Communism hit center stage with the Russian revolution, as first Vladimir Lenin and then Joseph Stalin remade Russia into the image created by Karl Marx. This didn’t affect us here in the USA much until World War II, when we were uncomfortable allies with Russia. Even then, there were those who saw communism as being the political savior for all mankind. But it wasn’t until World War II ended and the Cold War began, that we clearly saw the juxtaposition of capitalism versus communism in the world.

Ever since then, there have been those in this county who have been pushing for us to become one more socialist country in the world. They hold up socialism as the shining light, where all people are treated equally. The government exists only to make sure that happens.

During a SHTF situation, pain could become an annoyance for some, but unbearable for others.

If doctors are scarce and medicine becomes even scarcer, this one little weed, found all over North America and similar to morphine, could be a saving grace.

But even then, there is an elite in any communist government. Someone has to make the decisions about who gets what and those people always take care of themselves first. While socialism or even communism might be a great theory, it requires perfect people; and the world has always had a shortage of those.

Yet there are those in our political system, who still proclaim socialism as the way to go. They make it sound better by calling it “democratic socialism.” But all it takes is a look at other countries who have gone socialist to see what that means; you can vote it in, but you can’t vote it out.

Nevertheless, they try to make their political ideology look good by promising lots of freebies, not letting people know that they are going to have to pay exorbitant taxes to get those freebies. Rather, they claim that the rich, who don’t pay “their fair share” will pay them. Yet every time politicians talk about raising taxes on the rich, it is the middle class who feels the pinch, not the wealthy.

To the low-information voter, especially the low-income, low-information voter, this all sounds good. They get free health care, free birth control, free education, free phones, free food and free income, and someone else has to pay for it. What could be better?

Interestingly enough, over the last century, every socialist or communist government has gotten into power by proclaiming their concern for the poor. This gave them a large pool of low-information voters they could count on, so that they could get voted into office. They lied to their followers regularly, both about their own intentions and those of the opposing party. All that mattered was that they got into power. We could be seeing the same thing happening here.

So, is the United States on its way to becoming a communist country, as some would like?

As I look back over the last 50 years, I can see where we Americans have lost a lot of our freedoms. Every time the government expands, taking over another part of society, it does so at the cost of individual and state freedom. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the IRS or the EPA; they get their power by stealing our freedom.

In that sense, you can say that we are already on the road towards communism and have been so for quite some time. A major step towards getting us there was Obama’s signature healthcare law. Never intended to work, the Unaffordable Healthcare Act was merely supposed to be a stepping stone towards a single-payer healthcare system, which would allow the federal government to take full control of 17.9% of our economy.

Basically all that Obamacare has done for the country is raise the cost of health insurance and medical care. Yes, it did give some people who were previously denied health insurance coverage by insurance companies the legal right to buy insurance. Yet that could have been done at a much lower cost and without having to hire 30,000 new IRS agents, further bloating an already oppressive government agency, in the process.

Even regulatory agencies like the Department of Education can be seen to be pushing our country towards socialism and then communism. These agencies do nothing more than take the power to make decisions out of the hands of US citizens and our local governments. One of their main ways of doing this is by controlling tax dollars. Money passed out to state and local governments by these agencies always comes with a price; one of toeing the line on some regulation or other.

Part of the problem here is that once a government agency is established, it is all but impossible to shut it down. Take the EPA for example. It can be fairly argued that there was a need for the EPA, when it was founded by President Nixon in 1970. But since then, the majority of the work that the EPA originally did has been taken over by state governments, leaving the bloated federal bureaucracy in place to spend taxpayer money and create stifling regulations.

The new House of Representatives seems to be making a greater push for the government to take over other parts of our economy as well. Some representatives have even gone so far as to float the idea of taking over major corporations, “for the good of the people.” Should this actually happen, it will be the sign that our country is actively being taken over by a communistic government.

If we keep doing that, we’re going to find ourselves backed into a corner; actually several corners. The first corner will be the elimination of our First Amendment freedom of speech. The “PC Police” are already at work on this, using “political correctness” and “hate speech” to silence those who don’t agree with them.

Totalitarian authority can’t handle disagreement, so they have to criminalize that disagreement in order to silence it. Everyone will be forced to toe the party line, saying what they’re supposed to say, as if they believe it. They won’t be satisfied with us being quiet, but rather insist that we say things their way.

Once they’ve accomplished that, it will be easier for them to take the next big roadblock to communism out of the way, our Second Amendment rights. Totalitarian governments must always disarm the people, so that they can keep control. As Mao Zedong, the first communist leader of China said, “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

Without guns, what can any of us do to stop anything the government wants to do? The Second Amendment was given to us for this purpose. If those in power are going to get the power that they want, they have to take it out of our hands. That’s why the gun grabbers always attacks the AR-15 rifle, rather than pistols or shotguns. You can’t fight a war with pistols; you need rifles for that. As long as we are armed with rifles, we are a danger to the totalitarian communist government they crave.

The real question boils down to what we are going to do when they come for our freedom of speech and our freedom to bear arms?

Preparedness Hacks: Once a nuke is heading your way, you might think that there isn’t much left to do, but you would be wrong!

Because we will show you America’s natural nuclear bunkers that are also EMP proof. When the sirens start wailing, all you need to do is pick the closest one to your home, where you can take cover before it hits.

Dealing with this subject has been quite difficult for me. Both the concept of the state stripping you of everything and the SHTF concept have as many backgrounds as diverse interpretations, so trying to approach this from a single point of view is a complicated task.

In my country, Venezuela, after 20 years of “revolution,” we have bottomed out and learned to live in situations we never imagined (so much so that I was able to write an article on survival techniques I never imagined myself using on daily basis).

It’s not that the governments before Hugo Chavez were much better. But there was a much more stable political and economic situation with access to the international market.In 1999, when Chávez’s government was instated, oil prices were the highest in Venezuela’s history. The newly born Communist policy in the country was hardly felt and had very few repercussions on the professional citizens who lived on a monthly salary.

That’s probably why those first few years didn’t really feel like something was taken away from us. In addition, the newly elected president had a 60% popular approval rating and promised endless opportunities for the neediest people.

One of the first economic policies was the implementation of exchange control, currently in effect. Any operation with foreign currency was managed by the state. Later came the control of the prices of basic products, which caused the disappearance of those items and initiated a black market that is also very much in force to this day.The real problem began in 2004 with the accelerated decrease in oil prices that translated into a lower income for the government. Remember that we are talking about an oil-reliant country.

The decay was soon seen in many aspects. There was no longer maintenance on public roads, and public services failed often until reaching the point of constant failures of electric service, even for days.

The public health situation is also getting worse and worse. As a health professional, I have seen this deterioration for the last 10 years.

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If doctors are scarce and medicine becomes even scarcer, this one little weed, found all over North America and similar to morphine, could be a saving grace.

I am an oncologic breast surgeon. In Venezuela, breast cancer is the main cause of death from cancer in women. However, in the hospital where I work, the most important hospital in Caracas, there are no basic services for this issue. No chemotherapy, the radiotherapy equipment has been inoperative since 2015, and surgical procedures are suspended every week.

For me, as a doctor, it is frustrating not to be able to help my patients in any way. Just last week two breast cancer patients who were going to the operating room were suspended for the fourth time in a row. This time the anesthesia machine was failing.

The purchasing power of the Venezuelan citizen also decreased. It seemed to have happened from one day to the next, but if you look at the political situation since 1988, the decline took a long time; all that was left was to hit rock bottom.

Finding ourselves in extreme situations makes our defense system act in a primitive way. This means activating the fight or flight response at any time within any context—and yes, the state takes advantage of that.

The state will rip you off, but it doesn’t happen all of a sudden. There are a lot of logistics; it takes a long time to develop the kind of policy that makes citizens totally dependent on the state.

You start by losing something unimportant, like some kind of monetary bonus now given to you as government-run grocery store credits, and you end up losing your freedom and all kinds of rights, including freedom of speech and protest, but these issues are so extensive that they require an article of their own to explain them properly.

The state has taken charge, with great success I must say, and you are now living in fear of the so-called public authorities, meaning police and military police, since they serve as pro-government forces of repression.

Many of us have lost the incentive to go out and protest. We did it for more than 10 years. However, I have seen the evolution of the manifestations before and now.

I remember 2003 when repression was minimal, almost non-existent. Today many friends who still have the strength to continue have gotten gas masks in order to defend themselves from the hundreds of tear gas grenades used by the authorities that should be defending people.

In any public protest, savage repression is a constant. That violence is what we Venezuelans have become used to.When there is no public or social security, when the devaluation of the currency is occurring on a daily basis, and when you don’t know if the bakery on the corner is going to be broken into tomorrow, at that moment, the debacle has already occurred.

Defending oneself from these kinds of problems is as difficult as trying to explain them. Many have chosen to leave and seek a future in other countries. That way the state even strips you of your own country by causing you to become self-exiled.

I don’t blame them. We all have more than one family member or close friend who has been kidnapped or stolen from violently, and sadly, all we can say is “You should be thankful you weren’t killed”.

Personal security becomes a problem of epic proportions, to the extent that going out on the street is considered a risky activity—a risk to which, unfortunately, you have to get used to in order to live a normal life.Living in that state of continuous stress in which your rights are violated, in cities where, despite paying high taxes, everything seems to be in ruins, is part of that hopelessness that the state achieves in the individual.

Living in a place where a good monthly salary fora top executive, for example, does not reach $100 a month, is not easy, especially taking into consideration that a basic shopping list for a family of four can cost up to $140 monthly.

So the mismanagement of incompetent and corrupt civil servants results in the deep separation of three social classes: extreme poverty, which represents more than 80% of the population and is totally dependent on the government; the working middle class, which manages to subsist through one or two basic incomes plus the economic help of family members abroad; and those who do business with the government and can live in a very comfortable, ideal world that has nothing to do with reality.

Of course, there are exceptions to this, and some people have high incomes without being involved in dubious businesses.

It is sad to see how fourth-level professionals, trained in the country, must leave in order to provide for their families.

I know it is not a unique situation in the world—it has happened and will continue to happen—but it is very different to read about it than to see it sitting in the front row or even being the leading character.

Nowadays it is the common denominator, and more and more qualified professionals and technicians step into the international airport in search of a better quality of life.That’s why there is a whole generation that has no kind of roots in their country and only waits for the opportunity to leave.

I think the worst part of all this is the desolation sown in all of us. It seems to be an endless story, with the political disqualification of opposition leaders, political prisoners, and many more vexations.

Writing all this is not easy, but it makes me reflect. It is an exercise in introspection. Without a doubt, the state strips you of everything in its eagerness to stay in charge. That’s the way they do it.

There comes a point at which the only thing in your mind is to know if you will return home alive. Everything else is secondary. At that point, the state has already massacred you internally. You can never be the same again. I’m sure I am not.

Even if you are a person who is not involved in politics, an “apolitical” citizen, in this state of anarchy, you have to fix your position.

As Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Preparedness Hacks: Once a nuke is heading your way, you might think that there isn’t much left to do, but you would be wrong!

Because we will show you America’s natural nuclear bunkers that are also EMP proof. When the sirens start wailing, all you need to do is pick the closest one to your home, where you can take cover before it hits.

We will never forget COVID-19. The year 2020 still has a powerful hurricane season, an economic vacuum and a presidential election to get through. We are far from out of the woods.

In all transparency, April 5^th was the first day we saw a decline in daily cases, since the beginning of this thing. Many of you have been concerned that the lockdown would come to cities, based on a rash of infections and the inability of American citizens to comply to slow down infection.

Unfortunately we are not yet through with the wrath of the virus. There will be new cases in the tens of thousands each day for weeks. Most troubling is the fact that we will then be forced to face the economic effects of this virus.

Civil unrest in cities is a much more likely scenario for a serious lockdown. Sick people, unemployment approaching 6 million, political discourse, fear and struggle could break our cities down.

Problems with Lockdown

While the idea of Martial Law has incited fear, inspiration and filled the pages of many prepper novels, the reality is it’s a numbers game. It’s a numbers game that the 300+ million citizens of the United States have the edge in.

This massive population and the way it is spread out would make it impossible to lockdown the entire nation. That said, major population centers could certainly see tanks rolling down the streets and a militaristic presence.

The National Guard has been deployed en mass in New York City and while they are playing a crucial roll in recovery, what could happen if the city devolves into chaos?

Who would be there to take that control back? What would be the upper limits of their power?

The ensuing chaos of a few will undoubtedly affect the many. If you are in a big city, you can expect many of your rights to go missing during a serious lockdown.

America has never seen a real lockdown that was enforced. For the most part, we have had glimpses of such events after the Boston Marathon Bombing and Hurricane Katrina, Katrina being the closest thing to a mandatory enforced lockdown.

A Hypothetical Federal Lockdown in a Major City

We have basically been suggested out of our rights in the face of this pandemic. Many of us understand that in the short term this is for the greater good. However, the American people are quickly becoming agitated with this idea of state-imposed restrictions.

Much of this has to do with our income and our routines being affected for nearly a month now. Without income and the small pittance that the government is sending out in checks, many are falling deeper into economic despair. Many have lost jobs and we were an erratic society going into this thing.

There is a reason blocks of stores are being boarded up in New York City. Those shop owners know what comes next. They understand that this could get violent in a hurry. So, what would a lockdown do to your rights?

#1. Curfew

Curfew is one of the restrictions on your rights that has already been put in place by some states. If you aren’t out for essential things, you could be fined in places like Boston. This is just the beginning. In a true lockdown situation breaking curfew could have serious consequences.

The youth are tasked with sticking to a curfew, because they have a track record of breaking laws or becoming victims in these hours of the night. Of course, you have a history of rebellion all your own and our governments know that.

#2. Real Quarantine

Self-quarantine is an interesting concept. As of this moment, you get to stay in your home and enjoy your creature comforts while getting better. If things get out of hand and transmissions continue to increase, we will see real quarantine where people are taken away from their homes.

This terrifying situation can be brutal on a family and on the psyche of Americans in general. In a true lockdown, quarantine will not be about staying home and getting your family sick.

#3. Eyes on You

Perhaps the very worst of the lockdown would come in the form of a next level surveillance.

Currently, places like Kentucky are going as far as placing ankle bracelets on people who break their COVID-19 quarantine. This is happening to sick people only.

Others are tracking people using their cellphones. This heightened state of surveillance would only get worse. It would be used to enforce your curfew and your daily activity could also be called into question.

#4. Search and Seizure

We have caught wind of illegal search and seizure from the government already. Don’t forget this remark from just a couple of weeks ago:

“We’re talking about people hoarding these goods and materials on an industrial scale for the purpose of manipulating the market and ultimately deriving windfall profits… If you have a big supply of toilet paper in your house, this is not something you have to worry about. But if you are sitting on a warehouse with surgical masks, you will be hearing a knock on your door.”

At this moment it’s PPE that the government has deemed essential. If the food supply is affected by the illness and people cannot get food, would they consider all that extra food you have essential?

Your rights to your property are but an agreement. If men with guns come to your door to take those 5-gallon buckets of stored grains, well there won’t be much you can do. It’s not to say it will happen, but if it does you don’t have a lot of options.

#5. As Far as Firearms Go

The confiscation of firearms is something that most localities would not undertake, even in a serious lockdown. I could see smaller problem areas put through something like a gun confiscation.

Honestly, it would probably be easier to ship the people away from their guns, than it would be to go into homes and take them.

Still, second amendment rights, like buying new guns or having access to ammo, have already been taken away in many states by considering these things nonessential. Even more sinister is the quiet legislation being written and passed, while we are all dealing with this virus. Here in VA there is a proposed 35% tax on all gun sales and 50% tax on ammo!

So, what will your rights in a lockdown be? In one word: Limited.

COVID-19 and social distancing are the perfect opportunity to gobble up massive amounts of power. With all that power in the hands of the state and federal governments, your rights will be at risk. If they can disguise these restrictions as something we all must do for the ‘greater good’, many will comply.

Americans are suffering right now, not from the virus. They are watching their lives come apart without an income and the mental struggle of isolation. It’s easy to forget that your rights are being trampled. We just assume the government will lift restrictions, but what if they don’t? Will they let us go back to our routines?

What about re-infection? What about civil unrest? What if they tighten restrictions?

We must all watch our representatives over the next few months. There has never been a moment, in recent history, where the rights of free man all over the world have been in such jeopardy.

Remember the words of Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

When humanity made the great transition from the countryside to the city, something priceless was arguably lost in the bargain. That was man’s prized independence, secured by the fruit of his physical labor under conditions that were oftentimes less than idyllic.

In times of plenty, when the global economy is running smoothly, few people will take the time to contemplate the advantages of an agrarian lifestyle. In fact, even when things go belly-up there still won’t be much reflection on the subject since most of us have little or no experience with life outside of the maddening metropolis. Thus, suffice it to say there won’t be any great migration for the countryside, even as our urban areas descend into cauldrons of rage and despair amid a global pandemic.

Yet where better to put into practice ‘social distancing’ then on a farm, where wide open spaces keeps neighbors, not to mention viral diseases, naturally at bay? And while we’re at it, just try and imagine a group of farmers inside of a supermarket resorting to fists over two-ply toilet paper or the last can of baked beans. Ironic how an attachment to the land creates a natural dignity and self-respect in people that so many ‘cultured’ urban dwellers seem to lack.

Thomas Jefferson, in ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’, wrote, perhaps with slight exaggeration, that “[T]hose who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue.” Perhaps the more cynical truth of the matter is that when men and women are forced to produce their livelihood from the sweat and blood of their brow there is simply less time for mischief.

Although this author has spent most of his life sequestered in big cities, I do have fond childhood memories of visiting a great uncle who lived on 100 acres of sprawling farmland in the backwoods of Blairsville, Pennsylvania. It was during those occasional visits when I came to the realization that there was a world far removed from the supermarkets and fast food franchises of modern society. In addition to farming, my uncle and his neighbors were able to sustain themselves through hunting, trapping and fishing. These ‘backwards’ country folk were also learned in the art of canning food and preserving meat for long-term storage. This was often done through the widespread use of root cellars, underground storage spaces popular with our grandparents whose experience from two world wars and one great depression made them acutely aware about the importance of being prepared for absolutely anything. Although farm life is no walk in the park, and requires tremendous toil, it can make the supermarket, hyper-stores and mega-malls resemble insane asylums at lunchtime by comparison.

Today, with the coronavirus pandemic threatening to uproot our lives far greater than even the attacks of 9/11, it would seem that the self-reliance and rugged individualism of our grandparents may come back into style with a vengeance. Even before our present emergency, there was increasing interest in homesteads, prepping, and rural ‘bug out locations’ (BOL), plots of land where people could retreat from the overcrowded cities in times of unrest.

Now, with governments attempting to exert greater security measures in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, life in the major urban areas may change in ways impossible to imagine at the moment. And as we already know, nothing is more permanent than the temporary. Under such circumstances, the idea of owning a small piece of land – a dacha, as the Russians call it – has never seemed more attractive and necessary. As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shown, it would be a mistake to think that the supermarkets – vulnerable as they are to panicked crowds of hungry people – will always be able to feed everyone in times of crisis. It’s time to re-think our connection to the land and become at least somewhat emancipated from the corporate cornucopia before the next crisis becomes our last.

We’ve all seen the grocery stores and how food and other items are flying off the shelves. It’s clear that people are panicking and grabbing everything they can, sparking runs on things like toilet paper.

This is apparently not going to stop anytime soon, as it appears that many of the same people are returning to the store over and over again, hoarding things, rather than just buying what they need for the foreseeable future.

I think it’s important to note that these people are considerably different than preppers in that they are panic buying, rather than building a well-reasoned stockpile.

There’s also a lot of them doing it at the same time, rather than doing it over a long period of time, gradually building their stockpile.

It is this rush to buy, which is causing the current shortages.

Things quickly reached a point where the panic was fueling itself. People who went to the store for a few basic necessities saw what was happening and started buying, motivated by the empty shelves they were seeing.

We must keep in mind that there is no shortage of food or even toilet paper. The apparent shortage has come about because of this panic buying.

The supply chain is being stretched beyond the breaking point, as truckers are working overtime to rush the product to the store’s shelves and make up for the buying frenzy that’s going on.

Buy Strategically

If there’s anything you need, that you don’t already have, the early morning, when the stores first open, is the time to get it.

Many stores have shortened their hours so that they can use the night shift to clean and restock. So the shelves are the most full they’re going to be first thing in the morning, before the rush hits. Of course, that rush starts hitting as soon as they open the doors.

While the president has called for a two-week lockdown, on the advice of the CDC, chances are that that time frame will be extended.

Some self-proclaimed “experts” are claiming that the lockdown will extend as far as June. But these are all guesses, as the president and his closest advisors don’t know what they’re going to do yet.

They’re waiting to see what results in the current lockdown has and then from there try to project what will happen if they continue the lockdown and what will happen if they don’t.

With that in mind, it only makes sense to increase your stockpile, if you don’t already have enough.

That raises the question of “What should you be stockpiling?” There’s no question that this crisis is different than those we have all prepared for.

So does it make sense to follow those rules? Or are there new rules which apply to this situation?

The answer to that is actually rather simple. While the current pandemic is very similar to a number of other disaster scenarios we’ve all talked about, there is one overriding difference that affects everything… we have electric power. So our refrigerated and frozen food isn’t going to go bad.

What Will You Need?

With that out of the way, what foods should you be stockpiling? I’m going to limit myself to just food items here, as I think we all know we need hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol.

Many of the grocery chains and big box stores are limiting the purchase of a long list of items that they are currently running shortages on.

This means that part of our buying strategy is going to have to be to make sure we buy those items when we can; banking them for the day when we can’t get them but need them. We don’t need to go overboard with that, but we want to make sure that we have what we need.

Personally, my wife and I have decided that we are not going to add to the problem by buying more than what we need.

While I could buy six months’ worth of food, I’m not. I’m limiting myself to what I need to get through the next month or two. But we are constantly reevaluating the situation and may make adjustments to that, as we see necessary.

• Meat, Poultry & Fish – Protein is an essential macronutrient, which we get primarily from animals. Buy what you can and freeze it. I prefer buying the large “family packs” when I can and then repackaging them for freezing
• Fresh Fruits & Vegetables – Stick with hardy ones, which won’t go bad in the refrigerator. Apples last longer than bananas; cabbage and celery last longer than lettuce
• Rice Cakes – Bread is flying off the shelves, but I’ve seen rice cakes every time I went to the store. They’re a good substitute for that bread, once you get used to them
• Soup Base & Bouillon – You can make anything into a soup, which is especially useful when you have picky eaters who don’t like leftovers
• Oatmeal – makes for a heartier breakfast and doesn’t go stale as breakfast cereal does
• Dried Fruit – That hasn’t flown off the shelves, although canned has. The dried is just as good for snacking, cooking or desert
• Frozen Vegetables – Probably a staple in your family’s diet
• Pasta & Rice – Good staples which are getting hard to find
• Dried Beans – Depending on how much a part they play in your normal diet. If you don’t normally eat them, you really don’t need to start for this crisis
• Canned Vegetables & Fruit – If you already have these in your stockpile, there’s no need; but if you don’t have them, they’re a great backup to your fresher food choices.
• Milk & Eggs – Get them while you can. Milk won’t keep long, but eggs will. With everyone at home, you’ll probably go through more.
• Powdered Milk – Most people don’t like powdered milk, but it can be used for cooking, especially baking. It can also be used to extend your milk supply, mixing it half and half with whole milk to improve the flavor.

What Not to Stockpile

There are a few items I wouldn’t bother stockpiling, more than your normal usage:

• Water – If you have a water filtration system, you don’t need to be stockpiling water
• Junk Food – This might be an ideal opportunity to get your family to eat a little healthier. Just make sure you have something available for snacks
• Frozen Breakfast Items – It’s not hard to cook these yourself, so why bother?
• Frozen Bread Items – They’re awfully expensive for what you get
• Frozen Pizza – I’d rather support my local small businesses and buy pizza from a pizzeria
• Food Already in Your Stockpile – If you already have things in your food stockpile, there’s no reason to buy more now. This is what you’ve been stockpiling them for. Leave what’s there for the people who didn’t think ahead.

Whatever you do, take the time to think it through. You and have had the luxury of time to mentally prepare for a crisis, unlike the rest of the people out there.

We don’t need to panic and we don’t need to follow the herd instinct. Rather, we’re the ones marching to the beat of a different drum; that of the prepared.

There is no version of eminent domain that coincides with liberty. On the contrary, the two ideas are antithetical to each other. As a champion of liberty, John Locke stated in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, “For I have truly no Property in that, which another can by right take from me, when he pleases against my Consent.”

In other words, if the government can take your property from you without your consent — even if they are paying you for it — then you don’t really have a right to own private property at all.

The deeper debate about whether the idea of private property still exists at all in a country where property taxes, construction regulations, and other limitations are demanded is one best saved for its own discussion. For now, we’ll stick with the commonly held assumption that private property does exist.

Under that assumption, we can move a few years forward from Locke’s writings and quote the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a part of what we know as the Bill of Rights, which states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable … seizures, shall not be violated”.

However, the very next amendment goes on to say that “private property” shall not be taken for “public use” without “just compensation.” Therefore, the idea of eminent domain is Constitutional, even if it still seems antithetical to liberty.

Leaving any argument about personal liberty or the foundations of our country aside, a much older idea from a much higher Authority lays plain the wrongfulness of eminent domain: Thou shalt not steal.

Despite any philosophical reasoning, eminent domain remains the law of the land. The essence of the outrageous but accepted practice is that a government — federal, state or local body — may confiscate land from individuals who legally own it, usually compensating them with at least the current market value of the property, for public needs.

In some cases, it is even more outrageous: The land is given over to private developers for various reasons. The justifications are always that the confiscation is for the greater good of the public. The original landowner has no legal recourse against the actions. That doesn’t sound like the land of the free, does it?

Recent examples from Memphis, St. Louis and North Carolina clearly show that the threat of eminent domain is alive and well in America.

Memphis

A privately owned mall in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, called Raleigh has had issues with crime and gangs over recent years. The city began plans to demolish part of the mall and make it a “town center” last year, including moving a police precinct and a library branch onto the land.

The owners of the mall said that they hadn’t been contacted by the city about the plans, and they refuse to sell part of the property to the city. Now the city has begun eminent domain proceedings to take the property from them. The reason is supposedly because of the crime issues. The question is: If the police can’t keep an area safe without seizing property, should residents of Memphis expect new police precincts to start popping up in every neighborhood area with a crime problem – and land in those areas seized, too?

St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri, is considering using eminent domain to oust both a private developer and individual homeowners from a swath of property in order to retain the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s facility within city borders. The agency, which provides mapping and satellite support for the military, employs 3,000 people and brings in an estimated $2.4 million in annual earnings taxes, although it is exempt from property taxes because it is operated by the federal government.

The agency is moving because it needs a bigger facility, but the area the city wants used is partly occupied. Although there is a lot of abandoned and demolished space in the area, there are still several long-time homeowners who refuse to give up their land and move. The remaining property is owned by a private developer, who has pledged not to use eminent domain against the remaining residents.

In response, the city is proposing using eminent domain against both the homeowners and the developer. Their tax revenue losses apparently outweigh the property rights of the land owners.

North Carolina

The North Carolina House passed a bill on Feb. 10 that would prevent government from using eminent domain to seize property and then sell it to a private developer. Only “public use” cases would be allowed. The problem: The same measure has passed the house on at least four other occasions in the past, only to be shut down in the state Senate each time.

At least this measure attempts to rein in the expansion of eminent domain’s scope, returning it to the description given in the Fifth Amendment’s language. Someone with a high level of cynicism might even argue that the measure is anti-private sector by cutting all private parties out of the picture and keeping all of the benefits in government hands.

The eminent domain playground is one we would do best to only play in when absolutely necessary, because the path forward is well-known. The destruction and abolition of private property is one of Marx’s 10 planks of Communism espoused in the Communist Manifesto. Turning over seized private property to a business friendly with the government is a staple of fascism. Either way, individual liberty and rights are sacrificed in the name of the “public good.”

It is no longer some conspiracy theorists fantasy. The transformation of America and the destruction of our personal liberties are well under way. It was orchestrated for decades behind closed doors. Now the doors are opening and America is being overthrown in the light of day. For those who get it, read on. For those who choose otherwise, please step aside as there is much to be done.

“We have to save the free market system by abandoning the free market system” – George W. Bush 2008. Oh really? And where are we today? Trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt with increased unemployment approaching the great depression levels. The economies, global financial systems and currencies around the world are collapsing. Washington takes its marching orders from the architects of chaos as empire America is being driven to its knees. And since you are still reading this, we must agree on some level that this is not happening by accident but by deliberate, calculated design. Let’s take a closer look. We will begin this journey by going back to 1913.

During a SHTF situation, pain could become an annoyance for some, but unbearable for others.

If doctors are scarce and medicine becomes even scarcer, this one little weed, found all over North America and similar to morphine, could be a saving grace.

A group of private international bankers owning approximately 25% of the world’s wealth took over the issuing power of the U.S. currency. Since then, the U.S. dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power. Baron Rothschild (one of the original architects of chaos) said this, “Give me control over a nations currency and I care not who makes the laws”. Thomas Jefferson, in the following quote, shares his views with us. “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs”.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back in 2009, if the government debt load climbs above 90% of GDP, economic growth slows so much that growth is no longer a viable solution for reducing that debt, The United States will not be able to pay down the debt and by their actions, have chosen to monetize the debt which will lead the U.S. into a hyperinflation. Right now is at 149%. Estimates back then for a total economic collapse were 2016-2017. Are you prepared?

One of the smartest guys I ever had the pleasure of meeting, Claude set-up a UNIQUE SYSTEM that changed his life forever.

I already tried it myself and let me tell… you I was completely blown away… His surprising tactics could make your life easier and give you the peace of mind you deserve.

As economic conditions and political corruption ramp up, social unrest will increase. As this occurs the government counters by increasing Draconian measures that restrict the political rights and civil liberties of its citizens.

With “Free Speech Zones” and a push for the “Fairness Doctrine”, our freedom of speech is under attack. We have become a society under surveillance as our every move is monitored, stored and categorized. The policies being implemented to complete the long sought after goal of global governance, has brought the United Sates to a Socialist/Marxist government as the architects of chaos complete the final phase of creating their “New World Order” by removing America as its greatest obstacle. The mission is nearly complete with much of the ten planks of the communist manifesto already in place here in America. Look…you decide.

The 10 PLANKS stated in the Communist Manifesto
and some of their American counterparts

1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes. Americans do these with actions such as the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school & property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management (Zoning laws are the first step to government property ownership)

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. Americans know this as misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936. Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State “income” taxes. We call it “paying your fair share”.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. Americans call it Federal & State estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. Americans call it government seizures, tax liens, Public “law” 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department of Urban Development; the imprisonment of “terrorists” and those who speak out or write against the “government” (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process. Asset forfeiture laws are used by DEA, IRS, ATF
etc…).

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. Americans call it the Federal Reserve which is a privately-owned credit/debt system allowed by the Federal Reserve act of 1913. All local banks are members of the Fed system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) another privately-owned corporation. The Federal Reserve Banks issue Fiat Paper Money and practice economically destructive fractional reserve banking.

6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State. Americans call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive orders 11490, 10999, as well as State mandated driver’s licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. Americans call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture… Thus read “controlled or subsidized” rather than “owned”… This is easily seen in these as well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National
Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. Americans call it Minimum Wage and slave labor like dealing with our Most Favored Nation trade partner; i.e. Communist China. We see it in practice via the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two “income” family. Woman in the workplace since the 1920’s, the 19th amendment of
the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program and of course Executive order 11000.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the
distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country. Americans call it the Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and Public “law” 89-136. These provide for forced relocations and forced sterilization programs, like in China.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production. Americans are being taxed to support what we call ‘public’ schools, but are actually “government force-tax-funded schools” Even private schools are government regulated. The purpose is to train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA and Outcome Based “Education”. These are used so that all children can be indoctrinated and inculcated with the government propaganda, like “majority rules”, and “pay your fair share”. Ronald Reagan on
Socialism – “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it and hell where they already have it.”

So the transformation of America and the destruction of our personal liberties are well under way. Perhaps you already knew all of this but have become apathetic, overwhelmed or complacent? Well that is just the result that the architects of chaos want to achieve. This does not have to happen. Simply say “not on my watch”. This is not above your pay grade. Freedom as we know is never free. We must fight for what’s right, this is our home. How does one prepare? What is the battle plan?
How do we survive and then reinstate Constitutional Government?

The Four Pillars

1. Pray to God. Your spiritual preparedness is of the utmost importance. For those of us of faith, pray to God for guidance, wisdom and protection.

2. Protect your wealth. Your personal freedom is tied to your economic freedom. There are ways to preserve wealth and purchasing power. This will not happen by accident. There are action steps that you can and should be applying today. Get educated. Stay informed and take proactive measures now before it’s too late!

3. Protect your life. Survival will not happen by accident as we progress through the challenging times ahead. Take precautionary and protective measures to sustain and safeguard your life and the lives of your loved ones.

4. Political activism. Study the Constitution. Get involved in the political process. Vet and vote. Join and support groups who are doing the same. Elect leaders, citizen candidates that will reinstate, protect, defend and adhere to the Constitution of the United States. Never give up. Take your country back. The “Second American Revolution” is here.

Preparedness Hacks: Once a nuke is heading your way, you might think that there isn’t much left to do, but you would be wrong!

Because we will show you America’s natural nuclear bunkers that are also EMP proof. When the sirens start wailing, all you need to do is pick the closest one to your home, where you can take cover before it hits.

There is no version of eminent domain that coincides with liberty. On the contrary, the two ideas are antithetical to each other. As a champion of liberty, John Locke stated in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, “For I have truly no Property in that, which another can by right take from me, when he pleases against my Consent.”

In other words, if the government can take your property from you without your consent — even if they are paying you for it — then you don’t really have a right to own private property at all.

During a SHTF situation, pain could become an annoyance for some, but unbearable for others.

If doctors are scarce and medicine becomes even scarcer, this one little weed, found all over North America and similar to morphine, could be a saving grace.

The deeper debate about whether the idea of private property still exists at all in a country where property taxes, construction regulations, and other limitations are demanded is one best saved for its own discussion. For now, we’ll stick with the commonly held assumption that private property does exist.

Under that assumption, we can move a few years forward from Locke’s writings and quote the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a part of what we know as the Bill of Rights, which states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable … seizures, shall not be violated”.

However, the very next amendment goes on to say that “private property” shall not be taken for “public use” without “just compensation.” Therefore, the idea of eminent domain is Constitutional, even if it still seems antithetical to liberty.

Leaving any argument about personal liberty or the foundations of our country aside, a much older idea from a much higher Authority lays plain the wrongfulness of eminent domain: Thou shalt not steal.

Despite any philosophical reasoning, eminent domain remains the law of the land. The essence of the outrageous but accepted practice is that a government — federal, state or local body — may confiscate land from individuals who legally own it, usually compensating them with at least the current market value of the property, for public needs.

In some cases, it is even more outrageous: The land is given over to private developers for various reasons. The justifications are always that the confiscation is for the greater good of the public. The original landowner has no legal recourse against the actions. That doesn’t sound like the land of the free, does it?

Recent examples from Memphis, St. Louis and North Carolina clearly show that the threat of eminent domain is alive and well in America.

Memphis

A privately owned mall in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, called Raleigh has had issues with crime and gangs over recent years. The city began plans to demolish part of the mall and make it a “town center” last year, including moving a police precinct and a library branch onto the land.

The owners of the mall said that they hadn’t been contacted by the city about the plans, and they refuse to sell part of the property to the city. Now the city has begun eminent domain proceedings to take the property from them. The reason is supposedly because of the crime issues. The question is: If the police can’t keep an area safe without seizing property, should residents of Memphis expect new police precincts to start popping up in every neighborhood area with a crime problem – and land in those areas seized, too?

St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri, is considering using eminent domain to oust both a private developer and individual homeowners from a swath of property in order to retain the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s facility within city borders. The agency, which provides mapping and satellite support for the military, employs 3,000 people and brings in an estimated $2.4 million in annual earnings taxes, although it is exempt from property taxes because it is operated by the federal government.

The agency is moving because it needs a bigger facility, but the area the city wants used is partly occupied. Although there is a lot of abandoned and demolished space in the area, there are still several long-time homeowners who refuse to give up their land and move. The remaining property is owned by a private developer, who has pledged not to use eminent domain against the remaining residents.

In response, the city is proposing using eminent domain against both the homeowners and the developer. Their tax revenue losses apparently outweigh the property rights of the land owners.

North Carolina

The North Carolina House passed a bill on Feb. 10 that would prevent government from using eminent domain to seize property and then sell it to a private developer. Only “public use” cases would be allowed. The problem: The same measure has passed the house on at least four other occasions in the past, only to be shut down in the state Senate each time.

At least this measure attempts to rein in the expansion of eminent domain’s scope, returning it to the description given in the Fifth Amendment’s language. Someone with a high level of cynicism might even argue that the measure is anti-private sector by cutting all private parties out of the picture and keeping all of the benefits in government hands.

The eminent domain playground is one we would do best to only play in when absolutely necessary, because the path forward is well-known. The destruction and abolition of private property is one of Marx’s 10 planks of Communism espoused in the Communist Manifesto. Turning over seized private property to a business friendly with the government is a staple of fascism. Either way, individual liberty and rights are sacrificed in the name of the “public good.”

Preparedness Hacks: Once a nuke is heading your way, you might think that there isn’t much left to do, but you would be wrong!

Because we will show you America’s natural nuclear bunkers that are also EMP proof. When the sirens start wailing, all you need to do is pick the closest one to your home, where you can take cover before it hits.

It is no longer some conspiracy theorists fantasy. The transformation of America and the destruction of our personal liberties are well under way. It was orchestrated for decades behind closed doors. Now the doors are opening and America is being overthrown in the light of day. For those who get it, read on. For those who choose otherwise, please step aside as there is much to be done.

“We have to save the free market system by abandoning the free market system” – George W. Bush 2008. Oh really? And where are we today? Trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt with increased unemployment approaching the great depression levels. The economies, global financial systems and currencies around the world are collapsing. Washington takes its marching orders from the architects of chaos as empire America is being driven to its knees. And since you are still reading this, we must agree on some level that this is not happening by accident but by deliberate, calculated design. Let’s take a closer look. We will begin this journey by going back to 1913.

A group of private international bankers owning approximately 25% of the world’s wealth took over the issuing power of the U.S. currency. Since then, the U.S. dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power. Baron Rothschild (one of the original architects of chaos) said this, “Give me control over a nations currency and I care not who makes the laws”. Thomas Jefferson, in the following quote, shares his views with us. “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs”.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back in 2009, if the government debt load climbs above 90% of GDP, economic growth slows so much that growth is no longer a viable solution for reducing that debt, The United States will not be able to pay down the debt and by their actions, have chosen to monetize the debt which will lead the U.S. into a hyperinflation. Right now is at 149%. Estimates back then for a total economic collapse were 2016-2017. Are you prepared?

One of the smartest guys I ever had the pleasure of meeting, Claude set-up a UNIQUE SYSTEM that changed his life forever.

I already tried it myself and let me tell… you I was completely blown away… His surprising tactics could make your life easier and give you the peace of mind you deserve.

As economic conditions and political corruption ramp up, social unrest will increase. As this occurs the government counters by increasing Draconian measures that restrict the political rights and civil liberties of its citizens.

With “Free Speech Zones” and a push for the “Fairness Doctrine”, our freedom of speech is under attack. We have become a society under surveillance as our every move is monitored, stored and categorized. The policies being implemented to complete the long sought after goal of global governance, has brought the United Sates to a Socialist/Marxist government as the architects of chaos complete the final phase of creating their “New World Order” by removing America as its greatest obstacle. The mission is nearly complete with much of the ten planks of the communist manifesto already in place here in America. Look…you decide.

The 10 PLANKS stated in the Communist Manifesto
and some of their American counterparts

1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes. Americans do these with actions such as the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school & property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management (Zoning laws are the first step to government property ownership)

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. Americans know this as misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936. Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State “income” taxes. We call it “paying your fair share”.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. Americans call it Federal & State estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. Americans call it government seizures, tax liens, Public “law” 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department of Urban Development; the imprisonment of “terrorists” and those who speak out or write against the “government” (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process. Asset forfeiture laws are used by DEA, IRS, ATF
etc…).

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. Americans call it the Federal Reserve which is a privately-owned credit/debt system allowed by the Federal Reserve act of 1913. All local banks are members of the Fed system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) another privately-owned corporation. The Federal Reserve Banks issue Fiat Paper Money and practice economically destructive fractional reserve banking.

6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State. Americans call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive orders 11490, 10999, as well as State mandated driver’s licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. Americans call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture… Thus read “controlled or subsidized” rather than “owned”… This is easily seen in these as well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National
Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. Americans call it Minimum Wage and slave labor like dealing with our Most Favored Nation trade partner; i.e. Communist China. We see it in practice via the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two “income” family. Woman in the workplace since the 1920’s, the 19th amendment of
the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program and of course Executive order 11000.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the
distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country. Americans call it the Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and Public “law” 89-136. These provide for forced relocations and forced sterilization programs, like in China.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production. Americans are being taxed to support what we call ‘public’ schools, but are actually “government force-tax-funded schools” Even private schools are government regulated. The purpose is to train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA and Outcome Based “Education”. These are used so that all children can be indoctrinated and inculcated with the government propaganda, like “majority rules”, and “pay your fair share”. Ronald Reagan on
Socialism – “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it and hell where they already have it.”

So the transformation of America and the destruction of our personal liberties are well under way. Perhaps you already knew all of this but have become apathetic, overwhelmed or complacent? Well that is just the result that the architects of chaos want to achieve. This does not have to happen. Simply say “not on my watch”. This is not above your pay grade. Freedom as we know is never free. We must fight for what’s right, this is our home. How does one prepare? What is the battle plan?
How do we survive and then reinstate Constitutional Government?

The Four Pillars

1. Pray to God. Your spiritual preparedness is of the utmost importance. For those of us of faith, pray to God for guidance, wisdom and protection.

2. Protect your wealth. Your personal freedom is tied to your economic freedom. There are ways to preserve wealth and purchasing power. This will not happen by accident. There are action steps that you can and should be applying today. Get educated. Stay informed and take proactive measures now before it’s too late!

3. Protect your life. Survival will not happen by accident as we progress through the challenging times ahead. Take precautionary and protective measures to sustain and safeguard your life and the lives of your loved ones.

4. Political activism. Study the Constitution. Get involved in the political process. Vet and vote. Join and support groups who are doing the same. Elect leaders, citizen candidates that will reinstate, protect, defend and adhere to the Constitution of the United States. Never give up. Take your country back. The “Second American Revolution” is here.

There is no version of eminent domain that coincides with liberty. On the contrary, the two ideas are antithetical to each other. As a champion of liberty, John Locke stated in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, “For I have truly no Property in that, which another can by right take from me, when he pleases against my Consent.”

In other words, if the government can take your property from you without your consent — even if they are paying you for it — then you don’t really have a right to own private property at all.

The deeper debate about whether the idea of private property still exists at all in a country where property taxes, construction regulations, and other limitations are demanded is one best saved for its own discussion. For now, we’ll stick with the commonly held assumption that private property does exist.

Under that assumption, we can move a few years forward from Locke’s writings and quote the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a part of what we know as the Bill of Rights, which states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable … seizures, shall not be violated”.

However, the very next amendment goes on to say that “private property” shall not be taken for “public use” without “just compensation.” Therefore, the idea of eminent domain is Constitutional, even if it still seems antithetical to liberty.

Leaving any argument about personal liberty or the foundations of our country aside, a much older idea from a much higher Authority lays plain the wrongfulness of eminent domain: Thou shalt not steal.

Despite any philosophical reasoning, eminent domain remains the law of the land. The essence of the outrageous but accepted practice is that a government — federal, state or local body — may confiscate land from individuals who legally own it, usually compensating them with at least the current market value of the property, for public needs.

In some cases, it is even more outrageous: The land is given over to private developers for various reasons. The justifications are always that the confiscation is for the greater good of the public. The original landowner has no legal recourse against the actions. That doesn’t sound like the land of the free, does it?

Recent examples from Memphis, St. Louis and North Carolina clearly show that the threat of eminent domain is alive and well in America.

Memphis

A privately owned mall in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, called Raleigh has had issues with crime and gangs over recent years. The city began plans to demolish part of the mall and make it a “town center” last year, including moving a police precinct and a library branch onto the land.

The owners of the mall said that they hadn’t been contacted by the city about the plans, and they refuse to sell part of the property to the city. Now the city has begun eminent domain proceedings to take the property from them. The reason is supposedly because of the crime issues. The question is: If the police can’t keep an area safe without seizing property, should residents of Memphis expect new police precincts to start popping up in every neighborhood area with a crime problem – and land in those areas seized, too?

St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri, is considering using eminent domain to oust both a private developer and individual homeowners from a swath of property in order to retain the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s facility within city borders. The agency, which provides mapping and satellite support for the military, employs 3,000 people and brings in an estimated $2.4 million in annual earnings taxes, although it is exempt from property taxes because it is operated by the federal government.

The agency is moving because it needs a bigger facility, but the area the city wants used is partly occupied. Although there is a lot of abandoned and demolished space in the area, there are still several long-time homeowners who refuse to give up their land and move. The remaining property is owned by a private developer, who has pledged not to use eminent domain against the remaining residents.

In response, the city is proposing using eminent domain against both the homeowners and the developer. Their tax revenue losses apparently outweigh the property rights of the land owners.

North Carolina

The North Carolina House passed a bill on Feb. 10 that would prevent government from using eminent domain to seize property and then sell it to a private developer. Only “public use” cases would be allowed. The problem: The same measure has passed the house on at least four other occasions in the past, only to be shut down in the state Senate each time.

At least this measure attempts to rein in the expansion of eminent domain’s scope, returning it to the description given in the Fifth Amendment’s language. Someone with a high level of cynicism might even argue that the measure is anti-private sector by cutting all private parties out of the picture and keeping all of the benefits in government hands.

The eminent domain playground is one we would do best to only play in when absolutely necessary, because the path forward is well-known. The destruction and abolition of private property is one of Marx’s 10 planks of Communism espoused in the Communist Manifesto. Turning over seized private property to a business friendly with the government is a staple of fascism. Either way, individual liberty and rights are sacrificed in the name of the “public good.”