Podcast- John Rubino on the Collapse of the Dollar

on September 13, 2013 at 12:07 am
Posted In: Podcast

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John Rubino on the Collapse of the Dollar

Today’s guest is John Rubino of DollarCollapse.com. John Rubino was one of the few people who accurately predicted the 2008 housing bubble and the crisis that ensued. John also recommended that people buy gold and silver in his 2004 book. People who have followed his advice have navigated the market turmoil quite well. Listen to today’s show to find out what John is saying now about the coming global economic meltdown.

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Today’s Prepper Recon Podcast sponsor is CampingSurvival.com. Whether your plan is to bug in or bug out, they have all of your preparedness needs including; bug out bags, long term food storage, water filters, gas masks, and first aid kits. Use coupon code PREPPERRECON to get 5% off your entire order at Camping Survival.

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John and I discuss today’s market volatility in the gold price. John tells us what today’s price action means and what he thinks about the long term future of gold prices. He gives us his take on the gold and silver ratio and which metal he thinks will likely preform the best. If you want to take advantage of today’s gold and silver sell off, make sure you check out the prices at JM Bullion.com. Shop around, but I think you will find that they have the lowest over spot price of any online dealer. Use coupon code PR5 to get $5 off your order of $300 or more.

John Rubino gives his opinion on where he thinks government bonds are heading and how that could cause a colossal failure in the derivatives market. Listen to today’s show to find out why the Indian Rupee has plumeted in recent months and how that may effect the US.

Don’t miss another episode of the Prepper Recon Podcast. Subscribe to us on Stitcher or iTunes to get a new episode every week. Head on over to DollarCollapse.com, your ringside seat for the global financial crisis.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

 

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9/11 Twelve Years Later

on September 11, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Posted In: Constitution, Potential Threats

9/11 Twelve Years Later

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All of us remember exactly what we were doing twelve years ago today. We lived in a different country. It was a more carefree country. We trusted each other, the world and our own government much more than we do now. Our government also trusted us much more twelve years ago than it does now.

Since that day, we have waged war after war and gone deeper and deeper into debt. We have given up many of our freedoms. We no longer have a right to privacy as the NSA snowdrops on our phone calls, emails , and Facebook posts. We are treated like criminals every time we get on a plane and there is a camera peering at us on every traffic light and from every building top.

Benjamin Franklin said “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.“

Today is a day to remember those who were lost and the country we once had. The people who lost their lives that day can never return, but we can fight to get our country back. Since the beginning of our nation, it has never been more important than now to let your congress men know how you feel about constitutional issues.

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On another topic, today is also a day that arouses much confusion. There are those who say 9/11 was a plot that either our own government knew of or was involved in. I hope that is not the case. They claim the motivation of the government was to gain the political capital to advance the police state and instigate war in the Middle East. There is no doubt that those two agendas have advanced successfully.

There is a lack of a smoking gun that gives definitive evidence of such a plot, but among the strongest circumstantial evidence is WTC Building 7. Building 7 also collapsed on 9/11/2001. The building housed Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bunker that he was supposed to go to in the event of a terrorist attack. Despite the largest terrorist attack on American soil, Giuliani was nowhere near the building at the time of the collapse. Other tenants in the building included Secret Service and the CIA. The building was across the street from the Twin Towers and was flanked by two other buildings that sustained no structural damage.

The official story which was all but completely ignored by the mainstream media was that fires inside weakened the steel support to the pint of failure. This caused the 47 story building that was never hit by a plane or anything else to fall into its own footprint.

As I said, I am unaware of a smoking gun that proves there was a conspiracy, but I think it is always healthy to question everything the government tells us. Whether it is George Bush Senior telling us to read his lying lips that say no new taxes, James Clapper telling us that the NSA would never spy on its own citizens, Obama telling us we can keep our health insurance and the premiums will go down, Bill Clinton saying he did not have sexual relations with an Monica Lewinsky, or any other infamous liar, Washington has proved to us time and time again that they can not be trusted.

Question everything and think for yourself.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

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Operational Security- What to Say and When to Say It

on September 9, 2013 at 4:14 am
Posted In: Prepping

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 Operational Security

Operational Security or OpSec is an important tenet of prepping. In today’s world, the need to keep your cards close to your hand goes beyond the simple motivation to not having the neighborhood show up at your house five minutes after the apocalypse. Yes, that is an important reason. If you have prepped for your family, and no one else has, they will be expecting you to bail them out. After all, isn’t that the American way? The even more important reason to keep your trap shut is because the government is doing an increasingly thorough job of building a modern equivalent of the East German Stasi. The DHS “If you see something say something.” campaign now has children ratting out their classmates for eating their pop tart into the shape of a gun. All common sense has been thrown out the window. All it takes is one phone call from a concerned citizen about your oversized pantry, and you are getting a one way ticket to the exotic island of Cuba to stay at the fabulous Guantanamo spa and resort.

What Can We Say?

Take it slow. Obviously it would be preferable to talk to your neighbors about prepping before it hits the fan. Start out seeing what they think about potential threats like the economy.  Slowly present evidence about why we need to prepare. If you live in a hurricane zone or area that is prone to earthquakes or tornadoes, that is an easy segue into the conversation. Once you know they won’t call Big Brother because you have nine boxes of pasta, go a bit further.

The minute you start to get resistance, back off. If you are trying to wake up your neighbor to the impending economic collapse, they are not going to want to believe it at first. If they are not prepared, to acknowledge that you are right means their world is in jeopardy. Be patient with them and let them digest each little nugget of truth. Give them a fun fact here and there about the national debt, derivatives or future lack of Social Security funding. Detroit is always a good opener for that conversation.

Never Tell Everything

In the spirit of teaching, sometimes it is necessary to expose some degrees of your preparedness. Like everything else, there is never a reason to show it all at once. If you need to show a neighbor what you have done, because they want to learn how to do it themselves, keep it on a need to know basis. Be smart, feel people out and trust your instinct. Focus on keeping a proper balance of teaching and operation security and you will be fine.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

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Sunday Prepper Bible Study- Proverbs 3:5&6

on September 8, 2013 at 5:14 am
Posted In: Bible

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Sunday Prepper Bible Study- Proverbs 3:5&6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

James Wesley Rawles has the moniker of “The Godfather of Prepping”. He has written the book series which include Patriots, Survivors, and Founders. His new book Ex-Patriots is coming out in October. James Rawles had also written How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It. His website, Survival Blog.com is perhaps one of the most well known preparedness sites around. His background is in military intelligence and he is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to prepping. James Rawles has been interviewed by many different interviewers who quiz him for his survival knowledge. In all of his most recent interviews, James Wesley Rawles cites the most important thing a prepper can do is pray to God and ask him that he will put you in the right place at the right time and with the right people.

I will have to agree with Mr. Rawles. Seeking God and making time each day to read His Word, pray or listen to  Bible studies is the best way to stay connected to Him to make sure you are getting the direction you need to stay on the right path.

If you are new to prepping or would like to learn more about how to prepare for tomorrow, please read our 7 Step Preparedness Plan. The most important prep of all is knowing GOD. Jesus said “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?” Prepper translation: “What good will it do you to survive the coming economic collapse, nuclear war or even a zombie apocalypse if you don’t know you will go to heaven when you die.” A recent study found that 10 out of 10 people die! On that day we will meet our Maker. It only makes sense to be prepared for that day. Click here to learn more about knowing GOD.

Have a blessed week and happy prepping!

MDG

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Podcast- Bug Out Truck with Josh Collier of Beat The End

on September 6, 2013 at 2:58 am
Posted In: Podcast

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Podcast- Bug Out Truck with Josh Collier of Beat The End

Today’s guest on the podcast is Josh collier of Beat The End.com. Josh has a new approach to be ready to bug out. Josh has configured his truck as a bug out vehicle. Listen to today’s show to get some great tips on turning your truck  or van into the perfect bug out vehicle. Even if you have a regular automobile, Josh has some great tips for items you should always keep in your vehicle for emergencies.

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Today’s Prepper Recon Podcast sponsor is CampingSurvival.com. Whether your plan is to bug in or bug out, they have all of your preparedness needs including; bug out bags, long term food storage, water filters, gas masks, and first aid kits. Use coupon code PREPPERRECON to get 5% off your entire order at Camping Survival.

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Josh built several compartments which contain bug out essentials like water, long term storage food, a camping stove, water filters, a first aid kit and several other must have items.

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Above the storage compartment is a sleeping platform. The platform is padded so make bugging out in the truck more comfortable. It may not seem like a necessity, but you will need a good night sleep in order to function well under the tremendous added stress if you ever need to bug out.

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Between the two storage compartments is a large storage area. This area could be used to quickly stash more food, a rifle or shotgun ammunition, and other survival gear.

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Josh also keeps extra fuel in the truck. To generate power, Josh has an inverter that can quickly be attached to the battery terminals to deliver electricity for needed appliances.

The bug out truck offers a higher degree of readiness than the conventional bug out bag. In some disasters, those who get out fast are the only ones who get out at all.

Don’t miss another episode of the Prepper Recon Podcast. Subscribe to us on Stitcher or iTunes to get a new episode every week. Head on over to BeatTheEnd.com to check out what cool giveaways Josh has going on right now.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

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Barter After The Collapse- Items to Keep on Hand and What to Avoid

on September 4, 2013 at 1:52 am
Posted In: Economy, Potential Threats, Prepping

 

Barter After The Collapse- Items to Keep on Hand for Trading After it Hits the Fan

The inevitable death of the dollar will bring chaos and shortages of many items we take for granted right now. Today’s post will take a look at what are some good barter items and even what are some bad ideas for  barter.

One of the biggest challenges for keeping barter items is space. Large bulky barter items are going to be hard to store in significant amounts. A few small items that will be as good as gold after the collapse include  pain relievers, hard candy, playing cards, soap, shampoo, and medical supplies. If we experience a major collapse that makes it difficult to be seen by a doctor, antibiotics will be in high demand. Fish antibiotics that are sold online require no prescription and are the same types of antibiotics as prescribed by doctors. They are not regulated to the extent that prescription antibiotics are , so don’t start going to the pet store instead of the doctor. In a collapse scenario, I will take fish antibiotics before I die or lose an arm or leg to gangrene.

Precious Metals

Precious metals are a great means of preserving your wealth. Gold and silver have been considered money since Genesis 13. In a complete grid down scenario, practical items may have more value than gold and silver until society begins to rebuild. Once that happens, gold and silver will once again have purchasing power. In a barter situation, silver will be more practical than gold for smaller transactions. A one once silver coin in currently worth about $25. A one ounce gold coin is worth about $1400. It might be a little hard to get change for a $1400 bill. I still recommend diversifying between gold and silver, but I personally think it is worth the higher premium to purchase fractional gold coins to have the smaller denomination. Gold coins are available in 1/2, 1/4, and 1/10 ounce sizes. I use JM Bullion as they offer the lowest price over spot. If you decide to go with JM Billion to purchase metals, use coupon code PR5 to get $5 off your order of$300 or more.

Ammunition

We saw ammunition shortages sparked by the Sandy Hook tragedy last year that depleted supplies for nearly 6 months. With the addition of government ammunition hoarding, prices skyrocketed and producers were unable to keep up. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision a world where ammunition is used a tradable commodity. If silver represents large bills after the collapse, we might expect ammunition to play the role of $10, $5, and $1 dollar bills.

Alcohol and Tobacco

I often hear peppers who don’t drink or smoke talk about hoarding alcohol and tobacco for barter items. I think this is a bad idea. In a situation where resource scarcity has driven people to a barter economy, people who are expending their limited resources on alcohol and tobacco are addicts. By bartering with them, you are bringing people around you that have made vices their priority. When they expend all of their resources to get a bottle and a pack of smokes, where do you think they will look to attack when they get hungry? Because they have been trading with you, they will have a pretty good idea about how well you are set. It is a potential for trouble you don’t need. If you are addicted to alcohol, tobacco or drugs, now is the time to get free of those chains. It will be much harder with the added stress of the apocalypse.

The odds of a currency collapse.

The odds of a complete currency collapse are 100%. There has never been a fiat money system that did not return to its intrinsic value which is nothing. This is not tin foil hat conspiracy theory, it is history. If the odds of your house burning down were 100%, would you buy fire insurance?

Happy Prepping!

MDG

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Congress to Vote on Syrian Involvement- Time for You to Act!

on September 2, 2013 at 1:48 am
Posted In: Constitution, Economy, Potential Threats

rebels

Obama Decides to Take Military Action in Syria

In president Obama’s speech on Saturday, he announced that he had decided to take military action in Syria. He also said he had made a second decision. That decision was to let congress decide whether we would get involved in the Syrian conflict. It is hard for me to understand how he could have it both ways unless he already knows that he has the votes to take military action. Obama has the support of  Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. They represent the Senate majority and minority leadership as well as the House minority leadership from both parties. The only missing congressional leader is Speaker of the House John Boehner. Boehner has said he is undecided, but has a long history of siding with Obama over controversial issues including last year’s debt ceiling debate where he undermined the efforts of Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan to bring fiscal responsibility back to Washington. I expect Obama already has the vote in the bag and that is the only reason he decided to seek congressional approval of the military action he has decided to take.

Something to Ponder

Even if you are among those who think the US is justified in taking action to be the world’s policeman, there are a few things you should consider before supporting this attack. Why would Assad use chemical weapons against sleeping children if he knew it would only serve to instigate involvement from the West? The only purpose it would serve would be to get the US involved in the fight. The only party who would benefit from US involvement is the rebels.

We know that the Rebels are made up of Al Qaeda who make up the extremist and the Muslim Brotherhood who are considered moderates by the mainstream media. The Muslim brotherhood are the “moderates” who are currently killing innocent children and Christians and torching churches in Egypt right now. Maybe the moderates aren’t all that moderate. Do we think these two sects that make up the Rebels are morally above attacking a handful of their own with chemical weapons in order to manipulate the sympathy of the US? Between the two, they have had no problem gang raping foreign news corespondents in Egypt, driving planes into the Twin Towers or burning Christian churches to the ground. They both support the implementation of Islamic law which incarcerates or executes people for converting to Christianity. Are these the principles we have decided best reflect American values?

Even if they did not launch the attack on their own children, should we be assisting these people who are our sworn enemies. We have expended much in the way of blood and treasure to try to promote democracy in the middle east. We liberated Libya only to have our ambassador raped, tortured and killed in Benghazi. We supported Egypt in their revolution against  Mubarak only to see the players we helped put in power now burning churches and killing Christians. Every time we kick the hornets nest, we get stung. Now we are about to borrow more money to add to our $17 trillion dollar debt to launch missiles which cost between $600,000 and $1,400,000 each to help people who have a stable reputation for hating and attacking America.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

We are seeing the battle lines drawn for a global conflict if the US takes action Syria. Iran is threatening to retaliate by sending missiles into Israel. Russia has sided with the Assad regime and are currently positioning warships in the Mediterranean. China, who holds over $1 trillion in US debt has also sided with the Assad regime.

Today is the day to let your representatives know how you feel. Everyone in congress does not support military action. We have several champions of freedom who are fighting tooth and nail to stop this action. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Justin Amash are all seeking to preserve sanity in the Congress by blocking the Syrian intervention.

Today’s post is a call to arms. Prepper Recon is here to educate and inform, but today, I am imploring you to take action. Each one of you Americans have one Congressional Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and two Senators that represent your state in the Senate. Please send each one an e-mail to urge them to oppose US  military action in Syria. Also let them know that you will be watching and voting in the next election cycle. Here are the links to look up your Senators and Representatives.

Write your own letter or copy and paste mine.

Dear        ,

Please oppose military intervention in Syria. Our country is nearly $17 trillion dollars in debt and can ill afford another foreign conflict. Besides the monetary issue, we have no business sticking our nose into the affairs of Syria. While the Assad regime may indeed be evil, he has been much less of a threat to US interest than members of the rebels who include Al Qaeda. After the attacks on 9/11, Americans have been asked to give up their freedom and privacy in airports, on the streets and even on private phone conversations, e-mails and social media posts in the interest of combating Al Qaeda. After being asked to forfeit our Constitutional rights in this effort, we are now being asked to take on the additional financial burden to assist those whom we are supposed to be hunting down.

When this argument is made, it is often rebutted with the tale of so called “moderates” that out number the extremists. The “moderates” are largely made up of the Muslim brotherhood who are currently murdering women and children and burning down Christian churches in Egypt. Are these the values that best represent America?

Can we say definitively that  these two sects that make up the Rebels are morally above attacking a handful of their own with chemical weapons in order to manipulate the sympathy of the US? Between the two, they have had no problem gang raping foreign news corespondents in Egypt, driving planes into the Twin Towers or burning Christian churches to the ground. They both support the implementation of Islamic law which incarcerates or executes people for converting to Christianity.

Thank you for your time to consider this. I will be watching your vote and it will impact my vote in the upcoming election cycle.

Sincerely,

 

Prepper Recon Will Be Watching

Whatever the congress decides, We will be posting the individual votes in  a future post just as we did for the recent NSA Prism vote. In fact, take a moment to check out how your representatives voted on terminating the NSA Prism program. I bet it will prove to be an accurate indicator of how they will vote on military intervention in Syria. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Justin Amash all supported the 4th Amendment by voting to end Prism, and they also oppose military intervention in Syria.

Please take five minutes to contact your representatives and share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and any way you know how. Many of you share my posts regularly. I thank you very much for that. I seldom ask you to share any posts, but the implications of this action could mean another world war and will definitely mean a higher national debt and a stronger enemy to fight. Perhaps that is the true reason for wanting the intervention. A stronger Al Qaeda means America will be more willingly give up the rest of her freedoms without a fight to the burgeoning federal government.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

 

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Sunday Prepper Bible Study- Syria in Bible Prophecy

on September 1, 2013 at 4:44 am
Posted In: Bible

Syria in Bible Prophecy with Frank Raccioppi

For today’s post, I asked Frank Raccioppi of EzekielThirtyThree.org to write a guest post on how the conflict in Syria could play into Bible prophecy for end time events. Frank was also recently on the Prepper Recon Podcast to talk about Spiritual Preparedness. Frank is well versed in Biblical prophecy and has written an excellent explanation of what we are seeing. A big thanks to Frank for writing today’s post. Heads up, you will need to get your Bible for today’s study.

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What does Bible prophecy tell us about Syria?

As we read this, the stage is being set for the war of Gog and Magog most noted in Ezekiel 38. The major players are being led by GOD into the arena and will eventually all focus their combined force against Israel. Currently all events are revolving around Syria, whom is not mentioned as one of the players of the war of Gog and Magog.

Before looking into what Scripture tells us about Syria/Damascus (or sometimes referred to as Aram, Arameans, or the fortified towers of Ben-Hadad), we must look to Isaiah and understand a few interpretative challenges with his prophecies. Isaiah’s prophecies that have come to pass have been fulfilled exactly as he prophesied so there should be no question as to the unfulfilled prophecies being fulfilled. A challenge with reading Isaiah is what some call “prophetic foreshortening” where he prophesizes future events without outlining exact arrangements of the events,  nor does he distinguish between time intervals while speaking of overall events. I believe this is the way Isaiah was taught by GOD when given the visions.

GOD does not see “time” as humans, GOD does not abide by “time”, GOD sees “as is”, past present future “as is”. When we see Isaiah is prophesizing about near events (which we now see fulfilled), he immediately transitions without warning to future events that still have not been fulfilled. This, I believe is how GOD revealed HIS divine prophecies to Isaiah and this is exactly how Isaiah, as a mere human guided by The Holy Spirit recorded his visions.

Syria in Scripture begins in Isaiah chapter seven, during the divided kingdom of Judah/Jerusalem and Israel. The ten northern tribes of Israel, known as Ephraim, conspired and joined forces with Syria to attack and conquer Jerusalem/Judah/House of David (it is to be noted that a tactic they would use was terrorism Isaiah 7:6). This attack was prevented by GOD and declared by GOD that both Ephraim (the ten northern tribes) and Damascus would be punished for this. GOD would eventually use Assyria as HIS instrument of destruction of the Ten Northern Tribes, Syria/Damascus and eventually, because of Jerusalem’s continued disobedience to GOD, HE also used Assyria to judge Judah and bring them into Babylonian captivity.

So we see Syria punished for this act against Jerusalem in Amos 1: 3-5, Jeremiah 49: 23-27 and Isaiah 17: 1-3 (this was fulfilled around 735bc by Assyria and Nebuchadnezzar finally conquered Damascus in 605bc). After being judged and conquered, Syria was not completely utterly destroyed, in Isaiah 17:3 GOD leaves them a remnant, however, they would never again be an empire.

We know that Syria has never again been a powerful empire but has continually conspired with Israel’s enemies and supported acts of terror against Israel to this very day and in the last week Syria has made threats like never before. What we do not see is Syria mentioned in the war of Gog and Magog which is undeniably being set up in and around the Syrian conflict today. We see Syria conspiring to destroy Israel (when we speak of Israel now, since 1948 and 1967 she is a unified kingdom fulfilling Ezekiel 37). We see Syria using the same rhetoric and having the same mutual agenda as Iran who is involved in the war of Gog and Magog known as Persia. We see Russia, who is also a major player in the war of Gog and Magog (Magog, Meshech, and Tubal representing  Russia and the former Soviet Union geographical areas), backing both Syria and Iran up with military might.

“Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves…..” (Isaiah 7:6)

The question is, why if Syria from 600bc up until today, made the same threats and conspiracies with Israel’s enemies to attack and terrorize them, why are they not mentioned in the war of Gog and Magog that is building around the current “Syrian Conflict”?

Against Damascus. “Hamath and Arpad are shamed, For they have heard bad news. They are  fainthearted; There is trouble on the sea; It cannot be quiet. Damascus has grown feeble; She turns to flee, And fear has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor. Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy? Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord of hosts. “I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.” (Jeremiah 49: 23-27)

(note the description of “woman in labor” and reference Matthew 24:8 NASB, “all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”. Also note the “trouble by the sea cannot be quiet” and the soldiers and young men will be cut off”)

The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. (Isaiah 17:1)

(IMPORTANT to note that after this is prophesized that Jacob (Israel) will go through difficult times, but using “Jacob”/Israel is not specifying Judah/Jerusalem as with earlier Isaiah prophecies which tell us that the kingdom has been unified as fulfilled in 1967 Ezekiel 37………….

What we see on the news today is called current events but to those in CHRIST know that this is all part of Bible prophecy.

 

Scripture References to study:

Isaiah 7, Amos 1: 3-5, Jeremiah 49: 23-27 and Isaiah 17: 1-3 and Ezekiel 38.

 

 A quick note from Prepper Recon

Thanks again to Frank Raccioppi for this great study. Frank mentioned that Russia is the geographical territory of Magog. Russia is really throwing their weight into this conflict. They have also moved battle ships into the Mediterranean Sea.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

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Podcast- Josiah Wallingford from Brink of Freedom Online Magazine and Self Sufficiency Community

on August 29, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Posted In: Podcast

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Josiah Wallingford from Brink of Freedom Online Magazine and Self Sufficiency Community

Today’s guest is  Josiah Wallingford, the creator of the new website Brink of Freedom.net, an online magazine that focuses on modern survivalism and self sufficiency. Brink of Freedom  has a social media component as well. The Brink of Freedom online community allows you to connect with other liberty minded individuals to talk about preparedness, economics, political issues, prepper related books and more.

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Today’s Prepper Recon Podcast sponsor is CampingSurvival.com. Whether your plan is to bug in or bug out, they have all of your preparedness needs including; bug out bags, long term food storage, water filters, gas masks, and first aid kits. Use coupon code PREPPERRECON to get 5% off your entire order at Camping Survival.

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Josiah tells us how he woke up to the need to prepare when he was serving in the military in Afghanistan. The preparedness movement is much more common amongst those who have served over seas. They do not suffer from the same level of normalcy bias that other Americans do. They have seen with their own two eyes what it looks like for a society after it has hit the fan.

Josiah also recently started an internship with Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast. Josiah tells us what he has been learning about permaculture and what new projects he has been working on at Jack’s new homestead.

The Brink of Freedom online magazine features several writers from the Survival Podcast Community. Each writer is free to focus on their area of expertise. Categories include Homesteading, Health and Wellness, Politics and Economics, Outdoor Activities, and Tactical and Firearms. Head on over and check out the new site at Brink of Freedom.net.  Make sure you check out my economics column each week at Brink of Freedom, Prepper Econ.

Happy prepping!

MDG

 

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Cash Cache- Accessing Cash When It Hits the Fan

on August 28, 2013 at 1:31 am
Posted In: Potential Threats, Prepping

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No, Not that Cash.

 

 

100s

Yeah, THAT’s the one!

 

Are you planning to be the first one to the ATM when it hits the fan? Good luck with that plan. You better plan ahead, or you will be as cashless as Vivian Liberto at a June Carter concert.

Banks Don’t Keep Much Cash On Hand

I went to the bank today to make a modest withdraw. I ask the teller for six $100 bills. He could only give me four. The rest, he had to give me in $50 bills. The bank did not have six $100 bills. I probably could have gotten someone to go in the back to get another stack out of the safe if it had been all that important, but the reality is banks are not prepared for any kind of a currency run.

Today’s market is becoming increasingly cashless.  More and more transactions are being handled by credit cards and other electronic means. This requires banks to  use less and less cash. The less cash they need, the less they have on hand. No big deal as long as your credit card keeps working. And that system is fail safe, right? Wrong! We are increasingly seeing cyber attacks on individual banking networks that knock out all banking services for hours; that includes credit cards. We haven’t seen widespread outages yet, but the day is coming.

I wrote an article a few months back about a friend who had been the victim of identity theft and a banking mistake all in the same year. Both of these incidents left her without cash. In the first incident, her debit card was cloned and her account drained. After months of investigations, it was determined that it was not her fault and her funds were returned by the bank. In the second incident, her mortgage company drafted three months of payments in one week. This also drained her account. Both of these incidents left her without access to cash.

I am sure there are  plenty of folks who have lost it all in home invasions because they had all of their cash at home. I just don’t know any of them personally. It is not an “either or” situation. Diversification is the key. Keep a few bucks around the house in a safe or a well hidden place. There are lots of things besides “the end of the world as we know it” that can keep you from being able to get to your money. Here in South Florida, we had widespread power outages after Hurricane Wilma. I am sure folks in the North East experienced the same thing last year after Sandy. When the power goes out, guess what. That’s right! The ATM’s are out, Credit card machines don’t work and Banks are closed. Several Mom and Pop stores were open after Hurricane Wilma, but they were only taking cash. You either had it before you needed it or you didn’t get it at all.

Now For The Clincher!

Back in March, the country of Cyprus witnessed something many other countries have witnessed before, a bank holiday. I know, it sounds like something we should celebrate with juice and cookies, but it’s not. A bank holiday is where the banks are closed by the government. Cypriots went weeks without being able to withdraw money. When the banks reopened, they were restricted to 500 Euros a week.

I have a friend who is from Russia. Ana grew up during the crisis in the late 90’s. She watched her family go from upper middle class to completely poverty stricken. Her family’s hard earned savings sat in the bank where it could not be accessed because of capitol controls. Because their money could not be accessed, it was destroyed by runaway inflation. After 7 years, their savings lost more than 90% of its value. If it had been outside of the banking system, it could have been used for much needed items or they could have put it into gold and silver to preserve its wealth.

People think that kind of thing will never happen in America, and I pray that they are right. It only makes sense to keep some portion of your savings outside of the banking system. None of the countries who have been through the chaos like Russia and Argentina thought it would happen to them. Both of those countries also saw hyperinflation devastate their money as well. Gold and silver can protect against hyperinflation and complete currency collapse, but you have to convert it before the crisis. Once the crisis comes, the prices will skyrocket and availabilities quickly dry up like a puddle in the desert. I use JM Bullion for purchasing gold and silver. Use coupon code PR5 to get $5 off your order of $300 or more. They are a sponsor of PrepperRecon.com, but I was using them prior to their sponsorship of the site because they have the lowest over spot price of any dealer I know of.

How much you keep outside of the banking system is up to you, but I recommend keeping at least one months expenses in cash in a safe or well hidden location in your home. To learn more about gold and silver, read my Bullion post.

Happy Prepping!

MDG

 

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