STRATEGY FOR SURVIVAL
5/22/2002
by T.W. Tibby Weston
The shock brought upon us by the 9/11 tragedy, and the seeking of answers how it could have been prevented, inevitably lead to hindsight and Monday morning quarterbacking. There is, however, difference between hindsight for the sake of fingerpointing and a valid reason for looking at the past. The knowledge of history would have cushioned the 9/11 shock because historical facts provide an early warning system that gets us ready for the future.
How far can we look into the future? Not too far but our view of the past is unlimited. While we can not change the past, we can better understand it; so that we can better understand the future and change it.
Having looked at historical facts I can now provide an early warning about an upcoming attack against our country. A lead-covered small thermos bottle containing 13 lbs. of plutonium can be, or has been brought into the country. The plutonium could be stolen from an unguarded storage pile next to any power plant or bought. With supplies purchased at a local Home Depot for less than $1,000, a bomb can be built and carried in a suitcase or backpack on July 4th into a nuclear power plant, refinery complex, sports stadium, poison gas storage facility, or any other target selected for best results to impair our will and economy.
In an alternate scenario consider that 2 weeks ago a truckload of cyanide has been hijacked in Mexico and 9 barrels of cyanide pellets are now in the hands of terrorists to be placed in the drinking waters of major cities.
In the alternate you may substitute the words biological agents, nerve gas or fertilizer bombs in the above scenarios.
I realize how little if anything the President can do to prevent this calamity from happening. Nor can he answer the much more important question, how we would retaliate against an enemy that is hiding in Muslim communities throughout the world. When I fought as a guerilla I was able to disappear into the community around me. Without doubt terrorists hide in Muslim communities in the USA and it is the obligation of these communities to seek out and expose them.
Our present strategy for survival is flawed. We are fighting not for the defense of our territory against an enemy who wants to conquer and occupy. What we are fighting for is defense of our way of life, threatened from within and by external enemies. It is useless to stand up against a foreign enemy if the internal enemies are overlooked. Enemies within will perpetrate sabotage and terrorism when the opportunity arises. If we do not recognize this, we are doomed.
In a war fought largely by means other than military power, our security no longer depends on our military capabilities,weapons systems or nuclear stockpile.
Our first and most important lines of defense are the two organizations that have been seriously damaged and effectively reduced to near incompetence. Both the CIA and the FBI have been demoralized and decapitated by excessive public exposure and the proliferation of watchdog committees seeking headlines by leaking national secrets to an irresponsible media. Our free press insists on knowing everything the government is doing in order to scoop the competition and get ratings. The fact that the enemy is listening does not bother them.
We supposed to be at war but the CIA is less able to collect foreign intelligence or engage in covert actions due to irresponsible laws passed by Congress. Neither can the CIA fulfill its role of a central intelligence operation, due to the multitude of agencies collecting, duplicating and jealously guarding the information gathered. Tons of information gathered isn't worth an ounce of intelligence if it is not analyzed and acted upon. Just the list of competing intelligence operations is appalling.
Counterespionage and internal security operations by the FBI are impeded by restrictions in the name of political correctness. Just visualize the demoralizing search at the airport of an 80 year old woman while allowing a young Arab pass through unchecked in order to avoid the appearance of racial profiling. Sometimes it feels like that the inmates are running the asylum.
We are at war but we no longer are able to use wartime words such as "treason" and "subversion". It is hard to define "treason" as giving information to a foreign agent or country when you can give the same information with impunity to the media and get it publicized.
It is even harder to define "subversion" which is a systematic attempt to undermine society when such activity surrounds us in academia, the entertainment field and in the political arena, where politicians are willing to sacrifice national interests for political gain.
Even the commonly used word of "terrorism" has taken on new meanings. Terrorism is violence to accomplish a political goal, but if calling it terrorism may lead to increase in gasoline prices, we do not dare to recognize it as terrorism.
The consequences of unchecked terrorism can be devastating. People will feel insecure and soon will lose confidence in the police, the military and the government. The loss of confidence in the intelligence apparatus is the first domino to fall.
We are at war but we use words of containment and not of victory. We do have a "Homeline Security", a "Department of Defense", but we no longer have a "War Department" or even better an "Unconventional War Department". The duties of the UWD would be clear: Utilize subversion, disinformation, psychological war, espionage, terrorism, and guerilla war – in other words copy the methods of the enemy.
We are at war, but war usually requires sacrifice and reduction or suspension of the traditional liberties. First among them is the Freedom of The Media. Such suspension of freedoms in wartime is a necessity for survival. Standing in line at the airport to undergo symbolic but inane security checks is an inconvenience not a sacrifice. It is unfortunate that we have to wait for a major calamity and massive loss of lives before the politicians muster enough courage to speak out in support of such suspensions.
Like it or not, recognize it or not, we are in a war of survival with an enemy who does not want conquer our territory but wants to destroy our way of life and bring us down to his level of a Dark Age civilization. Their main weapons are the so-called martyr homicide bombers who will gladly exchange their substandard life on Earth for Paradise with rivers running with wine and eternal frolicking with 72 virgins.
We can not survive if we count only on our economic muscles and military strength. Survival is not of the fittest but the ones who can adapt to circumstance as water adapts to the vessel it is poured into. It is adapt or perish. In our politically motivated climate there is little hope of change until and unless another calamity occurs. When it does, you may quote this warning for your Monday morning quarterbacking.
Just one more local thought. Let us hope the target is not the Bay City atomic power plant or the Houston Ship Channel about 100 miles south of here. If it were, the prevailing winds would bring devastation to us. We can only hope that the people who have the responsibility to protect us are not so distracted by the political hype and grandstanding about what they knew, or should have known about 9/11, that they miss the signs of the next attack. We should be attacking the enemy not our own people. I don’t like government when they interfere with our lives, but defending us against the enemy is the primary function of government. This is not the time to treat the government as our enemy. It is time to declare war and mean it and not just wait for the other shoes to fall. The enemy was surprised by our reaction to 9/11. It is my hope that the reaction to the next attack will surprise even us.
Copyright 2002 Weston Research - POB 456 - Fayetteville, Tx 78940
WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED IN JUNE 2002
HAS ANYTHING CHANGED?
