One Last Look At The Real Economy Before It Implodes - Part 6 - Solutions

By Brandon Smith

All problems, all crises, have at least one solution, if not many solutions. There is no such thing as an unwinnable scenario. Some may not be smart enough or courageous enough to see it, but the solution is always there, waiting to be discovered. The only fight that cannot be won is the fight in which the enemy makes all the rules and we foolishly abide by those rules. Life is not a game of chess, and a man can choose to be more than a pawn anytime he has the guts to do so.

In the past, I have likened the liberty movement to a rebellion against not just tyrants but the game itself - a group of people willing to walk away from the chess board and make their own rules. I stand by that assertion. However, simply walking away is not enough; we must also be willing to take actions that will destroy the game entirely.

In order to accomplish this task, any rebellion against corruption of power must be self-critical - more self-critical of its own weaknesses than opposing propagandists could ever be. Most of our problems as a society are being caused by a relatively small number of elitists, but we will never be able to undo these problems without understanding our weaknesses as much as the enemy’s weaknesses. In this final installment of my six-part series, I will talk about REAL solutions to the inevitable economic implosion in front of us, but I will also discuss the shortcomings of the liberty movement as an obstacle to the success of those solutions.

Big Brother Used to Levy Fines and Cut Services to Water Wasters

By Truthstream Media

Welcome to Agenda 21 meets 1984.

During this historic drought in California, so-called "water wasters" are not only being hunted down via their smart meter data and fined up to $500 a day for "wasting water" outside their restricted use times, but now people who have been labeled "water wasters" are also being threatened with having their water completely shut off! 

Neighbors all over California are also being turned into see something, say something Nazi-esque State Snitches against one another in a "droughtshaming" campaign that's used by the establishment to gather video evidence of water wasting to levy even more fines. Wait until peak pricing models start kicking in...

Congressman Urges Protection for Power Grid Against EMP Attack

Mac Slavo

When it comes to an EMP attack, the question remains “when” not “if” the SHTF. Few other scenarios hold as much potential for disaster and disruption to the lives of everyone in society. At a moment’s notice, 300 million Americans could be made instantly desperate – and even likely to die in the aftermath. A single event could easily be enough to take down the power grid and render inoperable all the computers and electronic tools that individuals, businesses, banks and governments all rely upon.

Arizona Congressman Trent Franks recently reintroduced a bill intended to provide better security for critical infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the threat posed to the power grid by an EMP – which Rep. Franks points out could occur either naturally from a solar flare or by way of a targeted man-made weapon.

The King Fire Chronicles: Life on the Edge of a Natural Disaster

Daisy Luther

For eleven days now, forest fires have raged around us. Worsened by the drought on the West Coast, a seemingly unquenchable inferno is eating up the trees, the brush, and anything that gets in its way. It’s like the fire is a living thing, one that wants to get free and consume everything.

I’m rarely forthcoming about even our general location, for the obvious privacy reasons, but I want to share what it’s like for a real family – mine – to live on the brink of disaster for an extended period of time.

For the past week and a half, we’ve wondered on a daily basis if THIS will be the day that our home burns to the ground, consumed by wildfire. We’ve wondered constantly if we will have to evacuate in the midst of cooking dinner, if someone will pound on the door in the middle of the night, or if the fire will jump the creek at the bottom of the next canyon over.

Lessons from Ferguson: Prepping for Civil Unrest and Martial Law

Daisy Luther

Any prepared and informed person knows that the threat isn’t always the event itself, which could be anything from a natural disaster to a rioting spree after a sporting event to an economic collapse. It’s the chaos during the aftermath of the event.

If you ever had any doubts about that statement, you need look no further than Ferguson, Missouri.

Today, Governor Jay Nixon called in the National Guard.

Martial law has officially arrived in Ferguson.

Of course, this only makes it official. The past week has shown a militarized police force driving around in tanks, wearing body armor, and brutally responding to citizens. Martial law was already there and the Constitution was already suspended.  Nixon just made it official.

This is just the icing on the chaos cupcake, however.

Scientist Warns 'Solar Super-Storms' Are Inevitable and a Significant Threat

Activist Post

Solar flare NASA gif

In this month's issue of Physics World, Ashley Dale from the University of Bristol warns of the "catastrophic" and "long-lasting" impacts of "solar super-storms" and the dangers we face if the threat continues to go unnoticed.

Dale, who was a member of an international task force – dubbed SolarMAX – set up to identify the risks of a solar storm and how its impact could be minimized, explains how it is only a matter of time before an exceptionally violent solar storm is propelled towards Earth. Such a storm would wreak havoc with our communication systems and power supplies, crippling vital services such as transport, sanitation and medicine.

"Without power, people would struggle to fuel their cars at petrol stations, get money from cash dispensers or pay online. Water and sewage systems would be affected too, meaning that health epidemics in urbanized areas would quickly take a grip, with diseases we thought we had left behind centuries ago soon returning," Dale writes.

The Big Blackout: Why I’m Going Low-Tech to Prep for an EMP

Daisy Luther

This might be stating the obvious, but in the event of an EMP, things will not be the same, no matter how great your generator is.

Aaron Dykes of Truthstream Media wrote an excellent article about the extreme likelihood of a catastrophic event that could take out our power grid:

Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer is warning investors – and more broadly, lawmakers and leaders – about the potential destructive power of an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, which could be triggered by solar events or artificially, via blasts in the atmosphere.

According to Singer, research shows that no other incident, including a nuclear bomb, has the potential for such wide-scale devastation, coupled with the relative likelihood of occurring. While a nuke would primarily impact on the location of a such (such a city), an EMP could occur globally or across large-scale regions, wreaking havoc on the entire electric grid and devices…

Strategies for a Neighborhood Prep Cooperative

Jon David Miller

Now that we are in a time of growing awareness of the potential for a societal breakdown disaster, forming a preparedness cooperative among your neighbors and friends is a crucially important idea.

As one of the founders of an urban natural foods cooperative in 1975, that continued to operate for 30 years through many changes, I understand the value and the challenges of such a venture in normal times.

At a time of easily perceived possibilities of chaos arising from either an economic collapse, an earth change, a power outage or some other social disruption event, forming a shared cooperative project with neighbors in a strategic geographic sector is essential.

The primary topics of concern are food, water, shelter, first aid and security. It is important to have thorough plans and adequate supplies of good food, pure water, first aid items, nutritional supplements, herbs, essential medications, clothing, flashlights, batteries, candles, alternative lights, matches and other fire starters, tools and off-grid heating, cooking, air quality and waste disposal equipment.

Simple Steps Toward Security in the Suburbs

Tess Pennington

If you live in suburbia, security starts from the inside out. Your home should be a fortress, although not so blatantly that it catches the attention of casual passers-by, making them wonder, “What’s in there?” Some simple updates can harden your domicile against intruders.

1. Doors should be sturdy and steel core. The frame around the door is equally important. Even the strongest door will not hold up to a determined intruder if it is seated in a flimsy frame. Look for a sturdy steel door-jamb. Always use at least 3-inch screws to anchor the components of your door and its frame.
2. Install hardware for a door bar. Envision the bars reinforcing doors in medieval castles or on barns. By installing brackets into studs on either side of doors to the exterior of the house, you can have a bar that goes across the door from side to side. The bar can be a very heavy piece of wood, or it can be iron or another metal. Unless you are in a high-crime neighborhood, this barricade would not be necessary under normal situations. However, during a SHTF scenario, it will make your doors virtually impenetrable without the aid of a battering ram with a team of burly men behind it.
3. Secure your windows. Particular attention should be paid to windows on the ground floor. Install a sturdy piece of wood cut to fit so that the window cannot be raised from the outside. Consider coating windows with a shatterproof film. Keep valuables out of sight from the windows. If your door has a window in it, or if it has sidelights, a piece of decorative metal grid work can easily be screwed in over the window, making it impossible for an intruder to break the window and reach through to unlock the door.

Are You Prepared for a Water Emergency?

Earl Griffin

Listening to the radio on the way into work this morning I learned that hundreds of thousands of people in southern Prince George’s County in Maryland will be without water for “days.”

How many days? The official speaking on the radio would not say.

It would be difficult to come up with a worse time to deprive hundreds of thousands of people of life-giving water. Today’s heat index is expected to hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit! Similar heat indices are expected throughout the remaining week.

According to the report, the problem is found in a “Fifty four inch main that is without redundancy.” Monitors indicate that the main is going to blow. It is believed by the water provider that allowing the main to blow and then performing the repair would mean the end user would be without water even longer and that the repair would be more expensive.

How many of the people who will be affected by this water emergency will hear this warning? How many of those who do hear it will do so in time to act before the water is cut off and what little water is available in stores is gone?

Dorm Room Preppers: The Next Generation of Survivalism

Daisy Luther

It’s an exciting time, preparing for your child to leave the nest. Your young adult is enthusiastically anticipating the independence that is so near, but you, as a parent, are most likely running scenarios in your head of all of the mishaps that could befall your son or daughter.

As a prepper, you want your child to also be prepared for any crisis that might occur when they are out on their own. My lovely eldest daughter has just graduated from high school, and we put together a dorm-room preparedness kit for her college apartment. Following, you can see the list of supplies that we have assembled. Different climates will, of course, require different types of preparedness items.

Food and water

If there is a long term power outage, you want to be sure that your student stays fed and hydrated until you can get them home.

EMP Attack and Solar Storms, Part II: Cascading Failures and Nuclear Meltdown

image source

Kevin Hayden (TruthIsTreason.net)

Some time ago, we discussed the broad implications of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack, such as that from an aerial detonation of a nuclear device, and the similar effects of a large solar storm or coronal mass ejection from the sun. In that discussion, we looked at the overall aspects of the crisis, including interruptions to our trucking industry, which in turn would represent a massive failure in our food, health, and fuel delivery systems. Other topics included traffic gridlock, potential vehicle failure, and briefly, what to expect after the lights go out.

In Part II of this guide, we will dive into a more technical look at what even the most minor of electrical hiccups and disturbances can do to our delicate, computerized world, as well as explore how interconnected our society truly is. However, in order to adequately set the stage for understanding the grave threat under conditions in which all of our infrastructures fall prey to simultaneous failure, it is imperative to understand that the “vulnerability of the whole — of all the highly interlocked critical infrastructures — may be greater than the sum of the vulnerability of its parts.” (1)

If a singular system goes down, it can result in a cascade of failures across the spectrum, from communications, to banking, to government services, and even water treatment and sanitation. While many articles paint a bleak overall picture of a few singular failures, there are some extremely dangerous situations that are often overlooked, especially within the oil, gas, and nuclear sectors.

Getting Started: Prepping For a Two-Week Power Outage

Daisy Luther

If you’re new to preparedness, you may be reading some of the excellent and informative websites out there and feeling quite quite overwhelmed. While many sites recommend a one-year supply of food, manual tools, and a bug out lodge in the forest, it’s vital to realize that is a long-term goal, not a starting point.

A great starting point for someone who is just getting started on a preparedness journey is prepping specifically for a two-week power outage. If you can comfortably survive for two weeks without electricity, you will be in a far better position than most of the people in North America.

Even if you aren’t convinced that hardcore preparedness is for you, it would still be difficult to argue against the possibility of a disaster lasting for a couple of weeks. Major natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy down to lesser storms like last year’s derecho in the Metro DC area are incontestable – storms happen and all you can do is be ready to weather them. As well, a large western US power company recently announced that they did not foresee the ability to keep up with electrical demand this summer, and may institute rolling blackouts to cope with it. If you are prepared for two weeks without power, you are prepared for a wide range of short-term emergencies, including quarantines, interruptions of income, or civil unrest.

DHS Report Points To Armageddon Scenario

Chris Carrington

In 2009 the DHS commissioned a report into the threats posed by space weather. The fact that they did this is not surprising, we would all prefer that the government actually did something sensible like protect their citizens from the impact of CME’s, flares and such like.

The report was published in November 2011 and it states quite clearly on the documentation page that it’s an unclassified report that has been approved for unlimited public release.

With something that can impact millions of people in the US alone it’s amazing that few people have heard that such a report exists.

World War Z: Emergency Preparedness, United Nations, and Predictive Programming

Kevin Hayden 
Truth Is Treason

As summer heats up, so does the Hollywood box office. With so many remakes and sequels being made, it seems that no original plot can be written in Hollywood these days. World War Z is no exception; it is based on the zombie-apocalypse book of the same title by Max Brooks.

And like most blockbuster “disaster movies”, World War Z offers viewers a tightly tailored agenda as to who they should look to for guidance and safety during disasters. This is typical of end-of-the-world entertainment and a key component of predictive programming, as we saw in Contagion Children of Men, Outbreak, and many others.

The World Health Organization (WHO), FEMA, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are typically glorified as saviors, even though local populations are often decimated or under strict control of local authoritarians.

The Cascadia Fault Line: Locked, Loaded And Ready To Fire

Chris Carrington

On a dark winter's night in January 1700 a tsunami struck Japan. It flooded fields, swept away villages for miles inland and cost many lives. Even as far back as 1700 the Japanese had made the connection between earthquakes and Tsunami, but this time there was no earthquake, no warning to allow the people time to evacuate to higher ground. The tsunami was called the ‘orphan tsunami’ because it had no ‘parent’ earthquake. For more than 300 years the origin of the orphan tsunami remained a mystery.

In the 1980s Hiroo Kanamori and Tom Heaton published a paper that said the 1700 tsunami was caused by a massive rupture of the Cascadia fault line that runs off the west coast of the United States from California to Vancouver. In 1987 Brian Atwater studied soil samples far inland across the length of the fault and discovered that the United States had also suffered a tsunami at the same time as the Japanese. He concluded that Kanamori and Heaton were correct, a massive earthquake had sent a tsunami out from the source of the quake inundating the coasts on both sides of the Pacific.

Recent studies by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has concurred on the findings of previous studies.

Erosion Of Our Civil Liberties Highlights Those Who Will Resist When Society Breaks Down

Chris Carrington

The vision of my future is bleak, so is yours. There’s no need for me to list and link the abuses of power that are imposed on us by the government; unless you have been living in a cave for the last year or so you will know about the constant erosion of our civil liberties, the removal of our rights is gathering pace.

Every day another piece of legislation determines what we can and can’t do. Not outlandish things, simple things, everyday things, things that we should be able to take for granted like catching rainwater, growing veggies wherever we like on our property, making a phone call without the intrusion of government eavesdroppers and information gatherers.

It’s not just happening here either. Almost the entire Northern Hemisphere is moving in the same direction. The UK and the Eurozone, even though they have big stuff like bankruptcy and record unemployment to worry about, continue to impose idiotic and restrictive laws on their citizens.

I’ve been asking myself why a lot recently. Why do this, what’s the point of doing these things now? Why not next week or next month?

Increasing Your Odds of Survival

Dave Hodges

Today, most Americans believe that the United States is on the verge of a total economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. The government believes it as well. However, unlike most Americans, the government is prepared as evidenced by DHS and their recently purchased 2.2 billion rounds of ammunition and 2700 armored personnel carriers.

Only a small percentage of the people are prepared for what is about to happen. Just what does it take to be prepared? How much of this and how much of that are questions that many preppers ask. Unfortunately, most Americans are not asking any questions at all. Most of these ignorant people will be among the first to die.

There are two major types of crises which could come to our country. We could get lucky and have a soft landing, which will be catastrophic, but survivable. The other possibility is that we will be looking at a complete collapse of everything and this country could become a very dangerous place in which to live. This article examines strategies for dealing with a complete breakdown of our society.

Top Survival Items At The Supermarket Besides Food

Activist Post

Previously we have written about the best survival foods found at your local grocery store. But food is not the only thing in supermarkets that can be useful for surviving potential crises. In fact, since large supermarkets have a huge selection besides food, they can provide most survival essentials outside of tools and weapons.

Here are just some of the important survival items to buy in bulk while grocery shopping.  Please add any items we missed into the comment section below.

First Aid Kit: Most grocery stores these days will have pre-made first aid kits which are usually worth buying because they're easy to store and have diverse items.  However, picking up extra bandages, antibiotic creams, band aids, bug spray, aloe, and other items will be helpful.

Medicine: If you have prescriptions, it's best to have at least one month's worth on hand. Over-the-counter items like Ibuprofen or Tylenol, Benadryl and others are also wise to stock up on.

Vitamins: If you're in a deep survival situation, the selection of food will likely be less nutritious than you require. Therefore, to stave off illnesses and infections, having a good supply of multivitamins will come in real handy.

Comprehensive Survival Food List & Storage Guide

Rady Ananda 

Survival food storage practice doesn’t require Mormon membership, but the tradition, wrought from their first Utah winter, is worth emulating should disaster strike ortechnology fail, two survival books by Mat Stein. This guide, Part 2 of my survival series, relies on Stein’s books, and websites dedicated to survival preparedness. 

At its most basic, food storage wisdom demands that you buy what you eat, and organize and label the boxes or bins with contents and date. Stocks should be rotated based on shelf-life longevity. Using Stein’s general guide, when properly packaged and stored, various foods last several months, years or decades, as follows: 

10 years or longer: Honey, sugar, salt, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and wheat berries (WTF?). 

5-10 years: Most dried legumes and whole grains, dehydrated cheese, instant or vacuum-packed coffee, baking powder, powdered eggs and frozen butter.