Chapter 10: National Readiness

"My fellow Americans, we must come together to face the most grave challenge ever to confront our brave nation. Two years ago you elected me to serve you. You charged me to preserve the security and well-being of our great nation. I was humbled then by your trust, your faith, and your confidence in me. Today I seek to confirm your faith in me as your leader. America, we face a perilous juncture. One way leads to slavery and Godlessness. The other way ensures our freedom and God's salvation."

President Stinson paused. He turned to regard the backdrop of American flags placed on either side of a stylized painting of the national cathedral. He attended services there, and he granted a televised press conference every Sunday following services, outside on the cathedral steps.

"I speak candidly! Foreign powers turn their backs on us! They shun me, your President, and they reject you, the American people. They withdraw their diplomatic delegations; they fold their flags and scurry home. This cowardly pack is led by an aged monarch who is little more than a relic of an age of aristocracy and privilege, an age rejected by freedom-loving Americans who fought for democracy over aristocratic rule, who elevated equality over class privilege, who held the ballot box superior to any scepter and crown.

"This matters little. We will prevail in our epic struggle, against the cataclysm to come. America will stand alone on this planet to defend and preserve the guiding principles to which our nation's great leaders, past and present, dedicated their lives and sacred honor.

"We will stand and defeat the alien menace when it attacks! When it comes to enslave our people and destroy our faith, we will not fail! We will prevail! Have no doubt of it. I, your President, proclaim that we will not, we shall not, suffer a single alien to stand upon our sacred soil!

"Some have criticized my attack upon the alien advance force in the wastes of Antarctica. Some apologists hold that treaty agreements prohibited military action on that continent. That treaty, they say, precluded my ability to counter the threat. I reject those protests! This nation holds sacred our God-given right of self defense! We will seek out and destroy America's enemies whenever and wherever we find them!

"Consider the far-seeing and courageous policies of past president George W. Bush when he declared that the principle of preemptive strike against a terrorist enemy was not only America's prerogative, but an absolute duty! We will strike them first! Failure to destroy an impending terrorist threat is a dereliction of duty, and is tantamount to treason!

"The world's pacifist apologists, and indeed some misguided minds within our nation, cried and howled against that great President when he led us into the Middle East to defend our freedoms. I believe that his action was far-seeing, and prescient! Even now we monitor and move against their ceaseless hordes! We kill terrorists and their followers by the hundreds, by the thousands, every month. They raise up infiltrators and suicide bombers from their hordes and our superior technology finds them. We destroy them! We rain Hell's fire upon them! It matters not what borders they cross, what concealment they seek! We tirelessly find them and put them down! This we do in the name of ever-vigilant justice!

"Therefore, it is my unpleasant duty to report that just this month, three of our citizens were found to have conspired with the Terrorist enemy. We have in our possession their published writings condemning our nation's War on Terror. We have their statements, given to influential Middle Eastern leaders. Their false accusations comprise nothing less than aid and comfort to the Terrorist enemy. I somberly report that they have suffered the ultimate justice. By Presidential order, they were destroyed with Hellfire missiles.

"Reports leaked to the press that their families were riding in the vehicles are patently false! The reporter and editor responsible for publishing that classified information, itself a crime against national security, have been charged and arrested. The Justice Department is moving swiftly to assure that no further publication or release of information injurious to national security will occur."

Stinson paused momentarily, removed his glasses and wiped them briefly, then returned them to his face. He looked directly into the camera.