Justifiable Homicide: A Political Thriller (Robert Paige Thrillers Book 1) (32 page)

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t eliminate the people you selected. I’m just saying that we should cancel some other people first.”

They looked relieved to see that the Boss had been able to so skillfully get around the challenge Tomás just made.

“Gentlemen, the biggest threat to national security is the debt. We must punish those who got us into this mess and kill them before they can do any more damage. If you study history, you’ll find that every great empire or civilization crumbled from within before it was invaded or overthrown by an external force. That’s precisely what’s happening today in America.

“Anyone who advocates big spending programs is a candidate for the list. Politicians who advocate the biggest spending programs go to the top of the list.”

Santos interrupted him. “That includes just about every politician, and they’re all in Washington. You told us to limit our targets to people in South Florida.”

“Yes, that is correct. However, we don’t have to assassinate all of them. All we have to do is kill a few of them in order to send a message to the rest. You know what they say … Nothing changes until you get a body count.

“We can adopt the same technique the Islamic fundamentalists use. Whenever anyone publishes an image of Mohammed, they execute the person who did it and blow up the offices of the offending newspaper. We can do the same. We can target one of the biggest advocates of big spending in South Florida, liquidate him or her and blow up their campaign headquarters or local office and execute as many of their staff as possible. Then we make sure the press knows why they got targeted. Once the word gets out, politicians will be very hesitant to support any more big, wasteful spending programs, especially if we tell the press that we plan to continue targeting big spenders.”

Tomás looked concerned. His wife was an occasional volunteer for local politicians. “I don’t like the idea of executing civilians.”

The Boss replied, “They aren’t civilians if they work for an enemy of America.”

Jim Bennett interjected. “Actually, I think Tomás makes a good point. Executing civilians would give us bad press, just like it does when the Islamic nut cases kill civilians.”

The Boss hesitated a moment before responding. “Hmmm. Yeah, I suppose you’re right. OK, let’s not whack any civilians unless it’s absolutely necessary. We don’t need the bad press. It would be counterproductive.”

“All those Islamic groups have names,” John pointed out. “Should we give ourselves a name, too? It would make for good press.”

“How about the Sons of Liberty?” Jim suggested. “The American patriots who dumped the tea into Boston harbor used that name.”

“Good idea. Let’s use it. Let me continue. I want to explain the reasoning behind my choices so you can better understand why I made the choices I did.

“Think of the American republic as a structure made of wood. The structure is being attacked by termites. It is a slow process, but if it’s allowed to continue, it’s just a matter of time before the structure will collapse. The termites in this case are people who advocate policies that undermine the American system and any politician or bureaucrat who helps to implement those policies. I have some politicians on my list, but they’re not all politicians. People in the private sector are also undermining the structure of the American system. From now on we’ll refer to these people as termites, because that’s what they are.

“It’s too late to kill people like FDR, who gave us Socialist Insecurity, the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time, or LBJ, who gave us Medicare and a bunch of other socialized medicine programs, but we can waste some of their successors and clones here in South Florida. We can send a message to Washington that the line has been drawn.”

Santos looked at Tomás, who was visibly pleased with what the Boss had just said.

“Democracy … is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty … Is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”

Attributed to Benjamin Franklin

“OK, it’s time to start making the assignments. John, I want you to figure out the logistics and find a way to make this happen. Jim, Tomás and Santos will report to you and you’ll coordinate things. I’ll assist you any way I can.

“The first person on my list is Nelson Fuller. He’s the chairman of the Miami Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The Fed is helping to finance the massive deficits and is undermining the currency. It would be better to target the Chairman of the Fed in Washington but he’s too far away and too hard to get at. We can accomplish our goal of sending a message by targeting someone local. Their offices are on NW 36
^th
Street. John, you’re in charge of this guy. Jim, use your resources at the FBI to find out his schedule and find a weak spot, then pass along the information to John.

“Senator Tom Garrett is next on the list. His major crime against humanity is pushing through the various bailout packages that are bankrupting America. He also defended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when some of the more enlightened members of Congress called for their abolition. He was instrumental in convincing Congress to bail out the European banks, which forced American workers to pay for European pensions and health care costs. John, you’re in charge of this one, too. Jim, get his schedule and give it to John. Try to choose a good time and place to make it happen.”

Two waiters walked in as the Boss was about to give the next assignment. He waited for them to take away the dishes before continuing. The shorter one smelled like cheap cigar smoke. He probably had a smoke just before coming in to remove the dishes.

“Jim, this one’s for you. It’s Representative Debbie Waterstein. Her main crime against humanity is getting up in the morning.”

The comment drew a chuckle.

“Everything she does undermines the republic. This fucking termite has got to be stomped on, and hard. She’s against ending the Socialist Insecurity Ponzi scheme and replacing it with a privatized system. She wants to expand the socialist medical system and force the rich to pay for it. She’s slapping regulations on businesses so fast they’re getting punch drunk. She wants to outlaw red meat in the schools. The cattle industry in Texas will thank us for this one.”

Jim interrupted. “She’s a big supporter of Israel. Do you think we should get Mossad’s blessing on this one first?”

“Fuck Mossad. If we had to get Mossad’s approval before whacking a member of Congress, we wouldn’t be able to whack anybody. They’re all supporters of Israel. We have to do what’s right for America. Besides, anyone we whack will be replaced by another supporter of Israel, so there won’t be any net loss of Israel supporters. If we do this right, it will look like a group of patriots did it. It won’t have the CIA’s fingerprints on it.”

“Why do you guys always insist on taking all the credit?” Jim asked. “Don’t forget, the FBI is helping you guys.”

Tomás added, “I’m sure J. Edgar Hoover would be proud of you.”

“Not to mention the Commerce Department,” John added.

“And the TSA,” Santos added.

“And the private sector. Don’t leave Carnival Cruise Lines out of this.” Tomás liked the idea of private sector involvement.

“OK, guys. Enough.

“Jim, I have one more assignment for you. I think you’ll like this one. It’s Representative Jack Lunn. This guy is a class warfare specialist – rich against the poor, whites against blacks, young against old, workers versus welfare cheats. Tax the rich. The top 1 percent is already paying more taxes than the bottom 95 percent and he thinks that’s not enough. He comes back to Miami practically every weekend. It shouldn’t be difficult finding the right time and place.”

Santos began to fidget. He knew his assignments would be coming soon and he was less than enthusiastic about what they might be.

“Santos and Tomás, I have four guys for you, which you can share, but first let me explain why they need to be terminated so you can understand why it’s so important.

“Are you familiar with the eminent domain laws?”

Tomás shifted in his chair. “I’ve heard of them but I don’t know exactly what they are.”

“I’ll give you a brief summary. The U.S. Constitution and some of the state constitutions give government the authority to confiscate private property for public use – public parks, roads, stuff like that. The problem is that in recent years the government has been confiscating private property for private use. Let me give you an example.

“A few years ago, Daniel Frumpton, the big New York real estate billionaire, was building a hotel, condominium, restaurant complex in Fort Lauderdale. The problem was that he needed more land to do what he wanted to do and there was a little old lady who didn’t want to sell her home. It was on the spot where he wanted to build a restaurant. He went to the city council and convinced them to condemn the property and turn it over to him so he could build.

“The little old lady had lived in that house ever since a few months after she got married fifty years before. She raised her family there. All her memories were in that house. Her husband had died and the kids had left home. It’s all she had.

“The council gave its approval. It went to court and the judge gave his approval for the confiscation. She was paid a pittance for the property and most of what she received went to the attorney who defended her. She died a few months later of a broken heart. Frumpton stole all of her memories while he lined his pockets, but what’s worse, he pissed on the Constitution to do it. It’s an abuse of the eminent domain laws but, unfortunately, it’s not the only abuse. This kind of thing has become more common in recent years, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court held that this kind of abuse doesn’t violate the Constitution.”

Santos looked shocked and angry. “They said that? How could they do that? I want to kill that Frumpton fucker, and the members of the Supreme Court, too.” His Latin temper had been aroused. Castro had confiscated his family’s property in Cuba. He was taking it personally. Maybe he couldn’t whack Castro, but he could whack this guy.

“Actually, that is your first assignment. Frumpton, I mean, not the Supreme Court, even though there are a few of them we could do without. He has a place in Palm Beach that he visits on a regular basis. That will put him within range. Find out when he’s coming to sunny Florida, pick a time and place, and do it. As a TSA agent, you have access to flight records.”

“That’s one guy. You said you have four for us.”

“Yeah, Santos, I do. The other three are connected to Frumpton and the eminent domain laws.”

Santos and Tomás smiled. They weren’t apprehensive about their assignments any more. They could see that they were being given an opportunity to do a good deed for America and they were looking forward to it.

“Frumpton’s pulling the same stunt for some property in Aventura. Keith Ross, the city manager, is pushing it because he says it will create jobs and increase tax revenue.”

“But the purpose of government isn’t to create jobs, it’s to protect property,” John added.

“That’s right. I’m glad you weren’t absent from civics class the day they taught that lesson.

“The case went to court and was recently decided against the four families who will have their homes confiscated.”

“So who do we whack? Keith Ross, I hope?”

“Yes, Santos, he’s one of the people on the list. The others are Jules Rapaport, the judge who gave them the OK, and Jerry Goldman, the attorney who represented Frumpton. Ross and Goldman should be easy to whack. The judge might be more difficult, especially if he thinks he might be a target. That’s why I want you to get the judge right after you get Frumpton.”

“It will be our pleasure.” Santos smiled when he said it.

“Those are the eight termites we need to exterminate first. We can add more to the list later. We have to start sending the message that America won’t stand for this kind of behavior and abuse of power.”

Jim was curious. “Are you thinking about some other names for the list?”

“Yes, I’m thinking about it all the time. My current thinking is that we need to kill more lawyers. Members of the plaintiff’s bar.”

“Like who?”

“I don’t know. I’m still doing my research. The tort system in this country is out of control. Remember that McDonald’s case, where the woman got a multi-million dollar settlement for spilling hot coffee on her crotch when she placed the coffee cup between her legs while driving through the drive up window?”

“Yeah. I remember reading about it. It was all over the television, too. McDonald’s got sued because they failed to warn her the coffee was hot.”

“I want to target the termite lawyers who file that kind of lawsuit. They’re making America the laughing stock of the world. They make doctors perform a lot of unnecessary tests just to protect themselves from lawsuits. Some of them are closing up shop because they can’t afford the malpractice premiums.

“They cause drug prices to skyrocket because the drug companies have to raise their prices to pay multi-million dollar claims and liability insurance premiums. That causes the government to step in to regulate drug prices, even though it’s the government’s fault the drug prices are so high because they refuse to rein in the lawyers.”

“Yeah, because the plaintiff bar is one of the largest contributors to politicians’ reelection campaigns.”

“That’s right, Jim. Again, we don’t have to exterminate all of them. If we target a few, then broadcast to the world why we did it, that will send the message that they must stop engaging in that kind of activity or face severe consequences. Those who don’t get the message can get whacked later.”

John interjected, “What about Saul Steinman? Are we going to terminate him first? Where does he fit in the lineup?”

“Let’s put him on the back burner. We can always get him. Have Paige keep attending the meetings to let us know what’s going on with his group.”

“Should I tell Paige about our decision?”

“No. I don’t trust Paige. He’s a professor and no professor is completely trustworthy. They all have their heads up their asses. Just let him keep reporting for now. Besides, he doesn’t know we plan to whack Steinman. He thinks we just want to learn what goes on at his meetings.”