Page 10 - Just Deserts

Prologue

manufactured scandals will have to be made public, of course.
Exposure exploits the exploitative press, ready to air anybody’s dirty
linen. My friends, this is the beginning of a new life for us all!
Doreen invited us just for dessert, but we shall leave here with a plan
to dish out our own just deserts. Now, let us get down to brass
tacks. First, I propose that most of our strikes be pre-emptive;
punishment for bygone deeds does not suit our purpose, unless
they are part of an ongoing pattern.”
Well, the rest of the evening was spent formulating a methodology
that we were to follow for several years—until we disbanded, in fact.
I cannot reveal the details of our agreement or the names of the
agents we subsequently employed to carry out an assortment of
undercover assignments. Needless to say, our real agenda remained
obscure to those who worked for us, and we ourselves played those
parts requiring full knowledge of the scam.
Two basic ground rules were set: all activities were to take place
within the continental United States, and we would limit our projects
to an even dozen—giving us both a goal and a terminus beyond
which we would not tempt fate. The individuals or institutions
meriting our attention would be chosen by consensus, with each of
us getting to choose at least one particular bête noire. Persons
holding national office were declared off-limits: too risky, considering
their own budgets for subversion. Because many of the traps would
take years to set, we agreed to work on the deserts concurrently,
dividing our resources as necessitated by the situation.
And the vow of silence: now I’ve broken it. Find me if you
can; I might have died years ago and directed this manuscript to
be published posthumously. Or perhaps I am standing in the
shadows of the bookstore, watching the expression on your face.

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