Antagonist Assignment

         1. We are a radical group. We aren't always rational. We have varied beliefs but use a few common ones to excite and arouse our fellow members. We are not one race or one ethnic group. We are not even one nationality. We live all over the world. We have only a few things in common. We hate Westerners, especially Caucasians. Some of us fall into that category technically, but the connotation or association offends us, so we choose to ignore the scientific designation.

         Our goal is to convert or destroy the infidels. We do not have a common plan, since we have so many sub groups. Some of us fight against each other. Violence and genocide have been with us for centuries. The idea is not shocking to us. We can use religious ideas to back us up when we want, or not. We don't really have a plan for world domination or anything like that. We don't have a single leader. Hatred is our main driving force. And we have so many things of which to be fearful. We trust no one. Anyone who does not share a common background with us is a dirty filthy pig who doesn't deserve to live. So we destroy. Then we may or may not go to Paradise in glory when we die.

         2. I'm a leader of a very strong country. My people are well-educated and technologically advanced. I want to show the super powers that I am worthy of their respect. I am systematically destroying their weapons, their power sources, and hijacking their tankers. I have their oil in my harbor. I have weapons of mass destruction and can wipe out major cities as I please. I will be recognized by everyone for the powerful and wise leader that I am. My people will prosper while others falter. They will worship me as a god.

         3I am the leader of a super power. I remain calm and in control. I have great military experience and training. I am not a slave to religious or zealous thinking. I have massive armies at my disposal. I have destroyed a satellite that provides communication to much of the world. I laugh when I think about the millions of people who don't know what's going on. They don't know why their I-pods and their precious "cloud" doesn't work. They can't get the Internet or TV or radio. They're clueless. They don't know when their own countries are being attacked! Unless they're in the immediate area, of course.

It's to my advantage that the religious and fanatical groups are distracting the powers and were getting the attention of the media before I shut it down. Smaller countries are practicing genocide and ethnic cleansing. How small minded. Gangs are taking advantage of the problems, but that's okay. When I bring the power back up, and communication is back, they will have contributed to the ultimate destruction of all my enemies. Let the havoc continue until I am ready.

         4. We are a gang. One of many. There's the Jewish mafia, but we don't mess with them, too heavily armed. But all the groups have a gang. Some are mixed. The Hondurans have a gang, the Mexicans have one, the Puerto Ricans have one. The local Puerto Rican gang has black members, too. Then there's the Colombians. I heard there's a Korean gang in the city, but I've never seen them. Nobody messes with our gang. We take what we want. When we hear that a merchant is closing shop, we go take his leftover inventory. Getting fuel, that's what we want. Or guns. Money is scarce right now.With no power, there's no jobs. So we have to take what we need. We control this part of town. No one goes down our streets 'less we say so. We don't like to kill people. We do what we have to, to protect ourselves. To get what we need. No worry about cops. They're gone. We just have to watch for other gangs now. We're running low on supplies. Gonna have to spread out. Gotta be tough. We work out to stay sharp. No one ever admits being scared. We have to be tough.

         5. We're a paramilitary group. We stockpiled weapons. We stored fuel in our garages and underground. We had target practice on a regular basis, so we were ready. Our families fled early, and we hope they're safe. The single guys have the most peace of mind. We destroy anyone that looks like a terrorist. We don't have any idea who thinks he's in control, but it's not our government, and it's not our military. So we defend ourselves and what's left of our homes. We will attack, and we will punish anyone we catch looting or burning or killing. We go out at night with stealth equipment to look for trouble. We have imposed curfews where we operate. We're trying to avoid poisoning of water or more destruction of roads. But we'll destroy roads ourselves if it means protecting our own. Groups like ours exist in every country, and we will have our kind of law and order until the world gets back on course. Some of us actually function better in military tactics. This is war, and we can handle it.

         6 I am one of many inept politicians. I was busy being politically correct, and didn't want to offend anyone. I missed some really important signs, and let a lot of bad things go by unpunished and uncorrected. I didn't have the right priorities. Now we don't have power, or utilities, or the media. How will I keep in touch with my constituents? How can I reassure them that I'm working on it if they can't hear my voice? I can't pay my staff for guarding me or my children. We are sweltering in this heat. The kids are getting no entertainment. I hope the voters realize how much suffering we are all going through. It's not just about them. It's a hardship for all of us. If the pro-lifers and the Jews and Christians just hadn't taken up so much time and caused so much trouble, maybe we could have had more peaceful negotiations with whoever perpetrated this latest fiasco. Or you know, this just might be a side effect of global warming. The food was excellent as usual at first. But you know there is a very large staff here, and it's been a while now. The quality is going down, and the portions are getting smaller. And it's hardly ever hot. The cook has to go so far for the make shift... well anyway it's inconvenient.

         I just hope for the next election that the voters remember how steadfast we all were during these troubled times and will continue to have faith in us.