At NO other time in history has there been a more obvious and clarified threat to the civilian operator by terrorism than today. Now I am not going to waste your time and go into the political “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda” of this. Obviously, the ball has more than been fumbled in this situation..it has been LOST altogether! All that really matters to the CO right now, at this very moment, is understanding how to counter this very real and present THREAT.
Firstly, we have to understand that the current administration and shot callers in Federal and State Government are never going to admit how serious a threat all of this is to public safety. To do so would be admitting they dropped the ball in counter-terrorism, and as with everything in Washington, the primary thing on their minds is keeping their job for another 4 years, not your safety. Democrats are thinking about one thing right now: Holding on to their majority in the Senate, and to do that, they CANNOT look like they have dropped the ball on terrorism, more especially with domestic threats. There is also the issue of not wanting to create mass hysteria. The powers that be would much rather have you “Docile and Stupid” than “Alert and Dangerous”. Well, that dog won’t hunt, because being ALERT and DANGEROUS is the ONLY THING that is gonna keep the CO out of the cemetery!
One of the many ways the powers that be achieved the “docile and stupid” agenda is by having the media use misdirection and assorted, colorful euphemisms in their explanation and description of these terror attacks. Phrases like “Lone Wolf”, “Random Unrelated Attacks “ and my personal favorite, “The Act of a Mentally Unstable Loner with a History of Drug Abuse” are just some. And Believe it or not, most of the sheeple out their in Reality TV Land swallow this garbage hook, line and sinker, because on the surface, it makes sense and ultimately passes PR muster. Even when the Canadian Government came out and admitted the two attacks that occurred on their soil (Two Soldiers being run over and Parliament Shooting) were “connected to terrorism”, it did not get much play here in the States.
Secondly, The first step in defeating an enemy, is knowing something about them. So, let’s talk enemy tactics for a moment. Understand that the current generation of terrorist are not living in the same world as their pre-9/11 fathers. A Post 9/11 world is a much different environment. Counter-Terrorism budgets of most nations are in the hundreds of millions now, with every conceivable counter-measure in place to lessen the odds of a major 9/11 type attack happening again. Understanding they must adapt or die, this new generation of terrorist have opted to fight this war asymmetrically; by bypassing our strengths in “terror precursors” and bomb detection and instead choosing to attack law enforcement and civilians with outright murder and be-headings on the street. The terrorist understand the casualties from this type of attack may be lower than a standard bomb attack say, but the overall goal is still achieved; that being the death of the terrorist (being a martyr for jihad is considered an honor) and the instilling of fear into the general populace and government. Look at the foiled civilian be-heading attacks in Australia a few months ago, that sent shock waves around the world and it did not even happen; the reason? because the be-headings of those two American journalist posted on the internet for all to see was still fresh in the public mind. Remember, any type of warfare, even chicken shit terrorism against civilians, is as much about psychology as it s about brutality.
Consider the very latest attack in New York. Now we don’t know the identity or religion of the assailant yet, or his motive for that matter, bur irregardless, the effect of this attack is the same: TERROR and FEAR. Let us not forget, just last week, a man attacked a group of NY Cops with a hatchet, so you could say, folks in that part of the country are “on edge” to say the least.
So ultimately how does the CO prepare for a threat like this? Well, in reality,, the CO already has an ACE in the hole, so to speak. Although guerilla terror tactics like this may be effective against a nation whose citizens are defenseless, unarmed, neutered sheep, (like France for instance) but against a country like the U.S., where a growing number of its citizenry (civilian operators) are armed and ready to defend themselves, these tactics will fail a large part of the time, if people are aware and ready to act. But as we know, not everybody in America are fans of personal self-defense are they?
So that brings us to another point. Since we know these terrorist seem do their homework, wouldn’t it make sense that they would plan their attacks in a place (or state) where they knew the citizens there would give them the least resistance? Say in a State or part of the country known to have very restrictive civilian gun laws? Like the Northeast for example? like New York? or maybe even California? Now granted, the attacks in Canada and the hatchet attack in New York were against either places known to have a heavy Police presence or against the Police or Military directly, so that line of reasoning is moot, but I sincerely think this thought has credibility in as far as terrorist choosing where and when to strike against civilians.
So, we have proven that being armed 24/7 is a HUGE advantage in being prepared, but this alone is not enough. You have to have the right TRAINING to go with it. As the old adage states:
“Be more afraid of the man who owns just one AK and Glock rather than the man with an armory full of them…because the man who own just one will no how to use them with more deadly precision…”
Having good training under your belt is a necessity in the dangerous days we live in. Simply relying on “instinct” is stupidity, and take that from a guy who used to think that way. Having the right skill-set’s at the right moment could make all the difference. Take for example knowing how to patch yourself up with a “blowout” kit. Trauma medicine may look simple on an episode of “NCIS”, but I am hear to tell you, it is anything but; especially when your adrenaline is jacked through the roof and everybody around you is yelling or crying hysterically. Do yourself a favor and stack the chips in your favor: Pay the $$ and GET THE TRAINING you need. I have always told friends and students alike: when you are planning on buying that new firearm, whether it be a sidearm or long gun, go ahead and figure spending the money for a good class to know how to run it and shoot it like a boss….that is thinking like a pro and not an amateur.
Lastly, add to this all the TACTICAL BASICS we discuss time and time again on this blog.
- AWARENESS
- AVOIDANCE
- DETERRENCE
I intentionally omitted “De-Escalation” because I honestly think that does not figure into dealing with any Terrorist scenario and coming out on the winning end.
Not much I can really add on Awareness except this: Pay attention to your “Spidey” senses..I know that sounds a bit weird and juvenile, but paying attention to your “inner-voice” or “intuition” is something I honestly believe in; it has saved my bacon a few times! Avoidance is very simple, STAY AWAY from people and places you have no business being with or in. It also applies to staying away from common targets of terrorism: Public Transportation and large, crowded public places such as Shopping Malls being the best examples.Deterrence is simply doing the things you know can deter an attack. Violent crime, no matter what their intent is, always looks for the easiest target, STRIVE TO NOT MAKE YOURSELF THAT TARGET! Remember what Jeff Cooper said: “Violent crime is feasible only if it’s victims are cowards.”
**UPDATE**: According to Jihad Watch the city of Houston, Texas is getting plastered with ISIS stickers and flyers. For all my fellow Texans who reside in that city, please watch your Six..and if you catch one of these assholes sticking one of these stickers on or near your property, kindly inform them ISIS is not welcome in Texas or the U.S. and then in true Texas fashion, show them the door.
Stay Alert, Stay Armed and Stay Dangerous!!!
Reblogged this on BLOGGING BAD w/Gunny G ~ "CLINGERS of AMERICA!".