Lane von Herzen: Fortitude, Adaptability, Resilience and Commitment

My Third Novel's Conclusion, My Heartbreak

My heart begins to break when I think about completing this particular book -- because this narrative has sustained me like no other story I've known. It's both more personal and more universal than my other works. But beyond memory and archetype, it's a cri-de-coeur about needing to become the person one is destined to be. And in the writing, I have met my own life's work, my own fated journey -- having the sense all the while that the pages are suffused with a resonance, an energy, an electrified field that defies explanation. Writers hope and pray to be overtaken by a work in this way -- to be conscripted into passionate service of a profound story. To experience it even once in a lifetime seems a great privilege. I still have several months before this novel is complete, and this constitutes my reprieve. Because I'm not ready for the beauty to end.

Friday, October 17, 2025

Fortitude, Adaptability, Resilience and Commitment

1. You spoke yesterday about the fact that the United States has been directed to build underground and in-mountain facilities that almost certainly represent sovereignty violations of the United States.

Answer: Yes, I did.

2. Yet the Executive Branch apparently finds itself under pressure from Russian proxies and others to construct these installations.

Answer: Yes, that's true.

3. Is there coercive pressure that is being applied to our elected leaders to compel them to build this infrastructure for others?

Answer: There is duress within the Executive Branch, yes. And this is occurring in the form of a catastrophic threat to the environment.

4. You are not referencing nuclear weapons, which would be a catastrophic environmental disaster all by itself.

Answer: No, I am not. Nonetheless, the threat is genuine, and our military leadership is aware that it is genuine.

5. Do we have alternatives to proceeding with the unwilling construction of the installations?

Answer: We do, and I'm gratified that you are asking about this.

First, we need to de-link the timing of any planned construction of the referenced installations from our current environmental crisis. The construction should encounter obstacles, and this should happen worldwide, not just in the United States. There should be legal challenges, there should be environmental impact studies, there should be geologic impact assessments, there should be equipment delays, builder feasibility concerns, and repeated opportunity for public feedback and objection. If any actual construction is currently underway, there should be setbacks, plan flaws, erosion, flooding, storm delays, and work stoppages due to unanticipated unstable conditions. And we should be in communication with our allies regarding these details.

Second, we need to separate my case from the funding of any such initiatives, of which I heartily disapprove.

Appropriations by others from funds awarded in my case must be strictly disallowed, in the knowledge that these funds are going to support our foreign adversaries in an effort to undermine the sovereignty of the United States.

Meanwhile, we need to ask Congress to fortify our laws requiring that military and/or residential installations built within U.S. borders must be used by the United States military directly, not by associates, affiliates or proxies for the United States military.

6. What if our adversaries were to proceed with drastic environmental harm in retaliation for this approach?

Answer: First, we should make clear that we would be unable to ensure the protection of prior installations if any such event occurred.

But I am not suggesting that we tell our foreign adversaries "no." I am simply suggesting that we tell them "not yet" and convey to them that we are "trying" to support their requests.

After our current climate crisis has been addressed in a manner that meets the requirements of our own United States military, then we can revisit this request from a different vantage.

7. Should President Trump be enabled to withdraw funds from the accounts in your name, or linked to your identity, under the auspices of the DOJ?

Answer: No, because, as I have said, the Executive Branch is currently under duress. President Trump and Vice President Vance are fundamentally loyal to the interests of the nation, but they are being held hostage to the interests of the Russians, their proxies, and other opponents of the sovereignty of the United States in the long term.

So, they will appreciate an assist from other branches of government and other representatives of the public interest at this time.

8. So, at this time, it is safe to say that money should not be flowing out of accounts linked to your name or identity for any reason?

Answer: That is correct.

9. Can the Congress require this limitation?

Answer: I believe they can, and I believe they must.

10. Is this plan achievable?

Answer: The answer is yes, and we need to comprehend that the territorial sovereignty of the United States, as well as that of our allies, depends upon our fortitude, adaptability, resilience and commitment to one another in this unprecedented challenge.

11. Thank you for speaking with us this afternoon.

Answer: You are quite welcome.