I just witnessed the biggest policy error of my 23+ year career. Arguably, this is the biggest self-own since the Great Depression.
On Wednesday, the genius-in-chief announced sweeping, massive tariffs on dozens of countries. The rates vary, but overall we're looking at roughly 35% across the board on all imports into the US. Individually, they go much higher. China's combined tariffs are now 54%!
It seems like the race is on. Which will win: Environmental collapse? Agricultural collapse? Or economic collapse?
Tariff rates as of Wednesday's announcement rival those of the Smoot-Hawley act that helped accelerate the Great Depression.
This is authoritarianism in action. Despite 99% of economists agreeing that tariffs - especially such aggressive, wide-ranging tariffs - are no good for the economy, they all bent over so the golden calf could make his "liberation day" announcement.
A bunch of yes men and women crowding out intelligence and experience. This is the public illustration of what's happening behind the scenes in every government department across America.
THOSE IN CHARGE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY'RE DOING.
Not only is this apparent by the imposition of trade restrictions. It's also clear in how they calculated the tariffs foreign countries impose on US exports. What they're calling a "tariff" on US exports is actually the trade deficit as a % of imports. In other words, foreign governments aren't necessarily taxing American goods. Rather, American simply want to buy the goods produced by that foreign country.
The point is the "rationale" behind the tariff rates inflicted on Wednesday is nothing but witchcraft and tea-leaves that no educated human would consider rational. Again, if this is what they're showing us in public demonstrations of their "prowess" what are we not seeing behind the scenes.
This catastrophic mismanagement of government is putting us on the path to economic collapse.
The irony is that if these ridiculous tariffs cause a Great Depression 2.0, the anti-environmentalist administration might actually give the environment a some breathing space.
Business as usual is carrying us to our demise. Perhaps destroying the economy - however it's done - is what is necessary to slow environmental collapse. Even if completely by accident.
Maybe you’re reading this on a bus. Or in your living room. Or at the office. Wherever you are, you probably feel safe and secure. Nobody around you is eyeing you up for your possessions. They’re probably not thinking about killing you just because of who you are.
But eventually, your friends, neighbors, and even family will turn on you.
It’s a repeated pattern throughout human history. When resources are scarce, power is consolidated, scapegoats are created and people turn on each other.
Let’s clarify what I mean by “people”, because that word often permits one to disassociate from a situation. The word “people” sounds like folks you see on the news or who live in another town.
In contrast, when I say “people”, I mean humans who exist within your sphere, many of whom you know well.
Take a moment to let that sink in, because you must understand this point to appreciate how frightening the future could become. “People” means your friends, family and neighbors. It means you!
How could people you know and trust turn on you? To answer that you must first understand what humans are capable of and what holds these behaviors back.
The video below is of an interview with a mass murderer. It’s easy to psychologically distance from him, as if he were a character from a fictional show. The horrifying reality, however, is that there are many people like this blending into society, their impulses restrained by the thin veneer of civilization.
The transition from a non-violent, civil individual to someone capable of violence can be influenced by a variety of factors. While some individuals may have latent tendencies that remain dormant until triggered, others can be driven to violence by external forces like societal breakdowns, traumatic events, or extreme stress.
Often, psychological, social, and environmental conditions combine to erode moral and ethical constraints, making violence a viable option where it once was unthinkable.
I’m not saying every 3rd person is itching to become a serial killer. But under the right circumstances – lack of food, cratering economy, fascist enablement – people can quickly become monsters. This has happened many times throughout history.
The French Revolution and the Reign of Terror
During the French Revolution (1789-1799), a period of intense social unrest, economic hardship, and political paranoia swept through France, leading to what became known as the Reign of Terror. Citizens, driven by fear and loyalty to the revolutionary cause, began turning on one another. Neighbors would often accuse each other of harboring anti-revolutionary sentiments, leading to public denunciations, trials, and executions.
These accusations were frequently motivated by personal grudges, social rivalries, or simply a desire to deflect suspicion away from oneself. As a result, thousands of people were executed via the guillotine, many of whom had been betrayed by friends, neighbors, and even family members.
The French Revolution offers a stark reminder of how quickly social cohesion can collapse under the weight of fear and political instability.
The Cultural Revolution in China
A similar pattern unfolded in China during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a period in which the Communist regime sought to purge capitalist and traditional elements from society. The government encouraged citizens, particularly the youth, to denounce anyone who was perceived as counter-revolutionary.
Neighbors, classmates, and coworkers were quick to accuse one another in a climate of paranoia. Often, these denunciations were not just politically motivated but were also fueled by personal rivalries or a desire to gain favor with the authorities.
The consequences were devastating: public humiliations, imprisonments, and executions became commonplace, and long-standing relationships within communities were irreparably broken.
The Rwandan Genocide
Perhaps one of the most chilling examples of neighbors turning against one another occurred during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Decades of ethnic tension between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority, exacerbated by economic pressures and political instability, exploded into mass violence. Hutu civilians were often pressured by militias and the government to kill their Tutsi neighbors. Lifelong friendships and familial ties were destroyed as people, motivated by fear, hatred, or economic incentives like the seizure of property, committed unspeakable acts of violence against one another.
Over 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in just 100 days, with much of the violence carried out by neighbors wielding machetes and rudimentary weapons.
When we reached the roadblock, I found that the guy who was my gardener was the head in the roadblock and what they’re telling that, “Tutsi here, Hutu here. If you know you are Tutsi, this side. If you know you are Hutu, this side.”
But then I started to ask myself, “What do I count myself? Do I go to my husband’s side since I’m married to a Hutu? Maybe I had the right to stay on his side.” But then immediately someone, one of the local people on the roadblock, came and pulled me, said, “Hey! You don’t belong to that side if you’re married to him — just here.” So I was pulled to that side and they started up with a machete coming towards me. What I did, I raised up my hand and I said “Please, please don’t kill me.”
As I was putting my hands up, my gardener came, I can’t remember whether this was a slasher or — it was something sharp because it cut my hand. And I fell down, and blood started shooting up, so my mother was trying to pull me up. They said — they hit her hard, she fell down, also, and the gardener came and said, “Okay, please,” he pulled me up, said, “Leave her alone. I’m the one going to kill her because she was — I was digging for her and she was a very bad boss to me. She never paid me well. She never gave me food.” In my mind, I thought I was going to be killed by him. He took us, like, my mother and other three ladies and took us aside on the other bush.
When we reached there, he got some leaves and bandaged my hand, and he told us, “Run! Run for your safety.” And he apologized. He said, “Please, forgive me. This was the only way I could spare your lives.”
– Norah Bagarinka, Survivor
The Bosnian War
During the Bosnian War (1992-1995), following the collapse of Yugoslavia, ethnic tensions between Bosniaks (Muslims), Serbs (Orthodox Christians), and Croats (Catholics) erupted into a brutal civil war. Once-peaceful communities, where neighbors of different ethnicities had coexisted for generations, became battlegrounds.
Nationalist rhetoric and the violence of paramilitary groups led many to turn on their neighbors in fear or vengeance.
Ethnic cleansing campaigns ensued, with massacres, forced deportations, and sieges, such as the infamous siege of Sarajevo. The war left over 100,000 people dead and permanently altered the social fabric of Bosnia.
They had taken a middle-aged man and a woman out of one of the houses. And the woman was screaming. And the soldiers were screaming. And they were screaming at me not to take photographs. And some shots rang out and the man fell to the ground.
A few minutes later, they brought out another woman and then they shot her as well. And, and then things sort of calmed down for a bit, and then they brought out two more people, and they said “Look, look, he’s from Kosovo. He’s a fundamentalist.”
And he put his arms up and basically looked at me as if I was probably the only person that could save him, which, probably in his mind I was, but unfortunately there wasn’t really anything I could do.
They brought him to the headquarters and as I was standing there I heard a great crash, and I looked up and out of a second floor window, this man came flying out and landed at my feet. And amazingly, he survived the fall and they came over and they doused him with some water. They said something like, “This is to purify Muslim extremists,” as they doused him in the water. And they started kicking him and beating him and then dragged him back into the home.
I had to make sure there was a document, that there had to be evidence of this crime, of what was happening. And that, I think, gave me the courage to try—to take those photographs. I was shaking, for sure, when I was doing it because I realized how precarious everything was, but I really thought it was unbelievably important to be able to have the world see what happened. – Ron Haviv, Photojournalist
Many people turned in their neighbors to paramilitary groups or actively participated in ethnic cleansing campaigns. For example, in Srebrenica, where Bosnian Serb forces executed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, some Bosnian Serbs assisted in identifying and rounding up their Muslim neighbors for execution. These betrayals were often driven by a mix of fear, ethnic loyalty, and survival instincts.
At the beginning of the war, it seemed as if the war and all it brought with it was impossible, that this wasn’t really happening to us, and that everything would be resolved within a few days. We didn’t even notice how we were drawn into the vortex of inter-ethnic hatred and how neighbors were no longer able to live beside each other, how death moved into the vicinity, and we didn’t even notice that we had got used to it. In Bosnia, a neighbor means more than a relative. In Bosnia, having coffee with your neighbor is a ritual, and this is what we trampled on and forgot. And in this vortex of terrible misfortune and horror, the horror of Srebrenica happened.
I am here before Your Honors because I wish to express my remorse. I have thought for a long time, and I’m always followed by the same thought—guilt. I find it very hard to say this truth. I am to blame for everything I did at that time. I am trying to erase all this and to be what I was not at that time. I am also to blame for what I did not do, for not trying to protect those prisoners. Regardless of the temporary nature of my then-post, I ask myself again and again, “What could I have done that I didn’t do?” Thousands of innocent victims perished. Graves remain behind, refugees, general destruction and misfortune and misery. I bear part of the responsibility for this. – Perpetrator, Dragan Obrenović
The Holodomor in Ukraine
During Joseph Stalin’s forced collectivization of agriculture, Ukraine was devastated by a man-made famine known as the Holodomor (1932-1933). As the famine worsened and people grew increasingly desperate, neighbors turned against each other in a brutal fight for survival.
Reports of theft, hoarding, and even cannibalism emerged as communities crumbled under the weight of starvation.
In many cases, neighbors reported one another to Soviet authorities for alleged crimes like hiding grain or resisting collectivization. Those accused were often executed or sent to labor camps. The famine claimed millions of lives, further deepening divisions and eroding social trust.
The Partition of India
In 1947, the partition of British India into the independent states of India and Pakistan triggered mass violence between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, particularly in the Punjab region. As religious tensions boiled over, neighbors who had lived together peacefully for generations began to turn on one another.
Communal violence erupted, with massacres, rapes, and forced migrations sweeping across the region. Millions of people were displaced, and up to 2 million were killed in one of the most tragic instances of social breakdown in modern history. The partition left deep scars on the communities that had once been integrated and relatively harmonious.
The Salem Witch Trials
Another historical instance of neighbors betraying one another can be found in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony, religious extremism and economic instability fueled a wave of witchcraft accusations. Many of these accusations were rooted in personal vendettas and rivalries, as neighbors seized the opportunity to settle old scores or remove unwanted competition.
The result was a series of public trials, where individuals were convicted on flimsy evidence and hearsay. Twenty people were executed, and many others imprisoned, all based on accusations made by their fellow community members.
Post-Katrina New Orleans
A more recent example occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. In the chaotic days following the storm, as basic services collapsed and law enforcement struggled to maintain order, social bonds frayed. With food, water, and medical care in short supply, some neighbors turned on each other in a desperate bid for survival.
Incidents of looting and violence emerged, and trust between community members deteriorated rapidly. While many worked together to rebuild, Katrina revealed how quickly fear and resource scarcity can erode the bonds that hold societies together.
Factors Leading to Violence in Civil Society
There are several common precursors that frequently precede instances of neighbors turning against each other. These precursors typically involve a combination of psychological, social, political, and economic factors that erode the bonds of trust and community, replacing them with fear, suspicion, and desperation.
1. Economic Hardship and Resource Scarcity
One of the most common precursors to community conflict is economic hardship, which can lead triggered by resource scarcity.
When people face extreme deprivation—such as food shortages, unemployment, or loss of property—survival instincts can overshadow social bonds. In times of famine, economic collapse, or hyperinflation, competition for basic necessities like food, shelter, and security can lead to neighbors viewing each other as rivals rather than members of a shared community.
The erosion of trust in such situations can quickly escalate into violence or betrayal as people struggle to secure scarce resources for themselves and their families.
2. Political or Ideological Polarization
Another frequent precursor to neighbors turning on each other is the rise of extreme political or ideological polarization. When societies become deeply divided along political, ethnic, religious, or ideological lines, neighbors who once lived peacefully together can be encouraged to view each other as enemies. This is often exacerbated by leaders or media who stoke these divisions, dehumanizing certain groups and justifying violence against them.
A clear example of this can be seen in the Rwandan Genocide, where government propaganda and extremist Hutu leaders spread messages of ethnic hatred through radio broadcasts and public speeches. This incitement of violence made it easier for Hutu civilians to rationalize killing their Tutsi neighbors, despite years of coexistence.
Similarly, during the Bosnian War, nationalist rhetoric stirred up by political leaders turned formerly integrated communities into battlegrounds, as people committed violence based on ethnic identity.
3. State-Sponsored Repression and Fear
In totalitarian or authoritarian regimes, the government often uses fear as a tool to maintain control, encouraging citizens to denounce their neighbors for perceived disloyalty. When people are afraid that they themselves might become targets of the state, they may turn against their neighbors to protect themselves or gain favor with the authorities. This environment of fear, suspicion, and forced loyalty erodes trust within communities.
For example, during Stalin’s Great Purge in the Soviet Union, many people reported their neighbors to the secret police, often for minor or fabricated infractions. The fear of being labeled as “counter-revolutionary” or disloyal to the regime created a culture of paranoia, where turning on one’s neighbors became a survival strategy.
Similarly, in Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, ordinary people were encouraged to accuse their neighbors of harboring anti-Communist sentiments, often leading to violent consequences.
4. Breakdown of Law and Order
When the institutions of law and order collapse or become ineffective, it can lead to chaos and a breakdown of social cohesion. In such situations, people may feel that the only way to protect themselves or their property is through violent means. Without a functioning legal system to resolve disputes or maintain order, individuals may resort to taking the law into their own hands, often turning on neighbors they see as threats or competitors.
After Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the breakdown of law enforcement and basic services led to a rise in violence and looting, with reports of neighbors defending their homes with guns or threatening those in need of help. The absence of order and the perception of a survival situation caused people to act out of fear and desperation, turning a natural disaster into a social crisis.
5. Longstanding Ethnic, Religious, or Social Tensions
Pre-existing ethnic, religious, or social tensions can lie dormant for years but may explode into violence during times of political upheaval, economic collapse, or war. When these tensions are exploited or manipulated by political leaders or extremist groups, it becomes easier for individuals to justify violence against people who were once their neighbors.
The Partition of India in 1947 provides a stark example. As British India was divided into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, longstanding religious tensions erupted into widespread violence.
Neighbors who had lived together for generations suddenly saw each other as enemies, leading to massacres, forced migrations, and betrayals. Similar dynamics were at play during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, where ethnic tensions between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks escalated into acts of ethnic cleansing, with neighbors often directly participating in the violence.
6. Propaganda and Dehumanization
Communal violence and neighborly betrayal is often preceeded by propaganda to dehumanize certain groups. By portraying certain ethnic, religious, or political groups as inferior, dangerous, or traitorous, regimes and extremist movements can make it easier for ordinary people to turn against those groups, even when they are their neighbors.
Dehumanization breaks down the moral barriers that typically prevent violence against others.
This was a central tactic during the Holocaust, where Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews as subhuman and a threat to Aryan society. This allowed many non-Jewish citizens to rationalize reporting their Jewish neighbors to the Gestapo or participating in their deportation.
Similarly, during the Rwandan Genocide, Tutsis were repeatedly referred to as “cockroaches” in Hutu propaganda, making the mass killings easier for Hutu civilians to justify in their minds.
7. Fear for Personal Safety
Fear of personal safety or the safety of one’s family is a powerful motivator that can lead individuals to commit violence or betray their neighbors. When people feel that they or their loved ones are in immediate danger, they may act out of self-preservation, even if it means turning on people they know. Fear can be stoked by propaganda, rumors, or real violence occurring nearby, leading to a breakdown of trust and an increase in suspicion and betrayal.
Modern America is just as vulnerable as anywhere else. During the Red Scare, fear of Communism led to widespread suspicion, and many people denounced their neighbors as a way to protect themselves from being accused of disloyalty.
The Future is Violent
Human civilization is successful because we have rules and cooperate on a wide scale. The economy is built on trust and laws that we all agree to. Social norms shape behaviors.
Remove the legal and social contracts, destroy the incentives for peaceful cooperation and humans deconstruct into their primal elements.
As society collapses, it is likely our history of violence will repeat.
The groundwork is already being laid, with family and friends separated by party lines. The dehumanization of certain segments of the population is creating future targets.
Millions are already salivating at the potential opportunity for violence. Once food and money become scarce and with tacit government approval – or even explicit direction – countless more will join in.
Governments around the world – Sweden, France, Taiwan – are updating civil defence plans as threats from old (and new) adversaries escalate. Some countries, however, have yet to announce plans, despite the desperate need. So I’m filling the void.
Below are personal and household preparedness techniques in case of war, civil strife, supply chain disruptions, and other breaks in organized society. This information is introductory. For more comprehensive preparation, at the bottom I’ve included links to several civil defense guides – many from the Cold War – covering everything from nuclear fallout to outdoor shelters.
This won’t solve all our problems in the event of total collapse, but a prepared community is more resilient and may be able to mitigate some of the damage.
Here’s where to start:
Build and Maintain Emergency Supply Kits
Stockpile essential supplies so your household can be self-sufficient if cut off from services. Authorities recommend at minimum a 72-hour survival kit with items like non-perishable food, water (at least 2–4 L per person per day), medications, a battery or wind-up radio, flashlight, spare batteries, mobile chargers, cash, copies of important documents, spare keys, warm clothing and blankets, and basic tools. In practice, having a larger reserve is wise – Cold War civil defense manuals urged families to keep a full two-week supply of food and water, along with a first aid kit and radio, stored in a home shelter. Rotate your stock and check expirations regularly so provisions stay fresh.
Prepare Shelter and Safe Spaces
Identify the safest area in your home to shelter during different crises. For example, an interior basement room can protect against tornadoes or bomb blasts, and can be adapted as a fallout shelter in a nuclear emergency. Strengthen this space with supplies and physical shielding if needed (earth, water containers, or heavy materials can block radiation). The principles of radiation protection are simple – even with household resources, families can improvise an effective fallout shelter if needed. If a nuclear or chemical threat is imminent, seal the house: close doors and windows and shut off outside air if possible. Conversely, for some hazards like house fires or chemical spills, knowing how and when to evacuate the shelter is equally important. Being ready to shelter in place or evacuate based on official warnings will save lives.
Plan for Evacuation and Mobility
Have a clear family evacuation plan for scenarios where staying put is too dangerous (such as a spreading wildfire, flood, or invasion). Map out safe destinations (e.g. relatives in a safer region) and at least two routes to get there. Keep your vehicle fueled and ready and prepare a “go-bag” or car emergency kit in advance. This car kit should include food, water, first aid supplies, blankets, and a battery-operated radio so you can survive on the road or if stranded. Only attempt evacuation if you are confident you can leave early and reach your destination safely – do not get stuck in traffic during a crisis. As one nuclear survival guide warns, evacuating is viable only if you have a clear destination and route before chaos erupts; otherwise, you risk getting trapped in transit among panicked crowds. If you cannot evacuate in time (especially in urban centers), it is usually safer to stay where you are and make the best of your shelter.
Enhance First Aid and Medical Readiness
In disasters or war, professional medical help may be delayed, so basic medical skills and supplies are vital. Every household should keep a well-stocked home medical kit with first aid materials and essential medicines. This includes bandages, disinfectants, pain relievers (e.g. acetaminophen), any critical prescription drugs, and items for common ailments (oral rehydration salts, antiseptic, etc.). Community health handbooks urge families to have such kits ready for emergencies and to replace used or expired items regularly. Just as important is training – learn first aid and home nursing care in advance. Take a Red Cross first aid course and practice skills like CPR, controlling bleeding, and treating wounds or burns. Military first aid manuals emphasize attending to life-threatening injuries immediately (ensuring an open airway, stopping severe bleeding, treating for shock). Knowing how to stabilize an injured family member or neighbor until help arrives can make the difference in survival. Include basic dental emergency items as well (temporary filling material, oral pain relievers), since professional dental care might be inaccessible during a crisis.
Secure Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Water is an absolute priority. Store plenty of safe water – at least 2 litres per person per day for drinking (more for washing and cooking). If you have advance warning, fill bathtubs, sinks, and containers immediately before the supply or power is cut. In prolonged outages, know how to purify water from untreated sources. Maintain hygiene to prevent disease – wash hands frequently (use hand sanitizer if water is scarce) and safely dispose of waste. If toilets won’t flush due to infrastructure failure, set up an improvised latrine or bucket toilet away from living areas and water sources. Dig a deep pit outhouse if possible: a covered hole keeps flies and animals away from human waste, greatly reducing infection risk. Manage garbage by burning or burying it far from homes and wells. By rigorously keeping water clean, handling food safely, and containing waste, you can prevent outbreaks of diarrhea, cholera, and other diseases that often follow disasters.
Maintain Communication and Information Access
Staying informed during a crisis is crucial. Know your community’s emergency warning systems and signals (sirens, alert radio channels, text alerts) and heed them. Keep a battery-powered or wind-up radio in your kit to receive news and official instructions if power or internet goes down. Pre-designate information sources (local radio frequencies, government alert stations) and ensure all family members know how to tune in. Post a list of emergency contact numbers in your home and save them in cell phones. In the event of war or cyber attacks that disrupt communications, having a pre-arranged way to get information (like a neighbor with a ham radio, or a community bulletin point) is invaluable. If you have family members in other regions, agree on a check-in procedure (such as calling an out-of-area relative or using text/SMS which often works sooner than calls). Understand you may not be able to reach people. Communication can also mean simple signaling tools – keep a whistle (for attracting attention) and consider two-way radios for your family or group in case phone networks fail.
Equip and Harden Your Home
Increase your household’s physical resilience and safety. Survey your home for hazards and mitigate them – for example, brace or secure heavy furniture and shelves (especially important in earthquake-prone areas) and remove or fix anything that could fall or cause injury. Prepare to fight fires: install smoke detectors and keep fire extinguishers in key areas (kitchen, garage), and ensure everyone knows how to use them. Civil defense guides recommend having emergency tools on hand such as a fire extinguisher, a length of hose, a ladder, shovel, axe, saw, rope, and work gloves in your shelter or home kit. These tools can help put out small fires, shut off utilities, or perform light rescue if someone is trapped. Backup power and heating plans are also important – have flashlights and spare batteries for lighting, and candles as a last resort (with proper holders). For warmth during winter blackouts, stock extra blankets or sleeping bags and consider safe alternative heat sources. A small camp stove with fuel will allow you to boil water and cook if the electricity or gas is out. Take care with generators or open flames (carbon monoxide and fire risks) – use them only according to safety guidelines. By readying your home in advance, you reduce the risk of injury and damage when crises strike.
Make a Family Emergency Plan (and Practice It)
In a crisis every second counts, so each family member should know exactly what to do and work as a team. Create an emergency plan detailing meeting points, communication methods, and individual responsibilities. For instance, decide who will grab the emergency kits, who will check on elderly neighbors, and who will gather the pets. Conduct home drills for scenarios like fire evacuation, tornado sheltering, or lockdown. Children should be taught in simple terms how to dial emergency numbers and follow the plan. Also familiarize everyone with community plans – if your area has designated shelters or evacuation routes, make sure your home plan aligns with those. A good family plan also involves home emergency maintenance: know how to turn off the gas, water, or electricity if needed to prevent fires or flooding. By practicing in advance (even just talking through different scenarios), your family will respond more calmly and effectively when an actual emergency happens. Planning extends to important documents too: keep copies of IDs, passports, health cards, insurance policies, and a list of personal contacts in a waterproof folder as part of your kit. In the stressful moments of crisis, a well-rehearsed plan prevents panic and confusion.
Support Your Neighbors and Community
Community solidarity is a force multiplier in any disaster. After securing your household, help those around you if it’s safe – check on elderly or disabled neighbors, share resources, and communicate needs to local authorities. Individuals and families are responsible not only for themselves but also for contributing to the general survival effort. Many crises, from ice storms to war, can overwhelm professional responders, so communities that organize effectively can save lives. If you have skills (medical training, volunteer firefighter, etc.), make them known. Defend and aid your community, such as by joining local civil reserve units or volunteer firefighting groups. You might consider getting involved with your local emergency volunteer programs (like Community Emergency Response Teams or search-and-rescue volunteers) before a disaster happens. During peacetime, push for better community preparedness: attend town emergency planning meetings, map out which neighbor has a generator or a snowplow, and establish a buddy system for check-ins. In the event of an invasion or civil unrest, a networked community that watches out for each other is more resilient and less vulnerable to chaos. Preparedness is not just a private affair – it’s a collective insurance policy for your entire neighborhood.
Stay Informed and Mentally Resilient
Psychological preparedness is as important as physical preparations. In any crisis – whether a natural catastrophe or the shock of war – maintaining calm, discipline, and hope will greatly improve outcomes. Educate yourself now about what to expect in various emergencies; knowing the facts helps combat fear. For example, understanding that nuclear fallout risks can be reduced by simple sheltering techniques. By planning rationally, you replace panic with purpose. When a crisis hits, focus on actionable steps (check your family’s safety, use your plan, assist others) rather than dwelling on worst-case anxieties. Take care of mental health under prolonged stress: ensure each family member gets rest, stays hydrated and fed, and has some emotional outlet (even something like a book, game, or prayer can steady nerves during long waits). If you have children, keep them informed in a reassuring way and assign age-appropriate tasks to involve them – this gives them a sense of security and control. Community support is also a huge morale boost: knowing “we’re all in this together” helps psychologically.
There’s an old saying: To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In times of uncertainty, authoritarian power becomes the hammer, and every challenge—whether immigration, civil unrest, or the specter of war—becomes the nail—an excuse for expanding executive authority. When leaders frame these issues as existential threats, the temptation to bypass democratic institutions and invoke emergency measures becomes irresistible.
Martial law has long been seen as an extreme measure, invoked only in moments of true national crisis—during invasion, insurrection, or catastrophic disaster. In the United States, it has historically been viewed as a last resort, a temporary suspension of civil authority in the face of overwhelming chaos.
But what happens when every political challenge is deliberately framed as an emergency?
When an administration habitually describes immigration as an “invasion” or warns of an impending World War III, it transforms the perception of crisis from a rare occurrence into a constant state. And if everything looks like an existential threat, then the use of extreme powers—like deploying the military against civilians or declaring martial law—starts to seem not just possible, but inevitable.
This is the logic of authoritarianism: convince the public that the nation is under siege, then claim that only a strong, decisive leader—free from bureaucratic constraints—can save it. The danger is not just that crises may be exaggerated or manipulated; it is that they normalize the idea that democracy itself is inadequate to handle them. Over time, the public becomes conditioned to accept emergency powers as the default response to political and social challenges. The greater the perceived threat, the weaker the resistance to executive overreach.
In theory, martial law is meant to be a temporary measure, implemented only when civilian government can no longer function. In reality, history has shown that once leaders seize extraordinary powers, they rarely relinquish them easily.
Consider the scenarios in which an administration might justify its use: mass protests and social unrest could be declared a national security crisis requiring military intervention; a contested election might lead a president to refuse to leave office under the pretense of preventing fraud or instability; a cyberattack or foreign conflict could provide cover for broad emergency powers that suspend normal governance. Under any of these circumstances, the erosion of democratic institutions would accelerate.
Ordinarily, the system of checks and balances—Congress, the courts, the military, and the states—would stand in the way of such a power grab. But these safeguards are weakening. A judiciary increasingly shaped by partisan loyalty may hesitate to challenge executive authority. A gridlocked Congress, paralyzed by political dysfunction, may fail to assert its constitutional role. Military leadership, if filled with loyalists, may no longer act as a neutral force. State governments, while positioned to resist federal overreach, could find themselves overridden by federalized National Guard units. And the media, the last defense against unchecked power, is already under siege by disinformation, attacks on press freedom, and efforts to delegitimize its role as a watchdog.
The legal mechanisms for emergency rule are already in place. The War Powers Act, the Insurrection Act, and other national security provisions give the president significant authority to deploy the military domestically and override normal legal processes. But these laws were drafted under the assumption that those in power would use them in good faith. In the hands of a leader who subscribes to the unitary executive theory—which asserts that the president has near-total control over the executive branch, including law enforcement and the military—these provisions could be stretched to justify prolonged rule under emergency conditions. If the courts do not intervene, if Congress does not act, and if the public is conditioned to accept crisis-driven governance, the transition from democracy to authoritarian rule could happen faster than you can imagine.
The question is no longer whether martial law could be misused in the United States, but how to prevent its abuse before the moment arises.
Rebuilding democratic guardrails requires more than faith in the system; it demands active reform. Congress needs to reclaim its oversight role and impose stricter limits on executive emergency powers. Electoral integrity must be protected against manipulation. The military and judiciary must remain independent, resisting political influence. State and local governments must be prepared to serve as counterweights to federal overreach. And most importantly, the public must resist the creeping normalization of emergency rhetoric. A free press and an informed citizenry are the best defense against a government that seeks to govern by fear.
The troubling reality is that we are already wading into the Rubicon, step by step. The erosion of democratic guardrails is not a distant warning—it is happening now. If Congress does not reassert its role, if courts continue to bend to political influence, if elections remain vulnerable to manipulation, then the moment of no return will not be marked by a single dramatic event—it will be recognized only in hindsight, when it is too late.
As I’ve stated in earlier essays, democracy does not collapse overnight. It erodes gradually, often under the pretense of restoring order or responding to crisis.
The invocation of martial law has always been framed as a necessary response to chaos, but the real chaos lies in the unchecked accumulation of power. If the United States is to avoid crossing the line from democracy to dictatorship, the time to reinforce its institutions is not when the emergency is declared, but now—while the choice remains in the hands of the people, rather than in the grip of a single leader.
If the warning signs are already in front of us, what will it take for us to act before it’s too late?
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