The crowd at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France runs for their life as a truck ran down hundreds of people on the street. Early reports are the driver was a French Muslim citizen of Tunisian heritage.
Once again we are focused, even overwhelmed, by talk of terrorism and how likely we are to see it here in America. Short answer: Yes, we'll see it here in America again, too. Start buying up supplies, stocking bottled water, and building that safe room. Pull the shades, hunker down.
Kidding. All the "Breaking News" banners across our TV screens might push us in that direction, but the facts just don't support it. Terrorism, unless you live in some hellhole like Iraq or Syria, doesn't register as a leading cause of death. According to our Center For Disease Control, [in 2014] these are what we Americans should be watching out for:
Heart disease: 614,348
Cancer: 591,699
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 147,101
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 136,053
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 133,103
Alzheimer's disease: 93,541
Diabetes: 76,488
Influenza and pneumonia: 55,227
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,146
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 42,773
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 147,101
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 136,053
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 133,103
Alzheimer's disease: 93,541
Diabetes: 76,488
Influenza and pneumonia: 55,227
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,146
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 42,773
Terrorism isn't even on their loooooong list. It's probably somewhere down there with "being kicked in the head by a mule" as a cause of death. Relax. Relax, but don't just walk around with your head up your arse. Learn situational awareness. That's a $3 term for knowing what's going on around you.
Keep your eyes and ears open. If you're a Muslim yourself, you're likely to come into contact with other Muslims. If you pick up talk about some being sympathetic to ISIS-type attacks, report it.
If you're African American and you hear some in your circle of friends/acquaintances expressing support for "getting even with the cops" or white people in general, report it. If you're a white person and you hear some in your circle of friends/acquaintances showing support for white supremacist activities, report it. If you're a Hindu....oh, never mind, they never hurt anyone. No, all terrorists are NOT Muslim. These qualify, too.
Any time you're out in public, at a theater, or a mall, concert, or sporting event, understand that you can NOT be protected all the time. I love our cops, but they can't be everywhere. By the time someone calls 911 and the cops arrive, it's usually all over. YOU are ultimately responsible for protecting yourself and your family. Know where your avenues of escape are. If you learn to just matter-of-factly note these things, you will be able to react instinctively if it ever hits the fan.
Now to stir the pot....if you have a firearm and you are legally licensed to carry it, consider doing so. Learn how to use it, when to use it, and when NOT to use it. You can't just whip out your 15-round Glock and start blasting away in the general direction of an active shooter. If you do, then YOU become an active shooter yourself. And you know what happens to active shooters. *Taps*
Relax, breath, think, and be prepared. But most importantly, just LIVE.
S
Good words.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips to protect yourself, also when you are attacked by a great white shark, punch it in the nose.
ReplyDeleteI must be psychic, I guessed the truck drivers first name well before it was reported.
I'll defer to your expertise on escaping shark attacks, Joe. And, yeah, I was pretty sure his name wasn't "Ralph" or "Bubba". ;)
DeleteSo you can profile terrorism based on a name, notwithstanding that his was the most common name in the world? If that’s the case, then based on the Oklahoma City bombing we should be suspicious of anyone named Timothy.
DeleteBill, in that part of Europe, considering all the terrorism and counter-terrorism to date, it isn't a stretch to imagine there was some sort of Muslim influence. Are you aware of any other movements there right now? Of course, it could have just been a deranged person with no political views at all, but I doubt the Vegas bookies would have put their money on it. Just goin' with the odds.
DeleteI expect Isis or one of the other jihad groups will claim and be credited with this newest of massacres, becoming so commonplace our level of shock drops with each one.
ReplyDeleteThe result will be just what Isis is hoping for, and the reason they've encouraged them: Immigration will become even more of a contentious issue, even though the perp was French, in Europe and here, via Mr. Trump. Right wingers like Ms. Le Pen in France will benefit from this, the Brexit folk in the UK, the Trumpers here in the US. We'll become even more suspicious of anyone who remotely resembles someone from the Middle East, even though they may be from Brazil or India.
Rational discourse will lessen even more, views will harden, logic will become even more unimportant than it already is.
The damage goes far beyond the 80 plus people killed and their grieving loved ones. I can imagine the nativists and nationalists from the past, McCarthy, past grand masters of the KKK, etc smiling in their graves as we suspect anyone we see who isn't like the image we see in the mirror.
Mike
Agreed.
DeleteAnd just a side comment....as someone who has actually been in firefights, with real guns, the last thing I want to be is in a place where a nut opens up and I'm anywhere near him when the 'good guy with a gun' decides to protect us. Real life in a firefight is nothing like practice at the range, I don't care how much you shoot.
DeleteGood advice. I've never held a gun but it has crossed my mind to purchase one and learn how to use it. And I have no problem going through a check or wait to get it.
ReplyDeleteIf you're comfortable with it, I would advise you to do it. I personally would rather have a gun and not need it than to need one and not have it. Safely carried and stored, guns are just tools.
DeleteSad news, nothing to lose people indoctrinated into evil plan to promote cause. Last I knew the ISIS leader was still off limits to harm in Qutar. Yet so many get recruited to help the cause. For now it is them, but remember when OKC guys tried to bring attention to bad things FBI was doing or revenge etc. People just need to forgive and get along with others, being armed and very trained is just good common sense. That can not be gained in a quick class though, a lifetime of using and carry of a pistol, allows automatic target acquisition and elimination of threat. Happy retired LE are allowed to carry in most states.
ReplyDeleteGood advice. I've never held a gun but it has now crossed my mind to purchase some aspirin and statin blockers to carry with me at all times.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've heard that those, when thrown with sufficient velocity, can leave a pretty nasty welt. ;)
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