Gunner Quinn
(Continued from Part 1.)
Some U.S. states and municipalities still practice anarcho-tyranny, with the state of California being a standout example. Homeless people and illegal aliens are largely ignored, while minor infractions by taxpaying residents are zealously enforced. Professor Victor Davis Hanson—affectionately known as “VDH”—is a classicist, author, and podcaster. VDH has written and spoken extensively about the situation in California. Comedian, filmmaker, and podcaster Adam Carolla has similarly spoken about the differential treatment between groups of people in California. He sees the reason that mountains of red tape are heaped onto taxpayers and homeowners is that they’re capable of paying the fees and fines levied against them. On the other hand, officials ignore people running unlicensed street hot dog carts and roadside flower stands.
Under an anarcho-tyrannical system, it becomes even more important for the armed citizen to avoid violent conflict if at all possible. Even a “clean” self-defense case could still find the defender charged with some offense by a Left-wing prosecutor. “Winning” in court under these circumstances can still cost the defendant their life savings, while the state can draw out the process without concern for costs, turning the legal process into another form of punishment. Even prevailing in a trial is far from certain, no matter how justified the act of self-defense was. A jail or prison cell is about the worst place to be when “the Schumer hits the fan.”
Domestic Terrorism
As this is being written, a domestic terror campaign is being waged by the Left against Elon Musk and the Tesla automobile company. Dealerships and charging stations have been attacked with gunfire and incendiary bombs, and even individual owners and their vehicles have been targeted. It has been happening across the United States and shows every sign of continuing—and possibly escalating into more savage levels of violence.
These are not the first examples of terrorism in the West, but some of them are happening in neighborhoods and shopping centers, rather than the usual focus on “high profile” targets. There have been many examples of terrorism in recent years, especially under the “Biden” administration. Multiple attacks on local military bases in my area have occurred—one as recent as January of this year.
In Europe, there have been numerous, high-profile attacks, especially in France, England, Belgium, Germany. and France, for example, suffered the Île-de-France attacks in January 2015, followed in November of 2015 in Paris with the coordinated terrorist suicide bombings, attacks on cafés and restaurants, and the Bataclan theatre attack.
Some of the activities carried out under the umbrella of the George Floyd protests could be categorized as terrorism. Across the country, mobs set up roadblocks where rioters—openly armed with pistols, rifles, and other weapons—fired into vehicles whose drivers did not obey their commands. Widespread arson and acts of violence took dozens of lives.
Under anarcho-tyrannies, domestic terrorism may be labeled as “mostly peaceful protests,” and ordinary citizens who push back against them—or even simply criticize the violence on social media—may be given labels such as “white supremacist” (regardless of skin color) or “fascist” or “Nazi.” A U.S. Army sergeant moonlighting as a rideshare driver accidently encountered a street-blocking riot in Austin, Texas. When a rioter approached him with an AK-type rifle, he fired in fear for his life. He found his life ruined in a punitive prosecution by the Austin District Attorney and was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was later pardoned by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Much more extreme acts of terror could occur in the Western World. William R. Forstchen wrote the short novel Day of Wrath, about a terrorist attack targeting schools across the United States. The attack he describes is simple, plausible, and horrific. An even larger attack is described by columnist, lawyer, and substitute radio talk show host Kurt Schlichter in his novel, The Attack. Schlichter wrote the book in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel, as a warning to people in the U.S. that it could happen here. Author and former Navy SEAL officer Matt Bracken has described the possibility of such an attack―including the simplicity of the logistics for organizers of a group of terrorists who expect to be killed or to commit suicide.
“Chumming for Monsters”
One might wonder how the Musk/Tesla attacks were set in motion, and how other, similar series of attacks have happened. This has happened many times in history, and one of the most famous is King Henry II of England’s quote: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?,” in reference to Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The exact words of the quote are up for debate, but the effect is not. Four knights were motivated to travel to Canterbury and murder the Archbishop on December 29, 1170.
A more recent example is that of Senator Charles Schumer, who―in 2020―yelled in public that Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh had “released the whirlwind” and would “pay the price” and would “not know what hit” them. This may have been the inspiration for a California man who traveled to the Maryland home of Justice Kavanaugh with the stated intention of killing Kavanaugh and then himself.
Michael Bane refers to public declarations of enemies as “Chumming for Monsters,” similar to putting chum in the water to attract sharks, like the famous scene in the movie “Jaws.” A politician or media personality makes a public statement about a person or a group or organization, often using words like how they are a “threat” or a “danger” to a group or to the nation as a whole. A person who feels alienated and lonely, maybe without a purpose in their life, may latch onto that and decide that―for example―burning a local Tesla charging station is a great idea. Meanwhile, the public person who made the statement has no connection to the perpetrator(s) of the action(s), and at most may be forced apologize for their choice of words.
Leftist movements need enemies and shock troops. The enemies are used to focus the anger of their followers. These may be “kulaks” or “landlords,” or “White nationalists,” or “Elon Musk and Tesla.” The movements also need shock troops to carry out attacks. These shock troops are often discarded once power has been consolidated―when possible post-revolutionary challengers are eliminated. The shock troops can be the “Brownshirts” (the SA, or Sturmabteilung), or Red Guards, or Antifa, or just groups who have benefited from public largesse by the elites (usually with taxpayer money). They may be sanctioned by government, or merely ignored by law enforcement. The combination of anarcho-tyranny and chumming for monsters gives the ruling elite a weapon that they can aim at their opponents while maintaining deniability. Unfortunately, average citizens can either be targets―or collateral damage―of the attacks that follow.
AWARENESS, AVOIDANCE & PREPARATION
Awareness and avoidance are a layered approach to staying out of violent encounters that could go sideways and turn into your worst nightmare. Awareness lets you see some problem coming before it reaches you, while avoidance is applied to stay out of the trouble you’ve just noticed. Preparation is being capable of dealing with a problem that you somehow were unable to avoid.
AWARENESS
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
― Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986 movie)
It’s obvious that bad guys find it easiest when they surprise their victims. Someone caught with their guard down is much more likely to simply “give it up” than to offer resistance, especially if the bad guy has been able to get very close without being noticed.
As a martial arts enthusiast, I started reading crime reports and found out that many instances of violence were a total surprise to the victim. I began to truly understand when I read Colonel Jeff Cooper’s great little book: Principles of Personal Defense (out of print, but available on archive.org), where I learned the Cooper “color code.” The great secret to “winning” in many personal defense situations could be summed up in two words: “Pay attention.” Col. Cooper explained situational awareness using four color codes:
White: Unaware and unprepared to defend yourself. If you are attacked while in Condition White, you’ll be at the mercy of your attacker.
Yellow: Alert and prepared, but aware of one’s surroundings. It’s been called “relaxed awareness.” This is the state a good driver is in when navigating traffic. It’s often said that you can easily live in Condition Yellow.
Orange: Alert to a specific potential threat. Planning possible responses. This is like a driver seeing flashing lights in the near distance on the highway.
Red: Specific threat identified. Ready for action.
Looking around, I see more people than ever walking around with their heads down, looking at their phones. Teens and young adults often take it a step further with earbuds or even over-the-ear headsets, turning them into what someone back in the day referred to as a “bipedal cheeseburger” for bad guys.
I also discovered Marc “Animal” MacYoung, and I started reading his stuff. A lot of his books are now out of print, because they were published by Paladin Press, which went out of business. Marc’s website—No Nonsense Self-Defense—is still active and has a lot of useful, practical information and advice on how crime and violence (sometimes two separate things) work, and how to avoid being a victim.
(To be continued tomorrow, in Part 3.)
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