Cowardice Versus Preparation

Militant stand triumphant at the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya

Nearly a year ago, on the anniversary of one of the most brutal attacks ever to take place on American soil we were once again the victims of premeditated violence in Benghazi, Libya. The attack left us with four dead Americans and plenty of questions. The four dead left us honorably in the service of a country that owes them more than most are willing to admit and they will go down in history as martyrs for the American way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

                Only a few short weeks ago numerous credible threats arose in the Middle East from various terrorist organizations wanting to attack a number of embassies at the same time. Following the brutal attack in Libya the year before the State Department took appropriate action and directed the embassies to reassess their security situations and make the necessary adjustments even up to closing for a short period of time. Some merely adjusted patrols and gate details while others closed or limited traffic within their compounds but ultimately the attack didn’t happen and there was a temporary sigh of relief.

                Following the media announcement of the threat and the potential closures of embassies throughout the Middle East I was engaged in a heated debate online over whether or not the State Department’s actions following the threats could be considered cowardice. Not being one to immediately call Americans, whether they are or aren’t, cowards I jumped into the conversation to defend our honor. My antagonist claimed that the actions of the State Department were akin to running and hiding when we should be standing proudly and boldly against the threat. Although I share in his enthusiasm about Americans standing boldly against our enemies in the face of sure danger I believe there is a balance to it. One that shouldn’t be taken lightly. His jab that their actions were, “inviting the terrorists to come here [to America] and attack us” was one that embellished and inaccurate.

                I do not intend to debate about the causes of Benghazi or who was to blame for it since I have a stronger opinion about the situation than most. What I do intend to do is clearly explain why the State Department took the proper actions in the face of these credible threats and why they are not acting cowardly. The difference between cowardice and preparedness is nothing more than controlling your fear and understanding the threat. Embassies receive threats on a daily basis and luckily most of them are benign. These small pieces of American government operate daily in the face of possible annihilation knowing full well the dangers involved in being there. They don’t duck and run without good reason so I would like to explain the typical threat analysis process that most government agencies utilize and how you as a civilian can apply the same process.

                Most people call people that prepare for danger “paranoid” or “delusional” until that moment that their preparation pays off and they are temporarily redeemed. The biggest difference between an actual paranoid and a person who is properly prepared is the context of the threat. Paranoids will jump at anything and many of these people could easily be called cowards. A wise person on the other hand understands credible threats and incredible threats and how to properly prepare for them.

                Very few people expect bad things to happen to them on a daily basis. Driving to work, mowing the lawn, taking a morning job or any other regular event will often pass without any thought to the potential threats lurking around the corner. Most think of threats as foreign events outside their local environment. It’s a “out of mind, out of sight” mentality and although they might go their whole lives without an incident they will surely regret not preparing if something happens. The thing about daily routines is that each event contained in the routine requires a level of preparedness that is proportional to the likelihood of that threat occurring. Understanding threats, researching them, planning for them and then reassessing should be done regularly for anyone one no matter where they are or what they’re doing. This process will keep them safe and secure in the event of a danger.

            1.    IDENTIFY THE THREAT

Most daily routines require little preparedness because the likelihood of that threat is next to nothing. However, if there is a measureable level of danger then there are precautions that should be made. Each task should be given a general assessment of potential dangers by beginning with your own experiences. Driving a vehicle is something that most people can relate to and in almost every case either you or someone you know has been in a car collision. Have you or a friend experienced a flat tire, a car maintenance issue or maybe even something as simple as running out of gas? These items should be the first items on your list and then you can move onto items that you know can occur but have never experienced. Once you’ve collected a list of threats you start to put them in order of most likely to occur; throwing out the ones that are either impossible or just highly unlikely.

2.       RESEARCH THE THREAT

The threat list can then be either solidified or trimmed with proper research. Take the time to find out the statistics surrounding the threats. Look for roads, intersections and areas that are problematic or types of cars that exhibit regular maintenance problems. Identify manufacture’s recalls and potential weather obstacles to the kind of vehicle you drive. Knowing how your car works and how to do simple maintenance could be the difference between being stuck on the side of the road and getting home. There can never be too much research regarding the dangers around each of us. Of all the steps this is the one that will be most important because the more that is done the better you will understand and be able to prepare for them.

Research is also the first step to taking a real action towards protecting yourself. Upon buying our new house my wife and I did research on crime rates and punitive statistics in the area. We looked at recent and past amber alerts as well as identified flagged and potentially dangerous criminals living in the area. There are a number of places online that provide regular and up to date statistics. Many government agencies to include Homeland Security, FBI and CDC come out with annual national reports that cover a number of different items. For more specific regional issues you can contact local and state police as well as numerous websites dedicated to statistics.

3.       PLANNING FOR THE THREAT

Once the threat is identified and researched you can begin to plan a proper course of action. Knowing the dangerous roads, intersections and areas will give you the opportunity to either avoid them or be exceptionally aware when passing through them. Installing general use emergency equipment in your car such as fire extinguishers and first aid kits will prepare you for a number of potential vehicle dangers. Planning for flat tires, maintenance problems and similar issues keeps you and your vehicle rolling down the road.

4.       REASSESSING THE THREAT

Reassessing is actually a two part step and with any luck you will likely only ever have to perform the first part of it. Once you’ve identified, researched and planned it can’t just be ignored. Each threat has the potential to change and become a threat again. Statistics, safety ratings, vehicle recalls and other factors change on a regular basis requiring you have to revisit and readjust your plans as necessary. Vehicles age, gain miles and ultimately get worse with time making your daily commute more dangerous daily. Reassessing that threat regularly at you three, six month or annual car check-up will allow you to make alterations.

The second part of this step is usually following an event in which despite your proper planning you’ve ended up in a bad situation. Unfortunately that happen but the great thing is that no matter what happens you can use it as a learning experience. Gather as much data and experience from it as you can and apply it towards the next time so that you can be better prepared and maybe even prevent it from happening. I believe this step is the one step that is crucial to preventing repeat events. It is this very step that adds wisdom to the State Department’s decision following the more recent threats. They learned from Benghazi and despite the arguments they made the safe call based on previous experiences.

Identifying the threats, researching them, planning for them and reassessing regularly is the best way to keep yourself and your family safe from any threat. This process can be applied to nearly any potential danger and it is guaranteed to help. Remember that if you follow these steps you’re acting on credible threats and you are performing wisely. Cowardice are those that run and hide without thinking and paranoids are those that can’t control their fears. We are Jack of All Spades and we are prepared.