I remember most of the details for that awful Friday - April 22, 2489. I know it was a Friday because that’s the day government issues bad news.  They don't expect too much media attention over the weekend. 

I sat next to the President in the black Travelot Limo.  As usual, I sat to his right. We were both silent. Staff had programmed the vehicle to take us to the studio via the scenic route.  The fact that Ted was silent was a major showing of his unease.  Our relaxing “ride with a view” did little to remove my own anxiety. I checked my briefcase to make sure I had two copies of his speech and my thin red eco-file.

"I think the rehearsal went well.”  Ted continued to stare out the window.

“Yes, you were fine.” What else could I say?... I was the only one in the audience.

Besides, after 25 years of working together, he could pretty much read my mind.  Ted knew I wasn’t thrilled with the project and the strategy.

He continued to stare out the window, but the images were not being absorbed. Also, the car’s internal recorder was deactivated for today’s trips

“So…What’s on your mind?”

Ted’s question was a gentle pry.  “Oh, I was thinking how much simpler life was before the Short War and the wonderful years when you were in the Senate.”

“And you had to deal with angry constituents.”

I smiled. “Well, that’s a secretary’s job, isn’t it?”

“And, now, all this.” Ted gestured to the security cars traveling in front and behind us.

 “They’re here to protect us.”

Ted gave an equivocal wink, “Let’s hope.”

We returned to our private thoughts and silence.

Neither of us was pleased to have POTUS releasing a major Policy statement… and one that will shake the US and the World.  

The initial meeting of the President’s Security Committee occurred five months ago. All the members agreed to MC (Memory Cleansing) on this topic.   No members of Congress were apprised of the Committee’s discussions and agreements. However, Congress as well as the UN, NATO, and the international community were alerted to the forthcoming speech by the President. 

In the past, the Vice President would be standing by his side. That was long before VP Kamala Harris showed the American public in 2022 that the Executive branch did not require a VP for day-to-day operations.

Ted and I were the only ones aware of the details in today’s speech and upcoming events. In fact, anyone involved with the rollout had to submit to Mind Cleansing (MC). The plan had to move forward with no Obstructionists in the way. 

As we entered the security tunnel to the National Recording and Broadcasting Center, the magnitude of today’s speech began to hit me.  

Today, I said goodbye to Dusty, my pet terrier, in a different way.  Our morning hug seemed to last a little longer…even though I would be home today, much earlier than usual.                 

           *      *     *     *

I was right by 45 minutes. I caught Dusty off guard and guilty of sleeping on my bed. He had a sheepish, forlorn look as if he knew his off-leash days were over.

“Hey, Sirah! Make me a dry martini …Turn on Channel 247…and give Dusty a doggy treat. Bye.”  I hung up my coat in the hall closet and kicked off my shoes. I removed the red eco-file from my briefcase and put it on the coffee table.

After demolishing his snack, Dusty came back from the kitchen with his doll in his mouth.  Life goes on.

At this point, I don't remember all the details of my evening ...as well as my evening with Dusty. I remember Dusty got lots of treats and I got drunk on martinis.

I remember that I pressed the mute button on the TV’s remote. After all, I was more interested in how Ted’s makeup looked than hearing his voice.

I sat down and Dusty nuzzled up to me. I remember picking up my copy of the 2004 Report issued by the UN. As I thumbed through it, I realized how much research went into the President's announcement. The year 2004...that's when it all started.

The Report tried to predict the state of the world over the next 300 years. As a woman I was intrigued by some of the findings: In Japan, by 2300, the life expectancy for women will rise to 108.  In the US it will rise to 102. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the population figures.  In 2022 the world population was 7.9 billion. The estimate for 2300 was 9 billion. The actual, however, turned out to be over 10 billion.

Since the 2004 Report, the current, average world population increase is now estimated at 81 million people per year. 

The predictions were kind, but not always accurate. Today’s reality is ten times worse. All leading to Ted’s stark figures and presentation. 

"Dusty, look up at the screen. See the pretty graphics explaining why the US and the world are collapsing. Shit. Sirah!  Big Mama needs another hit!”  Dusty gave a whimper. “Right.  And another treat for my friend! Oh, and turn off the TV.”

"Dusty, you know what you're missing?  There's not enough protein to go around. Not even for you. In fact, someone might even eat you."  Dusty gives a short bark.

This is the point when I really get my facts mixed up. This is how a reporter, a detective, my friend Helen, why even Dusty...if he was alive...might describe that evening.  However, the following was written by me, (Doreen) and some weeks after the facts.

Doreen probably didn't see the irony when she said to Dusty, "...someone might even eat you". The President's announcement was pointed, if not blunt.  Doreen got it right when she said: There's not enough protein to go around.

Worse…Americans were being asked to consider alternatives, like farming “micro-livestock”, so a family can have a nutritious meal of mice, or even rats, or unlicensed dogs, or even feral cats.

That evening, Doreen opened her notebook and read to Dusty: 

- “If modern NYC were ever under siege, rats would be on the menu within a week no doubt.  During a siege in the late 1800s, just about everything was on the menu in Paris, including the zoo animals.”

- “Cats are the most popular pets in the world with one in every three homes in the United States owning a cat. The United States has the highest cat population in the world followed by China and Russia."

“Dusty, here’s one you might like, “In 1985 the number of cats exceeded dogs for the first time.”

Dusty gave a big yawn and Doreen put down the notebook.  She checked her watch, then took it off and placed it on the side table.  She took a sip of her martini and slowly removed her blouse.

“Sirah!, hit me with another.”

“Miss Doreen, another what?”

 “A fuckin’ drink, you idiot “

“I see. You mean fucking martini.”

Dusty gave a short bark.

“And another treat for Dusty.”  Dusty gave a short squeal as he nuzzled into her lap. “Make it two.”

“Martinis or treats?”

“Treats!!”  Bellowed Doreen. “And draw me a bath as well as my supply of my 10 mg. morphine and my 30 mg. supply of codeine.”

Doreen picked up a thin b-binder and smiled as she thumbed through some of her early notes.

First Meeting
Facts:

1. We have a crisis - but we need to present it as a “situation” with choices.
2. Americans need to be offered a number of choices: vegan meat replacements, as well as free-range dogs, cats, rodents, and plant alternatives like tofu, insects, and seafood
3. The US will respond by supplying (via mail) targeted info packages and recipes upon request
4. Gov’t will provide follow-up Report(s) with a What’s Next (to be determined)

General Notes:

- Vegans don't eat fish; as well as meat and poultry. Vegans also avoid other foods derived from animals, including honey! dairy products, and gelatin 

Plant-Based Meat Alternatives for Vegans - Choices:

- Dulse Algae (Palmaria palmata), used medicinally in Iceland, Ireland, and Canada; this seaweed, when fried, is a great substitute for bacon or pork,
-  Seitan
-  Tempeh
-  Tofu

To be banned as food:

 - cats, with an implant, on indoor Inter-connector Leash (IL), raised as pets or food, if raised for fur (bus. license req'd),
- Dogs on an Inter-connector Leash (IL)
- dormouse raised in a glirarium as food
- fish, indoor aquarium, and outdoor private pools with flowering plants
- pigeons, shot or hunted with a gun
- rats, urban wild, if raised as pet or food, or medical/scientific study or testing
- skunk (de-scented and raised as a pet) (rabies and other shots req’d)

OK as food

-  bat
-  cat, feral and stray, domestic and not on Inter-connector Leash (IL), no implant, raised as food
-  coyote (hunting lic. req’d)
-  dog, not on Inter-connector Leash (IL) 
- dormouse, raised as food, native to Europe, technically a rodent, looks and acts like a squirrel, will reproduce once per year, known to hibernate for 6-7 months of the year in cold climates, teeth and diet are closer to that of a squirrel. Normal weight 4-6 ounces but will double if stimulated or raised in a terra cotta pot (glirarium) to hibernate.
- pigeon, urban, humane trap
- rats, non-urban
- skunk (humane trap)
- squirrel (humane trap)
-  woodchuck (humane trap)

History:
Cats - Feral and stray cats are in significant numbers. 
Rats - usually eaten in times of siege (Paris) and famine (NY); currently eaten in South America, India, parts of Africa

Doreen put the b-binder down, took a sip of her martini, and slowly removed her stockings. She could hear the bathtub starting to fill.

 Another thin booklet caught her attention: HOW TO COOK MICE (AND RATS).

A recipe in the booklet caught her attention:

Souris a la Creme  - Mice in Cream, the recipe appears in Farley Mowat's novel, Never Cry Wolf

Ingredients:

• Several Mice
• Ethyl Alcohol
• Salt pork or sowbelly (may substitute goat)
• Flour
• Spices (salt, pepper)
• 6 - 8 cloves
• Cream sauce

Directions:

Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate for 2 hours. Cut a piece of salt pork or sowbelly into small dice and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly in a mixture of flour, pepper and salt, and fry slowly in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Add a cup of alcohol and 6 to 8 cloves, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare a cream sauce, transfer the sautéed mice to it, and warm them in it for about 10 minutes before serving.

Doreen took her drink as well as the eco-file into the bathroom. Dusty loved bath time and he brought his favorite doll. Doreen placed her martini, along with the red folder, pill collection, and Intra-phone on the wide ledge surrounding the bathtub. She finished undressing and slid into the calming water.

Dusty barked, demanding attention. 

As if on cue, her telephone rang, interrupting her tranquility.

“Doreen, how are you?”

“Helen. I’m fine. Dusty and I are taking a much-needed, relaxing bath after a crazy day.”

“I saw the President. Is it really true? Mice, rats, skunks. It’s Armageddon!”

“We’ll get through it.”

“Doreen, come on. Tom won’t even touch chicken livers, and he’s Jewish!  But, are they serious? Cats! Dogs?”

“Yes. (pause) Helen, sorry. Dusty’s making a fuss. Can I call you back?  Say in 10 minutes?”

“Are you OK?”

“Yes, yes. Give me 10 minutes.”

Doreen slowly put the phone down. She leaned forward, took a healthy sip of her drink then picked up the two plastic pill bottles — codeine and morphine.  She emptied 5 pills from each into her hand and quickly swallowed the 200 mg's.

She then picked up Dusty, leaned back, and held him to her chest. 

The drugs were soothing as she embraced Dusty and eventually slid down the back of the tub.  Dusty struggled, but only briefly.

           *      *     *     *

When I didn’t call Helen back, she was intuitive enough to call 911.

I’m told that the local police and the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) arrived with amazing speed. I was revived with naloxone and taken to Walter Reed. Unfortunately (or perhaps I should say - fortunately), Dusty was found in the tub with me… victim of a kind and gentle death. 

As to the apparent “Top Secret” red eco-file… it was not to be found.  

America needs to know the true story. It was a week or so ago when I found a red folder on Ted's desk. Inside I found an Executive Summary and Its contents shocked me. But, my shock led to duress and confusion. I felt abandoned and deceived by my friend of 25 years.  But, I also felt compelled to do something. I needed the courage and time to do something.  I then decided to dictate a digital text copy of the file's Executive Summary to my personal g-mail account. 

The next day I decided that somehow the story leading up to the President's speech needed to be exposed. Somehow, the information needed to be placed in the hands of authorities: the CIA, Attorney General, or Congress...perhaps all of them. I did not plan my suicide, but somehow fate allowed the red eco-file to be found and hopefully placed in the hands of investigators.

I still feel compelled, however, to release the Preface that I copied.  While the President and his close supporters may consider my action a Federal betrayal, I feel it is the most “American” action I have ever taken. I will not let America or the world be unaware of their ultimate fate.  Although the coming months may be cruel, ignorance is not bliss. The lack of protein on the planet does not give the President of the United States the right to use this as a distraction. 

It is with a heavy heart, and with the help of Embassy News and the Civilian Post, that I present the information THAT MUST BE SHARED WITH THE WORLD.

CHANGES TO EARTH’S MOON - Final Summary in the Top Secret Red Eco-File - Single Copy File #1 of 1

The Earth’s seasons could change substantially should the Moon disappear. We experience seasons on the Earth – spring, summer, autumn, and winter - because the Earth is tilted. Relative to the plane we orbit the Sun, Earth’s tilt is about 23.5 degrees. It is the pull of the Moon’s gravity on the Earth that holds our planet in place and allows the Moon to produce our tides. Without the Moon stabilizing our tilt, it is possible that the Earth’s tilt could vary wildly. It would move from no tilt (which means no seasons) to a large tilt (which means extreme weather and even ice ages).

Our recent climate changes are not without reason. The US has been conducting major missile testing on the far or dark side of the moon. These tests have led to significant consequences in the shape of the Moon. As a result, the gravitational pulls have been altered or damaged.  The orbit of the Moon has been destroyed. As a result, the Moon is gradually being pulled closer to Earth with catastrophic results. Gigantic tidal waves will increase in the next few months.  The pull between the Moon and Earth will continue to diminish. We estimate that in nine months the Moon will slam into the Earth destroying all living things as we now know it.