COLUMN: A Confederate Yankee
Wake Up, America!
By Bill Mayers
America is at war. The frightening thing is, almost nobody realizes it. And the enemy is well into his attack while we stump along, oblivious. And unless we get our collective heads out of our collective rumps, we’ll be done to a turn.
Trouble is, this does not look like a war. No massed troops. No guns, bombs, missiles or nukes. What kinda war is that? Well, it’s the most serious kind in the present day: It’s cyber-war. Yup, all done by computer and, so far, it’s done impressive damage, aided lately by a seriously flawed, uncomprehending target.
The attacks began more than a decade ago, slowly and tentatively. As the attacker gained better understanding of the task before him, he refined and polished his attacks. Much of it has been via social media. More of it has come through false fronts, all-American institutions such as news outlets, television programming, the National Rifle Association and many others who have been fooled by very, very skillful manipulators.
The whole point was and is to divide us so profoundly that Democracy itself has experienced serious damage. We can’t get along. We can’t accept that our fellow citizens have every right to disagree with us and that, in order to keep America great, we must come together to discuss our differences, explain why we feel the way we do.
We must accept that each side has America’s best interests at heart. We must recognize that each side must give a little so that we may present a united front against the aggressor. Our bumbling leadership opines that the aggressor will cease.
Wrong. Why should he cease cyber-fire while he’s experiencing such monumental success?
This opponent may very well conquer America without ever firing a “real” shot. And given historic example, we will definitely not care for the result.
Dare I say it? Yes, I dare. Wake Up, America!
William D. “Bill” Mayers RT, RN, of Sullivan is a retired senior U.S. Army Corpsman. A certified healthcare professional since 1964, he holds two professional licenses, including that of Registered Professional Nurse licensed in New York, Alaska, Virginia and Louisiana. He has four children, two stepchildren, three grandchildren, a new great-grandchild and is an avid analyst of current events.