- Watch The JD Rucker Show every day to be truly informed.
For transparency, I’ve never been a fan of Rodney King’s immortal words, “Can we all get along?” No, we can’t, and no, we shouldn’t. Whether it’s bipartisanship or unity within an ideological group, such manufactured consensuses rarely yield a positive result. They only move poor policies forward in the case of bipartisan legislation. In the case of unity within an ideological group, they create false compromises that invariably bubble up later as bigger problems. More importantly, unity creates complacency.
Lest we forget, there was a bipartisan “consensus” that we should invade Iraq. Twice. There was manufactured unity among conservatives that John McCain and Mitt Romney were the best Republican warriors to take on Barack Obama. And let’s not dismiss that nearly three out of four Americans are “fully vaccinated” while over 80% have taken at least one jab.
This is why I’m not opposed to the various battles taking place among conservatives over the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them are petty, such as the tiff between Candace Owens and Megyn Kelly over whether or not pro-Hamas students should be “blacklisted” by corporate America. It all started with a Tweet by Vivek Ramaswamy claiming kids are stupid and should not be permanently harmed by their stupidity. Kelly had a problem with that. Owens chimed in to remind her that she was once a pro-abortion leftist as a stupid kid. I’m not going to post the threads because it’s a bunch of silliness coming from both sides.
With that said, I’m glad it’s happening. I’m glad that Ben Domenech, co-founder of The Federalist, is out there accusing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk of being an anti-Semite even if I completely disagree with the assessment. Kirk questioned whether parts of the Israeli government and/or military were involved in the Hamas attacks.
I’m glad that there are those on the right who are siding with Palestinians even if I’m not among them.
The reason I’m glad there is all this bickering over a war that’s on the other side of the globe is because the larger conservative movement is in desperate need of a revamp. It has become about as feckless as the Republican lawmakers they help elect. Big words, little action. Sadly, the same cannot be said about the leftist movement. Their words are idiotic but their actions are effective. Those actions may be devious, misguided, intimidating, and destructive, but they’re effective at accomplishing their goals.
The collectivists are beating the individualists because the individualists are being told we need to operate collectively. The modern conservative movement claims we need to unify behind bad ideas and bad people so we can counter the worse ideas and worse people leading the left. As a result, our “victories” are often insanely stupid.
Case-in-point: Bud Light. The takedown of a beer brand that put a dude pretending to be a woman on their cans has not had the desired effect. Sure, Anheuser-Busch is bleeding but the overall push for corporate wokeness barely skipped a beat. Other beer companies engaged with LGBTQIA+ marketing and didn’t get hit. Bigger companies doubled-down on trans-supremacy and didn’t even get a story printed about them on Breitbart or Daily Wire. Conservatives had one glowing “victory” in which we taught one company a lesson that other companies generally ignored.
Meanwhile, drag queens are still holding parades and tossing condoms at children. Popular shows and movies continue indoctrinating Americans into woke ideologies. Billions of dollars are being funneled to help women get abortions-on-demand, even if they have to cross state lines to do so. Climate change cultists are seeing their ranks grow, not diminish.
In short, the false unity within the conservative movement has barely been a speed bump as America barrels down the highway to hell.
When (if?) the dust settles from the Israel-Hamas war and Americans get back to (hopefully) focusing on our own problems here, the anger that’s splitting conservatives apart will dissipate. That won’t necessarily heal wounds, but it will force us to use our individual strengths to fight the good fight rather than relying on the groupthink that’s permeating across conservatives, patriots, libertarians, and populists today.
Is this the shakeup that we needed? Maybe. At this point any shakeup is better than the cozy, complacent inaction we’ve seen for the last three years. We do NOT need to get along in order to fight side-by-side against open borders, voter fraud, medical tyranny, or wokeness. We must NOT rely on groupthink to drive us into supporting bad ideas or bad people for the sake of unity.
We are patriots. We are conservatives. We are individualists. We shouldn’t be following the movement. We should be forming our own perspectives and acting accordingly. The last time there was a strong level of disunity among conservatives was 2016. The Trump Train had as many detractors as it had passengers. But despite the lack of consensus among patriots, Hillary Clinton was still defeated.
Fast forward four years and there was tremendous unity among conservatives. The Trump Train was full and destined to get more votes than it got in 2016. Victory was assured, so we got complacent. We took for granted that the left would be working on getting more ballots, not more votes. Our unity as a movement meant nobody did anything to prevent voter fraud, ballot harvesting, or tyrannical Covid measures. Everyone was pointing fingers after we lost.
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Individualist conservatives sick of Obama and scared of Clinton won in 2016. Collectivist conservatives unified against Joe Biden in 2020 didn’t have a chance because our unity bred the complacency that allowed Democrats to steal the election.
We need to be uncomfortable. We don’t need a falsely unified conservative movement in order to reverse this nation’s direction. We need patriots who are angry about whatever makes them angry and to act accordingly. I don’t care who’s on Team Shapiro and who’s on Team Tate. All I want is for YOU to understand the issues that are important to you and to take a stand based on your individual perspectives. If the Israel-Hamas war tears the conservative movement apart, then there is an opportunity to rebuild it as a disjointed group of pissed off patriots who aren’t going to pay attention to the groupthink that’s being sold to us today.
When we’re fighting, we’re thinking. When we’re thinking, we’re ready to act. When we act, things get done. Unity might be able to take down Bud Light, but individualism is what’s needed to take down far bigger foes.
Sound off about this story on my Substack.
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.
As a Christians we believe in redemption, with the understanding that redemption first requires repentance. And this principle should apply to those young people who wrongly try to justify and defend the intentional targeting and slaughter of civilian men, women, and children. I would consider hiring someone who had genuinely repented, given time for the tree to bear observable fruit. I would not hire someone who did not repent. I wouldn’t give them the time of day.