good points all...
Posted on 08/12/2011 7:56:16 AM PDT by Travis McGee
Resistance to Tyranny begins with a chapter entitled “Why Armed Resistance?” Martino explains that international warfare was not the 20th Century’s greatest killer, but rather that official government tyranny holds that position of dishonor by a very wide margin. He then explores the link between gun control and state genocide, going through the historical cases of Turkey, the Soviet Union, Germany, China and other countries. Then, brick by brick, Martino builds the case for the morality of armed resistance to tyranny, postulating a “just insurgency doctrine” similar to the more familiar “just war” doctrine.
In the first five chapters Martino studies past rebellions and insurgencies from the American Revolution to the present day, to draw out and explore their timeless lessons. He also examines the government reactions to these insurgencies, starting with the crushing of dissent via state propaganda and the creation of enemy classes, use of economic leverage, deliberately nurturing crime waves for the purpose of installing police-state controls, through the full spectrum of violent repression by a gangster state. Martino’s analysis is consistently well thought out, lucid and downright fascinating in this overview of the eternal struggle between the forces of repression and freedom.
It would not be possible to examine the remaining contents of the book in any meaningful detail in a short review. In the interest of brevity, here is a partial listing of the remaining chapter titles, to give you an idea of the ground that is covered:
- Overt and Covert Resistance, - Personal Weapons, - Personal Equipment, - Survival Skills, - Camouflage and Concealment, - Boobytraps, - Weapons Caching, - Logistics, - Training, - Secure Base Camps, - Safe Houses, - Communications, - Encryption and Codes, - Ambushes, - Sniping, - Sabotage, - Raids, - Strategic Intelligence, - Tactical Intelligence, and - Counterintelligence.
The information is current; for example, taking into account the use of UAVs for covert population surveillance, internet data-mining, and other evolving technological frontiers.
This book is meant to be a primer, and not a collection of nuts-and-bolts tips to be employed in the field. For example, the chapter on boobytraps does not include details on how to build them, but rather lays out the general types of devices and the principles of their employment, as well as their pros and cons. For those who wish to study the subject matter in greater depth, at the end of each chapter there is a bibliography.
If Resistance to Tyranny is a primer for successful insurgency, then the entire reading list included would constitute a post-graduate education. The content that was mastered and then synthesized by Martino in order to produce this work is staggering. For that effort alone he deserves our hearty salute.
Here is just one of the hundreds of titles cited in the book, in this case with Martino’s comments following: “U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual (U.S. Army Field Manual No. 3-24), University of Chicago Press. Undoubtedly the finest manual ever written on the subject. It will almost certainly be used by tyrannical governments faced with freedom-oriented resistance forces, as well as by democratic governments faced with communist or fascist insurgencies. Resistance forces should study it carefully, to prepare for government counter-operations. (Also available as a download at http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf ).”
That is just one of the countless nuggets and gems contained in Resistance to Tyranny.
Martino’s examination of likely government counterinsurgency tactics could be particularly helpful to those who may be at personal risk during a future time of official state repression. If cruel history is a guide, today’s patriotic and freedom-oriented opinion leaders will likely be considered tomorrow’s potential dissident leaders by a state gradually turned tyrant. Punishment for resisting tyranny may range from the loss of employment all the way to the gulags or worse.
Martino points out that the period while a nascent insurgency is attempting to emerge is particularly dangerous. He even cites historical examples of the establishment of bogus resistance organizations created for the covert purpose of identifying enemies of the state through false-flag recruitment. This is certainly something to consider in the internet era, with anonymous government-sponsored provocateurs busily typing away.
‘Keyboard commandos’, indeed.
If you believe in your heart that your homeland could never be dragged down into a dictatorship, Resistance to Tyranny will be of no interest to you.
But perhaps you are not so sanguine about your country’s future, and you observe your government in action with growing trepidation. If you would rather shape your own future and influence events in the ongoing struggle for human freedom, and not merely allow yourself to be buffeted by the storm winds of possible coming strife, you should not only read this book but study it. If and when the conditions are met for a “just insurgency,” books like this may be banned and will certainly not be as easily obtainable as they are today, during freedom’s long eclipse. (Of special note to those who prefer reading on electronic tablets: e-books may disappear into the ether with the same alacrity with which they appeared on your screen. Consider what is truly saved, and what is not. You might consider purchasing a dead-trees copy of this and similar titles.)
Resistance to Tyranny is an up-to-date study of insurgency methods, tactics and strategies. I recommend it most highly. If you believe that at this juncture it is critical to be a student of civil conflict throughout history, you should give Joseph Martino’s outstanding contribution to the cause of freedom a place of honor on your patriot’s bookshelf. While always hoping, of course, that the information it contains is never needed … except to entertain your unceasingly inquisitive mind on all matters of the gloriously messy and commonly unjust human condition.
I agree. And another factor to consider is that there has never been a social upheaval such as the one we’re discussing, where the law-abiding population was so well armed. Including with tens of millions of scoped deer rifles. The FLEAs will not be eager to incur the general wrath of a “million deer rifle army of one,” with no group, no membership, nothing but shots fired one at a time from long range.
I just hope I’m around to see the other end of the coming Time of Troubles.
Yeah, that recommendation made me smile too.
I’ll remind you what happened to the World War I veterans that camped on the Washington Mall demanding that Congress pay them the bonus they were promised early (google bonus army for the story). This was for the most part a peaceful demonstration that happened at the start of the depression in 1932. A Republican President sent the Army in to kick them out with several people being killed (including a baby). Don’t think that if you represent a threat to the powers that be that they won’t find the time and resources to deal with you, even if everything else is going to hell. Looters that are killing, robbing and raping other peons don’t represent a threat to them so they won’t really care but an armed and organized group trying to take control does and they will react very swiftly and forcefully.
I lived through the LA riots after the Rodney King beating and I can tell you that if you had been shooting at the looters in the nicer parts of town that you would have been arrested (in fact many shop owners were arrested and sent to jail for a long, long time). The Armed Koreans for the most part were ignored by the cops because they were in the middle of the no go zone for the cops. So I would say that it would depend on where you are because even in that situation there were places were the cops still had control. Also, it was more of a political move by the cops to pull out of the black areas rather than a lack of manpower (at least at first).
In any case survival will be your first priority during those time and trust me there won’t be much opportunity to organize a revolution when your looking for the next meal.
The Bonus Army affair cannot possibly be used as an example of federal might. A bunch of people camping in DC being attacked with lethal force is a far cry from SHTF whereby the people are armed to the teeth, pissed off, and looking for payback and trying to survive. No person claiming authority would be left alive. The people would have nothing left to lose or to give expect their hatred and anger. Imagine a community trying to provide itself fresh water being told by anyone, government or otherwise, that the river is off limits. What kind of government employee could possibly be so stupid as to try, knowing that the last employee that tried that was never found?
good points all...
Interesting points, but they will not be relevant. The Bonus Army showed how the federal govt might be willing to use deadly force to break up a camp on federal property, but so what? Intent and willingness to use force won’t mean Jack Squat when the feds are not being paid, but they are risking a bullet from nowhere every time they step outside.
The fedgov might be perfectly willing to employ the FLEAs and the military against Constitutional patriots, that does not mean they will be able to prevent the “ten million deer rifle army of one” from taking them out, one at a time, on a personal level.
And that goes for the families of LEOs and FLEAs: report for duty to attempt arresting your neighbors and fellow citizens, the ex-military experienced hunters, because some nimrod in DC wants to be a dictator, or take care of your own.
When society collapses, a significant portion of LEOs and FLEAs will likely be AWOL protecting their families and/or refusing to trample the Constitution.
You can carve that in stone. And the Powers that Be will be far more interested in employing the remaining on duty FLEAs in VIP protection (of themselves) rather than in rooting out widely scattered constitutional patriots.
roger that... their names and addresses are known in the areas they "Protect and Serve"
And the FLEAs, few in number, may suddenly find out that the local LEOs are no longer interested in playing the role of dutiful support troops.
yup, being lackeys of lackeys will no longer be a desirable gig once they have some skin in the game...
I just received my copy of this book. Nicely done. Good info but never to detailed to lose the reader. Leaves lots to personal interpretation instead of prescribing as most other books do.
” The bibliography alone would be worth the price.”
No doubt! I thought I knew most of the vendors in the community but he gave references to a few I didn’t know of.
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