“Very often, the victims of terrorism are targeted not because they are threats, but because they are specific “symbols, tools, animals or corrupt beings” that tie into a specific view of the world that the terrorists possess.” -Mark Juergensmeyer
INFIL RANT
First things first here. I am not a profiling or anti-terrorism Guru and nor do I claim to be one. But I will say this, in my five deployments with the Marine Corps to many “less than favorable places” on this planet, I have learned a thing or two about self-protection and the identification and profiling of shitheads with bad intent. With that being said, I do not want this article to create some kind of “turn your communist neighbor into the government” hysteria, reminiscent of the Cold War era. I have no issues with “practical profiling techniques” as I sit here, on my third cup of coffee, half empty bottle of Jameson, listening to ‘Ziggy Stardust’ on a vinyl record.
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“Very often, the victims of terrorism are targeted not because they are threats, but because they are specific “symbols, tools, animals or corrupt beings” that tie into a specific view of the world that the terrorists possess.” -Mark Juergensmeyer
INFIL RANT
First things first here. I am not a profiling or anti-terrorism Guru and nor do I claim to be one. But I will say this, in my five deployments with the Marine Corps to many “less than favorable places” on this planet, I have learned a thing or two about self-protection and the identification and profiling of shitheads with bad intent. With that being said, I do not want this article to create some kind of “turn your communist neighbor into the government” hysteria, reminiscent of the Cold War era. I have no issues with “practical profiling techniques” as I sit here, on my third cup of coffee, half empty bottle of Jameson, listening to ‘Ziggy Stardust’ on a vinyl record.
Even if you completely altered your lifestyle and took every precaution available, you still have zero control over these types of random and violent attacks. However, what you can do to prepare yourself, is be aware of the circumstances and learn to identify risk factors.
What is a ‘soft target’? Ski’s definition: when an aspiring bomber has identified an event or location that has minimal force protection, provides a substantial number of personnel injured or dead, and will be followed by massive coverage from the media. That is a soft target.
“This country swarms with vile outrageous men that live by rapine and by lawless spoil.” – Christopher Marlowe 1587
Why Terrorists Bomb (Reiterating the basics here)
Using terrorism for political purpose is a common tactic, and as such, there are a number of common elements that are almost universal to all modern terrorist activities. The target victims are not necessarily those who are injured or killed. Rather, the attack may have been carried out to influence a government (or group of governments) to take a certain course of action, or to perhaps terminate or cease a current course of action. Over the last several years, while the total number of bombings has decreased, the number of large or spectacular bomb attacks has actually increased. Terrorists commit bombings for a number of reasons:
10 Basic Steps to not being a Soft Target
Observing Basic Negative Body Language Gestures
EXFIL RANT
Let me make this simple (and please keep in mind that even on my best days, I am hungover and slightly disgruntled at society in general), every human falls into one of two categorizes; lamb or wolf. You eat meat or grass, and you either have eyes positioned in the front of your head, or on the sides. This article is not geared toward the vast majority of grazing lambs. The SOFREP community is at the high-end of the spectrum where informed citizens have a shared sense of responsibility and Patriotism.
I may be way off the mark on this one, but I have a feeling that many readers will find this article very interesting and useful. These days, Al-Qaeda’s operational branch is all but non-existent. The word Al-Qaeda has become more of an aspirational title for the geo-separated, internet savvy, radical Muslims who are looking to associate with something bigger than themselves. The effective operating arm of Al-Qaeda has run its course in history.
The fact is that this type of soft target bombing is going to become the norm here in the United States (as it already has in many other countries around the world). The very nature of our society provides endless opportunities to employ this technique of grassroots terrorism.
As a country, if we attempted to limit or restrict access to the vast abundance of items that can easily be used for bomb making, we would be eroding the basic fundamentals that make our society great (fact).
So If I may steal and modify the Queen’s slogan used during the Nazi bombing campaign on Britain in WWII… Keep Calm, Carry On, Be Aware and Prepared to Act.
Cleared Hot -Ski (Mr. 9mm is the Shepard)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMN5uQhF-Ro&w=640&h=385]
Level Zero Heroes | The Story of U.S. Marine SOF in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan
Dedicated to the loving memory and sacrifice of GySgt. Robert L. Gilbert & SSgt. Patrick R. Dolphin
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