Tuesday, May 3, 2016

From WRSA- Funny Cuz it's True

A Parable


A Tale of Tom, Dick and Harry
The patriot movement, or whatever it’s called these days, is a huge, formidable force, ready and trained to meet any obstacle, any foe, anything. Just ask them. They’ll tell you. In fact, a good portion of the visible people in the movement, truth be told, are a lot like three guys named Tom, Dick and Harry.
You’ve got Tom, who says he’ll leave a pile of bodies on his front porch if anyone shows up to take his guns—but until then, he’ll be running his mouth on various blogs and honing his meme speed posting skills. His favorite kind of memes are the sheepdog ones. Well, that and anything with the words “III%” or “brother” on it. He runs a few groups on Facebook and makes sure to “vet” people before adding them; Tom’s pretty conscientious, so he checks to make sure they post memes and “liberty content” too before adding them. He likes to say it’s time to “take the country back,” to RISE UP AND GO FIGHT!!!!; most of his posts make you wonder if he somehow mixed up the concepts of “offense” and “defense” or is simply just lazy and/or instigating. He says he’s ready to go TEAR SHIT UP…just as soon as someone stands up to lead the rebellion. In the meantime, he’ll be on his porch waiting for someone to come take his guns.
Tom’s friend Dick spends his weekends wearing face paint and running through the woods in repeated iterations of basic stuff he already knows because it’s a much bigger self-esteem boost than actually learning something he isn’t currently familiar with. Dick thinks Tom is a lazy bastard, and yells at him to “get off the porch” and do “real shit.” Dick never met a tactical class or FTX he didn’t like, and he has all the best gear. His favorite saying is “Everyone wants to be a patriot until it’s time to do patriot shit.” And Dick is doing some REAL PATRIOT SHIT. His T-shirts, loudly proclaiming that he would totally END YOU if you try to take his guns, may not cover his 400-lb belly adequately but as he’ll tell you, he’s a force of nature. He even designed his own hand-to-hand combat style. Dick can kill you with one hand while eating Twinkies with the other. He says he learned how when he was in the SEALs, as a Ranger with “Force Recon Delta” while doing “clandestine missions for the CIA.” He’s in a ‘militia’ unit, and he publicizes all of his group’s activities because he says they don’t have anything to hide. His profile picture is him decked out in camo, holding a rifle and a machete with a surly look on his face.
Dick’s cousin Harry thinks both Tom and Dick are troglodytes. He’s a rally-goer and ‘fights for our rights.’ He’s at all the events, holding the signs and whatnot. He uses social media to browbeat people into calling and writing their elected representatives, because in his heart he believes that if we can just get the right guy into the White House, this whole crisis can be averted. He’s on Facebook too, but he’s usually networking and organizing the next event. Every few months or so, he posts a dramatic exit post in which he laments over the “state of the movement” and whines that he’s the ONLY ONE DOING ANYTHING, and threatens to quit. The post always nets a bunch of supportive “please don’t go, you’re so important” comments and eventually Dick ends up staying. His profile photo is him with his favorite presidential candidate, cheesing like a Cheshire cat.
Tom, Dick and Harry encapsulate a lot of things about the movement. Like it or not, we probably all know these guys; if we’re honest with ourselves, some of us need to admit we ARE those guys, at least to some extent. Now let’s talk about Stan.
Stan isn’t related to Tom, Dick or Harry; in fact, they probably don’t even know him that well. Stan doesn’t own any shirts or morale patches, doesn’t have any bumper stickers on his car, and doesn’t go to any rallies. Stan probably doesn’t even have Facebook; if he does, he uses it rarely, and mostly just lurks. Sometimes when people ask him what he’d do in a SHTF situation he looks a bit nervous and says, “Whatever I can, I guess.” He’s just a regular guy; loves his family, takes care of his kids, goes to work, and just lives his life. He’s pretty boring.
Except he’s not boring at all.
Stan** is part of a 7-person group, and he’s in charge of a very important job. He maintains resources all over his area, including 2 safe houses. He knows exactly how much food, water, and supplies his group needs, where the gaps are, and who knows how to do what in his group. He’s worked with the intelligence guy in his group to identify strategic resources in the area, and where the safest places are to store things they might need later. He has a network of contacts, skills, and abilities. Like Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption, Stan is the guy that can get you things.
The other members of his group have other jobs; one of them is the secondary to Stan…and Stan is a secondary to someone else. His group—without a leader or figurehead—is all trained on security protocols for online communications, and they never let their ‘work’ environment cross over into their ‘regular’ lives.
Stan and his group have the capability to engage in a host of activities at a moment’s notice, wherever they happen to be when it’s required to act. They have plans and more plans; they practice those plans and each person understands their primary and secondary role. They don’t have a Facebook page or Twitter account, and they don’t talk about things they’ve done, even with the other members they did those things with. And…they’ve done some things.
Once they plastered posters stating that “TAXATION IS THEFT” all over their local college campus. They used Pet brand milk, as mentioned by an old school activist, to ensure that their handwork was stuck there forever. That was about 2 years ago, and they smile to themselves when they walk by the posters—all of which are still there.
Another time, they made little cards, about the size of a business card, with the words “Are you really free? Look around,” and put them in every single 12-pack of pop and beer in stock at their local grocery stores. Still another time, they made business cards for the 100 Heads Life and Casualty Company and put them on the car windshields of every elected official in the state legislature. LaVoy Finicum’s name was listed as the agent. When activities like these were finished, they were never spoken of again.
Stan’s group does not need attention, and prefers that no one know what they are, who they are, or what they’re doing. They know how to cover their online tracks, practice good tradecraft, mix technology with ‘analog’ old school methods, and just generally wreak havoc of the good variety. Two of them are even members of Moms Demand Action; they like to go to the meetings and get information so their group can mess with them later (such as volunteering to pass out pamphlets in the neighborhood and ensuring none of them actually reach their destination, or accidentally deleting the contacts database). Their group isn’t all the same color, and they don’t agree on a lot of things. They do, however, teach each other and work together.
All in all, Stan and his group operate in a world where no one gets to stand up and get recognized for their contributions. No lawmakers applaud them, no Facebook community puts up links to their exploits and lauds or condemns them; in reality, if anyone met Stan at a rally, they’d think, ‘gee, what a boring guy. It’s almost like he doesn’t even WANT liberty.” In reality, Stan dearly loves liberty, and he’s willing to set aside his own ego to help further its cause.
Which of the four men are the most effective? Who is most needed, most valuable?
We all are at least a little bit like Tom, Dick and Harry. A lot of us should be a lot more like Stan.
**Stan is obviously, like all the guys in this tale, more a composite than anything. The exploits of his group are mostly made up.

Mostly.

20 comments:

CzarChasmIII said...

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if the rationale for posting this piece is to encourage more III'pers to be more like Stan, then the newly-seated "head" III'per (for lack of a better description) encourages a rationale that is the antithesis of the essence of this very blog.

I get the point, but I hope you don't take your own encouragement to heart, lest there be no reason to check in here every day.

CzarChasmIII

Anonymous said...

Thank you for not posting this article. I enjoyed not reading it. I did not learn a few interesting things from it. I don't thank you, very much.

Anonymous said...

Stan and pals hanging posters and stickers for no use at all is dumb shit for no end with high risk. The rest is good.

That said, none of us are adding on the SSI Facebook that's just silly talk.



Anonymous said...

I can't resist pestering the sheeple....it is fun! Ok....I'll stop.

Chiu ChunLing said...

The problem I encounter with these kinds of posts is that they take for granted a point which I do not find at all settled.

"When do we give up on appealing through non-violent protest and political engagement? Because you have to choose between direct military action and negotiation, the presence of either dramatically undermines your ability to conduct the other. There are several dimensions to consider. One is moral, are you justified in resorting to force, or is there sufficient reasonable doubt about the past actions or future intentions of the opposition? In other words, is it possibly all a misunderstanding that can be resolved with more discussion?

"Another is strategic, are you better off with a covert insurgency or an overt one? A covert insurgency should attempt to avoid actual military activity as much as possible, focusing on building deep support in the population through influence operations and securing material independence through self-reliant production of the means of survival. An overt insurgency has to leverage existing widespread support from the population and act directly to contest any direct threat to the people from the opposition. If you have widespread support and the opposition is a serious and imminent threat to the people, then you are better off using an overt insurgency to deny the enemy chances to kill your supporters, but if you have limited support and the opposition is not willing or able to do much harm to your people, then a covert insurgency is far better suited to your needs.

"There is also the matter of timing, situations change over time, and effecting, affecting, or preventing such changes is the entire point of the exercise. How long do you wait to make sure that you are morally and strategically justified in switching from protest and political engagement to direct military action?"

I'm not saying that Tom, Dick and Harry are necessarily right...at least one of them must be wrong about what is the most effective way to fight the current threat of tyranny. But Stan isn't categorically different and superior, and wouldn't be even if we granted that covert, non-violent insurgency were our only effective option (which I frankly know to be untrue).

It's not so much that I think that Stan happens to be wrong, but the easy and contemptuous dismissal of Tom, Dick, and Harry. Of course, here 'Stan' paints Tom, Dick, and Harry of being just as easily contemptuous of all the others, and I will admit I've had my share of arguments with persons too determined to paint themselves as the 'only ones' (snerk) fighting tyranny.

But having taken Tom, Dick, and Harry each to task over their narrow-minded dismissal of everyone else, I cannot do less for Stan.

And yes, I do it for Stan every bit as much as I do it for Tom, Dick and Harry.

Anonymous said...

Gee wiz , that was a long post.

Greatgeezer said...

Now this is a post that could have been written by your dad. As you have heard many times, I'm sure, experience and treachery wins over youth and enthusiasm. Excellent post.

Anonymous said...

I've heard that "Stan" also had a simple ink stamp made that read something of a liberty minded meme and uses it to stamp paper money that is briefly in his possession. Hundreds of people read what's stamped on those bills weekly...

idahobob said...

Good post.

Bob
III

Doug said...

All I know is resistance is never futile, that it is always the dirt people who rescue humanity from itself, from tyrants and tyranny time and time again, that it all begins with each of us, and what is really happening is not a revolution because of arms or civil war, but an evolution in honesty and first principles, that without virtue, without integrity of the man first, without facing the harsh realities of the predicament we are in in this country, we will never be freemen, we can only have our liberty and the primal freedoms, the component parts of living as a sovereign man, if we become that man who not only looks the truth straight in the eyes and never flinches, but goes after the truth with a bone in our teeth and a rifle in our hands, and in this way we all become leaders, ambassadors of liberty, and then we set the bar, the standard for others to aspire to and follow or become leaders in each his own way… This is the indomitable thing, it can not be stopped, it is called winning.…..The only thing more dangerous than fighting our tyrannical corrupt government that has amassed unlimited resources against us freemen; this tyrannical corrupt government facing an awakened citizenry who face the truth they have their liberty and freedoms within their hands and always have….

T. Paine said...

At the moment, it's mostly about gathering intel in the local AO.....and preparing. Always be preparing. Peace, until it's time not to.

Sean said...

"They are not all the same color, They do not all agree sometimes". Ayup. Your multi-cultis are showing. I'd be happy for some one other than white show up and be on the same page, or at least be liberty minded. Some one who didn't have a long and colorful criminal history, or addicted to drugs, or sex, or who bathes frequently, has a job, pays their bills, drives sanely, registered to vote, just plain got their shit together, and could be an asset to the group, or it's leader. It is just plain unlikely, although I would welcome it. Oh, and I'll add, not a spy, govt. plant, or closet commie. When you included, "not all the same color", your years of govt. indoctrination bubbled to the surface, and admit it, you have been working for the US, for a long time. Sure, an effective group could be a regular rainbow, and all involved dedicated to the cause of liberty, freedom, and justice. But with that one phrase, you are showing your bona fides to be the same as FedGov. Until, and unless, a lot of things change, we're probably going to be pretty much going our separate ways, regarding race. What do you think the left has been aiming for all these years? Mission accomplished, chief. Nobody trusts anybody, beginning with race. I lived with different races for a long time in the Army too, and I learned my lesson there. If you love them so much, go live with them, and good luck. I know better, at least concerning me. I've been around those people before, and it doesn't get better, and the whining never stops.

Anonymous said...

You must have really hit a nerve for Chiu ChunLing to get so defensive.

Anonymous said...

I could not find six other like minded people to form such a group if I tried. The S has to hit the F bad (worse than the normal severe weather event) before anyone would entertain such ideas. But I think out of necessity I could form and lead such a group. This is not to say we would be successful at first, since there would definitely be a learning curve. Once the realization takes hold that we are on our own, I believe we would coalesce into functioning.

Robert said...

Chiu ChunLing: Thoughtfully put.
Anon @ 1:52PM: Presenting a logical argument and admitting "the other side" has valid points doesn't seem defensive to me. Rather refreshing, actually, compared to what I usually have to put up with in day-to-day life.

Chiu ChunLing said...

I'll admit, I defend Tom, Dick, and Harry. I feel deeply sympathetic to each of them. Perhaps more so than I feel for Stan, who won't even risk speaking honestly to someone like me (also, most of the possible Stan's I know are married women, so we don't spend huge amounts of alone time together).

And unless I miss my guess entirely, the point of the post was to hit a lot of their nerves.

I just don't agree that should be the point. I would rather that we all tried to build each other up rather than grind others down for the sake of inflating our own egos.

Anonymous said...

Maybe I'm crazy, but I didn't see any of what some of the comments here describe. Maybe it's the years of forcing myself to set my emotions aside and think rationally and make logical, workable plans. Maybe it's my desire to constantly grow and evolve, and understanding that in order to do that, I need to be open to someone coming in and showing me some glaring errors in my thinking and/or processes. Who knows. There's a lot of butthurt in these comments, and not a lot of alternative solutions.

I didn't assume Stan wrote the article as some personal, moral superiority complex, partly because I didn't assume Stan wrote the article at all. I don't care who wrote it. I care what's in it. I also didn't take it personally as some kind of insult. I read it, looked around, realized that I've got a few points in that article that truth be told, apply to me, and realized that like it or not, the logic is fairly sound and I need to fix them.

How is this a bad thing? Have we become so full of ourselves that we can't even have the intellectual honesty to admit that just maybe, we don't know every damn thing?

And one last thing...Sean, are you sure you're on the right blog? Maybe Daily Stormer is more your style.




oughtsix said...

"And one last thing...Sean, are you sure you're on the right blog? Maybe Daily Stormer is more your style."

Yes, Sean's on the right blog, has as much right as you to be here and one last thing:

He's right.

And the best comment on this page is from Witold Pilecki.

"I could not find six other like minded people to form such a group if I tried."

Sir, I couldn't agree more. I have tried, as well.

I correspond with and talk to folks every day who understand the situation but just can't admit to the deadly and immediate threat; and who ought to be preparing in depth, but who can't or won't face reality. These are friends and family who ostensibly share our world view and values.

Normalcy bias, denial, rationalization and false hope are debilitating in just about everyone.

Worse, better.

pigpen51 said...

I have to admit that at first I was somewhat surprised at the vitriol of some of the comments. I read this excellent post, and thought, finally, someone has said what the movement should be focused on. So when I opened the comments to look at all of the support for such a great article, instead I saw the same Tom, Dick, and Harry that was described within the article. So I guess, as I think about it, that instead of being surprised I should find the comments as merely reinforcing what the author had to say. It seems like I can not add more than he has already written, except to say that I suspect that more than a few people will be in for a shock if and when TSHTF. There will be less of a call for military operations from the III% group and more of a call for smart and stealthy cooperation of our small groups, striving to stay out of the spotlight, and to simply stay alive and well, while at the same time helping out other like minded groups if we can.

Unrealistic expectations of the future and our responsibility to our families and our groups will tend to weed out many, simply by attrition, as the proverbial nail head that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down first. I feel like this article was indeed written by your father. He taught you well, and you will soon be the next generation of leader to help bring about freedom. Don't let fools deter you from what is right.

Chiu ChunLing said...

I think that some people really aren't considering just how bad it will get when TSHTF.

I have a lot of respect for what the historical White Rose Society did in Nazi Germany. But I don't disregard the greater actual accomplishments of people willing to run around in the woods with guns in their hands.

And Nazi Germany had a working government and functional economy.