TSUNAMI STORM (12 page)

Dolphin Beach, Oregon

“What’s the emergency?” Willa asked as she entered Betty’s Gift Shoppe.

“I’ve just been notified by my wholesale distributor that only one in ten products on my order are available. How can I run a gift shop without gifts?” Betty asked.

“I saw on the news that Chinese freighters have stopped showing up at ports on the west coast. Is that behind this?”

“Almost everything I sell comes from China. Your sister’s a senator, can you call and find out how long this is going to last?”

“I’ll get back to you later today,”

When Willa entered the City Office building, the receptionist handed her four phone messages.

“These all came in in the last ten minutes?”

“Yep,” she said. Just then the phone rang again. “You want to take this one or should I take a message?”

“Take a message – I’ve got to call my sister.” She walked into her office, closed the door, picked up the phone and punched in the number. “Yeah, this is Willa McBride, is my sister available? Yes, I’ll hold.” She flipped through the phone messages: the hardware store, the drug store, Marty’s Beach Wear, Klinger’s Grocery Store. They all needed the same information: when would they get their products? “Liz? Yeah, products from China. What’s going on?” She closed her eyes, breathed out heavily and sat down as she listened. “Short term or long term?”
This is bad,
she thought,
really bad.
“Okay, thanks.” She hung up the phone.

She grabbed the new message on her way out the door. “Keep taking messages, I’ll be making the rounds. Let everyone know I’ll visit them today.” She crossed the Village Center and entered Betty’s Gift Shoppe. “Which of your best selling items are from China?”

“The ceramic knick-knacks. The White sided Dolphin is our top seller.”

Willa picked up one of the last remaining ceramic dolphins. “What else?” Betty pointed out six more knick-knacks. Willa selected one of each. “Can I borrow them for a few days?”

“Sure, what are you up to?”

“You’re going to need a new supplier. We have a ceramics club here -- I’m going to see if they can make these for you.”

“But how much is that going to cost?”

“I don’t know that yet, but what I do know is you’re not getting any more from China in the foreseeable future. So for now it’s local or nothing.” Betty’s mouth was still hanging open as Willa walked out the door.

Two blocks away was Andrea’s home where her ceramics club met every Wednesday afternoon. “Willa, what are you doing here?”

“There’s an old Chinese saying – every disaster comes with an equal opportunity, which I find ironic at the moment.” Willa laid out the ceramic knick-knacks on Andrea’s coffee table. “Is it possible to make molds of these and then duplicate them?”

Andrea picked up the White sided Dolphin and studied it closely. “Yes, I can duplicate this, but designs like this are either patented or trademarked. It’s against the law to infringe on the design.”

“And if I can work it out so you could own the trademark on the design, would that make a difference?” Andrea raised her eyebrows. “Can you work up a price for, say, a quantity of a hundred at a time?”

Andrea studied the dolphin again. “Yes, I could do that. I have the clay, the colors and the glaze on hand. How soon would you need them?”

“How soon could your club make them?”

“Let me make some phone calls. I’ll let you know later this afternoon.”

“Perfect,” Willa replied. Her cell phone chirped and it was from Chelsea, her daughter.
What now?
“Chelsea?”

“Mom, I just got a call from Dakota. She’s at the mall in Astoria. She says the mall is being mobbed. People are emptying the shelves of everything. What’s going on?”

Willa covered her phone. “Andrea, I’ve got to go.” She walked out the door. “Chelsea, listen to me. I’ve talked with your Aunt Elizabeth. All products imported from China have stopped. There won’t be any more, probably for years.”

“Is our economy crashing?” Chelsea asked, a definite tone of panic in her voice.

“No.” Willa replied. “But you need to get Dakota out of there – she could get hurt. Tell her to leave, now.”

“Could you call her? She won’t listen to me. If I tell her to leave, she’ll camp out there. Please?”

Just what I needed in the middle of this emergency: an emotional teenager!
Willa tried to calm herself. “I’ll call her. How did she get to the mall?”

“Friends’ parents were going. They dropped the girls off at the mall while they went to appointments,” Chelsea said.

Great, so they can’t actually leave.
“Chelsea, don’t panic, I’ll take care of this.” Willa brought up Dakota’s name on her screen and connected.

“Gramma?”

“Dakota, honey, listen. Get your friends and get out of the mall. I don’t want you to get hurt. Do you understand me?”

“But everything’s disappearing! There won’t be anything left. We’re all going to starve.”

“Dakota, nobody’s going to starve. There’s plenty of food. It’s only things from China that are going to be out of stock for a little while. It’s all going to be fine. Now please get your friends and leave the mall. Do you have a place where you are meeting your friends’ parents?”

“At the east entrance,” she replied. “Don’t you want us to buy something before it’s all gone?”

“No, honey, everything in the stores will be restocked. We’re not going to be out of anything. It’s just stuff from China that will take a little longer to be restocked. Don’t try to buy anything. Just go to where you are going to be picked up and wait there.”

“You’re sure we aren’t going to be out of everything?”

“Honey, I talked with your Great Aunt Elizabeth in Washington, D.C. She’s taking care of the situation. Everything’s going to be fine, now please get your friends and leave the mall, okay?”

There was no immediate reply. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. You need to leave now, honey. Can you do that?” Willa waited through another awkward pause. “Dakota?”

“Whatever,” Dakota replied.

“Not whatever, honey, you need to leave, right now. Okay?”

Willa heard the sound muffled.
She’s probably discussing it with her friends. I hope someone there has some sense.
The sound cleared. “Okay, we’re leaving. Bye Gramma.”

I sure hope Elizabeth knows what she’s doing, because people aren’t going to settle down until the store shelves are full again.

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

“The chair recognizes Senator Elizabeth Bechtel from the great State of Oregon. Senator, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, Mr. Vice President, and thank you for being here. We are facing the greatest political challenge in the last several decades. As you are aware, something drastic has happened in our relations with China. Even the most optimistic appraisals of the situation estimate it could take several years to resolve whatever is causing China to act against us the way it is. While our military is certainly able to protect us from an attack, our most immediate concern is what China’s actions are doing to our economy. All trade between China and America has come to an end, and it will not resume in the foreseeable future.

“We must act, and act now, if we are to prevent a major disruption to our economy. The reality is that one of every thirty-five dollars in this country has gone to China. That’s half a trillion dollars, every year. Yes, that’s trillion, with a T. One in every five products on American shelves comes from China. While we have considered China a Most Favored Nation for international trade, China has routinely ignored our patent laws and violated the patent protection we provide to American companies, which has resulted in the loss of sixty billion dollars every year to China in patent, trademark and intellectual property rights violations.

“Now that China has unilaterally ended trade with America, it is time to reset our trade policies with China. The proposed legislation will return all patents, trademarks and intellectual property rights owned or controlled by Chinese companies to America. This will free American companies to produce millions of products for American businesses that currently have no viable suppliers for their customers. We have struggled with a sluggish economy for the last eight years and I am sick and tired of hearing comments that this is a jobless recovery. This legislation will put two million Americans back to work, supplying billions of items to fill the empty shelves in our businesses, where eager Americans are waiting to buy them.

“We are the answer to this economic crisis. Any American company that wants to produce an item that has previously been made in China, can apply for, and be granted, exclusive rights to make that item through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This legislation will bring our manufacturing jobs home, where they belong. If China doesn’t want us in their country, we don’t want their products in ours. It’s time we took back control of our own economy. Pass this legislation. The American people are relying on you, and our whole economy hangs in the balance. We have to act now.”

She looked around at the standing ovation her speech received. The Bechtel Bill, as it was known in the Senate, had 23 co-sponsors and was gaining bipartisan support by the hour. The House version, which contained the financial incentives and grants for American businesses to quickly replace Chinese companies in the supply chain, had 87 co-sponsors with another 43 Representatives committed to signing on later in the day.

Eight years of economic stagnation and political posturing,
she thought,
and all it took was bringing our country to the brink of war. What an elegant solution.
“Carpe facultas,” she whispered to herself.
Seize the opportunity, the means, while they present themselves. This is the gateway to greatness.

* * *

Senator Elizabeth Bechtel’s Chief of Staff had arranged a press conference to follow her speech in the Senate.

“Thank you for being here today,” she began. “We are facing what some are calling ‘an economic crisis.’ Some of our citizens have panicked and store shelves have gone bare. I understand your concern. But I do not view this as a crisis. It is certainly an economic challenge, but with every challenge comes an equal opportunity, and it is that opportunity I believe we should be focusing on today.

“Let’s look at this challenge more closely. One in five retail items have come from China in the past. That has stopped, and is not going to resume any time soon. This is not cause for panic. The bulk of our food does not come from China. Grocery store shelves are being restocked as we speak. There is no shortage of food. Gasoline stations still have plenty of gasoline with more on the way. There is no shortage of gas. Our heating fuel for winter does not come from China. We have plenty of heating fuel to keep us warm all winter long.

“Only a few parts for our cars come from China, and with the bill I introduced today, American companies will be free to supply all of the car parts we need to keep our vehicles running well into the future. Some of our clothing has come from China, but we get clothing from Malaysia, India and a dozen other countries. There will be no shortage of clothing. Yes, some items may be unavailable for a time, but everything we need will be restored by you and your neighbors as new life is breathed into American businesses and Americans go back to work to supply their friends and neighbors with the products we need and want in our homes and in our businesses.

“Some electronic items have come from China, but many also come from our friends in Japan, Korea and many other countries across the globe. Everything you want or need in electronic devices will soon be available to you, if not from our friends around the world, then from your neighbors working in American companies in your home town or a community close by.

“Instead of focusing on the few items we will have to wait a little while to buy, let’s embrace the massive resources and richness of our American culture, work ethic, and capacity to out-produce every other nation on the planet. We are Americans, and we depend on each other to create and provide everything we could ever need or want. We are not a nation of lack. We are not a nation of shortages. We are America. We are the nation of plenty, of opportunity, and of prosperity.

“
Stand
with me. Help me bring jobs back to America. Help me fill American shelves to overflowing. Work with me to re-establish the richness of America. We are the answer, but only so long as we stand together.”

She had anticipated the usual questions and her prepared answers flowed smoothly and naturally. The press was eating up her enthusiasm and energy and from the looks on the faces of the crowd, the public was on her side. It was all just the way she wanted it to be.

“That sounded down right presidential,” her Chief of Staff commented. “Do you have plans we haven’t talked about?”

“Maybe,” she said, as the smile on her face deepened.

* * *

Senator Elizabeth Bechtel and her security agent exited the first-class section of her United Express flight at 1:27 PM, in Missoula, Montana. The rental limo and local Secret Service agent driver were waiting outside the small brick terminal building as they emerged from the sliding glass doors.

“How long?” she asked.

“About a two-hour drive, ma’am,” the limo driver replied.

“Round trip?”

“No ma’am, each way,”

She cringed as she and the agent with her slid into the back seat. The ride down U.S. 12 to Hamilton went quickly enough, and then the limo turned up into the mountains. She was intrigued by the tall evergreens that lined the narrow valley, making it appear as if it were a giant verdant trough full of wrinkles. After another hour of snaking curves, the limo turned onto a gravel road which climbed steeply into the dense forest. Forty-three minutes later they arrived.

The log cabin was small with a railed porch and stone chimney. Green metal roofing complimented the stately Yellow Pines that surrounded the primitive dwelling. An old Jeep Cherokee was parked on the right side of the building. Glen Liechtfield stepped out of the cabin door and carefully examined her as she stepped out of the limo.

Glen was six-three, thin, with a gray beard and gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a red flannel shirt and faded jeans with light brown leather boots and an old floppy Special Forces jungle hat.

“Your agent will want to inspect my humble abode before he leaves you with me,” he said. Her agent drew his weapon and entered the open door.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t have had this conversation over the phone,” she said. “With encryption, it’s perfectly secure.”

Glen smiled. “You don’t believe that any more than I do or you wouldn’t be here to talk with me in the middle of nowhere.”

Her security agent came out of the cabin door and did a sweep around the exterior, venturing slightly into the trees. “It’s clear, ma’am.”

Glen motioned for her to enter. The inside was homey, in a rugged bachelor kind of way, with an antler light fixture hanging over the simple pine table.

“Coffee?” he asked, as he picked an old pot up off the propane stove.

“Yes,” she replied.

“I don’t get many guests – black is all I have to offer.”

“That’s fine,” she replied.

He poured her a cup and sat across the table from her.

“Thank you for seeing me, I…”

He held up a hand to stop her. “You have a lot of friends in important places. You’re on a career arc that might even take you to the White House. I find powerful friends to be beneficial, from both sides.”

“Meaning?” she asked.

“Meaning we help one another. You have access to me now; I get access to you later, when your address changes to something more easily recognized.”

She smiled. “You know why I’m here?”

“I assume it’s the situation with China, otherwise, it’s hardly worth my time.”

“Are we going to war with China?” she asked.

“Maybe, maybe not – it all depends if certain people can keep their wits about them when disaster strikes and I think you can help when that happens. That’s why we are having this conversation.”

“What exactly are we talking?”

“Wars are not what they used to be. In years gone by, an army was put together, moved into position and invaded another country. Once military movements became easily observable, a subterfuge was used to start a war. False flag operations became the popular instigating event – like Pearl Harbor for World War Two, the Pueblo for the Korean War, and the Gulf of Tonkin for Viet Nam. Now, military technology has grown beyond the use of false flags.”

“False flags?” she asked.

“A false flag operation is an attack upon one’s own territory or people with enough evidence left behind to implicate your enemy. Accusations are made, blame is assigned, and war is the retribution, at least in the public view.”

“And now?”

“In addition to false flags, we have entered into a new age of military weapons and tactics. Now we use weather to reward one country and punish another. We deliberately create earthquakes and tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts and floods. We starve people, we drown them, and we wipe out their homes, their towns and their livelihood, all so we can put pressure on their governments to do our bidding. That’s why I retired.”

“And they don’t fight back?” she asked.

“These attacks are made to look exactly like natural events – acts of God. There are no accusations, no blame is assigned and no war is started, simply due to a lack of knowledge of the technology.”

“And if a country such as China becomes aware of such an attack?”

He lifted his coffee cup and drank several swallows, glanced around the room, and set his cup back down. “A weapon is a tactical device. It is used to obtain a specific end result. The selection of which weapon to use, and when, is strategic in nature, and as such is determined not only by an end result, but by the perception it will create.”

“So what perception is China creating by throwing our people out, stopping trade with us, and pushing our Navy back from their shores?”

“Having studied Chinese philosophy and actions for many years, I can tell you what China is doing is defensive in nature. They don’t want war with the United States.”

“Then what the hell is this all about?”

He breathed out and looked down. He slowly moved his coffee cup to the side, placed his arms on the table, looked her in the eye and continued. “China has been covertly attacked. Whatever trust has been built up between our two countries over the years has been severely violated. We will be covertly attacked in return.”

“So this
is
war,” she replied.

He cringed. “It is, and it isn’t.”

“That doesn’t make any sense – either it is or it isn’t; it can’t be both.”

“Well, it can,” he replied.

She leaned back in her chair with her mouth open. “How can it be both?”

“We attacked them in a covert operation, of that I am certain. They will respond the same way – covertly. It becomes a war only if we escalate the conflict by attacking China again.”

“And if we do?”

“China is preparing to defend herself.”

“With nuclear weapons?”

“If necessary. That’s one of the reasons I’m out here.” He looked out the window. “The trees should absorb a lot of the radioactive fallout.”

She blew air out of her lungs and glanced out the window at the trees before looking at him again. “So let me see if I have this straight: We are going to be attacked by China and we’re supposed to look the other way? Exactly how is
that
supposed to work?”