Fellow Patriots,
When most people in America think of Thanksgiving they think of family, food, and time off from work. More recently they include Black Friday sales and getting an early start on shopping for Christmas. But, really, do you ever stop and think about all the things we should be thankful for today? It is Thanks-giving, right? Do we ever think of our history and the sacrifices made over the years to bring us to this point? Do you ever think to yourself how past generations sacrificed to preserve the freedoms enjoyed in America over the years? The wars fought overseas and in the country we call America? The work taking place year round to grow crops and raise the meat we place on our table year to year. Through good and bad, most families celebrate Thanksgiving day without much thought to efforts and sacrifices made to bring Thanksgiving to the home and table. What did it take to bring the cranberry sauce, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, dressing, and turkey or ham right to our front door? How many children give thought and appreciation to their parents who works hard daily to provide a home, clothing, transportation, and food, which takes money. It is assumed to be automatic. I know, I was once an unappreciative child or maybe I just didn't understand what it took. Honestly, no one told me it was supposed to matter and I just assumed it was a given. Shame on me.
We have had very unordinary periods in America in 2018 and 2019 with our crops. Rain, drought and deep freeze severely impacted our farmers ability to produce even minimal crops for their survival. Even with government aid to offset crop losses, it doesn't replace the unproduced food. Ranchers losses over the past few years also has been extreme. Same reason, drought, floods, fires and the inability to feed the much needed food to maintain their animals. Just in Nebraska alone it is estimated the cow-calf industry lost $400 million and in crops another $440 million. This doesn't even address the transportation issues where miles of rail and highways got damaged in the Midwest and farmers endured millions of dollars in equipment damage from the floods. Keep in mind, farmers also endured losses in the trade war with China.
Is it something new? Back in the 1700s John Adams documented a deep freeze that froze the ground ot a depth of 2 feet. He was headed to Philadelphia in the bitter cold and about a foot or more of snow covering the Massachusetts landscape. A letter maintained in the Adams Family Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams wrote to his wife, "You will never know how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pain ot preserve it." Adams explained in the letter how he spent each spring and fall battling a cold and ill health from the unpredictable weather changes and patterns out of the norm.
In another letter on September 8, 1816, Thomas Jefferson described the weather to Albert Gallatin. Jefferson said; "We have had the most extraordinary year of drought and cold ever known in the history of America. In June, instead of 3 3/4 inches, our average of rain for the at month, we had only 1/3 of an inch. In August, instead of 9 1/6 inches of our average, we had only 8/10 of an inch; and it still continues. The summer too has been as cold as a moderate winter. In ever state North of this there has been frost in every month of the year, in this state we had none in June and July but those of August killed much of the corn over the mountains. The crop of corn through the Atlantic states will probably be less than 1/3 of an ordinary one, that of tobacco still less, and of mean quality." Today, 2019, we read the past winter 2018/2019 experienced breaking cold tempartures. Some forecast the winter of 2019/2020 will beat the tempartures of last winter because we enduring grand solar minimums of prolonged periods of reduced solar activity, and in the past have gone hand-in-hand with times of global cooling. The last time we had Grand Solar Minimums only two magnetic fields of the sun went out of phase. Today, now, 2019, all four magnetic fields are going out of phase.
Historically, we have suffered periods of droughts, floods, fires and other natural disasters in America. And, we have prevailed even though many families suffered through the events and recovery. Some of you may not be old enough to remember back in 1985 when musicians Willie Nelson and John Cougar Melloncamp founded Farm Aid as a benefit concert in September held at Champaign, Illinois to raise money for family farmers in America. The Farm Aid program has continued since inception and raised $57 million dollars to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement. Another example, like in WW I and WW II where the citizens of our great nations turned industrious to support our fellow citizens during tough times. Today a big problem is many feel and believe the answer and only answer rest on the back of the federal government. Sure, they may have created he mess, but most often it is the citizens who help one another to get through the tough times.
Those of us in Preparedness monitor these things and we try to understand and adjust our plans to events around us. As I stated in my book, training and website, we must adjust to the effects of these causes. We can't control the freezing tempertures or the flooding. We certainly can't control the droughts and fires either. But, what we can control is planning for how we would adjust to these types of events by having food, water, shelter and security. If we have these resources stocked and available, we won't be immediatley impacted when events and shortages occur not in our immediate area. As history has shown, natural and manmade events will occur and continue occurring and it will always impact our way of life, somehow and in some way. We, as a nation, faces many uphill challenges, mostly out of our control. But, the thing we do control is our direct ability to prepare. The question is, how will we plan in advance to celebrate Thanksgiving each day, even when events around us says otherwise.
Bravo Echo Out
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