Guest post by Mark J. Grant, author of Out of the Box,
“Above the comforts of Base Camp, the expedition in fact became
an almost Calvinistic undertaking. The ratio of misery to pleasure was
greater by an order of magnitude than any mountain I'd been on; I
quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about
enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil,
tedium and suffering, it struck me that most of us were probably seeking
above all else, something like a state of grace.”
-Jon Krakhauer, Into Thin Air
I
am not sure the country is seeking a state of grace but we are surely
seeking something of a much higher order than we are getting. Congress
adjourns, the President spends twenty million dollars of our money
flying off to vacation in Hawaii and we peer over the edge of a monetary
cliff of our own making because we have elected people that have all of
the leadership skills of some Grinch that is stealing our Christmas
because we let him. Ultimately it is us you know, “We the
People,” and perhaps it is our two party system of government that has
failed us because we put people in power who know how to run for
election and re-election but who somehow have no idea how to govern the
nation. It is pathos, absurdity and frankly a tragedy that we
face a financial calamity, and it is just that, and our elected leaders
head off on vacation.
"Well, thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us."
-William Shakespeare, Henry IV
It may not be fiddling while Rome is burning but it isn’t that far off that course.
In the end, I suspect, we will pass the deadlines and find ourselves in
trouble. I say this because to date all we are discussing is who to tax
and we have not made one serious effort to confront the social programs
that have elected people but which the country cannot afford. It is not
that complicated at its core; we cannot afford the entitlements that we
have legislated and so the nation must, like any household, man up to
what we can and cannot afford and get on with it. No use
pretending that we are as rich as we once were and so we must first
cut-back and then get down to the serious business of how we can
increase our revenues. Households, corporations or governments;
the fundamental issues apply and while different themes may apply for
the fix; America’s economic condition must be fixed.
"The
majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in
society that no free and intelligent man can help rebelling against. Who
are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population --
the intelligent ones or the fools? I think we can agree it's the fools,
no matter where you go in this world, it's the fools that form the
overwhelming majority."
-Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People
I
have suggested we place hard limits for our social programs and
entitlements and work backwards and I believe this would be the prudent
course but somehow prudence does not seem to be part of the thinking in
Washington these days. If we said that 25 million Americans could be on
food stamps or that only so much can be afforded for Medicare or Social
Security then we could start from that point and make the necessary
adjustments in terms of who qualified for what or raise the age
qualification or allow people in gradually as a result of the limits
that were set. Common sense, while never very popular in our
nation’s capital, must have been banned in the fine print of some
legislative act of which none of us are aware.
“Every
day, man is making bigger and better fool-proof things. Every day,
nature is making bigger and better fools. So far, I think nature is
winning.”
-Albert Einstein
The
awful truth is that WE are responsible. We elected these people. We
condone a two party system where we end up with a choice between the
mediocre and the inferior. We are left to choose between the
fool and the idiot and the men of character, the people of intellect and
those focused on the health of the nation are left behind either
because they will not participate or because they cannot survive the
taunts and tricks of those that have no other interest besides their own
ego and their own self-interests. I make no apologies. This is our
fault and until and unless WE start demanding a government that
represents our interests and values and morals that sets-aside America
from other nations; we have no one to blame but ourselves. That
is the sad truth of it which is why going off our present fiscal cliff
may be the best thing that could happen to the United States. We might
just wake up!
“Without change something sleeps inside us and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”
-Frank Herbert, Dune
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Ron Paul: Government Security Is Just Another Kind Of Violence
Guest post by Ron Paul
The senseless and horrific killings last week in Newtown, Connecticut reminded us that a determined individual or group of individuals can cause great harm no matter what laws are in place. Connecticut already has restrictive gun laws relative to other states, including restrictions on fully automatic, so-called “assault” rifles and gun-free zones.
Predictably, the political left responded to the tragedy with emotional calls for increased gun control. This is understandable, but misguided. The impulse to have government “do something” to protect us in the wake national tragedies is reflexive and often well intentioned. Many Americans believe that if we simply pass the right laws, future horrors like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting can be prevented. But this impulse ignores the self evident truth that criminals don't obey laws.
The political right, unfortunately, has fallen into the same trap in its calls for quick legislative solutions to gun violence. If only we put armed police or armed teachers in schools, we’re told, would-be school shooters will be dissuaded or stopped.
While I certainly agree that more guns equals less crime and that private gun ownership prevents many shootings, I don’t agree that conservatives and libertarians should view government legislation, especially at the federal level, as the solution to violence. Real change can happen only when we commit ourselves to rebuilding civil society in America, meaning a society based on family, religion, civic and social institutions, and peaceful cooperation through markets. We cannot reverse decades of moral and intellectual decline by snapping our fingers and passing laws.
Let’s not forget that our own government policies often undermine civil society, cheapen life, and encourage immorality. The president and other government officials denounce school violence, yet still advocate for endless undeclared wars abroad and easy abortion at home. U.S. drone strikes kill thousands, but nobody in America holds vigils or devotes much news coverage to those victims, many of which are children, albeit, of a different color.
Obviously I don’t want to conflate complex issues of foreign policy and war with the Sandy Hook shooting, but it is important to make the broader point that our federal government has zero moral authority to legislate against violence.
Furthermore, do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and warrantless physical searches? We see this culture in our airports: witness the shabby spectacle of once proud, happy Americans shuffling through long lines while uniformed TSA agents bark orders. This is the world of government provided "security," a world far too many Americans now seem to accept or even endorse. School shootings, no matter how horrific, do not justify creating an Orwellian surveillance state in America.
Do we really believe government can provide total security? Do we want to involuntarily commit every disaffected, disturbed, or alienated person who fantasizes about violence? Or can we accept that liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided security? Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. We shouldn’t settle for substituting one type of violence for another. Government role is to protect liberty, not to pursue unobtainable safety.
Our freedoms as Americans preceded gun control laws, the TSA, or the Department of Homeland Security. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference, not by safety. It is easy to clamor for government security when terrible things happen; but liberty is given true meaning when we support it without exception, and we will be safer for it.
The senseless and horrific killings last week in Newtown, Connecticut reminded us that a determined individual or group of individuals can cause great harm no matter what laws are in place. Connecticut already has restrictive gun laws relative to other states, including restrictions on fully automatic, so-called “assault” rifles and gun-free zones.
Predictably, the political left responded to the tragedy with emotional calls for increased gun control. This is understandable, but misguided. The impulse to have government “do something” to protect us in the wake national tragedies is reflexive and often well intentioned. Many Americans believe that if we simply pass the right laws, future horrors like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting can be prevented. But this impulse ignores the self evident truth that criminals don't obey laws.
The political right, unfortunately, has fallen into the same trap in its calls for quick legislative solutions to gun violence. If only we put armed police or armed teachers in schools, we’re told, would-be school shooters will be dissuaded or stopped.
While I certainly agree that more guns equals less crime and that private gun ownership prevents many shootings, I don’t agree that conservatives and libertarians should view government legislation, especially at the federal level, as the solution to violence. Real change can happen only when we commit ourselves to rebuilding civil society in America, meaning a society based on family, religion, civic and social institutions, and peaceful cooperation through markets. We cannot reverse decades of moral and intellectual decline by snapping our fingers and passing laws.
Let’s not forget that our own government policies often undermine civil society, cheapen life, and encourage immorality. The president and other government officials denounce school violence, yet still advocate for endless undeclared wars abroad and easy abortion at home. U.S. drone strikes kill thousands, but nobody in America holds vigils or devotes much news coverage to those victims, many of which are children, albeit, of a different color.
Obviously I don’t want to conflate complex issues of foreign policy and war with the Sandy Hook shooting, but it is important to make the broader point that our federal government has zero moral authority to legislate against violence.
Furthermore, do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and warrantless physical searches? We see this culture in our airports: witness the shabby spectacle of once proud, happy Americans shuffling through long lines while uniformed TSA agents bark orders. This is the world of government provided "security," a world far too many Americans now seem to accept or even endorse. School shootings, no matter how horrific, do not justify creating an Orwellian surveillance state in America.
Do we really believe government can provide total security? Do we want to involuntarily commit every disaffected, disturbed, or alienated person who fantasizes about violence? Or can we accept that liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided security? Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. We shouldn’t settle for substituting one type of violence for another. Government role is to protect liberty, not to pursue unobtainable safety.
Our freedoms as Americans preceded gun control laws, the TSA, or the Department of Homeland Security. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference, not by safety. It is easy to clamor for government security when terrible things happen; but liberty is given true meaning when we support it without exception, and we will be safer for it.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Hitler Survivor Warns America
Guest post by
Rob Kerby
“What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books,” she likes to tell audiences.
“I am a witness to history.
“I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history.
“We voted him in.”
If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching.
“We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls.
She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers.
“Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.”
No so.
“In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates.
Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs.
“My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.’
“We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living.
“Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group – Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back.
“Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.
“We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.
“After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.
“Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.
“Then we lost religious education for kids
“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education.
“Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.”
And then things got worse.
“The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free.
“We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.
“My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination.
“I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing.
“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler.
“It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.
“Then food rationing began
“In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death.
“Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.
“Soon after this, the draft was implemented.
“It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps,” remembers Kitty. “During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys.
“They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines.
“When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat.
“Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.
“When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers.
“You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government.
“The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.
“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna..
“After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.
“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.
“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.
“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families.
“All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.
“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables.
“ Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.
“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.
“We had consumer protection, too
“We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.
“In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated.
“So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work.
“I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van.
“I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months.
“They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.
“As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.
“Then they took our guns
“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.
“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.
“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”
“This is my eye-witness account.
“It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
“America is truly is the greatest country in the world.
“Don’t let freedom slip away.
“After America, there is no place to go.”
Monday, December 17, 2012
Innocents Betrayed ~ The History of Gun Control - FULL LENGTH
Presented for your historical edification. How will we learn from history if we are not taught.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
School Shootings- Don't Be a Victim- Active Shooter Survival Tactics
As a Martial Arts Instructor for 37 yrs, I believe there are always proactive methods to not being a victim. Guns are not the problem at all, society is the problem.
We don't ban cars when some people misuse vehicles to kill others in their drunken stupors. We do not ban spoons, forks and knives because some people choose to kill themselves through obesity.
Our government has done their citizens a huge disservice by interfering with their ability to legally protect themselves and others in schools, and other locations. One armed teacher could have recently saved 20 children's lives.
Our FDA would rather allow antidepressants that have been found to create psychotic behavior in already psychologically compromised individuals than to allow us to protect ourselves.
The police can only respond after a crime has been committed and not before or during. The police can not protect you and have no legal obligation to do so. Instead of promoting a society of people that can do for themselves, take responsibility for themselves, they would rather create a dependent population that must rely on the false notion that govt will do it for them. Those who would give up freedom for safety shall have neither.
The following video is made by http://www.actcert.com/ and the Instructor is Alon Stivi an Israeli Special Forces Sgt that now teaches the US Seal Teams. PAY ATTENTION. Only you can save yourself. Be proactive and stop being victims.
Realize that governments that disarm their populations ALWAYS in history, and that is ALWAYS turn on their citizens.
Choose individual Freedom and you will never fail.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Why Are Preppers Hated So Much?
Guest Post By Michael
Have you noticed that it has become trendy to bash preppers? For a long time the prepper movement was ignored, but now it has become so large that it is getting very difficult for the mainstream media to pretend that it is not there. In fact, it has been estimated that there are now approximately 3 million preppers in the United States alone.
So now the mainstream media has decided that mocking the movement is the best strategy, and lots of “critics” and “skeptics” out there have picked up on this trend. Instead of addressing the very real issues that have caused millions of Americans to prepare for the worst, those criticizing the prepper movement attempt to put the focus on individual personalities. They try to find the strangest nutjobs they possibly can and then hold them up as “typical preppers”. The goal is to portray preppers as tinfoil hat wearing freaks that need to be locked up in the loony bin for their own personal safety and for the good of society. The criticism of preppers has really ramped up in recent months, and it will likely get even worse in 2013. The establishment does not like any movement that is outside of their control, and the prepper movement is definitely not under their control.
Often, hit pieces on the prepper movement are disguised as articles or shows that are supposed to be “balanced” looks at the movement. This is especially true of shows such as “Doomsday Preppers“. That show is the highest rated show that the National Geographic channel has ever had, and it can be a lot of fun to watch. But if you notice carefully, they almost always try to feature people that they consider to be “freaks” or that are “on the fringe of society”. Many other “reality shows” follow the exact same recipe. The goal is to draw high ratings by running a “freak show” that people can’t help but watch.
Even if you go on such a show and try to do your best to explain your prepping in a rational and coherent manner, they will still edit the footage so that it makes you look like a freak. It really is a no-win proposition. These shows are trying to make it clear that preppers should be mocked. The underlying implication is that these people are crazy and that what they are doing is stupid.
And at the end of each segment, the producers of the show are careful to include reasons why the prepper that was just featured is being irrational and why the things they are preparing for are extremely unlikely to happen. Just in case you missed the message they have been trying to communicate the entire time, they come right out and tell you the conclusion that you are supposed to come to.
And of course we see the same attitudes reflected in reviews of the show. For example, the following is from a recent Los Angeles Times review of the new season of Doomsday Preppers…
Probably not.
But the establishment has made it clear that it is open season on preppers, so this particular writer mocks them with no fear.
Not that any prepper that is thinking clearly would go on a show such as “Doomsday Preppers” anyway. Sure, it is nice to be on television, but if you are a serious prepper then one of the last things you want to do is to go on television and advertise your preparations to millions of people.
Others have picked up on the contempt that the establishment has for preppers and have started to issue their own critiques of the movement. For example, an “emergency manager” named Valerie Lucus-McEwen recently published a blog post entitled “Doomsday Preppers are Socially Selfish” that got a lot of attention…
And sadly, it appears that being a “prepper” is now enough to get special attention from the authorities. For example, a 46-year-old prepper in rural Maryland named Terry Porter recently had his home raided by 150 armed law enforcement officers. The details of this incident were described in a recent article by Paul Joseph Watson…
Of course not.
But “preppers” have been labeled as “dangerous” and “crazy” and that is the way that law enforcement authorities now treat them.
So why are preppers hated so much?
It is because they are a direct challenge to the status quo. Just by prepping, preppers are proclaiming that they do not have faith in the system. But most people have complete and total faith in the system, and many of them do not like to have that faith questioned. As I have written about in other articles, polling has found that most Americans expect that the government will take care of them if disaster strikes. Most people have been trained to “trust the experts” and to “trust the government” all of their lives, and that conditioning can be very difficult to overcome.
This blind faith in the system is a big reason why so many Americans have not made any preparations at all. In fact, one recent poll discovered that most Americans do not even have three days worth of food in their homes…
Another poll discovered that 64 percent of all Americans are “unprepared for a major natural disaster”.
So what is going to happen to them if something even worse than a major natural disaster hits?
For example, what if the electrical grid went down and we had no more power for an extended period of time?
Well, one survey found that 21 percent of all Americans believe that they would survive for less than a week, and an additional 28 percent of all Americans believe that they would survive for less than two weeks. Close to 75 percent of all Americans said that they would be dead before the two month mark.
So I guess we sure had better hope and pray that nothing goes seriously wrong, eh?
The truth is that it isn’t the preppers that are crazy.
Rather, it is the people that believe that everything will always be fine and that the government will always take care of them that are crazy.
Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and now is the time to get prepared.
You may get mocked a bit for prepping now, but later on you sure will be glad that you prepared for the worst.
Have you noticed that it has become trendy to bash preppers? For a long time the prepper movement was ignored, but now it has become so large that it is getting very difficult for the mainstream media to pretend that it is not there. In fact, it has been estimated that there are now approximately 3 million preppers in the United States alone.
So now the mainstream media has decided that mocking the movement is the best strategy, and lots of “critics” and “skeptics” out there have picked up on this trend. Instead of addressing the very real issues that have caused millions of Americans to prepare for the worst, those criticizing the prepper movement attempt to put the focus on individual personalities. They try to find the strangest nutjobs they possibly can and then hold them up as “typical preppers”. The goal is to portray preppers as tinfoil hat wearing freaks that need to be locked up in the loony bin for their own personal safety and for the good of society. The criticism of preppers has really ramped up in recent months, and it will likely get even worse in 2013. The establishment does not like any movement that is outside of their control, and the prepper movement is definitely not under their control.
Often, hit pieces on the prepper movement are disguised as articles or shows that are supposed to be “balanced” looks at the movement. This is especially true of shows such as “Doomsday Preppers“. That show is the highest rated show that the National Geographic channel has ever had, and it can be a lot of fun to watch. But if you notice carefully, they almost always try to feature people that they consider to be “freaks” or that are “on the fringe of society”. Many other “reality shows” follow the exact same recipe. The goal is to draw high ratings by running a “freak show” that people can’t help but watch.
Even if you go on such a show and try to do your best to explain your prepping in a rational and coherent manner, they will still edit the footage so that it makes you look like a freak. It really is a no-win proposition. These shows are trying to make it clear that preppers should be mocked. The underlying implication is that these people are crazy and that what they are doing is stupid.
And at the end of each segment, the producers of the show are careful to include reasons why the prepper that was just featured is being irrational and why the things they are preparing for are extremely unlikely to happen. Just in case you missed the message they have been trying to communicate the entire time, they come right out and tell you the conclusion that you are supposed to come to.
And of course we see the same attitudes reflected in reviews of the show. For example, the following is from a recent Los Angeles Times review of the new season of Doomsday Preppers…
Still, it’s hard not to feel for young Jason from tiny Plato, Mo. (pop. 109), who is awaiting worldwide financial collapse with his homemade, nail-studded “mace-ball bat,” and that his is a life on the verge of going completely wrong. “I’m not afraid to have to kill,” Jason says, in his camouflage pants and dog tag, and there seems to be no question in his mind that it will come to that. (“Jason has always been a worrywart,” says his mother.)Would this Los Angeles Times reporter mock other groups of Americans in a similar manner?
Or for Big Al, from Nashville, who is getting ready for old-school nuclear war by digging down into the earth and surrounding himself with steel. (“I prefer not to use the term ‘bunker’ — to me, it’s an underground house.”) He spends months at a time by himself down there, training for the inevitable — which he expects to weather alone — cooking different combinations of canned goods and, you know, spending too much time alone. One leg pumps constantly as he talks.
The preppers don’t want my pity, of course — quite the opposite, I’m sure. The joke will be on me, they would say, when I am expiring from fallout or smallpox, being carried away in a tornado or torn apart by the hungry ravaging hordes. (I am not even prepared for the Big Earthquake that might more probably get me.)
Probably not.
But the establishment has made it clear that it is open season on preppers, so this particular writer mocks them with no fear.
Not that any prepper that is thinking clearly would go on a show such as “Doomsday Preppers” anyway. Sure, it is nice to be on television, but if you are a serious prepper then one of the last things you want to do is to go on television and advertise your preparations to millions of people.
Others have picked up on the contempt that the establishment has for preppers and have started to issue their own critiques of the movement. For example, an “emergency manager” named Valerie Lucus-McEwen recently published a blog post entitled “Doomsday Preppers are Socially Selfish” that got a lot of attention…
You might wonder why someone like me, who has been in the business of encouraging disaster preparedness for a very long time, is so critical of people who are doing just that. It’s because they are being socially selfish – preparing themselves and the hell with everyone else. Instead of spending time and energy making changes that would benefit the larger community, in their very narrow focus of loyalty they are more concerned about themselves.She followed up that venomous attack with another blog post in which she declared the following…
Emergency Managers can’t afford that kind of attitude. It is diametrically opposed to everything we do. Our job is to prepare individuals and communities and jurisdictions and regions and – ultimately – the globe for disasters, knowing we won’t always succeed.
Selfish is defined as concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself, seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage or well being without regard for others. By that definition, Doomsday Preppers are socially selfish – Disaster Preppers are not.Subsequently, she has issued a very brief apology, but what she wrote is very typical of the type of thinking that is out there these days. Anyone that does not “trust the government” and attempts to become “self-sufficient” is actually very “selfish” and is not “being a good citizen”.
And sadly, it appears that being a “prepper” is now enough to get special attention from the authorities. For example, a 46-year-old prepper in rural Maryland named Terry Porter recently had his home raided by 150 armed law enforcement officers. The details of this incident were described in a recent article by Paul Joseph Watson…
Would 150 officers have shown up at his home if he had not been identified as a “prepper”?According to a charging document filed in Washington County District Court, Porter “openly admitted to being a prepper” (as if this was an illegal act in and of itself) and said that he was “very irritated” about the recent presidential election. Porter had also invested in an underground bomb shelter and had installed surveillance cameras on his property.Once the investigation into Porter began, police discovered that he had a 1992 felony drug conviction and was therefore barred from owning firearms. On Thursday last week, no less than 150 armed and militarized police and FBI agents in the guise of tactical assault teams descended on Porter’s house as if they were confronting a terrorist cell. The raid also included helicopters, SWAT crews, armored vehicles and even excavation equipment.Porter was absent at the time of the raid but turned himself in the next morning at Hagerstown Barrack.After the raid, the claim that Porter was stockpiling “10-15 machine gun-style firearms” was demolished when police uncovered “four shotguns, a .30-30-caliber rifle and two .22-caliber rifles,” hardly a deadly mass arsenal.
Of course not.
But “preppers” have been labeled as “dangerous” and “crazy” and that is the way that law enforcement authorities now treat them.
So why are preppers hated so much?
It is because they are a direct challenge to the status quo. Just by prepping, preppers are proclaiming that they do not have faith in the system. But most people have complete and total faith in the system, and many of them do not like to have that faith questioned. As I have written about in other articles, polling has found that most Americans expect that the government will take care of them if disaster strikes. Most people have been trained to “trust the experts” and to “trust the government” all of their lives, and that conditioning can be very difficult to overcome.
This blind faith in the system is a big reason why so many Americans have not made any preparations at all. In fact, one recent poll discovered that most Americans do not even have three days worth of food in their homes…
A recent survey found that 55 percent of Americans have less than three days supply of food in their homes. Many people have no emergency supplies, or even a first aid kit.That absolutely astounds me.
Another poll discovered that 64 percent of all Americans are “unprepared for a major natural disaster”.
So what is going to happen to them if something even worse than a major natural disaster hits?
For example, what if the electrical grid went down and we had no more power for an extended period of time?
Well, one survey found that 21 percent of all Americans believe that they would survive for less than a week, and an additional 28 percent of all Americans believe that they would survive for less than two weeks. Close to 75 percent of all Americans said that they would be dead before the two month mark.
So I guess we sure had better hope and pray that nothing goes seriously wrong, eh?
The truth is that it isn’t the preppers that are crazy.
Rather, it is the people that believe that everything will always be fine and that the government will always take care of them that are crazy.
Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and now is the time to get prepared.
You may get mocked a bit for prepping now, but later on you sure will be glad that you prepared for the worst.
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Watch the Final Third-Party Candidate Debate
Following the third-party debate two weeks ago, the two chosen independent candidates will square off tonight at 9pm et in a final showing before Election Day. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson will debate Green Party candidate Jill Stein live from the studios of Russia Today in Washington, DC. Note that this debate will not include President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney. We'll carry the live stream here beginning around 8pm et.
Gary Johnson and Jill Stein were chosen following the first third-party debate when viewers were asked to vote for two out of the original four independent candidates to square off one more time.
Live Stream: Available around 8pm et, click the Play button below:
Air Time: Monday, November 5, 2012 at 9pm et / 8pm ct / 7pm mt / 6pm pt
TV Channels: RT America, Al Jazeera English (Don't email me asking how to find these channels)
Participants: Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein
Doesn't look like C-SPAN will be covering this debate, please leave a comment if I'm wrong. Note that this debate was reschedule to November 5 due to Hurricane Sandy so that may be the reason C-SPAN pulled out. We'll also have the full video after the debate airs.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Technocratic Control Over Greek Gold is Reason For Destruction of Economy
Guest Post by Susanne Posel
Last week, gold fell below $1,700 an ounce. This prompted caution in the metals markets as the Federal Reserve Bank continues its purchases of the mortgage-backed securities. The mainstream media touts this act as an attempt to stimulate the American economy; however it is nothing less than a land-grab by the technocrats.
Overseas, Germany’s central bank has neglected
to audit the country’s estimated 3,400 tons of gold reserves. This
resource would be desirable to the technocrats at this critical time –
when they are endeavoring to implode fiat currencies in the EuroZone.
Those gold stores are in the hands of the Federal Reserve headed by Ben
Bernanke.
It is supposed that the same 3,400 tons
of gold (valued at an estimated $190 billion) is currently in the
possession of the central bankers in the US, France and England;
assuming that this gold is the same gold that was stored at the end of
the Cold War.
While the technocrats are trying to
figure out how much gold they have amassed through the implosion of
various sovereign nations under the direction of the global devaluation
of the Euro, the BRICs nations have been backing their fiat with
precious metals and preparing to bring the world back to a gold
standard.
In the 1800’s, Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations.
Smith concluded his book by saying that if countries held gold as
currency, they are a risk to the rest of the world. Since gold can be
picked up and moved to another location, the psychical gold itself poses
a risk to the sovereignty of a nation; and that nation’s ability to
retain their sovereignty by which the gold affords them.
The technocrats operate under the credo
that gold must be kept off the market because the controlling the known
amount of gold secures their advantage of its price and worth. In this
way, the wealth of a nation could be manipulated because the central
bank would be the only institution that would know exactly how much gold
any nation had in their possession; while simultaneously printing fiat
to devalue the worth of the country’s currency.
Smith concurs when he states that less
wealth that is circulated possess a hindrance to the growth of any
nation. And therefore the elimination of the gold standard serves only
to hide the wealth of all nations and create financial dependence on the
technocrats to value all fiat.
Greece is very attractive to the
technocrats. The nation has massive untouched resources of gold, oil and
natural gas – literally under the feet of the Greek people. With Greece
slated to be the biggest producer of gold in 2016, the motives behind
the bankster’s coercion of the Greek government into soverign debt
begins to make sense.
The Greek government agreed to the
technocratic demands for sovereign debt in exchange for the bailout
which will push the Greek economy further down with more fiat pumped
into the system. Meanwhile, the citizens of Greece will lose their
independence, benefits and become serfs to the central banking cartels.
Earlier this month, hundreds of protesters gathered to stand up against
the acquisition of Greece’s Halkidiki gold mine to the banking elite.
Police detained 21 protesters while reports said only 3 demonstrators
were hurt.
In Greece, demonstrators came out in Athens by the thousands to demand
their government discontinue the systematic destruction of their
country under new austerity reforms. Police in riot gear reported that
the protesters threw Molotov cocktails and took aim at the Greek
parliament building. They were met with tear gas.
The Canadian based Eldorado Gold Corp (EGC) is more than willing to be part of the creation of gold mines in lieu of the financial collapse
in Greece. Along with the Australian-owned Glory Resources, EGC is
hoping their efforts will add 425,000 ounces of gold (worth an estimated
$757 million) to the institution that ends up controlling Greece’s
finances.
Other resources
in Greece which places the nation in the hands of the banking cartels,
are the substantial sub-Mediterranean natural gas and petrol fields at
the precipice of the country. Controlling Greek energy exports would be
extremely profitable for the technocrats. Numerous European-based
corporations are bidding to have contracts for the extraction of these
resources.
In light of this, the monetary
destruction of Greece by the central banksters makes quite a bit of
sense. Not only would they control the fiat, but they would have their
hand over these natural resources which would devalue the oil deposits in the Middle East.
At the latest talk at the European Council Summit, the centralization of monetary power was established with the single supervisory mechanism
(SSM) that justifies a new control system of fiat distribution and
acquisition for the purpose of regulating capital and liquidity with the
Technocrats overseeing compliance for more than 6,000 banks in the Euro
Zone.
Considered a “revolution”, this
usurpation of monetary power over sovereign nations in Europe will have
one “supervisor for the whole of Europe.” Nations will no longer be
permitted, by international mandate, to manage their own finances. The
Technocrats are using the global market crash of 2008 as validation for
their self-imbued rule. This centralized power is borne out of a
compromise between France and Germany. A single “supervisor” will be
empowered to intervene in any and all bank dealings that are originated
in the Euro Zone. Those mega-banks in the Euro Zone will be limited by
their establishment as systemic.
The SSM is touted to prevent more risky
dealings in the Euro Zone by controlling the banks through a single
source. Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU Commission believes
that this move will allow the European Central Bank (ECB) to become the
central power foundation and have control over all banks in the Euro
Zone. Yet the SSM appears to be another step toward one world currency.
True to the intricate plans of the technocrats, the UN has proposed a complete overhaul in the report
entitled, “Adapting the International Monetary System to Face 21st
Century Challenges”. They call for a “more intense debate on and reforms
to the international monetary system imply that the current system is
unable to respond appropriately and adequately to challenges that have
appeared, or become more acute, in recent years. This paper focuses on
four such challenges: ensuring an orderly exit from global imbalances,
facilitating more complementary adjustments between surplus and deficit
countries without recessionary impacts, better supporting international
trade by reducing currency volatility and better providing development
and climate finance. After describing them, it proposes reforms to
enable the international monetary system to better respond to these
challenges.”
Susanne Posel’s Website is Occupy Corporatism.
What Hurricane Sandy Reveals About the Future of Preparedness
Guest Post by Anthony Gucciardi
Hurricane Sandy has cleared entire
grocery outlets of their essential items like water, shut off power from
hundreds of thousands of homes, and incited gangs to call for the looting for local stores and wealthy homes. But it is nothing compared to a major disaster. Sure, Hurricane Sandy is projected to cost anywhere from $80 to $100 billion in damages, but it does not really compare to the reality of greater meltdown incidents.
The reality is that other major disaster
scenarios that threaten the lives of many could lead to a response that
is overwhelmingly more severe. Whether economic, nuclear, biological or
otherwise, individuals will respond much differently when two
circumstances arise surrounding such a situation:
- There is no preemptive warning to prepare for the circumstances yet to be encountered.
- There is direct harm presented towards individuals and their families.
But where does Hurricane Sandy fit into
all of this? Hurricane Sandy is extremely important as it is a ‘beta
test’ of sorts to show how people will respond during a time of
perceived crisis. Given that Hurricane Sandy does not pose a very real
threat to the lives of citizens (directly), this response is of course
much lighter than in the more life-threatening collapse situations. That
said, store shelves have still been emptied of all essential items
(particularly water, which was the first thing to go a few days ago),
looters are conspiring to pick their targets, and millions face the
reality of long-term power outages.
My video below details how many stores
are even posting notices of their short supply to deter looters, riots
over essential items like water, and other issues:
Hurricane Sandy Offers Insight on How to Prepare
In other words, Hurricane Sandy gives you a glimpse into not only how a collapse scenario will function, but what you will require. I encourage you to read our information on how to prepare for not just Hurricane Sandy but any disaster in addition to the article on how to preserve your food without electricity.
But at a glance, the key items that will immediately disappear or
become highly challenging to find in a real collapse scenario include:
- Fresh water: Water bottles, gallon jugs, and likely even access to nearby springs will be protected by certain groups.
- Water-containing beverages: All types of juice, soda, milk, just about anything to quench thirst.
- Firearms: Handguns, rifles, and shotguns will be most in demand however it’s likely even BB guns and airsoft will be purchased or looted for protection or otherwise.
- Canned foods: Expect stores to sell out of long-term storable foods as soon as word of disaster hits.
- Sugar and coffee: Items like sugar, coffee, spices, salt, and pepper will essentially be a new form of currency in the event of a meltdown. The bartering system of days past will be reinvigorated through the trade of once-cheap products like these in exchange for even major things like vehicles, weapons, and water.
Thankfully, you can be prepared. By purchasing a high quality water filtration device
alone, you will be ahead of 99% of the population. The best options are
either a gravity-based filtration system (that works using gravity
instead of pressure provided by electricity), or an atmospheric water
generator that is solar powered or can run reasonable fine on a
generator. With either of these options, you will be able to address the
most challenging issue of obtaining fresh water supply for you and your
family. This alone may be enough of a barter tool to generate excess
food and perhaps even weapons.
That said, it is important to begin stockpiling foods that you will be able to eat without electricity. Many foods exist that store for nearly forever,
but it is still wise to eat from your storage each month and replace
accordingly to achieve optimum freshness and subsequent taste. After
all, you want to attempt to retain the most comfort in a collapse
scenario through your foods to ensure that you and your family do not
suffer from serious panic-induced hardships.
Future Preparedness
Hurricane Sandy presents a unique
scenario in which we can understand how society will respond to disaster
in highly-populated urban areas after being used to a ‘regular’
lifestyle for virtually the last several decades. Through this, it also
brings widespread attention to just how necessary it is to ensure that
you obtain and maintain the essential supplies needed for the survival
of you and your family in a much more serious situation that could
threaten the lives of the average citizen.
Just by taking minor steps into
improving your preparedness kit and action plan, you can make a major
different in not only your own life but the lives of many others.
This article first appeared at Natural Society.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Is The World Abandoning The U.S. Economy?
Guest Post by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market blog,
Go to any university, any center of equities trade, any meeting place for financial academia, any fiscal think tank, and they will tell you without the slightest hint of doubt in their eyes that the U.S. economy is essential to the survival of the world. To even broach the possibility that the U.S. could be dropped or replaced as the central pillar of trade on the planet is greeted with sneers and even anger. But let’s set aside what we think (or what we assume) we know about the American financial juggernaut and consider the sordid history of the money powerhouse myth.
Germany, especially in the decade leading up to WWI, was an industrial giant, rivaling Britain in the production of raw commodities like steel, as well as the banking envy of the world. I’m sure very few economists of the era would have given any credence to the idea that the German foundation would in the near future collapse into hyperinflationary ruin. However, that is exactly what it did. In the span of 10 to 15 years, Germany was completely supplanted as the shining beacon of economic prosperity, never to return to a similar glory.
The British Empire from WWII up until the late 1950’s was the primary force in the global trade of oil, and the pound-sterling was dominant in the export and import of raw petroleum between nations. Extreme debt obligations and draining interventions in the Middle East set Britain on the path to currency devaluation, and the loss of its coveted reserve status.
The point is, there is no such thing as an invincible economy, especially if it is predicated on overt debt creation, fiat printing, and reckless foreign policy. When it comes down to the raw data, the American system is just as fragile as any corrupt third world shanty-town nation.
The possibility of a U.S. without financial hegemony is very real. To understand that this possibility exists is one thing; to understand that the process of destabilization has already begun is another. Many analysts with their heads stuck in the mainstream clouds attempt to argue against the “theory” of foreign markets decoupling from the U.S., not realizing that their entire debate platform is pointless because the decoupling is happening right under their noses…
The recent press covering the ongoing plan by BRIC nations (or “BRICS” if you count the latest bilateral agreements with South Africa) to establish their own supranational banking hub merely highlights the fact that developing countries are not simply “talking” about decoupling from the United States, they are taking actions to make it happen:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-16/goldman-sachs-s-o-neill-sees-brics-bank-gathering-momentum-1-.html
The response from mainstream financial analysts is, of course, that the project for a BRIC bank will fail. Their argument, however, usually revolves around the assumption that this new central bank is designed to “compete” with the IMF, and is a merely an overreaction to the IMF and World Bank’s failure to give developing nations more inclusion in decision making processes. I see no evidence that the BRICS are trying to create a counter-system which would conflict with IMF control. Instead, it would seem that the BRICS are much more interested in forcing the issue of greater inclusion, and garnering greater favor within the already existing IMF structure:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/imf-idUSL2E8FJ90K20120419
Last year the G20 discussed heightened participation by China and the BRICS in the IMF’s global basket currency, the SDR. French Finance Minister and later “elected” IMF chief Christine Lagarde agreed with the idea while stating that certain conditions, including appreciation of the Yuan’s value, would have to take place:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12905205
Contrary to the belief that the BRICS are building opposition to the IMF, China has on several occasions called for the EXPANSION of the IMF’s power, as well as widespread circulation of the SDR:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-03/chinese-president-hu-calls-for-reform-of-imf-sdr-currency-basket.html
How have the MSM talking heads missed this trend? Simply put: Bias, controlled and pre-written talking points from their editors, as well as many half-baked presumptions. The popular belief amongst financial academia is that the IMF is a product of American economic might, and that the organization will do whatever is in the best interests of the U.S. at all times. The reality is that the IMF is fast becoming the central authority of economic operations around the globe, and America just happens to be paying the largest “tithe” to the respective coffers of the banking syndicate. Do you get more control in the operations of the IRS when you pay more taxes?
The IMF’s goal is world centralization of economic control. For them, any sovereign nation is expendable in pursuit of the end game, including the United States. The IMF would not be pushing the issuance of a new world reserve currency to unseat the dollar if they did not intend to follow through, and they certainly would not hobble the greenback if they cared in the slightest about American economic concerns.
Rather than running counter to the IMF, BRIC partners and the newly realized ASEAN bloc are making themselves indispensible to the globalists, ensuring wider partnership in the near future. A BRIC central bank is, I believe, a bargaining chip to be used to open the door to more leadership in the IMF while reducing American influence. To summarize, the BRICS are not in conflict with the IMF, rather, they are in conflict with the U.S., and this conflict is coming to a climax…
Trade amongst BRIC nations continues to climb while exports to the U.S. have diminished. Between 2001 and 2009, exports and imports between BRICS skyrocketed, even amidst the derivatives collapse:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13046521
Last year, ASEAN overtook Japan as China’s third largest trading partner. With the announcement of increased participation by Japan in the ASEAN bloc this year, the economic body looks poised to eclipse the U.S. and perhaps even the EU as China’s primary source of export and import business:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1197997/1/.html
Meanwhile, overall exports around the world have dropped for five consecutive months in 2012 on slowing demand in the West. The expectation of a massive resurgence in consumer demand from the U.S. has been proven unfounded, while the recession in the EU is exacerbating the downturn. U.S. exporters, who not long ago held dreams of foreign buyers clamoring for goods in the midst of Federal Reserve inflation and dollar devaluation, have discovered that they are instead floundering:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/business/global/chinas-slowing-economy-puts-pressure-on-american-exporters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
The mainstream claim is that this is due to a breakdown in general Chinese demand, but with exponential bilateral trade deals (many of which cut out the U.S. dollar completely as a reserve currency) being made between China and major producing and consuming countries, it is clear that this is not just a demand issue in China; it is an ongoing process of removal of the U.S. from the trading picture. That is to say, China is deliberately reducing purchases of U.S. goods and turning towards BRIC and ASEAN partner countries to fill the void. This may be the reason why China recently surpassed the U.S. as the top sanctuary for foreign investment:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203406404578074683825139320.html?mod=asia_home
A Treasury report on China’s status as a “currency manipulator” already due but now delayed until after the elections may become the catalyst for the final phase of the global shunning of American markets. With China being presented as a primary issue during the presidential debates, it would seem that regardless of who “wins” the election there will be strain applied to Chinese trade relations.
China’s incredible gold buying extravaganzas over the past few years (including an estimated 500 tons in 2011 and another 500 tons so far in 2012) indicate that they are indeed hedging against what they obviously expect will be devaluation in the dollar or multiple currencies around the world including the dollar. India continues its long tradition of gold buying, while Russia is now increasing its reserves by half-a-billion dollars a month. These are the actions of countries getting ready for a break in the financial system, not a recovery, and certainly not a return to the old days of American consumer bliss.
The argument over whether or not the BRICS and the rest of the world can drop the U.S. economy and move onward has, ultimately, been rendered obsolete. Many will claim that a decoupling is impossible, but the fact remains that a decoupling is taking place. The consequences of this fiscal divorce remain to be seen, and the mainstream could very easily predict disaster for the BRICS. The real question they should be asking themselves, though, is which countries are better placed to survive such an event? Is the U.S. economy really built to withstand a loss of the dollar as the world reserve currency? Is the U.S. prepared for plummeting foreign investment and a reduction in its already dismal production capacity (production taking place by Americans on American soil, that is)? Is the U.S. really ready for extreme inflation in imported goods (most of the goods we consume)? Who really needs who more? It is time for the pundits and average Americans alike to set aside their commercialized and subsidized fake patriotism and question how strong our economy truly is. To ignore vast weakness today, is to feel vast pain tomorrow…
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Third party Presidential debate VIDEO COVERAGE Larry King moderates
Third party Presidential debate scheduled Tuesday; Larry King moderates
VIDEO COVERAGE BELOW
Story Below
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/political-potpourri/2012/oct/22/third-party-presidential-debate-scheduled-tuesday/
Saturday, October 20, 2012
The Fall of America and the Rise of the American Spirit
Guest Post by Bernie Suarez
It wasn't very long ago when the worldview of the United States was one of a country that represented justice, democracy, freedom and moral accountability, even if only in the minds of the naive. Unfortunately, not only does the U.S. no longer remind anyone of these values, but the mention of these values is now scorned by many ordinary Americans that have gobbled up the Military-Industrial-Complex paradigm of the fascist global government.
Many well-meaning people now scorn core American values. These are individuals who have been indoctrinated into accepting the perceived social 'norms.' They have been so psychologically programmed into the corporate fascist society they have never really considered deeper moral questions of why they stand for what they do; or how their positions and beliefs measure up historically.
The programming and deception is so strong that in some circles expressing enthusiasm about the U.S. Constitution is frowned upon and even mocked as primitive thinking.
Far too many people allow themselves to be consumed by often irrational drives carefully induced by the bombardment of programmed news, entertainment and propaganda. This knowledge and awareness of the programmed propaganda and ability to think on your own is proof of the global awakening that is happening. It is in this awakening of consciousness that each and every one of us will be able to change the course of history.
The country that was once the place to come to because you knew you would have a chance to flourish, get an education and the job of your dreams, is now the place for corporate and governmental implementation of global tyranny and oppression and exploitation of a voiceless people. The past spirit of America, however, is rising in response to the current challenge. Perhaps this is the natural course of history and social/political/cognitive evolution; we should expect empires to rise and fall as we travel through history and time.
Not long ago in America there was some hope for the poor and there was room for dissent; they say you never really appreciate what you have until it is taken away. In America, loss of freedom can now be felt. There was a time when there was a sense that if you can hold a politician accountable by asking the tough questions and demanding answers, that would be enough to keep them honest. Now politicians, in particular at the highest levels, carry on with no sense of accountability acting like they are essentially above the law. The founding fathers held that the order of supremacy included god first, then the people and then the State. Today in America's rising fascist state there is no question that the State comes first. This is fascism and is very un-American.
The past spirit of America however, is rising in response to the current challenge
This warrants the question: Can a continued majority of a generation live a lifetime without connecting the dots? Or is the mass media effect on humanity coming to an end? Can this ongoing deception stand up to the global awakening and consciousness raising that humanity is experiencing? Will those who are deeply asleep in the matrix ever wake up? If so, how many will die, be illegally imprisoned, tortured and killed in the name of the global government before enough people awaken to stop this madness? This ultimately is the question.
Regardless of our future, this much is true: there was once a concept called the United States of America whose core values for survival of its union were based on sound principles. Principles that esteemed natural god-given rights for each individual (notwithstanding the ingrained racism and slavery that prevailed at the time) and felt it necessary to separate the powers of the State because this was seen as critical to for the prevention of tyranny. The founding fathers understood the dangers of powerful tyrannical governments and how they could destroy the country and the dreams of its citizens.
Today, we understand and heed these warnings. We understand that there is no life without human liberties; there is no joy without human rights; and there is no future when you fear the government. As a human race we will eventually come to this conclusion as many already have.
On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry once famously said: “Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
These words will resonate in the hearts and minds of those Americans that pursue peace, love and justice forever. Many have said, "the answer to 1984 is 1776" and never has this been more true than now.
The fall of the United States and the rise of the 'U.S.' Global Empire happened slowly and incrementally, as this was part of their plan. The mass hypnosis we observe in America today was accomplished by slow incremental feeding of lies and propaganda designed to pacify Americans and appeal to their irrational drives. This slow incremental implementation of tyranny by feeding of lies and deception in myriad ways is described by some as the ‘boiling frog’ effect. This effect has caused people to willingly and gladly accept restrictions of their natural freedoms and Constitutional rights.
Likewise, in order to reverse this course, everyone who cares about truth must continue to fight the information battle and continue to do the things that will push us into the next level of consciousness. If we can induce the critical mass that the establishment is so afraid of, we will win this battle of information and get to the business at hand of restoring the United States of America back to where it was at one time.
Thankfully, history shows that these things do eventually change for the better. Humanity as a whole will eventually learn its lesson and reestablish the parameters for preventing this from happening again. History teaches that countries can be stolen and ideologies suppressed, but sound ideological and moral principles can also be recovered.
Here’s to the political historical and conscious cycle of life and the hope of a new tomorrow.
Bernie Suarez is an activist, critical thinker, radio host, musician, M.D, Veteran, lover of freedom and the Constitution, and creator of the Truth and Art TV project. He also has a background in psychology and highly recommends that everyone watch a documentary titled The Century of the Self. Bernie has concluded that the way to defeat the New World Order is to truly be the change that you want to see. Manifesting the solution and putting truth into action is the very thing that will defeat the globalists.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Birthing the Divine Warrior
Guest post By Julian Rose
These are testing times. There is little doubt that the malevolent forces currently holding sway over our world are doing their damnedest to keep the lid on the rising tide of consciousness which will ultimately depose them.
The effect is tangible; as though a block is attempting to be placed on incoming energies that nourish the awakening process. As though such energies are being sucked out of the very air we breathe – leaving a kind of vacuum and that feeling one gets just before a thunderstorm when the atmospheric pressure draws back prior to unleashing its pent up energies.
Disoriented and strangely ‘up against it’. We may even experience the sense of loss of contact with the flow of higher guidance, moments of lethargy as well as mental disequilibrium.
Hold hard my friends. Draw in and earth your internal energies. Ride out the storm. It was never going to be easy.
Yes, here we are in the run up to those much anticipated dates of the winter solstice 2012 – and instead of being lifted aloft by higher vibrations – we may instead be feeling grounded, sore and glad enough to gain an occasional glimpse of the light!
Yet within the great game of Cosmic Lila that is the adventure called Life – what we are going through is a twenty first century manifestation of the ‘rights of passage’ of the warriors of old. The vortex we are now entering is forcing us to strip away the last vestiges of our worldly baggage that cannot be carried on our backs through this great metamorphosis that we are to undergo.
The healing and transformation process which is now upon us will not compromise its powers or soften its strength. No, we should be glad of this – even as the pain hits home. What we are being hit by is a combination of ‘man made’ consciousness suppressors and the curative fire of higher energies – and probably in approximately equal amounts.
Who ever said it was going to be a pleasurable rise into the gently setting sun?
In the vortex between two great spans of time is where we are privileged to now be travelling.
And all the while this vortex is pulling into itself the manifest events of our past history and crunching them into an ever expanding present, composed of both past and future.
Yes, we are on the inward moving outer spiral of veritable ‘black hole’. This great whirlpool is sucking and concentrating all of earthly history into a spiralling hour glass, and we, my friends, are going with it. For we too are cosmic entities that cannot be separated from the forces of the universal forces from which we are formed.
But what we can separate ourselves from is the foolish fixation upon an identity that is not ours. That is a false vessel sailing on a sea of phony propaganda, illusion and lies … and it is that vessel which is now about to hit the rocks and disintegrate into a thousand fragments, each of which will shout-out to be saved!
Don’t go to their rescue, brothers and sisters. Let them go. They are the useless detritus of our tainted past and are blockages to our present right of passage.
They want to keep you in your ‘comfort zone’ by sucking on your pranic corpuscles and enforcing upon you the illusion that, by sticking with status quo, you are ‘free’. Yes, free to choose a Big Mac or a Burger King, A Coke or a Fanta. An Apple or an IBM, a Ford or a Chevrolet. They want to convince you that what they stand for is ‘the real life’ and anything else is a dangerous and uncharted ocean upon which you should never be so foolish as to attempt to set sail.
Ah, but you and I have already set sail on that ocean and there is no turning back. We are sailing together on this ocean at this very moment and we are sailing straight into that great swirling vortex which strips and transforms our every cell into a crystalline diamond, thus laying bare the cosmic soul which is our essence.
How can it not be painful? How can we not meet the oncoming waves head-on?
Yet a voice is telling us that the pain is transitional and unavoidable. It is karmic pain. It is the macrocosmic pain of the microcosmic pain every woman passes through when giving birth. But now it is you who are giving birth, you are giving birth to the child of innocence that you are and to the Warrior you are to become!
The pain is relative to the degree to which we progressed down the ‘wrong path’ and acquired the burdensome baggage of our engagement with consumerism, vanity, arrogance, ambition and plain laziness.
All that stuff isn’t going to survive the inexorable centrifugal and centripetal forces into whose midst we are entering. So those who don’t want to part with their baggage will go down with it still strapped to their backs and will thereby become devoid of all natural buoyancy necessary to move beyond third density entrapment.
Lighten the load now, drop off the useless paraphernalia, work on the emotional clearing; shed the old skin; relight the sun at the solar plexus; open the compassionate heart to the forces of Love and the neo cortex to the crown of golden light that it is.
Then, when you are not looking, the Divine Surfboard will be slotted gently under your feet – a balancing pole placed smoothly into your hands and a loving Angelic arm slipped gently around your waist. Then, lo and behold, the black hole is black no more!
It is seen for what it truly is: a giant alchemical cosmic cleanser.
Wow, going into that? Yes, and into that ultimate cleansing energy that boils our beings down to the absolutely essential essence of “I am”. Only that remains as we surf on through the wormhole, guided by the Angel whose arm is gently and lovingly looped around our waist.
Ah yes, my friends, laugh! Laugh joyously! Laugh at the absurdly wonderful drama that is Life and soar where you will on this great and mysterious cosmic journey which is your birthright.
But understand that Ecstasy is the currency of Love and the fuel of Passion, and that these are Divine Assets. Divine Assets that will evaporate away at a moments notice if not immediately invested into the hands-on transformation of the mundane, politically, financially, ecologically and spiritually flawed world which we struggle to move through each day of our lives.
That is the first and foremost investment which we must make if we wish to tread the road to a higher consciousness. We are quite simply impelled to offer back to our Creator the fruits of that Godly potential which the Supreme Consciousness invested in us. We are here to realise those fruits. The investment of them into doing all we can to reclaim the sanctity of our precious planet is the most crucial input we can make in this life-time. Let no aware individual deny that it is his or her role to make such an investment the centrepiece of their lives.
To be effective in this mission, we must recognise that our entry into the cleansing vortex is enabling us to be re-birthed as the Divine Warriors which our planet is so urgently calling out for. Our field of engagement is planet Earth. Our antagonists are the oppressors of the Divine Spirit.
They still hold sway on this planet.
If we want to get to the Garden of Eden, we are going to have to be party to the eviction of those who are illegally occupying it. That is the prerequisite for enabling our planet to throw- off that which prevents its evolution – and our evolution - into fourth, fifth and sixth density consciousness. We cannot get there without it. It cannot get there without us.
We are organising ourselves as the Activists of the New Resistance for exactly this purpose and we cannot rest until our task is achieved.
We will not loose the Angelic arm that holds us lovingly around the waist so long as we are fully engaged in this supremely creative task. But turn away and allow ourselves to imagine that someone else will intervene on our behalf – and even the memory of the proceeding ecstasy will soon turn to ashes.
So, warmly embrace the role of the Divine Warrior that you are. Man and woman. We are entering into the supreme engagement together. The ultimate battle is to be fought on a unified front – and as you know – you are guided in the strategy to be deployed. And as you know, the first battle is with yourself. And as you know, one of the biggest battles is to rid yourself of fear. Or at least, to be able to ‘set fear aside’. And do not let the ghoulish entities deployed by the occult engineers stand in your way either. They are just malevolent masks that hide an empty soul.
Yes, dear friends, we are going forward together, no matter where we reside geographically in relation to each other. We are inexorably moving together, and in so doing are building the ultimate ‘resistance’ and we will not be easily deflected in our goal.
When we are called upon to fight, we will fight, in defence of Truth. When we are called upon to refuse to comply with the stultifying laws of man, we will refuse to comply with such laws. When we feel called upon to pray, we will pray. When we feel called upon to meditate, we will meditate: all out of commitment of a greater Truth being manifest on planet Earth.
We are well into the vortex of ‘no way back’. Yet our passage through this vortex leads us home. Funny, eh? Home is where we come from and where we are going to. Our right of passage is everything that lies in between, and our journey is both outward and inward, simultaneously. Always both - and that is a clue to great paradox of Life.
We are as trees. We grow from seed, both putting down roots and growing upward at the same time. So when in doubt – be a tree! Be the tree you are and grow down and up from the central plexus of your being. Bring Earth and Spirit into oneness.
From now on, our true strength will come from engagement with, and the ultimate defeat of, all that which, and those who, try to block the flowering of the Divine Truth which each of us holds within - and whose time has now come.
Julian is a British pioneer organic farmer, writer and activist. He is currently president of the 'International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside' which is leading the fight against GMO in Poland. He is author of "Changing Course for Life - Local Solutions to Global Problems" www.changingcourseforlife.info
Read other articles by Julian Rose here.
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