“Hijacking of the American Presidency: Terrorists in the White House”?
By Assad R. Wright
Ever since the Timothy McVeigh and later the 9/11 disasters, to name a few, I have been struck by a number of troubling thoughts. Two in particular are
one, the propensity to react to acts of terrorism rather than being proactive and being in a position to prevent it in the first place;
and two, the preoccupation with profiling and tracking Islamic radicals and various terrorist groups abroad.While the latter is undoubtedly sound policy, we never seemed capable of preventing terrorists’ attack on American soil.
This was understandable given the very nature of the problems involved. Homegrown terrorists do not routinely wear uniforms or badges declaring the fact that they are terrorists or belong to a terror group. Indeed, as noted in my books, the homegrown terrorist could be your nice pie-sharing neighbor, your Sunday school teacher, your friendly postman, your seemingly patriotic veteran returning from duty in the Middle East, your innocent looking grade school teacher or college student--or just about anyone you’re used to interacting with.
You’ll probably never know until the act is carried out and reaction is called for.
The above concerns served as my motivation for starting this book series. The hope was and still is, that our security forces and governmental policy makers will be more proactive in developing methods and means to avert homegrown disasters like the Boston Marathon bombing or the Orlando Night Club massacre. If these books help to make us aware of the fact that in most cases we are several steps behind the homegrown or resident terrorist, and institute corrective measures, then my prayer would have been answered.
In both books; The Ring the Bomb and the Word: The Face of the American Homegrown Terrorist, and Hijacking of the American Presidency: Terrorists in the White House, the agency tasked with combating homegrown terrorism is the Religious Unit of the Anti-terrorism Task Force of Homeland. One is not sure as to whether such a unit exists in reality, but such a unit seems logical since most terrorism, both local and foreign are likely to have a religious bearing or motivation. Such a unit, well versed in the intricacies of religious doctrines and dogmas, is well prepared both to interact with and interdict hostile behaviors of any religious movement, both here and abroad.
The scenarios in both books, and those pending, become feasible when one takes into account the near seismic changes in the countries socio-political values.
It is even suggested by some that America, if not the world, is in a post-truth era.
Moral values and the common good, notions on which the constitution drew heavily, have given way to narrow self-interest--be that of the individual, groups or race.
What this means is that the constitution is exercising a progressively diminishing force on both thoughts and behavior. Given these notions, it is not impossible for individuals or factions in America to begin acting like some politicians and factions in Third World or Developing countries.
In the Hijacking of the American Presidency: Terrorists in the White House, when Chuck Chisolm gave his report of the splinter group’s intent to assassinate the sitting president and have the vice-president, their hand-picked puppet installed in his stead, the reaction by the agents and policy makers present, was indicative of the view held by many that Americans would always behave according to the rule of law provided in the constitution and a belief system long considered superior to others.
“But…that’s like hijacking the presidency of the United States of America,” one agent protested, his voice almost cracking in panic.
“And putting terrorists in the White House,” another joined the protest.
“This cannot be,” the deputy exclaimed. “We are the United States of America, not a Third World country ruled by juntas.”
Later when the deputy of the Department of Defense was apprised of the plan, his reaction was similar. “Mother of God, “the Department of Defense deputy shouted. “What you’re talking about is madness…madness. Madness! You’re talking about hijacking the presidency of the United States. You’re talking about overthrowing the constitution of the United States, and you’re talking about a coup-de-tat right here in the United States of America. Has everybody gone mad?”
The bottom line is, since the tenets of the constitution and the long held values considered "American" are no longer considered sacrosanct; one can expect radical changes that mirror even fractious societies. Consequently, our security forces can no longer be merely reactive, but must be placed on a proactive footing with the ability to act preemptively if it becomes necessary.
!!!
Assad R. Wright
Born and raised in Jamaica, Assad R. Wright attended Mico Teachers College and the university of the West Indies in Jamaica, followed by graduate work at Long Island University and CUNY Graduate Center in New York. A retired teacher, the author is now the pastor of a local assembly in Miami. This is the sequel to his first book, The Ring the Bomb and the Word: The Face of the American Homegrown Terrorist.
As soon as I finished the second book in the series, I went out and got the first one, which I'll be sharing in the near future....
Click on the book title in the right column to check out my review of his second book...
Thank you so much, Assad Wright, for sharing further about your books used to hone in on issues of concern in America!
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