By Nathan Barton

The enemies of liberty are all around us: we must strike and not count the blows; for just one strike, just one effort, is not enough. We are not talking about or advocating aggression against those who are the enemies of our freedom, our liberties, our lives; we are defending ourselves and the future against them. Consider these rules or concepts:

1. Recognize we are already at war—we just don’t know it. Consider the battle over privacy and security of our personal information. This is not just a matter of policy. It’s a matter of our very survival as free men and women. It is a zero sum game—we win or they win. We must act appropriately, avoid distractions and concentrate on the goal of victory for liberty.

2. Do not believe the enemy. For example, the claim “Violence [or the serious threat thereof] never settles anything” is patently false. History shows that it indeed does settle many things. Please don’t forget this—your enemy hasn’t, no matter how much they preach it.

3. Never underestimate your enemy, but always make him underestimate you. There are some advantages to being perceived as “nerdy intellectuals . . .” and people who just talk.

4. Educate yourself –don’t be content to be part of the herd. Learn useful things. Stupid, lazy people are not free people. And knowledge leads to liberty. “You shall know the truth…”

5. Don’t take anything for granted. Things are not always what they seem. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to be the same as today. Your own personal and family routine can be disrupted quite easily. Do you have a contingency plan? (Or several? ML)

6. Be a leader—don’t be a sheep. Generate your own solutions instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you. (How many times have I heard some lover of liberty complaining that nothing is happening in his area? What do I tell him . . . ?)

7. Get tough, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The weak will surely perish. Don’t be afraid to be seen as a dissenter. Speak your mind—you’ll find people will respect you for it and will listen to what you have to say. Be willing to take risks. And most importantly, don’t take counsel from your fears. This is what the enemy expects you to do in the face of his superior strength (so he thinks). Disappoint him . . .

8. Don’t engage the enemy on ground of his choosing. Don’t accept his labels—“domestic terrorist,” “right-wing extremist,” “libertine,” “druggie-lover,” etc. These terms are meant to shame and marginalize you. Know your own mind and laugh them off. This is quite unsettling to the enemy. Once he sees that you don’t wish to be accepted into his “system” or “society,” then he loses a major weapon (ostracization) to use against you.

9. Be unpredictable. If the enemy expects you to do “A,” then do “B.” Be creative. Be unpredictable. Don’t let him anticipate your actions.

10. Pay heed to your experiences in all things. If something works, use it. If something fails, abandon it. If something is necessary, keep it; if it proves useless, get rid of it. This includes the mental as well as the physical.

11. Don’t allow useless sentiments or junk to rule you. Get rid of anything that is a drag on your ability to be an effective advocate and partisan for liberty.

12. Know hope. You will make mistakes. They are valuable learning experiences. Just don’t make big ones that cannot be overcome. Don’t give in to cynicism, defeatism, or nihilism—they will assure your ultimate destruction. Be realistic but never abandon your sense of optimism and hope for the future. Never fall victim to complacency—you can always do better.

13. Always act as if you are fighting in the last ditch for the survival of all you hold dear. He who is willing to fight, kill and die for a cause will defeat one who isn’t. The enemy is intent on killing you and taking all you have. He has made this fight personal—you had better take it that way. Even if our tools and tactics are not those of violence, the soldier’s mentality is essential, even as Paul wrote.

In the struggle to restore liberty, there is no middle ground for compromise. Losing means that my grandchildren will grow up in a tyranny worse than any third world country. A victory for transnational progressivism, with its handmaidens multiculturalism and diversity, means that we, as free men and women, cease to exist as a viable and prosperous people able to live in a free ad advanced economy and society.