Every day I get into my car and do a podcast on self sufficiency during my morning commute called The Survival Podcast. Over past few months I have dedicated a great deal of time to the subjects of Agriculture and Permaculture for a very simple reason. While the “prepper” community is of course very big on food storage there is a finite limit to how much food any individual or family can store. Once your stored food runs out in a true long term emergency you had better have some level or production capacity.

In addition to the limitations of stored food the “green movement” is huge right now and new gardens are popping up in every corner of the nation. From those that simply want better quality food to those that actually think carbon footprints matter, it seems millions Americans are putting in gardens in a new “back to the land” movement. Many in the media are claiming the recession is driving people to garden, in some ways it is true but the reality is in the first year a garden is often a financial loss. In my view what is really driving the new gardening revolution is that people are actually becoming aware of the many risks to our food supply.

Consider for a moment the actual cost of starting up a garden in year one. Most people when starting up a garden will go with the “raised bed” model for many very good reasons, such as soil quality, productivity, ease of installation, etc. Additionally given that most “new gardens” are started by “new gardeners” most won’t be starting plants from seeds and will therefore have the expense of plants in addition to the expenses of construction, soil, amendments and tools. In the end putting in a few raised beds, providing the necessary soil mixture, getting plants, etc. will often set many back 300-500 dollars in initial expenses.

It certainly doesn’t have to cost this much but this is quite typical because people choose to spend the money to get into production faster with less physical effort. In the first year, if you are successful, you may very well grow 300-500 dollars worth of food but odds are breaking even is the best you will expect to do. People “feeling the effects of a recession” the way the media describes it, don’t make this type of expenditure for a possible output while still paying for necessities day to day.

The individuals putting in gardens today are not thinking solely about today’s recession, they are thinking about tomorrow’s possible depression along with probable future food shortages. They are thinking long-term and understand that while today’s cash outflow is a break even next years and subsequent years represent independence from at least some portion of the “food system”. They also realize that long term much of our global agriculture system is in real trouble and it many not be very long before capacity of production becomes heavily eclipsed by the most basic need the global population has, the need to eat every day.

So what are the biggest threats we have to our food supply today? They include…

Grain production has been maxed out and we have failed to meet global grain demands for 6 of the past 9 years.

Enough U.S. produced grain to feed a half billion people for a year will be converted to ethanol in 2009.

Many nations are now creating long term contracts with other nations to lock up the grain being produced by the few remaining large net exporters.

China, India, The U.S., The UK, Malaysia, South Africa and Japan are now all “net importers of food”. Translation a combined population of over 2.7 billion can no longer feed themselves with out foreign dependence.

Many shallow aquifers have been fully depleted and the largest fossil aquifers in the world are now being depleted. 70% of global water usage is for agriculture and we are running out of the water used for that purpose.

Companies such as Monsanto are altering food at a genetic level taking massive risks with our food supply by releasing altered genetics into the biosphere via cross pollination.

These six threats are just the beginning; we have also lost a huge portion of genetic diversity via the practice of “monoculture”, soil is losing fertility faster then it is being replenished and soil erosion is turning previously fertile land fallow. In short global population and demand for food is rising while the long term trend of increasing food production is flattening and threatening to soon go into a decline.

This is an area where many modern survivalists are finding common ground with an unlikely ally, those heavily into the eco movement. The two sides are sill miles apart on many issues, survivalists tend to be conservatives or libertarians and the eco crowd tends to be quite liberal and tends toward a socialist or statist view point on many issues. Even on the issues of gardening and permaculture there are often huge differences on why the need exists but what is agreed upon is the need itself.

Hence even some of those of the edges of both movements are finding a common bridge in understanding the need to create individually managed sustainable agriculture. In other words it doesn’t mater if it is “global warming” or “incompetent politicians” that will be the cause of a coming food shortage either way the solution is individual action. That action is a simple as beginning to produce just a portion of your own food. The potential production on even small suburban lots is shocking. One family led by a self proclaimed “agrarian revolutionary” named Jules Dervaes is currently producing about 6,000 lbs of food per year on 1/10th of an acre! While that is the extreme if perhaps 30% of suburban homes would produce even 10% of what Mr. Dervaes is producing, can you see how large the impact would be?

(This video of Mr. Dervaes’ home is quite inspiring and well worth the 10 minutes required to view it.)

Here is the real beauty in producing some of your own food via sustainable agriculture and long term permaculture techniques…

You can do it now even with containers if you are an apartment dweller

It has an immediate impact on your personal situation

It has a positive impact on your health and property value

It provides insurance against a future shortage of food (personal or global)

Entering into your second year the savings of cash is significant

It reduces your dependence upon several systems (agriculture, distribution, etc.)

In short it embodies the primary tenet of the modern survival philosophy, “Everything You Do Should Improve Your Position in Life Even If Nothing Goes Wrong”. Additionally unlike so many things that create change no waiting or government action is required. Developing some level of food production is something anyone who really wants to can just do. In fact over 10 million Americans have chosen to do so in the past two years.

In the end we should ask ourselves, “What is the real difference between a modern survivalist and a permaculturist”? The two may often be quite difference in social philosophy and politics but their end goal is creating a sustainable and independent life. I firmly believe that the only way to ensure long term survival is to create that sustainable life and it is impossible to do so without some level of personal food production capacity. The good news is getting started can be quite simple and you can slowly phase into it as you get more comfortable with the process.

I’d like to leave you with a final thought to make you think about how much opportunity we have to produce more food within the United States. Consider that what I am about to propose will requite almost no real sacrifice or effort. Simply ask yourself this question, if we were to replace just 10% of the ornamental trees planted in our cities and towns with a similar tree that produced some type of food, how much free food could we be producing right now? The next time you are in your car just observe how many trees there are planted in our cities, towns, urban and suburban areas that produce nothing edible. Start counting them and simply think of the production capacity if one in every ten were an apple, pear, pecan, walnut, etc.

In our arrogance instead we have genetically modified pear trees to not produce pears, selected pistachio trees that do not product pistachios and embraced the fruitless mulberry. Why? Because homeowners consider the fruit that falls from these trees to be “lawn litter”, only an arrogant people would consider food to be garbage while many others go without a full stomach. The danger we face if we remain apathetic and arrogant is that one day many of us could be the ones going without a full stomach.

www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

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The Fall Of Capitalism And Rise Of Islam - Chuck Missler

July 26, 2009 by Duncan Conner
Filed under Prophecy Articles, The Decline Of The U.S.

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A Muslim group met in Chicago on Sunday to rail against the evils of capitalism and to promote Shariah law. Demonstrators gathered outside to protest the event, called the “Fall of Capitalism and Rise of Islam,” while speakers inside rejected the very Constitution that protected their freedom to speak. In the meanwhile, the number of Shariah courts in Britain has been growing, and not all of the people using those courts are Muslim.

Hizb-ut Tahrir:
The Muslim group Hizb-ut Tahrir held a conference in the ballroom at the Hilton in Oak Lawn on Sunday to blame capitalism for much of the suffering on the earth, including World Wars I and II, world poverty, violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even inner city drug use. The conference included videos and lectures by various speakers, as well as question and answer sessions. Notably, men and women at the conference were segregated, with women stashed away in the back of the room to prevent, according to organizers, “people from behaving like animals.”

HT itself is not on the US government’s list of terrorist groups, and claims to be dedicated to non-violent reform. The group’s goals include the restoration of Turkey’s Caliphate, which was abolished in 1924 in favor of Western reforms. HT ultimately wants to see worldwide implementation of Shariah law and government control of major industries in order to cure the economic and social ills of the nations.

Conference deputy spokesman Mohammed Malkawi denied that the group associates with terrorists and declared that HT favored using politics to achieve its purposes. Yet, HT has been called a “conveyor belt for terrorists” because it has produced people like 9/ll mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and one-time Iraqi terrorist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi. Malkawi claims to promote non-violent change, yet he would not specifically condemn Al Qaida and the Taliban in an interview with WBBM-TV in Chicago.

The extent of Sunday’s blame-capitalism montage went beyond just pointing out the causes of the subprime mortgage fiasco or world economic troubles. One speaker blamed capitalism for the fact that he smoked marijuana and his grandmother played the lottery, and another even credited capitalism with responsibility for Michael Jackson’s desire “to shed his black skin.” Keynote speaker Abu Talha argued that capitalists were liable for the world’s poverty, hunger, and war. “It is time to deliver the world to Islam, an idea whose time has come,” he said.

HT is free to gather and promote its ideas in the United States, but its activities have been banned in other countries. It is even considered a fringe group by other Muslims. “They remain on the margins of the community. They’re not embraced by any of the mosques in Chicago, in fact as a matter of fact I don’t believe they can pass out any of their literature in these mosques they have to pass them outside,” said Ahmed Rehab, with the Council on American Islamic Relations.

The conference organizers managed to argue that even the tyrannical, oppressive behavior of Islamic nations was the fault of the US. Ironically, conference organizer Imam Jaleel Abdul Adil affirmed that he would willingly throw out the US Constitution in favor of Shariah - the very US Constitution that protects his freedom to criticize the US government.

Shariah In Britain:
Shariah courts already exist in England. Britain has a relatively large Muslim population, and according to the 1996 Arbitration Act, Islamic courts are legally binding for those who submit voluntarily to their adjudication.

In London, the Islamic Sharia Council has been making decisions on divorce cases for years. The Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) has been operating in London, Bradford, Birmingham, Coventry and Manchester to handle disagreements between businessmen and mosques. As many as 5 percent of those who are involved in MAT cases are not Muslims, and observers note that there is a “creeping” trend of Shariah acceptance in Britain.

One reason for turning to Muslim courts is their acceptance of oral agreements as binding. British courts may not be willing to enforce oral agreements between businessmen, but Islamic courts are. In a recent case, a non-Muslim man took his Muslim business partner to court over a dispute about the profits in their car fleet company. The non-Muslim argued that the Muslim had broken an oral agreement, and the court decided an agreement did exist and awarded the non-Muslim £48,000.

Shariah, though, doesn’t stop at oral agreements. Sheikh Suhaib Hasan, who was instrumental in introducing the Islamic court system to Britain in 1982, recently told The Times that enforcing hard-line Shariah punishments would give Britain “more peace and security.” Dr. Hasan said he had no desire to come in conflict with the British legal system, and would not push for or expect Islamic punishments for things like theft or knife-violence because Britain is not a Muslim country. Still, in his opinion, punishments like amputating the limbs of thieves would make Britain safer because they acted as strong deterrents against crime.

The slowly growing acceptance of Shariah is of great concern to those who love political and religious freedom, not to mention the rights of women. If a woman is raped, under Shariah in Pakistan, for instance, she has to find four male witnesses to testify in her favor, else the blame for the crime falls on her and she can be punished for “adultery.”

“It puts a woman in such a position that even if she is raped, in the end she is left to face charges of adultery. It is next to impossible for a rape victim to produce four male witnesses. Nobody times the act to make sure that four men are present,” says advocate Mehboob, who works at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Lahore.

Public beheadings, stonings and floggings, amputations, and serious injustices toward women may not be the norm in Britain tomorrow, but these things are expected in countries under Shariah. The HT may promote Shariah as the cure for the world’s ills, but the hard reality is that Shariah promotes the government’s extreme control over a people, and we should all fear when its acceptance is allowed to “creep” in.

www.khouse.org

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Why the “Epicenter” Could Shake the World Sooner Than You Think - By Jan Markell

July 26, 2009 by Duncan Conner
Filed under Prophecy Articles, The Decline Of The U.S.

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There is a lot of speculation these days about Israel’s recent missile class warships sailing through the Suez Canal. This was just shortly after an Israeli submarine was spotted, capable of launching a nuclear missile strike in preparation for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

All of this was confirmed by Israeli officials, and it was a clear signal that Israel is able to put its strike force within range of Iran on short notice.

Additionally, Israel has strengthened ties with Arab nations that also fear a nuclear-armed Iran. In particular, relations with Egypt have grown increasingly strong this year over the “shared mutual distrust of Iran.” Israeli naval vessels would likely pass through the Suez Canal for an Iranian strike.

These exercises are a message to Iran that Israel is serious about defending herself. It is believed that Israel’s missile-equipped submarines, and its fleet of advanced aircraft, could be used to strike at in excess of a dozen nuclear-related targets more than 800 miles from Israel.

Is this just saber rattling with little substance? No. Israel knows it must strike Iran’s nuclear plants before Iran is capable of seriously launching nukes at Israel’s main cities in retaliation. If Israel strikes now, Iran is not yet capable of retaliating with her own nukes. Yes, she would retaliate in other ways, but they wouldn’t decimate Israel. The region could be spared devastation if Israel acted in the next few weeks to a few months. If Israel waits a year or more, Iran will have the nuclear capability to send the region — and world oil supply — into utter chaos.

The Jews ignored the warnings of the 1930s to get out of Europe. They could not comprehend that a mad man had come on the scene who was serious about exterminating all of European Jewry. The Pharaohs and Hamans of Bible times weren’t enough of a signal that such evil abounds then and now. The “new Hitler,” Achmadinejad, is far more dangerous than the old Hitler. He did not have technology and nucleaer weapons.

In 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, Israel was caught by surprise. Israel kept delaying the deployment of troops. Not until the morning of Yom Kippur (October 6), about six hours before the Arab offensive, were Israeli officials convinced that war was imminent, and a mobilization of the reserves ordered. By then it was almost too late. But Israeli action, even though delayed, was so stunning that the Soviet Union threatened direct military intervention. Again, the world could have been plunged into a global disaster all because Israel waited too long.

Israel’s victory in this war cost 2,400 lives and an estimated $5 billion of which more than $1 billion was airlifted by the U.S. during a time in the war when Israel’s outcome looked bleak. There actually could have been a military escalation between superpowers in 1973, all because Israel did not heed the proper warnings before October 1973.

She will not make these mistakes again! It’s kill or be killed now.

Any kind of military strike in the Middle East will affect you directly. You need to take these issues seriously and be in prayer. The Middle East is called the “epicenter” for a reason. It is the center of the earth geographically, politically, and religiously.

It does not help to have America’s president tell Jewish leaders, as he did last week, that they must engage in self-reflection. Obama says there is a narrow window of opportunity for advancing the peace process and that he plans to speak openly and honestly with Israel just as he did with the Arab nations in Cairo. But in Cairo, he primarily praised Islam, his own Islamic heritage, and bad-mouthed America. Obama ignored the rejectionism of the Arab world against Israel and the ongoing wars and waves of Arab terror directed against the Jewish state since the day of its creation. He also compared the Palestinians to the U.S. civil rights movement.

His “engagement” and benign relationship with corrupt and despotic Arab regimes contrasts starkly with the tough talk conveyed to Israel at a time in history when once again, without God’s intervention, Israel is facing extinction if she doesn’t act and act quickly. She knows America is no longer her trusted friend. And no, God would not allow her extinction.

It’s time Obama tell the Arab/Muslim world — and not Israel — to engage in self-reflection! It’s time he tell them that the world’s economy, already in a free fall, could spin out of control if there is a war in the Middle East sparked by Iran’s thirst for nuclear weapons as soon as possible! It’s time he tell them to dismantle all suicide bombers whose target is innocent Israelis (and other victims such as those in Jakarta last week). It’s time Obama leave Israel alone, quit telling her to dismantle settlements, and quit trying to divide Jerusalem.

Obama’s policy can be summarized as “Israelis should give and Palestinians should take.” It amounts to appeasing the Arabs, humiliating Israel and, in the process, undermining the security of the Jewish state, the entire Middle East, and the rest of the world. Right when Israel needs every friend she can get (although the Bible says just the opposite will be the case), when Iranian nukes are being designed to fly down smokestacks in Tel Aviv and Haifa, America’s president is lecturing and scolding Israel and telling her to “engage in self-reflection”? I suggest President Obama exercise some of his own self-reflection! (Also see Ezekiel 38:22, 23 for more of God’s miraculous intervention when no nations come to Israel’s defense.)

American Jews who voted overwhelmingly to elect Obama should not remain silent. They are entitled to press him to adhere to his commitment and treat the Jewish state in an even-handed manner. Together with other friends of Israel, they should discourage Obama from offering Israel as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of Arab appeasement. In urging Obama not to abandon Israel, they would also be promoting the U.S. national interest. History cannot point to a single instance in which appeasement of jihadists or tyrants has ever borne fruit.

Yet appeasement seems to be Obama’s middle name. John Lennon would be happy were he still alive. The world’s superpower, America, just loves to give peace a chance in all the wrong places.

Keep your eyes on the epicenter. It could literally explode in the coming weeks or months. Israel must act quickly no matter what the cost.

www.olivetreeviews.org

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