What does he mean by that?
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It's no secret that Bannon is facing prison time. It's no secret that President Trump may face the same. While there are still battles to be fought related to these political prosecutions, battles that can certainly be won, the determined viciousness and hypocrisy of these attacks are indisputable.
On Tucker Carlson Uncensored, Bannon boldly accepted that he may face prison time.
He made sure to note that he has prepped his team for that eventuality, "the War Room will still go on," he said, "and we will stay in communications even from prison as much as possible within the legal limits." He promised that the quality of the work at the War Room would not drop and that he would fight this political persecution all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
But what might surprise many was his call for conservatives to stop leaning on Trump. By this, he didn't mean to stop supporting the President. "You can't lean on Trump, you can't lean on Tucker, you can't lean on Bannon, you can't lean on Alex Jones. This is a populist revolt, you have to step up ... become a force multiplier. "
In that brief moment, Bannon expressed the very sentiments that we at Souls and Liberty have been putting forward. In this case, the sentiment in question is one of becoming anti-fragile. Bannon referred to this as "next-man-up" – if one man is taken out, another - or a dozen others – stands up and takes his place, continuing the battle. Think D-Day.
We know our enemies are determined. They are organized, they are well-funded, they are ideologically (sometimes spiritually) possessed, and they will stop at nothing to see their kingdom come to full power on earth. This determination must be matched and exceeded.
In conflict studies, there is a concept called escalation dominance. Escalation in war is defined as the increase or expansion of the conflict, but it equally applies to something that we are seeing in current anti-west lawfare – the erosion of previously recognized and agreed-upon limits, whether formal or informal. As the stakes in a conflict increase (which happens any time one side gains an advantage against the other), the previously held limitations on the use of force diminish.
This is what we are seeing with these attacks, previously taboo uses of force being leveled against political rivals are increasing by the Communist-Democrats.
Escalation dominance is taking that natural progression of relaxing standards, increasing the rate of acceptance of previous taboos, and incorporating an additional element – the intentional escalation of the conflict, when in a dominant position, in order to continually impose heavier and heavier costs on your opponents. This is done to demoralize and lessen the will of the enemy to continue the conflict.
What message, for example, does Trump's prosecution send? It tells potential adversaries that any run for office will be met with immense pain. What does the Bannon sentence, or the J6 trials show? That any who would dare ally with anyone running against the establishment will be subject to persecution, as well.
But, as former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert Work, told Congress in his 2015 testimony, "Anyone who thinks they can control escalation is playing with fire." And we are beginning to see this come true. Many political heavyweights, donors, and patriots throughout the system, regardless of their feelings about Trump are beginning to realize that if this is allowed to continue, they will find themselves at the end of an American version of Niemöller's "First They Came."
So, how can we "step up"? How do we become force multipliers? We start where we are, with what we have. If you can't run, sponsor; if you can't sponsor, speak up; if you can't speak up, share the content of those who do.
We are up against anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-family Neo-Marxists, and it's going to take everyone joining the fight if we want to have a hope of pulling off the victory. It is unity that will counteract demoralization. It is unity that will make us anti-fragile. It is unity and the fighting spirit so strong in Americans that will keep us coming no matter how many they prosecute or how many they persecute.
The great Gen. George Patton once famously said, "America loves a winner." Well, for all the attempts at dominance by the enemy, if we can come together, America will remember what it feels like to win again.
Arthur is a former editor and consultant. Born in India to missionary parents, he spent his early career working in development for NGOs in Asia, Central America, and Africa.
Arthur has an educational background in history and psychology, with certifications from the University of Oxford and Leiden in the economics, politics, and ethics of mass migration and comparative theories in terrorism and counterterrorism. He is currently launching CivWest, a company focused on building capital to fund restorative projects and create resilient systems across the Western world.
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Hear, hear.