His use of the term, “mass murderer” while smiling threw Jan. GO Thomas saw this and pressed on. “You see, Ms. Fields, all my life I have done what I believed was right for my country and its people. I chose to serve my nation at a time when doing so was not in vogue. Like your own husband, General Dixon, I rallied around the flag when so many of our peers were doing their damnedest to burn it. I didn’t do so just to be different. Rather, I did so because I believed in what it stood for. That,” he said with a self-assured smile, “was a decision that I am still quite proud of.”

Pausing, GO Thomas relaxed a bit as he leaned back in his seat. “My dedication and commitment to those ideals, Ms. Fields, didn’t end with my tour of duty in the Air Force. When I left the service I took the principles of duty, honor, and country that had been drilled into me by my parents and the service into the business world.” Dropping his smile, Thomas leaned forward across the arm of his chair and looked Jan straight in the eyes. “And do you want to know something, Ms. Fields? I found that high moral and ethical standards do have a place in business.”

Sensing that she was losing control of the interview, Jan seized the first question that came to mind. “If that were all you were doing, what would cause the federal government to suspect you of terrorism?”

Thomas paused a moment while he gathered himself, like a fighter preparing to strike out. When he was ready, he allowed himself to ease further back into his seat and resume his innocent smile. “Well, Ms. Fields,” he stated quietly as he waved a hand in the air, “the only thing I can conclude is that while exercising my freedom of speech, I have made comments that some folks in government found a bit disquieting. If that, and my habit of upsetting the political establishment by promoting states’ rights and local rule are grounds for suspicion, than I suppose I am guilty.”

“In the past few years,” Jan shot back, “you have been accused of supporting and promoting philosophies that are shared by many right wing militia movements.”

For the first time Thomas’s face hardened a bit as the ends of his infectious smile turned down a tad. “Ms. Fields,” he replied with a noticeable lowering of his voice, “I have fought for this country before and will gladly do so again for no other reason than I happen to love this country. Like your husband, my oath of commission commits me to defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic. While I do not support the methods or some of the radical views held by many of the unorganized militia movements in America today, neither can I turn a deaf ear to the problems about which they, and other responsible Americans, are trying to warn us.”