Time to Become Vigilant is Running Out

Time to Become Vigilant is Running Out...

By R.J. Godlewski

“If we lose, I will destroy the world.” Kim Jong Il.

“I will wipe Israel from the map!” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

“Bullshit!” R.J. Godlewski

Each day that we awake is just one step closer to nuclear annihilation of at least one of our cities. Perhaps my fastidiousness regarding public apathy has accelerated my concerns a bit, but the underlying fact is that nuclear terrorism will sneak past our borders – eventually. The simple knowledge that we, as a nation, cannot accept that there are those amongst us who are quite prepared to die for their beliefs gives me no other alternative than to expect the worst. These diabolical fiends salivate over the prospects of bringing our nation and its people to our knees and no level of destruction will suit their ultimate goal better than a radiological or nuclear bomb. Are we prepared for this destruction? Hardly.

While Islamic terrorists are well into their plans for a post-America world, Western society is concentrating on which Hollywood star will marry next; whether Miss New Jersey will keep her crown or not; and which politician will grant us the capitulation that we so desire. While goofy Hugo Chavez of Venezuela climbs into bed with sinister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, our own Congress redirects its attention towards battle over pride with our elected Commander in Chief. Will any of our present thoughts matter when New York, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, or Seattle ceases to exist? When Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff informs the world that his “gut feeling” suggests an attack on American soil for this summer, do we listen?

Has America become so used to wealth, hyperbole, and convenience that we cannot accept the reality that international events cannot be switched off with the flick of a remote? We seem to think that our very nation has become so rich and powerful that nobody would dare mess with our expectations. Yet, history is awash with such ‘empires’ who were beset by such opportunists. For every person that desires to carry the torch of freedom to the tower, there is at least one person who tries to trip them along the way. Freedom is only treasured by those who understand its value; who strive against all odds to give it a chance to flourish. Like Jack London’s immortal character, Wolf Larsen, I’m beginning to wonder if too many people are simply standing upon the legs of their forefathers without any effort on their part.

As much as we dare to do so, it cannot be argued that our nation is not involved within a global war against fanatical terrorists – people whose fundamental mission is to orchestrate a grand clash between civilizations; between Muslim East and Christian West. Our military and federal forces are stretched and our political leaders are selfishly opportunistic. It remains, therefore, for ‘We the People’ to hold Washington accountable for our safety and security. It remains for us to take an active lead in this war against those who already have our names placed upon tombstones. While we may not be trained commandos, veteran analysts, or even dedicated citizens, each one of us represents a powerful ‘node’ in the global network of systems activated against terrorists.

When the alert ambulance attendants observed the suspicious, smoking Mercedes in London, how many hundreds if not thousands of lives were saved by their vigilance? There are some three hundred million people living within the United States; if only a tiny percentage of our population could devote their existence to being aware of their surroundings, we could field several million people against the terrorists. This does not mean that we should arm ourselves – though I would just love it if every American adult citizen with maturity, commonsense, and the time to adequately train themselves would pack a .45 automatic – but we must condition ourselves to defeat any and all terrorists whenever the need should arise.

If we do not make a concerted effort to do ‘something’, then we are no better than those five convenience store patrons who rudely stepped over a dying woman rather than take the necessary steps to save her life. When al-Qaeda or its allies reach their fullest potential, will you prefer to defeat them with whatever means at your disposal? Or will you prefer to be like the fifth patron and simply videotape one of our ‘dying’ cities during a major attack. For every person who believes that the atrocity at the convenience store was an outrage, there should be just as many who view apathy towards terrorism as equally outrageous. Are you prepared to lend aid? Or are you simply going to profit over some else’s misfortune? Those who see and do nothing are far worse than those who’ve committed the original crime. We become accomplices in thought, if not in action.

Terrorists have attacked us because they know that, at best, we’ll simply go about our business as usual. The massacre at Virginia Tech occurred because no one was permitted to intervene. September 11^th, 2001 occurred because our nation actually welcomed those who committed the atrocity into our communities with open arms. Nuclear 9/11 will occur because we Americans are far too wrapped up in our Democracy Fantasyland to understand that peace is the absence of hostile intent, not the subduing of war. If we only unleashed our full military might upon our enemies, Iraq and Afghanistan would’ve been pacified years ago, Iran would be in the hands of its people, and North Korea would’ve become a welcomed addition to its southern neighbor.

By keeping our counterterrorist and counterinsurgency forces hamstrung, we signal to the world that we won’t fight regardless of what happens to our nation. And, friends, nobody fears a loser. The liberal left may be playing the “end the war now!” card to its fullest, but do they really have your best interests at heart? The answer is a resounding ‘No!’, if you would only pay attention to the facts of the matter – the terrorists want to fight and our politicians (Republican and Democrat) don’t. Would any of you step into a ring with a prizefighter and simply do nothing, hoping that your opponent will stop fighting if you do not present hostility? Where should I send the flowers, huh?

Radical Islamists struck at the United States in 1983, 1993, 2001, and just about every intervening year. Will they stop if we simply retreated (there’s no better word for it) from Iraq? Will they stop if we simply ignored our ally Israel? Will they stop if we caved in and granted Islam preferential treatment – what I refer to as Religious Affirmative Action, or RAA -- within American society? You bet your ass they won’t! The radical Jihadists don’t want peace with us; they want a full-scale bloody confrontation between our cultures. It is their end, not their means. They don’t want to invade the West; they want to rebuild it after its annihilation. As soon as the smoke clears, their moles and cells will spring into action and overwhelm the beleaguered liberals who weren’t the ones to go down fighting for their country. Everyone else would’ve at least died trying to keep Lady Liberty free and intact.

As much as I have tried, I cannot make you take the effort to protect your own nation. I can, however, give you some advice on what to do to become vigilant and observant of your surroundings. I’ve done so through the courtesy release of my text Integrated Technical Warfare: An Organizational Guide to Creating a Corporate Counterterrorism Force which can be downloaded in PDF format (~1.4Mb). I’ll do my part by not charging for the book (unless you want the awesome bound edition for your personal library!). You do your part by reading it and taking heed. Deal?

Great Britain maintains millions of closed-circuit television cameras around the periphery of London. We don’t want that here because it invades our ‘privacy’. Yet what of the millions of pairs of eyes that flutter around in dazed and confused citizens? If we want privacy, we must protect it from attack. Unless we want Big Brother nosing in on everything that we do, we must make a concerted effort to observe our surroundings and report any suspicious activities to the authorities. No matter what political party we belong to, no matter what religion we subscribed to, no matter what our personal beliefs, God gave us a pair of eyes and a fair memory – let’s place them to sound use.

The only difference between friend and fiend is one letter: R we prepared to defend our beliefs? R we prepared to observe our surroundings and report suspicious activities? R we willing to do whatever it takes to keep America strong and prosperous? R we concerned enough about our neighbors and families to protect them? R we going to listen to R.J.? J