It Ain't Paranoia if... Pt. 02 Ch. 10

The terrain of Arizona was as inhospitable to the invaders and insurrectionists as that of West Texas, but the paramilitary forces arrayed against them were not as well organized, armed, or prepared as in Texas. The fighting was fierce as the invaders and insurrectionists surged up from the south toward the capitol in Phoenix, but there are seven military bases in Arizona, including two air force bases.

The air force was on full alert when North Korean MiGs crossed the border, and ready army forces were called in when the insurgency reached beyond the village of Why, just north of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The third generation MiG 23s were matched against 5^th generation F35A stealth fighters from Luke AFB in Glendale. That matchup did not turn out well for the North Koreans, nor did the mix of mercenaries plus true believers match up well against the US Army.

In fact, the biggest question of the entire insurrection was "Why Arizona?" They should have known they had zero chance fighting in the desert against the US military, so why attack there? Turns out, they were convinced a popular revolution would break out in support... on Christmas morning...

Perhaps they weren't as smart and savvy as they thought they were.

****

Back in West Texas, the Big Bend Militia, the Rough Riders, and the Warbirds from Crescent Moon were updating base command as events unfolded. They were currently engaged with the interlopers who had crossed the river from Mexico, and those who arose from the abandoned mines near Shafter.

While I understand that wheels, tracks, and boots on the ground are necessary to claim ownership of property you seize, it's obvious that troops, tanks, and trucks stand little chance against multi-role combat aircraft, UAVs, and missiles. Likewise, firing artillery means the crew and artillery piece will momentarily be encased in a ball of fire by the fire control system of the HIMARS.

As night turned into morning, the devastating effect of the UAVs on the ground troops, tanks, mobile artillery, and other vehicles deployed against us became abundantly clear. A swarm of UAVs quickly terrified the exposed ground troops, to the point that many lay face down in the rocky dirt with hands extended above their heads in surrender. Addy told us later that the 'experimental stealth X-47D' UAV she piloted was remarkably lethal, and its "Star Wars appearance" seemed to create panic wherever it appeared. If this was a test, she proclaimed, it passed with flying colors!

After their withdrawal from the canyon, we heard from the Escamillians for the first time since the battles began. They reported 6 KIA and 18 wounded, but were proud that they had held the combined foreign forces inside the canyon, which was soon to become their deathtrap.

Based on captives taken along the river, the varied factions that composed enemy forces included Eastern European mercenaries, terrorists from the Middle East and Africa, and Wagner Group Private Army from Russia and Chechnya. They were mixed with religious zealots, both Christian and Islamic, 'supremacists' of every ilk, color, and creed, and disaffected Two Percenters from the far right and left. Surprisingly, given their makeup, they actually fought rather fiercely - for a while, at least.

Without a central command, and with a strong dislike for one another, however, they fought ineffectively, and morale was destroyed as the superior forces they faced prevailed time after time.

We would later learn that both Russian and North Korean special operation troops, supposedly in the canyon in advisory roles, found themselves fighting beside their trainees after it became clear that helicopters stood no chance of ferrying them to safety in the interior of Mexico, or even getting them out of the box canyon! They attempted to break out of the canyon on foot and link up with the infantry invasion, but Escamilla's men forced them to retreat back into their fortifications with devastating small arms fire, mortars, and RPGs.

Knowing they were trapped and time was running out before air or missile attacks began, they fired their short range surface-to-surface missiles at Alpine, the Crescent Moon base, and the two Lairs. Much of the pyrotechnic display we watched from the roof was our SAMs rising to meet those SSMs.

The four R-11 'Scud' SSMs fired at the Capitol in Austin and at other Texas population centers were destroyed by PAC-3 Patriot batteries. The SSM fired at the Mountain Lair was similarly destroyed; however, the one fired at the Desert Lair was intercepted but only knocked off course.

It exploded against the granite mountain rising behind the house, causing a rockslide that obliterated the building housing the water well and septic controls, the garage, Duke's kennel, and the workshop. The house was spared, but loose rock and dirt covered the parking area right up to the retaining wall.

The infantry assemblages, tanks, APCs, and mobile artillery batteries in Shafter had been missed by our reconnaissance and surveillance efforts because they had been housed underground, in abandoned mines. As soon as they emerged, they set out for the Crescent Moon and Mountain Lair along US 67.

That interdiction took place in an unpopulated area midway to Marfa, with a barrage of heavy artillery, followed by missile and bomb strikes from generation 4.5 (Block 70/72) F16s from the Texas Air Guard base at San Antonio. The rebels stopped, set up as quickly as possible, and fired what they had left. That exchange contributed to the awe-inspiring display we watched.

Early on, the infantrymen scattered across Mexico came together to erect pontoon bridges north of Lajitas, then crossed on foot and in armored vehicles. They formed up and started north on El Camino del Rio toward Presidio. The Militia and Rough Riders were waiting in ambush, with artillery, mortars, RPGs, and UAVs.

The road quickly became a deathtrap for the invaders, who were pushed off the road into the sand and arroyos of the dessert, where their tracked and tired vehicles soon bogged down or encountered deep, steep canyons and sandy arroyos difficult to cross.

The vehicles were sitting ducks for the UAVs, so some attempted to proceed on foot and others dug in to fight; neither group was successful. The F-16s, assisted by spotters on the high ground, made quick work of those dug in, and the Riders surrounded and forced the surrender of most of those on foot. Some chose to fight to the death, and their death wishes were fulfilled.

In the bunker, we broke out the champagne around 8:30 am, after Colonel Adams facetiously announced, "All's quiet on the western front."

In fake horror, Claude cried out, "You do know how that movie ends, right?" and the colonel replied, "Yes, but no one is censoring me - I mean it." We poured and drank toasts from bottles that made their way down from the liquor cabinet, but only one glass each. Too much was still going on to drink more.

The Marine Security Company fended off the attack on the President and his top aides at Camp David, killing 196 and taking 84 prisoners. A few of those taken alive were sicarios and some were mercs, but most were homegrowns filled with hatred and zeal.

Their trials would ultimately take years, air many grudges, and stir up a lot of hard feelings, but the intelligence gained from questioning them sent an equal number of national, state, and local political leaders to prison for many, many years, and some to lethal injections.

Some of the pols were believers, but the vast majority were opportunists who tried to play both sides, just in case.

The largest portion of those killed and captured by the Rangers near the Texas - New Mexico border were Americans. A surprising number of them were hardline fascists, though divided among disciples of Hitler and Stalin / Mao.

The vast majority, regardless of political affiliation or economic belief, were active members of hate groups. Their animosity covered the mosaic of the modern American demographic: Jews, Immigrants, Blacks, Asians, Whites, "sexual deviants" and "uppity women who don't know their place." In other words, anyone not them or who doesn't share their narrow portrait of "an American."

Fortunately, the invasion avoided the oil fields of the Permian and Delaware Basins; had they been attacked, it could have taken decades to put out the petroleum / gas fires.

The makeup of the motley crew who invaded Texas from Mexico has previously been described. Perhaps the 882 captured were questioned differently while being held in barbed wire encircled tent camps, but they quickly turned on one another, and on the "cowardly leadership that misled and abandoned us!"

Among those captured in those encounters were more than 100 foreign fighters, including a squad of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

Of course, political leaders abroad promptly disavowed their angry puppets, as did local and state leaders who were named by their puppets. The President declared martial law in the affected regions, which fast-tracked arrests, indictments, and removal from office.

POTUS was wise enough to promise he would lift martial law within a month, and to limit its warrantless intrusions to those named as conspirators or combatants.

Still, a degree of resentment arose in some localities that had not experienced the fighting. That resentment did not include those in Fort Davis, Presidio, Marfa, Terlingua, Lajitas, or any other community that witnessed the air battles lighting the sky and shaking the earth.

When asked about their affiliation with Russians, North Koreans, Albanians, Chechens, Iranians and other jihadi terrorists, the Provisional IRA, and criminal mercenaries, the common mantra among the American conspirators was, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." That said more about their character and intentions than any of the manifestos they produced.

For the President, and for the vast majority of the congressional representatives not indicted for sedition or other high crimes, the countries represented by combatants had earned the award of draconian economic sanctions and increased American military presence near their borders.

The deranged North Korean dictator responded to the sanctions and a stern diplomatic warning by taunting the President with more threats of nuclear missiles hitting the west coast, and the "test firing" of missiles toward the American fleet. That exploit resulted in the destruction of the missiles, and minutes later, North Korean nuclear subs were "pinged." The US made no secret that B2 bombers, US Nuclear subs, and the Third Fleet were targeting North Korea.

It was time to fish or cut bait, and for a moment it appeared we might be engaged in nuclear war. When the exact coordinates of his position were transmitted to him with targeting information for a swarm of tactical nuclear missiles, General Secretary Kim reconsidered. When his military stood down, the Americans returned to watchful waiting.

Kim Jong-un's supposed allies sat silent, knowing he had badly overplayed his hand in the invasion and during the aftermath, and that they were dealing with an American President, Congress, and People that were mortally pissed off; worse than 9/11 pissed off - they were December 7^th pissed off, and wanted a piece of someone's ass!

Support of the North Korean dictator, even verbally, was a gamble no other country chose to take. Though the defenses of China, Russia, and even Iran were better than Iraq in 2003, they knew American offensive capability was far greater than in 2003, and no one wanted to invite 'Shock and Awe, Part 2". Diplomatic complaints flew at first, but the American responses were cold, bitter, menacing, and unyielding; soon, the complaints ceased.

Rather than test the resolve of the angry Americans, they licked their wounds and hunkered down, vowing to gain strength, continue to sow discord among impressionable citizens, and try again when they were stronger and America was even more divided.

On the home front, sharp divisions suddenly appeared like cracks along a fault line. Before the violent insurrection, tolerance of seditious threats was high. Even moderates attributed written and spoken threats to frustration by those whose radical / reactionary views were thwarted, and acknowledged protection under the First Amendment. Some openly supported the dispersion of classified documents, and others expressed admiration for autocratic leaders and disdain for democracy.

After 12/24, however, tolerance for seditious behavior and verbiage was non-existent, and courts began redefining "free speech" that calls for and recruits people to the violent overthrow of the government.

Over the past decade, proliferation of conspiracy theories had spread from the dark web to the World Wide Web to 24-hour television news. Zealots had cloaked themselves in the First and Second Amendments, and taken the Fifth when they finally stepped over the immutable boundaries.

Martial law caged those safeguards long enough to root out the most committed and dangerous, and the middle 85-90% of American finally took a stand in solid support of their democratic republic. Even certain talking heads on 24-hour news channels silenced their admiration for authoritarian rule and scorn for the messiness of democracy as the tide turned. Seeing the loss of viewers and sponsors, the networks pulled the plug on the worst offenders, who faded from public view.

Governors, Legislators, the President, and Congress heeded the people rather than their campaign contributors, at least for the short time it took to get things back on a seemingly even keel, and the stock market was allowed to open after a month of forced closure. Amazingly, civilization did not end because the stock market was closed for a few weeks, in spite of the dire predictions.

Americans in every state were somber and thoughtful, but none were more affected that the folks in West Texas. Here, everyone lost something: a loved one or friend to death, injury, or arrest; a piece of property destroyed; a joyful Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning celebrating the arrival of the Christ Child turned into a night and morning filled with terror; and, if nothing else, innocence was lost.

****

We welcomed the Christmas morning sun with yet another cup of coffee, but this time it was taken on the patio. The kids were wide-awake and as lively as we were worn out; Duke was just glad we were all together and he could sleep in the sunshine beside our tables.

Although we had all been up for about 36 hours, the womenfolk decided to cook a nutritious breakfast, and we menfolk found we were hungrier than we thought. While we were eating, the women kept cooking, and we were ordered to give up our tables when we were through so those who had protected us so ably all night could eat, in shifts.

Although it seemed the battle had been won, vigilance remained a priority due to the likelihood that insurrectionists remained at large. We worked out a schedule for every adult on the ranch that included guard duty, meals, and sleep time, although we limited Claire, Brooke, and Beverly to KP duties, and Eva, Ashley, and Kaitlyn to sniper duties in the turrets. Luckily, their shifts coincided with those of Claude, Clay, and Rob, respectively, so Kaitlyn got the nap she wanted with hubby.

Doubtlessly she would have been disappointed by my eyes closing as soon as my head hit the pillow, had she not done the same thing.

It was a Christmas Day unlike any other, but the days and weeks ahead would be just as unusual.

Due to January 1 falling midweek, schools in our part of Texas weren't scheduled to reopen until after the next weekend, on Monday, January 7. In addition to the impositions of martial law, there were ongoing military operations, searches, and investigations, prompted by the fear that terrorists and/or other dangerous persons hadn't all been rounded up.

School administrators in the most affected areas of West Texas; those in Regions 17 and 18 Education Service Centers (ESCs), decided to resume classes on January 21 in an online format. That decision was quickly rubber-stamped by the Texas Education Agency, which offered additional funding to the school districts to assist them in preparing.

Because few teachers or students had experience in that manner of teaching and learning, and not all students had access to computers, much less internet access, there were numerous obstacles to overcome to achieve high-quality online learning in a home setting. As it turned out, the entire nation would face the same dilemma by mid-March, but in January 2020, our schools and students pioneered what was to become the standard.

It took teacher training, churches, libraries, and neighbors with internet offering space to students without, and a lot of teacher time on the telephone for those students in classes / courses with which their parents could not help.

Law enforcement, already strapped for personnel, had to provide guardians for those gathering places because they were easy targets for the radicalized elements being hunted, and those now arriving in West Texas to cause grief and grab headlines.

The Region 18 Education Service Center in Midland and Region 17 ESC in Lubbock provided assistance to teachers and students by acquiring sponsors and grants to buy computers for kids without, and by assisting teachers with development of online curriculum, teaching strategies, and authentic learning assessment.

It was far from perfect, but, martial law aside, no one wanted to cluster students in buses and bring them together in a school, not knowing what treacherous men with dangerous weapons were lurking. You would think killing children would be verboten, but since Columbine, it seems to be the way psychopaths get their news-cycle of fame... even if they are dead when it happens.

Home wasn't home right now, for too many reasons to enumerate. That three and four-letter agencies were swarming everywhere, and conducting investigations and interrogations of all citizens, was one of them. Most of the federal lawmen were respectful, but a few exhibited an attitude of arrogance. One of the two that came to the Lair to "ask questions about your ownership of the two ranches and your role during the insurrection" belonged to the second group.

When his questioning became challenging and haranguing, I held my palm toward his face, took my phone out of my pocket and made a call. He immediately ordered me to hang up, or he would arrest me; I ignored him, but I watched Felix and Armando move into position to intervene should he try.

"Good morning Edward. I've got a couple of your boys here, and one of them - what's your name again, agent?"

Mr. Entitled Arrogance did not answer, so his partner answered for him.,

"His partner says his name is Estes, and he just told me if I don't hang up and respond to the salacious allegations he's spouting, he's going to place me under arrest. You know I'm usually pretty easy going, but he's about on my last nerve..."

That lighthearted statement drew a laugh loud enough to be heard by the agent and special agent. "Okay, okay, but what I'm saying is, the tone of voice, the tenor of his questions, and the generally aggravating way in which he addresses me... well, it's about to piss me off!

"You want to talk to him, or do you want me to give him a lesson in humility?"

Another loud chuckle: "I ought to let ya", and then, "Put him on!"

"Great! I appreciate ya!"

Turning, I held out the phone. "Agent Estes, someone would like to speak to you."

He was still all bowed up, but he might of already caught wind of a storm brewing, because he answered in a more respectful tone of voice than he'd used on me.