them growing tenfold.

They posed for pictures with the wealthy donors, by themselves, with their wives and as couples. They talked with the average person and politics. They even brought people that they thought I should speak to meet me after the Secret Service approved. They were state level representatives and delegates from Nevada, Arizona, California and with a few from Utah and Oregon.

They were amazed they could get access to say a few words, ask a question or two and even offer praise for the things I had done with terrorism, the drug issue and now with the homeless problem. And of course there were a few concerns.

Lunch was a cheese burger and fries – I needed something quick. I had worked too long politicking with the party chairman and VIPs from the area.

In an hour I was to give the first short speech. It was the normal; the party needs your financial help as well as footwork canvassing the neighborhoods for votes. I spiced up with the speech Adam and I worked on.

After the speech I took a break with the girls and my staff. Also in that time I got an update from California. Arrests had leveled off today, less than a thousand were arrested in all the cities.

Another ten thousand homeless were picked up. That was a good thing; there were only a few more tents left. A reduced number of troops were to ride the streets tonight looking for the ones that had been missed.

The streets were full of media today, all trying to get the big story. They even tried get into Camp Parks along with several senators and representatives.

They were wasting their time – I had left strict orders with the Generals that no politicians or media were to be admitted to the camp without my personal approval at any time, for any reason.

General Ingram called, on a conference call with General Wainwright. With the declining arrest and numbers of homeless the Generals were wanting to pull down the troops involved.

I agreed on two conditions; one was there be enough troops left at Camp Parks to handle any possible uprising for a few weeks.

The second condition was that a hundred trucks with several hundred soldiers to make a detour through Portland Oregon to do a recon.

Oregon was next on the list based on the homeless numbers. The several politicians from Oregon were more than interested if troops were headed their way.

I simply said ”Oregon is on the list and troops were packing to move today. California should have sent the clear message what happens if they don’t fix the problem. I only send the messenger once. When the troops arrive, so will federal agents with arrest warrants.” That interview was recorded by the Portland TV station.

Oregon had made no attempt to fix their problem; a few Army trucks riding around for a day or two may spur them into action. When I finished the second round of politicking, it was time for the next speech.

All the seating was full and there were even people standing. Several of the independent national TV networks were going to broadcast it live. Adam – with my help – wrote a ‘get them on their feet, pumped up and motivated’ speech.

I delivered while pausing at the right times, thumping on the podium and holding the teleprompter with both fists. I finished with, ”We conservatives have to have eight more years to fight terrorism, illegal immigration and to continue moving our booming economy even higher. We must continue to make good paying jobs for our children.”

”I need more conservative senators and representatives in Washington. I am depending on you to get out the vote and to vote. The next eight years will determine the fate of our country and our place in history.”

I started a chant, ”Eight more years! Eight more years!” My job was to pump them up and I did.

I stepped away from the podium and looked for my mates and security so we could leave. They were caught up in the energy of the crowd leading the chant. “Eight more years!”

I could see I was not going to get out of here for a while. The party chairman and the group with him were glowing and were chanting with the crowd. I waved them forward to the front of the stage and joined in the chant.

If the party chairman was worried if I could carry the torch, he could put his fears to rest. The first two fundraisers had been great; this one went off the scale.

We were back in Washington and at the White House at 2400; it had been a long but productive day.

Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.

The office staff were recording all the major channels. I picked a couple and fast forwarded to the good parts – the Governor and Lt. Governor being led away in cuffs and shackles.

Then there were the pictures of the homeless and rioters being loaded in Army trucks by the hundreds. I hoped all the planning for processing was enough and successful.

In the Oval Office the first thing I wanted was an update on the USS Wilmington. By now there should have been some kind of preliminary report on cause, damage and injuries.

I was just getting ready to call the Chief of Naval Operations to find out when he came in with General Ingram. I guess the Navy was a little unsure about meeting me alone.

”The Tehran has sunk with the loss of over one hundred sailors, according to the Iranian media. Several Iranian boats picked up survivors just before she foundered and exploded in a fireball,” the Chief of Naval Operations said.

”Do you know if it looked like they got everyone off before the explosion or were they still picking up sailors?” I asked.

”The Iranian boats had withdrawn before the explosion,” he said.

”Sounds like a planned event to me,” I said.

”Our thoughts exactly. It was in the shipyard for months and on and off in dry dock. I hear through channels they are begging Russia for a replacement,” General Ingram said.

”Did the Wilmington have the upgraded control room or did it have the problem prone touch pad controls?” I asked.

During the Obama administration the Navy was forced to upgrade all Navy ships to a digital a touch screen format control room, years before they wanted to go in that direction. There wasn’t any long term testing in the field to work the bugs out of it.

As a result there had been four collisions at sea in the Pacific and dozens of incidents and near misses that weren’t reported. The old fashioned ship’s wheel and mechanical control station had been removed and replaced with a touch screen computer and electronic controlled servos in the engine room.

It was intended to reduce the number of men in the engine room and on the bridge and to reduce maintenance.

It all worked well on a display in theory; in reality it was a mess. With the ship rocking and rolling with the waves it was nearly impossible to hit the right place on the screen to control the ship, plus the computers
took time to correct incorrect inputs by the operator. When in close quarters and instant responses or corrections were needed they didn’t happen in time.

Then there were questions that maybe the Chinese were interfering with the GPS signals causing some of the problems and collisions.

”The Wilmington had manual controls so there were no computer errors involved. Looks like the Tehran just kept steering into the Wilmington until there was a collision,” the Chief of Naval Operations said.

That ended the meeting and I spent it reviewing the speech I was going to give in Las Vegas tomorrow. The rest of the family was flying into Andrews and from there Air Force 1 was carrying us to Nellis Air Force Base.

By Friday evening it was clear they were going to need more disaster tents than initially thought. The whole operation was going to be a lot bigger than we thought in both tents for the homeless and the arrested rioters. The numbers of homeless had been terribly under-estimated.

The Generals were estimating they were going to need two hundred more tents for the now eighty thousand plus that were going to be detained or arrested.

The Generals had flooded the riot areas with troops – ten thousand to be exact – and they were making arrests. Another ten thousand were picking up homeless with another two thousand doing the processing.

Three thousand were assisting FEMA in setting up the disaster tents. They were big farm show circus-like tents made to hold seven hundred and fifty army cots. They were only going to put five hundred in each tent to allow a little more space between bunks and included a plastic crate for personal belongings.

When a homeless person was brought in he was assigned a processor who carried him through the complete process. First to the barber, a military style crew cut and then facial hair gone – shaved. The barbers were from the military boot camp induction group. One close haircut for everyone – no bullshit allowed.

From there to the showers – five minutes max. Coming from the showers he was issued a storage box for personal items. Two pairs of socks, underwear, tee shirts, two short sleeves shirts, two pairs of shorts, two pairs of pants, a pair of flip flops and one pair of tennis shoes. He was also issued a disposable razor, tooth brush and tube of toothpaste.

One set he wore and the other set went into the box. Next he went to identification. There the processor filled out the identification form on a computer. Name, last address, next of kin, last place of employment, doctor, social security number and photo. The photo was the reason for the haircut and shave and it collected a multi-point facial scan. Otherwise all bums looked the same.

He then issues a camp number that was put on all his clothing and on a strong wrist band that would require heavy-duty cutters to remove. The final step was fingerprints and DNA sample taken by an FBI specialist. The fingerprints and DNA were run through the crime system. Some of them were going to end up in rooms with a lot more bars.

By then the processor had made a decision – was the individual sane or needing mental evaluation – determining which tent they went to. They were assigned a bed number and walked to the tent. At the tent it was explained to them what they would get and what was expected of them and what would happen if they didn’t.

There were two thousand processors and five hundred computer terminals. Criminals and rioters were processed the same way with the exception that they went to tents designated for criminals.

All tents were separated and surrounded by razor wire strung on steel posts two rows high and had a guarded gate for access. Each tent had a portable ten stall outhouse and a ten stall shower that were pumped empty as needed by a contractor. The water was supplied by black pipe from fire hydrants. There was a cafeteria tent for every four tents; food would be served in shifts, cooked by military cooks.

Women got to keep their hair and were issued sports bras to eliminate
so many different sizes, along with ladies garments. They also had a different set of tents.

Portable laundries were brought in. They were forty foot trailers with two rows of apartment washer/drier combinations and a big generator and propane tank to supply very hot water to kill germs.

There were others that had big commercial driers and washers to handle the mass amounts of clothes, towels and wash cloths.

The soldiers had to be cared for too. Once the barracks was filled with soldiers – there were ten thousand bunks in barracks for military training at the camp – tents were put up for the rest of the soldiers, minus the razor wire and food tents. Soldiers could eat in the regular base cafeterias.

The soldiers were going to work in twelve hour shifts. It was determined the bunk houses would be shared by both shifts; simply change the sheets and pillowcases.

Just how good the advance planning was, would be determined in a few days. The advanced planning with FEMA had been going on a year with thousands of military cots and blankets in warehouses waiting for the next hurricane or natural disaster. This would be a test of everything.

But the first day had progressed better than anyone anticipated.

In the cities – as the homeless and rioters were picked up – the state highway and city workers were disassembling the cardboard and popup tents and placing them in dump trucks and dump trailers for disposal. Everything was to be considered trash.

The city workers were scooping up feces and trash. The streets were pressure washed with a heavy chlorine and soap mix to disinfect the sidewalks and walkways. It would have to be done twice to get a thorough cleansing and to get rid of the stench.

The public urinals the cities had placed on the streets – the Generals ordered removed. Obstacles placed by residents as well as rioters were also removed, the streets opened up for traffic. Junk was removed, burned cars and trucks removed. In a few days the streets would be clean and accessible for the public to use without fear.

It would have taken weeks for the cities to do this. But with martial law it was instantly ordered and someone found a contractor to do it. Besides, there was a transportation division at one of the nearby Marine bases. They were experts at moving big immovable objects. Shot up trucks and tanks required the best and the military had it. There were several large trucks sitting on the streets, burned to a crisp.

To make matters more or less complicated, ICE had picked up two thousand illegals trying to make it out of the state, some near the Nevada, Oregon and Arizona borders. There was also a steady stream of cars crossing in Mexico, many more than on a normal Friday.

In San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angles ten thousand illegal’s had been detained. Those with criminal records and those that had been deported previously and returned to the US were going to JBG’s new prison in the security zone. There was no need to send them to Mexico; they would only come back.

It would take weeks for things to return to anything called normal. It would take months or years for some of the damaged buildings to be replaced or repaired.

Washington and the media were anything but normal. The screaming from Congress and protesters could be heard if I opened the door, so I didn’t. They were out front of the White House.

The rest of the family landed in the grass just before dark. I had changed the plans; originally they were going to meet me at Andrews tomorrow, but we wanted to spend another night together. We planned a nice dinner and evening.

The girls were keyed up about Las Vegas tomorrow. Mindy and Jake came with them; they were going to go with us. The White House had found sitters to go with us who could watch the little ones while we were at the convention center.

One last thing I did before walking to the residential area was to check the reports from California. The second shift of soldiers was working now. The first shift had collected thirty thousand homeless and ten thousand rioters. ICE had ten thousand illegals detained to be deported.

ICE had changed policies, they were now taking facial scans, DNA and fingerprints and checking them against criminal records. The ten thousand would be returned to their home country in a couple days, a process that had been sped up by martial law.

I hoped that by the end of the weekend some of the soldiers could be sent home.

Edit by Alfmeister
Proof read by Bob W.