Prepping Is More Important Than Ever

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Yard Dart, Apr 4, 2017.


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  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I don’t believe it is as pervasive as certain people may believe, but there is a notion among some in the liberty movement that with Donald Trump in the White House the need for crisis preparedness has subsided. Because preppers and survivalists tend to lean towards the conservative side of things, the urgency for prepping almost always explodes when the Democratic party is “in power.” As they say, for example, Barack Obama was perhaps the greatest gun salesman in history with the gun industry growing over 158 percent during his two terms.

    Now with Republican dominance in Congress, Senate and White House, there is a possible temptation for conservatives to become complacent and comfortable once again. In 2017 so far, ATF background checks have dropped by at least half a million since this time last year, and gun company stocks are turning negative. There are also rumors floating around that survival food companies are suffering from a severe crunch in sales. Though I have not yet found this to be substantiated, I can verify that many preppers I deal with on a daily basis seem to have relaxed their guard.

    I would point out that this is not necessarily all due to Trump. The gun market is likely saturated after eight years of Obama, and one must also consider that as the U.S. economy continues to decline, surplus cash used for prep gear is going to dry up. That said, I do think it is important to examine any assumptions liberty activists might have in terms of a Trump driven “recovery.”

    When I began publishing my post-election analysis on what I felt was a predictable Trump win, I did find anger among some activists who decided I was being “too pessimistic,” and that I should join the movement in celebration. Being that I called a Trump presidency half a year in advance based on the premise that the globalists needed a conservative scapegoat for the next phase of the ongoing financial crisis, it was hardly a moment of celebration for me.

    There is a common delusion among those that invest themselves in politics that all that is needed to reverse the course of any nation or situation is a “strong leader” with ample cheerleading from the populace. In reality, social and geopolitical disasters are usually far beyond the means of any one politician to change. Economic disasters are even more irreversible. I wish I could pretend to be optimistic, but I am rather well studied in the history of these kinds of events.

    Conservatives are especially vulnerable to the idea of a “protector on a white horse” coming to their rescue; a God-fearing hero and statesman, a general and leader of men. But, such people do not exist. There are no supermen. There are no worldly saviors. There are only common men, with common failings, destined to face extraordinary obstacles. The great men of history are not born before hand — they are forged in the crucible of crisis. Great men are not great men until proven otherwise. To assume any political leader is a great man beforehand is foolish, to say the least.

    This is why blind faith in a post-Trump renaissance is misplaced. It is something that has yet to be proven, and in the meantime, there are numerous and highly visible dangers on the horizon that demand continued vigilance and preparedness. I will examine one of these primary dangers now…

    The growing threat of civil unrest
    As I noted in my post-election analysis, the political Left has been shell shocked by the rise of Trump and their emotional response would undoubtedly be to double down and become progressively more volatile and more violent. I predicted that this would be evident as winter broke and the cold weather subsided.

    The first signs of this are surfacing as May Day is becoming a rally date for social justice mobs bent on disrupting any agenda the Trump administration might have for enforcing immigration laws. The largest of these protests is to be held in Los Angeles, but similar protests are planned nationwide as well.

    From what we have seen from previous rallies, it would not be unfair to expect rioting in May. I say this because a tone shift in the left is taking place and extreme reactions are more frequent. The following video illustrates this clearly, I think…

    In case you missed it, this guy just pulled an AR-15 on someone simply because they had a MAGA flag on their truck. Not only that, but he filmed himself doing it and and apparently posted it on social media. That is how brazen and insane these people are becoming.

    Think of it this way — could you have even imagined something like this happening during the 2012 election? It is important not to become conditioned to such behavior as being “normal.”

    To be sure, this sort of thing will not be happening in certain parts of the country. In my state of Montana, the assailant would have been shot two dozen times over by our highly armed population regardless of his politics just on the self defense principle. And frankly, I am fine with that. Citizens providing security for citizens is the American way.

    What I do have a problem with, though, is the increasing potential for an extreme response from conservatives in the face of leftist lunacy. Meaning, I worry about martial law with conservative support, which in my view is more and more likely over the next two years.

    Contrary to popular belief among tough-government champions, martial law often instigates more violence than it solves. The harsher the crackdown, the more vicious the push-back; the more vicious the push-back the more totalitarianism is rationalized by authorities. It’s a terrible cycle.

    Preparedness in terms of self defense should be self-explanatory here. During widespread mob action the rule of law is usually the first casualty, even when martial law is instituted. You also never know when some nutcase might declare you a “Trump supporter” (whether you are one or not) as he reaches for a weapon.

    It is fascinating to me the level of cognitive dissonance with some liberty activists who seem to think Trump’s first term will be anything other than pure chaos. George Soros, an elitist who often funds the very groups organizing mobs to protest Trump, said it plainly:

    “I think Trump will fail.”

    “What’s more Soros predicted that the market’s Trump high will soon turn into a hangover. He called Trump unpredictable and unprepared, and said that combination will end up bad for the market.”

    Soros and his globalist colleagues do not need to field guesses; they engineer the outcomes that they “predict.” Social unrest at this fragile time would result in the exact market instability Soros mentioned, among other problems.

    Look, you may believe Trump is being threatened on all sides by the so-called “deep state,” or you may believe that he has willingly surrounded himself with global elitists because he is a Trojan horse. Either way, the diagnosis for the future is not rosy. It would be naive to think that the globalists would not do everything in their power to foment calamity in the near term. It would be equally naive to believe that such an agenda could be repelled through political means.

    The answer, as always, is a prepared citizenry. This can act as a deterrent as much as a measure of comfort. The more prepared the public is for any eventuality, the less affected we will be by disaster. The less affected we are by disaster, the less fearful we will be when it strikes and the less likely we will be to make stupid decisions such as throwing our support behind martial law and the wholesale erasure of the constitution. The more prepared we are, the fewer options available to the establishment when attempting to lure us into poor collective decisions.

    Prepping means freedom in the face of uncertainty, and times have never been more uncertain. To summarize: A Trump White House calls for more caution, not less.
    With Trump as president prepping is more important than ever - Personal Liberty®

    How has your preparedness activities been affected since the election? Do you find that you are doing more or less to enhance your preparedness, due to the change in who is the President?
     
  2. T. Riley

    T. Riley Monkey+++

    I've switched from buying long guns to pistols. That's all.
     
  3. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    I haven't seen the fall off of sales reflected in lower prices yet. :rolleyes:
     
  4. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Following the same plan here.
    Have shifted a bit more to the growing part of things mainly because the defensive part of things are in good shape. I keyed on defense during the last 8 years because I was honestly worried some things would be unavailable after Dumbo left office and the She Spawn of Satan took over the white house. I admit, I thought she would get the election one way or the other.
    Have no doubt the powder keg still has the fuse in it, and it is still dangerously close to the match. Only question is who is going to light it, but light it they will. I see it as a race war fueling a economic crash. Maybe the other way around, doesn't really matter the result will be the same. Best keep playing the Beans, Bullets and Band-Aids game because the storm clouds are still gathering.
    My [2c]
     
  5. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    I think NOW is the best time to shore up preps and arms stocking/purchasing. The reprieve we are now in can only last untill the "Next Big One"what ever that is, so for the Wife and I, it's full speed ahead.
     
  6. Lone Gunman

    Lone Gunman Draw Varmint!

    This thread is spot on!
     
  7. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    They may but only after warehouse inventories are over flowing.
     
  8. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    Usually by doing the opposite of what the herd is doing is your best move. Many people are liquidating some of their preps at bargain prices, so this is the time to buy what others are casting aside. Arms and ammo come to mind, but don't forget everything else. Less interest means better deals.

    This is the equivalent of buying low and selling high. In four or eight years the tide will turn.
     
    Motomom34, Ura-Ki, Ganado and 5 others like this.
  9. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    Only when interest rates go up from next to zero, then they will sell the stockpiles and put their $$$ into stock/bonds, kitchen sinks, new homes, etc.

    Rancher
     
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  10. GOG

    GOG Free American Monkey

    I just keep doing various and sundry things on a regular basis. I can't see any particular reason to stop.
    We live in interesting times.
     
  11. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Exactly @3M-TA3.
    I did the same thing after Y2K. Scored on a couple of really nice, brand new Gensets and a Walther PPKs for less than half of what was paid for them originally.
     
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  12. chimo

    chimo the few, the proud, the jarhead monkey crowd

    Same thing happened after lil Bush got elected. Like now, they were not only falling asleep, but also excusing everything he did...illegal wars of convenience, shredding the Constitution, etc...then magically woke up when Obama was elected. So it's not surprising or unexpected that many are repeating the same behavior. I'm sure if Trump gets us into a war, good Christian conservatives and preppers will once again call me a traitor for questioning it. Heck, I got a load here from some for questioning the Constitutionality of Trumps proposed "Muslim ban" during the campaign. Guess there was a good reason why respectable people used to not discuss religion or politics in social settings. ;)
     
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  13. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    Just keep on chugging here. I have noticed some decent sales on storage food and have noted the long missing .22 is starting to show up again around here. Other than enjoying hearing the libs whine, nothing has changed as far as the preps go.Great post though!
     
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  14. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    Make my living at gun shows...been a hard couple of months.
     
    Dunerunner, Ura-Ki and Sgt Nambu like this.
  15. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Buy LOW, Sell HIGH.....
     
  16. Sgt Nambu

    Sgt Nambu RIP 4/19/2018

    Good thread!
    I find that I've been doing this so long that I'm having to replace things, so that's my current focus! I have a .22, a .30/30, a .410 shotgun, so along with a couple boxes of ammo per, I've got firearms covered!
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2017
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  17. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Still continuing with prepping plans here.

    As relieved as I am that Hilary didn't win and that the 0bama reign is over, I still don't see any concrete plans to balance federal budgets or make even a token attempt to pay down the enormously high national debt.

    Only two ways out of that if things don't change otherwise - inflate the dollar or confiscate privately held monies (think 401k). It has to happen sooner or later.

    In the meantime - begin looking for sales on ammunition, firearms, food and spare parts. Rotate out food and fuel supplies. Purchase a medium-sized tractor with a front end loader and backhoe in the next year or two, even if it's an old one. Continue to develop the well hidden BOL until it becomes reasonable to live there full time.

    That's of course, if the little crackpot from North Korea doesn't drop one of his missiles on us.

    Prepping plans have not changed.
     
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  18. fedorthedog

    fedorthedog Monkey+++

    I am seeing the ammo and gun situation change, prices on both ae down, 22 was advertised on sale at a local store, and an at kit was 400, if you bought a complete lower and then a complete upper.
     
  19. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    That problem will end in less than a week.
     
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  20. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    More Not NEWS , just aversion to deflect ..
    When I read the story's here & check on some web sites of whats going on, then hear our CBC canadian Radio speels the same lip service !!!
     
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