Americans Will Need “Black Markets” To Survive
Brandon Smith
3 March, 2012
As Americans, we live in two worlds; the world of mainstream fantasy, and the world of day-to-day reality right outside our front doors. One disappears the moment we shut off our television. The other, does not…
When dealing with the economy, it is the foundation blocks that remain when the proverbial house of cards flutters away in the wind, and these basic roots are what we should be most concerned about. While much of what we see in terms of economic news is awash in a sticky gray cloud of disinformation and uneducated opinion, there are still certain constants that we can always rely on to give us a sense of our general financial environment. Two of these constants are supply and demand. Central banks like the private Federal Reserve may have the ability to flood markets with fiat liquidity to skew indexes and stocks, and our government certainly has the ability to interpret employment numbers in such a way as to paint the rosiest picture possible, but ultimately, these entities cannot artificially manipulate the public into a state of demand when they are, for all intents and purposes, dead broke.
In contrast, the establishment does have the ability to make specific demands or necessities illegal to possess, and can even attempt to restrict their supply. Though, in most cases this leads not to the control they seek, but a sudden and sharp loss of regulation through the growth of covert trade. The people need what the people need, and no government, no matter how titanic, can stop them from getting these commodities when demand is strong enough.
This process of removing necessary or desirable items from a trade environment leads inevitably to counter-prohibition often in the form of strict cash transactions, barter markets, or “black markets” as they are normally derided by those in power. The problem for economic totalitarians is that the harder they squeeze the masses, the more intricate the rebellion becomes, especially when all they want is to participate in free markets the way our forefathers intended.
The so called “drug war” is proof positive of the impossibility of locking down a product, especially one that has no moral bearing on the people who are involved in its use. Only when a considerable majority of a populace can be convinced of the inherent immoral nature of an illicit item can its trade finally be squelched. During any attempt to outlaw a form of commerce, a steady stream of informants convinced of their service to the “greater good” is required for success. Dishonorable governments, therefore, do not usually engage in direct confrontation with black markets. Instead, they seek to encourage the public to view trade outside mainstream legal standards as “taboo”. They must condition us to react with guilt or misplaced righteousness in the face of black market activity, and associate its conduct as dangerous and destructive to the community, turning citizens into an appendage of the bureaucratic eye.
But, what happens when black markets, due to calamity, become a pillar of survival for a society? What happens when the mainstream economy no longer meets the available demand? What happens when this condition has been deliberately engineered by the power structure to hasten cultural desperation and dependence?
In this event, black markets not only sustain a nation through times of weakness, but they also become a form of revolution; a method for fighting back against the centralization of oppressive oligarchies and diminishing their ability to bottleneck important resources. Black markets are a means of fighting back, and are as important as any weapon in the battle for liberty. Here are just a few reasons why such organizational actions may be required in the near future…
The Mainstream Economy Is Slowly Killing Us
There are, unfortunately, some Americans out there who have not caught on yet to the grave circumstances in which we live. Obviously, the stock market seems to have nearly recovered from its epic collapse in 2008 and 2009, and employment, according to the Labor Department, is on the mend. The numbers say it all, right? Wrong! The numbers say very little, especially when they are a product of “creative mathematics”.
Despite the extreme spike in the Dow Jones since 2010, and all the talk of recovery, what the mainstream rarely mentions are the details surrounding this miraculous return from the dead for stocks.
One of the most important factors to consider when gauging the health of the markets is “volume”; the amount of shares being traded and the amount of investors active on any given business day. Since the very beginning of the Dow’s meteoric rise, the markets have been stricken with undeniably low volume interspersed with all too brief moments of activity. In fact, this past January recorded the lowest NYSE volume since 1999:
Market volume has tumbled over 20% since last year, and is down over 50% from 2008 when the debt implosion began:
So then, if trade is sinking, why has the Dow jumped to nearly 13,000? Low volume is the key. In a low volume market, less individual investors are present to counteract the buying and selling of larger players, like international banks. When this happens, the big boys are able to trigger market spikes, or market drops, literally at will. Add to this the high probability that much of the stimulus that the Federal Reserve has regurgitated into the ether probably ended up in the coffers of corporate banks which then used the funny money to snap up equities, and presto! Instant market rally! But, a rally that is illusory and unstable.
Improving employment numbers are yet another financial hologram. As most of us in the Liberty Movement are well aware, the Labor Department does not calculate true unemployment in the U.S. Instead, it merely calculates those people who currently receive unemployment benefits. Once a person hits the extension limit (99 weeks in many states) on his benefits, he is removed from the rolls, and is no longer counted in the “official” unemployment percentage. While Barack Obama and MSM pundits are quick to point out the drop in jobless to 8.3%, what they conveniently fail to mention is that MILLIONS of Americans have been unemployed for so long that they have been removed from the statistics entirely, and this condition is what has caused the primary fall in jobless percentages, not burgeoning business growth.
Roughly 11 million Americans who are jobless have nonetheless been excluded from the statistical government tally because of a loss of benefits:
According to the Congressional Budget Office, over 40% of the currently unemployed have been so for over 6 months. It also points out that America is suffering the worst case of long term unemployment since the Great Depression:
More than 10.5 million people in the U.S. also receive disability payments, which automatically removes them from the unemployment count, making it seem as though jobs are being created, rather than lost:
Around 8.2 million Americans only work part time, meaning they work less hours than are generally considered to be necessary for self-support. These people are still counted as “employed” even if they work a few hours a week.
True unemployment, according to John Williams of Shadowstats, is hovering near 23%:
Combine these circumstances with the ever weakening dollar, price inflation in foods and other commodities, and rocketing energy costs, and you have an economy that is strangling the life out of the middle-class and the poor in this country. It is only a matter of time before the populace begins searching for alternative means of subsistence, even if that entails “illegal” activities.
Government Cracking Down On Freedom Of Trade
I was recently walking through the parking lot of a grocery store and ran into a group of women huddled intently around the back of a mini-van. One of the women was reaching into a cooler and handing out glass containers filled with milk. I approached to ask if she was selling raw milk, and if so, how much was she charging. Of course, they turned startled and wide eyed as if I had just stumbled upon their secret opium ring. Somehow it had slipped my mind how ferocious the FDA has become when tracking down raw milk producers. The fact that these women were absolutely terrified of being caught with something as innocuous as MILK was disturbing to me. How could we as a society allow this insanity on the part of our government to continue?
That moment reminded me of the utter irrelevance of petty law, as well as the determination of human beings to defy such law.
The Orwellian hammer has been thrust in the face of those who trade in raw milk, organic produce, and herbal supplements, while small businesses are annihilated by government dues and red tape. In the meantime, law enforcement officials have been sent strapped to shut down children’s lemonade stands (no, seriously):
Government legislation which would give the FDA jurisdiction over personal gardens has been fielded. Retail gold and silver purchases of over $600 are now tracked and taxed. The IRS even believes it has the right to tax barter exchanges, even though they do not explain how bartered goods could be legally qualified as “income”, or how they can conceive of ever being able to trace such private trade:
Want to choose what kind of currency you would like to use to protect your buying power? Not if the Department Of Justice’s Anne Tompkins has anything to say about it. After the railroading of Liberty Dollar founder Bernard von NotHaus, she stated:
“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism…”
“While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country,” she added. “We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.”
As our economic situation grows increasingly precarious in this country, more and more people will turn towards localized non-corporate, non-mainstream business methods and products. And, the government will no doubt attempt to greatly restrict or tax these alternatives. This mentality is driven in part by their insatiable appetite for money, but mostly, it’s about domination. They do what they do because they fear decentralized markets, and the ability of the citizenry to conceive of choices outside the system. Slaves are not supposed to choose the economy they will participate in…
A “black market” is only a trade dynamic that the government disapproves of, and the government disapproves of most things these days. Frankly, its time to stop worrying about what Washington D.C. consents to. They have unfailingly demonstrated through rhetoric and action that they are not interested in the fiscal or social health of this nation, and so, we must take matters into our own hands.
Black Market Advantages
If the events in EU nations such as Greece, Spain, and Italy are any indication, the U.S., with its massive debt to GDP ratio (real debt includes entitlement programs), is looking at one of two possible scenarios: default, austerity measures, and high taxes, or, hyperinflation, and then default, austerity measures, and high taxes. In the past we have mentioned barter networking and alternative market programs springing up in countries like Greece and Spain allowing the people to cope with the faltering economy. Much of this trade is done away from the watchful eyes of government, simply because they cannot afford the gnashing buffalo-sized bites that bureaucrats would take from their savings in the process. When a government goes rogue, and causes the people harm, the people are in no way obligated to continue supporting that government.
Black markets give the citizenry a means to protest the taxation of a government that no longer represents them. In a country stricken with austerity, these networks allow the public to thrive without having to pay for the mistakes or misdeeds of political officials and corporate swindlers. In a hyperinflationary environment, black markets (or barter markets that have been deemed unlawful), can be used to supplant the imploding fiat currency altogether, and energize community markets that would otherwise be unable to function. Ultimately, black markets feed and clothe the grassroots movement towards economic responsibility, and every man and woman with any sense of independence should rally around this resource with the intention to fight should it ever be threatened.
“Legality” is arbitrary in the face of inherent conscience, or what some call “natural law”. Without arbitrary legality, and unjust and unwarranted regulation, many federal alphabet agencies would not exist, including the FDA, the IRS, the EPA, the BLM, etc. These institutions do not matter. What they say has no meaning. What matters is what is honorable, what is factual, and what is right. Our loyalty, as Americans, is to our principles and our heritage. Beyond that, we don’t owe anyone anything. A black market in one place and time is a legitimate market in another. For now, private localized trade is able to flow with only minor interference, but there will come a day when even the most practical and harmless personal transactions will be visited with administrative reproach and vitriol. Alternative market champions will be accused of “extremism”, and undermining the mainstream economy. We will be vilified as separatists, isolationists, terrorists, and traitors. I believe it will be far more surreal than what we can possibly imagine now.
They are welcome to call us whatever they like. Honestly……who cares? Let the paper pushers do their angry little dance. The goal is freedom; in life, in politics, and in trade.
If we do not change how this country does business ourselves, the results will be far more frightening than any government agent at our doorstep, and the costs will be absolute…
Survival books to keep on your bookshelf in case of the apocalypse
26 February, 2012
When the apocalypse strikes, you probably won't have access to the Internet. That means no Google, no Wikipedia, and, if you haven't prepared, no cheat sheet to help you through the tough times. Here are a few books you might want to have on hand in case the worst happens. Just remember to keep a back-up pair of glasses in your emergency kit.
This set of books doesn't assume any particular type of apocalypse — you'd need to shift your approach for an atomic apocalypse, a pandemic, or supervolcanos ripping the continents apart. You might also want more texts on specific skills like blacksmithing, toolmaking, and woodworking. But these books cover the very basics: outdoor survival, food, medical care, and shelter, with some additional homesteading information, as well as the text-based building blocks to rebuild civilization. Any preppers out there, please share your go-to texts in the comments.
General Survival and Homesteading:
SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere, by John "Lofty" Wiseman: For 26 years, Wiseman served as a member of the British Army's elite Special Air Service. The SAS is trained for survival in various regions, and under a number of conditions. SAS Survival Handbook includes all the basics of survival — from setting up camp and proper fire making to making tools and navigating by the sun and stars. It even considers a range of potential disasters you may have to survive — avalanches, tornados, earthquakes, even the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.
US Army Field Survival: Another military survival text for surviving in a number of situations, this manual explains the psychology of survival and preparation procedures, in addition to maintaining hygiene, crafting a makeshift shelter, and making water potable. Like the SAS Handbook, this version is edited for civilian use. It also comes as a free PDF download.
Foxfire Books: Foxfire Magazine actually started as a sociological project to share aspects Appalachian culture. But the books, which collect articles from the magazine as well as items that never made it into the original periodical, have become the go-to guide for many do-it-yourselfers. There is a lot of superstition and folklore between those pages, but the books are rich with information on slaughtering animals, preserving food, making soap, setting bird and rabbit traps, knife making, blacksmithing, moonshining, home remedies, and more. You can buy the books from the Foxfire Museum Gift Shop.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery: Modern homesteaders swear by this back-to-the-land guide. If you manage to set yourself up on a little plot of land, this book will explain how to make yourself comfortable by growing flax and making your own linen, foraging for wild rice, making acorn flour, keeping bees, making dandelion root or chicory coffee, raising rabbits, building barns and fences, pressing oil from seeds, tanning hides, even burying your dead.
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring: Another popular guide for folks looking to recapture traditional skills, Back to Basics includes advice on harness wind and solar power, converting wood into timber, and building your own home. When the apocalypse hits, you could be the only survivor on your block with your own hand-built sauna.
Medicine:
There are a lot of great, comprehensive medical references out there. A lot of preppers recommend getting your hands on a copy of the Merck Manual, and you should find a good illustrated medical dictionary, a drug reference, and an anatomy and physiology text. The WHO also puts out lists of essential medications to have on hand for adults and children. Also, you should consider picking up a basic veterinary guide, especially if you plan on keeping domestic animals. But here are a few references for more basic medical care:
Where There is No Doctor: This reference, published by the Hesperian Foundation, is used the whole world over. It's distributed by the Peace Corps, and while its emphasis is largely on the third world, it contains information on treating a number of diseases and ailments without medical expertise. If you need to set a fracture or deliver a baby, this is the reference for you. Hesperian also offers a number of other health-related titles, including Where There is No Dentist, Where Women Have No Doctor, Water for Life, and Cleanliness and Sanitation, all of which are available for purchase or as free downloads. If you're looking for other basic low-tech medical guides, check out Survival and Austere Medicine: An introduction and the US Department of Defense's Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook, both of which are available as free downloads.
Ditch Medicine : Advanced Field Procedures for Emergencies by Hugh L. Coffee: This text gets more advanced than Where There is No Doctor, and you'll probably want at least an EMT certification before you attempt man of the procedures in this book. But if you need a reference on performing minor surgery, perform an amputation, or treat anaphylactic shock, this is your book. Just make sure you'll have the necessary supplies on hand, since a lot of the procedures require catheters, IVs, and surgical tools.
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guide): Obviously, you should get yourself a guide that focuses on your particular region of the world, but the Peterson Field Guides are quite useful if there's one for your area. Make sure you get your hands on a well vetted guide that contains color photographs or illustrations of medicinal plants. A good guide can help you find the right plants to kill pain, alleviate depression, reduce prostate swelling, stop bleeding, and settle stomachs — while also warning you of similar looking, but toxic, plants.
Food:
Peterson Field Guides to Edible Wild Plants: The handy thing about the Peterson Field Guides is that, if you live in North America, there are specific guides for specific regions, so you can have a tailored guide for the spot where you live. Plus, the guides are illustrated and easy to follow.
However, as Outside Magazine's survival guru Tony Nester points out, you won't want to settle for plants that are merely edible; you'll also want plants that taste good. He recommends a few guides by people who actually forage for their own dinners and know which plants won't kill your tastebuds. Euell Gibbons' Stalking series (Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Stalking The Healthful Herbs, and Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop) is especially popular with natural foodies.
The New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour: The homesteading books will give you some information on growing and preserving your own fruits and vegetables, but you'll want at least one volume that gives you a complete overview on self-sufficient farming — from preparing the soil to pickling your vegetables.
Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike and Nancy Bubel: Once you've harvested your fruits and vegetables, you'll need a place to store them, preferably without using electricity. This book explains which fruits and vegetables will store best, the different storing methods for different plants, as well as different storage techniques for different environments.
The Trapper's Bible: Traps, Snares & Pathguards by Dale Martin: Whether you're trying to catch your own dinner or just ridding your home of pests, you'll need some basic trapping knowledge. This book offers a crash course on traps and snares for both smaller pest animals and larger food animals.
A Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing & Smoking Meat, Fish & Game by Wilbur F. Easton: When you do manage to fell those tasty beasties, you'll need a way to keep them fresh as long as possible. Make sure you don't have to face the post-collapse future without bacon by learning basic curing, smoking, and canning skills. Just make sure you stock up on loads of salt before the world goes to pot.
A field guide to edible insects would be handy as well. If anyone knows of something along the lines of Stalking the Nut-Flavored Cricket, I'm all ears.
Shelter:
Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters by D. C. Beard: Hopefully, the apocalypse will leave most structures still standing, but you never know when you might have to pull your own shelter together. Beard was one of the co-founders of the Boy Scouts of America, and in this book, he explains how to build all sorts of shelters from the most rudimentary materials.
The Building Blocks to Rebuild Civilization: Once you've got the basics under control, you may want to help put the world back together. The CD3WD project was launched by programmer Alex Weir to spur development in the third world. Currently, the project has accumulated roughly 4 DVDs worth of information, covering things like agriculture, food processing, water filtration, and irrigation in more depth, as well things like construction of basic tools, vehicles, and more complex buildings, and moving into things like economics, metalwork, electrical work, the formation of biodiesel, and addressing gender inequalities. It's information that could help you rebuild and infrastructure and begin the long, slow trek back to civilization. [via Lifehacker]
Should I get hard copies or digital? When this topic was suggested to us, the request was for books that folks could keep on their tablet computers. This lead to a question: Is it really a good idea to keep your survival books on a tablet? Books are heavy to lug around, but they also don't depend on electricity. (Edit: Or flash memory, as is mentioned in the comments.) But the good news is, if you can charge your tablet, it uses considerably less energy than other digital storage devices, like full computers. This Tekzilla episode outlines the different ways to charge your devices in an emergency.
If you do decide to store your survival books on your tablet, make sure you're storing actual digital files and not just access to those files. The Amazon Cloud will likely not save you in the post-apocalypse. And it isn't a terrible idea to have physical copies — at least as a backup.
Many thanks to Jeff Smith for suggesting this topic!
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