Ultra Vulgar Super Fiend

Odd coincidences always seem to be taking place. Sometimes they are not simple coincidences but they always seem to be odd. These days, more often than not, there is some sort of sales strategy behind them. True to form, I came across two varied sources recently touting the need to be prepared for food shortages.

 
The first came as a spam email from something called teapartycontactsnews.com and boldly offered to tell me “37 things you should hoard…” Things I’d need in a crisis or even the threat of a crisis. To access the list all I had to do was a take a “few minutes” and follow the link to watch a video. I decided to take a peek. The few minutes turned out to be a 20 plus minute video with all the production quality of a 1960’s film strip trying to teach 4th grade reading.

Throughout this turgidly paced piece of media the friendly “patriot” keeps repeating “I’m not trying to sound like a fear monger.” He is quick to point out that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has ordered 420 million MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) enough to feed 14 million people for 10 days.

 
This guy is promising something akin to Hurricane Katrina, a tsunami, and an earthquake, complicated by the fact that a “lack of acreage will usher in a significant food shortage.” He tries to seal the deal by saying that if you have the 37 items “the only people left to support will be freeloaders and liberals.” He gives his viewers a little pat on the back by saying he wants to “attract like minded Americans and rebuild our nation based on the constitution.” He doesn’t say which parts of the constitution he wants to get rid of. He claims to be a Christian. He also claims to “trust his brothers in arms.”

 
He does not reveal the 37 items but does offer to sell his book, which comes in a plastic ring binding like you get at the local copy shop, and two bonus books, plus “ancient seeds”, all delivered in anonymous packaging in order to keep it “all under the radar.” He proudly proclaims, “I expect to be paid, after all we’re not communists yet.” He offers this whopping “$182 value” for the special price of $27 and adds “If you’re not with us, you’re against us.” He is a member of the National Rifle Association and the Better Business Bureau.

 
The other mention comes from Naturalnews.com, one of the more flamboyant nutritional websites, and asks the question, where will you go when” the grocery stores are looted, gutted, then closed?” This guy offers to sell a DVD that will give you a “huge survival advantage” by helping you to identify “wild edibles in your local environment.” I somehow can’t shake the picture of city folk climbing trees and competing with squirrels for pine nuts.

 
This site also urges a return to the gold standard as the basis of currency valuation and, in the recent past, claimed the destruction of the World Trade Towers on 9-11 was an inside job, just look at the architectural plans.

 
For those of us that live in earthquake country the need for a survival kit is old news. You can buy them at the hardware store. The same is true for keeping a clean supply of fresh water. Also, everyone knows that a long term disruption in the supply of electricity will bring society to a shuddering halt. Our cached supply of rice, beans, flour, baking powder, beef jerky, charcoal, etc., will only last so long. This is nothing new; the film industry has been turning out apocalypse movies for years.

 
The best scams use as much truth as possible then eagerly direct your actions to their pocketbook while they pit “us” against the “others”. Like any good mother knows, fear is the best motivator. It’s plain that the continuation of civilization is largely based on momentum and trust. If it crumbles, let the buyer beware but like a good scout, be prepared.

 
But what about those 420 million MREs FEMA has ordered? Unfortunately, there is a possibility that a new type of manmade disaster, currently being subjected to a corporate disinformation campaign, is looming on the horizon and that once it gets started there may be no stopping it. And of course it’s not surprising that the good folks mentioned above have ignored it. More about that next week.

Here are the websites:
http://soldoutaftercrisis.com/
http://www.naturalnews.com/034079_wild_foods_plant_medicine.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/031170_food_stockpiling.html#ixzz1dEe5YocG