Joe Wright
AP
As the world visibly collapses all around us, the idea of survivalism — or prepping — has gone mainstream. No longer should either word signify paranoia; rather, these words should signify adaptability in the face of proven challenges. Whether it is the looming food crisis, signs of inevitable dollar collapse, or any range of man-made or natural event, we have a survival instinct for a reason. We would be manifestly idiotic not to hone our innate skills and help those around us develop theirs to cope with the difficult times ahead.
As Michael Snyder pointed out in his article, Why are Preppers Hated So Much? an extreme backlash is shaping up into a trend to vilify preppers by those fearful of what they don’t understand. It is worrisome, too, that this lack of understanding comes not only from those who would willingly find distracting forms of entertainment in an effort to not face reality, but from law enforcement as well. Instead of encouraging a self-sufficient (and armed) population that would work alongside well-trained and well-intentioned peace officers, there is a move to make even the most innocous prepping activities synonymous with domestic terror and insurrection.
An extreme example of this vilification by police (and subsequently the FBI) is highlighted by Abby Martin in her recent conversation with prepper and firefighter, Fernando Salguero, about the Philadelphia resident’s encounter with New Jersey police. He intimates that he has been targeted as a threat based purely off his survivalist lifestyle and previous activism.
Salguero is very well known in the prepping community, and was featured by National Geographic in their “Training for the Apocalypse” coverage of the survivalist mindset. It is duly noted that the desire to survive is not bred strictly from paranoia against government as some sort of mental illness, but often comes from very personal stories such as Salguero’s.
As Fernando discusses in the following video, his childhood was based on survival due to the horrific circumstances in which he found himself. He should be commended for not rolling over into a life of crime or substance abuse. He has chosen to reverse his early experiences and teach urban survival techniques as a means to empower those who might feel victimized. As you will see, rather than being lauded for common sense preparedness, he is being met with distrust and harassment.
So, is he dangerous? Here is Fernando’s introduction as stated on his “Survive and Thrive” Meetup Group page:
My main motivation is LOVE. I have a lot of practical urban & wilderness survival experience as well as strong communication skills. I am an autodidact that can’t stop digging for the TRUTH. I want to find like minded friends and help Humanity.
I think what is dangerous is the hostile stance taken by those who are paid to protect and serve, and illustrates just how far America has strayed from its roots.
For Fernando Antonio Salguero, it all started with a parking ticket….
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| Fernando Salguero/Facebook |
Joe Wright
What’s wrong with wanting to protect yourself,, if things in your community goes south and things get bad around you? Nothing, but the main stream news media calls people like me, Gun nuts,Un-educated and clinging to my bible and guns. If things go bad are you going to wait for the Government to help you, like the people of New Orleans did?What happen to those people at the super dome wasn’t good. Just happy it wasn’t me.
I spent all my life moving to different countries and states due to my father’s career, and then my husband’s. Each place had a unique set of hazards, and we were encouraged to keep rations and emergency supplies; whether it be earthquake, blizzard, ice storm, typhoon, hurricane, civil unrest (in foreign countries) or some other circumstance. I can tell you that were it not for our preparations right before our ice storm in Kansas, a blizzard in Alaska, and a hurricane on the Ms. gulf coast; we would have been in dire straights.
What some agencies are trying to do is demonize all preppers as fanatics. Some are, no doubt, but for the majority of us; the prepping idea is simply to have the means to sustain ourselves during difficult circumstances. That’s NOT A CRIME. What we have is a government that is afraid of the people because much of the population recognizes them for what they are.