Winter of Our Demise

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Saturday, for no particular reason, is a slower day around our house, and it just seems to be a good day to post an older article. We're going to try this on Saturdays in the future and see how it works.

The information included below is still relevant to our times. I would appreciate your comments, words of wisdom and thoughts about how we can improve our society. That should keep everybody busy for days.

I hope you enjoy this Saturday morning, leisurely read.


Originally published May 2, 2015


A month or so back, Fern and I were driving down some long, lonesome highway somewhere, going to a place that I can't remember where we went. But while we were traveling, I observed some of the changes that occur during the seasons, and at that same time, it dawned on me that

there are lots of seasonal changes. Plants in the garden for the most part grow one year and are gone. Some come back the next year and some don't, but there are other types of seasonal events that happen. In my neck of the woods, folks grow and harvest pine trees. They just seem to have a longer season, somewhere between 20 and 30 years. There are also people. I'm approaching 66 years. I might have 10 more days or maybe 10 more years, God willing. But see, my season started with conception, and my season will end when I take my last breath. Let's guesstimate and say 70 years. In 70 years, I'm a spring chicken compared to some in the tortoise world. So, you get my idea here. I've read about some insects that only live a couple of days. That's their entire season.

Now, so much for the trip down memory lane. What I'd like to talk about is the season of our demise. You see our country, like all other countries, is controlled by a beginning, a middle and an end. Like some fruit flies that live for two days, and some trees that live for hundreds of years, everything has a beginning and an end. I raise goats. A good, solid, productive goat will produce somewhere around 10 years. I've seen baby goats born, and live 10 years, and I've seen baby goats born that never see another sunrise.

So, in the history of our developed world, our country, the United States of America, is a relatively young, thriving nation. I know some would question that, and in a moment I'm going to explain what I mean. But as nation, we are showing growing pains. Like me, we're starting to show our age and things are starting to slow down. That is part of the process of being mature. One of the things that I have accepted is that someday I am going to die. Sad as it is, someday our great nation will cease to exist as we currently know it. 

Let's step back in history a little bit. Not many of us around today actually remember the Great Depression. There are a few older folks around that still do, but not many. I would venture to say that most folks under 30 know very little about the Great Depression. Like the depression we're in right now, back then there was a debate as to when it started and when it ended. But have no doubt, we are currently in a financial depression. Play any word game you want, or do the semantic shuffle, but we are in a depression, because we have been in a severe recession for over six years.

Let's get back to the Great Depression. What caused it? Who knows? Who knows what's caused the depression we're in right now? Remember, the winners write the history books, and we are only taught what very influential people want us to know. But are you aware that in our great nation we have had multiple severe depressions? Actually it's really no big deal, because most people

back a 100 or so years ago, were extremely poor. This affluent society that we live in today, and you quibble, "We don't live in an affluent society!". You might say, "I only have one SUV in front of my house." Well folks, 100 years ago, let's say 1915, there were no SUVs. If you had a covered type chariot for daily transportation, you were wealthy. Now remember 100 years ago, 1915, few, very few people had electricity. That same few did not have running water and there was no such thing as a Wal-Mart Super Center. Credit was unheard of for the most part. Few, few people owned firearms. You can see the pattern here. By the way, in 1915 we were in one of those severe depressions.

What do you think got us out of that depression? It's the same thing that got us out of the Great Depression. It's called war. But right before we got into World War I, a private group of the very wealthy and influential folks created the Federal Reserve banking system. You hear about it occasionally on the news now days. Ever heard of quantitative easing? Or liquidity? Have you ever heard that

 the dollar has been devalued to just about nothing? Some people think this is a direct result of the creation of the Federal Reserve system. Which, by the way, the word Federal is just a name, like Federal Express is just a name. It is convenient, though, that it was started right before World War I. Okay. A depression before World War I, the Great Depression before World War II, and I don't know what history will call the depression we're in right now, we'll have to wait and see on that one. But can you guess what's coming? Good guess. Let's back up one more time.

While Europe was fighting, back in the late 30's and early 40's, the United States became the industrial base for the world. Remember the winners write the history books, and we were the good guys, along with western Europe that we were providing war supplies to, so that they could fight the bad guys. You know, Hitler and the Nazis. During this period before we were involved in World War II, our industrial base was ramped up to full capacity. But the war in Europe didn't go too well. 

A little history here. We had huge convoys of supplies leaving our ports and going to Europe as fast as we could make them, and as fast as the supply ships that we were building could carry them. Well, remember those horrible Hitler Nazis? They took out full page ads in our east coast newspapers advising the American public that they were going to start sinking those supply ships. And they did. But they warned our country multiple times. Remember we were supplying western Europe with bullets, beans and bandages. So they did start sinking some of our ships. Soon the war cry went out and we sent our good, homegrown, American boys to Europe, and we helped defeat Hitler and the Nazis.

Let's skip over to the Pacific now. We all know that the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor. Did the American government know that Pearl Harbor was going to be bombed? History now shows that yes, absolutely, they knew. But do you know why the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor? It's because we put an embargo where the Japanese could not import oil. Japan was a quasi modern, industrial nation and we shut off their oil supply. We know what they did. It's called Pearl Harbor. 

Okay, now we have a war on two fronts. Our industrial base really kicks in now. Everybody is working. My mommy worked in an aircraft plant. All the men, or most of them anyway, went to fight in

the war. My dad and his brother went to Europe, and my mother's two brothers went to the Pacific. Why all this history stuff? Because this is the beginning of the "spring" of our nation. We destroyed, and I believe rightly so, the industrial base of most of Europe. What we didn't destroy, the German's took care of before we got there. The same thing happened in Japan. So, World War II is over, all of our soldiers are coming home, and everybody needs jobs.

Jobs were there. We had passed the Rural Electrification Act, so all those back woods, country, hicks could now get rid of their icebox and get a refrigerator, and every other modern convenience that their citified cousins had. At the same time we're also rebuilding Europe, Japan and England, which Hitler pretty much

took care of destroying. Let's take a look at things now. The British economy along with it's infrastructure and industrial base, was pretty much destroyed. The same with most of industrial Europe and Japan. Britain was the reserve currency, but now their economy was in shambles. The reserve currency now becomes the U.S. dollar. This means that most international trading is done with dollars. At that time the United States had beyond a doubt the strongest economy, the strongest industrial base and the strongest military. You say, "What about China?" China was still closed to outsiders, so at that time, they did not figure into the picture. 

Guys like my daddy are now helping build appliances, or automobiles, or any of the thousand items that our new, blossoming industrial base can produce. The

good folks in Europe and Japan want these products also. People are leaving farms by the droves to go get the citified jobs, so they can live and work in a town, buy a little house, which they're building by the thousands, which means more jobs, so the cities are expanding, infrastructure has to develop, neighborhoods and streets need to be built. Don't forget your rural country cousins that now have electricity, they're in the process of getting water and sewage to every house. Times are great. Times are wonderful. Everybody is working and everybody is happy. We are coming into the "summer" of our content. 

Southern California is growing like a weed, the valleys of California have been turned from desert into the most prolific producers of food the world has ever seen. Highways are being built, along with hydroelectric dams, and now the common man can get credit. You see, everything is growing. Except the farm population, that is. But, no big deal. The farmers now have larger pieces

of equipment, stronger credit, which means companies like John Deere can produce more jobs. The growth just never seems to stop. The whole world is trading in U.S. dollars. Europe is getting back on their feet. Japan has made some shifts from their Imperial based society to a more democratic based system. Japan is ready to take off on a financial venture that has never been seen or replicated since. But in the modern world, as of today, Japan's financial system is in serious dire straights. They are the fast track of what we are. Their economy will never survive.

But, back to the good Ole' U.S. of A. During all this time, we the happy Americans, are becoming a huge consumer based society. We now have more junk than we will ever need or use in our lives. We bought so much stuff from Japan that they had to outsource their work to the Philippines and then Malaysia. Japan can't produce enough, fast enough for our insatiable desire for consumerism.

Something we haven't talked about yet is that during and after World War II, we are the largest oil exporting nation on the planet. Imagine that. We were the largest oil exporting nation on the planet. It's not that our oil production abilities decreased, it's our oil consumption increased. Even though we're still producing huge amounts of oil, we have now become an oil importing nation. Most of that oil comes from various countries, but primarily Saudi Arabia. Things are still good, things are still happy, but we should start seeing a pattern here. It was about 1957 when we shifted from exporting to importing oil. As mentioned earlier, credit had opened

up for the common man, but things were still not growing fast enough. Our currency was based on the gold standard. The same gold that in 1933, President Roosevelt legally and conveniently stole from the American people. But, in a brilliant financial move, President Nixon removed us from the limitations of the gold standard, and the U.S. dollar was now free to grow as fast as it could. We're looking at the end of our summer season here.
Going off of the gold standard, with the unfettered dollar, the common man, through changes in banking policies, now could comfortably put that piece of plastic in his wallet. We are still a consumer nation. We need more, we need to feed that addiction toconsumerism. Madison Avenue has now become experts

  at convincing us that we need more. Don't worry about it, you can pay for it later. Just put it on your credit card. But everything is still LOOKING good. We not only have one SUV in our driveway, we now have two! Suburbs are growing at a phenomenal rate. People are now escaping the cities, that 20 or so years ago, they were leaving the farm to move to. More expansion, more infrastructure, more roads, more electricity, water, and so forth. Don't forget, since 1945 up to the mid 60's we had a huge population growth in this country. Why not? Life is good, we are living in the lap of luxury, and we are the envy of the world. But there is a sickness brewing. We are addicted to consumerism. I want more. Everybody has two cars, and a big, cheap house out in the suburbs. Gasoline is cheap. I can drive anywhere I want to. I have earned that right. Debt just continues to build. 

I can remember in 1978 when economists said that the Dow Jones would never cross 1000. Well, obviously, they were wrong. That phenomena hasn't changed any. For the most part, economists are just talking heads. You see, we're starting to go downhill. Abortions are now legal. Marriage is starting it's decline. Man is rich, he doesn't need God anymore. We start to see financial bubbles coming up and collapsing. We get involved in the

Vietnam War. Remember the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? Supposedly some of their little bitty boats fired on one of our ships, and Johnson agreed to escalate our involvement in Vietnam. Ten years later, about 79,000 of our soldiers are dead, and who knows how many of the Vietnamese we killed. We find out later that the Gulf of Tonkin never happened. It was a lie. Or as Hillary Clinton would say, somebody misspoke. It never happened. The Vietnam War tore our country apart. Some think that's when the rapid social decay of our nation started. Remember Hanoi Jane? To this day I don't understand why she is not in prison for treason. 79,000 young men and women died for some unknown reason. But we do know historically, that the Gulf of Tonkin never happened.

The military industrial complex made fortunes, and it did provide jobs in this country. The undertones from the Vietnam War left an indelible mark on society. During this time we saw the Civil Rights Amendment, which in theory was probably the right thing to do. But in application, it's the Civil Rights Amendment that is now allowing same sex marriage in our country. So, be careful what you

wish for, because I expect pretty soon, we will see sisters marrying sisters and fathers marrying daughters. You see, it's their civil right to do so. We got the peace and love movement, the suburbs are still packed, society is decaying at a phenomenal rate. We have a couple of little crashes here and there in the financial sector. A lot of retired folks get their 401k wiped out. But, ironically, the first chance they get, they put their money back into another 401k, because they're going to make a fortune. Now everybody has three SUVs in their driveway. Ten year old girls are wearing $50.00 blue jeans that make their hips look curvy, not to mention their skin tight t-shirts, then people at church sit around and comment about how pretty they look. 

You see, ladies and gentlemen, we have entered the fall of our society. It's been a good ride. My grandfather got to leave the farm, and go to work for an aircraft plant building airplanes. At that time women

earned their place in the workforce, even though there is no one home to raise little Billy now. So we have a new industry pop up called daycare. Everybody after World War II has a good job, if they want one. Everybody works, and we are going to have growth forever. Well, anybody with a half a lick of sense knows that is impossible. Our infrastructure is now decaying. Water lines and sewer systems in every major city need to be completely replaced. That's never going to happen. Our electrical grid system is a fossil just waiting for a collapse. Our schools have become institutions of putrid vile. Our industrial base we have effectively crushed by sending our jobs to other countries. 

And I really hate to say this next item, but if you believe that our government is working for us, The People, then you are delusional. Our elected officials, for the most part, are the most corrupt group of people ever assembled. But most people don't care because things still appear to be good. Look at the crime in our

cities. Look at unemployment. Look at welfare. Turn on that great educator called the television and compare it to 50 years ago. If you can't see the progression of filth and trash, then you are taking way too many psychotropic drugs. Look at the way mother's dress their little girls. Listen to what comes out of little boys' mouths. If you are a decent individual, you are a minority. If a person tries to live a humble life and raise their own food, then they are labeled a terrorist. Can you imagine that? Our government has systematically managed to associate decency with terrorism. 

Let's review. We had a spring. It was a good time after a long-term bad time. We had a lengthy summer. Now we have crept into the fall. We are a mature nation, and some day we are going to relinquish our

world domination to some other country. This is a natural progression. Are we going to do this peacefully? History would say no, we're not. Is our government going to become more tyrannical? Absolutely. We had better learn to accept the fact that martial law is just around the corner, because if you believe that your life is private, then you're both delusional and taking psychotropic drugs. As usual, the future is not here yet. But it's coming. 

Let's take a look at some things that we do know and can forecast with some degree of certainty. Are our schools going to start teaching American values? Well, actually, they are teaching American values, because we have allowed them to teach trash and filth. So the schools are going to continue doing what they're doing. Is our obvious moral decay going to make a turn around? No, it's not. The answer to that one is obvious. Is our economy going to improve? Well, that depends on who you listen to. If you think rising unemployment is an improvement, if you think more people being serviced by government social

programs is an improvement, then yes, it's going to improve. It's been improving for years. Do you think our corrupt government is going to start telling the truth? I don't think that's possible, because if our politicians were to tell the absolute truth about what's coming in the future, then we would have anarchy in the streets. They can't tell the truth. But that doesn't mean that they are still not corrupt. And that is only going to worsen. What about our financial system? How are they going to continue to feed their need for more of our money? You can only tax so much. So why don't they just take our money? You say that will never happen? I would have never thought that a man would let an airport agent feel

up and fondle his wife while standing right beside her. But that happens everyday. They also do the same thing to his teenage boy and daughter, and that's okay too. Because remember, Roosevelt stole gold and silver from the people. If you don't think that our government will not take all of our savings, then you're not paying attention to history at all. All they have to do is issue you a debit card, or an EBT card, or whatever name they want to call it, and try to convince you that your money is now secure with them. 
Okay. So. Now we know a little bit about what to expect in the future. How are we going to get out of this conundrum? War. We've been at war for the

last 20 years. But I'm talking about big war. People fight different than they used to. A fellow sitting in front of a keyboard can shut down a plane in mid flight. I'm talking about a commercial jet liner here. They can shut down our banking system with the punch of a key. They can shut down our power grid with the punch of another key, and it can't be stopped. This next war is going to look a whole lot different than the last few wars. I'm not sure that some of those keys might not be punched by our own people. It wouldn't be the first time they've done it.

Folks, we're getting older, our time is expiring. Hold your grandkids, hug your spouse, keep your powder dry, for winter is at the threshold. It is inevitable.

We'll talk more later, Frank

No Crisis Here, Move Along - A Re-Post

Folks, the words I wrote about a year and a half ago are just as true today as they were then, only now, things have continued to get significantly worse. I can't even begin to recount the number of freedoms we have lost since this was written, or the growing resentment and anger that has festered to the boiling point all over the globe. We are a world in crisis, much of which has been brought on by design. We are about to see the culmination of many years of planning. For those that are taking control, it must be grand to finally succeed. The tyrants are on the lose and will stop at nothing to achieve each and every item on their agenda. 

I hope you enjoy this article and it provides you with food for thought. Fern

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Originally published March 18, 2014

Remember when it took six months for the United States to amass the needed troops and equipment for Desert Storm? And then the storm came?

We are in the midst of many different storms and we have been given this time to amass our own equipment. Why is it that we have seen fluctuating supplies and sometimes shortages of everything from wheat grinders, to shovels, to canning jars and lids, to freeze dried foods, to ammunition? Because The People, many mom and pops, uncles, aunts, cousins, sisters and brothers are gathering what they need to weather the storm. There are so many things happening around the globe, and especially in our own backyard, that are adding impetus and energy to the storm.

How many troublesome things have you run across lately? They appear to become more numerous each day. The message seems to be hunker down, be ready, it's coming. The harder we try to get things in order, the more obstacles arise in our way. But you know what? That's okay. It just makes us more determined and focused .....because we know it's storming all about us.

We talked to a medical doctor recently that told us he has a list of medications on his desk that he can no longer prescribe to Medicaid patients, I'm sure you know why. Digitalis is one of the most popular medications given for heart conditions and it is on his list. He is deeply offended for being put in a professional quandary. His hands are being tied when it comes to offering the best medical treatment for his patients. I can't help but wonder if this is one of the ways TPTB (the powers that be) are going to save money. Not only will they save money on prescriptions, they will decrease the number of people receiving Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, by impacting some of the recipients ability to get the type of medical care that would have prolonged their life. I know that is a very harsh thing to say, but I think it is true. And I think it is part of the plan.

The people of Crimea that could see what was coming to their country, took their money out of the bank. Did you? Have you spent the time wondering how you will be able to 'buy' what you need when the money you have is worthless, or you can't get it out of the bank because the banks are closed, or they just won't let you have it? You say this can't happen? Look at the number of countries which are modern, industrial nations, where it has happened in just the last few years. The dollar becomes worth less and less with each passing day. The dollar in your pocket buys much less than it did just six short months ago. How much less will it buy in six more months? Do you know how to barter? Do you have anything that will be worth bartering? Do you have skills that are worthy of barter? Rush Limbaugh has said something like, if just 1% more of the people in our country became aware of what is happening, then the store shelves would be empty. Empty. Think about that. Just imagine what it would be like if 10% more people became aware and tried to stock up. There would be nothing left. There would be panic and chaos. But that's what we want, right? More people to be aware and prepare. I know I do. But do we have the resources for that to happen? No. So, how can we get more people to prepare? Teach them to produce more for themselves for their daily necessities, and stop being dependent on the corporate and government systems.

How many people have been affected by the weather and cold temperatures this winter? Millions. How many people have had to go without because of the drastic price increases and shortages of  heating oil and propane? What would we do if the supplies needed to stay warm were no longer available? That would be a major catastrophe. A crisis. But what do we hear? Nothing.

No crisis here. Just global warming. Ha! So we need to put more restrictions on the ability of people and companies to engage in good old fashioned commerce, you know, free enterprise, right? That will solve the crisis of global warming. Crisis, what crisis? Move along and drink the coolaid. You know, that is one thing I am not stocking up on. We don't drink it, too much sugar.

Can you see where the people in Egypt are better off than five years ago? And do you really think the people in Libya are better off than they were? Let's go down the list. How about the folks rioting or 

protesting in Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Greece, Corsica, France and Spain? I'm not even going to mention central Africa. Don't think it can happen here? What about the rising tensions in Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Israel? And don't forget about Christians being murdered all over the world.  You don't think it could happen in America as well? Then look at Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta. The United States military is removing God more and more everyday. I wonder when being a Christian will be some type of a crime in this country?

It seems that the 'weather men' that know the storm is here keep trying to placate The People with pleasant platitudes and the antics of the rich and famous, which include our illustrious bureaucrats. If that is not enough entertainment, then they fill the silver screen

with an overpowering, nauseating amount of filth, sex and mindless drivel. And to keep everyone's attention riveted, every so often a false flag distraction is thrown in for good measure. Crisis of the day in any flavor you like. Remember, don't ever let a good crisis go to waste. 

The bottom line folks, is that the less you are dependent on any other person or system for your health, wealth and well being, the better off you are. Don't spend your time being distracted by the latest crisis or

non-crisis that is made to appear like another crisis. Don't buy into the, "Oh, No! The sky is falling!" crowd. If you do, when the time comes that the sky truly does fall, you will be left standing there with your hands out wondering when the truck will show up with your next meal and bottle of water. Don't ever get on the truck. It will be the last trip you ever make. Take the time to learn and decide for yourself. Don't take the media's word for anything, research, READ don't watch, learn and come to your own conclusions. Don't take my word for it either. Use your mind, heart and soul and pray for wisdom, knowledge and guidance.

I'm angry, I'm broken hearted and I'm determined. I'm tired of watching our world and our country go down the tubes. I cannot see living under the yoke of a tyrannical, socialist government that gets worse everyday. There IS a crisis here and we will not just move along, shuffling our feet to the beat of the wrong drummer. If you have not already done so, you need to open your eyes, truly look around you, and take the action necessary to provide for you and yours, because no one else will. If you think they will, you will have a long wait, and in the end, you will be sorely disappointed.

I pray God's blessings on each and every one of you.

Until next time - Fern

It's Not Your Money

Hello, Frank here.

A couple of days back I ran across an interesting article by Michael Snyder, the author of The Economic Collapse Blog. Mr. Snyder puts out three to four articles per week on this blog site. He has many articles that are thought provoking.

This particular article really caught my eye, though. At one time or another, we all use banks. If you're on Social Security, or any other state or federal retirement system, then your checks are going to be

direct deposit to the bank. Yes, there are minor exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, all government type checks are direct deposit. Are you aware that when you put money in the bank, technically, it is not your money any longer? It is now the bank's money. The reason is, that you gave the bank your money for safe holding. 

Getting back to Michael Snyder's article. It's almost to the point where the government and banks working together, can now take your money.

You say, "This can't happen." You say, "This isn't Corsica." I remember when the banks in Corsica stole a percentage of their investors money. I know, stole is a harsh word. We don't like to accuse anyone of stealing, now do we? That's because it hasn't happened to us yet. But, when the banks in Corsica stole their depositors money, it was just gone. But that will never happen here, will it?

Let's pick a hypothetical number, ten years. What has happened or changed in the last ten years, that you said would never happen? Just think for a second. It doesn't have to be the economy. It doesn't have to be schools. Just give it some thought. Still think banks won't ever take your money? Then you are probably one of those people that believe that your government would never lie. And if you believe that, then you will find this article to be the funniest thing you have read in years. I choose not to mention politician's names directly, but we have a former president's wife, that if she is talking, she is lying.

Okay, back to the article at hand. Please read Michael Snyder's article, give it some thought. Think back about the changes for the last ten years, and ask yourself, "Does the government, or any of it's representatives, ever lie to us, when telling the truth would be just as easy?" The article is about banking, safe deposit boxes, and some of the illusions that we continue to harbor.

An interesting personal anecdote. A few weeks back, I closed an account that I had with a state agency. This particular state agency sent two checks. One of the checks I rolled over into another account, and one of the checks I wanted to put into my bank account. I went to my local bank, told them I wanted to deposit this amount. The deposit slip was filled out correctly. Without going into a lot of detail, I was not allowed to deposit this check.

So, I left that bank, went down the road a few miles to another bank, which I will call local bank number two. Filled out another deposit slip, handed it to the teller, he went and talked to someone in a big glass office, and came back and told me that the funds would be available in seven business days. I said thank you.

My questions are: Why did the first bank go through the time of telling me that my deposit check looked like it might not be real? Why did they tell me that if the check happened to be bad, and I wrote checks on the bad check, then I could get in trouble? I don't understand. Why couldn't the first bank just put the check in the bank and tell me that in seven business days I would have access to that money? Why did the first bank go out of their way to treat me like a criminal? I don't know.

By the way, bank number two. After eight business days, I went to the bank and asked if I could withdraw the deposit that I made eight days earlier. I was told sure. After I was given the cash, had left the bank and was sitting in my car, the teller came out to the car, actually it is a Jeep, and told me that she needed a copy of my driver's license. I guess I am some kind of a bad person. When I opened the account, I gave them a copy of my driver's license, and that was a few years back.

I get so tired of government regulations. What kind of light bulbs to use, how much water my toilet can flush, and etc., etc., etc., etc....... It is nobody's business how much water my toilet flushes. It's coming folks. It's been building for years. The government is trying to control more and more of our lives. Pay attention. Read this article by Michael Snyder, and for some of you that are predisposed, go back out and put your head in the sand. For those of you that can see, this is just one more example of our government tightening the noose.

We'll talk more later. Frank