Leading Financial Advisers and Trend Forecasters Urge People to Protect Themselves from the Coming Unrest

Preface: I was raised to be against gun ownership. But I have changed my mind, especially after learning:

Two of the best-known promoters of nonviolence in history were not opposed to guns. Specifically, Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his book, An Autobiography (page 446):

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest ... if we want to learn the use of arms, here is a golden opportunity.

And as quoted in the Seattle Times, May 15, 2001, the Dalai Lama said:

If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg.

As I noted last year:

[Financial adviser and Marketwatch columnist] Paul Farrell quoted Barton Biggs as predicting the breakdown of civilization and anarchy:

In his 2008 bestseller "Wealth, War and Wisdom" former Morgan Stanley research guru Barton Biggs warns us to prepare for a "breakdown of civilization ... Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food ... It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc ... A few rounds over the approaching brigands' heads would probably be a compelling persuader that there are easier farms to pillage." Biggs sounds like an anarchist militiaman.

I haven't read Wealth, War and Wisdom, and I wanted to find out what Biggs is actually forecasting for the U.S.

I found a recent (December 15th) interview in which Biggs gives specifics:

Is what’s happening now in Dubai and Greece, for example, a canary in the coal mine? In Greece, there is real chaos and anarchy, with mobs on the street. If Dubai goes down the drain, there’s going to be serious trouble, because they have a million or so imported workers from third-world countries. They are working their butts off, and they have been cheated for years, in terms of what they are paid and their food allowances. There are going to be real problems there.

You can make the case that it is not inconceivable that the barbarians could be at the gate in Europe, Japan and the US. It’s one chance in ten that’s going to happen but, as a person with wealth, you must ask what type of insurance to take out against that ...

It sounds simplistic, but there’s nothing the matter with having some kind of self-sufficient farm that is not close to the big cities. It sounds almost stupid, but it sure paid off in occupied Europe during World War II. I don’t think periods of anarchy are going to last a long time in countries like the US. But could we have four or five months of anarchy? I think there’s one chance in ten that could happen.

Marc Faber also recommends buying a farm. And many experts and officials have warned of economic crisis-induced unrest.

Farrell again wrote 10 days ago that we have to plan for "self-defense, attacks, plain old survival."

Jim Rogers just told people they should get ready to protect themselves:

In March, leading trend forecaster Gerald Celente advised:

I call it the three G’s. Gold, Guns and a Getaway Plan.

***

I'm also invested in silver and Swiss Franks.

Celente mentions the getaway plan in the context of a terrorist like Gaddafi blowing up something to get revenge for our invasion of Libya.

You can write off Celente as nutjob if you'd like. But look at what the largest news sources have said about him:

"When CNN wants to know about the Top Trends, we ask Gerald Celente."
— CNN Headline News

"A network of 25 experts whose range of specialties would rival many university faculties."
— The Economist

"Gerald Celente has a knack for getting the zeitgeist right."
— USA Today

"There’s not a better trend forecaster than Gerald Celente. The man knows what he’s talking about."
- CNBC

"Those who take their predictions seriously ... consider the Trends Research Institute."
— The Wall Street Journal

"Gerald Celente is always ahead of the curve on trends and uncannily on the mark ... he's one of the most accurate forecasters around."
— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Mr. Celente tracks the world’s social, economic and business trends for corporate clients."
— The New York Times

"Mr. Celente is a very intelligent guy. We are able to learn about trends from an authority."
— 48 Hours, CBS News

"Gerald Celente has a solid track record. He has predicted everything from the 1987 stock market crash and the demise of the Soviet Union to green marketing and corporate downsizing."
— The Detroit News

"Gerald Celente forecast the 1987 stock market crash, ‘green marketing,’ and the boom in gourmet coffees."
— Chicago Tribune

"The Trends Research Institute is the Standard and Poors of Popular Culture."
— The Los Angeles Times

"If Nostradamus were alive today, he'd have a hard time keeping up with Gerald Celente."
— New York Post

Celente's predictions sound wild ... but he's been calling things accurately for decades. And while this might sound like the stereotypical conservative "Gods, Guns and Gays", Celente is not conservative (he promotes alternative energy, human rights and many other "progressive" positions), but is wholly non-partisan, as am I.

Indeed, while true progressives and true conservatives both like my writings, I am regularly accused by neo-conservatives of being a lefty and by neo-liberals of being a righty. That's a hint that the two groups are actually very similar, and both use false labels to try to divide and conquer the American people. See this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.

Notes: Guns should be for defense only, never for offense. And you should not buy a gun - especially if you have kids - unless you get trained on how to store and handle it safely.

If you are skeptical of gold because it is not very portable in the event of a major disruption, you might consider buying precious stones, which are easy to transport.