Protecting the Innocent

As a Jack or Jill, each member of this community has already decided for themselves how they are going to act in any dangerous or confrontational situation. The Jacks possess the training and the level-headedness to make choices that can protect lives—especially the life of an innocent bystander.

It was once proposed to me that any gun owner worth his barrel would never leave his home to protect his neighbor in an emergency. I’ve often wondered how true his statement would be.

The answer is most likely. The average gun owner, even one with a concealed carry permit, is only trained to protect themselves and their home. Running into another person’s home trying to save lives is not something just anyone would or should do. Even those trained often are overcome with fear or apathy toward the victims.

Emergency situations should all be assessed before jumping into action. There are five steps:

     NOTICE that there is an emergency. Taking note of the situation is a critical step one because large groups of people are less likely to see things around them. As an individual, you are responsible to look around and stay aware of your surroundings.

      

      DETERMINE that there is an emergency. Make sure for yourself that there is something going on that is beyond the range of normal interaction. What you may have noticed as odd initially may turn out to be benign.

      DECIDE how responsible you feel. If someone is choking and you know the Heimlich maneuver and you didn’t help that person, then you would feel guilty if you didn’t help out. Knowing how responsible you’ll feel will make it easy to determine if you will help. This is the difference between those who choose to help and those who walk by. Whether you can help or not—you may still feel like it is your responsibility to assist in a situation.

     

      CREATE a plan of action. Before you do anything to get involved determine what it is that you can do to help. This could be coordinating others or calming people who have information or skills you may need, or it can be calling the proper authorities. A plan of action is the best way to orderly contain an emergency situation.

     IMPLEMENTATION Put your plan into action. And take whatever action necessary to relieve the situation until responsibility can be handed over to the first responders.

Very often knowing what to do and having the courage to do it will make Jacks and Jills the most responsible people available. In the case of a home invasion or a dangerous situation you also have to consider how dangerous it will be for you. 

If lives cannot be saved by your intervention then putting your life at risk may not be worth it. It is up to every individual to ask themselves if they have the skills to help without putting another person’s life at stake.

The victims of crime or other life threatening situations are the innocent lives that can be saved but so are those in the vicinity who could be affected for good or for bad. In an emergency there may never be a call for help, but there will always be opportunities for one to do so. Helping, saving, and protecting the innocent is some of the most important training any Jack could undertake.

--Guest Author: Marissa Barnes

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. 

Braveheart

Mel Gibson as William Wallace, 1995

       Despite what he might choose to do or say in his personal time, Mel Gibson produced and directed one of the greatest movies of the last three decades. Released in 1995, Braveheart took the world by storm and won the praise of millions. That success can be attributed to a lot of the hard work and dedication of the team support Gibson but I believe that its popularity is based firmly in the content of the story and the portrayal of one of the greatest revolutionaries ever to have lived. The real life of Sir William Wallace differed significantly from the Mel Gibson version but there can still be much to learn from the qualities of this fictional version.
       In Mel Gibson’s version of William Wallace he is overcome with grief over the loss of his wife and goes on a rampage through the town and with the help of friends storms the fort and kills the sheriff. This revolt ignites the already tenuous situation in Scotland regarding the English occupation and hundreds flock to Wallace to support him in his revolt against the English. Throughout the movie the Scots gain ground and even invade England until they are eventually betrayed by the Scottish nobles who are bought by Kind Edward Longshanks, the King of England. Wallace is then brutally and publically executed by the order of King Edward. Following his death, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick takes up Wallace’s place and leads the Scots into battle for freedom.

Sir William Wallace

       The original catalyst to his cause might have been the death of his wife but the sustaining power was brought on the desire to be free. Wallace states in the movie that he just wants to have a farm, marry and have children. There is no desire for vengeance or a thirst for blood rather the entire motivation is to live his life as he dictates and not as a king would. Wallace struggled with the Scottish nobles to see that uniting under the flag of Scotland was more important than who was king of Scotland. That obtaining liberty for a free Scotland was much more important than anything.
       Braveheart clearly gives three examples of the kind of people and their responses to life threatening stimuli. The first is William Wallace who strikes back and doesn’t allow the stimuli control him. The second example is Robert the Bruce who doesn’t enjoy being controlled by the stimuli but lacks the courage to do anything. The last example is everyone else who is either too unaware to realize that they’re being affected or that they are too afraid to do anything about it.
       Wallace stood when no one else did and in truth he stood regardless of what others were doing. He knew there was a problem and there was action to take and he took it. He didn’t wait for someone else to take charge. He didn’t wait for it to get any worse. In this he displays the kind of courage that we seek for in Everyday Jacks. Years ago I heard two phrases that have stuck with me and have become part of my repertoire of phrases. The first was, “If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything” by Malcom X and the second was, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” attributed to Edmund Burke. Each of these phrases has found their way into my heart in a way that echoes truth. Mel Gibson’s Wallace was the exemplar to these principles and even though his rebellion might have started out as revenge for his wife he eventually turned it into the desire for freedom.
       I believe that a good portion of people fall in to the second category.  Men like Robert the Bruce are those that either know they should do something and don’t or they give up doing something in lieu of what they feel society wants them to do. Many of these might be in dead end jobs because that’s what they were supposed to do and not because of any actual choice of their own. These men and woman might even be living their dreams by working where they work or doing what they do but when it comes to intervening into things beyond their comfort zone the second guess or hesitate to do anything. Most people know what it right and what should be done in any give situation but it’s the real heroes that act on those impulses; Robert the Bruce didn’t.

       The last category is the “sheep” category. These are those that are content to live their life oblivious to the events surrounding them. They might see an issue that could use their attention and yet they’ve developed the mantra of, “it’s not my problem” rather than investing interest in the lives of those around them. It is difficult for these people to change and most of that has to do with fear. They’re afraid that if they step out to help someone that it will be bad for them and that they will only attract more attention to themselves.

        As I watched this movie again most recently I thought about what it would take for me to stand up and act in the way that Wallace did. Would I need to lose my wife before I responded to the tyranny? Would I need to lose lands, property or my freedom before I acted? Most people require a catalyst to encourage them into action and on a number of occasions I’ve found myself in the same situation. I see what needs to be done and I just can’t find a way to ignite that movement.
        Rarely are we placed in a situation that needs a nationwide revolution but there are little revolutions that are needed daily. Situations arise regularly around us that need our attention. Stepping up to defend the old lady being bullied by some teenagers or maybe stepping in to make sure a woman is ok when her boyfriend gets a little rough. I’ve been present for more than one of these kinds of events and every time they ended better than I had planned. That’s not to say that it couldn’t go wrong someday but my idea is that even if 9 out of 10 times it ends well then I’m still doing good 9 out of 10 times.
        Find the catalyst to spur you to action. Everyone is different and we all need different things to get us moving but find out what it is and put it to use. We need more men and women willing to stand up and take action and less falling for everything. If we had even a handful more men and women like Wallace we’d be better off in any situation we could be handed.

Honor

Ford's Theater, late 1890's

     On the night of April 14th, 1865 a simple bodyguard sat on the other side of a door from the man he was protecting. It was a day like any other for John F. Parker, a less than average member of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He arrived late, to duty as was his fashion, reeking of alcohol and cigar smoke from a long day of frivolities that would have made any proper lady cringe at the mention of such activities. In truth there wasn’t much required from an officer in his position but he still approached it with such a lack of respect that he failed to even reach the minimum requirements. Once he had finished escorting his man to the proper spot and had sat for about a half an hour he began to feel the effects of his earlier drinking subside and the craving for some more peaked his interest. 

     He left his post assuring himself that his man would be busy behind that door for another hour or two and that it couldn’t hurt to get a drink and return before it was time for them to leave. Grabbing the footman and coachman from out front they walked next door to the tavern for a drink. It is likely that the following events of that night held little importance to Mr. Parker neither does it show in the history books that he made any efforts to change what was about to take place but on that night the President of the United States of America was going to die. 

     Abraham Lincoln had been attending the play, “Our American Cousin” at the request of his wife and although he’d seen it before he obliged and was carted off to the state box in the Ford’s Theater on the evening of April 14th, 1865. John F. Parker was the officer assigned to watch over President Lincoln that night but due to his dereliction he was absent when John Wilkes Booth cowardly entered the state box and shot the President in the back of the head. 

     In reality the assassination cannot be blamed completely on one man for failing his job. There were so many more plans and secret doings that led up to the attack that even one more man might not have changed anything but could it have changed something? Would Mr. Parker in his disorderly state have been able to stop Booth? What if Mr. Parker had taken his job seriously, trained himself regularly and took pride and satisfaction for a job well done? Could he have made a difference? I submit that had Mr. Parker been more dedicated to his job by training, preparing and actively working towards protecting his assigned man then President Lincoln might have survived the attack to fill the rest of his last term as President. 

     This story is tragic for a lot of reasons but the one point that bothers me the most is that Mr. Parker was found in the arms of a prostitute at a well-known brothel the following day with little idea as to what happened to President Lincoln. His disinterest to the consequences of his actions is infuriating. With only some honor in his heart and a little more dedication to his job the life of one of the greatest Americans could have been spared.

     The nation was plunged into squabbling and in-fighting between the Vice-President turned President and other members of the administration but by the time Ulysses S. Grant is elected the country was coming to its senses and the United States had solidified the Union again. I admire greatly President Lincoln for everything he stood for, fought for and ached over. He remains my favorite president and continues to be a font of inspiration when times get tough. I find it almost ironic that a man of such honor and integrity would be failed but such an ignominious man. 

 

John Wilkes Booth moments before the fatal shot.

    I apply the example of John F. Parker to the Jack of All Spades regularly because it is such a vivid description of what happens when you fail to act. It’s a vivid example of what happens when you don’t hold honor in high regard. Everyday Jacks should hold honor as the greatest and most influential power in their lives. Honorable men are better fathers, friends, neighbors, coworkers, relatives and citizens. They are harder working, better trained and more reliable than their ignominious counterparts. In turn, an honorable man’s actions have drastic effects on the lives of those around them as seen by the lack of honor that Mr. Parker had on the night of April 14th, 1865. 

     As a member of the U.S. Armed Forces you often find yourself being tasked with things that are unappealing. Usually the lower ranks are tasked to “do their time” so that the other, more senior members can do other jobs and not have to worry about cleaning the bathrooms or taking out the trash. I spent nearly 3 years responsible for the cleanliness of the bathroom on the ship I was first assigned to. Between toilet overflows, careless sailors and a multitude of other unmentionable filth I had cleaned through nearly everything you could imagine and hated every minute of it but every time I was on my hands and knees cleaning toilets or clearing drains I thought back to some of the wisest advice I’ve ever been told. A good friend once told me that the secret to success is, “to do whatever job you’re assigned to do to the best of your ability. When given a job to clean toilets you scrub and clean those better than anyone else. That work ethic and that responsibility to duty is what will set you apart and open doors for you.” 

     What my friend said is what I hold as the definition of honor. To be assigned a task, responsibility, a duty and you do it with all your ability because you were given it. Don’t whine about the task, don’t shirk the responsibility and don’t neglect the duty, it was assigned to you. You never know what might happen if you fail in your duties. Work ethic is what keeps you going, loyalty is what keeps you there but honor is what holds everything together. We encourage all of our members to invoke that sense of honor and remember the people that they represent. Everyone represents a family name and most represent friends, churches and communities but the ones that really stand out are the honorable men and women that are held with such high esteem. These are those who do exactly the opposite of John F. Parker and are ready to act. 

     I don’t expect everyone to be in positions to protect important people but I do expect that you take pride in your work and live up to the expectations people have in you. Do not fail them no matter how menial the task might appear. Most of us are simple people with simple jobs but do we approach our daily jobs with the same dedication, with the same honor as we would in protecting the President of the United States?