To read from the beginning, click the photos on the right.
Chapter Forty ─ Two
∞
They never did figure out who put together the front page of the Upstart Gazette that day. Lester Jenkins who ran the presses had to be involved as did Pamela Mason. She was the one who shredded documents, and she was probably the one who had rescued the letter that appeared on the front page on December 17th. Lissa Caldwell had been Ivan Buncheski's personal secretary for fourteen years. She had opened his mail, and now provided the same service for Gerald Vance. She was probably in on it too.
The Upstart Gazette
Evil wins when good men and women sit silent.
A hundred thousand people died to keep me rich. My country paid me billions for doing worse than nothing. But if you met me, you’d probably like me. You see, I’m a liar, and a very good one. I can make you believe anything. I can feed you vomit on a stick, and you’ll swallow it and ask for more. It’s a gift that I have, or maybe it’s really a curse.
And I work in the White House.
America, you need to wise up. We’re a country that focuses too much on P. R. – on appearance – and overlooks substance. And meanwhile, democracy in America is dying. You’re giving up your freedom, your goods, and even your safety in the name of national security.
The world’s best hackers work for Homeland Security. We’re bugging everyone, not just terrorists or even suspected terrorists, but senators, congressmen, and anyone who questions what we do. Just watch – senators and congressmen who stick their necks out usually get caught on the wrong end of a scandal. It’s what Nixon tried to do when his men were caught breaking into the Watergate hotel. It’s how we passed the Patriot Act.
Hitler said that the memories of the masses are short. That’s what I was banking on – that you wouldn’t remember enough to compare yesterday’s statements with today’s news. And it’s safer and more comfortable to forget. But you must remember and use the brains God gave you.
For example, consider the Iraq war. Dictators have used war as a diversion for centuries. And they’ve gotten rich by attacking weaker nations. We invaded Iraq on a lie. Remember the speeches before Iraq’s invasion? Remember the threats of a mushroom cloud?
After 9/11, we rounded up hundreds of suspected terrorists, and we just held them for two years. The United States doesn’t do that. Americans have rights. And if these people can be imprisoned without due process so can all of us. Are they guilty of terrorism? Or are they political opponents? But that’s not all. They’re not just being interrogated – they’re being tortured. Tortured!!! Since when has our country condoned torture?
I am responsible for many dirty tricks. I am responsible for the anthrax letters, and, with them, I tried to assassinate Senators Thomas Daschel and Pat Leahy.
I created phony scientific societies to convince Americans that global warming is only a myth.
I had voting machines rigged to produce the biggest election frauds in history.
And probably my worst dirty trick of all – I manipulated your news. I made you hate and I made you fear. I fed you the emotions opposite of all that’s good and holy on this earth.
Remember the long fight for the rights of all minorities−the marches and the protests. Some died defending human rights. Fifty years of progress could disappear in the wag of a camel’s tail. Prejudice against one minority sets a precedent for discrimination against any minority.
When you fly the American flag, remember what it stands for: human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of worship. When you say “God Bless America,” pray for our nation – for justice, for peace, for freedom.
Because of my dirty tricks, and deep tax cuts, and financial manipulations, and because of the wars, American economy has taken a huge hit. (You see a few hundred dollars from the tax cuts. We see billions, and we’re using them to buy elections.) Our bad real estate management will have millions facing foreclosure. In a few years, the whole thing will come crashing down around us. Someone else will deal with the consequences. Don’t blame him for the mess.
And don’t give up on democracy. It’s the best defense against the likes of me. In a dictatorship, everything I’ve done would be considered normal.
By Alexander Lidecker
Chapter Forty ─ Two
∞
They never did figure out who put together the front page of the Upstart Gazette that day. Lester Jenkins who ran the presses had to be involved as did Pamela Mason. She was the one who shredded documents, and she was probably the one who had rescued the letter that appeared on the front page on December 17th. Lissa Caldwell had been Ivan Buncheski's personal secretary for fourteen years. She had opened his mail, and now provided the same service for Gerald Vance. She was probably in on it too.
The Upstart Gazette
Evil wins when good men and women sit silent.
A hundred thousand people died to keep me rich. My country paid me billions for doing worse than nothing. But if you met me, you’d probably like me. You see, I’m a liar, and a very good one. I can make you believe anything. I can feed you vomit on a stick, and you’ll swallow it and ask for more. It’s a gift that I have, or maybe it’s really a curse.
And I work in the White House.
America, you need to wise up. We’re a country that focuses too much on P. R. – on appearance – and overlooks substance. And meanwhile, democracy in America is dying. You’re giving up your freedom, your goods, and even your safety in the name of national security.
The world’s best hackers work for Homeland Security. We’re bugging everyone, not just terrorists or even suspected terrorists, but senators, congressmen, and anyone who questions what we do. Just watch – senators and congressmen who stick their necks out usually get caught on the wrong end of a scandal. It’s what Nixon tried to do when his men were caught breaking into the Watergate hotel. It’s how we passed the Patriot Act.
Hitler said that the memories of the masses are short. That’s what I was banking on – that you wouldn’t remember enough to compare yesterday’s statements with today’s news. And it’s safer and more comfortable to forget. But you must remember and use the brains God gave you.
For example, consider the Iraq war. Dictators have used war as a diversion for centuries. And they’ve gotten rich by attacking weaker nations. We invaded Iraq on a lie. Remember the speeches before Iraq’s invasion? Remember the threats of a mushroom cloud?
After 9/11, we rounded up hundreds of suspected terrorists, and we just held them for two years. The United States doesn’t do that. Americans have rights. And if these people can be imprisoned without due process so can all of us. Are they guilty of terrorism? Or are they political opponents? But that’s not all. They’re not just being interrogated – they’re being tortured. Tortured!!! Since when has our country condoned torture?
I am responsible for many dirty tricks. I am responsible for the anthrax letters, and, with them, I tried to assassinate Senators Thomas Daschel and Pat Leahy.
I created phony scientific societies to convince Americans that global warming is only a myth.
I had voting machines rigged to produce the biggest election frauds in history.
And probably my worst dirty trick of all – I manipulated your news. I made you hate and I made you fear. I fed you the emotions opposite of all that’s good and holy on this earth.
Remember the long fight for the rights of all minorities−the marches and the protests. Some died defending human rights. Fifty years of progress could disappear in the wag of a camel’s tail. Prejudice against one minority sets a precedent for discrimination against any minority.
When you fly the American flag, remember what it stands for: human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of worship. When you say “God Bless America,” pray for our nation – for justice, for peace, for freedom.
Because of my dirty tricks, and deep tax cuts, and financial manipulations, and because of the wars, American economy has taken a huge hit. (You see a few hundred dollars from the tax cuts. We see billions, and we’re using them to buy elections.) Our bad real estate management will have millions facing foreclosure. In a few years, the whole thing will come crashing down around us. Someone else will deal with the consequences. Don’t blame him for the mess.
And don’t give up on democracy. It’s the best defense against the likes of me. In a dictatorship, everything I’ve done would be considered normal.
By Alexander Lidecker
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