Touching the third rail...

and praying I don't get zapped.

There has been a rather disturbing meme in the landscape of American politics as of late. It would seem that Hannity and Beck in their usual race to the bottom of the barrel have captured the potential wind in the sails of certain elements of the emergency prep/survivalist movement.

First a couple things up front, I do not wish to debate or cast dispersions at the nature of the movement itself. The following observations have more to do with timing and the age old question "cui bono?" Second, because I believe in transparency I voted Democrat this time around, though at one point or another I have voted for candidates from just about every party (except the american Nazi party for obvious reasons). Unlike the windbags on TV and radio, I'm not going to claim I'm independent of anything. I'm not registered, but I have a worldview that can generally be described currently as an american liberal by textbook (not a pundit's) definition. Lastly, though I have some familiarity with many aspects of the movement via persons I grew up around, I am largely an outsider looking in, so if I misconstrue anything, no offense is intended.

On with the show.


During the 1990's a growing number of people became interested in emergency preparedness, or more specifically on the means by which individuals or groups might survive cataclysmic, regional or societal collapse. Granted, the movement was by no means recent, but it certainly gained prominence even if brief in the public mind at that time. This as you may well recall was, by and large "the Clinton Years." By and large the literature focused on two primary threats in a post cataclysm world (be it nuclear, weather, technological infrastructure failure) The first threat is usually "zombies" the faceless masses (or perhaps even your neighbors) who did not prepare and come seeking whatever resources you may have, they may range from annoying, to deadly. Second is the government itself, many believe that our own government would in fact be the source of the collapse in some cases, or in the matter I wish to touch upon, the nature of government would be such that people might find need to put Jefferson's axiom of refreshing the tree of liberty into practice.

That is what concerns me today. I will not argue that our nation stands upon a precipice of great peril. I will not debate that by and large the priorities of our society are misaligned. I do not question the sovereignty of the individual nor the responsibility of the individual to prepare to at least a minor extent. Only a fool would be caught without a shovel in the winter.

What I do wish to contest is the encouragement that evangelists from the minority party in government seem to be engaging in. I don't think there is any way to get around specifics at this point so here goes, where was the outrage during the last 8 years? From my point of view, the loss of things like Habeas Corpus, indefinite imprisonment, widespread wiretapping, and I'm sure several other things I missed, should have been a wake up call for those who are feeling the itch to raise their rifles today. I grew up at the tail end of the cold war, so I know what its like to go to bed wondering if the commies will come (thanks a lot Red Dawn). Commie socialist pinko was a dirty word back then and it still is now. So why is it that certain elements of the media feel the need to incite old fears? Quite frankly (and this is of course my opinion) the reason is, because its all they have left. Certain media personalities have made their living by championing causes for one team. Now that the shoe is on the other foot they have gone from speaking like Tories to playing Paul Revere. They have traded authentic elitism for pseudo populism. They have turned their screeds from decrying those upset by loss of civil liberties and the abuse of power in wartime, to revisiting the red baiting of the past. Gone is the mantra "love it or leave it," todays meme is "get ready for civil war." You cannot espouse authoritarianism one day and libertarianism the next without great leaps of intellectual dishonesty.

What does their elitism have to do with the message of emergency preparedness or survivalism?

They are out of people to market to at the moment. Narcissistic by nature these creatures need an audience. Turn off your TV and radio, read a book, plant something. Let these gasbags starve. If you happen to prep, don't be fooled into believing these people are on your side. They may ultimately be self fulfilling prophecies, by instilling fear uncertainty and doubt: panic, hording and scarcity will ensue, and its all downhill from there.

But the fundamental question I am left with dear readers, are the principles of survivalism (most notably its defensive posture) necessarily the province of one political party?

Does a person's disposition on a spectrum of liberal to conservative (for the sake of simplicty) dictate the temper of their response? We both may garden, we both may be interested in solar energy, in food security, self sufficiency. But whereas I am concerned about the frightening consolidation of corporations and the vast profits being used to manipulate society for monetary gain. My friends on the other side of the aisle would say we have more to fear from our own government, and at times our own neighbor, but such has been the thesis of modern conservatism (or at least as I have observed it.) Again, no offense, just observation.


Is it a case of country mouse/city mouse? Does my thinking that allotment gardens and urban co-ops seem so palatable simply because I am a suburban liberal. Were I conservative, would a "bug-out" bag and plan be the logical course of action?

Or is it something else, do we fall into a much deeper category of meta consciousness. Does a predisposition to vote a certain way or face crisis a certain way speak more to their opinion of society, or rather humankind itself? Does it come down to a battle of Hobbes vs. Locke? Or is it more a matter of rugged individualism vs. cooperative interdependence.

I'm talking myself dizzy right now. I'd love to hear from all of you, but please lets keep it civil. I touched a third rail but I don't want the passion which strains to break our bonds of affection. ;)