Early in the history of our American confederation, citizens had no choice but to be prepared for any crisis and to be wary of all but the closest of friends and family. Self sufficiency and preparedness were not optional if life and liberty were to be maintained. As America grew and became more successful, self-sufficiency was slowly replaced by such things as the traveling trader and the general store.

As our society continued to develop, the idea of self sufficiency came to be shrugged off as something worried about by one living on the frontier or in the hills. As film and print media reached a certain level, self-sufficiency became the shtick of hayseeds and hillbillies; and wearing trousers made by your mother was reduced from being a thing of pride to a source of embarrassment. Through the later decades, self-sufficient men came to be laughed at as kooks or survival-nuts. Today, we are often instructed to view anyone attempting to be or become self-sufficient with suspicion, perhaps as a home-grown terrorist. The message, either subliminal or blatant, is this: Relax, watch lots of TV, and consume, and do not worry about what might come. Many view a well-prepared neighbor with suspicion and disdain, rather than with the respect he deserves.

Mass-Media has filled our hours with distraction, and our heads with empty ideas. Our ears are deaf from the cacophony, and our eyes glaze as the scene changes every 3 seconds. A country once peopled with leaders, and inventors and reformers has been subdued by the cathode ray tube and the pixel. The next Edison has been distracted by an amazing episode of Modern Marvels, and the next Einstein is busy trying to finish watching all episodes of The Sopranos Where are the garage engineers and the basement scientists, and the back-yard physicists? Are there any small farmers left? Where are the neighborhood leaders and budding entrepreneurs? All great people, ideas and things begin on the local level and proceed outward, although mass media would have us believe the opposite.

Local strength translates ultimately into to State strength. The federal government is a federation of the individual states (regardless of what the feds think) When the states begin to truly and firmly stand up for their rights, the feds will quickly find something else to do. Many citizens feel powerless to stop our top-heavy federal government because they do not have the money or skills to fight at the federal level. The founders thought of this and left the states strong and ready to fight off federal repression of our rights.

The State you reside in is a fortress that can be used to resist the incursions of the federal government, but this ship of state is currently unoccupied by anyone of consequence; runks and lackeys are at the helm in most cases Local and State politics (starting with your next-door neighbor) is the ripest of fruit to be enjoyed by budding American leaders. Paraphrasing a quote of Paul Harvey’s from years ago; in order to be successful in America today you don’t have to sweat blood or sacrifice a pound of flesh, you just have to care a little bit and try a little bit, because most people don’t try at all. Everyone is so busy with silly entertainment that the prize often goes to the one who shows up and tries just a little. Before you show your mettle at the state level, there are several things at home that you should shore up.

Your personal and family Liberty is inherent in you. It was not given to you by the government or the church or your momma. Your Liberty is inbuilt in you as a human being; you cannot even sell or give it away. Regardless if you think your liberty came from deity or not, it is what makes you human. When something is taken from you by someone who has no claim, then a theft has occurred. Regardless of the number of pages of legislation or executive order, if one of your Liberties is unjustly taken from you, a theft has occurred, you have been wronged and restitution/reclaiment/revenge is yours; either through the court or perhaps even at your leisure.

In order to fight for and preserve your liberties, you must be both mentally and physically prepared; your foundation must be solid, and your roots must be deep. There is nothing on TV you can watch (not even on the history channel) that will prepare you for this coming stand-off. There will be very little you will find in current magazines/books/websites that will steel you for the coming crisis. Below you will find a small partial list of obvious things your family can do to begin to sap the strength of the federal and multi-national bandits who would steal the rest of your liberties; to begin to strengthen and educate yourself and your family; to begin to reclaim your American (Human) birthright.

1. Buy local, encourage local, promote local. Food, tools, clothing, seeds, knowledge, everything… By saying no to China-Mart on a regular basis, you will strengthen your local economy and encourage China-Mart to magically start looking to buy American again. Every dollar you spend is a vote. Each time you vote for the enemy, you blind young eyes to the cause… Wrong thinking on this point would be to posit that Wally-World has anything to do with the free market; they have received more welfare at the state and national level than anyone else.

2. READ! You must learn about the birthright of your Liberty to protect it. The reason the Founders seem to have been such omniscient demi-gods is they were so broadly and deeply read. Even though none of them had the advantage of public schooling, they somehow read works that would stifle our publicly molded minds. Most Americans should start with a few easier works (Paul, Wolf, Badnarik) and then slowly, but surely, wade in deeper. Wrong-thinking on this would be thinking you learned all you need to know from high school history and Gunsmoke.

3. Learn a new skill you can trade on. If the worst happens then the skill-set of a network administrator, stock broker, or mid-level at a multi-national corporation will be in very low demand. Learn to sharpen something, grow something, make something, or repair something. Take EMT classes, learn Spanish, learn to cook or learn to teach a skill. Truly useful people never stand in a bread line very long. Wrong thinking on this would be to say that you have an MBA and deserve a certain level of income

4. Take care of yourself and your family. Grow food, catch water, plant trees, Start a garden and buy a few chickens to start. You resist from a position of power if you can subsist on a quarter acre, and do not need anything from them. Move if you are in an unsustainable, hard to defend urban/suburban dwelling. Have a plan, and a back-up plan. You can’t do this alone so again, time to meet your neighbor. Wrong-thinking includes any thoughts that the government, church, or society will take care of your family.

5. Pay off your debt and invest in metal. Sources from the Bible to your Grandpa make it clear who has the upper hand in the lender/borrower bout. It is time to sell everything and take a second job and get out of debt. Several authors have great debt reduction plans. Investing in metal could range from Krugerands to turning plows. The time has come to invest in things that have intrinsic value and can be put to productive use; things you can hold in your hand and use to create or produce. Wrong-thinking would include hoping that inflation will make your debt disappear.

6. Arm yourself and your family. The only neighbor truly opposed to your being armed is a neighbor who would rob you. The Right of self defense is only as powerful as the weapon used and the training behind it. Anyone who insists that there is no need to be able to resist attack is not your ally. Wrong-thinking would consist of anything having to do with the police protecting you.

7. Say no. Loudly! To the fed government, national media and multi-national corporations… Say no to their laws, their legitimacy and their products. In doing so you will ascend a moral high-ground, shed the chains of societies unspoken superiority, and wake up those around you who silently think just as you do. Sometimes an anonymous sign says no just as loudly as a bullhorn. You will be surprised at how many of your acquaintances agree with you but are afraid to speak up. Wrong-thinking would going along to get along, and not rocking the boat

8. Meet your neighbor. Whether you just introduce yourself, or form a neighborhood alliance, there is less chance of your neighbor betraying you if he actually knows and likes you. Many forces of modern society encourage us to sequester in our homes and watch/consume and never interact with real humans. The old adage about all politics being local is true and applies to most things, from sewing clubs to revolutions. Neighborhoods start with neighbors, and if your are not friends with yours, he will have no qualms about turning you in or selling you out. Neighbors can save your hide or have it cooked. Wrong-thinking includes being a loner who don’t need no stinking help.

10. Defend your allies. It seems to be easy, and evidently fun to TASER and/or beat helpless citizens. This must stop and it is our job to stop it. The first time the quietly watching crowd grows vocal and/or physical, the authorities will remember the true power of the people. Word of such action would spread over-night and serve to neuter the police who would abuse their power. Nothing can stop an righteously enraged mass of humanity and they know this. If your neighbor is being unjustly attacked/arrested/robbed, then stand up and speak up for him, argue for him and if need be, fight for him. When this starts happening, then will come the great re-awakening of American brotherhood, and those who would enslave us will regroup back to their shadows.

Camcorders and the internet make the truth much more slippery for those who would hide it. Videotape everything, but we all must also be ready to physically act to protect our neighbor, our family or our friend. Wrong-thinking that the police-state encourages in us is that the poor guy probably deserves it…

Step up and email a link to this article (if you deem it worthy) to your friends who seem ready to hear. Perhaps gift and acquaintance with one of the beginner books listed above. A message either spreads or dies, it is time to choose. By educating your neighbor, you may actually save yourself…