My initial response to hearing the call for protest on January 20 in Richmond, VA, was to saddle up about a dozen buddies, rent a 15-passenger van, and go. Seriously, show up and be part of the presence. Our gut reactions to such things are to join and support those of like heart and mind. But after a moment taken to pause and consider, I’m staying home.
Call me what you will, but hear me out first. Harken back to Charlottesville, and what happened there. Read Matt Bracken’s Professor Raoul X and realize how easy it would be for the opposition (the Left, Antifa, FedGov….pick your player) to plant a false flag, or two, or five, in digital camo among the protesters. And how would that go for our side?
This protest was announced weeks before January 20 with big commotion, giving the opposition a generous allotment of time to plan its counter, just like Charlottesville. And what did the authorities do there? Everything they could to disrupt the protest all the way and up to bloodshed, while maintaining a facade of plausible deniability. No doubt even arranging a last-minute gathering such as did Joseph Warren on April 18, 1775 leading to Captain John Parker giving the order to fire the next day, would be fraught with unwanted exposure. OPSEC is often cast to the wind in such endeavors, and Warren and Parker didn’t have to deal with the worldwide web and the NSA.
Our side, those who seek to preserve 2A/liberty/freedom and turn back tyranny, will not experience one shred of favorable media exposure. Not. A. Bit. Zero. Zip. Nada. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, and we’re Charlie.
We all know that the opposition wants, deeply, at their core, to provoke a response that gives them the cover of moral outrage. The cover that their own lack of personal courage mandates that they must have. Herschel gives good reason to view your local Virginia sheriff with a jaundiced eye, so the desire to push back at the Capitol on Inauguration Day, before the process is started, before the legislation is even formally introduced and voted on, before it gets to the level of local enforcement, is completely understandable. You can only retreat so far before your back’s against a wall, no other option is left, and it’s you or them. Sometimes, though, it’s important to let your opponent make the next first mistake
I don’t have the perfect solution, the perfect response at my fingertips right now. There probably isn’t one. The opposition never rests, they never stand down, largely because the rest of us have to go to work. They will not stop; we all know this and we all know, as TL Davis implies in Newsletter 19, sooner or later somewhere will be the point of initial conflict. Maybe Virginia will fulfill his prophesy; maybe not. I just hope and pray that the pro2A protesters remain calm, remain peaceful, weather the withering onslaught directed at them, and if a mistake is to be made, it’s the opposition that makes it. We cannot yield forever and survive.
So, I’ll be here, attending a local protest if there is one (supposedly so). I can do more good for this amalgamation of movements with my skill set here, for now. I pray for calm among my brothers. We need to recognize who Lucy is, quit being Charlie Brown, and start channeling Sun Tzu.
God help us all.
Phillip Ley MD FACS (they know who I am, just like they know who you are) Minimalmed
You’ve made the wise decision, Phil. Keep it local and keep it calm. You can only do what you can reach with your own two hands so keep it sane, simple and safe.
Let the left make their moves and suffer the consequences of their actions. As they progress, and as we’ve already seen, they’ll eventually eat their own and destroy themselves.
And above all, pray! Pray for discernment, fortitude and patience. God hasn’t abandoned us, We have abandoned Him with our apathy and “tolerance”.
Let’s turn that around. Let’s take a knee and talk to Him. Ask Him what He wants us to do.
Let’s do Wild Bill suggests: America, Bless God!
I would even take your assertion one step further; the best thing anyone can do at this point is 1) maintain the exact same online data footprint as ever but 2) going underground with anything valid. The less we talk about on the front end the more can be done on the back end. People keep thinking that we should be loud to deter the grabbers. I say let them think they will win. Then you can thin them out a lot easier when they try.
From a very savvy friend desirous of anonymity whose counsel is Golden to me…
Good call 1) maintain the exact same online data footprint as ever but 2) going underground with anything valid.
It’s possible that the time for worry over optics has passed. It’s fairly clear that ALL media coverage is biased and bs at this point. God speed VA patriots.
Even when we go to work, others are working for us. i would also say, Virginia is but ‘one’ battle in a larger war, most of us know this.
There will be a gathering and lets pray for all those involved.
Guy Relford filled in for Tony Katz 12/28/2019
Spends a lot of time on the Virginia second amendment issues.
Listen and do your own homework.
Wait a minute “The Pocahontas building”
is Elizabeth warren scheduled to be there?
https://omny.fm/shows/tony-katz-and-the-morning-news/tony-katz-today-hour-1-12-27-19
I’ll be at the Jan 20 VCDL lobby day at the Capitol in Richmond. It’s a “lobby day”, not riot. VCDL holds a 2A Lobby Day annually when the Virginia General Assembly is session. This one was scheduled long before any onerous bills were introduced. Previous Lobby Day events have been peaceable, orderly, and effective. Capitol Police have been professional, respectful, and helpful (and sympathetic). I won’t stay home. The leftists are trying to extinguish our Second Amendment rights, and I refuse to surrender my First Amendment rights to them. So I’ll be there. I will be counted as supporting the rights of my family and my fellow citizens.
Well said.
Very good, sir. For those of us outside of VA, could you post a link to your fundraising site here, on this thread. Maybe we can’t be there, but we can help
(See below.) It’s not ‘my’ link. I’m just a rank-&-file VCDL member, subscriber, & supporter. Became a bigger supporter when VCDL very effectively rallied gun owners across the state to promote 2nd amendment sanctuaries in their localities. People have turned out by the hundreds and even by thousands in their communities. Virginia has never seen anything like this. It appears pro-2A citizens are done just talking and writing and bitching: They’re DOING. We’re not disposed to give up any more ground. Now we need to turn out in the tens of thousands. Yes, parking will be an issue, and I might have to walk my poor old sore feet very many blocks, but I’ll be there. I consider this my obligatory service to my family, community, state, and nation, and for our posterity.
VCDL donations link https://www.vcdl.org/Donate
(VCDL home page link) https://www.vcdl.org/
Join the VCDL email list (free and open to non-members) https://vcdl.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b28f1d9ea359b104b09836c4c&id=23faef05ed
Finally, someone not rationalizing away an excuse to do nothing. The left is living in the minds of the 2A blog roll crowd, conjuring up visions infiltrators and deep state paranioa until the average gun owner is paralyzed with fear. So tell me, titans of the 2A blog universe: EXACTLY WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP WRITING AND START DOING? The left isn’t screwing around anymore but we’re still worried we might be inconvenienced by showing up at a protest. History belongs to those who show up.
Your way or the highway? Does that about sum it up?
aaand, “a follower” has outed himself as a troll.
When we become paralysed because of fear of the communists perception of us i think we are truly doomed. I live in Oregon so i will not be there in body but shall be in spirit.
[…] Valid points. […]
I will be there -- as well as my large network of fellow Virginians. Some in the crowd , some on the fringes, and some on the next block watching and waiting for commies to make a move. We have our own secure comms and medical people. We will be watching the watchers. We will possibly attend hearings and look the politicians in the eye -- and identify any new staff they may have (for future polite conversations).
Unwise to say this openly? No. It’s already known to our enemies.
“Never take counsel of your fears” -- Stonewall Jackson
Very good plan, sir. I was sure there are those among you who planned for this. I regret that it has come to this. We have a rally planned in MS; I’m sure there are others across the nation. They all know who we are at this point anyway. Godspeed to you, sir, and to your compatriots.
The quote by Jackson sums it up -- there is no right time -- -- no quarter, especially “friends and family”
Red,
For you and others of our fellow Americans there in support of 2A; I hope that many of our folks have their phones, cameras, recording frequently and extensively. Working along the lines a four man fire team, two doing the recording, the others acting as support/security and spotters for any nearby signs of potential disruption, that would provide valuable resources for the steps immediately after the citizen’s march -- which is to shape and ultimately control the narrative.
For any actions your teams take, it’s imperative to have someone recording them and their surroundings, and the second tech guy recording the First guy on camera, but from a neutral aspect. This is because the enemy will strike out at someone they perceive to be recording in support of 2A, and will resort to dishonorable behind the back strikes as we’ve seen so often in Antifa videos. The 2nd recorder will thus be in a position to get these vermin on tape.
my $0.02 worth, Red -- would love to be there but we’ve got things cooking here in CT.
Stay safe, in God’s Hands --
En Libertad,
The JG / CGVet58
Spot on. The VCDL and the VSSA have been going to Richmond for years to lobby lawmakers. The difference this year is the volume of people going! I lost count of the number of buses going from all over the state, from the south west and south east, northern and central Virginia. This is awesome and I hope the general assembly takes notice. We “Do not go gentle into that good night”.
fake quote never said by sun tzu
You are correct. I revised the graphic to reflect the right source.
While it IS a valid ‘argument’ that this Event will be made into a ‘false flag’ to be used against Gun Owners and Patriots, Sooner or Later it WILL happen, a ‘triggering event’ like Lexington Green. I believe that the commies like (((bloomberg))) Know this, and have decided to ‘push it’ to the point of Violence, in hopes that their control of the ‘security apparatus’ will allow them to ‘put down’ the impending Rebellion. And keep them Alive…
Whatever Happens, this event is shaping up to be a Defining Moment in American politics.
The legislation in question could be enacted before the 20th if the Reds are serious (and they usually are). Of course they want trouble on the 20th to enhance their optics.
In 1919 the Germans had the Freikorps (battle hardened veterans returned from the trenches of WW1) who took to the streets and fought the Bolsheviks/Antifa with machineguns, armored cars, and small artillery. And they beat them.
What do you have planned to defend yourself from the ambush that’s waiting for you by the state/media and Antifa? This is a rigged game you know. Showing up as a naive bystander will not bode well for the 2A crowd.
Plan accordingly and bring plenty of Band-Aids.
Members of the media should be viewed as enemy combatants just like the communists who hold their leash.
Yes, there could be several agent provacateurs in the crowd. And there will be LE snipers on rooftops who will be sighting in on taller men/leaders/defensive shooters -- not the provocateurs -- should the event go sideways.
Not attacking you, but how will not showing up benefit those who do show up?
The example you set by not showing up only matters if nobody else shows up. Is that what you’re trying to do?
I understand and agree with the sentiment of your question. Dan, in the comment following this one, kind of hits the nail on the head for me. The Democratic delegates are going to pass something that’s onerous, regardless of presence. Everything my small tactical brain has been taught is local, local, local, from the publisher of this blog, WRSA, and many othes in this nebulous “movement”. So that begs the question, for guys like me in MS, the commentors from CT and OR, how can we best support groups in VA? The point is made above about “out of state agitators”… I agree that at some point optics and perceptions go out the window; they already have, really. We know the majority of those in government and media hate us. We get it. My point above is that Lucy keeps expecting us to kick the ball; they EXPECTED a protest when their intentions were announced. Dan’s suggestion below is something different. Is it better? I don’t know. No one does, really. So, for this round, I choose to financially support VCDL, stay informed, attend my local event (we have statists here, as well, even in the Deep South), build networking with the like-minded, and pray for a peaceful, impactful Jan 20. Here are the links again
https://www.vcdl.org/Donate
https://www.vcdl.org/
https://vcdl.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b28f1d9ea359b104b09836c4c&id=23faef05ed
“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
Ben Franklin had it right. That time is coming, friends. This blogpost and thread and all the ISPs are being sorted and categorized for our NSA digital profiles. I used my name because I know they have it anyway. I expect to be doxxed. I appreciate the gentlemanly tone of the commentary; our opponents are no gentlemen, for sure, but building unity of purpose is a building block for success.
Stay frosty.
It would be wise to heed Matt Bracken’s warnings. One might also ponder the wisdom of going, yet one more time, to Richmond, as a supplicant asking the legislators to do the right thing. They will not. They are illegitimate. Governor Northham professes allegiance to the 2nd amendment while undermining it. He, and every other legislator who supports the proposed legislation, is actively subverting the law. So, too, are the elections that ostensibly give these bastards legitimacy. They cannot be audited, are participated in by non-citizens and criminal vote harvesters who cast ballots for the dead, and are merely vectors for tyranny.
There is an alternative. Show Richmond the contempt with which they are held and do not give them legitimacy by showing up to beg their forbearance. Rather, gather in the sanctuary counties and municipalities, peacefully and responsibly armed, by the hundreds and thousands. Show the Sheriff’s that they will be supported so long as they are true to their oath. And show, with cold resolve, the dogs of Richmond that they will face a large, motivated, and determined populace that will not only refuse to comply, but is also prepared to oppose the proposed tyranny with force of arms. Let them guess when the opposition will turn to offense.
This alternative will not play into the strength of the tyrants.
^This^
I’d like to add one more thing to the conversation if I may. IP addresses:
Am I sitting at my house/barn/cabin typing this on my computer? Or is a trusted friend doing it for me from his computer? Perhaps it’s a fellow Virginian I’ve never met -- and he gets these messages through a trusted third party before posting for me, while I’m in another part of the Old Dominion altogether continuing to train the younger folks.
Food for thought as we move further into dangerous waters.
Let’s consistently strive to make our enemies guess WHO we are , WHERE we are and WHAT we are capable of. Peaceful and legal of course…..
Red in OleVirginny
Red, this plays into my point. We have to be smart, not just outraged. I lost control of my identity when I stumped for the Tea Party in 2008-10, before leaving the internecine fiasco that became. Those of who will not be there will be watching closely. A lot will be learned; I am sure Sam Culper from Forward Observer will have contacts there if he’s not present himself. In the context of Charlottesville, it would seem prudent to have every marcher camera’d up, with people dedicated solely to observing and recording events, including all approaches to the event. Drones would be helpful but not sure about prohibitions and how much attention they would attract. The other side/fedgov/stategov/media will do it all with impunity. Funny thing is, the chronic protection of the immunity of unchallenged hypocrisy leads one to be smug, and smugness leads to mistakes. Let the Bolsheviks and the statists make them.
Well said, sir.
Well done.
Pleased and proud to call you my friend.
Consider this carefully. Nobody on the Right believes the media anymore so a false flag will not shift the needle of public sentiment at all. The Left is committed to action anyway. So why do they need a false flag? Well sadly they need it not to embolden the Left but to cuck the Right that would otherwise resist the “response to the attack” when in reality they were just executing their plans regardless.
tl:dr false flags are not designed to galvanise the Left. They’re designed to cuck the Right into not resisting the next big push. Don’t be a cuck and they have no result but the Left walking into a trap.
You will understand things better when you realize that false flag attacks are not designed to galvanize the Left to action.
They are designed to cuck the Right into abandoning the particular target group in question and more generally ‘taking their medicine quietly”.
And if past indications are accurate then they will work quite adequately. It will not be the Left that is whipped into action by a false flag attack. It will be the Right that is cucked into INaction.
The hard Left is and has been galvanized since the late 19th century. They want the Middle to swing support to their cause, that malleable 40%. I don’t doubt the idea of it cowing the enthusiasm of some, but remember this rally is on THEIR ground (yes, I know it’s all.of ours, the citizenry, but they control it) with lots of prep time and foreknowledge that this will be much, much more than the usual VCDL lobbying presence. I never discouraged attendance, just laid out concerns. Isn’t that what good leadership should have already planned for? I am sure they had, before I had the first idea of penning this blogpost. These organizers aren’t newbies. It’s not them I worry about. Emotion has to be taken out of the equation, replaced with confidence, planning, certitude and controlled execution of the event, understanding that the unanticipated may happen and control may be difficult to maintain.
My last level 1 trauma case in Houston, TX came in at 5am. I was off at 7, drivinng to MS after 3 years as an attending urban trauma surgeon. A 20-something prostitute found down in a strip center parking lot, point blank shotgun to the left chest. 93 degrees and almost exsanguinated, we resuscitated her on the way to surgery. After opening her chest, her left pulmonary hilum (bronchus and blood vessels) were devastated and irreparably damaged. My plan, executed almost without time to think, was to apply a large stapler across the hilum and oversew with two layers of monofilament suture. It went great, her temperature came up and blood pressure stabilizing. Then, she started having arrhythmias. I looked down and there was a bubble, then another, in her left main coronary artery. As suddenly as I looked up, she fibrillated and we could not resuscitate her. Too much mingling of blood and air. Consider that carefully as you approach the 20th. My skill and bravado bought me nothing that June morning. It was a desperate effort for an unplanned heroic challenge, but it still stings.
That’s an excellent, and hard, analogy.
I don’t know, of course, what the showdown in Virginia will lead to, but if it leads to a violent exchange, it’s going to be far better to have a plan. And a back-up plan. And a plan for when those two plans go south.
I tend to think that no one who’s been on a two-way range wants this to go hot. I know I don’t. But they get to vote, too. There are SO many factors we simply can’t control, that we’d best go in eyes-open, plans rehearsed, so that we ARE in control of what can be controlled.
Were I still in my beloved West Virginia, I would make every effort to get involved with this…whatever it turns out to be. From my current location (thousands of miles away) it seems better to me to observe and pray.
If this catches fire, it will likely come to all of us, soon enough. For the time being, local is best, but I sincerely hope that the good men who are going into harms way are wise, trained, and strategic in their actions.
Godspeed.
Not my anecdote, but it seems to me that there is some value in “winning hearts and minds” in such fashion.
And maybe, just maybe, we could do better by not bickering amongst ourselves.
As you correctly note, we are to be blamed in any event and the conditions you outline will always be present. Why not act on our convictions now?
I just had the same conversation at work.
I just had the same conversation at Lunch.
There are sufficient numbers of rural Democratic seats in both houses to swing the vote against those bills, that’s the reason to show up. Urban Dems from NoVA aren’t worth the effort but rural Dems are…
Never take counsel of your fears, indeed.
I’ve seen too many people predicting disaster here whose past _incorrect_ predictions of apocalyptic events I remember clearly. That’s the mark of false prophets: they predict, they’re wrong, and they never so much as mention it, they just go on to new predictions. Only people who are not in VA and/or completely out of touch with the popular sentiment would make these particular predictions and warnings -- they sound good, they sound reasonable, until you’re actually on the ground and talking with people involved. Then you realize it’s fantasyland.
Ceding ground to the enemy every single time you might lose a battle is a great way to lose the war. People advising such are not good advisors. In this case, the risks are very different from what those advising caution are saying. The difference between this and Charlottesville is that this is a grassroots expression of extremely widespread sentiment, by people who have demonstrated that they don’t care what the media says or thinks anymore. It is being driven by ordinary people, not a self-admitted fringe insurgency. Any C-ville style frame job would be interpreted by a broad plurality of the rural VA population as a direct attack on them, and people are on edge already. It would not discredit anything, it would not serve any propaganda purpose. Rather, it would start the war, instantly.
I believe VA law enforcement understands that.
Captain John Parker did, too.
Finally, there’s the risk/reward calculation. On the one hand, the risk of a deliberately engineered riot and some people being hurt or killed and some negative media stories about gun owners. On the other hand, the possibility of getting a leftist-dominated governmental organization to BACK DOWN.
I do not want to have to live through a civil war. I think it is nearly unavoidable, but I’m willing to take a few long shots to try to slide past it. Anybody sane should be of the same opinion.
I repeat: the people advising that this event be avoided or cancelled are not good advisors.
Rollery -- “I repeat: the people advising that this event be avoided or cancelled are not good advisers.”
Possibly, depends on the source,the intent etc.
If we were having the same “happening” in my state though, i can not say we would ‘need’ nor necessarily want every one and their mother to come in for help. (many reasons)Yet that is just me.
The ones who are supposed to be there, will be.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/12/documenting_the_virginia_crackdown.html
https://www.americanpartisan.org/2020/01/a-new-year-a-new-fear/ph
I never wrote not to go. I suggested that those who go do so with eyes open prepared for any and all possibilities. Those of you implying that since we will never gain the upper hand on messaging and optics, a raw display of defiance is needed are correct, but the very last thing that is needed is a group of camouflaged nonresidents who haven’t been apprised of the ground game’s parameters and are confronted by the inevitable, likely extralegal, counterprotestors and escalate and spin out of control. This is not fear, this is reality, this is past experience, this is knowing that every face, move and action will be digitally recorded. Sadly, this is Lucy and Charlie Brown. Our side has to be smarter. I am sure that event leadership has considered all of these things. I am not sure that every potential marcher has. Hopefully, neighboring Tennesseans, West Virginians and North Carolinians who attend will coordinate with Virginia event leadership.
When I served as a medical event treatment coordinator for the 912 March on Washington a decade ago, we had an incredibly respectful and well-behaved group of at least a million (yes, even Fox said 80,000 but I went over the crowd estimation charts), no arrests, about 20 mostly elderly folks transported to hospitals for heat exhaustion, but who made the news? The anomalous “racist” marcher dressed as a witch doctor. This was a NATIONAL event about a NATIONAL issue. Richmond will be a LOCAL event about a NATIONAL issue, with admittedly far-reaching implications for all of us, watched by not just the nation but the world. Just as with the impeachment proceedings in the House for Trump, our side will be at a disadvantage with optics and perceptions from the outset, but we cannot simply ignore them. You can rage in anger and righteous indignation all day long, but we owe ourselves, our families, our compatriots and even those 2A supporters who have gone before us an effort to reach the 40% who are undecided in the middle of the political spectrum. Learn from your enemies; Antonio Gramsci’s lessons led the Left to swing from political violence to culture wars with great success. I don’t want conflict, pray to God we can forestall it, but am not so naive as to believe it is completely avoidable. The ideological purists of the Left always keep marching to their goals. For some, there is only one outcome that will stop them.
Everyone has to make their own decision about marching, reconcile their hearts and minds with the possibilities, and steel their resolve. For those of us not attending, like Pvt Joker 3400 miles away (and I’m still wrestling with 903 miles), consider using the link above to support VCDL. I have. For those critical of those not in attendance, remember that we’re all on the same team with a common enemy, and we all may need one another one day.
^^^THIS^^^
WE are Team America, and it behooves us not to either foment or allow division in our ranks.
The best some of us can do is to act locally. I wish it were otherwise, but here we are.
Would to God that I was able to provide any form of tangible support to the good men and women in VA at this time, but I cannot.
Believe me when I tell you, “I’m with you in spirit.”
Keep a cool, calculating head. And stay frosty.
https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2020/01/for-slow-learners.html?shkzowComment=1578078864913&m=1#c882286399692304569