To defend your sanity, these days you have to do crazy stuff. At least, it appears crazy. The problem is, we have such a big load of lies being fed us, so the truth would naturally appear bizarre.
Someone at Kitco Mining says the FDIC is about to issue their quarterly report (slated for 25 August), and so far the snoops believe the banks about to die could number close to 1000. Another investment guru is saying he expects similar numbers, and predicts a run on the banks the next day (26 August). If it happens, then you should expect a bank holiday. I had figured this for later September, but this moves things up a month. Maybe things have changed. Who knows?
For the past few months I’ve been among those predicting doom and gloom. In fact, I was in on this a decade ago, but only once did I believe we were on the verge of martial law. Now I read the US military wants to station 400K troops in the US to prepare for something. At least a couple of people have reported seeing various uniformed fellows standing near such places as train stations, and they were toting assault rifles or machine guns. I don’t know what to believe, because I don’t have direct access to these people. Around here where I live in Central Oklahoma, things are pretty placid. On the other hand, stupidity from the federal government is reaching a fever pitch.
The problem is, folks, when it all comes apart, there won’t be any warning. So I’ve been giving thought to things I can do to survive and thrive. I play through several scenarios in my mind, starting with small changes, and pushing to dramatic “Bug out NOW” possibilities. I can’t pretend my plans would fit any part of your life, but perhaps a few ideas might be useful to you.
We’ve done as much as we could to prepare for health issues. We have stocked up on essential prescriptions, and in general have tried to gather a surplus of the nutritional supplements we think matter most. Most of us in the household have been to the dentist recently. We’ve stockpiled toiletries, etc.
We’ve bought a mixture of hand tools, some really old, just in case electricity becomes an issue. We have cultivated a fondness for cookware that would work in just about any situation. I have experience living rough, some of it from extended military maneuvers, some from a childhood in poverty, or other situations. I’m keeping my cranky old laptop and recently re-installed CentOS 5 — if I’m going to have any use for it, this is probably the best preparation I can make. Our wardrobes reflect the possibility of needing mobility suddenly. I upgraded some components on my bicycle recently.
At a fundamental level, I’ll still be able to live, function and prosper with only what I can carry on my person. The real preparation is inside myself. There are a thousand variables, and aside from certain high-level guesswork, there is no way to know, even in broad general terms, what any of these crises can do. Oddly, there’s a certain comfort in having so little to lose in terms of material goods.
What I really hope is that I’m completely wrong, utterly crazy. I can live with the idea I suffer paranoid delusions. What I would not like is to read this stuff, ignore it, and find out it was right.
