When Chaos Reigns by Scott Cottrell

Author:Scott Cottrell [Cottrell, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781954000599
Published: 2023-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

On the Road, July 14

President Justice had been rushed by the Secret Service to the underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, in the White House within minutes of the blasts on July 12. In agony, he watched as news reports came in, and the governors of the affected states sent him updates and requests for assistance and prayers.

Against the wishes of his advisors and the Secret Service, he decided to visit all three states after the planned July 13 speech to the nation. With all the issues facing his administration from Russia in Ukraine, the RIMPAC exercise, and even the Caracas Announcement, he couldn’t believe the unfortunate timing of these attacks nor the inhumane nature of them.

After addressing the nation on July 13, President Justice flew to California first, then Minnesota, and then Florida on July 14 to inspect the damage himself and talk to each governor. Even at 45,000 feet from Air Force One, he could see the extent of the damage. What had seemed unbelievable was now a reality. He pledged the nation's resources, time, and talents to restore law and order, rebuild the damaged cities and infrastructure, and bring the perpetrators to justice. It all sounded good, but making a speech and then making things happen on the ground are two different things. While the President was well-intentioned, as were FEMA and Joint Task Force-Civil Support, and all the state and county emergency operation centers, the task was monumental. And for a nation with $30+ trillion in debt (and growing), this would only compound that issue and bring the economy to the stalling point.

The President requested assistance with loans and debt forgiveness of some of the existing debt, at least publicly. Justice called on his new friends in Beijing. He also had his UN Ambassador address the General Assembly to issue a resolution to denounce the cowardly act and cut all funding to the perpetrators once that was determined. “Tilting at windmills” was a phrase some news outlets used to describe that action.

As the response and recovery played out, priority for limited resources eventually went first to California—the most populous state. Second, Minnesota received aid as the state whose damage and fallout after-effects could damage the Great Lakes system (and it also bordered Canada). And finally, Florida the third most populous state but also the one best prepared for disaster.

As one might imagine, when this priority went public, there was a fallout of the political kind, as some state officials in Florida began wondering why President Justice was still in office. Some firmly believed the priority had a political tinge to it. Who knew "Red State-Blue State" would be a factor in prioritizing FEMA assistance? "Are we not all American?" was the cry of millions.

A catastrophic event that should have brought the nation together was tearing it even further apart as it was being politicized by both major parties and the media.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.