ferguson « Robin Writes

My husband asked me yesterday what I thought would happen, vis a vis SHTF, regarding the upcoming election. Well, that’s a loaded question . . .

Some of you will likely be offended by what I have to say, some won’t, but I’m not directing this personally to anyone. Not even really going to discuss the candidates. So, read on:

If Trump is elected, I suspect things will be quite dicey during the time between the election and inauguration—remember, that’s nearly three months. And as president, Trump can still only do so much, as a lot depends on Congress and to which side the aisle is tilted.

I think that we’ll see more protests and more violence.

Now, if you’re not in an area where these things tend to increase, i.e., urban, you might think you’ll be just dandy. However, while physically safe, you can be hurt in other ways.

If protests block supply lines, such as trains and highways, groceries and other items may be hard to come by . . . if folks walk out on their jobs, any kind of industry, there may be a shortage of goods to transport.

If you are in an urban area, and can’t leave, keep your head down. Try to be unobtrusive as you go about your business. Avoid crowds. Check exits wherever you go. Keep up on the news. Be aware.

If Clinton is elected, the exact same things could happen for different reasons.

Reconstruction after the Civil War comes to mind. Some not-so-nice characters flocked to the South and began telling folks all manner of things: not only that they were as good as the “rich white people,” which they were, but that they could do anything they wanted, take whatever they wanted.

And lest you think I’m talking about only the former slaves, there were also many other poor, non-slave-owing people who’d felt slighted and snubbed all their lives.

Crime was rampant. The Klan was formed.

Just like “most” Muslims are peaceful, “most” Christians are not fanatics, “most” gun owners are not crazy, and the list can continue ad finitum, “most” protestors are indeed peaceful.

But some are not. And whenever you have a large crowd gathered, there are often enough nutjobs present to really start some fireworks. Mob mentality.

And that’s not just protestors. Think about, throughout history, how assassinations occurred, or how hangings in the old West were viewed as family entertainment. Too many examples to list.

I’m afraid some of these characters are going to start thinking that everything is now going to be just rosy, how they can have and do anything they want.

What I’m trying to say is that the difference in the election outcome is that these things may not end upon inauguration. With Obama in the White House for the last eight years, and civilly, things going downhill faster each year in respect to the overall vibe in our country, a Clinton administration could quite easily continue this. I don’t see, and of course this is all conjecture, any of that changing with a new president of the same party.

Maybe not even with a president of a different party.

Yes, I’m a conservative; no, I’m not voting for Clinton. Other than that, I can’t say—not that I won’t, I can’t, not yet.

As for protestors, since this may come up, and has, actually, I don’t have a problem with peaceful protests, but I do have a problem when they are so large that, proportionally speaking, there are more nutjobs present with a violent agenda.

That said, I think protests accomplish very little.

Change is necessary, yes, but change doesn’t happen because a large number of people march around or have a sit-in; change doesn’t happen immediately because you demand it, or even because it’s right. Change takes time, and is often more effective if implemented from the inside.

In other words, work hard, take care of your family, make sacrifices of your time and money, become educated—formally or otherwise, be open to discussion, and work over time to effect the change you want.

You know, that whole “catch more flies with honey than vinegar” thing.

This is liable to be a hot topic, especially in light of recent media coverage. Many advocate everyday carry, concealed or open depending on your state’s laws, but relatively few people practice this.

Some carry all day long, indoors and out, everywhere they go; some only when they’re traveling in a “bad” area or out in the woods, and some, of course, have weapons available at home for defense.

For myself, I’m do a little of all of these things: in town, I have Bob—that’s his name—next to my bed, unless there’s rioting going on in the area. Hey, I live in the STL metro area, it happens . . . if it’s going on, Bob moves around the house with me, usually sitting on my desk when I’m working in the office. He definitely travels with me to certain areas, but not to the grocery store or on most errands.

Out at the farm, Bob sits on my desk or the kitchen table, or he goes to the barn or garden or out in the woods with me. Not because I’m afraid of people, but we do have a good-sized snake population. If it’s a venomous variety, it dies.

In either location, if someone comes to the door who I’m not expecting, Bob comes along for the ride.

And you might laugh, but I don’t carry loaded. See, my Glock’s safety is in the trigger and I really don’t want to accidentally shoot someone—or myself. But I practice changing out that mag constantly and I’m very, very fast.

I don’t yet believe that we’ve come to the point where carrying a weapon all over town is necessary. Concealed or open. In fact, I’m not real big on open carry—to me, that’s kind of like having a huge, jacked-up truck. We all know what you’re really concealing there, dude.

The odds of being in a situation where you need to have your weapon, out in public, are really quite small, at least for the time being. And if you’re in a situation like that, you might want to think about where you’re traveling and why and even when. Statistically, if you’re walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night, you’re much more likely to be attacked. So, um, don’t do that, ‘kay?

Sure, there are incidents, recently, where a weapon may have come in handy—and I say “may” because this isn’t Hollywood. Not the movies, ‘kay?

You can practice for and mentally prepare for a situation such as San Bernardino, but until something actually happens, it’s very hard to say how you’re going to react. Believe me. Unless you have a military or LEO background, you’re just a person with a weapon that might make you feel safer, but again, the odds of having to use it and being able to do so are pretty small.

Think about it: a guy jumps in front of you, a big, hulking type, and waves a weapon in your face. Are you really going to be able to pull out your own gun and shoot first, or are you going to be hoping that he doesn’t notice you just peed your pants?

Or what if you’re at the movies and someone starts shooting? Duck and cover, right? Would you really have the presence of mind to pull out your gun, look over the back of that seat and fire back? Think of all the noise, all the confusion . . . I’m not saying you couldn’t, but a real situation is much different than daydreaming about the potential scenario.

It takes a lot more than merely being armed to be effective in an active shooter situation.