In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Since then, his observation has been echoed by people as disparate as Robert Heinlein and Leon Trotsky.
The key here is that, unlike all other commodities, food is the one essential that cannot be postponed. If there were a shortage of, say, shoes, we could make do for months or even years. A shortage of gasoline would be worse, but we could survive it, through mass transport or even walking, if necessary.
But food is different. If there were an interruption in the supply of food, fear would set in immediately. And, if the resumption of the food supply were uncertain, the fear would become pronounced. After only nine missed meals, it’s not unlikely that we’d panic and be prepared to commit a crime to acquire food. If we were to see our neighbour with a loaf of bread, and we owned a gun, we might well say, “I’m sorry, you’re a good neighbour and we’ve been friends for years, but my children haven’t eaten today – I have to have that bread – even if I have to shoot you.”
But surely, there’s no need to speculate on this concern. There’s nothing on the evening news to suggest that such a problem even might be on the horizon. So, let’s have a closer look at the actual food distribution industry, compare it to the present direction of the economy, and see whether there might be reason for concern.
The food industry typically operates on very small margins – often below 2%. Traditionally, wholesalers and retailers have relied on a two-week turnaround of supply and anywhere up to a 30-day payment plan. But an increasing tightening of the economic system for the last eight years has resulted in a turnaround time of just three days for both supply and payment for many in the industry. This a system that’s still fully operative, but with no further wiggle room, should it take a significant further hit.
Fellow blogger EatGruelDog had a great comment on this incident, stating:
“Do you get it? A small group overpowered the bus taking them to their confinement and escaped. Why? First off, because they were willing to. Those in power will do whatever they can only as long as they are allowed to. When everyone reacts the way the Haitians did the system has a problem. But people have to be willing to act and to act in such a manner that they achieve their set goal. Yes. surprise helped, but without the spur to action, the surprise meant nothing. Look what BLM has accomplished. It is certainly a Hell of a lot more than our side has. And why? They are willing to act, to get into the streets and force change whether the authorities like it or not. Our time is near to coming and we must show the same willingness or be done for.”
Folks, we need to understand that when the situation is DIRE, you have to be prepared to do DIRE things!
Unity and Singleness of Purpose are Fundmental in a struggle like this and it is clear the Left have grasped this fact better than we have.
We must be pro-active in our REFUSAL and ACT!
Allowing the enemy time to dictate the cadence of the conflict is a mistake.
We cannot continue to be a REACTIONARY force and expect to gain any ground.
Michael Collins, a founding member of the IRA stated the following precepts:
The Guerilla’s first and primary weapon is REFUSAL.
The Guerilla is an Invisible Army. His uniform is that of the common man on the street. He can come out of a crowd, strike the enemy, then vanish back into it.
The Tactical Hermit 
You must be logged in to post a comment.