The statement concludes by telling ISIS followers, “if you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be.” – via report on Zero Hedge.
Seriously? That’s quite an ‘activate’ order… but random attacks? So far these guys have seemed much too smart to come up with a bonehead strategy like that. I expect them to be much more coordinated.
What to do?
If any ISIS followers/supporters actually take this seriously, then we should expect random terror attacks in the West. But don’t fear it – just be alert & ready. Some random action items to consider might be:
- Keep your heads-up, eyes open, and if you hear gunfire – take cover. Then keep moving away from the trouble.
- Know your alternate commute routes home. Consider pinch points like bridges and tunnels when choosing alternate routes.
- Pack a get home bag in the car. Just a day pack with the essentials needed for walking home.
- Avoid public places when possible.
- If you hear news of random acts of violence anywhere… consider packing it in and heading home. Why? If there are would-be terrorists among us, the initial attacks, even distant ones, may inspire someone near you to join the fight. In other words at the first sign of a catalyst, know that a chain reaction may begin.
We’ve been told loud and clear that this is possible. Avoid being that guy or gal who continues to think that this kind of crap doesn’t happen in the world – and that it can’t happen here.
Harken back to the results of some well known psychology experiments – you may remember these from Psychology 101 in college.
- The Asch Conformity Experiment (1953)
- Bystander Apathy Experiment (1968)
- The Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)
- The Milgram Experiment (1961)
All of these studies showed that people typically avoid standing out in a crowd. People typically feel uncomfortable when they are not conforming to the behavior of the people around them. Don’t do that.
Instead of following the heard and accidentally run off a cliff, choose to be that individual who trusts their instincts that the wolves may be hiding in the tree line – and have an alternate route away from trouble pre-planned.
We can’t stop random acts of violence, but we can limit our risk of being overtaken by them.
