Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 18:00:37 -0600
From: dnrock@rock.com
Subject: The Beneficial 9

The Beneficial
by:   dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)


9:  Holiday Plans and Other Excitement

December started out cold with lots of snow and a several phone calls from
expected and unexpected people.  Grandfather Red Fox (Sam) called to chat
with Tom and get an update on his new apprentice.

"You know grandfather you can call Spirit Eyes yourself, he would be
delighted to hear from you, in fact why don't you go and see him.  This
week he will be staying at Rita's, since his mom is out of town on business
and I will be going to California for two weeks on Wednesday.

Nonsense, old man, you and grandmother are always welcome in your
daughter's home and both Richard and Eddy would love to see you.
Grandfather, he has even more and greater powers than Ted had, grandfather
he knows about the spirit place.  I think you must begin teaching him soon,
very soon.  I know he is young and only a small boy but he must learn the
importance of his gift.  No I am not troubled by his ability to read my
feelings.  Me today, others tomorrow, I can only teach him what I know and
understand, as you can only teach him what you know and understand.  I have
no doubt he is as cleaver and bright as myself but when combined with his
gifts, that will spell trouble unless you begin your part now."

"You may be right Tom, you were always right about Ted."

Tom related what Eddy had said to him and what he had said to Eddy about
becoming a Shaman.  The old man agreed that he would visit his daughter.

The next phone call was from his parents to make the final arrangements for
the grandchildren's gathering at Disney World.  Tom expressed his concern
that his parents would not be able to handle 4 pre teens and 4 teens,
especially since the teens were two horny boys and two slightly older and
equally horny teenage girls.  Tom's mom reminded him she and dad handled
six horny boys on more then one occasion and since two of those boys were
Tom and Garth that probably equated to at least 8 modern kids.

"Come on mom, Garth and I weren't bad."

"Tommy, I never said you two were bad, Tina Andersen and I have agreed on
one thing for over 30 years, what mischief you didn't think of Garth did.
Besides my grandchildren are perfect little angles and their big brothers
and sisters very close to that.  Now stop concerning yourself about dad and
I, we are retired, not on our death beds."

"Well what about Wayne?"

"Your brother was no more or less an angel as you Thomas, but you must
admit when you and Garth got together, which as I recall was just about all
the time, mischievous occurrences saw a significant statistical increase."

Tom rolled his eyes at the phone.  She had him and he was just hoisted by
his own petard, like it or not.

"Yes mother," she said.

"Yes mother," Tom replied.

Rule number one, never ague with your mother, you will louse.  The number
of degrees, awards, debating society wins or what ever, counts for nothing.
Tom knew he could win the day with his dad, Wayne Sr., called Wynne, could
concede the superior argument and logic.  That would not mean he would
change his mind, Wynne had learned over the years just how futile it was to
disagree with June on any family matters or home decor.

"Well he thought, she did spend 30 years as a kindergarten teacher, I guess
she knows what kids are all about.  I guess Wayne was right when he
suggested I did not quite understand what I was getting myself into when I
adopted Eddy.  If she thinks Garth and I got into mischief I wonder what
she will think about Eddy and Charlie?"

Tom began writing again, he wanted to get several newspaper columns ahead
before his trip but the phone rang again.  This time it was the producer of
a radio talk show asking him to come on the program.  Tom did not like the
host of this program, he did not respect him, nor did he like the ultra
consummative attitudes that the show's host and his following espoused.  He
politely declined saying he was not interested in appearing nor did he have
the time between now and February.

The show was on the air in the late morning, Tom never listened to it as he
despised the hosts bullying, name calling, labeling and simple minded anti
intellectual attitude and demeanor.  He frankly didn't think much of the
people who tended to call into the program either, he considered them the
ignorant, unthinking, rabble and frankly beneath his dignity to even bother
answering their questions, let alone subject himself to their epithets.  He
did not tell the producer any of that, just no not at this time.  Okay
maybe he was an educational snob, Tom hated over simplistic answers to
complex questions.  After he hung up Tom, set his answering machine to pick
up on the first ring, and turned off the speaker.  He needed to
concentrate.  Since his privet line was unlisted and only important family
had that number, he figured the remainder of the day would be quiet.

Tom liked radio interviews.  He was often on the Canadian Saturday science
program Quarks and Quirks and NPR's Science Friday.  His favorite was
another Canadian program called As It Happens on week nights.

Tom worked hard for the balance of the morning.  He took a short lunch
brake and began feeling lonely.  Eddy would not be coming home from school
today, Edith was out of town, Richard would be at his mom's with Eddy,
Conrad would not be visiting Eddy.  The house was suddenly very large and
very empty.  That afternoon his privet phone rang.  Tom hesitated but
answered.  The caller was a voice he recognized as Eckhard Klein the talk
show host.  They had never met and Tom wondered how he got his unlisted
phone number.  Tom being Tom quickly came to the conclusion that Klein was
not going to take a simple no for an answer.  He also knew that being out
of town, given modern communications was no excuse.  He would just have to
be straight up and tell the man to fuck off.  Tom is no stranger to
telephone interviews, he conducts them all the time with scientists and
philosophers right around the world.  As I said above, he is often
interviewed on the radio by others.  He has the latest technology and with
a few mouse clicks his Mac was recording the conversation in digital
format.

"Mr. Klein I told your producer I do not wish to be on your program nor do
I intend to be on your program, I have no obligation to you or your
listeners, as you suggest.  You just want to talk with me off the record,
so we can both be candid.  Okay, I love to talk candid.  That is correct, I
was just appointed as chairperson of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Advisory
Committee on Education.  If you want to talk about that committee you must
ask the Governor's office not me.  Since the committee advises the Governor
and its members are volunteers, not being paid by the state, I am under no
obligation, as you put it."

Klein was being his usual confrontational self.  "Mr. Klein, I do not
consider my self a journalist, and if you are an example of what journalism
is all about, would hope no one classifies me as one.  If you think your
paltry sophistry and bullying, antagonistic techniques will anger me, you
are even a greater fool than I thought.  No, I am not afraid to debate you
and would be glad to set us up with the university debating society, but I
am not prepared to subject myself to the treatment you regularly meat out
to anyone who differs from your orthodoxy, on your radio program."

Klein had been labeling Tom with every loaded label he could think of.
Klein suddenly switched tactics and started to issue threats some valid,
some not.

"I believe the governor's office issued a press release that explained the
panels mandate why don't you get the Governor on your program?"

Klein was finally forced to admit that no one from the governor's office
would come on his program.

"Since my appointment and the committee's is neither political or paid,
what advice the governor receives from us is only as public as the governor
wishes to make it.  I will tell you that the other members of the panel
have not yet been selected or in fact even approached.  I will do that in
due course but not before January, it is all in the press release."

"If I thought you had enough stroke with the publisher to get my column
pulled from the paper I would pull it myself, I write for this paper out of
choice; but you and I both know, the publisher of a great newspaper, like
this one, pays little or no attention to your kind of flagrance.

That sir, is the last time you will ever threaten me, do I make myself
clear."  Tom was getting heated.  "No, it is not a threat it is a promise,
threaten me or any member of my family again and I promise, I will find you
and tear your throat out both figuratively and physically.  In fact, if you
even mention my son or his singing on your program you will think Harry
Truman was a pussy cat compared to me.

Than I suggest you read a little history, the incident is very well
documented.  Well I would rather be an overeducated egg head than an
undereducated Neanderthal.  I should not had said that, I don't want to
give the Neanderthals' a bad name.  This went on a bit longer Tom can trade
insults with the best in fact many of his friends think he is the best.
Tom could see the meat of the conversation was approaching 8 minutes.  He
knew that Klein wanted a tape of 5 minutes 30 seconds after editing
unfavorable sections and adding his comments for a total segment of nine
minutes and 30 seconds, to fill between commercials.

"I do not support any political party, I am not a member of any, nor do I
publicly support any platforms or politicians.  How I cast my vote or even
if I cast my vote, is none of your or anyone else's business, I believe
that is why we have a secret ballot.  I learned that in grade school,
didn't you?  Ah, 9 minutes and 30 seconds, got your tape Klein?"

Klein was taken aback and did not quite answer, Tom knew Klein would have
taped the conversation, it is much to hard to keep good notes over the
phone.

"Good, now hear this, I am only going to say it once, You do not have my
permission to use anything on that tape for any reason in any way.  You
made it under false pretenses and did not seek my permission.  If you so
much as even quote me, my lawyers will be all over you and your station
like a dirty shirt.  Further more, if anyone and I mean anyone, even refers
to the fact that this conversation took place I will make my copy of the
tape public in its unedited, completeness.  Got it?

Good, now please do not call me again about appearing on your program and
never call me on my privet unlisted number or I will charge you with
harassment.  If you are one quarter the journalist you claim to be then you
checked my background out.  If anyone told you anything about me, they told
you Tom Anderson does not suffer fools gladly and when he makes a promise
or gives his word you can take it to the bank.  If you don't believe them
or me remember I gave you fair warning, more then I got from you."  Tom
hung up.

He called his legal council, sent a copy of the recording to him for safe
keeping.  Made several backups and alerted the security service to the
probability of a brake in while he was away.  He had Wiley come over to
make sure his system's firewall was reinforced, his main units stored and
and old model left on his desk.  He called the phone company to complain
about someone getting his unlisted number, expecting a report as to how it
happened and what happened to the person who leaked it.  Then he made two
other phone calls.

"Yes Dr. Anderson, I am the president of the debating society.  Are you the
same Tom Anderson that lead the team that defeated Harvard a few years
ago."

"More then a few years but the same.  I have a favor to ask."

Tom went on to request that the president or someone listen to Klein's show
for next few days and if the opportunity arises, to phone and invited him
to debate Dr. Anderson on a subject to be selected by the society, at their
March meeting.

"It would be a pleasure sir a real pleasure, are you sure he will make a
comment to prompt my invitation and accept."

"Positive, when I refused to come on his program after him saying to his
audience that he would "get me on" the fool will have no choice, his ego
won't let him.  When I get him there, I'll verbally run his head so far up
his ass he'll turn inside out.  Be sure and advertise it on and off campus,
as I recall the society can always use a full house worth of gate receipts.
I guarantee a great show.  Oh, be sure and send him a rule book, whether he
wants one or not."

"You got it.  One question Sir, I went over the tapes of your debate with
the Harvard team, who had the affirmative position on a topic you had
already written affirmatively about, how did you do that while arguing
something you didn't agree with?"

"You just answered your own question.  We knew their position as good as or
better than they did, so we knew exactly what arguments they would present.
All we had to do was become as intimate with the counter as they were with
the affirmative.  Sound and complete preparation, a bit of luck and
thinking the thing through so completely, that every possible twist was
contemplated and prepared for.  My advice, study one of the great
philosophers, not so much for what they thought but how they presented
their thoughts, never defend a false premise, avoid the a priori and never
believe your content, believe only the logic you present.  The "True
Believer" will fall behind the guardian of faith, the objective observer
has only logic, faith is not logical."

"Carl its Tom."

They exchanged pleasantries and Tom outlined his conversation with Klein,
omitting the existence of the tape.

"Carl, I think you should put some of your people on this right away.
Klein does not have the brains god gave geese, let alone enough to try and
discredit you by attacking me or your advisory panel.  This kind of demigod
thinking comes from your political opponents and I don't mean the
opposition, I mean the majority leader and his band of plutocrats."

"I don't disagree but find it strange that you are concerned about my
political position, knowing how you feel about my party's platform and some
recent legislation."

"Carl, we disagreed on many things in the past and will in the future.  We
agree about a lot of things too.  We are both small "D" democrats, and what
he is doing goes beyond political fighting to an attack on the very
principals of democracy.  Now this is what I think you should do...."

"Are you sure they will try and brake into your townhouse and that they
were the ones behind getting your unlisted phone number?"

"Well, it is possible I am not being 100 percent logical but lets face it,
my logic at 75 % is worth that whole bunch.  I didn't tell you something,
the details of which it is best you do not know but I have something that
would be embarrassing to those people.  That is how I shut them down this
time, they know I am leaving town for two weeks and since they were able to
get my unlisted phone number, they know where I live.  I have taken
measures so what they seek can not be found.  Trust me on that, in addition
Fred Willgonton is ready to pounce on Klein and the station, if they make
any kind of public noise about it."

"This all sounds like Watergate."

"True and I wonder at whose knee the majority leader was learning when that
happened?"

"Your not suggesting."

"Suggest, shit I saying it straight out, why the hell do you think I can't
support your party Carl.  Not all their policies are stupid, just some of
them.  The religious right and ultraconservative money people have gotten
control of it or big parts of it.  You are the governor and your party's
leader.  So stop being so concerned about getting reelected or your
campaign war chest and lead."

"But I can't do anything without clear evidence?"

"My advice is to use their own tactics against them, guilt by association,
the big lie, loaded labels and the media.  You can appoint a special
investigation team and look like a hero.  In the mean time they will be
forced to run for cover and spend all their efforts on defense.  Force a
fumble on the next play and get the ball back."

"But some of his supporters are big contributors to me too with lots of
influence in the party."

"Yes, and by taking strong action you are demonstrating, from a PR point of
view if not by policy, that money does not buy influence in the governor's
office or his administration.  Everyone understands you have to be seen to
be doing the right thing, whether they like it or not and if they can't see
that you don't want their support, it is more liability than asset.  So
just make sure you have positioned yourself and do just that.  If your
staff and Attorney General can't get the pot boiling, without keeping your
name out of it, than fire the lot and get some people who can.  In the mean
time, lets see if my cheese catches a rat.  You get your civil servants to
start turning rocks over, I bet a few snakes crawl out."

"Okay, have a good trip, keep in touch and give Eddy a big kiss from his
accompanist, I hate to say this too often but I owe you."

"You don't owe me Carl, you would do the same for me if our positions were
reversed, just try and keep our respective talents in perspective."

"Ya, I guess I need good plays from the coach and a quarterback to call
them, my talent was punting, you know giving up the ball in the least
advantageous field position possible and place kicking the ball right
between the goal posts, thanks coach."

.............

"Tom are you sure you want them to steal this document?"

"Yes Wiley, but only after you had embedded the Trojan Horse in the Java
script. (I know today this would not work but when the story was written it
would and would work very well.)  What we have here is a brief verbal
message from me saying "your mother told you it was not nice to seal
things", then I play some trombone scales.  The file size is within 50
kilobits of the original and it now has the same name, date and time stamp.
Since it is an audio file, they will not be the least suspicious.  So all
you need to do is imbed it in a Java script that launches the sound player
and your Trojan Horse at the same time.  By the time they hear my message,
your little bug should have just about destroyed their hard drive and every
file on it."

"They will scan for a virus but being embedded in a compiled Java script
they must allow it to run, so my Trojan Horse can not be stopped if I make
it part of the opening sequence.  It is not a virus either what it does is
use built in system functions to reformat the hard drive reset the bios and
other things like that. "

"Very cleaver."

"I can hide my T.H. calls in the Java check of functions, which kind of
machine and operating system as well as sound programs they have and so on.
Unless they are advanced Java programers it will be all Greek to them.  I
will also password protect the file so they will think they are braking in,
lets us use Tom, they will believe themselves so cleaver. "

"I will bet they try to come into our LAN tonight.  They will probably find
our broadband set up, so lets give them a little door way in but don't make
it to easy.  Can you set up a log of activities.  As soon as they have been
here I will turn off the power?  That will force them to try and brake into
the place while I'm away.  Better make me a CD of that file and make sure
it will self mount and execute just like a music disk."

"Thomas my man you do have a devious almost juvenile mind, especially for a
Ph.D. and all."

"Wiley I guess I just never grew up.  I will teach these bastards a lesson
they will never forget, juvenile or not."

"That is?"

"Underestimate your advisory and you will get your fingers burned, or your
hard drive reformatted, especially if that advisory is Tom Anderson."

Wiley was standing next to Tom who was seated at that point.  Tom's hands
were slowly traveling up the inside of Wiley's leg to his crotch and along
his left butt cheek.

"OOh, Tommy boy, better let me keep my cool until the work is done."

"Sit and work, want a beer?"

Tom returned with two beers a few minutes later.  He had to use substantial
will power to keep his hands off the handsome young man, he was not always
successful.  Tom labeled the CD and placed it in plain sight on the book
shelf with others interviews and backups, They would find it but would need
to do just a bit of searching.

"What if they don't take your bate?"

"Then you and I have wasted a 45 minutes of fucking time, finish that beer
and lets find a warm soft bed to play in."

Thus began the slow dance between the two males.  Each a skilled and highly
practiced lover.  It took a long time to get naked as each article of
clothing removed espouses skin and body part that need close attention,
that get close attention from fingers, hands and mouths.  Each exposed
nipple is explored, teases, stimulated.  Tom wants Wiley's ass he can
almost taste it as his lips engulf the young man's almost 9 inches of rock
hard, upturned glory.  Tom thinks, how funny it is that most of the
families men have long usually fat and upturned cocks, Both the circumcised
ones like himself and the uncircumcised ones like Wiley.  His tongue
circles the head and slides long the underside of the shaft as Wily eases
his penis into Tom's mouth.  Tom's throat enclosed around the arrow shaped
crown as his lips form around the base.  His nose presses into the neatly
trimmed pubic hair.  Tom's hands alternate between Wiley's balls and his
tight hard ass cheeks.

God Tom you have the greatest mouth in the world and your cock feels so
good in my butt, ah, ah, as Tom's penis presses against his prostrate with
every long slow stroke.  Eddy and Charley are the luckiest boys in the
wor....ld to have you, ah, ah, ah...Wiley unloads for the second time.  Tom
picks up his pace and soon fills another bowel with his sperm.  Wily
dresses and Tom pulls on his thong.

"I wish I didn't have to get back tonight but I do."

"I wish you could stay too.  I hope you kept enough in reserve for Ashley?

"Oh, yes.  If I learned nothing else at camp it was to keep enough in
reserve for your woman, but if you don't keep your hands out of my jeans I
just may not."  Wiley checked the computer log.  "Look Tom, they are taking
the bate."

Sure enough someone was logged in as "Tom" and was downloading the file.  I
never asked but I take it the file you are protecting is important or
embracing."

"Both, important to me an embracing to a nameless radio host, should it
ever get out."

"Is he the one after it?"

"No, he has his own copy and he will never make it public, in fact if he
had half his wits he would have destroyed it by now.  It is his masters or
associates that want it.  They think, there is something on the tape that
they can use against me or more likely Carl.  There isn't but since Klein's
copy is not available to them they must come looking here."

"I sure hope they can't trace that Trojan Horse back to me."

"So let them, to even suggest that they were victims of it is an admission
and proof of theft.  You did nothing wrong by writing the thing, they did
by stealing it.  In fact you may even be called upon to help solve their
computer problems, given your reputation and thesis subject, you will let
me know ASAP should that happen right."

"Absolutely."

After Wiley departed Tom got his night vision glasses and snooped around
the neighborhood getting the license plate numbers of strange cars in about
500 m of his townhouse.  That is the range of his broadband.  There were
three with people in them.  Tom did not recognize any of the people, but
one car appeared to be teens making out.  The intruders had spent a lot of
time searching his hard drives.  Since this computer was mostly used by
Eddy it had lots of third grade homework and games on it.  Tom had put many
interesting sounding files on the other drive but nothing that had not
already been published.  Tom's LAN is Mac based he had correctly guessed
the intruders would be Windows based.  That would require them to have
special file sharing software to even see the Mac.  With it they could see
the files, copy them but only read those that had a common cross platform
base like MS Word or Acrobat.  This would slow them down considerably, no
pick and choose, just get it all and hope.  The next day Tom moved his work
computers to Edith's and stored complete DVD backups with Con.  His and
Garth's firearms were all stored in the gun room at the camp, all his
current personal papers were either at his lawyer's or accountants.  His
privet stuff was another matter.  Tom puzzled over photo albums and the
like for a long time.  He placed anything that could conceivably be used
against anyone else, in several 2 cube moving boxes and stored them in the
garage; up in the rafters along with other boxes marked old toys and thesis
samples.