Guys and Dolls – Chapter 1 – Mike and Ginger

Mike was 49 years old and divorced. He still couldn’t believe that his wife of 20 years
had met a younger man on the Internet and up and left him. Cheryl was 46 and old
enough to know better. This new guy of hers was only 42. Hell, she’d filed papers 3
days after she’d left and had the nerve to ask for community property. Mike was just a
working stiff and there was no way he could come up with that kind of money, so they
sold the house and she took the furnishings against her share. It was something the
lawyers worked out and by the time Cheryl had her share and he’d paid both attorneys
off, he didn’t have much left. It was probably that eating at him that had caused him to
become distracted one day at work. Mike fell off the roof of a 2-story house they were
installing new roofing on. The next thing he knew, he was coming to in the hospital.

“Mike, I’m Dr. James Long,” a middle-aged man said entering the room. “You fell off the
roof you were working on and broke your back. There doesn’t appear to be any serious
permanent damage, but I’ve got to tell you that your working days are over.”

“If there isn’t any serious permanent damage, why can’t I work?” Mike asked.

“I didn’t say there wasn’t any damage, just that it wasn’t too serious or of a permanent
nature,” Long told Mike. “I understand that you were a roofer. That involves lifting bun-
dles of shingles and bending a lot. Physical therapy will help you some but you’ll never
be able to lift heavy weights or bend over like that job you had required. I think you
should consider another line of work.”

“I’m 49 years old with a high school education,” Mike replied. “What kind of work can a
man my age get without any education?”

“We’ll get you hooked up with the State Department of Rehabilitation, and maybe they
can help you find something,” Long suggested.

Mike Hanes lived in a one-room efficiency apartment in Reseda, California. If he was

lucky, he’d still have about $40 grand in the bank. Not much to show for 20 years of
marriage to the bimbo, huh? Yes, he was bitter, who the hell wouldn’t be? He was think-
ing he should have run around on her; guys like that never seem to get divorced. Mike
did 4 years in the Army, let’s see, that was from ‘71 to ‘75 and it included a brief tour in
Nam. Met Cheryl when he got out and got married in the same year. Didn’t have any
kids, the doctor said it had something to do with that Agent Orange.

They got Mike out of bed after a few weeks and ran him through physical therapy so he
could walk again. He finally got out of the hospital today. Mike lost his job while he was
in the hospital but called his landlord and had him come by with his checkbook so he
could keep the rent paid. Mike had gone into that darned hospital on April 30th it was the
6th of October. He could have been discharged yesterday if it hadn’t been Sunday, but
they were running a skeleton staff at Granada Hills Hospital. Sure have had a run of
bum luck; he heard last week that Cheryl and the kid got married. He did get some good

1
news last week too; the feds approved his disability application. He heard that didn’t
happen too often, and was wondering what the doctors didn’t tell him.

Once out of the hospital, Mike decided to buy a new pickup with a topper and head out
to see the country. While he was in the hospital, one of those aides came by and helped
him apply for disability. She got the doctors to attach their reports and submitted on his
behalf. Now he was wishing she’d let him see that paperwork. Nothing much had both-
ered him until he got the approval from Social Security. The checks would be deposited
into his account and he’d be drawing disability from September 30th. The boss brought
his severance check and a little bonus. He said the company would pick up what the
insurance didn’t pay, seeing how they had to let Mike go.

On November 8th Mike was in Phoenix, Arizona. He’d bought a Sierra Club Coupe
pickup that had a 6.5L Turbo Diesel and 4WD. Then, he’d added a topper and a mat-
tress in the back and had been gone since a week after he gotten out of the hospital.
Rehab didn’t really have much to offer him and he’d said screw it and took off. When he
got to Phoenix, he’d looked up a pal from his army days. Jack had been married and
divorced 3 times, so Mike guessed he should count himself lucky. Sure was different in
Arizona than it was in California. Every once in a while you actually see a guy walking
around with a gun strapped on. Mike had been living with Jack since he’d gotten to
Phoenix. Jack had quite a gun collection. Mike just picked up a DSA SA58 model FAL
rifle this morning. It had a type II receiver with handle. He also picked up twenty of those
pre-ban magazines and a case of surplus ammo.

Jack Williams was Mike’s age, give or take a year, and he strongly recommended the
SA58 rifle. Mike got an Arizona Driver’s license last week using Jack’s address as his
residence. With the Driver’s License, he didn’t have any trouble buying that assault rifle
at all. Mike had brought his Ruger 10/22 rifle and his Remington 870 Express shotgun.
First thing Jack did was to persuade him to buy a new barrel for that Remington. It’s a
20” barrel with rifle sights, improved cylinder bore. Jack had a couple of the SA58’s and
a Springfield Armory M1A Super Match rifle fitted out with a fancy scope and Gen III
night vision, he called his sniper’s rifle.

Jack had a cabin up north between Oak Creek and Sedona just north of the Coconino
County line; man was that place desolated. But back to Jack’s guns; he bought a sup-
pressor for that M1A a few years back and it was quite the gun. Got him one of those
Mark II’s with the integral suppressor from that gun shop in Scottsdale. Jack sold cars
and every time he had a good week, he’d be off buying something new. And then there
are those handguns of his, Jeez! Besides the Mark II, he had an M1911, accurized, and
an Anaconda .44 Magnum. He also had a Ruger Super Blackhawk and one of those
Marlin .44 Magnum lever action rifles.

His cabin was adobe construction and had a standby generator. It was fixed up real nice
inside, but those adobe walls were 2’ thick. Jack’s second wife had money and she got

2
so tired of him that she gave him the property just to get rid of him. He was already da-
ting number 3 by that time. Jack was sort of fast and loose, but he had a good heart.
Anyway, they were supposed to go to the range tomorrow to get Mike’s new rifle sighted
in. In Mike’s opinion, the country was going to hell in a handcart. Four years ago some-
one tried to blow up the World Trade Center in New York and in April of ‘95 that yahoo
blew up that federal building in Oklahoma City. He’d heard they convicted McVeigh in
June while he was in the hospital. There had been a lot of anti-American terrorist inci-
dents around the world and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Hey Mike, how about we go out tonight?” Jack asked.

“What did you have in mind?” Mike inquired.

“I sold a car today to this 40-something blond and I invited her to supper,” Jack ex-
plained. “Said she has a real bombshell of a roommate.”

“Well, I don’t know, Jack, I’m not much for blind dates,” Mike told him.

“It’s not like you’re getting married, lighten up,” he said.

“Ah, what the hell, I’ll get cleaned up. What time are we supposed to pick them up?”
Mike asked.

“Seven pm and I made reservations for a snug at McCormick & Schmick’s for 8pm,”
Jack replied. “So you don’t really have to dress up.”

“Is that in Scottsdale?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

“I’m wearing a coat and taking a tie,” Mike laughed.

Jack drove and they picked the girls up promptly at 7pm. They had a nice apartment in
Tempe. Jack’s date’s name was Sheila and the redhead Mike was hooked up with was
named Ginger. Ginger was 43 years old and divorced. Didn’t see any kids so Mike as-
sumed she didn’t have any. She was maybe 5’7 to his 5’11 with one of those figures
you only see in magazines. That red hair ran mid-shoulder length and this gal was a
knockout.

“Who do you work for?” Ginger asked. “The same car dealer?”

“Sorry, no, I don’t work,” Mike replied.

“Oh, how come?” she asked.

3
“I was injured on the job last April and spent some time in the hospital,” Mike explained.
“Unfortunately, I ended up on permanent disability.”

“You don’t look injured,” she replied.

“Broken back and I can’t do any lifting,” he explained. “I tried going through the Califor-
nia Department of Rehabilitation, but they couldn’t place me in any program.”

“Where are you from in California?” Ginger asked. “I was born and raised in Santa Bar-
bara.”

“Lots of places, but most recently in Reseda,” Mike replied. “I got divorced shortly before
the accident and we sold the home we had in Granada Hills.”

“Were you married very long?”

“20 years, and no children,” he replied.

“You don’t hear of 20-year marriages breaking up very often,” she observed.

“She met a younger guy,” Mike frowned.

“Her loss,” Ginger said.

He wondered what she meant by that? They arrived at the restaurant and went into the
bar to have a cocktail while they waited for their snug. Nice restaurant with 30 different
beers on tap and any kind of cocktail you could ever want. He let Ginger go first to set
the tempo and she ordered a glass of beer. How do you suppose a woman who has a
figure like that can risk drinking a beer? It must be her metabolism was all he could fig-
ure. Jack and Shelia were engrossed in conversation about her new car and Mike
wasn’t really interested.

“How about you tell me a little bit about yourself?” Mike asked Ginger.

“I’m 43, divorced, and I work as a secretary at a brokerage house,” she said. “I already
mentioned California. I met a guy my second year of college and we ended up getting
married. He got a job here in Phoenix and we moved here. I came home early one night
and caught that SOB in bed with some bimbo. I threw both of them out and sued his
pants off. Got his pants and the shirt off his back.”

They got their snug and placed orders. Ginger ordered Mahi-Mahi.

“Then,” she continued, “I sold everything off and rented the apartment that Sheila and I
live in. Rick and I were married for 11 years and we didn’t have any kids because I can’t
have children. I’ve been single for almost 12 years now. Anyway, a couple of years ago,

4
Sheila came to work for the brokerage and was looking for a place to live. It’s a 2-
bedroom apartment and I invited her to move in. Tell me more about you.”

“Not much to tell,” Mike said. “Did a tour in Nam towards the end of the war. Met my ex-
wife when I got home and we got married. I did roofing for 20 years until shortly after the
divorce. Fell off a 2-story roof and broke my back. End of story.”

“Do you have any hobbies?” Ginger asked.

“Not really no,” he replied. “Well, Jack has gotten me started collecting guns since I
moved to Phoenix.”

“Where do you know Jack from?” she asked.

“Vietnam,” Mike replied.

They finally brought the order and they stopped visiting and ate dinner while it was still
hot. Mike had to admit that Ginger was pretty nice, for a younger woman. Mike was a
New Year’s baby and come January 1, 1998, he’d turn 50. Ginger was almost 7 years
younger and probably wouldn’t be interested in an old man. At the moment, Mike was
having a real problem with his self-esteem. Ginger sensed what was bothering Mike, but
this wasn’t the moment or the proper setting to reassure him. She liked the guy because
he wasn’t pretentious and gave every indication of being very honest. Besides which, he
wasn’t flirting, trying to get something that wasn’t being offered.

“Anyone care for an after dinner drink?” Jack offered.

“How about a Tia Maria and coffee, in the bar?” Shelia suggested.

“I’ll take the coffee at least,” Mike agreed. “What would you like, Ginger?”

“Coffee would be fine,” she replied. “Thank you for dinner fellas, I’m stuffed.”

“I couldn’t come here very often,” Mike opined.

“Mike, they have a burger and fries for a buck and a half during happy hour,” Ginger
remarked. “Makes for a pretty cheap date.”

“Maybe you should take me out sometime,” Mike kidded.

“You’re on,” Ginger smiled. “How about Thursday night?”

“I was just kidding,” Mike exclaimed.

“I wasn’t,” she replied, “Pick me up at 6?”

5
“You’d better watch out Mike, I think the lady has plans for you,” Jack laughed.

After the drinks and coffee were served, Mike mentioned that Jack and he were going to
the range the next day to sight in his new FAL rifle.

“Can Shelia and I go along?” Ginger asked.

“Jack, what do you think?” Mike asked.

“About what?” Jack mumbled.

“About Shelia and Ginger going along with us tomorrow when we go sight in my new
rifle,” Mike explained.

“Suits me,” Jack replied absently.

Mike noticed that Jack was laying the look on Shelia but that she didn’t seem to be re-
sponding. By another name, the look was called bedroom eyes. Ginger noticed too and
nudged Mike. Mike gave her a nearly imperceptible shake of the head in disapproval.

“Gee, I don’t know about tomorrow,” Shelia remarked.

“Come on Shelia, it will be fun,” Ginger prompted.

“Maybe just once,” Shelia agreed.

“On that note, Jack, I think we ought to get the ladies home,” Mike prompted. “Is 9am
too early Ginger?”

“Yes, 9am will be fine, Mike,” she replied.

Sunday, November 9, 1997…

Jack’s enthusiasm about going to the range was offset over his disappointment over not
scoring with Shelia. Ginger had to talk long and hard not to get Shelia to back out. What
had finally convinced Shelia to go shooting was Ginger explaining that Mike had thought
Jack had gone a bit overboard and that she really wanted to see Mike again. This
wasn’t about love or lust because Ginger just liked Mike. He was a gentleman in a time
when gentlemen were becoming few and far between. And, Ginger wasn’t anybody’s
fool; she’d seen Mike looking her over approvingly. As far as that went, considering that
Mike was fully disabled, he didn’t look to be in too bad of shape.

“Ready to go?” Mike asked.

6
“Is it ok if I bring my guns, too?” Ginger asked.

“Sure, what do you have, Ginger,” Mike suppressed his surprise.

“I have an AR-15 and a Colt King Cobra revolver with a 4” barrel,” Ginger replied.

Now Mike was impressed. Colt only made the King Cobra revolver since 1986 and had
announced earlier in the year that it would be discontinued. It was currently only availa-
ble in stainless steel and with a 4” and a 6” barrel. It was a medium frame revolver that
was totally suitable for a woman’s hands. Supposedly it had an extremely smooth ac-
tion, but Mike had never fired one so he wasn’t really sure. Ginger was turning out to be
full of surprises. But then again, so was Jack. His behavior the previous night towards
Sheila was just a little too much as far as Mike was concerned. Maybe it was time for
Mike to get his own apartment.

“Do you have ear muffs?” Mike asked.

“Of course and I brought a pair for Shelia, too,” Ginger replied. “I really had to pressure
her to come along today; she wasn’t particularly impressed with Jack.”

“I’m thinking of getting my own apartment, Ginger,” Mike admitted. “I hadn’t really seen
Jack in action until last night and he’s just a little pushy for my tastes.”

“His brains are between his legs, if you ask me,” Shelia winced.

“I’ll sit in front if you want,” Mike offered.

“You don’t really have a choice, Mike,” Ginger grinned. “Maybe he’ll behave himself
since I’m armed.”

“Jack, Ginger brought her rifle and revolver,” Mike said after he helped the ladies to get
into the back and slide into the front seat.

“Who do you think you are Ginger, Belle Starr?” Jack asked.

“Thanks a lot,” Ginger snapped. “Belle Starr was bony and flat-chested with a mean
mouth, hatchet face and was a notch-toothed tart.”

Mike couldn’t stop laughing at her comeback. He tried, but every so often on the way to
the range, he snickered again. Ginger had spunk and if anything, she was the exact op-
posite of the Belle Starr she described in her retort. If that lady could shoot those weap-
ons she had, there was some definite potential there. Cheryl and what she’d done to
him was the last thing on his mind. One final snicker brought a playful poke from Ginger.
Jack was sulking and Shelia seemed to be feeling just a little bit better. Once they got to
the range, the mood of the moment disappeared because when it came to using guns,

7
Jack was all business. Jack used an outdoor public range in the Phoenix area and it
had a pistol range plus 100 and 200-yard rifle ranges.

Because the purpose of the trip was to sight in Mike’s new SA-58, they started at the
100-yard rifle range. Mike started off and fired a group of 3. Then he adjusted his sights
and fired again. One final adjustment after the second group of 3 and he switched to the
second target and fired a five shot sting. Mike shot a 2” group in the black. He made
one final adjustment for windage and fired a 2” group in the X-ring that was centered but
a little high. Finally, he switched to the 200-yard target and put 5 rounds in a 3” group
that was centered in every way. The rifle was sighted in and now all he needed was lots
of practice. He was anxious to see Ginger shoot, so he put the SA-58 away and they
walked down to replace the targets.

Ginger went next and it was apparent at the outset that her AR was zeroed in and she’d
used the weapon a lot. She shot a nice tight group a little high at 100-yards and some-
thing under 2 MOA at 200-yards. Ginger offered to let Shelia shoot the AR but Sheila
was just along for the ride. They replaced the targets one more time and Jack brought
out his Super Match M1A to show off. Which was exactly what he did. At both 100 and
200-yard, he shot sub MOA groups. In his real element, Jack was no longer the cocky
SOB he’d been for most of the previous 24 hours. He respectfully offered Shelia a
chance to shoot the M1A and she surprised everyone by taking him up on the offer.
Jack kept a respectful distance and coached her through using the rifle.

When they’d finished on the rifle range, Jack and Shelia walked down to pull the targets.
Somewhere along the way, Jack must have apologized to Shelia for his previous behav-
ior because they were both smiling when they got back to the firing line. They still had to
go to the pistol range so Ginger could show off with that King Cobra she had. Here, they
used silhouettes and anywhere out to 25-yards, Mike didn’t want to be on the business
end of the Colt. When they finished, Jack offered to spring for pizza and the first pitcher
of beer. After he’d seen Shelia shoot with his sniper’s rifle, he was doing everything in
his power to become friends.

Over lunch it came out that Shelia was moving to the Big Apple. The brokerage was
opening a new office in the World Trade Center and they’d offered to move her to New
York. It was too good of an offer to pass up, she explained, and she’d be moving to New
York the week after Thanksgiving. The company had rented space in Tower 2 around
the 80th floor.

“That was pretty impressive shooting, Ginger,” Mike said.

“I’m out of practice, Mike,” she replied. “But maybe the next time we go, I could try the
FAL of yours.”

If that shooting had been out of practice Mike would eat his hat. And, this coming
Thursday, they had a dinner date for burgers and beer. Top it off with the next time we
go and Mike was floating. Maybe he should write her comment down; it answered sev-

8
eral questions that had been buzzing around that brain of his. To say that Mike was im-
pressed with this redhead would be to seriously understate the feelings beginning to
grow within him. Only 3 years younger than what’s-her-name, Ginger was everything
that Cheryl wasn’t. Mike would also bet his last dollar that the attraction was mutual.

Thursday, November 13, 1997…

“Are you ready to go?” Mike asked.

“Let’s do it,” Ginger replied. “Close your mouth before you catch a fly.”

“I’m sorry, but you sort of give a whole new meaning to that Mac Davis song and the
line about filling out the blue jeans,” Mike stammered.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I think,” Ginger laughed. “Burgers and beer, my treat,
right?”

“I think maybe he wrote that song just to describe you, Ginger,” Mike laid it on.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she purred.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Mike backpedaled.

“Ok, let’s go, I’m starved,” Ginger replied.

Ginger sort of brought to mind Jimmy Walker’s line on Good Times, Dyn-O-mite!

At McCormick & Schmick’s waiting for the burgers and fries, the subject of Shelia’s
move to New York and Mike’s need for a new apartment came up.

“With Shelia moving, I’m going to have to find a new roommate,” Ginger said.

“You shouldn’t have any trouble, Ginger, I’m having trouble finding an apartment,” Mike
replied. “I didn’t realize that there was such a housing shortage.”

“Part of it is the time of year, Mike,” Ginger explained. “You have all of the snowbirds in
Phoenix this time of year and empty apartments are hard to come by.”

“I’ll just keep looking, I’m sure I can find a one room efficiency somewhere,” Mike re-
plied.

“I suppose I could rent you my second bedroom,” Ginger offered.

“I couldn’t do that,” Mike replied. “Somehow that doesn’t seem to be proper.”

9
“I wasn’t inviting you to sleep with me,” Ginger retorted. “But, you need a place to stay
and I need a roommate.”

“What would people say about you having a man sharing your apartment?” Mike asked.

“Who cares?” Ginger laughed. “This is 1997 and they can just eat their hearts out.”

“In California you see this type of arrangement a lot, but this isn’t California,” he coun-
tered.

It was worth considering at least. The thing that bothered Mike was that he wasn’t so
sure he’d be able to keep his hands to himself. He was lost in thought when they
brought the burgers.

“Welcome back,” Ginger said. “Where were you?”

“Thinking about your offer,” Mike admitted.

“I’m only offering the room, Mike,” Ginger smiled. “If you want me, you’re going to have
to work for it.”

“That’s a pleasant thought,” Mike chuckled.

“Don’t dwell on it, you didn’t impress me as a man who lived his life between his legs,”
she countered.

“Jack isn’t here.”

“Eat your hamburger.”

Saturday, November 22, 1997…

Mike and Ginger had finished at the range and were in a restaurant having a light lunch.

“Have you decided yet?” Ginger asked.

“I kept looking for an apartment but there’s nothing available,” Mike explained. “I’m
game if you are, Ginger. Are you sure that you want to rent a room to me?”

“Well, you’d have to agree to take out the trash and keep you own room clean,” she re-
plied. “There’s a washer and dryer so you’ll have to do your own laundry, too. Can you
cook?”

10
“I’m not so hot in that department unless you want to live on foods cooked on a barbe-
que grill,” Mike smiled.

“Ok, we’ll share cooking and you can do the shopping,” Ginger suggested.

11
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 2 – New Living Arrangement

Over Thanksgiving, Ginger flew back to Santa Barbara to spend some time with her
family. Mike went shopping and bought a new queen-sized bed and bedroom set. He
scheduled the delivery for Monday, December 1st. Ginger was due back at Sky Harbor
on November 30th. Mike found that he had some extra funds and went shopping for a
handgun. Ginger’s King Cobra had really impressed him when she’d allowed him to
shoot it so he found one and paid cash. The dealer recommended that he try the Cor-
bon ammo for his new gun. The .357 rounds were available in 110 gr., 125gr. and
140gr. Mike bought one box of each to see which one he liked. The dealer told him that
Corbon also loaded hunting ammo for the .357 and it came in 180gr. and 200gr. Mike
ended up walking out of the store with 5 20 round boxes of ammo and 8 of the HKS
Mark 3-A speed loaders. Thanks to the Brady Bill, he’d have to wait to pick up the new
revolver.

Mike was waiting at the gate when Ginger’s plane pulled in. He took her carry-on bag
and they walked to the car.

“What did you do over Thanksgiving?” Ginger asked.

“I went shopping and bought a new queen-sized bed and bedroom suite,” he replied.
“Then, I went to a dealer’s and bought a King Cobra just like yours. That’s a pretty nice
gun and I had to have one of my own.”

“You should be careful with your money, Mike,” Ginger said. “With you on disability,
you’re going to need to stretch those dollars.”

“I still have some put away for a rainy day, Ginger,” he replied. “And now I have a com-
plete set of survival guns. “I’m getting about $1,250 a month and we’re due for a COLA
raise on disability.”

“You are awfully young to remain on disability,” she observed.

“I thought that I’d get to a gym and see what I can do to build up my muscles in my
back,” Mike explained. “I’ll never be able to do any heavy lifting, but if I can get myself in
peak condition, I should be able to work at something. To be honest, I don’t care what
they told me. With the proper muscle tone and maybe a back brace, there are hundreds
of jobs I could do.”

“When are they delivering the bedroom suite?” Ginger asked.

“Sometime tomorrow,” Mike replied. “I moved all of my things out of Jack’s house and
thought I’d just stay at a motel tonight.”

“That’s silly, Mike,” Ginger said. “The sofa folds out into a bed and you’re going to be
moving in tomorrow anyway, so why not tonight?”

12
“Remind me to give you a check for half of the rent when we get to the apartment,” Mike
smiled. “How was your family?”

“I thought Daddy was going to have a heart attack when I told him about my new room-
mate,” she laughed. “Mom didn’t have much to say one way or the other. But, she did
slip in a few questions about you, like how long had I’d known you, etc.”

“I don’t want to get in wrong with your family,” he replied.

“They’ll get over it, don’t worry about it,” Ginger chuckled. “Let’s stop somewhere for
dinner, I’m hungry.”

“Regular restaurant or fast food?” Mike asked.

“Chinese?” Ginger suggested.

“Do you know a place in Tempe?”

“Turn right at the next light and 2 blocks down.”

Mike ordered Mongolian Beef and Ginger went with Mu Shu Pork. They split an order of
fried dumplings and an order vegetarian fried rice. The conversation touched on many
things as they got to know one another better. Properly prepared Mongolian Beef is
hard to come by. It consists of thin slices of beef, garlic, chilies, green onion tops and a
small amount of onion. Mike had died and gone to heaven. They shared and the Mu
Shu Pork was also the best he’d ever tried. It seemed to Mike that the two of them had
a whole lot in common.

When they got to the apartment, Mike made 2 trips hauling his clothes and putting them
in the closet. Ginger unlocked her small gun safe and indicated that he should put his
guns away for safekeeping. She handed him a slip of paper with the combination to the
safe written on it. While he finished hauling, she made the sofa into a bed and changed
into something a little more comfortable, like her nightgown. Mike normally slept in his
underwear, but given the circumstance, he’d made a trip to Penny’s and picked up a
couple of pairs of pajamas and a robe. While he was changing, Ginger put on a pot of
coffee. They sat at the kitchen table visiting until nearly midnight.

“I have to be up early tomorrow so I have to get to bed,” Ginger announced. “You can
surprise me for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I’ll figure out something, Ginger, you have a good night’s sleep,” Mike replied.

Monday, December 1, 1997…

13
Ginger was gone by the time Mike woke up so he showered and dressed. He made a
trip to Penny’s As soon as they opened and bought a mattress pad, bedspread, blanket
and a pair of down pillows. The furniture store had thrown in two sets of sheets and pil-
lowcases. While he waited for the furniture store to deliver the new bedroom suite, he
laundered the sheets to get rid of the sizing. They showed up around 2pm and assem-
bled the bed and placed the dresser and chest where he wanted them. Mike made the
bed and then got busy putting his clothes away. Time slipped away from him and the
next thing he knew, Ginger was home.

“What’s for dinner, I’m starved?” Ginger asked.

“Gee, I’m sorry Ginger, I got busy doing laundry, making the bed and putting my clothes
away,” Mike replied. “I’ll spring for one of those expensive hamburgers and fries at
McCormick & Schmick’s or we could do Chinese.”

“Do you like Méxican food?” Ginger asked. “If you do, I know where we can do Méxican
on the cheap.”

“Lead the way,” Mike replied.

From the outward appearance, the restaurant didn’t appear to have much to offer. But, it
was a small family owned business and the food was all made from scratch, unlike so
many of the Méxican restaurants around the city. Mike was hungry and got the Chili
Relleno and Enchilada combo and Ginger ordered shrimp. She hadn’t had a particularly
good day at work and told him about her new boss. The guy was married and had re-
placed her previous boss who had been; as it turned out, after Shelia.

“I thought that Jack was a letch, but this new boss of mine couldn’t keep his eyes off my
chest,” Ginger said. “And then, he made a couple of improper suggestions.”

“You don’t have to put up with crap like that, Ginger,” Mike replied. “Go to the Personnel
Department and file a sexual harassment complaint.”

“He’s such a Dork,” Ginger laughed. “I have a tape recorder on my desk and after I
caught him staring the second time, every time he came near my desk, I turned on the
recorder. So, I have everything he said on tape.”

“What are you going to do?” Mike asked.

“I think I’ll do the recording thing for a week or so,” she replied. “The Brokerage has had
problems in this area before and so far, no one has been able to prove anything. If I get
enough on tape, they won’t have any choice except to fire the guy.”

“Fire you more likely,” Mike said. “That might not be the best course of action.”

14
“If they fire me, I’ll sue their pants off,” Ginger laughed. “Who knows, maybe I can get
the shirt off their back, too like I did with Rick.”

Monday, December 8, 1997…

“Well, you can say you told me so,” Ginger said when she got home.

“What’s up?” Mike asked.

“I took the tapes to the Personnel Department and their response was to announce that
they’d had complaints from my boss about me and that I was being discharged for
wrongful conduct.” Ginger replied. “So, I packed my things and got the hell out of there.
I thought about what you told me last week and I went straight to an attorney who spe-
cializes in sexual harassment cases. He’s going to bring a suit for wrongful termination,
lost wages, damage to my reputation and punitive damages.”

“That could take years,” Mike replied. “You should have beat him to the punch, like I
suggested.”

“Mike, I don’t really have to work,” she replied. “I told you I got the shirt off Rick’s back,
didn’t I? Rick was pretty successful and I cleaned him out. Since I was working, that
money has been invested. I got into the bottom on this market boom we’ve had the past
few years and I have a healthy portfolio. However, I’d prefer to work, so I’ll get my re-
sume together tomorrow and look for a job.”

“I fixed a meatloaf using my mother’s recipe,” Mike replied, “I hope you like it.”

“Is it ready?” Ginger asked.

“As soon as the baked potatoes get done,” he replied.

“What did you do to keep busy today?” Ginger asked.

“I did my laundry and put away my clothes,” Mike replied. “Then I went to the gun stores
and window shopped. I didn’t really see anything I couldn’t live without so I checked out
electrical generators. After that, I checked on getting an after-market fuel tank installed
in my pickup. Then I came back and made the meatloaf.”

“Ping.”

“The potatoes should be done,” Mike said, “I’ll get them and the meatloaf and you can
get the salads out of the refrigerator.”

“A girl could get used to this,” Ginger chuckled.

15
“If it didn’t come out right, you can always drown it in catsup,” Mike suggested.

“Why were you looking at generators?” Ginger asked.

“Jack called and offered to sell me some vacant land next to his acreage up near Sedo-
na,” Mike replied.

“Can you afford that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Mike answered. “But, it’s something to think about. I’m doing better at the
gym and they moved up the setting on the exercise machines. That instructor I have
used to be a physical therapist and he’s working with me to overcome my handicap.”

“That’s good news, Mike,” she replied. “Will you be able to go back to work soon?”

“Maybe after the first of the year, Ginger,” Mike answered. “I can’t push too fast, he
says, or it will do more harm than good.”

“Hey I love this meatloaf,” she announced.

“Beginner’s luck, but it is good,” Mike agreed. “Tell me something, how do you keep that
figure of yours and eat the way you do?”

“You like my figure?” Ginger asked.

“Of course, but answer my question,” Mike responded.

“I have no idea Mike, it must just be my metabolism,” she shrugged.

Of course having a bottle of very good red wine to go with his humble offering hadn’t
hurt. Maybe it helped the meatloaf to taste better. After all, what can you do with 2
pounds of ground sirloin and some spices? After dinner, Ginger took a shower and then
changed into her nightgown. However, instead of the quilted bathrobe she had been
wearing, this time she came out wearing a lace-cup silk gown and silk kimono robe.
Mike was sitting on the sofa watching a movie on TV and didn’t notice. Ginger sat down
on the sofa and slid a little closer. Then he noticed and bruised his jaw on the floor.

“See anything you like?” Ginger asked.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Mike stammered.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Why don’t you take a shower and get into your robe and pajam-
as?” Ginger suggested.

(He shaved, too.)

16
°

Tuesday, December 9, 1997…

To be perfectly candid, Mike didn’t remember much of the night before. But, as you
might imagine they were both in his bed when he woke up the following morning. It had
been the wee small hours of the morning before they had fallen asleep, but he most cer-
tainly wasn’t tired. In fact, he felt like a whole new man. Any self-esteem issues he
might have had the evening when Ginger and he had met had disappeared. Ginger was
still sleeping so he got up, put on a pot of coffee and showered and shaved. A little later,
Ginger joined him.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while, but I didn’t want you to think that I was forward,” Gin-
ger commented.

“Yeah, me too,” Mike replied. “So what is on the agenda for today?”

“I’ll get cleaned up and work on my resume,” Ginger suggested. “Last night at dinner
you said something about Jack wanting to sell you some land. How much land and how
much an acre?”

“Jack said the land prices up near Sedona have really boomed,” Mike replied. “He of-
fered me 5 acres at $5,000 an acre.”

“It must be worth several times that,” Ginger replied.

“I’d guess about $20,000 an acre,” Mike suggested. “Maybe he’s trying to pay off an old
debt.”

“What would that be?” Ginger asked.

“When we were in Vietnam, we got into one hell of a firefight,” Mike explained. “He was
pinned down and I wasn’t. I used an M-79 to blow away the NVA that had him pinned. It
wasn’t a big deal, really. But, ever since, he has insisted that he owed me.”

“What battle was it?” Ginger asked.

“Nothing you’ll ever find in any history books,” Mike replied. “The war was almost over
and we were supposed to be going home. We did, too, a few weeks later.”

“The bottom line is that you can buy a $100,000 piece of property for $25,000, right?”
Ginger asked.

“Right, but I maybe have about $10,000 in the bank,” Mike replied.

17
“What if I could come up with the other $15,000?” Ginger asked.

“I wasn’t that good last night,” Mike laughed.

“Whatever,” Ginger said, “It’s an investment that would quadruple your money instantly.
I’m willing to put up all of the money, it is too good of a deal to pass up.”

“How about I put up $7,500 and you put up the rest?” Mike proposed. “I’ll pay you an
additional $5,000 and we’ll own the property equally.”

“You’ll never get me paid if all you’re getting is disability,” Ginger smiled.

“At least I have some income, you don’t even have a job,” Mike replied.

“Says who? I’ll have a new job before the end of the week,” she replied.

Monday, January 5, 1998…

“How did the first day back at work go?” Ginger asked.

“Good, but I’m tired from standing all day,” Mike replied. “How was your day?”

“The attorney called me at work,” Ginger said. “The Brokerage is beginning to talk set-
tlement.”

“Already?” Mike exclaimed. “If figured it would be 2010 before you got that suit settled.”

“They have an offer on the firm and it won’t fly if they have any pending litigation,” Gin-
ger explained.

“I’d say that puts you in the driver’s seat,” Mike smiled.

“What kind of an offer do you think I should accept?” Ginger asked.

“Gee, I’m not sure,” Mike replied. “You only lost a week of work and the new job pays
the same as the old one so I don’t see how you can prove some of your claims. You’re
alleging wrongful termination, lost wages, damage to your reputation and asking for pu-
nitive damages.”

“I was wrongfully terminated and I lost a week’s wages,” Ginger started to count her
losses. Once the case gets made public, it could damage my reputation. Besides, what
they did was wrong and they should be forced to pay some punitive damages.”

“What kind of offer did they make?” Mike asked.

18
“$10,000 Mike and the attorney will get 30% of that if we settle,” she replied.

“You would still have about 20 times the wages you lost,” he pointed out.

“But that’s small change to them and they won’t learn anything if I settle that low,” Gin-
ger replied.

“Honey, you could get a million dollars and they wouldn’t change their behavior,” Mike
said. “That guy still working there?”

“The last I heard, yes,” she replied.

“I don’t know what to tell you, what did your attorney suggest?” Mike asked.

“He’s going to work his way down from a quarter million.”

“Did he think they’d pay anything near that?” Mike asked.

“He said he could probably get them to settle for $100,000 plus attorney fees.”

“What? That much? Wow! Go for it,” Mike laughed.

Two weeks later, the suit was settled for $125,000 including the attorney fees. Ginger
received a check for $86,750. The attorney had gotten 30% of the settlement plus $750
in expenses. Ginger used the money to buy secure corporate debentures with a 10%
interest rate. Mike had reported his reemployment to the Social Security Administration
and they notified him that he had received his last disability check. He had repaid Gin-
ger $1,000 of the $5,000 he owed her on their purchase of the property from Jack and
was planning on paying her anywhere from $750 a month to $1,000 a month until they
owned the property equally. His new job paid about $17 per hour and he was clearing
around $450 a week. After he got the debt to Ginger paid off, Mike intended to ask her
to marry him.

Friday, February 6, 1998…

“There you go, $1,500,” Mike said handing Ginger a check. “That makes the balance I
owe you $2,500.”

“That doesn’t leave you a whole lot in the bank, does it?” she asked.

“I have just enough in the bank at the moment to pay my half of this month’s rent and to
pay you the balance I owe you,” he responded. “But, I have to keep some rainy day
money.”

19
“There’s no rush on paying me back,” she exclaimed. “You would be positively surprised
what my investments are doing.”

“That’s not the point, Ginger,” Mike replied. “A debt is a debt and until I have you repaid,
I’m not spending any money on anything else. Besides, I think that Internet bubble is
about to burst.”

“My broker agrees with you and we’ve been moving out of those stocks and into corpo-
rate debentures with high interest rates,” she replied. “We completed moving my money
into debentures as of the end of January. But, I’m going to need to pay a lot of taxes this
year and next.”

“Will that be a problem?” Mike asked.

“No, 30% of the money went into T-Bills so I could pay the taxes,” she explained. “Still, I
did very well over that 11 year period.”

Ginger didn’t offer any further information and Mike didn’t ask. It was none of his busi-
ness how much Ginger had. If he proposed and she accepted, he wanted to be able to
provide for the two of them relying solely on his income. Ginger also didn’t tell him that
she’d been discussing the possibility of converting all of her assets into gold. Her broker
told her that if they could buy gold near $250 an ounce, she could make a killing. That
was a little risky as far as she was concerned. But, she was keeping an open mind.

Friday, March 6, 1998…

“There you go, paid in full,” Mike grinned handing Ginger a check for $2,500. “That
makes me feel a lot better. And, here’s a check for my half of the March rent.”

“We should change our living arrangement,” Ginger said.

“What’s wrong with the arrangement we have?” Mike asked.

“Nothing really but do you think we need to maintain separate bedrooms?” she asked.

“Ginger I want to ask you to marry me, but I won’t do that until I can afford a proper
ring,” Mike answered.

“How much does a wedding band cost?” she asked.

“Not the band, the diamond,” Mike replied.

“Let me show you something,” she replied, getting up and heading to her bedroom.

20
“What do you think of that?” she asked tossing him a ring box.

“My God, how big is that stone?” Mike asked looking at the rock.

“A little over 2 carats. It’s classified as perfect and insured for about half of what I make
in a year,” she laughed. “Now if you can afford a simple ring, the answer is yes.”

Stop and think about this situation. You’ve heard a description of Ginger. 5’7 with a fig-
ure most women would kill for. Intelligent and she invested a whole lot of money 11
years before near the beginning of the Internet boom. Then, when someone got a little
too fresh, she sued and picked up another $86,000 give or take. She wears Victoria’s
Secret eveningwear and makes the models in the catalog look plain. When it comes to
eating out, she seems to prefer a moderately priced fare and she shoots a gun like An-
nie Oakley. Plus you and she own five acres of land near Sedona, Arizona.

A smart man would suggest they hop the next plane to Vegas. An idiot would be worried
that it wasn’t right if he didn’t give her that diamond. Listen, the people who run Vegas
aren’t stupid, either:

Las Vegas Marriage Bureau Hours

Monday through Thursday
8:00 am to 12:00 (Midnight)
Friday 8:00 am to Sunday 12:00 (Midnight)
Holidays Open 24 hours

Mike wasn’t stupid. That night Mike and Ginger turned in at the Luxor as Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Hanes. And the rings? Plain gold bands. There is one hell of a lot more to a
good marriage than a piece of compressed carbon. It didn’t hurt one bit that they were
madly in love with each other, either. It appeared that Ginger had it right; they would
have a new living arrangement after all.

21
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 3 – The Newlyweds

They married in such a hurry that neither of them thought about the pre-nuptial agree-
ment. Before they were married, Mike had given it a lot of thought and even consulted
with an attorney concerning the matter. For purposes of distributing assets after a di-
vorce, many states are community property states, meaning both the husband and wife
equally own all money earned by either one of them from the beginning of the marriage
until the date of separation. In addition, all property acquired during the marriage with
community money is deemed to be owned equally by both the wife and husband, re-
gardless of who purchased it. The separation date is important in this analysis, as it is
the last day when property is considered “community.” Debts work the same way as as-
sets - any debt accrued during the marriage belongs to both husband and wife equally.
Each spouse’s 50 percent ownership interest in community property includes equal
rights of management and control. There are ten community property states, including
California, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and
Wisconsin. In community property states, this is the property that is considered sepa-
rate, i.e. belonging to only one spouse. This usually includes anything owned prior to
marriage, inheritances, and anything a spouse earned after the date of separation. Edu-
cational loans can also count as “separate” debts, owned by only one spouse.

Mike had very little and aside from his pickup and firearms, the only thing he owned was
the half interest in the property up by Sedona with Ginger and the cash in his checking
account. The attorney advised that he open a new joint checking account and they keep
their old accounts. In the event that they married and anything went wrong later on, it
would make dividing up the community property relatively easy. What Mike didn’t know
was how big Ginger’s premarital assets were. Thinking Mike might ask her, she had
consulted an attorney too. He told her community property is property acquired by either
spouse during the marriage, except by gift, inheritance or as income from property
owned prior to the marriage.

In a dissolution of marriage, the community and jointly owned property is divided “equi-
tably” between the parties. Generally equitably is defined as equally. Community prop-
erty may be waived by a pre-marital agreement. Separate property is property owned
before the marriage, inheritances, gifts, and income from separate property. In dissolu-
tion of a marriage, each party is awarded his or her separate property. How much mon-
ey did Ginger have? Stick around it’s almost tax time and they’re filing a joint return the
following year for ‘99. Nothing stays secret forever.

Monday, March 9, 1998…

“Good morning,” Ginger said.

“I just had the strangest dream,” Mike replied.

“What was that?” Ginger asked.

22
“I dreamed that some beautiful redhead abducted me and dragged me to Las Vegas
and we got married,” Mike replied.

“It’s in our union contract,” Ginger replied.

“You know honey, we sort of rushed things,” Mike suggested. “We should have execut-
ed a prenuptial agreement to protect your assets.”

“We neither one have children and unless we adopt, we can’t expect to have any,” Gin-
ger replied. “So, if I die first, you might as well have what I have and vice versa. Be-
sides, did you forget how good of a shot I am?”

“Are you sure?” Mike asked. “You know of course that I only married you to get your
money.”

“I thought you were after my ass, not my assets,” Ginger laughed. “If I can’t keep your
attention, I deserve to lose the money.”

“It’s what’s up front that counts,” Mike said.

“Speaking of which,” she replied, “I agree totally.”

“I’ve got to get to work, I can’t afford to lose my job now that I have a wife to support,”
Mike said getting out of bed.

“Well, aren’t you interested in how much money we’re talking about?” Ginger asked.

“Not really, no,” Mike replied. “But the attorney I consulted suggested that we have a
joint bank account and separate bank accounts to handle our pre-marital assets. How
about we do that Friday after work?”

“See, I was right,” Ginger said, “Your really were after my ass, and not my assets.”

“Make some coffee while I hop in the shower, ok?” Mike suggested.

“Leave the water running,” she replied.

Mike was just slipping out of the shower when Ginger entered. This was going to take a
bit of getting used to. But, she was right, he didn’t really care how much money she had.
He had a lot of things on his mind because they’re getting married before he was really
ready had more or less upset his timetable. On the other hand, with a double income,
they should be able to get something built up at that property in Sedona. The country
was in real trouble because just this previous January, a story broke in the Washington
Post alleging that the President had an affair with a White House Intern. But, he’d prob-
ably get off, because his wife was supporting him.

23
°

Friday, March 13, 1998…

Mike had made a reservation for 7:30pm at McCormick & Schmick’s. After they finished
at the bank, they hurried home, bathed and dressed in jeans and western cut shirts.
They were running late and didn’t have time for cocktails. They were shown right to a
table where they talked about their day and agreed to run up to Sedona on Saturday.

Saturday morning when they got up, they had breakfast and hopped into Mike’s truck to
make the trip to the property. Jack was just coming out of the door of his adobe when
they arrived.

“Hey, what’s new,” Jack said.

“Ginger and I got married last weekend in Vegas,” Mike announced.

“Do I get to kiss the bride?” Jack asked.

“Just don’t squeeze anything,” Ginger said giving Jack his kiss.

“What brings the two of you up here?” Jack asked shaking Mike’s hand.

“Came to look at the property,” Mike said. “I have responsibilities now and I was thinking
about building an Adobe.”

“You’ll need a backup generator, you know,” Jack responded.

“What about a wind turbine?” Mike asked.

“Sorry pal, the ridge crests are only rated a 3 and the area right around here is a 1,”
Jack replied. “PV might work, how big of an Adobe were you planning on building?”

“Hadn’t given it much thought, Jack, how big is yours?” Mike replied.

“About 1,200 square feet,” Jack said. “If you build it square, you’ll maximize the square
feet.”

“I know, I was a roofer for 20 years,” Mike mentioned.

“On the other hand, if you make it rectangular with a southern exposure, you can put a
PV array on the roof,” Jack continued. “You’ll have to slope it up about 30° so that
should give you the greatest size array.”

“I’ll make some calculations,” Mike said. “How expensive is the PV?”

24
“It can get expensive, partner,” Jack pointed out. “You need PV panels, charge control-
lers, batteries and inverters. Plus, you’ll still need a small generator for when the sun
doesn’t shine. Come on, I’ll show you the 5-acre plot you bought.”

“There are the 5-acres,” Jack pointed. “I had it surveyed and the surveyor put in the
boundary stakes. You’ll need to grade an access into the acreage but that won’t be a
problem since its right next to the road. Now, if you really plan to use adobe, I have
some info at how about how to make durable bricks. I’ll go get it for you.”

Recipe for Six Adobe Bricks

Time required: about one month (most of it waiting for bricks to dry).
Cost: little or nothing

Materials:

• One five-gallon bucket

• One mixing stick or old wooden spoon
• ½ bucket of adobe clay
• ¼ bucket of sand
• ⅛ bucket of straw cut into two-to-three-inch pieces
• Enough water to make a dough-like consistency
• Six empty half-gallon waxed milk containers OR six 4 x 11 x 22 inch wooden brick
molds, which can be made from 2-by-4s nailed together
• Waterproof tape

Directions:

• Thoroughly mix the adobe clay, sand and straw in the bucket; add only enough water
to create a workable consistency.
• You can use either the wooden brick molds or the waxed ½-gallon milk cartons. To
make the molds from the latter, cut one side from the carton (which becomes the open
top of the brick mold). Cut and flatten the folded spout end and tape the carton firmly
into a rectangular shape.
• Pack the brick mixture into the cartons, filling each about two-thirds full. In 15 minutes
to 24 hours, the brick will be firm enough to tip out. Each batch is different. You will have
to judge when your mix will maintain a brick shape.
• Place shaped bricks in a sunny location and turn repeatedly as they dry. (A completely
dry brick is uniform in color, inside and out.)

The wall thickness of California adobes varied from about two feet to five feet. The
higher the walls, the thicker they were built. Because of this thickness, the inside tem-
perature of an adobe remains fairly constant and comfortable year-round.

“What do you think, Ginger?” Mike asked after they’d looked at the recipe for adobe
bricks.

25
“I think I’d better plan on wearing rubber gloves and spend all summer weekends here
in Sedona,” she smiled. “How many bricks do you think the house will take?”

“If we change the brick dimensions to 4”x12” by 24” and build a square home with walls
about 36’ long, I’d guess were talking 144 lineal feet by about 8’ high,” he replied. “Now,
based on the end area of the bricks, that would be somewhere in the vicinity of 3,500
bricks. There’s really no reason we have to wait until summer, Ginger. We could pick up
the materials during the week and come up here every weekend. Assuming we have
the mixture dry enough, we might be able to make 2 batches of bricks a day. So, it
would just depend on how many molds we have and how much mix we could produce
at a time. If we could manage 200 bricks a weekend, we could have the bricks all cast
and cured by July or August. Eighteen weekends counting the first weekend to build the
forms and develop the correct consistency.”

“And the cost?” Ginger asked.

“Maybe a couple of hundred for materials and some bales of straw,” Mike replied. “We
might be better off if we got a cement mixer to mix the adobe.”

“I have a better idea, Mike,” Ginger said. “I have that money from that sexual harass-
ment suit. Why don’t we buy a manufactured home and set it on a basement?”

“It would be a lot easier,” Mike replied. “But that’s your money so it’s up to you to make
that kind of decision.”

“Mike, it was found money that I did nothing to earn,” Ginger replied. “Let’s run into Se-
dona and see if they have a mobile home dealer.”

“Sure, honey,” Mike said. “I could use some lunch anyway, how about you?”

“Famished. We’d better get a motel while we’re at it, don’t you think?” she suggested.

“Good idea.”

As it happened, there were no mobile home dealers in Sedona, but there were 3 in
Flagstaff. Mike and Ginger had lunch and spent the remainder of the day being tourists
in Sedona. The following morning they got up, cleaned up and had breakfast. Then,
they checked out of the motel and drove the 30 miles to Flagstaff. The home that took
their fancy was the Fleetwood Entertainer Series Model 4723B, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
and 1,919ft³. They told the dealer they were interested in the 4723B and they would be
back in a week or so to discuss the matter further.

“I really like the floor plan of that home,” Ginger said.

“If that’s the case, I hope they can order one,” Mike responded.

26
“Why couldn’t they?” Ginger asked.

“One of the salesmen mentioned that they were featuring the Model 0603B, 3 Bed-
rooms, 2 Baths and 1,764 Square Feet,” Mike replied.

“Honey, money talks and BS walks,” Ginger laughed. “I found the house I want and if
they can’t produce, we’ll find a Phoenix dealer who can.”

“What about putting it on a basement?” Mike asked.

“That was my idea,” she replied. “We could store the batteries and equipment for the PV
system in the basement.”

“We’ll probably need a well,” he continued.

“Yes, and a septic system, too,” she added. “So what? Like I said, it’s just a little present
from my former employer for showing off my boobs.”

“Are you really sure you want to spend that money on a vacation home?” Mike persist-
ed.

“The more you try to talk me out of it, the more determined I’m becoming.”

“If that’s the case, what would you say to our coming back up on Saturday, April 4th?”
Mike asked.

“I’ll tell you what, since I’m paying for the home, why don’t you just leave it to me, Gin-
ger suggested.

“Sure, as long as I can have the type of basement I want,” Mike replied.

“I bet I can guess,” Ginger laughed. “You want walls about a foot thick and enough con-
crete on the top to make the place safe from radiation. Am I close?”

“You pretty much read my mind,” Mike replied. “Could I suggest that we build the base-
ment to whatever specs I come up with and I’ll pay the difference in cost between those
specs and a regular basement? That way, I could have whatever I dream up and it
wouldn’t cost you any extra.”

“Mike, I’d imagine that paying cash for a home would eliminate most of the tax ad-
vantage we’d have since there wouldn’t be any interest to pay,” Ginger countered. “Let’s
wait and see if I can get that home I want and how far the money from that lawsuit will
stretch. I’ll put in whatever kind of basement you want and when we run out of the funds
from the lawsuit, we can get a loan to pay for extra equipment you or I might want and
those PV panels. That would give us a little tax shelter since it would be a home im-

27
provement loan. I have a lot to consider when it comes to taxes, you’re going to choke
when you find out what our tax bills are this year and next. Don’t forget, I set aside 30%
of the money I made to cover the capital gains.”

“I guess I can live with that if you can,” Mike replied after a little thought. “You handle
the house and my fancy basement and I’ll look into the photovoltaics. Next time we go
up to Sedona, let’s take our firearms. We haven’t had a lot of time for practice and Jack
has a 600-yard range on his property.”

“I like a reasonable man who can take suggestions,” Ginger snuggled a little closer.

Saturday, March 21, 1998…

“Ginger, I talked to a PV dealer during the week and he has a used, but almost new,
system for sale,” Mike explained. “Some guy had it installed but then lost his financing.
It is a 10kw system and here’s a list of what the system includes:”

16 – KC120 PV Panels (Kyrocera Solar is the manufacturer - 120 watts per panel)
4 – Two Seas KC quad mounts (adjustable from 30 to 60 degrees elevation)
1 – Trace SW 4048 sine wave programmable inverter
1 – Brand Power Meter with high amp probe (with Voltage, Power Factor, Peak and
RMS Power)
2 – Trimetric 2020 metering systems, each with a precision amp shunt (one to monitor
the batteries and one to monitor the solar power produced)
1 – Trace TC-60 solar controller (can handle up to 28 of the 120 watt panels)
1 – RV Solar Boost 3048 Solar Power Control Unit (handles 12 of the 16 panels – used
to boost the panels output during cooler temperatures)
1 – Quick disconnect box for the RV 3048 unit
3 – temperature controllers (two for the two Trace units and one for the RV 3048 unit)
24 – L16 C commercial batteries (US Battery is manufacturer - 395 AH each)
2 – main power limiting fuses
1 – set of 0 copper power cables (Red Cables used to hook the 24 batteries together)
72 – Special drain back battery caps (Green and Yellow caps)
1 – 48 volt Sulfator (eliminates the need to periodically equalize batteries)
1 – Remote digital temperature probe and readout
7 – 100’ of #10 copper wire pairs (to carry the current from the panels to the controllers)
Includes all necessary mounting hardware and electrical boxes (minus the auxiliary tie
in panel and quick disconnect switch required by AZ and CA power companies).

Includes two 2’ × 4’ Battery Covers/Protectors

Panels and batteries to be set up in a 48-volt dc configuration. Inverter produces 120

volts ac 60 HZ power, and locks onto the line voltage when available.

28
The batteries weigh about 115# each. The inverter weighs about 110# and the panels
weigh about 25# each. Total weight is about 3400#. The panels are each approximately
5’×2.5’.

“That’s a lot of equipment,” Ginger said after going over the list. “What does he want for
it?”

“He’ll sell it for the balance due,” Mike replied. “The system cost the guy $57,000 and he
put 30% down, leaving a balance of $40,000. The state will exempt the purchase from
sales tax and we would get a state income tax credit of $1,000. The equipment qualifies
for a federal home loan program. The rate of return on the investment was 28% before
you figure the discount because of what the guy put down.”

“I think we should buy it, Mike,” Ginger said. “Do you agree?”

“Yes.”

“Here’s what I worked out on the home with that dealer, Home Seasons, in Flagstaff,”
she went on. “We can have the basement put in with 1’ thick walls and a 1’ thick con-
crete ceiling supported by I beams, 6’ of compacted earth over that, the well in the
basement with pump and tank, driveway access, and the home assembled in place for
$75,000. That will include a propane stove and furnace, and dishwasher. We will need
to buy a refrigerator and a freezer plus furniture. That debenture will bring me $95,000
net because of the accrued interest and the market fluctuation. If we spend $10,000 on
furnishings including the refrigerator and freezer, we can still put $10,000 against the
PV system and only finance $30,000.”

“So, we’ll have a new 2,000 square foot home sitting on a shelter, completely furnished
and energy independent and only owe $30,000?” he summarized.

“Right.”

“Let’s do it.”

“I agree,” she said. “You call the solar dealer and then I’ll call the guy in Flagstaff.”

With the extra $10,000 down on the solar equipment, Mike and Ginger qualified for a
10-year, 8% loan to finance the solar equipment. The monthly payment would be $364
and there was no prepayment penalty so they could make double or even triple pay-
ments if they had the extra cash. To illustrate how early payments might benefit you, it
only takes 7 years to pay off a 30-year mortgage if you double the payments. If they
doubled the payments, they could pay the 10-year loan off in less than 5 years but
wouldn’t have to worry if they had extra expenses some month.

Ginger made 2 calls, the first was to her broker at home who she instructed to dispose
of the debenture on the following Monday. Her second call was to the dealer in Flag-

29
staff. She told him she would wire the funds to pay for the entire project when she re-
ceived them, which would be approximately on the 30th of March. When she got off the
phone they discussed getting a large propane tank from a Flagstaff dealer and going
out to dinner that night to celebrate their purchase of a new home. Being newlyweds,
they managed to find time to go to the range after a couple hours of fooling around.

“You managed to thoroughly embarrass me at the range, dear,” Mike said.

“You should have kept you mind on your shooting instead of patting me on the behind,”
Ginger smiled.

“Where would you like to go for dinner?”

“Let’s eat Chinese tonight,” she replied.

Friday, March 27, 1998…

“Mike we got the check from the brokerage today, how about we drive up to Flagstaff
tomorrow and pay for the house?” Ginger asked. “While we’re there, we could look for
furniture and for that refrigerator and freezer.”

“That sounds good, would you like to take our rifles and do some shooting at Jack’s
range?” Mike asked.

“I don’t think so, no,” she replied. “I get the feeling that guy is undressing me when he
looks at me.”

“He probably is, Ginger, that’s just the way he is. Would you like me to speak to him
about it?” Mike asked.

“Not really, sweetheart,” she replied. “But I hope you won’t mind if we don’t spend a lot
of time with him.”

“It’s nice to be looked at but not to be visually groped, huh?” Mike asked.

“Exactly,” she replied. “Unless you’re doing the groping.”

“I can manage that,” Mike smiled.

“Later, if we hurry, we can still catch Happy Hour and get a cheap burger and fries.”

Ginger deposited the check in her premarital checking account. She had a substantial
balance in the account having sold some T-Bills because of her forthcoming tax bill. She
was amused that Mike had never shown any interest in her financial affairs. She knew

30
that he had about 10 grand in the savings account that he converted his premarital
checking account to. The truth was they could retire any time they took the notion and
never work again. She was still watching the price of gold, waiting for it to drop to $250
an ounce. Maybe she should suggest that if she bought gold, Mike should consider buy-
ing some pre-65 silver coins. It didn’t make much sense to her to put in a bomb shelter
and not be completely prepared.

Saturday, March 28, 1998…

The Flagstaff dealer had ordered the home but hadn’t started on the basement because
he didn’t have his funds. With Ginger’s check in hand, he assured her that they could
start on Monday. After they left the dealer’s they had lunch and then went shopping for
the appliances and furniture. She had it wrong on the house; it came with a built-in large
screen TV, a microwave and side-by-side refrigerator with ice and water in the door.
But, they still needed a refrigerator and freezer for the basement and while they were at
it, maybe a microwave too. They had 3 bedrooms to furnish plus a living room, family
room and dining room. The master bedroom had a separate sitting area so that meant a
couple of recliners or a loveseat.

Did you ever try to furnish a new home completely from scratch? They bought a new
king-sized bedroom suite, a TV and 2 recliners for the master bedroom/sitting area.
Next they bought a queen-sized bedroom suite for one of the spare bedrooms. Then,
there was that freezer space in the utility room and they bought a 21 cubic foot upright
freezer. The dining area got a table, 6 chairs and a china hutch. It took 2 recliners, a so-
fa and 3 tables to do the family room plus a sofa, 2 end tables, a coffee table and two
additional chairs to furnish the living room. They agreed to move Mike’s new bedroom
suite up to the house to furnish the other bedroom.

But wait, they still had a basement to furnish. This required one of those built-in combos
that included a sink, stove, refrigerator and microwave plus a chest type freezer. Are we
dizzy yet? That left the basement devoid of any furniture but they’d already gone
through 20 grand. Maybe, Ginger suggested, it was time to start looking for some good
used furniture to finish off the basement. Mike agreed but in the back of his mind there
were thoughts of a standby residential generator for when the sun didn’t shine and pos-
sibly some food to store in that new basement. Plus, that extra 10 grand on furniture ei-
ther meant that he was going to have to empty his savings account or Ginger was going
to need to tap into her tax money. Right?

“Nice stuff,” Ginger said writing the check without batting an eye.

“Dear, just how much money is in that account of yours?” Mike asked.

“Enough,” Ginger smiled. “You had your chance to find out what I had back when we
got married. Now, you’re just going to have to sit back and watch me spend all of my
hard earned money.”

31
“Well, I was thinking about spending that money I had in my saving account to put in a
standby residential generator,” Mike said.

“Ok, good idea,” Ginger laughed.

“But, we have to put that 10 grand down on the solar system,” he replied.

“I talked that over with my tax accountant and the benefits of financing that system
aren’t really outweighed by paying cash,” Ginger said. “I’m going to pay that off, too.”

“But that’s $40 thousand,” Mike sputtered.

“That’s one of the things that I like about you honey, you have a good memory,” Ginger
laughed. “We haven’t signed the loan papers, yet so I’m going to pay it off.”

Are you keeping score? Property $25, House $75, Furnishings $20 and Solar $40.
Then, there’s the Koehler 30REOZJB diesel residential standby generator that Mike
wants and the basement is basically unfurnished and there’s no food in the house. Gin-
ger got divorced in 1987 and she invested the net settlement of $100,000 in high-risk
Internet stocks. She cleared out those investments in late ‘97 and early ‘98 and put the
money in very low risk corporate debentures. Her average earnings rate for the 11-year
period was 23% (per year) net before capital gains taxes. Just how rich is the redhead-
ed bombshell with the nice bod?

32
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 4 – The House

Ginger winced a little when she had to write the check to pay her ‘97 taxes. She ex-
pected a hit, but this was every bit as bad as she imagined. Mike got a refund from his
‘97 return. He socked it away in his premarital account until he could blow it on the
Kohler 30REOZJB generator. They were getting progress reports and the contractor
had dug the hole for the basement, had a deep well drilled and had done the pour. An
issue came up about sealing off the basement and Mike had contacted Utah Shelter
Systems and ordered the Swiss blast door and the LUWA air system. Ginger hadn’t
winced when she’d written that check, at least not that Mike saw.

Mike didn’t know that Ginger would have willingly spent every dime to her name if the
situation called for it. Rick and she had gotten married and he’d got successful quickly.
At the time she assumed that he was putting in the long hours over some insane desire
to accumulate all the money in the world. Some men worship God; others worship
Mammon. Only Rick spelled Mammon M-O-N-E-Y. She was pregnant with their first
child and Rick wasn’t happy, constantly complaining that babies cost too much. He be-
gan to work longer hours and Ginger didn’t realize that not all of those hours weren’t
spent in his lust for money. Near the beginning of her second trimester, Ginger began to
have problems. One lonely night, with Rick nowhere to be found, she realized she was
in trouble and called 911.

Rick eventually showed up at the hospital but only after she’d lost the baby and the doc-
tors were forced to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. Some men just naturally
wear their emotions all over their face and Ginger thought she detected not sorrow but
glee in Rick’s eyes. It wasn’t more than 6 months later that she’d come home early and
caught him and some bimbo in the sack. Still smarting from the loss of her baby and his
cavalier attitude made something snap and she went after his God with a vengeance.
What she didn’t get, the lawyer got and she put that bum out on the street where he be-
longed.

Ginger didn’t want the money for the sake of having money so she got with a broker and
invested it in the Internet. At the time, she just hoped that she’d lose every dime, but
things turned out quite differently. 1989 had proven to be a very good time to make in-
vestments in the technology sector. That $100,000 had slowly grown until in late ‘97 the
broker suggested that the boom might be over and they moved the money to Fortune
200 corporate debentures. The rate of income fell from 23% to 10%, but her money was
now very safe. Ginger’s $100k had grown to just a little short of $800 thousand by the
end of ‘97.

Knowing the real story about Ginger and her money made it easier to understand Gin-
ger as a person and why she felt the way she did about her money. Every check she
wrote was another slap in the face to the SOB that she’d been married to. This new
husband, Mike, was as unpretentious as a man could be. Maybe it was because he was
a working man who earned a living with the sweat of his brow and whose sole interest in
money seemed to be to have whatever it took to care for her. In any event, after the

33
taxman was done with her, that big nest egg had a bit of a crack in its shell. The old
saying that money couldn’t by happiness might be true, but it could most certainly pro-
vide for your long-term security.

Sedona is red rock country and through the years was becoming quite the tourist attrac-
tion. The nearest large city was Flagstaff about 30 miles to the north. And, if you lived
there and needed something that Flagstaff didn’t offer, Phoenix was only a 2-hour drive
away. On May 2, 1998, Mike and Ginger drove up to Sedona to see their new home.
The mobile home dealer had provided the furniture dealer with a key and Ginger had
provided written instructions and a hand drawn diagram of where they wanted the furni-
ture placed.

“How’s it going?” Mike asked the contractor who was overseeing final installation of the
blast door in the north end of the basement.

“You the owner?” the contractor asked.

“Yes, my name is Mike Hanes and this is my wife Ginger,” Mike made introductions.

“Never saw a bomb shelter like the one you’ve constructed Mr. Hanes,” the contractor
replied offering his hand. “I’m Jim Hanson, by the way. We don’t have instructions how
you want to access this door of yours, can you help me out?”

“Call me Mike,” Mike began. “What I’d like is a passageway to the northeast corner of
the house. You can turn the corner there and build a ramp up to ground level. As far as
an entrance to the passageway goes, I’d like a pair of storm doors constructed out of
that plate they use to cover holes in highways.”

“Mike those doors will weigh several hundred pounds, you’d never be able to lift them,”
Jim replied.

“Sure I can, Jim, after you’ve installed either some sort of spring loading or hydraulic
cylinders,” Mike grinned.

“You want to use springs to counter balance the weight? Yeah, that makes sense, I can
handle that,” Jim replied. “I’ll have to order some things and it might be a couple of
weeks before I can get the basement finished.”

“There’s no hurry here, it is better to take your time and get it right,” Mike smiled. “Say,
you wouldn’t happen to know the name of a good electrician who could handle the in-
stallation of my PV array and backup generator would you?”

“I might know just the guy you’re looking for,” Jim said. “He’s from Flagstaff and does
quite a few solar installations. I might have his card in my wallet. Uh, yes, here you go;
give Ralph a call, I’d imagine he can do whatever you need done.”

34
“See Mike, everyone has a union,” Ginger poked Mike in the ribs.

“Jim could you handle a 2-car detached garage for us?” Mike asked.

“No problem, where do you want it?”

“Put it at the east end of the house, ok?” Mike replied.

“Anything special or just a conventional garage?” Jim asked.

“Regular garage with a roll up overhead door and a small entrance door in the south
corner of the west side,” Mike replied. “Make it big enough to hold a Hummer.”

“And a sidewalk to the front door or both doors of the house?” Jim was making notes.

“Might as well go to both doors,” Mike replied.

“I’m going to look at my new house while the two of you visit,” Ginger interrupted.

“You’ll need these,” Jim said handing Ginger the keys.

“Make that ramp a gentle slope would you Jim?” Mike asked. “Maybe you can put those
doors just to the east of the back door to the house.”

“How wide do you want this passageway?” Jim asked. “That will make for a sharp turn
at the northeast corner of the house.”

“Gee, I don’t know, Jim,” Mike replied. “I have a lot of things to move down to the shel-
ter.”

“Well I’ll make it 6’ wide all the way from the outside entrance to that fancy door of
yours,” Jim suggested. “Do you need an estimate of the costs of everything?”

“Nah, I think maybe I married John D. Rockefeller’s ex-wife,” Mike chuckled. “I’d better
go look at her new furniture before I get myself in the dog house. We’ll be back 2 weeks
from today, will everything be done?”

“It should be, I’ve got your number and I’ll give you a call when it’s finished,” Jim replied.

“Ginger is everything ok?” Mike asked.

“I even drew them a diagram,” Ginger pouted. “Everything needs to be moved. Go ask
the contractor if he can spare a man for a few minutes so we can set it up right,
please?”

35
“Jim, could one of your people help Ginger move some furniture?” Mike asked. “I broke
my back last year falling off a roof and I can’t lift any weights.”

“Hey, no problem. Bill, give me a hand and let’s go move the lady’s furniture,” Jim re-
plied. “I wish I had a bad back, my wife has me moving something all of the time. Your
wife is very attractive, does she get hassled a lot?”

“Must not, she hasn’t shot anyone that I know of,” Mike laughed.

“She shoots, too?” Jim replied wide-eyed. “Some guys have all of the luck.”

Mike was tempted to say, “You’ll never know,” but that would probably be saying too
much. It took about 45 minutes to get all of the furniture placed exactly where Ginger
wanted it. After Jim and Bill left, she was standing in the utility room with a puzzled look
on her face.

“Something’s missing,” Ginger said.

“What?” Mike asked.

“We forgot to buy a washer and dryer,” she replied. “And, we need pillows and bed lin-
ens for the 2 beds. Let’s go to Flagstaff.”

“Ok Mrs. Rockefeller,” Mike quipped.

“What did you say?” Ginger snapped.

“I was joking, honey, and I said ok, Mrs. Rockefeller,” Mike explained.

“Sit down and let me explain the facts of life to you,” Ginger snapped again.

Ginger was clearly po’d and for the next hour she told Mike her entire story about the
baby, the money and everything. Her anger had turned to tears and about then, Mike
was feeling like a real jerk. You can imagine the shock when he learned that Ginger had
about ¾ of a million dollars left. All of this was bound to come out sooner or later and
Mike had just inadvertently forced the issue. He ended up spending another hour com-
forting Ginger and trying to make amends. Even a casual observer would have seen
that had Mike been able to get his hands on Rick, Rick was a dead man. Except, that
was already the case. Rick got caught in some guy’s bed and he didn’t throw Rick and
the wife out. This was Arizona where lots of people carry guns and Rick had been push-
ing up daisies for about 5 years.

“Are we ready to go to Flagstaff?” Mike asked.

“Let me fix my makeup,” Ginger replied.

36
“God I’m so sorry about everything Ginger, I had no idea,” Mike commented. “I sur-
prised that you didn’t shoot him yourself.”

“Didn’t have that King Cobra back in those days, Mike,” she replied. “I bought that later
and learned to shoot it so if I married another SOB, he get what was coming to him.”

Women have such a subtle way of sending messages, don’t they? That message was
about as subtle as a hand grenade. However, considering what Mike had been through
with Cheryl it wasn’t needed. It did alter their relationship ever so slightly. If it were pos-
sible for a man to be more attentive than Mike had been, it happened to them. And, no
doubt Ginger pouring out all of her anger over the lost baby and cheating husband put
some distance between those events and the present. It also made Mike realize that
money was just a commodity. Yep, a whole lot changed on Saturday, May 2, 1998 in
Sedona, Arizona. Before the weekend was over, they had the new washer and dryer,
bed linens, Koehler 30kw generator and had hired the electrician, Ralph, to install the
PV array, generator and all of the equipment in the basement. And they lived happily
ever after. Yeah right, in a pig’s eye. But everything was out in the open and the rela-
tionship flourished.

Saturday, May 16th, 1998…

Mike had rented a U-Haul trailer and they’d loaded the extra bedroom suite to finish fur-
nishing the home up in Sedona. Jim was waiting when they arrived and Bill and he un-
loaded the trailer and set up the furnishings for the extra bedroom. He had an itemized
statement and Ginger wrote him a check. Mike had a bit of a catch in his back from
loading the trailer but dismissed it as a strained muscle. They had lights now and all
they needed to be able to live in the house was a propane tank and propane. Jim
showed them that with his spring arrangement the doors to the shelter were balanced to
the point that they didn’t appear to weigh any more than a 36” hollow-core door. He had
also installed a latch in 3 places so that once you were inside; you could bar the door
against any possible intruder.

Ralph had left a statement on the dining room table and after Mike and Ginger checked
out the basement, she wrote Ralph a check and they went to Sedona to mail the check
and have lunch. After lunch, Mike went to a drug store and bought a small jar of Mineral
Ice. When they got back to the house, he asked Ginger to rub some on the sore mus-
cles in his back.

“You want to run up to Flagstaff and see about the propane?” Ginger asked.

“I guess we’d better, honey, nothing is going to work until we get the propane,” Mike re-
plied.

37
The propane dealer in Flagstaff was willing to classify the acreage as agricultural but
they weren’t willing to put in the 10,000-gallon tank that Mike wanted. Ginger resolved
the matter with her usual flair and the tank would be delivered and installed the following
week. When they got back to Sedona, Mike suggested that they go back to the house,
hook up the trailer and drive back to Phoenix because he still had that catch in his back
and it seemed to be getting worse. It was after dark by the time they got back to Phoe-
nix and turned the trailer in. When they got to the apartment, Mike took a hot shower
and got out a heating pad to cook the soreness out of his muscles.

Sunday morning…

“Ginger, wake up,” Mike said softly.

“What is it honey?” she asked rolling over.

“I can’t get up,” he replied.

“What’s wrong, Mike?” Ginger

“I don’t know, I can’t get up,” he repeated.

“I’ll call 911,” she said.

“Maybe you’d better,” he replied, clearly frightened.

Monday, May 18th, 1998…

“Mr. Hanes? I’m Doctor Robert Russell and I’m an orthopedic surgeon,” the doctor in-
troduced himself. “Your wife tells me that you fell off a roof in April of 1997 and were
hospitalized for quite some time, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Mike answered.

“What hospital were you in?” Russell asked.

Granada Hills Hospital, Granada Hills, California,” Mike replied.

“Do you remember your doctor’s name?” Russell asked.

“Dr. James Long,” Mike responded. “Am I going to be all right?”

“We’ll keep you immobilized and run an MRI tomorrow,” Russell replied. “Right now, I
have to talk to Dr. Long and get your history. Are you comfortable?”

38
“As comfortable as I can be in these circumstances, yes,” Mike replied.

“That attractive wife of yours is waiting to see you, I’ll send her in,” Russell smiled.

You always know you’re in trouble when surgeons smile. That’s when they begin to
think about the possible fees they’re going to get when they fix whatever little problem
you’re having. Dr. Russell was grinning from ear-to-ear. Or maybe, he was just undress-
ing Ginger in his mind. Nah, doctors don’t do that, do they?

“Hi honey,” Ginger said.

“I must have tweaked my back a little worse than I thought,” Mike tried to smile.

“Does it hurt?” Ginger asked.

“Numb,” Mike replied.

“Maybe you pinched something,” Ginger suggested.

“You’d think by the time a man got to be 50 years old he’d know better than to go
against doctor’s orders,” Mike observed.

“What did Dr. Russell say?” Ginger asked.

“Just that they were going to keep me immobilized and run an MRI tomorrow,” Mike ex-
plained. “I gave him the name of the hospital and doctor who treated me last year in
California.”

“What exactly did you do to your back?” Ginger asked.

“I think they said I fractured 2 vertebrae,” Mike replied. “But, they went in and fixed
them, so I should have been ok.”

“What exactly did that doctor in California tell you last year?” Ginger asked.

“He said something like, there doesn’t appear to be any serious permanent damage, but
your working days are over,” Mike said. I asked him if there isn’t any serious permanent
damage, why couldn’t I work. His response was something like, he didn’t say there
wasn’t any damage, just that it wasn’t too serious or of a permanent nature. Physical
therapy would help me some but I’d never be able to lift heavy weights or bend over like
that job that I had required.”

“Maybe your back didn’t heal correctly or maybe they couldn’t fix all of the damage,”
Ginger suggested.

“Could be honey, but they should have told me that. They didn’t,” Mike replied.

39
°

“Mr. Hanes? I’m here to take you for your MRI,” the orderly said. “I’ll get someone to
help lift your backboard onto the gurney.”

At Mike’s insistence, Ginger had gone to work. The lady was not a happy camper be-
cause she wanted to be at the hospital when the doctors announced what was wrong
with her husband. After work she drove straight to the hospital. Mike was in his room
and the doctors were nowhere to be seen.

“What did the doctors say?” Ginger asked.

“Hi, I love you too,” Mike laughed. “Nothing honey, they haven’t been in to see me since
I had the MRI this morning.”

“Sorry, but I’ve been worried about you all day,” she replied.

“Ah, Mrs. Hanes, I’m glad you’re here,” Dr. Russell said entering the room. “I got your
MRI’s from the hospital in California around noon and I’ve talked to Dr. Long. He tells
me that he told you that you couldn’t work.”

“Dr. Long said that I’d have to stop being a roofer because of the bending over and the
lifting of weights,” Mike replied. “I think he said that I’d have to get into a different line of
work and I did.”

“What do you do now?” Russell asked.

“I’m a parts man and the job doesn’t involve lifting anything heavy,” Mike replied.

“I’ve looked at both sets of MRI’s and it appears that you have some osteoporosis, Mr.
Hanes,” Russell explained. “That prevented the previous injury from healing completely
and whatever you did resulted in one of those vertebra re-fracturing along the same
lines as the previous injury. This one is a bit complicated for my background, would you
have any objections if I brought a specialist in from California?”

“Honey, what do you think?” Mike asked.

“What specialist?” Ginger asked.

“A Doctor Taban from Northridge,” Russell replied. “He’s a neurosurgeon and one of the
best in the country.”

“Do it,” Ginger said.

40
Question: What happens if you are injured at work and the insurance carrier pays to
have your injuries fixed only to have those injuries crop up at a later time when that car-
rier no longer covers you?

Answer: The insurance carrier pays the freight anyway unless they can prove that you
did something wrong. And, any lost wages relating to the injury are covered by work-
man’s compensation from your previous employer. (In my humble not so legal opinion.)

The doctor from Northridge, California flew in on Thursday. He examined the MRI’s and
all of the lab work that had been done on Mike’s blood.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hanes, I’m Doctor Asher Taban,” the doctor introduced himself. “I’ve ex-
amined all of the MRI’s and the lab work and I believe that there is a chance we can do
something. The fracture of the vertebra is impinging on your spinal column producing a
temporary paralysis. Because of the osteoporosis, we are going to need to use drugs to
promote the production of calcium and regeneration of that vertebra. To accomplish
this, I will need to implant a steel rod and it must remain in place until the vertebra is
completely healed.”

“How long will that take?” Mike asked.

“Perhaps a year,” Dr. Taban replied.

“What about the paralysis?” Mike asked.

“I would imagine that once your spinal column is no longer being impinged that you will
recover use of your legs,” Taban replied. “However, I can’t tell you how long that will
take.”

“After it’s healed, I would strongly recommend that you no longer work,” the doctor re-
plied. “Were you on disability after the previous injury?”

“For a few months, yes,” Mike replied.

“I’m going to prepare a letter for the Social Security Administration indicating that your
condition is not a new condition but an extension of the previous injury,” Taban ex-
plained. “Mrs. Hanes, could you do whatever is necessary to get you husband back on
Disability?”

“Consider it done,” Ginger replied.

“Ok, I will perform surgery tomorrow and we’ll see how fast we can get you back on your
feet Mr. Hanes,” Taban said.

“Don’t you dare tell me I can’t be here tomorrow,” Ginger said in that tone.

41
“Honey I wouldn’t think of it,” Mike agreed.

“You’ll be ok,” Ginger said.

“I’m sure of it; did you say that to reassure me or you?” Mike asked.

“Yes.”

42
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 5 – The Surgery

Remember that Agent Orange back in Vietnam? Dioxin is a persistent organochlorine

pollutant. One of the side effects was that sometimes it interfered with bones healing.
“Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POP) have, in animal studies, impaired normal
bone metabolism and resulted in increased bone fragility. Especially considering the
dramatic increases in osteoporotic fractures in western societies during the last dec-
ades, it is a pertinent question whether a high dietary intake of POP might pose a risk
for deteriorated bone quality in humans. This problem has been assessed as a part of
the collaborative project “COMPARE”, funded by European Commission RD Life Sci-
ence Program. As a study base we have used cohorts of Swedish fishermen’s families.
We have earlier shown that fishermen living at the east coast of Sweden have a high
consumption of contaminated fatty fish from the Baltic Sea and consequently relatively
high exposure levels for various POPs, also compared with fishermen from the Swedish
west coast. Such a discrepancy was also found for fishermen’s wives.”

Sort of ironic how 30 years after the bullets stopped flying, that darn war in Vietnam was
still trying to kill people. Hindsight is 20/20 and today most people probably agree that
the US was wrong to go into Vietnam. Maybe. But, you had to be there to appreciate
what some perceived to be the urgency of the situation. Some say that Jack Kennedy
intended to pull our advisors out. Others say that the really bad part was politicians
managing a war from 10,000 miles away. In the Gulf War in ‘91, the US military kicked
butt. But, they didn’t go to Baghdad. Maybe in ‘91, the Vietnam lesson was still fresh in
people’s minds. Maybe later…

Scientists are out to kill off the human race. They invented DDT and then the atom
bomb. Next came Dioxin. Someday, they’ll probably invent an arthritis drug that gives
you a heart attack or a stroke (Vioxx). Whenever people pursue short-term solutions to
long-range problems, you’re in the doo-doo. Dr. Taban was looking at the long-term in
terms of healing Mike’s spine. He’d confirmed that Mike had been in Nam and had been
exposed to Agent Orange. There are several drugs that will overcome the Energizer
Bunny effect (persistence) of Dioxin, but they need some time to work. Step 1 was
cleaning the bone surfaces and splicing them. Step 2 was immobilizing them until the
drug therapy had a chance to work. Finally, Step 3 was never aggravating the condition
again and continuing the drug therapy because the Dioxin never goes away.

When you think about it, Mike was very lucky. Permanent Disability. Married to a red-
headed bombshell. Hell, let’s just stay home and play Doctor and Nurse. Spinal surgery
generally doesn’t produce a lot of pain, especially if you’re paralyzed. It takes a little
time to open up the whole spine and wire in that steel rod, however. Ginger was begin-
ning to believe that she was growing grey hair by the time they announced that Mike
was in recovery. Dr. Taban assured her that the operation was successful and that
eventually, Mike should regain feeling in his back and legs. He indicated that Dr. Russell
would be doing the follow-up surgery to remove the steel rod in about 1 year. Russell
would certify also that Mike needed a motorized wheelchair because of his mobility
problem.

43
“Hey you,” Ginger said, “How are we feeling?”

“I have no idea how you feel, but I don’t feel squat,” Mike laughed.

“I took care of the Social Security last night over the phone,” Ginger explained.

“How did you manage that?” Mike asked.

“That attorney who handled my sexual harassment case also handles Disability Claim
problems,” she explained. “They are preparing some paperwork and a power of attorney
for you to sign. He says you’ll be approved almost immediately. He is also going to han-
dle the workman’s comp case.”

“Dr. Taban seemed to think I’m going to be ok,” Mike related.

“I talked to him, Mike and now it’s just a waiting game. Dr. Russell will remove the rod
when you’re healed up.”

“How are we going to pay for this, it’s a preexisting condition,” Mike pointed out.

“The insurance company who handled your first case has already accepted liability,”
Ginger said. “I’ll get my money’s worth out of that lawyer.”

Note: Dr. Taban is a famous neurosurgeon in LA. He fixed my back and accepted the
insurance as payment in full. He is considered to be the best neurosurgeon on the west
coast. I didn’t know it when I wrote this, but I have osteoporosis and take drugs…

July 4, 1998…

Today was Independence Day in more way than one. Mike had been released from the
hospital in June and had been approved for Disability. The attorney went one step fur-
ther and had gotten Mike a 100% service connected disability because of the Agent Or-
ange.

What If I Served in Vietnam and Have a Disease Not on VA’s List?

If you served in Vietnam and believe that you have a disease caused by herbicide ex-
posure, but that disease is not on VA’s list of diseases associated with herbicides like
Agent Orange, you may still apply for service-connection. Such a veteran needs to es-
tablish entitlement to service connection on a “direct” (rather than “presumptive”) basis.
In these cases, VA requires:

• competent medical evidence of a current disability;

44
• competent evidence of exposure to an herbicide in Vietnam; and
• competent medical evidence of a nexus (causal relationship) between the herbicide
exposure and the current disability.

Now, if you have an 800-pound gorilla as an attorney and some doctors swearing up
and down that your body is filled with residual Dioxin, you won’t have a lot of trouble. Or
maybe that guy at the VA saw the fire in those green eyes of Ginger’s. Want some good
news? Jack is getting married to Shelia and Ginger bought Shelia a Colt King Cobra
and taught her to shoot. Now, that’s one way of covering you butt, right? Or was Jack a
chest man or just a go for broke letch? It is kind of nice to get your best friend back. On
top of which, Shelia was moving back to Phoenix instead of Jack moving to New York.
Maybe you should pay for Shelia to get a boob job, just in case.

Around the end of May, a federal judge ruled that the Secret Service could be com-
pelled to testify before a Grand Jury in connection with that sex scandal in the White
House. There was a whole lot going on, including Mike moving his right foot on July 1 st.

“So, when’s the big event?” Mike asked Jack.

“I don’t know, partner, she hasn’t told me,” Jack lamented. “Jeez, a few months in New
York and she really got pushy.”

“Jack, you’re over 50 years old, it is time you stopped being a letch and settled down,”
Mike said.

“Yeah I suppose,” Jack agreed. “That’s a nice house that Ginger and you put on the
acreage.”

“Have you been inside?” Mike asked.

“Looked in a window was all. What’s with those doors in the ground by the back door?”

“We put in a shelter,” Mike said. “Did they put the propane tank in?”

“Great big tank looks like a white cigar? Yeah they put it in right around the time you
went into the hospital,” Jack explained.

“They fill it?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, it took them 4 trips for fill it,” Jack said. “How big is the tank?”

“10 thousand, net,” Mike said. “It’s actually closer to 11 thousand but they only fill them
about 90% full.”

“Did you get a generator?” Jack asked.

45
“Koehler 30kw, residential standby down in the basement with the batteries and distribu-
tion setup,” Mike replied.

“What do you have left to do?” Jack asked.

“Furniture for the shelter and food, mostly,” Mike explained. “I haven’t had a chance to
spend a single night in that house since we put it in. We need a tank of diesel fuel too.”

“You’ll be walking in a month,” Jack prophesized.

“Maybe, but I’ll have this rod up my back until next year,” Mike complained.

“Don’t rush it Mike, we’re young,” Jack suggested. “Take your time and get healed up.
Say would you be in the market for some class III weapons?”

“Like what?” Mike asked.

“NFA M16A2 rifles, is what’s available,” Jack said.

“National Firearms Act means paying a $200 fee to register the gun, right?” Mike asked.

“It does, but all of my NFA stuff is registered, it’s not worth the risk of getting caught with
the illegal stuff.”

“Well maybe I should, Jack,” Mike said. “I may be disabled but I have more money to
spend now than when I was working. Can you get me 2?”

“Easy. Say, maybe you ought to pick up another SA-58 so Ginger has one,” Jack sug-
gested.

“I suppose I could do that,” Mike agreed. “Is there something going on that I don’t know
about?”

“Well, there’s the Y2K thing they’re starting to talk about. Who knows, stuff happens?”
Jack replied. “I’m just feeling antsy, maybe it’s this 4th marriage.”

“What brought Shelia back to Phoenix?” Mike asked.

“Didn’t Ginger tell you?” Jack asked.

“Subject never came up.”

“Well, she worked for that same Brokerage as Ginger did, right?” Jack began to explain.

“Right, in the World Trade Center,” Mike confirmed.

46
“Apparently from the time that she got to the new office, she was being harassed,” Jack
said. “Anyway when she’d had about all she could take, she called Ginger and Ginger
told her about the tapes. She couldn’t get anybody on tape for a while but eventually
some of the guys stepped in it right up to the knee. She called that lawyer Ginger used
and he told her to file a complaint with the Personnel Department.”

“Let me guess, they canned her, right?”

“Right and the next day the lawyer was on the phone to the corporate headquarters ask-
ing if they have any comment before he filed the suit and played the tapes for the me-
dia,” Jack laughed. “They offered to give her job back and make a formal apology. He
told them this wasn’t the first time he’d been up against them and he and his clients had
had enough.”

“And?”

“They said they’d get back to him and called the next day to offer a settlement, $50
grand,” Jack continued. “He told them that the previous action had resulted in a $125k
settlement and that they’d better be tacking on a couple of zeros. Bottom line was they
settled for $1.4 million. He got $420k and Shelia got $980k. She moved back to Phoenix
and came in to buy a new car.”

“Which you sold her and then took her out to dinner and hit on her again, right?”

“Right, except she’d been to the range a few times with Ginger and had a CCW and
pulls that darned canon out of her purse and asks me if I want to be a soprano.”

“And?”

“I told her no, I just wanted in her pants. Hell I never thought of just asking, you know,
and the next thing you know, we’re back at her apartment.”

“Yes, and?”

“Never mind, Mike. Let’s just say that’s one hell of a woman. Next thing I know she was
talking marriage and I was agreeing with her.”

“You know that the limit is 4 don’t you?” Mike asked. “And this one has ball ammo.”

“I think the problem is that she can’t carry that cannon on the plane to Vegas,” Jack
laughed.

“It’s only a 3 hour drive.”

“Now that’s an idea,” Jack said. “She has the new Beamer and we could get there in 3-4
hours no sweat.”

47
“Get her to spend some money on a boob job and then you’ll be too busy staring at her
chest to develop wanderlust,” Mike suggested.

“Trust me, she doesn’t need one, it’s just the clothes she wears,” Jack assured him.

“Then I’ll talk to Ginger and get her to take Shelia shopping,” Mike suggested.

“No way, Jose. I don’t want anyone else noticing.”

“What about the M16s?” Mike asked.

“I’ll put a hold on them and as soon as you’re walking, we’ll go to the dealer and do the
paperwork,” Jack suggested.

“They carry ammo?” Mike asked.

“How much do you want?” Jack asked.

“Have them hold 10 cases of that Lake City surplus if they have any and about 40 mag-
azines.”

“I’ll do that, Mike. Do you want them to hold a SA-58 for Ginger?”

“Might as well do it all at once, partner.”

Magazines?”

“20.”

“You two have been pretty engrossed in conversation, what’s going on?” Ginger asked.

“Shelia, how about we drive up to Vegas tomorrow and tie the knot?” Jack suggested.

“See, Ginger, I told you he’d figure it out,” Shelia said. “Let’s leave tonight before you
change your mind.”

“What else were you guys talking about?” Ginger asked.

“Sexual harassment lawsuits, machineguns, getting Shelia a boob job, Y2K, lots of
stuff,” Mike replied.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell me, just say it’s none of my business,” Ginger said.

“That’s exactly what we were talking about honey,” Mike insisted.

48
“You don’t need to be discussing Shelia’s boobs,” Ginger announced.

“Yeah I’ve already heard, Jack put me in my place,” Mike admitted.

“I think that Shelia and I’ll go pack a bag and head for Vegas,” Jack said.

“Congratulations or whatever,” Mike responded.

“So, they’re gone,” Ginger said. “What were the two of you talking about?”

“First we discussed when they were getting married. Next we visited about the new
house and the shelter. After that, he explained all about her sexual harassment case
and your part in it. Next he mentioned some available M16A2 assault rifles. Then I sug-
gested that they just drive up to Vegas and that 4 was the limit. At that point I told him
that if he had Shelia get a boob job he’d be too busy staring at her new chest to stray.
He said she didn’t need one that it was just her clothes and I suggested that you take
her shopping and he said no way, Jose. Then we talked about the guns some more and
Shelia and you showed up,” Mike said. “That’s the whole story.”

“Actually Sheila is a little self-conscious and dresses down, Mike,” Ginger said. “We
wear the same size bra but she wears a style that de-emphasis her bust line.”

“I’ll take your word for it honey, I honestly have never paid any attention to Shelia,” Mike
said.

“Tell me about the guns,” Ginger said.

“They’re the M16A2s with semi-auto and 3 round burst,” Mike explained. “They’re NFA
registered so there will be a $200 transfer fee on each weapon and an extensive back-
ground check. I’m buying one for each of us and a SA-58 FAL for you,” Mike related.

“Why so many?” Ginger asked.

“Different situations call for different weapons, honey,” Mike said. “I might pick up a Su-
per Match M1A rifle like Jack has so we’ll have one sniper rifle.”

“You know, I’m half tempted to quit my job, close the apartment and move up to Sedona
permanently,” Ginger suggested.

“Let’s wait until I can walk again and we can discuss it then,” Mike suggested. “How are
we on money?”

“After I pay the taxes next year, I think we’ll have just shy of $700,000, why? You have
something else you want to buy?” she asked.

49
“Nothing urgent, but we need to stock the freezer at the house and put in some long-
term storage food,” Mike explained. “Then there are miscellaneous items to finish out
the shelter like communications gear and maybe a Geiger counter and dosimeters.”

“What about first aid supplies?” Ginger asked.

“Neither of us is trained as an EMT or Paramedic, so we wouldn’t need much more than

a good first aid kit,” he replied.

“When you couldn’t move that day, I was terrified,” Ginger said. “I might just quit my job
and get certified as an EMT. Maybe then we could move to Sedona and I could take
Paramedic classes in Flagstaff.”

“Moving up there would solve the problem of furnishing the shelter, wouldn’t it?” Mike
asked rhetorically. “If you want to quit and take those classes, go ahead.”

“I’ll give 2 weeks’ notice on Monday,” she replied. “Do you really think I’m more attrac-
tive than Shelia?”

“I wouldn’t trade 1 of you for 10 of her even if she has the biggest boobs in Phoenix,”
Mike said.

“How much feeling are you getting back?” she asked.

“I can move both feet a little, why?”

“What about closer to your spine?” she asked.

“Oh! Uh, I can manage that if you help out,” Mike suggested.

“Mike, you big stud, take me to bed or lose me forever,” Ginger teased. (Based on a line
out of Top Gun)

“Show me the way home, honey.”

Thursday, July 9, 1998…

Dr. Russell spent an inordinate amount of time evaluating Mike’s condition. He drew
blood and wrote an order for an MRI.

“You seem to be healing a little faster than I expected Mike,” Russell said. “I need to get
a look at the MRI, but it could be that that vertebra is healing faster too.”

50
“What’s the verdict, doc?” Mike asked.

“If you continue to progress at this rate, you should be able to use a walker by the first
of August,” Russell explained. “After I look at the MRI and the lab work, I’m going to
send you to a neurologist and have him run a series of tests to measure how much
conductivity you’ve regained in your legs and feet.”

“My wife and I have been able to resume our intimate activities,” Mike said, not sure
how to phrase it.

“Really? That’s good. Hang on a minute,” Russell said. Russell picked up the phone and
dialed an extension. “Mary, call Dr. Logan and schedule Mr. Hanes to see him around
the first of the week. All right, Mr. Haynes, pick up an appointment slip for Dr. Logan
from the receptionist when you leave.”

“What about that steel rod?” Mike asked.

“I can’t tell you anything until I see the MRI,” Russell replied. “But it will probably have to
stay in place a minimum of 9 months. You’ve been very lucky, you know.”

Ginger had traded her car in for a van equipped with a wheelchair lift while Mike had
been in the hospital. The van was diesel powered and had 4WD. She had given notice
as she’d suggested she might and her employer had paid her the 2 weeks but allowed
her to leave immediately to care for Mike. She had hooked up with an evening only EMT
class and was about half way through her training as an EMT-1. Jack and Shelia made
it to Vegas and when they got back, she insisted he quit his job in Phoenix and move to
Sedona. For Jack, it was simple as transferring to the dealer’s other branch in Flagstaff
and commuting 30 miles to work.

Married for the first time, Shelia had morphed into an entirely different person. She
wasn’t the mouse she had been previously and she got Ginger to take her shopping.
Jack had been right about her hiding her figure. Actually Ginger and Shelia had become
as thick as thieves and the gals had run up to Sedona one day and given the house the
once over. On the way back to Phoenix, Shelia told Ginger that she was going to put in
a new house, just like Mike and Ginger’s. The only difference was that she might go
with the bigger model Fleetwood home. Shelia was younger than Ginger and could
have children, so she wanted more room.

Mike and Ginger got the MRI done on the following Monday and saw Dr. Logan on
Tuesday. It was rather evident during the tests that Mike was regaining most of the feel-
ing in his legs. The doctor was stabbing him with pushpins that hurt terribly and seemed
satisfied with the results of the tests. But you know doctors-they never tell you anything.
Mike was scheduled to see Dr. Russell on Monday, July 20th to get the results of the
tests.

51
Monday, July 20, 1998…

“The MRI shows that your vertebra is healing about as we expected so you’re probably
going to have the rod for the full year,” Russell said. “There’s enough Dioxin in your sys-
tem that you’re going to need to continue the drug therapy to prevent osteoporosis for
the rest of your life. The conductivity tests on you nervous system shows no degrada-
tion of your neural pathways.”

“I understand that you just completed EMT-1 training,” Russell said to Ginger.

“That’s right doc, I’m looking into Paramedic training,” Ginger replied. “We’ve talked
about closing our apartment and moving to Sedona for Mike to recuperate. I might be
able to get the Paramedic training in Flagstaff.”

“Mr. Haynes, I’m going to recommend that you start using a walker and get into physical
therapy,” Russell continued. “It’s going to be like learning to walk all over again, but
you’ve been through that before, right?”

“Yes, in California,” Mike replied.

“Now, you understand that there is to be no heavy lifting, period,” Russell responded.
“And, that goes for after we remove the support rod from your spine next year. From the
appearance of your MRI, your bones are beginning to reabsorb calcium. However, that
could take years. I’ll see you back here in a month.”

On Friday, August 7, 1998, the US embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, were severely damaged in nearly simultaneous
truck bomb attacks. The bombings killed 213 people in Nairobi and a dozen in Dar es
Salaam. An estimated 4000 were injured in the Kenyan capital and 85 in Dar es Sa-
laam. Almost all of the victims were African civilians, as well as several US diplomats.
The attacks were linked to local members of the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by
Osama bin Laden. It was this terrorist incident that first brought bin Laden and al Qaeda
to international notoriety, and led to the FBI’s placing him on the agency’s Ten Most
Wanted List.

While the attacks were aimed at American embassies, the vast majority of the victims
were Africans: 32 Kenyans and twelve Americans were killed (in Nairobi) and eight
Tanzanian Embassy employees were killed. The remainder of the dead were visitors,
passers-by, or people in neighboring buildings: the Nairobi embassy lay in a busy down-
town location, while the embassy in Dar es Salaam was further from the city center.

On the 31st of July, movers had picked up Mike and Ginger’s furniture and moved it to
Sedona. The furnishings from the apartment went into the shelter and it was now com-

52
pletely furnished. Ginger had located a Paramedic course in Flagstaff and was sched-
uled to begin the nearly yearlong course of instruction in September. And, Shelia sus-
pected she was pregnant.

53
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 6 – Sedona

Mike had gotten enough physical therapy that he could use the walker. This was pretty
tough because of the rod wired to his spine. Ginger had hired the movers and they
packed and loaded everything on July 31st and delivered it to Sedona on Monday, Au-
gust 3rd. He could barely bend at the waist and the rod exaggerated his movements.
Ginger had Jim install wheelchair ramps at the front and rear doors of their home in Se-
dona. Inside of the house, Mike was using the walker, but outside, he was still using the
wheelchair if he had to travel any distance.

Jack was doing well at the Dealer’s in Flagstaff. The two men had paid for the rifles and
ammo and had taken the SA-58 home but were waiting for Mike’s background check on
the M16s. Ginger’s small gun safe had gone into their bedroom and Mike put a new,
larger safe in the shelter. They kept Ginger’s weapons in the house and his in the new
safe in the basement.

In response to the bombings of the US embassies, on August 20th, President Bill Clin-
ton ordered cruise missile strikes on targets in Sudan and Afghanistan. Thursday, Au-
gust 20th was also the day that Mike went back to see Dr. Russell.

“Not using the wheelchair anymore?” Russell asked.

“I’m using it outside when I have to move long distances, but the therapy I’m getting in
Flagstaff seems to be helping,” Mike responded.

“How are you doing Mrs. Hanes?” Russell asked.

“Great, I enrolled in a Paramedic course in Flagstaff,” Ginger replied. “I start next

month.”

“From what I can see, you’re doing fine, Mike,” Russell said. “I’ll see you back here in 2
months.”

After they left the doctor’s office they checked on the M-16’s but the background check
hadn’t been completed. Ginger hauled Mike into a store that sold western clothing and
bought them each a new Stetson.

“I’ve never worn a western hat before,” Mike said, “This is going to take some getting
used to. I’m feeling pretty good, how about you drive us all of the way to Flagstaff?”

“Sure, what’s in Flagstaff?” Ginger asked.

“If you’re going to convert me into a cowboy, I’m going to need cowboy guns,” Mike
laughed.

“You’re going to need boots to be a real cowboy,” she replied.

54
“The boots will have to wait, Ginger, until I get this darned rod out of my back,” Mike
said. “It’s tough enough getting around as it is.”

“I’d say you’re doing pretty well, considering,” Ginger pointed out. “We can wait on the
boots; I don’t want to do anything to interfere with your recovery. What kind of guns do
you want to buy?”

“Maybe a couple of lever action rifles and a couple of single action revolvers,” Mike said.
“Is that ok with you?”

“While you’re at it, why don’t you look into that sniper rifle you talked about buying?”
Ginger suggested.

“I’d forgotten about that Super Match M1A, thanks for reminding me,” Mike said. “Did
you look into what kind of food we might want to stock in the shelter?”

“I’ve checked out Mountain House and Alpine Aire,” she replied. “I thought maybe I’d
order a sample pack of each and see which we like the best.”

“Dang I’m glad I found you,” Mike said.

“Thank you Sir, the feeling is mutual, I assure you,” Ginger replied. “I thought you said
National Match.”

In Flagstaff, Mike bought a pair of Ruger Vaqueros with 5½” barrels in .45 Colt caliber.
He also bought 2 Winchester rifles in the same caliber and ordered the Super Match
M1A with Carl Zeiss Victory FL Diavari 6-24x72 T* scope. Because of the Brady Bill, the
handgun purchases had to be split between Ginger and him. Mike thought it was pretty
stupid only allowing you to buy a single handgun every 30 days.

The next day, Friday, they called Fitzpatrick leather in Laredo, Texas and ordered plain
holster rigs to hold their new Rugers. Fitzpatrick told them when to expect delivery and
that coincided pretty well with when they were to pick up the revolvers. Ginger also got
on the phone and ordered the sample packs of the Mountain House and Alpine Aire
foods. Jim had Jack and Shelia’s basement poured for their new home. Shelia had opt-
ed to buy the Fleetwood Model 0764F Entertainer with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. She
was going to use the bedroom on the back of the house as an office and hoped to fill
the 2 smaller bedrooms in the front of the house with the patter of little feet. The house
wasn’t that much larger than Mike and Ginger’s at 2,280 square feet, but it had an en-
tirely different floor plan.

Friday afternoon, Sheila and Ginger drove to Flagstaff and blew some of her million
bucks on new furnishings for the home. It must be nice to have money, huh? Mike and
Ginger were getting by on Mike’s 2 disability checks and because they were generating
their own electricity their cost of living was virtually nil. Shelia had gone looking for solar

55
equipment and had gotten nearly the same setup as Mike and Ginger except her sys-
tem was rated at 12kw. Ralph had been hired to install everything in the basement and
then connect it once the home was assembled.

Ginger got a couple of local guys from Sedona to fence their acreage. This was going to
take a while, she had them installing wooden posts and a wood fence about 60” tall.
The guys were using a paint sprayer to pre-paint the boards and Mike could follow their
progress as they slowly closed in the acreage. Eventually all of the firearms came in
and the leather goods arrived from Laredo. The dealer still hadn’t called from Phoenix
about the M16 rifles. The holsters were the plain, tan Big Jake rigs that were copies of
the rig John Wayne wore in the movies.

Mike had purchased some .45 Colt cowboy action ammo for their .45’s and some of the
7.62 match and hunting ammo for the Super Match M1A from Black Hills Ammunition.
He was looking around checking to see what was available in a 3rd generation night vi-
sion scope for the M1A rifle but hadn’t made a purchase because they were so darned
expensive.

After Jim had finished up on Jack and Shelia’s home and garage, Ginger got him to
build a small barn inside of the fence the two guys from Sedona were still working on.
Mike asked Ginger what that was all about but she told him it was a secret and he’d just
have to wait and see. Ralph had finally finished the installation and Jack and Sheila had
moved out of the Adobe into their new home. Mike no longer had to go to Flagstaff for
physical therapy and had retired the walker in favor of a cane. They had been down to
see Dr. Russell the previous week and Mike was doing exceptionally well. The back-
ground check had finally come through on the M-16’s and Mike and Ginger took them
home with them.

“Jack, did you ever find anyone who sold Geiger counters?” Mike asked.

“Not yet, but I’m still looking,” Jack replied. “What did you two end up doing on food?”

“We tried both the Mountain House and Alpine Aire products and went with Mountain
House,” Mike replied. “Six of one and a half dozen of the other as far as I’m concerned,
but Ginger liked the Mountain House a little better.”

“What did you buy?” Jack asked.

“4 1-year Individual supplies of their Ultimate-Pak II,” Mike replied. “Some of the stuff
has a 20-year shelf life and the rest of it is good for up to 30-years.”

“I’ll tell Sheila, that money of hers is burning a hole in her pocket,” Jack laughed.

“How the car business?” Mike asked.

56
“Every time the price of gas goes up the sales fall off,” Jack explained. “Then the price
goes back down and we get swamped.”

“We ought to get together and put in a fuel tank for diesel,” Mike suggested. “If we buy
in bulk, it might stabilize the price a little. Lord knows that with Ginger and you commut-
ing to Flagstaff, you’re going through enough fuel that we would have a pretty short
payback on the investment.”

“My vehicle runs on gas,” Jack said.

“You can either put in a second tank for gas or trade vehicles,” Mike suggested. “I’d
trade if it was me.”

“Did you find a night vision scope for your rifle yet?” Jack asked.

“I’m still looking, Jack,” Mike replied. “I heard about a new scope they’re bringing out
that’s called the Raptor.”

“I’ve been looking at a Barrett .50 caliber rifle called the M82A1,” Jack said.

“Sound expensive,” Mike said. “I’ll bet that a .50 caliber rifle would kick like a mule, too.”

“Apparently it has the recoil of a 12-gauge shotgun,” Jack replied. “But, you’re right
about the expensive part, they run at least 7 grand.”

“Blow in Shelia’s ear,” Mike laughed, “She’ll buy you one.”

“There are a couple of companies in Phoenix that manufacture match grade .50 caliber
ammo so I’m thinking about that and that Raptor night vision scope you mentioned,”
Jack said. “By the time I get the rifle, rifle scope, night vision scope and extra maga-
zines and ammo, I think I’m looking at 20 grand. I don’t know if I can blow that hard. On
the other hand, I know where I can pick up some M8 API ammo so I’d have what it took
to defeat about any kind of attacker.”

“I don’t believe that I could talk Ginger into buying me both the night scope for the M1A
and a $20,000 rifle setup,” Mike laughed.

“Are you kidding?” Jack asked. “If you asked her, you’d have the stuff before the echo
died. Partner, that woman loves you like I’ve never seen a woman love a man.”

“What are the two of you talking about, Shelia’s boobs?” Ginger teased.

“No, we were talking about the Mountain House foods that we bought, night vision
scopes and the Barrett .50 caliber M82A1 rifle,” Mike explained.

“Oh, want another rifle, Mike?” Ginger asked.

57
“Jack was just telling me about it, honey, its way too expensive,” Mike responded. “I
would like to get a night vision scope for my Super Match rifle, though.”

“Find one you want and write a check,” Ginger said.

“You might not say that if you knew how much it cost,” Mike retorted.

“If there’s enough money in the checking account, don’t worry about it Mike,” she re-
plied. “And if there’s not enough let me know and I’ll transfer some from my other ac-
count.”

“What did I tell you,” Jack laughed.

“Tell him what?” Ginger asked.

“I told Mike that if he asked you, he would have whatever he wanted before the echo
died,” Jack repeated. “I also told him that you loved him like I’ve never seen a woman
love a man.”

“That’s what he said,” Mike agreed.

“You’re not as dumb as you look, Jack,” Ginger laughed. “Getting married must have
smartened you up.”

“Do they shrink after she has the baby?” Jack asked.

“I knew the subject of Shelia’s boobs would come up,” Ginger laughed. “Don’t worry
about it Jack and ask her, not me.”

“Ask me what?” Shelia said joining them.

“If your boobs will shrink after you have the baby,” Ginger replied.

“You two had better not be talking about me like that,” Shelia said. “I don’t know, I’ve
never had a baby, but I suppose so. What else were the 2 of you talking about?”

“We were talking about the Mountain House foods that we bought, night vision scopes
and the Barrett .50 caliber M82A1 rifle,” Mike repeated. “Look it would be a whole lot
easier if the 2 of you just sat in on our conversations.”

“If you’re going to be talking about my chest, you’d better believe I’m going to sit in,”
Shelia said. “How much is the new rifle going to cost me?”

“Around $20 thousand dollars,” Jack replied. “But the food is only, how much Mike?”

58
“$12,000 for a 2-year supply for 2 people,” Ginger replied.

“That’s $18,000 because we’d have to buy food for the baby too,” Shelia said.

“Maybe, but $18,000 would cover enough food for 2 babies,” Jack replied.

“Two babies?” Shelia’s eyes lit up. “Ok, buy the food and the rifle.”

“Blow harder, Jack,” Mike laughed.

Friday, December 25, 1998…

Now we all know what was under the tree for Mike, right? Does the AN/PVS-22 UNS
sound familiar? Mike had talked to Shelia and she’d helped him make a substantial pur-
chase for Ginger at Victoria’s Secret. He also bought her the latest model laptop com-
puter. Mike got Ginger one other present, a male, purebred Doberman Pincher, already
trained.

Shelia was as big as a barn and the doctor told her she was having twins. See, God
does have a sense of humor and Jack’s remark in October about $18,000 buying
enough food for 2 kids had turned out to be most prophetic. The ultrasound revealed
that Shelia was expecting a boy and a girl. The news media was abuzz with concerns
over the Millennium Bug in computer programs. Jack had settled into the domestic life
very well and he’d finally gotten over being a letch. Ginger figured that it was the best
money she ever spent buying Shelia the Colt King Cobra.

“I have to come up with a name for my new friend,” Ginger said. “Any ideas?”

“The breeder named the dog Gunner,” Mike said, “So you could use that and not con-
fuse him.”

“Ok, that will make it simple,” Ginger said. “How old is he?”

“Old enough to not pee on the floor,” Mike laughed.

“Why did you pick this particular breed?” Ginger asked.

“They are supposed to be very loyal to their owners and most people are afraid of
them,” Mike said. “We’re out in the boonies here. I think that sometimes people are
more afraid of a dog than of a gun.”

“What does he eat?” Ginger asked.

59
“Something called Eukanuba,” Mike said. “That’s what the breeder recommended and
the dog is old enough that it has all of its shots. I got the breeder to write it all down and
then Jack and I went to a pet store and bought the recommended quantities. We put it
in the shelter. There are some papers for you to mail to the AKC to register his name.
Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what?” Ginger responded.

“Why did you have Jim build a barn?” Mike asked.

“We need something to keep the horses in,” Ginger replied.

“We don’t have any horses,” Mike pointed out.

“I was waiting until after you get that rod out of your back,” Ginger said. “When you can
wear cowboy boots, I’m buying us horses.”

“I’ve never ridden,” Mike protested.

“Then it’s time you learned Michael Hanes,” Ginger said. “Jack and Shelia are going to
fence in their 75 acres and put in a barn and horses, too.”

“Does Jack know that?” Mike asked.

“I don’t think Sheila has told him yet,” Ginger replied, “So you keep your mouth shut.”

“What kind of horses do you want to get?” Mike asked.

“I haven’t decided,” Ginger replied. “Maybe Arabians.”

“Gunner is scratching the door,” Mike pointed.

“Good boy, Gunner,” Ginger praised.

“Between our getting married and our not working, we’re not going to get hit so badly by
taxes this year,” Ginger said after she’d walked Gunner.

“Really?” Mike replied. “How bad are we going to get hit?”

“We’ll still have well over 600k,” Ginger replied. “With any kind of luck, we should pass
the million mark in about 2005. But, if I get a chance to buy some gold cheaply, I’m do-
ing it. If I could buy it for about $250 and it goes back to $400, we’d be very well off.”

“When is my next doctor’s appointment with Dr. Russell?” Mike asked.

60
“January 11th,” she replied. “Getting anxious to ride our new horses?”

“Not particularly,” Mike said, “But I’d sure like to get this darned rod out.”

“I’ll get the door,” Ginger said.

“Hi, guys, how are you doing?” Ginger asked Jack and Shelia.

“I don’t walk anymore, I just waddle,” Shelia replied.

“How’s the new dog?” Jack asked.

“Gunner is properly trained and I’m going to teach him to bite letches,” Ginger replied.

“Good, then I won’t have any problem with him at all,” Jack smiled.

“What did you get for Christmas, Jack?” Mike asked.

“I got the new night scope,” Jack replied.

“Really?” Mike said. “They are out?”

“Officially, they’re not, but I know a guy who knows a guy,” Jack explained.

“Cost about what you expected?” Mike asked.

“Shelia nodded, $7,000,” she said.

“What did you get for Christmas Shelia?” Mike asked.

“Jack got Ginger to take him to Victoria’s Secrets,” She replied. “You know, personal
stuff. Nothing I can wear until about April.”

“What no dog?” Mike asked.

“Shhh,” Jack said. “I haven’t given it to her yet.”

“You got me a dog?” Shelia asked.

“Gunner’s brother is in the basement,” Jack admitted.

“Well, go get him,” Shelia demanded. “Right now!”

“Big mouth,” Jack said going out the door.

61
“I love you too, Jack,” Mike called back.

“Get anything else for Christmas, Jack?” Mike asked when Jack returned.

“Shelia got me a Stetson and cowboy boots,” Jack replied.

“Do you ride,” Jack Mike asked.

“Ride what?” Jack asked.

“Horses,” Mike replied.

“Scared to death of horses, why?” Jack asked.

“Oh, nothing, just wondered,” Mike answered.

“Shelia?” Jack said.

“What?”

“Did you buy horses?” Jack asked.

“No,” she replied. “But, I did schedule you for riding lessons. By the time I have the ba-
bies, you should be fairly proficient.”

“Hee, hee,” Mike laughed.

“Don’t laugh, Mike,” Ginger said. “As soon as you have your surgery, you’re taking les-
sons too.”

“Crap,” Mike muttered.

“Get Mike a nice big stallion,” Jack suggested.

“I’m getting a stallion for me and the rest of you can have mares,” Ginger responded.

“I think I could use a drink, Jack, what about you?” Mike asked.

“Make mine a double,” Jack replied.

“Jack will take a single,” Shelia said.

“I guess we know who wears the pants in your family,” Mike said.

“I wear the pants and he wears the trousers,” Shelia, chuckled.

62
“Do you like jeans?” Mike asked.

“It depends on who is wearing them,” Jack replied.

“Jack!” Shelia snapped, “Mind your manners.”

“Yes, dear.”

When Shelia wasn’t pregnant out to about here, she looked about like Ginger in a pair
of those jeans made by Glidden. Neither one of the men had anything to complain
about. Jack was 6’ tall, but Shelia was about 5’8 and had blonde hair and blue eyes.
There really wasn’t 15 cents difference in the two women’s figures. A fact not lost on ei-
ther of the men. Mike brought Jack and him both a double, despite what Shelia had
said. But neither of the men drank very much these days, so neither Ginger or Shelia
complained. Both of the ladies were drinking the plain eggnog. Neither Mike nor Ginger
told Jack that Mike had a UNS.

Ginger was doing very well in her Paramedic classes and had begun to buy some med-
ical supplies, thanks to prescriptions that she had gotten from Dr. Russell. Nothing par-
ticularly exotic; just some IV solutions, a BP cuff and a defibrillator. Russell had told
Ginger that as her proficiency as a Paramedic progressed he would consider writing her
prescriptions for other drugs. As it was, she had begun to build one hell of a first aid kit
using over-the-counter supplies. The average person would be surprised at what you
could get over-the-counter. Aside from the drugs that Russell had Mike on to deal with
the osteoporosis, neither one of them took anything stronger than aspirin or Tylenol.

63
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 7 – 1999

Remember 1999? That’s ok, neither do I. At his January 11th appointment with Dr.
Russell, Mike learned that he was making such good progress that Russell was consid-
ering removing the rod from his back during March. Russell scheduled another MRI for
Monday, March 1st to see how Mike’s back was progressing. As it turned out, Jack was
going to have to wait to get his second night scope. But, Jack had started his riding les-
sons up in Flagstaff. He wasn’t yet over being terrified of a horse. The night vision
scopes were still very difficult to get, regardless of how much money a person had.

To top it off, Dr. Russell was waiting to see how Ginger was doing with her Paramedic
training before he wrote her any additional prescriptions for drugs. It didn’t really matter
to Ginger because she had about everything she knew how to use anyway. Jack was
properly chastised and any additional questions he had about his wife’s anatomy be-
came the subject of private conversations. He wasn’t about to risk his not getting the
second night vision scope in case Sheila took further exceptions to discussions of her
chest. He was learning, albeit it very slowly; one doesn’t get over being a letch instantly
but Jack was doing very, very well. Jack had a .357 caliber incentive.

Mike did go to Flagstaff with Ginger to get cowboy boots. But, he wouldn’t risk wearing
them until he had the rod out of his back. Jack was learning to be comfortable in blue
jeans. Once he learned not to carry a wallet in his back pocket, Jack adjusted quickly. It
seemed to Mike that the clock had begun to slow down as he waited for that March 1st
appointment. Conversely, Ginger could barely find enough hours in the day to keep up
with her studies. Mike did what he could, preparing meals and cleaning the house a lit-
tle. The Paramedic training was very important to Ginger even though she had no inten-
tions of actually being a Paramedic. With her husband of not quite a year having a ma-
jor health concern she intend to not only complete the training but also maintain her pro-
ficiency. If that meant volunteering to perform services in Sedona, so be it.

She expected to finish up by the first of July. Next she had to get on the National Regis-
try plus maintain that proficiency. This wasn’t one of those things where you were certi-
fied and it was over. Periodically, one had to recertify. As far as Mike was doing, he was
back to driving and used the rifle rack in his pickup to hold his cane. His return to driving
had been a Godsend and came right when Ginger started working at the hospital. And
with the previous insurer picking up the tab, they’d talked it over and he was going to
drive himself down to Phoenix for his March 1st appointment. If something went wrong,
Jack and she could drive drown to Phoenix and bring Mike home.

However, if all was right with Mike’s spine, it was a relatively simple operation to remove
the stainless steel rod and there should be no reason why he couldn’t drive himself
home a few days later. Ten days later, he’d return to Phoenix and have the staples or
sutures removed. The exercise Mike was getting cooking meals and doing simple
housework was also helping him to get better. And once she got busy and he followed
in her footsteps the time passed at an accelerated rate.

64
°

Monday, March 1, 1999…

“Well, I’m off to Phoenix,” Mike said. “I’ll call Shelia and leave a message about where I
am and what’s going on.”

“I sure wish I could go with you, honey, but this is really a bad time to get away,” Ginger
acknowledged. “Now, you’re sure you’ll be all right?”

“If there are any problems the doctor’s will call you, Ginger,” he repeated, “But I can’t
believe that I’ll have any problems.”

“I just started my field internship this week, but if you need me, call and I’ll be there in a
couple of hours,” she replied.

March 2, 1999…

“The MRI looks good, Mike, we’ll check you into the hospital and remove the rod tomor-
row morning,” Dr. Russell said.

“Is my vertebra all healed?” Mike asked.

“Yes, but as I told you earlier you are permanently disabled. Another injury to your spine
might not be something we can fix,” Russell said. “How’s that wife of yours doing in her
Paramedic training?”

“She started her field internship yesterday,” Mike replied. “Any problem with my driving
myself home on Thursday or Friday?”

“I don’t anticipate any, why?” Russell said.

“I’ve got numbers for you to call in case someone needs to come down and give me a
ride back home.”

“Which reminds me, I believe that it’s about time I gave Ginger prescriptions for the
drugs she’ll need,” Russell said pulling out his prescription pad. “These are the drugs
she’ll need to complete that medical setup you folks have. Tell Ginger that when the
pharmaceuticals expire, to bring them in and I’ll write her prescriptions for replace-
ments.”

“I’ll run some errands and then check into the hospital, Dr. Russell and thanks, you don’t
know how much it means for me to get this rod out,” Mike expressed his gratitude.

“Shelia this is Mike, is everything ok up in Sedona?” Mike asked.

65
“As far as I know, everything is fine, what the status on your operation?” Shelia asked.

“I’ll check into the hospital this afternoon and they’re going to pull the rod tomorrow.”
Mike explained. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be home sometime on
Friday.”

“I’ll let Ginger know,” Shelia said, “That’s pretty good news isn’t it?”

“It is that. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this piece of sur-
gery,” he agreed.

“Oh, I don’t know, ever been 8 months pregnant with twins?” Shelia laughed.

“Fate spared me the experience,” Mike laughed.

Friday, March 5, 1999…

“Well, look at you,” Shelia said, “How’d the operation go?”

“It’s a little sore but I’ll be fine,” Mike answered. “I just stopped by to let you know that
I’m home. I’ve got to go take a couple of Tylenol and get some rest. Maybe the four of
us could get out for a bite to eat tomorrow night in Sedona.”

“It’s the 6 of us and 3 of us aren’t going anywhere,” Shelia said. “But I’ll tell Jack that
you made it home in one piece.”

When Mike got home, Gunner’s tail was going a mile a minute. He looked around and
the house was spotless. Mike let Gunner out and found some Tylenol. He popped 2 ex-
tra strength and let Gunner back in. Then he went to the sitting room, sat down in his
recliner and put his feet up.

“Mike, wake up. Are you ok?” Ginger asked.

“Hi honey, I took a couple of Tylenol and must have dropped off,” Mike responded.

“How are you? Everything go ok?” Ginger asked.

“At the moment, I’m kind of sleepy and my back is sore, but I should be ok in a couple of
days. How’s the field internship going?”

“I have 11 more weeks and then I’ll do the steps to get on the National Registry,” she
replied.

“After you get on the Registry, then what?” Mike asked.

66
“I signed up to work as a backup in Sedona,” Ginger said. “I really do have to keep cur-
rent.”

“Hey, that reminds me, Dr. Russell sent prescriptions for the drugs he says you’ll need
for our clinic,” said. “They are in that envelope on the dining room table.”

“Hang on a sec and I’ll check them over,” she asked.

“Hmm, some of these things need to be kept under lock and key,” she said reviewing
the prescriptions. “We need to put in some cabinets plus a locking drug cabinet. What
would you think about putting in a hospital bed or a gurney?”

“Put in whatever you think appropriate,” Mike suggested.

“I think a gurney, Mike, have you ever priced a hospital bed?”

“Expensive?”

“You have no idea,” she said. “I should be able to fill these in Flagstaff on Monday. I’ll
call Jim tomorrow and see about fixing up an area in the shelter as a clinic.”

“Jack and I were talking about putting in a diesel tank,” Mike said. “We never got around
to it. I should get with him tomorrow and see what he wants to do.”

“He traded in his car for a 4WD diesel pickup, but I don’t know about a diesel tank; he
didn’t say anything to me. How close are we to having the shelter finished?”

“When I have the radiation counters all we’ll need is communications. I wanted to get
some ham gear but forgot all about it. Then, I’d think we’d be pretty much finished.
What’s it going to take to finish the medical stuff?”

“Oxygen, pulse oximeter, the cabinets and the gurney,” Ginger replied. “What would you
like for dinner?”

“Honey, you look beat,” Mike replied. “How about we run up to Sedona and grab some-
thing at a restaurant?”

“You read my mind.”

After dinner, they cuddled up on the couch and put on the TV.

“When do you finish the training?” Mike asked.

“The end of June.”

67
“Do you still want to get some horses?”

“We can probably wait until I finish the training,” Ginger suggested. “Are you willing to
take those classes and learn how to ride?”

“I am, but I realized driving back from Phoenix that we’re going to need a hired hand
because of my back,” Mike said. “And if we have someone to take care of the horses,
we might as well get a calf and feed it to market weight and keep the freezers stocked.
Dr. Russell was pretty specific with his do’s and don’ts, and when it got to the subject of
lifting, he was downright emphatic.”

“Maybe Jack and you can get together and use the same fella,” Ginger suggested.
“They have the Adobe so we wouldn’t need to put in a house for a wrangler.”

Saturday, April 10, 1999…

Around 4am, Jack called and sounded frantic. Shelia’s water broke and she was in
heavy labor. Ginger grabbed her bag and Mike and Ginger headed to Jack and Shelia’s.
Ginger assessed the situation and told the men that by the time they got an ambulance
and got Shelia to a hospital, she’d have already delivered the twins. She sent Mike to
get the OB kit from the shelter and told Jack to make some coffee. By 5am, Shelia was
cuddling the twins. There wasn’t any emergency so they loaded Shelia and the babies
into the van and drove them to the hospital in Flagstaff to get them checked over. At the
hospital, they checked the babies over and scheduled the circumcision for the following
week. Shelia was fine and they sent her and the babies’ home.

When Mike had asked Jack about the diesel fuel, they agreed to put in a 40,000-gallon
tank next to the Adobe and install a pump with a meter. They could write down their us-
age and when it came time to top the tank off, they split the cost based on usage. Jack
also agreed to put up a wrangler in the Adobe. They hired a plumber to run water to the
barns from the well that had serviced Jack’s Adobe. Then they put in stock tanks and
Mike and Jack each bought a yearling calf from a rancher. Jack found a man named
Jose Cortez to handle the stock and they moved Jose and his wife Maria into the Ado-
be. Jose and Maria had 2 children, if anyone’s interested. Shelia and Ginger got togeth-
er and they agreed to divide Jose’s salary between them. It turned out that Maria was a
cleaning lady and they hired her to clean their homes.

They didn’t buy Arabians, opting instead for a string of Moroccan Barbs. Mike and Gin-
ger bought a stallion and mare and Jack and Shelia bought 2 mares and 2 fillies. In
June, Ginger finished her training and took the exam to get on the National Registry.
She passed with flying colors and life began to settle into a routine.

68
Sunday, July 4, 1999…

“Jose, grab 3 beers and have a seat,” Mike called out.

“Gracias,” Jose said handing the men their beers.

“What do you think of the horses?” Jack asked.

“Good animals, but you should put all of the horses in the large pasture and leave the
calves in the small pasture,” Jose recommended.

“You’re in charge of the livestock, so do whatever you think is necessary,” Mike sug-
gested. “Is that ok with you Jack?”

“That suits me, Mike. Say, did you ever get the night vision scope for your Barrett rifle?”

“Got the UNS for Christmas and the second, a MUNS, for my birthday,” Mike replied.
“However I’ve held off on the Barrett. That company that makes the synthetic Springfield
Armory stocks is supposed to be bringing out a .50 caliber rifle.”

“Shelia mentioned forming a Partnership to handle stuff like Jose and Maria’s salaries
and all of our joint ventures like the fuel,” Jack commented.

“Sounds good to me, but I’d have to run that one by Ginger,” Mike replied.

“Actually, I phrased that wrong,” Jack laughed. “Shelia and Ginger formed a partnership
to handle stuff like Jose and Maria’s salaries and all of our joint ventures like the fuel.”

“That’s the first I heard of it,” Mike said. “I guess the honeymoon is over, huh?”

“Only if you want it to be,” Jack replied. “Shelia is expecting.”

“Congratulations.”

“I think she wants a basketball team,” Jack replied. “She said they were going to buy a
pickup for the ranch and get 4 more horses.”

“Why would we need 4 mores horses?” Mike asked.

“I think they are for Maria and me,” Jose responded.

“Hmm. Jose, what is your waist size?” Mike asked.

“Thirty-six,” Jose replied. “Why did you need to know?”

“Rattlesnakes,” Mike replied.

69
°

The ladies used an attorney and set up a limited partnership with both of them as gen-
eral partners and Mike and Jack as limited partners. The Partnership purchased 4 more
horses, a pickup, a trailer to haul hay and 2 horse trailers. It also purchased a Vaquero
and a Winchester rifle for its new foreman, Jose. In August ‘99 gold hit $253 an ounce
and the ladies purchased 4,800 troy ounces, investing over 98% of their available funds.
They took delivery of the gold in the form of Eagles and it was divided and stored in the
gun safes in the two shelters.

“I guess I never realized how heavy gold was,” Mike remarked. “How much is there?”

“Shelia and I each have 200 pounds of coins,” Ginger said. “We’ll sell when it hits about
$400 an ounce. We each put in $607 thousand and change and we should realize about
$960 thousand when we sell.”

“When will that happen?” Mike asked.

“It depends on the economy, doesn’t it?” Ginger replied. “We have more than enough to
live on and this is the lowest that gold’s been in a very long time. Both Shelia and I
thought that we should buy gold and just sit on it. Who knows, it might go to $800 an
ounce. And Mike, if something comes up, we can sell whatever we need to.”

“Why don’t we get Maria to watch the kids and the 4 of us go to Flagstaff for dinner,”
Mike suggested.

“I’ll call and see if she’s free and if she is, I’ll call Shelia and set it up,” Ginger offered.

There are over 220 restaurants in Flagstaff, Arizona. Not bad when you consider the
population is only about 50,000. They have Méxican, 14 flavors of Chinese, Mediterra-
nean, American and Italian. There are 50 fast food restaurants if you were in a hurry
and even a French restaurant with haute cuisine but there wasn’t a McCormick &
Schmick’s. So they hit a Méxican restaurant and three of them had margaritas. Shelia
couldn’t drink what with being pregnant.

“Ginger and I were running over what we needed to finish the shelters when I got back
from Phoenix. She got the remainder of the medical gear,” Mike explained. “All that’s left
is to do something about communications. I was thinking we could get Technician Ham
licenses and put in some amateur equipment. Then, we have to connect our houses
and the Adobe so maybe we could pick some sort of intercom from Radio Shack. It
probably wouldn’t hurt to add the two barns to the intercom either.”

“You don’t want to go to Radio Shack, let’s try Staples,” Jack said. “I saw a Panasonic®
KX-TG4000B 4-Line 2.4GHz Expandable Cordless Phone with Digital Answer System

70
the other day. That would give the girls a line for the office and Jose, you and us each
our own phone lines.”

“That should work, but what about the radios?” Mike asked.

“I’m working and don’t have time to study for something like that. Shelia, would you be
interested?” Jack asked.

“Maria is helping with the twins so I suppose I could find time,” Mike why don’t you pick
up 2 of everything and I’ll reimburse you?”

“Ginger, do you want to study for a license?” Mike asked.

“I’m working 2 days a week so you do it honey,” she suggested.

Mike got the exam later in the week off the Internet and made a copy for Sheila. A few
weeks later they had memorized the material and took the exam on a Saturday in Flag-
staff. Then the 4 of them went looking for ham equipment. They were referred to AES in
Las Vegas. Mike decided to call AES the following Monday. They must have seen him
coming.

Mike explained what he needed and the guy started him off with a Kenwood TS-2000
transceiver. To this he added a Heil Pro-Set-Plus mike and earphones, an Icom IC-
R8500 receiver and an 85’ US Tower Free Standing Crank-up Tower. After much dis-
cussion about antennas Mike bought a Maldol HVU-8 and a mast to mount it on. The
store said the tower would be shipped from the factory and Mike could install it or hire it
done. Then Mike told them to double the order and ship the entire purchase to Arizona.
When the equipment arrived a few days later Mike divided it up and then hired a guy
from Flagstaff to install the 2 towers and hook up the radios. Jack ordered the phone
system from Staples and had it installed.

Saturday, October 9, 1999…

Shelia was showing now and Ginger had quit her part-time job in Sedona. She had only
become certified as a Paramedic so that they would have someone with medical skills
available if TSHTF anyway, so she’d un-volunteered. The shelters were almost totally
finished and they had time these days to go riding. Strictly as a precaution, Mike had
taken to wearing a back brace. It was darned hard to remember to never bend over and
pickup something. And, things were getting organized around the ranch/acreage. There
was too much traffic to ride along the highway so they occasionally went on a cross-
country ride.

“I can’t believe that gold is up to $320,” Jack observed.

71
“This will be a long-term thing, partner, it will go back down,” Mike suggested. “But one
of these days the economy is going to crash.”

“What makes you think that?” Jack asked.

“That’s what Shelia and Ginger say and they both worked for that Brokerage,” Mike ex-
plained.

“Jack, most people never take possession of the gold they own,” Shelia explained.
“They just deal in the gold stocks. We took actual possession so if anything ever went
wrong, we’d be sitting pretty. The history of gold fluctuations suggests that buying gold
at $250 was the smart move. It will take a few years to capitalize on that investment so
don’t give up your day job. You have to pay a premium to buy the metal and take a de-
duction when you sell it. Our actual profit is only $50 an ounce, not $70.”

“Jack, I unloaded all of my Internet stocks because the bubble was beginning to burst,”
Ginger said. “That bad news was I had to pay the taxes on my profits but the good news
was that it was only part of the profits. I only started with $100 thousand after Rick and I
divorced and look at what I managed to do by buying stocks and sitting on them. I did
without for several years to accumulate the money.”

“That’s right Jack we’ll have to hold the gold for over a year to get a long-term capital
gain,” Shelia continued. “It could be 2 years or 5 years, but one of these days we’ll be
able to sell half the gold and recover our initial investment. That means each family will
have 100 pounds of gold with no investment.”

“We have minimal expenses and my disability pensions cover our cost of living and
we’re still saving,” Mike explained. “With Ginger being a Paramedic, you even cheated
the doctor out of his delivery fee. Sit back and relax, Jack and enjoy life while you can.
Most of the time we’re selling electricity instead of buying it because of the solar setup,
so what do we really have for expenses? We have property taxes, fuel and a little pro-
pane plus a trip to the grocery store once in a while. We’re growing our own beef and
buying chickens and pork products by the case which really cuts down on the cost of
food.”

Mike wasn’t exaggerating when he said their cost of living was very low. His two pen-
sions brought him in about $2,500 a month or $30,000 a year. How much food can 2
people eat? Buying their diesel in bulk was far cheaper than buying it at the pump. Ex-
cept for an occasional call to her folks, Ginger didn’t use the phone and Mike rarely
called anybody. Even though the homes had been converted to real property, the prop-
erty taxes weren’t very high. Most of their money went to pay Jose and Maria and feed
the livestock. Ginger had earned her retirement at 44 through shrewd investments and
Mike got his by being careless. Either way, they were on “easy” street.

Jack was making about $1,200 a week after expenses selling cars the way he figured it.
His expenses included lunches and the cost of his computer, even if the IRS wouldn’t

72
allow the deduction. He was bringing home about $800 a week, net. The dealership
provided good health insurance and Jack and Shelia’s expenses were proportional to
Mike and Ginger’s.

During 1999, the world experienced several terrorist incidents:

• Gunmen opened fire on Shi’a Muslims worshipping in an Islamabad mosque killing 16

people and injuring 25.

• David Copeland made nail bomb attacks against ethnic minorities and gays in London.

• Ahmed Ressam was arrested on the US-Canadian border in Port Angeles, Washing-
ton and confessed to planning to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport as part of
the 2000 millennium attack plots.

• Jordanian authorities foiled a plot to bomb US and Israeli tourists in Jordan and picked
up 28 suspects as part of the 2000 millennium attack plots.

• Indian Airlines Flight 814, which just took off from Kathmandu, Nepal for Indira Gandhi
International Airport in Delhi, India was hijacked, one passenger was killed and some
hostages were released. After negotiations between the Taliban and the Indian gov-
ernment, the last of the remaining hostages on board Flight 814 were released.

• The August 31 - September 22 Russian Apartment Bombings killed about 300 people,
leading Russia into Second Chechen War.

Why don’t I remember that? Better yet, how much of that do you remember? Why didn’t
most of us know the name Osama bin Laden in 1999. Osama was behind the embassy
bombings the previous year and he was involved in the 2000 millennium attack plots.
What’s missing from the list? On January 3, 2000 the third event took place in Yemen,
when members of al Qaeda planned to bomb USS The Sullivans with a boat laden with
explosives. Militants deployed a bomb-laden boat, but the overloaded bomb boat sank
before detonating. Mike and Ginger, Jack and Shelia and Jose and Maria were pre-
pared for TSHTF, but were you? I wasn’t because I didn’t know that the US had po’d off
Osama back in ‘91.

73
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 8 – Millennium

When did the Millennium begin? If you use the Gregorian calendar and start the first mil-
lennium with the year 1 AD then the third millennium began with the year 2001 AD. But
if you use the Common Era Calendar, in which years are numbered -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, and
you begin the first millennium with the year 0 CE then the third millennium began with
the year 2000 CE. You have a choice. And if you opt for the Common Era Calendar you
no longer have to put up with the smug assertion that “there was no year zero (so the
new millennium began in 2001)”. There was no year zero when Pope Gregory XIII intro-
duced the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th Century but there certainly is one now (and in
the future), and the new millennium in the Common Era Calendar began in 2000 CE.

Perhaps that explains why events that occurred in 1999 and 2000 were referred to as
the 2000 millennium attack plots. But, it doesn’t make any difference in the long run be-
cause we’ll get old and die and stop caring. It’s one of those arguments that no one
wins, so why bother? And whether it was the new millennium or not, Mike was one year
older on January 1, 2000. No, not really, he actually was only 1 day older but you see
what I mean about date reckoning. Either way, he was 52. Unless he was French in
which case he was 52 and 9 months. Huh? The (Happy Birthday) song appears to have
been spread in western Europe either as sheet music, by radio, or by American talking
films in the 20s-30s, along with the gradual switch to celebrating the child’s birthday ra-
ther than their Catholic saint’s/name day, e.g., date of conception.

“Happy birthday, Mike,” Jack said handing him his birthday present.

“What’s this?” Mike asked.

“A birthday present,” Jack laughed.

“I don’t drink scotch,” Mike said.

“Must be why you never have any around, Mike, make mine a double.”

“Who is going to win the Rose Bowl, Stanford or Wisconsin?” Jack asked.

“Stanford, no one ever has back-to-back wins at the Rose Bowl,” Mike answered.

“I don’t know, UW has Ron Dayne and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy,” Jack pointed
out.

On January 1, 2000, there were 6 Bowl Games. And, the winners were: Michigan, Wis-
consin, Michigan State, Miami, Arkansas and Georgia. Altogether, there were 24 bowls
games starting on December 18th and ending on January 4th. Stanford played in the
Rose Bowl #1 (1902) and lost. 98 years later, they lost again as Wisconsin made Rose
Bowl history with back-to-back wins.

74
And the running score was US-3, Osama-2. By the way, in 1996, Sudan offered to turn
over a guy named Osama bin Laden to the US, but the American President declined the
offer made by the Sudanese, citing the lack of a legal basis to hold bin Laden. Did you
know that?

“March can’t come soon enough,” Shelia said, “My back is killing me.”

“Are you going to make it to the hospital this time or should I pack my bag?” Ginger
asked.

“How should I know Ginger? I’ll tell you one thing, thank God we’ll be out of bedrooms,”
Shelia groaned. “I’m going to have 3 kids in diapers at the same time.”

“How did you handle the diaper situation, you know in the shelter?” Ginger asked. “Did
you load up on disposables?”

“I only use disposables when we go somewhere,” Shelia replied. “Did you ever price
those things? And they come in sizes so if a person were to do it right, they’d buy all the
diapers they figured they’d ever need and store them in the shelter. I did the math and
for the price of all those diapers, I could buy a washer and dryer for the shelter. I went
with cloth diapers and both the washer and dryer instead. When I looked at baby food, I
just guessed how much they would eat and bought it in a single purchase and have
been using it up.”

“We should add more food to the shelters for Jose, Maria and their family,” Ginger pro-
posed. “We’ll have the most room so let me add it to ours.”

“Ok, but use the partnership account to make the purchase, Ginger,” Shelia suggested.
“We should be able to write it off as an employee benefit.”

“That lawyer we hired was pretty slick,” Ginger observed, “I was afraid we would be
classified as hobby farmers, but putting in the extra cattle and our breeding horses
avoided that problem.”

“We’re going to need to show a profit some day or that could be a problem,” Shelia cau-
tioned.

“We will, but it takes time to build a herd of horses.”

“I’m a city girl,” Shelia laughed. “I’d have never envisioned me living in the middle of
nowhere raising livestock.”

“Me either,” Ginger said. “Santa Barbara isn’t exactly the San Joaquin Valley.”

“How’s Mike’s back healing up?” Shelia asked.

75
“The last MRI and the tests they ran show that his spine is as strong as it should be,”
Ginger explained. “Plus he wears that back brace to avoid problems in case he forgets.”

“Get back to those shelters for a minute Ginger,” Shelia suggested. “Did the guys get
everything they wanted bought and put up?”

“I think the only thing they didn’t buy was the Geiger counters,” Ginger replied. “They’re
pretty expensive and Mike said something about trying to find some of those old Civil
Defense Survey Meters. We bought Potassium Iodate from a place in Texas called
‘KI4U’.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a drug that saturates the thyroid gland to prevent you from absorbing radioactive
Iodine,” Ginger explained. “I don’t think it’s likely, but there’s that reactor complex at Pa-
lo Verde and if the wind were in the wrong direction, we could have a problem up here if
they had a problem like Three Mile Island.”

“I’ll order some if you’ll give me the address,” Shelia replied.

“We sure did good by ourselves in hiring the Cortez family,” Ginger noted. “Maria keeps
the house spotless and Jose is quite the rancher.”

“Don’t forget she’s awfully handy when I need a sitter,” Shelia mentioned. “They’re more
like family than hired help.”

Tuesday, February 1, 2000…

“Jack where did you get the suppressor for that rifle?” Mike asked.

“It’s a Surefire suppressor, Mike,” Jack said. “Got it from a class III dealer in Phoenix.
Plus the sound suppressors are the best flash suppressors, you can get.”

“I suppose that I should put a suppressor on my Super Match M1A,” Mike said. “What’s
the name of the dealer down in Phoenix?”

“I have a business card somewhere, I find it for you,” Jack suggested. “You have to go
through the whole class III background check so buy all you want at the same time, it
will speed it up.”

“I sure hope we never have to use these weapons for what they were intended,” Mike
said. “Somehow I have trouble seeing myself shooting fellow Americans.”

“If somebody attacked Ginger, you wouldn’t have any trouble,” Jack pointed out.

76
“She gets better looking all the time,” Mike said, “Have you noticed?”

“Partner, Shelia’s got me to the point where I barely look at other women, but I suppose
you’re right.” Jack chuckled.

“Are the two of you still going for the basketball team?” Mike asked.

“Shelia said that 3 kids were enough, so she’s going to get her tubes tied while she’s in
the hospital delivering the new one,” Jack explained. “I think she’s having problems with
her back, too. Say, did you ever find anyone who sells survey meters?”

“I did, but they’re low range meters and pretty expensive Jack. I been waiting to see if
anyone is every going to start selling reconditioned Civil Defense Survey Meters,” Mike
replied. “We need something that would work up to 500R and those old Civil Defense
units came in several models including one with a remote probe. There have to be
thousands of those old meters left over from the 1950’s and if we wait long enough,
someone will buy them up, repair and recalibrate them and we can get them at a rea-
sonable price.”

“Just don’t wait too long,” Jack suggested. “Other than survey meters, I think we’re total-
ly prepared. Why did you have those radio towers installed that way?”

“You mean with the base below ground level and a trench to lay the tower in?” Mike
asked. “It didn’t cost all that much extra and if someone were to attack the country, we
could lower the towers, pull the pins and lower them into the trenches and then cover
them over. I don’t know if Flagstaff would be a target in a nuclear war or not. If it was
and we had a little warning, we could protect our communications and raise the towers
when the dust settled.”

“There were sure a lot of terrorist events last year; did you catch that special on TV?”
Jack asked.

“Must have missed it, what did they say?”

“That there were a lot of incidents last year,” Jack pointed out. “Until I saw that program,
I didn’t realize how many. It seems that those Arab counties aren’t satisfied just going
after Israel anymore.”

“When you get me started on this preparations business, I thought you were nuts,” Mike
laughed. “But now that I’m married and have responsibilities, I am really grateful.”

“It’s not like we get a lot of earthquakes or tornados, but it’s always a good idea to do a
little preventative preparation, Mike. I’ll tell you, waiting until the crap hits the fan to think
about getting prepared is a little on the late side. Even if you had money and the time,
everybody and his brother would have the same idea you had and you’d play hell find-

77
ing what you need. Try and find a generator in someplace like Florida after a hurricane
goes through. I know that we’re pretty lucky to have wives with money, but everyone
should do a little something to be prepared.”

“With them having all of their money tied up in that gold in our basements, we’re not any
better off than the average working stiff,” Mike pointed out.

“But the average guy could buy some of those pre-65 silver coins,” Jack said. “It may
never come to it but if we had a really bad experience, paper money might not be worth
the paper it’s printed on. Hey, I’m a working man; I’d better get home and get some
sleep. I tell your wife it’s time to come home.”

“What are they scheming about now?” Mike asked.

“I didn’t ask, Mike,” Jack said. “If they want us to know, they’ll tell us.”

“It won’t be any problem getting you a suppressor for your M1A, but because of that law
change in ‘86, the suppressors for the .50 caliber rifles are hard to come by,” the dealer
explained. “But if you’re willing to pay the price, I’m sure I can get you one.”

“Do they have a really good suppressor for M16’s? A year or so back, I bought a couple
of M16A2 rifles,” Mike explained. “It was just a thought.”

“I think I’d hold off on those, I heard a rumor that some company is bringing out a new
suppressor that will last for at least 30,000 rounds,” the fella suggested.

“Ok, it’s not like the Russians are invading,” Mike said. “What do you figure 3 months to
get the background check?”

“If you have M16’s that are registered, you’ve already been through it once so maybe 60
days,” the dealer opined.

“Oh, yeah they’re registered,” Mike said. “It just isn’t worth the risk of having any class 3
weapons that aren’t.”

“You wouldn’t be in the market for a Cruiser, would you?” the dealer asked. “It’s a Re-
mington 870 and has a 14” barrel.”

“That wouldn’t hold many rounds would it?” Mike asked.

“Five, but it’s really nice,” the dealer said, “Let me get it and you can look it over.”

“Quit drooling and just buy it,” Ginger said.

78
“Are you sure?” Mike asked.

“Jack and you are determined to prepare for WW III, so just get it,” she laughed.

“What do you recommend to shoot in the thing?” Mike asked.

“For home defense, they recommend #1 buck, and you can get that at any sporting
goods store,” the dealer said. “I load the one I have with Federal 9-pellet tactical buck
and slugs.”

“Do you carry the ammo?” Mike asked.

“How much do you want?”

“I’d better take a case of each,” Mike replied.

“Ok, you start filling out the paperwork and I’ll get a total and the ammo. Say do you
folks have concealed carry?” the dealer asked.

“No, is it getting that bad out?” Mike asked.

“I don’t really know, but a lot of my customers have CCW’s,” the dealer smiled. “A lot of
them seem to favor the Glock in .40 S&W. I have pre-ban magazines for the Glock 22’s
and 23’s.”

“What’s the difference?” Mike asked.

“The 22 is full sized and you can use a 17-round magazine. The 23 is more compact
and I have 15-round magazines for it,” the dealer replied.

“Do you carry the Glocks?” Mike asked.

“Sorry, no,” the dealer said.

“Well, why don’t you give me 10 of the 15-round magazines for the Glock 23’s,” Mike
said. “We can apply for CCW’s when we get home and I can probably get find Glock
23’s in Flagstaff.”

“I don’t know if I want to carry a pistol, Mike,” Ginger said.

“I was thinking maybe we should prepare those bugout bags, honey,” Mike countered.
“You could keep the Cobra in your bag.”

“Bug out to where?” Ginger asked.

79
“You know, like when we’re away from home. If we had bugout bags, we’d stand a bet-
ter chance of getting back to the house,” Mike explained. “It’s like you carrying your
Paramedic bag everywhere you go. You don’t take it because you planning on using it,
but you have it if you need it.”

“I see,” Ginger said. “I guess that makes sense.”

“You’ll call when I can come down to pick the stuff up?” Mike asked.

“Yes. Like I said, figure about 2 months,” the dealer replied. “Your total comes to $2,750
and change.”

“We’d better plan on getting to McCormick & Schmick’s by Happy Hour,” Ginger
laughed.

March 23, 2000…

Shelia gave birth to a baby boy. That gave them 3 kids, John, Jr., Kristen and now baby
Joshua. Shelia stayed in the hospital an extra day and solved the baby problem. With
Josh’s pregnancy, her back had almost driven her nuts. Anyway, she wasn’t getting any
younger and 3 kids made a nice sized family. Mike and Ginger had applied for CCW’s
and they had been issued. They picked up a pair of Glock 23’s from a dealer in Flag-
staff. Now Maria was expecting so she arranged for Jose’s younger sister to move in
with Jose and her to take her place until she had her baby. Ginger and Shelia talked it
over and they hired Maria to be the secretary/receptionist for the Partnership.

“Did you get your rifle back yet?” Jack asked.

“About another month, Jack,” Mike replied. “Did Shelia and you apply for CCW’s?”

“We were waiting until after she had the baby,” Jack said. “We’ll do it next week. What
did you buy for firearms?”

“Glock 23’s with 15 round magazines,” Mike said.

“Where’d you find the magazines?” Jack asked.

“The class 3 dealer had some of the pre-ban magazines,” Mike explained, “But they’re
pretty expensive.”

“How many did you buy?” Jack asked.

“Ten. I’ll carry a pair and have the extra pair in my BOB.”

80
“What did you put in your BOB?” Jack asked.

“A Gerber multi-tool, waterproof matches, fire starters, small first aid kit, trioxane, a can-
dle, a small fishing kit, water purifiers and a poncho,” Mike explained.

“When you pick up your weapons, pick up 10 magazines for me for the Glock 23’s,”
Jack suggested. “I’d better get busy and prepare BOB’s for Shelia and me.”

“Ginger and I have been talking about trading the van in on a Hummer,” Mike said.

“Go through me on that and I’ll get you top dollar for your trade-in and the cheapest
price I can on a Hummer,” Jack suggested.

“How much do you think we’re looking at, Jack?” Mike asked.

“About $50 thousand with the trade in,” Jack replied. “They aren’t cheap and they do
require some maintenance.”

“That’s pretty steep,” Mike said.

“Pricey vehicle, Mike,” Jack replied. “Maybe you ought to just get a SUV.”

“A what?” Mike asked.

“A Sports Utility Vehicle,” Jack explained. “An example is the Jeep Cherokee.”

“What would that run?” Mike asked.

“With the options you’d probably want, I could put you in one for $20,000,” Jack said.
“That van is low mileage and has the wheelchair lift so you have a pretty good trade-in.”

“That’s more affordable, can you find me something that won’t require a lot of mainte-
nance?”

“I’ll put together a package for you that you’ll love Mike,” Jack said. “I’ll put in the towing
package and a winch. I should put in an extra alternator and battery, too. I’ll kick back
my commission and see if I can’t arrange to sell you the thing near cost. I’ll talk to my
boss.”

“I’ll tell you what, Jack,” Mike replied. “Go whole hog on this and set it up like you were
buying yourself a Christmas present. We were planning on about $25,000 so that
should give you a little leeway.”

“You know, we ought to trade in Sheila’s car, Mike,” Jack said. “I’ll bet if I tell the boss I
can sell 2 of them for cash, I can get the price.”

81
“Go for it.”

Friday, April 14, 2000…

“I need another 10 of those 15-round Glock 23 magazines for my friend,” Mike told the
dealer.

“Sure no problem,” the guy replied. “I hope you like the way the rifle came out.”

“Did you test fire them,” Mike asked.

“They’re pretty quiet, but the main thing is the flash suppression,” the man said.

“That was what Jack was saying,” Mike agreed.

“Jack Worth?” the guy asked.

“Yes, why?” Mike asked.

“I can give you a little better price on the magazines since they’re for Jack,” the dealer
laughed. “Man, I sold him lots of stuff over the years. I see that you got your CCW.”

“We both did and we got the Glock 23’s you recommended,” Mike said.

“Do you folks have any body armor?” the dealer asked.

“You mean bulletproof vests?” Mike asked. “No.”

“I just started carrying a new line called Point Blank,” the dealer said. “I have some of
the military and LEO only stuff in stock. You don’t happen to be a cop or in the military
do you?”

“Afraid not, I’m totally disabled because of the Agent Orange I picked up in Nam,” Mike
replied.

“You’re a vet, huh?” the guy said. “Well if you’re ever in the market, I’ll take real good
care of you.”

“Like what, for instance?” Mike asked.

“I carry demos, Mike,” the dealer said. “They get dirty and stuff and I occasionally have
to replace them. For instance, I just got in 2 new demos last week. So I have the old
stuff to dispose of.”

82
“How old is it?” Mike asked.

“Not very, I’ve only had the dealership since the first of the year,” the dealer replied. “I
think the stuff I have would fit you and the wife. The thing of it is, if I sell it to you, I’ve
never heard of you because my records will show that I destroyed it.”

“What kind of stuff is it?”

“It’s what they call Interceptor and it is military only by law.”

“I see,” Mike said, “Well…”

“So are you going to have the burger and fries or do you want to order a full meal?”
Mike asked.

“The way you spend money, I’m going to order the burger and fries,” Ginger replied.
“Did we really need that stuff you bought today?”

“It’s impossible to come by, so I’d say it was a good addition,” Mike replied.

“But we just bought the new SUV,” Ginger protested.

“Yes we did, Ginger, but we saved enough on it to pay for what I spent today.”

83
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 9 – Millennium continued

“What do I owe you for the magazines?” Jack asked.

“Here’s the invoice, he cut the price since they were for you,” Mike replied. “You need to
get down and see your friend. Let me show you what we picked up yesterday.”

“Is that what I think it is?” Jack gasped.

“It’s the genuine article and it’s only 4 months old,” Mike replied. “Give him a ring and
find out when he’ll have more demos to dispose of. They get dirty, you know.”

“I will, Mike,” Jack said. “You know, it wouldn’t be a half bad idea to pick some of this
stuff up for Jose and Maria. I’ll talk to Jose and get their size information. It will take a
little time if that’s the basis they’re selling the stuff on, but I think we could have them
outfitted by Christmas. It’s been quiet this year. There hasn’t been a single terrorist at-
tack so far.”

“Probably the lull before the storm,” Mike laughed. “What’s the name of that new terror-
ist organization, al Qaida or al Qaeda?”

“Something like that,” Jack replied. “I understand they were responsible to the embassy
bombings back in ‘98 in Africa. The guy in charge is Usama or Osama bin Laden. The
word is that he’s in Afghanistan.”

“Whom are you voting for in November?” Mike asked.

“I think I might vote for Bush, I’m not impressed with Gore and his claim to have invent-
ed the Internet.” Jack replied.

“What bothers me about Bush is that he might want to clean up his Daddy’s mess,”
Mike said. “We’ve been maintaining that no fly zone over in Iraq from the Gulf War.
They should have taken Saddam out when they had the chance.”

“Bush Sr. stands by his decision,” Jack pointed out. “And the President is in no position
to do anything because of that impeachment trial. The Senate may not have convicted
him, but I think that might rub off on Gore. Arkansas suspended the President’s law li-
cense last month.”

“With his wife running for the Senate, I wouldn’t be too surprised that in 2012, she’ll
make a run for the White House herself,” Mike said. “Maybe even in 2004 if Bush Jr.
wins the election.”

“They are quite the pair, aren’t they,” Jack laughed.

“Never underestimate a woman, Jack,” Mike suggested.

84
“We have Jose’s sister sleeping over to take care of Josh,” Jack pointed out. “Shelia’s
having a lot of problems with her back. It is just muscles, but she says it really hurts.”

“Tell me about it,” Mike grinned.

Sunday, May 28, 2000…

Juan Montoya won the Indy 500. Tomorrow was the official holiday, but the race wasn’t
always held on Memorial Day any more. Congress made the day into a three-day
weekend with the National Holiday Act of 1971. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed
on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the
Republic, in his General Order No 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when
flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.
By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to
acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I
(when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to
honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

America had too many holidays honoring its hallowed dead. Not that they didn’t deserve
honoring, but just that we lost too many people over the years. There was the Civil War
and WW I and WW II plus the Korean Police Action; after that was that thing in Vietnam.
Maybe with the Gulf War over we wouldn’t have any more of our young men dying in
wars. But, as Mike had said, Bush Sr. should have taken out Saddam when he had the
chance.

Tuesday, July 4, 2000…

This Independence Day was not particularly eventful. There were the usual parades and
fireworks displays around the country but in Sedona, Arizona the folks at the acreage
had a picnic of their own. Jack had talked to his friend down in Phoenix and the friend
would have some demos available in August and again in December. Jack had given
his friend Jose and Maria’s measurements and the friend had said that the December
stuff just happened to be the right size. The mares had foaled and they had a bunch of
new fillies and colts. The horses that they’d bought for Jose and Maria were also Mo-
roccan Barbs, 3 mares and a stallion. This helped their breeding program having 2 stal-
lions instead of one. Jose was running about 12 head of feeder cattle on Mike’s 5 acres.
It was more meat than they could eat and there wasn’t any grass so they weren’t going
to let the herd get any larger.

85
Shelia was over the back pain due to a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs (Vioxx)
and exercise. The exercise had helped her restore her figure and this was the first 4th of
July she hadn’t been expecting since after Jack and she got married. The 4 of them had
gone riding in the morning and then had come back to prepare for the picnic. Jack and
Jose had gotten to tossing horseshoes and Jack was down 5 games. Mike noticed that
Ginger seemed a little envious of Shelia and her kids and they had talked about the
possibility of perhaps adopting or fostering an older child. They’d filled out all of the pa-
perwork and were just waiting for their clearance. They had opted for an older child be-
cause infants were hard to come by and they both agreed that an older child needed
them a lot more than a baby, the older children were so much harder to place and usu-
ally ended up in foster care.

July 14, 2000…

Solar Flares are classified by their x-ray flux in the 1.0 - 8.0 Angstrom band as meas-
ured by the NOAA GOES-8 satellite. An X-class flare from 9077 was recorded on July
12, 2000. On July 14, 2000, another solar flare from active region 9077 registered as a
powerful X5-class eruption. The only difference that Mike could discern was that the so-
lar flare interfered with communications a little. Ginger and he had not heard back on
their evaluation about fostering a child. Maybe Mike was a little old, but Ginger was only
45. But who was to say what would happen?

Monday, September 11, 2000...

“Mike, that was Children’s Services on the phone, they have a child for us to foster,”
Ginger said excitedly.

“What do you know about the child, honey?” Mike asked.

“It’s a boy named Thomas Franklin and he’s 10,” Ginger replied. “His mother died of a
drug overdose and his father is in prison. He got a life sentence for dealing drugs.”

“Did they tell you anything else?” Mike asked. “That boy could be a real hard case.”

“He might be, Mike, they’ve had a little trouble with him running away from foster homes
in the past,” Ginger admitted. “Apparently that’s why they thought of us. There’s no
place for him to run to here in this area.”

“I won’t say no until I meet him, but don’t get your hopes up,” Mike replied. “Where do
we have to go, Flagstaff?”

“Phoenix,” Ginger replied.

“When do you want to leave?” Mike asked.

“We can be there by 2pm if we leave now.”

86
“We won’t be staying over, right?” Mike asked.

“Right, why?”

“I want to pick up some more of those 15 round Glock mags, but I’ll just call the guy and
have him ship them,” Mike explained.

“Good idea, let’s not get too much on the plate,” Ginger said.

“He a nice looking boy,” Mike said. “What’s his attitude like?”

“About what you’d expect Mr. Hanes, he been bounced about from one foster home to
another over the past 2 years,” the lady from Children’s Services replied. “He’s not a
bad boy, but his father slapped him around a lot and his mother wasn’t much of an ex-
ample. He has a pretty coarse mouth.”

“What do you expect from us?” Mike asked.

“You were in the Army according to your application, so maybe a little dose of boot
camp might bring him around,” she suggested. “There are some boot camp types of
programs, but he’d have to wait a long time to get him into one of them.”

“Oh, like what?” Mike asked.

“The ANASAZI Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Program is designed for youth 12-17
years old who are struggling with substance abuse and emotional/behavioral concerns,”
she explained. “ANASAZI is not a boot camp. There is no force, manipulation or con-
frontation. Caring staff walk the trail with the same food and gear as the Young Walkers
and patiently wait for opportunities to teach. When the time is right they will teach skills
and the principles of unconditional love, agency, repentance, forgiveness, and restitu-
tion. Each child is assigned a Shadow (counselor) who works closely with the parents
and their child on the concerns that brought the Young Walker to the trail. Shadows
have at least a master’s degree and are supervised by the program’s psychologists and
clinical director. Shadows meet weekly with the Young Walkers on the trail and keep
parents informed as to the progress the child is making. Tommy is too young for their
program and doesn’t really qualify since it’s only for private placements. We thought that
with your background you might be able to offer something similar for Tommy.”

“We’re not trained therapists,” Mike replied.

“Yes we know, but we think that the two of you could provide the right atmosphere for a
younger child like Tommy Franklin,” she replied.

87
“Ginger, it’s up to you, I’m willing, but this could be a real challenge,” Mike turned to
Ginger.

“He a nice looking boy,” she replied, “I say we do it. But, this will be a long-term thing if
we’re going to do Tommy any good.”

“Our answer is yes,” Mike said.

“Tommy these folks are Mr. and Mrs. Hanes. They’re from Sedona,” the lady introduced
them.

“Where’s Sedona?” Tommy asked.

“Near Flagstaff,” Mike replied. “Do you know how to ride horses?”

“No,” Tommy replied.

“Would you like to learn?” Ginger asked.

“No, leave me alone,” Tommy said.

“Here’s your bag Tommy, you’re going with Mr. and Mrs. Hanes.” The child services
worker said.

“What’s your name?” Tommy asked.

“My name is Mike and my wife’s name is Ginger,” Mike replied.

“Ok Mike, let’s get this over with,” Tommy said.

“What do you mean by that Tommy?” Ginger asked.

“I’ll just run away and you give me back like the others did,” Tommy explained.

Mike couldn’t keep from chuckling.

“What’s so funny?” Tommy asked.

“You’ll see, Tommy,” Mike said. “And you can run away all you want; you’re not coming
back here.”

3 hours later at the acreage…

“We’re here,” Mike announced parking the pickup.

88
“We’re where?” Tommy asked, “I don’t see anything beside a couple of mobile homes, a
mud hut and a couple of barns.”

“We’re home, Tommy,” Ginger explained.

“Now let me show you around,” Mike said. “If you want to run away, you have 4 choices.
You can go east and you’ll get to Holbrook in about 80 miles. You can go south along
the road and pick up I-17 in about 12 miles. You can go west, but it is about 195 miles
to California. Or, you can go north along the road. It’s only a few miles to Sedona, but
there’s not much there. Flagstaff is about 30 miles. Anyway, any time you want to run
away, those are your choices. We’re going inside and have dinner.”

“Where’s my cell?” Tommy asked.

“In the house,” Ginger replied. “It’s the room with the iron bars.”

“You’re shiting me,” Tommy said.

“Rule one, Tommy, you will not use that kind of language as long as you live with us,”
Mike pointed out.

“What are you going to do, beat me?” Tommy said. “I’ve been beat up by bigger guys
than you.”

“Do you know anything about livestock Tommy?” Mike asked.

“You mean like this dog you have?”

“No like horses and cattle,” Mike replied. “They poop a lot and they don’t clean up after
themselves. It’s called mucking out stalls and that what’s happens to boys who cuss in
Ginger’s house. They get to muck out the stalls and get rid of the animal poop. Come
with me and I’ll show what kind of a job it is.”

“Yuck,” Tommy said. “You’d really make me clean up that mess?”

“Every cuss word will earn you one hour in the barn with a shovel,” Mike replied.

“I ain’t cleaning up no damned, cow shit,” Tommy said.

“Here’s the shovel, I’ll be back in an hour,” Mike replied. “I’ll toss the damn in this one
time only.”

“Where’s Tommy?” Ginger asked.

“Shoveling cow manure,” Mike laughed. “I gave him a break and threw out the damn.”

89
“Oh Mike do you think that’s the best way to handle this?” Ginger asked.

“I told him that every cuss word would earn him one hour of shoveling manure, Ginger,”
Mike said. “It’s up to you but I think we should stick together on this. We can’t spank him
because he’s already been abused and it won’t mean anything to him. But, I’d venture
to say that 3 or 4 hours of shoveling manure will go a long way towards cleaning up his
mouth.”

“Welcome to your new home, here’s the shit shovel,” she replied.

“We have 2 manure shovels, Ginger,” Mike laughed.

One hour later, in the barn…

“Not bad for a first effort Tommy,” Mike said, “But a real cowboy would have finished up
a long time ago. Maybe it’s the clothes. “How about we go up to Flagstaff tomorrow and
buy you some real cowboy clothes?”

“Like what?” Tommy asked.

“New jeans, boots, shirts and a hat,” Mike replied.

“Putting cowboy clothes on me won’t make me a cowboy,” Tommy said.

“True, but we have to start somewhere,” Mike replied. “Are you ready to eat supper?”

“What, leftovers?” Tommy asked.

“No, we held dinner for you, we eat as a family in our house,” Mike explained.

“What’s with the gun, are you a cop?” Tommy asked.

“No, but I have a concealed carry permit and both Ginger and I carry firearms,” Mike re-
plied.

“Why?” Tommy asked.

“Why what, Tommy?” Mike asked.

“If you’re not a cop, why do you carry a gun?” Tommy asked.

“If the right of every American to keep and bear arms, Tommy,” Mike explained. “We
carry the weapons for protection. The world is getting to be a very bad place anymore.”

90
“Do I get a gun too?” Tommy asked.

“When you’re older, yes, you can have a firearm,” Mike replied.

“How much older?” Tommy asked.

“21 for a handgun, Tommy but a rifle is another story. That will depend upon when you
act old enough,” Mike replied.

“What’s for supper?” Tommy asked.

“Pizza in 10 minutes,” Mike replied. “That should give you just enough time to wash off
some of the stink.”

“Tommy this is your bedroom,” Ginger said, “And that is your bath. If you would prefer to
have bunk beds, we can move the large bed to the basement and put in some bunk
beds.”

“Why would I need bunks beds?” Tommy asked.

“Maybe for when you have a friend sleep over,” Ginger suggested.

“What kind of pizza?” Tommy asked.

“I wasn’t sure what you like so I fixed a Supreme,” Ginger said. “You can pick off any-
thing you don’t like.”

Later…

“How did it go in the barn?” Ginger asked Mike.

“Not bad, actually, he got it about half cleaned up,” Mike answered. “Which is more than
I thought he would do. I told him it was about half of what a real cowboy would do but it
might be due to his clothes. We’ll go to Flagstaff tomorrow and get him some Wran-
glers, boots, western cut shirts and a hat.”

“What about school?” Ginger asked.

“We’ll enroll him after we get the clothes, Ginger,” Mike replied. “We have to put the car-
rot before the stick. After we get the clothes, why don’t you take Tommy and pick out
some new bedroom furniture. I have an errand I want to run.”

Tuesday, September 12, 2000...

91
After they helped Tommy pick out 3 pairs of Wranglers, 7 shirts, new boots and a real
hat, Ginger and Tommy headed to a furniture store and Mike went to a gun shop.

“Do you carry the Winchester 9422?” Mike asked.

“I have some in stock, 22 Long Rifle or 22 Magnum?” the dealer asked.

“Long Rifle,” Mike replied.

“I have several how many do you want?” the dealer said.

“Two. Do you carry Glock magazines?” Mike continued.

“What model Glock?”

“Model 23, 15-rounds.”

“I have a few, how many do you want?”

“Five if you have them,” Mike said. “I know you carry the model 23 because I bought a
couple in here a while back.”

“Yes, I have the model 23, how many?” the dealer laughed.

“I think that one will be enough,” Mike laughed.

“Cash or credit card?” the dealer asked.

“Cash. Give me a half dozen bricks of 22 Long Rifle ammo, while you’re at it,” Mike said
reaching for his wallet.

“Solid or hollow point?”

“Two each of solid, hollow point and hyper velocity.”

“Did Tommy and you find a bed?” Mike asked.

“They’ll deliver it on Friday,” Ginger said, “What did you buy?”

“Some .22 ammo and those Glock magazines I wanted,” Mike replied.

“Anything else?” Ginger asked.

92
“We’ll talk about it later,” Mike said.

“Oh. Sure Mike,” Ginger smiled.

“Everything ok, Tommy?” Mike asked.

“The boots pinch my feet and I look stupid in a cowboy hat,” Tommy replied.

“We’ll wet the boots and you can walk them dry,” Mike said. “Personally, I like the hat.
When is your birthday?”

“November 15th,” Tommy said, “Why?”

“Just curious,” Mike answered.

After enrolling Tommy in the 5th grade in Sedona, they returned home. Tommy was to
start the following day and he would be bussed with Jose’s children. They were close
enough in age that Mike took Tommy over to meet Jose and Maria’s children Juan and
Teresa. Juan was 11 years old and Teresa was 9. When Tommy saw that Juan had a
hat about like his, he appeared to feel better about the hat. Before they came over, they
had taken off the boots and filled them with warm water and emptied them. It might not
be the right way to break in a new pair of boots, but it was quick.

“So what else did you buy at the gun store?” Ginger asked.

“I bought 2 Winchester 9422’s and another Glock 23,” Mike said.

“Why did you buy the Glock?” Ginger asked.

“Did you ever see the price of guns go down?” Mike said. “Call it an investment in the
future.”

93
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 10 – Tommy

A few days later Mike made the trip to Flagstaff to pick up the rifles and the Glock. The
dealer had a new 9422 in and it had a longer barrel. Mike liked the looks of it and
bought two of those. He’d realized that he hadn’t done anything in terms of a knife for
the BOB’s so he found a knife shop and bought several Spyderco folders, 2 for Jose
and Maria, 2 for Shelia and Jack and 2 for Ginger and him. The dealer also carried Buck
knives and Mike bought 2 folding Hunter’s to put up as presents. When Mike got home,
he cleaned the new guns and locked them up. He added the folders to Ginger and his
BOB’s and put the others up for Christmas presents.

Most new parents would have taken their foster child to school on the first day. But,
mindful of what the child social worker had said Mike would have none of it. He figured
that Tommy was used to changing schools and if he were allowed to go it on his own,
he might get a sense of accomplishment. And, from time to time, as Mike remembered
other things he’d left out of the BOB’s he bought enough for everybody and upgraded all
of the BOB’s. He was holding the things for Jose and Maria’s BOB’s as extra Christmas
presents.

When it came to helping with homework, Mike genuinely tried and then gave up at the
new math and turned that over to Ginger. During the second week of school, Tommy
had gotten into a fight and both he and the other boy had been suspended for the day.

“What was that all about?” Mike asked.

“He made a crack and I punched him,” Tommy said defiantly. “I let him get away with it
the first week, but when he started in again, I stopped it.”

“Did you win?” Mike asked.

“Nah, that playground monitor got between us before I could hit him again,” Tommy
said.

“I suppose it was inevitable Tommy, but you’ve made your point so I don’t want to have
to make a return trip.” Mike responded.

“I’m not in trouble?” Tommy asked.

“Not this time, but if it happens again, you be mucking stalls for a week, minimum,” Mike
half chuckled.

“That’s cruel and unusual punishment,” Tommy snapped.

“No, this is a ranch and that’s just part of the work,” Mike retorted. “Other than the
fighting, how is school going?”

94
“Ok, I guess,” Tommy replied. “How come you don’t work?”

“I did work Tommy, I was a roofer,” Mike replied. “I fell off of a 2-story roof after 20-years
on the job and broke my back. That was before I met Ginger. I was in the hospital sev-
eral months and after I got out, I moved to Phoenix. That’s where I met Ginger and we
got married.”

“You seem to be ok now,” Tommy said.

“You wouldn’t have said that if you’d seen me a year ago,” Mike countered. “My back
was really messed up from some chemicals I got in the war. I had a steel rod wired to
my spine for 9 months.”

“You were in the Gulf War?” Tommy asked.

“No, I was in Vietnam back in the early ‘70’s,” Mike corrected.

“What was Vietnam?” Tommy asked.

“I suppose the long and short of it was that this country stuck its nose in where it didn’t
belong and got its behind kicked,” Mike explained. “Vietnam is halfway around the world
and we got involved in a civil war between North and South Vietnam. You’ll probably
learn about it in history class.”

“What was that fight about?” Ginger asked.

“Some boy wanted to pick on the new kid and Tommy had finally had enough,” Mike
said. “He said it had been going on for over a week and he finally punched the kid. I told
him he wasn’t in trouble this time but if it happened again he’d be mucking stalls for a
week, minimum.”

“What are we going to do about his birthday?” Ginger asked.

“I bought him a Buck folder and a belt sheath,” Mike said. “Maybe you should look at
clothes, he’s a growing boy.”

“He’s a nice kid isn’t he?” Ginger said.

“He’s tough and not afraid of anything,” Mike agreed. “I think maybe we’re still on the
honeymoon as far as Tommy is concerned.”

“I half expected you to take their suggestion and run a boot camp,” Ginger continued.

“I wouldn’t wish boot camp on my worst enemy, honey,” Mike laughed. “Tommy needs
to learn that anything we tell him is the way it’s going to be.”

95
“What about the rifles you bought?” Ginger asked.

“They’re cleaned and put up. When we think he’s old enough, I have one for him and
one for Juan,” Mike replied.

“Are you on a gun kick?” Ginger asked. “I found a receipt for 2 more Winchester rifles in
your shirt pocket.”

“They’re commemoratives that I bought when I picked up the other rifles,” Mike ex-
plained.

Wednesday, November 15th, 2000…

Everyone turned out to celebrate Tommy’s 11th birthday. It was obvious that this was
the first birthday party the boy had ever had. Ginger had baked his favorite cake and
had picked up enough new clothes to see him through to spring. Tommy’s final gift was
the Buck Hunter.

“That’s sharp, Tommy and it is as much a test as a present,” Mike explained. “You can’t
take the knife to school under any circumstances. I’ll teach you how to keep it sharp.
You be careful with your knife and it will last you for years.”

“Thanks, Mike,” Tommy managed. Tommy was on the verge of tears, but he was tough,
remember?

“Jose, could I have a word with you?” Mike asked.

“Sure, boss, what’s up?” Jose asked.

“Come into the bedroom,” Mike suggested.

“Ok.”

“Jose when I bought that knife I also bought one for Juan. Would either Maria or you
have any objections to my giving it to Juan for Christmas?” Mike asked.

“I don’t have any,” Jose replied.

“Next question, Jose,” Mike continued. “I picked up 2 Winchester 9422 rifles a while
back, one for Tommy and one for Juan. I figured that when Tommy acted old enough I’d
give him his. Same, question, how would you and Maria feel about Juan having a rifle?”

“Juan is about old enough, but I’m not so sure about Tommy,” Jose replied.

96
“I was thinking more like around spring, Jose,” Mike replied. “If I decide that Tommy is
old enough, can I give a rifle to Juan too?”

“Sí, gracias,” Jose replied.

“We’d better get back to the party,” Mike suggested.

Tommy had tested the waters a couple more times on the language issue and he was
getting fairly familiar with that shovel. His midterm report card was A’s and B’s, indicat-
ing that he was smart enough. Mike and Ginger met the challenge that Tommy offered
with a firm hand. There was only one rule governing each circumstance and whether
Ginger or Mike decreed that rule, they backed each other. Tommy’s early attempts at
divide and conquer were nothing more than frustrating exercises. They made mistakes,
but they owned up to them and by Christmas, Tommy had come to Ginger and asked to
be taken to town to buy Christmas presents.

That was another thing because Tommy had an allowance. But he earned it and you
can guess where. He was getting pretty handy with that shovel. The state of Arizona
pays a family to foster a child and Mike and Ginger were socking the money away for
Tommy, save for the allowance he was getting. The simple fact of the matter was that
they weren’t in this for the money. And, if they’d had children of their own, Arizona
wouldn’t be paying them to raise their own children.

One day in passing, Jose had mentioned to Shelia that his great, great, great grandfa-
ther had helped to build the Adobe they were living in. Shelia and Ginger gave Maria,
Jose and Jose’s sister Teresa their Christmas bonuses on the first of December so they
could do their Christmas shopping. On the 16th of December, Maria gave birth to a 7-
pound 2-ounce girl that they name Celia.

During the year 2000, there were several terrorist incidents:

• There was unrelenting terrorism against Israel.

• The last of the 2000 millennium attack plots had failed when the boat meant to bomb
USS The Sullivans had sunk.

• German police had foiled the Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot.

• On June 8th, Stephen Saunders, a British Defense Attaché, was assassinated by

Revolutionary Organization 17 November.

• On October 12th, the USS Cole bombing in Yemen killed 17 US sailors.

America was slowly learning a name and that name was Osama bin Laden. George
Bush had defeated Albert Gore in the November election. On December 12th, the US
Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of Bush, effective ending the contested election. Sev-

97
en of the nine justices cited differing vote-counting standards from county to county and
the lack of a single judicial officer to oversee the recount, both of which, they ruled, vio-
lated the equal protection clause of the US Constitution. The crucial 5 to 4 decision held
that insufficient time remained to implement a unified standard and therefore all re-
counts must stop. Interestingly, Gore had won the popular vote by more than a half mil-
lion.

Christmas 2000 was a very special celebration. Ginger’s folks flew in from Santa Barba-
ra, probably to meet Tommy. I probably hadn’t mentioned it, but Mike’s parents were
dead. On Christmas morning the presents were opened and although he was disap-
pointed not to find a rifle, Tommy tried not to show it. Jack and Mike gave Jose and Ma-
ria the BOB’s they’d prepared and Juan got a new Buck Hunter. The Christmas dinner
was held at Jack and Shelia’s but Tommy wanted to stay home and play games on his
new computer. There must have been some progress, all it took was a raised finger to
get him to put on his jacket and go to Jack and Shelia’s.

The social worker that made periodic visits couldn’t believe that Tommy was even the
same boy. Rather than run the boot camp that children’s services had recommend,
Mike and Ginger had adopted the model of ANASAZI, as best as they could under the
circumstances. They taught by example and praised rather than discouraged. However,
some of their success no doubt reflected the first impression that Mike had made on
Tommy when he showed him where he could run to, which was nowhere.

Every boy who lives on a ranch has a horse, whether it is an 80-acre ranch or 10,000-
acres. Having a horse teaches responsibility. The problem was that those Barbs were
just a little tall and Tommy didn’t know how to ride. Still, after talking it over, Mike and
Ginger had given Tommy a filly from last spring’s brood. Jose worked with Tommy
teaching him to care for the filly that Tommy named Ginger. Maybe that’s why they
make 2-step step stools.

Friday, January 5th, 2001…

Tommy’s report card had 4 A’s and 1 B. He even got an A in Citizenship and the teach-
er had some glowing remarks about his improvement.

“Not bad, Tommy,” Mike said, “If I recall correctly, you even beat out my grades when I
was in 5th grade. You keep this up and you’re going to earn a saddle for that horse of
yours.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Tommy replied. Whoa, what a change. Tommy had an opin-
ion on everything. Tommy also had an allowance, a horse and a computer. But, this
wasn’t about possessions, the computer had educational software on it and a horse was
a big responsibility.

98
“I think this calls for a trip to Flagstaff and a special dinner,” Ginger suggested. “Where
would you like to go, Tommy?”

“Pizza!” Tommy yelled.

The thoughts of Mu Shu pork vanished in an instant and they got in the pickup and
headed to Flagstaff. Ginger still had to learn that if you wanted Mu Shu Pork, it was a
pronouncement, not a question. And, the SUV? Never happened. What happened in-
stead was a 2000 Dodge 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel with Quad Cab, 4WD, Power
Seats, Tilt and Cruise, CD/Cassette/Stereo, Dual Rear Wheels, Sliding Rear Window,
Power Windows and Locks, Chrome Wheels, 4 Doors, 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel with
an aftermarket winch and the optional towing package. But, it did have 2 alternators and
2 batteries and a topper. They just called it their SUV. Mike still had his heart set on a
Hummer, but the Hummer prices were going through the roof.

Due in part to the military HMMWV renown in Desert Storm, AM General introduced a
civilian version of the vehicle called the HUMMER in 1992. Known as “the world’s most
serious 4x4,” the revolutionary vehicle had found favor with commercial users who ap-
preciated the value of HUMMER’s long life and amazing performance, and individuals
who sought the ultimate in toughness and mobility. In 1999, General Motors acquired
the HUMMER brand worldwide and rebadged the current vehicle H1. (In 2002, AM
General began assembling the HUMMER H2 for GM in its new factory in Mishawaka,
Indiana.)

They’d even built the garage extra wide so they’d have room for the Hummer Mike
wanted but they didn’t have a Hummer or a SUV for that matter. They did have a 24’
camping trailer but with all of their money tied up in gold, a Hummer wasn’t in the fore-
seeable future. If you can afford to buy a Hummer, you most certainly can afford its
miserable 10mpg. Gold was barely above the price that Shelia and Ginger had paid for
it.

Monday, February 5th, 2001…

Earlier in the day, terrorists had blown up a bomb in Moscow’s Byelorusskaya subway
station injuring 15 people. It was a bad start to what would turn out to be and even
worse year. Aside from a brief mention on the evening news, the event in Moscow went
largely unnoticed. Meanwhile, down in Texas, a fellow by the name of Shane Connor
was bidding on a lot of 120,000 surplus Civil Defense Survey Meters and Dosimeters.
Connor’s company owned the KI4U website and had a good business selling Potassium
Iodate. Mike had continued to look around for Geiger counters and Survey Meters, but
most of the ones he could find were either un-calibrated Civil Defense surplus or meters
with a low range as in 1R.

March 2001…

99
When Tommy brought home a midterm report card with straight A’s, Mike got together
with Jose and had Jose pick out a saddle for Tommy’s horse. Mike told Jose that he
should pick up scabbards for those .22 rifles, too and maybe 2 pairs of saddlebags.
Juan already had a saddle, so Mike told Jose to just get Juan the scabbard and saddle-
bags and put them up with Tommy’s saddle and the saddlebags.

“I don’t mind signing this report card,” Mike told Tommy. “You keep it up and I think
maybe there’s a saddle in the offing.”

“Thanks,” Tommy said disappointment evident in his voice. Tommy had seen a Win-
chester 9422 on one of their trips to Flagstaff and he really wanted the rifle. With his al-
lowance he had begun to save up money for the Winchester. The problem was the gun
dealer had launched into a spiel.

“An un-emancipated person under 18 not accompanied by a parent, grandparent,

guardian, or a certified hunter safety instructor or certified firearms safety instructor act-
ing with consent of the minor`s parent, grandparent or guardian shall not carry or pos-
sess on his person, within his immediate control, or in or on a means of transportation a
firearm in any place open to the public or on any street, highway, or on private property,
except private property owned or leased by the minor or the minor`s parent, grandpar-
ent, or guardian. This prohibition does not apply to a person between 14 and 17 en-
gaged in lawful hunting, marksmanship practice, transportation of an unloaded firearm
for the purpose of hunting or, between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm, transportation of an un-
loaded firearm for the purpose of marksmanship at a range or other area where the dis-
charge of firearms is not prohibited.”

Remember being 11? It is a very long time to 18 or even to 14. Tommy figured that by
the time he was old enough to own a rifle, he would have saved enough money to buy
the whole gun shop. Then he remember what Mike had said about him getting a gun
when he acted old enough and he buckled down and busted his butt trying to keep his
straight A’s. Mike and Ginger were unlike anyone Tommy had ever met. They didn’t ask
any more of him than they demanded of themselves. Minor infractions were used as
teaching opportunities and major infractions had him in the barn shoveling manure for
free. The thing that impressed Tommy the most was that they didn’t treat him like a little
kid. Neither did they treat him as an adult, but the distinction was easy to understand,
even for Tommy.

Tommy was big for his age, standing just short of 5’ tall. He’d already been through 3
sizes of clothes but Mike and Ginger always made sure that he had clothes that fit
which was a whole lot more than most of his previous foster parents did. Mike and Gin-
ger had an advantage in raising Tommy. They hadn’t had to go through the terrible 2’s
or all of the stages that children normally go through. Plus they regularly attended a
parenting class offered in Sedona and worked very hard to stay one step ahead of
Tommy. That was the biggest challenge because Tommy was smart in two ways, book
smart and street smart.

100
Early June 2001…

Mike had gotten together with Jose and Jose had added a scabbard to Juan’s saddle.
They didn’t intend to push the issue but they did intend to at least get the boys to ask
about the scabbards. Mike had the Winchester 9422 rifles in the barn behind a bale of
hay.

“I got my report card today,” Tommy announced, “I got straight A’s.”

“Really, how did you manage to do that?” Mike asked.

“I busted my behind,” Tommy replied.

“Ginger, Tommy got straight A’s on his report card, what do you think, has he earned
the saddle?”

“Tommy I’m so proud of you,” Ginger smiled. “Well, I suppose straight A’s deserves
some kind of reward. Let’s go to the barn and see if we can find a new saddle.”

“Jose, have you seen a new saddle anywhere?” Mike asked.

“Sí, senor, there’s a new saddle over there,” Jose replied in his best Spanish accent.

“Hmm,” Mike said, “It must be yours, Tommy, hop on and see how it fits.”

“It’s nice, thanks,” Tommy said. “Juan, take a look at my new saddle.”

“Is there anything missing?” Mike asked.

“It must be the lariats,” Ginger said handing each boy a new lariat.

“No senor, it’s the saddlebags,” Jose said, handing each boy a new set of saddlebags.

“Jose, why did you get a rifle scabbard?” Mike mocked. “Tommy doesn’t have a rifle. As
a matter of fact neither of the boys has a rifle.”

“It came with the saddle, senor, I forgot to remove it,” Jose faked sorrow. “Sorry.”

About that time, Tommy’s face drooped.

“Tommy do you want to keep the scabbard or should I have Jose remove it?” Mike
asked.

“Leave it on, Mike, I’m saving up my money to buy a rifle,” Tommy suggested with a
smile on his face.

101
“Ginger, do you like waiting?” Mike asked.

“Not me, I’ve always been pretty impatient,” she replied.

“Yeah I have been too,” Mike laughed. “But you can’t ride a horse with an empty rifle
scabbard.”

“Hey there’s a scabbard on my saddle, too,” Juan announced excitedly.

“Well boys I guess you’d better put these in those scabbards,” Mike said bringing out
the new rifles.

Late June 2001…

“Mike, I was just out on the net reordering Potassium Iodate and that outfit down in Tex-
as has a new website up talking about reconditioned Civil Defense Survey Meters and
Geiger counters,” Ginger announced.

“I knew if I waited long enough someone would get off the dime and make them availa-
ble,” Mike replied. “What do they have?”

“CD V-700, CD V-715, CD V-717 and CD V-720’s,” Ginger replied.

“Do they have dosimeters and chargers?” Mike asked.

“Two kinds,” Ginger replied.

“I’ll give them a call, is there a phone number listed?” Mike asked.

“(830) 672-8734,” Shelia repeated as she wrote it down.

Mike made the call and talked to someone, he didn’t get the name. There were in the
process of reconditioning and calibrating the surplus Civil Defense Survey meters and
dosimeters. Mike ordered 2 CD V-700’s, 2 715’s, 2 717’s, 2 chargers, and 20 dosime-
ters. Because Ginger had gone online to order more Potassium Iodate, he also ordered
more of that.

“Hey, buddy, what’s happening?” Jack asked.

“I finally found Geiger counters,” Mike said. “That place down in Texas that we bought
our Potassium Iodate from finally got into the business.”

“Did you get some for us?” Jack asked.

102
“I got 2 of everything except the dosimeters,” Mike replied. “I ordered 20 of those and
extra Potassium Iodate.”

“How do Juan and Tommy like their rifles?” Jack asked.

“I wish you could have been there to see the look on their faces when I brought the rifles
out from behind that bale of hay,” Mike smiled. “Both Jose and I have spent some time
with them teaching the rules of gun safety and letting them shoot. I’m not quite ready to
let either boy ride around with a rifle, but by this time next year, they’ll be old enough.”

“I do wish I had seen it,” Jack admitted. “There’s just something about a boy and his first
rifle. The two of you are really spoiling Tommy.”

“There wasn’t too much to spoil,” Mike said. “I thought we’d have more trouble but I
guess the lesson with the cow manure worked better than I planned. I’m beginning to
believe that Ginger and I are the first people in Tommy’s whole life that ever cared for
him.”

“He’s a tough kid, all right,” Jack agreed. “That might not be all bad with the way the
world is going.”

“What are you talking about, Jack?” Mike asked.

“You have to wonder when 2 guys can pull a boat up to a US Guided Missile Destroyer
and blow a 40’ hole in it,” Jack replied. “Clinton called it an act of terrorism, but to date,
the US hasn’t really responded to the incident.”

“That JAG Manual cleared those involved of responsibility,” Mike pointed out.

“What kind of rules of engagement put guards on guard duty in a foreign port without
even ammunition for their rifles?” Jack asked.

“You can’t give them ammo, Jack they might hurt somebody,” Mike replied sarcastically.

That’s the real phone number for Shane Connor’s business: (830) 672-8734. I don’t
know the guy, but he seems to be the man to talk to about reconditioned survey meters.

103
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 11 – September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001… Lest we forget…

American Airlines flight 11 took off from Logan International Airport at 8:02 am, and the
plane is believed to have been hijacked at 8:14. Flight 11 crashed into the north side of
the north tower of the World Trade Center (WTC) at 8:46:40 am, local time.

United Airlines flight 175 was scheduled to depart from Logan International Airport at
8:00, but was delayed until 8:14. The crew of flight 175 knew about the prior hijacking
by the time they were overtaken, at around 8:45 am. At 9:03:11 am local time, flight 175
crashed into the south tower, covered live on TV.

American Airlines flight 77 was scheduled to depart from Washington Dulles Interna-
tional Airport at 8:10 am, but actually departed at 8:20. By 8:54, the flight had been hi-
jacked. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37:46 am local time.

United Airlines flight 93 was scheduled to depart at 8:00 am, but did not lift off until 8:47
due to routine traffic. At 9:24 am, Flight 93 received the warning “Beware any cockpit
intrusion – two a/c [aircraft] hit World Trade Center.” from flight dispatch. At 9:26 am the
pilot asked for confirmation of the message. Two minutes later, the hijackers took over
the plane. At about 9:28 am, flight controllers in Cleveland overheard some commotion,
and possibly screaming, from Flight 93’s cockpit. 40 seconds later, more screams were
heard. During this time the aircraft dropped 700 feet. The flight controllers tried to con-
tact the pilot and received no reply. At 9:32, a man with an Arabic accent, probably Ziad
Jarrah, transmitted to flight control the following: “Ladies and gentlemen, here the cap-
tain, please sit down, keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board. So sit.” The
plane crashed into a reclaimed coal-mining area near Stonycreek Township, Somerset
County, Pennsylvania and Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania at 10:03 am.

Jack got up and made some coffee and got around for work. While he was drinking his
coffee and eating a bowl of cereal, he turned on CNN to catch the news. The time was
6:15am in Arizona, which didn’t observe daylight savings time. It was 9:15 am in New
York and New York did observe daylight savings time. He watched horrified at the
breaking news that CNN was broadcasting. CNN was replaying the crash of flight 175
as it crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

“Shelia, come watch the news,” Jack woke Shelia. Next he called Mike.

“Mike planes just crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City,”
Jack announced.

“What channel are you watching?” Mike responded groggily.

“CNN, but I doubt that it makes a difference what channel you watch,” Jack replied.

104
By the time Mike cleared his head and had a pot of coffee going, flight 77 had crashed
into the Pentagon. Thoughts of school quickly vanished when Tommy came to the fami-
ly room and saw Mike watching TV. George W. Bush, the new President, was notified of
the attacks while attending a class in a Florida school. In an effort to avoid alarming the
children Bush held off saying anything and shortly later left the classroom for destination
unknown.

The following is a brief chronology of the events of that day. All times EDT:

8:45 am: A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole
in the building and setting it afire.

9:03 am: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into
the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning.

9:17 am: The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area air-
ports.

9:21 am: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey orders all bridges and tunnels
in the New York area closed.

9:30 am: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suffered
an “apparent terrorist attack.”

9:40 am: The FAA halts all flight operations at US airports, the first time in US history
that air traffic nationwide has been halted.

9:43 am: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge
plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.

9:45 am: The White House evacuates.

9:57 am: Bush departs from Florida.

10:05 am: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the
streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the
building.

10:08 am: Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafa-
yette Park across from the White House.

10:10 am: A portion of the Pentagon collapses.

10:10 am: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Penn-
sylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.

105
10:13 am: The United Nations building evacuates, including 4,700 people from the
headquarters building and 7,000 total from UNICEF and UN development programs.

10:22 am: In Washington, the State and Justice Departments are evacuated, along with
the World Bank.

10:24 am: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United
States are being diverted to Canada.

10:28 am: The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses from the top down as if it
were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.

10:45 am: All federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated.

10.46 am: US Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin America to re-
turn to the United States.

10.48 am: Police confirm the plane crash in Pennsylvania.

10:53 am: New York’s primary elections, scheduled for Tuesday, are postponed.

10:54 am: Israel evacuates all diplomatic missions.

10:57 am: New York Governor George Pataki says all state government offices are
closed.

11:02 am: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay at home
and orders an evacuation of the area south of Canal Street.

11:16 am: CNN reports that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing
emergency-response teams in a precautionary move.

11:18 am: American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight 11, a Boeing
767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Flight
77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Los Ange-
les, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north
tower of the World Trade Center. Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

11:26 am: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jer-
sey, to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania. The airline also says
that it is “deeply concerned” about United Flight 175.

11:59 am: United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has
crashed with 56 passengers and nine crewmembers aboard. It hit the World Trade Cen-
ter’s south tower.

106
12:04 pm: Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of three of the crashed air-
planes, is evacuated.

12:15 pm: San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The airport
was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.

12:15 pm: The Immigration and Naturalization Service says US borders with Canada
and México are on the highest state of alert, but no decision has been made about clos-
ing borders.

12:30 pm: The FAA says 50 flights are in US airspace, but none are reporting any prob-
lems.

1:04 pm: Bush, speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, says that all ap-
propriate security measures are being taken, including putting the US military on high
alert worldwide. He asks for prayers for those killed or wounded in the attacks and says,
“Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for
these cowardly acts.”

1:27 pm: A state of emergency is declared by the city of Washington.

1:44 pm: The Pentagon says five warships and two aircraft carriers will leave the US
Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, to protect the East Coast from further attack and to
reduce the number of ships in port. The two carriers, the USS George Washington and
the USS John F. Kennedy, are headed for the New York coast. The other ships headed
to sea are frigates and guided missile destroyers capable of shooting down aircraft.

1:48 pm: Bush leaves Barksdale Air Force Base aboard Air Force One and flies to an
Air Force base in Nebraska.

2 pm: Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that the four air-
planes that crashed were hijacked as part of a terrorist attack.

2:30 pm: The FAA announces there will be no US commercial air traffic until noon EDT
Wednesday at the earliest.

2:49 pm: At a news conference, Giuliani says that subway and bus service are partially
restored in New York City. Asked about the number of people killed, Giuliani says, “I
don’t think we want to speculate about that – more than any of us can bear.”

3:55 pm: Karen Hughes, a White House counselor, says the President is at an undis-
closed location, later revealed to be Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and is conduct-
ing a National Security Council meeting by phone. Vice President Dick Cheney and Na-
tional Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice are in a secure facility at the White House.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is at the Pentagon.

107
3:55 pm: Giuliani now says the number of critically injured in New York City is up to 200
with 2,100 total injuries reported.

4 pm: CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that US officials say
there are “good indications” that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordi-
nating the bombings of two US embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on
“new and specific” information developed since the attacks.

4:06 pm: California Governor Gray Davis dispatches urban search-and-rescue teams to
New York.

4:10 pm: Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex is reported on fire.

4:20 pm: US Senator Bob Graham, D-Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee, says he was “not surprised there was an attack (but) was surprised at the
specificity.” He says he was “shocked at what actually happened – the extent of it.”

4:25 pm: The American Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Ex-
change say they will remain closed Wednesday.

4:30 pm: The President leaves Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska aboard Air Force One
to return to Washington.

5:15 pm: CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports fires are still burn-
ing in part of the Pentagon. No death figures have been released yet.

5:20 pm: The 47-story Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex collapses. The
evacuated building is damaged when the twin towers across the street collapse earlier
in the day. Other nearby buildings in the area remain ablaze.

5:30 pm: CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reports that US officials
say the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed for one of three
possible targets: Camp David, the White House or the US Capitol building
.
6 pm: Explosions are heard in Kabul, Afghanistan, hours after terrorist attacks targeted
financial and military centers in the United States. The attacks occurred at 2:30 am local
time. Afghanistan is believed to be where bin Laden, who US officials say is possibly
behind Tuesday’s deadly attacks, is located. US officials say later that the United States
had no involvement in the incident whatsoever. The attack is credited to the Northern
Alliance, a group fighting the Taliban in the country’s ongoing civil war.

6:10 pm: Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay home Wednesday if they can.

6:40 pm: Rumsfeld, the US defense secretary, holds a news conference in the Penta-
gon, noting the building is operational. “It will be in business tomorrow,” he says.

108
6:54 pm: Bush arrives back at the White House aboard Marine One and is scheduled to
address the nation at 8:30 pm. The President earlier landed at Andrews Air Force Base
in Maryland with a three-fighter jet escort. CNNs John King reports Laura Bush arrived
earlier by motorcade from a “secure location.”

7:17 pm: US Attorney General John Ashcroft says the FBI is setting up a Web site for
tips on the attacks. He also says family and friends of possible victims can leave contact
information at 800-331-0075.

7:02 pm: CNNs Paula Zahn reports the Marriott Hotel near the World Trade Center is on
the verge of collapse and says some New York bridges are now open to outbound traf-
fic.

7:45 pm: The New York Police Department says that at least 78 officers are missing.
The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters on the scene were
killed.

8:30 pm: President Bush addresses the nation, saying, thousands of lives were sudden-
ly ended by evil and asks for prayers for the families and friends of Tuesday’s victims.
These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve, he says.
The President says the US government will make no distinction between the terrorists
who committed the acts and those who harbor them. He adds that government offices in
Washington are reopening for essential personnel Tuesday night and for all workers
Wednesday.

9:22 pm: CNNs McIntyre reports the fire at the Pentagon is still burning and is consid-
ered contained but not under control.

9:57 pm: Giuliani says New York City schools will be closed Wednesday and no more
volunteers are needed for Tuesday evening’s rescue efforts. He says there is hope that
there are still people alive in rubble. He also says that power is out on the Westside of
Manhattan and that health department tests show there are no airborne chemical
agents about which to worry.

10:49 pm: CNN Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl reports that Attorney Gen-
eral Ashcroft told members of Congress that there were three to five hijackers on each
plane armed only with knives.

10:56 pm: CNNs Zahn reports that New York City police believe there are people alive
in buildings near the World Trade Center.

11:54 pm: CNN Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno reports that a government offi-
cial told him there was an open microphone on one of the hijacked planes and that
sounds of discussion and “duress” were heard. Sesno also reports a source says law

109
enforcement has “credible” information and leads and is confident about the investiga-
tion.

Name the other events in the last 50 years that captured the attentions of American like
the events of 9/11. They will include the assassination of John Kennedy on 11/22/63,
the Tiananmen Square protests in 6/89 and then 9/11/01.

“Shit,” Tommy said when the south tower fell. Mike gave him a freebie because he
agreed with the sentiment, if not the language.

Early estimates were of a death toll perhaps in the tens of thousands. In the end, the
death toll was as follows:

WTC-Towers: 2,595, flight 11: 92, flight 175: 65

Pentagon-Building: 125, flight 77: 64
Shanksville-flight 93: 45
Total: 2,986

On the evening of September 11, 2001, the President declared a war on terror. As a re-
sult, President Bush’s approval rating soared to 85%, its highest rate since. Bush’s mili-
tary response to the terrorist attacks began in October of 2001, with the deployment of
11,000 troops to invade Afghanistan. In the weeks before they did so, the Taliban twice
offered to turn over bin Laden to a neutral country for trial, but was ignored by the Unit-
ed States, which then invaded Afghanistan and deposed the Taliban government.

On September 16, 2001, Osama bin Laden stated, I stress that I have not carried out
this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motiva-
tion, which was broadcast by Qatar’s Al-Jazeera satellite channel. This statement re-
ceived very little coverage internationally, and no media coverage in the United States.

(Osama bin Laden apparently took responsibility for the attacks on October 29, 2004,
when he stated in a videotaped speech, sent to Al-Jazeera: I say to you, Allah knows
that it had never occurred to us to strike the towers. But after it became unbearable and
we witnessed the oppression and tyranny of the American/Israeli coalition against our
people in Palestine and Lebanon, it came to my mind. ... And as I looked at those de-
molished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish the oppressor in
kind and that we should destroy towers in America in order that they taste some of what
we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children.)

September 12, 2001…

Jack went to work and Tommy went to school. Shelia and Ginger inventoried the con-
tents of the shelters. Mike drove first to Flagstaff and then to Phoenix. He bought every
round of .40S&W he could find and several bricks of .22LR ammo. Shelia and Ginger
had the diesel fuel and the propane tanks topped off. Jack and Shelia had their own
white cigar identical to Mike and Ginger’s.

110
September 13, 2001…

Both of the generators in the shelters were serviced by a fella who came down from
Flagstaff. Ginger contacted the supplier and ordered 4 additional 1-year Individual sup-
plies of the Mountain House Ultimate-Pak II, 2 for Jack and Shelia and 2 for Mike and
her. They ran the entire purchase through the Partnership under the category employee
benefits. They already had the food for Jose and Maria, but there were new children to
consider.

October 7, 2001…

At approximately 12:30am EDT, 17:00 local time on Sunday October 7, 2001, US and
British forces began an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban forces and al Qaeda.
At some time between 9/11 and 10/7, the US Special Forces and British SAS had infil-
trated Afghanistan. The war on terror had begun in earnest. The United States began to
play catch up. But why had first Clinton and then Bush rejected offers to turn over Osa-
ma bin Laden to the US and then a neutral country? And the score? US-3, bin Laden-6.
(2 embassies, USS Cole, 2 towers and the Pentagon)

Thursday, November 15, 2001…

This was Tommy’s last birthday before he became a teenager. When Mike and Ginger
tried to figure out what to get Tommy for his birthday, in addition to the clothes, they
were stumped. Mike wanted to give Tommy something of lasting value, but he was
short on ideas. And then it occurred to him that Tommy was growing up and he went to
Flagstaff and bought a blued Ruger Single Six, model NR-5F, with a 5½” barrel, Rose-
wood grips and a holster and belt. Ginger was a little leery, but Tommy had proven to
be very responsible when it came to the Winchester 9422. Plus, the firearms were kept
under lock and key and Tommy didn’t have the combinations to either gun safe. Be-
sides, Mike argued, Tommy was again pulling down straight A’s.

That wasn’t the end of the terrorist attacks in 2001. Three more incidents occurred by
the end of the year:

• On December 12, the Jewish Defense League plot to blow up the King Fahd Mosque
in Culver City, California had been foiled.

• On December 13, there was a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.

• On December 22, Richard Reid, attempting to destroy American Airlines flight 63, was
subdued by passengers and flight attendants before he could detonate his shoe bomb.

(History would later reveal that the number of terrorist incidents increased every year
after the year 2001.)

111
Sedona, Arizona isn’t really on the beaten path. It was most unlikely that if there were
further terrorist incidents in the years to come that Sedona would be directly affected.
And living, as they did, a few miles south of town gave the 2 friends an ideal location to
avoid any involvement in future terrorist events. They presumed that about the worst
thing they had to fear was bad weather.

Historically the worst things to happen in the US were power blackouts. On Tuesday,
November 9, 1965, approximately 80,000-square miles of the Northeast, a total of eight
states, falls into darkness, as the triple conductor line fails. Begins with a faulty relay in
Canada Toronto, the first city afflicted by the blackout, goes dark at 5:15pm. Rochester
follows at 5:18pm, and then Boston at 5:21pm. New York, finally, loses power at
5:28pm. The failure affects four million homes in the metropolitan area, and leaves be-
tween 600,000 and 800,000 people stranded in the city’s subway system. Late in the
evening, around 11pm, President Lyndon Johnson calls New York Mayor Robert Wag-
ner to offer assistance. “Like a pinched aorta,” journalist Theodore White later wrote, the
blackout “caused an entire civilization to flicker with it.” By midnight, more than 90 per-
cent of subway passengers are freed. By 4:44am the next day, power is restored to
Manhattan.

On August 13, 1977, New York City suffered a massive blackout. All five boroughs as
well as areas in the northern suburbs of Westchester County were plunged into dark-
ness as lightning downed major transmission power lines supplying power to the metro-
politan area. While many dealt with the blackout in a peaceful and neighborly fashion, a
number of communities erupted in violence. Looters broke into stores, taking merchan-
dise, and destroying local businesses. In place of the evening glow ordinarily produced
by the city’s abundant electrical lighting, fires lighted the darkened skyline, leaving
charred remnants of once lively neighborhoods. Within the short span of two days, po-
lice had arrested 3,766 looters and the city had suffered an economic blow that one es-
timate placed at more than $300 million. Unlike the 1965 blackout, when the lights went
out in 1977 the most distressed neighborhoods of the City endured what Time maga-
zine called “A Night of Terror.”

On January 17, 2001, California’s Governor Gray Davis declared a state of emergency.
Rolling blackouts hit northern and central California. In the wake of 9/11, it was revealed
that a company by the name of Enron had taken advantage of the energy crunch in Cal-
ifornia. The US didn’t need to import terrorists; arguably, it had enough of its own
homegrown variety. By the way, Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection at
the US Federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana on June 11, 2001.

Florida didn’t experience a single hurricane during 2001. The only storm to cross Florida
was Gabrielle, which moved from west to east and hit Florida on September 14th. Ga-
brielle didn’t become a hurricane until it was in the Atlantic Ocean several days later.
The events of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington overshadowed every-
thing. There was talk about the 1993 bombing of the WTC and the 1995 Oklahoma City
bombing but in reality, the events of 9/11 became a watershed. In a world gone mad,
terrorists became the new rulers of the world. How many of those 19 terrorists who hi-

112
jacked the planes and flew them into the WTC, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylva-
nia can you name?

January 1, 2002…

What do you buy for a man who has everything? Mike had Ginger and Tommy and a
pretty nifty bomb shelter in the basement. He had all of the guns he’d ever need and
there was no way Ginger could afford to buy a Hummer. At least not with all of her
money tied up in those 2,400 gold coins in the safe in the basement. Tommy had to re-
ciprocate for the rifle and that Ruger Single Six revolver. He got Ginger to help him buy
Mike a Randall model 2 Fighting Stiletto with an 8” blade. Not to be outdone by a 12-
year old boy, Ginger bought Mike a Randall Model 12 Smithsonian Bowie – 11” blade,
2¼” wide, of ⅜” stock. Top cutting edge sharpened. 5¼” (approximate) leather handle.
Brass lugged hilt. Duralumin butt cap. A replica of the famous Bowie knife of a century
ago, similar to type displayed in the Smithsonian and used in the motion picture The
Iron Mistress.

“I don’t know what to say,” Mike claimed when presented with his birthday presents.
Mike was smart, he clamed up and gave them both a hug. The simple truth was neither
knife was very practical unless you were fighting Méxicans in a church in southern Tex-
as in 1836. But, these were Randall made knives, arguably the best that money could
buy. The only company that came close to the steel in a Randall made knife was that
outfit in Ventura, California named Cold Steel.

Mike had never bought the Barrett and had seen a rifle in a gun shop in Phoenix that he
really liked. It was that rifle by McMillan, the synthetic stock people. It was expensive,
but not so much when compared to the Barrett. The rifle could be purchased as a rifle
or as a system which included an extra magazine, scope, etc.

The only thing of note that happened during January of 2002 was the State of the Union
Address. Our cause is just, and it continues. Our discoveries in Afghanistan confirmed
our worst fears, and showed us the true scope of the task ahead. We have seen the
depth of our enemies’ hatred in videos, where they laugh about the loss of innocent life.
And the depth of their hatred is equaled by the madness of the destruction they design.
We have found diagrams of American nuclear power plants and public water facilities,
detailed instructions for making chemical weapons, surveillance maps of American cit-
ies, and thorough descriptions of landmarks in America and throughout the world.

Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror from threatening America or
our friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction. Some of these regimes have
been pretty quiet since September the 11th. But we know their true nature. North Korea
is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its cit-
izens. Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected
few repress the Iranian people’s hope for freedom.

113
Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi re-
gime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a
decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder thousands of its
own citizens – leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This is a
regime that agreed to international inspections – then kicked out the inspectors. This is
a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world.

States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten
the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a
grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the
means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the
United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.

114
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 12 – Was History Repeating Itself?

2002…

The White House was predicting a terrorist event would occur on February 13th. So
much for Tom Ridge and his agency, the Office of Homeland Security, nothing hap-
pened. In March 2002, Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge unveiled a new color-coded
threat advisory system for the United States. The idea was to create a way to convey
the risk of terrorist attacks to federal, state, local authorities and the American people.
The coded warning system had five levels that were associated with a suggested pro-
tective measure and would trigger specific actions by federal agencies and local law en-
forcement.

During the first year the system was in place, the threat level was elevated 3 times. The
first on the anniversary of 9/11, the second and third times would come the following
year, first in February during Hajj and later in March when the President gave Saddam
48 hours to step down. The President campaigning to go to war in Iraq occupied most of
2002. And as one might well imagine, that had Mike very upset. He had predicted back
in early 2000 that Bush would find an opportunity to finish what his father had started.
Saddam didn’t think that Bush would dare invade Iraq because Iraq had essentially
complied with the conditions set down in ‘91. To make matters for the US worse, Rus-
sia, China and France opposed the invasion of Iraq in the UN.

In Sedona, Tommy was accomplishing a couple of things. In the classroom, he was

holding down straight A’s and was the object of attention of several of the girls as he fin-
ished up 6th grade. At home, he was becoming quite the rider, thanks to Jose’s tute-
lage. He was growing, having added another 4”. It seemed that the only recourse Gin-
ger had was to buy his Wranglers a little long and let him stack them on his boots. Dur-
ing this particular year Hummer brought out that new model, the H2. However with the
additional expense of feeding and clothing 3 instead of 2, Mike couldn’t even afford that
model. If you recall, by the time the H2 came out it cost about as much as the original
Hummer and the Hummers had slipped up to almost $100k.

When Mike had been a young man, they had called it Junior High School, but these
days it was called Middle School. Mike and Ginger had several discussions on the sub-
ject of adopting Tommy. In the end, they decided not to adopt because Tommy was get-
ting a college fund as they accumulated the money from the state of Arizona for the fos-
ter care. Mike had turned 54 on January 1st and on her next birthday, Ginger would be
48. Looking back at how the relationship began, Mike and Ginger had a good chuckle.

Do you remember what Jack had said? He’d described Shelia as a 40-something
blonde. He was right of course; she’d been 40 when they’d met. She’d be 45 this year
and he would be 55. With the twins finally out of diapers, she was looking forward to the
day when those diapers would become dust rags. Shelia had worked in tower 2 at the
WTC before she had that trouble in New York and returned to Arizona. She knew some
of the people that had died in the WTC and occasionally had a nightmare imagining she

115
was in the building when it fell. It had been so bad in the beginning that the doctor had
put her on Ativan.

Jose’s sister Teresa had finally left around the first of the year to get married. Maria was
dividing her time between doing secretarial work and house cleaning. Juan and Tommy
were inseparable. Those 6th grade girls that were looking at Tommy no doubt had their
eyes on Juan. The boys were at that awkward age when they didn’t know if they wanted
to go horseback riding or chase girls. Give them another year and let those hormones
kick in and it might turn into going horseback riding with the girls.

Throughout 2002 as the economy went further into the toilet the price of gold had
steadily raised. It had almost hit $330 during June. They didn’t know it at the time but by
the end of the year it would approach $350. And the following year, gold would hit $400
an ounce by the first day of December.

This was the summer that they went to Disneyland. Tommy wanted Juan to go along
and Ginger decided that it wouldn’t be fair unless they also invited Teresa. In early June
before it got too hot, they headed to Santa Barbara to see Ginger’s family. After several
days in Santa Barbara, they headed down the coast to go to Disneyland. The trip hap-
pened to take them through the community of Ventura. Mike stopped and went into the
Cold Steel outlet and picked up Christmas presents for Juan and Tommy. They contin-
ued on to Anaheim, arriving shortly after noon and closed up the park. They spent 2
nights in the Disneyland Hotel and a second day watching the kids enjoy themselves. If
you’ve never been to Disneyland, there is only one rule you should remember, take lots
of money. The bad thing about going to Disneyland is all of the walking, especially if you
have a bad back. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

But wait, just a few miles from Disneyland is Knott’s Berry Farm. And then if you head
north, there’s always Magic Mountain. One day each in the other two parks pushed the
kids to the limit of their endurance. Just try to go to California for the first time with 2 12-
years olds and a 10-year old and not hit all three parks. The kids will never forgive you if
they can’t see all three and after all, it’s only money. (Lots of money – take it from a
Disneyland Daddy!)

July 4, 2002…

“Did you have a good time at Disneyland?” Jack asked.

“I’ll let you know when my back heals up,” Mike replied. “But, at least the 3 kids got to
see all of the amusements.”

“I still have that to look forward to,” Jack laughed.

116
“Jack by the time your kids are old enough to enjoy Disneyland you’ll be too darned old
to want to go,” Mike observed. “It is not for the faint of heart.”

“I got a promotion,” Jack explained. “They made me the sales manager.”

“Congratulations, I think. What does that do to your paycheck” Mike asked.

“I get a piece of every car sold,” Jack said. “I should make at least $75 in a fair year and
more in a good year. They have that new H2, you know, you ought to check them out. I
can get you a really good deal on one of those.”

“Jack, if I had the money to buy a Hummer, you wouldn’t have to sell it to me, all you’d
have to do is the paperwork,” Mike grinned.

“You’re looking at around $100 grand for a fully equipped H1 with all of the options,”
Jack pointed out.

“I can wait,” Mike said. “If I ever have the money to buy a Hummer, I’m going for the
original and not that smaller one.”

“Are Ginger and you going to adopt Tommy?” Jack asked.

“We talked it over, partner and we decided against it for now,” Mike explained. “Tom-
my’s getting straight A’s in school and if that holds up, he will probably want to go to col-
lege. Have you looked into what it costs to go to college these days? Anyway, we’re
putting away all of the foster care money except for his allowance so he’ll have money
for college.”

“I’m sure glad I got that promotion,” Jack returned to their earlier discussion. “With the
economy in the toilet, cars sales aren’t what they could be. Have you noticed the price
of fuel? I’m surprised we’re selling any cars at all.”

“If you want culture shock, try buying gas or diesel in California, Jack,” Mike pointed out.
“They must have the highest fuel prices in the nation. It has to be all of those additives
that they’re putting in their fuel.”

“I think you were right about Bush,” Jack went on. “That man is dedicated to the propo-
sition of getting Saddam out of power. As much as I hate to say it, it looks like the US is
headed into another war.”

“Do you really think that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction?” Mike asked.

“I have no idea, Mike,” Jack replied. “I do know that he gassed the Kurds but that was
just after the Gulf War.”

“He did it back in ‘87, too,” Mike recalled.

117
“I suspect that if he does have WMD’s he’ll move them across the border into Syria,”
Jack suggested. “Then when the US finally does attack the country, they won’t find a
single thing to justify the invasion. It sort of reminds me of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolu-
tion.”

On August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats, mistaking the USS Maddox
(DD-731) for a South Vietnamese vessel, launched a torpedo and machine gun attack
on it. Responding immediately to the attack, the Maddox, with the help of air support
from the nearby carrier Ticonderoga, destroyed one of the attacking boats and dam-
aged the other two. The Maddox, suffering only superficial damage by a single machine
gun bullet, retired to South Vietnamese waters where she was joined by the C. Turner
Joy.

On August 4, a new DESOTO patrol to North Vietnam coast was launched by Maddox
and the C. Turner Joy. The latter got radar signals that they believed to be another at-
tack by the North Vietnamese. For some two hours the ships fired on radar targets and
maneuvered vigorously amid electronic and visual reports of torpedoes. It is highly un-
likely that any North Vietnamese forces were actually in the area during this gunfight.
Captain John J. Herrick even admitted that it was nothing more than an overeager so-
narman who was hearing ship’s own propeller beat. Also in 1995, General Vo Nguyen
Giap, commander-in-chief of North Vietnamese forces at the time, disavowed any in-
volvement with the August 4 incident, though he did confirm the August 2 attack.

Lyndon Johnson, who was up for election that year, launched retaliatory strikes and
went on national television on August 4, 1964. Although the Maddox had been involved
in providing support for South Vietnamese attacks at Hon Me and Hon Ngu, Johnson’s
Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, went before Congress and denied that the
United States Navy was supporting South Vietnamese military operations. He thus
characterized the attack as unprovoked. Despite the fact that there was no second at-
tack, he also claimed before Congress that there was unequivocal proof of an unpro-
voked second attack against the Maddox.

As a result of McNamara’s testimony, on August 7, 1964 Congress passed a Joint Res-

olution (H.J. RES 1145), known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that facilitated in-
creased US involvement in the Vietnam War. The House approved the Resolution
unanimously (416-0), and by the Senate 88-2, with Senators Wayne Morse of Oregon
and Ernest Gruening of Alaska casting the only nay votes. Although there was never a
formal declaration of war, the Resolution gave President Johnson approval to take all
necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol
state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense
of its freedom. Both Johnson and President Richard Nixon used the Resolution as a jus-
tification for escalated involvement in Indochina.

118
Sound familiar? Nah, George W. Bush is a Republican.

“Did they ever figure out if the North Vietnamese actually fired on the Maddox?” Mike
asked.

“Apparently what happened on August 2nd, happened as described; but they were
chasing ghosts on August 4th,” Jack replied. “I saw some program about it on the Histo-
ry Channel.”

“If we’d just been 2-3 years younger, we could have avoided it entirely, Jack,” Mike
mused.

“Mike, when the President of these United States makes his mind up to go to war, it in-
variably happens,” Jack replied. “They’re still arguing whether or not Roosevelt withheld
knowledge of Pearl Harbor in order to get us into WW II.”

“I sure hope it’s over before Tommy and Juan turn 18,” Mike said.

“I think that it’s hard to say, Mike,” Jack reflected. “They didn’t go all of the way to Bagh-
dad in the Gulf War. It could have been a whole lot different if they had. We might have
had another Vietnam. Say, Ginger told Shelia that you stopped in Ventura and picked
up Christmas presents for Tommy and Juan. What did you get them, if I may ask?”

“They had 2 of the Recon Scouts with the 7½” blades in their outlet,” Mike replied.
“They’re perfectly fine and just have a little mar on the finish. The Recon Scout is a
smaller version of their Trail Master Bowie. But that Trail Master has a 9½” blade and a
shorter blade is a better knife. You saw those Randall knives that I got for my birthday
didn’t you? They’re extremely nice knives but the blades are so big that they’re strictly
fighting knives.”

“I sure hope that we never need to use a fighting knife,” Jack laughed.

“We ought to be thinking more about the future, Jack,” Mike replied. “This is a very good
location and we’re well prepared except for one thing. Did it ever occur to you what we’d
actually do if TSHTF? There is nothing between our homes and the road. Now if some-
one were coming out of Flagstaff, and got past Sedona, they’d be right in our laps with
nothing between us and them.”

“Do you have any ideas about what we could do?” Jack asked.

“We need something to slow them down at the road and keep them from entering our
property,” Mike replied. “Maybe something like a mesh fence would be a good start.”

“Man, that would take a lot of posts and fabric,” Jack opined.

119
“Why couldn’t we look around the Phoenix area and see if we could find some govern-
ment surplus fencing?” Mike asked. “We could always slap on a coat of
Rust-Oleum on it to make it look new.”

“How are you going to pay for something like that?” Jack asked. “You must have spent
a fortune on that trip to California.”

“There’s that college fund of Tommy’s and we could always reimburse that by selling
gold,” Mike pointed out. “I think I’ll talk to Ginger about the possibility of doing just that.”

The property was 80 acres and was rectangular. The road frontage was ¼ mile and the
long side from ‘east-to-west’ was ½ mile. Mike figured out that if they were to fence the
entire property, they would need 1½ miles of fencing. He looked on the Internet and
new 84” height 2” chain link fence mesh ran about $325 per 100’. If his math were right,
they’d need 79 spools of wire. The wire alone would cost them about $26,000. Plus,
they would need approximately 792 posts, at least one gate, probably 2, and all of the
accessories to install the fence. For a 7’ high fence, they’d need 9’ line posts and 9’6”
end posts. Both ran about $30 each and that meant another $24,000 for posts. Mike
was up to $50k and that didn’t include the labor or the miscellaneous items to install the
fence. Even if he could get government surplus fencing, he had no idea how cheaply he
could buy it. Mike also figured that they probably have to get the fence professionally
installed and that would probably double the cost. The money in Tommy’s account was
only about 20% of what he was estimating a new fence would cost. And, even if he
bought good used fence, he still had the installation problem.

If Jack and Shelia paid ½ the cost of the fence, they didn’t have any available cash ei-
ther, not with 3 children to raise and all of Shelia’s money sitting in the safe in their
basement. Mike kept a list of things that he wanted that they couldn’t afford. Number 1
on the list was the H1. He added the fencing to the list and figured he might as well
think in terms of new fencing and maybe even a barbed wire top. Unless the price of
gold jumped one of these days, nothing on that list would ever get purchased. Foster
care paid very well, but that money was being set aside for Tommy’s education. And,
with only 6 more years to add to the college fund, there might not be enough money to
send Tommy to the school of his choice.

This whole business of being prepared could very get complicated when you began to
think of the long-term and the things that you’d never considered before. Jack and he
were very well prepared, provided that they didn’t have any security problems. And,
while they had a fair number of weapons and plenty of ammunition, they couldn’t shoot
all of their neighbors if TSHTF. It wasn’t as if they had guard towers every quarter mile
with Ma Deuces mounted. This being Arizona, they could always buy a Ma Deuce at
about 5 times what they cost the government, presuming they could even find one. But,

120
there were only 6 adults and 7 children on the 80 acres. That wasn’t a very large group
of people to protect ⅛ section of ground.

Monday, September 2, 2002…

“I looked into what it would take to fence in the 80 acres,” Mike told Jack.

“What did you come up with?” Jack asked.

“A headache, Jack,” Mike shook his head. “We’re looking at maybe $100 thousand dol-
lars to put a 7’ high fence around the entire 80 acres. Even if we bought used materials,
I couldn’t work on the fence and you couldn’t give up your day job. I added it to the list
of things I’ll buy if we ever get rich.”

“Gold closed at about $312 on Friday,” Jack said. “That doesn’t help much does it?”

“I expect that our wives won’t let loose of that gold until they get the price they want, so
no, not really,” Mike agreed.

“We’re a whole lot closer to war than we were on Independence Day, you know that
don’t you?” Jack asked.

“I’m convinced that it is a question of when, not if, Jack,” Mike replied. “They’re raising
the Threat Level because of the anniversary of the attacks.”

“That’s another thing, pal,” Jack said. “What are those terrorists going to do if we do at-
tack Iraq?”

“I have no idea, but I can tell you that they couldn’t find bin Laden with both hands and a
flashlight.”

“Do they have any idea where he is?” Jack asked.

“I doubt it,” Mike replied.

“Do the kids start back to school tomorrow?” Jack asked.

“That’s right, Jack, but Juan and Tommy will be in Middle School,” Mike acknowledged.

“You ought to get Tommy a shotgun for his birthday,” Jack suggested.

“Now there’s a thought,” Mike replied. “I hadn’t even thought about his birthday. Any
ideas about what I should get him?”

121
“Conventional wisdom usually gets a boy a .410 as his first shotgun, but if it were up to
me, I’d go with a 20-gauge,” Jack replied.

“Remington has a 20-gauge Express Combo with a 28” barrel with a vent rib and the
Rem Choke and a 20” barrel in improved cylinder with rifle sights,” Mike said. “They
have them in the gun store up in Flagstaff.”

“I think that that’s the way I’d go, Mike,” Jack suggested.

“Yeah, I agree, Jack. I’ll run it by Ginger,” Mike said.

“You almost spoil Juan like he’s your boy too, are you going to buy him a 20-gauge?”
Jack asked.

“I think maybe I should leave that up to Jose and Maria,” Mike replied. “I got him started
with the Winchester rifle and a couple of knives, but his folks should decide matters like
that.”

“Say, Mike, do you have any idea what Jose has for firearms?” Jack asked.

“He has that Colt .45 and the Winchester we bought him but other than that I have no
idea, why?” Mike asked.

“Do you think that maybe we should buy him a M16 or a shotgun or something?” Jack
asked.

“Not knowing what he has, I couldn’t answer that,” Mike replied. “But, we have my Su-
per Match, 2 M16s and Ginger’s AR-15, so I’d have something I could let him use. As
far as that goes, you have enough firearms to furnish an infantry squad so I don’t really
see the point in tying more money up in guns we’ll probably never use.”

“You didn’t used to feel that way,” Jack laughed.

“I didn’t used to be married and have a son to take care of either,” Mike pointed out.
“Besides, all of that tromping around at those amusement parks back in June reminded
me that I’m disabled.”

“Your back still giving you trouble?” Jack asked.

“No, not really, but, I was reminded that I’m not a kid anymore,” Mike explained. “Re-
member when we were 20 years old and bulletproof?”

“That didn’t really survive the first firefight we got into in Nam,” Jack remembered.

122
“True, I hadn’t realized how much blood there is in a human body until we took our first
casualties,” Mike agreed. “Speaking of which, Ginger is studying because she’s up for
recertification as a Paramedic.”

“So soon?” Jack reacted.

“She isn’t due yet, but she started studying,” Mike explained. “She thinks it will be easier
that way.”

“Bush is really pushing Congress isn’t he?” Jack asked rhetorically.

“Yep. It seems to me that he’s going for his own version of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolu-
tion,” Mike suggested.

The Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq
(H.J.Res. 114) was a resolution passed in October 2002 by the United States Congress
authorizing what was soon to become the 2003 Invasion of Iraq under the War Powers
Resolution. The authorization was sought by US President George W. Bush, and it
passed the House by a vote of 296-133 and the Senate by a vote of 77-23, receiving
significant support from both major political parties. It was signed into law by President
Bush on October 16, 2002.

The act cited several factors to justify a war:

• Iraq’s noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 cease-fire

• Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and programs to develop such weapons, posed a
“threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security
in the Persian Gulf region”
• Iraq’s “brutal repression of its civilian population”
• Iraq’s “capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other na-
tions and its own people”
• Iraq’s hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination
attempt of George Bush Sr., and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones
following the 1991 Gulf War
• Iraq’s connection to terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda
• Fear that Iraq would provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against
the United States

The act praised President Bush’s diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council to obtain
prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its
strategy of delay, evasion and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all
relevant Security Council resolutions. It authorized him to use military force to defend
the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq;
and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq. Be-

123
fore being permitted to use force, the President was required to determine that further
diplomatic efforts alone would not satisfactorily protect the United States or ensure
Iraq’s compliance with UNSC resolutions.

The act was significant in that it did not require the President to obtain UN Security
Council authorization. Further, even if Iraq complied with UNSC resolutions, the Presi-
dent was still authorized to attack in order to protect the United States. This was, in ef-
fect, approval for Bush to act unilaterally. This was viewed among American conserva-
tives as a major impetus for the UNSC’s unanimous adoption of resolution 1441 a few
weeks later.

There were 38 years and 6 Presidents (Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush
Sr., Clinton, and Bush Jr.) between the two Congressional Resolutions but both Mike
and Jack felt that the US President and Congress were pushing the nation into another
war in response to the attack on the country on September 11, 2001. The Congression-
al Resolution came on the heels of the Bali terrorist bombing on October 12, 2002 in the
town of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing 202 people and injuring a further
209, most of whom were foreign tourists. It is considered the deadliest act of terrorism in
Indonesian history. The bombing, in which 7 Americans died, was linked through
Jemaah Islamiyah to al Qaeda.

2002 was a tough year with a total of 13 terrorist attacks not including the numerous
Palestinian attacks against the Israelis. When the US Congress passed its resolution,
the world wasn’t even done counting. During the remainder of October, 2002 3 more
terrorist events occurred including the October 17th bombing in the Philippines, the Oc-
tober 19th car bombing in Moscow and the October 23rd Moscow theatre crisis. 140
hostages and 40 terrorists were killed during the rescue attempt on October 26th. Be-
fore the year ended, on November 28th, 3 suicide bombers detonated themselves at a
hotel in Mombasa, Kenya and on the same day, two anti-aircraft missiles were fired at
an Arkia Boeing 757 airliner, which only narrowly missed. The two attacks (2002 Mom-
basa attacks) were suspected to be connected, and it was suspected that al Qaeda
might be involved in the attacks.

124
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 13 – The New War

Christmas 2002…

After further reflection, Mike decided to give Tommy the Recon Scout for his birthday
and save the new Remington shotgun for Christmas. So, for Christmas, Tommy got the
shotgun and Juan got his Recon Scout. Admittedly Ginger and he, mostly he, were
spoiling Tommy a little, but from another point of view they were giving Tommy some-
thing he’d never had before, love. Mike wasn’t worried about it because Tommy was
turning into a fine young man. He was 13 years old and about 5’8” tall. One of these
days he might pass Mike in height.

It turned out that Jose had a Remington model 870 shotgun so Jack and Mike got Jose
a 20” barrel and magazine extension, upgrading the shotgun to a combo. Gold had hit
$350 and with the economy still in bad shape, it appeared that it might hit $400 before
the coming year was over. With that in mind, Jack and Mike discussed what they’d do
about securing the 80 acres. By the time that discussion ended, they had decided to put
in a new 84” fence topped by barbed wire facing outward. They could put in a single
gate in the front and a second in the back. To stop vehicles from entering the property,
they’d put in a cattle guard that they could pull the grate from. When they had the mon-
ey.

Since it didn’t look like fuel prices were going down, they also agreed that their security
project would include adding a second 40,000-gallon diesel tank to the 40,000-gallon
tank they already had. These were truck stop sized tanks and with that much fuel on
hand they could weather the price changes that would inevitably come when Bush
started his war in Iraq. Oh yeah, they made a lot of plans for the money the gals might
get if they ever sold the gold. Jack had an opportunity to pick up 2 more M16A2s and he
bought them and added them to his inventory of firearms.

A week later, Mike turned 55. He got a most unusual birthday present, too. Ginger and
Tommy had gotten together and purchased him a new Vaquero .45 with a 7½” barrel.
They also gave him a belated Christmas present that went with the new revolver, a
Fitzpatrick Laredoan gun belt and holster. Tommy had purchased the holster as a com-
bination Christmas/Birthday present and Ginger had purchased the Ruger revolver.
Ginger and Tommy had purchased the double rig, but put up the second holster for next
Christmas when they intended to give Mike a second Ruger with a 4⅝” barrel. In truth,
Ginger had bought both of the revolvers but the second gun and its companion holster
were put up for the following year.

One might suspect that Tommy was thinking about those Rugers with the 5½” barrels
that Mike had in his gun safe, but who could say for sure? The only time that Mike ever
wore the Ruger was when they went on one of their cross-county camping trips out in
the desert anyway. They’d done that in July and August and Tommy and Juan were be-
coming quite proficient at both handling the horses and setting up a camp. Juan was

125
teaching Tommy Spanish and Tommy was becoming good with that, too. It sort of gave
him a leg up when he’d have to take a foreign language in High School.

On January 24th, Tom Ridge was sworn in as the Secretary of the new Department of
Homeland Security. During his State of the Union Speech on January 28th, President
Bush said:

Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein faced the prospect of being the last casualty in a
war he had started and lost. To spare himself, he agreed to disarm of all weapons of
mass destruction. For the next 12 years, he systematically violated that agreement. He
pursued chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, even while inspectors were in his
country. Nothing to date has restrained him from his pursuit of these weapons – not
economic sanctions, not isolation from the civilized world, not even cruise missile strikes
on his military facilities.

Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave Saddam Hussein
his final chance to disarm. He has shown instead utter contempt for the United Nations,
and for the opinion of the world. The 108 UN inspectors were sent to conduct – were not
sent to conduct a scavenger hunt for hidden materials across a country the size of Cali-
fornia. The job of the inspectors is to verify that Iraq’s regime is disarming. It is up to
Iraq to show exactly where it is hiding its banned weapons, lay those weapons out for
the world to see, and destroy them as directed. Nothing like this has happened.

The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons
sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax – enough doses to kill several million
people. He hasn’t accounted for that material. He’s given no evidence that he has de-
stroyed it.

The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials sufficient to produce
more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin – enough to subject millions of people to
death by respiratory failure. He hadn’t accounted for that material. He’s given no evi-
dence that he has destroyed it.

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as
much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent. In such quantities, these
chemical agents could also kill untold thousands. He’s not accounted for these materi-
als. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

US intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capa-
ble of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently turned up 16 of them – despite
Iraq’s recent declaration denying their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted
for the remaining 29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He’s given no evidence that he
has destroyed them.

126
From three Iraqi defectors we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile bio-
logical weapons labs. These are designed to produce germ warfare agents, and can be
moved from place to a place to evade inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed
these facilities. He’s given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein
had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear
weapon and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb.
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant
quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted
to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production.
Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to
hide.

The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving. From intelligence
sources we know, for instance, that thousands of Iraqi security personnel are at work
hiding documents and materials from the UN inspectors, sanitizing inspection sites and
monitoring the inspectors themselves. Iraqi officials accompany the inspectors in order
to intimidate witnesses.

Bush went on to say:

The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not accept a serious and
mounting threat to our country, and our friends and our allies. The United States will ask
the UN Security Council to convene on February the 5th to consider the facts of Iraq’s
ongoing defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present information and
intelligence about Iraqi’s legal – Iraq’s illegal weapons programs, its attempt to hide
those weapons from inspectors, and its links to terrorist groups.

We will consult. But let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully
disarm, for the safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coali-
tion to disarm him.

“So will Saddam disarm?” Jack asked.

“He probably already has Jack,” Mike shook his head. “What did the truth ever have to
do with anything? “Bush already has his mind made up and most of the troops are in
place. Make no mistake, we are going to war.”

“Gold is still going up, it hit $368 on Monday,” Jack pointed out.

“It can’t hit $400 soon enough,” Mike said. “How long do you think it would take a con-
tractor to put in that fence we discussed?”

“The best way to find out is to call one and asked him,” Jack replied. “Get him to make a
bid when the price gets close to $400.”

127
“I think that I might just do that. What else can we do?” Mike asked.

“Well, if you’re talking about something that doesn’t cost much money, I suppose we
could dig some fighting positions,” Jack replied. “Have a talk with Jose and see if he
knows where we could pick up some cheap labor.”

“What did you have in mind, Jack?” Mike asked.

“We could get them to cut a trench around the houses and maybe pile the dirt in front of
the trench,” Jack suggested.

“Or, we could put the dirt in sandbags,” Mike retorted.

“Nah, that would be a little obvious, wouldn’t it? I was thinking more in terms of land-
scaping the dirt,” Jack countered. “We could get them to stack up some of that red rock
and make it look like a landscaping fence.”

“Anyway, Jose, that’s what Jack proposed, what do you think we can accomplish?” Mike
asked Jose.

“There is not much work this time of year, Mike,” Jose replied. “I have a cousin down in
Phoenix in the landscaping business. From time to time, he picks up some day labor off
the street corners when he needs a few strong backs. I could talk to him for you and see
if he’d be interested.”

“But you do understand what Jack and I want, right?” Mike asked.

“I don’t think it will be much of a problem and you men could cut a passageway into the
stairs leading to your basements if you wanted,” Jose suggested.

“Hmm, I can’t visualize that Jose, explain what you mean,” Mike asked.

“Well, if you cut a hole in the wall at the basement level and put in a concrete storm
pipe, you could have a manhole cover in the trench,” Jose explained. Depending on
how you constructed it, there wouldn’t be any obvious signs of an alternate entrance in-
to the basement. If you don’t do something like that, we would be exposing ourselves
when we came out in case we ever had to use the basement shelter.”

“I’m still not sure that I understand, but talk it over with your cousin and see what the
two of you can come up with,” Mike suggested.

128
Monday, March 17, 2003…

At 8:01pm EST, President George W. Bush addressed the nation:

Our government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as we are prepar-
ing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further actions to protect our homeland. In
recent days, American authorities have expelled from the country certain individuals
with ties to Iraqi intelligence services. Among other measures, I have directed additional
security of our airports, and increased Coast Guard patrols of major seaports. The De-
partment of Homeland Security is working closely with the nation’s governors to in-
crease armed security at critical facilities across America.

Should enemies strike our country, they would be attempting to shift our attention with
panic and weaken our morale with fear. In this, they would fail. No act of theirs can alter
the course or shake the resolve of this country. We are a peaceful people – yet we’re
not a fragile people, and we will not be intimidated by thugs and killers. If our enemies
dare to strike us, they and all who have aided them, will face fearful consequences.

We are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater. In one year, or
five years, the power of Iraq to inflict harm on all free nations would be multiplied many
times over. With these capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies could
choose the moment of deadly conflict when they are strongest. We choose to meet that
threat now, where it arises, before it can appear suddenly in our skies and cities.

The cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and undeniable realities.
In the 20th century, some chose to appease murderous dictators, whose threats were
allowed to grow into genocide and global war. In this century, when evil men plot chem-
ical, biological and nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could bring destruction of a
kind never before seen on this earth.

Terrorists and terror states do not reveal these threats with fair notice, in formal declara-
tions – and responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not self-
defense, it is suicide. The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein
now.

As we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the deepest commit-
ments of our country. Unlike Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserv-
ing and capable of human liberty. And when the dictator has departed, they can set an
example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful and self-governing nation.

Bush had just given Saddam Hussein 48 hours to abdicate power. Hussein didn’t.

At approximately 02:30 UTC or about 90 minutes after the lapse of the 48-hour dead-
line, at 05:30 local time, explosions were heard in Baghdad. At 03:15 UTC, or 10:15 pm
EST, US President George W. Bush announced that he had ordered the coalition to
launch an attack of opportunity against targets in Iraq. Approximately 250,000 United

129
States troops, with support from 45,000 British, 2,000 Australian and 200 Polish, and
approximately 900 Spanish combat forces, entered Iraq primarily through their staging
area in Kuwait. Plans for an invasion force from the north were abandoned when Turkey
officially refused the use of its territory for such purposes. Coalition forces also support-
ed Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 50,000.

The invasion was swift, with the collapse of the Iraq government and the military of Iraq
in about three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly secured with limited
damage in that time. Securing the oil infrastructure was considered important. In the first
Persian Gulf War, while retreating from Kuwait, the Iraqi army had set many oil wells on
fire, in an attempt to disguise troop movements and to distract Coalition forces – a side
effect of these actions were many environmental problems. Presumably, oil infrastruc-
ture was secured for financial reasons as well as strategic.

During the 12 years between the liberation of Kuwait and this second Gulf War, the
United States had developed a whole new generation of precision weapons. During the
Gulf War, General Norman Schwarzkopf had carefully selected photos and films/tapes
of successful attacks using the smart weapons. During the latest conflict, General
Tommy Franks didn’t have that problem. The new generations of weapons were very
accurate and extremely deadly.

About the only things that changed was that Donald Rumsfeld replaced Dick Chaney
and General Richard Myers replaced General Colin Powell. The coalition forces kicked
butt and took names and 3 weeks later were in Baghdad. During the Gulf War, coalition
forces suffered about 378 deaths. During the 6 weeks ended April 30, 2003, there were
172 fatalities, 139 US and 33 from the UK. Estimates of Iraqi fatalities ranged as high as
100,000 but were probably more like half of that.

May 1, 2003…

On May 1, 2003 George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln,
in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing the end of major com-
bat operations in the Iraq war. Clearly visible in the background was a banner stating
Mission Accomplished. Bush’s landing was criticized by opponents as an overly theat-
rical and expensive stunt. Bush was right, we’d won the war; we hadn’t won the peace.

Iraq was one of those countries around the world where you could buy an AK-47 or a
RPG-7 on a street corner. There were a lot of those weapons in the country. In the
months that followed, coalition forces tried to restore order to Iraq. Their efforts were
hampered by a group later to become known as ‘insurgents’. No doubt the group in-
cluded former military forces and it most certainly included foreigners. America learned
another name, Abu Musab al-Zargawi.

130
In Sedona, Arizona, the landscaping project had been completed. At the bottom of the
ramp, a hole had been cut into the wall of the passageway right where it turned. On the
other side of the wall was a concrete pipe that ascended a few feet to a manhole cover
that was locked from the inside. The manhole was in the trench they constructed and
covered with a little soil. Jim had installed the setup and he’d spring loaded the cover
just like he’d spring loaded the doors. They’d gotten by cheap and Jose’s cousin proba-
bly used Illegals, but he’d hired them and paid them and they did the project on a con-
tract so it was his problem and not theirs.

During January, gold had hit $369.90 and in February, it went to $382.10 but in March it
fell to $354.70 and in April it was down to $336.75. So close had the price come to the
$400 mark, that Mike had gotten an estimate on the fence from a contractor. It was dur-
ing May, after Bush’s speech from the Abraham Lincoln that Ginger and Mike talked
about the fence and the price of gold.

“So close and yet so far,” Mike observed.

“What are you talking about honey?” Ginger asked.

“The price of gold,” Mike replied. “Both Shelia and you have maintained that you were
going to sell when it hit $400 an ounce. Jack and I have been looking at our security ar-
rangements and those trenches around the homes are part of a 2-stage system to pro-
tect our homes if TSHTF.”

“What’s the second stage?” Ginger asked.

“A fence around the entire 80 acres 7’ high with barbed wire on top,” Mike explained.

“It sounds to me like you 2 want to turn the acreage into an armed camp,” Ginger
laughed.

“It already is an armed camp we just don’t have anything between them and us,” Mike
pointed out.

“Don’t start spending the gold just yet, Mike,” Ginger continued. “Shelia and I talked it
over and we are going to sell when we can clear $150 per ounce before taxes.”

“How much did you pay for the gold?” Mike asked.

“$252.85,” she replied.

“So you will sell when it hits $402.85?”

“No, I said clear $150 per ounce,” Ginger replied. “You’d better figure on about $412.85,
give or take.”

131
“Are you still planning on selling half of the gold when you sell?” Mike asked.

“We changed our minds on that and have decided to sell ⅔ of the gold and keep 800
coins,” she responded.

“So that means that before taxes, you’d have $402.85 times about 1,600 clear, right?”
he asked.

“That’s right and we’d still have 800 times $412.85 on hand,” Ginger said. “Don’t bother
to do the math, Mike. We’d clear $644,560 each and have another $322,280, net on
hand. What would the fence cost?”

“Half of $125,000, give or take,” Mike replied. “But I’ll have to tell you Ginger, there are
some other things on my list. Jack and I talked about putting in a second 40,000-gallon
diesel tank and I sure would like to have a Hummer.”

“How much does a Hummer cost?” Ginger asked.

“They’re very expensive, honey, probably $100,000,” Mike answered. “But, the fence
and fuel come first and if there’s any money left over, we can talk about the Hummer.”

“Just out of curiosity, what color of Hummer would you want?” Ginger asked.

“Probably metallic sand,” Mike replied. “It would fit in the best with the landscape. And
the model I’d like is the wagon.”

“Maybe someday,” Ginger laughed.

THUD!!! (Sorry, it’s the best I can do at reproducing the sound of Mike’s heart dropping.)

For his birthday present on November 15, 2003, Tommy received a Winchester rifle in
.45 Colt with a 24” barrel. By this time, Tommy had Mike figured out and he was thinking
more about the Ruger with the 5½” barrel than the rifle. Tommy was now 14 years old.
He also knew to keep his mouth shut and let Mike do whatever Mike was going to do.
He didn’t know about the Glock 23 that Mike had put away against a rainy day when
TSHTF.

Gold hit a high of $398.38 in November 2003.

Ginger’s parents came out to Sedona for the Thanksgiving holiday. Mike and Ginger’s
Dad got along very well, but they avoided talking about politics and religion. Ginger’s
Dad, Herb, was wound up like an 8-day clock over the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Afghanistan, Herb said, was going ok, but the situation in Iraq left a lot to be desired.
The death toll during the occupation had continued to rise and Herb was of the mind

132
that the US and its allies should pull out all of their troops and nuke the Middle East. I
guess it would be fair to say that Ginger favored her Dad more than her mother when it
came to politics.

Mike about half agreed with Herb, but using nuclear weapons is awfully easy to talk
about when you’ve never been in the military. The 3 largest nuclear powers in the world
in 2003 were the US, Russia and China. There could be no doubt that, were the US to
do what Herb was suggesting, the US would end up glowing in the dark. The others
would too, but that probably meant that France would end up in charge along with their
new buddies, the Germans. That was too awful a thought to even contemplate.

They were fast approaching the Christmas season. You had to give Bush a little credit,
at least he had enough class to fly to Iraq and spend Thanksgiving with the troops. He
had a few words to say to them and ended it up with:

On this Thanksgiving, our nation remembers the men and women of our military, your
friends and comrades who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. We ask
for God’s blessings on their families, their loved ones and their friends, and we pray for
your safety and your strength, as you continue to defend America and to spread free-
dom.

Each one of you has answered a great call, participating in an historic moment in world
history. You live by a code of honor, of service to your nation, with the safety and the
security of your fellow citizens. Our military is full of the finest people on the face of the
earth. I’m proud to be your Commander-in-Chief. I bring greetings from America. May
God bless you all.

Pretty gutsy but the liberal media would probably rake George over the coals, some-
how. The Democrat Party was in full swing, too, trying to paint Bush as the bad guy in-
stead of Saddam Hussein.

Speaking of which, on December 13th there was a news flash on TV saying that they’d
caught Saddam in a hole in the ground near Tikrit as a part of Operation Red Dawn.
Soldiers entered two sites (codenamed Wolverine 1 and Wolverine 2) outside the village
of but failed initially to find Saddam. A subsequent cordon and search operation found
the fugitive dictator hiding in a so-called “spider hole” at a small mud-walled compound.
He was taken into custody at 20:30 local time. He was armed with a pistol, but offered
no resistance during his capture. The soldiers also found two AK-47 rifles, US$ 750,000
in $100 bills, Mars bars, a stash of SPAM (a food prohibited under Muslim Halal), and a
white and orange taxicab. Two Iraqis, believed to be Saddam’s former cook Qais Na-
muk and his brother, were also taken into custody. Saddam was later moved to an un-
disclosed location as soldiers continued to search the area.

The name of the operation, Red Dawn, apparently comes from the title of a 1984 film
directed by John Milius, in which a group of American teenagers band together to com-
mit sabotage and terrorism in their Colorado town against invading Soviet forces. The

133
teenagers, whose leader was portrayed by a young Patrick Swayze, called themselves
the “Wolverines” – the name given to the targets of the US forces in ad-Dawr. Inci-
dentally, this was also the codename of a mission of the Soviets during warfare, in
which they tried to expand the borders of communist Russia by mass military means.

Old Saddam really needed a shave and a haircut, too. One might have thought that with
¾ million dollars on hand he could have had one. Man, did that give the Demos some
ammo. A Democrat claimed that GWB even timed the capture of Saddam just to get
some political mileage out of it. GWB would have had one hell of a lot more mileage if
they had managed to catch Saddam in one of his bunkers in Baghdad. It appeared that
the former governor of Vermont, Howard Dean was the leading Democrat candidate.

Dean began his campaign by emphasizing health care and fiscal responsibility, and
championing grassroots fundraising as a way to fight special interests. However, his
opposition to the US plan to invade Iraq (and his forceful criticism of Democrats in Con-
gress who voted to authorize the use of force) quickly eclipsed other issues, resonating
with disillusioned Democrats and using momentum from the burgeoning anti-war
movement to build an impressive online campaign. Dean’s early slogan of representing
the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party reflected the feeling among frustrated vot-
ers that Democrats hadn’t done enough to question the policies of the Republicans.

Dean received the endorsement of former Vice President and presidential candidate Al
Gore, on December 9, 2003 when Gore loaned him his Internet to use in his campaign.
In the following weeks Dean was endorsed by former US senators Bill Bradley and Car-
ol Moseley Braun, unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates from the 2000 and
2004 primaries, respectively. Many pundits would blame such endorsements for the
campaign’s eventual collapse. Dean was running as an outsider, and accepting the
support of such establishment figures was seen by some as hypocritical. Dean lost the
Iowa Caucuses and the Democrats had a new candidate by the name of John Kerry. On
January 27 Dean again suffered a defeat, finishing second to Kerry in the New Hamp-
shire primary. As late as one week before the first votes were cast in Iowa’s caucuses,
Dean had enjoyed a 30% lead in New Hampshire opinion polls; accordingly, this loss
represented another major setback to his campaign. Dean should have gone to Iraq and
eaten turkey.

134
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 14 – Election 2004

Christmas 2003…

I was so busy bashing Howard Dean that I got a little ahead of the story. Tommy got the
5½” Vaquero and the leather and Mike got the new 4⅝” Vaquero and the crossdraw
holster. On December 30, 2003, gold hit $416.25 and Shelia and Ginger unloaded a to-
tal of 3,200 troy ounces. They didn’t know that on Thursday December 2, 2004, gold
would hit $454.20 per ounce, but that was beside the point. It could have just as easily
fallen as it had so many times before. On January 1, 2004, they had a birthday party but
Mike didn’t get any presents besides another bottle of Scotch from Jack. Instead, he got
a card that said ‘IOU one birthday present.”

Ginger and Shelia got together and discussed both the fence and the new 40,000-gallon
diesel tank. These they went ahead and ordered when the settlement came in. Ginger
had a long talk with Jack about something and Jack told her that he’d take care of it.
Have you priced one? The full price of a Hummer H1 (MSRP $140,000+) was a whole
lot more than $100,000. I guess it helped to have your best friend being the Sales Man-
ager of an auto dealership, huh? There is one hell of a markup in motor vehicles and
never let anyone tell you anything different. They mostly get you on the accessories.

I regret to inform you that Mike didn’t get a metallic sand colored H1 with every possible
option and accessory. If you go to the GMAC Hummer website, you’ll quickly realize
what I mean. Look at the pictures of the Hummer H1s and you will see a picture of a
metallic sand colored Hummer H1 probably taken somewhere around Sedona, Arizona.
It’s red rock county. Mike’s new Hummer was painted in a military camouflage scheme
that allowed it blend right in with the desert in the Sedona area. It was the darnedest
thing you ever saw, when you could see it. Ginger knew her men. The only difference
between a man and a boy was the price of his toy.

I can also tell you that it took the contractor the better part of a month to put in 1½ miles
of fence and he hired extra help. That cost more than they planned, too. The diesel tank
didn’t but the fuel did. Tommy’s report card was straight A’s again and rather than buy-
ing him a present, Ginger put some extra money into his college fund. She’d gone back
and added up every A he’d gotten since he moved in with them and added $1,000 per.
It must be nice to have money. (I saw some once.)

All of the fuel was stabilized with PRI-D and extra PRI-D was stored for future use. Jack
wasn’t far behind Mike in the motor vehicle department either. The dealership repos-
sessed a H1 when the new owner couldn’t keep up the payments. Shelia let him buy it
but only because he could get such a good price. To look at that acreage there south of
Sedona, one would have thought that a bunch of Yuppies lived there. But the folks on
the acreage weren’t Yuppies; they were just reaping the seeds of some fruitful invest-
ments.

“I guess that we’re about as ready as we can be for the crap to hit the fan,” Jack offered.

135
“Probably Jack but we should have alternatives,” Mike suggested.

“Am I missing something?” Jack asked.

“Not necessarily but what would we do if the acreage became untenable?” Mike asked
back.

“As in…?” Jack asked.

“As in there’s a thousand guys on our front door and all of them are armed to the teeth,”
Mike said.

“If that were the case we’d have to bugout,” Jack responded.

“And go where?” Mike asked. “We have more than enough food and ammo, but it’s all in
those shelters of ours. Do you really think that if a bunch of thugs showed up they’d wait
while we loaded up some things so we could bugout?”

“I suppose we should cache some things somewhere else just in case, huh?” Jack
asked.

“Jack, if we could go cross-country and make it to 462 then we could make it to those
lakes northeast of Mormon Lake,” Mike explained.

“Have you ever been to the area?” Jack asked.

“The boys and I have gone camping there a couple of times,” Mike replied. “It’s rugged
country but we could get our Hummer’s in there if we had to. Of course we’d be better
off if we had horses when we got there. Maybe we should buy more horse trailers.”

“We already have 2 horse trailers,” Jack pointed out.

“True but we wouldn’t need anything fancy, just something serviceable,” Mike pointed
out. “I’ll keep my eye on the paper for used horse trailers. Meanwhile, how about we
hop in my Hummer and drive over to the lake so I can show the place I have in mind?”

“Let’s go,” Jack agreed.

This wasn’t some sort of cross-country expedition, so they took 179 to I-17, and then
north to 462. Maybe 45 minutes to an hour later, they were at the site that Mike had in
mind.

“You were right, we can get a Hummer in here but my God, what a chore it would be to
come cross-country from the ranch,” Jack exclaimed. “I think we’d be better off to make
the trip on horseback and leave the Hummers home.”

136
“Jack that’s exactly why I brought you over here so you could see for yourself,” Mike
agreed.

“We’d have to cache about everything we’d need except the weapons,” Jack suggested.

“I’d have to agree with that. Now if we can find a good location to cache some supplies
we’d be home free,” Mike said. “We usually camp over there.”

“Good position and we could defend it if we had to,” Jack opined.

“I figure that we could hide the vehicles behind the hill about a mile east of the ranch,”
Mike continued

“I know where you mean, no one would ever think to look there for vehicles, Mike,” Jack
agreed, “And if we got some cammo netting it wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to
hide them completely. How much food do you think we should cache?”

“If we keep 13 of the one year supplies in our shelters, we could move the rest over
here along with enough ammo and other supplies to keep us going about 4-6 months,”
Mike suggested.

“Who are you going to get to help you? The way your back is you sure can’t move the
stuff,” Jack pointed out.

“There are 2 14-year old boys who might find it to be quite an adventure,” Mike laughed.

“True, but I’d feel a whole lot better if Juan had a Winchester and a Colt,” Jack hesitat-
ed.

“I’ll talk to Ginger,” Mike suggested.

“Shelia and I can go halves,” Jack offered.

“For no more money than is involved, I’ll get the rifle and revolver as a joint gift from
both families for his birthday,” Mike said.

“Add one of those 20-gauge Remington 870 combos,” Jack said. “There’s no reason
why both boys shouldn’t have the same equipment.”

Sedona Airport (KSEZ) was located 2 miles SW of Sedona. It has a 5,132’ asphalt run-
way in good condition. It also has a helipad. The elevation at the airport was 4,736 for
runway 3 and 4,830 for runway 21, which is to say the runway ran downhill. The airport

137
had 100LL and Jet Fuel-A available but only operated from dawn to dusk because the
only light available was the beacon.

The suburb of West Sedona had its streets named after the movies that had been made
in Sedona. Mike liked that John Wayne movie made in Sedona called Angel and the
Badman. That Gail Russell was really cute but she died in ‘61 at age 37 from a heart
attack induced by her acute alcoholism. She had been married to Wild Bill Hickok. (Guy
Madison)

Jack and Mike ended up keeping 13 years’ worth of the Mountain House foods in the
shelters and Mike and the boys eventually moved the extras over to the small lake. Ra-
ther than run short of ammo, they bought more and also cached it at the lake along with
a surplus 16-man tent and other essentials like a couple of 100-pound propane bottles,
propane lamps and stoves. Other equipment at the cache included cots, folding tables
and folding chairs. This was completed after school let out in the summer of 2004. They
now had plan A and plan B.

John Kerry ended up being the candidate that the Democrats put forth in 2004. Depend-
ing upon whom you talked to, he was either a coward or a hero but had picked up sev-
eral medals in Vietnam. Bush and Kerry never really got around to discussing the is-
sues, so busy were they bad-mouthing each other. Because of the fiasco in Florida in
2000, tremendous steps were taken to see that the people instead of the Supreme
Court decided this election. Hah!

American forces finally had Afghanistan under control but they couldn’t find bin Laden. It
had been a tough year. In March bombs exploded in Madrid, Spain changing the out-
come of the elections that occurred 3 days later. 4 American contractors were captured,
killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq. Then in April,
word of prisoner abuses at Saddam’s prison, Abu Ghraib surfaced on 60 Minutes. It al-
so seemed that every time you turned on TV the insurgents in Iraq had captured some-
one else and was going to or had already beheaded him or her.

In June, the 9/11 Commission issued it is initial report and the WTC and the Pentagon
were the fault of the FBI and CIA. That was quite a surprise because most people that
thought all along that it had been to work of 19 terrorists. SpaceShipOne made it to 62
miles high twice and they began preliminary hearing for Saddam, charging him with war
crimes and crimes against humanity. He looked a little better with a haircut and his
beard trimmed.

George Tenet must have known that the WTC was his fault because he fell on his
sword on June 3. Ronald Reagan died and they had a real fancy funeral for him. Watch-
ing the show, Mike almost had the impression that everyone liked Reagan. Reagan was
a hard-talking politician who built a (nearly) 600 ship Navy and bankrupted the Soviets.

138
It seems that a lot more people liked him now that he was dead than ever did when he
was living.

On the 28th of June, the US-led coalition occupying Iraq transferred sovereignty to an
interim Iraqi government. Then came August and September and nature unleashed her
fury in Florida which was hit by Hurricane Charley, killing 27 people in Florida. Charley
was the most intense hurricane to pound Florida since Andrew. On the first of Septem-
ber, Chechen rebels seized a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia which resulted in 335
people being killed and 700 injured. Then came Hurricane Frances followed a few days
later by Ivan. Before September ended, Mt. St. Helens had blown its top and Hurricane
Jeanne had arrived.

Mike, Tom and Juan had ridden the horses over to the cache site and gone camping in
July and August. The boys were entering High School this fall, where did the time go to?
After Shelia and Ginger had paid their taxes on the capital gains they had money left
over but there weren’t really any good investments available. They eventually put the
money in Money Market Checking accounts. You did notice that it wasn’t Tommy any-
more, right?

On October 4th, SpaceShipOne captured the Ansari X-Prize of $10,000,000. Later that
same month, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918.
Then, on October 29th, a videotape of Osama bin Laden speaking aired on Arabic TV, in
which he threatens terrorist attacks on the US, and taunts George W. Bush, over the
9/11 attacks. Must have not hurt Bush too much, he won the election on November 2 nd.
Bush won the popular vote this time, but the courts and Congress still decided the out-
come of the election. The only difference was that this time the state involved was Ohio
instead of Florida. What ever happened to the good old days when opposing candidates
stumped on the issues instead of the perceived deficiencies in their opponent’s person-
alities and behavior?

Right after the US election the US launched an attack on Fallujah to kick butts and get
some more names. After six days of intense battles, Iraqi town of Fallujah was fully oc-
cupied by US forces. The jury convicted Scott Peterson of killing his pregnant wife on
November 12th.

November 15, 2004…

This was Tom’s 15th birthday and this year, Ginger bought his birthday present. It was a
Springfield Armory Super Match M1A equipped with the SA 6-20X50 Pro-Plex™ BDC
Government Model™ scope and Harris bipod. She also got him a dozen genuine SA
20-round magazines. The price had come way down with the sunset of the Assault
Weapons Ban. Mike gave him 2 cases of Black Hills ammunition. The only gun they had
that they hadn’t given Tom was the Glock Model 23. Ginger had the rifle equipped with
the Quick Detach mount for a Surefire Suppressor with she had purchased in her name.

139
About the only thing the rifle lacked was a night vision sight. But, there was always
Christmas. And, you did know that SA stopped carrying scopes, right? There were plen-
ty in the retail market, fortunately.

Shelia and Ginger had paid for the big ticket items during the year, but when it came to
the smaller stuff, Jack and Mike were on their own, hence the surplus 16-man tent. The
ladies told their husbands that considering what those Hummer’s cost, they’d have to
last them a lifetime. As I said, even with Jack’s discounts, Mike’s Hummer had cost
about as much as the fence.

January 1, 2005…

Years from now, if asked to recall the single most memorable event during December
2004, what would you say? A lot of people would remember December 26th when the
tsunami that resulted from a 9.3 earthquake killed over 200,000 people. What I remem-
ber is that Jerry Orbach died on December 28th. People in the UK might remember the
tsunami or the £22 million theft from a bank. Tom will tell you that it was the month he
got his UNS and the Glock 23.

Mike learned that the birthday present he’d gotten the previous year was going to have
to do for this year, too. Apparently that Hummer really was a once in a lifetime deal.
And, as nice as it was, it wasn’t bulletproof. As of December 2004, the military was short
19,000 up-armor kits for the vehicles in Iraq. The military vehicles were now coming
from the factory with up-armor in place and contractors were scrambling trying to up-
armor the majority of vehicles in Iraq.

Scott Peterson was sentenced to death, but I’ll die of old age before they ever execute
him. A jury found the former Baretta star, Robert Blake, not guilty in the 2001 slaying of
his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, who was shot in a car outside a restaurant where the cou-
ple had dined. District Attorney Steve Cooley said Robert Blake was guilty as sin and
the jurors who acquitted him of murder were incredibly stupid. Six crewmembers of the
attack submarine USS San Francisco that struck a mass of undersea rock in the west-
ern Pacific earlier this year had been disciplined.

After a person reaches a certain age, they sometimes stop counting. Mike had turned
57 Ginger was going to be 51 and Tom 16 during 2005. They weren’t particularly rich,
but they most definitely were comfortable. Aside from the large gold transaction that had
allowed Shelia and Ginger to scratch a few itches, they were living within their means.
How many times had Mike told Jack, “I’ll talk to Ginger”? And, except for a few obvious
excesses (can you spell Hummer or M1A rifle for 15-year-old boy?) they lived on their
income. That was the beauty of having money, you know, you could spend it when you
wanted to. Unfortunately for Mike and Jack, the ladies didn’t like spending money ‘frivo-

140
lously’. It was their money and they wrote the definition of frivolous. Love sometimes
jaded that definition, but how many things could they buy before they became frivolous?
Keep in mind that Mike doesn’t have a Barrett, but he has the MUNS for the rifle.

At any moment things in the world could change. What about Osama’s threats to Bush
in 2004 that he was going to attack the US again? It probably wasn’t a question of if, but
rather when. There’s the speech that he made in October 2004 for Bush’s benefit:

Praise be to Allah who created the creation for his worship and commanded them to be
just and permitted the wronged one to retaliate against the oppressor in kind. To pro-
ceed:

Peace be upon he who follows the guidance: People of America this talk of mine is for
you and concerns the ideal way to prevent another Manhattan, and deals with the war
and its causes and results.

Before I begin, I say to you that security is an indispensable pillar of human life and that
free men do not forfeit their security, contrary to Bush’s claim that we hate freedom. If
so, then let him explain to us why we don’t strike for example – Sweden? And we know
that freedom-haters don’t possess defiant spirits like those of the 19 – may Allah have
mercy on them.

No, we fight because we are free men who don’t sleep under oppression. We want to
restore freedom to our nation, just as you lay waste to our nation. So shall we lay waste
to yours.

No-one except a dumb thief plays with the security of others and then makes himself
believe he will be secure. Whereas thinking people, when disaster strikes, make it their
priority to look for its causes, in order to prevent it happening again.

But I am amazed at you. Even though we are in the fourth year after the events of Sep-
tember 11th, Bush is still engaged in distortion, deception and hiding from you the real
causes. And thus, the reasons are still there for a repeat of what occurred.

So I shall talk to you about the story behind those events and shall tell you truthfully
about the moments in which the decision was taken, for you to consider.

I say to you, Allah knows that it had never occurred to us to strike the towers. But after it
became unbearable and we witnessed the oppression and tyranny of the Ameri-
can/Israeli coalition against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, it came to my mind.

The events that affected my soul in a direct way started in 1982 when America permit-
ted the Israelis to invade Lebanon and the American Sixth Fleet helped them in that.
This bombardment began and many were killed and injured and others were terrorized
and displaced.

141
I couldn’t forget those moving scenes, blood and severed limbs, women and children
sprawled everywhere. Houses destroyed along with their occupants and high rises de-
molished over their residents, rockets raining down on our home without mercy.

The situation was like a crocodile meeting a helpless child, powerless except for his
screams. Does the crocodile understand a conversation that doesn’t include a weapon?
And the whole world saw and heard but it didn’t respond.

In those difficult moments many hard-to-describe ideas bubbled in my soul, but in the
end they produced an intense feeling of rejection of tyranny, and gave birth to a strong
resolve to punish the oppressors.

And as I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we

should punish the oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America in
order that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing
our women and children.

And that day, it was confirmed to me that oppression and the intentional killing of inno-
cent women and children is a deliberate American policy. Destruction is freedom and
democracy, while resistance is terrorism and intolerance.

This means the oppressing and embargoing to death of millions as Bush Sr. did in Iraq
in the greatest mass slaughter of children mankind has ever known, and it means the
throwing of millions of pounds of bombs and explosives at millions of children – also in
Iraq – as Bush Jr. did, in order to remove an old agent and replace him with a new pup-
pet to assist in the pilfering of Iraq’s oil and other outrages.

So with these images and their like as their background, the events of September 11th
came as a reply to those great wrongs, should a man be blamed for defending his sanc-
tuary?”

Is defending oneself and punishing the aggressor in kind, objectionable terrorism? If it is

such, then it is unavoidable for us.

This is the message which I sought to communicate to you in word and deed, repeated-
ly, for years before September 11th.

And you can read this, if you wish, in my interview with Scott in Time Magazine in 1996,
or with Peter Arnett on CNN in 1997, or my meeting with John Weiner in 1998.

You can observe it practically, if you wish, in Kenya and Tanzania and in Aden. And you
can read it in my interview with Abdul Bari Atwan, as well as my interviews with Robert
Fisk.

The latter is one of your compatriots and co-religionists and I consider him to be neutral.
So are the pretenders of freedom at The White House and the channels controlled by

142
them able to run an interview with him? So that he may relay to the American people
what he has understood from us to be the reasons for our fight against you?

If you were to avoid these reasons, you will have taken the correct path that will lead
America to the security that it was in before September 11th. This concerned the caus-
es of the war.

As for its results, they have been, by the grace of Allah, positive and enormous, and
have, by all standards, exceeded all expectations. This is due to many factors, chief
amongst them, that we have found it difficult to deal with the Bush administration in light
of the resemblance it bears to the regimes in our countries, half of which are ruled by
the military and the other half which are ruled by the sons of kings and presidents.

Our experience with them is lengthy, and both types are replete with those who are
characterized by pride, arrogance, greed and misappropriation of wealth. This resem-
blance began after the visits of Bush Sr. to the region.

At a time when some of our compatriots were dazzled by America and hoping that these
visits would have an effect on our countries, all of a sudden he was affected by those
monarchies and military regimes, and became envious of their remaining decades in
their positions, to embezzle the public wealth of the nation without supervision or ac-
counting.

So he took dictatorship and suppression of freedoms to his son and they named it the
Patriot Act, under the pretense of fighting terrorism. In addition, Bush sanctioned the in-
stalling of sons as state governors, and didn’t forget to import expertise in election fraud
from the region’s presidents to Florida to be made use of in moments of difficulty.

All that we have mentioned has made it easy for us to provoke and bait this administra-
tion. All that we have to do is to send two Mujahedeen to the furthest point East to raise
a piece of cloth on which is written al-Qaida, in order to make the generals race there to
cause America to suffer human, economic, and political losses without their achieving
for it anything of note other than some benefits for their private companies.

This is in addition to our having experience in using guerrilla warfare and the war of at-
trition to fight tyrannical superpowers, as we, alongside the Mujahedeen, bled Russia for
ten years, until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat. All Praise is due
to Allah.

So we are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah
willing, and nothing is too great for Allah.

That being said, those who say that al-Qaida has won against the administration in the
White House or that the administration has lost in this war have not been precise, be-
cause when one scrutinizes the results, one cannot say that al-Qaida is the sole factor
in achieving those spectacular gains.

143
Rather, the policy of the White House that demands the opening of war fronts to keep
busy their various corporations – whether they be working in the field of arms or oil or
reconstruction – has helped al-Qaida to achieve these enormous results.

And so it has appeared to some analysts and diplomats that the White House and us
are playing as one team towards the economic goals of the United States, even if the
intentions differ.

And it was to these sorts of notions and their like that the British diplomat and others
were referring in their lectures at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. (When they
pointed out that) for example, al-Qaida spent $500,000 on the event, while America, in
the incident and its aftermath, lost – according to the lowest estimate – more than 500
billion dollars.

Meaning that every dollar of al-Qaida defeated a million dollars by the permission of Al-
lah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs.

As for the size of the economic deficit, it has reached record astronomical numbers es-
timated to total more than a trillion dollars.

And even more dangerous and bitter for America is that the Mujahedeen recently forced
Bush to resort to emergency funds to continue the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, which is
evidence of the success of the bleed-until-bankruptcy plan – with Allah’s permission.

It is true that this shows that al-Qaida has gained, but on the other hand, it shows that
the Bush administration has also gained, something of which anyone who looks at the
size of the contracts acquired by the shady Bush administration-linked mega-
corporations, like Halliburton and its kind, will be convinced. And it all shows that the re-
al loser is...you.

It is the American people and their economy. And for the record, we had agreed with the
Commander-General Muhammad Atta, Allah have mercy on him, that all the operations
should be carried out within twenty minutes, before Bush and his administration notice.

“It never occurred to us that the commander-in-chief of the American armed forces
would abandon 50,000 of his citizens in the twin towers to face those great horrors
alone, the time when they most needed him.

But because it seemed to him that occupying himself by talking to the little girl about the
goat and its butting was more important than occupying himself with the planes and
their butting of the skyscrapers. We were given three times the period required to exe-
cute the operations – All Praise is Due to Allah.

And it’s no secret to you that the thinkers and perceptive ones from among the Ameri-
cans warned Bush before the war and told him, ‘All that you want for securing America

144
and removing the weapons of mass destruction – assuming they exist – is available to
you, and the nations of the world are with you in the inspections, and it is in the interest
of America that it not be thrust into an unjustified war with an unknown outcome.’

But the darkness of the black gold blurred his vision and insight, and he gave priority to
private interests over the public interests of America.

So the war went ahead, the death toll rose, the American economy bled, and Bush be-
came embroiled in the swamps of Iraq that threaten his future. He fits the saying, Like
the naughty she-goat who used her hoof to dig up a knife from under the earth.

So I say to you, over 15,000 of our people have been killed and tens of thousands in-
jured, while more than a thousand of you have been killed and more than 10,000 in-
jured. And Bush’s hands are stained with the blood of all those killed from both sides, all
for the sake of oil and keeping their private companies in business.

Be aware that it is the nation who punishes the weak man when he causes the killing of
one of its citizens for money, while letting the powerful one get off, when he causes the
killing of more than 1,000 of its sons, also for money.

And the same goes for your allies in Palestine. They terrorize the women and children,
and kill and capture the men as they lie sleeping with their families on the mattresses,
that you may recall that for every action, there is a reaction.

Finally, it behooves you to reflect on the last wills and testaments of the thousands who
left you on the 11th as they gestured in despair. They are important testaments, which
should be studied and researched.

Among the most important of what I read in them was some prose in their gestures be-
fore the collapse, where they say, How mistaken we were to have allowed the White
House to implement its aggressive foreign policies against the weak without supervi-
sion. It is as if they were telling you, the people of America, Hold to account those who
have caused us to be killed, and happy is he who learns from others mistakes, And
among that which I read in their gestures is a verse of poetry, Injustice chases its peo-
ple, and how unhealthy the bed of tyranny.

“As has been said, An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

“And know that, It is better to return to the truth than persist in error. And that the wise
man doesn’t squander his security, wealth and children for the sake of the liar in the
White House.

In conclusion, I tell you in truth, that your security is not in the hands of Kerry, nor Bush,
nor al-Qaida. No.

145
Your security is in your own hands. And every state that doesn’t play with our security
has automatically guaranteed its own security.

And Allah is our Guardian and Helper, while you have no Guardian or Helper. All Peace
be Upon he who follows the Guidance.

What a load of… but it sure sounds pretty. It was an effort to divide the American peo-
ple. It worked so well that Bush got reelected as the people of America thumbed their
collective nose at bin Laden.

146
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 15 – Enemies

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. – Arab Proverb

Can you tell me with any degree of certainty what is going to happen tomorrow? Did you
know on Christmas 2004 that over 200,000 people would be killed the following day?
Mother Nature may be very powerful, but she can’t read. Hence, she doesn’t know that
Yellowstone isn’t supposed to erupt for 100,000 years and that the Long Valley Caldera
isn’t overdue. Anywhere from 228,000 to 310,000 people are thought to have died as a
result of the tsunami, and the count was not yet complete. In Indonesia in particular, 500
bodies a day were still being found in February 2005 and the count was expected to
continue past June.

Who was going to get us? Mother Nature? Osama bin Laden? Or, were we going to get
ourselves like the Russians did at a power plant in the town of Chernobyl? We tried that
at Three Mile Island. President Jimmy Carter ordered a full investigation of the TMI inci-
dent. According to Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the key figure in the development of nu-
clear power plants and a close confidant of the President, the original report was so crit-
ical of the nuclear power industry’s safety lapses that if it had been released, all nuclear
plants in the US would probably have been forced to close. Rickover said the final ver-
sion was more muted, at the command of Jimmy Carter.

December 12, 1952 –The first serious nuclear disaster occurred at the NRX reactor in
Chalk River, Canada. A massive power excursion destroyed the core, resulting in a par-
tial meltdown. A series of hydrogen gas explosions threw a four-ton gasholder dome
four feet (1.2 m) into the air, where it jammed in the superstructure. Thousands of curies
(several terabecquerels) of fission products were released into the atmosphere, and a
million US gallons (3,800 m³) of radioactively contaminated water was pumped out of
the basement into shallow trenches not far from the Ottawa River. The core was buried.
Jimmy Carter, then a nuclear engineer in the US Navy, was among the cleanup crew.

Why do the Japanese have a fascination with Godzilla? It’s the bombs we dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, right? Maybe.

March 1, 1954 – During the early morning of March 1st, a Japanese Fishing boat, the
Diago Fukuryu Maru, or Number 5 Lucky Dragon, and its crew witnessed what they be-
lieved to be the sun rising to the west of them as they sailed in the Pacific Ocean. In
fact, they were witnessing the 15-megaton of TNT (63 PJ) detonation of the hydrogen
bomb “Castle Bravo” at the Bikini Atoll, 85 miles (140 km) away. Four hours later, white
ash began to fall like snow onto the boat. Many of the crewmembers gathered the ash
into bags as souvenirs. Before the evening was over, the entire crew had become ill.
The 23 crewmembers were hospitalized in Japan and one later died of kidney failure
due to radiation exposure. The incident brought a rift in relations between Japan and the
United States because the US did not warn Japan or any other country of the bombs
testing, leaving the Lucky Dragon exposed to the fallout. (In partial mitigation, the device
yielded about 2½ times what was predicted because of an overlooked reaction; the US

147
expanded its exclusion zones in later tests.) Fallout was enhanced by debris from coral
dispersed by the explosion. The US issued an apology and paid 2 million US dollars in
compensation. Additionally, in the same incident, 64 natives of Rongelap Atoll were ex-
posed for 50 hours to fallout that produced a whole-body radiation dose of 1.75 Sv, 28
residents of Rongerik Atoll were exposed to doses of about 780 mSv before being per-
manently evacuated, 18 residents of Alininae Atoll were exposed to 680 mSv for about
50 hours, and 157 residents of Utirik Atoll were exposed to 140 mSv for about 55 to 75
hours.

While we’re on the subject, how many nuclear accidents have there been? 2? 10? 25?
My list is 17 pages long and the answer is: as of August 9, 2004 – 134. If Osama bin
Laden or Mother Nature doesn’t get us, we will most surely get ourselves. Think about
it. No don’t, you need your sleep.

Last year Michael Scheuer, who ran the CIA’s Osama bin Laden unit for several years
in the late 1990s, wrote a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee warning of the
careful, professional manner in which al-Qaeda was seeking nuclear weapons ... in
deadly earnest. More than a decade ago, bin Laden allegedly tried to buy a canister of
uranium in Sudan for $1.5 million. (He appears to have been scammed.) In August
2001, he met with two Pakistani nuclear scientists. And later that year, crude sketches
of nuclear weapons were found in Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Scheuer told
CBS’s 60 Minutes last year that bin Laden even sought a religious edict from a Saudi
cleric on whether he could use a nuclear weapon against America. The cleric’s answer:
Go for it.

There are signs that Taiwan is out to gauge world reactions towards a revival of the nu-
clear program it brought to an abrupt halt in 1988. Professor Chung Chien, of the Atom-
ic Science Faculty of Taiwan’s National Tsinghua University, said Taipei has thought
seriously about reviving its nuclear program for ‘effective deterrence and reinforced de-
fense’. He detailed such a proposal in his book, Ground Zero, Zero Hour, published in
March.

Since early this year (2004), Chinese military publications, notably Bingqi Zhishi (Ord-
nance Knowledge) and Chaunjian Zhishi (Naval Ships) have carried a series of articles
about how tactical nuclear weapons would be employed in any cross-strait military con-
flict. This is unprecedented. Given that Beijing keeps a tight leash over what can be
published, its decision to allow public discussion of so drastic a step could be read as a
test of public opinion as well as a warning to Taiwan.

Nuclear Weapons: US ~ 10,640; Russia ~ 8,600; Great Britain ~ 200; France ~ 350;
China ~ 400; India ~ 100; Pakistan ~ 85-125; Israel ~ 200; North Korea 7; Iran ?.

Pleasant Dreams.

148
WACO, Texas – President Bush yesterday said he opposes a civilian project to monitor
illegal aliens crossing the border, characterizing them as vigilantes. He said he would
pressure Congress to further loosen immigration law. More than 1,000 people – includ-
ing 30 pilots and their private planes – have volunteered for the Minuteman Project, be-
ginning next month along the Arizona-México border. Civilians will monitor the move-
ment of illegal aliens for the month of April and report them to the Border Patrol. Mr.
Bush said after yesterday’s continental summit, with Méxican President Vicente Fox and
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at Baylor University, that he finds such actions un-
acceptable. I’m against vigilantes in the United States of America, Mr. Bush said at a
joint press conference. I’m for enforcing the law in a rational way.

The State Department says that the Méxican government, angry that a thousand Ameri-
can volunteers will begin an Arizona border vigil next month, consistently violates the
rights of illegal immigrants crossing its southern border into México. Although México
demands that its citizens’ rights be protected when they illegally enter the United States,
immigrants who cross illegally into México are often ripped off six ways until sundown,
says George Grayson, a professor at the College of William & Mary and a fellow at the
Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

Méxican President Vicente Fox said last week that his government would sue in US or
international courts if the volunteers – part of the Minuteman Project, which is designed
to protest the Bush administration’s lax immigration policies – break the law. We totally
reject the idea of these migrant-hunting groups, Mr. Fox said prior to yesterday’s Baylor
University summit in Waco, Texas, with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin, at which the countries agreed to improve security and unify business prac-
tices. We will use the law, international law and even US law to make sure that these
types of groups ... will not have any opportunity to progress, Mr. Fox said last week.

It seems that the Minuteman Project is getting some hate mail. Not everyone south of
the border approved of Americans keeping the illegal immigrants out. I’ve read some of
those emails and I can tell you that I wouldn’t want to be an illegal immigrant up against
those Minutemen. They received some very dire threats. This has to be a hot topic so I
won’t discuss it any further. Americans were, in the words of the President, vigilantes for
merely wanting to keep the Méxicans in México unless they had a Visa and a Passport.
My goodness, what was the world coming to? I did notice that the Minuteman Project
has so many volunteers that they started a waiting list.

There were all types of obvious disasters that could happen at any time. Lighting could
strike the house, a volcano could explode somewhere, or the Midwest could get all
mixed up and send a tornado the wrong way. Or, they could have a blizzard or the peo-
ple who warned about global warming could be right and the Gulfstream stop flowing.
And, were the Martians invading before or after the rock came out behind the sun unex-
pectedly? There are other types of disasters that usually occur on a smaller scale and
more often, like for instance a car accident. Maybe California would get the 10.5 earth-

149
quake that they made the movie about. On the other hand, maybe nothing at all would
happen. Hah! Something always happens, it might just not be what you expect when
you expect it. The United States was in the grip of paranoia over terrorists striking the
country.

The new Department of Homeland Security had combined about 14 agencies into one.
It consisted of 4 directorates: Border and Transportation Security (Customs, INS, Fed-
eral Protective Service, TSA, Federal law Enforcement Training Center, Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service and the Office for Domestic Preparedness); Emergency
Preparedness and Response (FEMA, HHS, NIRT, Domestic Emergency Support
Teams and the National Domestic Preparedness office); Science and Technology
(CBRN Countermeasures, Environmental Measures, National BW Defense Analysis
and Plumb Island); and, Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (FCRIC, Na-
tional Communications System, National Infrastructure Protection Center and the Ener-
gy Security and Assurance Program). Two other organizations were part of Homeland
Security and reported directly to the Secretary: Secret Service and the Coast Guard.
Michael Chertoff became the second Secretary of DHS on February 15, 2005.

Buried somewhere in that mass of organizations was the Border Patrol. The problem
with the Border Patrol was that the President kept promising to up their budget but
didn’t. As a consequence, the Border Patrol couldn’t enforce the country’s borders, es-
pecially with México. The US Border Patrol was now part of US Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland Security. The US Border Patrol
had 20 sectors responsible for detecting, interdicting and apprehending those who at-
tempt to illegally enter or smuggle people, including terrorists, or contraband, including
weapons of mass destruction, across US borders between official ports of entry. The
Border Patrol had a recruiting program that was open from 4/11/05 – 5/2/05 or until
21,000 applications were received. Each Border Patrol Agent trainee must complete a
19-week resident course of instruction in integrated law, physical training, firearms in-
struction, driving and Spanish. Border Patrol trainees must maintain a passing score in
all courses of instruction in order to be retained.

The starting salary for a Border Patrol Agent was GS-5 or about $34,000. Assuming that
only half of those 21,000 people became Border Patrol Agents, we were looking at $357
million a year plus all of the benefits and the costs of training. But wait, they weren’t go-
ing to be walking around the border, so even at 4 persons to a vehicle, we were looking
at an additional 2,625 vehicles plus 10,500 guns, etc. Think a billion dollars; a year. All
to keep the Méxicans in México; and, GWB didn’t want to spend the money so he was
inviting the Méxicans to come to the good old USA. Hell, give them amnesty, again.

They didn’t have too much of a problem with illegal aliens up in Sedona because the
area was too pricey for the illegals to live in. Nevertheless the situation was most con-
fusing. The President of the United States of America was telling Americans that it was
un-American to keep non-Americans out of America. And the President of México was
threatening to sue the United States. At least that’s what Mike read on the Washington
Times website. Now that makes sense. México is abusing the illegal aliens in México

150
from Central and South America but they’re going to sue the US in court for keeping the
Méxicans in México.

What was the job of the US border patrol, again? … Apprehending those who attempt to
illegally enter or smuggle people, including terrorists, or contraband… Are there enough
prisons in the US to hold all of the Border Patrol Agents? The rumor was the prisons
were overcrowded as it was because we were locking up the bad guys. They have one
more bed; Martha Stewart was out of prison. In actual fact Méxican authorities illegally
crossed the US Border in hot pursuit of drug dealers and illegals. If US authorities tried
that they’d be arrested for having illegal firearms in México. The US was at war with the
wrong enemy! It’s all Ross Perot’s fault for losing the 1992 election. If Perot had won,
we wouldn’t have NAFTA… NAFTA is very interesting. George W. Bush likes it; Vicente
Fox likes it; the Premier of Canada likes it; the citizens of the US, México and Canada
hate it. The Méxicans even had another Revolution over it.

The term New World Order has developed pejorative meanings. Certain American right-
wing groups such as the John Birch Society have long used the phrase to warn about
the United Nations’ emerging character as a world government. The left wing may pre-
fer to use it to promote an image of the United States as a bully which no longer has to
answer to anyone, and which uses the situation to extend its influence. Thus, extension
of the NATO pact to regions in Eastern Europe, the Kosovo War, the war in Iraq, and
isolation of small unbending nations are all seen as examples of this bullying attitude.
The elder Bush’s use of the term New World Order was picked up as a convenient
catchphrase to symbolize this attitude.

Closely related terms, the New International Economic Order and the New International
Information Order were popular in the United Nations and its specialized agencies (es-
pecially UNESCO) in the 1970s and 1980s. They were used mainly by developing coun-
try groups (e.g. the G-77, the Non-Aligned Movement) to refer to the redistribution of
wealth on a global scale, and the international control of the media to stop the defama-
tion of third world countries. Western countries attacked these plans as an attempt to
destroy capitalism and freedom of speech; and they were quietly dropped in the 1980s
after Western countries threatened to withdraw from United Nations bodies. (The US
and UK made good on this threat by withdrawing from UNESCO; both have since re-
joined.)

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29th and Hurricane Rita hit on Septem-
ber 23rd. We were otherwise occupied. The birthdays came and as did the holidays and
nothing seemed to be going on to get excited about. They got through Memorial Day
and then Independence Day and finally Labor Day. In later September, after school was
underway, 2 head of cattle went missing. That didn’t make any sense to Jose, Mike or
Jack because not only did they have a fence around Mike’s 5 acres, they had a fence
around the property. There was only one conclusion they could reach – someone had
stolen the cattle. Had anyone tried to come onto the property the front way, either Gun-
ner or his brother Bomber would have raised holy hell. The Doberman’s didn’t much

151
care for strangers of any description and nobody came anywhere near the houses with-
out the canine alarms going off.

None of the three of them could find any tracks near the back gate to the property ei-
ther. Then, a mare went missing and they knew they had a thief. On Saturday, October
22, 2005 they got Gunner and Bomber and went looking. Doberman’s are guard dogs,
not trackers. Jose made a run over to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation looking for a
tracker. Ft. Apache was home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe. He found a man
who, for a fee, would take a look and see if he could find anything. Tracking on rocky
ground was an exercise in futility, even for this Apache. Whoever had taken the horse
must have covered its feet with gunnysacks or something but there were no tracks to
follow. The simplest solution to the problem was to let the dogs run with the horses and
cattle.

It was at this point that Jack and Mike installed 4 Low Lux, pan & tilt, zooming B&W TV
cameras on the radio towers. They set up parallel controls in both shelters and got the
boys to watch the cameras in the early evening and Mike through the night. As soon as
they had the cameras in place, the thefts stopped. A full grown 4 year old mare is a val-
uable piece of property. Still by the time Tom’s birthday rolled around they’d abandoned
the quest. They hadn’t seen a thing but they added 24-hour VCR’s to record the imag-
es.

Ginger got Tom a laptop computer for his 16th birthday. What Tom really wanted was a
car, but he had enough money up to buy his own and only needed permission. He got
that too and a few days later Jack called to tell Mike that he had a good used Jeep that
he thought that Tom might like. Jack didn’t claim it was a low mileage vehicle only driv-
en to church on Sundays by some 80-year-old lady, but he did say it was in good condi-
tion and worth the price he could get it for and more. So the next Saturday Jack and
Tom drove up to Flagstaff and bought the Jeep. Tom was a little short, but Mike made
up the difference. Mike had signed the application and Tom passed the written, visual
and driving exams. Tom had taken driving lessons at his own expense and he had the
class G instruction permit plus the required 5-month driving experience.

Beginning at 16 years of age, a person can get a regular Class G License. The person
must have a valid instruction permit, pass a road test and have completed driver educa-
tion. As an alternative to driver education school, a parent/guardian may certify that the
driver has completed 25 hours supervised driving practice, including 5 hours nighttime
driving. With a Class G Driver License, a person can drive anywhere, with anyone in the
car, at any time of the day or night (within curfew applicable by city code), and a li-
censed driver is not required to be in the car. This is simply an extra step before getting
a full, unrestricted license, and different penalties apply for driving violations. Juan al-
ready had his driver’s license and now they were back to even.

152
Living within their means during 2005 had put them in good condition as far as their
checking accounts went. Other than replacing the tapes on the first day of each month,
they forgot about it because nothing else came up missing. Things were getting better in
Iraq but the occupation was far from over. And the US had finally pulled its troops out of
Afghanistan, albeit without ever catching Osama bin Laden

In January of 2006, the stolen horse turned up at a horse auction. Because the brand
had been altered the auctioneer became suspicious and did some checking. They even-
tually got the horse back but no arrest was made in the case. The guy selling the horse
was what they call a holder-in-due-course and he was out what he’d paid to buy the an-
imal from the thief. The description didn’t help the Sheriff very much, half of population
of Arizona was either Méxican or Indian and the thief could have been either, based on
the description. Once they got the horse back, they changed the VCRs from the 24-hour
settings to 960-hour (40-day) settings.

In February China sortied its small Navy and encircled Taiwan. China had slowly been
building the reunification of Taiwan into a major issue. Their fleet stayed just outside of
the 12-mile territorial boundary Taiwan clamed. During the same month, North Korea
walked out on the talks with the six-party talks. It had taken China months to get North
Korea to rejoin the talks in 2005 but it was obvious from the outset that North Korea had
its own agenda. This was an especially bad winter in North Korea and the consensus
was that they’d invade South Korea to get food to feed their population.

In the United States there was general relief that at least a portion of our troops were
home. And, other than severe winter storms the only issue concerning anyone was that
Mt. St. Helens was still rumbling. In an effort to appease China, the US had recognized
China instead of Taiwan. Both the US and Taiwan maintained unofficial commercial and
cultural relations but diplomatic relations existed only between the US and China.

In March 2006, North Korea invaded South Korea under the guidance of KIM Jong-il.
China seized the moment and a few days later invaded Taiwan. The entire Pacific Fleet
was rushed to South Korea and Taiwan. In Korea, US forces engaged the North Kore-
ans, but further south near Taiwan, the US withheld action against the Chinese. Addi-
tional American ships were dispatched to the western Pacific and not a single US sub-
marine, except for those undergoing conversion from SSBN’s to SSGN’s, remained in
port.

Bush moved the military from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3 and DHS raised the Threat
Level to Orange. It was 1962 all over again only this time the world was caught between
a rock and a hard spot. The Russians clammed up and didn’t say anything. Although
they’d been getting cozy with the Chinese, Putin seemed to sense where this was
headed and wanted no part of it. Nationalist China hadn’t developed any nuclear weap-
ons despite statements of interest in doing so. And contrary to popular beliefs that Chi-
na had 2,000 nuclear weapons, they really only had 4-500. But they did have a few of
the delivery systems and could reach the continental United States if it came to that.

153
The bad guy turned out to be North Korea. After some initial success, the Kitty Hawk
arrived on the scene and held them at bay with its aircraft while the remainder of the
American Fleet steamed at standard speed to Korea. Technically the Korean matter had
never been settled and the real situation was a cease-fire that had lasted 53 years.
When the Chinese attacked Taiwan, a portion of the Fleet was diverted and took up sta-
tion keeping posts but didn’t interfere.

The US was in a very bad position and couldn’t fight 2 major wars at the same time.
Congress authorized funding fighters for the Nationalists who took immediate delivery of
another 100 F-16’s. Although Ronald Reagan had blocked sales of the F-20 Tigershark
and the F-16’s to Taiwan in the ‘80’s, they had their indigenous IDF fighters, the 150 F-
16’s the Bush administration had sold them and 60 French-built Mirage 2000-5s. On the
ground, they had the CM31 6×6 and a few of the newer CM32 8×8’s. They had a mis-
sile defense consisting of 3 Patriot batteries, (200 missiles total). They also had six sets
of Tien Kung I and Tien Kung II missile systems that are responsible for medium- and
high-altitude targets. 20 Hawk missile bases were responsible for targets in the low- to
medium- altitudes. Their Navy consisted of 4 submarines, 7 destroyers and 22 frigates.
In addition, the Taiwanese had 60-some patrol boats.

Taiwan is an island nation of some 30,000 square km. The Chinese were experiencing
problems landing sufficient troops to deal a killing blow. Then the US fighters began ar-
riving and the Taiwanese started sinking Chinese ships. As previously discussed, the
Chinese engaged the Taiwanese with tactical nuclear weapons. The US still didn’t inter-
fere, but the President moved the country to DEFCON 2.

In South Korea, after overrunning Seoul, the North Koreans were getting their butts
kicked by US Naval aviation. As additional carrier task groups arrived the tide turned
and the North Koreans began to withdraw. The South Koreans and American pursued
them across the DMZ and into North Korea. The North Koreans used the 7 nuclear
weapons, some on South Korea and some against the American Fleet. Fortunately,
again, the American Fleet was widely dispersed and the attacks were largely unsuc-
cessful. However, GWB authorized limited retaliation with American B-61’s carried by
American F/A-18’s. The 2nd Korean War lasted just over 3 weeks and there wouldn’t be
a 3rd. Subsequently the American Fleet was dispatched to the area in and around For-
mosa (Taiwan). The US remained at DEFCON 2.

China had effectively neutralized the Taiwanese with its nuclear weapons. However, the
Taiwanese didn’t roll over and surrender. An errant Chinese missile stuck and sunk a
US Ticonderoga class cruiser…

With the US military fully occupied in Iraq, Korea and the South China Sea, the Méxican
Army invaded New Mexico, Arizona and portions of southern California. At its best, the
Méxican Army was a joke and at its worst it wasn’t worth mentioning. However, they
caught the US flatfooted and short-handed. The US Border Patrol are cops, not sol-

154
diers. Remnants of the New Mexico, Arizona and California National Guards were acti-
vated to try and repel the Méxican Army. Remnants because with the US fighting wars
on several fronts, substantial portions of the Reserves and National Guards were oth-
erwise engaged, most in training camps like Ft. Lewis and Ft. Dix.

The US military was forced to abandon installations in the southern regions of the 3
states. Bush ordered the troops in training transported to the area and the Air Force did
its best to repel the invasion. It seemed to be too little, too late. The US military had
adopted a policy of acquiring replacement weapons on an as needed basis. Large
stocks of its weapons were in the Middle East and the South China Sea. Bush wasn’t
about to use nuclear weapons on American soil and the invasion was going badly for
the US.

“What’s the latest status?” Jack asked Mike.

“The Méxican Army in engaged in house to house fighting in Phoenix,” Mike replied.
“The problem is that the snowbirds left most of their weapons up in Iowa or wherever
they come from and they aren’t able to do much to stop the Méxicans.”

“They blew through Tucson and Yuma like they weren’t even there,” Jack pointed out. “I
guess that only leaves Flagstaff for them to attack.”

“Flagstaff and Kingman would be my guess,” Mike responded. “They bypassed Texas
and are on the outskirts of Albuquerque.”

“What now?” Jack asked.

“I’d say that we load up as much stuff as we can and move over to the lake,” Mike sug-
gested.

“Plan B?” Jack asked.

“Right,” Mike nodded.

“How much time do you figure we have to move stuff to the lake?” Jack asked.

“We might be able to make 2 trips but not over 3,” Mike replied. “I think that we have
one day at best. And Jack, you know that country; it would be mighty tough moving
things at night.”

“Let’s get loaded and take one load tonight and another tomorrow morning,” Jack sug-
gested.

“Where do you want to start?” Mike asked.

155
“We’d better start with the food, ammo and medical supplies tonight and we’ll get the
communications gear and the rest of the food in the morning,” Jack proposed. “If we
load during the night, we can make the second trip before dawn and arrive at the lake
just after the sun comes up.”

“What about the livestock?” Mike asked.

“We’ll have to leave the Hummers behind the hill like we planned and herd them over to
the lake,” Jack suggested. “You supervise and the rest of us will get started loading.”

They only had a single trailer and they loaded it with hay for the horses and cattle. The
4 horse trailers did double duty and hauled the food and other things over to the lake.
When they returned, they caught a few hours of sleep and before dawn, departed for
the lake a second time. A quick trip into Sedona produced several of the 20-pound pro-
pane bottles, which they filled from their propane tanks. They were short on hay, but
they only had time to make 2 trips with the vehicles. No sooner had they crossed I-17
than early elements of the Méxican Army passed on their way to Flagstaff.

“What’s the situation?” Jack asked when they finally arrived at the lake with the live-
stock.

“I’d say that we’re in pretty good shape, except for feed for the animals,” Mike replied. “I
doubt that we have more than a 3-week supply of hay. I don’t think the grazing will ex-
tend that much beyond 4-5 weeks at best.”

“I’d say that getting hay should be our number one priority,” Jack responded. “The prob-
lem from my point of view isn’t so much the Méxican Army as it is the refugees from
Flagstaff.”

“We can post Tom and Juan on guard duty and the gals can back them up,” Mike said.
“Let’s get with Jose and see if he knows anywhere we can get more hay.”

“Getting the hay isn’t the problem,” Jose pointed out. “Our problem is transporting it
here. Putting 2 bales on each pack animal will only let us move about 36 bales at a
time.”

“That means that we could double our supply in 3 days, Jose,” Jack suggested.

“If we don’t get caught we can,” Jose replied.

“Let’s assume for the moment that early on we’d have the best chance of avoiding get-
ting caught,” Mike said. “How much time do you guys think we have before we have to
go to ground?”

“A week, tops,” Jose replied emphatically.

156
“A week would give us anywhere from 15-18 weeks of hay,” Mike reflected. “Let’s go for
it.”

The 16-man tent had been a good idea as far as it went. It gave them shelter but it
didn’t afford them any privacy. Back at the ranch, they left everything locked down and
had even taken time to cover the entrances to the shelters with a pile of dirt, hopefully
disguising them. The Hummers and other vehicles were parked about 1 mile east of the
ranch under camouflage netting and weren’t likely to be discovered. The remainder of
the hay was also under the netting but they’d have to cross I-17 to get to it. Jose had
worked non-stop moving all of the hay they had on hand, except for the 2 trailer loads
they’d brought, to the location where they had stashed the vehicles.

For some as yet unexplained reason, the President had not ordered DEFCON 1. How-
ever, the DHS had raised the Threat Level to Red. All it would take to cut the head off
the snake invading the US was a single nuclear weapon dropped on México City. The
situation in the South China Sea was at best a standoff and at worst the seeds of a nu-
clear war. The US Navy was using attack submarines and sinking Chinese vessels at
an alarming rate. So much so that Beijing was having second thoughts. The Chinese
had expected North Korea to use the nuclear option when they began to lose and for
several years had attempted to eliminate the nuclear weapons from North Korea. If the
Chinese could be said to be intractable, the North Koreans were nothing more than a
brick wall. It didn’t really matter anymore; North Korea was a nuclear wasteland. Seeing
the damage to North Korea and to Taiwan had given the leaders in Beijing pause.

157
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 16 – New Friends

We have met the enemy, and they are ours. – Oliver Hazard Perry

ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate/Fuel Oil) had come to the forefront of American conscious-
ness as a result of the 4/19/95 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Ok-
lahoma City. However, McVey had not used fuel oil in his bomb. He had used nitro me-
thane, a highly volatile motor-racing fuel. Moreover, McVey had used detonators to trig-
ger the bomb. However, that bomb was only remotely based on the traditional ANFO
formula. It used a sophisticated trigger sequence and compressed oxygen to achieve a
larger detonation than is possible using mundane means.
ANFO at standard temperature and pressure is classified as a low explosive. At ex-
tremely high temperatures and pressures, the primary oxidant undergoes a phase
change that allows the material to become much more compressible. In this highly
compressed state, ANFO is a high explosive. But, why is that important to know?

It isn’t important to know unless you happen to be a terrorist who can’t acquire nuclear
weapons no matter how hard you try or how much money you have. No doubt there are
places on the Internet where a person could get the exact formula. Regardless. There
was no doubt that bin Laden had sleeper agents in the US. From time to time, DHS or
someone would make another arrest thrusting that very fact back into the conscious-
ness of Americans. One can’t simply go to Wal-Mart or K-Mart and buy a ton of Ammo-
nium Nitrate, especially if one is of apparent Arab extraction. But, like Ginger’s money, a
little here and a little there eventually adds up. The same thing could be said for nitro
methane fuel, although it is probably easier to get than fertilizer.

If you were Osama bin Laden, when would you attack the US? How about when the
country is on a state of high alert? Life goes on and people still move every day whether
the country is at war or peace. Of course you’d have to sneak into the storage locker
and mix up the hi-octane ANFO, but anything is possible, including discovery. There are
literally millions of Arab Americans and most of them are honest people only interested
in living life and getting by. Mixing up the hi-octane ANFO isn’t rocket science and any
number of explosives experts could teach you how to do it. What did you think they
taught in those training camps, knitting? The ratio is 94.3% AN and 5.7% FO by weight.
Substitute nitro methane for the diesel fuel and use blasting caps to set off dynamite or
Tovex or whatever you can get. KABOOM!

Compressed oxygen isn’t that difficult to obtain, most welding shops sell it by the bottle
for acetylene torches. So let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re a terrorist and
you’ve built some of the high order explosives like the IRA or Timothy McVey did. Now
what? If you’ve been a sleeper stationed in the US for very long, you’re well aware of
how fragile the electrical grid is, right? And those pipelines run through a lot of open
country, don’t they? What did Osama say in his speech in October of 2004? So we are
continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy.

158
Timothy McVey walked away from the explosion in Oklahoma City. Do you really be-
lieve that the Muslim terrorists would do the same? Ask those 19 suicide bombers who
brought down the WTC and part of the Pentagon. They were Arabs. Or, ask John Walk-
er Lindh. Ask Richard Reid. They weren’t Arabs, were they? Muslims, maybe, but cer-
tainly not Arabs. Are we so certain that we can recognize the enemy? Take Jose for ex-
ample. His ancestors fought at the Alamo; on the inside, not the outside. Here’s a guy
who may be Méxican according to his ethnic origins, and he happens to speak both
English and Spanish, but that doesn’t make him a Méxican; he’s about as American as
they come. America is a melting pot, if I recall. Does the expression go for broke ring a
bell? Take a sample of an Infantry Division. You will find nearly every ethnic origin and
most religions represented. For sure you will find Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Mus-
lims. Pick most any country in the world and some of those people in that Division can
trace their heritage back to that country.

The basic plan was to lay low and stay out of sight. They had children to protect and this
was a small group only numbering 13. Juan and Tom were considered adults and Tere-
sa could take care of the little kids freeing Ginger, Shelia and Maria to help the men.
Decisions, decisions, do you carry the .357 Magnum, Glock 23 or the .45 Colt revolver?
It doesn’t make much difference, the ballistics are, in the same order, 1290/535,
1205/500 and 920/423 (mv/ft. lbs.). The 3 men were trying to keep a low profile so they
carried the Single Action revolvers and Winchesters. Back at camp, they had the 7.62’s
and the M16’s. They also had some dynamite and blasting caps and the camp was en-
circled with explosive charges. It was reasonably secure.

Jose led them to a ranch to the northwest of their position. When they got there, Jose
and Jack fastened the 36 bales of hay on the horses and they headed back to camp. It
was easy enough, maybe too easy, but the following day they repeated the routine and
brought back 36 more bales. On the third day the rancher who owned the hay met
them. Because the men hadn’t done anything except to take hay, he wasn’t upset but
wanted to know who they were and what they needed the hay for.

“John Braun, is it?” Mike asked. “I’m Mike Hanes, this is Jack Williams and he’s Jose
Cortez. We had the small ranch over south of Sedona. Still do, I suppose, but with the
Méxican Army coming north, we moved our stock over to one of the lakes northeast of
Mormon Lake. We can pay you for the hay, no problem.”

“I think that the bales go about 65 pounds and you fellas got 108,” John said. “I figure
about $250. That would make it close to $70 a ton.”

“We could sure use another 108 bales, John and we can pay in gold if you’d prefer or in
cash,” Mike replied.

“You could get another 108 bales and pay for the whole purchase with a single 1-ounce
gold coin,” John suggested.

159
“Do you deliver?” Jack asked.

“I could, I suppose, but do you folks want me knowing where your camp is?” John
asked.

“What’s your setup here, John?” Mike asked.

“The wife and me plus my 2 boys,” John replied. “The hired hands ran off when the
Méxicans showed up.”

“If you want to load up a wagon load of hay, you’re welcome to follow us back to camp,”
Mike responded.

“I’ll get my boys and we’ll load up the rest of the hay and follow you back,” John said.

“Here’s an Eagle,” Mike pulled out the coin.

“Heard about them, but never saw one,” John chuckled. “How can a fella tell if it’s real
gold?”

“I don’t know,” Mike admitted, “But if you’d rather, I can pay you in dollars. The Eagle is
Crown gold, 22 carat and each coin contains one full troy ounce of gold. You can’t bite
it since it’s not a 24 carat coin.”

“Nice setup,” John said when they arrive at the camp. “Pretty fancy rifles those boys
have.”

“They’re Springfield Armory Super Match M1A’s,” Mike replied.

“.308 Winchester?” John asked.

“7.62×51mm,” Mike replied. “It’s the same only different. It’s mostly about the head-
space in the rifles and the quality of the brass in the ammo.”

“And you use?” John continued.

“Military surplus and Black Hills ammo,” Jack replied.

“What’s that gun?” John asked.

“That’s a DSA SA58 Standard model FAL rifle, same caliber,” Mike replied.

“Hmm, I see M16’s too, what are you? A bunch of survivalists?” John asked.

160
“Think of us as some prepared Yuppies from Sedona,” Jack laughed.

“It looks to me like you have more guns than you have people,” John remarked.

“That’s a fair assessment, John. Different weapons for different purposes,” Jack ex-
plained.

“We went into hiding when the Méxicans showed up,” John said. “Might have been dif-
ferent if we’d have had some of those fancy rifles.”

“We have the rifles, but we did the same thing,” Mike replied. “Thirteen people don’t
stand much of a chance against a large military force. You’d be surprised at what we
had to leave behind.”

“For instance?” John asked.

“Our motor vehicles and 2 fancy shelters equipped with generators, propane, diesel fuel
and the whole 9 yards,” Jack answered.

“That doesn’t seem right,” John said. “Couldn’t you folks have stayed in your shelters?”

“That would have left us pinned down,” Mike retorted. “This way we’re free to pretty
much come and go as we please.”

“Anything else I can sell you?” John asked.

“The only thing that we’re short of is hay for the horses and cattle,” Mike replied. “We
have enough of that now for about 3-4 months.”

“The boys and I could haul a couple of more loads of hay,” John pointed out. “Do you
have any more of the Eagles?”

“A couple, John” Ginger replied. “Hi, my name is Ginger and I’m Mike’s wife.”

“Are all of you living in one tent?” John asked.

“We should have bought 2,” Jack observed.

“You need another one about the same size?” John asked. “I have one that I could let
you have.”

“Is it the same size as our tent?” Mike asked.

“Maybe a little bigger.”

161
“What would you have to have for the tent, John?” Ginger asked.

“I could let you have the tent and another two loads of hay for those 2 Eagles,” John re-
plied.

“Good, because that’s about all we have is 2 more Eagles,” Shelia butted in.

“And you are?” John asked.

“I’m Shelia, Jack’s wife,” she replied.

“Tell you what, we’ll come back tomorrow with 2 loads of hay and the tent,” John sug-
gested. “You just have the gold ready.”

“Fine, just be sure to holler when you’re coming in so you don’t get yourself shot,” Jack
suggested.

“Mercenary isn’t he?” Ginger said after John left.

“True, Ginger,” Mike replied, “But the man has what we need and I don’t see any reason
not to do business with him. We could use more tent space.”

“Come and listen to the radio, guys, someone just set off some bombs,” Shelia yelled.

…at 3pm eastern time at the Niagara Falls Power Station, the announcer said. Reports
have been coming in of numerous explosions at key locations around the country. The
electric grid for the entire country has been brought down and we also have uncon-
firmed reports of explosions that may have destroyed several pipelines. This is station
KINO in Winslow, 1230 on your AM dial.

“They haven’t made it to Winslow, yet,” Jack observed.”

“Maybe the National Guard took a stand in Flagstaff and held them up,” Mike suggest-
ed.

“I haven’t been able to get any of the Flagstaff AM or FM stations,” Shelia said.

“It’s been 3 days,” Jack pointed out. “Maybe they overran Flagstaff.”

“We should either move this camp or get John and his family to join us,” Ginger sug-
gested. “I don’t like the idea of anyone knowing where we are.”

162
“The boys and I checked out the area pretty thoroughly when we were looking for camp-
ing sites,” Mike said. “This is about the best place we could find. There are other places,
but they all have shortcomings.”

“Tom, why don’t you and Juan saddle up and follow those folks back to their ranch,”
Mike suggested. “Take M16’s and plenty of ammo but don’t shoot unless you have to.”

“Do you want us to take one of the 2-meter radios?” Tom asked.

“I suppose you should, Tom,” Mike acknowledged. “If anything goes down, give us a
call. Better yet, check in at the top of every hour. Use 146.475mhz.”

“That Winslow station is off the air now,” Shelia announced.

“What about the Holbrook stations?” Mike asked.

“Too far,” Shelia replied. “That’s about 75 miles. We might to be able to get them after
sundown if they’re still on the air.”

“Save the batteries,” Ginger suggested.

Holbrook had 2 radio stations, KDJI 1270 AM and KZUA 92.1 FM and neither station
was on the air after the sun went down. They decided that could either be because the
Méxican Army had made it to Holbrook or because the power was down. Then Ginger
pointed out that there was a major power plant in Holbrook and that Holbrook should
have power, regardless. This left them with the conclusion that Holbrook was in the
hands of the Méxican Army. Their conclusion was incorrect; the power plant had shut
down voluntarily because of the grid outage.

Tom and Juan had followed John and his boys back to the ranch. They’d loaded 2 wag-
ons full of hay and had tossed a large bundle on top of one of the wagons, presumably
the tent. Tom reported that John and his boys had rifles and they looked a lot like the
M1A’s but without the magazines so he suggested that they were Garand’s. The boys
were told to return to camp. They kept a watch during the night but no one approached
the camp. The following morning about an hour after dawn, John and his 2 boys
showed up and John’s wife was along.

“Folks, this is my wife Charlotte,” John made introductions. “If I remember dear, this is
Mike and that’s Jack. The fellow over there is Jose. This lady here is Ginger and that
lady is Shelia. I didn’t get the other lady’s name.”

“Maria,” Ginger answered.

“Winslow and Holbrook are off of the air and we were wondering how you folks would
feel about us moving here to your camp?” John asked. “I brought all of our guns and

163
ammo, but I couldn’t bring all of our food. There are two of the tents, so we wouldn’t be
imposing that way. You could make use one of them for a dining tent if you’d prefer.”

“How are you fixed for food, John,” Jack asked.

“We have quite a bit, Jack,” John replied. “Probably enough for my family for about 3
months or so.”

“How about ammo?” Mike asked.

“We have 3 crates of the Korean surplus,” John answered. “There are 752 rounds per
crate. That’s 12 56-round bandoleers and 2 40-round bandoleers in 2 ammo cans.”

“You need any help getting the food?” Ginger asked.

“I think the boys and I can get it,” John replied.

“Tom and Juan will go along to help,” Ginger suggested. “Why don’t you and Charlotte
just stay here and let the boys do the heavy lifting?”

“Fine by me. We’d appreciate the help,” John said.

“Coffee, Charlotte?” Maria asked.

“Thanks, yes” Charlotte replied.

“John?” Maria asked.

“Please.”

“I believe that we owe you 2 Eagles for the hay and the tent, right?” Shelia asked.

“Well…” John said.

“Take it John,” Jack said. “That money might come in handy one of these days. We’ll
get the boys to set up the tents after they get back. Mike has a bad back and can’t do
any lifting.”

John’s boys brought back all of the food, a queen mattress, 2 twin mattresses and bed-
ding. John wasn’t a survivalist either, but he did believe in being a little prepared. Char-
lotte and he normally kept a minimum of 3 months food on hand and they hadn’t been to
the store for a while so he hadn’t been sure what they actually had. It was closer to 4½-
months of food. John also had a Winchester model 12 shotgun and six boxes of assort-

164
ed ammo for it. Each of his boys had a Ruger 10/22 and almost a brick of ammo be-
tween them. Each family took a tent and they ate at the folding tables.

Living at the lake was like living in a vacuum. With no radio stations on the air, they
didn’t have any idea what was going on in the outside world. Because they had a very
limited supply of gas, they chose not to run the 1.5kw Coleman Powermate Pulse gen-
erator to power the Ham equipment, even though it would run about 7 hours on a little
over a gallon of gas. That couldn’t last because they had to learn what was going on out
there. After 6 days of putting it off, they set up an antenna and powered up Mike’s Ken-
wood radio. As near as they could determine, just from listening, the Méxican advance
had been halted. However, the country was still without power because those bombings
they’d heard about briefly had done a lot of damage to the grid.

Most of the hams that were on the air were using some sort of backup power, like gen-
erators or battery-powered inverters. Neither Mike nor Shelia was really a ham, either.
They’d only gotten their technician’s license so they could legally use ham equipment in
an emergency. They were quick to learn that the day-to-day and yearly solar conditions
will affect radio signals, which makes radio-wave propagation difficult to predict. Maxi-
mum ionization occurs during peak sunspot activity. Sunspots occur in cycles with in-
consistent patterns with the 1755 cycle designated number one. Cycle 22 occurred in
September of 1986 and Cycle 23 began 1996. High sunspot numbers at the cycle peak
normally produce the best wave propagation conditions. The Sun must be visible to ob-
tain the sunspot number. Cycle number 23 was just ending and they were headed to
cycle number 24.

Translated into English that meant that in 2006, communications were very bad and
would stay very bad over the next year or so. Because they could get the information
they needed, they just listened. The Kenwood radios had all of the frequencies except
the 1.3GHz band. They had 2 portable (not mobile) antennas, one was a Hustler G6-
270R UHF/VHF antenna for 2-meters and 70cm and the other, a Hustler 6-BVT, which
covered 10 meters through 80 meters. According to one ham, the situation in Arizona
was vastly improved and the invading army had been pushed south nearly to Phoenix.

“Hell, if they’re in Phoenix, maybe we ought to head back to the ranch,” Mike suggested.

“Maybe we should do a little recon work before we go back into the world,” Jack coun-
tered. “How about we send Juan and Tom over to see how things are around I-17?”

“My boys would be more than willing to ride with them,” John offered.

“Those darned LRRP’s were always dangerous, Jack,” Mike pointed out. “Still it makes
more sense than running headlong into trouble.”

“Do your boys know how to use an M16?” Jack asked.

165
“It’s the same thing as an AR-15 isn’t it?” John replied. “They’ve fired one a few times.
I’d have to say yes.”

“Ok John, but we’d better check them out on the M16s before they leave,” Jack said flat-
ly. “The middle of a firefight is one hell of a time to be learning how to use a rifle.”

“When do you want them to leave?” Mike asked.

“Around dawn,” Jack replied.

“You and I had better spell them on guard duty so they can get some rest,” Mike sug-
gested.

“North, south or west?” Jack asked.

“West, I’d prefer to cover the area Tom’s been covering.”

“Shelia, radio the boys and let them know that we’re coming up to relieve them,” Jack
instructed.

6am…

“The only time that you need to move that selector to burst is when there are the 4 of
you and about 100 of them,” Jack suggested. “Otherwise, leave it in semi or on safe.
Any questions?”

“Tom since these boys are from around here, you listen to any advice that they may
give you,” Mike suggested. “What we want the 4 of you to do is to move over to 17 and
see if the road is clear. Find yourself a good spot and lay up for a few hours. Report in
at the top of every hour as usual. If you boys find yourself in a situation, don’t try to be
heroes. Most of the heroes Jack and I knew in Nam never made it home alive. Let us
know and then skedaddle. I want a live son, not a dead hero.”

“You be careful, Tommy,” Ginger said.

8am…

“What’s that sound?” Juan whispered.

“It sounds like a vehicle, but what kind of vehicle makes a clanking sound?” Tom whis-
pered back.

“There’s you answer,” John’s son Johnny pointed.

166
“Is that a tank?” Bobby asked.

“No. It’s some kind of armored personnel carrier,” Tom answered.

The vehicle that the boys didn’t recognize was unique to the Méxican Army. It was a
HWK-11 armored personnel carrier chassis topped with a light turret mounting a 90mm
French gun. The area where passengers were carried was largely filled with this turret
and ammunition for the main gun and the machineguns. This vehicle was normally used
for long-range reconnaissance in the Méxican Army, or sometimes for infantry support.
It was first deployed in the early 1990s.

“This is Tom,” Tom radioed, “We have armor on 17.”

“Return to base, Tom,” Jack instructed.

“10-4,” Tom replied.

10am…

“What did the vehicle look like?” Jack asked.

“It wasn’t a tank, but it had tracks and a fairly large gun,” Johnny answered.

“Exactly what did you see boys?” Mike asked.

“It was a bunch of vehicles headed south on 17,” Tom responded.

“How many vehicles?” Mick persisted.

“They were still coming when we left,” Juan answered.

“Ok. We look again tomorrow,” Jack suggested. “What do you think Mike?”

“Jack, the M1 Abrams has a 120mm gun and it looks like a tank,” Mike replied. “The
Bradley looks like a tank but it only has a 25mm gun. The LAV’s are wheeled vehicles. I
can’t think of any vehicle like that in the US inventory, can you?”

“I can’t say that it rings any bells, no,” Jack shook his head.

“Then if it was a Méxican vehicle that means that they must be retreating,” Mike sug-
gested.

“Good, that means we’re winning,” Jack laughed.

167
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 17 – The Return

Just because you have weapons doesn’t mean that you have to shoot them. Weapons
are for protection and for killing when it’s necessary. It goes back to Mike and Jack’s
conversation about what they’d do if the ranch became untenable. There were 4 small
children, the oldest of whom were the twins, aged 6. Having children with them changed
everything. They ran and they had hidden and along the way they’d made a new friend.
John had only charged them $70 a ton for the hay, market price. The tent they’d bought
was reconditioned military surplus and a bargain at the price they’d paid. The 4 boys
went over to 17 the following morning and discovered a convoy of HMMWVs headed
south.

“Camp, this is Tom,” Tom called back. “There’s traffic on 17, but it’s our side.”

“Thanks, Tom, return to camp,” Shelia replied.

Later…

“You fellas still want the hay or should I take it back to the ranch?” John asked.

“We buy all of our hay anyway, it might just as well be from you as the other guy,” Mike
assured him. “We’ll keep the hay and we’re thankful to have it.”

“That’s a lot of hay, how will you get back to your ranch?” John asked.

“Probably the same way we got our original supply over here,” Jack laughed, “A trailer-
full at a time.”

“John and Bobby can help you load it,” John offered.

“After we get everything back to our ranch, why don’t you and your family come on over
for a celebration?” Ginger suggested.

“I’d kind of like to see those fancy shelters you folks didn’t use,” John admitted. “Char-
lotte and you ladies can work out the details.”

They returned to the ranch on April 13th, 2006. Shelia and Ginger quickly mailed exten-
sions of time to file the tax returns and Juan and Tom, plus John and Bobby spent a few
days hauling the hay back to the ranch. They also brought back the 13-year store of
food, the ammo and medical supplies, but they cached the tents and other equipment
for the next time they might need it.

Saturday, April 22, 2006…

“Did you have any trouble finding the ranch?” Mike asked.

168
“Nope. You don’t see many ranches hemmed in with a 7’ high fence topped with barbed
wire,” John laughed.

“Do you want to sell the other tent John?” Jack asked.

“I think maybe I’d better hang on to it, Jack,” John replied. “I can give you the name and
address of the place I bought the tents. They have about every type of military tent ever
made. This is some fortress you have,” John observed. “How come you have lights?
They still haven’t restored power.”

“We have our PV panels plus backup generators,” Mike explained. “Anyway, you said
that you wanted to see our shelters. Follow me.”

“Both shelters are essentially the same John,” Jack said. “My shelter is only a few
square feet larger than Mike and Ginger’s. So, aside from personal touches, they’re
nearly identical.”

“Pretty impressive,” John noted after thoroughly inspecting the shelter. “It must be nice
to have money.”

“How big is that ranch of yours?” Jack asked.

“960 acres,” John replied.

“Hell, you’re worth more than either of us,” Jack laughed. “The only difference is where
you have your money invested. I sell cars for a living and Mike and Ginger live off of
Mike’s disability pensions.”

“Then how did you manage this?” John asked.

“I got the 80 acres in a divorce settlement, years ago,” Jack answered. “A few years
back Mike and Ginger got 5 acres from me. Mike can probably tell it better, but Ginger
got some money in a divorce settlement several years ago and carefully invested it.
Shelia’s money came from a settlement to avoid a lawsuit. Then a few years back our
wives invested their holdings in gold. They sold that back in 2004, but, we mainly put
these shelters together a little at a time.”

“Fancy medical clinic,” John observed.

“Ginger is a Paramedic, John,” Mike explained. “My back is all screwed up and she
started off by getting EMT training and then spent a tough year becoming a Paramedic.
In some ways I suppose we’ve been lucky. Our preparedness didn’t happen overnight,
you know. It’s the result of lots of years and some careful planning.”

“It’s still impressive,” John laughed. “And to top it off, both of you have Hummer’s”

169
“They’re boy toys, John,” Mike chuckled. “The mileage on the things is awful. They don’t
get driven all that much. I rarely go anywhere and Jack uses a pickup to commute to
Flagstaff.”

“Maybe Char and I ought to put in some sort of shelter,” John reflected.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Jack said. “They still have a standoff with the Chinese. It is anyone’s
guess how that will end.”

It ended when the Chinese pulled their troops from Taiwan in May. Their losses were
staggering, both in men and in ships. Having seen the nuclear devastation, Beijing opt-
ed not to use the nuclear option against the US, at least for now. Those ANFO bombs
had done a lot of damage to America’s infrastructure and the country was just now get-
ting electricity restored. Because the UN had finally sent peacekeepers to Iraq, Bush
was in the process of withdrawing the remaining US troops and their equipment from
Iraq.

After the Korean thing, Iran lost a major supporter for its nuclear program. The Iranians
reluctantly allowed UN inspectors to examine their program. The new hot spot seemed
to be in the Sudan with its Civil War and all of those people starving. The UN had sent
in over 10,000 peacekeepers in 2005, but it was Somalia all over again. In light of the
US experience in Somalia, Bush had declined to send US peacekeepers to Africa. As it
was, the United States had a lot of problems in 2006. They were busy cleaning up after
another series of terrorist attacks, resealing the Méxican border and resupplying and
refurbishing the Pacific Fleet after the Chinese thing ended. School had to be extended
a few weeks so the kids in Sedona and other parts of the southwest affected by the
Méxican Invasion could get back on track.

John and Char put in a shelter and both their boys studied and took the technicians li-
cense exam. And, for whatever reason, the price of gold was still slipping slowly up-
ward, along with the price of gas and diesel. Bush introduced a measure, late in 2006,
to increase the Army by 4 Divisions. 2006 was also another bad hurricane season down
in the southeastern US.

“I’m putting in my papers and retiring on my next birthday,” Jack announced. “I’ll be 60
and I just can’t do that commute anymore. The company has a pension plan for perma-
nent employees and I’ll take it early.”

“We’re starting to get old, Jack,” Mike laughed. “Do you realize that Tom will be starting
11th grade this year?”

“That’s right he will, won’t he?” Jack acknowledged. “All of our kids will be in school this
year too. Has Tom said anything about college?”

170
“I haven’t heard a word, but maybe he’s talked to Ginger about it,” Mike suggested.
“She handles his college fund. He can go to about any school in the country. Except for
his allowance, we’ve put every dime of the money Arizona paid us into his college fund.
Plus, Ginger has put a grand in the fund for every A Tom has gotten. That boy’s a
straight A student, so he should be wealthy.”

“It’s just a good thing we don’t smoke,” Jack laughed. “I can just visualize myself asking
Shelia for 30 bucks to buy a carton of cigarettes. Hell, my paychecks are directly depos-
ited and she gives ME an allowance.”

“Cheryl was like that,” Mike laughed. “What was hers was hers and what was mine was
hers if she could get it.”

“You got a good one the second time,” Jack observed.

“Hell, so did you, but it was the third time for you wasn’t it?” Mike replied.

“Fourth, Mike,” Jack said. “I almost lost count myself.”

“We ought to run up and check out John and Char’s shelter,” Mike suggested. “Say
what kind of mileage do you get on your Hummer?”

“I estimate combined city/highway mileage of 10 to 12 mpg, or less,” Jacked laughed. “If

you have to ask, you can’t afford the fuel. Speaking of which, we should store fuel for
the Coleman generator at the cache. Last time we were there we were afraid to run it
because we didn’t have much gas.”

“Maybe we should just put in a tank,” Mike suggested.

“I don’t think so Mike,” Jack disagreed. “If we use Jerry cans we’d be more mobile.”

Maybe what Mike should do was mount the Kenwood in the Hummer and put on a cou-
ple of mobile antennas. Kenwood made mobile mounting brackets for the TS-2000 ra-
dio. It sort of makes sense. If you’re going to have a $125,000 4WD, you might as well
have the ultimate radio in the Hummer. He talked to Ginger; it wasn’t every day that a
guy had 2 TS-2000’s. And after he did, he mentioned it to Jack…

John and Char had built a fine shelter all on their own. He used a backhoe, dug the
hole, put in the plumbing and poured a slab. Then, with Johnny and Bobby helping him,
John laid concrete block. He used the backhoe to set their old freezer on the slab and
then put in posts and poured a 6” thick roof. After, he covered it over with 8’ of mounded
earth and built a homemade blast door. He bought a good used 12kw propane residen-
tial standby generator and the LUWA air filter from USS and he was good to go. They
equipped the place with used beds they’d gotten from Goodwill and made an extra trip

171
or two to Sam’s Club. Their shelter was a study in contrasts between the shelters Mike
and Jack had. John upped the ante and bought more Korean surplus ammo but the
LUWA system and the generator were his big investments.

Since John used a large amount of propane, it wasn’t hard to get Ferrellgas to put in a
larger propane tank. They already had a 1,500-gallon underground diesel tank for the
tractors and John’s diesel pickup got pretty good mileage. What would you call a guy
like John, a budget yuppie? He bought the boys a used Icom HF radio from AES and
stuck up an antenna on his old windmill. There was another lake closer to John’s ranch
that had better vehicle access so Mike and Jack got the boys to move the cache. Jack
and Mike liked John’s hidey-hole and decided that there wasn’t a dimes difference be-
tween his homemade shelter and their custom-built jobs.

Plus, Tom and Juan spent a couple hours studying and got their technician’s licenses.
During the fall of 2006, the subject of college finally came up. Tom said that he was go-
ing to Arizona State down in Tempe and that Juan was going to college with him. Tom
was going to study Agribusiness in the pre-veterinary medicine program. Juan was go-
ing to study Elementary Education with an emphasis on multilingual/multicultural educa-
tion. Tom absolutely insisted that there was more than enough money in his education
fund to put both Juan and him through Graduate/Veterinary Medicine School. Juan
would try to pay his own way with Jose lending a helping hand. But, if his best friend ran
short of money, Tom was going to see that he got his education.

“Do you agree with what Tom wants to do?” Mike asked Ginger.

“It doesn’t matter if we agree or not, Mike,” Ginger replied. “We saved the money so he
could go to any college he wanted. Both of the boys are smart and if that’s how he
wants to spend the money, it’s up to him. Did you realize that when we were at the lake
last spring you called Tom your son?”

“I did not,” Mike disagreed.

“Sure you did. You said, ‘I want a live son, not a dead hero’,” Ginger laughed.

“I did, didn’t I,” Mike admitted.

“Do you really feel that way?” Ginger continued.

“I guess I do, yes.”

“Why don’t we wait until his 18th birthday and start adoption proceedings?” she sug-
gested.

“We’ll have to ask him,” Mike replied.

“Do you have any doubt what his answer might be?” she asked.

172
“He’s a fine young man, isn’t he?” Mike asked rhetorically.

“And just think, you didn’t have to change a single diaper,” Ginger laughed.

“By the way, I really appreciate the extra radio and antennas for the Hummer,” Mike
said. “It has everything but a hot and cold running blond.”

“Let’s go shooting Saturday,” Ginger suggested. “I think you need a reminder.”

“I was talking about Cheryl,” Mike said.

“And I was talking about why I bought that King Cobra in the first place,” she replied,
eyes sparkling.

“Have I ever run around on you?” Mike asked.

“Take a deep breath,” Ginger directed. “…Well, you’re still breathing so apparently not.”

“My son, the doctor,” Mike laughed.

“Hey, that’s my line,” Ginger laughed.

The peace in the Far East was very uneasy. The Chinese had blinked and lost a lot of
face over Taiwan. In an effort to bolster the security of the western pacific, GWB moved
the Fleet to Pearl Harbor and began to renegotiate contracts with the Philippine Islands.
The Nimitz and Ronald Reagan relocated from San Diego and Carl Vinson and the
John C. Stennis relocated from Bremerton, WA. The CVN 77, George H. W. Bush,
christening had occurred in March 2006 and she was scheduled for delivery for March
2008, with commissioning in 2009. The inherent advantage of basing the carriers in
Bremerton, San Diego and Japan was avoiding putting all of the eggs in one basket.
However, at any given time it wasn’t envisioned that more than one carrier would be at
Pearl.

The Republicans held their own in November of 2006 and on November 15th, Tom
turned 17. Although Juan was older, he’d missed the cutoff date for starting school by a
couple of days and Tom and he were in the same class. At 17, Tom stood 6’ tall, an
inch taller than Mike. And despite the best attempts of several girls at Sedona High
School, neither Juan nor Tom had a steady girlfriend. John and Bobby attended High
School in Flagstaff. The word was that they were planning on staying on John’s ranch
and becoming ranchers.

On Jack’s 60th birthday, he put in his retirement papers with the dealership. That was
early in 2007. Around the country, steps were finally being taken to rebuild the electrical

173
grid into a unified system that couldn’t be brought down by terrorist bombs. President
Bush signed H.R. 4520, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, into law on 22 Octo-
ber 04. The law expanded the availability of the production tax credit (PTC) for electrici-
ty produced from new renewable facilities, including geothermal. Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho,
Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico and Washington were working on geothermal production
plants and as part of the bankruptcy settlement with PG&E, the state of California had a
$30 million fund to examine clean energy investments, the California Clean Energy
Fund (CalCEF). It seems that during the Carter administration they’d drilled for oil in
Idaho and had come up with 500° water instead. 3 test wells were supposed to go in
near Idaho Falls.

Several states had sources of hot water or steam, including California, Oregon, Wash-
ington, Hawaii and Wyoming. For some reason, Wyoming didn’t have a geothermal
program even though they had the greatest resource on the continent. Yellowstone
Park occupies the northwest corner of Wyoming. However, high voltage power lines
were still susceptible to terrorist attacks and efforts were also being made to find alter-
native delivery systems. Guys like Tesla were never around when you needed them.

“What are we going to do now?” Jack asked. “The kids are in school all day and I can’t
spend all my time chasing Shelia.”

“Putter,” Mike replied.

“What?”

“Putter. You know, Jack, find small projects to occupy our time,” Mike chuckled.

“For instance?” Jack asked.

“It would be a good time for you to get your radio license,” Mike suggested. “Then you
could legally use the radio in your Hummer.”

“I don’t know anything about electronics,” Jack protested.

“You don’t have to, just memorize some questions and answers,” Mike explained. “Why
don’t Shelia and you buy a trailer and come this summer we could take a vacation and
see the country?”

“For instance?”

“We could go to Yellowstone and watch Old Faithful,” Mike suggested.

Long Valley Caldera is a 15×30 km oval-shaped depression located 20 km south of

Mono Lake along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in east-central California. This area
of eastern California has produced numerous volcanic eruptions over the past 3 million

174
years, including the massive caldera-forming eruption 760,000 years ago. The most re-
cent eruption occurred just 250 years ago in Mono Lake at the north end of Mono-Inyo
Craters volcanic chain.

In May of 1980, a strong earthquake swarm that included four magnitude 6 earthquakes
struck the southern margin of Long Valley Caldera associated with a 25-cm, dome-
shaped uplift of the caldera floor. These events marked the onset of the latest period of
caldera unrest that continues to this day. This ongoing unrest includes recurring earth-
quake swarms and continued dome-shaped uplift of the central section of the caldera
(the resurgent dome) accompanied by changes in thermal springs and gas emissions.

In 1982, the US Geological Survey under the Volcano Hazards Program began an in-
tensive effort to monitor and study geologic unrest in Long Valley caldera. The goal of
this effort is to provide residents and civil authorities in the area reliable information on
the nature of the potential hazards posed by this unrest and timely warning of an im-
pending volcanic eruption, should it develop. Most, perhaps all, volcanic eruptions are
preceded and accompanied by geophysical and geochemical changes in the volcanic
system. Common precursory indicators of volcanic activity include increased seismicity,
ground deformation, and variations in the nature and rate of gas emissions

Yellowstone is home to one of the world’s largest active volcanic systems. Cataclysmic
eruptions in the past few million years created huge volcanic depressions called “Calde-
ras.” The youngest, the Yellowstone Caldera, was formed 640,000 years ago. Since
then, about 80 eruptions of rhyolite (thick, sticky lava) and basalt (more-fluid lava) have
occurred. The caldera’s interior is largely covered by rhyolites, most erupted in the past
160,000 years. Large hydrothermal (steam)-explosion craters formed in the past 14,000
years are located near Yellowstone Lake and in major geyser basins. Recent earth-
quakes (1973 to 2002) were concentrated between Hebgen Lake and the Norris Geyser
Basin and along faults.

The docudrama Supervolcano dramatically explored the impact of a large caldera-

forming eruption at Yellowstone. The scale of the portrayed eruption was similar to the
eruption of the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff at Yellowstone 2.1 million years ago. The movie
was realistic insofar as depicting what could happen if an eruption of this magnitude
were to occur again. Although the drama was set in the future, it did an acceptable job
of addressing some of the issues scientists would grapple with if Yellowstone showed
signs of an impending eruption. Scientists were not convinced that there will ever be
another catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone. Given Yellowstone’s past history, the
yearly probability of another caldera – forming eruption could be calculated as 1 in
730,000 or 0.00014%. However, this number is based simply on averaging the two in-
tervals between the three major past eruptions at Yellowstone – this is hardly enough to
make a critical judgment. This probability is roughly similar to that of a large (1 kilome-
ter) asteroid hitting the Earth. Moreover, catastrophic geologic events are neither regu-
lar nor predictable. The term “Supervolcano” implies an eruption of magnitude 8 on the
Volcano Explosivity Index, meaning that more than 1,000 cubic kilometers (250 cubic

175
miles) of magma (partially molten rock) are erupted. The most recent such event on
Earth occurred 74,000 years ago at the Toba Caldera in Sumatra, Indonesia.

A giant eruption would have regional effects such as falling ash and short-term (years to
decades) changes to global climate. The surrounding states of Montana, Idaho, and
Wyoming would be affected, as well as other places in the United States and the world.
Such eruptions usually form calderas, broad volcanic depressions created as the
ground surface collapses as a result of withdrawal of partially molten rock (magma) be-
low. Fortunately, the chances of this sort of eruption at Yellowstone are exceedingly
small in the next few thousands of years.

Yellowstone, as a whole, possessed close to 60 percent of the world’s geysers. The

Upper Geyser Basin was home to the largest numbers of this fragile feature found in the
park. Within one square mile there were at least 150 of these hydrothermal wonders. Of
this remarkable number, the naturalist staff predicted only five major geysers regularly.
They are Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and Old Faithful. There are many frequent,
smaller geysers to be seen and marveled at in this basin as well as numerous hot
springs and one recently developed mud pot (if it lasted).

And, your government had voted to let some of those Major Corporations drill holes into
the ground to tap geothermal energy. We all know how Major Corporations never cut
corners or endanger anyone’s safety, right? Anyway, Mike had gone on the net to find
out a little information about Yellowstone and one thing led to another. Before he’d fin-
ished, he was ready to write a dissertation on volcanoes. According to the USGS the
only active volcano in the continental US was Mt. St. Helens. However, Mt. Lassen had
small steaming – fumaroles in summit craters and hot ground on its northern flank. In
addition, Mt. Hood had occasional seismic swarms; Clear Lake in California had geo-
thermal energy and long-period (volcanic) seismicity suggesting an “active” status; Coso
Peak in California had geothermal energy production and seismic activity suggesting an
“active” status; and there were the ongoing eruptions in Hawaii.

But then there were earthquakes every day in California and tornados in the Midwest.
Soon they’d have the hurricanes in Florida. Hey, don’t forget Alaska! Mt. Spurr had
been experiencing a volcano swarm since 2004. Mt. Spurr Volcano, about 80 miles
west of Anchorage across the Cook Inlet, had grown restless. Scientists at the Alaska
Volcano Observatory (AVO) first noticed the unrest in early July (2004) when hundreds
of small earthquakes occurred 3 to 4 miles beneath Spurr’s summit. Aerial reconnais-
sance in mid-July and early August documented recent small flows of mud and rock and
a recently formed “ice cauldron” in the summit ice cap. The ice cauldron is a collapse
feature possibly caused by an increase in heat coming from deep beneath the summit.
Using sensitive instruments, scientists flying around the volcano on August 7 detected
small amounts of the volcanic gases in a plume from the summit. Mt. Spurr was still go-
ing hot and heavy; plus…

176
The June 1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano altered the Katmai area dramatically.
Severe earthquakes rocked the area for a week before Novarupta exploded with cata-
clysmic force. Enormous quantities of hot, glowing pumice and ash were ejected from
Novarupta and nearby fissures. This material flowed over the terrain, destroying all life
in its path. Trees upslope were snapped off and carbonized by the blasts of hot wind
and gas. For several days, ash, pumice, and gas were ejected and a haze darkened the
sky over most of the Northern Hemisphere.

It was an apparently unnamed valley when the 20th century’s most dramatic volcanic
episode took place. Robert Griggs, exploring the volcano’s aftermath for the National
Geographic Society in 1916, stared awe struck off Katmai Pass across the valley’s roar-
ing landscape riddled by thousands of steam vents. The Valley of Ten Thousand
Smokes, Griggs named it.

“The whole valley as far as the eye could reach was full of hundreds, no thousands –
literally, tens of thousands – of smokes curling up from its fissured floor,” Griggs wrote.
One thousand steam vents reached 150 meters (500 feet) in the air, some more than
300 meters (1,000 feet). Such marvels inspired explorers on the next year’s expedition.
Only one eruption in historic times – Greece’s Santorini in 1500 BC – displaced more
volcanic matter than Novarupta. The terrible 1883 eruption of Indonesia’s Krakatoa
belched out little more than half as much yet killed 35,000 people. Vastly isolated No-
varupta killed no one. If the eruption occurred on Manhattan Island in New York City,
Robert Griggs calculated, residents of Chicago would hear it plainly. The fumes would
tarnish brass in Denver. Acid raindrops would burn your skin in Toronto. In Philadelphia
the ash would lie nearly as deep as this folder is wide. Manhattan would have no survi-
vors.

The western US was along the so-called Ring of Fire, as are 75% of the Earth’s active
and dormant volcanoes. The ring stretches from South America, where the Nazca plate
dips beneath the South American plate, pushing up the Andes mountains, and then
north up along the coasts of Central America and México. In the Pacific Northwest the
tiny Juan de Fuca plate, formed at a spreading center just to the west, is sinking (sub-
ducting) beneath the North American plate. This oceanic plate is blanketed with seafloor
sediments, and its crust is waterlogged. As it dips beneath the North American plate –
and before it melts completely – the two plates can snag and then break free. The result
was earthquakes, a characteristic of the Ring of Fire and other subduction zones.

The subducting crust is wet, as crust goes, and that water helps to melt the mantle over-
lying the sinking plate. This forms blobs of magma – slightly different than the magma
that wells through at mid-ocean ridges – that rises up toward the surface. Volcanoes
form where the magma breaks through – in this case, the volcanoes of the Cascades
Range, including Mount St. Helens. Magma in subduction zones was particularly re-
sistant to flow (viscous), and it is also quite gassy. So when it erupts, it did so in violent
explosions – as did Mount St. Helens, and as the other volcanoes in the Ring of Fire
continue to do year after year.

177
Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, all volcanic in origin and formed from the subduction of the
Pacific plate beneath the North American represent the northern arc of the Ring of Fire.
The ring then swept down along Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and through Japan,
where the Pacific plate dived beneath the Eurasian plate. That subduction was respon-
sible for all of the Japanese islands and picturesque volcanoes like Mt. Fuji. The last
section of the Ring of Fire was made up of Micronesia and New Guinea, where the In-
do-Australian plate drops below the Pacific, and New Zealand, where the Pacific plate
returns the favor, and dived below the Indo-Australian.

How can a person be prepared if they don’t know what is going on around them? For
instance, they had to keep an eye on the storms in California because 24-hours later,
they’d hit Arizona. They’d bought their survey meters when Shane Connor started his
business. Naturally, they sent them back to Gonzales to be recalibrated/recertified every
3 years. Getting prepared was one thing – staying prepared was quite another. What
good are all of those flashlights if you have dead batteries? If you really kept track, you
used a First In First Out (FIFO) inventory system and you always knew what you did
and didn’t have on hand and how old it was. The manufacturer recommended adding
PRI-D to your diesel fuel about every 9 months to keep it fresh.

Jack took Mike’s advice and got his technicians license. Shelia and he bought a good
used 24’ trailer in May and they were set to head to Yellowstone in late June. When
they got there, they discovered that Old Faithful had a mistress and wasn’t nearly as
faithful as they thought he’d be. Yellowstone was experiencing another swarm of earth-
quakes, not a completely unheard of occurrence. Mike was a little concerned, but the
Park Rangers assured them that everything was normal. The USGS carefully monitored
Yellowstone and could predict any problems weeks, and probably months, ahead of
them happening. Reassured, they checked out Jackson and then headed to South Da-
kota.

“Those Hills don’t look Black to me,” Jack chuckled. “I wonder how they got their
name?”

Seen from a distance, the Black Hills, rising several thousand feet like sentinels above
the surrounding prairie, do appear to be black. But enter these hills and a world of color
and variety unfolds. The Black Hills cover an area 125 miles long and 69 wide in west-
ern South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. They included rugged rock formations, can-
yons and gulches, open grassland parks, tumbling streams, deep lakes, and caves.
Trees and plants from the Rocky Mountains, eastern woodlands, northern forests, and
the Great Plains converge at this biological crossroads. The forest cover and forage
sustain a wide variety of birds and four-legged animals, including elk, deer, bighorn
sheep, and mountain goats. These mountains had power, or, as South Dakota conser-
vationist Peter Norbeck said, value beyond gold. For many people, from past and pre-
sent Native Americans to today’s visitors, the Black Hills had been a special place for
physical and spiritual renewal. Paha Sapa. Lakota Sioux for “hills that are black.” But

178
that’s the surface translation. The deeper translation was “the heart of everything that
is.” While they were in Rapid City, they stopped by Black Hills ammo and loaded up on
fresh ammo.

179
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 18 – The Events

After their vacation, the families returned home to what appeared to be a mundane
summer. Neither Mike nor Jack played golf but they did like to fish. Those little lakes
south of John’s ranch held a lot of fish so they spent the remainder of the summer
camping and fishing. Sometimes the gals came along, but usually they didn’t. The fellas
checked in with the ranch every evening on a cell phone when they were at the lakes.
The tent they used was one of their trailers.

“How’s the fishing?” Ginger asked.

“I don’t think they’re hungry,” Mike lamented.

“It might be a good idea for Jack and you to cut your trip short,” Ginger suggested. “That
thing in the Far East is heating up again.”

“It’s too late to pull camp tonight,” Mike replied. “We’ll pack up and be there in the morn-
ing.”

“Ok, but get home as fast as you can,” Ginger agreed.

“What’s up?” Jack asked.

“Ginger sounded worried, Jack. She says that thing in the Far East is heating up,” Mike
replied. “I told her that we’d pull camp and come home in the morning.”

“That’s not like her to get worried,” Jack pointed out. “Give me the phone and I’ll call
Shelia.”

“Shelia, Jack,” Jack announced. “Mike was just talking to Ginger and he said she
sounded awfully worried. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know Jack,” Shelia replied. “CNN had a spot about the US deploying all of the
Carrier Strike Groups to the Far East.”

“It won’t take that long to pull camp and get home,” Jack replied. “We’ll be home in an
hour or so.” Jack dialed another number.

“John?” Jack said, “This is Jack. Sorry to bother you but have you been watching the
news?”

“Yes, but I don’t know if it’s a big deal or not,” John replied. “They sortied the last Carrier
Strike Group out of Pearl and the Kitty Hawk is getting underway.”

“Have they raised the Treat Level or the DEFCON level?” Jack asked.

180
“Not as far as I know,” John replied.

“Thanks John, I think that Mike and I will head back to the ranch anyway,” Jack re-
sponded. “Douse the fire and let’s get going, Mike.”

“Ok, we’re back,” Mike announced. “Has there been any more on the news?”

“Not really, no,” Ginger replied. “They haven’t made any announcement about raising
the Threat Levels or the Defense Condition.”

Mike knew that you could find out what the current DEFCON and THREATCON were by
asking Jeeves. You went to the Ask website and asked the question, What is the cur-
rent DEFCON? and you got back the DEFCON. The answer in this instance was, DEF-
CON 4. He didn’t know any other way to find out the status of the American military be-
cause he couldn’t even find the status at the Defense Department website. During the
Cold War, the US was usually at DEFCON 4 and the highest it had ever been had been
DEFCON 2. The Thread Level warned of pending Terrorist Attacks but what about the
status of the military? In all likelihood, the status of the military told you a lot more than
the Threat Level.

(It’s different now. Go to http://www.defconwarningsystem.com/ it gets updated when it

changes. At the moment, we’re at 5.)

How come the Russians knew 60 seconds after the US changed the DEFCON but the
American Public couldn’t find out? Was it because we didn’t need to know, but the Rus-
sians did? The simple truth was hard to take. After 9/11, NORAD stopped posting the
DEFCON status. The whole darn world changed on 9/11/01. You could still get to the
NORAD website, in a roundabout way, but you couldn’t find out what the DEFCON was
anywhere. About all you could do was put on CNN or FOX and wait for them to tell what
the government wanted you to know. Stay up all-night or got to bed?

After a day or two on the lake and a few beers to go along with the few fish they did
manage to catch, that bed looked very inviting. So did the redhead laying in it waiting for
Mike to come to bed. So the TV got turned off and Mike got turned… Anyway, the next
morning, Mike woke up early, made some coffee and turned on the TV. There didn’t
seem to be much happening that was of any consequence and he turned the TV off and
made Ginger breakfast in bed.

“What’s that for?” Ginger asked.

“Nothing special,” Mike replied setting the tray over her lap. “I turned on the TV and
nothing seems to be happening and I was hungry so I made us breakfast.”

“They didn’t say any more about the carrier groups?” Ginger asked.

181
“Didn’t even mention it honey,” Mike answered. “They did have a squirt about Yellow-
stone and Old Faithful not sending up any geysers for 4 days. You remember when we
were there about Jack and I joking that Old Faithful must have a mistress, don’t you?”

“The USGS would know if it was anything to be worried about, wouldn’t they?” Ginger
asked.

“They should, they have that observatory,” Mike answered. “If magma were building up
it should generate small earthquakes. At least that’s what the guide said when we were
there.”

“It’s not supposed to blow up for another 100,000 years is it?” Ginger asked.

“Right, the last caldera was formed 640,000 years ago,” Mike agreed. “The most likely
volcanoes to blow up are Mt. St. Helen’s or that one on the Cook Inlet, Mt. Spurr.”

“I guess that I should have left the two of you at the lake,” Ginger sounded dejected.

“We weren’t catching much and I drank a little too much beer anyway,” Mike laughed.

“Hangover?”

“I didn’t drink that much honey,” Mike laughed “But a six pack normally lasts me six
months, not 2 days.”

The phone rang and Ginger answered. “Mike go turn on the TV and I’ll get dressed.”

“What channel?” Mike asked.

“It won’t make any difference,” Ginger replied.

Have you ever seen any of the pictures taken from atop the WTC the day before the
planes brought them down? The only thing that separated those folks from disaster was
24-hours. CNN was announcing that the USGS was concerned enough about Yellow-
stone to order an evacuation of nearby areas.

“Grab some coffee, Jack,” Mike said when Jack came in. “We weren’t there all that long
ago.”

“Has Old Faithful spouted yet?” Jack asked.

“It’s going on the 5th day and no, it hasn’t,” Mike replied.

“We’ve only been back 2 months,” Jack pointed out. “This could have happened while
we were there. But that’s a long way from here.”

182
“I figure about 650-675 miles as the crow flies,” Mike replied. “I wonder if the Supervol-
cano is coming early.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it; Yellowstone is northeast, isn’t it?” Jack asked.

“Almost straight north,” Mike explained. “Let’s listen and see how big of an area they’re
evacuating.”

One website said scientists have discovered that the ground in Yellowstone is 74cm
higher than in was in 1923 – indicating a massive swelling underneath the park. The
reservoir was filling with magma at an alarming rate. The volcano erupts with a near-
clockwork cycle of every 600,000 years. The last eruption was more than 640,000 years
ago – we are overdue for annihilation.

Immediately before the eruption, there would be large earthquakes in the Yellowstone
region. The ground would swell further with most of Yellowstone being uplifted. One
earthquake would finally break the layer of rock that holds the magma in – and all the
pressure the Earth can build up in 640,000 years would be unleashed in a cataclysmic
event.

Magma would be flung 50 kilometers into the atmosphere. Within a thousand kilometers
falling ash, lava flows and the sheer explosive force of the eruption would kill virtually all
life. Volcanic ash would coat places as far away as Iowa and the Gulf of México. One
thousand cubic kilometers of lava would pour out of the volcano, enough to coat the
whole of the USA with a layer 5 inches thick. The explosion would have a force 2,500
times that of Mount St. Helens. It would be the loudest noise heard by man for 75,000
years, the time of the last super volcanic eruption. Within minutes of the eruption tens of
thousands would be dead.

The long-term effects would be even more devastating. The thousands of cubic kilome-
ters of ash that would shoot into the atmosphere could block out light from the sun,
making global temperatures plummet. This was called a nuclear winter. As during the
Sumatra eruption a large percentage of the world’s plant life would be killed by the ash
and drop in temperature. Also, virtually the entire of the grain harvest of the Great Plains
would disappear in hours, as it would be coated in ash. Similar effects around the world
would cause massive food shortages. If the temperatures plummet by the 21 degrees
they did after the Sumatra (Toba) eruption the Yellowstone Supervolcano eruption could
truly be an extinction level event.

Since someone said that, it couldn’t happen any other way right? Not exactly. They
didn’t really expect what they got when Mt. St. Helens blew its top in 1980, did they? All
an expert is, according to some, is an old drip under pressure. If you go to 4 different
websites, you’ll get 4 different opinions. It was due 40,000 years ago; it isn’t due for an-
other 60,000 years; and, it isn’t due for 100,000 years. About the only thing that they
agreed upon was that one-day Yellowstone might blow up.

183
The eruption of a Supervolcano “sooner or later” would chill the planet and threaten
human civilization, British scientists warned Tuesday. And now the bad news: There’s
not much anyone could do about it. Several volcanoes around the world were capable
of gigantic eruptions unlike anything witnessed in recorded history, based on geologic
evidence of past events, the scientists said. Such eruptions would dwarf those of Mount
St. Helens, Krakatau, Pinatubo and anything else going back dozens of millennia.
“Super-eruptions are up to hundreds of times larger than these,” said Stephen Self of
the United Kingdom’s (UK) Open University.

The Huckleberry Ridge Tuff from 2 million years ago had a volume of 2,500 km³. The
Lava Creek Tuff 630,000 years ago had a volume of 1,000 km³. And, didn’t they say
what the one in between was 280 km³? The point was they did seem to be getting
smaller. The first one went to the southeast and the most recent one went to the north-
west. “Explosions of this magnitude happen about every 600,000 years at Yellow-
stone,” says Chuck Wicks of the US Geological Survey, who had studied the possibili-
ties in separate work. “And it’s been about 620,000 years since the last super explosive
eruption there.” The opinions ranged from an ELE to a reduced explosion. Maybe this
one would only put out 5-600 kilometers³ of debris. Mt. St. Helens put out 2 kilometers³
when it blew at 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980.

Yellowstone might be winding down geologically, experts say. But they believe it har-
bored at least one final punch. Globally, there were still plenty of possibilities for Super-
volcano eruptions, even as Earth quiets down over the long haul of its 4.5-billion-year
existence.

“The Earth is of course losing energy, but at a very slow rate, and the effects are only
really noticeable over billions rather than millions of years,” Stephen Sparks of the Uni-
versity of Bristol said. It sounded to me like we have more experts than volcanoes. In
the Jemez Mountains, near Santa Fe, New Mexico, sat the Valles Caldera. It’s about 15
miles (24 kilometers) wide, made by two super-eruptions 1.6 and 1.1 million years ago.
To the west, they had the Long Valley Caldera; and, to the north, the Yellowstone Cal-
dera. Two of the three were rumbling; quick, surrender – you’re surrounded!

Remember back in 1980 when an 83-year-old lodge owner named Harry Truman said,
“If I left this place, it would worry me to death?” That’s where he died, right there on Mt.
St. Helens. Truman, along with his 16 cats, pink (Elvis Presley) Cadillac Coupe de Ville
and 38 bottles of Schenley bourbon, was buried under 600 feet of volcanic material
within seconds of the eruption. Sheesh, did he get buried or what? And what a waste,
38 bottles of bourbon! Reports vary; saying anywhere from 200’ to 600’, but anything
over 6’ is extra.

They didn’t see Yellowstone blow because the cameras were too close; but they heard
it 650 miles away. The airborne ash plume front from the Mount St. Helens eruption of

184
1980 advanced rapidly to the northeast at an average velocity of about 250 kilometers
per hour during the first 13 minutes after eruption. It then traveled to the east-northeast
within a high-velocity wind layer at altitudes of 10-13 kilometers at an average velocity
of about 100 kilometers per hour over the first 1,000 kilometers. Beyond about 60 kilo-
meters, the thickest ash fall was east of the volcano in Washington, northern Idaho, and
western Montana. A distal thickness maximum near Ritzville, Washington, was due to a
combination of factors: (1) crude sorting within the vertical eruptive column, (2) eruption
of finer ash above the high-velocity wind layer at altitudes of 10-13 kilometers, and (3)
settling of ash through and below that layer. Isopach maps for the May 25, June 12, Au-
gust 7, and October 16-18 eruptions showed distal thickness maximums similar to that
of May 18.

While estimates of the amount of the Mt. St. Helens debris varied, Yellowstone put out
750 km³, or roughly 375 times as much. Of course, the ash plume was 375 times bigger
but the pyroclastic flow and many of the other features of the Yellowstone eruption fol-
lowed the rule of inverse squares meaning that the plume front didn’t proceed at 250kph
for 375 times 60km. It only spread out about 1,100 km. 650 miles is about 1046km. Se-
dona was inside of the ash plume.

The June 1991 eruption (of Mount Pinatubo) created a 2.5-kilometer-wide collapse cal-
dera and filled valleys around Pinatubo with about 5.5 +/- 0.5 km³ of pyroclastic-flow de-
posits. The new summit elevation of Mount Pinatubo was approximately 1,485 meters
above sea level, reduced from a pre-eruption elevation of 1,745 meters; the elevation of
the caldera lake was between 820 and 840 meters above sea level, or about 650 me-
ters below the highest point on the new caldera rim.

Before its June 15, 1991, eruption, Mount Pinatubo consisted of a rounded, steep-sided,
domelike mass that rose about 700 meters above a broad, gently sloping, deeply dis-
sected apron of pyroclastic and epiclastic materials. Some relics of older volcanic edi-
fices, including an ancestral Mount Pinatubo, lay south, east, and northeast of Mount
Pinatubo. In comparison to well-known stratocones such as Mayon or Fuji, Mount
Pinatubo was small and inconspicuous, but its extensive pyroclastic apron told of large
prehistoric explosive eruptions.

Eruption of about 5 cubic kilometers of magma on June 15, 1991 created a new, 2.5-
kilometer-diameter collapse caldera centered slightly northwest of the pre-eruption
summit. The pre-eruption summit was included in the area of collapse, so the post-
eruption height of Mount Pinatubo was substantially reduced. Eruptive products largely
filled valleys that had existed in the pyroclastic apron; valleys that had been carved into
older volcanic terrain and partly filled by prehistoric eruptions of Mount Pinatubo were
partly filled once again.

In the twentieth century, this (1991) eruption was second in size only to an eruption in
Katmai, Alaska, in 1912. Ten times larger than the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980,
Pinatubo’s eruption threatened the lives of a million people. A giant ash cloud rose 35
kilometers into the sky and hot blasts seared the countryside, but a more serious disas-

185
ter was averted by timely, accurate warnings. Philippine authorities were able to evacu-
ate 60,000 people from the slopes and valleys, and the American military evacuated
18,000 personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Base below the mountain – thus
saving many thousands of lives and an estimated billion dollars in property and making
this the most successful case of volcanic hazards mitigation in history.

Tephra-fall deposits 5 centimeters or more thick covered a land area of about 4,000
square kilometers surrounding Pinatubo. These deposits buried crops, and the weight of
the rain-saturated tephra, no doubt with assistance from repeated intense seismic shak-
ing and buffeting by wind, caused numerous roofs to collapse in the Philippine commu-
nities around the volcano and on the two large US military bases. More than 300 people
died during the eruption, most of them from collapsing roofs. Without typhoon Yunya,
the death toll might have been far smaller. The typhoon brought heavy rain, which satu-
rated the accumulating tephra, and strong winds that contributed to the widespread dis-
persal of tephra falling from the broad stratospheric eruption cloud. The US had to close
Clark AFB because of that eruption. That was 10 years after Mt. St. Helens; you should
all remember that one.

And, you thought Yellowstone erupting would kill you. It did a pretty good job on killing
people within a 250km radius, initially. But that was only the beginning. Carl Sagan was
right in a way; he was just focused on the wrong type of event. You couldn’t call it nu-
clear winter so what could you call it? How about volcanic winter? And, it wouldn’t last
for decades, maybe only years. Volcanic winter was a proven fact.

Ways in which the world climate might be catastrophically disturbed have received a
great deal of attention as a result of three series of papers. The first was led by a 1967
paper by Manabe and Wetherald, which reported that atmospheric CO2 levels were ris-
ing, and forecast that a doubling of CO2 levels would cause an increase in average
world temperatures of about 2.3ºC as the result of the greenhouse effect. It was fol-
lowed by many papers which have forecast increases in average world temperatures
over the next century by as much as 6ºC as the result of man-caused increases in lev-
els of CO2. Some of these papers have warned of severe effects on ecosystems and
the fate of nations. A recent EPA report has concluded that greenhouse warming over
the next fifty years is unavoidable, and urges planning for the effects.

The second was led by a 1980 article by Luis W. Alvarez and his associates, which re-
ported finding a distinct clay layer at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (C-T) boundary containing
the element iridium whose isotopic composition was characteristic of meteorites rather
than terrestrial rocks. They suggested that this was evidence of the impact of an aster-
oid about 10 kilometers in diameter 65 million years ago. They hypothesized that such
an impact would darken the skies with dust, which might reduce surface temperatures
enough to cause the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species then liv-
ing, the fossil record of which seems to coincide with the C-T boundary. Further work
has found such layers at many sites around the world and tended to confirm the impact
hypothesis. There is still controversy concerning where the impact occurred, to what ex-
tent it caused the extinctions during this era, and whether the most important climatic

186
and biological effects were the result of darkening, cooling, heating, flooding, or other
mechanisms.

The third series of papers began with a 1982 article by Paul J. Crutzen and John W.
Birks, who forecast that a nuclear war would loft enough smoke and dust to cause a
darkening of the skies and enough hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen to cause dan-
gerous levels of air pollution. It was followed by a 1983 article by Turco, Toon, Acker-
man, Pollack, and Sagan (called TTAPS), which predicted that multiple nuclear explo-
sions could, depending on their number, yield, and type of target, blanket the entire
planet with a cloud of soot and dust for 3-12 months that would reduce sunlight by up to
99 percent and reduce average temperatures to as low as -40ºC (-40ºF) in the interiors
of Northern Hemisphere continents. They called this scenario a “nuclear winter”. A
companion article by Paul Ehrlich and his associates argued that dark and cold could
combine to cause the death of much unprotected life and deal a blow to food production
that could cause massive starvation. These papers led to a surge of work in many re-
search centers around the world, most of which had thus far confirmed the general
thrust of the TTAPS model, and to a strategic reassessment by nuclear planners. The
National Climate Program Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion has been appointed to coordinate the preparation of a National Plan of Research on
this subject, with the participation of several agencies, including the Defense Nuclear
Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency.

Oops! Never overlook the obvious. On several occasions, such as before the Mount
Pinatubo eruption, sulfur dioxide emissions had dropped to low levels prior to eruptions.
Most scientists believed that the sealing of gas passages caused this drop in gas levels
by hardened magma. Such an event leads to increased pressure in the volcano’s
plumbing system and an increased chance of an explosive eruption. What did you say
about Old Faithful?

Large, explosive volcanic eruptions inject water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), sul-
fur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ash (pulverized
rock and pumice) into the stratosphere to heights of 10-20 miles above the Earth’s sur-
face. The most significant impacts from these injections come from the conversion of
sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which condenses rapidly in the stratosphere to
form fine sulfate aerosols. The aerosols increase the reflection of radiation from the Sun
back into space and thus cool the Earth’s lower atmosphere or troposphere; however,
they also absorb heat radiated up from the Earth, thereby warming the stratosphere.
Several eruptions during the past century have caused a decline in the average tem-
perature at the Earth’s surface of up to half a degree (Fahrenheit scale) for periods of
one to three years.

The sulfate aerosols also promote complex chemical reactions on their surfaces that
alter chlorine and nitrogen chemical species in the stratosphere. This effect, together
with increased stratospheric chlorine levels from chlorofluorocarbon pollution, generated
chlorine monoxide (ClO), which destroyed ozone (O3). As the aerosols grow and coagu-

187
late, they settled down into the upper troposphere where they serve as nuclei for cirrus
clouds and further modify the Earth’s radiation balance. Most of the hydrogen chloride
(HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) were dissolved in water droplets in the eruption cloud
and quickly fell to the ground as acid rain. The injected ash also fell rapidly from the
stratosphere; most of it was removed within several days to a few weeks. Finally, explo-
sive volcanic eruptions release the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and thus provide a
deep source of carbon for biogeochemical cycles.

“Dang,” Mike said.

“That’s an understatement,” Jack grimly responded.

“I wonder how much time we have until that ash gets here.” Mike asked.

“Several hours, maybe days,” Jack suggested.

“I’ll buy hours, Jack, we’d better get the livestock under shelter,” Mike responded.

“I’ll give John a call,” Jack announced.

“I’ll go after Jose and Maria and on the way back, I’ll let Shelia know that we’re going to
have to think about the shelters,” Ginger added.

“Maybe not, honey, let’s wait and see how bad the ash gets,” Mike advised her. “Jack,
ask John how much hay he has on hand and tell him we’ll take all we can get. I’ll go to
town and pick up the kids.”

When Mike got to Sedona, school officials already were expecting the parents and had
the kids lined up waiting for the busses to arrive. He got Tom, Juan and Teresa from
High School and went looking for the twins and the others. When he had everyone
crammed into the Hummer, he headed back to the ranch. Jack and Jose had the live-
stock in the corrals at the barns and Mike learned that John told Jack he had as much
hay as they could use. Jack had gone ahead and bought all that John would sell them,
just in case. John suggested that they should have enough to get by at the moment and
he’d see about starting deliveries after they weathered the ash cloud.

It had been 70,000 years since the last Supervolcano (Toba) had erupted. The behavior
Yellowstone exhibited wasn’t at all what scientists expected and they were admitting
that the suddenness of the event caught them a little off guard. When Old Faithful inter-
rupted it regular schedule, they’d become concerned and had contacted DHS about set-
ting up the evacuations. Since 2004 the DHS’s National Response Plan (NRP) covered
the country.

188
The preface asserted, “The NRP represents a true national framework in terms of both
product and process. The NRP development process included extensive vetting and
coordination with Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, private-sector entities, and the first-responder and emergency manage-
ment communities across the country. The NRP incorporates best practices from a wide
variety of incident management disciplines to include fire, rescue, emergency manage-
ment, law enforcement, public works, and emergency medical services. The collective
input we received from our public- and private sector partners has been, and will contin-
ue to be, absolutely critical to the implementation and continued refinement of the core
concepts included in this groundbreaking national plan.”

In the movies either they get everyone safely evacuated or a lot of people get caught
because there isn’t time to move them all away from the area of danger. Take Deep Im-
pact for example. Morgan Freeman was so busy building shelters for 1,000,000 people
they didn’t start evacuating the people soon enough. They tried to destroy the asteroid
approaching Earth and only when that failed did they begin the evacuations. Pretty poor
planning in my view, but it was only a movie. In hindsight scientists were saying they
should have shut Yellowstone down when Old Faithful gave them the first clue. And you
know the media; it had to be someone’s fault, talk to George Tenet about that. They got
most, but not all, of the people out of the area of the pyroclastic flow. It was the dawn of
a volcanic winter.

Long-term survivability depended on many things. Timing was the most critical factor
and the eruption had come after many of the crops had been harvested. The fact that
Yellowstone had only discharged about 750 km³ of debris was equally important. The
aftermath wouldn’t last nearly as long as some had predicted. On the other hand, how
long does it take to destroy a society? Highways were already clogged with people who
had packed up and were trying to flee. The majority of the problem would be west of the
Mississippi.

“What a mess,” Jack observed.

“They’d have been smarter just to sit tight and let the ash cloud settle,” Mike agreed. “It
isn’t the ash cloud that’s going to be the problem; it’s the loss of the growing season.”

“I never thought we’d be facing this kind of a disaster,” Jack shook his head. “You’ve
done some studying, what did you learn on the Internet?”

“That Philippine volcano affected weather for about 3 years,” Mike replied. “This erup-
tion is a whole magnitude bigger so I don’t believe anyone knows what to expect. Cer-
tainly there will be a food crisis because of the shortened growing season. As soon as
we can get out, we need to stock up as much food as we can lay our hands on. We
should be ok on diesel fuel, but propane might be a problem. If we have to run the gen-

189
erators, we’d better only run one of them. We’re going to need to think about everything
in the long-term, Jack.”

“Do you want to take a trailer and head to Flagstaff?” Jack asked. “The sooner we get
there, the more food we’re likely to find. You know how people are in a disaster.”

“I think it’s already too late to try and buy food in Flagstaff,” Mike surmised. “We have
enough of our regular supplies to get by for a couple of months and then there’s always
the survival food. If we were to go anywhere, I think we ought to go to Phoenix. There
are 11 Costco stores in the greater Phoenix area and several of the Sam’s Clubs.”

“Shelia, how much cash do we have on hand?” Jack asked.

“Maybe not enough for that kind of shopping trip, but you can always find a Wells Far-
go,” she replied.

“What do you think Mike?” Jack asked.

“Let’s get a pickup and the trailer and head for Phoenix,” Mike suggested. “Jose and
Juan can keep an eye on the ranch and Tom can come with us. Tom you get that Glock
I gave you and bring it and the extra magazines. It will be your responsibility to protect
our purchases while Jack and I load up on food.”

190
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 19 – Phoenix

The snowbirds usually start showing up in Phoenix in October and November. They
would, without doubt, be earlier this year and most of the stores were stocked in antici-
pation of their arrival. Jack had vetoed Mike’s suggestion and they took both Tom and
Juan to Phoenix with them, both armed with Glock 23’s. A pickup and trailer load of food
wouldn’t last them very long so they rented the largest U-Haul truck they could find to
haul extra food back to the ranch. While they were getting ready to leave, the ladies
made up a shopping list. That was a good thing, because left on their own the men
might have missed some of the things that Shelia and Maria added. Remember there
were 2 women age 50 or younger and a teenaged girl.

They spent about as much time shopping in Phoenix, as it would take them to drive both
ways. People were beginning to hit the stores and stocking up so many of the grocers
imposed purchase limits. Wells Fargo had also imposed withdrawal limits and they had
to hit several banks to have enough cash to make their purchases. People who’d maxed
out their ATM’s and credit cards compounded the problem of buying food. Five hours
after they’d arrived in Phoenix, the men headed home with all of the food they were able
to buy. It wasn’t as much as they wanted, but it was all that they had room for.

“Now you’ve had a chance to see people at their worst, Tom,” Mike pointed out, “What
did you think?”

“I think that it’s just going to get worse,” Tom replied. “Jack and you had cash and a
shopping list. Several of the other people approached Juan and me and tried to take the
things we had in the trailer.”

“It was pretty clever putting the toilet paper and things in the trailer, was that your idea?”
Mike asked.

“Juan’s,” Tom replied. “He said that people might fight over food but he didn’t think that
anyone was willing to die over toilet paper.”

“We have to return the truck tomorrow so we’ll see how much more food we can buy,”
Mike pointed out. “I doubt we’ll have the luck we’ve had today.”

“Why are we buying so much food?” Tom asked. “The two of you must have bought
enough to keep us eating for over a year. And we have all of that freeze dried food at
home in the basements.”

“That ash cloud will settle out eventually, but there will be a lot of greenhouse gases re-
leased into the atmosphere Tom,” Mike explained. “The growing season will be affected
for years. We’re going to have to try and grow as much food as we can to supplement
the food we bought today and what we’ll get tomorrow. That’s why we bought all of the
hay that John could sell us. Eventually I’d imagine that we’ll be unable to get propane or
diesel fuel and we’ll be totally dependent on the food we grow and the electricity we can

191
generate with our PV panels. You saw what it was like today. Imagine what it will be like
in the future when the grocery stores can’t get food.”

“Oh,” Tom said, “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I guess this changes everything. Juan
and I probably won’t be able to go to college.”

“Take life a day at a time, Tom,” Mike recommended. “It’s too early to know what will be
going on this time next year.”

The following day, they returned the U-Haul to Phoenix and managed to load up the
pickup and trailer with additional food. They also loaded up on gardening supplies and
in that respect were several weeks ahead of others in their planning. The storage rooms
in the basements were filled with all kinds of jars and lids so they could probably can all
they could produce in the coming years without too much of a problem. They bought ex-
tra lids for the canning jars, just in case. The ash cloud had arrived but wasn’t terribly
thick over 1,000km from Yellowstone. It stopped about halfway between Flagstaff and
Phoenix.

The news organizations had tried to get footage from the area of the cloud, but their hel-
icopters couldn’t fly in the ash and they ended up showing satellite pictures of the cloud
instead. Ferrellgas topped of their propane tanks and they called Chevron to top off the
diesel. Both companies told them that future deliveries might be in question. School re-
sumed the following week and it appeared that life was returning to normal. In many re-
spects it was, remember 1980? On the other hand this eruption had covered ¼ of the
county in volcanic ash.

“Jack?” Shelia asked. “What is our fuel situation?”

“We have everything full, Shelia,” Jack replied. “Unless we could get more tanks, we
don’t have any more room for fuel. Why do you ask?”

“Ginger and I pulled our money out of the money market accounts and we have it all in
cash,” Shelia explained. “We were talking about adding another propane tank and die-
sel tank.”

“Have you talked to Ferrellgas?” Jack asked. “That’s where you’d have to go to get the
tanks and propane.”

“Since Jose and Maria don’t have a tank, they told me that they could set them up with
an 11,000-gallon tank and fill it one time,” Shelia said. “I went ahead and ordered it.”

“If you ordered it, why are we having this discussion?” Jack chuckled.

“We could probably get another tank from a distributor down in Phoenix,” Sheila replied.

192
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Jack responded. “We’ll only be running the genera-
tors when we don’t have solar generated electricity. You’d probably be better off spend-
ing your money on putting in another diesel tank.”

“Do you think we could get one put in?” Shelia asked.

“Now maybe yes, but a year from now I doubt it,” Jack replied. “It’s going to get very bad
before it gets back to normal. Most of the wheat producing area of the country is buried
under several inches of ash. Once people start running out of food, Mike and I think that
things will turn ugly. North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, northern
Texas, Colorado and Utah are completely buried according to the news on TV. So is a
vast portion of the growing area in Idaho. If you’re going to put in more diesel or solar
power, you’d better do it immediately.”

Shelia and Ginger ordered another 12kw PV array like the one that Shelia and Jack had
on their house. They mounted this array on one of the barns and split the new batteries
between the two shelters. It was a matter of being first again and having the cash to pay
for the array and equipment. They lucked into a 40,000 gallon diesel tank but paid a
premium for 40,000 gallons of fuel. They got Ralph to do the extra electric work and Jim
to put in two open pole-sheds for the hay that John was delivering. By the time the first
snow fell, they were as ready as they could make themselves.

The first snowfall came early and it was heavier and one hell of a lot colder than in pre-
vious years. It had been a complete madhouse trying to prepare for the inevitable crash
of the American society. Food had started to run short during early October, principally
due to distribution problems, not the lack of food. Food riots had erupted in most of the
cities affected by the food shortages and the US was becoming a very unpleasant place
to live.

Long afflicted with gang problems the United States was about to experience the full
wrath of starving people. Not since the Great Depression in the 1930’s had America
seen problems like this. Candidly, the Great Depression was a picnic by comparison.
Food became very expensive and in very short supply. So did fuel for the motor vehi-
cles. One thing the US didn’t seem to have any shortage of was firearms and cartridges.
A lot of the arms and ammo from the Méxican Invasion had been stored against future
needs by the military and found their way into the hands of the public. The contractor
from Phoenix who put in the PV array told them nightmare stories of how things had be-
come in Phoenix and the southern tier of states.

President Bush had been on TV several times trying to reassure the American popula-
tion that there was food available. He had been forced to declare martial law and feder-
alize the National Guards in all of the states in an effort to restore law and order. Bush
didn’t appear to be going without food and his appearances did as much to anger the
population as reassure them. Entering into the spring of 2008, the United States was in

193
trouble. More often than not, people attacked the troops entering areas to restore order
and distribute food and by June of 2008, the country had become something from a bad
science fiction novel.

Scientists were now saying that the eruption of Yellowstone was only slightly larger than
the prehistoric eruption of the Long Valley Caldera, which had spewed forth 580 km³ of
ash. Nobody was listening; all they knew was that they were hungry. Washington was
dealing with more than just the American people being hungry. The entire Northern
Hemisphere was affected by the catastrophe. Remember the nightmare scenario about
the Gulf Stream stopping written by Swartz and Randall in October of 2003? How was
this any different in result? That was a rhetorical question and the answer was that it
wasn’t any different, except that maybe this event would be longer reaching in its effect.

The Weather Report: 2010-2020:

• Drought persists for the entire decade in critical agricultural regions and in the areas
around major population centers in Europe and eastern North America.
• Average annual temperatures drop by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit over Asia and North
America and up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit in Europe.
• Temperatures increase by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in key areas throughout Austral-
ia, South America, and southern Africa.
• Winter storms and winds intensify, amplifying the impact of the changes. Western Eu-
rope and the North Pacific face enhanced westerly winds.

Each of the years from 2010-2020 sees average temperature drops throughout North-
ern Europe, leading to as much as a 6 degree Fahrenheit drop in ten years. Average
annual rainfall in this region decreases by nearly 30%; and winds are up to 15% strong-
er on average. The climatic conditions are more severe in the continental interior re-
gions of northern Asia and North America. Change the starting date by a couple of
years and you have an accurate portrayal of the weather conditions in the world in
2008.

“Ginger and I had planned on talking to you about adoption proceedings,” Mike told
Tom. “But with all that’s happened, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.”

“It doesn’t really matter, the two of you are the only Mom and Dad I’ve really known,”
Tom replied. “I never knew my birth father all that well and my mom was a junkie. I
barely remember her. Ginger and you have been the best thing that happened to me in
my whole life.”

“Ginger and I couldn’t have any children and as far as we’re concerned, you’re our son
and will get everything when we’re gone,” Mike replied.

194
“Don’t talk like that,” Tom reacted. “You and Mom are going to live forever.”

“No, we won’t Tom, but we aren’t ready to go just yet,” Mike laughed. “Don’t be digging
any holes to bury us. I’m sorry but it looks like you were right about college.”

“That’s ok, I’ll just become a Professional Survivalist,” Tom smiled.

“That’s going to be a full time job before this is all over,” Mike advised. “What about a
wife and family?”

“I’m covered,” Tom laughed. “I’m pretty partial to Teresa and Juan has been getting
close with a girl in our class. It all depends on what happens, doesn’t it? There might not
be school this coming year.”

“Have you talked to Jose about Teresa?” Mike asked.

“Sure, Dad, and Jose said that when Teresa was out of school, he’d be proud to have
me as a son-in-law,” Tom answered.

“I guess we never had that father-son talk, did we?” Mike mentioned.

“Do you mean sex?” Tom asked. “What would you like to know?”

I can just hear the heavenly chorus right about here. Things had certainly changed
since that night in McCormick & Schmick’s, when Mike had met Ginger. Tom could do a
lot worse than hooking up with Teresa. She was a raven-eyed beauty and about the on-
ly persons who didn’t know about Tom and Teresa were Mike and maybe Jack. Tom
had been spending more time at Jose and Maria’s and all the while Mike thought it was
to see Juan and study. It probably was, but Teresa was every bit as pretty as Ginger
and had a figure to match.

“What are you going to do about housing?” Mike asked.

“I’ve got enough money in my college fund to buy a doublewide and put in a basement if
Jack will sell me some land,” Tom replied. “And, I can help Juan build an Adobe like Jo-
se’s.”

“What will you do for a vehicle?” Mike asked.

“I gave him my pickup,” Ginger answered. “And before you ask, I talked to Shelia and
we ordered 2 more propane tanks not 1. I talked to Ferrellgas and they can fill them one
time only. I also contacted a dealer down in Phoenix and he has a 30kw diesel Kohler
generator available. Shelia and I couldn’t get any more Mountain House foods for their
shelter but I talked to John and he can build them a blast door. We aren’t likely to have

195
a nuclear war, but Jim said he thought he could get a LUWA air system from some outfit
down in Texas. Any other questions?”

“When’s the wedding?” Mike laughed.

“Right after Teresa finishes school,” Tom replied.

“So, we’ll have 40,000-gallons of propane?” Mike asked. “Maybe Jack and I ought to
look for a Ma Deuce. We’re going to end up fighting people off over our fuel.”

“The propane or the diesel?” Ginger asked.

“Probably the propane,” Mike replied. “That’s what we have the most of.”

“Well, not exactly,” Ginger laughed. “We’ll have 80,000-gallons of diesel and 5,000-
gallons of gasoline. Shelia and I sat down and figured out that if we do much traveling,
and fuel becomes hard to get we could run out on two tanks of diesel. We have 6 diesel
vehicles and assuming an average mileage of 15mpg and 30,000 miles a year, we
could run out of fuel at just the wrong time.”

“Will we have any money left?” Mike asked.

“Some, plus we have all of that gold,” Ginger smiled. “Gold is up to $700 an ounce.
Here, you’ll need this.”

“What is it?”

“The matching rifle for your MUNS, a McMillan TAC-50. It has the Nightforce NXS 12-
42×56mm scope upgrade and a suppressor from Mike’s over in Texas. The dealer rec-
ommended Hornady A-MAX 750gr match ammo and I bought you 4,000 rounds. He al-
so mentioned that the military uses a HEIAP round and sold me 15 cans. This should
cover Christmas and birthdays for the rest of your life.”

Mike was beginning to feel like the fifth wheel on a 4WD vehicle. He thought he was on
top of everything that went on in his family. So do millions of other men. Having all of
that fuel could be a problem in the coming days so he went to talk to Jack about what
the women had done. Man, was that TAC-50 nice…

“How are we going to protect this ranch?” Mike asked. “Even adding in one more per-
son, assuming Juan gets married too, we’ll only have 14 people.”

“I guess we’ll have to bring out the big guns,” Jack chuckled.

“The .50 cals?” Mike asked.

“No, the 40mm M-79 Thumpers.”

196
“I wouldn’t mind having some but they aren’t legal,” Mike pointed out.

“That’s why I never said anything, Mike,” Jack replied. “Everything else I have is regis-
tered and I’m not really one to break the law. However, I had a chance a few years ago
to buy some M-79’s so I did. And periodically, I’ve been able to pick up a few of the gre-
nades. I sort of figured that what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt me. I have M406, M433,
M576 and M1060 rounds for the launchers.”

“What no .50 caliber machinegun?” Mike asked.

“You think the M-79’s won’t be enough?” Jack asked.

“They’ll be fine, I was just thinking about all of the surprises I’ve had today,” Mike shook
his head. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them pulling in a new doublewide for Tom
and Teresa. I’ll have to show you my new .50 caliber rifle.”

“You bought another one?”

“Actually, I never bought a Barrett. Ginger apparently knew I wanted a Tac-50 and got
me one. It has a titanium suppressor made by a guy in Texas, a Night Force 12-
42×56mm Mil Dot day scope and a McCann Night Vision Rail Mount for my MUNS.
And, get this; she bought me 5,800 rounds of ammo.”

“What kind of ammo?”

“Four thousand rounds of Hornady 750gr A-MAX match and eighteen hundred rounds
of Raufoss.”

“We’ll go for adjoining cells.”

The dealer was holding the doublewide until Jim finished up the basement. Due to the
worsening situation, the Sedona Board of Education announced during July of 2008 that
they were going to allow 11th and 12th grade children to try to test out of school and re-
ceive a diploma. Teresa took the test and passed and in August of 2008, she received
her diploma and Tom and she got married. They had gotten Juan’s Adobe finished and
a double wedding was held on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Juan’s new wife was a pretty
young thing named Selena.

The public schools didn’t open during the fall of 2008 but they went out of their way to
make home schooling possible. Ginger and Shelia needn’t have worried about the fuel.
People rarely left the ranch. The situation was serious on the other side of the 7’ high
fence.

Street gangs form for a variety of reasons. The United States has experienced the
growth of many types of street and prison gangs within the last 30 years. During this

197
time period, influxes of legal and illegal refugees into the United States have had a doc-
umented effect on the formation of new street gangs.

In the early 1980s, a violent civil war began in El Salvador, which would last more than
12 years. Approximately 100,000 people were killed in the war, and more than one mil-
lion people fled from El Salvador to the US. The Salvadorian refugees and immigrants
initially settled primarily in southern California and Washington, DC. Some of the refu-
gees and immigrants had ties with La Mara, a violent street gang from El Salvador.
Others had been members of paramilitary groups like the Farabundo Marti National Lib-
eration Front (FMNL) during the civil war. FMNL was made up of Salvadorian peasants
who were trained as guerilla fighters. Many were adept at using explosives, firearms,
and booby traps.

Most of the Salvadorian refugees settled in the established Hispanic neighborhoods of

the “Rampart” area of Los Angeles. However, Salvadorians were not readily accepted
into the Los Angeles Hispanic community, and were frequently targeted by local Hispan-
ic gangs. As a result, in the late 1980s, some refugees and refugee members of La Ma-
ra and FMNL formed what is now known as the Mara Salvatrucha (MS) street gang in
Los Angeles. Like many other street gangs, MS initially formed for protection, but quick-
ly developed a reputation for being organized and extremely violent. MS membership
continued to be fed by refugees from groups like FMNL.

Since its inception in California and Washington, DC, Mara Salvatrucha had expanded
into Oregon, Alaska, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York,
Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, and México. MS was unique in that, un-
like traditional US street gangs, it maintained active ties with MS members and factions
in El Salvador. Mara Salvatrucha is truly an international gang.

Mara Salvatrucha gang members maintained contact between groups in the United
States and El Salvador for several specific reasons. In El Salvador, a hand grenade
sells for $1.00-$2.00 US currency and an M-16 rifle will sell for approximately $200.00-
$220.00 US dollars. This communication and alliance provided a mechanism for MS
gang members to access military-style munitions and also established a network to traf-
fic illegal firearms into the United States.

Although military weapons seemed to be readily available to this gang, street intelli-
gence indicates they often had difficulty obtaining handguns, which were not readily
available in El Salvador. This created a demand for small arms by MS members in the
US and El Salvador. This demand was so high that MS members will often take hand-
guns as payment for drug transactions. The guns were then sent back to El Salvador, or
used in the United States.

MS was also involved in exporting stolen US cars to South America. The cars were of-
ten traded for drugs when dealing with cartels. It is estimated that 80% of the cars driv-
en in El Salvador were stolen in the United States. Car theft was a lucrative business for
MS.

198
The Mara Salvatrucha gang was involved in a variety of criminal enterprises. As with
members of other gangs, MS members seemed willing to commit almost any crime, but
MS gang members tend to have a higher level of criminal involvement than other gang
members. MS members had been involved in burglaries, auto thefts, narcotic sales,
home invasion robberies, weapons smuggling, carjacking, extortion, murder, rape, wit-
ness intimidation, illegal firearm sales, car theft and aggravated assaults. In terms of
drug trafficking activities, common drugs sold by MS members included cocaine, mari-
juana, heroin, and methamphetamine. Mara Salvatrucha gang members had even
placed a “tax” on prostitutes and non-gang member drug dealers who were working in
MS “turf.” Failure to pay up would most likely result in violence.

Originally, only Salvadorians could become members of Mara Salvatrucha. However,

MS now included members from Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and México. Mara
Salvatrucha also had a few African-American members. MS had broken the race barrier
for membership, but most new members were still selected because of their ethnic
(Central American) background. The majority of MS gang members were between the
ages of 11 and 40 years old.

Mara Salvatrucha members identify themselves with tattoos such as the number “13,” or
trece in Spanish. MS gang members would also use the Spanish word sureno, meaning
“southerner” to identify themselves. Sometimes sureno was abbreviated to SUR. These
terms make reference to the fact that MS gang members like to claim they were from
southern California as opposed to northern California, and were rivals with northern Cal-
ifornia gangs. Often, this rivalry was taken outside the state of California. Additionally,
Mara Salvatrucha gang members had several ongoing rivalries with large southern Cali-
fornia gangs, including the 18th Street gang, and in California, commonly attacked 18th
Street gang members on sight. There were many Hispanic gangs, including MS, which
used the number “13,” and the terms sureno and SUR as identifiers, including
street/prison gangs outside of California. Thus, it was important to identify specific tat-
toos used by the Mara Salvatrucha gang, which include “M” or “MS,” in addition to the
13 or SUR identification. Another common tattoo seen was “Salvadorian Pride.” There is
also a good chance that the member will also have the name of his particular clique tat-
tooed on his/her body. Other tattoos encountered with MS members had included pen-
tagrams and other occult symbols. These could be confusing when found in conjunction
with gang tattoos and could cause misconceptions of Satanic involvement by the gang.
The most common hand sign used by MS members is the letter M formed by using
three fingers and pointing the hand downward. This hand sign can resemble the pitch-
fork sign used by Folk/People Nation gangs from the Midwest, and could be made with
the fingers pointing up or down. The symbols used as tattoos were also used in graffiti
and personal writings.

In general, Mara Salvatrucha members show no fear of law enforcement. They are not
easily intimidated and frequently act defiantly. Mara Salvatrucha gang members had
been responsible for the execution of three federal agents and numerous shootings of
law enforcement officers across the country. MS gang members had been known to

199
booby-trap their drug stash houses using antipersonnel grenades on the assumption
that these structures would be searched by law enforcement. MS members at one time
often bragged of assaulting law enforcement officers as a means of showing their loyal-
ty and commitment to the gang. However, these claims had never been confirmed. To-
day, assaults on law enforcement officers were not required for membership, but were
always an option. Thus, officers dealing with MS members (or any street gang mem-
bers, for that matter) should always use extreme caution.

Law enforcement and the courts had used two primary methods to deal with criminal
activity by MS: arrest/incarceration and deportation. Between April 1994 and August
1995, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) arrested and deported more
than 100 MS gang members to El Salvador. Many Mara Salvatrucha gang members
were currently in the United States illegally and were concerned about deportation. If a
gang member was deported to El Salvador, there was a chance they would be targeted
by the Sombra Negra (Black Shadow) death squad. Sombra Negra and similar groups
were legendary in Central America. Gangsters and citizens alike believed that the Som-
bra Negra was made up of rogue cops and military personnel who targeted unwanted
criminals and gang members for vigilante “justice”. While the governments of Central
American countries officially denied the presence of these death squads, many MS
members in the US believed these groups exist, and fear that they would be targeted
after being deported. Honduran MS gang members had the same fear. Sombra Negra
had claimed responsibility for the deaths of several MS gang members in El Salvador.
The existence or belief in the existence of these death squads could also be a chief mo-
tivation for hardcore MS gang members to come to the United States

MS-13 was hungry. The authorities were too busy with other disturbances to police their
members. The government had flooded Los Angeles and southern California with
troops to quell the food riots. They couldn’t go north, they had too many rivals. Instead,
they chose to go east. There were 3 routes into Arizona from California: I-40, I-10 and I-
8. They took all three. The CHP warned the Arizona authorities that the gangs were
coming and the authorities broadcast a warning on TV.

“Mike, this is John,” John said. “Did you see the announcement on TV?”

“I was wondering if you might call,” Mike replied.

“We’d like to load up what we have and move down to your ranch,” John explained.

“Do you need help?” Mike asked.

“You might send up Jose, Tom and Juan,” John suggested. “Have them bring pickups
and any trailers you might have.”

“Give them about an hour, John,” Mike recommended. “Is there anything else that we
can do?”

200
“Mike we’re already pretty much loaded up,” John explained. “We should be almost
done by the time they arrive. Tell them to bring their guns.”

Three hours later John, Char, Johnny and Bobby were at the ranch. They hadn’t had
any trouble but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t. John had been a grenadier in Vi-
etnam. As such, he was more than familiar with the M-79. He favored the M1A, too, but
the Garand rifles were more affordable. John had taken the money he’d gotten from
selling the hay to Jack and Mike and had bought, among other things, more of the Ko-
rean surplus ammo for his Garand’s. John put all of his gear in Tom’s basement and
they sat back to see if MS-13 would show up.

201
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 20 – Gangsta’s

Upon taking office in January 2003, Governor Janet Napolitano announced that efforts
to detect, prevent and respond to acts of terrorism would be one of her administration’s
priorities. Governor Napolitano immediately took a number of steps including appointing
an Interim Homeland Security Director to develop a plan for how the state would handle
homeland security. The director convened a series of meetings with officials from feder-
al, state and local governments as well as with stakeholders from the private sector.
The Governor had a very nice 24-page plan, all typeset and everything. What Arizona
didn’t have was a State Defense Force. Maybe that explained why back in 2005, the cit-
izens of Arizona found it necessary to start the Minuteman Project? The idea behind the
State Defense Forces was to give the state National Guard some backup in case they
were federalized and taken outside of the state.

There were US right wing political movements that called themselves citizens’ militia,
and were supposedly based on the common law concept of an armed citizenry. These
were not formally linked to a state or Federal government, and often opposed the Fed-
eral government because of what they consider oppressive policies. In the western US
many Militants were opposed to illegal immigration, and several espoused white su-
premacy. This movement peaked in the early 1990’s, and declined in popularity after
the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on
April 19, 1995. The FBI had published its report on the militia movement and had de-
termined that the movement was not a threat to the national security of the United
States.

Independent survivalist paramilitary organizations maintaining weapons stockpiles and

training grounds had become a subculture in the United States.

Many anti-US government “militias” developed within the United States during the
1970s and 1980s, and experienced waves of growth in the 1990s.

There was not a simple definition of how a group qualifies as a militia. However, the fol-
lowing general criteria could be used as a guideline: (1) a militia was a domestic organi-
zation with two or more members; (2) the organization must possess and use firearms;
and (3) the organization must conduct or encourage paramilitary training. Other terms
used to describe militias were Patriots and Minutemen.

Most militias engaged in a variety of anti-government rhetoric, but were not anti-
government, they were anti-repression. Because of their beliefs that the US government
was to varying degrees unlawful, or engaged in unlawful practices, their activities
ranged from the protesting of government policies to the advocating violent and/or non-
violent revolution or the overthrow of the federal government.

However, the majority of militia groups were non-violent and only a small segment of the
militias actually committed acts of violence to advance their political goals and beliefs. A
number of militia leaders, such as Lynn Van Huizen of the Michigan Militia Corps-

202
Wolverines, had gone to some effort to actively rid their ranks of radical members who
were inclined to carry out acts of violence and/or terrorism. Officials at the FBI Academy
classified militia groups within four categories, ranging from moderate groups who did
not engage in criminal activity to radical cells, which committed violent acts of terrorism.

Militia anxiety, paranoia and millenarianism relating to the year 2000 were based mainly
on a political ideology, as opposed to religious beliefs. Many militia members believed
that the year 2000 would lead to political and personal repression enforced by the Unit-
ed Nations and countenanced by a compliant US government. This belief was common-
ly known as the New World Order (NWO) conspiracy theory. Other issues, which had
served as motivating factors for the militia movement, included gun control, the inci-
dents at Ruby Ridge (1992) and Waco (1993), the Montana Freeman Standoff (1996)
and the restriction of land use by federal agencies. One could find numerous references
in militia literature to military bases to be used as concentration camps in the NWO and
visiting foreign military personnel conspiring to attack Americans.

Odinism was a popular alternative to Christianity between white separatist and racialist
militias.

Most of the crackpots were gone and now the federal government had authorized State
Defense Forces (in 1933). The federal government officially recognized State Defense
Forces under 32 USC Sec 109 and provided that State Defense Forces “may not be
called, ordered, or drafted into the armed forces”, thus preserving their independence
from the National Guard. As I said, Arizona didn’t have a State Defense Force. But, right
about now, it sure needed one. They had MS-13 knocking on their door. The Minute-
man Project may have been forced to disband, but the people were still around.

Members of a violent Central America-based gang had been sent to Arizona to target
Minuteman Project volunteers, who would begin a month long border vigil this weekend
to find and report foreigners sneaking into the United States, project officials say.

James Gilchrist, a Vietnam veteran who helped organize the vigil to protest the federal
government’s failure to control illegal immigration, said he had been told that California
and Texas leaders of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, had issued orders to teach “a les-
son” to the Minuteman volunteers.

“We’re not worried because half of our recruits were retired trained combat soldiers,”
Mr. Gilchrist said. “And those guys were just a bunch of punks.”

More than 1,000 volunteers were expected to take part in the Minuteman vigil, which
would include civilian patrols along a 20-mile section of the San Pedro River Valley,
which had become a frequent entry point to the United States for foreigners headed
north.

203
About 40 percent of the 1.15 million foreign nationals caught last year by the US Border
Patrol trying to gain illegal entry to the United States were apprehended along a 260-
mile stretch of the Arizona border here known as the Tucson sector.

Many of the Minuteman volunteers were expected to be armed, although organizers of

the border vigil had prohibited them from carrying rifles. Only those people with a li-
cense to carry a handgun would be allowed to do so, Mr. Gilchrist said.

An operational plan called for teams of four to eight volunteers to be deployed along the
targeted 20-mile stretch of border at intervals of 200 to 300 yards, along with observa-
tion posts and a command center.

Mr. Gilchrist said some of the patrols and posts would be right on the US – México bor-
der, while others would be located farther north. The volunteers also had been told to
“make lots of noise and burn campfires at night to be very visible.”

According to guidelines issued to the volunteers earlier this month, organizers said they
expect that they would be targeted by various protest groups and others and that some
protesters would try to provoke confrontations.

“If we were to send the message loud and clear to President Bush and Congress, it was
imperative we stay within the law,” Mr. Gilchrist said.

“If one single person steps over the line for their personal gratification, we were all
stained with that irresponsible behavior and labeled forever as a fringe element that
embarrasses all who were counting on us to make this historic statement,” he said.

The MS-13 gang had established major smuggling operations in several areas along
the US – México border and have transported hundreds of Central and South Ameri-
cans – including gang members – into the United States in the past two years. The
gang also was involved in drug and weapons smuggling.

Gang members in America have been tied to numerous killings, robberies, burglaries,
carjacking’s, extortion, rapes and aggravated assaults. Authorities said that the gang
had earned a reputation from the other street gangs as being particularly ruthless and
that it would retaliate violently when challenged.

The MS-13 gang, with 20,000 members nationwide, had risen in recent months to such
prominence that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the investigative arm
of the Department of Homeland Security, had begun a nationwide crackdown on gang
members in this country – as part of a sweeping law-enforcement initiative known as
Operation Community Shield.

ICE agents arrested more than 100 members of the gang during limited raids that be-
gan in January in just six cities, including 35 who were taken into custody in Virginia and

204
Maryland. The authorities said MS-13 gang members originally moved into the Los An-
geles area in the 1980s.

Now you know why the subject of MS-13 came up in the first place. There had been a
big brouhaha back in 2005 and the Minuteman Project had been disbanded. They were
needed now; maybe Arizona didn’t need a State Defense Force, they had the Minute-
man. And this time, they didn’t leave their rifles at home like back in 2005. The Gover-
nor called the President but federal troops would be a long time coming. She issued an
Executive Order naming the Minuteman Project as the temporary State Defense Force.
It was reminiscent of a line out of the old movie, In Harm’s Way, Well, we all know the
Navy’s never wrong. But in this case, it was a little weak on bein’ right.

There was a major difference in motivation here. The bad guys were hungry and the
good guys were defending their homes. And, there were the people who chose not to
get involved like the people on the ranch 4 miles south of Sedona. They had women
and children to protect and there weren’t very many of them, 18 counting the children.
To their good fortune, 14 of the 18 were old enough to use firearms if called upon to do
so. If the MS-13 gangsta’s did show up, they were up against M-79’s, 7.62 rifles, 30-06
semi-autos, .50 caliber rifles and M16 rifles. And don’t forget the dynamite!

There were a lot of the gangsta’s but they had to divide their forces into 3 columns, giv-
ing the defenders a bit of an edge. I-10 led straight into Phoenix, Arizona’s largest city,
and MS-13 concentrated their forces on the I-10 corridor. Shortly after crossing the Ari-
zona border, I-10 snaked through a mountain pass on the way to Quartzsite. It was the
perfect place for an ambush. Near the top of the mountain, barricades blocked the way.
The Minutemen fell in behind the MS-13 gangsta’s with semi tractor-trailers and they
had them trapped. The rim of the mountain pass was lined with Minuteman and they
shot the gangsta’s like fish in a barrel. That was one thing about militias; they didn’t
have to play by any rules. Soft pointed hunting ammo was the preferred cartridge of the
day and dynamite replaced hand grenades.

Much the same could be said for northern Arizona. South of Kingman, I-40 turns north
along a row of hills. The gangsta’s couldn’t get their cars across the railroad tracks on
the northwest side of the road and were eventually wiped out. In Yuma, they stopped
them at Araz Junction right where I-8 crosses the water. The bridge made a natural
roadblock. Putting in barriers and blocking the exits with more of the barriers gave MS-
13 nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

The makeshift militia was disbanded, but the governor didn’t repeal the Executive Or-
der. It occurred to her that this might just be the first battle of the emergency. Nobody
paid much attention to what the Minutemen took home with them after they buried the
bodies. After taking out MS-13, the Minutemen were better armed than the Arizona Na-

205
tional Guard. Not to say that they weren’t before the battles, but now there should be no
doubt. In fact, they learned what the US military had been doing with all of their surplus
arms and ammo. Other than M16s the most popular item seemed to be those M61 hand
grenades. The US had eliminated the M61s in favor of the M67s. The only apparent
reason had been that the M-67 was easier to throw. Both grenades had been intro-
duced during Vietnam. The M61s simply disappeared.

The M67 weighed 2 oz less than the M61 and the shell of the grenade was the lethal
part. The M67 also contained more compound B. By contrast the M61 contained a coil
of piano wire with notches every ¾” or so all contained within a thin sheet metal shell. It
was supposed to be an improvement over the Mk 2 pineapple of WW I and WW II. The
M67 was of simpler construction and went boom louder. And then there was the bit
about every American soldier being a natural born baseball player. Apparently by the
middle of the first decade of the 21st Century they even figured out how to make a 6
second fuse that burned for ~6 seconds. Will wonders never cease! The real reason
they told you not to hold the grenade was in case you got shot after pulling the pin.

The advantage to the Thumper was it could throw a grenade one hell of a lot further
than you could. But it worked too well so they had to improve it and came up with the M-
203. $600 for a piece of 40mm pipe you attached to the bottom of your M16. They were
going to modernize the Army to the point that nothing worked. The XM8 was a perfect
example of an interim solution. It was part of the M29 OICW. They couldn’t get the
25mm part to work right so they separated the system into 2 components, the rifle (XM-
8) and the super duper XM25mm. Listen to the official description:

The XM29 has a dual semi-automatic over and under configuration capable of firing
25mm air bursting ammunition or NATO standard kinetic energy 5.56mm ammunition.
Both weapons are magazine-fed, providing the combat soldier an operational firepower
advantage over current single shot systems. The full-solution target acquisition fire con-
trol has a laser range finder, direct view optics, integrated thermal imager, ballistic com-
puter, fuze setter, environmental sensors, and compass. The precision 25mm ammuni-
tion includes High Explosive Air Bursting (HEAB) and Target Practice (TP) variants. The
system has been demonstrated at ranges two to three times the current 40mm system
to accurately deliver an air burst one meter over the lased target on the first shot fired.
Buck Rogers should be so well equipped. The OICW weapon will consist of two sepa-
rable subsystems, a HE module, and a KE module, with a single trigger and selector
switch that operated both subsystems and interacts with the TA/FCS automatic fuze
programming. The KE module will utilize standard 5.56mm ammunition and have semi-
automatic and burst modes equivalent to the M4 carbine. The HE subsystem will fire the
HEAB ammunition in all four fusing modes. The weapon will be as reliable as the M16
rifle/M4. Now I know we’re in trouble. The 25mm round cost $20-$30, each. I guess that
meant it was better; it cost twice as much as a 40mm grenade.

All of which is off the subject, which was staying alive and protecting the ranch, against
all enemies, domestic and domestic. They changed the name for the rifle from a rifle to
a KE weapon, meaning they could charge the taxpayers more. The US XM8 Carbine is

206
being designed at the HK Defense design center in Sterling, Virginia and will be pro-
duced and assembled in the United States at the new Heckler & Koch manufacturing
plant located in Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to Fort Benning. “The unit cost of the XM8
will be less than that of the current M4 Carbine and will guarantee the American war
fighter uncompromising performance far exceeding that of current in-service M4 Car-
bines.” It should be cheaper because it was 90% plastic, including the magazines.

I got some oceanfront property in Arizona

From my front porch you can see the sea
I got some oceanfront property in Arizona
If you’ll buy that I’ll throw the Golden Gate in free

Whoa, back up. We’re talking about volcanoes, not earthquakes. And now, the Minute-
men are armed to the teeth. I wonder where they were when México Invaded? The
25mm grenade launcher was fielded in Afghanistan as the XM25.

Massive earthquakes had hit Yellowstone when it blew up. The dust cloud had reached
its limit and was slowly beginning to dissipate, just as the USGS had predicted. Winter
stayed longer and came earlier. The emergency evacuation had been a partial success
but it turned out that they’d saved the people only to have them die later. DHS had its
plan and it was implemented immediately. That went fine for a while but then the food
began running out, even in the FEMA camps. Most of the US, indeed the entire world,
was gripped by food riots. The military had been brought in to quell those disturbances,
but they only had so much food. Things began to turn very ugly. Then, MS-13 headed
for Arizona and became a part of American history. Good riddance.

Jose and the boys spread manure on the layer of ash and John turned the soil for a
large garden. They couldn’t get it in until June and they were forced to choose the varie-
ties with the shortest growing season. Johnny and Bobby helped Juan and Tom build a
new Adobe to give John and Char’s family a place to live. When it was finished, they
moved out of the shelter into their new home. A trip back to John’s ranch to get their
furniture had brought nothing but disappointment. The ranch house and the buildings
had been burned to the ground. His large tank of propane was nowhere to be seen. But,
they kept looking and found pieces of metal riddled with bullet holes.

The only thing that John and Char had that had survived was their shelter. They loaded
up the furniture and equipment from the shelter and moved it down to the ranch south of
Sedona. A rancher, like John, was a craftsman of all trades. Using scraps of lumber,
they put together a small shed and John got his generator up and running. By August
the ladies had finished canning and a few weeks later, in September, they had their first
snowfall. They hadn’t really planned on building a survival community 4 miles south of
Sedona, but that was what the ranch was turning into. Ten months after Yellowstone
erupted, the country was, for all practical purposes, back in the dark ages. Literally and
figuratively.

207
“How did we make out on the garden?” Mike asked Ginger.

“We won’t be eating our usual variety of food, but we did well,” she replied. “I can see
now that we should have purchased some things from that Walton Feed.”

“What for example?” Mike asked.

“Wheat,” she replied. “You’re just going to have to get used to eating tortillas. You can
thank Maria that we have corn meal to make tortillas. She and Jose have a grinder and
they make their own masa.”

“It never dawned on me that we’d actually get down to eating beans and rice,” Mike
laughed.

“We have cattle but unless you fellas can find a bull, we don’t have any breeding stock,”
she continued. “Plus we’ve pretty much exhausted the frozen chicken and pork. Mike,
we need some chickens. We haven’t had milk or eggs for a while.”

“What’s that I’ve been eating on my cereal?” Mike asked.

“Instant milk, but it’s about gone and so is the cereal,” she grimaced.

“I hate to add to the troubles, but we’re getting low on hay to feed the cattle,” Mike
pointed out.

“What’s the solution?” Ginger asked.

“I think we might have to send the boys out scavenging,” Mike suggested.

“Do you mean to tell me that we’re down to stealing?” Ginger asked.

“Ginger, I prefer to look at it as a reallocation of available resources,” he replied.

The list wasn’t that long:

• Chickens, roosters and hens

• Hogs, boars and sows,
• Beef, bull
• Hay for livestock

“I think maybe I can help out on the hay,” John offered. “We have a pole shed and we
stored some hay out near the field where we harvested it.”

“What about livestock, John?” Mike asked.

208
“Sorry,” John replied.

“Jack do you have any ideas?” Mike asked.

“Not really,” Jack replied. “In all of our planning, we never considered an event of this
magnitude.”

“I might know where we can get some hogs,” Jose offered.

“That’s a start; does anyone know anything about making ham and bacon?” Mike
asked.

“I have a book from the library,” Shelia said. “We might be able to figure it out.”

“That still leaves poultry and a bull,” Mike stated. “Plus how much hay do you have,
John? If we start growing livestock, we’re going to need more.”

“There must be 1,000 bales, assuming it’s still there,” John replied. “But I think all of my
alfalfa seed was stored in the buildings that burned down.”

“I forgot,” Johnny added.

“Forgot what?” John asked.

“I forgot to put that bags of seed in the shed, Dad,” Johnny answered. “As far as I know
it’s still out in the field under that pole building.”

“Are you forgetting that we have all of that gold in our safes?” Shelia asked. “We can’t
eat it and we might be able to buy our way out of trouble, at least initially. All we need is
some seed and seed stock.”

“I have those 4 Eagles,” John offered.

“John, we have 1,596 Eagles,” Shelia laughed.

“Then money isn’t a problem?” John asked.

“You can’t eat gold,” Mike shook his head.

“Actually you can, but it isn’t very nourishing,” Ginger laughed.

“We’d better send the boys after the hay before the snow gets any deeper,” John sug-
gested.

It turned out that seed was available, what the country was short on was a growing sea-
son. They used up their paper money buying seed and the 5 Eagles got them a bull. Jo-

209
se had a million cousins and he got 2 sows and a boar for 4 Eagles. John had been
right about the snow, it just got deeper. They ended up having a New England style
Thanksgiving and Christmas right there in Sedona. Dang it was cold.

2009…

Changes were made on the ranch to accommodate their changed circumstances. All of
the livestock ended up on Mike and Ginger’s 5 acres and they tilled the remaining 70
acres to produce hay, wheat, corn and vegetables. Teresa and Selena were also ex-
pecting babies. That probably happened after they lost first TV and then the radio. You
couldn’t see the ranch from the road, only that fence. Maybe that explained why they
hadn’t had visitors. The ladies held a baby shower for Teresa and Selena and Shelia
came up with the old diapers. All the baby clothes were being recycled and because
Jack and Shelia had twins, there were enough clothes to go around.

“At the rate we’re using diesel,” Tom pointed out, “We’re going to use it up one of these
days. That was a tough winter and the PV panels didn’t put out much electricity.”

“I don’t think we’ll find any more propane, Tom” Jack pointed out. “We won’t run out of
light, not with all of the diesel fuel.”

“True, but without electricity, the furnaces don’t run,” Tom replied. “Let’s face facts, one
of these days we won’t have electricity or propane.”

“Mike, did we have a plan C?” Jack asked.

“Not really,” Mike admitted. “There has to be propane somewhere, fellas. Maybe we
should send a scouting party to the north into the Dead Zone.”

“That should be you and me, Mike,” Jack replied. “As much as I hate to admit it, we are
more expendable than our kids.”

“Count me in,” John offered.

“Me, too,” Jose added.

“We can take 89 north and get to St. George, Utah,” Mike suggested.

“Who knows, we might actually find some Mormons who practiced their faith and had
food stored,” Jack pointed out.

“It’s not against their religious beliefs to have guns, Jack,” Mike laughed. “We’d better
settle on trying to find propane.”

210
“What about Ferrellgas?” Shelia asked.

“We can check when we go through Flagstaff, Shelia, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up,”
Jack replied.

“How do you want to organize this?” Jose asked.

“We’ll find a fuel trailer so we can take along some diesel and take my Hummer,” Mike
suggested. “Since John was a grenadier, he can carry a thumper. Jack and I can carry
M16s and have our Super Match rifles available as backup. Jose can carry an M16. We
can take some of that Mountain House food from the shelters.”

“What are you guys going to call yourselves?” Ginger asked, “The Geriatric Brigade?”

“After a few days on the road, we’ll be the Dirty Four,” Jack suggested.

Tom and Juan located a 300-gallon fuel trailer at a contractor’s place of business in Se-
dona. They bought it for a single Eagle and towed it back and filled it with stabilized fuel.
All of the gas stations in Sedona were closed, not surprisingly. A lot of the townspeople
had moved on when they lost their primary source of business, the tourist trade. Sedona
was a veritable ghost town. On Monday, June 1, 2009, the 4 men set off to the Dead
Zone to locate a source of propane.

“You be careful, Mike,” Ginger said holding him closely.

“We’ll all be careful Ginger,” Mike replied. “You hang around the radio every evening
about 7pm and we’ll call in a progress report on 20-meters.”

“What frequency?” Ginger asked.

“Make it 13.850,” he suggested. “Back up will be 13.700.”

They stopped by Ferrellgas in Flagstaff but the facility was deserted. They did find a
9,000-gallon tanker and 2 3,000-gallon delivery trucks, all empty. No one in Flagstaff
seemed to know where the people who ran the Ferrellgas facility had gone so they left a
note and borrowed the trucks. They headed north on 89 and when they got to 9, turned
west towards St. George, Utah. They had enough gold with them to buy fuel if they had
to or, if they found fuel and no one was around, they intended to simply appropriate it.

211
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 21 – The Dead Zone

St. George, Utah proved to be a perfect choice for them to locate propane. St. George
had 4 propane dealers: AmeriGas, Coast Gas, Southern Utah Propane and Warren En-
ergy Group, Inc. That was easy, they bought what they had the capacity to carry and
headed back to the ranch. Just north of Flagstaff, Mike called Ginger.

“What’s it like up in Utah?” Ginger asked.

“We got lucky, Ginger,” Mike laughed. “St. George had 4 propane dealers and we were
able to buy 15,000-gallons of propane.”

“Where are you?” Ginger asked.

“Just a little north of Flagstaff, we’ll be home in an hour,” Mike explained.

“Did you have any trouble?” she asked.

“No, we’re fine,” Mike said. “We can talk when we get home.”

An hour later the convoy pulled into the ranch and they put off transferring the propane
until the morning. Everyone gathered wanting to know what they’d found in Utah.

“You’ll have to understand that St. George is further west and a bit north so it’s not
much different there than it is here,” Jack explained. “It’s a small community that’s not
much more than a stop on the way from Vegas to Salt Lake City. They went further
north into the Dead Zone and had all of their propane tanks topped off. They gave us
$1,000 an ounce for our gold and charged us $4.00 a gallon for the propane.”

“How much propane?” Shelia asked.

“They topped it off, 15,000-gallons,” Mike replied. “It cost us 60 ounces of gold.”

“What next” Ginger asked.

“We’re going back tomorrow and refill the propane tanker, Ginger. We’ll need another
36 gold pieces,” Mike answered. “Once we get all topped off, we’ll have 65,000-gallons
of propane, including what we have stored in the tankers. However, they told us that
they wouldn’t be able to sell us anymore propane, so we’re going to have to come up
with some conservation measures.”

“How do you propose to do that?” Shelia asked.

212
“We’re going to need a lot more deep cycle batteries,” Jack answered. “If we get
enough, we can cut the generator usage to a fourth of what we currently running. The
problem is finding the batteries and the cable.”

“I think we can find deep cycle batteries at the Phoenix golf courses,” Mike suggested,
“But what about the cables?”

“What you guys are saying is that you didn’t really get into the Dead Zone, is that right?”
Shelia asked.

“Right, Shelia, like I told Ginger, there was nothing to worry about,” Mike replied.

The following morning they topped off their propane tanks and headed back north in the
Hummer and the 9,000-gallon tanker. 36 pieces of gold later they were headed south.
They arrived back at the ranch before dark and parked the propane tanker. Then they
made plans to go to Phoenix the following day. They figured that there had to be several
thousand golf carts in Phoenix and surely they could come up with a few hundred bat-
teries.

Actually the cable was easier to find than the batteries. They went to several auto parts
stores and bought up all of the 25’ spools of bulk battery cable and connectors they
could find. Next, they went to a battery warehouse and bought up a pickup and trailer
load of deep cycle batteries. The batteries were so heavy that they ended up renting 3
U-Haul trucks and loading them to their weight capacity with additional batteries. The U-
Haul trucks were gasoline powered and gas was $7 per gallon. After they unloaded the
batteries and cable, they emptied the 300-gallon fuel trailer and refilled it with gas. The
following morning they filled the tanks on the 3 U-Haul trucks and returned them to
Phoenix where they topped them off with their own gas.

Next, they went to a Costco and filled the back of the pickup with bags of flour, beans
and rice. It cost them $1 per pound for the flour and they were limited to 100#’s. How-
ever, Phoenix had 11 Costco stores and several Sam’s Clubs. When they pulled back in
at the ranch, the pickup was on its springs, but they could finally bake bread.

“You’ve got flour!” Ginger said excitedly.

“$1 a pound with a 100# limit,” Mike laughed. “We must have hit all 11 Costco stores
and all of the Sam’s Clubs. We did get some yeast so can we have some bread tomor-
row?”

“What else did you get?” Ginger asked.

“Beans and rice, what else?” Mike laughed.

“What’s it like in Phoenix?” Ginger asked.

213
“It looks like 1900,” Mike replied. “Everyone is wearing a gun openly and you have to
show your Arizona Driver’s License to be admitted to the city.”

“What about all of the Snow Birds?” Ginger asked.

“As near as we could tell, if they could prove they had property in the greater Phoenix
area they let them in,” Mike replied. “Apparently, they turned everyone else away.”

“But they let you in?” Ginger asked.

“Only to go shopping for the batteries, cables and some food,” Mike answered. “We
picked up 4 diesel fueled generators to recharge the batteries. That should cut down on
our propane usage.”

“Did you get any news?” she asked.

“Not much, they don’t seem to know any more in Phoenix than we know up here,” Mike
responded.

The generators were 12.5 kw diesel fueled generators that used about 1⅓-gallon of fuel
an hour at maximum load. They have almost 120,000-gallons of stabilized diesel fuel
and the generator would wear out long before they ran out of fuel. Maybe that’s why
they bought 4, all the fella had. They were burning through their gold, but what the hell,
they couldn’t eat it.

“I’m surprised we haven’t had visitors,” Jack said. “There must be a lot of those MZB’s
out there.”

“We’re off the beaten path,” Mike replied. “But they’ll find us sooner or later.”

“Hello the house,” a call came from the gate. Jack and Mike got their rifles and headed
to the gate to see who was there. It was Jim with his family in tow.

“Hi, fellas, do you have room in this housing tract for a tired old contractor?” Jim asked.

“Where have you been?” Mike asked. “We expected to see you a long time ago.”

“We had a pretty nice house in Flagstaff and we’d still be there if they weren’t getting
short on food,” Jim replied.

“Well come on in and make introductions,” Jack said. “We don’t have any housing left,
but we built an Adobe for John and Char.”

“Mike and Jack,” Jim said, “This is my wife Mary and these are our daughters Mandy
and Patty.”

214
“What’s on the truck?” Jack asked.

“I brought our possessions, Jack,” Jim explained. “What’s your food situation; we’re not
imposing are we?”

“Actually we’re in pretty good shape, food wise,” Mike replied. “We’re also in pretty good
shape as far as power and fuel goes. John will be relieved to have some help doing
buildings.”

“I brought my tools but I don’t have any building materials,” Jim responded.

“We’ve managed so far to come up with what we need,” Jack pointed out. “The ad-
vantage to the Adobe is that the building materials are mostly free. The lumberyard in
Sedona was abandoned so we can get whatever materials we need to finish off a
home.”

“What crops do you have planted?” Jim asked.

“We got the seed too late last year to plant, but this year we have wheat, corn, alfalfa
and vegetables,” Jack replied. “We made a trip up to St. George and refilled our stock of
propane. Then, we made a trip to Phoenix where we loaded up on batteries, cables, RV
diesel generators and some food. The only thing we’re really short of is enough people
to defend this ranch.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be in that department,” Jim replied. “All we have is a .22
rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a model 70 Winchester rifle in 30-06.”

“We have more guns than we have people,” Mike pointed out. “How old are the girls?”

“16 and 17,” Jim replied. “Why, if I might ask?”

“John has 2 boys, John Jr. and Bob,” Jack explained. “Tom and Juan both got married
and the only thing keeping John’s boys from doing the same is the lack of young ladies.”

“Really?” Jim chuckled. “Did you hear that girls, there are boys your age available.”

“Cool…”

John and Bob thought so too, but Jim was concerned. The girls were his babies and he
was like any father. However, John’s boys seemed to be pretty well behaved and over
the course of the summer, Jim built 3 Adobes using chopped up hay instead of straw.
They got the building/electrical/plumbing materials Jim needed from Sedona and they
moved into the first home that was completed. Since Mike was usually wearing the
Vaqueros he gave his Colt King Cobra to Jim to carry. And while they were in Sedona,
they went through the empty stores and picked up all of the guns, ammo and clothing
available.

215
By late fall the boys and girls were an item and Jim reluctantly gave them permission to
marry. They went into Sedona and found the last preacher in town and got him to per-
form the ceremony. John Jr. married Mandy and Bob married Patty. It turned out to be
the last of the official wedding ceremonies. Official because there wasn’t anyone to is-
sue a license. However, the preacher gave them a certificate of marriage and it was just
going to have to make do. The preacher said that he and his family were moving to
Tucson where they needed a new preacher. Apparently before fall or during the winter
the remaining residents of Sedona bugged out, too. The ranchers never knew when,
they couldn’t get to town.

“We may have to fire up a second generator to keep the batteries charged,” John sug-
gested. “I’ve been checking them periodically and we seem to be using the charge fast-
er than it’s going in.”

“It might help if we cleared off the snow,” Jack suggested. “Fire up as many generators
as it takes, John. We’re running 8 homes off those batteries.”

“I wonder what is going on in the world.” John commented.

“That’s anybody’s guess isn’t it,” Mike replied. “Probably nothing good.”

“We need to go get more firewood for the cast iron stoves and the fireplaces,” Jim
pointed out. “The snow came on a lot earlier than I thought it would. There is plenty of
timber up by Flagstaff, but I’m not sure how to get there with as much snow as we
have.”

“There plenty of timber between here and Sedona,” John pointed out. “We have a trac-
tor so we can drag the logs back here. The problem is I don’t have a chainsaw.”

“I have 2 new chainsaws still in their boxes and several cases of oil,” Jim replied. “All
that I’m missing is the gasoline for the chainsaws.”

“Did I tell you what kind of preparedness nuts our wives have become?” Mike asked.
“Ginger and Shelia put in a 5,000-gallon tank of gasoline and I think we’ve only used a
little bit of that gas.”

“Anyone ever use a chainsaw?” Jack asked. “I haven’t.”

“Do they have instructions?” Mike asked.

“Whatever is in the boxes,” Jim replied.

216
“We’re set, then,” Mike said. “We can get Tom, Juan, John and Bob to go out the east
gate and harvest some timber between here and Sedona.”

“Why not the gate by the road?” Jim asked.

“We don’t want to attract attention, Jim,” Jack explained. “It’s been 2 years since the
eruption and we’ve been very successfully avoiding people. There can’t be more than a
dozen people in the area that even know we’re here. As a matter of fact, your construc-
tion crew and Ralph are the only people who know where we are.”

“Ralph died,” Jim said. “So it would only be my construction crews. Most of those guys
were illegals so it is anyone’s guess where they are.”

Was it a good idea having illegal aliens knowing where the ranch was located? They’d
helped construct the shelters and could reasonably assume that the shelters were
stocked, right? That’s right, except for one small fact. It wasn’t exactly too healthy to be
an illegal Méxican in Arizona these days. Not with the Minuteman Project running
around with the weapons from MS-13. Anyone who was an illegal alien had either be-
come a responsible member of the Arizona society or had gone back to México with the
Méxican Army. Which was not to say that there weren’t any MZB’s around, just that they
weren’t part of any of Jim’s construction crews. They would probably show up later or
sooner.

One other thing that should be pointed out; the thumpers fired 40mm grenades and
grenades wouldn’t do the fence much good. Consequently, they would have to avoid
using the M406 rounds, except as a last ditch measure, and only use the M576 and
M1060 rounds. Most of the rounds that Jack had were the M406 rounds. The M576
rounds had a maximum effective range of 100-meters. The M1060 rounds were ther-
mobaric, e.g., fuel air explosives.

It took them until Thanksgiving to have enough firewood harvested to call it a winter.
They all got together at Jack and Shelia’s and had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.
The only thing missing was the turkey, the Macy’s parade and news of the outside
world. Mike hoped that they were halfway through with the bad winters. Unfortunately,
that wasn’t to be. Nature was doing its best to find a balance. The gas emissions from
Yellowstone blowing up had greatly enlarged the ozone hole in the atmosphere. Con-
versely, there weren’t many motor vehicles running and many industries had shut down,
possibly permanently. Two years of acid rain had done a good job of clearing the at-
mosphere. The entire Northern Hemisphere had returned to the dark ages. In the
Southern Hemisphere, temperature was up as much as they were down up north. Sci-
entists might have predictive climate models, but where were the scientists? None of
the scenarios Mike had seen on the Internet back when he was researching volcanoes
seemed to be holding true.

217
The eruption was smaller than previously forecast; consequently the area affected was
smaller. Mike had even seen the Abrupt Climate Change Scenario in the Internet, but it
didn’t seem to really fit either. He dutifully recorded each day’s high and lows from his
weather station on his computer and hoped to see some sort of a change in the trend
soon. This winter was colder than the previous, so they hadn’t turned a corner.

What was going on in the world was that people had pretty much exhausted the supply
of food. Responsible people had taken to growing gardens and did the best that they
could to get by. The people in México were better off than their neighbors to the north,
so they stayed home. The Canadians were caught between the rock and the hard
place. Their winters were several times worse, but if they went south, they’d run into the
Dead Zone. There wasn’t any life inside of the circle where the pyroclastic flow had
gone. But the further you got away from the epicenter, Yellowstone, the better things
got. Beyond 1,100km, there wasn’t any sign of ash.

In March of 2010, Mike could see that it was beginning to warm. When he incorporated
the new data into his graph, he could see a warming trend over the previous year. It
wasn’t much, only 1°-2°F, but it was something.

“I can’t really say, Jack, but it might be warming up,” Mike reported.

“Good, we need to get on the range,” Jack replied. “If the weather is better we stand a
better chance of seeing trouble. I fully expect that this year or next we’re going to see
MZB’s coming out of the Dead Zone.”

“I suppose that everyone except the children should get on the range,” Mike agreed.

“It couldn’t hurt, we aren’t getting any younger and every year my aim seems to get a
little worse,” Jack laughed.

“Ginger, how about getting your guns and going to the range?” Mike asked. “Jack went
to get Shelia.”

“How is the ammo holding out?” Ginger asked.

“About as well as can be expected,” Mike answered. “We’ve reloaded everything that’s
reloadable.”

“What isn’t reloadable?” Ginger asked.

“The Berdan primed ammo,” Mike replied.

“Daddy reloaded Berdan primed ammo,” she replied. “He had some sort of special dep-
riming tool.”

218
“Maybe we need to go to Phoenix and see if we can pick one up,” Mike acknowledged.

“Either that or buy a lot more ammo,” she replied.

“Maybe Jack and I will go to Phoenix, like I said.”

“Can Shelia and I go with you?” Ginger asked. “Maybe we could have dinner at McCor-
mick & Schmick’s.”

“We can if they’re still open,” Mike agreed. “Get your guns and let’s get going.”

“Not bad, ladies,” Jack said. “The two of you are shooting better than the two of us.”

“Ginger wants to go to Phoenix,” Mike announced.

“What’s in Phoenix?” Jack asked.

“She says that her father used to reload Berdan primed ammo and that all we need is a
proper depriming tool,” Mike replied. “Plus when I suggested that you and I run down
there, she said the Shelia and she could come along and go to McCormick &
Schmick’s.”

“Are they still open?” Jack asked.

“Hell, I don’t know, but we could spend the night if they are,” Mike answered.

“What if we can’t find a Berdan depriming tool?” Jack asked.

“Then we’ll just buy all of the ammo we can get,” Ginger replied.

“Sounds good to me,” Jack replied, “Shelia, are you up for a trip to Phoenix?”

“It would be better if we go now than when it warms up,” Shelia answered.

Monday, March 15, 2010, Phoenix, AZ…

“Can I help you?” the dealer asked.

“Do you sell depriming tools for Berdan primed ammo?” Mike asked.

219
“I do, but are you sure that you want to go to the effort?” the dealer asked. “What caliber
of ammo do you want to reload?”

“7.62×51mm and 30-06 for the Garand,” Mike replied.

“I have once fired, boxer primed cases and new boxer primed ammo in both calibers,”
he replied. “You’ll thank me before it’s all over if you try to reload the Berdan primed
brass.”

“What kind of quantities are we talking here?” Jack asked.

“How much do you need?” the dealer asked.

“How much do you have?” Jack laughed.

“I can let you have 20 cases of 7.62×51mm, boxer primed, new ammo and 10 cases of
the boxer primed Garand ammo in the 8 round clips,” he said.

“Is that all?” Jack asked.

“I could double it if you could pay in gold,” the dealer replied.

“What about 5.56×45mm?” Mike asked.

“Same deal as the 7.62,” the dealer replied.

“Shelia, do your stuff,” Jack smirked.

“We have gold and want double,” Shelia said.

“Lady, that’s 100 cases of ammo,” the dealer pointed out.

“It’s ok, we shoot a lot,” she replied.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Powder, primer and bullets to reload all of the ammo,” Jack said.

“I’ll get you loaded and then I’m shutting up shop for the rest of the day,” the dealer
laughed.

“Is McCormick & Schmick’s still open?” Ginger asked.

“Yes, but they’ve gotten expensive,” the man answered. “That will be 20 ounces of gold
for the ammo and 5 ounces for the reloading components.”

220
“I’ll pay the 13, you can pay the 12 and buy dinner and pay for the motel,” Sheila said to
Ginger.

“You folks have a lot of gold, do you?” the dealer asked.

“We had 13 Eagles apiece,” Ginger answered. “I guess that means we’re broke.”

“Now that we’re set for the next war or two, how about that dinner?” Mike asked.

“You shined that dealer on, Ginger,” Jack said.

“He didn’t need to know how much gold we have,” she replied.

“Sorry mister, but you’ll have to check your revolvers,” the maitre d’ said.

“Sure,” Mike replied handing over the Rugers.

Ginger and Shelia had their guns in their purses and Jack had his nestled in the middle
of his back. Mike also had his Glock 23 nestled in his back. With the weight of the guns
Mike was carrying, he was almost relieved to give up the Ruger revolvers. He didn’t re-
ally like the gun nestled there, but they knew about checking their guns and he’d been
elected the sacrificial lamb. Had they not checked any guns, the purses would have
been searched and the men patted down. This was a whole lot easier. Arizona law pro-
vided that no person shall, unless specifically authorized by law, enter a public estab-
lishment or attend a public event carrying a firearm after a reasonable request by the
operator of the establishment or the sponsor of the event to remove his firearm and
place it in the custody of the operator or sponsor. This does not apply to shooting rang-
es or shooting events, hunting areas or similar locations or activities. Since all 4 of them
had CCW’s under Arizona’s ‘shall issue’ statute it wasn’t unlawful for them to have con-
cealed weapons. And, only Mike had been asked to give up weapons and then only the
Rugers.

“Jeez,” Jack exclaimed. “Get a load of these prices.”

“How much is the hamburger and fries?” Mike asked.

“$15,” Jack replied.

“How much is the lobster?” Ginger asked.

“$35,” Jack grinned. “Is there anyone who isn’t going to have lobster?”

221
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 22 – 13 Days of Glory

The title of the chapter refers to the battle of Alamo. Loaded down with ammunition the
two couples returned to the ranch the following day, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. They
had 100 cases of ammo, what they thought was enough to last them a lifetime, and
enough components to reload all of the ammo twice, maybe more. When they got back
they tossed the Berdan primed ammo into the storeroom in Mike’s basement and divid-
ed the ammo between the shelters. Checking the lot numbers on the ammo they found
that by the Grace of God, all similar calibers came from the same lots.

On Wednesday, they sighted every one of the rifles in with the new ammo and noted
their previous settings in their notebooks, not that they ever expected to run out of am-
mo. There were 3 doublewides, Jack, Mike and Tom’s. There was Jose’s 100-year-old
Adobe and the new Adobes belonging to Juan, John, Jim, John and Bob, nine homes in
all. They spent the next week or so putting in the fighting trenches surrounding each
Adobe and Tom’s new doublewide. The fighting trenches were interconnected and it
was possible to move to the 3 shelters without anyone exposing themselves.

According to the temperature readings they thought they might have an early spring so
they hauled the manure and tilled the fields getting ready for the coming season. Each
family kept enough ammo readily available so that if trouble came they could totally
avoid exposing themselves. For the newer members of the group a fair amount of time
was spent practicing on the range getting used to the weapons they would carry. Tom
gave Teresa his Glock 23 and went with the 5½” Vaqueros. They planted the crops and
finally the garden.

Mike began to notice that the hair was standing up on his neck just like it did in Nam
when they were going on a patrol that resulted in an ambush. He mentioned it to both
Jack and John and both men had the same feeling. Whether it was precognition or just
dumb luck, they didn’t have all that long to find out what was bothering them. Shortly
after all the planting was done Tom happened to notice a van passing by the road in
front of the ranch. The thing that caught his attention was the speed of the van. They
rarely got traffic anymore on the road. What traffic they did get was running 55 or high-
er. This vehicle was moving slowly, maybe 35mph at the most. He immediately let eve-
ryone know that they might have trouble brewing.

Everyone reacted immediately and they got their web gear, weapons and a double load
out of ammo. Then they took positions in the trenches and waited to see what would
happen. Less than an hour later the housing area began taking suppressing fire. They
were perfectly safe in the trenches so they waited for the attackers to show themselves.
You may recall that the effective range of the canister rounds for the M-79 was 100-
yards. When John realized that the thumper was useless at the distance between the
fighting positions and the front fence, he set it aside in favor of his Garand. Jose had
spun yarns about the Alamo and apparently the Méxicans waited about 13 days before
making a full charge with all of their forces.

222
They endured 2 days of the sniping and never picked up so much as a scratch. They
had Teresa and Selena fixing meals and Mandy and Patty passing out the food and cof-
fee. Lacking any response from the residents, the MZB’s finally cut through the fence on
the night of the second day. Jack, Mike and Tom had the night vision scopes on their
rifles and they easily picked off the people moving through the fence. The morning of
the third day, the attackers had had enough and blew large holes in the front fence and
charged through. Imagine their surprise when a dozen or so M16’s and the thumpers
opened up. If one grips an M16 by the fore stock and the pistol grip pushing out in op-
posing directions, it is possible to control the rifle even using the 3 round burst setting.

After a brief firefight that lasted less than 10 minutes the attackers withdrew. They came
again after dark only to run into the directed fire from the Super Match 7.62’s and the
two .50BMG rifles. None of the attackers was wearing night vision equipment so far as
Mike, Jack and the others could see. It was hard to tell using those UNS and MUNS.
The following day the attackers made no attempt to attack the ranch. A brief conversa-
tion occurred among the defenders and it was decided that they could relax their guard,
ever so slightly. They took turns grabbing a few hours of shuteye but they always kept a
minimum of 3 people fully awake. On the morning of the sixth day, the attackers used
more hand grenades and blew even more holes in the fence and came charging in af-
ter.

It actually got so bad during that firefight that the defenders were reduced to using
handguns and the M-79’s to ward off the attackers. They held, but at least 4 of the de-
fenders were wounded badly enough to require attention from Ginger. Juan, Mike, John
Jr. and Tom received painful, although not life threatening wounds. The attackers once
again retreated. Tradition holds that on the morning of March 6, 1836, General Santa
Anna ordered his band to play a song called El Degüello during the assault on the Ala-
mo. The song supposedly meant “throat cutting” and was played in situations where no
quarter was to be given to the enemy. According to author Walter Lord, the song was “a
hymn of hate and merciless death, played to spur the Méxican troops forward in their
final assault on the Alamo.” Whether it was true or not, the song was played over and
over.

The bad guys returned to the suppressing fire even though it was ineffective. This con-
tinued for several days and all the while the music was playing in the background. They
played the song in one of John Wayne’s movies, Rio Lobo, Rio Bravo or El Dorado,
they couldn’t really remember (the answer is Rio Bravo). It worked a whole lot better in
person than it did in the movies, mainly because it disturbed their rest.

The final attack came at night on the 13th day. The ranchers had taken time to get
some sleep in the shelters beyond the sound of the music and they were ready. And
during this final attack no one got rattled. Two of the thumpers began to pour out the
canister rounds when the attacker came within 75’. All 5 night scoped rifles were laying
down fire and the remaining defenders were in panic mode firing the M16’s in 3 round
bursts. And then it ended. Mike, Jack and the others slid down the walls of the trenches
and sat there totally exhausted. It wasn’t the battle of the Alamo, although it lasted as

223
long. Santa Anna attacked three times but it seemed as if the MBZ’s had attacked more.
Somewhere along the way, the defenders lost count.

“We’ve got to collect the bodies,” Mike told Jack.

“They aren’t going anyway, rest,” Jack replied.

“I hear people moaning,” Mike insisted.

“Juan, grab a pistol and let’s shut them up,” Tom directed.

“Man, I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw how many there were
that last time,” Jack added. “The only thing that saved our asses was those thumpers.”

“And the night vision scopes,” Mike countered.

“Those too,” Jack agreed.

“They sure ruined that fence.”

“True, but it did what it was supposed to, slow them down,” Jack said.

“How many do you think there were?” Mike asked.

“We can count ‘em when we bury them,” Jack suggested. “I don’t know about you, but
I’m going to take a long hot shower and get some sleep.”

“I’ll put Tom in charge of security and do the same,” Mike groaned. “We are too old for
this crap. We aren’t 20 years old anymore.”

“Good morning,” Jack said cheerfully.

“You’re half right,” Mike mumbled. “What’s going on?”

“John is using his backhoe to dig a pit to bury the bodies,” Jack explained. “The boys
tossed all of the bodies and collected anything of value. Their favorite weapons seemed
to be the AK’s but they had some of everything.”

“Nobody on our side got killed?” Mike asked.

“We picked up more wounds last night but nothing fatal,” Jack said. “Whoever they
were, they’d been looting for a very long time. You should see the things the boys col-
lected from their cars.”

224
“You seem to be bursting with energy,” Mike observed.

“Ginger gave amphetamines to anyone who wanted them,” Jack explained. “The bottle
is on the counter.”

“This coffee isn’t cutting it, I guess I’d better take one too,” Mike responded.

“We buried 213 bodies, Dad,” Tom reported.

“That many?” Mike responded in surprise. “How did two squads hold off six platoons?”

“Our cause was righteous?” Jack laughed.

“I think that we were just more desperate than they were,” Mike retorted sharply. “Did
anyone inventory the ammo, yet?”

“We’ll be reloading for a month,” Jack answered.

“What about the 40mm grenades?” Mike asked.

“We don’t have many left,” Tom answered.

“Jack can you get more?”

“Not where I got those, no,” he replied. “We sorted through the weapons and kept any-
thing we could use. Some of us were talking about taking the rest down to that dealer in
Phoenix and seeing if he might buy them. I think these guys might have come through
St. George.”

“What makes you say that?” Mike asked.

“The gold Eagles,” Jack grimaced. “I could be wrong, but they had 96 still in the plastic
envelopes like we gave those folks in St. George.”

“Jeez, do you think we should go up there and see if they’re ok?” Mike asked.

“After we go to Phoenix, maybe we should consider it,” Jack suggested. “Tom and the
others pulled the cars up north a couple miles and put in the roadblock like you sug-
gested. I think we should load the weapons aboard a pickup and take the pickup and
trailer down to Phoenix first.”

We’ll take our wives and give them a night out on the town,” Mike suggested. “Are we
going to reload our ammo?”

225
“That dealer sold reloaded ammo so maybe we should just sell him the brass and buy
new,” Jack answered.

“If it isn’t my favorite customers,” the dealer grinned. “Shoot up all of that ammo?”

“We put one hell of a dent in it,” Jack replied. “Would you be in the market for some
used guns?”

“I might, what do you have?”

“AK’s, hunting rifles, you name it,” Jack answered.

“I’m not a class III dealer,” the dealer said.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Mike winked.

“How many weapons do you have?” the dealer asked.

“A pickup load,” Jack replied. Plus we brought down all of the brass we collected. I as-
sume you buy brass?”

“We can work something out,” the dealer suggested.

“We didn’t get your name the last time we were in,” Mike pointed out.

“Fellas if I’m buying automatic weapons, let’s just leave it that way,” the dealer grinned.
“Pull your pick up around to the back entrance and we’ll unload what you have.”

“There you go,” Jack said. “The brass is sorted according to caliber. All of ours is the
boxer-primed stuff we bought from you the last time we were in. “We just tossed all of
the bad guys’ brass into a few separate boxes.”

“Did you count it?”

“Nope. Can you weigh it?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, that will get me close. I’m going to need a couple of days to put a value on those
weapons.”

“I don’t suppose you know where we could get any 40mm grenades for M-79’s do you?”
Jack asked.

226
“I might,” the dealer replied. “I think they’d run you about $20 apiece.”

“We’d be in the market for whatever style and however many you could find,” Jack said.
“We’ll take them against the rifles. Plus we’re going to want more ammo.”

“Do you want smoke and flares?”

“HE, HEDP, and canister,” Jack replied.

“Where are you staying?” the dealer asked. “I’ll let you know when I have an answer for
you.”

“We’ll be back,” Mike suggested. “I like this no name basis of doing business.”

“You have an $8,000 credit, what can I sell you?” the dealer asked.

“Let’s start with the 40mm grenades,” Jack said.

“All I could get you was the M406’s,” the dealer replied. “I have 120 at $25 apiece.”

“We’ll take the remainder in 5.56, 30-06 Garand, 7.62×51mm, .45 Colt, .357 Magnum
and .40S&W,” Mike replied. “Unless you have any of the Federal tactical 12-gauge am-
mo.”

“How much of each?” the dealer asked.

“10 cases each of the rifle ammo and 2,500 rounds of each pistol caliber,” Jack sug-
gested.

“What about the tactical?”

“2,500 each in slugs and 00,” Mike replied.

“You owe me five Eagles,” the dealer said when he finished loading.

“Let’s hit Costco and head home,” Mike suggested.

Ginger and Shelia did the shopping, filling in where the ranch was missing food items. It
was late afternoon by the time they left Phoenix and after dark when they arrived back
at the ranch.

“Do you want to go to St. George tomorrow?” Jack asked.

227
“Not really, but I suppose that we have to,” Mike responded. “We’ll take the 2 3,000-
gallon tankers, just in case. I think that we’re going to need more people, what would
you say to the wives going along? There might be wounded people and Ginger could
help out.”

“Help you folks?” the man at the barricade asked.

“We’re from Sedona and we came up to see if we could help out,” Mike replied.

“How did you know in Sedona that we had trouble?” the man asked.

“Because they attacked our place after they attacked you,” Jack snapped. “Anyway, we
figured that we’d better come up here and see if we could help out. Mike’s wife is a Par-
amedic.”

“Come on into town and you can talk to the Mayor,” the man suggested.

“So, that’s when we recognized the gold we used to purchase the propane and figured
that they’d hit St. George,” Jack explained to the Mayor.

“It’s mighty neighborly of you to be concerned, but we have everything well in hand,” the
Mayor replied. “About 500 of them came storming down I-15 and they hit the propane
place first and killed those people. We responded and managed to drive them off after
losing about 100 more or less of our people. We killed around 300 of them but we didn’t
bother to count the bodies.”

“213 of them hit us,” Jack explained. “They just kept coming. It lasted 13 days.”

“How do you know how many there were?” the Mayor asked. “Did you kill them all?”

“Over a 2-week period, yes,” Mike replied.

“You fellas had better rearm,” the Mayor suggested. “We think that there are more of
them coming. I noticed the propane trucks, are you looking for propane?”

“We didn’t know what to expect and we brought the trucks just in case,” Jack answered.
“But, if you have propane you can sell, we could use 6,000-gallons.”

“I guess we could make an exception and sell you more propane,” the Mayor replied.
“It’s still 1 ounce of gold for 250-gallons. Pay the man who fills your tankers.”

228
“If you’re sure there nothing we can do, then we’ll get the propane and head back
home,” Mike said.

“It’s nice to know that someone else cares about St. George,” the Mayor replied. “Have
a safe trip home.”

“How about we send John and Jose and their wives back to the ranch and take a de-
tour on the way home?” Jack suggested.

“What did you have in mind, Jack?” Mike asked.

“The Marine Corps Depot at Barstow,” Jack smiled.

“It might be occupied,” Mike responded.

“It might not,” Jack countered.

Six hours later, they were in Barstow. The Marine Corps Depot was deserted. It was
late and they were tired so they tried to get some sleep in the Hummer. It was a fitful
sleep for Mike; he was still fighting the MZB’s that had attacked the ranch. When the
sun came up, he gave up and went to see if they could get into the Depot. He found a
door he could jimmy and he was into the office area. He went looking for the records of
what the Depot had to offer. The first thing he found was a memo indicating that the
Depot had been shut down in 2009 and that the inventory was being moved to San Die-
go. The next thing he found was a computer printout of the material that hadn’t been
moved.

“Jack, wake up, we hit the jackpot,” Mike yelled.

“Huh?”

“They’re in the process of moving the Depot to San Diego,” Mike explained. “They start-
ed out by moving the newer ordinance first and left behind some of the older stuff.”

“I need some coffee,” Jack replied.

“We can’t get many weapons, but there a lot of ammo,” Mike continued.

“I’ll set up a camp stove and make some coffee,” Shelia offered.

“Let me see that printout,” Jack asked.

The printout showed some Ma Deuces still new in the crates after 60 years. There were
all kinds of .50 cal ammo and 7.62×51mm match ammo. There were also some of the

229
LAW rockets. Finally there were the canister rounds for the MK-19’s. The new Ma
Deuces were marked OBS, probably indicating obsolete. There were also some of the
older generation night vision binoculars. It took them all morning and part of the after-
noon to load 3 5-ton trucks they found. They didn’t find any Claymores but they found
several cases of the now outlawed Bouncing Betty’s. Around 3pm they left for Sedona.

“Where did you guys go?” Tom asked when they arrived at the barricade between Se-
dona and the ranch.

“We went to the Marine Corps Depot in Barstow,” Mike answered. “Move those cars and
let us through. We have all kinds of nice presents you might get a kick out of.”

“You made out at Barstow?” John asked.

“You are going to think you’re back in Nam,” Jack replied.

“What did you get?” John asked.

“Ma Deuces, .50 cal ammo, Bouncing Betty’s, canister rounds for the thumpers and
LAW rockets,” Jack explained. “Plus some of the old night vision equipment.”

“I’d have rather had a couple of 105mm howitzers and some beehive rounds,” John
laughed. “But this will do.”

“Did they get back ok with the propane?” Mike asked.

“Pulled in just before dark last night,” John answered. “We went to town, got used fenc-
ing and patched the front fence.”

“I noticed,” Mike said. “Everything ok here?”

“The crops are doing fine and we haven’t had any more trouble,” John replied.

“Tom would you and the others unload the truck?” Mike asked. “Leave those cases with
the Ma Deuces sitting out and we’ll set them up in the morning.”

“Are we expecting more trouble?” John asked.

“The Mayor in St. George seemed to think so,” Jack answered.

Trouble would be a while in coming, but they didn’t know that. The following morning
they set up the Ma Deuces and planted the Bouncing Betty’s inside of the fence. They

230
strung pig wire to keep the kids out of the minefield and life more or less returned to
normal, whatever normal was. There are 2 ways to plant the mines, with the pressure
pad or by using a trip wire. They did both and never went back to the minefield. The trip
wire setup is only useful where you have something to hide the wire and they had a little
grass so it was perfect.

Mike’s records of the high and low temperatures seemed to confirm that the weather
was warming slightly. The ranchers had a few extra days of growing season and man-
aged to get a 3rd cutting of the alfalfa for the livestock. It appeared that they were get-
ting too many steers and John suggested that they take the extra animals down to
Phoenix and sell them off. Some of the livestock was over market weight so they butch-
ered those and took a dozen market weight cattle to Phoenix. Beef was going for $250
per hundredweight, $2.50 per pound. They got $37,650 (in gold and silver) for the doz-
en cattle. No wonder a hamburger and fries cost $15! They stopped by their favorite gun
dealer and picked up extra magazines for their FAL, M1A and M16 rifles. They also
stopped by Costco and bought what was available.

“I wonder who is running the government.” Mike asked.

“What I’m wondering is why there aren’t any radio stations back on the air,” Jack coun-
tered. “They have electricity in Phoenix, but I haven’t heard a single radio station.”

“The reason that there aren’t any radio stations on the air is that the government won’t
allow it,” Sheila explained.

“One would have thought that that would be the first thing the government did was get
them back on the air, Shelia,” Jack admonished.

“Maybe, but the two of you have been so occupied lately that I didn’t bother mentioning
what’s happening,” she explained. “They didn’t have elections in 2008 and Bush is still
the head of the government, according to ham radio. But if you ask me, there’s some-
thing funny about him still being in power. According to what I’m hearing, he doesn’t ap-
pear to be in charge of domestic problems, only the foreign stuff.”

“Then who is running to government?” Mike asked.

“The way I heard it, the military,” Shelia replied.

231
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 23 – A Successful Operation

With the number of cattle cut down and the freezers full, they were set for the winter
other than harvesting firewood. The young men went to the timber north of the ranch
and felled several trees, after which they began harvesting the deadfalls. It didn’t snow
until the first week of October, further confirming that the seasons were returning to
normal. It was, however, still very cold, just not as cold as the previous year. When they
had enough firewood to see them through the winter and then some, they stopped. That
was the week of Thanksgiving. Jim had patched the holes in the homes and the Ado-
bes.

Mike and Jack spent a lot of time listening to the radios trying to learn more about what
Shelia had told them about the military being in charge of the country. The ham bands
were flooded with rumors but in the end they didn’t learn anything more than Shelia had
told them. John was suggesting that with the size of their horse herd and the shortage
of fuel, they might do very well selling off some of their extra horses in Phoenix. Jack
and Mike told John that when they had 3 mounts for every rider they might consider it
but until then, they’d keep their horses.

Thanksgiving…

“We should think about putting in a community building,” Jim suggested. “We could use
it for gatherings like today.”

“There isn’t enough lumber in the yard up in Sedona to build a very big building,” Jack
pointed out.

“Jack ⅔ of the buildings we have are built out of adobe, so why couldn’t we use that?”
Jim asked.

“Do you really think it’s feasible?” Mike asked. “Where would we put the building?”

“There’s room between Tom’s house and the south fence,” Jim replied. “We’d only have
to put windows on the east and west sides to catch the light.”

“That’s on your land Mike, so it’s up to you,” Jack said.

“There’s more than enough wheat straw, so go ahead Jim,” Mike finally replied. “This
rural location has turned into a small town anyway.”

“Mike, it could serve several purposes including being our school,” Jack said.

“I said go ahead,” Mike snapped.

232
“What’s the matter Mike?” Jack asked, “You don’t seem to be yourself.”

“My back is bothering me again, Jack, sorry,” Mike explained.

“What about your back?” Ginger asked.

“It hurts in my lower back, honey,” Mike answered.

“Are you wearing your brace?” ginger asked.

“I never leave home without it, Ginger.”

“How are your feet?” Ginger asked.

“What do my feet have to do with my back?” Mike asked.

“Just answer my question, Mike,” Ginger persisted.

“My right foot has a tingling sensation,” Mike replied.

“Dr. Russell said to keep an eye on you in case you developed symptoms related to
your back,” Ginger explained. “That tingling in your foot could be the onset of diabetic
neuropathy or another pinch on your spinal column like you had last time. It’s called spi-
nal stenosis.”

“How can you tell?” Mike asked.

“I can test your blood sugar for a few days and see if it’s elevated,” she replied. “If it’s
not, I think we’d better get back to Phoenix and see Dr. Russell.”

“What is spinal stenosis?” Jim asked.

“Jim, Spinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal canal that occurs when excessive growth
of bone and/or tissue reduces the size of the openings in the spinal bones. This narrow-
ing can squeeze and irritate the nerve roots that branch out from the spinal cord, or it
can squeeze and irritate the spinal cord itself. This may cause pain, numbness, or
weakness, most often in the legs, feet, and buttocks. Severe disability is not common,”
Ginger replied.

“How do they treat it?” Jim asked.

“Treatment includes pain-relieving medication, exercises, and other non-surgical

measures, and in some cases, surgical treatment,” Ginger replied. “That’s what Mike
had done the last time. In general, 75% of people are satisfied with the results of sur-
gery for spinal stenosis. For people with severe symptoms, surgery usually reduces leg
pain and improves walking ability. However, symptoms may return after several years.

233
The main type of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis is decompressive laminectomy,
which relieves pressure on the spinal cord or the spinal nerve roots. Laminectomy re-
moves part of the vertebra (bone and/or fibrous tissue) to create space for nerves. In
some cases, like in Mike’s, spinal fusion will be done at the same time to stabilize the
spine. Stabilizing the spine may improve function and relieve Mike’s pain.”

“I don’t envy you that surgery,” Jim said. “What was the other thing you mentioned, Gin-
ger?”

“Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder commonly caused by diabetes, Jim,” she re-
plied. “Over time, high blood sugar levels from diabetes can damage nerves throughout
your body. There are several types of diabetic neuropathy:

“Peripheral neuropathy results from damage to the peripheral nervous system. It reduc-
es your ability to sense pain, touch, temperature, and vibration in certain parts of the
body and may sometimes affect movement and muscle strength. It most often affects
the feet and lower legs and may contribute to serious foot problems, such as ulcers, in-
fection, and bone and joint deformities. It is the most common form of diabetic neuropa-
thy.

“Autonomic neuropathy is caused by problems with the autonomic nervous system.

These nerves control the involuntary functions of your body, such as heartbeat, blood
pressure, sweating, digestion, urination, and some aspects of sexual function. This is
also a common form of diabetic neuropathy.

“Focal neuropathy affects a single nerve, most often in the wrist, thigh, or foot. It may
also affect the nerves of the back and chest and those that control the eye muscles. It is
often associated with conditions that compress or pinch the nerves such as carpal tun-
nel syndrome. However, carpal tunnel syndrome also frequently occurs in people who
have diabetes but do not have focal neuropathy. Focal neuropathy usually develops
suddenly and is the most rare form of diabetic neuropathy.”

“I don’t know if you’re done, but you can stop, Ginger,” Jim said. “It sounds to me like
either way Mike goes he screwed.”

“The spinal stenosis can be fixed, Jim. The diabetic neuropathy is irreversible,” she re-
plied.

“Your blood sugar is pretty normal, honey, but I can’t run a hemoglobin A1c analysis,”
Ginger said.

“What’s that?” Mike asked.

234
“Tight blood sugar control means an average level of hemoglobin A 1c (HbA1c) of less
than 7% over 2 to 3 months,” she replied. “If that test comes back around 6%, your
blood sugar has been normal for at least 3 months. Either way, we’re going to have to
go to Phoenix.”

“As least it’s warmer in Phoenix,” Mike tried to laugh.

“Are you having trouble again Mike?” Dr. Russell asked.

“Lower back pain and tingling in my right foot,” Mike said.

“We’ll get you in the hospital and run some tests,” Russell said.

“Is this still out of your league, doc?” Mike asked.

“I’ve done it hundreds of times now,” Russell replied.

“Well?” Ginger asked.

“Same spot as before, T-4 and T-5,” Russell said. “We’ll do the surgery tomorrow and
he should be able to go home in a couple of days. I noticed a new scar, what hap-
pened?”

“We were attacked last spring by some bad guys,” Ginger said. “Altogether about half of
our people got shot, but nobody got killed.”

“What about the attackers?” Russell asked.

“We killed the whole bunch, doc, 213 of them,” she replied. “Since then we picked up
some heavy armaments.”

“What did you get, flamethrowers?” Russell chuckled.

“No, but that’s an idea,” Ginger replied.

Private ownership of flamethrowers is not restricted in the United States. Some collec-
tors of military hardware claim to use them to clear the ice off their driveway in the win-
ter. Flamethrowers are also sometimes used for igniting controlled burns of grassland or
forest, although more commonly a drip torch or a flare (fusee) is used. The US military’s
inventory of flamethrowers is decreasing. Flamethrowers are an ideal urban weapon,
but few military planners envision a war fought in cities and towns. Contingency plans
call for bypassing cities or blowing them off the face of the Earth. At the battalion level,
the armorer may have one or two among his stores, but the military relies primarily on
modern explosives. Only rarely do soldiers receive training on the use of flamethrowers.

235
Obsolete US military models that one might encounter around the world include the M2-
A1-7 or the ABC-M9-7. Both were basically three-tank, four-gallon models, lit by electri-
cally fired ignition cartridges. Both weigh about twenty-one kilos, or forty-six pounds. US
training manuals often showed users deploying their dragons from behind an obstacle,
while the tanks were set to the side. (Undoubtedly, this is the position preferred by sur-
vivors.) The M9-E1-7 is the only model considered to be current in the US armed forces
today. Basically, this model was much like its predecessors. Filled, it weighed about for-
ty-six pounds; maximum range with properly thickened fuel was forty-five to fifty meters.
All models had three tanks, cartridge ignition, and a pack rack for soldiers. Useful life of
the fuel in combat was from five to seven seconds. However, it should be pointed out
that it was illegal to import incendiary devices, including flamethrowers.

Most experts agreed that either the Italians or the Brazilians, depending on one’s point
of view, currently manufactured the world’s most advanced flamethrower. Both were
capable of seventy-meter (215 feet) ranges. The LC-T1-M1 Brazilian model had three
tanks and weighed thirty-five kilos fully charged. Its outstanding feature was an electron-
ic ignition system powered by eight standard 1.5-volt dry cells. Reportedly, a fresh set of
batteries would light one thousand shots before going dead. On the average, users ex-
pected five to seven seconds of actual operation before the fuel was expended. The
model T-148/A Italian flamethrower also had an electronic ignition, and its manufacturer
claimed it would function satisfactorily under water! This may be of value on rainy or
snowy days. The Italian model’s advanced tank design gives it the same basic fuel load
as most other models, but with a total weight (filled) of only twenty-five and one-half kil-
ograms-as opposed to most other models weighing in at around thirty-five kilos.

Ginger went to the library and looked up flamethrowers while Mike was recuperating.
When she got back to the ranch, she had a visit with Jack and John. Before John car-
ried a thumper, he carried a flamethrower in ‘Nam. He told her that if he could find a
farm store, he could build a fixed flamethrower with a range of as much as 125 meters.
The only thing they lacked was something to gel the fuel mixture into napalm. John said
that if they couldn’t find something, he could always use motor oil, liquid soap and gaso-
line, in the proper ratio. John got a high-pressure pump and used a 55-gallon drum to
hold the napalm mixture. They tested it and it would reach to the other side of the road.
He built two more of the design he had perfected and they could cover most of the front
fence area.

Ginger hadn’t told Dr. Russell what they had because she didn’t know where he stood
on issues like automatic weapons. Not everyone who lived in Arizona was a gun freak
despite the wide availability of firearms. Mike was healing up pretty well and because
they’d caught the problem early, the tingling was gone from his feet and the back pain
was greatly reduced. Russell told Mike that this surgery should last, but if he had any
more problems to come to Phoenix. Otherwise, Ginger could remove the sutures and let
him know if there were any problems. The reason the bad buys, MZB’s, hadn’t killed
any of the people on the ranch was that stone wall in front of the trenches. When it had

236
been constructed and added on to, they put in gun ports rather than raising their heads
above the wall.

That presented John with a problem when he constructed those flamethrowers, forcing
him to find a way to control the pipes and nozzles without looking over the wall. All that
took was a couple of feet of pipe attached to the nozzle. They also enlarged some of the
gun ports to accommodate the Ma Deuces. Ricochets had caused all of their injuries, so
Jose added a layer of stone to the fence in front of the trenches, raising the front wall
higher than the back wall.

NACO, Ariz. – Federal officials yesterday said more than 500 new US Border Patrol
agents would be assigned along the US – México border in southeastern Arizona to
combat illegal immigration and protect against potential terrorists.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the plan would be announced to-
day, just days before the start of a border vigil by an army of civilian volunteers angry
about a lack of immigration enforcement by Congress and the Bush administration.

The DHS officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, expected that as many as
150 agents would be dispatched to Arizona within the next few days and that the rest
would be on the border by midsummer – when most foreigners try to sneak into the
country.

The move follows bipartisan criticism of President Bush’s failure to fund 2,000 agents
set out in the intelligence – overhaul bill that he signed in December. He had proposed
funding for 210 new agents.

T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council union, immediately said the
500 new agents were not enough.

“Right now, things are so out of control, we have no idea who’s crossing our borders,
and we can’t but chase after but a few of the people,” Mr. Bonner told the Associated
Press. “It’s going to take more than a couple of hundred agents to seal those gaps.”

Border Patrol agents, who last year apprehended more than 1 million illegal aliens, es-
timate that they apprehend only about 20 percent of the border-crossers. Last month,
former Homeland Security Deputy Secretary James Loy notified Congress that intelli-
gence indicates that al Qaeda plans to exploit the nation’s porous border.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan yesterday said the President thought the
country can do a better job of enforcing its borders through a guest-worker program that
will allow the government to go after “those who are coming here for the wrong reason –
whether it’s terrorists or people intent on criminal activity.”

237
“This will free up our Border Patrol and border agents to go after those who should not
be coming into this country in the first place,” he said. He also said DHS would have an
announcement on this issue today.

Beginning this weekend, more than 1,000 volunteers will take part in a month long bor-
der vigil as part of the so – called Minuteman Project. They will focus on a 20-mile area
of the San Pedro River Valley west of here, which has become one of the nation’s most
active corridors for illegal aliens.

The volunteers plan to patrol the border and notify the Border Patrol of the location of
foreigners crossing into the United States illegally.

“This is what this protest is all about, enforcing the law,” said Chris Simcox, one of the
organizers of the Minuteman Project. “And that’s why so many people have responded.”

Mr. McClellan yesterday said the president “very clearly” addressed the debate over the
Minuteman Project last week when he referred to the volunteers as vigilantes after a
summit with Méxican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

“It’s one thing if people are working along the border, simply to report suspicious activi-
ty, and that activity should be reported to the proper authorities – the Department of
Homeland Security officials, who are there to enforce our borders. If people are operat-
ing outside of the law, that cannot be tolerated,” Mr. McClellan said.

Mr. Fox and other Méxican officials have said they fear that the volunteers will abuse
the border crossers. (What, like the Méxicans do? ¡No habla, Vicente!)

The volunteers, who will be monitored by various civil and human rights organizations,
have been told not to confront the aliens. Although some of the volunteers will be
armed, organizers have banned rifles and have threatened to send home anyone who
causes a confrontation.

An additional 350 agents are scheduled to arrive by Sept. 30, the officials said, describ-
ing them as new agents, or trainees, who are still undergoing their academy classes. In
the meantime, they said, 200 veteran agents could be assigned on a temporary basis
later this spring and early summer.

The Minuteman protest formally begins Friday, when volunteers are expected to spend
that day registering and receiving their assignments, along with information about the
area. Rallies scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will kick off the month long project.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner yesterday signed into law a measure that denies illegal al-
iens public benefits, including access to Medicaid, welfare and local health care ser-
vices.

238
Local government officials had said the state should not tell them how to spend local
taxpayer dollars and that the measure could prevent them from allowing illegals into
homeless shelters or free health clinics. (They can always go back to old México!)

Sorry, did the report on the MM Project before I reported the news…

Are you sure L-I-B-E-R-A-L isn’t a dirty word?

Saturday, January 1, 2011…

“You’re getting around well,” John told Mike.

“Just about back to normal,” Mike replied. “Thanks for building those flamethrowers,
they melted the snow all the way to the road.”

“It was something your doctor said to Ginger that got that rolling,” John explained. “She
suggested flamethrowers and I didn’t know where to buy any so I built one. The main
difference is that these use a high-pressure pump instead of compressed air. I had one
hell of a time getting the right orifice, but they work pretty well now.”

“Where did you find napalm?” Mike asked.

“Made it,” John said. “It’s not very complicated. The next time you guys go to Phoenix,
you’ll have to replace the liquid soap I used.”

“We’re going to need more motor oil,” Jack added. “It’s just a darn shame they didn’t
leave a Mk-19 at Barstow. I’d have grabbed one of those in a New York minute.”

“You hear any more on the ham radio about the government?” Mike asked.

“Just the same rumors,” Jack answered. “I don’t see where we have a problem at the
moment. On the other hand if they don’t hold elections in 2012, I think we should start to
worry. There is more food at the stores in Phoenix so someone must be doing some-
thing right.”

“I’m still getting my disability payments but there hasn’t been a COLA since 2007,” Mike
pointed out.

“Doesn’t it strike the two of you as odd that Phoenix didn’t get more refugees?” John
asked.

239
“They were turning people away who didn’t own property or have Arizona Driver’s Li-
censes,” Jack said.

“I heard that too, Jack but how many people did they turn away?” John said. “I asked
and it wasn’t very many.”

“Maybe FEMA set up some temporary shelters,” Jack suggested.

“Possibly, have you heard anything about FEMA shelters on the ham bands?” John
asked.

“I haven’t. Hang on a second. Shelia have you heard anything on the ham bands about
any FEMA shelters?” Jack responded.

“Right after the eruption there was talk about shelters but not long after that I didn’t hear
anything else,” Shelia replied.

“That was 3 years ago,” John pointed out. “Think about it. We have food, but no fuel.
We haven’t seen any new people in a long time. Someone down in Phoenix said that
the ash from the eruption didn’t even make it as far east as Iowa. That means that eve-
rything east of the Mississippi should have been ok except possibly for a power interrup-
tion. After those terrorists brought the power system down I thought we’d seen the last
of the power outages. And this thing about not having any mass communications stinks
to high heaven. It’s not that I miss the liberal press, but this is ridiculous.”

“I’ve never been one who believed in conspiracy theories,” Mike said. “There’s probably
a perfectly logical explanation of the things you mentioned.”

“I’m listening,” John replied. “A good conspiracy is unprovable. I mean, if you can prove
it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line.”

“That line was out of Conspiracy Theory,” Jack said. “There’s another one. Just be-
cause you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they aren’t out to get you.”

“Are you saying that I’m wrong, Jack?” John asked.

“Not exactly, John. Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” Jack replied. “I agree that
something is wrong. But, Mike might be right; there could be a perfectly logical explana-
tion.”

“That’s begging the question,” John said. “Whatever. It sure isn’t worth arguing over
when we don’t have more information than we do.”

“Hold up John,” Mike said. “Maybe we should go down to Phoenix and nose around.
Ginger, did Doc Russell give you prescriptions to replace your expired drugs?”

240
“I asked about it, Mike, but he told me that medical supplies were strictly limited and that
he couldn’t write prescriptions any more except to be dispensed by the hospital. That’s
was why the hospital sent the painkillers home with you.”

“Is that strange or what?” John asked.

“You might have a point,” Mike said. “Our favorite gun dealer never seems to run out of
ammo. The stores have more food. Conversely, we haven’t seen any new people and
fuel is almost totally unavailable. We have utilities but no communications. The best we
can come up with off the ham bands is rumors. The only medicine available is from a
hospital; not because it’s unavailable but because the doctor can only write prescrip-
tions to be dispensed by the hospital.”

“Lock and load,” Jack said, “We’re going to Phoenix tomorrow.”

“And do what Jack?” Mike asked.

“We can start out with our favorite gun dealer and see where that takes us,” Jack sug-
gested. “I’ve done business with that guy on and off for years. He only pretends that he
doesn’t know who I am. And, contrary to what he said, he’s a class III dealer.”

“That’s not the guy I bought my M16’s from,” Mike pointed out.

“Yeah, but that was a special deal, partner,” I’ve bought some of my NFA weapons from
this guy.”

January 2, 2011, Phoenix, Arizona…

“Hi fellas need more ammo?” the dealer asked.

“Cut the crap Marty, Mike and John are good people,” Jack said. “Mike and I served in
‘Nam together and he has several registered class III weapons. John here was in ‘Nam
too. He started out on the flamethrower and ended up on a thumper. I have a few things
I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Ok, Jack, if that’s how you want it, what do you want to know?” Marty asked.

“Let’s say for instance that I wanted some M61s or some M67s, could you help me
out?” Jack asked. “Make a list, Marty.”

“How many of what style?” Marty asked.

“For chits and giggles, say 10 cases of each,” Jack replied.

241
“The 61s are easy; the Minutemen got a bunch off of the MS-13 people. I can maybe
get you 10 cases of M67s,” Marty said.

“Let’s say we’d be in the market for XM-8s, complete with all of the accessories,” Jack
went on.

“That the new Buck Rogers rifle? How many?” Marty asked. “They’ll cost you a grand
apiece, you know.”

“What about a Mk-19?” Jack asked.

“I can’t sell you one of those,” Marty said. “Assuming I could get one, it would cost you a
minimum of $25 grand. And, you know the ammo is $25 a round.”

“M112 C4?” Jack asked.

“M183 Demolition kits ok?” Marty asked.

“How many do you have, Marty?” Jack continued.

“More than you want, Jack,” Marty replied.

“And if I wanted the M118?” Jack asked.

“By the case and expensive,” Marty replied.

“Where do you get the stuff Marty?” Jack asked.

“Who in the hell do you think has the things you’re describing, only the military,” Marty
scoffed.

“Right, front door or back door?” Jack asked.

“Right out the frigin’ front door, Jack,” Marty replied. “Say why all the questions? If I
didn’t know you better I’d say you were on a fishing expedition. Do you want the stuff or
not?”

“We’ll take 20 cases of the M61s, a Mk-19 but, I’ll only give you $17,500 for it, 40 cases
of 40mm M430 HEDP and you can top that off with 6 cases of the M118,” Jack replied.

“Hey you don’t set my prices,” Marty protested.

“Yes I do, unless you want the entire town to know that you’re nothing but a shill for the
Army,” Jack said.

“I’m not the only one,” Marty protested.

242
“Right, we’ll talk about that in a minute, start loading the order,” Jack said. “And Marty
the price on the M61s are $10 each and the M430s are $15. That would make it $2,400
for the M61s, $17,500 for the Mk-19 Mod 3, including the M3 tripod and M64 cradle,
$28,800 for the M430s and your cost plus 10% on the M118’s. Let’s just call it $50,000
even.”

“You have the gold?” Marty asked.

“Fifty shiny Eagles still in their plastic envelopes,” Jack replied. “Put the Mk-19, tripod
and cradle in the back of the Hummer and everything else on the trailer.”

“Here you go, Marty,” Jack said handing him 50 of the Eagles they had recovered from
the MZB’s.

“Are you sure you don’t want a pound of flesh?” Marty asked.

“Only one other thing, Marty, I need a name,” Jack said.

“I deal with some Army Captain,” Marty replied.

“Wrong answer, I want the name at the top, not the bottom,” Jack said. “Something very
bad is going on with this country when you can get me anything I want. For instance,
none of the radio stations are back on the air even though Phoenix has had power for
about 2 years.”

“There is only one top dog, Jack, the military Governor,” Marty answered. “The word is
that he controls everything.”

“What military Governor?” Mike asked.

“A few months after the eruption each of the surviving states was assigned a military
Governor and a FEMA group,” Marty said. “Nobody talks about it because the walls
have ears if you know what I mean.”

“Why no refugees, Marty?” Mike pressed.

“There must be several hundred thousand or more locked up in a camp they built at
Luke AFB,” Marty replied.

“What’s the deal on the President?” Mike asked.

243
“I heard that they keep him around to handle foreign relations,” Marty answered. “I also
heard that the military is holding his wife and daughters under guard at Mt. Weather, but
that’s only a rumor.”

“You could really get us an XM-8?” Mike asked.

“If you promise to leave, I’ll give you one,” Marty said.

“I’ll take 4 and I want them with all of the different barrels and accessories,” Mike re-
plied. “Hell, I’ll even pay you an Eagle apiece for them if you provide enough of those
plastic magazines.”

“Mike I’ll give you 4 complete rifles with all the different barrels, stocks, etc. and a dozen
30-round and 2 75 round drums for each of the rifles,” Marty said. “But I won’t go under
my cost and that’s 5 Eagles.”

“Deal,” Mike said.

“And you won’t be back, right?” Marty asked.

“Wrong, Marty, we’ll be back but only to buy ammo at the going price,” Jack laughed.

“I think I’ll just shut to door and go get drunk,” Marty said after he loaded the 4 XM-8
weapons systems.

“Well?” Jack asked later over a burger and fries at McCormick & Schmick’s.

“Well what?” Mike asked. “I believe the guy, he was practically peeing his pants. But,
that means that all of the civilian leadership is under the control of the military rather
than the other way around.”

“I don’t know if that qualifies as a Conspiracy or a Junta,” John said.

“There are a number of things that junta (hUn-tah) could refer to,” Jose explained.

“It can be a military dictatorship or military rule.

“In the history of Spain, junta (“coming-together”) was the name chosen by several local
administrations forming in Spain during the Peninsula War as a patriotic alternative to
the official administration topped by the French invaders. In Spanish America, the Cre-
ole juntas were formally loyal to Ferdinand VII of Spain, but in the power void, they be-
came actually independent, preparing the independence of Spanish America. Today the
Juntas are remembered in the autonomous government of Spain.

244
“Military rule may mean several things in modern terms:

“When a country or area is conquered after invasion and placed under Belligerent, also
known as Military occupation. When a country or region is placed under martial law at
times it may also be a police state as under totalitarianism. When a country is invaded
or placed under military law. When a country is governed by a military dictatorship as
with a junta or “The Generals” or under a powerful Generalissimo or when a country or
region is judged by a military tribunal.”

“A history professor,” Jack laughed.

“Nah, just a Méxican American familiar with the history of his native country and Spain,”
Jose smiled. “What we heard today sounds like a little bit of both a Conspiracy and a
Junta.”

“Hmm, so Bush is head of the government that interacts with the remainder of the world
but the military is in charge of the nation?” Mike asked, putting everything together.

“One theory is good as another, I suppose,” Jack agreed.

“But there is a law that prohibits that,” John complained. “It’s called Posse Comitatus”

“There are also the Patriot Act,” Jack pointed out. “The way they changed the laws after
9/11, anything seems possible.”

“But when you talk about communications, you’re talking about the 1st Amendment,”
John said.

“The government spent years destroying the 2nd Amendment, maybe they’re working
on the 1st for a change,” Mike shook his head. “What’s sacred about the order of the
first 10 Amendments? There is always the possibility that the people running things took
advantage of a National Emergency to create a real National Emergency.”

“So what you’re suggesting is that they used the eruption as an opportunity to take over,
right?” John asked.

“Right, John. Now we have to find out who they are,” Mike replied.

“That’s a bunch of James Bond shit,” Jack suggested. “We were trained to be soldiers,
not spies. Anyway, we’re too old.”

“That may be, Jack,” Mike reflected. “On the other hand we have two young men back
at the ranch that are sharper then tacks. They might enjoy the challenge.”

“My Juan would say yes to that in a heartbeat,” Jose smiled.

245
“Let’s finish eating and get all of our new toys back to the ranch,” Mike suggested. “We
can talk to the boys about this in the morning. Who’s buying tonight?”

“You’re going to do WHAT?” Ginger responded when Mike explained what they had in
mind. “You old farts are going to get the boys killed.”

“Somebody has to do it honey,” Mike replied. “We talked it over on the way back from
Phoenix. We decided that the best way to find out what was going on was to get some
people on the inside. What better way to get insiders than to have the boys join the mili-
tary?”

246
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 24 – Operation ‘Restore Hope’

Neat huh? Almost sounds like one of those names the government assigns to its little
wars, doesn’t it? It was. That was the name of the operation that G. H. W. Bush had in
Somalia. Then Clinton got his hands on the operation. We lost some good men in So-
malia.

“What’s with the new boy toys?” Ginger asked.

“That, my dear, is a 40mm machinegun called a Mk-19, Mod 3,” Mike explained. “It
shoots about the same grenades as the thumpers use.”

“What’s with the ray guns?” Ginger laughed.

“Those are the XM-8 5.56×45mm rifles, honey,” Mike explained. “That’s what they’re
issuing to our troops these days. You can make it into a pistol, carbine, rifle or sniper
rifle. I bought Tom and Teresa and you and me each one of the rifles.”

“Show me the part that isn’t made out of plastic,” she insisted.

“Hang on, I’m looking,” Mike replied.

January 3, 2011…

They had talked about several names for the planned activity, but all of the good names
had been used before. They settled on a name that didn’t necessarily describe a war,
as such. The funny thing about the original Restore Hope was that Bush sent the mili-
tary in by means of an amphibious landing ala Iwo Jima. Then the Somalis figured out
you could shoot a chopper down with an RPG and Clinton brought the troops home.
Something was very wrong with the system when 2 soldiers could earn CMH’s in an
operation to feed some starving people. And, a CMH was very hard to come by in re-
cent years. The US didn’t shoot women and children even though they killed our boys.

The plan was to have Tom and Juan go to Phoenix and either enlist in the military or get
a civilian job with FEMA, preferably the latter. Teresa and Selena weren’t at all happy
with the proposal but Tom and Juan reassured their wives that they’d send for them as
soon as they got established. Meanwhile at the ranch, they mounted the Mk-19, Mod 3
and set it to cover the front fence along with the flamethrowers. The next time someone
showed up trying to rush the place, they were in for quite a surprise.

January 4, 2011, Phoenix, Arizona…

247
“We don’t get many people trying to sign up to work for us,” the FEMA recruiter ex-
plained. “What brought the two of you to us?”

“Mister, jobs are hard to come by and we both have families to support,” Tom replied.

“The job might include some unpleasant duties,” the recruiter went on.

“Juan will hold ‘em and I’ll shoot ‘em,” Tom said. “Look I have a wife and 2 kids. Have
you priced things lately? Fuel is impossible to get and food is almost beyond the reach
of the average family. We both speak English and Spanish, if that makes any differ-
ence.”

“Are you familiar with firearms?” the recruiter asked.

“Is there anyone these days who isn’t?” Juan asked.

“All right, here’s the deal,” the recruiter continued on like he’d heard it hundreds of times
before. “You’ll be sent for a month of physical conditioning and another two months of
training. That training will be divided between classroom instruction and paramilitary op-
erations.”

“Are we going to be soldiers?” Juan asked.

“Not exactly, but depending upon how well you do in school, you could end up hunting
subversives,” the recruiter replied.

“And a subversive is?” Tom asked.

“Anyone who doesn’t support and defend the Constitution,” the recruiter answered. “Any
other questions?”

“Where do we sign?” Tom asked.

“Right here, next to the X,” the recruiter grinned. “Now, raise your right hands and re-
peat after me…”

“I, state you name, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Con-
stitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear
true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any men-
tal reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the du-
ties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.’’

“Jeez, where did they find these guys?” Tom panted. “I thought I was in pretty good
shape, but they’ve run me half to death.”

248
“I heard that they were retired Marine Gunnery Sergeants,” Juan panted. “Save your
breath, we still have 5 miles to go.”

Physical conditioning was 4 weeks of hell interspersed with moments of sheer terror.
Basically they ran 5 miles before breakfast, had 30 minutes to eat and get squared
around and then did 2 hours of calisthenics. After lunch, they loaded on a pack filled
with rocks and did a hike to build their leg muscles and endurance. Two weeks into the
training, they were up to a 15-mile hike, daily. Mike, Jack and John had warned them
that depending on who did the training, they could be in for a tough time. The final test
was a 26-mile timed march. Those who passed went into the second phase of training.
Those who didn’t were recycled back to the very beginning.

“I’m not so sure that GS-6 pay is worth the misery,” Tom told Juan.

“We made into the second phase, Tom,” Juan replied. “This is where the fun begins and
we start finding out what we came here to learn in the first place.”

“Subversive person means any person who commits, attempts to commit, or aids in the
commission, or advocates, abets, advises or teaches by any means any person to
commit, attempt to commit, or aid in the commission of any act intended to overthrow,
destroy or alter, or to assist in the overthrow, destruction or alteration of, the constitu-
tional form of the government of the United States or any political subdivision of by revo-
lution, force, or violence; or who with knowledge that the organization is an organization
that becomes or remains a member of a subversive organization or a foreign subversive
organization.”

Translation: The subversives are whoever we tell you they are.

Tom and Juan were number 1 and 2 in their class. They got assigned to the FEMA
Phoenix Subversive Activities Team (PSAT). They also got a week of leave to go back
to Sedona and retrieve their families. The Team was housed in a converted condomini-
um in Phoenix. Housing was considered to be part of the compensation. Their issue pis-
tol was a Kimber Eclipse II 10mm. Their issue rifles were the perfected version of the
M29 OICW. They were dressed all in black and were wearing the Interceptor body ar-
mor with the new level V Titanium plates. The FEMA Subversive Activities Team mem-
bers were classified as federal peace officers.

“Look at the two of you,” Mike said when they arrived back at the ranch. “Did you forget
your civies?”

“Dad, we wear these uniforms 24/7,” Tom explained. “Juan and I graduated at the top of
our class and made it on the FEMA PSAT.”

249
“That’s some pretty serious firepower just to arrest some subversives,” Mike responded.
“What kind of subversives?”

“A subversive is whoever they tell us they are,” Juan replied.

“Did you boys ever read 1984, Animal Farm or Fahrenheit 451?” Mike asked.

“No,” they replied.

“Maybe you should,” Jack said entering the house. “They finally got that weapon system
figured out, huh?”

“Yes, Jack and it’s better than they initially thought it would be,” Tom answered. “The
25mm rounds have been upgraded to block II.”

“Bring us up to date,” Mike suggested.

“The Reader’s Digest version of the training was 4 weeks of hell from some retired Ma-
rine Corp Gunny’s,” Tom replied. “Then we got 8 weeks of mixed classroom and para-
military training. Sort of like a civilian version of the Special Forces. Our jobs are to pick
up people classified as subversives and transport them to the reeducation camp at Luke
AFB.”

“What kind of subversives?” Jack asked.

“They just finished rounding up the last of the people in the Minuteman Project,” Juan
explained. “We heard that they’re going after an organization called 26 Men next.”

“Wasn’t that the name of a TV series when we were kids?” Jack asked.

Saddle up, saddle up.

Saddle up, saddle up, saddle up.

This is the story of 26 Men.

Who rode the Arizona Territory.
High is the glory of 26 Men,
Whose parish helped to fill the Territory.

26 Men who saddled up and then

Rode out to answer duty’s call.
26 Men who lived to ride again
And fight for the rights and the liberty of all.

This is the story of 26 Men

Enforcing law within the Territory.
Praise be the Glory of 26 Men

250
Who rode the Arizona Territory.

Ride on. Ride on. Ride on.

“Don’t give up your day job, Mike” Ginger laughed.

“The 26 men were the original Arizona Rangers, boys,” Mike explained.

“They are at the top of the list of subversives, now,” Tom said. “Apparently one of the
top guys is a gun dealer in Phoenix. But, nobody knows which one, there are so many.”

“How long will you be working for FEMA?” John asked.

“Nine more months, John,” Juan answered. “We didn’t read the fine print in the contract
and we’re obligated for a full year.”

“I think that maybe Jose and I will move to Mesa to be a little closer to you and your
families,” Mike suggested. “Jack, we’ll set up some form of communication been there
and the ranch and keep in close touch.”

“We’ll see you later, folks, we have wives waiting,” Juan announced.

“What exactly do you have in mind Mike?” Jack asked.

“Why don’t you and John come down to Phoenix for a couple of days?” Mike asked. “I
have this sudden urge to buy some of those M29 OICW’s.”

“Say you don’t suppose Marty…” Jack started to say.

“It would make a perfect cover, wouldn’t it?” Mike cut Jack off.

“Now what?” Marty said when they entered the gun shop.

“I’d like 4 of the M29 OICW’s,” Mike answered.

“And we wouldn’t mind becoming an Arizona Rangers,” Jack added.

Never play poker with a car salesman. Car salesmen learn to read faces and Jack was
a very, very good car salesman before he retired.

“Step into the back room,” Marty suggested.

251
“Mike those weapons will cost you about 10 grand apiece,” Marty said. “Jack if you want
to be a Ranger, you should go over to the statehouse and apply, but I’ll have to tell you,
I think you’re a little bit old.”

“My son Tom and Jose’s son Juan just joined the FEMA PSAT,” Mike said quietly.

“Say, I’ve heard of them,” Marty said. “Nothing good, but I’ve heard of them.”

“Their next target is an organization that goes by the name of 26 Men,” Jack added.

“So?” Marty asked.

“Want me to sing you the lyrics to the theme song, Marty?” Mike asked.

“I already know the lyrics, Mike,” Marty replied. “Anyway, what’s in a name? I’d bet that
an organization like that would be a whole lot bigger than just 26 men.”

“If it’s a big organization, maybe they need a branch in northern Arizona,” Jack suggest-
ed.

“Maybe they already have one in someplace like Flagstaff,” Marty countered.

“A man could avoid a whole lot of trouble if he maybe had a little inside information,”
John pointed out.

“I’ll tell you what Mike,” Marty said. “Those 6 cases over there each contain an M29
OICW. “You can have them for $2,500 apiece. The 25mm ammo is $2500 per hundred.
You can use your M16 ammo in the KE weapon. It uses the XM-8 magazines.”

“I’ll take all 6 Marty,” Jack said. “Mike and Jose are going to move down here to Mesa
until their sons complete their FEMA obligations. They will be keeping in close touch
with the sons and their families. They probably will just use Mike and Tom’s XM-8’s.”

“Do you men have any idea what you’re letting yourselves in for?” Marty asked.

“We’re calling it Operation Restore Hope, Marty,” Mike replied.

“That sounds like a prayer,” Marty said.

“Maybe it is, Marty,” Jack acknowledged, “Maybe it is.”

“All right. The deal is that you will actually be members of the Arizona Rangers with full
authority,” Marty explained. “Not all of the 26 Men are men, but that doesn’t make any
difference and you don’t really need to know who the 26 Men are. The organization is
set up on a cell system so that no one can compromise too many others. I’ll give you a

252
name in Flagstaff, Jack and he’ll be your contact. “Mike, Jose and you will work through
me. I’m going to need every bit of information you can feed me.”

There were a lot of empty homes in Mesa, which was Snow Bird country. They went
looking and found two empty adjacent homes in Farnsworth Village East. A check with
the neighbors indicated that they hadn’t seen the owners in 3 years. One neighbor told
them that if the owners were still alive, they would probably appreciate someone moving
in and taking care of their homes. The owners were two couples from northwestern Ne-
braska. The neighbor had keys and he gave Jose and Mike the keys and introduced his
wife and him. They were from northern Iowa and their names were Dale and Gayle.

It was easy to tell where people in the Village were from. If they had a 6’ fence in their
backyard, they were from California. People from the Midwest seemed to prefer either a
3’ fence or no fence at all. Everyone went back to the ranch and Mike and Jose loaded
clothes and weapons in their vehicles and they headed back to Mesa with Ginger and
Maria. Maria left their youngest with Jack and Shelia. Jack took off for Flagstaff the
moment he got back.

Mike and Jose didn’t let on to Tom and Juan that they were now a part of the 26 Men
Organization. Tom and Juan told them as much as they could about planned operations
and the old men asked casual questions that elicited additional facts. All of the infor-
mation was fed to Marty but only on the condition that the 26 Men would use it to avoid
confrontations with the FEMA PSAT. Those turned out to be the longest 9 months in
both the parents and their sons’ lives. Of all of the new patriot type organizations in the
Phoenix area, the 26 Men Organization seemed to have the best luck avoiding the
PSAT, but even they got caught occasionally. And despite being armed to the teeth with
the latest and greatest military weapons, Tom and Juan found that they never needed to
discharge the weapons. Usually just the sight of that awful looking M29 was enough to
get people to surrender.

The one-year obligation ended and Tom and Juan declined to stay on. They told their
bosses that they were going back to Sedona and see about joining up with the Flagstaff
Police Department or the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department. Coconino County is
the 2nd largest county in the United States and because of the great geographic and
population centers, the Sheriff maintained eight satellite offices located in Forest Lakes,
Blue Ridge, Sedona, Tuba City, Williams, Grand Canyon, Fredonia and Page with the
County Seat located in Flagstaff.

Some residents of Sedona were starting to move back into town so Tom and Juan went
to Flagstaff and talked to the Coconino County Sheriff about reopening the Sedona of-
fice. Meanwhile Ginger and Maria had given the two houses a good scrubbing and re-
turned the keys to Dale and Gayle. Maria actually picked up a part-time job cleaning
Dale and Gayle’s home while she was in Mesa. And, when it came time to leave, Marty

253
had a gift for Mike and Jose. He gave each of them one of those M29 OICW’s. Mike
bought each of them 200 rounds of the 25mm ammo.

“Those Sheriff’s uniforms look a lot better on you than those darned FEMA uniforms,”
Jack said.

“The Sheriff almost didn’t hire us because of our background,” Tom replied.

“How did you get him to hire you?” Mike asked.

“Name dropping,” Juan laughed. “Tom told him that if he couldn’t be a Deputy Sheriff
he’d just join the Arizona Rangers and kick FEMA’s butt.”

“You might be surprised who is a member of the 26 Men Organization,” Jack smiled.

“Do you mean besides the 4 of you?” Tom asked.

“How did you know?” Mike asked.

“We were 1st and 2nd in our class,” Juan replied. “We fed you all of the information we
could. That was the deal wasn’t it? We feed you information and you feed Marty infor-
mation.”

“You know about Marty?” Jack asked.

“We do, they don’t,” Tom replied. “That undercover who got his throat slit made an ille-
gal buy from Marty. He was an independent operator with no local contacts so we gave
him an ear-to-ear smile.”

“Illegal as in?” Jack asked.

“Those M29s are government only,” Tom answered. “Just like the Interceptor armor with
the new level V Titanium plates.”

“What’s a level V plate?” Jack asked.

“It will stop .50 cal ball,” Tom replied. “Of course with the amount of energy involved,
you might wish you died instead.”

“We ought to get those,” Mike suggested.

“They weight 30+ pounds, Dad,” Tom pointed out. “Remember, we didn’t carry heavy
battle packs so the extra weight wasn’t a problem. They still issue level IV to the mili-
tary.”

“Where is the military and what’s the deal with the radio stations?” John asked.

254
“The military is all over the eastern and western US,” Tom answered. “The radio sta-
tions don’t have anyone to operate them because they’re all locked up. They started to
push the freedom of speech issue and an Executive Order was issued to shut the sta-
tions down for the duration of the emergency. We all know that that was a long time
ago, but somehow no one ever got around to declaring the emergency over even
though it has been over for more than a year. Anyone who objected to the government’s
action was labeled a subversive and locked up.”

“How can they get away with that?” John asked clearly angry.

“They told us that the media was effectively yelling fire in a theater with their criticism of
the way the government was handling the crisis,” Juan explained. “Now we all know that
you can’t yell fire in a theater, unless it’s burning. Somehow it’s never made it to the Su-
preme Court.”

“Why not?” John asked.

“When the complainant dies, they have to start all over,” Juan continued.

“Someone is doing wet work?” John asked.

“Not someone, John. They have a whole division of someone’s,” Tom replied. “A majori-
ty of the people that work for FEMA are mercenaries. By the time you added up all of
the pay and benefits we had, we were making close to $100,000 a year. Top pay for a
SAT agent is close to $200,000.”

“It sounds to me like the country took a wrong turn,” Mike said. “What are the odds that
we could free the people being held at Luke, AFB?”

“It won’t be easy,” Tom said. “The guard towers all have an up-armor kit on the shells
and bulletproof windows.”

“How heavy is that armor?” John asked.

“It’s the stuff that they developed to up armor the Hummer’s during Iraqi Freedom,” Tom
replied.

The M72 LAW is capable of penetrating a foot of armor, but its effective range is only
170 to 220 meters,” John said. “They ought to push right through those up-armor kits,
assuming we can get close enough.”

“How close is close enough?” Tom asked.

“Under 100-meters,” John replied.

255
“They have a reaction force,” Tom commented.

“You said that level V plates would withstand .50 caliber ball, right?” Jack said. “How
good are they against .50 caliber AP and API?”

“They won’t stop the AP,” Tom said.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” Mike laughed. “Ok who is going to re-belt the .50
cal ammo so that it’s all AP and APIT?”

Combat mix for the M1 Abrams tank is 4 to 1 AP to APIT. It wasn’t necessary to load
belts because they already had some. There were 12 guard towers set up Luke. The
ranchers had about 40 LAW rockets and they had help from the Flagstaff group of 26
Men. They pedestal mounted 4 of the machineguns in the back of pickups (connected
to the frames). They also mounted the Mk-19, Mod 3. Tom suggested that they would
probably have the best luck if they took out all 12 towers and attacked Luke from the
West side. Because Tom and Juan were the only two people in their group who were
familiar with the setup at Luke, they took the advice.

Those pickups sure weren’t up-armored. They wouldn’t stop any kind of bullet, especial-
ly those 25mm projectiles that the Reaction Force carried. Any way that they did this,
they were very likely to lose some of their people. With that in mind, Juan and Tom were
assigned to be passengers in the pickups and to direct the attack using CB radios. The
attackers had 40 LAW rockets, 4 Ma Deuces, 1 Mk-19 (Mod 3), 8 M29 OICW’s, plenty
of ammo and a whole lot of courage. The operation was set to begin at oh dark thirty on
March 23, 2012.

You know who insisted on going along, right? They only had one Paramedic in their
group. The older fellas were old school and they didn’t want the women in combat. They
had also been married long enough to know better than to argue with the women.
Sometime after midnight they left to travel to Luke. Jose had been sent to Phoenix to let
Marty know what they were planning and Marty told Jose that he would do what he
could to supply additional people to help free the people from the camp. They arrived at
Luke around 2:30am and by 4:25am everyone was in position. At precisely 0:430 12
rockets hit the guard towers.

Alarms began sounding adding to the confusion. The reaction force rolled out to meet
the attackers and ran headlong into the .50 cal AP and APIT bullets. The Mk-19 was
used to blow holes into the chain link fence at 20-yard intervals. The reaction force peo-
ple managed to get off a few rounds with those 25mms. The rounds could be set to ex-
plode 3’ over the head of a person it was aimed at. Two of the machine gunners went
down and Tom and Juan bailed and took their places. The AP ammo made short work
of the remaining reaction force and the battle ended in about 30 minutes.

256
Before it was over, all of the gunners had been hit, including Tom and Juan. Unfortu-
nately for FEMA it was already too late and people were streaming out of the holes in
the fence and pulling the fence down so more people could escape. Marty was there
with about 100 members of the Phoenix chapter of 26 Men and they led the people
away in groups and loaded them aboard trucks. Ginger triaged the wounded and as-
signed priorities. Juan had taken rounds in both arms from the 5.56 on one of those
M29s. He was neatly stitched from one side to the other and his Interceptor armor and
level IV plate had kept him from being killed. Tom had a leg shot out from under him
and his femoral artery was pumping blood very fast and he got a higher priority.

257
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 25 – Snowball

Neither of the boys died from their wounds. Tom lost a fair amount of blood and both
ended up in Dr. Russell’s basement. It was quite the basement, lined with a half dozen
gun cases. The good doctor had at least as many guns as they did at the ranch and he
was a member of the 26 Men Organization. He did surgery and stitched the artery sav-
ing Tom’s life. And then he got into another room of his basement and came dragging
out box after box of hard to find medical supplies. Next he suggested that they leave the
boys with him and he’d bring them to the ranch when they were sufficiently healed. The
doctor’s basement was fully equipped from when he’d joined a new medical group and
closed his office. Hell, he even had an X-Ray machine.

“You’ll be on crutches for a while Tom, Dr. Russell said. “It would be better if you had a
wheelchair to use.”

“Dad’s is in the basement, he never uses it,” Tom replied.

“I’d forgotten about that wheelchair does it still work?” Russell asked.

“It has a new battery so I think so,” Tom answered.

“I heard that the two of you went to work for FEMA just so you could spy on them,” Rus-
sell said.

“Where did you hear that Doc?” Juan asked.

“Juan, my number is 23,” Russell explained. “You young hotshots don’t have a market
on being a patriot, you know. I may not carry a rifle in combat, but I serve my purpose
with the cause.”

“FEMA doesn’t have any idea who the 26 Men are,” Tom said. “We arrested a few peo-
ple and put them in the camp but they were never very high in the organization.”

“We fed you those people,” Russell laughed. “They were members of the organization
who we couldn’t be sure of. Some of them would probably have turned back into the
sheeple they really were the minute the country was restored back to normal.”

“Will that ever happen?” Juan asked.

“It already is, Juan,” Russell replied. “On the east coast they’re working to get into Mt.
Weather and free Laura Bush and the girls. There is an American patriotic movement
working to push those men who would be Kings out of power.”

“My Dad said it was some Generals,” Juan commented.

258
“Close, but no cigar, Juan, it was some Colonels,” Russell explained. “By the time a
man or woman becomes a general officer they’ve been thoroughly vetted. Once in a
while a guy like General Walker slips in but they are few and far between. General Ed-
win A. Walker was known to most JFK assassination buffs as the man whom Oswald
allegedly shot at in April 1963. The general’s right-wing connections were often noted,
as was the fact that he was forced out of his command by the Kennedy administration
for his political indoctrination of his troops. His activities during the race riots in Oxford,
Mississippi in 1962 were also often mentioned, when he was arrested on four federal
charges including insurrection. Walker made a public statement at Oxford:

This is Edwin A. Walker. I am in Mississippi beside Gov. Ross Barnett. I call for a na-
tional protest against the conspiracy from within.

Rally to the cause of freedom in righteous indignation, violent vocal protest and bitter
silence under the flag of Mississippi at the use of Federal troops.

This today is a disgrace to the nation in dire peril, a disgrace beyond the capacity of an-
yone except its enemies. This is the conspiracy of the crucifixion by anti-Christ Con-
spirators of the Supreme Court in their denial of prayer and their betrayal of a nation.

“He held the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster,” Russell explained.
“He was just some sort of anti-communist super patriot. He wasn’t indicted by a Grand
Jury and eventually he sued and won damages against some media organizations. It
ended up in the Supreme Court and Walker lost the money because the court said that
public figures are at risk even for statements based on lies. It was some sort of 1st
Amendment issue.”

“Anyway, this coup was led by a bunch of Colonels and once they had the First Lady
and Bush’s family imprisoned, Bush’s hands were tied,” Russell continued. “Apparently
they had enough Divisions within their sphere of influence to force the Joint Chiefs to
capitulate. One thing is certain; they don’t care for the media.”

“Where does FEMA fit into this equation?” Tom asked.

“I have no idea,” Russell replied. “Probably some petty bureaucrat who wanted power.
Their mission got subverted somewhere along the way and that bureaucrat got in bed
with the Colonels.”

“Some of those reporters cross the line,” Tom suggested.

“No doubt they do, Tom but where do we draw that line?” Russell asked. “The 1st
Amendment is simplicity in itself. It says, Congress shall make no law respecting an es-
tablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to peti-
tion the Government for a redress of grievances.”

259
“Guys like that Geraldo Rivera shouldn’t be allowed on the radio or TV,” Tom muttered.

“Are you talking about him lending aid and comfort to the enemy?” Russell asked. “If
what he had done been that, he’d have been prosecuted, 1st Amendment or not. I read
an article about Geraldo Rivera and Peter Arnett. It said:”

After infuriating military commanders by revealing, on-air, the current position and up-
coming attack plan of the 101st Airborne Division – a violation of the most basic rules
for correspondents – he was ordered off the battlefield for endangering the lives of the
troops he’d hooked up with.

True to form, Geraldo blamed somebody else – in this case, the rats among his pathetic
former employers, NBC – for getting him yanked. Also true to form – sort of a Geraldo
trademark – he provided no factual basis whatsoever for what he’d just said.

“In Geraldo’s mind, this was not a war among the United States, Britain and Iraq. It’s a
rating-points war among CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Network. All those tanks and
ships and troops were little more than a convenient, compelling backdrop for his Geral-
do-ness.

“Fox got what it deserved with Geraldo. After his performance in Afghanistan, where he
brandished a pistol and vowed to take out Osama bin Laden, and flagrantly lied about
his location in a report on hallowed ground where US casualties had occurred, he
should never have been sent back to a war zone by any news organization that wants
its coverage taken seriously.”

“So what happened to Geraldo?” Juan asked.

“He’s probably locked up with the rest of the media drawing maps on the prison floor,”
Russell laughed.

“They are going to be ok, Ginger,” Mike repeated. “Dr. Russell said so. Take a pill and
chill out. I’m not so sure my pickup survived, however.”

“Men!” Ginger snapped. “Your son is laying wounded in a basement in Phoenix and all
you’re worried about is your darn pickup!”

“I’m concerned about Tom and Juan, but I’m not worried,” Mike replied. “They are get-
ting excellent medical treatment. I am more worried that FEMA will figure out who was
behind that attack.”

“Russell said something about this being the snowball just beginning its roll down the
hill,” Ginger shared.

260
“The price of freedom is always high, Ginger, we lost some good people today,” Mike
said.

“None of our people,” Ginger replied.

“None of our people killed, no, but that was as much luck as anything. Some of those
people didn’t have any sort of protection while we had level IV body armor,” Mike con-
tinued. “The lack of protection didn’t keep them from going down to Phoenix.”

“It’s so sad, 8 people getting killed,” Ginger said.

“They were responsible for freeing over 100,000.” Mike responded, “Marty says that
they can’t possibly transport all of the people with the limited number of vehicles they
have. So, he and some of his people are staying behind and keeping FEMA off their
backs until they can disappear into Phoenix. They may turn out to be more martyrs.”

“We had better maintain a heightened state of alert,” Jack suggested.

“Just make sure that whoever is on guard duty has those M29s,” Mike replied. “We can
remount the Ma Deuces and the Mk-19 tomorrow.”

“Go rest your back and don’t worry about it,” Jack instructed. “We’re going to do all of
that right away. As long as we have those combat ammo belts we’ll just use those. If
any of those FEMA people show up we’ll either punch them full of holes or toast them
with the flamethrowers.”

“Toasted Swiss cheese, huh?” Mike laughed.

“How would you like your steak, sir, medium or well done?” Jack smiled.

“Mike, wake up,” Ginger poked him. “Jack says we have company coming.”

“What time is it?” Mike asked.

“About 5am,” she replied.

“What day?” he asked.

“Saturday, you only got about 7 hours of sleep.”

“I’ll get dressed, Ginger, can you make a pot of coffee?” Mike asked.

261
°

“Did you stay up all night, Jack?” Mike asked.

“No, I got up around 4:30, is that coffee for me?” Jack pointed.

“Oh, sorry. What’s going on that you got me up?” Mike repeated.

“The guards spotted movement on the other side of the road about 15 minutes ago,
Mike. I rousted everyone out just in case.”

“I see you have the .50’s and the Mk-19 back in place.”

“They did that last night and brought up extra ammo for the Ma Deuces.”

“So, did you send out scouts?” Mike asked.

“John sent John and Bob and they are only carrying knives so they don’t inadvertently
fire a gun and give themselves away.”

“I’ll swear those two are half Indian,” Mike said. “I should have bought some of those
tomahawks when I was in Ventura that time.”

“Was that the Disneyland trip?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, Jack, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain,” Mike chuckled.
“I think that was 10 years ago.”

“Here they come,” Jack said.

“Here are 2 more of the M29s for your inventory,” John said.

“What did you find?” Mike asked.

“They were 2 of them,” John said. “I think they were those SAT guys. “We have their
guns and radios but we’ll have to go back and get the rest of the equipment and bury
the bodies. They were on foot, but I’d imagine their vehicle is down the road a ways. We
can empty it out and take it somewhere it won’t be found.”

“Look at this,” Jack said. “They had the 3rd generation night vision.”

“I just hope they had plenty of ammo for their M29s,” Mike said. “I’ll walk with Jose and
the boys and pick up the rest of their equipment.”

The standard load-out for the M29 was 7 30-round mags of 5.56 and 4 6-round mags of
25mm. The contractor had exceeded the goal and the weapon system weighed about

262
13 pounds 9 ounces. The standard issue 5.56×45mm ammo was the M995 AP round.
The FEMA people also had 2 M67s grenades and 2 smoke grenades. They stripped the
bodies of the level V body armor and carried the new equipment back across the road.
While John and Bob buried the bodies, Jose and Mike went south on the road until they
found the HMMWV. They drove it back to the ranch and started to strip off anything use-
ful. They found 48 additional rounds of the 25mm ammo, several bandoleers of M995,
plus a case of MRE’s. Obviously these 2 men weren’t planning being there very long or
they were expecting company.

“So, which is it, were they leaving or should we expect company for dinner?” Mike
asked.

“As long as we can make that HMMWV disappear, we can deny having ever seen
them,” Jack suggested. “However I think we should put a call in to Marty and have that
doctor get the boys back up here. They might know some of the people who show up
and it could give us just the edge we need to persuade them that we’re like Sergeant
Schultz. You know whom I mean. Sergeant I know nothing.”

The call was made and Marty called Dr. Russell. Dr. Russell put Tom’s leg in a cast and
told him that if anyone asked, he’d fallen off a horse and broken his leg. Juan presented
a different problem because of bullet holes in both arms. Finally Russell bandaged the
arms and told Juan that he was recovering nicely from the surgery to remove those aw-
ful tattoos. Juan was going to need to fake that his injuries weren’t at all serious, just
sore. With records in hand, the three of them headed for the ranch. Dr. Russell was ex-
plaining everything to Ginger when FEMA came rolling in. Since Mike’s electric wheel-
chair didn’t have a leg support, Russell had brought one and John had attached it. Tom
was propped up in the wheelchair in his living room and Juan was sitting at the kitchen
table playing cards with Selena, his shirt sleeves rolled up to just below the bandages.

“Can I help you people?” Jack asked.

“We had two scouts up in the area checking on the residents,” the man in charge re-
plied.

“SAT?” Jack asked.

“That’s right,” the leader said. “Have you seen them?”

“I haven’t seen anybody. There hasn’t been anyone pass by here in several days,” Jack
replied. “But if you want to talk to a couple of former SAT men, Mike’s son Tom is in that
house over there and Juan is in that Adobe down there. Maybe they saw something.”

“What happened to you?” the agent asked.

“My leg’s shot,” Tom said. “They told me I fell off a horse. Are you guys with PSAT?
Juan and I were until very recently.”

263
“Have you seen 2 SAT agents in the area recently?” the agent asked.

“Juan and I just got back from Phoenix a little while ago,” Tom said. “I had surgery on
my leg and while the doctor had the knife all sharpened up; I heard that Juan got some
tattoos taken off. The doctor is with my Mom giving her instructions for our care.”

“I see, we’ll check with Juan,” the agent said.

“Are you Juan?” the agent asked.

“I know you, you’re a Captain aren’t you?” Juan said. “That’s right I’m Juan Cortez.”

“It’s Lieutenant, Juan,” the Lieutenant said. “Did you just get back from Phoenix with
Tom?”

“Right, Tom and Dr. Russell,” Juan said. “Tom got his leg messed up and as long as I
was there, Russell worked on my arms.”

“I thought they took tattoos off with a laser,” the Lieutenant said.

“I always thought that too, Lieutenant,” Juan said and showed his bandages. “This hurts
like a bitch.”

Rule One: Don’t lie. The agents hadn’t gotten past the ranch, only to the ranch. Jack
hadn’t seen any bodies. Tom’s leg really was all shot up. And Russell really did work on
Juan’s arms.

Rule Two: Appear to cooperate. Sic them on Tom and Juan and they can sic them on
Dr. Russell and Ginger.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Smile. Scratch the B and the last r off your ‘In-and-Out
Burger’ bumper sticker. In real life, Sergeant Schultz (John Banner) was a Jew who was
briefly in a Nazi Concentration camp. He died in 1973 on his 63rd birthday in Vienna,
Austria. Truth is stranger than fiction. Richard Dawson must have really died when Ar-
nold killed him in The Running Man; he hadn’t made a movie since. Richard Dawson’s
great claim to fame was that he had once been married to Diana Dors, England’s Mari-
lyn Monroe.

FEMA moved on because there was no sign of either the 2 men or the HMMWV. When
John and Bob returned, they brought the nearly new tires and the batteries from the
HMMWV so either Mike or Jack could use them on one of their Hummers. These were

264
tough times and these things were hard to come by. The boys still had their uniforms
and all of those 2 SAT agents’ equipment. Come to think of it maybe it was good they
hadn’t destroyed that HMMWV, with that they had everything they need to play the part
of a couple of SAT agents, including experience.

“Now what?” Jack asked.

“They probably won’t be back for a while, partner, so how’s about we let the boys heal
up and grow our crops,” Mike suggested.

“Did you notice that they didn’t say anything about the Ma Deuces and the Mk-19?”
Jack asked.

“I agree that we should move them to new positions just like you were about to sug-
gest,” Mike laughed.

“You always did that to me in ‘Nam, too,” Jack shook his head.

“Just wait a few days and you can cut that cast off Ginger,” Russell explained. “I didn’t
use many layers of plaster wrap because it was just a dummy. I’d better go check on
Juan. He really should have both of his arms in slings.”

“I’m dying of curiosity,” Ginger said.

“All right, I’m number 23 and Marty is number 1,” Russell explained. “Most of the 26 are
people most would never suspect of being involved in a patriot movement. I filled Tom
and Juan in a little, so they can answer some of your questions. Very few people know
the identities of the 26 of us and it would be better if we keep it that way. Both young
men will be healed up by spring. How is Mike doing?”

“He doesn’t seem to have any complaints, doctor,” she replied. “The tingling is gone and
his back is healing nicely. He took one hell of a pounding driving the pickup down
around Luke but he was wearing his back brace.”

“Is he still taking the pills for his osteoporosis?” Russell asked.

“Shouldn’t he be?” she replied.

“You’d better cut the dosage in half, Ginger. I can’t prove it but I think it may have con-
tributed to the stenosis,” he replied.

June 1, 2012, Sedona, Arizona…

265
“Slow down, Juan, I can’t keep up with you,” Tom panted.

“Let’s take a break,” Juan suggested. “We’ll walk the next quarter mile. How is your leg
holding up?”

“No pain, no gain,” Tom winced.

“That’s what I keep telling myself when I’m lifting weights,” Juan replied.

“Are we going to be able to pull this assignment off?” Tom asked.

“How should I know?” Juan asked. “I guess the best we can hope for is that we don’t get
killed by some patriots.”

“They brought that HMMWV in and it’s ready to go,” Tom pointed out. “It’s one of the
M1114 variants.”

“Let’s jog the rest of the way,” Juan suggested.

This new plan came from some patriots back on the east coast. They hadn’t found any
way into Mt. Weather and they were putting together a couple of squads of former SAT
people in hopes of penetrating the stronghold by subterfuge. Once most people became
SAT members they stayed for life. It was a good deal for the mercenaries, 200 grand a
year and very little risk. The Colonels had turned Mt. Weather over to FEMA to guard
because they were experiencing a lot of desertions. Bird Colonels are Regiment Com-
manders and it had taken a lot of collusion to pull the coup off. They would probably still
be thinking about it if they hadn’t succeeded in getting a Division Commander to go
along.

The General couldn’t get any of the other Division Commanders to back his play and he
hooked up with the FEMA Wanttabe. The civilian got some of the agency boys he knew
from DHS dealings and they eliminated the Division Commanders when the Colonels
captured the First Lady and the girls. When they had confronted the President he blew a
gasket and ordered their arrest. However, when Bush was presented with Jenna’s pink-
ie he caved in. He ordered the Joint Chiefs to stand down and the Colonels took over
the country. Then the whole thing began to slowly crumble. Older officers and the
NCO’s had been the first to dessert.

The US has fought its share of wars and has a lot of combat vets who put it all on the
line to keep the country safe. So, you take all of those people plus some of the former
people who had done a hitch to get college money and you add some older officers and
NCO’s to the mix. This gets you a bigger standing Army than the military has. Most of

266
these folks are armed with hunting rifles or some older weapons but what they lacked in
equipment, they more than make up in Spirit.

You then find yourself in the position of having two groups. One is smaller but has the
latest equipment and current training. They’ve been brainwashed into believing that
they’re fighting for a just cause. Opposing them is the larger group with the inferior
equipment but a whole lot of spirit. (Right, that sounds like Iraq. Sorry!) But they have
this standoff because the smaller group is holding the nation hostage, literally. And that
was where the east coast patriots realized that the key to their success was freeing the
President’s family. Out of that came the scheme to infiltrate Mt. Weather. It’s just your
average jigsaw puzzle. Even mountain roads straighten out, eventually.

“We’re leaving,” Tom announced.

“Do you have everything you need,” Ginger asked.

“Mom, that’s Teresa’s worry not yours,” Tom laughed.

“Mothers always worry,” Ginger said.

“Piece of cake,” Juan reassured her.

And now you know why there is a 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. Many people
probably supposed that some President would try to set himself and his cronies as the
King and his court. But the founders of the country must have known that life was more
uncertain and the 2nd Amendment was necessarily vague. So you take all those opin-
ions of a bunch of liberal judges and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine.

“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the
people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

267
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 26 – Mt. Weather

Mount Weather is a virtually self-contained facility. Aboveground, scattered across man-

icured lawns, are about a dozen buildings bristling with antennas and microwave relay
systems. An on-site sewage-treatment plant, with a 90,000 gallon-a-day capacity, and
two tanks holding 250,000 gallons of water could last some 200 people more than a
month; underground ponds hold additional water supplies. Not far from the installation’s
entry gate are a control tower and a helicopter pad. The mountain’s real secrets are not
visible at ground level. Warning signs, 10 foot-high chain link fences, razor wire, and
armed guards protect the mountain’s real secrets. Curious motorists and hikers on the
Appalachian Trail are relieved of their sketching pads and cameras and sent on their
way. Security is tight.

Mount Weather is the self-sustaining underground command center for the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The facility is the operational center – the
hub – of approximately 100 other Federal Relocation Centers, most of which are con-
centrated in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. To-
gether this network of underground facilities constitutes the backbone of America’s
“Continuity of Government” program. In the event of nuclear war, declaration of martial
law, or other national emergency, the President, his cabinet and the rest of the Execu-
tive Branch would be “relocated” to Mount Weather.

Mount Weather is not simply a Cold War holdover. Information on command and control
strategies during national emergencies has largely been withheld from the American
public. Executive Order 11051, signed by President Kennedy on October 2, 1962,
states that, national preparedness must be achieved... as may be required to deal with
increases in international tension with limited war, or with general war including attack
upon the United States.

However, Executive Order 11490, drafted by General George A. Lincoln (former director
for the Office of Emergency Preparedness) and signed by President Nixon in October
1969, tells a different story. Executive Order 11490, which superseded Kennedy’s Ex-
ecutive Order 11051, begins, Whereas our national security is dependent upon our abil-
ity to assure continuity of government, at every level, in any national emergency type
situation that might conceivably confront the nation...

I’ll bet I know where Dick Cheney was hiding after 9/11, in the Halliburton Board Room.
Heads up boys and girls; anything missing the Halliburton logo probably wasn’t supplied
by a gen-u-wine US military contractor so it’s probably better quality and less expensive.
It might even have come from Halliburton’s Tehran, Iran office.

“Here’s a copy of our orders,” the Lieutenant said.

268
“I don’t have any record of you people being assigned here,” the Major said.

“No problem, sir, we’ll leave,” the Lieutenant replied. “You can take it up with the higher
when they contact you.”

“Don’t be hasty Lieutenant,” the Major replied. “I’ll put in a twix and confirm your orders.
You get your men housed inside the Mountain.”

Note: A twix is a message not a candy bar, usually sent by Teletype, which is what they
used before radio was invented.

Rule Three: Never ass-u-me.

“Ma’am?” Juan said.

“What is it now?” the lady asked.

“We came to get you out of here,” Juan replied.

“Who is we and where are we going?” she said. “What is this, some kind of ruse to
shoot us when we try to escape?”

“No ma’am, I’m a Republican,” Juan laughed.

“That’s what they all say until they get in the voting booth,” she replied. “You’ll have to
carry the girls, they’re drunk again.”

Every family has its little problems doesn’t it? Both daughters had incidents involving
underage drinking. On April 27, 2001 Jenna Bush was charged with being a minor in
possession of alcohol in the East Sixth Street entertainment district of Austin. On May
29, 2001 Jenna was charged with trying to use a third party’s identification (fake ID) to
purchase alcohol at a popular Méxican restaurant near the University of Texas campus.
At the same incident, Barbara Bush was charged with being a minor in possession of
alcohol. They both pleaded no contest to all charges. Underage drinking (under 21
years) amongst American college students is illegal but so widespread that detractors of
the Bush family rarely raise the issue.

On July 6, 2001, for the false identification charge, Jenna was ordered to pay $100, per-
form 36 hours of community service, and attend a session where victims of alcohol-
related crimes speak. For the underage drinking charge, Jenna was fined $500 and her
driver’s license was suspended for 30 days.

269
On July 15, 2004, The (London?) Times reported that “White House aides breathed an
almost audible sigh of relief when the girls turned 21 (in 2002) and could buy alcohol
legally,” thereby avoiding any further embarrassments to their father.

“Where are you taking us?” she asked.

“Ever heard of Sedona, Arizona, ma’am?” Juan asked.

“Of course, but why there?” she asked.

“It’s the last place anyone would ever think of to look for you,” Juan explained. “There’s
nothing in Sedona but some red rocks and tourist traps.”

“They’re out,” the aide said.

“Who’s out?” the President asked.

“Your family was rescued from Mt. Weather, they were taken out west,” the aide replied.

“Where out west?” he asked.

“Think Barry Goldwater.”

“Get me General Myers.”

“He’s on the way.”

“It’s time to kick ass and take names. Where is that .45 that they took off Saddam?”

“The Secret Service hid it.”

“Well, find it and get me some real nasty ammunition to shoot in it.”

When Saddam Hussein was rousted from his spider hole in Dawr, a town near Tikrit, by
US soldiers, Iraq’s fallen dictator was clutching a pistol. He was now in detention at an
undisclosed location, awaiting execution for war atrocities and crimes against humanity.
But what ever happened to the pistol? The sidearm had made its way to 1600 Pennsyl-
vania Avenue. Sources say that the military had the pistol mounted after the soldiers
seized it from Saddam and that it was then presented to the President privately by some

270
of the troops who played a key role in ferreting out the old tyrant. Though it was widely
reported at the time that the pistol was loaded when they grabbed Saddam, Bush has
told visitors that the gun was empty – and that it is still empty and safe to touch. “He re-
ally liked showing it off,” said a visitor to the White House who had seen the gun. “He
was really proud of it.”

The pistol’s new place of residence is in the small study next to the Oval Office where
Bush takes select visitors after pointing out better-known White House pieces like the
busts of Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower and a watercolor called A Charge
to Keep, which gets its name from a Methodist hymn. The study – the one where Bill
Clinton held some of his infamous trysts with White House intern Monica Lewinsky –
has become a place where Bush keeps the memorabilia that hold special significance
for him. Another of the room’s mementos: a photograph of special-forces soldiers in Af-
ghanistan praying after burying a piece of the World Trade Center there as a tribute to
those who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Federal makes a nice Hydra-Shok 230 grain JHP cartridge for the .45 ACP. Does any-
one know what the term kneecapping means? I’ll spare you the graphic details. What’s
a yardarm? I know that Clint Eastwood was in a movie called Hang ‘Em High. You do
know how to hang someone, don’t you? You put the rope around their neck and pull
them way up on their tiptoes and tie it off. It sort of gives them a chance to think about
the error of their ways. You can always claim that they committed suicide, can’t you?
Cruel and unusual only applies in criminal cases when a court has adjudicated you.
Kangaroo courts have a different set of rules.

“We have to get you down to Sky Harbor,” Juan explained. “Air Force One is flying in to
pick up you and the girls.”

“Why didn’t they fly into Flagstaff (KFLG-2,133m)?” she asked.

“Longer runway?” Juan replied.

Air Force One is a 747-200, tail numbers 28000 and 29000. For that aircraft, the start
roll is 3,170 meters and the landing roll 2,121 meters. Sky Harbor Airport’s (KPHX) run-
ways are 3,139m long. The only thing you really have to know is that Air Force One has
engines from the 747-400 with maybe 10%-15% more thrust, 26k vs. 23k per engine.

So, our heroes saved the First Lady and the family. What’s that going to get them, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom? Or, perhaps some of those one-of-a-kind firearms that
the President gets from people? How about a bunch of the M29s?

“Thanks fellas,” the President said.

271
°

“Thanks?”

“THANKS? That SOB didn’t even to offer to pay for our fuel,” Juan said.

“No sweat, he’ll mention us in the State of the Union message,” Tom said.

“Like hell he will,” Juan snapped. “He’ll be out of office before the next State of the Un-
ion message.”

“We didn’t do it for the glory, Juan,” Tom continued. “We did it because it was the right
thing to do.”

Presidents show their gratitude exactly when their Press Secretaries tell them to be
grateful. Presidents are capable of a wide-range of emotions including: acceptance, an-
ger, anticipation, anxiety, aversion, contempt, courage, dejection, desire, despair, dis-
gust, distress, expectancy, fear, guilt, happiness, hate, hope, humility, interest, joy, love,
panic, rage, sadness, shame, sorrow, surprise, terror and, wonder. All right on cue, just
like the reporters they display them to. Gratitude isn’t one of the basic emotions, but you
knew that, didn’t you? Who wouldn’t be grateful to get his daughters back even though
they were no longer a matched set? Barbara didn’t want to give up her pinkie just so
she matched Jenna. I can’t say that I really blame her.

With the President back in the White House there was an election to prepare for. They
only had 4 months until the election and the candidates didn’t take time talking about
personalities and who did what in which war. The radio stations and TV immediately re-
sumed broadcasting; no doubt the politicians needed to advertise if they were going to
have anyone in the country know who they were. John Kerry tossed his hat in the ring
because he’d come so close in 2004. The Republicans had a candidate that nobody
ever heard of because they didn’t want to waste the support they’d gain by having John
Kerry in the job. Kerry talked about disarming America, again, and how that everyone
who didn’t want to work was entitled to a chicken in their pots. He also wanted to leave
Social Security alone. It wasn’t going to run out money for a long time. He was having a
terrible time campaigning because there wasn’t anyone against whom he could sling
mud.

“Who are you going to vote for?” Mike wanted to know.

“I’m sitting this one out,” Jack replied.

“It’s your civic duty to vote in elections, Jack,” Mike insisted.

272
“Let’s go up to Yellowstone and look at the damage,” Jack suggested.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Mike asked.

“The country is holding an election so it must be back to normal,” Jack answered.

“It doesn’t seem normal, I haven’t heard anyone badmouth anyone else,” Mike reflected.

“What’s to say, Mike?” Jack asked. “We aren’t at war with anyone for a change and who
ever heard of the Republican candidate? Kerry is playing it smart and not bringing up
the guy’s name. He’ll probably win by a landslide.”

“Maybe I won’t vote either,” Mike finally agreed. “Ok, I’ll talk to Ginger and see if she
wants to go to Yellowstone to see the damage.”

The epicenter of the eruption, if that’s the correct term, was at the site of the 1975 Norris
6.1 earthquake. That epicenter was just inside the Midway Geyser Basin and south east
of the town of Norris. (Southwest of the town of Canyon Village.) Midway Geyser Basin
is mostly within Norris Geyer Basin, which is a large area extending into Idaho. Midway
Geyer Basin is also known as the Yellowstone Caldera. Scientists had claimed that
there would never be an eruption where it happened. If those scientists were so smart,
how come one of them was killed on Mt. St. Helens in 1980?

Norris and Canyon Village were gone, erased by the eruption. So was Madison and an-
ything within the Park that used to be called Yellowstone was either blown away or
cooked in the pyroclastic flow. The 4 of them didn’t stay very long because there wasn’t
anything to see. As it was, if they hadn’t bought a Hummer, they wouldn’t have gotten
within 50 miles of Yellowstone.

“I came, I saw it, let’s go home,” Jack suggested.

“What did you see, Jack?” Mike asked.

“I’m flipped if I know, but it’s the first time I ever saw one,” Jack chuckled.

“Be serious, Jack,” Shelia snapped.

“I am being serious honey,” he replied. “It sort of looks like a moonscape only it doesn’t.
There can’t be a single living thing for miles around.”

“There are plants right over there, Jack,” Ginger said.

“I meant animal life, Ginger, plant life is like cockroaches. There’s no way you can kill
plants off,” Jack groused.

273
“Some people claim that when the world ends, the cockroaches will survive,” Mike add-
ed.

On the way back they traveled through Denver, Colorado. Denver was just a little over
400 miles (644km) from the site of the eruption. Denver had taken quite a dusting if the
marks on the buildings were any indication. Apparently only a few persons had died,
probably from dust induced heart attacks or asthma. While asthma attacks are generally
triggered by allergies, environment factors can cause them too. Probably people trying
to get home and avoid the dust. Volcanic ash is rock that has been pulverized into dust
or sand by volcanic activity. In very large eruptions, rocks having the weight and density
of hailstones accompany ash. Volcanic ash is hot near the volcano, but it is cool when it
falls at greater distances. Ashfall blocks sunlight, reducing visibility and sometimes
causing darkness. Ashfall can be accompanied by lightning.

Fresh volcanic ash is gritty, abrasive, sometimes corrosive, and always unpleasant. Alt-
hough ash is not highly toxic, it can trouble infants, the elderly and those with respiratory
ailments. Small ash particles can abrade the front of the eye under windy and ashy
conditions. Ash abrades and jams machinery. It contaminates and clogs ventilation, wa-
ter supplies and drains. Ash also causes electrical short circuits – in transmission lines
(especially when wet), in computers, and in microelectronic devices. Power often goes
out during and after ashfall. Long-term exposure to wet ash can corrode metal.

Ash accumulates like heavy snowfall, but doesn’t melt. The weight of ash can cause
roofs to collapse. A one-inch layer of ash weighs 5-10 pounds per square foot when dry,
but 10-15 pounds per square foot when wet. Wet ash is slippery. Ash resuspended by
wind, and human activity can disrupt lives for months after an eruption. There weren’t a
lot of people in Denver because they probably bugged out as soon as the ash cloud set-
tled. But like a lot of the people, they were returning. No way was it the good old days,
because Yellowstone was history.

Kerry handily won the election in 2012 by a 52%-48% margin. The next closest candi-
date was Ralph Nader. The Republicans still held the House and Senate. Before the
eruption, Bush had been dealing with the Chinese situation. Whatever was brewing
back in 2006 was still laying around for the new President to deal with. Maybe he could
take Saddam’s .45 and earn another Purple Heart, or something. Shooting oneself in
the foot didn’t qualify.

The problem with the Chinese had ended when the Chinese pulled their troops from
Taiwan in May of 2006. Their losses were staggering, both in men and in ships. Having
seen the nuclear devastation, Beijing opted not to use the nuclear option against the
US, at least for then. The Chinese had blinked and lost a lot of face over Taiwan. It took
them quite a while to rebuild their Navy. Just before the 2012 election, the Chinese be-
gan to prepare for a second attack on Taiwan. The radiation had died down and the re-
maining Nationalist Chinese had rebuilt their cities. Making Taiwan a part of mainland

274
China wasn’t about the material possessions Taiwan had; now, it was all about saving
face. The first time around, China was pushing for unification. This time that motivation
almost tasted like vengeance.

China had been producing large quantities of plutonium and converting it into additional
nuclear weapons. Those 4 or 5 weapons they used on Taiwan back in 2006 had been
replaced 100 times over. Besides, we all know where most of those Minuteman and
Peacekeeper missiles were, right? Under a lot of volcanic ash. It didn’t really bury the
missiles up at the 341 Missile Wing located at Malmstrom, AFB in Great Falls, Montana.
Malmstrom AFB had 200 launch facilities. F. E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming lost
its 50 Peacekeeper missiles and 150 Minuteman missiles. The other 150 Minuteman
missiles were located at Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. These missiles were
buried as deep as those in Cheyenne.

The US Navy still had the 14 Ohio class boats because those Colonels had no inten-
tions of pissing off the Navy. (14×24 = 336 missiles) Each missile – either C-4 or D-5 –
carries up to eight warheads. D-5 missiles were first intended to carry the 475-kiloton
W88 warheads encased in Mark-5 reentry vehicles. But less than 400 of these war-
heads were manufactured (some sources say the number is 384). These are distributed
among several submarines but not mixed with other warheads on the same missile.
Most of the warheads carried on Trident-2 missiles are the same as those carried on
Trident-1 – that is, 100-kiloton W76 warheads encased in Mark-4 reentry vehicles. Tri-
dent-2 missiles could carry 12-14 Mark-4/W76 warheads but they are limited to 8 by the
START-1 Treaty. 336×8 (all of the subs were upgraded to carry D-5 missiles, fact, not
speculation) = 2,688 + 200 = 2,888.

18 B-2 Spirit bombers each with 16 1.2MT B83 bombs added another 320 warheads to
the mix. Forget the B1B’s, because they were at Ellsworth. (2,888+320=3,208) If the
Chinese had their act together, they wouldn’t go after Taiwan a second time. Gee, I for-
got about the 4 SSGN’s. Each of those has 22 tubes carrying 7 Tomahawks each (22×
7 = 154×4 = 616). The W80, designed by Los Alamos, is deployed in air-launched and
sea-launched cruise missiles. Approximately 350 nuclear SLCMs were produced, and
all remain in storage. NRDC estimates that a total of 400 W80s are currently deployed
to arm ALCMs. NRDC also estimates that the W80-1 stockpile includes a total of 1,400
warheads remaining in stockpile associated with the 900 ALCMs that are in storage with
their warheads removed. And, that doesn’t include the 530 GLCM W84 warheads in
storage. 3,208 + 616 = 3,824 reasons for the Chinese to change their minds. Did you
ever wonder why Russia didn’t attack the US when it was up to its butt in alligators?
Now you know why.

3,824 were ~5 times as many warheads as the Chinese had. The Chinese may be slow,
but they aren’t stupid. But the Americans were and they elected John Kerry. Now I’m
sure that some people must like John Kerry, 52% of the voters voted for him when he
was running all but unopposed in the election. Of course the voter turnout was the low-
est in modern history… John Kerry gave Americans a hint when he laid out his plans for
Iraq. Maybe it’s just a faulty memory, but I got the impression that he’d pull out our

275
troops. And he was a Vietnam War protester along with ol’ Hanoi Jane, wasn’t he? I can
just imagine what the rules of engagement would be under President John Kerry. “You
may think about launching a missile or torpedo after your vessel is totally disabled, but
you may not use your handguns under any circumstances. Handguns are E-V-I-L.” (She
may not run, you know.)

Having John Edwards as his running mate during 2004 hadn’t help Kerry. He switched
horses. Got a fellow Senator from the great state of Connecticut to run with him, Blu-
menthal.

“Did you vote for him?” Mike asked.

“I didn’t vote,” Jack laughed.

“Yeah, I didn’t either, so we probably helped get him elected,” Mike agreed, laughing.

“Heads up, we have people at the gate,” Bob hollered.

“Who is it?” Mike hollered back.

“Suits,” Bob answered.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Jack offered.

“Can I help you?” Jack asked.

“Are there a Juan Cortez and Tom Franklin living here?” one of the men asked, flashing
a badge.

“They might be and they might not be; what would you be looking for them for?” Jack
replied.

“We came to invite them to a barbeque,” the agent answered. “It’s being held in Craw-
ford, Texas and they’re the honored guests.”

“Is it warmer in Texas than it is here in Sedona?” Jack asked.

“Maybe a little,” the agent smirked.

“Come in and we’ll find the boys,” Jack directed.

“Gentlemen, the President would like to express his gratitude for helping rescue his
family,” the agent explained.

276
“Better late than never,” Juan replied.

“We came early so you could have time to arrange transportation,” the agent continued.
“The celebration is to be held on Saturday, April 6th.”

Saturday, April 6, 2013, Crawford, Texas…

The former President had quite the gifts for the two men. They consisted of a Winches-
ter model 94, Heritage Limited Edition High Grade, One of One Thousand rifle (.38-55,
26” barrel) and an engraved Colt SAA revolver, 5½” barrel, nickel-plated and ivory
gripped in the .45 Colt. He included a holster and belt from El Paso Saddlery with loops
for both revolver and rifle cartridges. The former President made a little small talk and
moved on to other presentations. Hell, he probably read their names off that 3×5 index
card he was holding. Anyway, they got to shake his hand.

“He still didn’t pay for our fuel,” Juan laughed.

“I wonder where we’ll find ammo for the rifles,” Tom seemed puzzled.

There was a case of ammo for each rifle in Mike’s Hummer, which they had borrowed to
make the trip. 20 rounds to the box, 10 boxes to the case, loaded by Buffalo Bore. That
was when they realized that Bush really was grateful. It isn’t the big things that say,
thanks, it’s the small things.

277
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 27 – Infinite Possibilities

It might have ended right there and they lived happily ever after. As far as Mike’s back
was concerned it was over, he’d had surgery 3 times. Did I ever mention that bad things
come in threes? There had been the Second Korean War. That was bad thing number
one. Then Yellowstone had blown its top and some Army Colonel’s forgot their oath of
office and took over the country during the chaos that followed. These things were all
related and in the long view only constituted a single event, number 2. Good things
happened in three’s also. Jack and Shelia had 3 kids. Juan and Tom were working on
number three. They had 9 homes at the ranch and that was the 3×3 rule that said if you
didn’t have 3, you had 3×3.

Tom and Juan had been part of an operation that rescued the First Lady and the twins.
Eventually the former President showed his gratitude and gave the young men some
handsome rifles and engraved Colt SAA’s. They went home and figured that was the
end of it. Yellowstone blowing up had ruined their chances at a college education and
Tom had told his foster father, Mike that he was planning on becoming a professional
survivalist. Mike and Jack were inseparable and so were Tom and Juan. When Tom’s
wife, Teresa, Juan’s sister, got pregnant a third time, Juan and his wife Selena tried
harder and soon Selena was pregnant too. Selena had been named after the singer by
the same name, not a horse.

Ginger studied hard and recertified as a Paramedic and everything was going along
quite nice in June of 2013. The third bad thing had already happened but the population
of the US just didn’t know it. In the election of 2012, the Republican Party didn’t have a
good candidate and a worn out political hack by the name of John Kerry became Presi-
dent.

The boys had gone to Phoenix and Marty had gotten them all the .38-55 ammo they
could ever use. They were both working as Coconino County Deputy Sheriff’s in the
Sedona office. Most everyone at the ranch was a member of the 26 Men Organization
and the exact membership of the organization had never been made public, perhaps to
avoid reprisals from the former FEMA employees who were now mostly unemployed
thanks to the former President. Bush had done a thorough house cleaning starting with
firing the Secretary of DHS for letting the situation over at FEMA get out of hand. There
was always some fall guy to take the blame, when necessary.

With John Kerry in office, the Chinese went ahead and reunified Taiwan because there
was no one to stop them. Kerry and Blumenthal completed the power project that had
been begun in 2006 and the power grid was permanently protected. They’d never found
Osama bin Laden and most of the world had stopped looking. Bin Laden was apparent-
ly telling the truth in the speech he’d made back in 2004 because when the US left Iraq,
nothing more was heard of him. Under the Colonels, Bush had been forced to get along
with everyone and the War on Terror just ended. France started selling reactors to Iran

278
during the period after the Yellowstone eruption and Iran was now the 8th official nucle-
ar power and the 9th in reality. North Korea was still a wasteland and had lost its status
as a country. But, Korea was also reunified.

France had also sold more reactors to the Chinese and by 2013 they were building
twice as many nuclear weapons. Their total was ‘officially’ 800 but it was actually closer
to 1,200. For every nuclear device the Chinese built, they built another missile. The US
had some catching up to do in many ways. The junta had made certain that the GPS
system was maintained but they hadn’t launched any new spy satellites during the peri-
od they’d been in power. The GOP majority in Congress funded several new surveil-
lance satellites with a high priority. They’d brought the Hubble telescope down years be-
fore and without the US assistance, the Russians couldn’t maintain the International
Space Station. It had slowly dropped from orbit and burnt up in the atmosphere.

There was another Peace Dividend in the offing, but Kerry and Blumenthal couldn’t get
it through the Republican Congress. Rather than decreasing the Army from 14 to 10 Di-
visions like the President and Vice President wanted, the GOP passed a new law and
appropriated the funds for a 15th Army Division. During that first year in Office, the Ex-
ecutive Department saw the Defense spending rising to about 8% of the GNP. The GNP
was down, but in real terms it was 6% of the previous high GNP. Previous spending
levels had been less than 4% of the GNP, just to give some perspective.

Gratified with the lack of response from the US when it seized Taiwan, the Chinese
seized the disputed Spratly Islands and what used to be called French Indochina.
French Indochina consisted of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. While the political defini-
tion of Indochina includes only the states of French Indochina, the geographical defini-
tion includes Thailand and Burma. It was just a matter of time, in the opinions of many,
until the Chinese also seized or attempted to seize Thailand and Burma. If Thailand and
Burma fell, how long would it be before Nepal and Bhutan fell to the Chinese? Pakistan
had ceded lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement, something that India refused to
recognize. One should note that India and Pakistan were/are nuclear powers.

Sad, isn’t it? It must have been easy for Patriot Fiction authors to find another disaster
or catastrophe to write about. There were additional things needed to finish off the
basement shelter that Tom built now that commerce was flowing. KI4U recalibrated eve-
rything and they bought one of the package deals plus a CD V-717 and extra dosime-
ters and Potassium Iodate. That community building was finally finished and they fixed
the inside up with 8’ folding tables, folding chairs, a large screen TV and some second
hand furniture plus a beverage bar.

“Nice,” Mike observed, checking out the community building. “I heard that they may reo-
pen the schools in Sedona next year. Most of the people have moved back to town.”

“I’ll bet they’re wondering where all the things went from Sedona,” Jack mused.

279
“The price of everything just went up,” Mike laughed. “We’re actually going to have to
pay for the things we need.”

“Gold is down,” Shelia announced. “They finally reopened the markets and the price is
$750. Ginger and I are going to sell some of our holdings. Silver really dropped and we
think that’s where the money should be. We’ll each sell 200 ounces and put some in sil-
ver and hold the remaining money.”

“You ladies seem to have a handle on these things,” Mike acknowledged. “No way I’m
getting involved in that.”

“Why don’t the 2 of you make up a list of things we need so we are prepared for the
next disaster,” Ginger suggested.

“I doubt we’ll get anything from Walton Feed,” Jack said. “They must be buried under
several feet of ash.”

“There’s always Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods up in Oregon,” Ginger pointed out. “They
don’t pack the stuff in pails with oxygen absorbers, but we can get pails and pack it our-
selves.”

“That’s right, Shelia said, “I can’t believe we actually paid a dollar a pound for flour. We
can take some of that money and stock up on wheat and the basic necessities. With the
climate changing, we can’t grow wheat anymore.”

“We’re going to need to store the Ma Deuces,” Jack suggested. “We can’t leave those
out where anyone or his brother can see them.”

“Just don’t bury them too deep, partner,” Mike advised. “It sounds to me like the world is
preparing for another war. China is expanding very rapidly into Southeast Asia and
Congress increased the Army to 15 Divisions.”

“They’ll need that Division just to keep the Méxicans in México,” Jack laughed.

“Whatever happened to the Minuteman Project?” Mike asked.

“The Governor finally rescinded the Executive Order and they’re back patrolling that
small stretch of the border,” Juan explained.

“I wonder what is going to happen to the 26 Men Organization,” Tom added.

“She cancelled the authority that made them Arizona Rangers but I suspect that the or-
ganization will push to become the new Arizona Defense Force,” Jack answered. “It
should be about the biggest state army in the country.”

280
“It might not be the biggest,” Tom suggested, “But it should be the best equipped.”

“Are you all convinced that we’re going to have another catastrophe or disaster?” Jose
asked.

“I sure hope not, Jose,” Mike answered. “Nobody expected Yellowstone to blow either.
There’s also that caldera out in California that could surprise us. We’re not going to
have to worry about Yellowstone for another 600,000 years but the whole Pacific Rim
has been more active for the past 10 years or so. It is almost like the earth is having its
last hurrah.”

“I don’t like what the Chinese are doing. I watch the news too,” Jose said.

“Kerry and Blumenthal would never get us in a war,” Jack suggested. “They’re too busy
bitching about American rearming itself.”

“I wonder if we should try and disarm that minefield,” Jack said.

“Go right ahead Jack,” Mike suggested. “But warn me before you do it so I can head for
Flagstaff. We could put up signs warning that the area is a minefield, however.”

“Yeah, that would be a whole lot safer,” Tom agreed. “Then if we need it again, all we’d
have to do is take down the signs.”

“I agree,” Jack said. “We need to get the Hummer’s in and get them serviced. Plus we
need to shut down those little generators and either get them rebuilt or replace them.
There is no such thing as being too prepared.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jack,” Mike countered. “You can’t take food off the table to
get prepared. Fortunately for us, we never really had to. You and I had better get started
on that list the girls want.”

The List:

Storage foods from Oregon

Pails & Oxygen absorbers
Replace/Rebuild portable generators
Signs (for minefield)
Additional barrels for Ma Deuces
Ammo (always)
Update pharmaceuticals
Flashlight batteries and bulbs
Replenish Mountain House foods
Top off fuel tanks
Service vehicles

281
AlpineAire was a division of TyRy, Inc. Mountain House was a division of Oregon
Freeze Dry, Inc. TyRy was located in California and the other in Oregon, naturally. The
only real difference in the products was the shelf life. AlpineAire claimed a 15-year stor-
age life and Mountain House claimed anywhere from 20-30 years. Both product lines
were expensive. Other than that, it was mostly personal preference.

Fuel was more available and they topped off the fuel tanks and returned the 3 vehicles
to Ferrellgas up in Flagstaff. They’d put very little mileage on the vehicles and Ferrellgas
was just happy to have them back. They also added a new PV array on top of the com-
munity building. That PV array pushed them over the top and they probably wouldn’t
need the 4 small generators, but why take a chance? Out of the blue Dr. Robert Russell
retired and asked about acquiring some property from Jack. He put in a basement shel-
ter topped by a Fleetwood mobile home and they now had a major medical facility on
the ranch. There was no Mrs. Russell; she’d died in the FEMA camp.

They now had 4 shelters to house 10 families in the event of another disaster. The folks
at the ranch had gotten used to using wood stoves, at least those that had them, and
they continued to harvest firewood and raise livestock. John and his boys worked his
ranch but didn’t move back because they had a new home on the ranch and the old
ranch held too many memories. Plus, if they moved back, they would need to build 3
houses, not one.

Each political party seemed to have different agendas. The Democrats were worried
about Domestic Issues, the Republicans about Foreign Affairs and Ralph Nader was
still complaining about everything wrong with the country. He was losing steam because
of the geothermal projects that had slowly been replacing fossil fuel and nuclear power
generating plants.

Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) was an activist attorney who opposed the power
of large corporations and had worked for decades on environmental, consumer rights,
and pro-democracy issues. Nader had also been a strong critic of recent American for-
eign policy, which he viewed as corporatist, imperialist, and contrary to fundamental
values of democracy and human rights. Nader was the US Presidential candidate of the
Green Party in the 1996 election and 2000 election. In both 1996 and 2000, Winona
LaDuke was his Vice-Presidential running mate. In 2004, however, the Green Party
nominated David Cobb, and Nader ran as an independent candidate in the 2004 US
Presidential election. In some states in 2004, Nader achieved ballot access by virtue of
winning the nomination of an alternative political party, such as the Reform Party, and in
others by forming a Populist Party. His Vice-Presidential running mate in 2004 was
Green Party activist Peter Camejo.

Nader had never been married. According to the mandatory financial disclosure report
that he filed with the Federal Election Commission in 2000, he then owned more than
$3 million worth of stocks and mutual fund shares; his single largest holding was more
than $1 million worth of stock in Cisco Systems, Inc. Nader’s total net worth was be-
tween $4.1 million and $5 million. However, the consumer advocate had made more

282
than $15 million in his lifetime, most of which he had given away. Ralph Nader’s lifestyle
was unusually austere for an American celebrity (Nader had appeared on the NBC Sat-
urday Night Live television show four times, including hosting the show January 15,
1977). Nader inhabited a modest apartment in Washington DC, equipped with a black-
and-white television, which he watched only rarely. His attention was focused on the
work of his public interest crusades. Nader had donated the vast bulk of his earnings
over his lifetime (from royalties, lectures, legal work, and so forth) to funding public in-
terest causes.

Nader’s harsh and uncompromising critiques of corporate and political wrongdoing had
earned him a reputation as an angry and gloomy “national scold.” Yet, despite this cari-
cature, which no doubt reflected the seriousness and intensity with which Nader ap-
proached his work, people well acquainted with Ralph Nader generally spoke of his per-
sistent optimism, his abiding sense of humor, and his unfailing wit. Maybe the public
should have voted for Ralph Nader in 2012. Nader had kept Al Gore out of office in
2000, but he hadn’t affected the outcome of the 2004 election.

As of 2014, the nuclear powers in the world were: US, Russia, Great Britain, France,
China, India, Pakistan, Iran (and Israel), one fewer or perhaps unchanged. Conversely,
in 2014, there were more available nuclear weapons than there were at any time since
the height of the Cold War. Speculation was that the next nuclear confrontation would
be between Iran/Israel or India/Pakistan. However, China continued its expansion poli-
cies and had seized Thailand, Burma, Nepal and Bhutan. China was knocking on India
and Pakistan’s doors. Take a look at a map; where else did China have to go? The US
strongly protested the Chinese actions in the UN but that was as far as it got. The num-
ber of Nuclear Weapons was now: US ~10,640; Russia ~8,600; Great Britain ~200;
France ~350; China ~800 (actually 1,200+); India ~125; Pakistan ~150-175; Israel
~250; and, Iran ~15.

The Theater High-Altitude Area Defense [THAAD] system was expected to provide ex-
tended coverage for a greater diversity and dispersion of forces and the capability to
protect population centers. But the principal additional capability provided by this system
was the ability to deal with longer-range theater missile threats as they begin to emerge.
THAAD also reduced the number of missiles that the lower-tier systems must engage
and provided a shoot-look-shoot capability – the ability to engage incoming missiles
more efficiently. With a range of over 200 km and a maximum altitude of 150 km,
THAAD was designed to intercept ballistic missiles at long ranges above the atmos-
phere. THAAD was originally scheduled for deployment in 2011. The first intercept at-
tempt of the THAAD system had taken place in 2005. In July 2004 THAAD testing
moved from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to the Pacific Missile Range for
block 6 and 8 flight tests. Past failures hampered THAAD’s test schedule. However, the
US had now deployed Patriot PAC-3 systems around the country and had over 1,000
missiles in place in the US and nearly one hundred others in place in Israel.

283
Even though it was not used by the coalition during Operation Desert Storm, the HAWK
missile did see action during the Persian Gulf War. Kuwaiti air defense units equipped
with US HAWK antiaircraft missiles downed about 22 Iraqi aircraft and one combat heli-
copter during the invasion of 2 August 1990. The HAWK system had undergone several
upgrades and was also deployed around the country. Russia had the NATO designated
Gazelle and Gorgon ABM systems operational with their 10kt and 1MT (respectively)
nuclear warheads. When it came to ABMs, China, India and Pakistan didn’t have effec-
tive programs.

It should go without saying that whatever the US had for ABM’s, the British and Ger-
mans had. The big concern in Germany was Theatre ABM’s and the British weren’t sure
which they needed so they had both. Nobody knew what France had, but like Rhett But-
ler, they didn’t give a damn. CNN was carrying reports that both India and Pakistan had
stated that if China set one foot on their soil, they would be repelled by every means
available. Israel had also developed its own ABM called the Arrow.

Israel’s main deterrence against the dangers from a dirty missile attack was its $2.0 bil-
lion Arrow Anti-Ballistic Missile. Its development began in the early 1990s and in 1998 it
had its first successful deployment. The Arrow was the world’s only first ABM system,
which was specifically developed to destroy incoming missiles. The Arrow Missile was a
defense system against medium-range ballistic missiles. It could intercept missiles with-
in a wide spectrum of ranges and altitudes, and could provide protection over large are-
as. Specifically it was designed to intercept medium- and short-range missiles, not in-
tercontinental missiles, in keeping with Israel’s perception of its exposure to Iraqi and
possibly Iranian missiles. Iran was fielding the Shahab-3, which had the range to strike
Israel.

Ginger and Shelia purchased silver coins and invested the remaining funds in the prep-
arations. Everything on the list Mike and Jack prepared had been acquired before
Christmas of 2013. Kerry pushed a bill through Congress forcing the government to go
back and pay the previously unpaid COLA adjustments to the pensioners. The little sur-
vival community was well prepared on Mike’s 66th birthday on January 1, 2014. Ginger
took the opportunity to buy Mike some new clothes because he’d lost weight and all of
his clothes were pretty baggy. Dr. Russell had checked Mike over and there was no in-
dication that Mike had any health issues. Russell suggested that some people just lost
weight, as they got older.

“Well look at you,” Jack said. “I wish that I had lost weight instead of getting fatter.”

“You haven’t gained that much weight,” Mike disputed. “My problem is that none of my
gun belts fit any longer. How about you and I make a trip to California?”

“What did you have in mind?” Jack asked.

284
“There’s a guy in Burbank that makes the Paladin Holster,” Mike explained. “At least he
used to. I figure that I could buy one of those and put the Laredoan cross draw holster
on my new gun belt.”

“Two things to consider,” Jack replied. “One, we’re going to have to take the wives
along and two, if we’re in California, we really ought to go to Ventura and pick up a few
things.”

“Like what?” Mike asked.

“Remember when John and Bob took out those two SAT guys across the road?” Jack
explained. “If I recall correctly, you said that you wished that you had purchased some
tomahawks from Cold Steel.”

“I did, didn’t I,” Mike remembered. “I can handle that. Anything else come to mind?”

“Yes, but we’ll have to get those things in Phoenix,” Jack said. “We never did buy sup-
pressors for our M16 rifles. I was talking to Marty and he told me that that flashlight
company, Surefire, brought out one hell of a suppressor for the M4 rifle a few years
back.”

“I remember,” Mike said. “It was supposed to fire for something like 30,000 rounds. I
asked at one time but they weren’t available. It seems to me that they wouldn’t be legal
because they wouldn’t be on the NFR. However, I can vouch for the suppressor, that’s
what I have on my Super Match.”

“I’m not as touchy as I used to be on the subject of having only registered class 3
weapons,” Jack countered. “Ever since the Colonels’ grabbed the First Family, and we
started acquiring less than legal firearms, I could care less.”

“What can you tell me about those suppressors, then?” Mike asked.

“They use some kind of fast attach mount that replaces the flashhider on the M16’s and
M4’s,” Jack answered. “I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t take our M16’s and XM-
8 rifles down to Phoenix and have Marty install the fast attach mounts on all of our rifles.
We can just buy as many of the suppressors as we have money for.”

“Do think he could fit them to the M29s?” Mike asked.

“I’ll call and find out,” Jack suggested. “If he can, I don’t see any reason not to put the
mounts on the M29s. We have 12 M16’s, 4 M8’s and 10 of the M29s”

“That’s 26 weapons, right?” Mike asked. “I wonder what it would cost to fix all of them
up with suppressors.”

285
“Probably about 30 grand,” Jack laughed. “We don’t have 26 people living here old
enough to shoot fire arms. Let’s limit our spending to 10 grand or less.”

How many people were living on the ranch? Mike and Ginger (2); Jack, Shelia and their
3 kids (5); Jose, Maria and their daughter (3); John and Char (2); Jim and Mary (2);
Tom, Teresa and 3 kids (5); Juan, Selena and 3 kids (5); John and Mandy and their 2
kids (4); Bob and Patty and their 2 kids (4); and, Doc Russell and his new girlfriend, the
nurse from Flagstaff, named Cindy (2). 34 people made for quite the little community.
Jack and Shelia’s twins were born in 1999 and would be 15 in 2014. Their baby was on-
ly 1 year younger and Jose and Maria’s daughter was about the same age as Jack and
Shelia’s youngest. That would mean that they had 24 people old enough to participate
in defending the ranch if it ever got to that again.

Ginger and Shelia overheard Mike and Jack talking and decided that it was only money.
Shelia called Marty later and told him to put suppressors on everything and Ginger and
she would split the cost. They’d drop the weapons off on the way to California and pick
them up when they returned. “The guys could use a little surprise, Marty,” Shelia said.
“We haven’t surprised them in quite a while.” Shelia had that right, after a couple has
been married a number of years it got harder and harder to surprise each other, espe-
cially for Mike and Jack to surprise Ginger and Shelia; the other way around, well… (I’m
convinced that women are just naturally sneaky.)

San Bernardino (AP) Two couples traveling from Arizona to California were killed in an
accident around 2:30pm when their Hummer H1 was struck head on by a drunk driver,
authorities say. The victims had not been identified pending notification of the next of
kin.

Hmm…

286
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 28 – The Accident

Rule Three: Never ass-u-me.

“What’s the hold up?” Jack asked.

“I have no idea, Jack, maybe there’s an accident,” Mike replied.

“I’m really happy that we don’t live in California anymore,” Jack said. “These drivers are
crazy.”

“Oh, look there,” Shelia said, “It’s a Hummer with Arizona plates.”

“It almost looks to me like they never knew what hit them,” Jack observed. “Man I don’t
know when I’ve seen two vehicles more damaged.”

“Wrong way driver?” Mike asked.

“It looks like it,” Jack said. “Probably another drunk.”

“What were you two ladies scheming up with Marty back in Phoenix?” Mike changed the
subject.

“It’s a surprise,” Ginger answered. “You are just going to have to wait until we get back
to Phoenix to find out.”

“Women,” Jack said.

“I hear, you can’t live with ‘em and you can’t live without ‘em,” Mike laughed.

“Ginger, do you dye your hair?” Mike asked.

“What would make you ask a question like that?” she wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing, it’s just that your hair is as red today as it was when we met,” Mike replied.
“I made reservations at the Hotel Bonaventure, I hope that’s ok with everyone.”

“Don’t change the subject Michael Hanes,” Ginger said. “Why would you think I dyed my
hair?”

“For crying out loud, Ginger, you’ll be 60 years old this year,” Mike replied. “I just
thought that you might begin to show a little grey.”

“I don’t have a grey hair on my body,” she replied. “Shelia, when we get back to Sedo-
na, could I get you to frost my hair?”

287
“What for Ginger?”

“My husband expects me to have grey hair.”

“If you really want me to, sure,” Shelia replied.

“See what you started, Mike?” Jack laughed.

“I’m sorry, please don’t frost your hair,” Mike pleaded.

“Ok, just testing,” Ginger laughed.

The next day, they drove up to Alfonso’s of Hollywood, which happened to be located in
Burbank. (I was there in 1963 with a friend to pick up his new fast draw rig.) When Al-
fonso brought out the Paladin rig, the price was $725 for a gun with a 7½” barrel. That
was at least 10 years before and the price of silver had increased. They wanted $875
for the holster in a 7½” barrel now.

“How much would it be for an extra one of those Paladin’s?” Mike asked.

“$650,” the clerk said. “Want to put it on another holster?”

“Right, I have a Kirkpatrick’s Laredoan and I thought maybe I could use the cross draw
holster on this rig,” Mike explained.

“What brand of revolver?” the clerk asked, “Colt?”

“No, Ruger original Vaquero with the 4⅝” barrel,” Mike replied.

“I have the same holster with the Paladin already mounted,” the clerk advised.

“What would that cost me?” Mike asked.

“$650,” the clerk said.

“Do you mean to tell me that the holster is free?” Mike asked.

“Not exactly, the only way you can get a Paladin is to buy it mounted on a holster,” the
clerk explained.

“He’ll take both holsters,” Ginger told the clerk.

“That’s a lot of money for a pair of holsters,” Mike said.

288
“Look at it as an investment, Mike, if we get desperate, we can always sell the horse
heads,” Ginger laughed.

“That’s a genuine ruby in the Paladin’s eye,” the clerk pointed out. “What’s your other
gun?”

“7½” Ruger original Vaquero,” Mike replied.

“Let’s see,” the clerk added it up. “That $875 plus $650. That’s $1,525 plus 10¼% sales
tax. Your total is $1,681.31.”

“Ouch,” Mike said. “When did they raise the sales tax to 10¼%?”

“2010,” the clerk replied.

“How much did you pay for the Laredoan?” Jack asked.

“$335 plus shipping,” Mike replied. “It was interstate so they didn’t charge sales tax.”

“Are you from out of state?” the clerk asked.

“Arizona,” Mike replied.

“If you had ordered by phone, you could have avoided the sales tax,” the clerk pointed
out.

“Maybe I’ll just go home and call you back,” Mike suggested.

“If you want me to ship the holsters, I can treat it as a phone order,” the clerk offered.

“How much is the shipping?” Mike asked.

“Ship them,” Ginger said. “Even by Federal Express, it couldn’t be $156.31.”

“Shipping is free on orders this large,” the clerk laughed.

It was still early and they could get to Ventura by lunchtime. Mike suggested that they
go to Ventura and they could spend the next day shopping in Los Angeles. As expen-
sive as the holsters were, the tomahawks were just the opposite, inexpensive. The
problem was trying to figure out which model to buy. Mike should have done the picking
on the Internet and just walked in and bought the tomahawks like he bought the boys
knives 14-years before. He couldn’t decide between the Vietnam tomahawk and Rifle-
man’s hawk and the Trail hawk. Big mistake, the ladies saw some of the knives on dis-
play and were trying to decide whether they liked the San Mai III Laredo Bowie or the

289
San Mai III Trail Master. They settled on the San Mai III Laredo Bowie because it had a
1” longer blade and was 0.3 ounces lighter than the San Mai III Trail Master. That made
Mike’s mind up for him. If they were buying $600 knives, he was buying the Vietnam
Tomahawks. He bought enough for the 4 of them and 2 for Tom and Juan, plus the 2 for
John and Bob. He looked at the spears but decided that if the country ever got thrown
that far back into the Stone Age, he didn’t know if he cared if he lived or died.

Shopping in Los Angeles can be expensive. Especially if you do it on Rodeo Drive in

Beverly Hills. Jack and Mike stayed at the Bonaventure and let Shelia and Ginger shop
by themselves. The stretch of shops and boutiques on Rodeo Drive is only three blocks
long. It begins at Wilshire Boulevard on the south, and runs north to Santa Monica
Boulevard, where the commercial section of the street gives way to an affluent residen-
tial neighborhood. But those three short blocks constitute the most famous shopping
district in America, and probably the most expensive three blocks of shops in the world.
It is here that the rich & famous do their shopping, and where tourists window-shop
while trying to spot movie stars on the fabled street.

The most celebrated clothing designers in the world have boutiques here: Armani, Guc-
ci, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino... The jewelry stores boast
names like Cartier and Tiffany. Other nearby stores include I. Magnin, Neiman Marcus,
Saks Fifth Avenue, Yves Saint Laurent, & Pierre Deux. In fact, Rodeo Drive is home to
the single most expensive store in the world: Bijan (at 420 Rodeo Drive). You must
make an appointment in advance just to shop at Bijan (which was named after its Irani-
an owner). On a typical visit, Bijan’s average customer spends in the neighborhood of
$100,000 on men’s fashions, which range from a $50 pair of socks to $15,000 suits.
The ladies did what all of the tourists do, window-shopped.

Remember Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts went into the store on Rodeo Drive?
Pretty accurate portrayal of how it really is. Christopher Reeve was originally considered
for the Edward Lewis role. Molly Ringwald was originally offered the role of Vivian but
turned it down. Disney didn’t want Julia Roberts for the role of Vivian; instead they
wanted Meg Ryan. At $178,406,000, Pretty Woman was the second highest grossing
film of Robert’s career. The Highest was Ocean’s Eleven at $183,405,771. The highest
grossing movie that Richard Gere ever starred in was Pretty Woman. Chicago was next
at $170,684,505. After George Clooney and Brad Pitt found out that she was going to
be joining them in Ocean’s Eleven, they sent her a card that read, “We heard that you
get 20 per film” and in it was a $20 bill; the joke was that she reportedly gets $20 million
per film. Fans clamored for years for a sequel to Pretty Woman, or at least another pair-
ing of Julia and Richard. We fans got our wish with Runaway Bride, which was a runa-
way success at $152,149,000. Fans voted Pretty Woman as Julia Roberts’s best movie
so far as an actress, with 28% of the vote. Erin Brockovich came in second with 22% of
the vote. (34B-23-34, if you’re interested)

290
“You didn’t buy anything?” Mike asked.

“Why pay $200 for a pair of Wranglers?” Ginger scoffed. “We saw Julia Roberts.”

“Really?” Jack perked up.

“Down boy,” Shelia laughed. “She’s cute but not really pretty. And, she’s positively flat-
chested.” Meow.

“Oh,” Jack mumbled, clearly disappointed.

Christopher Reeve and Molly Ringwald, huh? That would have been a real winner. Mol-
ly (34C-24-33) turned down the Julia Roberts role in Pretty Woman and the Demi Moore
role in Ghost. She also refused the Lea Thompson role in Some Kind of Wonderful.

The following day, they packed up and headed back to Sedona. Didn’t get killed on the
return trip either. On the way home, they passed by the Barstow Marine Corps Depot, a
pleasant memory.

The US Air Force dug out the 150 missiles in South Dakota and the 200 missiles in
Cheyenne, raising the warhead count from 3,840 to (150+150+ 500) = 4,640. START II
required the deactivation of the Peacekeeper Missiles and the de-MIRV’ing of the Min-
uteman missiles. They started with the Peacekeepers back in 2002 but never quite got
finished. They did de-MIVR the Minuteman III missiles, however. It would have gone
better if Putin had supported Bush’s Operation Iraqi Freedom. If you are knowledgeable
on the US ICBM’s, and have searched the Internet, you’ll find that my total is pretty
close to the total published on the web.

In 1945, it only took 2 ~15kt atomic bombs to bring Japan to its knees. China invaded
India and Pakistan. The Indians and Pakistanis let all 300 of their missiles fly. In Beijing,
the order was given to retaliate against India and Pakistan. In the ensuring confusion,
China let all 1,200 of its missiles fly at whatever they were aimed at. And you thought
the sun didn’t shine after the eruption of Yellowstone. China launched 300 missiles
against India and Pakistan, combined. They launched 450 each at Russia and the US.
They decided it wouldn’t be kosher to launch against Israel.

How can you joke at a time like this? 1,200 missiles were flying from China to destroy
much of the known world. Crying would change things? EAS gave out the warning that
the United States Air Force had confirmed that it had 450 inbound missiles. Duck and
cover! Right, that desk they gave you in school is the perfect cover against an ICBM.
Kerry and Blumenthal were very perplexed; they’d done everything except invite the UN
in to avoid trouble.

291
31324F FOREST GREEN

This is a special access program. Includes costs specifically identified and measurable
to special classified projects for which information on resources will be provided only on
a “need to know” basis to authorized personnel identified on a special access list. Ex-
cludes civilian and military manpower and their related costs and military construction
costs which are included in appropriate management, and support elements in this pro-
gram.

It is believed that this program funds work on the use of space-based electro-optical
sensors for measurements and signatures intelligence (MASINT) multiple mission sup-
port for detection and characterization of adversary ballistic missiles and directed ener-
gy weapons systems tests. This unacknowledged satellite program appears to involve a
dedicated spacecraft, similar in configuration to the Defense Support Program Multiple
Orbit Spacecraft (DSP-MOS), launched into a highly inclined semi-synchronous orbit.

With the heightening of tensions in India and Pakistan, the US military had gone first to
DEFCON 4 and finally DEFCON 3. DHS had raised the Threat Level to Orange. Imme-
diately upon detection of the launches from India and Pakistan, the US moved to DEF-
CON 2 and issued flash orders for an emergency sortie of the fleets. When the launch-
es were detected from China, everyone held his or her breath. When the missile tracks
were confirmed moments later, the US went to DEFCON 1 and the President was
asked to issue the PAL codes. Kerry relented and issued the codes. The briefcase
didn’t even look like a football.

The Football is a secure briefcase that contains the information needed to enable the
President to authorize and initiate a nuclear weapons strike. It follows the President
wherever he goes and is never more than a few steps from his side. A military officer
carries the Football and undergoes the nation’s most rigorous security background
check, “Yankee White”. The contents of the Football are believed to include:

• The “black book” of nuclear weapons launch options as formulated in the Single Inte-
grated Operational Plan (SIOP). The current SIOP is SIOP 04.
• The Emergency Action Message (EAM) or “go codes” needed to authorize use of nu-
clear weapons;
• A booklet on “Emergency Procedures White House” outlining secure locations to
which the President could be directed and describing use of the Emergency Broadcast
System;
• A secure telephone.

The concept of the football came about in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
President Kennedy was concerned that some Soviet commander in Cuba might launch
their missiles without authorization from Moscow. After the crisis, Kennedy ordered a
review of the US Nuclear Command and Control system. The result was the highly
classified National Security Action Memorandum that created the Football.

292
Minimal deterrence involves the ability to respond to a nuclear attack with a minimal nu-
clear counterstrike. In contrast to mutual assured destruction, the counterstrike would
not have the ability to destroy the attacker, but rather is intended to severely damage
the attacker in order to deter an attack. It appears to be the nuclear posture that the
People’s Republic of China maintains toward the United States as well as the nuclear
policy of India and Pakistan. Right.

During the Cold War the USSR invested in extensive protected civilian infrastructure
such as large nuclear proof bunkers and non-perishable food stores. In the US, by
comparison, little to no preparations were made for civilians at all, except for the occa-
sional backyard fallout shelter built by private individuals. This was part of a deliberate
strategy on the Americans’ part that stressed the difference between first and second
strike strategies. By leaving their population largely exposed, this gave the impression
that the US had no intention of launching a first strike nuclear war, as their cities would
clearly be obliterated in the retaliation.

The system the Navy has in place to control the launch of the Trident D-5 missiles is
simple. At the first sign of confirmed trouble an automatic order is issued to launch the
Trident missiles. The order can be to launch immediately or wait 6 hours. If that order
hasn’t been rescinded within 6 hours, the missiles fly. The procedure is called Fail
Deadly. At 5 hours and 50 minutes Mt. Weather rescinded the order. However, 5 hours
and 10 minutes earlier, the United States wasn’t so lucky. Over a period of several
minutes the Chinese missiles arrived. Many were targeted for the missile silos in Mon-
tana, Wyoming and South Dakota. Many weren’t. Phoenix was hit, Flagstaff wasn’t.
Why waste a whole nuclear weapon on 50,000 people? I wonder if they’re having a fire
sale on Rodeo Drive. The suits are marked down to $14,999.99.

Tom and Juan hadn’t left for the office. They got the news of the incoming missiles and
got their families into Tom’s shelter. Ginger, Shelia, Jack and Mike were still on the road
coming home from Los Angeles. A hummer can’t go like a bat out of hell no matter how
hard you push it. To get to Sedona, you take the I-17 to the state route 89 exit near the
airport. A few miles south on 89, you come to a Gordian Knot where you only move
south ½ mile in more than 2 miles of driving. From there the road winds its way to Se-
dona and the ranch 4 miles south. The 4 seniors saw the sky light up far to the south.
They turned on the radio to get some news but all they got was the EAS tone.

“Shit,” Mike said.

“Was that what I think that was?” Jack asked.

“I’m not sure, but that was the EAS tone on the radio,” Mike replied, turning off the radio.

“How long until we get home?” Ginger asked.

293
“20 minutes,” Mike replied. “We should have plenty of time, Ginger.”

“We have a whole lifetime, partner,” Jack responded.

Back when missiles weren’t so accurate, the position of the military was to attack the
cities instead of the military installations of the enemy. There were three reasons for the
philosophy: one, the inability to deliver a missile on an exact target (CEP); two: MAD;
and, three it indicated that you weren’t intending to make a First Strike. Times change
and so do policies. The George W. Bush administration approached Russia with the
idea of moving away from MAD to a different nuclear policy of total weaponry escala-
tion. Russia has thus far been unreceptive to these approaches largely out of fear that a
different defense posture would be more advantageous to the United States than to
Russia. Nevertheless, the Bush administration changed the US nuclear policy.

In the year 2014, no country could make a first strike and not experience a full retalia-
tion. In fact under the Fail Deadly Doctrine, they could expect to get as good as they
gave and much more. Why had the Chinese attacked the US, sour grapes? Does it mat-
ter? While the Chinese attack on India and Pakistan could be seen as retaliation, the
attack on the US and Russia was a First Strike, plain and simple. From now on, if you
want Chinese food, you’ll have to go to the US and a whole lot of those restaurants are
closed for remodeling.

Maybe if Russia had attacked the US, Flagstaff might have taken a hit. The Chinese
sent the 300 most accurate missiles after military targets. The older, less accurate mis-
siles were sent at the largest cities. They hit: New York City (8,084,316), Los Angeles
(3,798,981), Chicago (2,886,251), Houston (2,009,834), Philadelphia (1,492,231),
Phoenix (1,371,960), San Diego (1,259,532), Dallas (1,211,467), San Antonio
(1,194,222), Detroit (925,051), San Jose (900,443), Indianapolis (783,612), San Fran-
cisco (764,049), Columbus (725,228), Austin (671,873), Baltimore (638,614), Milwaukee
(590,895), Boston (589,281), Washington DC (570,898), El Paso (577,415), Seattle
(570,426), Denver (560,415), Charlotte (580,597), Fort Worth (567,516), Portland
(539,438), Oklahoma City (519,034), Tucson (503,151), New Orleans (473,681), Las
Vegas (508,604), Cleveland (467,851), Long Beach (472,412), Albuquerque (463,874),
Kansas City (443,471), Fresno (445,227), Virginia Beach (433,934), Atlanta (424,868),
Sacramento (435,245), Oakland (402,777), Mesa (426,841), Tulsa (391,908), Omaha
(399,357), Minneapolis (375,635), Honolulu (378,155), Colorado Springs (371,182), St.
Louis (338,353), Wichita (355,126), Santa Ana (343,413), Pittsburgh (327,898), Arling-
ton (349,944), Cincinnati (323,885), Anaheim (332,642), Toledo (309,106), Buffalo
(287,698), St. Paul (284,037), Corpus Christi (278,520), Aurora (286,028), Raleigh
(306,944), Newark (277,000), Lexington-Fayette (263,618), Anchorage (268,983), Lou-
isville (251,399), Riverside (274,226) Bakersfield (260,969) and Stockton (262,835). Did
I miss anybody? All of those cities have one thing in common, populations greater than
¼ million. Dang, that’s a lot of people; 48,184,376 million to be exact. Maybe they didn’t
all die.

294
Rule Four: Live in a small town far away from military installations and not downwind of
any large cities.

“Why are you in the shelter?” Mike asked.

“The EAS said that we were being attacked,” Tom replied.

“They hit Phoenix a couple of times but they didn’t hit Flagstaff,” Mike explained. “Give
me the survey meter and I’ll check the radiation level.”

“How do you know they hit Phoenix?” Tom asked.

“Well, maybe they didn’t and the sun changed locations,” Mike replied sarcastically.
“This thing isn’t even registering. I think it’s safe to come out for the moment.”

“How bad is it around the country?” Juan asked.

“All Mike could get on the radio was the EAS tone,” Jack replied. “We really don’t have
any idea. Tell us what they said on the radio or TV.”

“All they said was that the United States was under attack from China,” Juan mumbled.

“That figures,” Mike said. “Dimes to donuts the Chinese pushed into Pakistan and India.
Both countries said they’d respond to China using all means. I wouldn’t put it past China
to hit everyone. Let’s face it; Pakistan and India had about 300 nuclear weapons ac-
cording to CNN. If they attacked China, China would be smashed flat. The Chinese
wouldn’t have anything to lose if that happened.”

“I never thought of that, Mike,” Jack said. “They wouldn’t have anything to lose. We’ll
probably still have to get in the shelters, you know. We’ll probably get fallout from Cali-
fornia.”

“Probably, but we can at least take the time to move the freezers, empty the refrigera-
tors and empty the pantries into the shelters.” Mike suggested. “We can pass out the
presents we bought. Say Tom, did I get a Federal Express package?”

“I put it in the house,” Tom replied.

“Good, we might end up selling the silver Paladins,” Mike smiled.

“Did you get those Paladin holsters?” Tom asked. “Expensive?”

“If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it Tom,” Mike replied. “You’re darn right
they were expensive. They cost Ginger over $1,500.”

295
“Can I have the Laredoan holsters?” Tom asked.

“They don’t fit me anymore,” Mike said. “But I thought you only had 5½” barreled Colts.”

“I figured that money would be no object, so I bought some used Colts. Beginning a
Deputy has its advantages.” Tom smiled.

“God, I hope Marty made it out of Phoenix,” Jack said.

“If he did, he’ll probably show up here,” Mike replied. “How long do you figure before we
hit the shelters?”

“About a day, it depends on the wind,” Jack responded. “If Marty is coming, he should
be here in a couple of hours.”

“Well don’t everyone stand around, let’s get the stuff moved to the shelters,” Mike in-
sisted.

“I said we have a day, Mike,” Jack mentioned.

“Which way is the wind from?” Mike asked.

“The south,” Jack looked at the weather vane.

“Well…”

“Darn,” Jack said. “Hurry up, everybody.”

Marty came screaming in just as they were about to close the shelters. He got them to
empty his trunk and then he joined #23 and his new girlfriend in their shelter. Marty only
had time to bring their rifles. As it was, he barely cleared Phoenix before the first war-
head hit Mesa. He was just short of Agua Fria National Monument on I-17, going
100mph when the first warhead detonated. The new 71,100-acre Agua Fria National
Monument contains one of the most significant systems of late prehistoric sites in the
American Southwest. Its ancient ruins offer insights into the lives of those who long ago
inhabited this part of the desert southwest. The monument is located in central Arizona
approximately forty miles north of central Phoenix. The monument encompasses two
mesas – Perry Mesa and the adjacent, smaller Black Mesa – the public land to the north
of these mesas, and the canyon of the Agua Fria River. Elevations range from 600 feet
above sea level along the Agua Fria Canyon to about 4,300 feet in the northern hills. It’s
the town mentioned in Big Iron.

296
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 29 – After

“Could you see anything behind you?” Mike asked Marty over the intercom.

“I never looked back,” Marty replied. “I was going too fast to take my eyes off the road.”

“It looked like we were going to get dusted by the fallout from Phoenix,” Mike said. “My
remote weather station indicates the wind has shifted to the south. Did you have much
traffic?”

“It was pretty lonely stretch of highway, Mike,” Marty replied. “If it hadn’t have been I
might not have made it here in time.”

On April 4, 2005, exactly two years after Army Sgt 1st Class Paul Ray Smith’s death,
President Bush awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor for valor. It
is only the third Medal of Honor given for actions since the Vietnam War, and the first
from the Iraq war. The other two post-Vietnam Medals of Honor went to Army Master
Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart, two Delta Force
troopers who died defending the crew of a helicopter that was shot down in Mogadishu,
Somalia, in events depicted in the book and movie Black Hawk Down. More than 3,400
Medals of Honor have been awarded since the decoration was created in 1861, of
which more than 600 have been given posthumously. Smith’s widow, Birgit, decided
that the couple’s 11-year-old son, David, would accept the medal on his father’s behalf.
Sgt. 1st Class Smith’s actions saved the lives of at least 100 soldiers according to an
Army narrative.

They stayed in the shelters as the radiation rose, fell and rose again. The initial rise they
attributed to the Phoenix fallout and the rise about a day later to the fallout from Califor-
nia. Phoenix is about 450 miles east of LA and Sedona is about 410 miles due east
(92.7° true) from Bakersfield. Sedona is about 470 miles southeast of Fresno (104.1°
true). Forecasts predict that their area would get fallout from both Fresno and Bakers-
field. With an average wind velocity of 11 miles per hour, the radiation began to rise
about 37 hours after they saw the flash from the Phoenix area. It continued to rise for
about 72 hours and then leveled off. A few hours later, it started to slowly fall as the ra-
diation decayed. At that point, they started counting the 343 hours under the 7-10 Rule.
They had CD V-717’s so they could monitor the outside radiation but the countdown es-
sentially let them know what to expect. They had managed to get the livestock into the
barns, but they had no idea if the livestock would survive.

Fallout may be dangerous to cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, and other livestock as well as
to human beings. Radioactive materials in fresh fallout can contaminate the immediate
environment and give off rays that can penetrate deep into the body. This is the major

297
source of danger for livestock. Animals can also suffer skin burns if fallout settles in the
coat. Skin burns could produce considerable discomfort, but would not endanger the
lives of the animals. Animals are about as sensitive to radiation damage as human be-
ings; to survive, animals need the same protection as human beings.

When livestock must graze on fallout-contaminated pasture, supplemental feeding from

non-contaminated forage can materially reduce the daily dose of radioactive material
the animals will eat. Stored or stacked hay, ensilage from either silo or trench, and
stored grain are safe supplemental feeds when they are protected from fallout contami-
nation. When no shelter is available and when the level of radiation is only moderate, or
food resources are scant, growers should, if possible, supply supplemental feeding and
limit the grazing time. When meat and dairy animals eat contaminated feed, some radi-
oactive elements are absorbed into their bodies. Thus, man’s food supply of animal
products can become contaminated with radioactivity.

Livestock housed in barns and other farm buildings during fallout have a better chance
of surviving effects of radiation than those that are not sheltered. A reasonably well-built
shelter reduces intensity of external radiation and prevents fallout from settling on the
animals’ bodies. It also prevents animals from eating contaminated feed.

The best way to protect livestock from fallout is to move them indoors as soon as possi-
ble. If you do not have adequate facilities to house all animals, put some of them near
farm buildings or in a small dry lot. Under these conditions the amount of space per an-
imal in a barn should be reduced to the point of overcrowding. The limiting factor is ven-
tilation and not space. The advantage is that the animals tend to shield each other
enough that more will survive under crowded conditions than under normal housing.
Large, protected self-feeders and automatic livestock waterers can supply uncontami-
nated feed and water.

The radiation level only got to 300R/hr or so. They didn’t graze the animals from the
fields so there would be no danger from residual radiation absorbed by the plants.
300R/hr in a human is on the cusp of being lethal. They could only hope that the barn
provided a little shielding, it wouldn’t take very much. Their livestock consisted of chick-
ens, hogs, horses and cattle in decreasing numbers. Dr. Russell was on the intercom
suggesting that if the radiation didn’t get any higher there was a good chance most of
the livestock would survive. But Russell was a people doctor, not a veterinarian. It didn’t
make much difference either way; they weren’t going to leave the shelter until it was
safe to do so. They could only hope that they had put down enough hay for the cattle,
horses and hogs. The automatic water tanks were fed from the well in Mike’s basement
so the cattle had clean water. The reason the dogs aren’t discussed was because both
dogs had passed on in 2012 at 14 years of age.

At 7 hours from when they started counting, the radiation level was 30R/hr. At 49 hours
after they started counting, it was 3R/hr. At 343 hours, it was 300mR/hr. At 100 days the
exposure level was 0.30mR/hr. After that they could safely leave the shelter permanent-
ly.

298
°

After 18 days in the shelter, they started taking the Potassium Iodide/Iodate and left the
shelter to tend to the livestock. The animals seemed relieved to be out of the tight quar-
ters. Those bales of hay stacked inside the barn must have shielded the animals be-
cause none seemed to be very ill. Dr. Russell started a log to record their accumulated
radiation. One thing they couldn’t do was use the milk or the eggs for a period of time,
especially the milk. However, it would have been a whole lot worse if they were feeding
the cattle on range grass instead of baled hay.

“It doesn’t look too bad,” Jack said.

“Radiation is a little like high blood pressure, Jack. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t
mean it won’t kill you,” Mike pointed out. “We’re going to need to get the hose and wash
down any hot spots we might find. Other than that, I think we should just leave the fall-
out alone and let it decay.”

“Maybe we should have bought radiation suits or something,” Jack wondered aloud.

“I checked them out,” Mike announced. “A really good one would run about $700 and
up. I didn’t see the point in getting the suits, that’s why we have the shelters. A radiation
suit would only be useful if we had to go into a contaminated area. We have the survey
meters and on the lowest setting we know if we have a hot spot. The cheap ones are
nothing more than a plastic rain suit with a gas mask anyway. I’d rather spend the mon-
ey on food or guns and ammo.”

“I was afraid we’d seen the last of our rifles,” Jack shook his head. “I wonder what pos-
sessed Marty to bring the rifles and come up here.”

“Maybe because Doc Russell is here or maybe because we’re his best customers,”
Mike suggested.

“I’m glad he’s here,” Jack said. “I wonder what he had to leave in Phoenix.”

“I asked him that and he told me that all of his weapons are put away at night in locked
cabinets. So if we wait a while we might be able to go down to Phoenix and recover his
inventory.”

“Did he say anything about what he had on hand?” Jack continued.

“He said he’d gotten 2,000 rounds of that M1018 HEAB ammo and 2 pallets of Lake
City M995 overruns. I’m not sure if he said anything about 7.62 or Garand ammo, but he
probably carries that all of the time.”

299
“When do you want to run down to Phoenix?” Jack asked. “I say sooner before some-
one ransacks his store, but maybe later because of the radiation.”

“The same 7-10 Rule applies in Phoenix as it does here, Jack,” Mike said. “Go ask
Marty when he wants to make the trip. Did anyone think to inventory our fuel?”

“We were topped off last month, partner, we couldn’t have used very much.”

“With the stuff we got from that fella up in Oregon, we’re good to go on food for at least
a couple of years. I’ll have to ask the girls what they did on filling in the Mountain House
stuff,” Mike noted.

“I know we didn’t get the signs for that minefield,” Jack replied. “We got the Oregon food
and packed it in the 6 gallons pails with oxygen absorbers. We rebuilt the generators,
bought more ammo, and topped off the fuel.”

“Ginger updated the drugs and we got the Mountain House stuff, but like I said, I don’t
know how much.”

“Flashlight batteries and bulbs?” Jack asked.

“Dozens.”

“Spare Ma Deuce barrels?”

“That we didn’t get, maybe Marty has some or knows where we can get some,” Mike
suggested.

“If we bring back his ammo, we’ll have that covered for a couple of lifetimes,” Jack
pointed out.

“Hey Marty, we were just talking about you, got a minute?” Mike flagged Marty down.

“What can I do for you?” Marty asked.

“Do you have or can you get replacement barrels for the Ma Deuces?” Jack asked.

“I’ve got the barrels,” Marty replied.

“How many barrels?”

“Maybe a dozen.”

“We’ll take them,” Jack said. “When do you want to go to Phoenix and recover your in-
ventory?”

300
“Do you think it’s safe?”

“Mike said it’s the same 7-10 Rule so I think we’d be okay. Could we clear out your shop
in under 8 hours?”

“If I still have a shop I don’t see why not,” Marty said. “We could just load up everything
and sort it out when we get back up here. I’m not imposing? You have plenty of food
and everything?”

“Not counting you we had 34 people at last count with 24 of the 34 old enough to defend
the ranch. An old jarhead like you can only improve things. You know exactly what we
have for rifles, not counting the .22’s and Ginger’s old AR-15. Plus we have some shot-
guns; you sold us some of them. Did you have any trouble mounting the fast attach
mount on the rifles?”

“No, by the way, the girls’ owe me for 26 of those M4-FA suppressors,” Marty replied.

“So that’s what the surprise was,” Mike laughed. “How much 7.62 do you have?”

“A bunch from Black Hills ammo and some surplus. Plus a few cases of the Garand
ammo but it’s not in the clips.”

“That isn’t any problem John and his boys save the clips,” Jack smiled.

“If you’re sure it’s safe we could go to Phoenix in a couple of more days,” Marty relent-
ed.

“Will everything fit in a pickup and a trailer?”

“No way, it will take all of your pickups and your trailer,” Marty said. “I was running a
pretty successful business.”

“We can buy some of that ammo and the .50 cal barrels,” Jack said.

“I don’t need the money, I need a place to stay, can we work something out?” Marty
asked

“Oh hell yes,” Mike said. “But we’ll still pay for the barrel and some of the 25mm.”

“Then we leave bright and early the day after tomorrow,” Marty said. “Does everyone
have body armor and are there enough of those M-29s?”

“You’ve seen what we have,” Mike said. “We have 10 of them.”

“How many people did you say?” Marty asked.

301
“35 counting you.”

“I have more of the M-29s we can use when we get there,” Marty announced.

“Just how do you manage to get the latest of everything?” Jack wanted to know.

“I had an extensive network of supply Sergeants who seem to be very careless,” Marty
laughed. “Hell, they’re always losing something. I’d guess that’s probably over. I have
10 of the M-29s and with the M-8s you have everyone will have the latest weapons.”

“What about you?” Mike asked. “That would leave us one short on the weapons.”

“I’m partial to my Italian BM-59,” Marty said. “Besides, I have lung cancer and probably
won’t live much longer. All the more reason to get my things up here.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mike said. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

“I don’t, never have,” Marty replied. “C’est la vie. So you see, I don’t really need your
money. I won’t need it wherever I’m going in the afterlife.”

They let the conversation wane, not wishing to intrude on Marty’s personal affairs. They
decided to take 5 pickups, the trailer and 10 people, plus Marty, to Phoenix. They most
certainly weren’t looking forward to this trip. There was no telling what they might be up
against when they got to Phoenix. The city would be filled with the dead and dying, of
that they were certain. However they were concerned that some of those gangs might
have survived and could present a threat. Marty’s business was far off the beaten path
in Buckeye, to the west of Phoenix. It seemed possible that it could still be standing de-
spite the nuclear warheads.

Two days later the 10 people and Marty headed to Phoenix and Buckeye. They picked
up 101 and skirted the Phoenix area as best they could. The Chinese warhead must
have been targeted on the Arizona Capitol Building. Most of Phoenix was utterly devas-
tated. They saw very few people on the trip. The eleven people made short work of
loading Marty’s business on the trailer and pickups and they were back in Sedona 7
hours after they left. Jim had thrown together some stake sides for the pickup boxes
and they were filled to the point of overflowing. It took them well into the night to divide
everything among the shelters and get it secured.

Marty spent a few days matching the barrels to the Ma Deuces. Each of the four ma-
chineguns now had 4 spare barrels. Marty pre-set the headspace one barrel at a time,
turning it all the way in, backing it out until it was correct and writing the number of clicks
out and the ID number for the Ma Deuce. They’d picked up a little extra radiation and
they were well over their day limit. They stayed inside for the next few days until Dr.
Russell told them that they were back on schedule. During the down time, they dis-
cussed what came next.

302
“It’s too late to plant this year,” John pointed out. “I could probably get a cutting of alfal-
fa, but that’s about it.”

“You might be better of waiting on that John,” Dr. Russell said. “The longer you can wait
to plant the animal feed, the better off we’ll be. I understand you planted gardens during
the trouble when Yellowstone blew.”

“We planted alfalfa, corn, wheat and a large garden,” Ginger said. “We have plenty of
canning jars and lids and can probably get more lids in Sedona or Flagstaff.”

“What’s the security situation?” Marty asked.

“We have the mesh fence to begin with, Marty,” Jack answered. “Stay the hell out of
that area between the cyclone fence and the pig wire, it’s a minefield filled with Bounc-
ing Betty’s. We can cover the front fence with flamethrowers, the 4 Ma Deuces and the
Mk-19. It would be mighty tough for someone to get through from the front plus the cy-
clone fence encloses all 80 acres. We have closed circuit TV cameras mounted on
Mike’s radio tower and we can watch the entire acreage on camera.”

“Juan and I are going to take a run into Sedona and see how the residents are making
out,” Tom announced. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Sedona had gotten organized and most of the town had made it through the fallout.
They had barricades on the highways leading north and south out of town. Essential
services were running and they organized all of the food in the town at the High School.
The Mayor was estimating that they had enough food for about 6 months and with ra-
tioning, 9 months. Tom and Juan went the rest of the way into Flagstaff and checked in
with the Sheriff. The Sheriff and what remained of the 26 Men Organization had the sit-
uation in Flagstaff well in hand. Roadblocks were set up on east and west I-40 and the
89 and 180 north and I-17 south were also covered. Flagstaff was estimating that they
had 4 months’ worth of food and maybe 6 months’ worth with rationing. The Sheriff told
Tom and Juan to cover 89 and 179 south and west of Sedona and make certain that
marauding gangs that would turn up sooner or later didn’t attack Sedona.

They still had radio and TV. Radio wasn’t carrying much news and most of it was local.
TV was primarily movies and reruns with local news. Not surprisingly, neither was get-
ting network feeds. The EAS was up and running but FEMA was still getting organized
to deal with the attack. There was more that needed done than they had resources.
President Kerry had activated what remained of the state National Guards and was go-
ing to be up to many of the states to provide their own security. The 26 Men Organiza-
tion had managed to get an Executive Order from the Governor appointing them as the
interim Arizona Defense Force until the Arizona Legislature passed a law. A substantial
portion of the organizations members had been based in Phoenix.

“Any estimates on the death toll?” Jack asked.

303
“We aren’t even sure which cities were hit, quite yet,” Mike replied. “It has to be high
and whatever it is, I imagine it will double or triple before this thing is over.”

“Any news on what happened?”

“China attacked India, Pakistan, the US and Russia,” Mike replied. “That’s about all we
know except that there probably isn’t a China anymore. India and Pakistan started it
when China entered their countries.”

“If you think we had it tough when Yellowstone blew up, you haven’t seen anything yet,”
Jack pointed out. “You should have bought those spears.”

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing really, just something Einstein said,” Jack answered.

“Tom and Juan put up some of those concrete traffic barriers on west 89 and south 179
and they’re staggered so people can get through but only at very slow speeds,” Mike
mentioned. “We never got a second hoard of MZB’s so I suppose we can expect them
this time once the food runs short again.”

“You would think that one disaster in a lifetime would be enough,” Jack said. “Unless of
course you live in Florida. They get them every hurricane season. We’ve had two na-
tional disasters in 7 years. Enough already!”

“We could move back to California and have a major earthquake every few years,” Mike
laughed.

“Thanks, but no thanks, partner,” Jack said. “But I still think you should have bought the
spears.”

Friday, August 1, 2014, Sedona, Arizona…

Marty died from his lung cancer. He had spent his last 4 days in the clinic Dr. Russell
had set up in his basement. Marty left a handwritten will leaving everything to the ranch
corporation. He was entitled to a military funeral but that was back in normal times. Jim
built a wooden coffin and they buried Marty in an area behind the community building
and designated it as their cemetery. They didn’t know it but Marty was only the first of
many that would occupy the cemetery sooner rather than later. The 26 Men Organiza-
tion had lost its founding member. However, there really wasn’t much of the organiza-
tion left anymore. In their area of Arizona, just some people in Flagstaff, Sedona and
Prescott. Not surprisingly several members of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment were members.

304
Prescott, Arizona is the County seat for Yavapai County, the first Arizona County creat-
ed by the Territorial Legislature. Prescott was the original Capital of Arizona until the
Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. In 1889, the Capital was moved again, this time
to Phoenix. Prescott is located in the Bradshaw Mountains of central Arizona, at an alti-
tude of 5400’. The town has a 4-season climate with relatively mild winters. Average
annual precipitation is 19.32”; average snowfall is 25.4”. Prescott is located at 34°34’6”
North, 112°27’41” West (34.568210, -112.461482).

Flagstaff, Arizona is the County seat of Coconino County. Flagstaff lies near the south-
western edge of the Colorado Plateau and along the western side of the largest stand of
ponderosa pine in the United States at an elevation around 7,000’ (2,000 m). Hum-
phreys Peak, an ancient volcano and the highest point in Arizona at 12,633’ (3,850 m),
is immediately north of Flagstaff in the Kachina peaks Wilderness of the San Francisco
Peaks range. Old Route 66 (much of which is now Interstate 40) runs through Flagstaff
between Barstow, California and the cities to the east and connects to the northern end
of Interstate 17 which runs about a two and one-half hour drive south to end at Phoenix,
Arizona. The town’s name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, “Route 66”. Flagstaff is
located at 35°11’57” North, 111°37’52” West (35.199160, -111.630991).

Sedona is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and
Yavapai Counties in the Verde Valley of northern Arizona. As of the 2000 census, the
city had a total population of 10,192. Founded in 1902, it has become a gathering place
for New Age adepts, who believe some of the rocks and pre-Columbian archaeological
remains (such as rock dwellings) of the region have a mystical power. One of Sedona’s
main attractions is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Se-
dona. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from New Age spir-
itual pursuits to the city’s renowned Jazz on the Rocks festival. Politically, Uptown Se-
dona (the part in Coconino County) and West Sedona (the Yavapai County portion)
form the City of Sedona. The town was incorporated into a city in January 1988. The
Village of Oak Creek, despite its location seven miles to the south and outside Sedona
city limits, is a significant part of the community. Sedona is located at 34°51’36” North,
111°47’21” West (34.859897, -111.789199).

The area was serviced by 3 TV stations, KNAZ-2 and KFPH-13 in Flagstaff and KAZT-
30 in Prescott. Flagstaff had radio stations KAFF 930 AM, KAFF 92.9 FM, KBXZ 1650
AM, KFLX 105.1 FM, KJAK 1680 AM, KMGN 93.9 FM, KNAU 91.7 FM, KOLT 107.5
FM, KVNA 600 AM & 97.5 FM, KWMX 96.7 FM, KZGL 95.5 & 101.7 FM. Other stations
serving the area included KQNA 1130 AM in Prescott Valley, KQST 102.9 FM in Cot-
tonwood, KYET 1180 AM in Williams, and KSGC 92.1 FM in Grand Canyon Village.
KJAK and several other stations were off the air. If you want the stations in the Prescott
area, check the link.

Despite having about 30-40 radio stations from which they could normally receive sig-
nals in Sedona, they were lucky to get a dozen. Have you been through a disaster in a
local community? Don’t plan on getting much state or national news, even if it was
available. What you usually got was the smaller local stations devoted 100% to local

305
matters like who is missing and who had been found, etc. and the large media outlets
providing entertainment to take your mind off your problems.

Being in the Flagstaff area after WW III and having that city spared was an experience.
If they hadn’t gone to Phoenix and Buckeye to get Marty’s guns and supplies, they
wouldn’t have had any idea of the scope of the devastation around the country. Many of
the rural Arizona Counties were diverting the few survivors from Phoenix to the National
Forests including Tonto National Forest, Apaches-Sitgreaves National Forest and Co-
conino National Forest. They were not getting any news out of Tucson other than learn-
ing that a missile had hit.

From Ham radio, they slowly pieced together a list of the cities that had been hit (see
previous chapter). The total was 64 with some cities receiving multiple strikes. Many
military installations were also hit and the Chinese had made an attempt at taking out
some of the missile silos. Living anywhere in the area of active missiles silos was defi-
nitely a bad idea. The list didn’t really seem to make any sense, why hit Fresno or Bak-
ersfield or Stockton, CA? Why had cities, like Salt Lake, been spared? Maybe those
Mormon folks did have an in with God. As near as Mike and the others could tell, the
Chinese had used old census data to identify the largest cities. In so doing, they had
spared several large metropolitan areas and over concentrated on others. LA, for ex-
ample had the stuffing kicked out of it, taking 5 warheads in the greater Los Angeles ar-
ea including the Inland Empire.

Not that it made any difference; there was no logic to a nuclear war. Hitting military tar-
gets made perfect sense but the rest of it had to do with the old policy of Mutual As-
sured Destruction. From a strategic point of view, Flagstaff made one hell of a lot more
sense than hitting Mesa. All Mesa had was a bunch of senior citizens. Destroying Flag-
staff would have tied up a major artery in the southwestern US. With Tucson, Phoenix
and Flagstaff destroyed, it would have been darned hard for anyone to cross the south-
western part of the country. It would have blocked I-40, I-10 and I-8, all 3 of the Inter-
state highways leading to California. Go figure.

The pundits who said that an ABM defense would prove to be worthless had been prov-
en right. Maybe if the Star Wars thing had really happened, space borne lasers could
have stopped the missiles. THAAD hadn’t worked and the Patriot PAC-3 and Hawk
missiles lacked the altitude range to effectively stop in incoming warheads.

306
 Guys and Dolls – Chapter 30 – Looking to the Future

“Where do we go from here?” Jack asked.

“I guess it’s time to give you the rest of Marty’s legacy,” Dr. Russell said. “Marty spent
the last 2 years of his life pressing the Governor for that document and only got it signed
2 weeks before the Chinese attack.”

“What is it?” Mike asked.

“I don’t really know what you’d call it,” Russell said. “It is an extension to the Executive
Order that made the 26 Men Organization the acting Arizona State Defense Force. It
has provisions that could only take place if a statewide disaster happened and the
elected government of the state of Arizona was all killed off. Apparently, Marty figured
that Prescott would definitely survive and that Flagstaff might survive. This document
authorizes the formation of a temporary government and reformation of the Arizona
Rangers. I talked to both Sheriff’s and I’m going to take the job of acting Governor until
we can hold elections at some time in the future. Tom and Juan will actually staff the 2
Ranger offices we’re setting up. One office will be in Flagstaff and the other in Gila
Bend. The state will be divided into north and south areas with Tom taking the Flagstaff
office and Juan taking the Gila Bend office.

“The Barry M. Goldwater Range is the nation’s second largest tactical aviation range
and has been essential for developing and maintaining the combat readiness of the tac-
tical air forces of the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and Army. Since the beginning
of World War II, the Goldwater Range has contributed to the nation’s defense by effec-
tively accommodating the training requirements of changing air combat capabilities and
missions. The changing capabilities have been significant: military aircraft in World War
II could shoot down enemy aircraft from a distance of about 600 feet, while today’s air-
craft can engage and shoot down an enemy from as far as 25 miles.

“The Air Force has primary jurisdiction over the land and airspace of the Goldwater
Range, administered through the 56th Fighter Wing Range Management Office at Luke
AFB. Through a letter of agreement between the Air Force and Navy, the range was di-
vided into two major training segments: the Gila Bend (eastern) segment, which is ap-
proximately 1,650,000 acres; and the Yuma (western) segment, which is approximately
1,017,000 acres. The airspace and lands of the Gila Bend segment are controlled by
the Air Force; the Yuma segment is controlled by the US Marine Corps. A five-mile wide
air and ground buffer zone transecting the Mohawk and Sierra Pinta mountains sepa-
rates the two segments. That’s why we’re setting up the second office in Gila Bend,”
Russell continued. “The Chinese didn’t hit Luke AFB and they didn’t hit several other
military installations in Arizona. The military is starting a cleanup of the Phoenix and
Tucson areas and we’re relocating a temporary state government to Flagstaff.

“The Arizona Rangers Act signed by Governor Jane Hull on April 30, 2002 has 2 provi-
sions,” Russell continued.

307
Chapter 40 Arizona Rangers Article 1, General Provisions 41-4201, Arizona Rangers
states:

The Arizona Rangers are an unpaid, noncommissioned civilian auxiliary that is available
for the purposes of assistance to and support for law enforcement in this state. The Ari-
zona Rangers do not possess any law enforcement or investigative powers that are not
provided or established in law for all citizens of this state. Law enforcement support and
assistance services are provided on the request of, and under the direction, control and
supervision of, established law enforcement officials or officers.

Sec. 2. Purpose. The purpose of this act is to recognize the Arizona rangers, who
formed in 1901, disbanded in 1909 and reestablished in 1957 by original Arizona Rang-
ers. The present day Arizona Rangers are an unpaid, all volunteer, law enforcement
support and assistance civilian auxiliary in this state. The present day Arizona Rangers
provide youth support and community service and preserve the tradition, honor and his-
tory of the 1901-1909 Arizona Rangers. The Arizona Rangers, past and present, are a
most valuable and important part of the historical heritage of dedicated, unselfish and
honorable service to this state and the citizens of this state.

“This Executive Order suspends that provision and incorporates those volunteers into
actual law enforcement as I see fit,” Russell concluded.

“Who were the 26 Men that made up the Organization?” Jack asked.

“Marty was the organizer,” Russell replied. “Add to that the 15 Arizona County Sheriffs.
It also included the Governor, Lt. Governor, myself and 7 other people from Phoenix
and Tucson. There are at least 2 companies of Arizona Rangers and they’re all volun-
teers who render assistance to law enforcement.”

“How can we help out?” Mike asked.

“Considering your age, health and other things, mostly be my advisers,” Russell replied.
“This is 2014 and there really isn’t any point in moving back in time. We still have com-
puters and all of the modern conveniences. My first priority will be to get the infrastruc-
ture back up and running. We’re going to need electricity, communications and things
that I can’t even think of at the moment. I’ll know more once we get the Governor’s of-
fice open and we assess the needs of the citizens of Arizona.”

“What about things like fuel?” Jack asked.

“That could be a problem, so we’re going to need to inventory the fuel supply every-
where in Arizona,” Dr. Russell said. “How about making that you’re first project, fellas?
You have the Hummer’s and a fuel trailer, why don’t the two of you start the inventory
and keep in radio contact with your ham radios?”

308
“What if we run into trouble?” Jack asked.

“You have your M29s and you’ve proven to be resourceful so far,” Governor Russell re-
plied. “I suppose I could make you Rangers, but just until you complete the assignment.
The oldest Ranger they ever had was 55, if I recall, and you’re both well into your six-
ties.”

“Mike, why don’t you pull the fuel trailer and I’ll pull a horse trailer so if we get into rough
country or run into some bad roads we can still get around?” Jack suggested.

“Can we go too?” Shelia asked. “We are younger and every bit as good with a gun as
our husbands. We can cover their backs if they run into any trouble.”

“I suppose that you ladies want to be Rangers too,” Russell laughed.

“Only for the duration, Doc,” Ginger replied. “Besides, they’re going to need a medical
person along what with their advanced ages.”

“Oh, all right Ginger, I’ll get Jose and Maria and John and Char to go along and pull
those camping trailers,” Governor Russell replied. “I’ll just make the 8 of you into your
own Ranger Company. However, I don’t want you out there doing law enforcement
work. You can defend yourselves, if necessary, but other than that, the badges are only
to cover my behind, in case you do have to defend yourselves.”

“We’ll have to take Jim and Mary, too,” Jack said. “We’re going to need 2 horse trailers.”

By the time they had everything arranged, there were 10 of them of them and they
drove a semi pulling a 15-horse trailer. The pickups and Hummers pulled 3 campers
and a larger fuel trailer. They filled the back of one of the pickups with food and off they
went, inventorying Arizona’s fuel supply. A company by the name of Featherlight made
huge horse trailers and they had mounts for everyone and 5 packhorses or backup
saddle horses. They were also armed to the teeth because they really didn’t know what
to expect as they traveled around the state. Governor Russell named them Temporary
Company C and laughed when he did it.

There really weren’t all that many fuel depots in Arizona. Two months later, they re-
turned to Flagstaff, weary from being on the road. They hadn’t gone to every ranch, only
to the cities. In the process they’d covered the entire state and had the information the
Governor wanted. Large supplies of fuel had been destroyed in both Tucson and Phoe-
nix. Tucson was as in bad a shape as the Phoenix area.

“You’re not going to like what we found, Governor Russell,” Mike reported. “Most of the
communities that had fuel rationed it and have just about exhausted their supplies or
had already exhausted their supplies. While we were at it we checked out the food situ-

309
ation. It isn’t much better. It’s going to be November next week; some of those commu-
nities are going to run out of food before winter is over.”

“Did you run into any trouble?” Russell asked.

“Other than everyone being very protective of their community, no,” Jack replied. “Let’s
face it, this is the desert southwest. Most of the people here in Arizona have independ-
ent minds and they don’t really hold much with government. There are shortages of
medicine and everything people need to get on. Restoring the power from that plant in
Holbrook and Palo Verde helped. Losing the demands on the power from Phoenix and
Tucson also helped. However, unless your office can do something to feed the people,
we’re surely going to have trouble.”

“What’s the mood of the people?” Russell asked.

“They haven’t turned ugly, but they still had food when we went through,” Mike an-
swered.

“Right. Thank you for your efforts. I’m not really sure what we can do to supply addition-
al food before the next summer’s harvest. Temporary Company C is officially disbanded
but you can keep the badges as souvenirs.”

“Nah, we don’t need them, Governor and if we had them without the authority that goes
with them, it wouldn’t feel right,” Mike said handing back the 10 silver stars. “We’ll go
back to Sedona and be available if you need us.”

Tom and Juan had been covering the staggered auto barrier south on 179 before they
left to run the Ranger offices. After they left, Jim and some of the others took over.
Normally used to 34 people, they lost 2 to the Rangers and 10 to the project. Two more
were gone most of the time, Governor Russell and his new wife. Basically they were
stretched a little thin and the Coconino County Sheriff couldn’t spare anyone to watch
the barrier either. Sedona had problems of their own and they couldn’t lend assistance.

“Man, am I ever glad to see you,” John Jr. said. “Our defense has been thin lately. Have
a good trip?”

“Didn’t get shot at by anybody,” his father answered. “Let’s get the horses unloaded and
fill me in.”

“Where are Mike and Jack?” John asked.

“They stopped off in Flagstaff to give Governor Russell their report on what we found
out,” John Sr. answered.

310
“What did you find out, Dad?” Jr. asked.

“Son everyone is about out of fuel and most people don’t have enough food to get
through this winter.”

“Where does that leave us?” Jr. asked. “We aren’t short of anything.”

“Hoping that no one finds out what we have and tries to take it,” his father answered.

“Dad, this has to be the smallest ranch in Arizona, there can’t be many people who even
know it’s here,” Bob pointed out.

“Bob there are lots of people. You have most everyone in Sedona and they’re short of
food; lots of people in Flagstaff worked on this ranch at one time or another and they’re
short of food; plus Mike and Jack told a lot of people to look us up in Sedona someday,”
John shook his head. “That happened before we realized how bad the food situation
was. Why couldn’t they have made war earlier in the year so we had a full growing sea-
son?”

“Did you want an answer or was that rhetorical?” Bob ask.

“There’re the others from Flagstaff now,” John indicated.

“What did Russell say, fellas?” he asked when they got out of the Hummer’s.

“He said he didn’t really have an answer on the food problem and disbanded Temporary
Company C,” Jack said.

“The kids have been run a little ragged managing the farm by themselves,” John pointed
out.

“We’re back to 18 people full time now, so tell them we’ll handle the barrier tonight and
they can get some rest,” Mike suggested. “Did they have any problems?”

“They didn’t say so, no,” John replied.

“Jack let’s grab some supper and take our turn at the barrier,” Mike proposed.

“No rest for the wicked, huh?” Jack laughed. “What’s our authority since we’re no long
Rangers?”

“We’re still Arizona Defense Force,” Mike reminded him.

“Ok, but I rather be a Ranger,” Jack agreed.

“Ok kids, you’re relieved,” Jack told the 3 guarding the barrier. “Sitrep?”

311
“Nada, Dad,” John Jr. (Jack Jr.) replied.

“I wouldn’t mind it if Josh hooked up with Celia,” Jack said. “Jose and Maria are nice
folks and their kids are all winners.”

“Tom and Teri (Teresa) get along well,” Mike agreed. “Did you remember the night vi-
sion goggles we took off that SAT guy?”

“Got ‘em right here,” Jack replied.

“Russell had better figure out something or we’re going to have trouble when the food
starts running out,” Mike commented. “Jack, why don’t you catch 40 winks and I’ll wake
you up around midnight?”

“Thanks, partner,” Jack said. Five minutes later he was sawing logs.

Mike kept an eye on the road and when it got dark, he used the 4th generation night vi-
sion to keep track of things. The binocular was an ATN Night Shadow 4 Night Vision
Binocular with build in exclusive ATN Smart Technology. Those night vision glasses had
a Proximity Sensor that automatically turned the night vision binoculars ON when it was
brought in the viewing position. The Night Shadow 4 featured all of the benefits of US
made Generation 4 technology, such as automatic brightness and gain control, bright
light protection, along with a powerful IR illuminator and the Night Shadow 4 was a high-
ly professional night vision device. Specialized multicoated optics provided extreme
clarity in low-light situations. With 5X Magnification and designed for long ranges, it was
an excellent choice for Law Enforcement.

The difference between generation 3 and generation 4 was that photocathode sensitivi-
ty measured in µA/lm. This criterion specified the number of electrons released by the
Photocathode (PC). PC response was always measured in isolation with no amplifica-
tion stage or ion barrier (film). Therefore, tube data sheets (which always carry this
“raw” figure do not reflect the fact that over 50% of those electrons are lost in the ion
barrier. While for most latest 3rd generation image intensifiers the photoresponse was in
the 1800 µA/lm (2000 µA/lm for the latest Omni VI Pinnacle tubes), the actual number is
more like 900 µA/lm. The 4th generation did not use ion barrier and while its “raw” pho-
toresponse was the same as 3rd, the actual number is actually 100% higher. The bin-
oculars used the ITT Tube Type F9800TF, a 4th generation tube.

“Wake up Jack, it’s midnight,” Mike said softly.

“Is there any coffee left?” Jack asked.

“I didn’t touch your half gallon,” Mike laughed. “Let me make a pit stop and you can
wake me up at 4am.”

312
Other than some critters, Jack didn’t see anything and Mike and he swapped places at
4am. John and Bob relieved them at 8am. Mike sort of got the short end of the deal, but
his back was bothering him from all of the riding in the vehicles and he didn’t have any
trouble staying awake. Surgery can repair the back only so far and people who have
had back problems usually have to live with a little discomfort. Perhaps the 2 best mat-
tresses made were Serta and Sealy. Serta’s were every bit as firm as the Sealy, but
which one did motels use? Sealy for 2 reasons: cost and the fact that they lasted longer.
If you’ve ever slept in a really cheap motel, you learned to really love a new Sealy mat-
tress. It was mighty hard when you laid on it but when you woke up in the morning you’d
had a good night’s sleep. That was true for Sealy’s too, for about 5 years. Motel mat-
tresses aren’t the same as residential mattress and the average person can’t buy one of
the commercial sets, unfortunately.

Over breakfast, Mike visited with Ginger about several things. He asked her to rub Min-
eral Ice on his back and she became worried that his back was going out. It wasn’t, it
was just sore muscles from driving around for 2 months. During breakfast, they dis-
cussed the rule of three’s, among other things.

“Russell is in trouble,” Mike suggested.

“Do you mean the food?”

“Yes. How long would you say we have before it runs out for the people we talked to?”

“Maybe April,” she replied.

“What’s our situation?”

“Assuming we can grow food like we did last time, we should never run out of food. If
we limit out travel, we have enough fuel to last several years. That’s assuming that
some MZB’s don’t show up and kill us all off.”

“Bad things come in three’s but we’ve had our three bad things,” Mike remarked.

“How do you figure?” she asked.

“The Second Korean War, Yellowstone and now World War III.”

“How do you figure the Second Korean War into the equation, Mike?” Ginger asked.
“Nothing bad happened to the country because of that little fiasco.”

“Well then, make it Yellowstone, the Night of the Colonel’s and World War III,” he sug-
gested.

313
“Maybe, but the Night of the Colonel’s, as you called it, came out of the Yellowstone
thing. How about Yellowstone, World War III and one to go?”

“Are you always a pessimist?” Mike asked. “Haven’t we been through enough?”

“How far is it from Fresno to the Long Valley Caldera?” Ginger asked.

“I’d have to guess, but I think maybe 75-80 miles. Why?”

“What would the odds be that the nuclear weapon that hit Fresno disrupted the magma
chamber at the caldera?” she asked.

“I’m not a geologist, honey, I have no idea,” Mike begged off. “We’re still washing down
the occasional radioactive hot spot and you’re worried about another volcano?”

“Not worried, just wondering,” Ginger replied.

Perhaps after experiencing a Supervolcano and a nuclear war, Ginger wasn’t the only
person who was waiting for another shoe to drop. Remember the 2004 hurricane sea-
son down in Florida? They just couldn’t seem to stop coming and a new one came be-
fore they were completely cleaned up from the previous. What were the odds that the
Long Valley caldera would erupt? Maybe the same as Yellowstone erupting and why did
one have to be related to the other? They were separate pools of magma, weren’t they?

Where the hell was FEMA? Maybe they couldn’t handle a real disaster and all they were
good for was locking up subversives. Kansas hadn’t been hit too hard in the nuclear at-
tack and apparently they were growing some wheat, so why wasn’t FEMA distributing
the food to the people who needed it? Surely there had to be millions of tons of grain
stored to feed the livestock. Eating cornmeal beat the heck out of starving.

Governor Russell thought so and he sent a representative up to talk to the Governor of

Kansas to work out some kind of deal to trade anything he could to get grain to feed his
people. The capital of Kansas was Topeka and Topeka hadn’t been hit by any nuclear
weapons. It was Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas City, Kansas that the Chinese hit.
The only city to be hit in Kansas had been Wichita. The agricultural outputs of the state
of Kansas were: cattle, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, hogs and corn. The agricultural out-
puts of the state of Arizona were: citrus and cattle. The largest employer in Arizona had
been the state government. And, they grew a lot of citrus in the Phoenix area. Russell
narrowly averted the looming disaster but they used up most of their remaining fuel dis-
tributing the food.

Remember all the disaster movies made by Hollywood? The Wind (1928), San Francis-
co (1936), Hurricane (1937), Titanic (1943) (1953) (1958-as, An Affair to Remember)
(1997), The High and The Mighty (1954), The Last Voyage (1960), Krakatoa, East of

314
Java (1969), Airport (1970) (1975) (1977) (1979), The Poseidon Adventure (1970)
(1979), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Skyjacked (1972), The Crazies (1973), The
Towering Inferno (1974), Earthquake (1974), Juggernaut (1974), The Hindenburg
(1975), The Cassandra Crossing (1976), Two Minute Warning (1976), Rollercoaster
(1977), Gray Lady Down (1978), The Swarm (1978), Avalanche (1978), Dawn of the
Dead (1978), Meteor (1979), City on Fire (1979), When Time Ran Out (1980), St.
Helens (1981), The Abyss (1985), Alive (1993), Apollo 13 (1995), Outbreak (1995), Vi-
rus (1995), Daylight (1996), Independence Day (1996), Twister (1996), Volcano (1997),
Dante’s Peak (1997), Armageddon (1998), Deep Impact (1998), Hard Rain (1998), The
Perfect Storm (2000), The Core (2003) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

TV added a few, too: The Savage Bees (1976), Terror out of the Sky (1978), Crash
(1978), S.O.S. Titanic (1979), Testament (1983), The Day After (1983), Starflight: The
Plane That Couldn’t Land (1983) and 10.5 (2004). The point is, if you don’t like the dis-
aster you have, you can always go rent a VHS or a DVD. And, there are others, like,
The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), but you’re getting the idea.

Of all the disaster movies, The Day After (1983), a graphic, disturbing film about the ef-
fects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of central Kansas, was
perhaps the most frightening to many. One critic wrote of that film, “I first saw the film as
a high school student attending a Department of Defense school in Germany in the ear-
ly 1980’s. The film was shown in school and it scared the bejeeezus out of me and
many of my fellow students. We were dealing with Red Army Faction terrorism, car
bombs, bomb threats at school and only a few hundred miles from the border to East
Germany. The concepts were quite accurate: if the eastern bloc came over the border,
then the ONLY NATO response could be to fight a delayed retreat, blowing up roads
and bridges as the US and NATO forces were pushed back and most of Germany
would have fallen to the Eastern Bloc before any offensive action could have been tak-
en. The scenario leading to the nuclear attacks is quite real and plausible.”

So is any scenario where one of the participants has nothing to lose. Like, say, China
with 300 inbound missiles. If you were the leader of China in Beijing and you had 300
inbound missiles, what would you do? Would you only retaliate or would you also attack
the only two super powers in the world capable of taking advantage of your expected
situation. If it were I, I’d take them with me, but that’s only me. 300 missiles inbound to
China would be more than enough to do a pretty effective job of wiping out the country.
What are the US and Russia going to hit, anyway? Probably the same targets as India
and Pakistan hit, assuming that they even bothered to retaliate.

One can conservatively figure that the US lost about ½ of its population in the attack
and the aftermath. The US doesn’t have a Civil Defense program because it wouldn’t
look right to the Russians remember? Instead of spending money of defenses that won’t
do any good in the first place, maybe the US ought to be spending the money on Civil
Defense. We can’t still be afraid of the Russians, can we? When you think about it, all
the kids these days can do is Duck and Cover.

315
Cast of Named Characters at the ranch:

Mike and Ginger (2); Jack, Shelia, John, Jr., Kristen and Joshua (5); Jose, Maria and
Celia (3); John and Char (2); Jim and Mary (2); Tom, Teresa and 3 kids (5); Juan, Sa-
brina and 3 kids (5); John and Mandy and their 2 kids (4); Bob and Patty and their 2 kids
(4); and, Doc Russell and his wife, the nurse from Flagstaff, named Cindy (2).

© 2011, Gary D. Ott

316