First of all I would like to apologize for my tone of late...not really to those I may have offended, because I have said nothing that I do not mean or stand behind...but to Ghrit, Melbo and all the Monkeys who make this such an incredible resource for those who have awakened to the need to be prepared for what is coming. In a way, I guess I lost track of what The Monkey is all about. The problem is that, after nearly 30 years of consciously preparing for the collapse (not to mention a lifetime of being taught to be ready for anything), I see a possibility to avoid it. When I see people who are undoubtedly smarter than the majority of the sheep out there (or they wouldn't be here) failing to recognize the root of the problem and advocating the continuation of the same old "stuff" that threatens to bring us down, I get so frustrated that I lose sight of the fact that The Monkey is not the place to concentrate on trying to avoid the collapse, but rather the place to try and help others survive it. For about as long as Dr. Ron Paul has been Congress' conscience and the primary defender of liberty in Sodom on The Potomac, I have served as a US Army Ranger, a state police officer, a Chief Deputy US Marshall and an administrator of both state and federal prisons. I was fortunate enough to be able to take an early retirement due to disability about 10 years ago, around the time that the abuses of the constitution got bad enough that even my somewhat less than genius mind was able to recognize that this was no longer my father's (or the nation's founding fathers') USA. Throughout my years of living a double life as a government functionary and a secret prepper, I have selfishly hoped that my preparations were for my family and that the fall would not come in my lifetime. While I am not really very old (62 at last count), old war wounds, damage from Agent Orange, a career of high stress positions and genetic heart issues have left me with a body somewhat older than it's years and very dependent on modern medicine...so, even with my "stash" of medications, it will take a lot of luck for me to make it through even the first year after the collapse. Obviously, I would like to see that collapse delayed as much as possible... I honestly believe that Dr Paul's "prescription" is the only chance we, as Americans, have to reverse the trend...certainly my last chance, and I believe the last chance the founding fathers' experiment in liberty has to survive. We cannot go on spending money we don't have on illusory "national security" until we collapse upon ourselves like the Soviet Union did for the same reason. We can not pursue a foreign policy that says "be like us or we will kill you" and then go on wondering why most of the rest of the world hates us...in numbers growing every year. We can no longer maintain a military presence everywhere in the world except right here at home while our borders are overrun by those who come to take what we have and destroy what we are while sending what they take back to their country rather than becoming a part of ours like earlier immigrants. We can no longer try to legislate whatever morality is held by the current majority while sacrificing the rights of other citizens. We cannot go on building our government even larger by borrowing money from China...while all the time providing financial aid to China (and most of the rest of the world) with the same dollars we borrow. We cannot continue taxing the top 5% of earners to support the 50% that pays no taxes while the ones in between slide at an ever increasing rate into the larger group. I believe all of these things are self-evident and honestly cannot understand why so many otherwise intelligent folks cannot see them and somehow think the problems will be solved by a Romney, Santorum, Bachman or Obama. I have said my piece here and will try very hard from now on not to challenge those committed to the status quo...or, at least, not let it get in the way of the basic reason I come here and why I value The Monkey so highly... I finish by wishing you all that which my screen name here represents...pax mentis...peace of mind. Pax
I "liked" this. Well written. Well said. Temet nosce, tibi ipsi esto fidelis - Know thyself, to thyself be true.
I have talked til I was blue in the face trying to convince others not to vote for the lesser of two evils, but instead vote for the candidate who most closely believes in what you stand for. At the same time I try to explain past and current Constitutional abuses, and the toilet bowl we all seem to being swept down along with our entire country. Mostly I would be just as well off talking to a tree. If between now and election time I manage to convince a handful of people, I will feel I have accomplished something ...... no matter how small a feat. There is no doubt in my mind that most people are so ignorant of the Constitution and how our government is supposed to work. that there really is no hope at all. All I can do to hold onto my sanity is continue to try to spread the word. Post SHTF all bets are off. I may become Tacmot the idiot slayer!
From what I have read of your recent posts I can't think that you have anything to reproach yourself for. You have expressed things from your heart that you believe earnestly. There is no wrong in that. Parliamentary democracies have a number or advantages, and a number of disadvantages. One of the more pernicious disadvantages is that legislation, policy making and executive action are frequently subverted by political popularism, driven by the imperatives of re-election. When the course of decision making is directed by "what will harm my election chances or my faction's election chances....or what will advantage my election chances or my faction's election chances...the nation's interests tend to be of somewhat seconday concern. When the event horizon for politicians is the next opinion poll or at best the two to four years it takes to approach the next election, it is hardly surprising that policy making is targeted to the short term, and let the longer term be someone else's problem. Evidently the Founding Fathers were visionaries for the longer term and created mechanisms that would protect the citizenry's interests in the long term. Unfortunately those mechanisms are being dismantled or rendered inefectual for partisan short term gain by narrow self interested groups with an eye to the main chance. I think in some senses the world is an abyss, so it makes sense to take what measures we may make in preparing our respective lifeboats for the deluge. If the deluge fails to eventuate...we are still in a better situation in navigating what squalls life may throw at us.
Very well put. I feel your pain and at times have had to take a hiatus myself. Survivalmonkey has never set out to fix the problem - but exists to help others prepare for the end result. It's tough to 'know' the solution when others can't seem to see it. Of course, the line between these sides can get blurry. We resisted even having a Politics forum for a long time and started the F&L forum as closed and invite only. I'm much more opinionated off this site than I am on because I never wanted a bully pulpit and have tried to keep things as neutral and open as possible. I go to bed at night thinking about what I wanted to say in response to X thread. I get relief in this: Wasn't it only around 5% of the American populace during the American Revolution that wanted to raise a fist against king George? Those 5% couldn't have changed the minds of the rest of the 95% by any means but it only took 5% to change our nation. Rock on. Stay wise and prepared for anything. Talk to those who'll listen and even to those who won't since a few of your words just might stick. I have your 6.