Add to this the open border of recent years and it seems like all the chess pieces are in place. We have to recognize that not all the battles are raging halfway across the world and that some of the combatants may already be here.

It's important to know how to respond if you find yourself caught up in such a situation because this knowledge could help to save your life and the lives of the people you love.

It doesn't matter why. It doesn't matter who.
When horrible events happen, people want to know why. Why was a random group of people targeted to have their innocent day destroyed by violence and terror? Why did the culprit choose that group of victims, that day on the calendar, that specific location? And who? Who was the mastermind behind the event? Who were the members of the group that perpetrated the horror?

This is always followed by the speculation that things are not as they have been presented to us.  Many people these days have a very valid mistrust of the corporate-sponsored mainstream media. We look to other sources for our news, and rightly so.

Every time that speculation includes accusations that our own government is behind it, pulling the strings. Other frequent theories are that the events never actually happened at all and that the victims are 100% made up of crisis actors.

The pursuit of the truth is an important quest. Some journalists have dedicated their entire lives to uncovering the Machiavellian plots of those who pull the strings, and it's a noble and meaningful calling.

And that is why what I'm about to say is controversial and probably won't be well-received.

Strictly from a survival point of view, it doesn't matter at all who committed the acts of terror that occurred on 9/11, on the streets of Boston, in London, or in Paris. It doesn't matter whether a middle-aged guy with a gambling problem or shadowy operatives of some government perpetrated the shooting in Las Vegas.

If your focus is preparedness and survival, the most important thing you can be doing right now is learning from these events. Hey, I love a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but in the heat of the moment, that isn't what's important.

Whether you believe these acts are at the hands of Islamic extremists waging jihad or a state-sponsored act of terror to clamp down and take away more freedom, the single most important thing you can take away from this is a lesson in survival.

This article is not a debate about the different conspiracy theories. If you are present during a terror attack, my opinion on the culprit doesn't matter, and neither does yours. In the heat of the moment, your focus should be on escaping or fighting back, not unfurling some ugly scheme. All that matters in those minutes or hours is sur