Instead of begging the government to ramp up security measures that are already out of control, citizens should become pro-active about their own security.
With the holiday season beginning, here are some very simple steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim:
1. Don’t travel in peak season.
Terrorists aim for the “propaganda of the deed.”
They want maximum publicity for their attacks.
One way to ensure it is to take as many people down as possible. Killing them in public spaces where their movement is confined is the best way to do that.
That’s why terrorist plots often involve trains and airlines during holiday season and at events.
In transit, backpacks and suitcases carrying weapons/bombs are not suspect – everyone’s packed and going some place.
Movements and actions that would be suspicious anywhere else pass for normal here. You see someone running fast, you assume he’s late for his flight. You see someone scrabbling through his baggage, you think he’s lost his passport. You see someone reach into his pocket suddenly, you think he’s looking for his cell-phone.
Transit stations also have plenty of phone-booths and wi-fi, and computer terminals for an attacker to get information and coordinate with others.
Transit stations have rest-rooms to hide in, flowing water, money-exchanges to get cash or foreign exchange and stores to buy a SIM card or battery. There’s always lots of noise to hide suspicious sounds and there are people from all over speaking foreign languages, so wherever a terrorist is from, he can pass more easily.
Bottom-line:
Avoid airlines, trains, and bus journeys at peak times in the day or year. Try to travel before or after the crowd, or in off-season, or after rush-hour.
2. Travel light
When you travel, travel light. The fewer things you have to carry, the less likely you will leave your bags unattended while you go to the bathroom or get a trolley. The lighter your bags, the easier it is for you to run with them if you do get caught near a gunman. The fewer things you have, the less time you’ll spend at check-points, where your attention is on watching your belongings rather than on your surroundings. The fewer things you have, the easier it will be to tell if someone has stuffed something in among them. The smaller your bag, the easier it will be for you to get up from an airline seat and move into the aisles in an emergency.
Bottom-line:
Keep your focus on your surroundings and not on your things.
3. Know where help lies
Identify the exits, the public phones, the wifi spots, the rest-rooms, the guards/police stations, the information booths, and the first-aid centers/clinics, in any location. Make sure to keep their numbers handy. Keep a cell-phone with a camera and audio device handy.
This way, even if you do become involved in a terrorist incident, you’ll minimize the damage and have some record of what happened.
4. Be aware of the people around you.
There’s no need to turn into a paranoid DHS snitch, reporting anyone who looks the least bit out of the ordinary. But it pays to keep an eye on people close to you, especially if they’re doing something odd.
Avoid staring, but take note of suspicious bulges and packages and if your gut tells you to, move away immediately. A good compromise is to inform airline officials.
They’ll probably handle it better than the police and an innocent person won’t end up shot.
5. Avoid crowds, hot-spots, celebrity events, historic locations, and historic enemies
Terrorists try to take down as many as possible and they try to do it as publicly as possible. So one way to avoid them is to avoid crowds of any kind, whether during subway rush hour, or at a concert or football event.
But also steer clear of any place that celebrities or journalists frequent. Avoid shows or events that have gotten a lot of attention in the press. Pick less known resorts, hotels, clubs or beaches to visit.
Also avoid places that have symbolic or historical significance that might make them terrorist targets. Skip the “tourist trap” locations and sight-see around more low-key areas.
Keep abreast of the news so that you get to hear of any rumors or suspicions of terrorist activity well before anything happens.
Read history and current events to know which groups or people might be inclined to make your race, culture, or country a target.
Then try to avoid those groups.
This will be called bigotry and “profiling,” but profiling is only wrong for the government, because it has enforcement powers. It’s not for you.
Personally, I would prefer to be insensitive and alive rather than super-sensitive and dead.
That’s why I don’t enter “tough” white neighborhoods. I’ve had one or two bad experiences there and with all the public scare-mongering about immigrants, the third-world, “shit-skins,” and “dots,” I know better.
Similarly, a young black man might want to avoid walking in a neighborhood with lots of Mexican gangs. A yeshiva student probably doesn’t want to mix with the students of the local madrassa. Conservative heterosexual males from the south should skip the gay scene in New York.
All this is not “hate” or “prejudice,” as the brain-washers would have it. It’s just self-preservation.
It’s common-sense.
Too bad that’s the first victim of terrorist attacks.