Yes, they do. Yes, they have. And yes, they will.
I have been writing AAR's about this very subject. The cities lighting up all at once has happened before: 1968, after the MLK assassination; 1992, the Rodney King riots spread to numerous cities; and 2011, the London riots burned nationwide, especially fueled by text messaging and flash-mobs.
Imagine the effect of the EBT cards stopping; the welfare and unemployment checks don't hit the banks; and what happens when the paychecks stop for the first responders and the LEO's. I've talked to several at the local level, and I already know what will happen: they will abandon their posts and head for the house to protect their own. And that will open the gates for the barbarians to enter.
As far as precious metals are concerned: gold and silver don't taste very good, and they make lousy soup stock. The only metals you should invest in are lead, copper, and brass - and you NEVER BARTER THEM.
We'll have to agree to disagree there. Ammo will make excellent barter material, especially if the other person has a weapon of one of those calibers which aren't common.
You made some good points, although I still believe that more than spreading poverty is required for the kind of insurrection often being discussed (whole country including rural areas).
But other errors in leadership being taken far enough could. *See where the link in the first comment leads,* and I hope you find it interesting. Turns out that it’s not crazy conspiracy theory post after all. Col. Benson was the tenth director of SAMS.
EDITORIAL: The Civil War of 2016: U.S. military officers are told to plan to fight Americans
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2916269/posts