award, along with inviting former President Cox to be the keynote speaker, should be enough. Not every American teacher sees the issues as we do. Speaking of that, what do we do tomorrow about the president’s call for people to gather to pray and seek forgiveness? There are Christians here among our membership.”
“Look, religious fanaticism is what has generated this nightmare of terrorism,” Girds answered. “I say we simply have a moment of silence and get on with the agenda.”
“That will not be enough for some,” George Cook pointed out, “and frankly, I am one of them. I have never objected to the political direction of this organization, and I am not a Christian, but when you choose to ignore the president’s call to stand before God, I have to draw a line. Whether you like him or not, he is the leader of our country and what he asked has a historical basis. We should honor that.”
“You do what you want on your own time, but we have too full an agenda to give up an afternoon,” Girds answered. “We only meet once a year.”
Ignoring Dr. Girds, Cook went on, “I propose that we change the agenda and dedicate tomorrow afternoon as a time when those who attend have the opportunity to follow the president’s request if that is what they desire to do. Those who don’t would enjoy some free time to golf or shop, but those who want to do as the president requested should have the opportunity.”
Debates like this were occurring all across the United States as decisions were made about the president’s call. Many ended as this one did — with nothing more than a moment of silence set aside. But this was not the case for all, as some people truly understood the significance of the choice.
In the invisible, every entity, event, and person was a spiritual battlefield as people were making their choice about tomorrow.
Events Accelerate
Even as the ATS executive committee had debated their choice, a Saudi diplomatic aircraft landed at Sky Harbor Airport carrying Baqir Dawood and the envelope containing the Sheik’s instructions for Ahmad Habid. Moving quickly through the airport with no luggage other than a locked diplomatic briefcase, Dawood entered a limousine for the drive to the Westin Kierland Resort. There, Habid waited with Phygelus Aladr. Together, J-10 and J-14 waited for the arrival of this message and the other teacher coordinators from across the country.
Further South, Seth Wilson was an hour away from Carmen, Arizona. He had been sent by Homeland Security to follow up on the conversation Kayla Walker had with the kid, Juan Martinez, regarding suspicious activities at the old Craig place.
In Washington, Darrell Reed had been scrambling; working quickly with Pastor Wilson, long-distance, to set up the Together We Pray website so it could receive messages as well as send out messages. “God must be working in this,” he thought as he heard the test results. He had called the archbishop of Rwanda, who had responded and sent a message from Rwanda in the Igikiga dialect, which Pastor Wilson reported was viewed by Christians in Williams clearly in English. “Believers anywhere in the world can communicate with each other,” thought Pastor Wilson as he quickly prepared a message to post which advised the readership around the world.
Through the wisdom of Darrell, a computer link was set in Washington so that believers in the CIA and Homeland Security would be able to read messages instantly with those in Williams as they came into the website. An urgent message was posted, calling for believers around the world to ask God to open their eyes to anything suspicious around them that pointed toward terrorist activity or military movement within the next thirty days. Believers were asked to share anything God revealed, regardless of the perceived importance. The request ended with these instructions, “Whatever God may show you as an answer to your prayers, please share by return email. Trust God that you will be protected. Together let us seek God to end the violence and protect the innocent, and to change hearts and open eyes to Him.”
The little group in Williams stopped to pray even as the request was posted, asking that it might be seen by those who could be used to reveal the plan and the participants. They prayed not knowing what they were standing against, but they were sure in their hearts that only God could provide the way to overcome.
Elsewhere in Williams, Sally Johnson sat stunned, having completed her initial reading of Susan Stafford’s journal. “I can’t believe this,” she said. “The first three-fourths reads like it was written by a demon from hell, and then everything changes. It is as if a different person entirely is writing another story, looking back on the nightmare. She chronicles every shooting. There is no doubt she was the shooter, and it appears she acted alone.”
“What now?” Samson asked. “We need to make her letter public as soon as we can. We don’t want people at the memorial service making comments about her without knowing the truth, but the journal is a whole different issue.”
“I agree,” Sally added. “I would like to respect her wishes and keep the journal away from the press if Chief Thompson agrees. It needs to be published, and if that can be done in a way to help the injured and the families of the victims, that would be a good thing.”
“Let’s make some copies and take them to the chief and see how he wants to handle disclosure,” Samson suggested. They left quickly for police headquarters, calling forensics to comb Susan Stafford’s apartment for further evidence to be absolutely certain no one else was involved.
Besserman’s Explosion
Back in Washington, the recess had ended, and Professor Daniel Thompson had commenced his testimony on the dangers of a religion-based foreign policy before the Senate committee looking to amend the Hate Crimes Act. His focus was on separating biblical Israel from the political state of Israel, which he contended are not the same.
For generations we have dealt with the political entity Israel as fiction, causing us to skew our policy to every other nation in the Middle East at a terrible cost. America’s hands are covered with the blood of innocent Arabs killed in the on-going conflict which we fund and support unconditionally. Generations of Arab men, women, and children have endured poverty and desperation, lives without hope so that America could maintain the fiction that Israel exists on the Promised Land given to them by their God. You need to go no further than this to see the dangers of unbridled religious fervor.
The hate and violence we face in these terrorist attacks, even the attempted killing of the children in Williams this morning, although terrible, is nothing other than payback for the deaths America has caused by allowing religious fervor to control our foreign policy. That same danger flows over into individual relationships, which is why I am here today to urge this committee to support the proposed amendment to the Hate Crimes Act to stop religiously motivated hate speech and conduct.
America must first police itself on the home front and then practice what it preaches by devising a new foreign policy which has as its goal as fairness and the ultimate good of the United States. Religion is a private matter and must not be allowed to motive individual conduct at the expense of another or the nation’s foreign policy at the expense of the country. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Besserman rose before his microphone, finger pointed at the witness, shaking with anger and said, “So what you’re telling us, Professor Thompson, is that we should sacrifice the only true democracy in the Middle East, a trusted friend and ally of America, to appease those who kill us in the name of their religion, people who refuse to care for their own and who have condemned generations of their own to refugee camps? You need to change your name to Daniel Brutus; you already have the knife in the back.”
Chairman Crow pounded his gavel shouting, “You are out of order! Sit down, Senator.”
“No, you are out of order, Mr. Chairman,” Besserman responded loudly. “The whole committee is out of order, and I for one will have nothing further to do with this circus! Mr. Secretary, you be sure to let my office know when the vote comes up on this amendment so I can come back and vote NO. I am out of here.” And with that, he stomped out of the hearing room, the whole event carefully captured and broadcasted live to living rooms across America.
Act III–Not Exactly According to Script
In