Felipe and his driver, firing at the helicopter, ignored the dozen police cars until it was too late. Both fell dead to officers emulating Roy with the shotgun. Somewhat spread out, the next three police cruisers had driving officers firing hand guns out their windows while the officers in the passenger seats were firing with a Mini-14, a lever action Marlin .30-30 and a shotgun. Some of the rifle bullets penetrated the gasoline cans in the next van. A moron raider pulled the hand grenade pin and released the spoon just when #4 shotgun pellets hit him in the hands, face and chest. He dropped the grenade and fell back on the second seat. The grenade rolled forward and detonated under the driver’s seat. Two milliseconds later, the ignited gasoline exploded as a ball of flame. The windshield saved the officers in the cruiser immediately behind them from flash burns. The last pickup slowed to a stop under the intense fire from the helicopter re-engaging it with rifle fire. The police caravan came to a halt, with the lead police vehicle passing the last raider vehicle before stopping. The windshield was shot out, the cab was filled with bullet holes, and so were the occupants. Of the twelve raiders, none were alive. The two who impacted on the windshield died of subdural hemorrhage and broken necks before medical assistance arrived. A search of the unburned vehicles revealed much of the loot taken from their victims. Their raid had lasted a little over three weeks.
Jesus Gonzalez heard the news of the deaths of Felipe’s team on the local nightly news broadcast out of El Paso. Several of the older members, those who had been with Jesus Gonzalez for more than a year, aspired to leadership, so Jesus selected them as new lieutenants. Jesus Gonzalez’s prowess as a bandit leader and revolutionary spread by word of mouth. Many more were looking to join his little army, more than he could accommodate.
With the deployment of the 101 Air Assault Division, Jesus Gonzalez didn’t know what to do with his army. He knew that he was a toad of a Mr. Chan, a Chinaman pretending to be a Japanese Mr. Ito, but to what purpose all of this was, he could not comprehend. He certainly wasn’t going to fight the U.S. Army on American soil.
Now, helicopters equipped with machine guns, radar, night vision devices and sometimes rockets patrolled the skies day and night. Ten-man patrols tramped up and down the border. The illicit flow of drugs, people, stolen cars and stolen everything else slowed to a trickle. The addicts and drug lords were screaming. The street cost of drugs doubled, tripled, and then quadrupled. Drug suppliers began scrambling for new sources of drugs. Many heroin addicts attempted cold turkey withdrawal. Some made it, most did not. Armed robbery, burglary, and drug related crimes soared throughout the United States commensurate with prices. Drug lords experimented with new methods of smuggling and explored new routes with new partners. Canada and Florida took on a renewed meaning for the Cuban axis.
A shipping crate arrived, but Jesus Gonzalez had not ordered anything. He had it moved into a packing shed. Two days later, Mr. Ito arrived.
“Have you received anything lately, Señor Gonzalez?”
“Yes Señor Ito, a large crate arrived two days ago. I had it moved into a packing shed but have not opened it since I did not order anything. I suspected it came from you but thought I would wait until you confirmed or denied it.”
“Well, let’s go and open it.”
“Luis, get several men and open the present from Mr. Ito.”
They walked to the shed with small talk. Inside the crate were thirty brand new Russian made, synthetic stocked, bolt action sniper rifles. Each had a huge scope mounted on it that featured a range finding reticle and target turret adjustment knobs for windage and elevation. Smaller crates of ammunition and cleaning supplies in plastic kits accompanied the rifles. Mr. Ito handed Jesus Gonzalez a rifle and picked another out of the rack in an opened crate.
“These are among the most accurate in the world. Look through the scope.”
Jesus Gonzalez did so and saw it was filled with circles and lines that grew smaller as one went down toward the bottom of the reticle.
“Instruction manuals accompany each rifle. You are to select your best marksmen and train them in the use of these rifles,” Mr. Ito told Jesus Gonzalez as they walked out of earshot.
“Señor Ito, forgive me, you have paid me much money to do things I wanted to do, had a good time in doing, and would do again, but doing battle with the American Army is not one of them. Even I am not that stupid.”
Ito smiled. “First, you can kill a man over half a mile away with one shot from any one of these rifles. They are that accurate. Second, you can do it from your side of the border, because the Americans will not violate the border to pursue you. Third, you do not have to do it yourself. Give a one-hundred-dollar reward to the shooter every time he hits an American. It does not matter if he wounds or kills the American, so long as the bullet strikes him. I will also give you one hundred dollars each time an American soldier is wounded or killed by one of your men. It will cost you nothing, you have nothing to lose, and you stand to gain a good deal of money. It all depends upon how well you train your men.”
Jesus thought about it for a moment, then asked, “How do you know the Americans won’t cross the border to come after us, or shoot us with their tanks or rockets?”
“First, relations between Mexico and the Americans are already strained, so much more since you initiated your cross-border activities. President Dorn will do nothing more than irritate President Bustamante. That would be very bad for business. Second, the law forbids it, and the Americans are very conscious of the law and generally abide by it. Third, it would create a serious public relations challenge for them if it became known they were breaking the law to shoot up another country. Fourth, if they cross the river to come after you, you can shoot them with AK-47s, with rocket propelled grenades, and throw hand grenades. Fifth, their rifles, M-16s, are essentially varmint rifles. They do not have the range or accuracy these rifles do. Sixth, your men can be scattered over several hundred miles of the border. The Americans won’t know where to concentrate their forces.”
“Why not just kill them with rocket propelled grenades and be done with it?”
“Because RPGs leave a very visible trail of smoke that reveals your position. This way, they do not know where the men are who are shooting at them.”
Jesus Gonzalez thought about it for another minute, then decided to himself, I can give the men fifty dollars and keep one hundred and fifty dollars for myself. One dead American a day at that rate is pretty good business. If the men are pursued, we can surprise them with the RPGs.
Jesus Gonzalez smiled. “Señor Ito, we will do it.” As always, I am grateful for your generosity.”
“If the soldiers go away, you will, of course, begin your excursions across the border, will you not?”
“Oh, most certainly. In spite of our losses, the men find it both intoxicating and profitable.”
Ito smiled. “You have done well. Another ten thousand dollars in my car is for you.” What he thought was nothing to harass the Americans and keep them occupied.
Roberta’s voice came over the telephone. “Mr. President, President Vassily Chernikof is on line one.”
“Thank you, Roberta.” Hello, Vassily. How are you this day?
“Well, Henry, all things considered, not too bad. All family is in good health, and I am sure that you have heard that as of yesterday we have successfully concluded the prosecution of one industrial ring of organized crime that was exploiting the mineral wealth of our country.”
“Yes, Vassily, I heard. Congratulations! Your prosecutors and police investigators are to be commended. Let us hope they continue their good works.”
“We have heard of the raids you are experiencing, and I am calling to offer my condolences to the grieving families of those killed by these bandits. We, too, as you know, have been experiencing similar episodes for some time, especially from Chechnya.”
“Thank you, Vassily. I will have our public relations guru issue a press release that you and the people of Russia have called with their condolences. I am sure it will be appreciated by all.”
“We are still very much in America’s debt, Henry. Your former President Bush was very helpful in expanding our trade with you as much as possible some years ago. Purchasing our products has done as much as anything in assisting us in fighting the organized criminal elements here. He understood what we were faced with in Chechnya much better than the so-called human rights activists of your country.
“Unfortunately, as you know, we have experienced considerable difficulties with the Islamic states on our southern border which used to be part of our old empire conducting similar raids. Chechnya, in particular, still part of Russia, has been a most thorny problem. Still, the other Islamic states send armed bands into our country, waging what amounts to low-grade banditry, brigandage, or terrorism, depending upon your point of view. Now, with the problems you have with raiders from Mexico, I believe many more Americans understand what we have experienced over the decades in Chechnya and more recently from these independent Islamic states.”
“I’ll be sure that Mike includes a paragraph or so to call attention to your years of experiencing a similar situation. Perhaps it will help that segment of our society who feels that this is just the work of poor starving Mexicans striking out in desperation.”
“Thank you, Henry. Again, our condolences from Russia; we also hope that you bring these bandits to swift justice. My regards to Mrs Dorn.”
“Thanks again, Vassily. Our warmest regards to Alexandra and the kids.”
Chapter 9
The summer of 2019 was one of intense campaigning for the Democratic Party. Half a dozen candidates were serious contenders for the Democratic nomination. In the end, it was Senator Henry Kenneley who won the Democratic Party’s nomination at the Chicago convention in July. He campaigned during both the primary and general election on the standard social welfare police state rhetoric of the Democratic Party. Jobs, greater standardization and federal control of education, protection of the environment, socialized medical care for everyone, regardless of health insurance or lack thereof, public housing, expansion of the food stamp program, and clothes for school children, and the promise that greater police protection would denigrate the need for personal ownership of firearms. All would be provided to immigrants and their families as they “took jobs Americans shun.”
