You are a target. They want you dead.
You are a conservative activist. They call themselves “progressives.”
You want to live. And you want to remain active in politics.
They want you dead. Or submissive. Like a slave. Or a battered woman.
No, you can’t attack them. You shouldn’t engage them. They’re rabid animals. Neither reason nor normal persuasion can change progressives from their deadly habits.
So what do you do?
You prepare. You practice. You learn. You train. You carry on.
Here’s a 7-point plan to make yourself as safe as possible while continuing your noble work as a conservative, patriotic activist.
*1. Put Your Damn Phone Away. Awareness of your environment is the most important asset you can you have. A gun does no good if you don’t see the attack coming. And your phone steals 100% of your attention. Your phone won’t save your life. The police aren’t that fast. The call or the text can wait. Put the phone away. *2. Practice a Soft Focus. Look at a spot on the wall. A door knob. Anything small but distinct. Stare at it. Concentrate on that thing. For 20 seconds. Now, notice how your peripheral vision diminishes. How the room disappears. All you can see is that spot. Now, relax the muscles around your eyes. Keep your pupils pointed at that spot, but notice how much of the room you can see. The ceiling. The floor. The walls on either side. Everything. That’s a soft focus. It will improve your driving and your situational awareness. Practice this twice a day until it becomes a habit. *3. Carry a Tactical Pen. I carry a Hoffman-Richter Stinger pen (pictured). This pen is mightier than the pen that’s mightier than the sword. When your Spidey Sense tingles, pull out the pen. When someone threatens, use it. Like an ice pick. You can carry this pen anywhere—on a plane, at work, at the ball game. You can’t carry a gun everywhere, because the First Amendment lets you carry a tactical pen everywhere. *4. Carry a Credit Card Knife. I have one in my wallet at all times. No one has ever stopped me. This weapon takes more time to fold out for use, but it’s a lot like the pen. Plus, if you’re trapped or stranded, it gives the most important tool you can have. Something to cut with. It’s the most important survival tool you can have. *5. Carry Cash. Carry cash in 3 or 4 places. 1) Wallet. 2) Back Pocket. 3) Shoe. If you lose all other forms of payment, stashed cash could save your life. CIA spy Jason Hanson carries $80 cash in his belt, plus what’s in his wallet. It’s save his life. *6. Know the Baseline. People have baselines. Places have baselines. Know what’s normal. Normal for people. Normal for places. Normal for times. When something’s not normal, try to figure out why. Evaluate the threat level. Have your tactical pen ready. *7. Be Assertive. Step forward, not back. Predators attack the weak, not the strong. Not the crazy. When a threat emerges, look it in the eye. Address the threat. “Do you know what time it is?” is the ultimate lifesaving question. It stops the predator. It activates their limbic brain. They have to answer it. It forces them help you. Emotionally help you. And it’s hard to attack someone you’ve helped. “Do you know what time it is?” Ask anyone who scares you. And look them in the eye while you’re asking. And while they’re processing. But have your pen in hand, just in case.
This is the world we live in. We’re all CIA spies in a foreign land. We might as well get used to it. Get good at it. And carry on.
If you want to learn more about everyday survival, read these books:
Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life by Jason Hanson (CIA Agent)
The Spy’s Guide to Thinking by John Braddock (CIA Agent)