A long-ago colleague writes that she (paraphrased):
will be a) getting her pistol permit, b) stocking up on ammo, c) investing in a HAM radio all by January if the US election doesn’t go well.
Naturally, I replied:
If the situation is that dire, it might be time to forget asking permission.
Anyone else over yonder in America have people around you talking about a need to arm themselves if things “don’t go well”?
Who would stand to gain and who would stand to lose from mass political violence on the streets of America?
If order does break down, what forces are going to come to the fore in leading the violence? We know the state’s own guns will be there in quantity, but what other groups will organize to fight the power? The militia movement? Veterans? Organized crime? Survivalists? Gangs? Graying NRA Life members? Disaffected youth? Skate punks and twitchy Counterstrike addicts?
Is it possible that the active-duty Army mechanized infantry combat brigade just returned from Iraq and now stationed in Georgia will be called into service? Will the mass detention centers quietly staffed and under construction as reported in various places find use? And what of the hundreds of thousands of nesting-stackable plastic coffins found stockpiled at a government facility? Would the billions the Pentagon and others have invested into new types of less-than-lethal crowd control systems be deployed against the American people?
Where will the battles be fought? Where will the targets be? What tactics and strategies will be employed, both in combat and in the media sphere? What new allegiances will be forged, and what ancient alliances will be sundered?
Will I still get a pony that can fly for my birthday if I’m a good little boy?
Tags: crowd control, disaffected youth, flying ponies, Georgia, guns, ham radio, investment, Iraq, mass detention, military, nra, political violence, revolution, riot, survivalists
