In a Zero Sum universe, how many people would you trust standing behind you with a pistol or blade and one million dollars in gold?

This is not a How To lesson for anyone who is misbehaving.  If you are into anything that is morally wrong, I hope you get caught, gutted and eat dirt before an innocent gets hurt...and in the now classic words of Morgan K Freeberg at WashingtonReb, I hope a polar bear eats you!

Every Patriot who is, or thinks he may be on the radar, needs to approach every interaction with new people cautiously.  And, you must manage every established relationship with an awareness that every human being will, almost always, behave in a manner that is consistent with their own interests.

The important thing to recognize when dealing with OpFor Infiltration Operations...or snitches...is that it need not be one million dollars at stake to provide sufficient motivation for a punk to make a run at you, or for an ally to betray you.  The prize could be your woman, or depending upon the circumstances, a can of peaches.  It could also be as simple as a plea deal on the table for some player who has been compromised by OpFor.

It also may be that you have been drawn into a group that is covertly headed by an agent of your enemies, set up and supported just to see who shows up!  The goal is to identify & make a list of Patriots for later use...

The rules of Total War are simple: There are no rules. 

You will live or you will die.

The Other Side will use any deceit, any False Flag, any device or deception, to make you vulnerable, compromised, impotent and dead.

If you are a Patriot who believes that it is coming, and it will be ugly, you'd better already be playing by these rules. 

Right Now.

Look at your relationships.  Who is in your life?  With whom do you chat online?  To what blogs do you post comments?Is everyone who claims to be your ally really motivated by the same passions that drive your decisions?  How do you know? 

You can not begin to account for all of the potential self interest motivations of the men and women around you.

Don't try.

Instead, put yourself in prudent and defensible positions with as few trusted allies as possible.  Imagine yourself at the center of a series of concentric circles.  The only person in the same circle as yourself, in a ruthless world, is you.  If you choose to include a spouse and children, ok.  The next ring outward would be siblings and parents...yours, not necessarily the spouse's!

Get it?

If you must make yourself vulnerable, consider the Risk/Reward equation, consider the person you are letting into your defenses, and be ready to defend yourself.  But do not fool yourself: You can rarely ever know what is truly in another man's heart.

From an OpSec perspective, it is the single Operator who is safest from the predations of the genetic filth known as snitches.  If you are working alone, there is no way to be infiltrated.

Depending on the circumstances of it, and your local realities, or your personal preferences, you may opt for a Tribe.  Of course, Tribes can range in size from a small family unit to a village, or larger.

The easiest snitch to identify is the new guy who approaches you from nowhere.  Next is the person you have known for a while who suddenly takes a deeper interest in you and your business.  The new boyfriend or girlfriend hanging around one of your kids needs a set of eyes-on for several reasons.  Your spouse's new boss, or co-worker, hairdresser or friend.  Tougher is the member of your near or inner circle who gets flipped, or becomes disillusioned with you for some reason.

The hardest snitch to identify is the one you chose to approach on your own.  You think that person is X, because he says all the things that an X should say, curses at all the right people, agitates and calls for actions that you'd expect from an X.  This might be a mayor in a post-it setting, or a self-anointed General or Leader, a Sheriff...

But what do you really know about this person?  Really?  Who does she owe?  What are her true principles?  Is she a born-again rebel to the cause?  Whether Tigers or Leopards, stripes or spots, they don't change...not 180 degrees. 

Where does her money come from? 

Many a follower of television Evangelists has ended up disappointed as the true nature of their hero became known.

Trust your instincts, but only if your instincts are suspicious of everything.  When your instincts tell you that X is ok...doubt yourself and keep an eye on X.  Controlled paranoia is your ally.

Total War. 

No rules. 

Second place is death. 

The moment you are dead or out of action, every person you cherish is vulnerable to the predations of wicked men.

It is a Zero Sum game.

Defending against a snitch begins with common sense privacy.  Get in the habit of keeping your business to yourself.  Tweeting your toilet habits is the wrong direction.

Become a jerk regarding your business and obfuscate on your opinions.  The reflex answer to questions such as What are you doing after work or What is your favorite color is: Why the hell do you want to know?

Be certain to control the flow of information.  Ensure that those closest to you are just as greedy with private information.  Your children probably have the Facebook disease, with few inhibitions regarding details.  Handle that.

It is standard procedure to come at you with what you like.

If you like girls, be wary of the saucy little Betty who is suddenly interested in your pudgy, 45 year old smile.  If you like to be strong, they will cower.  If you like to be King, they will worship. 

Whatever your vice or need, they'll try to exploit it. 

Want an XYZ Widget?  Well, the snitch knows a guy who knows a guy...

When it comes to snitches, routine active measures should be employed to test your security.  Suspect someone?  Whisper a juicy detail for their ears only, and see what happens.

What should you do with an identified snitch?  That is entirely dependent upon circumstances and goals.  Keep in mind that the only human creature more filthy than a snitch is a traitor to one's nation.  You can never trust a snitch, except to trust that he will be true first to himself.

In some cases the immediate removal of the snitch is warranted.  Buh-bye!

In some cases you may use the snitch to misdirect his handlers.  Feed him some bad information.  Keep in mind that this activity has an expiration date.  A snitch who continually feeds bad information back up the line will either be removed as ineffective, or his handlers will know he's been compromised.  It is often best to burn your snitch on one action, then cut him loose.  For instance, if you are planning an action at X, let the snitch pass information about Y, giving you room to operate. 

Your disposition is the key to avoiding the perils of snitches.  Your guard must always be up.  Your suspicion must always be set to High.  Trust, but verify...everything. 

That is the hard part, keeping yourself switched On.

If you become mentally lazy, you become vulnerable.

Begin right now.  Examine every single person that you consider to be a part of your it sphere, from your spouse, to the guys you consider to be part of your Tribe, to the blogs you follow, to the guy who sells you ammunition.  Examine each and every person, and judge each person based on one criterion: In a Zero Sum universe, would you trust this person behind your back with a knife?  Before you put that person in the Yes category, ask yourself Why you trust him.  How has he proven himself to you? 

Scratch the surface and go deep.

You only need to slip once, and they win.

You die.

Sam
III

Excerpt: There comes a time when civility is no longer appropriate as the only option on the table.  Dare we not offend the sensibilities of Liberals, Socialists, and Communists in our midst who are ruining and destroying our republic?  Are we to cower and sheepishly genuflect when we are scolded for the tone or choice of our words in the face of ruin, poverty, tyranny, and death?!

Excerpt: You are a fool if you do not believe that elements of the Left would use force, if they could, to compel you to comply with many of their edicts.  In drafting healthcare reform, they use the threat of financial fines, felony conviction and prison if you refuse to buy health insurance! 

How is that not only a degree or two removed from a pistol to the head? We are undeniably heading toward the same tyrannies known to Russians, Germans, and the Chinese.  It starts with Liberalism, advances to Socialism, and ends with Fascism, Communism, or some other tyranny…and death.

Excerpt: We have a culture of people whose first response to a physical threat is to dial 911, or worse, a lawyer.  We have a nation of people who will dump hot coffee on themselves, then sue the restaurant – and win!  We have a nation of educators who suspend children for drawing a picture of a handgun or for bringing a Boy Scout knife-and-fork kit to show and tell! 

We have a nation of people so removed from the food chain that many would starve to death if the local supermarket closed.  We have a nation of people who cannot truly grasp the hardships faced by most of the people in the world every day, and as a result we have a nation of people who have lost fundamental common sense.

Excerpt: The Bill of Rights articulates the natural rights of man, rights that are not bestowed by government, but rights that are innately ours as human beings.  These rights may not be taken from us.  These rights were written in plain language so that no clever interpretation and manipulation of the intent was possible.  These rights may not be restricted, narrowed, or infringed.  Any attempt to do so is a violation of the relationship between Man and Creator. 

Every narrowing, restriction, infringement, and clever interpretation imposed upon us in the years since our Constitution was ratified is simply a violation of our natural rights.

We hold that every violation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights by those in Government is an act of Treason, as these violations are unjust, undermining the fundamental foundations of our republic, breaking the pact between citizen and government, and desecrating the relationship between Man and Creator.  Any man or woman who enforces these unconstitutional laws on behalf of government is a treasonous soul and an enemy of Liberty and humanity.

Sons of Liberty Flag

You catch a Federal case.

When you earn real attention from our Masters, you'll know it...usually after it is too late.  Our Masters will tolerate quite a bit from folks, even Patriots who are rabble-rousing.  They really don't care if you are stocking up on rice and beans, even rifles and bullets.  They don't care if you call them names or incite a few misdemeanors.  If you are trying to get their attention and you have not yet caught a Federal case, it's still amateur hour.

It's when you start to have an impact on the flow of dollars that you will earn real interest.  Write a report that negatively impacts the stock value of a few Fortune 50 companies, and you will soon have a genuine understanding of the term Lawfare. 

You may also be schooled on Constructive Possession.

There are many lessons you may be taught.  Now.

You will learn inside baseball details about the US Code that will make you ill. 

The world begins to move very, very quickly. 

You will be faced with stark choices that have never entered your mind, because you think you understand the rules.

Then your options are put on the table: 2 if you take the deal, or 20 if you fight...and we'll add a Conspiracy for your little dog, too...

You will learn that the power of a US Attorney is crushing.

Do not make it easy to take you out of play, Patriot.

And, it is oh, so easy...if they ever decide to do it.

The choice is theirs...not yours.

Do not make the mistake of thinking you are a tough guy just because they have not yet chosen to come for you...

Every Patriot in America should read the book The Tyranny of Good Intentions: How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice  written by Paul Craig Roberts.
 

A note to Vanderboegh