I'm the oldest daughter of two Lt Colonels, and the product of a three-generational military family on both sides, and I think y'all need to listen to the next bit:
We ended the draft because the military's analysis of the Vietnam War revealed that 90% of all draftees would not shoot to kill, even when it was life or death. They'd shoot high or low, but they *couldn't* shoot to kill. As such, they actively degraded the war effort.
So you need to think twice before arming yourselves.
(1/?)
There's a lot of *wildly* irresponsible rhetoric floating around right now about how all queer folk should arm themselves to resist what's coming. And, deadass?
If you're armed, and you're not 10000% sure that you can shoot to kill, the only thing you're gonna do is get yourself and everyone around you dead.
Period.
A weapon is a *massive* escalation. Meanwhile, the tool that really gets you out of deadly trouble in a fascist dictatorship?
A silver tongue and steely guts.
(2/?)
Resistance is about far, far more than the image we have in our heads of the brave French resistance fighter in WWII. It's making the gears of their fascist machine grind. Drop a little sugar in the right gas tank. Lose important paperwork and records. Follow all the rules, *exactly,* in excruciating detail, explaining to the fascists that their superiors will come down on you if you don't.
(3/?)
Fascism is a machine. All machines have moving parts. You don't attack the reinforced bits. And fascism, specifically, is a machine built to kill. When you take up the same arms, you're attacking them where they're strongest.
So, when you plan your resistance, unless you're a very rare sort--probably with preexisting military experience--don't plan for a violence that you can't and won't win.
(4/?)
Governments are nowhere near as omniscient as you think, and have nowhere near enough resporces to follow up on what data they do have.
Wanna resist? One of the very best things you can do is look suspicious as fuck while doing *absolutely nothing* illegal.
Consume their resources. Frustrate the machine. *That* is how you save lives. Not weapons. Not for the overwhelming majority of you.
Leave that trouble for those truly prepared for it.
(5/5).
Addendum:
What the fuck, people?! I talk about how bad an idea it is to arm yourselves and a bunch of yall start arguing about blades and homemade bombs instead of firearms?! When I said weapons and not firearms, I meant ***all*** weapons.
This is not a fucking movie. This is your lives. All your posturing is gonna do is get you and the people around you dead.
Knock it off, dummies.
I am absolutely NOT questioning your practical advice with respect to the current situation AT ALL, but out of curiosity, given your position, what is your take on the role that armed self-defense historically played for Black resistance in the he US? I know there are people who argue it was crucial in that situation. Not to anticipate your response, but I suppose that DID include Black veterans from WWII and Korea, and therefore partly fell under the exceptions you mentioned?
@bifouba armed self defense was *always* the minority for Black folks. There were a few who carried, and in doing so made it much riskier for white oppressors to harass Black folks. And most of those people who did were indeed veterans, as I understand the history.
Which, honestly, is exactly my point.
Doc Impossible
Bilal Barakat 🍉