With two, just published, major magazine pieces on my new novel entitled “America’s Last Days,” there seems to be some degree of controversy brewing. As such, I was asked if I might want to use this space to explain my motivation as well as the motivation of my fictional super-militia — which seeks to foster a revolution from within, and is headed up by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the former Director of the FBI.

Just yesterday (as I write this), I received a call from a former high level government official who has read parts of the book, as well as the two magazine pieces (U.S. News & World Report and Publishers Weekly) and said, “You had better watch your back. The U.S. government may try to come after you over this book. It’s making people nervous.”

I fully understand that some may see this as spin from an author trying to sell books. It is not. While clearly, I do want to sell books, it was not my intention to write this column as a vehicle to do so. I was asked to provide excerpts that frame the motivation.

My motivation is simple. To try and tell a good story that encompasses much of the turmoil of our everyday lives. The motivation of the leaders of my fictional militia is a bit more complicated. They believe the United States of America is in a death spiral from which it can’t recover. As such, they believe it is their duty to act.

This first excerpt takes place between the former Director of the FBI and the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

““How did we get this way, John? Why are they forcing us to do this terrible thing?”

“Why did the Roman Empire crumble, sir? Complacency, ignorance and lack of a moral compass. They lost it all because they took the things that really count for granted. They became fat, lazy, and sinful. They were overcome by lust, greed and a gradual lowering of standards. The United States of today is exactly the same. We have lost our moral compass. Our country has become more classist, elitist and separatist. Political correctness prevents us from targeting the enemy within our own borders who harbor the very Al Qaida terrorists who attacked us. We can’t protect our own borders with Mexico and Canada. In a country that is over eighty-five percent Christian, those very same Christians can no longer say ‘Merry Christmas,’ and can barely celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We’re on the verge of a race war, our inner-cities are on the brink of collapse, our educational system is a joke, teachers are not held accountable, affirmative action has destroyed trust and self-esteem, the growing rich are walling themselves off from the ninety-five percent of other Americans, our politicians are all corrupt, stupid, taking bribes, or shunned by the few honest ones. Our Armed Forces have been weakened by a succession of short-sighted Presidents…We’re still killing the unborn at record numbers, the nation is about to elect yet another liberal President. Liberal messages in television, the movies, the news, and on CDs are polluting the minds of our young people. So much so, that they have no respect for themselves, tradition, what’s right, or their elders. Illegal immigrants by the hundreds of thousands protest in our streets for rights they have not earned, and then boycott honest businesses…””

This second excerpt is from much later in the novel and is a conversation that takes place at the White House between the former Director of the FBI and the President of the United States:

““Thank you, Mr. President. While I fully understand that my presence here today, and what I’m about to tell you, is very surreal, let me assure you that myself and General Bates could not be more serious. Quite frankly, we believe the United States of America is broken beyond all repair. We believe that the liberals in our government, in the media, and in our schools and universities, have made things so twisted, that what was once the United States of America, no longer exists…we believe…that a new nation must be formed. A nation that will be imbued with all that our Founding Fathers dreamed would be the bedrock of the United States of America. We believe that when you have over fifty thousand college professors and tens of thousands of high school teachers all across this nation, brainwashing our young people with the sick notion that all that is wrong with the world is the fault of the United States, and that our way of life is the enemy, then all is lost. We believe that when thousands of violent street gangs kill, rape, and deal drugs with impunity on our nation’s streets, then there is no more law and order. And to rectify that omission, a new order must be created…We believe that the terrorists of the world will continue to target our once great nation. After September 11, 2001, we had a long grace period where they didn’t hit us. Then two years ago, we lost twenty thousand people in Chicago. Last year, another ten thousand in Los Angeles…Not only has our country changed for the worse, but the world is, I think, quite literally, going to Hell. Pakistan and Turkey have elected Islamic fundamentalists to rule their countries. Through Pakistan, the fundamentalists now have nuclear weapons. India is preparing for an all out nuclear war with Pakistan, and Iran, even after a joint attack years ago from Israel and the United States, has still managed to develop nuclear weapons and mate them with short range ballistic missiles. Chaos and twisted ideology are now the norm in many parts of the world. Most European nations are waving the white flag in the face of the existing and growing threats within their borders. As these threats to America have multiplied, the leadership of The 1776 Command [The name of the militia in the novel] patiently looked at the Congress of the United States, and waited for them to lead. Tragically, we saw nothing but a morally bankrupt institution that spews more partisan hate and pork with each passing day. The vast majority of Members have long since stopped representing the best interests of their constituents, to focus on their own self-indulgence. Rome was lucky, Mr. President. They only had one Nero to stand by and fiddle as the city and the culture burned to the ground. We in the United States, have 535.””

Again, this is a work of fiction. I want the reader to decide if the members of this militia are patriots or traitors. To decide if what they are contemplating is High Treason, or saving a nation from itself. And, if such a super-militia did exist, how would the United States of today deal with it?

As an author, I am just trying to tell a story, make people think, and create conversation. In no way am I advocating a revolution from within.

That said, if the United States of our parents and grandparents is in a death spiral, how do we, in real life, reverse it before it’s too late? While in my novel, my characters have a fictional option – as crazy as it may sound – to stop the onslaught of political correctness, stem the erosion of morals, and revitalize the dream of our Founding Fathers, those of us in the real world who care about these things, seem to be running out of options.

Beware the Revolution.

Douglas MacKinnon was press secretary for former Senator Bob Dole and is the author of America’s Last Days . He is also a former White House and Pentagon official.

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