There are many ways to wage war.
There’s the frontal assault, like Sir Henry Rawlinson ordering British troops to walk stoically towards German machine guns. There’s the phalanx, as used by the Spartans to slow a far larger Persian army.
But perhaps most psychologically devastating is the seige.
Unlike those other types of warfare, a siege is designed, first and foremost, to break the enemy's spirit. It doesn't rely on bombs or guns or the clash of swords, just the constant unease of being surrounded. And while you might go for weeks, months or even years without fighting, the threat is always there, lurking outside the gates.
War is always hell. But if you can face your enemy, at least you can fight. You can plan. You can take the initiative. Under siege, all you can do is brace yourself for an attack.
On April 13th, 2023, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot after mistakenly ringing the doorbell at Northeast 115th Street instead of Northeast 115th Terrace, Kansas City. Though the shooting is more accurately described as an ambush than a siege.
84-year-old Andrew Lester opened fire without warning, without saying anything, before opening his front door, seeing Yarl lying on the ground, and shooting him again.
And while there are many issues we can talk about with certainty, like unfettered access to firearms and stand your ground laws, the media, predictably enough, only wanted to talk about racism.
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