CHAPTER 20
“We reiterate that terrorist acts are utterly criminal, totally reprehensible, and absolutely un-Islamic. There can never be any excuse for the taking of innocent life, and terrorism has absolutely no sanction in Islam. Nor is there any justification whatsoever in our noble religion for such evil actions. Our message is unambiguous: the authors of terrorist attacks and bombings are criminals, and we should not accept their justifications, whether ideological, religious or political.”
American Muslim Imams and Community Leaders, July 2005
On Monday morning, Toby and Trey took the early bird from Washington to Atlanta and then caught a commuter flight to Savannah. Toby was wearing a blue and gold striped tie, a pair of light gray wool pants, a blue pinpoint shirt and a double-breasted blue blazer. Wearing his customary blue suit, white shirt and red bow tie, Trey looked every inch the Wahoo and Yalie that he was, but he seemed a little tired as they boarded the flight to Atlanta.
“What’s the matter? Stay up past your bedtime?” Toby asked.
Trey smiled. “Matter of fact, I did,” he answered.
“So you put the kids in bed early and you and Tricia, you know, got involved in some extracurricular activities?”
“Gosh, you have a one-track mind sometimes,” Trey responded. “No, as a matter of fact, I went to Director Drake’s house for a religious meeting.”
“And I have a one-track mind?” Toby answered laughing. “Didn’t you go to Sunday school and church earlier in the day?”
“Yes, but this was completely different,” Trey explained. “It’s a group called the Society of Saints and it’s comprised totally of men who work in the government.”
“Isn’t it a little presumptuous to call yourselves saints?” Toby asked.
“We don’t mean that we are saints like Saint Paul or Saint Peter, only that we want to emulate them,” Trey responded. “Everyone who truly follows Christ is a saint in the way we mean it.”
“I gotcha. And what is the purpose of this SOS?” asked Toby, skeptically.
“It’s purpose is to find ways to bring Christ into our work so we can make the government more Christ-like,” Trey answered.
“Doesn’t that cross the line separating church and state just a little?” Toby asked.
“Somehow I knew you would say that, but it really doesn’t,” Trey answered. “The goal of the society isn’t to take away anybody’s religious freedom. It is to imbue the government with the principles of Christianity, and I don’t think that even a skeptic like you would think that’s a bad idea.”
“I don’t know,” Sullivan responded. “Give me an example.”
“Okay, for example, we want people who work for the government at all levels to treat citizens as Christ would treat them. We want people in government to look at themselves, not as bureaucrats, but as servants of the Lord. And we want all government policies, where possible, to have some basis in the scriptures. You can’t argue with any of that, can you?”
“Who could argue with better customer service?” Toby answered, although he thought to himself that there could be plenty to worry about. “How often do you meet?”
“Every two weeks,” Trey responded. “It is a very serious group motivated by a love of Christ and a love of country.”
“Well keep me posted,” Sullivan said. “It does sound…” he searched for the right word…”interesting,” while thinking to himself, “scary as hell.”
“I will,” said Trey, but right now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes and get a little rest.”
“Okay, but before you do, let me ask your opinion of something that I saw yesterday at the zoo.”
“Okay, what?” Trey asked.
“Do you agree with the statement that God is truth?” Toby asked his partner.
“Of course He is,” Trey responded. “God epitomizes truth and all truth leads to God.”
“And so, whatever truths we discover about God or about the universe bring us closer to understanding God. Is that right?” Toby asked.
“Yes, I believe that is true,” Rawlings answered.
Well, how do you justify the lies that children are being told by some Christians?” Toby asked.
“What lies?” Trey responded.
Toby described the Biblical Zoo Tour that he and Tad had encountered at the National Zoo and then asked, “Don’t you find these tours as offensive as I do?”
“Why do you find them so offensive?” Trey responded. “They are just giving the children another perspective on things.”
“I find it offensive that adults would blatantly lie to children about science and the world around them, just so they can indoctrinate them with their religious propaganda. Telling children that the world is only 6,000 years - 10,000 years old because the Bible says it is...come on, Trey, you can’t support that kind of crap?”
Trey thought for a moment and then responded. “Look, Toby. There are all kinds of Christians in our country. Some believe that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Others see the Bible only as a collection of stories to be used as a general guideline. They’re the ones who believe the Ten Commandments are the ten suggestions. And there are those like me, who believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but must be studied throughout a lifetime to be understood. Of all these Christians, there are some who undoubtedly go overboard in defense of the faith and others who probably aren’t vigilant enough. But the balance that holds our Christian government together is very delicate, so I am not going to criticize anyone who is sincerely trying to make this a more Christian nation. I think we have just one chance to enact the amendment to make this the Christian Republic of the United States, and I am not going to do anything to upset the delicate balance that exists.”
“So telling lies to children is acceptable as long as it helps bring about a Christian nation?” Toby asked.
“I don’t like it,” Trey answered, “but, yes, it is an acceptable price to pay.”
“What else would be acceptable?” Toby continued pressing his partner. “Would murder be an acceptable price?”
“I can’t answer that in the abstract,” Trey said. “I can’t think of any case in which I would find killing another human being to be acceptable, but I would have to know the circumstances. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to rest my eyes.”
Although Toby did not find that to be an acceptable answer, he decided it was useless to argue with Trey in his tired and defensive state, so he might as well let his partner rest. He also appreciated having the time to reflect on the very special day- and night- that he and Tad had just shared.
After listening in amazement to more of the Biblical Zoo Tour and then finishing their own tour of the zoo, including the small mammal house, the reptile center and the bird house, they had walked down to Woodley Park for an early dinner at a local Thai restaurant and then walked back to his- he would prefer to think of it as their- apartment. Once home, they made sure J. Edgar knew that he was still the king of the household, and then Toby played the piano for about half and hour before he and Tad downloaded and watched one of his favorite movies, Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy. When it was over, Tad had shaken her head and said, “I can’t believe it has been about a hundred years since the Scopes trial and we’re still arguing about the same issue. Maybe Darwin was wrong. Clearly man isn’t evolving.”
Finally, after capping the evening off with a touch of brandy, they had gone to bed and- somewhat later- to sleep.
While thinking these pleasant thoughts, Toby drifted into a half-sleep state, only to awaken as the plane touched down in Atlanta.
On the second leg of the trip to Savannah, he read the Atlanta paper, with two stories in particular catching his attention.
Al-Qaida Link to Bombings Stronger
According to Source Close to Investigation
WASHINGTON- A source close to the investigation of five recent bombings has told reporters that the link between the violent explosions and the radical Muslim terrorist group, al-Qaida, is getting stronger with each passing day. Speaking on condition of strict anonymity and only on background, the high-level source told the reporters that evidence found at several of the recent bombing sites indicates that the attacks were committed by the same individuals and that these individuals were- “probably Muslims of middle eastern origin.”
Since the first bombs were detonated more than two weeks ago, there has been a lot of speculation in the media that al-Qaida or some other Muslim extremist group was behind the attacks, but until now, no one close to the investigation has offered any support for the speculation. The source would not say, however, if it is believed that the terrorists are still be in the United States or have fled to another country.
Meanwhile, officials in Georgia are preparing to swear-in the state’s lieutenant governor as the acting governor to replace Governor Paul Arnold who remains in a Savannah hospital in critical condition.
“Very interesting. I wish someone would let us in on this evidence,” Sullivan said to himself as he began reading the other article that had caught his attention.
Governor Still In Coma
Lt. Governor Hunt to be Sworn-in Today
ATLANTA- Georgia Governor Paul Arnold remained in a coma at St. Joseph’s hospital in Savannah according to a medical bulletin released by the hospital late Sunday night. The statement gave no information on a prognosis for the governor’s recovery. Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, plans are being made for Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunt to formally assume the responsibilities of the office of governor. The state’s great seal will be delivered to the lieutenant governor and the oath of office as acting governor will be publicly administered at noon today by the chief justice of the State Supreme Court.
This is the first time since 1947 that Georgia’s lieutenant governor has had to assume the duties of governor. It was in that year that one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of U.S. state politics occurred.
Eugene Talmadge had been elected governor of Georgia for the fourth time in November 1946, but he died of cirrhosis of the liver in December before being inaugurated. Knowing that Gene Talmadge was not well going into the November general election, some of Talmadge’s followers undertook a write-in campaign for Gene’s son, Herman Talmadge. The reason for the write-in campaign was due to a provision which stated that the Georgia General Assembly would elect a governor from the next two candidates, “then in life” if the winner of the general election died before taking office.
Before 1945, this ploy would have been constitutional since Georgia had no lt. governor. The 1945 Georgia Constitution, however, created the office of lt. governor to succeed governors should they die while in office. In 1946, M.E. Thompson, an anti-Talmadge candidate, was elected Georgia’s first lt. governor. With the presence of Lt. Governor-elect Thompson, the attempt of the Talmadge camp’s write-in effort was in doubt.
Simultaneously, the outgoing governor, Ellis Arnall, refused to relinquish the office of governor until the Georgia Supreme Court heard the case and made its decision concerning this crisis. All three of these individuals claimed to be governor in January 1947 when the General Assembly convened.
Eventually, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned two lower court rulings and decided that M.E. Thompson was the acting governor and the “three governors crisis” was averted.
Although Talmadge and Thompson were both Democrats (as there were very few Republicans in Georgia at the time), they were bitter political enemies. The same can be said of Arnold and Hunt, who although personal friends, have decidedly different views on issues. Until being critically injured in the Savannah bombing, Arnold was a rising star in the National Liberty Party, while Hunt is mentioned frequently by leaders of the Christian Democratic-Republican Party as a potential opponent to U.S. Senator Langdon Stevens when he runs for reelection in three years.
By the time Toby finished reading the paper, the plane was landing in Savannah. And then it was back to the grunt work he and Trey had left behind on Friday. In Toby’s mind, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack- and possibly the wrong needle in the wrong haystack.
On the way to their first interview- a barmaid in St. Simons, Georgia who was certain that she had heard two guys wearing turbans talking about killing the governor- Toby suggested that Trey contact Drake about the al-Qaida link story in the Atlanta paper. Trey agreed and placed the call on conference mode so that Toby could participate, too.
“Margaret, it’s Trey and Toby to speak to the director. Can you connect us to him?”
“Certainly Agent Rawlings. Please wait just a minute.”
Trey finished reading the article while waiting for Drake to pick up.
“I wonder where the press gets this stuff?” he asked Toby.
“You’re asking me? I don’t have a clue,” Sullivan responded.
Suddenly, Drake was there. “Rawlings and Sullivan- What can I do for you?” he asked.
“We were just wondering what you can tell us about the wire service story in the Atlanta paper today concerning the al-Qaida link,” Trey responded. “Is there new information that we haven’t heard about?”
“No, I’m just as puzzled as you are,” Drake answered. “I don’t know who their source is, but it really doesn’t matter. After all, we know there is a strong link with al-Qaida, because of our agent in New Mexico. All of his information about the terrorists, including about them heading south proved to be accurate.”
“Have Nelson or any of his lab guys been able to find any evidence yet that might help identify specifically who we are looking for?” Sullivan asked.
“You don’t want much, do you, Sullivan,” Drake answered with a slight trace of humor. “Would you like an address and phone number to go with those names?”
“That would be great if you could arrange it,” Toby answered. “But seriously, hasn’t the lab turned up anything that might help in identifying who it is we are supposed to be searching for? In most investigations we generally know who we are looking for well before we know where they have been or where they are going.”
“I see your point,” Drake responded, “but I really don’t know what I can do about it except to contact Nelson and tell him to pull out all the stops to find a finger print or something that might help identify at least one of the terrorists. But don’t get your hopes up too high. The lab has been working day and night going over all of the evidence.”
“That would be great if he could find something,” Toby replied. “If we knew who we were looking for, it would make it so much easier to find them.”
“I’ll contact Lu, I mean Henry, right now,” Drake answered. “Meanwhile, good luck on your follow-up interviews. Maybe you’ll catch a break and someone will remember something useful.”
“There’s always that chance,” said Trey. “I’ll ask for a little help from upstairs.”
“That can never hurt,” Drake answered. “I’ll do the same.”
---
Later that evening at the hotel, Toby was getting ready to call Tad when his phone rang.
“Tad, I was just getting ready to call you. What’s up?”
“A lot of stuff you should know about before it hits the fan,” Tad answered.
“Oh yea? Like what?”
“Well, for starters, the American Muslim community is about to publicly blast the taskforce for leaking stories to the media that ‘radical Muslims’ are responsible for the bombings,” Tad answered. “Hakim and other Islamic leaders are scheduling a press conference at noon tomorrow to ask Carl Drake to either disavow the story that appeared in the paper today or share whatever information he has with Muslim leaders so they can help find the people responsible. They are pretty hacked off that no one from the taskforce has officially contacted them to ask for their help. Obviously, my contact with Hakim was completely unofficial.”
“Wow. I imagine that’s going to send Drake up the wall,” said Toby. “He doesn’t seem to take criticism from anybody very well, and he has never had the very much appreciation for Islam or tolerance for Muslims.”
“And they put someone like that in charge of the investigation, why?” Tad asked. “How do you think he’ll respond?”
“Oh, he’s smart enough not to say anything in public that will get him in trouble with his superiors. He’ll make a fairly moderate, non-committal response, but it won’t change anything that he does in the investigation,” Toby answered. “His natural instincts- or prejudices- lead him to suspect Muslim terrorists for the bombings, and the evidence, if you want to call it that, gathered so far, just confirms his suspicions.”
“From what you and I have seen, there is no evidence, only the allegations of an undercover operative,” Tad exclaimed. “Has Drake forgotten the lessons of Iraq and the alleged WMDs? You can’t always trust information gathered by spies. I know, because I was one, and I know that a lot of the information I passed on was probably planted in order to further various agendas. That could be the case here, too.”
“The problem is that there are no other logical suspects, and until there are, radical Muslims will win that honor by default,” Sullivan responded.
“Oh, that reminds me of the other thing I wanted to tell you,” Tad said. “I contacted Charlene over at Homeland Security and asked her if they have any information about domestic terrorist types that might be responsible for the bombings, and she said they don’t. However, she suggested that I meet with Secretary Rosenthal and her tomorrow to discuss the entire matter, and she said that I shouldn’t tell Drake that I am going. Do you think there is some kind of intergovernmental warfare going on here?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” Toby answered. “Cover your tracks as best you can.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve been doing that for the last five years,” she answered confidently. “Did you and Trey get any leads today?”
“Surely, you jest,” he answered. “We talked to a barmaid in St. Simons, Georgia who was certain that two guys with turbans that she served were carrying on a conversation that had something to do with killing the governor. Of course, the guys were probably Sheiks, not Muslims, and from the records at a nearby motel, we think that they were in town for a software convention. Lord knows what they were actually talking about.”
Toby paused briefly and then continued. “Then there was the guy in Statesboro, Georgia who is absolutely convinced that the Muslim proprietor of a convenience store on I-16 has been plotting to overthrow the government. So we go to interview the Muslim guy, who turns out to be a Pakistani-American who has been in this country for 20 years and has raised two children who both attended Yale. He is a really nice guy, and get this. During our talk, he tells us that there is a man who comes in from Statesboro on a regular basis and always looks suspicious, like he’s eavesdropping or something. From the description, it is clear that it is the guy who told us about him! I’m about to go nuts talking to all of these paranoid people.”
“Watch out,” Tad said. “Even paranoid people can sometimes be right that someone is out to get them.”
“Maybe so,” Toby responded. “And speaking of paranoid, how is Jeddy?”
“Jeddy is doing just fine,” Tad answered, “but we do have a little problem.”
“What’s that?” Toby asked.
“Do you heat his half and half for five seconds or eight? I couldn’t remember.”
Toby laughed. “All you have to do is pour the cream in his bowl, put it in the microwave and say “Warm - Jeddy,” and the microwave will do the rest. But whatever you do, don’t spoil that cat more than he already is.”
“That would be impossible,” Tad answered. “When are you coming home?”
“If it were up to me, I’d be there right now, but we talked to Drake this afternoon and he wants us to stay here until we have followed-up on every lead that the local law-enforcement folks are turning up. At the rate we’re going, that could be the rest of the week, at least.”
“Well, Jeddy and I will be here when you get back,” Tad said softly, “and if it encourages you to come home any quicker, I’ve got a nightgown even skimpier than the one I wore on Saturday night.”
“It must be invisible,” Toby answered. “I can’t wait not to see it.”