Chapter 1: How We Got This Way

The madness--war, death and destruction continued for three years. To say civilized nations bombed each other back to the Stone Age is not an exaggeration. The last recorded battle of the 13th War occurred on Friday, February 13, 2122. On Friday, March 13, 2122, the onerous and rapacious peace treaties imposed by the ABC Alliance were officially signed, ratified, published and rammed down our throats. Every business immediately collapsed into bankruptcy. Every school and business in the nation closed. Everyone, even the overpaid executives lost their pensions, savings, social security and retirement accounts. Gone! Broke! Everyone was impoverished. The peace treaties required America and its allies to immediately pay huge reparations. The governments and military organizations in the ABC Alliance demanded revenge. Every store, factory, mine, business ... every bank account was now owned by a foreign entity.

For the first time in history the United States lost population. According to the Census Bureau America had 521 million people... 521,339,650, to be exact when the 13^th War began. The exact losses are astounding and impossible to tally. Nothing in our history ... not even the Holocaust of World War II ... not even the plagues of medieval Europe ... not even The Fall of Rome prepared us or the world for such a disaster. The 13th War forced us to make enormous personal, social, economic, psychological, legal and moral changes.

Many years before that damn war began the Arab ... Muslim majority nations signed peace treaties with Israel, the Jewish state, supposedly their bitter eternal enemy. That allowed them to focus on the “The Great Satan,” their real enemy, the United States. At the time, the United States, China and Russia were the most powerful nations on the earth. America and its allies were the most democratic and liberal nations ever conceived. Unfortunately, their economic and technological heyday had passed. The United States and its allies had about 3.9 billion people within their borders. For many years prior to that war China was the world’s largest economy and most populous nation. China left no doubt it intended to conquer the world. The Russians and Arab nations coalesced over “energy” issues and their fervent hatred of America. Latin America always had its share of dictators and despots. Some espoused enough Communist ideology to make their nefarious and totalitarian regimes appear legitimate. By 2080 the Chinese controlled, make that enslaved every nation south of the US-Mexican border and all the Caribbean Islands. Even though the Russians and Chinese each had over one million soldiers and 13,000 tanks and artillery pieces on their border neither side wanted to suffer the carnage of war and wisely activated that ancient Chinese saying: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Brazil, the largest nation in South America, skillfully parlayed its influence, resources and economic activity into a full partnership with China and the Arab nations. The ABC Alliance, an amalgam of Arabian nations, Brazil and China became the largest military and economic force on the globe. Three fourths of the world’s population, 13 billion people plus their industrial might was now unified with one goal--to destroy the United States and its allies.

Even before the ABC Alliance came to be, China was our largest trading partner. We sent China and the ABC Alliance our money and they sent us toys, clothes, computers, pots, pans, tools ... damn near everything including food. Brazil sent cars, trucks, airplanes, buses, industrial equipment and orange juice. The Arab nations sold us fuel, oil and chemicals at inflated prices. Everyone should have been fat, happy and rich, yet underneath all that commerce the ABC Alliance was seething with hate and anger.

The year 2119 began with hundreds of prophetic omens. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the lighted ball high above Time’s Square in New York City suddenly crashed to the ground. That tragedy killed 390 and severely injured 2197 people. In New Orleans, where I lived, we had more problems. Just thirteen minutes into the New Year a barge on the Mississippi River launching fireworks exploded and sent fireballs over the French quarter. As the sun rose 26 fire companies were battling fires in 91 buildings. Unfortunately, 208 people died that night. Another 1118 were injured. Many similar incidents happened around the world and the year just began!

International events soon overshadowed local tragedies like the those just mentioned. On Friday, January 13, 2119 the ABC Alliance attacked the United States and its allies. Within 13 days most of our satellites were disabled, destroyed or captured. Our communication and computer networks were compromised and rendered useless. Thousands of missiles and bombs decimated cities around the world. The ABC Alliance showed no mercy towards America and its allies. Their planes and drones sprayed the air with biological and chemical agents designed to kill any male over 14. Most women and children were not affected by those poisons.

Those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, chronic disorders quickly perished. Anyone over 70 quickly succumbed to the invasive organisms. Countless caregivers--doctors, nurses and medical people also perished. Anyone involved with the justice system whether an inmate, guard, lawyer or judge also perished. Obese people--men over 143 kilograms... 315 pounds and women over 117 kilograms... 260 pounds suffered terribly. None so afflicted lived more than 30 days.