Preface
I chose 9-11 as TAT’s launch date because, like most of the world, especially the US and allies, the attacks on America changed my life, dramatically. Despite joining the US military at 17, from 74-77, I returned to civilian life for 25 years to raise a family, run my own business and serve the community my children were raised in. Both joining the military at 17 and service to the greater good, are family traditions. September 11th prompted my return to national service in the military and post retirement, still in support of our national security. Nearly 3,000 Americans perished that awful September day in 2001, simply because they were Americans.
The next two decades, many thousands more perished protecting that same American identity from one type of terrorism, along with other threats. Now, we still face a wide spectrum of threats, including from violent extremists of the 2001 vintage, along with a newer, primary domestic extremist threat from Americans themselves. We cannot manage these threats without all Americans having a better understanding of them.
Now is the time for us to come together, like post 9-11 and deal with these threats based on sound understanding and unity. A non-politically biased, and sound understanding of those threats is the key to our currently elusive, unity. Like 1776’s most popular “meme,” of a dismembered snake, we either survive together… or perish.
Today’s thoughts follow,
When the idea to launch this Substack first crept between my ears, I was contemplating just what our generation would leave those that come afterwards. The context was our grandchildren, their cousins, friends and others, around the world.
Like many of my fellow Americans, I am frustrated that the US government does such a poor job of communicating threat information to its citizens in a manner that is easily understood. Even when there is communication, it comes in the form of the unique, Beltway-speak, that is often nearly impossible for the average citizen to understand. Since a well and accurately informed citizenry was a passion of our founders and also a key component of what government calls resilience, I will focus on talking about our primary threats… in plain language. The content may still be complex and complicated, but TAT will be a step towards what Thomas Jefferson called, “illuminating the public.” Our prestigious founder and third POTUS, like his contemporaries, was a visionary when it came to understanding the requirements to sustain our new democratic republic through its formative years. It is in fact, the 246 years of building our nation’s identity around our founding principles, that has seen us through every challenge that we’ve faced, including our own Civil War.
What we now face, is much along the lines of that Civil War, where opposing “sides” want to interpret our constitution differently, therefore attempting to create two separate identities for one nation. This is a national version of a debilitating personality disorder which leaves us unprepared to address any threat with unity. The 2016 and 2020 elections are living, breathing examples of this. Russia, assaulted our democracy and exploited both of our identities and sub-identities, in order to weaken our nation and its role in global leadership. They did this for their good, at the expense of ours. China followed suit, along with other nations and non-state actors like extremists, including politicians spewing divisive and utterly dishonest, extremist content, masked as political ideology.
As represented in our NSS, National Security Strategy, America and the world, where we have a primary leadership role, face more threats than just other nations or terrorism. There are climate change threats, economic issues, forced migration patterns globally that overwhelm the ability of the US and other nations to manage them. There are water and food insecurities, pandemics and countless other threats to deal with. Success depends on addressing them together, not pulling the nation in different directions because of rigid, political ideology, its own unique threat.
In order to remain safe and safeguard the highest principles of our democracy, that have served us so well for those 246 years, we must come together over truth, science and their reality, or lose our cherished American identity and by extension, our freedom. Unity over our values and who we are as a nation, are the key to the aforementioned resiliency.
With all of this said, TAT is geared towards replacing Beltway-speak, conspiracy theories and malignant ideology with honesty. My definition of honesty; “all known and credible facts, presented in objective context.” Over the ensuing years, we’ll cover many types of threats from different perspectives. We will do all of this, with credibly acquired facts, knowledge and wisdom. It is literally… “the American way.”
A hearty welcome, to Truth about Threats,
Paul
"a good moral character is the first essential in a man? It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous."
- George Washington
1790