When I see little piles of rabbit dung near my garden, I know it's time to sight in the .22.
And when I pull up to a gas pump or an ATM, and see a sign saying "Use Your Hand To Protect Your PIN"! with a little graphic of a user crouched over the keypad hiding his other hand, I know that the white rabbits are on the run and have gotten out to where I live.
The sign reminds me of nothing so much as directions to a rabbit: "Crouch down in the grass, be completely still, and maybe the coyote or the owl won't see you".
Here's what the sign SHOULD say:
"If you are being watched or threatened by someone who may be looking for your PIN number, YOU ARE IN A RED-ZONE PREDATION AREA! IF you are not able to properly assess and defend against the threat, LEAVE NOW and obtain your cash or your gasoline in a safe place. The person who will steal your PIN will likely hurt or kill you to obtain your card. LEAVE NOW! "
I hate to see these signs about as much as I hate to hear "Para Espanol, oprima 'dos'". (I never answer the 1 for English 2 for Spanish question, I just hang up or log out. Estos son los Estados Unidos, y aqui hablemos Ingles, pal). It's part of the "Do what the gentleman says and don't cause trouble" or its corollary, the "Scream and Run" advice that has gotten us where we are today.
Even if I'm in a safe-looking place, I heed your advice. Know who is around you and why they are likely there. Let them know you are looking at them; not to get them stiff-legging around you as if you are a threat, but let them know you are a ferret and not a rabbit.
If I get out of my car and someone is in viewing distance of the ATM or gas pump keypad, I will either look at them or otherwise let them know not to be dipping into my business.
I'm not a tough guy by any stretch of the imagination, but I AM a 6'2" Anglo-Saxon who has had enough of backing up and crouching down, and I do believe that "standing on guard with an assured countenance" will take care of 95% of the dangerous situations.
The other 5%? I'll probably need help. That's next.
La Mano, great piece. Feel free to send more when you have the time. I am reminded of the rout of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by the rabbits after Austerlitz. The organizer of his rabbit hunt unfortunately dressed the Emperor up like the rabbits' caretaker and they swarmed him seeking food...
The Hunt for Whitey
Recognizing and Surviving the Condition of Anarcho-Tyranny
