Before an attack in World War I, there would be an artillery barrage.

In my ideal barrage, Major A would be directing one battery’s guns. Major A was Captain A not all that long ago. For his guns he looks for a spectacular target. He sees a place in the opposite trenches where there might be a cache of ammo.

Enemy troops will not be bunched around live ammo, but if he hits it, the explosion will look spectacular and Colonel Y will notice it and whoop.

Major B is searching the enemy lines through the eyes of one who has had to attack them. In World War I you measured things by lives: How many men will die before we reach the enemy line, how many men will die at each obstacle.

Major B spots a “six man” clump of barbed wire. If they had had razor wire in 1914, the Western Front would never have moved at all.

Taking that clump out is very difficult work for artillery, but Major B, he does it.

All Colonel Y notices is that, while Major A got everybody’s attention with a blast of (expendable) ammunition, Major B seems to be hitting nothing but dirt.

So Major A blows up some expendable ammunition and leaves men to charge all the real obstacles.

Major B saves six lives.

Oh, and Major A is on his way to becoming Lt. Colonel A.

I have said before that, in my observation, anyone who gets a star is a pure bureaucrat. Anyone who is in the least concerned about his men or patriotism or anything else is lucky to make retirement.

The lesson for us is very clear. You are using the Mantra to clear the field for attack. You are clearing the ground of barbed wire snarls like “Hate!” and “Racist!” and “White Supremacist!”

You are clearing the way for later pro-whites to charge across.

To people whose dream is to be seen as Great Generals, it looks like you are shooting at nothing. But the more you yourself actually attack on the ground, the more you realize exactly where your limited firepower needs to be directed.

Always ask yourself whether what you have said will make it easier for your next try and the wave of pro-whites that come after you.

The real barriers are not glorious.

They are obvious, small, and nasty.