Identifying a Threat

Living near predators is dangerous regardless of how benign they may appear. People that either bait a bear into their yard or creep too close to get a better view can suffer a catastrophic attack. One must realistically identify a threat before a plan of avoidance or elimination can be developed.

The government approach to both the Ebola and ISIS threats are a bit too passive. In the case of ISIS (who have sworn to bring jihad to the USA), the advice is to not be too concerned because it is a regional problem. We will drop some bombs, tell others to mop up the mess and call it a day. A week after ISIS called on its followers to behead infidels in the USA; a Moore, Oklahoma woman was beheaded by a radicalized Muslim convert. The assault has been initially classified as “workplace violence”. There is a concern that a majority of Muslims will get their feelings hurt if the threat is identified as radical followers of the Prophet Mohammed.

So Grandma gets frisked at the airport because we don’t want to be accused of profiling. That’s like avoiding squirrels while walking through the forest because they are furry, just like grizzly bears. We certainly don’t want to give the bears a complex!  . Perhaps if there was less tolerance shown towards the Islamic world due to their destructive brothers, the Muslims themselves would rise up and eliminate the threat of the Jihadists.

Regarding Ebola, the virus is centered in three African countries. One would think that travel would be severely restricted from those countries until the epidemic has subsided, but no…… We are told that it will make things worse for the people in those countries if they can’t travel here. Well, that’s a dilemma, the safety of our families or the inability of a limited number of people to visit the states! We don’t want to bruise their self-esteem because we are selfishly concerned about contracting a deadly disease.

In the wild, one cannot avoid or confront a threat if that threat has not been identified. If you unknowingly walk upon a bear, no plan of action will help you avoid the consequences. Ignorance and hope is not a successful strategy for survival neither in the woods nor in the world.