State of Terror

by John Brown

  “State control of the economy — what the people may produce, who they are permitted to employ, in what occupations they are licensed to work, what goods and services they are allowed to buy, what housing they may occupy, what the schools may teach their children, what foods they may eat, what medical care is allowed, what vehicles are permitted, how much they may earn and how much they may keep — meant regulation of life itself. A command-and-control economy delivered command and control of the people. A planned economy meant the people’s lives would be planned to conform to the social engineering of society. They would be directed, pushed, and pulled by the planners, rewarded or punished for their actions or inactions.

  “The growing numbers of those dependent upon the State for their daily sustenance in one way or another made control of the people all the easier. A dependent people learn to be helpless; they come to believe that work and initiative amount to nothing. They seek short-term pleasure and entertainment above all; they want someone or something to provide for them. A dependent people are a submissive people.

  “Mirroring its rise to dominance in social and economic affairs, the State became aggressively international in its ambitions, eager to flex its muscles to fix a world in need, driven to find great new challenges to take on outside its own territory. Not content with merely policing its own citizens, it would now police the world. Through its unchallenged military might it would conquer the enemies of freedom, bestowing peace and democracy upon hostile lands whose grateful citizenry would welcome the marching troops with garlands of flowers strewn at their feet. So it was that a country blessed by the protection of two oceans and two friendly neighbors on its borders nevertheless went ‘abroad in search of monsters to destroy.’

  “And yet the security of even the most formidable State in world history could be crippled easily enough by crazed malcontents armed with box cutters and underwear bombs. More would have to be done to fight this insidious menace — a total War on Terror; a war unrestricted in its weapons, combatants, or territory. With the War on Terror now a global conflict, the distinction between the war front and the home front inevitably became blurred. The fight would not, after all, be waged only over there, as we had been assured, but over here; and not just against the terrorists — petty criminals, lunatics, and smalltime saboteurs all — but against us, employing the same strategies, tactics, and firepower so well field-tested abroad. As Madison had warned, ‘The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.’

  “‘Freedom from fear,’ the natural longing for safety and security, was cynically exploited through endless wars against enemies whose identities were ambiguous and ever-changing, in pursuit of unachievable objectives that were ever shifting. The people united around the State to protect them from enemies the State itself had created. Yet, evil, shadowy foreign enemies weren’t enough to keep the requisite level of fear at a fever pitch. They were too distant, the danger too remote. Agents provocateurs were therefore dispatched to incite acts of domestic terrorism. For those plots which it instigated and then halted at the last second, the State could arouse deep-seated fear and yet claim credit as the protector of the people. How easily the people were duped to accept any intrusion, inconvenience, or demand in the name of security.

  “By their own vote, by the people’s own endorsement, our Republic has became an elected tyranny. To win election, these demagogues steal the people’s wealth and redistribute it to their supporters. They enact laws favoring the few at the expense of the many. They bail out and prop up the unscrupulous and the unprincipled. Cunning and shrewd, they dress their campaigns in vaguely utopian language, relying upon crude emotion and widespread ignorance. They would transform America and change the world, eliminating poverty and deprivation from the land. There would be food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, shelter for the homeless. The people would be fully employed and own nice homes, enjoy good health and secure retirements, and live in harmony with nature. In the new Pax Americana, our needs would be few and our desires limited; we would be content with our lot.

  “But these false messiahs also spoke stirringly of national honor, national unity, and the Greater Good with ominous invocations to citizen obligation, sacrifice of life and liberty, and mandatory national service. Their noble-sounding fantasies were to be achieved through compulsion, putting the people to the service of the State. Individuals striving to better their own lives and that of their families, wishing to be left in peace to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, were deemed small and selfish, unworthy of a great country. In the pursuit of ‘national greatness’ we would sacrifice our blood and treasure building vainglorious monuments to an expanding State whose appetite could never be satisfied. A society built upon such force and compulsion always ends badly.

  “As the State’s power and reach swelled, ‘special opportunities’ emerged for those who craved power and control over others. The worst elements of society, the ruthless and the corrupt, the parasites, the manipulating and the scheming; all now had a fitting place in which to exercise their ambitions. The greatest of these special opportunities would be concentrated in the figure of the president. He would pose as our deliverer and protector, our supreme leader, our savior and redeemer. He would be a godlike figure. Corrupted by the grandeur and authority of the office, his soul poisoned by the ‘will to power,’ he might even come to believe it himself. Great power is a heady liquor. Those who consume it are soon overtaken by its exhilarating effects.

  “The two dominant political parties shrewdly split the people into warring tribes, while State power, which they took turns exercising between them, grew unchecked. The parties were only superficially different, more a matter of style than of substance. The slogans and the actors may have differed, but on matters of any importance, Team Red and Team Blue were essentially the same team advancing much the same agenda. Universal surveillance, a command economy, and a state of perpetual war were only their means to an end. The real end was always power and control.

  “Once the ‘Supreme Law of the Land,’ the Constitution has become a dead letter, the plain meaning of its elegant language tortured and twisted into an instrument by which the State controls the people — instead of the means by which the people control the State. When the Supreme Law of the Land is willfully violated, then the land is lawless. Congress has become a criminal organization, itself unrestrained by the laws, rules, and regulations it so zealously enforces on the people. And yet, the people have willingly tolerated, even approved, of this lawlessness. Indifferent to outdated notions of limited government, individual autonomy, respect for privacy, and the rule of law, the people have come to welcome the new, unrestrained State as its magnanimous benefactor, not its oppressor.”

  The room was deathly silent.

  “The logical culmination of all that has come before is now upon us. We are tracked and recorded. Our movements, finances, medical histories, reading materials, friends, associates, and social clubs are indexed, profiled, and scored. They told us it was to find the terrorists, but they don’t know who they are — so they must track everyone. Tagged like cattle, we carry our identity cards everywhere under severe penalty of law, seeking permission to work and even to travel about in our own country. Even then, we are subject to abusive checkpoints, strip searches, and intimidation. We are no longer free human beings born with the natural right to life and liberty as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. We are, instead, potential threats to national security.”

  A soft, muffled thud came from above.

  “Internal passports. Secret arrests, civilian military tribunals, a shadow justice system. Spying by drone and satellite. Warrantless search and seizure. ‘Extraordinary rendition’ to ‘black-site’ prisons. ‘Enhanced’ interrogation. ‘Ghost’ detainees. This is what we have come to. The State can ‘disappear’ you in a modern reprise of Nacht und Nebel. The president claims the authority to murder you or anyone else, whethe
r at home or abroad, meting out death by armed drones stalking the skies or by any other means, drawing up a biweekly ‘kill list’ in secret meetings with intelligence and military operatives for the purpose. Elite Special Operations Forces now numbering some 100,000 personnel conduct secret wars across the globe, answerable to him alone.

  “As at the time of the Revolution, the State is again making war on the people, calling them enemy combatants and stripping them of their citizenship and their liberties. The executive, this time in the person of the president, again recognizes no limits on its power. There is nothing it cannot do, no area of life that it cannot intrude upon. Where once everything not expressly forbidden by law was allowed to the people as their prerogative, now everything not expressly allowed is, in effect, forbidden. The courts and Congress, designed as checks on each other’s power, have shamefully abdicated their responsibilities and today serve mainly to enforce the will of the executive. Like the kings of old, the president enacts his own laws through executive orders, presidential directives, signing statements, and executive agency regulations. He has become a Caesar.

  “Within a generation the people will be living in an open prison of their own making. The living memory of what it meant to be free will have disappeared. The people will have become accustomed to subjection, losing the right to live, work, and travel as they once pleased. A formerly free people will be restricted by papers, permits, registrations, authorizations, approvals, and licenses, removing their capacity to act in accord with their natural talents and inclinations. For those who refuse to obey the orders, laws, mandates, acts, regulations, codes, and statutes, there is the punishing force of the State lying in wait, its fines, prisons, and brutality lurking just beneath the surface. ‘Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.’”

  A faint sound of music came from above, detected by only a few people around the table. They looked at one another with curiosity.

  “Americans could have extinguished the fire; it was always in their power, yet they have chosen not only to wear their chains and shackles, but to make them heavier and tighter. Dropping their eternal vigilance, naively trusting, they have voted for their own destruction. They have acted stupidly. They do not yet see troops patrolling the streets with machine guns. They do not yet see tanks on every corner. The new order in the New America is still in its infancy, hidden away, but gathering its strength. The people are still allowed to vote and so they believe they must still be free. ‘None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free,’ said Goethe. Even so, we will give the people back their liberty, whether they want it or not. They will be free again, whether they deserve it or not.”

  Benson sat back in his seat, his hands on his temples, deep in contemplation. The scars on his back prickled. He straightened up, feeling the wounds tug. He reflected on his own tacit endorsement of the New America, of his capture and monstrous imprisonment. He thought about his honor and mission. He could be no “summer soldier,” no “sunshine patriot.” He would do his duty to his country. There could be no other choice.

  “The National Security State has emerged not to keep the people secure, nor to safeguard their liberty, but to protect and strengthen its own existence. But in the process of amassing great power and control, it breeds conflict and creates enemies. It becomes a victim of the same fear it has so carefully nurtured. Gone are the days when presidents could mix freely among the people. With their heavily armed contingents and fortified vehicles, with the elaborate security measures they must take everywhere they go, their own freedom is severely curtailed. Desperately and tragically craving admiration and even adoration, they become, instead, obliged to fear the people as threats. The people become the enemy. The servants of the people become their masters.

  “Following a long train of abuses, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it — so says the Declaration. Governments must serve, not rule. The second American Revolution will starve the State until it is again ‘bound by the chains of the Constitution.’”

  The flag behind Franklin billowed ever so slightly, as if by a passing breeze.

  “The clock is running out. If we fail to act it will be too late to prevent a catastrophe. We may be just one or two terrorist attacks away — whether real or manufactured — from a full-on police State. We will not sit idly while the foundations of our Republic are shattered forever. We will not suffer perpetual war. We will not be enslaved. We will again be a fiercely independent, peaceful, and industrious people. Not warriors. Not sheep. Not serfs. Americans will not be ruled. We will live free—”

  Franklin gazed at each person at the table.

  “Or die.”

  There was a muted, distant rumbling overhead. The table trembled almost imperceptibly.

  “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. Those State officials and military officers among us swore a sacred oath to defend the Constitution. Let us now honor the pledge that we freely took. And may God bless you all.”

  Benson remained seated, brooding, as everyone filed out. Anna lingered at the door, watching him, until she, too, exited the room. Benson and Franklin were left alone.

  “You must understand that this would have been impossible without you,” Franklin said. “You were the missing link necessary for our success.”

  The rumbling and music from above was getting louder.

  “You have a unique combination of skills,” Franklin said, but Benson’s thoughts were elsewhere.

  Franklin put a hand on Benson’s shoulder.

  “I know it’s tough. We’ve all paid a heavy price, you more than anyone. You deserve the Medal of Freedom for your valor.”

  The Black Hawks thundered overhead. Stryker MGS armored vehicles arrayed in formation. Loudspeakers set up around the office building blasted music so tremendously loud that it physically hurt.

  “You know the day destroys the night…”

  “Night divides the day.”

  “Tried to run … Tried to hide…”

  Led by CIA and DHS agents, soldiers on the ground awaited their orders. Helicopter machine guns sprayed a series of staccato bursts into the building. The mirrored windows cracked and smashed to the ground.

  “Break on through to the other side!”

  “Break on through to the other side!”

  CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer Casey “Stalker” Adams, Special Activities Division, in black leather jacket and matching cap, leaned out of one of the Black Hawks. His amplified voice could barely be heard over the beating blades and the shrieking music. The building already had several fires raging inside.

  “Surrender now!” Adams yelled, severely straining his voice. He swallowed hard and coughed. “I repeat, surrender now! Come out now to impact minimal collateral damage,” he grunted, his face flushed with the effort.

  “Damn DHS getting in the way again!” he protested to his colleague piloting the craft. “I hate those guys.”

  DHS Officer Claude “Butch” Browner, Special Operations Group, surveyed the siege from the ground through his binoculars. He wore a shiny black jacket emblazoned with the reflective yellow letters of his agency.

  “So where’s the rest of ’em? I just can’t figure it,” Browner said to the soldier next to him.

  “Maybe they’re underground — yeah, I bet that’s it,” he said, all excited. “Well, this should take care of it. Major Bernham! Deploy five canisters of CS — and make it quick now.”

  “Sir, this is a Homeland mission — a Homeland mission, sir!” Major Bernham shook his head in disbelief. There had to be a mistake. “Civilians, beyond the rules of engagement. Sorry, sir, I’ll need special orders.”

  “Civilians, my ass!” Browner barked in a flash of anger. “I don’t give a flying fuck where they’re from. They’re terrorists, sonny. Extremists. Nutcakes. The world is di
fferent now, understand? You just go do as you’re told and there won’t be any trouble, you hear?”

  “But there’re fires burning! You know damn well what would happen, I mean, sir, if CS gas hits it—”

  “Shake ’n’ bake,” Browner growled. “You got your ‘special’ orders, Major — or should I say, Captain. I’m beginning to not like your attitude.”

  Browner took up his binoculars again. The major turned and walked away, glancing back at Browner several times.

  Minutes later, soldiers launched rocket propelled grenades loaded with CS. White corkscrew smoke trails followed each missile into the building. A series of explosions erupted; fire burst through the windows. The building was quickly engulfed in flames, throwing off dense plumes of gray smoke and soot. The occupants fled for their lives, scrambling over the wreckage and escaping through the blown-out windows. Soldiers fired rounds into the building.

  CIA Officer “Stalker” Adams was aghast as he observed the developing scene. He saw, and even felt, the explosions. Helplessly watching the building’s unarmed occupants flee into machine gun fire, he became enraged.

  “Goddamn DHS! This is an atrocity, look at what they’ve done!” he screamed in frustration to his colleague in the helicopter. “They’ll take all the credit for this, those backstabbers, you just know they will. I hate those guys.”

  DHS Officer “Butch” Browner dropped the binoculars from his eyes.

  “Bought the farm!” he said into his handset. “Yes, sir, I’m pretty sure we got ’em all. DHS did a great job here, sir, very professional. Mission accomplished, sir.”

  The soldiers streamed over the grounds, picking through the ruins. Benson and Franklin had watched the unfolding drama on monitors fed by closed-circuit television cameras.