Angry White Men: A Book Review

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Angry White Men (AWM) by Michael Kimmel explores variations on the concept of aggrieved entitlement. According to Kimmel’s theory, when an individual or group expects certain privileges based on their status and reality does not conform to those expectations, a backlash can occur.

Aggrieved entitlement is used to explain a variety of social phenomenon in modern America including the upsurge in nationalism, hate radio, men’s rights groups, domestic terrorism, suicides, and white supremacy groups of all sizes. The common thread in all these trends comes from the demographics of the individuals engaged in these activities. As the title suggests, aggrieved entitlement is by and large the exclusive affliction of angry white men marginalized by multiculturalism, feminism, and gay liberation.

The book was written in 2013, when the Trumpocalypse was inconceivable as a realistic option for the country. AWM focuses on the conditions that gave rise to Trumpzilla, but it doesn’t speak directly to his corrosive impact. It also only hints at the underlying sexual frustration and insecurity I believe is at the heart of racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism and anti-gay bias. It does provide useful insight into an influential but warped strata of society, especially when read in conjunction with Carol Anderson’s White Rage and Aaron James’s Assholes.

If Black Panther is the Target of a Mass Shooting in 'Merica...

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Here’s a thought based on no specific knowledge or evidence. It is not a threat. It is a preemptive observation based on an established pattern of behavior.

There will probably be a mass shooting in a theater somewhere in America during the Black Panther opening weekend.

This thought might be depressing, but it will not be shocking in light of the political, social, and cultural environment we exist in. The ingredients are all present. The mood is ripe for a violent backlash in pop culture. It would be more surprising (but a huge relief) if the weekend passed without a racial attack at the movies.

If there is another episode of mass murder in ‘Merica, and I hope there isn’t, we know what the responses will be and how blame will be handed out. We will blame Marvel for making the movie. We will blame the theater for showing it. The people who went to see it will receive the most blame from the powers that be. How dare they create such a dangerous situation? We will pretend to be shocked. We will avoid the real discussion. The terrorists will be taken alive and characterized as disturbed loners or misunderstood men who had their whole lives ahead of them.

Debates will rage about the threat this type of film poses. Questions will be raised about whether or not it should have ever been made, or if the sequel should be canceled, or if anyone will go out to see it the following weekend.

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Here is another thought based on nothing more than my own distorted view of reality. On the second weekend, more people will go to see it than the first. We will pretend to be shocked. It will be seen as a rejection of hate and a triumph for America. But that won’t be the real message. We will avoid the deeper discussion.

I’ve been wrong before. I hope I’m wrong now. If we are attacked again, I know what I will do. I’ll repost my advice for escaping a mass shooting, the same way I’ve done for most of the high profile terrorist attacks. (See What to Do When the Bullets Start Flying). I will tune out the false disbelief and misplaced blame. And then I’ll go and see the movie again and again, even if it’s horrible.

I hope you will too.

Have fun.

G   

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The Mental and Emotional Defenses to Sexual Violence

By Gamal Hennessy

In rape culture, it is the duty of the victim to repress, avoid and escape her potential rapist. Women have to control where they go, what they wear, how they behave and how they respond to sexual aggression. Deviation from patriarchal norms is not an option. We don’t teach rapist not to rape. The concepts of respect, honor and support of women have no place in rape culture, so since the beginning of recorded history, women have been forced to adapt.

It is in this spirit of survival that RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) has developed a set of tips to help women and other potential victims of sexual violence escape a dangerous situation before it occurs. When and if you find yourself faced with a potential rapist, the post suggests that you:

  • Trust your instincts
  • Avoid blaming yourself for the problem
  • Lie if it helps you escape
  • Plan and use an escape route

Many of these suggestions mirror the more general advice I gave in a post called Misogyny, Racism and the Moscow Rules, and provide a useful starting point for evading hostile strangers. It doesn’t work as well against sexual predators who are in your social circle, but until we teach men not to rape, ladies need any edge they can to adapt to a hostile environment.

Have fun.

G

What is Wrong with Us?

By Gamal Hennessy

Ten questions raised by yesterday’s subway stabbing in New York

1.       How many of us think “I might get stabbed on a subway train today?”

2.       Why is so much of our violence based in hatred of “The Other”?

3.       How does our own internal anger translate into stabbing someone who did something so offensive as offering us a seat?

4.       Why can’t we be comfortable in our own skin without worrying about the violent hatred of strangers?

5.       If violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum, what triggered this attack? Was it really just a racist woman who didn’t want to sit next to a Black person?

6.       If we can’t be safe in a public place surrounded by people, where can we be safe?

7.       What did she hope to accomplish by stabbing a person who offered her a seat? What was she trying to prove? What did she hope to gain?

8.       What details are missing from this story?

9.       How long will it take for the white nationalists to claim this hate crime as symptomatic of everything wrong with women, Hispanics, Blacks and transgender people in America?

10.   What the fuck is wrong with people?

Trumpzilla Might Be the Best Recruitment Tool for ISIS

By Gamal Hennessy

Question: What do racist hatemongers, Wall Street executives, and Middle East terrorists have in common?

Answer: They will all probably benefit from the coming Trumpocalypse.

In the case of the terrorists, consider what Trumpzilla said when asked if the attack in Berlin Christmas Market attack would cause him to evaluate the proposed ban or a possible registry of Muslims in the United States:

"You know my plans. All along, I've been proven to be right, 100 percent correct."

Let’s break this down.

  • First, no one knows his plans. He might not even know himself.
  • Second, he has rarely if ever been proven right, since the vast majority of his statements conform to the classic elements of bullshit.
  • Third, if the goal of ISIS is to drive a wedge between the moderate international Muslim population and the secular governments of the West, then all of Trumps “ideas” play into the hands of terrorists. Discrimination, isolation, and abuse radicalize lone wolf terrorists, which is exactly what ISIS needs to survive.

I’m not an expert on counter terrorism. I’m not an expert on ISIS. Having said that, I am pretty sure that pouring gasoline on a fire is not the best way to put the fire out.

But I don’t think Trumpzilla wants to put the fire out. He needs the crisis to hide his crimes and ignorance.

Have fun.

G

Consequential Violence: The Impact of Combat in Fiction

by Gamal Hennessy

The action and thriller genres rely on certain established tropes. The hero needs someone or something to protect. He (or in rare cases she) will define their individuality by being a lone wolf with no affiliation or being a rebel in an existing power structure. When it comes to physical prowess or combat skill, the hero will be placed in situations where they can to injure, maim and kill to show how badass they are. This is one of the pillars of action stories from The Odyssey to Spectre and it can be the best part of a story. But combat, fight scenes and violence lose their impact when they become inconsequential.

Defining Consequence

Dictionary.com defines consequence as:

1.       The effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier

2.       An act or instance of following something as an effect, result, or outcome.

3.       The conclusion reached by a line of reasoning; inference.

4.       Importance or significance:

5.       Importance in rank or position; distinction:

In action and thriller fiction, violence often has no consequences for the characters or the hero. I’ve read a best-selling novel that started with a six man shootout in New York’s Central Park during the day in the 21st Century.  The hero moved through the plot without any acknowledgment of the effect that event would have. The cops never arrived and never investigated the event, even though there is a police precinct in Central Park and the surrounding area has a heavy police presence because of all the high priced real estate around. No one had any video of the incident, even though there are cameras in the Park and everyone has an iPhone. The hero was shot during the incident, but suffered no physical, mental or emotional impact from the incident. There was no mention of any news story about a massive gun battle in the middle of the most famous park in New York City. This lack of consequence gnawed at me until I was forced to put the book down because I couldn’t suspend enough of my disbelief to keep reading.

Exploring Consequence

In real life of course, violence has consequences for everyone involved. Books like Violence: A Writer’s Guide, Real World Self Defense, On Combat and the Writing Violence series discuss the consequences of violence in depth, but in broad strokes physical combat can affect a character’s

  • Mental facilities: people often see and perceive the world in a different way after a violent encounter. Depending on the situation, their view of the world, other people and themselves can undergo profound change. This can happen whether they win or lose.
  • Emotional well-being: We have learned a lot in recent years about the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on people who go through violent encounters. It doesn’t just impact soldiers engaged in drawn out conflict. PTSD can hit anyone involved in any number of encounters. It should also be noted that some people react in the opposite way, developing emotional frameworks that seek out and enjoy violence.
  • Physical health: It might be obvious to say violence often hurts and can sometimes kill, but when reading action novels or watching action movies, this reality is often ignored. Characters can be shot, stabbed, beaten and bruised in one scene and restored to full health in the next. I know people who have suffered long term injuries in the relative safety of practice. Why ignore all those realities in fiction?
  • Legal Status: Most types of violence are officially illegal in most countries of the world. People who engage in violent acts can easily face arrest, prosecution and prison for something as simple as a street fight. The more over the top and bloody the encounter, the more likely the police will be to get involved, and the legalities of “self-defense” usually don’t protect people who willingly participate in violence
  • Social Status: Different segments of society react to violence in different ways. While a shoving match at a high society party might send someone into exile, a friendly fistfight might not even be remembered the next day in another part of the city or country. In either case, if the event is in public it probably won’t go unnoticed or undocumented in the modern world. Just type in “street fight” or “fist fight” in YouTube to see what I mean. In addition, the “winner” and ‘loser” of the fight will have to deal with the repercussions of their actions in their social circles, whether they are positive or negative.
  • Daily lifestyle: Violence often creates more violence. The winner of a fight today might find himself hunted by the loser, or his friends, or his company, or his country depending on the importance of the loser. The winner of a fight might find himself constantly looking over his shoulder for the revenge attack. In the worst case scenario, he might not be able to ever go home again.
  • Financial Status: Between doctor bills, legal bills, psychology bills and protecting against future attacks, the cost of violence in dollars and cents can cause more long term damage than the physical beating. People have been bankrupted by violent encounters even if they won and even if they were exonerated in court.

Consequence in Story

Barry Eisler is one of my favorite writers and his style inspires my own work when it comes to depicting violence. The John Rain Series is full of violent scenes, but consequence always plays an important role before and after the fight. Mr. Eisler’s characters often spend most of the novel trying to anticipate, eliminate or reduce the impact of impending violence, creating a tension few other writers can create.

In my next book, Smoke and Shadow, I tell stories of two combat operators and their missions against warlords, slave traders and insurgents. In each novella, the characters take the time to plot, plan and prepare for what might go wrong in their violent encounters. I hope the result creates a dynamic both interesting and realistic.

The Truth about Fiction

Not every story benefits from complex portrayals of violence. Part of the fun of a James Bond or superhero film is ignoring legal and emotional realities for a few hours. But some stories and characters can be enhanced and improved if their violent actions had more consequences.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you.

Have fun.
Gama

America's Mass Shooting Crossfire (Part 3: Responding to Reality)

This is the third and final installment of my essay on mass shootings in America. If you’d like to read parts one and two, you can find the links below:

Part One: The Pro-Gun Side

Part Two: The Anti- Gun Side

If more guns aren’t the answer and fewer guns isn’t the answer and ignoring the problem isn’t the answer, then what is the answer?

We have a training model and technology that can protect unarmed civilians without plodding through the mire of gun control law. The answer for schools, malls and businesses of any kind is creating and supporting a rapid evacuation program.

What is a Rapid Evacuation Program?

If a school catches fire, we do not expect teachers to put out the fire. We teach them to get the children out of the school safely. In offices, hotels and public buildings, we don’t leave fire safety to chance. We have professionals in place that monitor systems, drill the population and coordinate with first responders. I am simply suggesting expanding the fire prevention program to cover mass shootings. My idea includes the following parts:

Each school would have an evacuation professional whose job included: 

  • Creating and updating the evacuation plan
  • Monitoring the evacuation systems,
  • Patrolling the area to ensure exits, barriers and security screening systems are in place,
  • Periodically training everyone with evacuation drills to ensure information is distributed,
  • Leading an evacuation in the case of an emergency,
  • Coordinating with first responders and managing the media

Each school would also be connected to a central monitoring system similar to ADP. This system could remotely monitor the school and the surrounding area with cameras and other devices to aid the evacuation professional on the ground and coordinate with first responders in the event of an emergency

The schools would conduct regular evacuation drills that differ from fire drills because they take into account the specific skills needed for dealing with an active shooter. This will reduce the likelihood of a fatal loop in the OODA cycle because the children and teachers will know what to do.

Finally, the evacuation professional should have non-lethal tools and deterrents (tasers, smoke grenades etc.) in the event that he or she has to engage the killer to ensure the evacuation of the children. But the primary duty would always be removing as many children as possible from the danger area.

What a Rapid Evacuation Program Can Do

Rapid evacuation can be useful because it deals directly with the issue of protecting people from mass shootings

  • It does not require an excess of political will to alter laws or society’s attitudes about a contentious subject. 
  • It does not require extensive money to alter or fortify institutions. 
  • It can be implemented in malls, schools, churches and buildings of all kinds. 
  • It uses the same training model we are already used to and modifies it for an increasingly frequent problem. 
  • It can be used to help move people out of a dangerous area in the event of floods, earthquakes, or violent individuals. 
  • It doesn’t make assumptions or ignore the reality of American society. 
  • It can deter mass shootings and reduce the death toll when and if the deterrence fails.

What It Can’t Do

Of course the difference between dealing with fire and dealing with a killer is the human variable. Fire conforms to certain predicable, natural laws while a killer can act in ways that no evacuation program can anticipate. I’m not suggesting that rapid evacuation is the last word in dealing with mass murderers. It is likely that law enforcement and potential evacuation professionals will have to improve and adapt their methods as killers alter their attacks. But that struggle would be minor compared to the devastation that we have to endure when people are gunned down at random. Rapid evacuation programs can protect our children while the war of words surrounding guns continues. 

Best
Gamal


America's Mass Shooting Crossfire (Part 2: The Anti-Gun Problem)

by Gamal Hennessy

This is the second part of my three part essay on mass shooting in America. For a look at the pro-gun problems, please click here

I have seen many anti-gun proponents suggest that changing the gun ownership laws would take guns out of the hands of people who want to kill. They go on to cite other countries that have little or no private gun ownership and the correlation between the lack of mass shootings and the absence of guns. While this concept might be a viable long term solution, it cannot protect unarmed civilians now or in the near future for a variety of reasons including:

  • The debate over gun control taps into emotions of fear, anxiety and control on both sides. Any attempt to change the law would create political and legal conflict that would rival recent debates about abortion, gay rights and health care.
  • Any change to gun ownership laws on a national level could require an amendment to the Constitution. That means a two thirds majority in the House and the Senate and ratification by thirty eight states. In the modern political climate, that kind of bi-partisan cooperation is almost unheard of.
  • Even if an overhaul of the gun control system could be put in place, it would not eliminate the 200 million privately owned firearms in America. Even if the law was passed, it would not alter the mentality of gun owners in the same way that changes to women’s suffrage hasn’t changed the mentality of many men towards women in more than 90 years and the civil rights movement hasn’t changed the way minorities are treated in America more than 50 years later.
  • During the long debate and struggle to alter the gun laws, many more guns would be purchased. There is a chance that a dramatic increase in firearms purchased could occur as people stockpiled as many legal weapons as they could before the laws changed.
  • Finally, the focus on changing the laws in the future does little to protect unarmed children in the present. 

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Why Ignoring Potential Gun Violence Isn’t Helpful

I have seen many people express shock, condolences and grief when faced with the latest mass shooting. Feeling helpless, they attempt to ignore or avoid the subject, hoping it will go away or at least hoping that it will not impact them directly. While the chances of being a victim in a mass shooting are still relatively rare, this course of action is not helpful to anyone involved because

  • The number of mass shootings has steadily increased in the past thirty years.
  • The variety of locations shows that there is no protected space or safe haven that is immune from mass shootings. Schools, businesses, religious buildings, malls and movie theaters are equally vulnerable.
  • While prayers, condolences and expressions of emotional support are comforting after a crisis, they don’t do anything to help a community learn from that crisis and take steps to prevent and deal with the next one.

Now that I've touched on some of the concerns I have about the pro-gun, anti-gun and majority solutions to mass shootings, I'll turn my attention to my potential solution in my next post.

Gamal

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America's Mass Shooting Crossfire (Part 1 The Pro-Gun Problem)

If my intent is to write something useful that people can understand, then it’s better to write about the way things are instead of what we imagine them to be.
— Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince

 

The latest school massacre has once again separated online America into three camps. On one side, the anti-gun camp uses the deaths of children as proof that we need stronger regulation on all types of guns everywhere. On the other side, the pro-gun camp uses the same mass murder as proof that concerned citizens need more guns to protect them from lunatics. In the center, the majority of the country is shocked for a moment, frightened for a time and then complacent as they go back to ignoring the problem of gun violence in America. Everyone takes their position, using the dead children as a weapon in their war of ideology.

The sound bites from all three camps often ignore certain realities of mass shootings and the greater legal, political and social environment that impact their positions. I’d like to point out some of the obstacles to the most extreme positions and then offer a solution that I think will protect more people without waiting for the war of words on gun control to play itself out. 

I am not offering this idea as an authority figure, expert or pundit. I am simply using my legal background and my studies on violence as a writer to offer ideas not tied to any other position on this issue. 

Why Giving Guns to Teachers Isn’t Helpful

I have seen many pro-gun proponents suggest that arming more civilians would create a deterrence effect that will eliminate shooting sprees. Some of them go on to say that if the killers are not deterred, the armed civilians will be in a position to protect themselves and the children around them. There are several potential problems with this concept that will occur before, during and after a violent incident. Taking the guns in school example, consider that:

Before a killer walks into a school: 

  • Many teachers have an aversion to guns and will not carry them, and they may refuse to work in an environment that requires carrying or using a weapon. This will decrease the already limited pool of qualified teachers in America.

  • Many parents would refuse to send their children to a school where the teachers were potentially armed and would be in a position to sue the school board or the state for creating an unsafe environment for their children.

  • Liability for potential gun related accidents for the school or the school system could be substantial.

  • The risk of gun related accidents or incidents between students or involving student theft of the weapons can create unintended consequences

  • Most importantly, deterrence is a powerful incentive for a rational thinker to take or avoid certain actions. Recent mass shootings have involved killers who were not rational. To assume that an irrational person will think rationally and be deterred could be a severe mistake.

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When a killer walks into a school: 

  • Even if teachers or school officials wanted to carry firearms in school as a deterrent, many teachers who are overworked, stressed or distracted may not have the gun readily available in the critical moment.

  • A person confronted with sudden violence is likely to freeze because of a fatal loop within the OODA cycle (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act). That freeze can prevent them from ever using their gun even if it is in their hand when the killer arrives.

  • Many people have a natural aversion to killing other people, even to save their own lives. Many soldiers on the battlefield, who were trained to fight, have failed to fire their weapons at an enemy that was actively trying to kill them. There is a very real chance that a teacher faced with a killer might not be able to shoot even if they have a gun.

  • The accuracy of an average person who does not have substantial training with a firearm is extremely low. If the teacher did have their gun and didn’t freeze in the face of a killer, there is a high chance that they could hit one of the children instead of the killer.

  • If two or more people are exchanging fire in an enclosed space and other teachers or officials arrive (because they are also armed), if could be very difficult in the smoke, noise and adrenalin boosts that everyone is experiencing for the new teachers to hit the right person. More children could be inadvertently killed by the people who are trying to help them.

  • Any teacher who is killed without using their gun for any of the reasons listed above is providing an extra potential weapon for the killer.

  • If the teachers are focused on attacking the killer then it will be difficult for them to focus on removing the children from the situation which leaves them in greater jeopardy as the killer closes in.

After the shooting has stopped

  •  In the same way that other teachers in the school might be confused about what is going on and who the real threat is, first responders will arrive on the scene without knowing who is a killer and who is a teacher. While they are trying to sort through the chaos teachers could be mistaken for killers and inadvertently injured or killed. Killers could be mistaken for teachers or victims and escape. There could be an extended delay for EMS to help the children because there are so many live weapons in the area.

  •  After the incident, there will be significant civil and criminal liability for the teacher, the school and the school system if any parent decides to go after the school because their child was injured or killed by a stray bullet.

  •  Finally, the support and comfort that communities display after a violent massacre that help everyone move on can be twisted into a force that tears a population apart if people start to feel like their loved ones were killed because of the failure of the teacher.

In my next post, I'll try to explain why the anti-gun movement can't achieve the goal of protecting children in the short term with stricter regulations or bans on guns.

Gamal

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What Happens If American Police Departments Get Their Own Torture Sites?

 

by Gamal Hennessy

Last year, the internet expressed a considerable amount of outrage when we realized some elements of American law enforcement were using military weapons and tactics on American citizens. People went out into the street to protest sanctioned police brutality and murder (See Who Watches the Watchers). On this blog, I advocated endangered groups in our society adopt a version of the Moscow Rules to cope with the reality we live in (See Racism, Misogyny and the Moscow Rules). All these deaths and revelations have not altered the climate of fear. If the latest reports are to be believed, things might be getting worse. 

The Guardian recently ran a story about a secret detention center run by the Chicago police department. (See Chicago Police Detain Americans in Black Site). Like Abu Gharaib in Afghanistan, the CIA secret prisons in Turkey and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, we might be creating institutions and venues to deal out the same punishments we ascribe to our hated enemy. The only difference between Gitmo and Homan Square is the nationality of the people being abused. In the military secret prisons, alleged foreign fighters and terrorists are the inmates. In Chicago, and perhaps in other cities, the prisoners are American. 

If the Guardian report is true, then the Homan Square detention center might have more in common with the old Soviet Union gulag system then the War on Terror black sites. When Stalin and his regime wanted to remove dissidents from the political discussion and sow fear into the populace, people would be snatched off the street and perhaps never heard from again. Dictators like Pinochet, Pol Pot and Idi Amin are accused of doing the same thing. Is it time to add the Chicago chief of police to this list? Have we moved from fighting totalitarian regimes to supporting them, to using their tactics on our enemies to using those same tactics on ourselves? If so, if the Guardian report is true, what happens next and to whom? What, if anything, are we going to do about it?

Based on the internet chatter going across my screen, we aren’t going to do anything. This week, I’ve seen far more arguments about the color of a dress than the alleged atrocities of Homan Square. There wasn’t even the impotent call for indictments like the one the Times issues after the CIA torture report was issued. (See The Futile Call for Torture Justice). Why? Have we so fully accepted our collective impotence against the power of the state that we’re not even willing to address their atrocities anymore? Are we so numb to discussions of torture that we accept it as an inevitable reality? Do we enjoy the idea of security so much that a secret police prison makes us feel better? (See America’s Love Affair with Torture).  

I understand the concept of police using detention and the labyrinth of the criminal justice system to manipulate and abuse suspects. As a person of color, the fear of walking into a police station and never coming out has crossed my mind more than once. The idea has become a trope in modern crime drama from Dirty Harry to The Wire. Is Homan Square just another step in the direction of roughing someone up in an interrogation room? Is it too late to turn back now?

There is a line from the last Captain America movie I think of when situations like these cross my mind. Steve Rogers and Nick Fury are staring out at four huge aerial battleships designed to hit anyone in the world anywhere at any time.  

Fury: We’re going to use these to maintain security all over the world.

Rogers: That’s not security. That’s fear.

The exchange might come from a comic book movie, but there is more insight there than in our current cultural discussion. It is a sad day in America when local law enforcement creates secret prisons to hide and abuse Americans. It is a tragic day when Americans decide they don’t care. 

Have fun.

Gamal

A Touch of Honey Teaser Sample Part One

by Gamal Hennessy

Teasers, trailers and samples are an expected part of modern entertainment. Movies, games and TV shows try to build up excitement by offering a sneak peak of new releases. Well, whats good for them is good for me. I want you to get excited about my new novel A Touch of Honey, so all this week Im offering a sample chapter to get you ready for the release on March 17th.

Enjoy 

Part One

"So I'm hoping you still have the flash drive you acquired from Cruz Maritime."

Baker opened the cuffs and dropped them into his lap in one smooth motion. Nikki rubbed her wrists to project an image of pain. They didn't really hurt, but she needed to do something with her hands to stall for time. She held his gaze for an extra beat to reinforce her sincerity then shook her head and lied.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a bartender at a strip club, at least I used to be, before you got my attention."

Baker nodded. "I understand what youre trying to do. You want to stick to your cover story as long as possible. Youll deny everything that doesn't fit your legend. That's your first line of defense. It's interrogation resistance 101. But if you were going to work that angle, it would have made sense to act more frightened back in the alley." Baker smiled as if teaching tradecraft to an eager student over drinks. "Let me play along. Ill tell you a little story and pretend to put things in perspective for you. Does that make sense?"

"It's your car."

"Actually, this is a company car. I prefer to drive something much nicer than this on my own time." 

Nikki shook her head in spite of herself. "Whatever."

Baker smiled back "Whatever. Approximately nine months ago, a woman named Nikki Siriene attended a Christmas party in the resort city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. The host of that party was one Manuel Cruz, former President of Cruz Maritime. In the days following that party, Nikki became an intimate acquaintance of both Manuel Cruz and his wife; a French painter named Dominique. What do you think of that picture so far?"

Nikki's jaw clenched as she forced out a response. "A high profile international threesome sounds pretty hot."

"It was, but it got hotter." Baker shifted in his seat to face her. His interest and excitement in the story filled the whole car. The memories he exposed forced bile into her throat. "You see, Manuel didnt know Nikki had been sent to spy on him." Baker let those words hang in the air for a moment as if to savor them. "Prior intelligence suggested Cruz Maritime might be smuggling illegal weapons into Mexico. It was Nikki's job to steal the data that could prove or disprove that suspicion."

A Touch of Honey will be available for all major book platforms on March 17th, 2015. If youd like to get my first novel Smooth Operator for free while youre waiting, just click on this link to get your e-book. 

Have fun.

Gamal

We Are the Enemy

By Gamal Hennessy

As pundits debate the utility of the Department of Homeland Security, it might be helpful to consider the actual threats to American lives since 9/11.

I'm sure several plots have been deterred or stopped due to the efforts of American intelligence and law enforcement. But when I compare terrorism deaths to firearm deaths over the past ten years, I think we're focusing on the wrong thing.

  • Number of Americans killed in domestic terrorist attacks, 2002-2011: 30
  • Number of Americans murdered by firearms, 2000-2011: 115,997

In America, we are more likely to be killed by an angry neighbor or a police officer than a member of ISIS. Children in America are more likely to be gunned down in a school shooting than kidnapped by Boko Haram. Maybe we shouldn't be discussing disbanding Homeland Security. Maybe we should use all that money and manpower to deal with the real threat to American lives.

Have fun.

Gamal