Chapter 40: Evidence and Confirmation

Evidence and Confirmation

Acting President Aaron Bronstein became President on a cold, blustery day in Washington DC, before a small assemblage of invited guests, one television camera and one microphone that would serve a press pool for the national and world media. An extraordinarily uncomfortable and nervous Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who herself had been appointed to her position only three days prior, presided.

"Do you solemnly swear... " the oath began, and it was over within minutes. When the Justice declared his presidency anointed and legal, President Bronstein waved briefly to the camera, turned, and left the area under Secret Service escort.

His next public appearance was on the evening following. It was a televised address to the nation from his new desk in the Oval Office. The desk and all other furniture, every wall fixture, decoration, carpet, shelf, book, and flag had been replaced. The office had been thoroughly cleaned and repainted. The White House crew stopped short of fumigating and disinfecting, but Aaron suspected that too might be necessary. He wanted all traces of the former occupant removed down to the last fiber, hair, and fingerprint. He did order--quite vehemently--that no photograph, portrait, document or slightest reminder of the former occupant be allowed within sight; all were to be packed up and sent into storage in a secure facility to be kept under careful guard.

"If there is to be a Presidential Portrait of that bastard to hang on the White House walls, it will never happen as long as I draw breath," he swore to his new Chief of Staff. "Damn the tradition! That man was a monster, a traitor, a disgrace to his nation and a threat to the world. I'll abide nothing to remind us of his tenure, here, let alone to honor it. Am I quite clear on that?"

That was the end of the matter.

President Bronstein addressed the nation from across a new desk in a new setting in an historic office. He faced the camera, smiled, and began his address to the American people.

Much like the Gettysburg Address of a former President, his talk was over before his audience had time to consider what he'd just said. It was ten minutes long. He concluded with, "God bless us all, and grant us lasting peace and honorable prosperity," and he stood and left the office. The camera crew, uncertain what to do next, stared at each other in shock. The camera continued recording an empty chair behind a plain and modest desk. The network pundits and political commentators were stunned. What was said in those ten minutes would ignite a firestorm of debate that raged for months in thousands of hours of speculation, histrionics, fear-mongering ... and, in a few rare cases, contemplation.

His first announcement was his immediate rejection of partisan politics. He renounced his party affiliation and declared himself henceforth to be 'independent', yet not affiliated with the 'Independent' partisan cause. He declared his only affiliation was as a citizen bound to the Constitution.

"My political affiliation henceforth is neutral in the strictest sense of the word. No party may claim my allegiance, and I honor no partisan influence from this day forward. Partisan politics has been a curse upon this nation's interests, and I personally declare such partisanship to be an anathema. If I could, I'd outlaw it, but let it suffice that I declare my personal rejection of it."

Before any objections could be raised by the network punditry commenting on the course of the address, Aaron then dropped his next order:

"Tomorrow I will gather together the members of my cabinet, whose names will be released following this address. I will order the various and appropriate Directors newly appointed to federal agencies to undertake a total and sweeping overhaul of our government's security classification system. They will facilitate a massive declassification of nearly all government documents formerly withheld from public access. I will appoint a three-member review panel with an appropriate number of aides to pass final review on all so-called "Top Secret" and greater classified material to protect necessary national security. But these will be few, and must meet the strictest standards of necessity.

"Too long have we abused the privilege of national security to conceal the light of truth from the people. This will change, beginning tomorrow. It may take some time to complete the process, but this we will do. Lest any agency official, federal employee, military officer, or secret intelligence operative think that I am not serious about this order, I urge you to reconsider. Obstruction or failure to comply could end your career, at the least; at most, it could mean long years in federal prison. Heed my warning!"

"In light of this order, I am calling for a new environment of open government at both the federal and state levels. While I cannot dictate to the states, who are free to govern their own affairs, I do remind them that the Justice Department will be scrutinizing all appropriate legal means to open all state records to the people. No state may make the claim of state security. To the best of my knowledge, there are only a few limited excuses for exclusion, and even those will be subject to review. I will be asking our Federal District judges to be receptive to citizen lawsuits concerning violations and abuses of the Freedom of Information Act.

"I will also ask our Justice Department, the FBI, and other appropriate agencies for a swift and thorough review of all so-called domestic terrorism charges, convictions, imprisonments, and removals to off-shore prisons. Far too many American citizens were swept up by the former administration in a ruthless campaign of intimidation and oppression. The review of these cases must be swift. I will release and pardon all those to whom a grievous injustice was done. I suspect that very few were guilty of anything other than resisting the violations of their Constitutional protections.

"In keeping with that, we will swiftly hold accountable and bring to justice all who were complicit in, and responsible for, those unlawful and unconstitutional violations. I promise prompt prosecution, and those who are found guilty will suffer severe and lasting punishment. I believe that the so-called Patriot Act was a hysterical mistake made by a frightened and cowardly Congress. The perversion of the Patriot Act into an instrument of oppression is unconscionable and unforgivable. I will ask Congress to reconsider and to reign in our out-of-control secret intelligence apparatus, as they threaten the very foundations of constitutional law that once made our nation a beacon of hope for humanity. That lamp was dimmed and its flame nearly quenched. Now is the time to let it shine forth anew.

President Bronstein paused for a moment, glanced down at his notes, and looked up with a pleased expression:

"As President and Chief Executive, I hereby declare full recognition of the Masi'shen delegation to Earth, and I welcome their Ambassador as an emissary of good will to our nation. I have earlier signed an executive order granting them rights to an Ambassadorial mission as honored friends to be welcomed among us. Accordingly, we will expand our American embassy in Geneva to include a delegation authorized to engage with the Masi'shen Planetary Embassy there.

"Ambassador Jon'a-ren of the Masi'shen has offered to assist our government in a far-reaching program of National Health Centers, beginning immediately. What this means is that the miracle of their healing technology will become available to the American people. It will be offered free and without restriction to every person who appears at the door. Every health center will be supplemented with a training center to be built or otherwise integrated with nearby existing medical training facilities. I expect that many thousands of our best students will begin rewarding new careers.

"In that spirit, I have signed an executive order for the establishment of a new International University in Puerto Rico, our long-neglected US Territory. This university will operate as an educational affiliate of the United Nations with United States sponsorship. This new statesmanship and leadership academy will grant free tuition and residency to all scholastically qualified applicants from any participating nation. Its mission is to train future world leaders, and to enable the world's outstanding young men and women of promise to return to their homelands, fully prepared to promote and establish economic and social justice on a global scale. I expect ground-breaking to begin later this spring, and the first classes to begin this fall. We have not decided on a name, but personally, I strongly favor The Nelson Mandela World University as a fitting tribute to a great man.