Before the Woke Wars began in earnest, I once naïvely thought that men’s professional sports would remain a small redoubt from the insipid idiocy of “political correctness.” Stadiums where rowdy fans cheer on strong men engaging in physical acts of confrontation — and sometimes bloody violence — seemed like sturdy cultural ramparts capable of keeping leftist indoctrination at bay. Alas, owner-imposed ideology across leagues and organized intimidation campaigns against individual players have combined with enough force to crash through the gates.
Now grown men who have spent their lives training for battle meekly embrace ever-changing Marxist planks before millions of spectators, who likewise are allowed to watch only if they implicitly accept the State’s woke dogma. Will players and fans be forced to kneel during the National Anthem this week? To reject their religious faith as an expression of “hate”?
To applaud child-grooming and predation? To cheer the World Health Organization’s dictatorial control over their lives? Stay tuned. The sports leagues will let you know what to believe just as soon as the Marxist brigades lay down new marching orders. Even men with a surplus of testosterone will be expected to comply.
Just as the beer companies, fake conservative news networks, and so many iconic American companies before them, the sports leagues have turned their backs on generations of loyal fans in a display of repugnant pusillanimity. I wonder whether the Judases will one day regret it. I know that the ESG- and DIE-pushing communists are castrating corporate holdouts that resist the Woke Borg, but by bending to the Borg’s will, these companies have destroyed any goodwill with lifelong allies. When the Marxists come for another pound of flesh from their corporate vassals — and another after that — those in charge will eventually be forced to fight back or surrender. By that time, though, nobody will be willing to come to their defense.
This has always been the shortsighted corporate gamble of the Woke Wars — there’s never been a communist revolution that did not devour itself. By yielding to those who have always hated them and betraying those who have long defended them, companies choosing to comply with woke orthodoxy are now entirely dependent on remaining in the Marxists’ good graces. Yet grace is not something Marxists possess in any discernible quantity.
It is not that politically conservative and religious Americans have blindly defended corporate interests in the past, but rather that liberty-loving, rights-protecting people tend to mind their own business. Their first reaction to a company’s success is not envy. They do not immediately turn their sights on how best to confiscate another’s good fortune.
People who work hard for what they own do not worry about what somebody else owns. They simply seek to be left alone. Free markets that empower consumers to choose products and ideas for themselves naturally incubate personal liberty. For these reasons, freedom-minded Americans have rarely turned their ire toward corporate entities.
That’s all changed. No longer is the customer always right. In the Woke Wars, corporations have decided that they will choose what products the customer must buy and which customers will be condemned for refusing. The same Americans who never asked for anything are now told what to believe, how to act, how to pray, which sins to celebrate, and which virtues to ignore.
Corporations, once market-oriented organisms intent on reflecting cultural sentiment, now force-feed cultural slop to the unwilling. And because this foul-smelling corporate fascism drenched in Marxist malice revolts freethinking Americans, corporations are increasingly becoming their enemies.
When the day comes that the Marxists are throwing Molotov cocktails through corporate windows or confiscating company assets as their own, there will not be a lot of sympathy from the millions of Americans who have long wished just to be left alone. When the same corporate officers who harangued normal Americans as bigots are rounded up by the real bigots who tolerate no diversity of thought, their Marxist jailers will lack the compassion and forgiveness that Christians embrace. When woke companies discover that they allied with untrustworthy partners, they will have already sealed their fate.
Of course, this phenomenon extends far beyond the relationship between corporations and ordinary Americans. Everywhere you look, once robust American institutions have become brittle because they have made normal Americans their enemies. Hardworking, athletic, intelligent warriors do not want to fight for a U.S. military that promotes men in skirts.
Law-abiding Americans do not trust an FBI or DOJ that targets half the population as potential “domestic enemies.” Voters do not trust elections that are neither transparent nor verifiable. Citizens do not trust prosecutors or courts that are politically partisan. They do not trust a news industry that incessantly lies to them. They do not trust federal agencies that embrace censorship. They do not trust security forces that cannot protect America’s borders. They do not trust banks that manipulate the value of their personal savings. They do not trust federal authorities that hand over national sovereignty to international governing boards and insular cabals of billionaire “elites.”
Americans who once largely trusted in their system of self-governance now deeply distrust the system of woke oligarchy that has usurped it. The woke oligarchy, having noticed this deepening distrust, has decided that the appropriate remedy is more State-sanctioned propaganda, censorship, and force-feeding of unpopular beliefs. In this way, brittle institutions become only more brittle in a dreary doom loop leading to total Marxist tyranny or its eventual repudiation.
Jim Quinn wrote a compelling essay over at The Burning Platform entitled “Fall of American Empire and Descent into a New Dark Ages.” In it he traces the many similarities between Edward Gibbon’s observations and analysis in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and our own present circumstances. As in the years leading to Rome’s demise, moral depravity is rampant, while civic virtue has evaporated.
An overextended military gallops from one area of operations to the next, fighting costly wars with few long-term strategies. A vast and profligate bureaucracy that has spent lavishly on buying votes and bribing various constituencies is forced to devalue its currency in order to pay the interest on its unsustainable debts. An entrenched Deep State dedicates itself to plots, coups, and personal enrichment. A land rich in resources produces nothing. A regime dedicated to conquest abroad ignores domestic suffering. Debased currency and crumbling infrastructure ensure future economic calamity.
Traitorous officials cover up their treason, while persecuting those who notice. As Quinn sardonically concludes of our tragic circumstances, “I find nothing more appropriate to visually represent our clownworld empire falling than a picture of a dwarf clown, smoking a cigarette while holding a bouquet of wilted flowers in the pouring rain in front of a defunct circus tent. If the clown shoe fits, wear it.”
The Woke Wars will certainly bring further pain and destruction. As Quinn notes, it took roughly a thousand years for the Roman Empire to fall, three hundred for the British Empire, but only seventy-seven for the American Empire. If technology and widespread communication have sped up the fall of empires, though, perhaps they will also quicken any Dark Age.
Something we possess today that did not exist fifteen hundred years ago is a growing, collective self-awareness about what is causing our society’s collapse. During Rome’s centuries-long demise, a few prescient writers understood how rotten the empire had become, yet the average human enduring those turbulent years experienced poverty, famine, and social upheaval largely in the dark. Those of us watching the woke corporate titans, central bankers, and unscrupulous politicians destroy the West today know exactly who should be blamed for what comes next. Perhaps that is why they work so hard to divide and distract us.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
