Lately I’ve invested a lot of time in study of “enemies domestic”. This post provides a bit of perspective on “enemies foreign” who may in fact operate in our domestic theater.
Excerpt from The Perfect Day:
I have been told (by those conducting interviews with captured enemy combatants) that when we ask them “What is coming next?” they sometimes refer to the “Perfect Day.” You cannot understand what they are talking about if you do not understand the historical reference.
The Sepoy Mutiny in India, in 1857, is an example of a Perfect Day. This was a spontaneous uprising by Muslims (and Hindus), with everyone giving the British their “best shot.” Nannies killed the kids, cooks poisoned the food, and shop owners murdered the British ladies as they came into the shop. And soldiers (sometimes complete units) killed their British officers and then used their weapons to attack the British.
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The enemy can be deterred! They fear one thing: They fear failure! They are not afraid to die; some of them want to die. But they desperately do not want to die for nothing! And our goal is to win a battle in the minds of millions of potential terrorists in our nation, who are asking the key questions: Can I succeed? Can I get a body count?
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Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.
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Cogito, ergo armatum sum: I think, therefore I am armed.
Read more: The Perfect Day by Dave Grossman, Lt. Col. USA (ret.)