(The Economic Collapse Blog)—Order is breaking down all over the western world as governments lose control of their populations. Farmers have been holding angry protests throughout Europe, enormous groups of migrants have been rioting on a regular basis, looting has become a way of life in many communities in the United States, and now truckers are calling for a historic boycott of New York City.
We are witnessing very alarming explosions of anger and frustration all over the western world right now, and there are no easy answers because most of us have lost faith in those that are governing us.
I would like to start by discussing the rioting that just took place in the Netherlands.
A fight between two rival groups of Eritreans resulted in a massive riot which transformed the streets of the Hague into a war zone…
A violent riot erupted on the streets of the Hague last night, as ‘migrants’ attacked cops with bricks and torched police cars.
Dozens of rioters were filmed surrounding the Opera conference hall along Fruitweg in the Netherlands, as multiple police vans drove to the scene.
Another clip also showed the aftermath. The building had several smashed windows and parked vehicles were on fire, with the street left looking like a warzone.
A fight broke out between two groups of Eritreans. ‘It got seriously out of hand,’ The Hague Municipality spokesman Robin Middel said last night.
“Seriously out of hand” is a major understatement.
It is going to take a very long time to repair the immense damage that was caused by the rioters.
Eritrean African immigrants devastate The Hague and attack Dutch police. pic.twitter.com/Ns7ygY5ICK
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) February 17, 2024
Elsewhere in Europe, there were “angry clashes between police and demonstrators” when a couple hundred thousand pro-Palestinian protesters flooded into central London on Saturday…
A video has shown angry clashes between police and demonstrators during a pro-Palestine march in central London today which is estimated to have attracted between 200,000 and 250,000 to the capital.
A total of eleven people have been arrested, including at least on suspicion of support for a proscribed organisation, with the demonstration scheduled to end near the Israeli embassy, with pictures showing police lined up in front of it, apparently to guard it.
Needless to say, such a sizable protest never would have happened 20 years ago.
But in recent times millions of migrants have been pouring into Europe, and the EU just passed a “migration pact” which will completely open the floodgates…
The EU has passed a migration pact dubbed “the suicide of Europe” which could lead to the continent being flooded with as many as 75 million new migrants.
The European Parliament’s LIBE committee passed the act on Wednesday, which formalizes the distribution of migrants to member states and punishes those that refuse to take them.
Because cultural enrichment and diversity is “our greatest strength,” countries that try to maintain their national identity without being subsumed by migrants will be hit with severe financial penalties.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of National Rally’s parliamentary wing, previously said the pact would lead to “the suicide of Europe,” adding that it was a deal with the devil and represents an “organized plan of submersion of Europe and the nations which compose it.”
Of course it isn’t just migrants that have been taking to the streets.
In recent weeks, vast numbers of farmers throughout Europe have been expressing their deep displeasure with those that are ruling over them…
Farmers are holding protests across Europe, clogging the streets with their tractors, blocking ports and pelting the European Parliament with eggs over a long list of complaints from environmental regulation to excessive red tape.
“We are no longer making a living from our profession,” one aggrieved farmer in Paris told CNN.
While some of the most dramatic protests have been in France, similar action has been taking place in a host of countries including Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Normally farmers are not radical activists. But they have been pushed way too far, and they have decided that enough is enough.
Here in the United States, truckers that are infuriated by the verdict that was just handed down in New York City are pledging to boycott the Big Apple from this point forward…
Some Trump-supporting truckers are refusing to transport loads to and from New York City after the former president was fined $355 million and had his ability to run businesses in the state suspended in Friday’s civil fraud verdict.
A pro-Trump truck driver known as “Chicago Ray” posted a video to X following the verdict, sharing that he and several of his colleagues are declining NYC delivery jobs due to Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling.
“I’ve been on the radio talking to drivers for about the last… hour and 15 minutes… I’ve talked to at least ten drivers… they’re going to start refusing loads to New York City starting on Monday,” Ray said.
Will this boycott be widespread enough to make a huge difference?
I don’t know.
But if enough truck drivers joined the boycott, it could certainly cause a lot of pain.
As Zero Hedge has pointed out, truck drivers move “between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States”…
Truck drivers transport between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States. Therefore, when truckers begin discussing plans on social media to boycott loads to progressive hellhole New York City, it’s important to pay attention.
Following the verdict, many business owners in New York City were concerned that they could receive the same treatment that Trump just received.
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In response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul explained that business owners have nothing to fear as long as they are “law-abiding and rule-following”…
New York Governor Kathy Hochul attempted to reassure business owners in New York that they have nothing to fear after the state’s Attorney General fleeced $355 million from President Trump for running a business in the state.
Hochul told John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM where she was asked if other New York businesspeople should be worried that if “they can do that to the former president, they can do that to anybody.”
According to Hochul: “I think that this is really an extraordinary unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.”
Do you think that such a statement will make anyone feel better? Of course not.
There is so much anger over what just happened. At this point, Wayne Allyn Root is calling for a nationwide boycott of the entire city…
All 100 million of us must boycott New York City. No more vacations there. No business trips. No more attending conventions. No Christmas trips to see the Rockettes and the tree at Rockefeller Center. No more clothes shopping on Fifth Avenue. No Broadway shows. No more spending at hotels or fancy restaurants. Just say, “NO!”
Ask every store or online site you buy from, “Are you based in New York City?” If they are, find someone else to buy from.
All of the examples that I have shared in this article share a common theme.
The elite are losing their grip and are having a very difficult time maintaining order.
This is happening despite a very sophisticated campaign to censor the Internet and control what we think.
Ep. 75 The national security state is the main driver of censorship and election interference in the United States. "What I’m describing is military rule," says Mike Benz. "It’s the inversion of democracy." pic.twitter.com/hDTEjAf89T
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 16, 2024
It just isn’t working.
They are trying to pull our strings, but most of us are no longer obeying.
And in many of our communities, social order is totally breaking down. As I mentioned earlier, there are some parts of the country where looting has become a way of life…
By now it’s a familiar scene: a group of seven men walked into a a clothing retailer Thursday wearing face coverings and robbed the place blind in broad daylight, walking out with armloads of merchandise while the store was still open. But this wasn’t San Francisco or Los Angeles, it was in Memphis last week, and the retailer says this was one of more than 60 similar incidents to happen in the last year in their Memphis area stores alone.
According to WREG-TV, police released surveillance video of the alleged shoplifting gang who walked out of a local City Gear store carrying armloads of pilfered merchandise. Police say, after reviewing the footage, that at least seven individuals participated in the organized theft. Neither police, nor City Gear’s parent corporation Hibbett have released an exact dollar amount of the merchandise that was stolen, but it was described as a “large amount.”
At this point, things have gotten so crazy that it really takes a lot to shock me. But I was shocked by one story that I read earlier today.
One man that had just been released from prison decided to hijack a car hauler truck that was transporting 10 Chevrolet C8 Corvettes…
Fox 10 Phoenix reports that a 23-year-old man, freshly out of jail, hijacked a tractor-trailer loaded with exotic sports cars, telling law enforcement after he was caught, he simply needed a ride.
According to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department in Phoenix, Arizona, the suspect, Isaiah Walker, “assaulted and robbed” a truck driver at a Willcox Loves Truck Stop.
“Walker grabbed the victim and threw him from the cab,” the sheriff’s department wrote on Facebook.
The suspect then “entered the vehicle, locked the door, stole the vehicle, and drove it from the parking lot,” the sheriff’s department continued, adding the truck was hauling ten Chevrolet C8 Corvettes with an estimated value above $1.25 million.
Sadly, this is just the beginning.
2024 is less than two months old, and I believe that by the end of this year we are going to see far more chaos than we are witnessing now.
So watch your back and keep your head on a swivel, because we are entering a time when danger will potentially be lurking around every corner.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
