CHAPTER 27
That Religion, or the Duty which we owe to our Creator, and the Manner of discharging it, can be directed only by Reason and Conviction, not by Force or Violence, and therefore all Men have an equal natural and unalienable Right to the free Exercise of Religion, according to the Dictates of Conscience, and that no particular religious Sect or Society ought to be favored or established by Law, in Preference to others. – George Mason
It was a rainy Sunday morning in the nation’s capital. As Toby awakened, he was aware that dangerous terrorists were still on the loose and vigilantes might be attacking Muslims from Miami to Seattle. And yet, he was looking forward to this day, because it would be the first full day in several weeks that he and Tad had to spend together. He had no desire to attend church, and Sister Mary Frances had urged Tad to take the morning off, because several nuns visiting from Chicago had offered to help serve breakfast to the homeless.
Although Sullivan had awakened briefly at 6 a.m., when he saw that it was raining, he closed his eyes, rolled over and quickly fell back asleep. It was about 8 o’clock when he awakened for the second time and decided to get up and fix breakfast. He slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, so that he wouldn’t disturb Tad or J. Edgar, both of whom were sleeping like logs.
After grinding the coffee beans and starting the brewing process, Toby brought in the continuously shrinking Sunday paper and glanced at the front page. Three headlines caught his eyes:
Muslims condemn violence; announce national call to prayer and fasting
Christian Democratic Republican Delegates prepare for show time
Illness may keep Arizona senator from crucial vote
Sullivan put the paper on the counter and started preparing his special occasion waffles, which he sometimes made completely from scratch and on other occasions from a prepared pancake mix. On this day, he was using his “from scratch” recipe. What made the waffles special were extra butter, extra milk and whipped egg whites folded into the batter.
Toby let the batter sit on the counter as he whipped the egg whites and started cooking the thick-sliced Virginia bacon. After the bacon was done, he poured some half and half and coffee into Tad’s favorite mug and carried it and the newspaper into the bedroom, stopping briefly in the living room to cue up Beethoven’s Wellington’s Victory March- followed by some softer piano and classical guitar selections - on his vintage compact disc player.
When Toby arrived in the bedroom, he found Tad just opening her eyes. Jeddy, on the other hand, showed no signs of moving from the spot in which he had settled the night before.
“Good morning,” Toby sang, as he placed the newspaper on the bed next to Tad and the coffee mug on the nightstand. “This is your wakeup call. Breakfast will be served in the dining room in about 15 minutes.”
“What a treat,” Tad said. “And what a treat it was to sleep so late. I’ll be ready to eat whenever you’re ready to serve.”
As Wellington’s cannons started firing, Toby turned up the volume and returned to the kitchen to complete preparations for breakfast. After folding the egg whites into the batter, Sullivan opened his antique 1980’s waffle iron, sprayed liquid butter onto the griddle and then poured in the batter. While the first large waffle was cooking, he melted a stick of butter and heated the Vermont maple syrup in the microwave. Then he placed the bacon on plates he had warmed in the oven and waited for the first waffle to reach the perfect degree of doneness- not soggy and yet not too crisp. When he felt the amount of steam coming from the iron was just about the right amount, he opened the iron and removed the four-sectioned waffle, putting two sections on each plate.
By the time Toby arrived in the dining area with the waffles, Tad was at the table, and Wellington was just about ready to destroy the last of the French armies and seal Napoleon’s fate.
“Wow, what timing,” Tad said as the last barrage of cannon fire coincided perfectly with the delivery of two hot waffles and all of the necessary accompaniments. “This looks phenomenal. What a treat.”
“Eat them while they’re hot,” he said as he passed Tad the melted butter and hot syrup. “There are plenty more where these came from.”
For the next few minutes, neither Toby nor Tad said very much, because they were busy savoring the sweet, buttery, light waffles and salty, thick-sliced bacon.
“I’ll be right back,” Toby said as he went back into the kitchen to make another waffle and melt some more butter, although this time he was not alone- Jeddy was suddenly awake and obviously hungry.
After pouring more batter into the waffle maker, Toby poured a little half and half in J. Edgar’s personal kitty bowl and heated it in the microwave. After testing it with his finger, he placed it on the floor and then watched as the finicky cat sniffed it and walked away.
“Ingrate,” Toby said to Jeddy as he reached down to rub his head.
Once the steam from the waffle iron had reached the proper level, Toby removed the waffles and headed back into the dining area.
“Here are a couple more,” Sullivan said as he put two additional waffle sections on Tad’s plate and his.
“I don’t know if I can eat both of them,” Tad responded. “And I know I shouldn’t, because I’ve already gained about five pounds since I came back. But, they really are good, and I will probably eat every bite, so I should just shut up and enjoy them, right?”
“That’s right,” Toby answered. “I think you’re entitled to something special after being away for so long.”
And then there was a longer interval of silence as the two relaxed lovers ate their breakfast and read the paper while the rain fell steadily outside and Christopher Parkening played Mozart, Vivaldi and Bach on his classical guitar.
“Do you want anything else?” Toby asked as he put all of the dishes on a tray.
“Maybe a little more coffee if there is any,” Tad answered, “but let me come help you with the clean-up.”
“Absolutely not,” Toby responded. “This is your day to rest. I’m just enjoying having you with me.”
“And I’m enjoying being here,” Tad answered. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy Sunday in Washington.”
Toby took the dishes away and then brought Tad some more coffee before returning to the kitchen to clean up. With his new dishwasher, it was a simple task. He was back in the dining room with Tad- and Jeddy- who had also returned- in just a few minutes.
“Did you read the story about the Muslim call to prayer and fasting?” Toby asked. “Apparently your talk with Hakim had quite an impact.”
“It sure did,” Tad answered. “And that reminds me that I also talked to Hakim about the names of the terrorists and he agrees with me that there is something fishy about them.”
“How so?” Sullivan asked.
“The similarity of the names, yet from completely different countries. It was as if they were made up, he said.”
“So you think that Desert Dan is being fed false info?” Toby asked.
“Possibly,” Tad answered. “It happens all the time. Let’s go into the living room and turn on the television to see if any of the news shows have more information about the prayer vigil.”
Toby gave a voice instruction- “Television On”- and the large plasma screen lit up. Then he said, “Channel 7” and one of the weekly news shows appeared. As Toby and Tad got comfortable on the couch, the host was just introducing his guests.
“We are pleased today to have as our guests Senate Majority Leader Roger Williams of North Carolina and the ranking National Liberty member of the Homeland Security Committee, Senator Langdon Stevens of Georgia.
“This should be interesting,” Sullivan said as he turned the volume up a little. “Can you hear okay?”
“I can hear fine, and you’re right, it should be interesting,” Tad agreed.
“Gentlemen, I appreciate both of you being here today,” the moderator said. “And, we have a lot to cover, so I’m going to jump right in with our first topic, which I am sure is no surprise to either of you- another explosion this week in Washington and possibly a break in the investigation. What are your thoughts- Senator Williams, why don’t you start?”
“Well Jonathon, I believe that the terrorists may finally have made a fatal error, and I am optimistic that we will find and capture or kill them fairly quickly now that we know who they are,” Williams said. “I feel confident that their rein of terror is almost over.”
“Is this confidence based primarily on a feeling, or have people within the investigation provided you with concrete information that has you so encouraged?” the host asked.
“A little of both, the North Carolina senator answered. “Let’s just say that my prediction is based on more than just a hunch.”
Senator Stevens, “What are your thoughts on all that has transpired this week?”
“I hope Senator Williams is right about the terrorists making a mistake, because so far, they have been extremely clever in eluding those who have been trying to find them,” the Georgia senator responded. “I must also say, however, that I am more than a little concerned about the violence that erupted this week against Muslims and people of middle-eastern origin. I don’t believe that these lawless outbreaks should have been such a surprise to the FBI and others involved in the investigation, particularly in light of the manner in which the names and identifications of the so-called suspects were released.”
“What about that, Senator Williams?” asked the show’s host. “Do you agree with your colleague that the FBI should have anticipated the outbreak of violence against Muslims?”
“No, I am afraid my good friend Senator Stevens is just engaging in the traditional Washington sport of Sunday talk-show quarterbacking.”
“But you will admit, want you, senator, that the violence might have been avoided if those leading the investigation had taken a little more care in how they released this information to the public?” Stevens asked .
“No, I don’t admit anything of the kind,” Williams answered defensively. “I don’t think anyone could have anticipated such activity.”
“Which brings me to our next topic,” the show’s host declared. “Yesterday afternoon, a group of Muslim leaders called on all American Muslims to join together in their mosques, Islamic centers and homes to read the Qur’an, pray and fast until the violence against Muslims stops and the people responsible for the bombings are apprehended. And already we are getting reports from throughout the country from tourists and others that motels, convenience stores and restaurants have been closed so that the owners and their employees could participate in this extraordinary event. What do you make of this, senators? Senator Stevens- you first.”
“Well, Jonathon, I believe this may go down in history as one of the most important examples of non-violent protest since the Montgomery bus boycott in the middle of the last century,” Stevens said. “Since the beginning of the prayer vigil or whatever it is called, there have been almost no incidents of anti-Muslim violence reported, partially, I imagine, because Muslims have joined together in their communities, thus making it more difficult for the cowards who would attack them to find individual targets.”
“Senator Williams, your thoughts?” the moderator asked.
“No one can be opposed to people practicing their religion,” Williams answered, “although I do have some concerns about the economic impact of what they are doing.”
“So you would rather them stay at their businesses so they can remain targets for the self-proclaimed Christian vigilantes that have been attacking them?” Stevens asked.
“There you go again, Senator, twisting what I said,” answered Williams. “Of course I do not want them to be targets of anyone- any more than I want Christians to be targets of Muslim violence.”
“I’m sure we could discuss this topic for the entire time, senators, but there is a lot more in the news that I want to cover when we come back,” the newsman said before breaking for a commercial.
“Maybe Senator Williams doesn’t want Muslims to be targets, but he sure isn’t offering any better ideas for how they should protect themselves,” Tad said. “I am really excited that the prayer vigil seems to be working so well.”
“It was a brilliant idea, Tad,” Toby said as he smiled at Davenport. “But I always knew you were smart. Can I get you anything else- more coffee perhaps?”
“Nothing,” Tad said as she leaned over to rub J. Edgar who had fallen asleep on the couch. “The breakfast was great. I am full and content. In fact, if I were a cat like Jeddy, I’d be purring up a storm.”
“I’d like to hear that,” Sullivan said as the commercials ended and the news show was back on.
“We’re back with our guests,” the moderator announced, “Senate Majority Leader Roger Williams of North Carolina and the ranking National Liberty Party member of the Homeland Security Committee, Senator Langdon Stevens of Georgia.
“The next topic I want to cover is the amendment to officially change the name of this country to the Christian Republic of the United States of America. Senator Williams, are you still planning to bring the amendment to a vote after the two parties hold their conventions, and if so, do you think that Arizona Senator Robert McIntyre will be able to participate in that vote?”
“Well, Jonathon, as far as the first part of the question is concerned, the answer is yes, I do plan to bring the amendment up for a vote in the week after the end of the NLP convention in mid- August,” Williams answered. “As to whether Senator McIntyre will be able to participate in the vote, I have no idea.”
“Well don’t you think, senator, that with an issue this important, you should wait and hold the vote at a time when every senator can participate?” the host asked.
“Ideally that might be a good idea, but from a practical standpoint, that would be almost impossible to ensure,” Williams said. “With 100 senators, it seems as if someone is always sick.”
“Any predictions as to the outcome?” the moderator asked. “Senator Stevens has predicted that the amendment will fail by two votes.”
“I’m sure he has,” Williams answered, “but there is still a month until the vote. “I’ve always felt that if we can come within one or two votes, we’ll be able to switch one or two.”
“Senator Stevens, are you still predicting that the amendment will fall short of the necessary 2/3 vote?” the moderator asked.
“Yes, I am,” Stevens responded, “but I also want to ask my colleague why he is so anxious to take this country down the same road as the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries whose national identities are based on a single religion rather than on broad principles of religious equality?”
“Senator Williams?” the host asked.
“I’m happy to answer that,” said Williams. “This country was founded as a Christian nation and Christianity remains the foundation of our moral and legal codes. If we are to remain a favored nation, we must pay homage to the God who created us and gave us so many blessings.”
“I’m afraid that will have to be the last word, today,” the moderator said. “But I am sure we will be discussing this topic a lot more over the next few weeks.”
“I can’t believe that intelligent people are actually defending this amendment,” said Tad after Toby said, ‘television off,’ when the show ended. “Is their god so insecure that he needs to have a country named after him? Or are Christians so insecure that they need to be reminded that they are in the majority in this country? What is it that makes this amendment so important to them?”
“I don’t claim to know why people think as they do, but I’m sure a lot of it has to do with wanting the majority to be heard,” Toby said. “Remember in the early years of this century, there were court decisions against posting the Ten Commandments in courtrooms and government buildings. And judges also struck down the decisions of local school boards to require the teaching of Intelligent Design. One court decision after another, and before long, a lot of Christians began to feel that their religion was under attack by the courts and that they were actually losing ground. That’s when they began to become much more aggressive.”
Toby took a sip of coffee and continued.
“And then came the great religious compromise of the left and right, the rise of the CDR. and several significant successes, including legislation to allow the Ten Commandments in government buildings, prayers at public events and Christian concepts of science taught in schools. This amendment is just the culmination. I think the religious majority sees it as an insurance policy- a way to consolidate and protect the gains they have made and open the doors even further to bringing religion into government and society without fear of a future Supreme Court rolling back their gains.”
“That’s what is so frightening about it,” Tad said. “If this passes, it may be decades - or even centuries- before the damage is undone.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Sullivan responded. “I still find it hard to believe that an amendment like this could pass, but I admit that I am less optimistic than I was a few weeks ago.”
After Toby finished his explanation, he and Tad sat quietly on the couch listening to soothing sounds of Chopin and watching the rain fall over Rock Creek Park. In a few minutes Tad said that she was going back to bed and suggested that Sullivan come, too. “That is, if you would like to help make me purr,” she said.
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When the phone rang, Toby was initially confused. He wasn’t sure what time or even what day it was. Then he recalled that it was Sunday, and glancing at the clock, he determined that it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon.
The call was from Margaret Peabody. It was short.
“I can’t believe it,” Sullivan said to Tad as he hung up the phone. “It looks like Drake was right all along. They’ve got the three terrorists surrounded in a rural area of West Virginia. Trey and I are supposed to meet up with Giordano in Charleston and be available to assist local law enforcement personnel.”
“Why the three of you?” Tad asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.
“Beats me. Obviously, Giordano and Trey are two of Drake’s favorites. This will certainly be a feather in their caps come time for promotion.”
“So he’s letting a Yale nerd in a bow tie and a musician/artist/chef help track down three dangerous terrorists?” Tad asked incredulously.
“It’s not that bad,” Sullivan said with a grin. “Trey was an eagle scout and I’m not a total weakling. I did win a softball-throwing contest at day-camp when I was ten. And besides, it’s not as if we will be the ones actually engaging the terrorists in a firefight, if it comes to that. We’ll just be there to help coordinate resources with the local authorities and make certain that all possible routes of escape are secured.”
“I know; I’m just giving you a hard time,” Tad said. “And, I admit, I am a little worried.”
“No need to worry,” Toby said as he pulled a large sports bag from the closet and began to fill it with a variety of clothing suitable for trampling through the woods. “I’ve been in the Bureau for more than 15 years and I have yet to fire a weapon or be fired upon. I assure you that I’ll stay as far away from flying bullets or exploding bombs as possible.”
“You had better,” Tad said in response. “I don’t think Jeddy would ever forgive you if you got yourself killed. How inconsiderate of his needs that would be.”