“Are you terribly disappointed?” she asked softly, after they had both been quiet for some time.
“No. Surprisingly, it’s almost a relief.”
That surprised her, and she looked up at him, questioning.
“Well, first of all, this should take off some of the pressure we’ve been under. And I’m going to need some time, what with a wedding coming and such.”
“Ummmm. I like that idea.”
“And then…” He got a faraway look in his eyes again.
“What?”
“I don’t know. Who is right in this whole thing? Can you blame the Israelis for fighting to stop the sale? If another war should break out, I’m not sure the Saudis could resist the pressure from the other Arab countries. Maybe they would use the F-22 against Israel. And yet, sometimes what is a legitimate concern with the Israelis becomes paranoia, almost an irrational hysteria.” He paused.
“But if two or three hundred million Arabs were shouting for my annihilation, I guess I could get a little paranoid too.”
“Yes, after the Holocaust, it’s pretty difficult to reassure them that all the threats are just rhetoric.”
“Then take the other side. Communist-backed rebel movements are gaining power all around Saudi Arabia—South Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya. Add to that Iran and the madness of an Ayatollah Khomeini, and no wonder the Saudis want the best weapons systems in the world.”
He turned to Valerie. “So who’s right? Or do we just say they both are, or neither are, and go our own way, arming both sides at random?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t either.”
Valerie reached up and touched his cheek. “What are your options? Go back to teaching?”
“Well, believe it or not, I’ve been considering it. That’s not a bad way to change the world. Or, I could apply to the FBI. Serve as one of their pop-up targets on the firing range.”
She gave a little shiver. “Don’t joke about that, Marc. I still can’t think about that night without feeling sick to my stomach.”
He took her hand and held it tight. “Actually, with the Saudi deal out the window now, Alex has got to find other things. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just leave the arms sales to Alex and develop some of his other interests. You heard what he said this morning. It’s time that Barclay Enterprises diversifies.”
Valerie sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.
Suddenly he smiled, putting an arm around her. “Well, I know one thing for sure I plan to do.”
She looked up at him. “What?”
“Marry you and raise a flock of kids just like their mother.”
“No,” she said softly, “just like their father.”
“Resident fanatics?”
“Every one of them.” She smiled. “I can’t think of a better thing to do for the world.”
The royal majlis or council in the palace at Riyadh held five men—the king; the crown prince; Prince Abdullah, Minister of Finance; General Amani; and Prince Feisal, Minister of Defense.
The jet-black eyes of the king were like twin fires smouldering in a Bedouin tent. He turned to Abdullah. “Did you get the reports, my brother?”
The half-brother of the king was taller, his face more angular. His eyes, like those of the king, were dark with anger. He nodded, pulling a thin stack of computer printouts from his robes. “We have an estimated one hundred forty-three billion dollars currently on deposit in American banks.”
The king nodded curtly. “Allah has been kind to us, my brothers. The vast pools of oil were put in our trust, not just to bring us wealth and comfort. It is a weapon in our hands as surely as the naked sword was a weapon in the hands of our fathers.”
Feisal, the smallest of the three members of the royal family, leaned forward. “The Americans are fools to treat us as women and back down on their promise. Do they think we do not have the courage to use the weapons Allah has given us?”
“The American president is a man of honor, but, like all rulers, his is not the only voice that must be satisfied.” The king paused, reflecting momentarily on his own powers and their limitations. “It is those other voices we must silence,” he finished quietly.
“Those other voices give in to the pressures from the Zionists who infest their country,” the crown prince said slowly. “It is time we brought pressure of our own.”
“Are we agreed?” the king asked.
They all nodded gravely.
He turned to Abdullah. “Then begin. Be cautious at first. Just let it be known in the proper circles that all current deposits in American banks will be withdrawn over the next ninety days. Let it also be known that we, of course, have no desire to destroy the American banking system. We only wish to be treated fairly and with justice.”
“And what of Barclay Enterprises?” General Amani asked.
The king’s eyebrows deepened in thought. “If the president of the United States again changes his mind and grants our request for the planes, it will not be because of the negotiating skill of Mr. Barclay. On the other hand, he has done us good service.”
“I suggest an alternative,” the crown prince spoke up. “Offer him one half of one percent commission instead of the four percent we have now agreed to. That would provide him with a lucrative profit but saves us about fifty million dollars.”
The king nodded, then nodded again more decisively. “A wise suggestion.”
“We would work with the young Mr. Jeppson, of course. He is a man to be trusted.”
“Of course,” said the king, “but first we must get the president and his Congress to change their minds.” He turned to his Minister of Finance. “Abdullah, proceed. Keep us informed.”
Prince Abdullah stuck the printouts back in his robes and bowed deeply. “It shall begin at once.”
“We shall have those planes,” the king said firmly.
“Insh’ allah,” Feisal said softly.
“Insh’ allah,” the others intoned solemnly.
Epilogue
It was just coming dawn across the Persian Gulf. The first hints of pinks and yellows were barely lighting the eastern horizon when the faint strains of the muezzin reverberated across the runways and bounced off the hardened shelters, painted in light and dark camouflage browns.
Airmen rolled out prayer rugs. Pilots with two and three thousand hours of flight time performed the ablutions, then bowed before Allah. Mechanics knelt beside the sleek aluminum bodies of jet aircraft. As it was across a thousand miles of desert, so it was here in the Thirteenth Fighter Interceptor Squadron at the King Abdul Aziz Royal Air Base—it was the time of morning prayer.
Allahu akbar! God is great.
Ashhadu an la illallah! I bear witness there is no God but Allah.
At that moment, high above and far to the northeast, the Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning and Controls Systems (AWACS) was moving on the outward leg of its regular patrol. Manned by a mixture of Saudi and American crewmen, there were no prayer rugs on board, no muezzin or minarets, which was just as well, for at that precise moment, an airman jerked forward, staring at his radar screen. For two or three seconds he just gaped, unable to believe his eyes. Then he shouted hoarsely. “I have unidentified bogeys on the screen, bearing zero four niner degrees.”
The control officer leaped to his side.
“Nine, twelve, no, fourteen! I count fourteen bogeys! Speed, Mach one point one.”
Another airman sang out, this time with a decided Arabic accent. “Computer identification shows F-4 Phantoms and F-14 Tomcats.”
The control officer swore. Phantoms and Tomcats—the two mainstays of the Iranian Air Force.
“Here’s another flight right behind them,” the first man yelled. “Sixteen additional aircraft. Identical bearing, speed, and altitude.”
“Red alert! Red alert!” the communications officer said quietly into the radio. “This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill. We have appro
ximately three zero, repeat, three zero unidentified fighter aircraft approaching, bearing zero four niner degrees, speed…”
At the King Abdul Aziz Royal Air Base, morning prayers were instantly abandoned. Prayers rugs were left where they lay. Mecca was temporarily forgotten. As the pilots raced for their planes, the doors to the hardened shelters started to roll upward, revealing the F-22 Barracudas sitting side by side, two planes to each shelter.
Several things make the F-22 the hottest fighter aircraft in the world. It has rapid engine start, fast alignment of the ring laser gyro inertial navigation system, advanced avionics that can operate around the clock and in the most adverse weather conditions. It can climb at a rate of just over fifty-three thousand feet per minute and has unbelievable maneuverability, pulling around nine g’s—nine times the force of gravity—in a hard turn. Its rapid scramble time and stupendous climbing power, coupled with the VSM-430 radar system, allows it to engage hostile aircraft at thirty thousand feet and sixty-five miles downrange from liftoff in just under two-and-a-half minutes.
The Thirteenth Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force had twenty-four Barracudas in the air within three minutes after the alert was received from the AWACS. The first engagement took place over the Persian Gulf while some Saudis in the western part of the kingdom were still rolling up their prayer rugs. Two F-14 Tomcats came within sixty miles of the coast of Saudi Arabia before they were blown out of the sky by intercepting Barracudas. That was the closest any hostile aircraft came. By the time the sun had cleared the horizon twenty minutes later, the abortive attempt of the Ayatollah Khomeini to destroy the Ras Tanura oil facilities on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia had become history.
About the Authors
Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University, and has done post-graduate work on the New Testament and Hebrew at Pepperdine University and the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, California.
Retired from employment by the Church Educational System, Brother Lund has been a seminary teacher, an institute teacher and director, and a curriculum writer. His Church callings have included bishop, stake missionary, counselor in a bishopric, and teacher development director.
Brother Lund has authored many books in addition to Leverage Point, including Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation; The Alliance; One in Thine Hand; The Freedom Factor; and the best-selling The Work and the Glory series.
Roger Hendrix received his B.A. from the California State University system, his M.A. from Brigham Young University, and his Ph.D. in higher education and educational psychology from the University of Southern California. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East. He has served in a number of positions in the Church, including as a member of a stake presidency.
Brother Hendrix is president of the management consulting firm Delphi Management, Inc. His syndicated daily radio program on future trends has won several national awards.
The Freedom Factor
The Freedom Factor
© 1987 Gerald N. Lund
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, P. O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.
BOOKCRAFT is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.
Visit us at deseretbook.com
First published in hardbound 1987
First published in paperbound 1995
First published in redesigned paperbound 2000
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lund, Gerald N.
The freedom factor.
1. Title.
PS3562.U485F7 1987 813’.54 87-15548
ISBN 0-87579-098-4 (hardbound)
ISBN-10 0-87579-961-2 (paperbound, redesign)
ISBN-13 978-0-87579-961-2 (paperbound, redesign)
Printed in the United States of America R. R. Donnelley and Sons
18 17 16 15 14 13
Chapter 1
“Ladies and gentlemen.”
The television news reporter, a stunning blonde with a glitzy smile, was looking earnestly into the camera set up on the steps of the United States Capitol.
“This is Senator Benjamin Hawkes, senior senator from Massachusetts and co-sponsor of what some are calling the most important piece of legislation of this century.” She half turned, smiling at the slender, impeccably dressed man standing at her elbow. “Good morning, Senator.”
“Good morning.” The senator looked directly at the camera and gave the several million people who might be watching the easy, relaxed smile that had been a major factor in winning him five consecutive terms in the United States Senate.
“Senator, the Hawkes/Larkin bill calls for the most sweeping governmental reform since the signing of the Constitution. How do you predict the vote will come out this afternoon?”
He chuckled softly. “Oh, I think we’ll win.”
Bryce Sherwood, who was standing slightly behind Hawkes in the crowd that had gathered quickly, felt a quick flash of irritation. What did Ms. Glitzy expect him to say?
“It takes a two-thirds vote to pass a proposed amendment to the Constitution, Senator. The media count shows you one or two votes short of the needed sixty-seven at the moment.”
The senator smiled warmly. “Well, Kathy, the media have been known to be wrong.”
She pounced on that. “Does that mean you have senators who have changed their vote?”
Senator Hawkes cut her off smoothly. “Only the next two hours will tell for sure. That’s why I’ve got to get inside and keep things moving.” He turned. “You know Bryce Sherwood, my legislative assistant. He helped me draft the bill. He can answer any questions you have about it.”
Bryce groaned inwardly as Senator Hawkes pulled him forward. “I need you!” he hissed into Bryce’s ear. “Hurry!” He turned back to the camera, waved and flashed a quick smile, then slipped through the circle of people.
The smile on the newswoman’s face had slipped slightly, but she hitched it up as Bryce stepped forward. “Mr. Sherwood, for our viewers who may not be familiar with the Hawkes/Larkin bill, could you briefly summarize why it is so significant?”
Bryce nodded thoughtfully, trying to look appropriately somber and yet pleasant at the same time. “Well, actually this bill simply proposes that there be a twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution. Since a similar bill has already passed the House, if Senator Hawkes’s bill passes today, the proposed amendment will then go to the states for ratification, and, as you know, three-fourths of the states must pass it before it becomes law.”
“Yes, of course.”
Bryce leaned forward slightly, getting more earnest now. “Again and again in recent years, we’ve seen how the government can get bogged down in a stalemate between the president and the Congress. Right now, there is no way to break the impasse except to wait for new elections. In this day and age, waiting up to four years to form a new government can be catastrophic.”
“And the new amendment will change all that?”
Bryce laughed easily. “Well, to say ‘all that’ may be a little optimistic, Kathy. I’m not sure we’ll ever completely do away with the warm and loving relationship that traditionally prevails between the White House and Capitol Hill.”
There were a few appreciative chuckles and nods from the surrounding crowd.
“But under the new amendment,” he continued, “Congress can pass a resolution of no-confidence in the administration. If two-thirds of both houses concur in this no-confidence vote, the government is dissolved and new elections are held within six weeks.”
Suddenly a reporter standing on the sidelines broke in. Bryce rememb
ered that he was from the Washington Post. “Mr. Sherwood, critics of the bill say it does away with some of the checks and balances set up by the founding fathers. What’s to stop the Congress from throwing the president out every time he wears a tie they don’t like?”
Bryce laughed. “Well, John, I know you know the answer to that, but it’s a good question. Many people don’t understand that this amendment has an important set of checks and balances of its own. First, you’ll note that I said that if Congress passes a no-confidence resolution, the government is dissolved. That doesn’t mean just the administration is dissolved. It means Congress too. Every senator and representative will have to go back and face their own constituents for reelection as well. That should make them think twice before voting to turn the president out.”
He took a quick breath, warming to the subject now. “But there is also a second set of checks and balances, and in my opinion, this is the most exciting thing about the proposed amendment. It makes government directly responsible to the voice of the people. Remember that a vote of no confidence by the Congress doesn’t mean there will necessarily be a new president, only new elections. The people may disagree with Congress and put the president back in office. Then he comes back with a real mandate to govern. Or if the people think it is time for a change, the new president comes in ready to try something new. Either way the stalemate is broken.”
The cameraman swung around as another reporter at Bryce’s left broke in. “So this really does put government back into the hands of the people, doesn’t it?”
Before Bryce could respond a feminine voice behind cut in sharply. “Which people? The rich and powerful?”
Bryce swung around and was mildly surprised. From the acrid bitterness of the voice, he expected something very different than what he saw—an attractive, well-dressed brunette in her midtwenties. He smiled directly into her angry eyes, wide and green and disturbingly lovely. “The people I think he was referring to are the people, as in ‘We, the people.’ That’s in the preamble to the Constitution, in case you were wondering.”