Steven C. Day's "The Last Chance Democracy Cafe"

During the last seven months we’ve shared a lot of laughs at The Last Chance Democracy Café. Tonight we share a nightmare.

The Last Chance Democracy Café
Episode 22: Walking In The Shadows of Nightmares

by Steven C. Day

It couldn’t happen here, right? Not here. Not in America . . .

* * *

I’ve been spending too much time lately walking in the shadows of nightmares -- dancing in the garden of the unthinkable.

That’s not my character. I’ve never been one to stew over worst case scenarios, or obsess on visions of Armageddon.

Born into the duck and cover generation, I was raised under the specter of mass obliteration. In grade school we actually held nuclear attack drills, alongside the more pedestrian fire drills. They’d line us up in the halls, tell us to kneel down next to a wall and cover our heads with our hands. Yeah, that’s the ticket. That ought to stop a nuclear blast cold. God, what naive times those were. We were shown films too -- chocked full of handy tips on how best to survive an atomic war. I particularly remember one scene showing us how to open a loaf of bread in such a way as to keep the radioactive dust on the packaging from falling onto the bread itself.

Yet, I recall no apocalyptic night terrors. No panic attacks. No post traumatic stress disorder. I guess I figured somehow things would work out all right.

I had no idea how close we came to that not being true. I was only seven years old in 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted. It would be almost 40 years before the world would learn just how close we came to going the way of the dinosaurs during those fateful thirteen days in October. John F. Kennedy was under extreme pressure to go to war. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were unanimous in urging immediate air strikes against the new Soviet missile emplacements in Cuba, to be followed by a full-scale invasion and occupation of the island. They considered Kennedy’s plan for a navel embargo wrong-headed and grossly inadequate -- almost French, one might say today.

Air Force Chief of Staff, Curtis LeMay (who would later fill out his resume with a stint as George Wallace’s running mate during his racist 1968 third party presidential run) didn’t mince his words: "This is almost as bad as the appeasement at Munch," he told Kennedy in October of 1962.

Leading members of Congress agreed with the call to arms. So did many of Kennedy’s closest advisors.

Thanks to the release of Soviet documents, we now have a pretty good idea what would have happened if Kennedy had followed this advice. The Soviet troops in Cuba would have fought back fiercely, possibly including use of tactical nuclear weapons. The Soviets would almost certainly have struck back elsewhere against American interests, probably by attacking our missile emplacements in Turkey. The most likely result would have been World War III.

So what saved us? Was it Divine intervention? Maybe God, the same God we’re now told so recently gave George W. Bush the bum advice to invade Iraq, actually got it right back in ‘62, whispering into Kennedy’s ear to hold back. Or maybe we just got lucky.

Maybe ultimately the only thing that separates happy endings from darkest doom in foreign affairs, is the wisdom of that one man in White House.

And that possibility scares the hell out of me right now.

I first started obsessing about this during the lead up to the Iraq War. That’s when I began staying late at The Last Chance Democracy Café, long after closing time. Long after even when Maggie finished cleaning the place. I was there, night after night, walking the floors in the dim nighttime lighting, battling shadows of despair. Sometimes I didn’t leave for hours. It’s hard to describe. Hard to explain. An overpowering sense of foreboding over the seemingly inevitable upcoming invasion: The classic sense of impending doom. I would just walk and walk, often while playing Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel again and again over the sound system:

We held the day . . .
In the palm of our hand
They ruled the night
And the night seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island
We held the coastline
They held the highland
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of the motors
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive.

And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together.

Almost half a century had passed since our betrayal of those fine young men. And here we were getting ready to do it all over again. "My God, why?" I kept whispering to myself as I paced and paced. "Why?"

But the coming of the war didn’t calm my late night wanderings. Instead, I found myself running an even darker scenario through my mind. I’m still doing it -- almost like the computer in the movie War Games, I spend hour after hour in the darkened café playing out a detailed doomsday scenario, refining it slightly, night by night. But always the ending is the same. This was where it stood as of last night:

* * *

-- March 21, 2003: American and British forces begin the "shock and awe" campaign against Iraq. Hundreds of bombs and missiles are delivered against Baghdad and other Iraqi targets.

-- March 25, 2003: Outraged Muslim fundamentalists, working inside Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, secretly transfer two low yield nuclear devices to representatives of Al Qaeda. The weapons are hidden in caves along the mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

-- November 2, 2004: George W. Bush wins a second term. Republicans maintain control of both houses of Congress.

-- November 9, 2004: Bush orders a full scale assault against Iraqi rebels. During the ensuing several weeks, hundreds of American troops and thousands of Iraqis are killed.

-- November 2004 through March 2005: Initial rosy reports regarding operational successes prove illusory, as American force concentrations prove inadequate to hold recently "liberated" sections of Iraq. A near complete breakdown in public services, combined with reports of massive Iraqi casualties, result in a large influx of new recruits to rebel forces and terrorist groups. The frequency of attacks against Allied forces, after initially dropping during the offensive, quickly spike to record levels. The rate of Allied casualties continues to rise steeply. The antiwar movement within the United States becomes larger and more vocal. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noting low reenlistment levels, hints that reintroduction of the draft may be necessary.

-- March 5, 2005: Osama bin Laden and three of his top deputies are killed during a clash with units of the Pakistani military. The Bush administration trumpets a major victory in the War on Terrorism. But a secret government report predicts little impact on terrorist operations. Capturing or killing bin Laden back during the War in Afghanistan, when the opportunity presented itself in the caves of Tora Bora, might well have killed Al Qaeda by cutting off its head. But during the years following that blundered opportunity, Al Qaeda metamorphosed within the Islamic World from a terrorist organization into a broad-based cause. Killing the man himself had become largely superfluous.

-- March 2005 through September 2005: Anti-American sentiment continues to grow in the Islamic world. American prestige remains historically low worldwide.

-- October 4, 2005: Timed to correspond with the first day of Ramadan, two low yield nuclear devices recently smuggled out of Pakistan are simultaneously detonated – one in New York City and the other in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of thousands of Americans and Israelis die instantly. Tens of thousands more die in the weeks, months and years to follow.

-- October 4, 2005: President Bush declares marshal law in "high risk" areas, including most of the Eastern and Western seaboards.

-- October 6, 2005: Without debate, Congress adopts the God Bless America Act, granting the President virtually unlimited powers to respond to "the current state of crisis."

-- October 6, 2005: Israeli armed forces begin a massive bombing campaign in the West Bank, followed by tank and infantry movements, driving the Palestinian population toward the Jordanian border. The Likud government scoffs at accusations by the few Israeli peace advocates still willing to speak out publicly that it has instituted the long whispered of "final solution" of evicting the Palestinians from the occupied territories. The "facts on the ground" suggest this is precisely the plan.

-- October 7, 2005: Riots break out across the Middle East.

-- October 7, 2005: American forces launch a series of conventional weapons attacks against "suspected terrorist targets." Viewed as completely ineffectual by policy experts, these attacks appear primarily motivated by the political need to demonstrate that some sort of action is being taken.

-- October 9, 2005: Citing "irrefutable proof" of Iranian involvement in the October 4 attacks, Israel explodes four low yield nuclear weapons against "carefully selected" Iranian targets. While each blast site meets the definition of a military target, more than one million civilians die instantly. Ariel Sharon goes on television to warn that any further Iranian aggression will be met by a "devastating" Israeli response.

-- October 9-13, 2005: Massive public uprisings spread across the Middle East. Within days, all of the so-called moderate Arab governments are overthrown, replaced by Islamic fundamentalists committed to the establishment of Iranian style theocracies.

-- October 15, 2005: Civil war rages in Pakistan. Alarming reports circulate that Pakistani nuclear facilities have fallen under the control of rebel forces closely affiliated with Al Qaeda.

-- October 16-17, 2005: Claiming the right of preemption, India sends hundreds of thousands of troops streaming across the India-Pakistan border. Overwhelmed, the Pakistani military targets the invading troops with two tactical nuclear warheads, causing massive military and civilian casualties.

-- October 18, 2005: India responds with a series of six nuclear strikes against population centers in Pakistan. Millions die instantly. The Indian government announces that any further Pakistani use of nuclear weapons will be met by nuclear carpet bombing of Pakistan.

-- October 19, 2005: Seeking to calm an open rebellion among its large Muslim population, the Russian government announces that any further aggressive action taken by Israel against other nations in the region, including the Palestinians, will result in a Russian military strike against the Jewish State. A somewhat less strident threat is issued to India. Russia also demands that the United States take immediate steps to restrain Israel. Meanwhile, a variety of other regional conflicts and civil wars break out around the world.

-- October 19, 2005: The aging cold warriors largely responsible for managing foreign policy within the Bush administration respond reflexively, refusing to negotiate with Russia under threat of force and declaring that any Russian attack against Israel will be deemed the equivalent of an attack upon the United States, producing a full retaliatory U.S. response.

-- October 20, 2005: Vladimir Putin goes on Russian television to announce that the Russian government regards the American threat as the equivalent of a declaration of war. He promises, however, Russia will not strike first. The military of virtually every nation on the planet is either engaged in active combat or on high alert status.

-- October 22, 2005: With the world hanging on the edge of the abyss, a delegation of former officials from the first Bush administration, led by Bush family consiglieri, James Baker, and the former President himself, arrive at the White House. The delegation delivers a strong demand to the current President Bush that he immediately commence negotiations with Putin to defuse the world situation. The younger Bush acquiesces. Over the course of the next several weeks Baker exercises near dictatorial powers within the U.S. government, ultimately hammering out an agreement with Putin. A series of shaky cease-fire agreements are then forced upon most governmental combatants. However, terrorist and rebel attacks continue unabated, producing repressive governmental responses across the globe.

-- October 29, 2005: The Secretary of Homeland Security announces that highly credible information indicates that terrorists have successfully smuggled several additional nuclear weapons into the United States. He further advises that a new threat level -- Code Black -- has been added to the Department’s advisory system, to be used only when the risk of nuclear terrorism is deemed to be high.

-- November 2005 through March 2006: Seven separate Code Black warnings are issued, leading to evacuation orders at various times for Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angles, San Francisco and Seattle. No detonations occur and no weapons are ever located. The American public lives in a state of unrelenting terror. Meanwhile, the level of Islamic anger worldwide reaches ever more dangerous levels, as cries for revenge against Israel, India and the United States go unanswered, except by the terrorists.

-- March 2006 through May 2006: A series of suicide bombings sweep across major American cities. Hundreds die.

-- May 7, 2006: President Bush goes on television and soberly announces that in light of the deteriorating security situation, he has deemed it necessary to extend marshal law nationwide. He has also executed an executive order, pursuant to the God Bless America Act, suspending operation of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eight Amendments to the United States Constitution in terrorism cases. The decision as to what constitutes a "terrorism case" is entirely at the discretion of the Executive Department. Further, in order to make certain that frivolous litigation will not impede the government’s efforts to prevent future attacks, the Writ of Habeas Corpus is suspended for the duration of the War on Terrorism. Almost no one complains.

-- August 30, 2006: The Department of Homeland Security announces that highly dependable intelligence sources have confirmed that terrorist organizations are making wide ranging use of the Internet in communicating plans for future nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. Private access to the Internet must, therefore, be banned on a temporary basis, pending further announcement. No further announcement comes.

-- September 19, 2006: Voluntary Press Codes are issued under which all major media outlets agree to pre-publication screening of all stories and commentary potentially relevant to Homeland Security.

-- November 7, 2006: Although the nation remains under marshal law, the 2006 congressional elections go off as scheduled. Surprisingly, given the broad bipartisan support given to the War on Terrorism, Bush campaigns aggressively in favor of Republican candidates, suggesting that the Democratic Party is soft of terrorism. Republicans win virtually every contested race, running up commanding majorities in both the House and the Senate. Rumors of widespread election fraud circulate, but no official investigation is undertaken.

-- January 22, 2007: In furtherance of this huge electoral mandate, Congress immediately adopts the God Bless America Act II. Among many other pertinent provisions, the Act creates the new crime of aggravated sedition, defined as "doing any act that may give aid or comfort to the enemies of The United States of America, as defined by the Commander in Chief." Exclusive jurisdiction for prosecutions under the Act is placed with military tribunals. Civilian courts are prohibited from interfering. The penalty is death.

-- January 29, 2007: The government begins forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands of Muslim Americans to new Relocation Centers.

-- June 14, 2008: President Bush issues a proclamation stating that it has become painfully apparent that there is no way the upcoming presidential election can be held in light of the current deteriorating security situation. "This is also no time to be changing horses midstream," he adds. He is very confident, he assures the public, that his new security initiatives will soon remedy the situation allowing the democratic process to go forward with only minimal delay. "I am personally heartbroken by this," the announcement continues, "since I have been looking forward to enjoying a peaceful retirement at my Crawford ranch. But as has been true my whole life, service must come first."

-- June 2008 through February 2009: Terror alerts continue to be issued on an almost daily basis. Evacuation orders directed to one or more cities are issued on an average of every two months. Scattered suicide bombings and other low level terrorist attacks against American interests continue both at home and abroad.

-- February 17, 2009: I can no longer comfortably ignore the growing reports of wide scale abductions and secret arrests of the President’s political opponents. Rumors are rampant of liberals, conservative libertarians, academicians and other trouble makers being herded into Relocation Centers in sparsely populated areas of the country. Reports of summary executions are also circulating. I tell my wife it’s no longer safe for her and the boys to stay with me. She’ll need to take them to her sister’s in Vermont as soon as possible.

-- February 18, 2009: As the family van pulls out of our driveway, perhaps for the last time, I look into my oldest son’s eyes -- eyes that once taught me for the first time that complete, absolute and unconditional love isn’t just a myth. I wonder if I will ever see them again. "Was it worth it?" I mumble. "Could anything, any cause, any principle really be worth this?"

-- February 21, 2009: It’s well after dark as I enter The Last Chance Democracy Café. It’s been closed for more than three years. The government didn’t shut us down. It didn’t need to. When our customers discovered the café was being watched by members of Homeland Security’s Volunteer Corps, they naturally stopped coming. Horace, Tom, Winston and I had one final Wednesday evening get together here before I locked the place up for good. Just the four of us. No one else dared come. I’m here tonight to pick up some papers locked in my desk drawer. Although I’m in default on the note, the bank hasn’t bothered taking back the property yet. What would be the point? No one is renting or buying commercial space these days, due to the worldwide depression. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. Probably head North and try to sneak across the Canadian border. Canada is far from a safe haven. Unlike the situation back during the Vietnam War, our Northern neighbor will extradite political fugitives to the United States these days. As a militarily weak nation it simply can’t afford to take the chance of angering the current aggressive U.S. leadership. But it’s also well known that the Canadians make it a point not to look very hard for American political fugitives, so it’s still the safest place in North America.

-- February 21, 2009 (continued): I notice four unmarked vehicles with their headlights off turning into the parking lot. It’s Homeland Security. Panic sets in, as I race out the back door, throwing myself into the night. I hear voices behind me, "There he is! Halt, or we’ll shoot!" Suddenly, I realize I’m lying on the ground. I feel a wetness on my shirt. The bullets have torn all the way through from my back, exiting out of my abdomen. My head’s spinning. Darkness races in. I whisper, "This can’t be happening. It can’t be happening. Not here. Not in Americ . . ."

* * *

Standing there in the darkness of The Last Chance Democracy Café last night, I brushed this vision away from my eyes as though it were a physical thing. My heart was pounding like I’d just run a four-minute mile -- sweat pouring down my face. It was that real to me. I said to myself, "Settle down Steve. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. That could never happen. It could never really happen . . ."

I mean, it couldn’t happen here, right? Not here. Not in America . . .

* * *

Postscript

For the record, no, I’m in no way suggesting that George W. Bush actually intends to establish a military dictatorship in the United States. What I am suggesting, however, is that the Bush administration’s dismissive attitude toward sacred constitutional principles like the protection of personal liberties and the separation of powers is dangerous, extraordinarily dangerous. And one other thing I’m suggesting is that all Americans, of every political viewpoint, should take at least a few moments from time to time to remind ourselves that eternal vigilance really is the price of liberty -- especially in times like these.

Because, given just the right set of circumstances, it could happen here. It really could.

* * *

"The Last Chance Democracy Cafe" runs every other week. You can read all the Episodes in the archives.

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When not busy managing a mythical café, Steven C. Day lives with his family in Wichita, Kansas where he has practiced law for 25 years. Contact Steven at scday@buzzflash.com.

© Copyright 2004, Steven C. Day. WGAw #974001