Submitted by Mark M.
Guest Post by Matt Bracken
The more I ponder the mass demonstration being promoted by the Virginia Citizens Defense League for the annual Lobby Day at the Richmond Capitol, the more it looks like a disaster in the making. I wish it were otherwise, but I see many times more downside risk than possible upside benefit.
Even if Virginia Senate Bill 16 is passed, banning nearly all semi-automatic firearms, the new law will be challenged in court, and given the potential dire outcomes, the case will rapidly ascend to the SCOTUS. This process will take years, and Governor Ralph Northam and the Democrat majority in the legislature may be voted out in the meantime, and the law overturned. So why, before all that happens, go charging into Richmond in just a few weeks? Will rabidly anti-gun urban Democrats be convinced to change their minds because of a mass rally by their despised deplorable enemies? Not a chance. Instead, it will only harden their resolve. Now let’s look at the downside risks, which I have divided into overlapping scenarios, from best to worst case.
Scenario 1: Best Case
Even if nobody is seriously injured on January 20, some percentage of the Second Amendment crowd (or anti-gun trolls posing as such in order to discredit them) will show up wearing camouflage while waving long guns, Confederate battle flags, and, as in Charlottesville, even some Nazi swastika flags. No matter what the VCDL intends, this fringe element will become the national media image of the entire event. And trust me, these morons and bad actors will show up in Richmond. Believe it or not, there is actually a lunatic element that considers Charlottesville to have been a victory for the far right, “because now everybody knows we’re here to fight!” (The same could be said about Pickett’s Charge and Custer’s Last Stand. “Moral victories.” Yeah, right.)
These attention-seeking media whores and social-collapse “accelerationists” will never miss an opportunity to strut and preen for a national television audience. They will be in Richmond first, up front with their banners, and the mainstream media cameras will give them the national spotlight and face-time that they crave like needle junkies crave dope. Remember Charlottesville, and the many Confederate battle flags, and a few Nazi flags. Remember their torchlight march through the university. The VCDL Lobby Day organizers can decry them and beg them not to come to Richmond, but come they will. The Neo-Nazis and other “accelerationists” are locked in a twisted symbiotic relationship with the leftist media. Like it or not, camo-clad yahoos waving Confederate “stars and bars” and even Nazi flags will become the national image of the Second Amendment (2A) movement. The yellow Gadsden “Don’t Tread On Me” flag will forever be associated with the Confederate and Nazi flags. And this is the best case scenario!
This is the “official” Wikipedia image for the Charlottesville fiasco. Learn, people, learn!
Scenario 2: The Bus Brawl
Buses from afar can only arrive in cities and peacefully discharge their many passengers with the helpful cooperation of local LE. Picture one or more buses full of rural pro-2A supporters, mostly boomers, and many packing their legal CCW pistols, being attacked after law enforcement (LE) officers deliberately direct them down “Antifa Alley.” Watch this Andy Ngo video from Portland to see buses swarmed by Antifas. Folks arriving in dozens of buses will be extremely vulnerable in tight city quarters.
Back to my Richmond Scenario 2: On exiting the bus or buses, a rumble predictably results, with LE suddenly nowhere to be seen. Antifa clubs are answered by Glocks, SIGs and 1911s. Then a LE sniper on a rooftop sees a drawn pistol, and kills the 2A supporter with a rifle shot to the head. In panic and confusion a dozen more pistols are drawn, and all hell breaks loose, leading to…
Scenario 3: Waco Twin Peaks Redux
For the past several months since announcing their proposed gun bans, Governor Northam and prominent Virginia Democrats have been receiving threats of bodily harm, up to and including being hanged from lamp posts as traitors. Be aware that the governor’s mansion—Northam’s house—is also located on Capitol Square. Take it as a settled fact that there will be Virginia State Police (VSP) and federal law enforcement agency (FBI and ATF) snipers on every rooftop parapet surrounding and overlooking the square. Please study the two satellite images of downtown Richmond around Capitol Square to have a better idea of the terrain that pro-2A demonstrators will encounter. Understand that the Richmond and Virginia State Police will have tight control of every downtown block, and they will simply not tolerate a mass demonstration of gun-toting rednecks and yahoos, (as seen from their liberal, anti-gun, urban perspective.)
Law Enforcement will lock down the city and make mass arrests before permitting that to happen. And local LE will control the parking (especially for the many expected buses) and they will control the vehicle and pedestrian routes into and around Capitol Square. Anybody who thinks that they are just going to be able to drive into downtown Richmond, park with no hassles, and then, afoot, swarm and overwhelm the Capitol grounds with angry pro-2A demonstrators is a fool. Law enforcement will be fully expecting trouble on a Charlottesville (or worse) level, and there will be a downtown Richmond LE presence on a presidential visit level.
On the other hand, anti-gun Virginia politicians and LE brass (often aspiring politicos) will not pass up the golden opportunity, delivered like a gift on a silver platter, to trash and ruin the statewide and national image of the Second Amendment movement. If Charlottesville is a guide, 2A supporters and Antifas will deliberately be herded together to instigate telegenic brawls—or worse—in order to discredit the constitutional gun rights movement.
Along with Charlottesville, now I’d like to introduce another example with potential points of comparison to Lobby Day. Please recall the biker club meet-up in Waco Texas at the Twin Peaks restaurant in May of 2015. Even though the bikers were there for peaceful purposes, Waco law enforcement, anticipating the potential for violence, was covering the event with undercover SWAT officers. Who fired first and why is debatable, but nine bikers were killed, at least four of them by police .223 caliber rifle ammunition, and more than twenty were critically wounded. No biker was ever tied to a shooting by forensic evidence, and some believe that most or even all of the casualties were the result of shots fired by LE rifles, with bullets passing through their victims. The high percentage of biker casualties resulting from head shots also cause some to believe those shots were fired by LE rifles equipped with magnified optical sights.
Over 175 bikers were arrested that day, and they all faced identical felony charges: “engaging in organized criminal activity resulting in murder and aggravated assault.” They were all held on million dollar bail, and dozens were jailed for months and financially bankrupted, even though not one conviction was ever obtained, and eventually all charges were dropped. No police were ever charged. Please read a few articles about the Twin Peaks disaster to consider the potential for violent mayhem when LE snipers and undercover officers are set up in place to cover a large outdoor event they feel has the potential for violence.
Then ask yourself if you think LE snipers will be set up around the Richmond Capitol Square when they fully expect thousands of angry “redneck gun nuts” to arrive, possibly armed. Richmond Lobby Day has Twin Peaks potential on steroids. It won’t matter who pulls the first gun, or why, or who fires first. As in Waco, all hell can break loose in seconds, multiple fatalities can result, as well as hundreds being arrested…and the entire bloody fiasco will be blamed on the “dangerous gun nuts” who came to Richmond to make trouble.
Next, read the following for some more context, and an idea about what kind of reception to expect in Richmond:
FBI National Press Office / March 8, 2019
David W. Archey Named Special Agent in Charge of the Richmond Field Office
FBI Director Christopher Wray has named David W. Archey as special agent in charge of the Richmond Field Office. Mr. Archey most recently served as a deputy assistant director in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters and was assigned as the FBI senior lead at the Special Counsel’s Office. /snip/ Mr. Archey returned to the Baltimore Field Office in 2010 as the supervisory special agent for the counterintelligence squad. In 2012, he received the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence Operations. In April 2013, Mr. Archey led the Baltimore Field Office’s counterintelligence and cyber divisions as assistant special agent in charge. He was promoted to section chief at FBI Headquarters in September 2014, where he oversaw the Global Section in the Counterintelligence Division. Mr. Archey was then named deputy assistant director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate in October 2016.
So the top Fed in Richmond is an anti-Trump FBI counterintelligence expert (like Peter Strzok) who just finished working for Robert Mueller as part of the deep state coup effort. Now, what do you think the chances are that he’s going to be favorably disposed toward thousands of angry “Constitution fanatic gun nuts” heading toward Virginia’s capital, (where he lives and works), to teach the liberal Democrat political ruling class a hard lesson? Look at that downtown Richmond satellite image again, and check out all the government facilities ringing the capitol, including the nearby Federal Building, home of the local FBI and ATF.
General Custer, ahem, sir, that is the Little Big Horn down there, and you are outnumbered and outgunned.
Nah, it’s just another Indian village like all the rest. Charge!
And let’s not forget that James A. Fielding is currently serving a sentence of life plus 419 years for vehicular homicide following what happened in Charlottesville when his car was surrounded by angry Antifas. But I’m sure nothing like that could happen in Richmond, because our cause is just, and our hearts are pure. Really? That’s the VCDL plan?
As the Marines like to say, “Hope is not a plan.”
Scenario 4: The False Flag Operation
My worst fear for Lobby Day is the opportunity for a mass-casualty false flag operation conducted by an Antifa-type individual or group, (with or without any connections to a series of government cutouts.) This FFO could arrive in the form of a single person like the GOP baseball practice attacker James Hodgkinson, or a small group providing transportation and other support to the shooter. (Have you heard of Redneck Revolt, or the John Brown Gun Club?) Firing from behind and above a pro-2A crowd and across the street into an anti-gun crowd is the worst case scenario, and that’s exactly why it would have great appeal to a dedicated Anarcho-Communist. Within the same day, the media would be connecting the massacre to President Trump, and in a week, many Americans would believe that he was indirectly responsible for the carnage.
Anarcho-Communists believe that their noble revolutionary ends justify any means, so killing members of their own side can be justified as necessary “collateral damage” if the result is an effective FFO that will be blamed on their hated “right-wing white nationalist” enemies. This potential outcome will be so tempting that a Richmond Lobby Day FFO cannot be ruled out. The false narrative discrediting the gun rights movement would be carved in stone before any investigation revealed the truth behind a false flag massacre, if ever.
And by no means will potential violence be confined to Capitol Square, which will have an extremely heavy LE presence. With the Capitol grounds under firm LE control, the pedestrian routes to and from downtown Richmond parking areas may also turn into bloody gantlets, as happened in Charlottesville, Phoenix, Berkeley, Portland and elsewhere. (Additionally, open-sided multi-level parking garages are very effective urban sniper hides, and they must be fully occupied by LE to prevent their misuse, as occurred in Dallas in 2016 when a radical black racist sniper murdered five police officers and wounded nine others during a Black Lives Matter march.)
But hey, maybe I’m all wrong, and it will be a Kumbaya love-fest between pro-gun 2A boomers arriving with their CCW pistols, Antifas from Redneck Revolt and The John Brown Gun Club with their shields and clubs (and guns?), the neo-Nazi “accelerationist” idiots, the Bloomberg “Everytown” gun grabbers, climate change activists, pro-life and pro-choice groups, the Richmond Police, the VSP, the FBI, the ATF, and all the other Lobby Day participants. What could possibly go wrong? (Not to mention that FBI and VSP super-high-res crowd scanning cameras will capture every face and cell phone interaction for social network analysis and future use.)
Please understand that the January 20th Lobby Day is not owned by the VCDL or the pro-Second Amendment right. January 20 is also Martin Luther King Day, so there will not only be Antifas and gun grabbers present, but black civil rights groups mixed into the spicy gumbo. And because it’s a federal holiday, state schools and most government offices will be closed for MLK Day, so there will be plenty of potential third-party opposition on hand.
So, knowing all the above, now ask yourself, do you think that Governor Northam is stupid? Perhaps he is, despite the fact that he made it through medical school and became a pediatric neurologist. He was certainly stupid to choose to place his high school “Coonman” blackface-KKK picture in his medical school yearbook in 1984, at age 25, oblivious to its readily foreseen future negative ramifications. And he was politically very stupid to say aloud on the radio that he supported post-birth “choice” in the matter of keeping unwanted babies alive.
It’s very likely that Virginia’s new gun bans, if passed by the legislature, will be challenged in the courts and overturned, so there is no rush to charge into Richmond with a show of force on January 20, when the potential for a counter-productive backfire is so great. When an enemy is making a mistake, as Northam and the Virginia Democrat gun grabbers currently are, let them make it unimpeded! Don’t steal their fool’s spotlight by making an even bigger mistake that will overshadow theirs. Remember Charlottesville, and learn from what happened at Twin Peaks in Texas.
Even if Northam is indeed personally stupid, I have no doubt that he surrounded by very sharp deep-state operatives who see January 20 as a golden opportunity to permanently discredit the Second Amendment movement. Just as there are “accelerationists” on the conservative gun rights side, there are what I would term “arsonists” on the anti-gun side who will jump at the chance to turn Richmond Lobby Day into Charlottesville times ten, and these sinister actors may already be planning a disastrous outcome for our side. These big government “arsonists” are the yin to the right-wing “accelerationist” yang. Both outlier groups desire to maximize chaos and violence for their own evil purposes.
So, Matt, do you have a better idea?
Okay, we get it. Bracken thinks a mass Second Amendment rally in Richmond on Lobby Day is a bad idea. So what would you do, Matt? Roll over and surrender? Give up your guns without a fight?
Hell no. I’d continue to marshal our forces for maximum effect at local county and city council meetings. The 2A sanctuary county movement has been extremely effective at getting positive attention through this means. We should keep attending every local political meeting in force. Make your local politicos feel the heat. Keep pressing at the county and city level. Experiment with holding “unorganized militia” flash mob events. Be imaginative, and always use friendly local terrain to your advantage.
And I’d arrange other types of demonstrations, also on favorable friendly ground, using social media to distribute a strong message. For example, groups can hold and film what I would call “William Tell” events, where local shooters rendezvous and get on the firing line together for firepower demonstrations. The combined sound and fury of fifty or more semi-auto rifles banging away against steel targets at 100 yards would be very impressive, especially if different counties held similar demonstrations on the same day, all filmed and then combined for upload to the internet. The point is, if we want to demonstrate our strength, do it on friendly ground, using technology and social media to spread the message.
For our side, downtown Richmond is the worst terrain possible for an angry showdown. Does anybody really think that there will be a positive political outcome when thousands of pro-gun folks take dozens of buses and hundreds of cars and trucks into downtown Richmond, to try to change the minds of the very politicians who already hate their deplorable stinking guts? That’s just foolish, in my humble opinion.
Some suggestions for those still planning to attend:
Do not wear camo, or bring long guns, not even in your vehicle. Expect to be pulled over by the VSP at highway off-ramps on the way into downtown Richmond for mandatory “safety checks,” where you will be asked about any firearms in your car or truck. The police will then ask to inspect them, and to see IDs from everybody with you. They will film you, and record all firearm serial numbers and identification information. You will be hassled and harassed if you refuse to cooperate. These “safety check” officers will not be in a good mood to hear lectures on the 4th Amendment. Depending on their orders, and your decisions, you may never even make it to the Capitol Square.
Expect to be directed by LE toward distant or inconvenient parking places. Downtown Richmond will be under heavy police control, and their directions will not be suggestions. Anticipate that the walking route from your parking place to Capitol Square will take you through hostile opponents from Antifa or anti-gun groups. If you encounter Antifas taunting you or making threats of violence, and you wind up pulling out a pistol to protect yourself, expect to be arrested and held with a very high bail. And remember what happened at Twin Peaks: once your pistol is out, LE snipers may have your head in their cross-hairs. Once ignited, this is an escalation dynamic that is very hard to control.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure that it feels fantastic to be a buffalo in the middle of a stampeding herd of your kin. A thousand tons of muscle, hooves and horns on the move, all thundering along together in a mighty gallop, shaking the very earth! Yes, that must feel very powerful. A thousand times more powerful than a few Indians waving blankets and setting small brush fires that you hardly notice from the middle of your galumphing herd.
Just make sure that you’re not being stampeded toward a cliff, by devious political operatives who are more clever and cold-hearted than you. Remember Charlottesville, and what happened at Twin Peaks. Please think long and hard about stampeding into Richmond for what might turn out to be the mother of all buffalo jumps.
Keep it smart, and keep it local. Be the Indian, not the buffalo.
And please read this next, if you have not already:
The 2020 Virginia Showdown, by Matt Bracken, January 2, 2020
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“So why, before all that happens, go charging into Richmond in just a few weeks?”
because lines are being drawn and it’s time to stand up and be counted and see who else is standing up and being counted. “the political process” has been coopted and subverted against us and has been one long march to defeat and it’s time the remaining legitimate american citizens changed america’s direction.
yes. because if they’re thinking like me, they are finally feeling the death of a thousand cuts. we, in other states, should promise them we will come to their aid if needed.
dunno. probably better to “think globally, act locally” – all the travelling to aid will show up very nicely in the data bases.
I guess you chose to turn off common sense and instead, charge full steam into a setup. Please, read his entire essay and move past first level thinking. It’s critical for all of us.
“This is the “official” Wikipedia image for the Charlottesville fiasco. Learn, people, learn!”
what we’ve learned is that they’re going to lie no matter what, so we’re going to outright stand against them. they’re after power over us and NOTHING else, and they mean it. it’s their religion. it’s time they were faced down.
Everything is a lie, have heard so many lies about this rocket attack alone it boggles the mind, which is why it is done. It is the work of the natural man, which is lost in sin. One has to think with the mind of Christ, the Spiritual man.
I`ll be on my settlement staying smart.
yeah, it’s always smart to stay off the front line, let others do the unprofitable work. if they win just help yourself to the benefits afterwards when all the fighting has stopped, and if they lose well just step back and wait for some bagholder to appear and do all the non-profitable work.
See my reply to you on your earlier post.
I can imagine you typing your responses, half hammered, while slamming Budweiser’s or Jack and coke. Wake up or sober up. I’m as PO’d as you but, this has to be done smartly.
I see this going sideways on so many levels. Bracken is right. This is going to go badly if this event goes forward. Don’t forget, Pravda controls the media. This will be spun very badly for Patriots.
“This will be spun very badly for Patriots.”
oh good grief, it’s ALWAYS going to be spun badly, no matter what you do, smart or not, and everyone knows it. are you going to let their lies control your actions? or perhaps more accurately, are you trying to get us to let their lies control our actions?
“while slamming Budweiser’s or Jack and coke”
nice ad hominem.
Matt is right. Do not engage the enemy on ground of his choosing. You would be funneled almost anywhere you go if you try to maintain a cohesive unit. The nature of the ground and the reality of urban parking means the Antifuques already know where you will come from and to where you must return. Prog AGW’s or AGW’s who work for Progs (take your pick) control the high ground of government buildings. It is a recipe for humiliating disaster.
“This process will take years”
why should we wait for permission to live as the constitution plainly says? these people don’t care what the constitution says, they’re going to push for control non-stop until they get what they want and then they’ll lock down their control with whatever force they can muster. why should we give them even one minute more?
The key here is that there will ALWAYS be the possibility of a false flag in these situations. Therein lies the problem. In the same manner that conservative speakers are kept off campus and not allowed to speak because the leftists attack and riot, and effectively shut them down, so these rallies will always be off limits for patriots because of the actions of the leftists.
That means that conservatives will never have a voice if they allow themselves to be shut down and huddle in fear. There are ways around the situation and there is also foreknowledge. If you know that an area is a chokepoint you don’t allow yourself to be herded in there. If you know the cops are out to get you and the cop presence is huge and unfriendly then you leave. Common sense should rule here. If you wear the costume then expect to be a target, if you are a ‘gray man’ and just there to grok the scene you can keep attention towards you to a minimum.
If the bus situation is such that you realize you’re being herded in a bad direction you commander the bus, etc. You don’t cover your car with stickers and you don’t make yourself known until/if you understand the situation.
VA is up to 124 sanctuary counties & towns as of this AM. At least 1 more of each voting tonight.
T4C & Mygirl have the right idea about being a gray observer. Better to escape to fight another day.
‘Tis a quandary if I should drive for 4 hours each way & be walking or standing on me bad foot (which is on the good leg) for untold more hours on MLK day. Think I’ll stay home & work on the new reloading bench. It’s gonna be a beauty.
Also… gman seems awfully hungry for action which by itself is a red flag. I dont know him personally, but with a handle like gman I can only wonder. Hidden in plain view? Merriam-Webster says… Agent provocateur: noun: one employed to associate with suspected persons and by pretending sympathy with their aims to incite them to some incriminating action.
“gman seems awfully hungry for action”
… as opposed to doing nothing? we can let the readers decide for themselves how well that’s worked so far. “be the gray man, don’t stick your head out, don’t interfere, play it cool, wait another day, week, month, year, election, until we, I mean they, are on your doorstep ….”
He may indeed be a troll or, just inebriated and talking like a knucklehead.
Miles Long, I got that vibe as well.
Considering the weight of gman’s earnest posts on many subjects I think labeling him a troll is completely unjustified.
As far him possibly committing P.U.I. (posting while inebriated) I think (hic) I resemble that remark…(hic up).
Posters who drink out of glass bottles shouldn’t drink too much…or they will throw up (hic up).
commandeer
That too…..:)
Join the discussion…I always wonder why no one “disables” the Antifa buses.
roberto,
Here is a ‘bus’ related incident at an Anti-Sharia Law FREE SPEECH rally in 2017 with mostly unorganized average people attending in support of FREE SPEECH.
At this confrontation with snowflakes/Antifa/BLM I was at (there wasn’t many BLMs but they were the obvious brooding muscle) 6 or 7 ‘buses’ pulled up…giving the 80% Snowflakes and some 20% Antifa/BLM at least 3 to 4 to 1 odds against the mostly Joe Sixpacks gathered. They had no permit…but showed up to confront this FREE SPEECH Rally that had a permit??? We were pissed they were allowed to confront us…and protested, but the cops just shrugged their shoulders, ignored our lawful logic, and let them gather???
The cops were adamant…even though CC was legal they told us (through the Oath Keepers who were all in black and announced body guards of the speaker) if they (the Raleigh Police) did a search of anyone on our side there, and they were packing…that-that person would be arrested, and it would be worked out in the courts later. IT WAS A BLUFF THAT WAS CALLED. No one was hut…hut…hutted. Weapons were carried CC.
Here is what developed and one of the reasons I joined the Proud Boys at the almost clash (State troopers prevented it at the last minute) although I started off at the rally with the Oath Keepers.
As the Snowflakes/Antifa & BLM (the Antifa & BLM were easy to pick out) lined up in front of us, blowing whistles, beating drums, using New Year’s Eve noisemakers, screaming, carrying many mass manufactured signs, giving us (many families) the finger, an early 20 something man broke their ranks, trotted towards us, turned towards the Snowflakes/Antifa/BLM, and shouted insults (I couldn’t hear his language but found out it was mocking) then he joined our ranks.
All the Proud Boys ran forward cheering as he entered our ranks, slapping him on the back, as I found out he had infiltrated their ranks. He had rode on one of their buses, and brought in much insights as to how the snowflakes (who he pretended to be one of at a local collage) were herded/organized, coached, given signs, fed, and even told what to scream, and brought on the ‘buses’ to face us.
I made sure I got to shake his hand later, and meet all the Proud Boys. I found them invigorating!
This is all the personal ‘bus’ experience I have, I realize it is anecdotal, but your comment reminded me of it.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Your opinions help sort through some of it greatly.
I would tell all second amendment folks to stay away from this trap .They want a fight in this situation. The police are guaranteed to win. I prefer to wait until society is in more of a collapse and these treasonous bastards are spread out. That day will come.Just be patient.
“Just be patient”
remember in the book “roots” the description of the slave ship, where the chosen leader was “patient” until the entire load of slaves was too sick and weak to act?
I have sent an e-mail to Virginia Oath Keepers, having been vetted by National Oath Keepers as I already stood with a NC Oath Keeper team in 2017 in Raleigh as bodyguards for a former Muslim, now Christian, who was speaking against Sharia Law at a FREE SPEECH rally. He defiently needed bodyguards as there would have been blood if not for the State Police who marched in at the last minute. It got ugly…and I was almost arrested. (Long story I have told it before).
I asked them for advice and where to park and gather ‘with them’ as I do not want to wander into a Charlottesville trap by myself. I have decals and bumper stickers on both my vehicles that will get them vandalized if parked in the wrong place or Antifa walks past them.
So far I have not heard back, and it has been three days.
A friend has warned me not to go, he feels a serious FF is coming.
if everyone knows it’s a false flag (and they will), then how will that work for the false flag originators?
gman,
That’s not what I’m worried about…I survived two kill zone ambushes I never should have once upon a war…I wear the reminders, not looking to make the 3rd time their charm.
I have been on the front lines in a dozen TEA Party rallies, one Oath Keeper situation (I migrated to the Proud Boys as that was the flash point…and I lost it when those punks waved the RED Hammer and sickle in my face).
I’m willing to mix it…if attacked…and still actually have not just the will but the physicality, but wandering into a potential FF L shaped ambush, in unfamiliar territory, by myself, does not appeal to me.
I’m carefully weighing this one, would like to enter the arena with some personal back up I can trust, and depend on who also have experience.
That heaviness in the pit of my stomach won’t go away.
Me too.
Mark,
If you can still run a 6:00 mile in boots…..go for it, otherwise, nah.
Steve…my friend…at 70 my 6 minute miles (and I still do the Recon/Grunt shuffle on my road) no matter the footwear, has gone the way of alcohol fueled all-nighters, the twelve hour humps with 80 lbs. of gear – then digging in, and last but certainly not least round two and three with my coyly smiling wife.
‘Back in the day’…and all that…but I more than realize this is ‘today’. I may be old…however, I have the experience and the grit…but I am torn on this…there are rock solid reasons to go, and rock solid reasons not to.
I understand the risks, and I’m willing to take them if I have the assurance of being with other men and women of ‘True Grit’ who I can trust, who know the ground, who are experienced, and who I can join.
We are not Nicky New Guys to the arena…but I’m waiting to see the response from the Virginia Oath Keepers on offering the support I need to go into ground I know nothing about. If I get it from them…just before I leave I’ll watch ole Burt Lancaster one more time in ‘Valdez is Coming’…for grins and moments of inspiration.
There will come a day when the world and the enemy sees a line of graying patriots that refuse to retreat. They will not turn and run. It will strike fear in them. However, the truth be told the graying patriot is out of shape and made a resolve for his last stand. He will not turn and run and be shot in the back while he was so out of shape gasping for breath. Either way the graying patriot stood his ground and struck fear as he should have.
Mark,
A few thoughts:
1) Possibly have a few drowns operated by the good guys to keep an eye on cops, possible elevated snipers, and the “others”. Limited time aloft, but should be able to get 30 minutes or so. About $250 each for some pretty good ones. Assume you will lose them. No names or prints on the drowns & remove the serial numbers.
2) Lots of cheap two-way radios. Baofeng 82s @ $30 or so. Lots of prearranged common frequencies. Practice cross-frequency communication…even VHF to UHF, etc. With a code sheet to switch between frequency pairs. A mobile scanner to try to cover the cops.
3) Someone who can be on top of a commercial building to watch…with radio contact…or any building with “legal” access. Best yet, a mole with radio contact and/or the ability to photograph and email to the good guys. Possibly with good guy “press” credentials.
4) Someone with a light plane and a couple of observers…airborne FAC for the good guys.
5) Obviously, keep any such arrangements compartmentalized until needed.
Good Luck!
Check Six,
Good to hear from you buddy.
I appreciate the tactical advice, but I am flying solo at this point. One of the reasons I want to add my presence with a well vetted group like Virginia Oath Keepers is they would be that prepared and organized. Haven’t heard back from them.
Wandering in on my own does not appeal to me for reasons previously posted, but I am anxious to STAND.
I have friends who more than support the rally, but none of them are going, and one has advised me against it. He is involved in a small gray man group, I wouldn’t call them a militia, more like seriously armed Preppers. I was requited to join them, but declined, their SHTF strategy and mine are different. I have a few close friends, but outside my wife of 43 years, I am, and always have been a lone wolf.
I have two old beaters, both have custom made bumper decals I had made, bright pink with black letters
A SOCIALIST IS JUST A PROGRESSIVE IN A HURRY
A COMMUNIST IS JUST A SOCIALIST IN A HURRY
I love seeing the decals explode heads in my rear view mirror when I go into the city.
Both also have GUN VOTE, Marine Corps, G.I.G. – GOD IS GOOD decals. Can see myself being herded into the wrong street and reliving the battle of Little Big Horn from the wrong side.
I understand the gray man tactics, but don’t practice them. I’m more of a kiss my American Mick/Wop ass kinda guy.
Best to you!
Myself, I wouldn’t protest the Bills being thrown around by the Democrats (communist). Once they are passed, I would hang them all.
“SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” is NOT Followed By a Question Mark Governor Northam. It is THE LINE IN THE SAND.
I take it, most of the people reading from this site have heard of the Second Amendment to the U S Constitution. I often wonder how many of these readers actually know where the idea for the 2nd Amendment comes from and why it is in the Constitution. I also wonder how many have ever heard of “the shot heard ‘round the world”?
This is just a “snap shot” of history which tells us where it came from and why we have it.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America.
On April 14, 1775, Gage received instructions from Secretary of State William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, to disarm the rebels and to imprison the rebellion’s leaders, but Dartmouth gave Gage considerable discretion in his commands. Gage’s decision to act promptly may have been influenced by information he received on April 15, from a spy within the Provincial Congress, telling him that although the Congress was still divided on the need for armed resistance, delegates were being sent to the other New England colonies to see if they would cooperate in raising a New England army of 18,000 colonial soldiers.
Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith received orders from Gage on the afternoon of April 18 with instructions that he was not to read them until his troops were underway. He was to proceed from Boston “with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord, where you will seize and destroy … all Military stores.
I will admit 245 years is a long time, but remember during that time a lot of folks have been willing to give the “ultimate sacrifice” to keep this God given right in the hands of those willing to protect it. I ask everyone the same question: what is it worth for you?
I am also reminder of a quote from Leonardo da Vinci : It is easier to resist from the beginning than at the end.
Thing,
I have posted this twice before.
Hands down the best book on the subject I have read to date. I loved the indepth stories of the individuals on both sides, as well as the long history of the Minute Men – these men were not armatures or untrained weekend warriors.
THE MINUTE MEN: The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution (History of War) Mass Market Paperback – November 1, 2006
“The concept of the farmer and shopkeeper pulling rifles off pegs on the wall to fight the British has been the typical image of the American minuteman. The fact that he may have had military training and drilled―and that April 19, 1775 was not his first battle―usually goes unmentioned. Winner of the American Revolution Round Table Award, The Minute Men will be of keen interest to those curious about the true history of some of America’s first soldiers.”
As a history buff, I have read and enjoyed it. I first learned of the Revolution, like most others, in the fourth grade and was always fascinated by the shear grit and determination of these men. Also, I have since been honored to serve with men who are still as passionate about our country as they were. As to the current state of affairs where some are intent on destroying the liberties which we enjoy. I was always told, we should be the second to start a fight but the first to win it.
” I often wonder how many of these readers actually know where the idea for the 2nd Amendment comes from”
the english bill of rights 1688.
If you take the explanations back this far, you start making the British the good guys. Most folks are really only interested in the parts that bolster their points of view anyway.
“you start making the British the good guys”
don’t really care who I make what, just pointing out the facts.
“Most folks are really only interested in the parts that bolster their points of view anyway.”
yeah, I know, I’ve known for decades now, but somehow it still takes me completely by surprise whenever I encounter that.
In some ways the British were the ‘Good Guys’ and in some ways they are the ‘Evil Bankster Guys’…so what?
We, U.S. (us) Americans TODAY need to be the FEARLESS guys & gals, and stand on our feet ARMED, and defy the Bolsheviks or eventually die executed…on our knees.
It is really that simple to me.
I take my right to defend myself from Natural Law, every else is just a man-made rule.
I respect Matt’s experience and knowledge. Don’t fight the enemy on their terms.
That’s right, the Nazi flag clearly fresh out of the package from China carried by a guy nobody knew or associated with and for some very strange reason hasn’t been doxxed. Go figure.
Mark Bracken can shove his advice where the sun don’t shine. Not because it’s bad advice but because he disrespects the Confederate battle flag.
Freedom can only be maintained by brave persons willing to fight to maintain it. This is a test to see if the citizens of Virginia still value freedom enough to fight for it.
The tree of liberty can only survive by the blood of patriots and tyrants…..
Got to agree with Matt. Stay home. Practice counter-sniping. Work on military tactics. Know how to effect maximum firepower. And, learn how to effectively attack the enemy in their own environment. A good offense is the best defense. It won’t be about protests. It will be about war and changing government. The time is at hand.
“It won’t be about protests. It will be about war and changing government”
ah. this is it. this is the core to opposition to these protests. this explains it. “it won’t be about those other people. it will be about me.”
that’s why you’re troubled about the protests. a successful reassertion of citizen political power will steal your spotlight, your moment in the rambo sun. it will negate all your training, all your range time, all your expensive equipment, your 1,000,000 cartridges of ammunition. it will leave you in your isolated retreat. isolated.
yep.
This makes sense. It does not appeal to emotion. Anger at the tyrant is certainly justified. The ground in Richmond is truly of the enemy’s choosing. There will be provocateurs there, many with government credentials.
That there will be a mass of 2A supporters there is already a given. That those supporters will range from the most thoughtful and dedicated to the most emotional and dedicated is certain.
It is never yet time to stand up and it is always too late to stand up.
He who does not attend may be called coward, he who does may be called a fool. If the program goes how (I believe) the enemy hopes it will some will be called dead fools, others maimed, injured, incarcerated.
The substance of this thought is the understanding of the state, controlled by leftists, as the enemy.
If this is so, do not go onto their ground on their terms, make them come to your ground, on your terms. If this is not so, there is little reason for the demonstration at the capitol.
Irish rebellion and concentrated, continuing local action in coordination with other like minded groups seems more productive to me.
But that doesn’t satisfy the righteous and just anger.
Well said.
“But that doesn’t satisfy the righteous and just anger.”
It is the anger that must be tempered in favor of thoughtful strategy.
People should abandon their rights to assemble, carry, protest because, well, things could go wrong.
Got it.
People do not need a reason to exercise their rights, nor do they need to explain. Any attempts to force such should be resisted.
The time to peaceably assemble and protest is past. The enemy isn’t at the gates anymore – it’s in the governor’s mansion and the statehouse. By hook or by crook, VA will be a communist state in a few weeks in all but name. It’s a new game and the rules have changed.
Matt was right when he suggested “flash mobs”. Show up and protest when and where they aren’t expecting you. This very well may not be just a trap – it may become a massacre.
Yea, I like the mass Flash Mob tactic…surprise, timing, and ground of advantage, I’d take part in that in a heartbeat!
I also think decals, bumper sticker (not just on cars) graffiti, billboards, signs etc. raise awareness.
I sent a check to VCDL.Org and they sent me a hat, 2 bumper stickers, and 5 decals that say:
Bumper Stickers:
GUNS SAVE LIVES
2.5 MILLION DEFENSIVE USES EACH YEAR
VCDL.ORG
Two large round decals: GUNS SAVE LAWS: Virginia Citizens Defense League, and three smaller round decals with the picture of a Minuteman & Virginia Citizens Defense League.
I will be putting some of them tonight on conspicuous places at rural intersections (not on any private property) and other ‘places’. Some, ahhhhh…..’Constitutional Cong’ (CC) guerilla marketing tactics.
(repeated)
“It won’t be about protests. It will be about war and changing government”
ah. this is it. this is the core to opposition to these protests. this explains it. “it won’t be about those other people. it will be about me.”
that’s why you’re troubled about the protests. a successful reassertion of citizen political power will steal your spotlight, your moment in the rambo sun. it will negate all your training, all your range time, all your expensive equipment, your 1,000,000 cartridges of ammunition. it will leave you in your isolated retreat. isolated.
yep.
If this were my state I would really be struggling with what to do. And it could be my state in the near future. On the one hand, you don’t know what really happened if you are not there. On the other…well, avoid crowds. I would want to be there at least as an observer but I sure wouldn’t go alone and I’m not sure I would go at all. I won’t know until I have to make that decision. There is going to be a false flag involving guns. If not there, then somewhere else and probably sooner rather than later.
If you live there, be assured I will be praying for saner heads to prevail. Also, if you haven’t seen this yet, you should read it. Seems like Governor Blackface Babykiller and his minions in the legislature are escalating rather than walking things back.
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/breaking-virginia-vows-to-shut-down-all-gun-ranges-not-owned-by-the-state/
“And it could be my state in the near future”
it will. gives you some time to decide beforehand.
Binary thinking. Answer to problem – reconciliation meaning accepting both point of views and living in harmony within these views. It is not about me. It is about us.
The more our society seems to be plunging into chaos the more people want to possess guns to protect themselves. Basic survival instinct.
The opposite view is we have law enforcement to protect us so if the public does not have guns then law enforcement can protect the public.
This is not about right or wrong thinking; but rather, perceptions; one based in reality and one based on fantasy. The rational outcome of the two opposite poles is some kind of reconsideration. But unfortunately the Bolshevik mentality does not compromise. So the outcome will be either to sand them down or capitulate.
We will see what happens on January 20.
i go back & forth as whether or not to use discretion & not rally as opposed to ceding control of the public space b/c of what could happen–
however,if the rally proceeds & an incident occurs,this is not charlottesville–though the press/leftists will spin it against us & many people will believe it,remember this is organized gun guys–
everyone outside the big cities knows people in the 2a movement & knows that we are not troublemakers–
btw,the leftists in va aren’t backing off–now they’re trying to ban gun ranges & have ammo free zones–
Route 91 Music Festival, October 2017. Unknown number of gunmen (lone shooter . . . gtfo) with high ground killed 58 (“official” number . . . means “true”, right?) and wounded 500-plus more, all of whom were herded into an area cordoned with barricades and chain-link fences in what amounts to a “controlled-hunt” scenario; it was a shooting gallery.
The square in Richmond is surrounded by high ground; while not all are high-rises, most of the buildings around the perimeter are tall enough to have clear “view” of the center on the square. Trees provide limited cover, but they are the only cover. Access to and from the site is limited, and chokepoints abound as it is; I count ten “designated” access points to the square proper, and all “spill” onto multi-lane streets that will be blocked to traffic, at the very least, at all four primary corners; expect that these access points will be decreased to a more manageable number for monitoring/face-scan/data-collection purposes; my guess is four, at/nearest the corners, in order to maximize time in the “box”. Expect barriers and cordons elsewhere, so that no one may enter or depart with ease . That is, this ain’t the green at Lexington.
IF “they” have a plan to execute an FFO, like the Vegas operation . . . well, compare the images and decide for yourself.
niebo,
Yea, I’m one of your upvoters.
I hope the fact people like Bracken (and you) who are warning of a mass shooting vegas style FF reach so many that – that gives them great pause, and they back off.
The possibilities of another horrific mass shooting in Richmond is extremely high. A bombing as well and or multiple incidents are possible. If pulled off murder and CHAOS is a WIN/WIN for the TLPTB (L-Luciferian). The media will use it to their advantage no matter what happens.
What they are doing in Virginia is so obvious an attempt to start a Civil War how could it be missed?
I have said in many threads, Civil War or Economic Collapse is the chicken or the egg, and TLPTB (L-Luciferian) can and I believe will trigger either one at will.
Me…I have sent my bio to Virginia Oath Keepers. I was vetted by the national group in 2017. Asking if they want out of state support, send me the plan and the timing and action guidelines, the meeting place, what role you would want me to play, where I can park safely, and I will get back to you. (I offered my D-214 and full ID). No response. Maybe they have more help than they know what to do with…but I’m surprised I have no response at all?
I’m not going to go in blind alone and fall in the herd, and just hope for the best. If I do go I’m wearing my soft body armor under a jacket.
According to the egg, a chicken is just the way to make another egg. That is, I agree that they
need to DO something to cover the fact that the fiat ponzi scheme is collapsing – I think Iran was an attempt and YES YES YES it is obvious that Va is an attempt to ignite the powderkeg of CW . . . WHY ELSE WOULD THEY EVEN TRY? But they DO NOT CARE if it obvious (to some, anyway), because they are losing control and they know it. If the collapse happens without a war/event* to cover it up . . . they get lynched (or worse) and they know it.
Check out IceAgeFarmer
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI-Am0t4qQaP_Do9FwMWw3Q/featured
and Agenda2030
https://www.youtube.com/user/MyanmarLiving
for in depth info regarding the “solar minimum”, which I think THEY are keeping quiet because, hey, one year with catastrophic crop losses means a lot of people die, and if they can’t eliminate the guns, they will eliminate people.
*a pandemic is another “good” smokescreen to cover the fraud – if everyone gets sick, the economy grinds to a halt, then crashes. And they are Luciferian . . . they are anti-life; they delight to steal, to kill, and to destroy and eat, drink, and act merry all the while. . . hawk, ptooie.
As far as the Oath Keepers . . . is there a possibility that they have assessed the situation as a no-win? If so, they may not “encourage” attendance via radio silence. Just a thought. And if you do go . . . be smart. God holds you in the palm of his hand, and no man may intervene.
Watch until the end….something is be said for the first two guys to back him up for without their support the end would have been different….is this a prelude to VA.?