We need first to understand what the Jihadi strategy is in order to make preparations to face it.

We’ve established that the current U.S. government is not capable of handling the growing threat of Islamist “Lone Wolf” attacks. How do we respond in a manner worthy of our heritage as free citizens?

The key Jihadi theoretician and strategist is Mustafa Setmariam Nasar (AKA Abu Musab al-Suri). Nasar was closely associated with Osama bin Laden’s circle before falling out with them over the 9/11 attacks, which he opposed. Nasar, a redhead with almost delicate features, could have passed in any Western nation, and apparently did so in several locales in Europe. In 2004 the U.S. put a $5 million bounty on his head. He was at last caught in Quetta, Pakistan, and turned over to the U.S. In an act of complete imbecility of the type that we have all grown used to, he was turned over to our longtime ally and friend, Syria. A few weeks ago, in a gesture of pure contempt, Bashar Assad released him. This incredibly dangerous Islamist and master strategist is once again loose in the world.

Nasar’s reconceptualization of jihad was put forward in detail in a 1,600-page treatise titled A Call to a Global Islamic Resistance. Published online in 2005, Resistance soon became required reading among Jihadis, and as Al Qaeda forces were chewed up by Western efforts, became the de facto strategy for Islamist terrorists worldwide.

Nasar’s strategy, which he terms "individual jihad," rejects the hierarchal networks exemplified by traditional terror organizations from the Moslem Brotherhood to Al Qaeda, instead utilizing distributed networks consisting of cells operating independently. These cells can consist of any number of Jihadis down to one, act not under orders but on their own initiative, make their own plans and carry out their own operations. What Nasar was proposing was a “wasp” strategy: let loose a handful of wasps among the elephant herd and set them to stinging, and with any luck, you’ll have a fine stampede in short order. The herd will wreck itself, with little effort on your part.

Nasar’s proposal was soon integrated into online Jihadi manuals and broadcast through Islamist chatrooms and websites. There it was picked up by people such as Nidal Hassan, the Tsarnaev brothers, Tashfeen Malik, and Syed Rizwan Farook, resulting in Detroit, Times Square, Boston, Little Rock, Fort Hood, and San Bernardino.

Our honest media, with negative knowledge of strategy (what they claim to “know” is not true), has dismissed these actions as meaningless “lone wolf” attacks. Our “security” structure has also shrugged them off, unwilling to admit that they have no workable countermeasures. The Obama administration has concurred in this, since dwelling on it may lead the misguided to question Obama’s divinity.

Put bluntly, we in 2016 have a hostile force targeting American civilians while being ignored by the government and its security forces. Never before has an American administration done this.

They will target schools, as they did in Beslan, they will target marketplaces, as they did in Iraq -- by which we mean malls and shopping centers -- they will target sports events, patriotic get-togethers, weddings, public gatherings of all sorts. They are recruiting outcasts and lunatics across the spectrum, and will soon be the go-to destination for misfits nationwide.

It’s fascinating how many terror incidents -- Detroit, Times Square, Boston -- were brought to an end by citizens. But we can do better.

Intelligence

The first step is intelligence. We need to learn about the Muslim presence and activities in our areas. Expansion of Islam through the Dar al Harb (The House of the Sword) is being financed by Middle Eastern oil states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, often with the cooperation of non-Islamic organizations (such as that of Mr. Norton). If you are not aware of such efforts in your area, don’t take it for granted. It may be occurring under the radar with local institutions cowed into silence.

Ascertain where local mosques are sited, how many there are, how large they are, and how many adherents they have. Trying to ascertain if they are Jihadi may be difficult -- most put up an ecumenical front. It is probably wise to assume the worst.

Learn if and how many Islamist organizations are present in your area, how large a membership they have, etc. Ascertain if professional and other organizations have been infiltrated and possibly hijacked. Try to learn whether the police department has been affected. The Justice Department has encouraged hiring and promotion of active Muslims for years. Also ascertain if any local judges or politicians have developed Islamic sympathies or even converted. (None of this should be taken lightly -- here in Pennsylvania several judges have become converts. We can assume the same is true in many other states.)

Learn where Muslims are active. What neighborhoods, if any, they are concentrated in. What companies they control, what stores, etc. If your town contains a large college campus, it is likely that Islamist-controlled organizations exist there.

Learn if there are Muslims at your place of work and try -- without prying -- to learn what their beliefs, backgrounds, and connections are. At this point in time, we must consider all Muslims to be potential enemies. This is not a good thing, but it is a necessary thing.

It would be nice to say that there was some mass movement of organized sentiment in opposition to the Jihadis among American Muslims, but no such thing exists. If there were even the shadow of such a movement, it would be featured in the media on a daily basis.

While some may dismiss all this as paranoid, keep in mind that the Tsarnaevs were in part radicalized through their attendance at a mosque in Cambridge, Mass. The mosque’s radical activities were ignored and the FBI was forbidden to monitor it for PC reasons. At last report, the same mosque remained in operation.

Action

The goal here is to be prepared to defend ourselves, our families, and our fellow citizens in our homes, our streets, our workplaces, our schools, and our marketplaces, all of which are likely to be targeted in the near future. It is not to form a posse, carry out wild hunts, confront passersby, embark on demented crusades, or to in any other way fulfill the Obama/Lynch image of the American citizenry. Anyone of differing opinion is encouraged to skip tomorrow’s article: Curtailing Jihad.