Washington State Representative Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley), addressed hundreds of militia patriots and Tea Party faithful over the weekend at a three-day Self Reliance Rally on the shores of Pend Oreille Lake in northern Idaho. By way of the Coeur D'Alene Press:
"We need to prepare for the inevitable collapse that is going to happen. You know it's going to happen. That's right, I am a politician and I am standing up here and saying that."
For a rally dedicated to preparing for America's "inevitable collapse," it was quite the lively affair.
During the morning hours, there were several survival experts giving demonstrations on a variety of things ranging from field midwife training to hand-to-hand combat. Vendors were selling everything from freeze-dried food and ammunition to ham radios and first aid gear. Other experts gave seminars on how to start a barter system, and there was even a history seminar on the real start of the Revolutionary War entitled April 19, 1775.
And then there were speeches by actual elected officials, like Rep. Shea, who offered these hopeful hints for the future:
Shea urged the crowd to stock up on thousands of rounds of ammunition and to stay in shape, practice shooting, learn self defense and special tactics.
For those unfamiliar with Rep. Shea, the Coeur D'Alene Press Self-reminds readers of what the Southern Poverty Law Center had to say:
In a profile of Shea, the SPLC said that he has not recently been involved in the immigration issue, but he is actively perpetuating a conspiracy that the government has plans to disarm Americans and round them up into concentration camps run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. His talk at the rally didn't mention the concentration camps, but he did urge attendees to get organized and to prepare for when the government steps in after the "inevitable collapse. When it happens, we need to look at this as an opportunity, not a crisis," he said. "Who's job is liberty? That's our job."
Apparently you start that job by buying more ammo. And don't forget your sit-ups.