Powder keg: 61% say United States ‘on verge of civil war,’ 52% already preparing

A majority of Americans are bracing for the possibility of a politically-fired civil war, and more than half are already stockpiling food and other essential items to survive and fight back, according to a new survey shared with Secrets.

In the survey, 61% said that the United States is nearing a second civil war, including a shocking 41% who “strongly agree” with that assessment.

And 52% are so convinced that it is just around the corner, or after Election Day, that they are putting away food and other essentials, an historic expansion of the prepper movement that has been brewing for years, now driven by fear and coronavirus-induced shortages.

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“This is the single most frightening poll result I’ve ever been associated with,” said Rich Thau, president of Engagious, one of the three firms, along with the Sports and Leisure Research Group and ROKK Solutions, that conducted the “Back-to-Normal Barometer” survey. Continue reading “”

BLUF:
That’s the thing about “insurrectionary anarchists.” They make fickle allies. If they help you get into power, they will try to oust you the following day, since power is what they are against. Many of them don’t even vote. They are experts at unraveling an old order but considerably less skilled at building a new one. That’s why, even after more than 100 days of protest in Portland, activists do not agree on a set of common policy goals.

Even some anarchists admit as much.

“We are not sure if the socialist, communist, democratic or even anarchist utopia is possible,” a voice on “The Ex-Worker” podcast intones. “Rather, some insurrectionary anarchists believe that the meaning of being an anarchist lies in the struggle itself and what that struggle reveals.”

In other words, it’s not really about George Floyd or Black lives, but insurrection for insurrection’s sake.

The Truth About Today’s Anarchists
“Insurrectionary anarchists” have been protesting for racial justice all summer. Some Black leaders wish they would go home.

On the last Sunday in May, Jeremy Lee Quinn, a furloughed photographer in Santa Monica, Calif., was snapping photos of suburban moms kneeling at a Black Lives Matter protest when a friend alerted him to a more dramatic subject: looting at a shoe store about a mile away.

He arrived to find young people pouring out of the store, shoeboxes under their arms. But there was something odd about the scene. A group of men, dressed entirely in black, milled around nearby, like supervisors. One wore a creepy rubber Halloween mask.

The next day, Mr. Quinn took pictures of another store being looted. Again, he noticed something strange. A white man, clad in black, had broken the window with a crowbar, but walked away without taking a thing.

Mr. Quinn began studying footage of looting from around the country and saw the same black outfits and, in some cases, the same masks. He decided to go to a protest dressed like that himself, to figure out what was really going on. He expected to find white supremacists who wanted to help re-elect President Trump by stoking fear of Black people. What he discovered instead were true believers in “insurrectionary anarchism.” . . .

Mr. Quinn discovered a thorny truth about the mayhem that unfolded in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis. It wasn’t mayhem at all.

While talking heads on television routinely described it as a spontaneous eruption of anger at racial injustice, it was strategically planned, facilitated and advertised on social media by anarchists who believed that their actions advanced the cause of racial justice. In some cities, they were a fringe element, quickly expelled by peaceful organizers. But in Washington, Portland and Seattle they have attracted a “cultlike energy,” Mr. Quinn told me.

Don’t take just Mr. Quinn’s word for it. Take the word of the anarchists themselves, who lay out the strategy in Crimethinc, an anarchist publication: Black-clad figures break windows, set fires, vandalize police cars, then melt back into the crowd of peaceful protesters. When the police respond by brutalizing innocent demonstrators with tear gas, rubber bullets and rough arrests, the public’s disdain for law enforcement grows. It’s Asymmetric Warfare 101. Continue reading “”

How do you argue for the truth when at this point only moral “truth” seems to matter?

A great article that asks the question but unfortunately doesn’t provide the answer.

We need an answer. Or maybe the answer is one we (or at least I) don’t want to hear – that there is no good answer because the situation is too far gone. Maybe even that some sort of violence is inevitable?

I’ve noticed the problem cropping up more and more in my own private life as I’ve been engaging more frequently in discussion with people who disagree with me politically. I’ve noticed that in these talks, if I utter a fact that contradicts their preferred version of what’s going on, and I offer to send a link about it, some of them reject that suggestion either by screaming that I’m lying, by changing the subject, or by abruptly turning their backs and leaving in rage.

I had the latter happen to me twice in one evening last week, from two different people. These are both people I’ve known for many years, and although they are not close friends, they are friendly acquaintances with whom I’ve never had a fight before. But what I was saying was apparently so threatening – even though I stated my case briefly and mildly – that they had to leave the field.

Well, by now you’ve heard the news that not just one of President Trump’s senior aides has the bug, but that the President and Melania both have it as well. Keep them both in your prayers because this simply adds to the precarious times the nation is in.

FBI Uniform Crime Report: Murders Down, Self-Defense Up in 2019

Armed private citizens fatally shot more people in self-defense last year than previous years, continuing an upward trend, according to data released in the FBI 2019 Uniform Crime Report. (Screen snip, FBI UCR)
The FBI has released its 2019 Uniform Crime Report, showing a decline in homicides last year. (Screen snip, FBI Uniform Crime Report)

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Armed private citizens fatally shot 334 people last year, continuing a gradual upward trend in the United States while the number of justifiable homicides by police declined, and murders also dropped, including those involving firearms, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for 2019.

The report was released Monday but was overshadowed by presidential politics, including the release of President Donald Trump’s tax history.

Continue reading “”

Property owner shoots alleged intruder in the face

(WWJ) An investigation is underway after authorities say a Port Huron Michigan-area resident shot a man who’d trespassed on his property.

St Clair County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to a breaking and entering complaint that was in progress, in the 6000 block of Lapeer Road in Clyde Township, Monday afternoon.

According to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, the 50-year-old homeowner was armed when he confronted the alleged intruder.

While the suspect was trying to get away, it’s alleged that he drove at the property owner who fired multiple shots with a handgun, hitting the suspect in the face.

The wounded man, identified a 27-year-old Kimball Township resident, went to a local hospital where he was found by deputies………..

Man takes gun from armed robbers; kills one, injures other in north Harris County

HOUSTON Texas– A northside man turned the tables on two accused teen robbers who he says tried to rob him, according to authorities.

The incident happened at noon in a crowded strip mall parking lot in the 5200 block of Aldine Mail Route at I-69.

According to Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the man was getting into his truck to leave when two teenagers walked up to him. The man told detectives at least one of the alleged robbers was armed.

“He’s reporting that these two suspects attempted to rob him, to take his vehicle,” said Sgt. Jason Brown with the HCSO Homicide Division. “He was able to take one of the pistols from the suspect and (shot) both of those suspects.”……..

One of the teens was struck in the head and chest, officials said. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Kingwood Hospital, officials said.

The second teen was wounded but managed to run into an apartment building across the street, officials said. When he was found, he was also rushed to Kingwood Hospital in unknown condition, officials said.

 

 

Gun Control Absent From Presidential Debate

With last night’s debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, it seemed likely that gun control would be a topic of discussion. After all, it was a driving issue during the Democratic primary, one at least two candidates decided to make a focal point of their campaigns. It was a recurring theme during Democratic debates as well.

However, now, things are different. It seems that everyone is trying to pretend that gun control was never a topic to begin with, from the gun control groups and now, even the presidential campaigns.

Oh, guns weren’t absent. It seems that gun violence was a major topic of debate. Especially in places like Chicago.

With the surge in violence we’re seeing all over the nation, that’s hardly surprising. It’s an alarming development in a year of alarming developments, to say the least. Yet this one, at least, feels like something people can turn to politicians to solve, so they have.

But absent from any mention of the debates? Gun control.

This issue that seemed poised to shape at least part of the presidential election has largely fizzled out. Oh, Biden still wants gun control and we know that if he’s elected, we’ll likely see it, but no one wants to talk about it, apparently.

Why?

Following the shooting in Marjory Stoneman-Douglas Highschool in Parkland, gun control was all anyone could seemingly talk about. It made gun control fashionable.

What’s more, gun control didn’t fade into the background like it normally does following a mass shooting. The media made it a point to push people like David Hogg in our faces to keep gun control in the foreground. It couldn’t die if the media kept focusing on it.

Then COVID-19 hit.

At that point, the media had more important things to talk about. Further, millions upon millions of Americans went out and bought guns. After all, a deadly pandemic was here. People were going to die and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for there to be some real problems with our supply chain. In fact, there was, and no one had any reason to believe it couldn’t get worse. What happens when people can’t get food?

For times like that, you need a gun.
Continue reading “”

The FBI Crime Stat that Keeps Wounding Gun Control Lobby

With this week’s release of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for 2019, the gun prohibition lobby is once again faced with an uncomfortable truth: Their crusade to ban so-called “assault rifles” doesn’t pass the smell test.

Continuing a pattern that dates back decades, the number of homicides involving rifles of any kind amounts to a fraction of all the murders in any given year. By far, handguns are used in more slayings in any given year.

In 2019, according to the UCR, there were an estimated 13,927 homicides, of which 10,258 involved firearms. But the report only positively linked 364 of those slayings to rifles, and there has never been a breakdown on the types of rifles, whether they were all semi-auto, or bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action or single-shot models. Continue reading “”

Man shot by property owner after breaking into barn in St. Clair County

CLYDE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A man caught breaking into a pole barn in Clyde Township was shot after driving his vehicle at the owner of the property, authorities say.

Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 6000 block of Lapeer Road Monday on a report of a breaking and entering in progress.

While deputies were en route, they were told shots had been fired at the scene and the suspect had driven away.

The property owner, a 50-year-old man from Port Huron, said he had made a report to Michigan State Police about the barn being broken into. He came back Monday and discovered more of his property sitting outside the pole barn. He decided to wait and see if the suspect would return.

The suspect, a 23-year-old Port Huron Township man, did eventually come back to the property; the owner was armed with a pistol and called dispatch.

Police say the suspect jumped into his car and drove at him. The owner said he shot his pistol at the vehicle in self-defense.

Police say it was later discovered that the suspect had been shot in the face. He is currently hospitalized.

The author of the book wants free college which means he wants the old marxist canard of ‘equality of outcome’ which results in nothing more than  the ‘lowest common denominator’ i.e. stupid printed on all diplomas in invisible ink.

A Book with a Kernel of Truth—and a Grain Silo of Nonsense

Every so often, a leftist thinker breaks free from the orthodoxy to point out that policies favored by “progressives” can have adverse consequences. When that happens, it’s worth paying attention.

We have such an instance with the publication of The Cult of Smart by Fredrik deBoer, a writer and one-time academic whose work has appeared in leftist publications such as The New Republic and Jacobin.

He proudly proclaims his Marxism, saying that what all good Marxists want is a better, more equitable world. While he sees a lot to complain about—America still allows capitalism, after all—his particular target in the book is the way our education system overemphasizes academic credentials. We excessively reward those who are good at getting them at the expense of people who lack academic ability. Continue reading “”

Son fatally shoots man who attacked his parents

HOUSTON — A 39-year-old man inappropriately touched a woman and beat up her husband before the couple’s son shot and killed him in southeast Houston, police said early Friday.

Alfredo Rodriguez was choked up later when he realized his son was forced to kill a man to protect he and his wife, saying he would do anything to switch places with him.

“I can say, ‘Take me instead,'” he said.

The shooting happened at about 1:50 a.m. in a parking lot at 12810 Gulf Freeway, according to the Houston Police Department.

Witnesses told detectives the altercation began inside the Ostioneria Michoacan bar and restaurant.The attacker first touched Rodriguez’s wife inappropriately, so she slapped him, police said.

The couple then left the restaurant, but the suspect followed them out. Witnesses said he began beating Rodriguez, knocking him out, then struck the wife. That’s when the couple’s son came out and saw what was happening so he opened fire on the unidentified man, who later died at the hospital. When the father woke up, he said he saw his son being questioned by police.

The father said he was robbed and shot in the face just a few years ago, which is why his son was quick to take action when he saw the attack happening. “He tell me, ‘Dad, it never happen to you no more, i take care of you,'” Rodriguez said.

Detectives said a surveillance video from a nearby restaurant matched the family’s story. “From what I’ve seen on video and from what everybody is telling me, yes, he’s clearly taking action to protect his dad and mom,” HPD Sgt. Kenneth Daignault.

Father and son were allowed to leave the scene. Rodriguez’s wife was take to a hospital after she was accidentally shot in the leg. She is expected to recover. The case will be referred to a grand jury without charges.

 

It’s almost like they know it’s a losing argument, so they have to obfuscate it? Strange.

Gun Control Group Opts for Healthcare Push in Swing States

Michael Bloomberg-founded Everytown for Gun Safety is opting to push healthcare instead of new gun laws in swing states as the November election approaches.

The Washington Free Beacon reports that Everytown launched an ad campaign in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, Arizona, and Minnesota, and there is zero mention of gun control. Instead, the ads make allegations that Republicans want to take away healthcare.

The NRA’s Amy Hunter responded to Everytown’s decision to forego a gun control push, saying, “This Bloomberg-funded organization knows Americans don’t want gun control and are less likely to vote for candidates who promise to impose it. That is why they have to engage in tactics like this — and also bribe felons to vote — to get their gun-control candidates elected. They hope these tactics will fool swing state voters but we hope voters will see right through their deception.”

On September 21, 2020, Breitbart News reported there was a 139 percent increase in ammunition sales nationwide during the first six months of 2020, when compared to the same time period in 2019. Those ammo sales were coupled with a 95 percent increase in gun sales, as compared to the same time frame in 2019.

Moreover, there was an 80 percent surge in gun sales in seven swing states. Those seven states include the five in which Bloomberg’s Everytown is forgoing a gun control push.

Opinion: The Steps Towards Revolution or Hostile Takeover From Within (Part I, Introduction)

There is an interesting graphic going around on Twitter. It appears to portray the levels and activities of civil uncoupling before open guerrilla warfare breaks out and we have a full-blown revolution happening. Here is the Tweet and the diagram.

Image

You can see the pyramid has multiple levels showing activities that take place before there is an open, armed revolt against the constituted government. The yellow arrow points towards where (with some justification) the author of the Tweet believes we are right now.

Opinion: The Steps Towards Revolution or Hostile Takeover From Within (Part I, Introduction)

There is no doubt that in more than a few metropolitan precincts, the morale of police forces is in sharp decline. Just look at the spiking request for retirement numbers.

If you’ll note, the diagram in the tweet differs from the one on the masthead of this article. That one I took directly from the January 2013 edition of a U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) publication entitled: Human Factors Considerations Of Undergrounds In Insurgencies. The 2013 version is actually more up to date. Except as specifically noted, I’ll be using the USASOC version.

The Twitter version has an arrow pointing at just one level. On the USASOC version, I’ve circled a range of levels. On both, the designated areas are just short of the open and armed revolt or general uprising levels. It’s important to understand that these things don’t necessarily occur in a rigid sequence and, at the end, most of them will be occurring simultaneously.

Back in the day, I used to teach this at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg. One thing that has stuck with me since that brief time in my life is a very hard truth and its even harder analog. The hard truth is that before the first guerrilla picks up a gun and kills a police officer or Soldier, the revolution or precursors to it, have been going for at least 10 years prior. Of course, the analog to that says that once you’ve defeated the insurgency, killed, captured, or jailed the leaders, there is still a decade or more of work to do to get back to a condition of popularly supported stability.

Over the next few days, we’ll explore the USASOC graphic. Continue reading “”

Modern high technology strikes again

This Hacked Coffee Maker Demands Ransom and Demonstrates a Terrifying Implication About the IoT (Internet of Things)

It’s no secret that the Internet of Things is full of insecure gadgets. All you need is one high profile incident to be flooded with terrifying headlines about how everything from robotic vacuum cleaners to smart sex toys can be hacked to spy on you. However, apparently some devices like Smarter’s IoT coffee machine can also be reprogrammed to go haywire and demand ransom from unsuspecting users.

This week, Martin Hron, a researcher with the security firm Avast, reverse engineered a $250 Smarter coffee maker as part of a thought experiment to potentially uncover an important flaw in the infrastructure of smart devices.

“I was asked to prove a myth, call it a suspicion, that the threat to IoT devices is not just to access them via a weak router or exposure to the internet, but that an IoT device itself is vulnerable and can be easily owned without owning the network or the router,” he wrote in a blog post detailing his methods.

His experiment was a success: After a week of tinkering, he effectively turned the coffee maker into a ransomware machine. When the user tries to connect it to their home network, it triggers the machine to turn on the burner, spew hot water, endlessly spin the bean grinder, and display a pre-programmed ransom message while beeping incessantly……..

The new anti-Semitism

Ocasio-Cortez withdraws from Rabin memorial event after backlash
Democratic congresswoman pulls participation from Americans For Peace Now commemoration for assassinated Israeli premier, after pro-Palestinian activists call move ‘disgusting’

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday withdrew her participation from an event commemorating former prime minster Yitzhak Rabin on the 25th anniversary of his assassination.

The decision, which came after backlash from pro-Palestinian activists, was confirmed to The Times of Israel by a spokeswoman for the congresswoman, a rising star in the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Continue reading “”

BLUF:
The cops came out repeatedly, answering not just my calls but those of my neighbors. Time after time, the police apologized for the fact that they couldn’t do anything to alleviate the abuse, explaining that they’d been neutered by the mayor, with the support of our local city councilman, Mike Bonin……

An hour and a half after I’d called 911, officers arrived. And it was then—noon, on Thursday, August 20th that I had an upsetting revelation: We citizens can no longer rely on the police to show up. And then the thought hit me: I need to get a gun………..

You’ve got to love the irony. It’s the Democrats who push for gun control, yet it’s the Democrats in power in my city who are leaving me with no choice but to arm myself.

L.A.’s Failed Homeless Policies Turned My Home Into a Prison

I never wanted a gun. In fact, I wanted to never own one—until around noon on Thursday, August 20th. Continue reading “”