The United States of America has become a corrupt Imperial juggernaut, chewing up the world and spitting out bones. We have all seen warmongers and tyrants prop up the corpses of Jefferson and Washington and claim to be their descendants whilst spitting on their legacy.

This makes it easy for us to forget that the idea of America was once something different, and that idea still exists in the wording of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Just as the teachings of Jesus are not marred by every holy warrior who claims to conquer in God’s name,  so the sentiments expressed by the founding documents of the United States bear none of the blood so dishonestly shed in theirs.

And in a world of New Normal tyranny these gain newfound relevance.

Here is the preface to the Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson and presented before the Congress of the United States, July 4th 1776:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

• That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
• That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

A lot of our American readers will doubtless be familiar with the text, but I would invite non-Americans to read it for the first time. Consider the poetry of the language, and the revolutionary meaning of the words.

All men created equal, and all have the unalienable right to be free, and to choose those who govern them.

In a world still dominated by hereditary monarchies, these are revolutionary sentiments. And they hold true today, even as the same forces that threatened those rights in 1776 coalesce against them on a global scale.

Tyranny.

That’s what it is. What it was. What it always will be. Tyranny seeking control over people who should be free. Be it the tyranny of the British Empire or the Great Reset.  Names change but the spirit remains the same.

The founding fathers  may have been crawling out of feudalism, but we are being guided back into it, and it’s the job of those of us who realize this to try and wake up our fellow men, to counter that part of every person disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

Then, as now, a major obstacle to liberating people was their own inertia, their own fear of the unknown, their own unwillingness to assert their rights or stand their ground.

We have all seen this as Covid-world has progressed. From masks to social distancing to lockdown, people have adapted to a slew of sufferable evils rather than right themselves.

If you consider the comparison a stretch, consider these examples of “abuses” taken from the declaration…

• [The King has] rendered the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
• [imposed] Taxes on us without our Consent
• Deprived us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
• abolished our most valuable Laws, and altered fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
• Has excited domestic insurrections amongst us
• sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people

…sound familiar? And if the abuses are the same, then isn’t the solution?

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

We should mark these words. As true today as was when they were written. Maybe more so.

This July 4th, think back on the long train of abuses we have all suffered – and still suffer.

Consider how they all pursue invariably the same Object and evince a design to have us all live under absolute Despotism.

Don’t we all have the right and duty to throw them off and be free again?

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay. Article cross-posted from Off-Guardian.

Article by John Mac Ghlionn from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.

As Bloomberg recently reported, “the skies over a scattering of Western U.S. cities will stay dark for the third consecutive Fourth of July.”

Why?

Unlike the celebrations (or lack thereof) of 2020 and 2021, which were directly impacted by COVID-19, 2022’s celebrations will suffer because of a shortage of fireworks.

Fourth of July is when family and friends gather to celebrate the country’s independence. They gather around the barbeque, enjoy some good food, and finish the evening with a firework display.

In Phoenix, however, according to local authorities, “Fabulous Phoenix Fourth, Light Up the Sky at the American Family Fields and After Dark in the Park will all be canceled this year due to supply chain issues affecting access to fireworks.” Phoenix is not alone. The Arizonian cities of Tempe and Chandler won’t have firework displays either.

Meanwhile, in College Park, Maryland, city officials recently announced they “can’t guarantee the usual 4th of July show” due to a lack of supplies. One of those supplies happens to be fireworks.

Digging Deeper

Americans are united by their love of fireworks. In 2019, for example, Americans spent a total of $1 billion on these minor explosives. Where do the fireworks come from? Well, like so many other products, they come from China. The United States’ number one competitor produces 90 percent of the world’s fireworks.

To be even more specific, as Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, told NPR: “Ninety-nine percent of the backyard consumer fireworks come directly from China,” and “70 percent of the professional display fireworks” are manufactured in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

There was a time, as the NPR piece noted, when a majority of the fireworks used by Americans were made by U.S. companies. Sadly, those days are gone, long gone. The firework shortage is a symptom of a much deeper, far more serious issue.

Walter Block, a well-respected American economist, recently noted that besides the shortage of fireworks, the United States is also running low on aluminum, avocados, bicycles, canned vegetables, chlorine, Christmas trees, computer chips, infant formula, peanut butter, and toilet paper. I could go on. No, really, I could. But you get the point.

Although the war in Ukraine is certainly playing a role in the shortages, it’s not enough to explain why the United States is in such a desperate way. As Block noted, Americans have experienced war before. They’ve also experienced “pestilence, disease, bad weather” and government regulations before.

However, not since the end of World War Two has massive shortages “disrupted the economy to anything like the degree we are presently experiencing,” he wrote. Ukraine is just one piece of a larger, perplexing puzzle.

Let’s take some products from Block’s rather extensive list. What country produces the most bicycles?

You guessed it, China.

The communist nation also produces more computer chips (one of the items in short supply) than the United States. China is also the world’s largest producer of toilet paper. Americans consume the most amount of peanut butter in the world—approximately 7 pounds of creamy and crunchy goodness per person each year—but China is the world’s largest producer of peanuts. Although it’s still possible to have Fourth of July celebrations without fireworks, it’s impossible to have peanut butter without peanuts.

What’s my point? The United States used to be the king of self-sufficiency. There was a time when important products were made in America. Again, though, those days are gone. In all likelihood, they’re never coming back. That’s because, today, China is the world’s manufacturing superpower, and the United States is its number one customer.

In fact, of all the 195 countries in the world, the United States is now the top importer of goods. Even in relatively stable times, there’s a lot to be said for self-sufficiency. In times of genuine crises, however—with the ongoing war, fears of a global recession, etc.—self-sufficiency is an absolute must.

Dependency breeds desperation and dependency on an arch rival breeds existential dread. China has become the world’s supermarket, and the United States is now its top customer.

About the Author

John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and essayist. His work has been published by the New York Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, Newsweek, National Review, and The Spectator US, among others. He covers psychology and social relations, and has a keen interest in social dysfunction and media manipulation.

Planning a cookout this year? Ketchup on the news. According to the Farm Bureau, the cost of a 4th of July BBQ is down from last year. It’s a fact you must-hear(d). Hot dog, the Biden economic plan is working. And that’s something we can all relish. pic.twitter.com/7h9qLauIbC

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 1, 2021

The White House thought it was so funny that Americans were “saving” $0.16 year-over-year on cookout food that they included awful puns in a clear mocking of our sensibilities. This year, they’re not saying anything at all about costs, for obvious reasons.

As much as I loath RINO globalist Dr. Mehmet Oz, he posted an important Tweet in lieu of the White House acknowledging their own failures.

As you head to the grocery store to buy your July 4th shopping list take a look at the costs. This is a direct result of Joe Biden’s inflation crisis, and it is an assault on all Americans. pic.twitter.com/Yenr4BNLCV

— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) July 1, 2022

These are extremely perilous times for the American people and we need everyone to spread the word this 4th of July weekend. Far too many Americans are sticking their heads in the sand. They know things are bad but they have deluded themselves with wishful thinking that it will all go back to normal sometime soon.

Now is the time to get prepared. As I’ve said many times, we must secure food for ourselves and our families as soon as possible. The prices aren’t going to go down anytime soon, which means stocking up today makes perfect sense. Two of our sponsors are having 4th of July sales on their long-term storage food. Check out My Patriot Supply and Valley Food Storage.

Unfortunately, the economies in Europe may be a harbinger of things to come in America. They’re already starting to ration various resources, including food and fuel. Germans are buying up all of the wood-burning stoves they can find so they don’t freeze to death this winter if Russian natural gas continues to be scarce. Here’s more on what’s happening from Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog:

Rationing Has Already Started in Europe as the Entire Globe Plunges Into a Horrific Economic Nightmare

If countries in Europe are already beginning to ration certain things due to “supply problems”, how long will it be before it starts happening in the United States?  Up until the past couple of years, many of us in the western world always considered shortages to be something that only “unsophisticated” poor countries on the other side of the planet had to deal with.  But the last couple of years have shown us that painful shortages can happen to wealthy countries in the western world too.  At first we were told that they were “just temporary”, but the months went by and we just kept having more shortages.  In fact, in 2022 “supply problems” have become so serious that many supermarkets in Europe have been forced to strictly ration essential items at various times.  For example, it was being reported that due to the war in Ukraine flour, sunflower oil and sugar were all being rationed by stores in Greece…

After limiting the sale of some flours and sunflower oil online, Greek supermarkets are turning to rationing the sale of sugar as well, now including in their stores, over supply problems.

The AB Vassilopoulos is setting a maximum limit on the purchase of all brands of corn and sunflower oil and of flour per customer while Mymarket put a ceiling on sunflower oil purchases and Sklavenitis has added sugar to the rationed sales of corn oil through its online store, with a maximum of four packs, the products in high demand from restaurants, some of which said they have to stop selling french fries and other fried foods.

Over the past few months we have seen similar measures implemented in other major European nations as well.  For example, the war in Ukraine prompted some pretty severe rationing in Spain…

Sporadic shortages of products like eggs, milk, and other dairy products also hit Spain since the war in Ukraine began. And major supermarkets including Mercadona and Makro began rationing sunflower oil earlier this month.

Now, stores will temporarily be allowed to limit “the number of goods that can be bought by a client,” according to information in the Official State Gazette published on Wednesday.

Looking forward, natural gas rationing is the next big thing that many people in Europe are talking about.  The flow of Russian natural gas into Europe has been cut back, and it appears that this may soon cause widespread rationing in Italy…

Italy may start rationing natural-gas consumption to certain industrial giants, after Russia’s Gazprom halved supplies on Friday.

On the weekend, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the Italian government and energy industry would meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the crisis, with the likely outcome being the introduction of a state of alert under the country’s gas emergency protocol.

And CNN is reporting that Germany is “one step closer to rationing supplies” now that Russia has decided to reduce the flow of natural gas going to that country…

Europe’s biggest economy is now officially running short of natural gas and is escalating a crisis plan to preserve supplies as Russia turns off the taps.

Germany on Thursday activated the second phase of its three-stage gas emergency program, taking it one step closer to rationing supplies to industry — a step that would deliver a huge blow to the manufacturing heart of its economy.

Of course there are other parts of the globe that are dealing with problems that are far, far more serious than what Europe is facing right now.

As I discussed in an article that I posted earlier this week, significant numbers of people are starting to literally drop dead from starvation in portions of eastern Africa.  Global food supplies just keep getting tighter, and the head of the UN is openly telling us that the world is heading into an “unprecedented global hunger crisis”.

So if you have plenty of food to eat tonight, you should be thankful.

Here in the United States, economic conditions are deteriorating fairly rapidly, and most Americans are completely and totally unprepared for any sort of a major economic downturn.  Earlier today, I came across yet another survey that shows that about 60 percent of all Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck…

“We find that consumers in all income brackets — including those who make more than $100,000 annually — are living paycheck to paycheck. PYMNTS’ research finds that 61% of U.S. consumers were living paycheck to paycheck in April 2022, marking a 9 percentage point increase from 52% in April 2021, meaning that approximately three in five U.S. consumers devote nearly all of their salaries to expenses with little to nothing left over at the end of the month.”

So what is going to happen when those people start losing their jobs in large numbers?

Already, we have seen the number of tech layoffs greatly accelerate over the last couple of months.

Sadly, the layoffs will get much worse in the months ahead.

And as inflation continues to systematically eat away at our standard of living, Americans are turning to credit cards at a record pace…

As Americans grapple with the highest inflation in 40 years, the number of new credit cards have surged as more Americans rely on them to keep up with high prices. According to a recent report from the Federal Reserve, revolving credit (credit cards and lines of credit) increased by 19.6% from the previous year to $1.103 trillion.

Going into credit card debt is not a solution.

At best, it can buy you a little bit of time.

And it is especially a bad idea to go into credit card debt as we plunge into a recession.

At this point, almost everyone realizes that things are going to get bad.  According to one recent poll, a whopping 85 percent of all Americans believe that the U.S. is “headed in the wrong direction”…

The national dissatisfaction is bipartisan. Most Americans, 85%, say the country is headed in the wrong direction. A majority of Republicans have been unhappy with the direction of the country since Biden’s election. Democrats had been positive about how things were going, but now 78% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

I was astounded to see that 78 percent of Democrats believe that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction with a Democrat in the White House.

I have never seen a number like that ever before.

But this is just another indication that the hour is late and that things are about to start getting really crazy out there.

For the moment, life is still at least somewhat normal in the western world.

Sadly, it won’t stay that way for long, and so I would recommend using your time wisely.

***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written five other books that are available on Amazon.com including  “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending digital copies as gifts through Amazon to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.

I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.

I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior today.

Food and Ammo for Most, Financial Diversity for the Wealthy

I don’t normally watch videos from Anonymous, but one hit my feed and I went ahead and watched it. I even included it in the latest episode of The JD Rucker Show.

We have been shown very clearly that economic stability is fading fast. For those who are, like me, still concerned about getting food on the table or paying bills next month, we should not be looking towards precious metals or other financial products. We should be stocking up on food, water, ammunition, and medicines.

For those who have wealth or retirement to protect, there are two things everyone should consider. First is precious metals. I picked up a pair of sponsors over the last year because they’re America First companies who take care of their clients and who are neither beholden to the Chinese Communist Party nor do they donate to Democrats. The small company is Our Gold Guy who delivers personal service. The bigger company is Goldco who offers a wide range of products. Patriots can’t go wrong with either.

The second takeaway from the Anonymous video is that fiscal diversity is important. We recently picked up Mass Tort Financing as a sponsor. They fund class-action lawsuits, a practice that has been reserved for hedge funds and institutional investors until recently. Now, accredited investors who want to diversify $50,000 or more of their portfolio can dive into this asset class.

I’m not a financial advisor, but I know people. My experience over the last few months with the folks at Our Gold Guy, Goldco, and Mass Tort Financing is why I trust them. As all can attest to, I didn’t take them on as sponsors immediately. I researched them thoroughly; my first conversation with Lou over at Mass Tort Financing was last November and we just cut the ribbon this week.

Here’s the video from Anonymous followed by my show today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajkhn4-L1TM

For this 4th of July, three musicians came together to put out the anthem we needed at such a time as this. Bryson Gray, James McCoy Tayor, and Tyson James brought their diverse talents to the table to release “God Save America.”

https://twitter.com/RealBrysonGray/status/1542920349335134209

Too often, patriotic and/or Christian songs have great messages but lack in musical quality. This is the exception. It’s a legitimately great song. It’s catchy and meaningful, beautiful and profound. This is the type of song we need played at gatherings across America this 4th of July weekend.