Last in a series of two stories

 

By JOHN NORTH

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SALUDA — After describing what he termed a pathway to “make America great, again” during his Sept. 19 keynote address, author-professor William R. Forstchen spent an hour fielding questions from the attendees of Prepper Camp 2015 at Orchard Lake Campground.

One of the most memorable questions and answers involved ways — besides use of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack — that the United States “could be brought down.”

The gathering of 1,000 preppers (aka “survivalists”) was billed as “the largest outdoor preparedness event in the country.”

Forstchen noted after his roughly 15-minute address that he always likes to leave lots of time for a question-and-answer session.

The Montreat College history professor gave the keynote address last year, too, and was introduced this year by camp organizer Rick Austin as “almost the father of the prepper movement” for his impact with his 2009 book, “One Second After” (a New York Times bestseller), and his many speeches to, and encouragement of, preppers. Forstchen recently released a long-awaited sequel, “One Year After,” which he also discussed during his talk.

(The full story on Forstchen’s address and the first part of the Q&A appeared in October’s print Daily Planet and in the digital version of the newspaper at www.AshevilleDailyPlanet.com. This followup story includes some of the remaining significant questions and answers.)

During the Q&A, a man asked Forstchen to name some of the major ways the U.S. “could be brought down other than through an EMP attack?”

Forschen first noted that, “being an American, whether we came through Ellis Island, came in chains, or were here 10,000 years ago (Native Americans)” — it makes no difference.

“It’s not our race ... it’s the Constitution of the USA. We do not hold allegiance to a king, a president — or an alleged president. (The crowd applauded Forstchen’s apparent slam of President Barack Obama.) We hold allegiance to the Constitution.”

As for major fears he has for ways the U.S. could be “brought down” as a nation, Forstchen began by noting that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (his friend and co-author on a number of books), once told him that “all you need is an education system that disconnects an entire generation from the Constitution — and you can lose the country.”

The author-prof said that that already is happening to some degree now and, as a result, “You have an uneducated class who puts fools in office.”

Another possibility for a national crackup would be the advent of “ a highly unstable financial system.... If that house of cards collapses, it’d be very bad.” Forstchen said that that is a real threat now, too.

Forstchen also said “a terrorist strike” could bring down the U.S. What’s more, he said the threat could be used in “an overreach for your safety and security,” where government officials “create a whole new department of ‘ultra-home security’ and (say), ‘We’re going to make sure y’all aren’t armed!’” Forstchen’s last comments triggered some in the crowd to shout out their agreement with his assessment. 

At that point, Forstchen said, “What’s happening at this very moment is a picture of the future. I currently teach a course that we renamed the ‘30 Years War (1915-1945).’”

However, in a reference to U.S. foreign intervention, he lamented, “We’re in a 100 -year war” now.

To that end, he suggested that the preppers read the article “What Does ISIS want?” in the March 2015 edition of Atlantic Monthly

In further addressing threats to national security, he asserted, “Also, I’d add the complete political correctness of our military — where it becomes more important to be trained in political correctness than military training.”

A man asked Forstchen to name his favorite candidate among the nominees for the U.S. presidency in the November 2016 election.

Some in the crowd laughed along with Forstchen, who replied, “The (news) media has made the Republican candidacy a reality show. It’s a circus. It’s a bloody circus. It’s also about who has the most money.”

He then declined to name his favorite for the presidency.

A man asked Forstchen to tell of any advances in EMP protection since last year.

The author-prof said there have been no significant advances in EMP protection for the U.S. in the last 12 months.

“National defense? No (advances),” he said. “You? Yes — if you’re aware of it. You guys (preppers) are way ahead of the curve on all of this than I am now.”

He also asserted, “The elite have been taken care of” for EMP attacks and other security issues. However, Forstchen added, “They’re not (real) Americans, we are.”

A man said that, when Iran gets a nuclear weapon, would they launch against Israel — and do you think the United States would launch a response against Iran?”

Forstchen said Iranian leaders have said “using an EMP is Sharia-compliant... Read the information, it’s out there. I take it super-seriously....

“One other things that flipped me out... On Sept. 17, 2009 — the (then-) current administration informed the government of Poland that it was shutting down plans for an ABM (anti-ballistic missile) base in Poland. That was profound. It could have been the first line of defense (for the U.S.).

Forstchen said there were eerie similarities to Sept. 17, 1939, when, he said, “Stalin knifed Poland in the back — and invaded. It (Poland) suffered under 60 years of communist occupation,” as a result.

He then asked, rhetorically, “What do I think the response should be?’ Some of you might think I’m a nut now, but I believe in pre-emptive response... I’ll take them out (bomb them), if need be, if they won’t negotiate....You can’t negotiate with these people.” (Many in the crowd applauded.)

A man asked Forstchen, “What do we do to start ‘prepping’ for this? My (own) first response would be: “Walk out of your house and shake your neighbor’s hand.”

“You hit it exactly,” Forstchen replied. “Getting to know your neighbors — that’s No. 1” in security precautions, whether on a minor problem or major scale cataclysm.

Forstchen then described a talk he gave several years ago  to top U.S. military officials, noting “If it’s weeks after a major EMP or CME (coronal mass ejection, aka a major solar flare),” at some point they are likely to get a call, saying, “‘Sir, you’d better come down to the gate.’ There’s 4,000 or 5,000 neighbors of yours from the town of Carlisle, (Pa.) They’re not rioting. They’re holding up their babies and saying, ‘Just take my baby.’”

He asked the officers, “Could you do it?” meaning be able to decide whether to let their neighbors die and, with scarce resources, would they rescue some of the babies? (Forstchen said some of the officers approached him afterward with tears in his eyes, saying that it would be awful to make such a choice.)

In the military, or as preppers, during a disaster, “Do you compromise your mission or your soul?” he asked.

“The Jews in Germany were not the first to do this, although some of them were — some of them were walking to the train station to their death, holding up their children, saying (to their non-Jewish neighbors who were standing nearby and watching), ‘Take my child.’”

In returning specifically to the question he was asked, Forstchen said, “You network with your friends, first.” He then quipped, “Become a doctor — you’ll be taken care of, no matter what. We all have certain skills to create a community.”

He added, “Next time you go to the market, buy several months’ worth of canned food” to be prepared. “We have to think of nightmare scenarios.”

A man asked said ISIS training facilities and terrorist groups “already are here” in Western North Carolina. “Pre-emptively, can we stop them?”

Forstchen replied, “That’s not conspiracy theory stuff.” He said he has confirmation from reliable sources that ISIS is in WNC.

“They can hear us,” Forstchen said with a grin. “If so, I say (to ISIS), ‘Eat pork!’”

A woman asked Forstchen to name his “favorite news source.”

“I ‘hit’ (check the news on) Drudge (Report website) every morning,” Forstchen answered, succinctly.

A man asked, “Do you feel we have a ‘Manchurian candidate’ in the White House?”

Before Forstchen could answer, a woman in the crowd yelled out, “Duh! We have a Muslim in the White House, right now.” (President Obama has stated on a number of occasions that he is a Christian, research by the Daily Planet shows, although a recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicates that one in five Americans think Obama is a Muslim.)

Forstchen, too, said, “Duh” — and rapidly asked for the next question.

On a question of which way Forstchen thinks the military would swing if ordered by the U.S. government to crackdown on the citizenry in a way that violates the Constitution, he said, “I want to believe in the integrity of our troops to uphold the Constitution. That’s going to have to be the choice of our individual military. It’s going to be indvidual moral choices.”

A man said, “Obviously, everyone here — we’re all do-ers. What can we do from a political aspect to change the way things are going?”

“From a political aspect, I feel as helpless as you do,” Forstchen replied. “But I feel safe here with you. Because we’re Americans.” (The crowd cheered.)

Another man said television and radio talk show host Glenn Beck “did this whole 9/12 movement and FreedomWorks — and it did good at first, but started dwindling down.” He asked Forstchen to comment on Beck’s efforts.

“Three or four weeks ago, we went to Birmingham, Ala., where Glenn Beck had a march. Glenn had (featured) one of the survivors of the bombing that killed five black children that started the civil rights movement.... If the media ain’t there, it never happened.” He said there was a virtual media blackout, so “it got zero coverage. So what’s the answer. What went wrong? I’ve learned not to trust the media until I can spit into a hurricane.... “

Despite not much publicity in the media about Prepper Camp 2015, “I heard every state of the union is here today,” Forstchen said. “To hell with the media.”

A woman noted that, recently, “someone cut the wires, and all of San Francisco went dark ... What would happen if someone were to cut the Internet (nationwide)?”

“Great question,” Forstchen replied. “One report indicated that a ground hit by 50 to 75 terrorists hitting key points would blow out the grid and the Internet. We are such a delicately balanced system” that the U.S. is highly vulnerable.

A man asked, “Why isn’t it in the news?”

With a decided note of sarcasm, Forstchen quipped, “Because we want to know what Kim Kardashian was wearing.” The crowd erupted into laughter.

Forstchen then asserted, “In 1918, a plane was canvas and screws. Even the biggest bombers of the day could carry (only) four bombs. Then aircraft carriers came along. The ship commanders said airplanes couldn’t sink battle ships in Hawaii. The technology was there, but the thinking hadn’t changed,” he said in a reference to the U.S. disaster that ensued in the destruction of the naval force by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.

A woman asked, “What should we be doing?” She added, “People should be praying. If you did that, maybe the Christian organizations might pick it up and help you do the movie” of his New York Times bestseller “One Second After.”

Forstchen said, “Every day when we have our meal, we pray to protect our children and us. I don’t have the answers. Every day that I come to an event like this, I leave with restored optimism.”

A woman noted that she had worked for CBS “for a very long time ... We’re not dealing with the government. We’re dealing with something much larger. We (CBS) weren’t allowed to tell the real story. We’ve been so dumbed-down for generations. They make sure at the Illuminati level that we don’t get the truth. As we march toward Revelation, the hope is people aren’t afraid to share the Gospel passionately.”

Forstchen’s only response to the woman’s comments were, “Thank you.”

In a playful reference to the title of a “happy” book that Forstchen said he always wished he had written, a man asked, “I’d like to ask what your bunny rabbit’s going to do when he gets to town?”

“My daughter had a pet bunny,” Forstchen said with a grin. “To this day, I have a hard time talking about that rabbit, which would snuggle up with her at night.” To that end, he asked the preppers to “think about your beloved (pet) companions, as well. Make sure they’re taken care of (in an emergency), as well.”

In what he called a “wrapup” after the Q&A, Forstchen told of John Adams, a Founding Father, being “shown the famous painting of the (signing of the) Declaration of Independence. He was very old (when he was shown the painting) — in his 80s. He (Adams) said, ‘That’s not right at all. Some of us weren’t there for months. You got the painting all wrong.’ He was told, ‘Well, it was symbolic.’”

Indeed, Forstchen said, “What a moment (that was) when they voted on it (the Declaration of Independence). They did not know what their future would be — pledging their lives, their fortune, their sacred honor. Or, as Ben Franklin said, ‘We’ll all either hang together, or hang separately.’”

Continuing Forstchen said, “At the Glenn Beck (civil rights commemoration) event, the comment that hit me hardest was” where Beck noted that today’s times are much easier and “How many of us would have gone (to fight to keep America’s freedom), if we were told they need you back then?”

After a pause, the author-prof said, “We are the generation” that actually may be tested to do “what our Founding Fathers did... .”

He added, “To me, whenever you go to a military cemetery,” one thinks of the following words: 

“We here believe that these men did not die in vain.... and government by and for the people shall not perish from this earth... Heavenly father watch over this nation that we shall not  perish.”

As Forstchen ended the Q&A session and the night’s program, the prepper crowd —  en masse — rose to its feet to give him a loud and sustained standing ovation.