A Time for War by Michael Savage Page A

curtain he sold the military his technology, and then he sold them patches to protect them from that technology.” She grimaced. “Hatfield was right. It’s exactly like the Mob.”
    San Francisco, California
    As Jack walked away from Spumante’s, he thought about how much he loved San Francisco. The geography, the wind that blended the air of sea and land into something special, the bloodshot-setting sun, the streets, the sounds, the population, the melting pot that drove Bruno into a fury—they were an integral part of who Jack Hatfield was. The Sea Wrighter, the small apartment he kept on Union Street where he hid out and repaired watches and clocks as a kind of therapy, his close friends, even the anger he felt whenever he saw the GNT cable news network offices where he used to tape his talk show—they were all here. Their quirks, pricks, familiarity, challenges, disappointments, and comforts were part of the emotional gauntlet that kept Jack Hatfield alert and engaged. He didn’t know who he would be, what he would be, how he would function without all of that. That’s what is known as “home.”
    He looked at his watch. It was nearly two o’clock. He was on Clay Street now, the site of the first cable-pulled streetcars. Pedestrian traffic was normal, an equal mix of shuffling locals and stop-and-start tourists. Yu Market was located in the middle of the street with other storefronts and Asian restaurants around it. The buildings were mostly two and three stories tall with signs in Chinese and English. Jack saw a customer enter the grocery; the police were long gone and there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary.
    Jack felt a flash of nostalgia. He had first come to the grocery when he still had his talk show. Jack was old enough to remember the turf wars that had always been at a low simmer down here. They led to the founding of the SFPD’s Asian Gang Task Force, which stopped most of the street violence. However, that did not end the lawless activities of the youth gangs. They went back underground and continued recruiting from high schools and pool halls, rewarding members with cash, women, drugs, and a sense of empowerment. Unlike the majority of the Asians, the gangs were scrupulously devoted to the idea of non-assimilation. Their idea of community did not extend beyond the boundaries of the gang. Chinese who did not support them were against them.
    The struggle for control of the drug trade, gambling, the sale of knock-off designer goods, cockfights, and fight clubs kept the gangs bickering among one another, unable to expand. Jack had once described it on air as “a local version of Iran and Iraq under Saddam, when they were so busy warring with one another they couldn’t do much damage to anyone else.”
    The one area that did not apply was human trafficking. For years the Long Zai gang had transported young Chinese, Malaysian, and Thai women in cargo containers to Vancouver. Then they drove the women by van down to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, ostensibly to work in restaurants. All the girls were forced into prostitution. Maggie Yu heard one of the gang members talking about his “ladies” at the martial arts school, where some gang members went for martial arts training. Maggie told her father, who was sickened by the thought that girls—some no older than his fourteen-year-old daughter—were being forced to sell their bodies. Johnny got in touch with Jack, who arranged for him to wear a wire while he watched his daughter train. Johnny picked up conversations that helped police break the Long Zai traffickers. Johnny continued to help Jack as an unidentified source in follow-up segments, and he was one of the few people who called Jack in support when he was fired from Truth Tellers .
    The doorbell jangled on its steel ribbon as Jack walked into Yu Market. Johnny was behind the counter. He came around to greet Jack,