Mr. Rawles,
As I watch the meltdown of the Carlyle Fund, of Bear Stearns, and of the credit and derivative markets in general, I am constantly surprised at the the parallels of what I watch happening (via CNBC) with what happens in the novel, “Full Faith and Credit: A Novel About Financial Collapse”, by James R. Cook. [In his novel] huge hedge funds fail, and because they have huge counter-party exposure, the government has no choice but to bail them out. The government pumps money into the markets, causing commensurate inflation. And, as we are seeing in reality, the public gradually recognizes that precious metals are the only safe store of value and purchasing power.
In Cook’s novel, the calamity is initiated by rapid slide in the stock market. In our reality, it is the credit and derivative markets are failing, catalyzed by the failing real estate markets that are causing the recent problems. The book does not take the scenario into such a complete grid-down environment as in your book, and foreign currencies and precious metals are the antidote in “Full Faith and Credit” where bullets and beans are the means of survival in your novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” I’ve read both books, and taken from each in preparing myself and my family for the future.
In this mess we are in, may the innocents (John Q. Public) be blessed and protected, and may the greedy, amoral thieves of Wall Street that have profited so handsomely from these financial shenanigans pay for their moral hubris — very publicly. – Tango in Utah