As fear of economic collapse spreads, those calling themselves survivalists get listened to by more and more Americans. Ironically the hippies used to talk about survival by going back to the organic farm.
Today no one is publicly gathering potatoes and sprouts. Instead many are advocating hoarding gold which isn’t good for the money circulating, and actually in a truly desperate world, some buried bags of Raw Potatoes could be more fluid as a currency substitute than, a buried sack of Gold Coins.
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People urging survivalist tactics could be wrong in other areas as well, but as usual only the right-wing is doing any arguing, so they keep winning the oral argument by default. Imagine 40 year ago, no earmarks and big guns being in the same package.
Today so-called survivalists not those dropping out mention that the dollar and euro are close to collapse. They urge besides guns and guard dogs a generator and a water distiller, and a hoard of prepackaged dried foods.
In a real disaster guard dogs will be shot and eaten, and no mater how big one’s gun you still need some sleep.
Why not along with one’s neighbors refill as many empty plastic bottles as possible, sprout seeds, and grow and bury potatoes. Medieval farmers had potatoes no matter how many self-appointed, tax collecting armies passed through.
In the last days of the Bush years things began collapsing, Obama chose to be a mediator, not a blamer, at first accomplishing wonders until he began to inherit the blame for things not being the way they should be.
Mayors can plant potatoes. Philadelphia (a Democratic island in a now Republican state) is particularly venerable for hard times. And now has a casino that services almost exclusively the poor. People without any money in their pocket, at all, don’t go the supermarket, and a usually honest person even if not caught might feel embarrassed to go back to the local store where they stole a peanut butter cracker. Urban gardens already encouraged by the city might start growing potatoes. Over sized pots in your windowsill or yard, will make the robbers know, despite being healthy, you likely don’t have pouches of plastic-wrapped dried food that is easy to haul away. Sidewalk grass could be gardens. The next stimulus should be stipends for urban gardens, since in an emergency they will feed the neighborhood whether they want to or not, except for the potatoes since only the planter knows when and exactly where to dig, and anyone desperate enough to randomly dig wouldn’t be in any condition to wait for any they find to cook, or bake.
Of course an intruder rather than barter could rob one of their sprouts, but since thieves tend to be lazy or totally desperate, haling away seeds and plastic storage bins is not likely instead a thief might plan to come by for more spouts later, and have to worry about the sprouts being poisoned if he pushed to hard. And as I said before potatoes are stable enough to substitute as currency.
Obama keeps preaching hope for a better world. Gore spread grim predictions while being part of an inspiring ecological campaign where individuals planted a tree, and ads glorified kids picking up litter. Churchill also inspired by talking about a grim world. Note Churchill’s inspirational book was titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears”. President Obama stop the prosperity oriented happy talk! Like Gore, talk of the grim times ahead!
Besides predictions of a bright economic prospect repeatedly letting people down, Guantanamo not closing like Obama said he would, saps the strength of those who conclude that there is no way for ordinary folk to have their opinions heard. However, the day Obama announced plans to close Guantanamo, al Qaeda claimed a new head of al Qaeda of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, a convicted terrorist who was involved in the bombing of the Cole He earlier was granted amnesty by Yemen in return for apologizing for terrorism, and picking his own words to affirm that Prophet Mohammad doesn’t condone attacking non military targets. If the US government had exposed he was a figurehead pressured into it by al Qaeda, he could have been turned into a remotely-detonated suicide bomb. Others could be cornered as well. There is a bloodbath of Awakening Council members in Iraq of the ones refusing to make amends with al Qaeda. Obama’s problem in closing Guantanamo is not lack of will, almost anyone who was at Guantanamo could at knife point claim on the Internet to be an al Qaeda leader.
France declared war against al Qaeda in Mali building up from when it tried to rescue instead of paying ransom for French citizens held hostage. Bin Laden personally threatened to blow up the Eiffle Tower and other targets. Bin Laden is confident that victory will eventually be his since with his help the US is bankrupting itself. If Obama were to announce we are now withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and a hostage was seized some Americans would go out of their minds in anger. Conservatives. As far as showing weakness, defense spending at a bankrupting rate is a show of weakness. But it’s not yet checkmate for America.
I would like to thank Warren Buffet and the 44 millionaires who signed a pledge opposing the tax-cut extension. Under Eisenhower the tax rate on the rich was 91% then though the years it went down to the thirties. As there are more and more millionaires as the economy crumbles some hope for revolution. There won’t be revolution as long as those who don’t want it can foment hate between ethic groups like they have between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. However a touch of what Cuba has the world needs, to keep the rich at bay.
For free health care people can go to Cuba. If the government would allow Americans to take 10% of their medicare, medicaid, and prescription reimbursement with them or 10% of any welfare payments with them to Cuba, Cuba would put up with the influx of sick people even if they got less than 10% of what US hospitals get. Some Social Security recipients used to retire in cheaper Mexico taking the burden off of medicare, but crime is got in the way of more retiring there. We must cut medical costs, and health care overseas can help.
Manufacturing jobs are gone, the Internet hires toward the lowest paid parts of the world, TV monitors can be watched from overseas replacing some security guards and quality control experts without union or worker actions. An exception to the economic downturn is Australia where nevertheless unemployment is extremely high.
Obama please stop talking of economic recovery any time soon, instead like al Gore and Churchill inspire hope that America continues to function.
Meanwhile if we started taking Survivalism in a collective way, and a non-combative way, our own neighborhood could survive even if many things are going wrong elsewhere in the world. The right-wing now owns the code words that used to belong to the hippies. I believe that who owns the code words is more important than most realize.
In a previous article,
http://richardkanepa.blogspot.com/2011/01/obama-vs-churchill-blood-sweat-and.html
I had more detail of ways municipalities and individuals could save costs by way of the Internet, One’s insurance company or even state welfare departments could encourage overseas operations and prescription renewal, a few have but googleing organ donor transplants soured my interest,
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
by Richard Kane
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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