Post Trump's Win - Will You Go To Sleep Again?

[JohnyMac]

In 2016 when Trump became 45, I was part of a really good MAG (Mutual Assistance Group). That MAG was made up of neighbors, family, and friends. As 2017 progressed, the MAG started to fall apart. The reasoning was many, however, it revolved around Trump being in office.

MAG members started to become complacent. Attendance to the monthly get-togethers began to wane. Less QRF (Quick Reaction Force) training, less canning, less topic training, etcetera.

Then other things in life started to take over. Kids tournaments, work, newborn's, family & neighborly politics, etcetera. By 2018 the MAG ceased to exist except for a few of the local neighbors. Sadly though, even with those few folks our get-togethers were minimal.

We were not the only MAG to have become complacent. I belonged to several other MAG's mostly in an advisor role and they too disbanded over time.

Then it was the 2020 election and like any normalcy bias issue, we all thought that Trump was going to win and another 4-years of relative harmony was ahead of us. As we all know now, we were wrong.

Whether the election was stolen or people just wanted a change in D.C. covid allowed for a whole host of additional votes thanks to the big push for absentee ballots. More people voted or more opportunity for cheating, or a combination of both was the result.

By 2022, folks were starting to contact me about starting a new MAG. Slowly, I got up the gumption to facilitate a new one. It involved covertly interviewing people. Then the biggest hurdle was getting the potential new MAG members to all get in one room to learn and chat on the same day. That happened one cold Saturday when the temperature was zero degrees outside, January 2023.

The meeting was to have the attendees listen to and participate in an updated prepping lecture that I had given a million times before in libraries, church basements, and even tavern backrooms. At the end of the meeting, I passed around the sign-up sheet for if you wanted to be part of this newly formed group. I was surprised that about 90% of the group signed up. Usually it is less than 50%.

Anyhow, the reason for this short post is; I am asking the readership of UP, are we going to slip back into complacency like when Trump won the first time?

The good Lord has brought us together for a reason and in my opinion, we need to stick with it. Not to fall into a normalcy bias vacuum of only caring about ourselves. Ignoring the needs of others within a community of like minded citizens.

I suspect that as we move away from a centralized government which is Trump's and many of our goal, the Elites are going to fight back. Not only the Elites here in the old USofA, but around the world. The oligarchs of the EU. The dictators of the orient. The New World Order enthusiasts.

We are moving into a period as dangerous as the Cuban Missile Crisis. I predict that the next 10-weeks are going to be very anti-MAGA. Then IF Trump is inaugurated, things are going to get frosty domestically. To think that the Swamp is going to give up especially when over 50% of employed folks work for the Federal or State government. Would you want to have to find a job in the private sector, where you would be held accountable after you spent years in a government job?   

For my MAG, let's see what the future holds. What about your MAG?

    

[Searchboss]

What JohnyMac wrote is indeed a serious threat that we all face wherever we are in the country. Building and maintaining a MAG is a dynamic and never-ending process. We are either growing, or we are dying. His question ?are we going to slip back into complacency like when Trump won the first time?? is valid. I hope the answer is NO!

I can tell you that while the people in our MAG are thrilled that Trump won, they don?t really trust him. He is a politician after all! Most seem to be withholding judgment until they see what happens once he takes office. There is a lot of concern about how the country will react to some of his proposed policies, etc. Most are going to continue prepping. 

I am familiar with at least half a dozen MAGs in my area and none of them are static. Most have lost members over the last 3 years. Some to complacency, some to job/location changes, and one to individual personality clashes, there are many reasons. Some MAGs seem to want to limit themselves to a small number of trusted members. Maybe they don?t understand the value and security of having more members. They seem to be reluctant to go through the process of recruiting and vetting new members. 

For the past 3 or 4 years we have had a fluctuating open MAG here in middle Georgia consisting of about twelve to twenty people. During that time the numbers have grown slowly. Preppers are cautious. It takes time to get to know new people and figure out how they might fit in with the existing group. Most of these people are not neighbors, as in they do not live within walking distance of each other. Several of them come from up to an hour?s drive away from each other. But the important thing is that they keep coming to meetings every month. A group email system keeps everyone in touch throughout the month in between meetings which seems to help. Some of these ?distant? members have recently started to bring friends that are more local to where they live to our meetings.

I believe that in a true SHTF situation conditions will probably be different from one location to another, even within the same town or county. I am sure that having a local MAG is the most desirable situation, but for most of us that does not appear to be a reality. For example, the nearest members to where I live are about 8 miles (15 min. drive) away.

Having a dispersed MAG can have its advantages. Should local conditions deteriorate we have options. If there is a local disaster such as a fire, tornado, or hurricane, damaging a neighborhood, others from unaffected areas not far away should be able to respond to assist. Security is often a topic of discussion.

We have some members who live in a rural area, some in the suburbs, and a few who are what I term "homesteaders". This variety gives us advantages when it comes to training, etc. This diversity allows us to learn something from each other and keep our meetings interesting. While not a true analogy, a MAG is somewhat like a club. You have to keep things stimulating to keep people motivated and involved. If people feel valued by and involved with the group there is less likelihood that complacency will set in.

Like JohnyMac, I will be watching to see how people react over the next 4 years. I am going to do all I can to help promote and grow our local MAG, encourage people to train together, and invite some of the other MAGs to participate with us. Only time will tell? 

[JohnyMac]

Good stuff Searchboss 

[Jackalope]

    I don?t see my local MAG?s becoming complacent with Trump?s election.  Last evening, I was at a local radio club meeting which was a social event, and several members of one the MAG?s that I belong to were there. Interestingly, each one mentioned the need to not let our guard down.  In my AO, it seems most preppers perceive the dangers that are still present.  Locally, most MAG members are of the ?homesteading? type, because they wish to be an independent as possible.

[JohnyMac]

@ Jackalope,