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Chapter 1 - The Flat Earth SocietyHeathrow was a sea of grounded airplanes. The captain announced over the intercom that he a terrorist threat or something of that nature had shut the airport down. For a moment it seemed to me that the world-financial system had already crashed. No movement was discernible on the ground. The baggage carts and service vehicles were all parked in neat rows. This didn't look like a typical response to a terrorist threat. Not a soul was in sight. It seemed as if air traffic had come to a halt in the two weeks we had been away in Russia. Obviously it hadn't. A single wing of the main terminal looked like it was still in operation. It had Air Force planes parked near its gates. This part seemed to support the captain's terrorist suspicion. Either way, we wouldn't be landing. What a shocking return this turned out to be, to the Western World! If this was a terrorist threat, I found it amazing that we were allowed to come so close to the airport. Perhaps the control tower had been shut down as well. If so, perhaps it was more likely shut down for the lack of money or for the lack of a fungible currency altogether. Fred suggested that if the reason was economic, Russia would be in a worse mess. Of course Russia was in a mess too. It had tried to hide it in the usual way with propaganda and covering up the cracks with 'chewing gum' which they so often used to hold their fragile system together. We all knew that Russia's economy had been collapsing more rapidly than ours had. It merely came to light in different and less visible ways in Russia. Like the West, Russia too had refused to take the required actions to save its economy. Perhaps it was fortunate for Russia that it had isolated itself somewhat from the West and had reversed course at virtually the last moment, by which it had somehow muddled through. As it was, we didn't land in London that day. No official reason was given as to why. The only thing that the captain appeared to be allowed to tell us, as he put it, was that the plane was heading back to Russia for refueling until the politicians could sort things out. He suggested that the plane might be diverted to Frankfurt, Germany, if permission is granted. Everything else, he said, was classified. He told us that he found it rather amusing that the West was so secretive about such a "little thing," as he called it. For this, our plans had all been altered, whatever the 'thing' was. I personally didn't mind the diversion, nor was I surprised by the secrecy. Secrecy, deception, and dishonesty had become the hallmark of the West. Secrecy had become the new diplomacy under the banner, "In Lies We Trust!" What we were experiencing was not inconsistent with the usual games that were being played, the secret games like the Iran/Contra affair that had been kept secret for a long time, and the CIA's secret terror offensive against the Third World that had become rich in death squads and lean in humanity, while the arrogant cries were put forth about containing communism. "Did I tell you that I nearly got robbed twice in a single day at Heathrow airport?" I said to Ushi as our plane climbed away and turned sharply. "No!" Ushi answered in a serious tone. I told Ushi that I had gone into one of the washrooms on the way to the baggage office. Travelers rarely use these out of the way washrooms unless their luggage is lost and they come that way. I told her that I was barely through the door when I sensed a man standing behind me. Before the door was fully closed the man had pushed me hard against the wall. "Welcome to the home office" the man had said to me in a joking manner. "Please give me everything you've got on you. Be smart! No tricks!" || - page index - || - chapter index - || - Exit - ||
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