Good people of dKos, I'd like you to meet my novel -
Direct Actions.
Direct Actions, these are the "bloggers" I've been telling you about.
Okay, great. I've met your novel. Wonderful. But what's this got to do with Fitzmas and Rove?
Kind of you to ask, really. If you'll join me after the flip for a couple of minutes, I'll be glad to explain.
I wrote
Direct Actions in 2004. It is a novel by a liberal writer, for a liberal audience (though I wrapped the message of the book in commercial tinfoil so that moderates and feeble-minded wing-nuts could unwittingly ingest it). The novel was released this month. And my good fortune, the bad guy bears a passing resemblance to Karl Rove - a man set to be introduced to the larger American public this week.
Here is the blurb from the dust jacket, so you can get a feel for the book:
Tired of selling out his principles as a corporate attorney for a silk-stocking Detroit law firm, Jeremy Jefferson seeks a change of venue as a public defender in rural Michigan. But the peace and quiet of small town practice is shattered when Jeremy is assigned to defend Zeb Radamacher, a high school anarchist charged with eco-terrorism for firebombing a local superstore development. As the governor's office uses Zeb's case to politicize terrorism and Zeb's supporters are bent on starting a small revolution - conservative prosecutors, judges and jurors are the least of Jeremy's worries. In the fearful atmosphere of post-9/11 America, Jeremy's own life and liberty may be on the line.
It's hard to sum up a novel (that once, in pre-editing days, rivaled War and Peace in length) in less than 125 words. But that is a good start.
The book is John Grisham meets Noam Chomsky. It is Scott Turow meets the anti-Ayn Rand. It is John Voelker meets Carl Hiassen. And I am ashamed to say, there may even be a touch of Jackie Collins (a very, very modest touch -- let's not turn the post-diary press conference into an episode of Desperate Housewives). While it is an entertaining read - it is not just fluff fiction. It has an important message about politicizing the "War on Terror," and about the dangers of the USA Patriot Act.
Here is an introduction. It is not overly representative of the book as a whole -- but then again, maybe it is. It is from a scene where the main character, Jeremy Jefferson, is returning from court, pondering the mood of the country as he considers defending a terrorist.
He absorbed the public sense of fear, anger and bewilderment from looks and glances; from snippets of conversation overheard; from standing in line at the market watching fellow consumers; from talking with families of the criminals he represented. The general sense of loathing that had settled on people since 9/11 was a narrative that had been spelled out on the evening news and on cable television. It was a narrative played out on network shows, rushed to production, with plots focused on policemen, firemen and CIA agents fervently protecting the security of the homeland.The entire community was gripped with fear - fear that the world had changed and was now unpredictable. Fear that, at any moment, a bomb might explode in the very center of Milton. Fear that a bacteriological agent might run rampant through the county. Fear that the food and water supply might be contaminated by radiation. A xenophobic fear that made a suspect of anyone whose skin shaded to the color of caramel or olive. A nationalistic fear that saw flags fly, not just on the Fourth of July, but on every day of the year, in a futile effort to make life seem normal again.Jeremy's own sense of unease was the polar opposite of what he had observed in the public at large. His unrest was caused not by the downing of the Twin Towers, but by the American reaction to the event; by people being warned to watch what they said in times of terror; by the xenophobia and nationalism that was not only rampant, but fashionable; by a first war in Afghanistan that was loved like a child, and a second in Iraq that was approved by a mass suspension of disbelief; by detentions of citizens at foreign prisons without charges or lawyers or even access to courts; and by the willingness of those around him to sacrifice their own liberties to be saved from a threat level of red, orange or amber.
It wouldn't be fair if I started with a title about Fitzmas and Rove, and didn't give you some taste of the antagonist, would it? It's not like news of an indictment being returned against a high government official, but here it is. The bad guy, Kurt Bishop, is the chief-of-staff to Gov. Howell. He learns about an old nemesis from law school who is defending an accused terrorist. And he takes the case to his boss, with a mind to settle old scores.
Bishop saw his opening with Howell. He worked hard, cared about no one, and earned a spot as Howell's top aide in Washington after the election. In two short terms he had helped Howell hone his natural image. Then they set their sights on, and captured, the governor's office. It was a natural stepping stone if they were going to take a shot at the presidency. Bishop was pleased with his plush office next to the governor, but he often day dreamed of a desk very close to the Oval Office.Bishop may not have been the editor of the law review, but he had an uncommon political sense that most lawyers never possess. And while it brought a thin smile to his fleshy face to see Jefferson representing such an unpopular cause, and doing a poor job of it at that, Bishop saw an even greater good in the developing story.* * *"I think I may have something," Bishop said, slapping the folded press report in his hand and setting it down before the governor. "Just off the wire today."
He gave Howell five silent minutes to read the news brief before launching in.
"It's not an action issue, really," said Bishop. "You come out with some policy aimed at this problem -- maybe a legislative proposal -- and whether there is action or not, it lets you take a stand against terrorism at the state level."
"God," said Howell, "I don't want to get stuck on some environmental issue. Have you seen the negatives for us on that stuff?"
"Yeah. I know the numbers are bad on green issues. But that's the beauty of it. This case will take the edge off those numbers, I think. Make the tree-huggers into terrorists."
"I don't know," said Howell.
"Well, let's release a statement condemning this act of eco-terrorism," said Bishop. "And I'll get Artie to take some numbers on how it goes over."
"All right," said Howell, stifling a yawn. "I guess that can't hurt. But let me see the release before it goes. Anything I can't bump for today?"
Bishop helped the governor clear his schedule. He was pleased he could stick it to Jeremy Jefferson and carve out a nice wedge issue at the same time. Politics was a wonderfully harmonious game, he thought.
Is this how future indictees get their start? Well, we'll just have to wait and see I guess.
The book is available all over the Internet. Amazon. Barnes And Noble.com. Borders. Powells. You may have to type in both the title "Direct Actions" and the author "Terry Olson" in order to find it quickly. (Just typing in the title brings me up - but somewhere near #35 on the list - the wonders of corporate dominance).
You can also get it direct from the publisher at www.savezeb.com.
You won't find the book at Wal-Mart. Bastards. But you can get it at one cool store. The Booman Tribune Store, at the Booman Tribune, where I'm a more frequent contributor. (The price there includes shipping, no matter what the checkout button tells you - trust us - we are very friendly at the frog pond).
My book is independently published, so this is probably as much mass media attention as it will ever receive. I'll take your questions, for the short time this remains up in the wide, wide world of dKos.
Thanks for reading. Merry Fitzmas. May the indictments be with (but not actually being brought against) you.