Trend forecaster Gerald Celente says that economically, socially, politically and financially things will continue to get worse, not just in the United States, but around the world. And, before the clock strikes January 1, 2012, most everyone will know we’re in the Greatest Depression.

(Full Video Interview Follows Excerpts and Commentary)

They’re running out of schemes…

In 2011, the game’s going to run out. We cannot imagine them coming up with another scheme where they’re going to be able to continue, whether it’s in the US or the EU, to print this digital money not worth the paper that it’s not printed on.

…

(The following excerpt is from a December 28, 2010 Trend Alert issued by Celente’s Trends Journal)

In 2011, with the bailout funds and arsenal of other schemes to prop up the economy depleted, teetering economies will collapse, currency wars will ensue, trade barriers will be erected, economic unions will splinter, and the onset of the “Greatest Depression” (a trend we forecasted before the massive bailouts existed) will be recognized by everyone.

As the reality of debt, disappearing jobs, austerity and corruption becomes apparent to the masses, Celente predicts that protests, riots and revolution will spread across the globe:

This is what an austerity measure is. You know that degree you have in worthlessness that you went to college for? You can’t get a job…

…When you look around Europe, that 18 to 26 year old, you’re looking at 30, 35, 40 percent of these kids unemployed – with college degrees. So now, you’re not going to get a job. Oh, and by the way, those services that you’re getting, we’re cutting them. And those pensions and benefits that your parents are getting and other people who are working, we’re going to cut those too. And one more thing, we’re going to raise your taxes.

…the people realize what’s going on. That’s the wake up call.

Europe is just the start – the very same, according to Celente, will come to the United States, albeit a bit more delayed:

This is where the revolution is going to happen. The youth of the world have, and particularly in the United States, mountains of debt to climb, and no way to get to the top.

They’re seeing the too-big-to-fails bailed out. They’re seeing the gap between the rich and poor the widest in the United States of any of the industrialized nations. So, now they have a cause because it’s affecting them.

So what we saw in England, again, with off with their heads, what we saw in Italy with the students taking to the streets, you’re going to see in Spain, you’re going to see in Ireland. You already saw it in France.

The U.S., again, is going to be slower, but it’s going to happen here at a different level. Remember, the U.S., the place has been beaten down and pushed down. You’re going to see a revolution worldwide. What’s going to unite them in this cause is another major trend.

Journalism 2.0.

The internet has become the great connector. They all know what’s going on. They’re all Facebooked, they’re all together, they have a system where they’re interacting and relating.

Journalism 2.0 is well on it’s way to changing the world as we know it, as evidenced by the organization of mass protests via online networks, the distribution of sensitive government documents by the likes of Wikileaks, and the thousands of alternative news and commentary distribution web sites around the world which can almost instantly spread news, videos and alerts to tens of millions of people around the world.

Governments already see the dangers of such social networks and communities, and they are trying to take steps now to prevent the trend from taking hold.

Legislation such as the Fairness Doctrine and restrictions on speech that may be considered ‘hatriolic’ and incites violence are already under fire, especially after the recent attempted assassination of US Congresswoman Giffords of Arizona. In previous reports we’ve pointed out that the US government has broadly labeled just about anyone critical of the government or its policies as either domestic extremists or a potential threat.

As journalism 2.0 spreads and fuels the fire of revolution, the next trend in public policy will be to shut down as much availability to free thought and speech as possible. One way this can be easily accomplished is by the aforementioned government initiatives, as well as use of the Patriot Act’s definitions of terrorism. Section 802 of the Act gives the government unprecedented power to detain, arrest and imprison those who take actions that appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion. As is often the case with legislation, neither ‘intimidation’ or ‘coercion’ have been clearly defined, leaving the door open to abuse of power. And, in a worst case scenario, the government, by order of the President would simply shut down web sites that are deemed a threat, or they’ll simply press the kill switch on the whole internet. Celente gives his view on the issue of internet censorship:

As cyber wars increase, government control of the internet will increase as well. Along with Journalism 2.0, we saw with Wikileaks, the citizen journalist. Now people have their own cameras to take films of things we only used to h ave film crews for, now video is instant. They want to crack down on the freedom of information. They will use cyber war as another element in the war on terror to take freedom away from us and freedom of net neutrality…Orwell couldn’t have made up a better name. There’s nothing neutral about the net neutrality that they’re talking about. It gives government virtually complete control to put anybody out of business as Homeland Security did during Christmas season when they said that companies violated copyright laws…and we saw it with Wikileaks.

In addition to Journalism 2.0 taking hold of the internet, Celente forecasts that the internet is the next global battlefield. In a previous article we noted that it would take less than 15 minutes to take down the critical infrastructure elements of the entire United States. Gerald Celente agrees that the threat is real and present, and suggests that this is something we as individuals should be planning for:

The worse economic conditions go globally, the more you’re going to see cyber wars. It’s going to be a new element of warfare. It’s an internet nuclear bomb waiting to go off.

You can bring down entire financial systems, stop the banking transfers. You can blow apart, without ever having to light a fuse, a whole stock exchange from the FTSE to the DOW, from the Hang Seng to the Nikkei. Every major, every  major computer connected industry or service is a potential target for cyber war. And, you’re going to start seeing it – rather than countries putting sanctions that don’t work – they’ll use cyber war to bring down their enemy.

Will you be ready in the event a major cyber attack were to hit our stock exchanges, banking systems or utility infrastructure? In 2010, there was a reported software or other issue that took down thousands of bank ATMs around the country and many people were left without the ability to withdraw money for a day or two. What would you do if ATM’s and computer bank systems went down for two weeks? Or what if your regional electricity plant was taken down? It’s not as far fetched as it seems.

This and the potential for other disasters, man-made or natural, led Gerald Celente to predict the rise of the neo-survivalism in 2010, a trend that will continue until 2012 and beyond. In 2011, Celente says that along with survivalism, we’ll begin to see a move away from big government sponsored food distribution, towards a more natural, organic approach:

As we say, know the hand that feeds you. You’re going to start seeing a lot more recalls come up from tainted food. We’re going to see more and more of the organic food movement, the buy local movement, it’s going to be one of the biggest entrepreneurial opportunities. 25% of the population, we estimate,  is now ready to put their money where their mouth is. It’s a huge trend and there’s going to be counter trends to try to stop it, but at the end we see it being one of the major trends.

Also, a whole different way of growing things. Whether it’s from roof gardens, or people tearing up their lawns with grass that’s useless that you can’t grow to eat or smoke, you’re going to start seeing more and more kinds of vegetables and gardens being produced from it.

Home gardens, microfarming, hydroponic gardens and all manner of personal food production is something that people will take up as a personal right and in protest of attempted government control with laws like the S510 Food Security Bill, as well as a way to rebuke the ever increasing influence of mega corporations like Monsanto. The side benefit, of course, is that personal food production will serve as a reserve for those seeking to protect themselves from potentially catastrophic food shortages and rising prices.

Watch Gerald Celente on RT (January 10, 2011):