the wealthier country clubs the hospital is referred to as the "WASP watering hole," a play on words, as the Meridian has an active and highly confidential alcoholic rehabilitation annex located twenty miles south of the city.
This newspaper has received copies of twelve letters sent by former patients to the hospital's administration office, but in fairness, and until the situation is clearer, we withhold publication to protect people whose names appear.
"At least they didn't identify anyone," said Sorenson, slamming the folded paper down on the desk.
"How long do you think that'll last? They sell papers, remember?"
"It's sickening."
"It's spreading, Wcs. In Milwaukee there was massive sabotage done to a brewery two days ago because the beer and the owner's name were German."
"I read about it. I couldn't finish my breakfast."
"How far did you read?"
"About what I did just now. Why?"
"The name was German, but the family's Jewish."
"Revolting."
"And in San Francisco a city councilman named Schwinn resigned because of threats to his family. Reason: He said in a speech that he had no objection to gays, many were his friends, but he felt they were having an impact on the public funding of the arts far beyond their representative numbers. His logic may be questionable-without gays the arts would be considerably diminished-but he had a political point and he was entitled to it.. . He was called a Nazi and his kids were harassed going to school."
"Sweet Jesus, it's, happening all over again, isn't it, Howard?
just switch labels and the snarling dogs are barking at heels, any heels."
"Tell me about it," said Keller.
"I've got a lot of enemies in this town, and they're not all in the opposing party. Say our two ncos are subpoenaed by the Senate and state with Germanic authority that, of course, I'm one of them, the Speaker of the House also. Do you think either of us will survive?"
I "They're outrageous liars. Certainly you will."
"Ah, but the seeds are planted, Wcs. Our records will be scrutinized by hostile zealots, extracting out of context hundreds of remarks we've made that, put together, support the outrage.. .. You just mentioned the name Jesus. Did you know that the old KGB built an entire dossier on Christ, basing its conclusions solely on the New Testament, and concluding that he was the consummate Marxist, a true Communist?"
"I not only know it, I read it," replied the director of Cons-Op, smiling.
"It was damned convincing, except I'd say it showed him to be more of a Socialist-reformer, hardly a Communist. There was never any reference to his advocating a single political authority."
"Render unto Caesar," Wcs?"
"It's a gray area, I'd have to go back and reread." Both men laughed softly; Sorenson went on.
"But I see what you mean. Like statistics, anything can mean anything when it's selectively extracted from a body of work."
"So what do we do?" asked the Vice President.
"I shoot the sons of bitches, what else?"
"No, others will simply take their place. No, you make assholes out of them. You demand a Senate hearing, a fullfledged circus, and make them laughingstocks."
"You've got to be kidding."
"Not at all. It could be the remedy for the madness that's infected this country, the U.K." and France-and God knows where else."
"Howard, that's crazy! Their appearance on television alone would fuel the fires of vigilantism!"
"Not if it's done correctly. As they have an agenda, so must we."
"What sort of an agenda? You're beyond me."
"You bring in the clowns," said Keller.
"The clowns? What clowns?"
"It'll take a little digging, but you bring in both the pro and the con-witnesses who support the allegations and those who vehemently oppose them. The latter will be easy to find; the Speaker and I have basically honorable records and we'll have reasonable men and women to speak for us from the White House on down. But the
Ipros," our clowns, that'll be a bit more difficult, but they're the key."
"Key to what?"
"To the door behind which lunacy thrives unfettered. You've got to find a fair number of crazies who at first appear perfectly sane and even courteous but underneath are fanatics. They should be unwavering zealots, devoted to their cause, but who, when stripped under cross-examination, break and reveal themselves."
"That seems awfully dangerous," said the director of Cons-Op, frowning.
"Suppose they don't break?"
"You're not a lawyer, Wcs, I am, and I assure you it's the oldest trick in trial law-in the hands of the right attorney. Good Lord, even plays and films have caught on to it because it's damn good melodrama."