Chapter 12
Spread of the Faith
Reverend Little was not pleased when the U.S. Army came in, moved them off the ridge overlooking the Bat Mountain Site and pushed them back a half mile. His flock couldn’t see the growth of the cathedral from their new location and that simply was unacceptable. The next morning they found a hill that was high enough to provide a clear view of the site so they set up camp there and started selling binoculars along with food and water to help pay for the expenses they were incurring hosting so many people. By the end of the week the crowds had swelled to ten thousand and large campgrounds were opened at Greenwater and the former ghost town known as Evelyn.
Although this view was better than nothing, Reverend Little was not satisfied and repeatedly asked Colonel Martin to allow for escorted tours of the site, but each time he refused. Unable to accept the current situation he reached out to both his congressman as well as California’s two U.S. Senators. The congressman whose district included Inyo County was Joel Stephens from Bishop. After several days Stephens called him back.
“It’s not fair to all the pilgrims who have traveled long distances to see this extraordinary event, to be herded away out of its view,” Reverend Little argued. “It’s just not right.”
“Well, the government has a right to set up a perimeter to safeguard the integrity of the site, but they may have gone too far. I’ll call Colonel Martin and see if maybe he’ll compromise and, at least, allow guided tours during the day.”
“I’d appreciate that, Congressman. And I’m sure the pilgrims will as well. Perhaps you’d like to make an appearance at the site and talk to the Colonel one on one, rather than telephone him. It’s much harder to say ‘no’ in person. It would be good publicity too with all the networks there recording what’s going on.”
There was a moment of silence. Finally Congressman Stephens said, “You’re pretty shrewd, Reverend Little. You’d of made a fine politician.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’ then.”
“Absolutely, I was planning to come home for the weekend, so let’s do this Saturday morning, okay?”
“Perfect. I’ll make sure there’s a big crowd and all the media is there.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
Reverend Little hung up feeling encouraged by the Congressman’s intervention in his plight. After he’d given instructions to his staff for preparation of Saturday’s events, he called Deputy Sheriff Curt Lawson to see if he had dug up any information on Bat Mountain Corporation.
“Yes, it’s a Nevada corporation organized by an attorney, Paul Bradford, out of Las Vegas. He’s out of town at the moment so that’s all the information I have.”
“Well, keep me posted if you find out anything else.”
Before he hung up he told the deputy about the big crowds expected on Saturday, Congressman Stephens’ visit, and asked him if the Sheriff’s office could provide some security. Lawson agreed but told him the county’s budget didn’t provide for officer overtime and he’d have to cover the cost if he wanted them. The Reverend reluctantly agreed making a mental note that he’d have to figure out some new fund raising ideas to make ends meet.
On Saturday Highway 127 was clogged north and south with pilgrims coming out to the Bat Mountain Site. Reverend Little’s people were there in force along with the media. The congressman arrived by helicopter not wanting to get caught in all the traffic. Colonel Martin had reluctantly agreed to a meeting at 1:00 p.m., so there was plenty of time to fire up the crowd before the meeting. Reverend Little took the pulpit to introduce Congressman Stephens.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. As you are painfully aware our elected government has effectively banished us from the Living Desert Cathedral. They have moved us off the ridge overlooking the site so that we are now forced to come here, over a mile away to watch God’s Miracle in the Desert.
“So, why are they doing this? Is a cathedral in the desert some kind of threat to National Security?”
The crowd yelled in unison, “No!”
“Have we done anything to interfere with their investigation?”
“No!” the crowd responded.
“Have we been unruly or threatened anyone?”
“No!”
“So, I think the government has forgotten it is the servant of the people, not its master!”
Someone screamed, “That’s right!”
Another yelled, “Amen, brother.”
“To help us remind our government of their role in this matter, I have asked our representative in Congress, Joel Stephens, to intercede on our behalf and he has graciously agreed to do so. . . . Ladies and Gentlemen, Congressman Joel Stephens!”
Congressman Stephens took the pulpit nodding and smiling to the throng. “Thank you, reverend, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, I’m afraid sometimes our government does forget its place. They sit up there in Washington with all that power and they forget that their power comes from the people and it can be easily taken away. In a few minutes I’m going to meet with the U.S. Army and remind them that all of you have the right to monitor what’s going on here. I’m sure they will say they are doing this to protect you, but I don’t personally see how this Cathedral could pose a danger or threat to anyone.
“So, hopefully they will be reasonable, but if they are not, I’ll go to their superiors. If that doesn’t work, I’ll seek assistance from my colleagues in the Congress to force them to respect the public’s right to observe this incredible phenomenon.
“I’m not sure what we are witnessing here—whether it’s God’s miracle, a fluke of nature, or something else. But whatever it is, you all have a right to see it up close and judge for yourselves, particularly those of you in Inyo County who will be most affected should it turn out to be some sort of threat.
“I’m taking Reverend Little, George Palmer, the first scientist to study this phenomenon, and Deputy Hanson from the Inyo County Sheriff’s office in with me to meet with Colonel Martin. Pray that he will be reasonable. God be with you.”
The crowd clapped and yelled their approval as the Congressman left the pulpit. Once he was down he led the delegation down the mountain and back over the ridge to the site. The Cathedral how stood over twenty-five feet tall and sparkled radiantly in the midday sun. It was the Congressman’s first up close view of the sight so he paused a moment to take it in.
“Wow! That is a marvel,” he mused.
Colonel Martin and Senator Rawlings met the delegation and invited them in the camp. After a short tour of the site they went into a tent and sat around a large table. Colonel Martin cleared his throat.
“So, I’m glad you decided to visit. I want you to know we are not trying to hide anything here. We’re just concerned with the public’s safety. That’s why we had to expand the perimeter.”
“Is there a danger this thing will blow up?” Congressman Stephens asked.
“I don’t think so, but we don’t know for sure. One of our theories is that this phenomenon is being caused by a chemical reaction, so if that is true the chemicals involved would have to be very powerful and they may be toxic.”
“Has there been any detection of toxic gases in the area?” the Congressman asked.
“No,” Martin conceded, “but they could be emitted into the atmosphere at any time and I don’t want to be responsible for innocent citizens dying.”
“Come on,” George said. “My students and I were here for two weeks and we never saw anything that would pose a health hazard to the public.”
“Well, your ass isn’t on the line if something goes wrong,” Colonel Martin spat.
“True, but why don’t you be honest,” Reverend Little replied. “The government is afraid of the truth. They’re afraid that this might be one of God’s miracles, in which case the government would have to acknowledge a higher authority.”
“Or, the result of an alien visit to Earth and the government is afraid of the public reaction to such an historic event,
” George added.
“Both of those scenarios are nonsense,” Colonel Martin replied. “The government is not worried about either one of them. We are simply trying to be prudent here and understand what is going on before we subject the public to any danger.”
“If that is true,” George said, “Why don’t you let the media set up cameras all around the site so people around the country can watch what’s going on in the safety of their own homes?”
There was a moment of silence then Colonel Martin nodded. “No. I will not have my people living in a fish bowl while they try to figure this thing out. It’s not fair to them. They can’t do their job properly if they are worried about some armchair scientist second guessing them.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Reverend Little said. “George’s idea is perfectly reasonable and there is no reason to reject it.”
“Yes there is,” Deputy Hanson interjected. “All this attention you are bringing to this site is causing the county a lot of money. Our office doesn’t have the budget to pay for the deputies needed to control the crowd that’s out here now. If you make this pile of rock a national spectacle the crowds will double or triple and we simply won’t be able to handle it. Then people will get hurt and property will be destroyed.”
“I can appreciate the Sheriff’s office concerns and I may be able to get Congress to help with the costs,” Congressman Stephens said. “But George’s idea is reasonable, and it would allow members of Congress to monitor the situation as well.”
Senator Rawlings sighed deeply. “You know, Joel. There are national security considerations here. If this is our first alien contact, we cannot afford to be cavalier in the way we respond to it. What if this thing continues to grow until it’s ten thousand feet tall? Are we just going to just let it grow? It may be a cancer that has to be cut out before it threatens the entire world.”
Congressman Stephens’ eyes widened. “Is that what the government believes?”
Rawlings shrugged. “Well, some of our scientist think so, but the fact is nobody knows for sure. So we should err on the side of caution and restrict the site to those involved in the investigation.”
“Is that the President’s position?” Stephens asked.
Rawlings nodded. “It is. Until we know what this thing is, access to it needs to be restricted.”
“Okay. Then I’ll have to take this to my colleagues in the House and see if they concur with that position. I personally believe you ought to at least put in a live feed to the cathedral and the landing site and allow weekly tours to the press and selected leaders in the community. The public has the right to watch this event, whatever it turns out to be.”
“I’ll convey your position to the President,” Rawlings assured him.
The delegation left and went back to Reverend Little’s headquarters where they held an impromptu news conference.
“Congressman,” a reporter yelled. “Did you get any concessions from Colonel Martin?”
“No, I’m sad to say they refused all our requests. They say that until they know exactly what’s going on here, it’s too dangerous to the public to be involved.”
“Congressman,” another reporter asked. “Are you satisfied with that response?”
“No, not at all. It was suggested, at the very least, that the press be allowed to put in a live feed to the cathedral and landing site. That way the public could monitor what was happening hour by hour. Also, a weekly briefing for the press was suggested. Unfortunately, both ideas were rejected. I’m afraid things will have to remain as they are for now.”
“Reverend Little,” another reporter asked. “Are you going to accept the government’s position?”
“No. I reject their position and demand they let us back on the ridge immediately. This is a violation of our Constitutional rights. Every citizen has the right to gather and worship freely without government interference. We cannot allow the President to get away with this abridgement to our rights in the name of public safety or national security. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army responds to the President and not to you and me, so we cannot do anything personally to redress this injustice until the next presidential election. In the meantime, however, God answers to no man!”
The press conference went on for some time and when it was over Reverend Little left to go back to his office in Shoshone. He had to do something to get the President to change his mind and be reasonable. He pondered the possibilities.