Notes from the edge of civilization: Jan. 7, 2024
A better food system is possible, but it's not going to be easy. Plus, a Costco bullion buying hack. And, are we being shadow banned on YouTube?
In 2016, the World Economic Forum published an essay by a Danish member of parliament (now memory-holed but thankfully archived) that sketched out a vision of the future where city residents owned nothing, had no privacy, and were never happier. The essay is now held up by many as a shining example of the dystopian and nightmarish future the world’s elites have in store for us all.
Last week, Substacker
, author of , offered a different vision:Every morning or evening, you step outside and walk down the street a few hundred feet. You’ve brought with you the ceramic jug you keep milk in. It is cleaned by your own hands so you know you can trust it. The dairy cows (or goats) are in a barn where a small park used to be. The toxic rubber was removed, the soil remediated, and it is now a thriving farmette.
You fill your milk jug with fresh, clean raw milk. A few feet away, you grab a dozen eggs that someone collected the day before and put into cartons. You return home with wholesome raw milk and fresh eggs for your family.
Your neighborhood, along with others all over America, looks like this now:
Cows and goats in our backyards again and on common ground.
Chickens roaming neighborhoods with coops every few houses so they know where to lay.
Perennial herb gardens everywhere for culinary treats and medicinal tinctures.
Food forests at parks and municipalities so we can harvest nutrient dense nuts, seeds and fruits.
Shared vegetables gardens so we can grow a variety and an abundance, locally.
It’s important to hold these visions in mind as we set a course for the year to come. It’s important to believe that the freedom to feed ourselves the way we want is worth fighting for. And it’s important to know there are others out there fighting too, and that together we can make it happen.
This is all brought into sharper focus this week as just days ago an Amish farmer was raided by state troopers and agriculture officials. After several hours, the officials left with coolers full of Amos Miller’s raw milk products, including chocolate milk, sour cream, eggnog, and ice cream, and prohibited him from selling any of his other products.
For the record, raw milk is legal for sale in over two dozen states across the United States.
As one commenter on ZeroHedge said, “Growing and producing your own food, and selling it or giving it away outside of the food ‘system,’ is in fact an act of resistance.”
We here at Collapse Life couldn’t agree more.
Food freedom is, of course, a critical part of ‘preparedness’. So too is financial freedom. On that front, in a previous edition of our ‘Notes,’ we asked if we’ve all become preppers now that Costco is selling precious metals? The answer, apparently, is yes because the company’s CFO, Richard Galanti, said Costco can’t keep bullion on its virtual shelves. It sells out within hours of going live on the website.
In the interest of ensuring fair access for all Costco members, there’s a buying limit of two ounces per membership. But what Costco doesn’t tell you is they have several suppliers of bullion. And further, these suppliers offer different products, each with its own unique Costco ‘item number.’ The editors at Collapse Life can happily update that it is possible to continue stacking beyond the two-ounce-per-membership limit, if you have the sleuthing skills and a keen nose for a good deal.
Costco’s rules limit bullion purchases to two ounces per membership PER ITEM NUMBER. In other words, you can buy more bullion from Costco if the item number is not the same. The story is similar for silver bullion, which one editor noticed went live on the Costco website for a short while in late December.
A tube of 20 one-ounce Silver Eagles was listed at $589.99 delivered to your door. Limit two per membership. Which meant you could get all those ounces at $29.50 each.
Further benefits accrue if you use a credit card with rewards. Plus, if you’re an ‘Executive Member’ Costco will give you 2% ‘fiat’ back when your membership comes up for renewal.
1 oz American Eagle Silver Coin, 20-count
Item # 1799373
$589.99
When it comes to getting ready for what’s to come, you don’t want to miss our latest podcast, with Matt Smith, which is packed with good advice.
And finally, at the risk of sounding all conspiracy-ish, we enter 2024 with predictive programming courtesy of the former President and his crack team of propagandists at Higher Ground and their film Leave the World Behind. Not all of us can take refuge at our Martha’s Vineyard compound, undoubtedly prepped to the hilt to fend off wayward migrants and keep the gin-and-tonics flowing freely.
So if you’re not that prepped, Collapse Life wanted to suggest something simple: break out the old laser printer collecting dust in the attic and print out hard copies of documents you feel could be critical to have around. (We’re printing off and collating the collection of FLCCC prevention and treatment guides, for example.)
This comes up in the context of a comment from YouTube viewer and commentator, @SufiBear555, who pointed out on our latest video:
Oh boy, trying to "like" doesn't register. Since finding you, about a month ago, I've seen an increase of 4 new subs. Can you say shadow banning? Matt was great, thanks. I watched this on my battery backup system, good practice.
Orwell’s ‘memory hole’ is real — it’s happening now (see first story). So when the time comes that you can’t get to the information you need — by design or by disaster — it’s worth having some hard copies around.
A shout-out to you, SufiBear. And all others like you. We deeply appreciate your support, your comments, your encouragement, and your likes, even if they don’t register. We are encouraged by our Substack subscription growth, despite going toe-to-toe with Youtube’s video censorship industrial complex.
In the face of evil, just remember we win in the end. It’s gonna be hard but all of us will prevail! Great to be on this journey with you — it means everything.