The Patriot Conspiracy

I recently read The Patriot Conspiracy by Carole Tremblay. It offered an interesting take on the National Security vs Privacy Rights issue so clearly illustrated by the recent flap over Edward Snowden and his release of confidential information. Snowden showed just how much our government is spying on us and clearly offended the powers that be while exposing the hypocrisy of some politicians I expected better of.

As I began reading Caroles book my first thought was that she was a liberal Democrat since the Republicans were clearly the bad guys from the start. However, as I read on I realized that in fact she, like me, has a great deal of disdain for both political parties. So I advise readers to be patient and dont judge by first impressions, probably good advice in all aspects of life. In any event I asked Carole and obtained her consent to do two interviews, a written interview first and then a live blog radio interview second on September 9th at 7:00 p.m. California time which will be 10 p.m. for those of you, like Carole, on the East Coast. The live interview will be on my Books and Politics Show which is available on the Internet at www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors. For those of you unable to make it on the 9th it will also be rebroadcast and available at the same address although you will have to search for it a bit. Anyway, Ive decided to divide both interviews with Carole into two parts. The first part allows her to tell about her book, The Patriot Conspiracy, which is an interesting and thought provoking novel set in the years 2020 and beyond. It is fiction with some interesting characters and some events that are frighteningly possible in the real world. Hopefully she will tell enough to get your interest while leaving enough unsaid so that you rush to buy The Patriot Conspiracy, and read the rest of the story. In the second part of the interview I ask questions focusing on a number of issues some but not all of which are touched on in the book, things like protecting the privacy of our citizens, improving education while lowering the cost, and bringing our troops home from overseas. So, with that in mind Id like to begin the interview by pointing out to Carole that her book provides a clear illustration of two points

that I try and make in my own book, Stop the Insanity Target 2014: The first point is that it is not the Democratic Party or the Republican Party that is responsible for the mess our country is in. The problem is caused by the Democratic Party AND the Republican Party! The second point is that it is the political parties and not the individual members that cause the problem. There are many good, patriotic Democrats as well as good, patriotic Republicans who are seriously concerned about the future of our country. These individual party members (on both sides) may have some misconceptions about what we should be doing but their intentions are good. So, with that in mind heres my first question for Carole. 1. Please tell the readers/listeners a little about your background and what qualifies you to write The Patriot Conspiracy? Thank you so much for inviting me on your show and to have this written interview in advance,, David. I think independent shows and blogs like yours are essential for democracyboth political democracy and cultural democracy. Thanks to the Internet, many voices can be heard without having to jump the hurdles of controlled media. As for me, a born-and-bred American, I met my Canadien husband at university, where I was majoring in French. I became a Canadian citizen when we moved to Montreal.

My husband is an emeritus professor of economics at the Universit de Montral. He spent four years as an elected member of parliament and minister in the Quebec National Assembly during a very exciting time in Quebec politics. I drew on my experiences as a political wife for much of my novel. I like to say that writing The Patriot Conspiracy was an act of catharsis. That sort of begs the question Carole, Why isnt your story set in Canada? With your background, and that of your husband, that would seem far more natural? Since the main premise of the novel is the abolition of cash and its replacement by a government credit card, my story couldnt be set in Canada. Who would believe Canada could pull off such a stunt?! My problem was rather which party my young Senator Robert Trent would belong to! In fact, when I first considered the idea of a government credit card, Bill Clinton was President (around 1998- I was teaching and writing for children at the time.) So I made my senator hero a Republican. But by the time I really started working on my novel, George W. Bush was in his second term. So I switched and made the sitting president (John M. Chiswell, dont you love that name?) a Republican, and Senator Robert Trent a Democrat. It doesnt really matter. When the chips are down, they all act the same. 2. Briefly tell us about your main character and her husband Robert. I decided to write the novel through the eyes of Maggie Trent, the senators wife. I guess I did sort of identify with

Maggie, but also, I think it invites the reader to discover the shenanigans of the politicians along with her. And while Maggie is a devoted political wife, her goal is to have a family. Roberts ambition is to rise in the Democratic leadership, maybe even to the presidency. When President Chiswell announces that taxpayers who let the IRS do their taxes will get rebates, Robert smells a rat. But nobody comes close to guessing the presidents real motives. And by the time Robert is in a position to do something about it, his ambition clashes with his principles. 3. Aside from Robert and his wife who is the most interesting person in your story and why? Perhaps for the reader who is more interested in Maggies personal story, this would be her friend and confidante Jaki. And I do have a soft spot for the mongrel dog, Midget. But for readers interested in the books political themes, its got to be Virginia Governor Richard Livingston. Livingston is a charming, scheming, hypocritically religious, and ruthless presidential aspirant. Its Livingston who takes Robert under his wing and teaches him about real-life politics. I might add that Livingston teaches Maggie a thing or two about life in the fast lane of Washington of any government city, surely! David, could I show your readers a very short passage direct from the book? It will illustrate my views on the cynicism in politics? Certainly, Carole, please go ahead.

This is the passage: Governor Livingston is talking to Robert: And what would you say is the goal in politics, my young senator friend? Well, sir, I would say its to change things, to change things for the better. Very idealistic of you, Bob, but I know you have a Masters in political scienceStanford, isnt it? Berkeley, Robert corrected. Livingston raised an eyebrow. Anyway, forget about the campaign rhetoric. What is and always has been the goal of politiciansof anyone who wants to govern? Come on, now. I want a one word answer. Robert looked Livingston straight in the eye and said softly Power. Exactly! roared Livingston. When I was a young state representative, I soon realized that to get power you must obtain control. Control of situations and ultimately control of people How do you get control? Getting elected isnt enough. You must have information. Information about everything and everybody. Especially everybody. Not just what people say. What people think and what people do. Information about voters, about opponents, and, just as important, information about the movers and shakers in your own party. And then you must know how to use that information. Sometimes that means making the information public. And sometimes it just means letting the interested parties know you have that information The point is, Bob, the name of the game is power, and used correctly, information is power. That was great Carole, I think you hit the nail on the head! 4. You wrote your book before Snowden exposed the NSA. Did you suspect that this kind of activity was already going on?

Well, my first notes were pre-911, but even then, I imagined that elected officials and their advisors were in the business of saying as little as possible and finding out as much as possible. Remember J. Edgar Hoover? Remember Nixon? When I really began writing seriously, the War on Terrorismand on terrorists!was in full swing. I wrote the part about the government requiring a report of anyones library borrowings before that hit the news. And the whistleblower incident of course is an example of government intrusion in one persons private life. But to answer your question truthfully, no, I really didnt think things were as bad as we are learning from Edward Snowdens revelations. Who knew the government has access to everyones email and telephone records? Its a politicians dream: The Cyber Age meets the Patriot Act. But lets hope things dont go in the direction I did foresee. A British friend of mine called the ending of The Patriot Conspiracy absolutely shocking. 5. How would you classify your book as to genre? In other words in what section of a book store would we find The Patriot Conspiracy? The Patriot Conspiracy is of course a political novel, and although the story is told by a woman, it isnt a womens novel any more than Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale is. I hope my readers will become more aware of the importance of privacy and their constitutional rights in the face of their governments disregard for those rights. Now on to some more general questions dealing with important issues:

6. Do you seriously believe our government would ever violate our constitutional rights by building a database of information on its citizens? I guess we just answered that question. They would and they did. Will they stop, now that its known? No. They just eliminate the department and set it up under a new name. They are building the Utah Data Center, a 20-building complex filled with supercomputers and federal spies, I mean agents. Theres a lot of speculation about the storage capacity of the center, but the fact that their own web site says its being built to be expandable says it all. 7. The Patriot Act was implemented under Republican leadership but we now find Democrats widely supporting its continuation now that they are in power. Do you believe our political parties are truly cynical? Thats a leading question if I ever heard one! Let me tell you an anecdote about a personal experience. I was at a summit conference among politicians, business and labor representatives about the economic situation of Quebec. At lunch, I was sitting next to the prime minister. One of the ministers was pressing the PM to announce somethinganything! They had to show that the government was in charge! I guess that was my first experience of cynicism in politics. And I am certain that when it comes down to it, politicians are the same everywhere. 8. Your book is set in the late 2020s and there is still political discussion of the budget deficit and the accumulated debt of our country. Do you believe we will

last that long without a financial collapse if something isnt done to fix the budget problem sooner? Wow! Maybe you should ask my husband that question! I can say I know he is pretty pessimistic Something I would say should be done is to stop trying to police the whole world. Maybe you can have your husband on standby during the live radio interview. Then he can pitch in if he has something useful to add. Im actually kidding a bit but seriously it might not be a bad idea! 9. Unrelated to your story, but illustrating the problem of the party in power supporting things they opposed when in the minority: What do you think about the huge number of American military troops stationed overseas at such a tremendous expense? Exactly! Bring them home! And I think this is another example of the 2-party system being nothing more than a dance: first one leads, then the other; but they both go in the same direction. The reason is money and the people hiding behind the orchestra. 10. Do you believe there is any logical reason for our 2012 military spending in Afghanistan to be in excess of $88 Billion when the total GNP of Afghanistan is just $27 Billion? Yes, there is a logical reason. Look at who profits, both financially and politically. Afghanistan is just one piece of the Middle East puzzle.

11. What can we do to prevent, or reverse, the invasion of privacy that is going on as proven by the Snowden revelations? Read my book and get mad? No, seriously, I am at a loss, since people who honestly want to stop this unconstitutional policy cant get elected. And if they do, they bow to the real political powermoney. But maybe I should be more optimistic and say read your book: Stop the Insanity Target 2014. There is a beginning to everything, and I wish you good luck. 12. Should Snowden be considered a Traitor or a Patriot? Edward Snowden is definitely a patriot. He should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. More than 60% of Canadians polled agree with Snowdens actions. And probably 80% of Quebeckers agree. Unfortunately, the current Canadian prime minister, the Conservative Stephen Harper, is a George W. wannabe. By the way, I think Americans would be astounded to know how much Canadians and Quebeckers know about American politics. I guess its understandable, but I cant say the reverse even comes close. I certainly agree with you on those two points. First, Snowden is a patriot without a doubt. Second, we Americans know far too little about Canadian politics and I am definitely guilty of this. I know more about Japanese, Chinese, and even French politics. 13. My last and most important question: Where can readers find The Patriot Conspiracy and is there a webpage or other social media means of keeping in touch with you?

Since the editors of my childrens books dont publish adult novels, The Patriot Conspiracy is available only as an ebook for $2.99. Readers can find it at Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/239713 for any device, including downloading directly to a PC or a Mac. Kindle readers, please go to Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/The-Patriot-Conspiracyebook/dp/B009I7C21Q/ref=sr_1_3? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348849715&sr=13&keywords=The+Patriot+conspiracy And I would love to hear from your listeners and invite them to my authors web site: www.carolejeantremblay.com Or my email at: cjtremblay@carolejeantremblay.com Many thanks to you, David, for your interest and your questions. I encourage your listeners to read your book, Stop the Insanity Target 2014. Keep up the good work. Thank you very much Carole. I am surprised and extremely pleased that we agree on so much. Anyway, thats it for the written interview questions. The live interview will revolve around most of the same questions with perhaps a few additional questions thrown in based on the flow of the conversation and current events. I am really looking forward to talking with you on September 9th and hope people who read this interview will also tune in for the live interview. They should note that they will have the option of calling in with their own questions so it should be a lively evening.

One final note: I highly recommend that readers buy Caroles book as soon as possible. This is a particularly good idea if you can listen to the live interview since you will be better prepared to call in with questions. In any event it is a really interesting story and a great value.