Apocalypse Fairly Soon?

Apocalypse Fairly Soon? That is the title of an article posted on the New York Times by Paul Krugman. Krugman writes about the possible fall of Euro, beginning in Greece, then making its way through the other financially unstable countries. This impacts in the U.S. as Europe holds a alot of our debt and our banks are holding European debt as well.

Krugman’s article: Suddenly, it has become easy to see how the euro — that grand, flawed experiment in monetary union without political union — could come apart at the seams. We’re not talking about a distant prospect, either. Things could fall apart with stunning speed, in a matter of months, not years. And the costs — both economic and, arguably even more important, political — could be huge.

This doesn’t have to happen; the euro (or at least most of it) could still be saved. But this will require that European leaders, especially in Germany and at the European Central Bank, start acting very differently from the way they’ve acted these past few years. They need to stop moralizing and deal with reality; they need to stop temporizing and, for once, get ahead of the curve. I wish I could say that I was optimistic. The story so far:

When the euro came into existence, there was a great wave of optimism in Europe — and that, it turned out, was the worst thing that could have happened. Money poured into Spain and other nations, which were now seen as safe investments; this flood of capital fueled huge housing bubbles and huge trade deficits. Then, with the financial crisis of 2008, the flood dried up, causing severe slumps in the very nations that had boomed before. At that point, Europe’s lack of political union became a severe liability.

Florida and Spain both had housing bubbles, but when Florida’s bubble burst, retirees could still count on getting their Social Security and Medicare checks from Washington. Spain receives no comparable support. So the burst bubble turned into a fiscal crisis, too. Europe’s answer has been austerity: savage spending cuts in an attempt to reassure bond markets. Yet as any sensible economist could have told you (and we did, we did), these cuts deepened the depression in Europe’s troubled economies, which both further undermined investor confidence and led to growing political instability.

And now comes the moment of truth. Greece is, for the moment, the focal point. Voters who are understandably angry at policies that have produced 22 percent unemployment — more than 50 percent among the young — turned on the parties enforcing those policies. And because the entire Greek political establishment was, in effect, bullied into endorsing a doomed economic orthodoxy, the result of voter revulsion has been rising power for extremists.

Even if the polls are wrong and the governing coalition somehow ekes out a majority in the next round of voting, this game is basically up: Greece won’t, can’t pursue the policies that Germany and the European Central Bank are demanding. So now what? Right now, Greece is experiencing what’s being called a “bank jog” — a somewhat slow-motion bank run, as more and more depositors pull out their cash in anticipation of a possible Greek exit from the euro.

Europe’s central bank is, in effect, financing this bank run by lending Greece the necessary euros; if and (probably) when the central bank decides it can lend no more, Greece will be forced to abandon the euro and issue its own currency again. This demonstration that the euro is, in fact, reversible would lead, in turn, to runs on Spanish and Italian banks.

Once again the European Central Bank would have to choose whether to provide open-ended financing; if it were to say no, the euro as a whole would blow up. Yet financing isn’t enough. Italy and, in particular, Spain must be offered hope — an economic environment in which they have some reasonable prospect of emerging from austerity and depression. Realistically, the only way to provide such an environment would be for the central bank to drop its obsession with price stability, to accept and indeed encourage several years of 3 percent or 4 percent inflation in Europe (and more than that in Germany).

Both the central bankers and the Germans hate this idea, but it’s the only plausible way the euro might be saved. For the past two-and-a-half years, European leaders have responded to crisis with half-measures that buy time, yet they have made no use of that time.

Now time has run out. So will Europe finally rise to the occasion? Let’s hope so — and not just because a euro breakup would have negative ripple effects throughout the world. For the biggest costs of European policy failure would probably be political. Think of it this way: Failure of the euro would amount to a huge defeat for the broader European project, the attempt to bring peace, prosperity and democracy to a continent with a terrible history. It would also have much the same effect that the failure of austerity is having in Greece, discrediting the political mainstream and empowering extremists.

All of us, then, have a big stake in European success — yet it’s up to the Europeans themselves to deliver that success. The whole world is waiting to see whether they’re up to the task. What can U.S. preppers do to protect themselves? The same thing we have been doing. Stock food for the possibility/probability of inflated food prices and diminished supply, and, protect against inflation/hyper-inflationary prices and/or bank runs/reduced monetary supply by having some cash on hand, and ensuring that we have some precious metals (gold and silver).

The Apocalypse Survival Bag

Glenn Beck has long been advocating the stocking or food and the buying of gold to help a family get through a economic collapse or greater collapse of society. The risks or the problem with advice from the wealthy is that their preps are often "top shelf" and their general advice is coming from a lack of experience.

However, I welcome any and all people getting into the "advocating preps" arean as this can only make the possibility of a rebound after a collapse better. From an article on the Blaze, titled "Survive and Thrive": You Won‘t Believe What’s in this Apocalypse Survival Bag, author Liz Klimas covers a Bug Out bag from Uncrate.

The Article

Uncrate, a magazine “for guys who love stuff,” has quite the all-in-one survival kit that it says has everything you may need to not only “survive” but “thrive.” But is it really the motherload of survival kits?

Some have thoughts for modifying it. First, here’s all it lists:
Okuma Voyager Spinning Travel Kit ($40).
Ontario SP16 SPAX Firefighter Axe ($60).
Steripen Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier with Solar Charging Case ($120).
Leatherman New Wave Multi-Tool ($60).
MSR MiniWorks Microfilter ($90).
Survival Seed Vault ($38).
Adventure Medical Fundamentals Kit ($110).
MSR Packtowl UltraLite($10 – $30).
Snow Peak Titanium Spork ($9).
Paisley Cotton Bandanas ($6).
Mountain House 72-Hour Emergency Meal Kit ($49).
McNett Gear Aid Tenacious Tape ($1 – $15).
PROKNOT Outdoor Knots ($5).
DMM ALPHA Quickdraw Holster ($28).
Suunto Global Compass($63).
MSR Titan Pot ($112).
Sierra Designs Tent Stakes ($10).
Guyot Designs Bowl and Cup Set ($13 – $20).
Petzl Tikka Headlamp ($53).
Swedish Firesteel Scout Model ($6 – $20).
COGHLANS Emergency Tinder Kit ($5).
American Silver Eagle Coin in Air-Tite Capsule ($39).
Cold Kukri Machete ($30).
BIC Disposable Classic Lighter ($7).
UTG Elite Tactical Leg Holster ($11).
Smith Abrasives Diamond Combination Thumb Guard Micro Tool ($29).
Type III Paracord ($12).
Gregory Mountain Products Tarne Backpack ($140).
Mammut Supernova Climbing Rope ($150).
iOSAT Potassium Iodide Tablets ($8).
Gregory Accessories Raincover ($30).
Etón SCORPION Solar Powered Weather Radio ($50).
Mossberg 500 Pump-Action Shotgun ($500).
Hennessy Explorer Deluxe A-Symmetrical Hammock ($177).
MTM Survivor Dry Box ($15).
Mountain Hardwear Phantom Sleeping Bag ($290 – $365).
Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite Liner($59).
HK P2000 Pistol ($941). Hydrocodone ($TBD).
Ciprofloxacin ($TBD).
Atovaquone($TBD).
Shotgun Shells ($TBD).
9mm Bullets ($TBD).

Given an average cost for the items priced "TBD", the entire Bug Out Bag comes to at least $3,500. Comments from my 5 minute analysis comments: Add some Aspirin; Get rid of the Hammock; Who would pay $941 for an H&K P2000? - save $400 and buy a Glock;

Not much food - add some Main Stay Bars, some dehydrated soup, bullion cubes and salt; Do you really need the climbing rope? For $7 you be able to buy a handful of Bic lighters; I would reduce the size and expense of the fishing equipment; the Ontario Axe or the Kukri - not both;

Add a short fixed bladed knife and a folder; $500 is excessive for a Mossberg Shotgun; Ditch the Thermolite liner and add a couple of military surplus ponchos;

The author says that although this “Apocalypse PAK” or “Bug-Out Bag” is well-equipped, fans of Uncrate’s Facebook had some thoughts on the bag. For one, they are upset that even though its website uses the words “stuffed into one bag,” there doesn’t appear to be a way to actually purchase it all together in the manner it is advertised — at least not yet.

Others have said it has too many duplicate or unnecessary items that would add up to too much weight. Even with some suggestions of what the pack should get rid of or add, it still has more than 130 likes in less than 24 hours.

Earlier this year, author Brad Thor and Barrett Moore were on GBTV to discuss how to protect your identity and what you need to “prepare for a collapse.” Check out the clip. I like the quote: "We live in a 7-11 syndrome,...that is two generations of people who have only ever known 7-11 to be open 24/7 and the shelves stocked 24/7......"



 

The Day the Economic Collapse Started

A well put together 7 minute video on You Tube titled "The Day The Dollar Died", offers fictional but realistic look at what we could see shortly. All the pieces of the puzzle are in place and we are moving towards what the video describes.

I would have liked to see the video expand a bit on the food shortages and civil unrest that will be a result of the Death of the Dollar, but again this video is only Day One of the Dollar Collapse. The video explain how the Oil and Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC) will stop trading Oil in U.S> Dollars furthering the economic collapse that we will see in this country.

Perhaps one of the best lines in the video below is: "Educate yourself before time runs out." Go to http://inflation.us/ and sign up for thier newsletter as one way to edcuate and help prepare yourself. Good luck everyone,.....we are going to need it,...but as Vince Lombardi said "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity".

Know Your Survival Threat- Racists Skinheads

I think alot of us worry about a substantial collapse that brings security destabilization to our cities and
suburbs.   One of the larger threats are already organized groups, usually criminal in nature,  and
based on their organization along racial lines are well organized and well armed. 

I have previously written about street gangs, which may be part of national organizations, they are
regionally or locally bound.  

Another group to be aware of are the Racist Skinheads.  Organizing since the mid 1980's, the Racists Skinheads and alike groups such as the Aryan Nation have been rising in membership for 10 years and now have over 133 separate skinheads chapters across the country. 

Somewhat simlar to Outlaw Motorycle Gangs, Racist Skinheads represent a big threat not just to
miniorities but to all groups that are weaker than them especially in a SHTF where normal security
mechanism such as local and federal law enforcement are over whelmed or not effective.

Location, physical defenses, well equipped survival team, and good tacticial SOP's are your counter -measure for highly mobile and violent groups like the Racist Skinheads.  But first it starts with being able to recognize their members and know their tactics. 

For an education in Racist Skinheads, watch the short video below.