'Techno-thriller novel' Chapter 1
The flashes and clicks of the cameras played out a rapid staccato rhythm. The White House press corps was ravenous for information today, just as they had been every day since the secession was announced. Tim Meaney couldn't blame them; it was the nation's most alarming crisis since the Civil War. Even the protests and civil unrest that accompanied the West African War did not threaten the very concept of the United States as the present crisis was doing. No, what Tim Meaney disliked about this situation was that – as Press Secretary – it was down to him to relay information that was in all honesty a repetition of the administration's previous statements. Meaney stepped to the podium, cleared his throat, and was greeted with an abrupt silence. The eyes of the reporters were not silent however, for they all stared at the Press Secretary with the intensity of a bird of prey, practically screaming their intent to swoop upon him for the slightest misstep. Meaney cleared his throat gain.
"The President has prepared a statement on the current crisis. This administration is committed to reaching a peaceful conclusion to the secession of the state government of Texas. This is not an endorsement however of the actions of said government. President Wellstone was elected to serve all of the people of these United States of America, not a minority of either the left or the right. This is not a partisan issue. The acceptance of the results of free and fair elections is at the very core of our government and way of life. Thank you. Now, we have time for a few questions. Rachel?"
"Rachel Cabot, CNN. What concessions is the President willing to give to Texas?" Though he knew this question would be asked, Tim Meaney had still dreaded it. The truth was that the administration had no concessions for Texas. From the perspective of the Federated Farmer-Labor Party – that unwieldy but enduring alliance of Farmer-Laborites, Progressives, Socialists, and Communists – the Democratic government of Texas had consistently been a thorn in the eye of progressive governance, every step of the way resisting civil rights and desegregation legislation along with federal welfare programs. For a Texan Progressive campaign manager like Tim Meaney, this conflict was personal. Of course, the Press Secretary could not just admit that the administration had no intention of being conciliatory, nor could he allow his personal feeling to show. Unfortunately, producing answers off-the-cuff was a skill that Meaney was not adept at. "As I said Rachel the administration is committed to a peaceful solution which results in the readmittance of the state of Texas into the Union. John?"
"John Wedgewood, NBC. What is the President's response to reports of proposals by Texan legislators to repeal desegregation laws?" Ah, a more manageable question for Meaney to answer. "The President and his administration condemn in the most absolute terms any attempt to turn back the clock on civil rights. Any such attempts in the Texas Legislature would only demonstrate that the state government's repeated claims of 'federal infringement on states' rights' is a smokescreen to cover for racial discrimination. We are confident that any reimplementation of formal segregation would be incompatible with both the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Texas." Meaney knew it was more complex though. He had personally seen how state governments, including Texas, had skirted the law or used loopholes to engage in voter suppression of ethnic minority or working class voters. Stating that aloud at the conference though would exacerbate the crisis even more. Instead the embattled Press Secretary looked around for the next reporter. There, the newest arrival from the Union of Soviet Republics of Europe and Asia; what was her name again? "Next. Anja?"
"Anja Zgorzelska, Dziennik Telewizyjny. Why does the US government tolerate fascist insurrectionaries." A few sniggers, more angry glares, but otherwise an uncomfortable silence followed. Anja continued, "The Texans have rejected the authority of the federal government, successfully retained control of the National Guard, and are using the same justifications as last time. So, I ask, how is this not a repeat of the Civil War?" Meaney had to reassert control of the conference before the other reporters latched on to this 'Second Civil War' line of thought. Damn it Anja, he thought, I was looking for support from a fellow leftist. "Let's not jump the gun here Anja. There has so far been no violence or any signs of the state of Texas looking to escalate the situation militarily. One last question. Uh, Alan?"
"Alan Beesley, BBC. There are reports of Communist Party leaders – of whom Vice President Davis is a member – calling for support from the USREA and other socialist nations. Does the administration share that position?" Meaney internally heaved a sigh of relief; finally an easy one. "No, the President, Vice President, and the administration are in agreement that this is strictly a domestic American matter and – as always - any foreign interference will be opposed resolutely. Thank you, that's all we have time for."
The hotel outside Dallas could charitably be described as quaint. The only distinguishing feature was the recently-placed handwritten sign which read 'WHITES ONLY'. The journalist's eyes narrowed a fraction. The Texan government had not yet reintroduced segregation, but clearly some business owners were making the most of the changed circumstances. The journalist entered the hotel and booked a room at the reception. Single bed. Indefinite stay. When asked for identification, the journalist provided a worn South African passport in the name of Willem Kopp. The receptionist barely looked at the passport before returning it. The name was as fake as the documentation it adorned. 'Willem Kopp' had never actually been to South Africa, but his Brabantian accent could pass for South African in most of the world and thus was one of the reasons he had been assigned to this operation. The operation itself was subject to the highest levels of USREA and Comintern classification. If this was some reactionary dictatorship, for example South Africa, the risk of socialist agents being exposed was not too problematic. After all, fomenting revolution was the raison d'être of the Communist International. But infiltrating a country with an ostensibly amicable government which included fellow Communists and Socialists? That was a diplomatic incident waiting to happen. Within the American Communist Party, only their members on the Comintern's Executive Committee were aware of the operation; those members did not include Vice President Angela Davis.
Willem Kopp had a few hours to spare before the scheduled meeting with his contact. He refamiliarised himself with his cover. Willem Kopp: born in Bloemfontein; a foreign correspondent from the newspaper Volksblad, sent to Texas in 2006 to cover the story of the state's secession. The other members of his team, who should at that moment have been arriving at their own hotels in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, had their own similar cover identities. Fortunately for the operation, a major political crisis in the world's leading capitalist liberal democracy was a siren's call to international journalists. When Kopp was satisfied that he had memorised his cover, he switched on the television. Predictably every channel featured a news segment on the current crisis. Kopp sighed; there was no further information or insights beyond what he had already learned in his pre-operation briefings in Milan. The state of Texas was not happy about the Federated Farmer-Labor victory in the last election. The new government's policies were apparently federal overreach. So on and so forth. Kopp had heard it all before. Anyway, it was time. Kopp turned off the TV and left for his meeting with the contact.
Manuel Amendola was an inconspicuous-looking man, a blessing for the line of work he suddenly found himself in. He was a low-level but trusted activist for Raza Unida, the left wing Mexican-American party. Beyond his orders to provide whatever the foreign contact asked for, Amendola himself knew little of the operation to which he had been attached and meeting Willem Kopp at his auto repair ship did little to assuage Amendola's nervousness.
"How's the mileage on that Ford?" Kopp had asked in perfect Spanish.
Remembering the passcode, Amendola replied, "You're mistaken sir, it's a Chevy." With the tradecraft dispensed with, Kopp relayed his 'order': enough automatic weapons and ammunition for a team of eight; two off-road capable vehicles; and a safehouse that was within the Dallas-Fort Worth area but appropriately secluded.
"Don't worry sir I can arrange all of that for you, though the rifles may take a bit longer."
"I'm not a 'sir' Manny, I'm a comrade. When you've acquired the materiel, call this number from a payphone." And with that, Kopp was gone.
"The President has prepared a statement on the current crisis. This administration is committed to reaching a peaceful conclusion to the secession of the state government of Texas. This is not an endorsement however of the actions of said government. President Wellstone was elected to serve all of the people of these United States of America, not a minority of either the left or the right. This is not a partisan issue. The acceptance of the results of free and fair elections is at the very core of our government and way of life. Thank you. Now, we have time for a few questions. Rachel?"
"Rachel Cabot, CNN. What concessions is the President willing to give to Texas?" Though he knew this question would be asked, Tim Meaney had still dreaded it. The truth was that the administration had no concessions for Texas. From the perspective of the Federated Farmer-Labor Party – that unwieldy but enduring alliance of Farmer-Laborites, Progressives, Socialists, and Communists – the Democratic government of Texas had consistently been a thorn in the eye of progressive governance, every step of the way resisting civil rights and desegregation legislation along with federal welfare programs. For a Texan Progressive campaign manager like Tim Meaney, this conflict was personal. Of course, the Press Secretary could not just admit that the administration had no intention of being conciliatory, nor could he allow his personal feeling to show. Unfortunately, producing answers off-the-cuff was a skill that Meaney was not adept at. "As I said Rachel the administration is committed to a peaceful solution which results in the readmittance of the state of Texas into the Union. John?"
"John Wedgewood, NBC. What is the President's response to reports of proposals by Texan legislators to repeal desegregation laws?" Ah, a more manageable question for Meaney to answer. "The President and his administration condemn in the most absolute terms any attempt to turn back the clock on civil rights. Any such attempts in the Texas Legislature would only demonstrate that the state government's repeated claims of 'federal infringement on states' rights' is a smokescreen to cover for racial discrimination. We are confident that any reimplementation of formal segregation would be incompatible with both the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Texas." Meaney knew it was more complex though. He had personally seen how state governments, including Texas, had skirted the law or used loopholes to engage in voter suppression of ethnic minority or working class voters. Stating that aloud at the conference though would exacerbate the crisis even more. Instead the embattled Press Secretary looked around for the next reporter. There, the newest arrival from the Union of Soviet Republics of Europe and Asia; what was her name again? "Next. Anja?"
"Anja Zgorzelska, Dziennik Telewizyjny. Why does the US government tolerate fascist insurrectionaries." A few sniggers, more angry glares, but otherwise an uncomfortable silence followed. Anja continued, "The Texans have rejected the authority of the federal government, successfully retained control of the National Guard, and are using the same justifications as last time. So, I ask, how is this not a repeat of the Civil War?" Meaney had to reassert control of the conference before the other reporters latched on to this 'Second Civil War' line of thought. Damn it Anja, he thought, I was looking for support from a fellow leftist. "Let's not jump the gun here Anja. There has so far been no violence or any signs of the state of Texas looking to escalate the situation militarily. One last question. Uh, Alan?"
"Alan Beesley, BBC. There are reports of Communist Party leaders – of whom Vice President Davis is a member – calling for support from the USREA and other socialist nations. Does the administration share that position?" Meaney internally heaved a sigh of relief; finally an easy one. "No, the President, Vice President, and the administration are in agreement that this is strictly a domestic American matter and – as always - any foreign interference will be opposed resolutely. Thank you, that's all we have time for."
The hotel outside Dallas could charitably be described as quaint. The only distinguishing feature was the recently-placed handwritten sign which read 'WHITES ONLY'. The journalist's eyes narrowed a fraction. The Texan government had not yet reintroduced segregation, but clearly some business owners were making the most of the changed circumstances. The journalist entered the hotel and booked a room at the reception. Single bed. Indefinite stay. When asked for identification, the journalist provided a worn South African passport in the name of Willem Kopp. The receptionist barely looked at the passport before returning it. The name was as fake as the documentation it adorned. 'Willem Kopp' had never actually been to South Africa, but his Brabantian accent could pass for South African in most of the world and thus was one of the reasons he had been assigned to this operation. The operation itself was subject to the highest levels of USREA and Comintern classification. If this was some reactionary dictatorship, for example South Africa, the risk of socialist agents being exposed was not too problematic. After all, fomenting revolution was the raison d'être of the Communist International. But infiltrating a country with an ostensibly amicable government which included fellow Communists and Socialists? That was a diplomatic incident waiting to happen. Within the American Communist Party, only their members on the Comintern's Executive Committee were aware of the operation; those members did not include Vice President Angela Davis.
Willem Kopp had a few hours to spare before the scheduled meeting with his contact. He refamiliarised himself with his cover. Willem Kopp: born in Bloemfontein; a foreign correspondent from the newspaper Volksblad, sent to Texas in 2006 to cover the story of the state's secession. The other members of his team, who should at that moment have been arriving at their own hotels in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, had their own similar cover identities. Fortunately for the operation, a major political crisis in the world's leading capitalist liberal democracy was a siren's call to international journalists. When Kopp was satisfied that he had memorised his cover, he switched on the television. Predictably every channel featured a news segment on the current crisis. Kopp sighed; there was no further information or insights beyond what he had already learned in his pre-operation briefings in Milan. The state of Texas was not happy about the Federated Farmer-Labor victory in the last election. The new government's policies were apparently federal overreach. So on and so forth. Kopp had heard it all before. Anyway, it was time. Kopp turned off the TV and left for his meeting with the contact.
Manuel Amendola was an inconspicuous-looking man, a blessing for the line of work he suddenly found himself in. He was a low-level but trusted activist for Raza Unida, the left wing Mexican-American party. Beyond his orders to provide whatever the foreign contact asked for, Amendola himself knew little of the operation to which he had been attached and meeting Willem Kopp at his auto repair ship did little to assuage Amendola's nervousness.
"How's the mileage on that Ford?" Kopp had asked in perfect Spanish.
Remembering the passcode, Amendola replied, "You're mistaken sir, it's a Chevy." With the tradecraft dispensed with, Kopp relayed his 'order': enough automatic weapons and ammunition for a team of eight; two off-road capable vehicles; and a safehouse that was within the Dallas-Fort Worth area but appropriately secluded.
"Don't worry sir I can arrange all of that for you, though the rifles may take a bit longer."
"I'm not a 'sir' Manny, I'm a comrade. When you've acquired the materiel, call this number from a payphone." And with that, Kopp was gone.