REBELLION AND FOLLY

One disadvantage to living in a free country is that all of those other folks get to be free, too.  Of course that’s at the heart of the liberal/democrat/progressive/fascist platform, but don’t think for a second it doesn’t apply to a lot of folks on the other side of the line.  In fact, I’m thinking about some people right now that I kind of wish I could put a leash on for a little while

These people are on my side; they are passionately opposed to Barack Obama and his policies, platform, government, and generally everything about the man.  I love them for this, but there is a point at which we take divergent courses.  That point is when we discuss how to get rid of Obama.  There has always been a rebellious element in America, and they have brought tremendous energy and outside the box thinking to our political tapestry.  Because of Obama’s compulsion to sow disunity, distrust, and downright hatred among different segments of the population, the level of anger in this country is higher than I have ever seen it. People on both sides of the issues are just flat pig-bitin’ mad.  If we don’t get a grip on this anger pretty soon, someone is going to do something stupid, and that will set in motion a chain of events more tragic than anything any of us can imagine.

I’ve heard more loose talk about armed rebellion than at any other time in my life.  People express such anger and frustration that they are ready to stop talking and start the ball.  Believe me, I understand that frustration and anger!  However, I also understand something about armed conflict, and it is here that I part company with those who are ready to start shooting.  This essay is intended to get them to realize what they may be getting us into.

SCENARIOS

First of all, have you thought about how this thing might start, or what might trigger it?  Most people say they’d be ready to go if some specific event were to occur, usually some overt act of aggression by Obama – martial law, letting the UN interfere in our domestic affairs, passage of some catastrophic treaty with the UN, such as a ban on possession of firearms, or something on that order.  But remember, there are always at least two parties involved in every fight.  So who will you be fighting?  You aren’t going to get a shot at Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi isn’t going to come charging into your home.  Will you be fighting local or state police?  That’s a possibility.  Have you given any thought to how you might feel about popping a cop?  How about our own troops?  I don’t believe all of them would fire on American citizens, but I guarantee you some of them would.  Could you bust a cap on an American soldier or Marine?  Could you bust a cap on another human being, at all?  In our wars, only a small percentage of our troops even fired their weapons; do you really think you are more combat ready than the guys who went up the sand at Omaha Beach?

Have you consulted whatever ultimate moral authority you recognize (I’m going with God, here) to make sure you can emotionally survive killing another human being? You aren’t going to be shooting at faceless, soulless targets, or zombies from a movie.  They will be human beings – maybe your countrymen.  Have you thought of that?  You might consider taking care of this little detail before you even pick up a firearm, because if you aren’t almighty sure about this, and you pop some kid who joined the army to get away from his mother, it’s going to destroy you.  If you have sorted it out, good for you, but if you haven’t, you darned well better not kid yourself about it.

It is estimated, based on rebellions and resistance movements in other nations, that not more than one out of every 10,000 gun owners would actually participate in armed action – and some estimates go as low as one out of every 100,000.  In other words, of the guys who sit around in bars and gun shops and shoot their mouths off about, “my cold, dead fingers,” you probably don’t know even one that will really fight.  Are you that one?  If you are, have you talked to others like yourself – and I mean those who will fight, not the blowhards who will roll over and betray you at the drop of a rifle bolt.

On the other hand, if Obama has learned anything at all from his Russian buddies, it’s that you never use local troops to stomp on people.  You send American troops to stomp on Afghans, and bring Russians or [shudder] Ghurkas to stomp on Americans.  Are you ready to face some really, truly bad motor scooters? Professional troops who are not only thoroughly trained, but lead by seasoned officers and non-coms?  Who are well armed and have all the technology our guys do in Afghanistan?  Who hate America and Americans, and are thirsty for your blood?

 

REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

A lot of guys talk about how they’re going to kill every fed that comes through the door, and clearly have a mental picture of some Hollywood last stand, with the bodies heaping up in front of them.  Well, that’s baloney.  If they want you, do you really think they’ll give you an even break?  They’ll pick you up at work, or pull you out of the line at a DWI checkpoint and you’ll be shot while trying to escape.  Or maybe you’ll walk in the front door with your arms full of briefcase and groceries, and they’ll have your family sitting in the front room with guns to their heads.  What will you do then?  Drop the groceries and try to shoot it out with a half-dozen feds?  Let me know how that works out for you.

Really, they won’t even have to be that direct.  In a city like Albuquerque, with about 500,000 people, there are only so many grocery stores.  There are only so many roads into and out of town. With a regiment of infantry, I could shut this city down tight.  First, close the roads a mile or so outside town, so you can’t be sucked into a fight in the city.  Second, close down all the grocery stores and move as much of the stuff as you can to a central location.  Third, destroy the rest so you don’t have to defend it, and your troops aren’t needlessly exposed.  Fourth, issue a proclamation saying that no one can buy food or leave town unless they have a certificate saying their house has been cleared of all food storage, firearms, munitions, bows, arrows, swords,  and knives over 2”.  Now you might be able to hide a gun or two, but this is going to seriously cramp your style. 

Think you might jump the soldiers when they come to clear your house?  Well, you might get a few, but remember what I said about only one in 10,000 gun owners actually being willing to shoot someone?  Unless you have planned well, you will be alone.  There will be no one to take the enemy in the flank or rear, no one to lend supporting or distracting fire.  Is your house bullet-proof?  How about .338 Lapua- or .50 Browning-proof?  And what if they just decide to cut the power and water to your house and wait you out.  How much food and water do you have in your house?  Did you think to get your family out in time?  How about a chemical toilet?  If they cut your water, are you going to pour drinking water down the toilet, or just let the feces back up until it runs over the edge of the bowl? What if they gas you?  Do you have a good gas mask?  And remember, this deal isn’t going to go on and on.  They’ll get bored and bring in a Bradley and flatten your butt.

When everybody was getting all psyched up for Y2K, I ran into a fellow who had an MG-34 and two full pallets – a hundred thousand rounds – of belted 8mm.  He also had 2 quarts of water.  Not all of the fools I met during that period had MG-34’s, but the pattern was very common.  This is New Mexico, for cryin’ out loud!  There is no water!  It’s not like Virginia, where they have a mile-wide, 10 feet-deep river about every two miles!  Are you thinking this thing all the way through?

Get the picture?  There’s a heck of a lot that goes into a rebellion, and most people don’t think about 2% of it.  All of the things I’ve talked about can be overcome by taking appropriate action beforehand.  The main thing you need to do is get ready, because if you wait until the Huns are coming around the end of your block, you’re toast.  You need other people you can trust, but not too many of them, because the chance that one will crack under pressure is great. Are you young and fit enough to leave your base of security and hit the bush, or are you like me, and too old and fat and rickety?  Do you have family members who are limited in their mobility?  And even if you are tough enough, what if this comes down in mid-winter?  Do you have cold-weather gear that you can actually move in?

I’m not saying it can’t be done, and I’m not saying there is no hope!   But I am saying that if you’re thinking about starting anything because you think it’s going to be a walk in the park, you are making one huge mistake.  All the brag and bluster and big talk about how they’d better not come through your front door is, to be blunt, stupid.  The more you think and plan, the more you’ll realize what a staggering endeavor an armed rebellion in this day and age would be. 

Rebsarge