'The unsettling reality is that America in the not-too-distant future is going to have a lot in common with partial-collapse societies of Eastern Europe and Latin America where gangs have more power and influence than the government; where politicians pass the laws but gangs enforce the rules...'

At Gray Zone Activity, "The disturbing reality of America's future: This is the Gray Zone America you should be preparing for — not quite collapsed, but not quite standing."

Survival Kit, Survival Gear, First Aid Kit with Molle System Compatible Bag and Emergency Tent

You never know.

See, Survival Kit, 250Pcs Survival Gear First Aid Kit with Molle System Compatible Bag and Emergency Tent, Emergency Kit for Earthquake, Outdoor Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Hunting, Gifts for Men Women.

Plus, SHARPAL 101N 6-In-1 Pocket Knife Sharpener & Survival Tool, with Fire Starter, Whistle & Diamond Sharpening Rod, Quickly Repair, Restore and Hone Straight and Serrated Blade, and 12 Ultra Bright Emergency Glow Sticks - Individually Wrapped Long Lasting Industrial Grade Glowsticks for Survival Gear, Camping Lights, Power Outages and Military Use (Green).

Still more, Coleman LED Lantern - 390 Lumens Twin LED Lantern.

BONUS: LEPOAR Men's Winter Jacket Military Jacket Fleece Lined Warm Cargo Jackets Removable Hood Cotton Work Coat.

Why the U.S. Military Isn't Ready for Civil War

A huge platter of food for thought.

At Foreign Policy, "Why the U.S. Military Isn’t Ready for Civil War":

The unimaginable has become reality in the United States. Buffoonish mobs desecrating the U.S. Capitol building, tanks parading down the streets of Washington, running battles between protesters and militias, armed rebels attempting to kidnap sitting governors, uncertainty about the peaceful transition of power—if you read about them in another country, you would think a civil war had already begun. The basic truth is the United States might be on the brink of such a war today. Americans must now take the proposition seriously, not just as a political warning but as a probable military scenario—and a potential catastrophe.

The United States, of course, is not just any country—it is the world’s most enduring democracy and largest economy. But ever fewer Americans believe its size and power are going to save it anymore. In the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s election, Thomas E. Ricks for Foreign Policy asked a group of national security experts to assess the chances of a civil war over the next 10 to 15 years. The consensus stood at 35 percent. A 2019 poll from Georgetown University asked registered voters how close to the “edge of a civil war” the country was, on a scale from 0 to 100. The mean of their answers was 67.23, so almost exactly two-thirds of the way.

There are plenty of reasons to trust this assessment. The United States, as is stands, is a textbook case of a country on the brink of civil conflict. The political system has been completely overwhelmed by hyperpartisanship that renders each political decision, at best, representative of the will of only half the country. The legal system is increasingly a spoil of political infighting. The Oath Keepers, one of the largest anti-government militias, have effectively infiltrated police forces and the Republican Party. Elected officials have opened the doors to vandals who desecrate their own legislatures. It has now become perfectly normal for political representatives to call for acts of violence against their political opponents. “When do we get to use the guns?” is an acceptable question at right-wing rallies. Political violence is on the rise, and the response of the courts has been to legitimize vigilantism—see the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

Only a spark is needed, one major domestic terrorist event that shifts the perception of the country—an anti-government patriot who takes his rage against the federal authority and finds expression in flying a drone loaded with explosives into the Capitol dome or a sheriff who decides to take up arms to defend the doctrine of interposition. It’s even possible, though unlikely, that a left-wing rejection of the police, like the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, might force military action. Retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor, a professor of military history at the Ohio State University, is a veteran of the Iraq War who now studies the insurgencies of the past. He doesn’t have any difficulty picturing a contemporary U.S. equivalent to civil wars elsewhere. “It would not be like the first Civil War, with armies maneuvering on the battlefield,” he said. “I think it would very much be a free-for-all, neighbor on neighbor, based on beliefs and skin colors and religion. And it would be horrific.”

For the U.S. government, an outbreak of widespread political violence inside the country’s borders would necessarily become a military operation. U.S. militias are significant enough that the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security would simply be insufficient to deal with them. Only the U.S. military could be capable of dealing with insurgent forces. And from a tactical point of view, any engagement between U.S. forces and a militia (or any insurgent force of any kind for that matter) would be entirely one-sided. Despite the preparations of right-wing militias, and despite the sheer number of weapons available in the United States, the U.S. Marines are still the U.S. Marines. No militia or organized group of militias could compete with them in battle.

The real problems would be legal and bureaucratic, and these problems, in turn, would quickly take on a military character. The U.S. military isn’t culturally or institutionally designed to be an adequate domestic actor—rather, the opposite. Its role in American life has been specifically designed to make it ineffective in domestic operations. The use of the military would not be, in itself, a constitutional crisis; there are legal precedents and explicit executive orders governing the use of military force on U.S. soil. But any military response to civil unrest is highly likely to spin out of control into extended insurgency. And for all the U.S. military’s prowess, the outcome would be entirely uncertain.

Occupying forces in foreign countries are, almost without exception, seen as illegitimate by local populations. Would a U.S. force on U.S. soil face the same fundamental resistance? American forces would, after all, be American. But the United States is not like other countries. It was born in resistance to government. Its history has been filled with state resistance to federal authority. And it has experienced resistance to occupation by its own forces before. The United States currently contains a diverse assortment of anti-government movements, from groups that are little more than survivalist hobbyists to neo-Nazi accelerationists and sovereign citizens. They are armed; several members of these groups have been caught with the materials needed to build low-grade nuclear weapons. A significant portion of the American public is actively pursuing the destruction of political authority as such. What happens if they continue to enact their stated goals of overthrowing the federal government and imposing their vision of liberty by force of arms, as the events of Jan. 6, 2021, have shown they are already beginning to do?

Joint Publication 3-27 defines the armed forces’ role in homeland defense as protecting U.S. “sovereignty, territory, domestic population, and critical infrastructure against external threats and aggression or other threats, as directed by the President.” So which is it? Is the Army there to protect against “external threats”? Or is the category of “other threats” broad enough to include rebel militias?

The Insurrection Act stipulates the latter. Originally enacted in 1807, it provides for the suppression of an insurrection against a state government at the request of the governor. There is also Section 253 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to use the armed forces to suppress insurrection or domestic violence if it (1) hinders the execution of the laws to the extent that a part or class of citizens are deprived of constitutional rights and the state is unable or refuses to protect those rights or (2) obstructs the execution of any federal law or impedes the course of justice under federal laws. There is precedent for such direct engagement: Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War; President Dwight D. Eisenhower calling troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to enforce desegregation; the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

But the rules of force issued to the 7th Infantry Division during the Los Angeles riots specified minimum levels of force in response to levels of civilian violence. Today’s political violence threatens to be far more organized. The question is, what would happen if the U.S. military were obliged to respond in kind? ....

*****

Sixty years of U.S. experience has taught the same lesson about counterinsurgency: If you lose, you lose. If you win, you still lose. At present, the official U.S. counterinsurgency, or COIN, strategy remains a version of Petraeus’s 2006 “clear, hold, and build” strategy. In the current edition of Joint Publication 3-24, which provides the U.S. military with a doctrine for counterinsurgency operations, it is outlined as “shape, clear, hold, build, and transition,” part of a suite of COIN strategies that include the generational approach (engaging with youth who are most likely to join insurgencies) and network engagement (through social media). All of these strategies have the smack of desperation in their operating modes. The military holds on to these strategies because at least they are strategies, not because they work. For decades, the U.S. military has been defined by its ineffectiveness against insurgencies in foreign countries. Why would it do any better at home?

The central problem is that it is impossible to build legitimacy as an occupier; the process of holding, even with the best of intentions, is humiliating and disruptive. The illegitimacy of any occupying force—the French in Algeria and Indochina, the Russians in Afghanistan, the British everywhere—would meet greater opposition than ever in an American-on-American context. The defiance begins in a claim to the illegitimacy of federal authority. If you are occupying an anti-government patriot stronghold, any state-building, of any kind, will be forced. The locals don’t want government. That’s the point. But how could any force “address the underlying causes of violence,” as JP 3-24 states, without the machinery of legitimization?

You don’t have to look very far to find an example of a failed occupation on U.S. soil. The South, under Reconstruction, spawned the Ku Klux Klan, Red Shirts, and White League—terrorist organizations that beleaguered the Northern administration until it abandoned the project of reconciliation. The resentment of the occupation after the Civil War survives to this day. Many in the South have not forgotten the abuses of Sherman’s March to the Sea, nor forgiven the Northern authorities for the humiliation of subjugation. The occupied Americans hated the occupying Americans. That hatred endures.

It’s in the nature of insurgent conflict that violence builds on itself. Symbolic horrors echo. Resonance compounds. The most recent COIN manual has digested, or at least acknowledged, the problem of perception. Insurgencies and counterinsurgencies are engaged in competitive storytelling. “Insurgent groups harness narratives to communicate grievances, goals, and justifications for actions to both internal and external audiences,” JP 3-24 reads. “Insurgency narratives have three elements or components: actors and the environments in which they operate, events along a temporal continuum, and causality—cause and effect relative to the first two elements.” The key word here is “audiences.” And how good can any military force be at playing to audiences?

The tactical considerations of battles between the U.S. military and any domestic militia forces would be completely irrelevant. No one with any tactical expertise can imagine anything other than a one-sided engagement. Professional military forces are professional...

RTWT. 

Today's Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals. New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

And especially, Practical Power: Luminoodle LED Light Rope - USB Powered Outdoor LED String + Camping Lantern - Waterproof Lights for Tents, Hiking, Safety, Emergencies.

Also, LEGACY HEATING Rectangular Fire Pit Table, Mocha powder coated finish.

And, Millennium Assorted Energy Bars (6 Count) - Long Shelf Life Fruit flavored Bar Bundle - Survival Pack for Calamity, Disaster, Hiking and Meal replacement - with Emergency Guide.

More, Mountain House Just In Case...Breakfast Bucket.

Plus, Koffee Kult - Medium Roast Coffee Beans (2 lb Whole Bean) Highest Quality Delicious Coffee - Fresh Gourmet Aromatic Artisan Blend - Packaging May Vary.

BONUS: Tim Bouverie, Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War.

Shop Outdoor Supplies

At Amazon, Shop Outdoor Recreation.

Also, Pools, Spas, and Supplies.

More, Coleman Sundome Tent.

And, Sleepingo Camping Sleeping Pad - Mat, (Large), Ultralight 14.5 OZ, Best Sleeping Pads for Backpacking, Hiking Air Mattress - Lightweight, Inflatable & Compact, Camp Sleep Pad.

Still more, Coghlan's Pop-Up Trash Can.

Plus, Vont 4 Pack LED Camping Lantern, LED Lantern, Suitable for Survival Kits for Hurricane, Emergency Light, Storm, Outages, Outdoor Portable Lanterns, Black, Collapsible, (Batteries Included).

Here's more, Wise Owl Outfitters Hammock Camping Double & Single with Tree Straps - USA Based Hammocks Brand Gear, Indoor Outdoor Backpacking Survival & Travel, Portable.

And, Military Outdoor Clothing Never Issued U.S. Military Canteen.

Finally, OFF! Deep Woods Insect Repellent VIII Dry, 4 oz. (2 ct).

BONUS: Dave Canterbury, Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival.

Shop Amazon for Survival!

Thanks for your support!

Here: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

More, American Furniture Classics 840 4 Gun Wall Rack, Medium Brown.

Here, Fixed Blade Knife with Wood Handle for Hunting and Fishing - Good for Camping and Travels - Dependable Knife for Survival.

And, Cold Steel Bushman Series Fixed Blade Survival Knife with Hollow Handle, Fire Starter and Sheath - Great as a Camping Knife and Throwing Knife.

Plus, Jinager Survival Gear Kits Outdoor Survival Gear Tool for Trip,with Fire Starter, Whistle, Wood Cutter, Tactical Pen for Camping, Hiking, Climbing for Wilderness/Trip/Cars/Hiking/Camping.

BONUS: Norman Ohler, Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich.

James Wesley Rawles, Patriots

At Amazon, James Wesley Rawles, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.

Today's Deals

At Amazon, Today's Gold Box Deals.

More, Amazon Best Sellers.

Still more, American Furniture Classics 840 4 Gun Wall Rack, Medium Brown.

Here, Fixed Blade Knife with Wood Handle for Hunting and Fishing - Good for Camping and Travels - Dependable Knife for Survival.

And, Cold Steel Bushman Series Fixed Blade Survival Knife with Hollow Handle, Fire Starter and Sheath - Great as a Camping Knife and Throwing Knife.

Plus, Jinager Survival Gear Kits Outdoor Survival Gear Tool for Trip,with Fire Starter, Whistle, Wood Cutter, Tactical Pen for Camping, Hiking, Climbing for Wilderness/Trip/Cars/Hiking/Camping.

BONUS: Tim Wu, The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age.

The GHM9 Gen 2: Blowback 9mm Pistol With a Plethora of Features

Cool.

At Instapundit, "REVIEW: B&T’s 9 mm GHM9 Gen 2."

Shop Multi-Tool Tactical Stocking Stuffers

 At Amazon, Multi-Tool Gifts for Men Tactical Pen Tactical Flashlight Survival Pen, Father's Day Stocking Stuffers.  

BONUS: The Commando Survival Manual.

Sony Walkman Digital Radio

At Amazon, Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather/FM/AM Stereo Radio (Black).

Also, SAMSUNG 55-inch Class Crystal UHD TU-8000 Series - 4K UHD HDR Smart TV with Alexa Built-in (UN55TU8000FXZA, 2020 Model), and Samsung QN75Q60RAFXZA Flat 75-Inch QLED 4K Q60 Series Ultra HD Smart TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility (2019 Model). (Hurry, only one left.)

More, Coleman Carabineer Classic Personal Size LED Lantern, Red, and Coleman CPX 6 Ultra High Power LED Spotlight.

Here, Buck Knives 0110BRS 110 Famous Folding Hunter Knife with Genuine Leather Sheath, and Buck Knives 0118 Personal Fixed Blade Knife with Leather Sheath.

Plus, RoverTac Multitool Camping Tool Survival Gear Handy Gifts for Men Women UPGRADED 14 in 1 Stainless Steel Sturdy Multi Tool with Axe Hammer Knife Saw Plier Screwdrivers Bottle Opener Durable Sheath, and World's Toughest Emergency Blankets | 4 Pack Extra Large Thermal Mylar Foil Space Blanket Heat Sheets For Hiking, Marathon Running, First Aid Kits, Prepper, Bug Out & Outdoor Survival Gear.

Still more, OFF! Sportsmen Deep Woods Insect and Mosquito Repellent II, Long Lasting Protection, Bug Spray 6 oz. (Pack of 4).

Finally, 6 Ounce, 2 Pack, SPF 50 Rocky Mountain Sunscreen Broad Spectrum Sun Cream Lotion, Water Resistant 80 min, No Oxybenzone, No Parabens, No Octinoxate, Gluten Free, Fragrance Free.

BONUS: The Best of the Total Outdoorsman: 501 Essential Tips and Tricks.

Shop Deals Today

At Amazon, Today's Deals: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

Still more, KIND Breakfast Bars, Peanut Butter, Gluten Free, 1.8 Ounce, 32 Count.

And, Winchester 22-41206 Large Bowie Knife (8.57-Inch).

Plus, KOSIN Survival Gear, 18 in 1 Emergency Survival Kit, Cool Gadgets Christmas Fishing Birthday Gifts for Men Dad Husband Boyfriend, Professional Tactical Defense Equitment Tool Backpack Fire Starter.

Also, LED Emergency Flashlight Car Window Breaker and Seatbelt Cutter - Hand Crank Charger Water Resistant Multi-Purpose Hand Crank Flashlight, Emergency Car Escape Toolkit, Flashlights.

Plus, Danner Men's Mountain Light II 5" Gore-Tex Hiking Boot.

BONUS: SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere.

Belkin 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector

At Amazon, Belkin 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector, Flat Plug, 10ft Cord (4156 Joules), Gray.

BONUS: Honda EU2200i 2200-Watt 120-Volt Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator.

Holiday Shopping

*BUMPED.*

I should probably be promoting my Amazon sales. It's not that I've been slacking. It's the online remote instruction during the California lockdown (re-uppped lockdown, as it turns out). I'm swamped with work, a lot of it time-consuming, energy-wasting administrative work (paperwork), with people who are literally incompetent at their jobs.

Oh well, I don't blog for the money, obviously. But I love posting Amazon links, especially to books, as you can tell. 

So, if you're in the mood, you can shop my associates links, at the frequent Amazon sales blog posts, or at the banner links at the sidebar. It's much appreciated. Maybe I can afford some oysters and olives to go with the dressing for Thanksgiving dinner. (Just kidding, lol.)

At Amazon, Today's Deals. New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

More, Buck Knives 284 Bantam One-Hand Opening Folding Knife, and Buck Knives 110 Famous Folding Hunter Knife with Genuine Leather Sheath.

Here, Mountain House Classic Bucket - Freeze Dried Backpacking and Camping Food - 24 Servings.

Plus, Black Rifle Coffee Rounds (CAF (Medium, 2x Caffeine), 50 Count [Pods]).

Also, Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160, 167Wh Lithium Battery Solar Generator (Solar Panel Optional) Backup Power Supply with 110V/100W(Peak 150W) AC Outlet for Outdoors Camping Fishing Emergency. 

Still more, Stetson Men's Powder River 4X Buffalo Felt Cowboy Hat - Sbpwrv-754023 Mink.

BONUS: James Wesley Rawles, Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse Paperback. 

Shop Today

At Amazon, Today's Deals: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

Also, GearLight LED Tactical Flashlight S1000 [2 PACK] - High Lumen, Zoomable, 5 Modes, Water Resistant, Handheld Light - Best Camping, Outdoor, Emergency, Everyday Flashlights, and GearLight TAC LED Tactical Flashlight [2 PACK] - Single Mode, High Lumen, Zoomable, Water Resistant, Flash Light - Camping, Outdoor, Emergency, Everyday Flashlights with Clip.

And, Duracell - Coppertop D Alkaline Batteries with recloseable package - long lasting, all-purpose D battery for household and business - 8 count.

Plus, Mountain House Classic Bucket - Freeze Dried Backpacking & Camping Food - 24 Servings.

More, Black Rifle Coffee Company Supply Drop Variety Pack Coffee Rounds - 48 Count K Cup Compatible Variety Pack Coffee Pods for Single Serve Coffee - Compatible with Keurig - Perfect Coffee Lovers.

Still more, Clif Bars with 1 Shot of Espresso - Energy Bars - Coffee Collection - Variety Pack - 65 MGS of Caffeine Per Bar (2.4 Ounce Breakfast Snack Bars, 15 Count).

Also, Go Time Gear Life Tent Emergency Survival Shelter – 2 Person Emergency Tent – Use As Survival Tent, Emergency Shelter, Tube Tent, Survival Tarp - Includes Survival Whistle & Paracord.

BONUS: Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival.

Shop Today's Deals

At Amazon, Today's Deals: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

More, Reapr 11003 44 Inch Survival Spear, Black - Tactical Survival Spear/Martial Arts Weapon - Fiberglass Staff & Precision Cut Stainless Steel Staff Weapon, Hunting Spear, or Survival Blade.

Also, WEREWOLVES Paracord Knife Bracelet Paraclaw Knife Bracelet Survival Cord Bracelets Multitool Survival Gear Tactical EDC Bracelet Camping Paracord Bracelet for Men Gift.

Plus, W WIREGEAR Punch Set Gunsmith Punch Set Elite Gunsmithing Tool Made of Solid Material Including Steel Punch and Hammer with Bench Block Ideal for M1911 and Other Pistols for Gunsmithing Maintenance.

Still more, Fox M1112 12-Inch by 36-Inch Gunsmithing Lathe.

And, CamelBak HydroBak Hydration Pack 50 oz.

Here, Mountain House Classic Bucket.

Finally, Mainstay Emergency Food Rations - 3600 Calorie Bars (Single).

BONUS: James Wesley Rawles, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.

Mountain House Classic

At Amazon, Mountain House Classic Bucket.

Also, Mountain House Just In Case 14-Day Emergency Food Supply.

BONUS: Jocko Willink, Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual.

Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals, New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

And especially, Arlo by NETGEAR Security System - 1 Wire-Free HD Camera - Indoor/Outdoor - Night Vision (VMS3130), Works with Alexa, and Arlo Pro 2 Home Security Camera System (3 pack) with Siren, Wireless, Rechargeable, 1080p HD, Audio, Indoor or Outdoor, Night Vision, Works with Amazon Alexa.

More, in Electronics.

And see, GoPro HERO (2018).

Also, Dyson DC59 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.

Plus, Buck Knives The 55 Folding Pocket Knife.

Still more, #1 Bestseller: Snake Eye Tactical Spring Assisted Opening EMT EMS Orange Folding Pocket Knife.

And, Mountain House Just in Case.Classic Bucket.

BONUS: Siva Vaidhyanathan, Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.

Arctic Doomsday Bunker

I need a doomsday bunker to survive the radical leftist apocalypse in California, sheesh.

At the Daily Mirror U.K.:

Arctic doomsday bunker holds the keys to human survival against warshttps://t.co/ynZmyd0fWe pic.twitter.com/8VKXA8ulPJ

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) January 8, 2018

Shop Emergency Supplies

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon.

See especially, Mountain House Just In Case 4-Day Emergency Food Supply.

More, Pack of 4 Flashlights, BYBLIGHT 150 Lumen Ultra Bright LED Flashlight, Zoomable Tactical Flashlight with 3 Modes for Indoors and Outdoors (Camping, Cycling, Emergency, and Gift-Giving).

And, ENERGIZER E95 Max ALKALINE D BATTERY Made in USA Exp. 12-2024 or later - 24 Count.

Here, Crystal Geyser Water Co Alpine Spring Water.

Plus, TITAN Two-Sided Emergency Mylar Survival Blankets, 5-Pack | Designed for NASA Space Exploration and Heat Retention | Perfect for Marathons, Emergency Kits, and Go-Bags.

Here, Amazon Jungle Survival Knife with Sheath.

Still more, Military Outdoor Clothing Never Issued U.S. Military Canteen.

BONUS: John 'Lofty' Wiseman, SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere.