Having lived through Vietnam (literally) and having served as a law enforcement officer throughout the 1970's to 1990's, I have observed many things and given a great deal of thought to the possibilities.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
1. There is not a grocery store in the US with more than a week or two supply of food for the people in that area.
2. There is not a utility service (electrical, gas, water, sewer) that will continue to function normally without regular maintenance for more than a week or two.
3. There are approximately 50,000,000 people in the US that are wholly, or partially, dependent upon government aid programs for their continued survival. Many of these folks are second and third generation welfare recipients, and they have been indoctrinated in having some "rights" (to housing, to food, to medical services, etc).
4. As we are now tripling the budget deficits, and quadripling the national debt within a few years at present rates, inflation in the US economy is a foregone conclusion. When, and how much, inflation will kick in remains up for grabs; but we have the clear evidence of the Carter administration (1977 to 1981) to demonstrate what can happen with unemployment at 12%-plus, inflation rates at 15%-plus, and interest rates on personal debt and mortgages pushing 20%. The results are devastating.
What happens when civil unrest begins within a local area? What happens when civil unrest spreads beyond a local area, effecting a state or region?
What happens when unemployment benefits and welfare checks become so affected by inflation that many can no longer feed themselves? When a dollar won't buy ten cents worth of anything?
What happens when groups of hungry young people start raiding their neighbors?
What happens when we call 911? Will the phone service still be working? Will we get an answer, or a taped message? We saw the beginnings of such a catastrophe in Los Angeles, following the Rodney King incident. What was the government's response? They banned sales of firearms and ammunition. They told citizens that they were on their own, emergency services personnel could not get to them.
I suggest that we need to be prepared for any eventualities. We need to be ready to hunker down and survive, and in order to do that we need to have the ability to defend ourselves and what belongs to us. Perhaps we should be thinking about organizing groups of families, banding together for mutual defense. No one can stay awake 24 hours per day, and no single family can defend their home against a determined assault from all sides.
I predict that there will be a lot of very unhappy, and very hungry people, ready to take to the streets and neighborhoods and forcibly take what they need and want. I predict that the government will be able to do little more than protect government property. I predict that law enforcement officers will do what they have to do to protect their own families, regardless of the consequences for others.
I also predict that the rest of the world won't stand idly by while our system collapses. The UN is likely to deploy Somali, Bosnian, and other forces within the US, purportedly to prevent chaos but more likely to loot, pillage, and plunder (as they have done everywhere UN peacekeepers have been deployed).
Many people don't like to think about what is possible. Many people don't like to consider just how quickly things can become totally out of control.
Too many people are accustomed to relying upon others, and the government, for their continued survival and well-being.
Food, water, medical supplies, ammunition, and organization. These may be the only considerations at some point in the (near?) future.
This was the story in many areas of Los Angeles for about 48 hours. Basically, folks were on their own. He was sort of expecting that kind of response, but wanted to cover himself before he took action.
