Are You Prepared?

Dear friends and fellow Americans,

This is going to be a very different kind of letter from what we normally send out. It is significantly more personal.

The Liberty Bell Center for Constitutional Studies focuses on history because that is the best way to understand the present. We can listen to the current lies and make base our decision-making on those, or we can look at true history and see the bigger picture. One thing we can see from our nation’s history is that Americans take care of themselves. We believe in the indigenous power of the individual and therefore believe that we as individuals are the first line of defense when it comes to our rights. In the 1700s, the American colonists understood this and made it a point to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. That is why in the 1770s they were storing up weapons and ammunition. Did they want or expect war with Britain? No. On the contrary, they were proud to be British, but knew that they must do whatever it took to protect themselves and their families. When the worst came (war with Britain), they were prepared and stood their ground.

Modern Americans have a tendency to live in the present with little thought of potential disasters, and therefore do nothing to prepare. But that old proverb still remains true, we must prepare for the worst and hope for the best. So what is it that we should prepare for?

Well, we have over the last few years been told that our greatest danger came from terrorists, but it is becoming more and more clear that our greatest danger comes not from without, but from within. The more that government gets involved in our lives, the more potential there is for catastrophic disasters. Are you prepared for if the government starts home quarantining as result of the hyped up H1N1 virus? Are you prepared for the collapse of the dollar? What if there was a problem at the local water plant and too much chlorine leaked into the water and you could not use your tap for a week? And apart from government disasters, there is always the possibility of natural disasters. Natural disasters are not confined to tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes in the south and earthquakes in the west. One example of a natural disaster in the area was some major flooding near Pottstown in the 1970s. I had a friend who lived through that. Floodwaters came and engulfed a number of neighborhoods… and with the floodwater came looters pouring out of Philadelphia. My friend was prepared and sat outside of his house, gun in hand, and kept looters from taking what belonged to him and his family. Are you prepared?

What if the water went out? What if the electric went out? What if you were quarantined in your home? What if you dollar bills became worthless? These are all perfectly legitimate concerns that should at least warrant a little thought on our part. For these disasters, and others like them, you should make it a point to prepare.

Do you have weapons to defend your family and property against thugs and looters? Do you have non-perishable food stored up? Do you have water stored for both sanitation and hydration? Do you have a hand-powered crank radio and battery powered lights? Do you have cash AND non-cash hard money on hand? Do you have a family emergency plan for if a disaster struck quickly and you were separated from your family with no communication?

Lucky for us, there are many resources out there to help us prepare for what might come our way. One of the best is, surprisingly enough, a government website: Ready.gov. There you will find lists and recommendations for preparing for disasters. For disaster preparation supplies that you cannot get from local stores, check out Survivormall.com. You MUST have a plan and you MUST be prepared for whatever comes, it is the only prudent thing to do.

Please do not trust the government to take care of you, because you will only be disappointed. First of all, they have the worst track record possible. Remember Katrina? And second, by trusting them with this task, you are handing over a responsibility that should be yours to them and giving them power over your life that is not theirs to have. If the government is responsible for you, then they can do whatever they think is best for you. But only you know what is best for yourself and your family. Hold on to your indigenous power and take responsibility.

We must do as our founders did and prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

Blessings in liberty,

Ryan Burgett
Chairman - L.B.C.C.S.
ryan_burgett@hotmail.com