Life right now feels like that moment when your roller coaster car begins slowing down near a terrifying peak, and your line of sight finally captures the precipitous plunge lying ahead. Americans know that what happens next won’t be enjoyable except in that perverse way when abject terror floods the body with adrenaline. Majorities or near-majorities expect imminent economic disaster, global war against nuclear-armed foes, and civil war here at home. If that’s “progress,” then it’s long past time to turn the country around. Yet that’s the thing with roller coaster rides: even if we hit the brakes now before cresting the summit, our downward acceleration is guaranteed — in one direction or another.
It’s not as if the ruling class’s “cult of expertise” provides any comfort. We have a president who long ago lost his marbles, a vice president who succeeded in the political profession by excelling in the oldest one, a secretary of defense committed to promoting men in dresses, a health bureaucracy pumping citizens full of experimental drugs, a Treasury Department endlessly printing money, a Commerce Department prioritizing inflation-inducing “green” windmills over real economic growth, a homeland security chief dedicated to keeping the nation insecure, and a national police force that treats half the country as “domestic enemies.” It’s almost as if whoever installed these yahoos into the highest positions of authority wanted obvious “fall guys” for when everything, well, falls down.
The Gateway Pundit recently ran an article reminding readers of an ominous analysis from a private intelligence outfit predicting a seventy-percent decline in America’s population by 2025. That Deagel Corporation forecast released less than a decade ago shocked a lot of people at the time, but in an age when Farmer Gates and Doom Fauci continue to promise incoming pandemics worse than COVID, the World Economic Forum’s human sacrifice cult insists on widespread energy poverty and famine, and U.S.-NATO plays Russian roulette for fun and profit, apocalyptic population drops no longer seem so unimaginable from the top of this globalist roller coaster. (Morbid side question: If Deagel’s devastating prophecy proves right, will climate cultists still insist that only global government and micromanaged markets can save the world from destruction? Arg, of course they will; even after killing off 95% of the planet, A.I. clones of Klaus Schwab, George Soros, and Barack Obama will still be blaming the remaining 5% for “hate” crimes, global warming, and “white supremacy.” Hustlers can’t ever give up the con.)
A lot of armchair analysts originally wondered about Deagel’s math, especially since the intelligence firm predicted steady or rising population numbers for Russia, China, and most of the Global South. Did the private spooks expect a one-sided nuclear, biological, or EMP-inflicted war in which America’s enemies were overwhelmingly victorious? Or did they perhaps simply take the U.N., WEF, and Obama-deluded U.S. at their word when the West decided that its primary nemesis is bad weather? If you eliminate hydrocarbon energies and non-zero carbon producers from the market, after all, then agricultural production drops dramatically, energy for home heating disappears, and the costs of manufacturing inputs rise exponentially. Runaway food and fuel inflation all but ensures cataclysmic poverty, starvation, and a return to burning wood for heating (when smoke-filled skies will prove the toxic repercussion of tilting at windmills for energy).
Maybe Deagel attentively studied the new-world-order master plans of the Marxist globalists running the West into the ground and realized that if they were successful with all their “progressive” promises, the obvious cost would be 70% of the population. Just as the Mesoamerican Aztecs fought drought with human bloodletting, Western socialists know that a lot of innocent people must die for “hope and change.” No tyrant ever said Utopia comes cheaply. Russia, China, India, and everywhere else where hydrocarbon energies are still valued as instrumental for prosperity and population growth can just sit back, watch the West commit suicide, and wave.
So here we are in this maddening doom loop, where a majority of Western populations know exactly what kinds of homicidal maneuverings their governments are up to and yet find themselves in straitjackets and chains should they dare to say anything. If you object to the coming “green” energy–induced mass starvation, the zealots brand you a “climate denier.” If you prefer diplomacy to nuclear Armageddon, you get labeled a “Russian appeaser” or arrested for spreading “disinformation.” If you prefer free expression to government censorship, you’re one tweet away from committing the made-up crime of “hate.” And if you still cling to the antiquated notion that the Bill of Rights is an integral part of U.S. law, the national security Deep State dedicated to monitoring and regulating your language, religion, self-protection, privacy, property, due process rights, and other constitutional guarantees has something to say: namely, that all civil, human, or otherwise natural rights — even when bestowed by God — are suspended during times of declared emergency or whenever else government agents decide to terminate them because they don’t like who you are, what you believe, or what you say. Bet you never saw that fine print at the bottom of the Constitution and stamped by the directors of the FBI, CIA, and NSA!
This insane Western death march has reminded a lot of insightful historical observers of the so-called Tytler Cycle, a description of the natural rise and fall of democratic societies and named after eighteenth-century Scottish lawyer and historian Alexander Fraser Tytler (a kindred spirit, if not true kin, to his heroic but fictional clansman of Outlander fame). John Eberhard has written about Tytler at his website, Commonsense Government, as have Andrew Coy, Chris Talgo, and Emma Kaden here at American Thinker. All these essays are excellent.
As an analytical realist, Tytler looked at history through a lens free from wishful thinking. Every form of government, he argued, is “ultimately ruled by a single will,” and, therefore, every form of government is “virtually and substantially a monarchy.” He may have had a sincere respect for republican virtues, but he knew that, however democratic a society appeared, a permanent Deep State still rigged the game. Furthermore, he was certain that all great nations eventually implode from internal depravity and corruption: “It is a law of nature to which no experience has ever furnished an exception, that the rising grandeur and opulence of a nation must be balanced by the decline of its heroic virtues.” No matter how strong or principled in the past, no government will last.
Although it is not clear that Tytler actually delineated the “cycle” of civilizational growth and collapse with which he is generally credited, it seems likely that he would have agreed with its usual formulation: “From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”
Looking at that cycle, it is difficult not to see the shorthand version of events tracking America’s meteoric rise and unfortunate decline. From “a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” to a vast national security surveillance State dedicated to a “woke,” Marxist religion, two-tiered administration of justice, political persecution, censorship, redistribution of property, and the racist proposition that Americans should be judged by the color of their skin, rather than by their characters or minds. By every measure available, liberty and courage have been traded for complacency and dependence.
But what about bondage? Must we follow the Tytler Cycle to its completion and become slaves to a system we abhor? Or do we have the free will to decide which direction this roller coaster will soon head?
My deepest thanks to J.C.R., D.T., S., M.M., R.S., E.B., and P.V.
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.
