Times were hard in 1676. “There was genuine distress, genuine poverty…. All contemporary sources speak of the great mass of people as living in severe economic straits,” writes Wilcomb Washburn, who, using British colonial records, has done an exhaustive study of Bacon’s Rebellion. It was a dry summer, ruining the corn crop, which was needed for food, and the tobacco crop, needed for export. Governor Berkeley, in his seventies, tired of holding office, wrote wearily about his situation: “How miserable that man is that Governes a People where six parts of seaven at least are Poore Endebted Discontented and Armed.” (p. 40)

As the author Howard Zinn points out, the “phrase ‘six in seaven’ suggests the existence of an upper class not so impoverished.”

Indeed, all records indicate a large income inequality between the “Jamestown elite” and the poor white frontiersman who were forced to move westward into Indian territory to find land for themselves.

Anyway, I found Governor Berkeley’s statement quite profound since it seems to mirror circumstances in America today.

The “Wall Street elite” continue to grow richer at the expense of the average citizen. Jobs are disappearing as quickly as childhood innocence. With every passing month, Americans become more “Poore Endebted Discontented and Armed.”

What will come of it? I can’t say for sure, although history provides a few unpleasant examples.

Here’s what I do know: The direction our nation is going doesn’t look good. The train is headed toward the side of a mountain, the brakes are out, and everybody is arguing over what color we should paint the caboose.

By the way, if you’re beginning to make plans for what’s coming, this guide could prove to be quite useful: “Ready for Anything: The Ultimate No B.S. Survival for Ordinary People.”

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe

P.S. Here’s a little insight into what’s happening in America right now (and if you don’t know anything about derivatives, you should)…

The TSA conducted a trial of the new program in Tampa, Florida, in December 2010 to see how people would react. Now, the TSA is rolling out checkpoints across the state of Tennessee where they will conduct random searches of semi-trailer trucks. They will also pat down passengers who choose to travel by bus.

Of course, this is all being done under the pretense of “fighting terrorism” and “keeping America safe.” In reality, it’s…

One More Brick in the Wall of Tyranny

I predict we will soon see other states follow in Tennessee’s misguided footsteps. We will see states give up their sovereignty and permit the illegal actions of the federally run TSA.

I further predict that these random searches will at some point expand to cars. It won’t be limited to just truck stops, bus stops, and train stations. The end goal for the TSA is to conduct random searches and seizures along Interstates throughout the U.S.

This will come at a huge cost to Americans — a financial cost, a time cost, and an emotional cost. Worst of all, this will limit Americans’ ability to move freely within their own country.

Once the TSA has locked down the flow of traffic within and between states, it will be quite easy to begin profiling, arresting, and punishing people who look suspicious. It will be easy to prohibit people from going in and out of cities… or in and out of states.

Ever since 9/11, the Homeland Security Advisory System seems to have been permanently pegged to orange, which indicates a “high risk of terrorist attacks.” What if the warning system is bumped up to red? With the TSA controlling the flow of traffic, they could quickly implement city-wide lock-downs. Citizens would become prisoners in their own cities.

I hope I’m wrong. But what if I’m right?

At What Point Is It Finally Time to Exit America?

To help explain my thinking, let me tell you about a book I read in January 2010. The book is called Night. It is Elie Wiesel’s memoir of his experience as a Jew during World War II.

In his memoir, Wiesel describes the gradual process the Nazis used to enslave the Jews of Sighet who lived on the border of Hungary and Romania. Their enslavement was not abrupt, but rather a well-planned erosion of freedom.

The Jews of Sighet had ample opportunity to flee. But they didn’t because they lacked imagination. They were incredulous. They didn’t believe such atrocity could happen to them. Here’s how the process worked…

• First, the citizens of Wiesel’s town were warned by Moshe the Beadle, a man who had escaped a concentration camp. They thought he was crazy, so they ignored his warnings. Wiesel asks Moshe why he came back. Moshe replies:

  “I wanted to come back to Sighet to tell you the story of my death. So that you could prepare yourselves while there was still time. To live? I don’t attach any importance to my life any more. I’m alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you. And see how it is, no one will listen to me….”

• The Nazis eventually came, just as “crazy” Moshe had warned. They imposed a curfew for the Jews. This wasn’t so bad, so the Jews went along with it.

• Next, they forced the Jews to wear a gold star. Again, this wasn’t so bad, so the Jews went along with it.

• Then, they made all the Jews live in certain areas of town. The Jews did as they were told. At least they were able to be with their families, they thought.

• Eventually, the Nazis moved the Jews to a single area of town and built a fence around them. Soldiers were posted around the perimeter so that anybody who tried to leave would be shot and killed.

You see, as this brief window of history shows us…

Losing Freedom Is Often a Gradual Process

A total loss of freedom rarely happens overnight. We can see how the process is working in America right now.

First, the TSA is given authority to screen all passengers in airports. Then the TSA is given authority to use full-body x-ray scanners and “enhanced” pat-down procedures. Then the TSA is given authority to conduct random searches at weigh stations, bus stops, and train stations.

It’s no stretch of the imagination to see where this is all headed. Unless something happens to halt the TSA’s infringement on our freedoms, they will soon have agents posted at check points along Interstates where all vehicles will be forced to stop.

What happens after that?

And how much freedom will we have to lose before we realize it no longer makes sense to remain in America?

These are difficult questions to ask. They are even harder to answer.

I don’t have clear answers, but I’m certainly being forced to consider: How much will I tolerate before I become an expatriate?

As Ethan Huff writes in the article linked above:

Random security checkpoints, perpetual paranoia about terrorists around every corner, a rogue government that is pressing citizens to spy on each other and report their activities to authorities — these are all protocols that took effect in Nazi Germany during the rise of Hitler, and they are all protocols that are now in effect in the US today. Think about it.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe

P.S. Please share this article with your friends and family. The more people we can inform, the better our chances of restoring true freedom in America.

The main reason for increased price volatility is that supply production cannot catch up with demand. What is happening is that we have a steady increase in demand, mainly due to increase in the population, and also a change in the diet of population in emerging economies who are gradually changing their diets, including more meat and more grain.

On the other side, production cannot catch up with consumption. The global stock levels are becoming lower, lower than they used to be ten years ago and if there is an external shock in the market, this is going to generate volatility. So tighter markets means more volatility in the future.

What Rapsomanikis fails to mention is that a major shock to the food supply could also cause regional famines and potential starvation in developed countries like the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Competing for Precious Resources: How the Biofuel Industry Puts Added Strain on the Food Supply

In addition to increased demand for food due to population increases and dietary shifts toward eating meat, there’s another force at work.

The truth is, about 30% of corn supplies are being diverted not to feed the hungry — but to feed the growth of biofuels. Now humans are not only competing with animals for their piece of the food supply… they’re also competing with the energy industry!

This means that any shock to the oil market can quickly cause an increase in the price of corn, which then causes a general increase in the price of all kinds of foods that use corn (and corn derivatives) as a primary ingredient.

In fact, research conducted by the Global Hunger Index (GHI) suggests that the root of the 2007-2008 food crisis was increased demand for biofuels combined with an increase in speculation in the commodities markets. GHI says we’re now on track for a repeat of 2008… except this time it may be worse.

Food prices may go higher than they did in 2008. And supplies may be stretched thinner than they’ve ever been stretched.

Price volatility and rising food prices are bad enough. But what happens when you can no longer buy certain food items at the grocery store? What happens when shelves get cleared out — and there’s nothing left to restock the shelves with?

The Cheapest “Insurance” Money Can Buy

One of the best ways to protect yourself from food price inflation as well as food shortages (both temporary and long-term) is by building your own nutritious and delicious emergency food supply. And one of the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective ways to do this is to get Emergency Food Supply Buckets from Solutions From Science.

Each food bucket is packed with a variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. They are nutrient dense to keep you well nourished. And they taste good, too, so you’ll look forward to each meal if and when you need to eat them.

Each bucket of Emergency Food Supply contains 84 servings of food, enough to last one person for 28 days (or four people for one week). Three buckets will provide enough food to last one person for almost three months (or four people for 21 days).

And if your financial resources are tight right now, please remember this: Just one bucket will provide you with a critical buffer against any temporary glitches in the food supply. Plus, it will give you some protection against food price inflation — a disturbing trend that shows no evidence of slowing down.

Better 1 Year Too Soon… Than 1 Day Too Late

If you’re proactive and you get your Emergency Food Supply a year too soon, then you’re still protected. But if you wait and you’re one day too late, you may be facing some of the most challenging (and disturbing) days of your life.

This is one place where you simply can’t afford to procrastinate. Please take action and get your Emergency Food Supply today.

One bucket will give you enough food to weather any short-term disruptions in the food supply. Three or more buckets could give you enough breathing room to handle a more severe food shortage. Decide how much food you need — and order your Emergency Food Supply here.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe

P.S. Yesterday (October 31, 2011), it was announced that the world population has now reached 7 billion people. This supports Rapsomanikis’s statement that food prices are rising “mainly due to increase in the population.” The time to act is now.

It is a detailed and thrilling account of Theodore Roosevelt’s journey down the River of Doubt in the Amazon jungle in 1914. Not only a fascinating bit of history, this is an heroic tale of suffering and survival in one of the most dangerous and inhospitable parts of the world.

What began as what was supposed to be a moderately difficult adventure — and an opportunity to chart a river no man had ever charted before — quickly became a fight to stay alive as the members of the party were plagued by heavy rain, bacteria, illness, injury, and the loss of precious supplies on the river.

Not everybody made it back alive. One man died of drowning in a section of rapids. Another was shot and killed by an insubordinate member of the party. And a third — the murderer himself — was abandoned in the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization, and never seen again.

Roosevelt himself came within a hair breadth of death as his body fought both chronic malaria and a serious leg infection. And the health (and morale) of every man in the party deteriorated day by day due to slow starvation.

It’s a grim story, but well worth reading for its entertainment value and the survival lessons it reveals.

As in any survival situation, the men who traveled down the River of Doubt were primarily concerned with:

Shelter – How to stay warm and dry; how to keep the sick alive during bad weather.

Security – How to prevent their boats from being washed downstream during the night; how to prevent theft of rations by members of the expedition; how to prevent surprise attacks from the Nhambiquara and Cinta Larga Indians.

Personal Protection – How to defend against wild animals, aggressive Indians, and even murderous members of the expedition.

Food – How to ration food; how to catch fish; how to spot and kill wild game; how to keep going while running a daily calorie deficit.

Health – How to treat a variety of jungle illnesses and injuries, including malaria, dysentery, boils, blisters, and insect bites; how to stay hopeful even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges; how to occupy the mind with thoughts other than hopelessness and despair.

Solidarity – How to prevent outright mutiny; how to work together as a unit to achieve each day’s goals; how to be unselfish for the greater good.

Transportation – The expedition could not go up the river they had just come down. Their only choice was to follow the river to wherever it led. Transportation was of utmost importance to them. They lost more than a few boats to the rapids of the river, and on multiple occasions were forced to craft new dugout canoes to transport the men and their supplies. We may face a similar “transportation crisis” in the U.S. at some point.

These are just a few thoughts and observations lingering in my mind today. The categories listed above are the same categories you may want to consider as you make plans for the months and years ahead.

And if you enjoy a good real-life survival story, I highly recommend adding The River of Doubt to your reading list.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe

P.S. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy of Food Crisis 2: How to Prepare for a Long-Term Food Shortage, it may be a good time to do so. As The River of Doubt illustrates so well, starvation tends to bring out the worst in people.

I listened to the interview multiple times and transcribed the most relevant things Rastani shared:

• “The stock market is going to crash, and it’s going to fall pretty hard. [...] They know the market is toast. They know the stock market is finished.”

• “If I see an opportunity to make money, I go with that. [...] Personally, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for three years. [...] I go to bed every night, I dream of another recession. I dream of another moment like this.”

• “This economic crisis is like a cancer. If you just wait and wait thinking this is going to go away, just like a cancer it’s going to grow and it’s going to be too late. What I would say to everybody is get prepared. This is not a time right now for wishful thinking that government is going to sort things out.

• “The governments don’t rule the world. Goldman Sachs rules the world. Goldman Sachs doesn’t care about this rescue package, neither does [sic] the big funds.”

• “The first thing people should do is protect their assets. Protect what they have. Because in less than 12 months my prediction is the savings of millions of people is going to vanish. And this is just the beginning. I would say, be prepared and act now. The biggest risk people can take right now is not acting.”

I feel Rastani’s warnings are especially timely. I expect we will see major financial events in October — perhaps greater in scope and impact than what we saw during the fall of 2008.

How prepared are you? Are you able to sufficiently protect your assets — the things you have in your possession?

I recently bought a fireproof and waterproof safe to protect important documents and investments. I got my safe at a Staples in the town I live in. It gives me peace of mind knowing that some of my assets are now protected from fires, floods, and thieves.

Still on my personal to-do list:

1. Buy a handgun.
2. Take gun training.

A good friend of mine has multiple guns and has gone through some local courses on gun safety and firing. All summer long, he’s been encouraging me to do the same.

Honestly, I’ve always been torn on the gun issue. Not that I oppose gun ownership. Quite the contrary. I believe the U.S. would be a much safer place if more “ordinary” citizens had guns and knew how to use them.

Yet I’ve still floundered over the decision. I have three young kids at home and don’t want to put them in danger. On the flip side, what’s the point of owning a gun if your gun is locked up in one case and your ammo is stored elsewhere? You’d never be able to get the gun loaded in time to fend off an intruder.

But ever since I discovered the Drag ‘n’ Draw Gun Safe, I’ve felt better about having a gun in my house. It allows me to keep the loaded handgun safe, secure, and out of the hands of my kids — yet instantly available should I need to use the gun for defense.

So I plan to get a gun this fall and take the local gun training my friend has been encouraging me to take.

I also intend to investigate other self-defense and personal protection items like pepper spray, wasp spray, and door wedge alarms.

Two other things I’ve done recently to help protect our assets:

• Bought a fire extinguisher at Target and put it in the hall closet on the main floor. This is one of those things you can easily put off until it’s too late. A recent fire in our oven while my wife was cooking reminded me that a fire extinguisher is an inexpensive — yet exceedingly important — safety device to have in the house.

• Began investing in silver every week. I believe silver’s recent price drop is temporary and that silver will increase in value past $50 an ounce. Silver and gold are hedges against inflation and will protect you as the dollar and Euro collapse.

The bottom line: There’s never been a better time to take inventory of what you have… and… figure out how to protect it.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.
-Survival Joe