New Earth: The Search for Justice. R.D. Ph.D. Pittman

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СКАЧАТЬ who do you think is behind this?” John Vanity of Fox News asked.

      “Besides Torrance, it has to be some very well placed powerful people, maybe some members of Congress, and possibly a foreign government. We will find out in the coming weeks, I will not rest until we have uncovered all the conspirators.”

      “What will be their fate?” Tom Azner asked.

      “That’s not within my authority to determine.”

      “Who will decide their fate?”

      “A tribunal of US based jurists.”

      “General Hanken on behalf of all my network colleagues, thank you for your time. Now if you wish, the country and the entire world audience is watching,” Neff offered.

      “Thank you George. To all Americans I say, stay vigilant, obey the law, and don’t give up on your hopes and dreams. I am working on your behalf to take back your country, please be patient. Do not heed the advice of traitors, they have only their best interests in mind, you mean nothing to them. This is not about me, this is about you, I am simply a tool to accomplish a task, and I will do my very best for you. To the world audience I say this, the United States will stand again, and we will take our place among the leaders of the free world. Thank you and may your God bless each and every one of you.”

      The stage manager stood before one of the cameras listening to the control truck directions and said.

      “That’s a wrap folks.”

      The entire studio audience broke out in wild applause, Sandi rushed to the stage, kissing him on the cheek, telling him how proud of him she was.

      “I did okay then?” Alex joked.

      Curt, Cynthia, Liz, agents Somers and Evans, and Commander Morris joined Alex on stage to congratulate him on a great performance. All the anchors moved forward to shake his hand and to comment on his responses. How well thought out, yet fiery and to the point. He didn’t dodge one single question, and the fact that he didn’t know the questions beforehand made it even more amazing how coolly he responded.

      George Neff asked Alex why he didn’t let the equipment stay here and have a monthly or weekly broadcast like Torrance is having every Wednesday. Alex pondered for a moment.

      “George you may have something there, the American people need to hear both sides of this argument, so they can make informed decisions. Why don’t we do this, I’ll have a weekly televised news conference on Thursday evenings, that way I can comment on Torrance’s remarks from the night before. I can’t give one network the shot, it’ll need to be similar to this broadcast, but it doesn’t have to be worldwide.”

      “Holy cow,” as Neff turned to the other anchors, “Did you just hear that?”

      Network executives crowded the stage to commit their networks to the broadcasts; they began advising Alex that they could have contracts drawn up tomorrow for his signature.

      “Gentlemen, you need no contracts, I am a man of my words, and we will have a televised news conference every Thursday at seven p.m. for the next several weeks, after that we’ll see if all involved want to continue.”

      “Well General since we didn’t ask you about Torrance’s tax plan during the questioning session, what did you think of it, the flat tax I mean,” Carol Downey inquired.

      “I’m in favor of a flat tax, but I would step up with two more rate tiers, a twenty-five per cent rate on incomes exceeding $500,000, and a thirty-five per cent rate on incomes exceeding one million dollars. Keep all deductions on the books to lower your income, but no one will pay less than fifteen per cent of their gross income. I think that is more progressive and fairer to lower income individuals.”

      “Can I quote you?” she asked.

      “Carol, you haven’t had a chance to get to know me yet, when I speak you may always quote me; otherwise, I will have ‘no comment’.”

      “This is a reporter’s dream, we may have to move a new team out here just to cover the General,” Lester Keller commented.

      “I can guarantee our network in New York is working on that as we speak,” Tom Azner said.

      “General, I know you want to get back to work, but may I just say that your signoff to the world where you wished each person’s God bless them was one of the most politically correct statements I’ve ever heard, and you say you have no political aspirations,” George Neff noted.

      “You’re right I don’t, and I do need to get back to work now George. We’ll secure your equipment here at the media center, and you can leave the master control truck parked where it is, but you guys have to get off my base so we can get some work done.” Alex walked away with his arm around Sandi.

      Carol Downey remarked that Dr. Chenowith appeared to be more than General Hanken’s Chief of Staff. Alex and Sandi’s relationship became a sort of model for the cast of characters surrounding them and in time those other relationships would flourish and reveal themselves.

      Chapter 8

      The Group Aligns Itself

      By three-thirty that afternoon all the turmoil had subsided and the network people were gone. Morris came into Alex’s office and reported all incoming personnel had been accounted for as they exited the front gate. Morris placed a Marine guard at the door of the media center with the master truck trailer parked next to the center. Alex thanked him for an outstanding job; everything went very smoothly he thought. Ted Jeffers walked in and said.

      “Well Alex, on a scale of one to ten, I gave you a thirty-five on the interviews, I mean you nailed it my friend. You should hear the commentators back in their network newsrooms; they have christened you as the second coming.”

      “Thanks Ted, now we have to get busy and earn our pay, by the way did you get your cash advance for running around money?”

      “Yes, and thank you, I have a question.”

      “Shoot.”

      “When will I be able to bring my wife out here?”

      “Tell you what; have her book a flight to Seattle, then take a taxi to McChord. I will have a staff jet pick her up and fly her here; I want this on the QT Ted.”

      “Absolutely, no one, not even the kids will know where she is headed, and thanks again.”

      Alex began to consider how they should approach analyzing the Cal Tech backup tapes they’d retrieved from Brigham Young University. Curt knew computers and communications but this might go far beyond his skills. Alex needed those FBI tech people Ted was bringing in from the DC office; hopefully they could get it kick started when they arrived the next day. Sandi, Cynthia, and Liz were resting after a long day of intense activity. Elena, Andrade, and Curt were in the den watching television to gauge reaction to Alex’s interview. Morris, Somers, and Evans went to the firing range to brush up on their pistol skills.

      Alex pushed back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk. The last six months had flown by so quickly, so many things had changed in his life, and there were times when he didn’t think he was up to it. On several occasions he second-guessed himself, СКАЧАТЬ