Progress towards the self-sufficient community, the empowered sub-state group.

History was made on December 9, 2007. A template, model, and archetype of social innovation occurred, enabled by a novel moral framework.

The circumstances were horrifying and certainly unwanted by those who made the leap forward. The event was an intentional mass murdering spree by a forgettable loner who targeted the church services of New Life Church. The church had armed security personnel. Not corporate, and not state sponsored, but volunteer members of the congregation. One of the guards, a woman by the name of Jeanne Assam, confronted the murderer and shot him several times. The murderer died from a self-inflicted gun shot.

Portions of Jeanne Assam's account were published in the Denver Post: here

"I give the credit to God, and I mean that. I say that very humbly. God was with me, and the whole time I was behind cover — this has gotta be God — because of the firepower he had versus what I had was God," Assam said. "And I did not run away. I did not think for a minute to run away. I just knew that I was given the assignment to end this before it got too, too much worse. I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me. I just said, 'Holy Spirit, be with me.' My hands weren't even shaking."

Police officials praised Jeanne Assam's actions at a news conference, calling her "a real hero”. Pastor Brady Boyd said during a televised news conference that “a hundred” people might have been shot if Ms. Assam, the security guard, had not stopped the gunman as he entered the church after shooting people in the parking lot.

Positive and progressive milestones of this series of events:
1 ) A group bounded by morality and spirituality ( a church ) condoned and intentionally pursued armed security.
2) This was not gun use along the lines of "Wild West" anarchy, but deliberate and designed rules in which only certain people are allowed to carry guns and provide security response. New Life Church did not condone a simplistic pro-gun stance.
3) A member of the spiritual group fired a weapon in the church, at a murderer.
4) The church leadership endorsed the security action.
5) Representatives of the state, the government police apparatus, endorsed and praised the security action.
6) The security guard was a woman.
7) Pacifism is not hardwired to the sacred, and violence is not absolutely associated with the criminal. The intent, and the choice of targets, determines the murderer and the hero.

This qualifies as social progress because sub-state actors owned the process of security. "Security" was not given its usual untouchable status, and assigned to government or corporate henchmen who do it more to pay their bills while having little solidarity with those they "police". Security was by the subculture, for the subculture.

The last decades of the 20th century have seen the rise of power in sub state groups, and even more rhetoric that either endorses or condemns the trend. Many proponents initially assumed the sub state beneficiaries of the trend would be peasant, indigenous, and communistic class groupings. The trend is proving to be even more egalitarian, with post-nationalism and post-mono-culturalism favoring and fitting perfectly the bourgeoise members of organized religions. As the state collapses in its ability to win wars or provide meaningful services, a new landscape of terror and opportunity will emerge. The groups with mobility or means to change, bounded by a functional moral code but practicing no moral absolutism, access to new technology, and an ability to "mash-up" traditions into novel designs; these will have a chance for a better day as others die in the heat or at the hands of new social terrors.

For further reading on the fall of the State, and rise of communities, please see Security: Power To The People by John Robb.

More instances of Christian subculture countering the criminal subculture: God Tube and Crime Fighting, http://www.youtube.com/kccrimefighter.

Note on author's lifestyle in relation to the content of this post: Lives in inner city Seattle, does not own a gun and most likely would never want to. The author of this blog is not religious. New Life Church is associated with suburbia and use of guns are usually associated with guns rights advocates. The author is neither suburban nor an NRA supporter.

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From:   John Robb
Subject: Re: Inspired by Brave New War
Date: December 12, 2007 7:03:52 AM PST
To:   lance@lancemiller.org
Reply-To:   John Robb
Lance,

Well done!  Definitely on target.

JR