Posted on 12/23/2021 6:53:23 AM PST by blam
History has shown us that collectivism detests the individual. The man who can exist independent of the system, who thinks for himself, who is not easily swayed, and who has values rooted in absolute truth which he refuses to give up – this is the enemy of collectivism.
But if we take a closer look at one aspect of the individual – his ability to exist independent of the system – is it not clear this is an end goal of prepping?
Is that not what a prepper strives for – the ability to exist independent of the world around them so that disaster does not affect them in the way that it affects others?
It is, and this is why collectivism criminalizes preppers over and over again.
We’ve seen it before and we’re seeing it right now, most notably in Turkey.
Turkey Is Cooked, And We All Know It.
For those who keep a fairly accurate pulse of world events, you know that the fiat currency of Turkey – the lira – is collapsing.
As of this year the lira has lost approximately 40% of its value, and from all appearances, it shows no signs of stopping its downward spiral anytime soon.
Inflation is rapidly leading to hyperinflation within Turkey and the Turkish citizens have recognized this. People began attempting to step away from the lira and delving into cryptocurrency in an attempt to protect themselves.
And then the Turkish government made crypto illegal as a form of payment on April 30, 2021. This was done to prevent “irreparable damage.” What’s ironic about this is that the Turks said this was because cryptocurrencies were “neither subject to any regulation and supervision mechanisms nor a central regulatory authority.” [source]
That’s a fun train of logic from the people that are in the process of destroying their own currency.
Crypto – long argued to be the libertarian response to centralized currency – is kind of scary to delve into if landing in a Turkish prison happens to those caught with it. And attempting to dump their personal lira savings into US dollars, euros, or any other fiat currency is practically impossible for Turks as well. Their hands are tied. What then is the natural response?
Your country is being rocked by hyperinflation. Your fiat money is worthless. Forex is regulated to the point of being impossible. Crypto is banned. The price of food has shot up 27.1%.
What do you do?
You don’t want to just watch your life savings be vaporized. You aren’t going to watch your family starve.
And so, you may think it’s a wise idea to put your money into something that will retain its value. This is the reason people invest in gold and silver after all, isn’t it? This is the reason James Wesley Rawles pushes guns, tools, and gear for investment, right?
And that’s exactly what people in Turkey started to do.
Then The Criminalization Of Turkish Preppers Began.
People there have started turning to tangibles. They saw what was coming – how things were taking a turn for the worse – and so they attempted to prepare for it.
Then, the ironically named Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted a bill to the Turkish Parliament asking for fines of anywhere between what would be $7000 – $144,000 USD for those “hoarding….food and other goods”.
That was Step 1 in the criminalization of preppers.
Step 2 took place this past week as 51 various Turks were arrested by police for “panic hoarding” new cars. Turkish media widely reported people were investing in new vehicles as a means of inflation protection.
But this was deemed to be a threat.
These 51 individuals were accused of “lowering dealership inventories,” which allegedly led to higher prices. The AKP fiddling around with their centralized banking system most certainly couldn’t be the cause. It must be the citizens’ fault that inflation is rocking the country.
And so, anybody who attempts to protect themselves from totalitarians must be stopped.
The Criminalization Of Preppers Coincides With Inflation And War.
Look at what we’ve witnessed in Venezuela – yet another collectivist society that has been rocked by hyperinflation. It was there, after communist policies caused a 20% shortage of basic goods, that Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz called for prosecutors to target those who were “hoarders” of staples of daily life.
In other words, if you had a supply of rice stowed away in your basement, you were no longer safe. Now, you were a target.
We’ve Seen This Vilification Even Within The United States.
Consider that it was in early 2020 that the mainstream media criticized those they deemed to be “hoarders” in unison. Have too many cans of soup in your cart? According to the media, you are now worthy of public shame.
It was during this same time that we saw a Brooklyn man have his home raided by agents who confiscated his supply of N95 masks for “hoarding” them. Keep in mind he had purchased all of these masks. They were not stolen. They were legally his possessions.
“Something needs to be done about those people!” is what the TV indoctrinated were being led to say, in the hopes that public support could be used to “justify” whatever policies were going to come down the road in the near future.
Despite public opinion, building up our personal stockpiles is exactly what we need to be doing. And now, before it’s too late. Check out this FREE quickstart guide to help you create your own food supply quickly and affordably.
What Are We Going To See Next?
Is Turkey the canary in the coal mine? Is what is happening there – massive inflation bordering on hyperinflation (all caused by government policy), nobody producing anything, massive shortages of goods, and the criminalization of preppers to the point of outlawing any degree of independence from politicians whatsoever – simply the first case of this noxious policy?
Within the US we’re already seeing widespread shortages of goods. We’re already seeing massive inflation to the point that this is the highest levels of it the US has ever seen.
Does the complete criminalization of preppers within America come next?
Incorrect.
Any gold coin that was considered "collectible" was also legal to own.
FDR ran up against the coin collectors and backed down.
Which is a model for everyone to follow.
When FedGov yells frog, just say no.
And if you stand together, they will back down.
Sadly, especially on the conservative side, you will find any number of people willing to weasel, squirm and then give in while piously saying that they "respect the law". An illegal law should not be respected.
Locate Backbone.
Say no.
“I guess it depends some on whether it’s unusual for someone to be stocking up or not.”
One of my best friends has a family of 10. She was at the store when Covid first hit, and had her usual ‘groceries’ and TP.
A lady asked her, ‘Are you stocking up for the lock downs?’ and she answered, ‘Nope. This is what we eat & use in an average week!’ ;)
So glad I don’t have her grocery bills, but she is raising one helluva bunch of AWESOME kids who will greatly benefit Society as a whole! :)
something being legal and something being right ate often two different things.
There’s stuff that’s legal, that is not right, like abortion.
Then there’s stuff that is illegal that is not wrong, like owning gold.
Growing your own also helps. You’d be surprised how much food you can produce in a small space. That helps you two ways. First, no one sees it in your grocery cart or on the store’s records if it’s growing in your backyard. And second, knowing how to grow and preserve food takes practice. As your skills improve, you’ll be able to grow more and more, lowering your dependence over time.
Exactly true !
You cut out your costs by eliminating the middle man and processing if you grow your own and process your own foods.
But don't forget that the cost of fertilizers is going up, so I would invest in Phosphorus and potassium.
They pretty much remain in the soil following a harvest.
Nitrogen will leech out of the soil, and constantly needs to be renewed for green growth.
But things that are illegal but not wrong you can fight against.
And if enough people just start saying "No" it quietly goes away.
Comply like a good little subject and it never will stop.
And we all know what happened to the murderer (Cuomo)!
Ping.
My sister-in-law’s husband’s family used to have a big ranch in Texas panhandle in the 1940s and put up lots of home canned food for themselves and the working men.
One day, in the war years, someone claimed they were “hoarding food” and the government came out and confiscated all their food supplies they had.
How did they survive? They had another stocked cellar way out in the hills the government did not know about.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.