The Texas governor has one driving passion: selling off government to the highest bidder
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/rick-perry-the-best-little-whore-in-texas-20111026#ixzz1cQ6bbadF
"We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities." Edward R. Murrow
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Paul Craig Roberts: Americans: Awash In Spin
A country’s consumers cannot forever draw down savings or go deeper into debt. For an economy to recover, there must be growth in consumer income. That growth is nowhere to be seen in the US. A large percentage of the goods and services sold to Americans by American corporations are now produced abroad by foreign labor. Thus, Americans no longer received incomes from the production of the goods and services that they consume. The American consumer market is on its way out.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29548.htm
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29548.htm
Friday, October 28, 2011
A Survival Q & A: Living Through SHTF In the Middle of A War Zone
GREAT ADVICE FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD TO SURVIVE THE WAR
IN BOSNIA/SERBIA.
CREDIT TO WERNERUL FOR THE STORY.
THIS LINK IS TO A COMPILATION OF ALL THE Q AND A (s) FROM THE
ORIGINAL BLOG AT SURVIVALISTBOARDS http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=189395
YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THIS TYPE OF SITUATION
IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SO START NOW AND ACCUMULATE THE ITEMS MENTIONED
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/a-survival-q-a-living-through-shtf-in-the-middle-of-a-war-zone_10252011
IN BOSNIA/SERBIA.
CREDIT TO WERNERUL FOR THE STORY.
THIS LINK IS TO A COMPILATION OF ALL THE Q AND A (s) FROM THE
ORIGINAL BLOG AT SURVIVALISTBOARDS http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=189395
YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THIS TYPE OF SITUATION
IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SO START NOW AND ACCUMULATE THE ITEMS MENTIONED
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/a-survival-q-a-living-through-shtf-in-the-middle-of-a-war-zone_10252011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
PAUL FARRELL: AN APOCALYPTIC END TO THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BUBBLE
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/an-apocalyptic-end-to-worlds-biggest-bubble-2011-10-25
Our great nation is acting like a drunken self-destructive addict. Could use an intervention.
Our great nation is acting like a drunken self-destructive addict. Could use an intervention.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Zuckerberg Is Selling Private Facebook Information To Highest Bidders
DELETE YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS!
It turns out, the machinery for exploiting your own information,
EVEN THAT SHARED ONLY WITH A FEW FRIENDS,
has been perfected so that TOTAL STRANGERS seeking to control you,
will have access to ALL your information which many people think
is only for their own friends and family
http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/zuckerberg-is-selling-private-facebook-information-to-highest-bidders/
It turns out, the machinery for exploiting your own information,
EVEN THAT SHARED ONLY WITH A FEW FRIENDS,
has been perfected so that TOTAL STRANGERS seeking to control you,
will have access to ALL your information which many people think
is only for their own friends and family
http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/zuckerberg-is-selling-private-facebook-information-to-highest-bidders/
Logging out of Facebook is not enough
http://nikcub.appspot.com/logging-out-of-facebook-is-not-enoughTuesday, October 25, 2011
MARTIN ARMSTRONG'S LATEST ARTICLES
Monday, October 24, 2011
Why Homelessness Is Becoming an Occupy Wall Street Issue
What occupiers from all walks of life are discovering, at least every time they contemplate taking a leak, is that to be homeless in America is to live like a fugitive. The destitute are our own native-born “illegals,” facing prohibitions on the most basic activities of survival. They are not supposed to soil public space with their urine, their feces, or their exhausted bodies. Nor are they supposed to spoil the landscape with their unusual wardrobe choices or body odors. They are, in fact, supposed to die, and preferably to do so without leaving a corpse for the dwindling public sector to transport, process, and burn.
Homelessness is not a side issue unconnected to plutocracy and greed. It’s where we’re all eventually headed -- the 99%, or at least the 70%, of us, every debt-loaded college grad, out-of-work school teacher, and impoverished senior -- unless this revolution succeeds.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29501.htm
Homelessness is not a side issue unconnected to plutocracy and greed. It’s where we’re all eventually headed -- the 99%, or at least the 70%, of us, every debt-loaded college grad, out-of-work school teacher, and impoverished senior -- unless this revolution succeeds.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29501.htm
EU BANK FAILURES WILL CRASH WALL STREET...AGAIN
Worst-case scenario’s closing fast: Occupy Wall Street growing. But no political power or allies yet. Feared yes, attacked by GOP proxy tea party. Soon the Occupation will explode into a new American Revolution.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eu-bank-failures-will-crash-wall-street-again-2011-10-18
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eu-bank-failures-will-crash-wall-street-again-2011-10-18
Gitlow v. New York
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitlow_v._New_York
The Supreme Court previously held, in Barron v. Baltimore, 32 U.S. 243 (1833), that the Constitution's Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, and that, consequently, the federal courts could not stop the enforcement of state laws that restricted the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Gitlow v. New York's partial reversal of that precedent began a trend toward nearly complete reversal; the Supreme Court now holds that almost every provision of the Bill of Rights applies to both the federal government and the states.
The Supreme Court previously held, in Barron v. Baltimore, 32 U.S. 243 (1833), that the Constitution's Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, and that, consequently, the federal courts could not stop the enforcement of state laws that restricted the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Gitlow v. New York's partial reversal of that precedent began a trend toward nearly complete reversal; the Supreme Court now holds that almost every provision of the Bill of Rights applies to both the federal government and the states.
The First Amendment and the Obligation to Peacefully Disrupt in a Free Society
an absolute "right to be free of disruption" from First Amendment activity does not exist in a free republic. But the right to engage in peaceable disruption does exist.
...activism and petitioning government for redress of grievances is not a choice if you live in America. If you are American, it is an obligation. The Founders did not give this task to us as an option, but rather demanded it as an obligation: we are compelled by their social contract in the Constitution to protest and engage in free assembly when government has stopped listening to us. That is why the First Amendment comes first: everything else flows from it and is built upon it.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29490.htm
...activism and petitioning government for redress of grievances is not a choice if you live in America. If you are American, it is an obligation. The Founders did not give this task to us as an option, but rather demanded it as an obligation: we are compelled by their social contract in the Constitution to protest and engage in free assembly when government has stopped listening to us. That is why the First Amendment comes first: everything else flows from it and is built upon it.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29490.htm
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Paul Craig Roberts: The End Of History
Except for Washington’s favored mega-rich, the one percent that has captured all of the income gains of recent years, the rest of America has been assigned to the trash can. Nothing whatsoever has been done for them since the financial crisis hit in December 2007. Bush and Obama, Republican and Democrat, have focused on saving the 1 percent while giving the finger to the 99 percent.
If the protests last, especially if they grow and don’t decline, the authorities will infiltrate the protestors with police provocateurs who will fire on the police. This will be the excuse to shoot down the protestors and to arrest the survivors as “terrorists” or “domestic extremists” and to send them to the $385 million dollar camps built under US government contract by Cheney’s Halliburton.
The Amerikan Police State will have taken its next step into the Amerikan Concentration Camp State.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29468.htm
If the protests last, especially if they grow and don’t decline, the authorities will infiltrate the protestors with police provocateurs who will fire on the police. This will be the excuse to shoot down the protestors and to arrest the survivors as “terrorists” or “domestic extremists” and to send them to the $385 million dollar camps built under US government contract by Cheney’s Halliburton.
The Amerikan Police State will have taken its next step into the Amerikan Concentration Camp State.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29468.htm
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
THE 'REAL' RULERS OF THE PLANET HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE FOR A VERY LONG TIME
Benjamin Disraeli, first Prime Minister of England stated in 1844: “The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.”
Winston Churchill stated to theLondon press in 1922: “From the days of Sparticus Wieshophf, Karl Marx, Trotski, Belacoon, Rosa Luxenberg, and Ema Goldman, this world conspiracy has been steadily growing. This conspiracy played a definite recognizable role in the tragedy of the French revolution. It has been the mainspring of every subversive movement during the 19th century. And now at last this band of extraordinary personalities from the underworld of the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian people by the hair of their head and have become the undisputed masters of that enormous empire.”
President Woodrow Wilson, “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in theU.S. , in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”
US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter: “The real rulers inWashington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes.”
John F. Hylan, Mayor of New York, 1918-1925: “The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a letter dated November 21, 1933: “The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government of theU.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson.”
Robert Kennedy, former U.S. Attorney General: “All of us will ultimately be judged on the effort we have contributed to building aNew World Order.”
Winston Churchill stated to the
President Woodrow Wilson, “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the
US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter: “The real rulers in
John F. Hylan, Mayor of New York, 1918-1925: “The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a letter dated November 21, 1933: “The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government of the
Robert Kennedy, former U.S. Attorney General: “All of us will ultimately be judged on the effort we have contributed to building a
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Movement Too Big to Fail By Chris Hedges
What kind of nation is it that spends far more to kill enemy combatants and Afghan and Iraqi civilians than it does to help its own citizens who live below the poverty line? What kind of nation is it that permits corporations to hold sick children hostage while their parents frantically bankrupt themselves to save their sons and daughters? What kind of nation is it that tosses its mentally ill onto urban heating grates? What kind of nation is it that abandons its unemployed while it loots its treasury on behalf of speculators? What kind of nation is it that ignores due process to torture and assassinate its own citizens? What kind of nation is it that refuses to halt the destruction of the ecosystem by the fossil fuel industry, dooming our children and our children’s children?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29431.htm
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29431.htm
October 18, 2011
A Letter from Goldman Sachs
Concerning Occupy Wall Street
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)– The following is a letter released today by Lloyd Blankfein, the chairman of banking giant Goldman Sachs:
Dear Investor:
Up until now, Goldman Sachs has been silent on the subject of the protest movement known as Occupy Wall Street. That does not mean, however, that it has not been very much on our minds. As thousands have gathered in Lower Manhattan, passionately expressing their deep discontent with the status quo, we have taken note of these protests. And we have asked ourselves this question:
How can we make money off them?
The answer is the newly launched Goldman Sachs Global Rage Fund, whose investment objective is to monetize the Occupy Wall Street protests as they spread around the world. At Goldman, we recognize that the capitalist system as we know it is circling the drain – but there’s plenty of money to be made on the way down.
The Rage Fund will seek out opportunities to invest in products that are poised to benefit from the spreading protests, from police batons and barricades to stun guns and forehead bandages. Furthermore, as clashes between police and protesters turn ever more violent, we are making significant bets on companies that manufacture replacements for broken windows and overturned cars, as well as the raw materials necessary for the construction and incineration of effigies.
It would be tempting, at a time like this, to say “Let them eat cake.” But at Goldman, we are actively seeking to corner the market in cake futures. We project that through our aggressive market manipulation, the price of a piece of cake will quadruple by the end of 2011.
Please contact your Goldman representative for a full prospectus. As the world descends into a Darwinian free-for-all, the Goldman Sachs Rage Fund is a great way to tell the protesters, “Occupy this.” We haven’t felt so good about something we’ve sold since our souls.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Blankfein
Chairman, Goldman Sachs
Dear Investor:
Up until now, Goldman Sachs has been silent on the subject of the protest movement known as Occupy Wall Street. That does not mean, however, that it has not been very much on our minds. As thousands have gathered in Lower Manhattan, passionately expressing their deep discontent with the status quo, we have taken note of these protests. And we have asked ourselves this question:
How can we make money off them?
The answer is the newly launched Goldman Sachs Global Rage Fund, whose investment objective is to monetize the Occupy Wall Street protests as they spread around the world. At Goldman, we recognize that the capitalist system as we know it is circling the drain – but there’s plenty of money to be made on the way down.
The Rage Fund will seek out opportunities to invest in products that are poised to benefit from the spreading protests, from police batons and barricades to stun guns and forehead bandages. Furthermore, as clashes between police and protesters turn ever more violent, we are making significant bets on companies that manufacture replacements for broken windows and overturned cars, as well as the raw materials necessary for the construction and incineration of effigies.
It would be tempting, at a time like this, to say “Let them eat cake.” But at Goldman, we are actively seeking to corner the market in cake futures. We project that through our aggressive market manipulation, the price of a piece of cake will quadruple by the end of 2011.
Please contact your Goldman representative for a full prospectus. As the world descends into a Darwinian free-for-all, the Goldman Sachs Rage Fund is a great way to tell the protesters, “Occupy this.” We haven’t felt so good about something we’ve sold since our souls.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Blankfein
Chairman, Goldman Sachs
MARTIN ARMSTRONG'S LATEST ARTICLES
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Brief Message for Humanity: We Want to be Free!
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29417.htm
Everywhere, at all times and in all places, there are those among us, not separate, but indeed, very much human, who have lost their way, thrown their heart to the wind, love only themselves and their bank accounts, who seek to dominate, obfuscate, eradicate, the earth they plunder, and push the rest of us under, control, corrupt, and devastate. Their cause is profit and power, their means are deception and dehumanization, and yet their greatest weakness is their own deprivation, their disassociation, endless demoralization and reckless devastation. All they touch and control, has no warmth of heart, no hope of happiness, no joy of love like that which may be found in the smallest country, in the poorest village, with the poorest family, with the saddest story and the hardest life.
Everywhere, at all times and in all places, there are those among us, not separate, but indeed, very much human, who have lost their way, thrown their heart to the wind, love only themselves and their bank accounts, who seek to dominate, obfuscate, eradicate, the earth they plunder, and push the rest of us under, control, corrupt, and devastate. Their cause is profit and power, their means are deception and dehumanization, and yet their greatest weakness is their own deprivation, their disassociation, endless demoralization and reckless devastation. All they touch and control, has no warmth of heart, no hope of happiness, no joy of love like that which may be found in the smallest country, in the poorest village, with the poorest family, with the saddest story and the hardest life.
Friday, October 14, 2011
10 CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSE REVOLUTIONS
FROM: Crane Brinton’s 1938 classic “Anatomy of a Revolution”
10 CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSE REVOLUTIONS:
1. People from all social classes are discontented.
2. People feel restless and held down by unacceptable conditions and dead end restrictions in society, the economy, religion, or the government.
3. People are hopeful about the future, but are forced to accept less than they had hoped for.
4. Growing bitterness among social classes.
5. The social classes closest to one another are the most hostile.
6. The scholars and thinkers give up on the way society operates, and start to talk openly about breakdown.
7. The government does not respond to the needs of its society.
8. The leaders of the government and the ruling class begin to divide and doubt themselves. Some join with the opposition groups.
9. The government is unable to get enough support from any group to save itself.
10. Government cannot organize its finances correctly and is either going bankrupt or trying to tax heavily and unjustly.
10 CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSE REVOLUTIONS:
1. People from all social classes are discontented.
2. People feel restless and held down by unacceptable conditions and dead end restrictions in society, the economy, religion, or the government.
3. People are hopeful about the future, but are forced to accept less than they had hoped for.
4. Growing bitterness among social classes.
5. The social classes closest to one another are the most hostile.
6. The scholars and thinkers give up on the way society operates, and start to talk openly about breakdown.
7. The government does not respond to the needs of its society.
8. The leaders of the government and the ruling class begin to divide and doubt themselves. Some join with the opposition groups.
9. The government is unable to get enough support from any group to save itself.
10. Government cannot organize its finances correctly and is either going bankrupt or trying to tax heavily and unjustly.
Glenn Greenwald: The “very scary” Iranian Terror plot
GT sez:
THE INSANITY OF EACH SUCCESSIVE GUV'MINT CLAIM OF TERRORISM PUSHES ANY CREDIBILITY.
BUT MOST TRAGIC IS THE FACT THAT NO ONE IN THE WORLD IS ABLE YET TO CREATE ENOUGH OPPOSITIONAL MOMENTUM TO BRING DOWN THE ENTIRE CORRUPT GUV'MINT OF THIEVES AND WAR CRIMINALS BEFORE THEY DESTROY US ALL.
http://politics.salon.com/2011/10/12/the_very_scary_iranian_terror_plot/singleton/
THE INSANITY OF EACH SUCCESSIVE GUV'MINT CLAIM OF TERRORISM PUSHES ANY CREDIBILITY.
BUT MOST TRAGIC IS THE FACT THAT NO ONE IN THE WORLD IS ABLE YET TO CREATE ENOUGH OPPOSITIONAL MOMENTUM TO BRING DOWN THE ENTIRE CORRUPT GUV'MINT OF THIEVES AND WAR CRIMINALS BEFORE THEY DESTROY US ALL.
http://politics.salon.com/2011/10/12/the_very_scary_iranian_terror_plot/singleton/
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Real Story of How Israel Was Created
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29364.htm
The common representation of Israel’s birth is that the U.N. created Israel, that the world was in favor of this move, and that the U.S. governmental establishment supported it. All these assumptions are demonstrably incorrect
The common representation of Israel’s birth is that the U.N. created Israel, that the world was in favor of this move, and that the U.S. governmental establishment supported it. All these assumptions are demonstrably incorrect
Monday, October 10, 2011
Russia Issues “Revolution Alert” For United States
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1526.htm
entire Global Economic System is nearing an historic crash, and that IMF advisor Robert Shapiro warned last week was perhaps just 2-3 weeks away.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/imf-advisor-global-financial-meltdown-in-2-to-3-weeks.html
entire Global Economic System is nearing an historic crash, and that IMF advisor Robert Shapiro warned last week was perhaps just 2-3 weeks away.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/imf-advisor-global-financial-meltdown-in-2-to-3-weeks.html
Sunday, October 9, 2011
European Union prepares for Greek state bankruptcy
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/oct2011/gree-o08.shtml
Greece’s billion-euro rescue packages serve to gain time. They have not benefited the Greek state, and certainly not the Greek population, but went directly into the coffers of the creditor banks, which received their loans repaid in full with all interest due. The European Central Bank also bought large quantities of Greek government bonds on the open market, thus relieving the risks banks faced from their additional papers.
The purpose of the austerity measures was not so much to restructure the budget, but to ruin the working class. Under the dictates of the so-called troika—the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund—the Greek government has cut pensions and incomes, destroyed tens of thousands of public sector jobs and driven the self-employed into bankruptcy by raising taxes, while the rich elite have hoarded their wealth in foreign bank accounts.
Greece’s billion-euro rescue packages serve to gain time. They have not benefited the Greek state, and certainly not the Greek population, but went directly into the coffers of the creditor banks, which received their loans repaid in full with all interest due. The European Central Bank also bought large quantities of Greek government bonds on the open market, thus relieving the risks banks faced from their additional papers.
The purpose of the austerity measures was not so much to restructure the budget, but to ruin the working class. Under the dictates of the so-called troika—the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund—the Greek government has cut pensions and incomes, destroyed tens of thousands of public sector jobs and driven the self-employed into bankruptcy by raising taxes, while the rich elite have hoarded their wealth in foreign bank accounts.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29332.htm
We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening
We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening
October 8, 2011Potential Race Between Black Guy and Mormon Poses Dilemma for BigotsDoomsday Scenario, Haters SayMINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – A looming presidential race between a black guy and a Mormon is creating a major quandary for America’s bigots, a new poll reveals. According to the poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, a broad majority of likely bigot voters “strongly agreed” with the statement, “If it winds up being between a black guy and a Mormon I don’t know what I’ll do because I don’t know which I hate more.” Tea Party activist Eldin Brazelton of Oak Park, Illinois, expressed a frustration typical of the bigots surveyed: “We’ve spent the last three years stirring up anger towards a black guy, and that’s all going to go to waste if we just up and nominate a Mormon.” According to Mr. Brazleton, a presidential choice between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney would be no choice at all: “For the life of me I don’t know why we can’t just have a regular President.” Mr. Brazleton, who considers himself a sexist as well as a bigot, said that the doomsday scenario unfolding for 2012 offered one small silver lining: “At least we know it’s not going to be a woman this time.” Elsewhere, in response to the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests in lower Manhattan, banking giant Goldman Sachs announced today that it was investing in pepper-spray futures. |
Friday, October 7, 2011
GARY NORTH: God, Gold, Groceries, and Guns
Issue 1107 October 7, 2011
GOD, GOLD, GROCERIES, AND GUNS
I wrote an article with this title on June 6, 1980 in my
newsletter, “Remnant Review.” It is time for a follow-up.
The four G's seemed prudent in 1980. In early 1980, the
American economy was suffering from the worst peacetime price
inflation in its history. That was about to reverse due to the
Federal Reserve's decision under Paul Volcker the previous
August to reduce the rate of growth in money and let interest
rates soar. This would lead to a recession.
By the end of summer in 1980, the United States was in a
recession. The Carter Administration was running a deficit in
fiscal 1980 of a then-shocking $74 billion.
(http://1.bit.ly/Deficit1980) Prices were then 40% of what
they are today. A deficit that large would be the equivalent
of $203 billion today. A $203 billion deficit would be hailed
today as a political triumph by the Tea Party and cursed as a
job-destroying catastrophe by Paul Krugman.
Had you known generally what was coming in 1980, you
would have put all of your money into 30-year T-bonds. You
would have sold them in mid-August 1982 and bought a no-load
mutual fund in the S&P 500. You would have sold that in March
2000 and put all of your money in silver. That was because
silver had collapsed from $50 to under $5. Or you just bought
Wal-Mart shares in 1980 and nothing thereafter. (I moved to
Texas in 1980 and recall seeing a Wal-Mart store in some small
town. I did not follow through. Too bad.)
We are still around three decades later. The Soviet Union
isn't. Red China is now the fastest growing large nation in
history, due to the decision of Deng Xiaoping in 1978 to free
up agriculture. Cuba and North Korea are that last nations
committed officially to communist economics. They are
universally acknowledged failures.
Today, the world is safer in terms of nuclear war. It is
far less safe in terms of the stability of financial
institutions. It is also becoming clear that governments can
default on their obligations. We watch the crisis building in
Europe because of the inevitable default of the Greek
government on its bonds. The European stock markets rally when
Merkel makes some vague statement about German's commitment to
something, but not much. The lemmings see what is coming, but
they cannot bring themselves to get out of stocks and stay
out. They buy for a day or two. I call these Merkel's gurgles.
They mean little. Investors believe that something will save
Greece and the big banks that stupidly believed the previous
Greek government and bought Greek IOUs. They believe that the
governments of northern Europe can save the big banks of
northern Europe. They believe in deliverance by northern
government debt – to save the banks from southern government
debt.
Why should you care about the four G's? Why should you
imagine that things will not repeat? The financial system
held up after 1980. Why won't it hold up today? Why won't
things be business as usual?
One good reason is that it is clearly not government as
usual. The size of the deficit, the gridlock in Congress, the
desperation of the unemployed, the ineffectiveness of the
Federal Reserve, the inability of the economists to offer a
solution, the unwillingness of small businesses to borrow, and
$1.7 trillion in excess reserves in the banks all point to a
continuing crisis that is not going away. The government is
helpless. The Keynesian solutions are not working.
This clearly cannot go on indefinitely. The federal
government is absorbing too much of America's capital. Its
deficits show no sign of ending. A recession will increase
these deficits.
When a nation's leaders are visibly helpless, a few
people start looking for ways of protecting themselves. The
vast majority have few capital reserves. They live from
paycheck to paycheck. The very rich have their vacation
retreats. They think they are in good shape. The middle class
has little wiggle room.
Along come critics of the system who tell people that
they had better wiggle. This message is not well received.
Many are called, but most are frozen.
GOD
In 1980, I wanted to recommend a good book on God. I
could not find one that I thought spoke to the issues of the
day. As I say, “You can't beat something with nothing.” So, I
decided to write one. I sat down in early July and started
writing. I had no outline. I had an IBM Selectric III
typewriter. Over the next 12 days, I wrote a book,
“Unconditional Surrender.” In 1988, I added one chapter. In
2010, I added another. It's still in print.
(http://bit.ly/gnuncon)
My position is clear: if you think you're 100% dependent
on your own wisdom and efforts, you are asking for trouble.
You have a heavy load. I know that atheists can sober up, but
Alcoholics Anonymous begins with an open statement of
dependence on God. I think that's a good place to begin.
This world is governed by ethical cause and effect. When
people vote for a living, they create an economy that is
dependent on more theft. Theft-based economies are Ponzi
schemes. It's not just Social Security that is a Ponzi scheme.
So is Medicare. So is the FDIC. All governments over-promise.
They ask us to become dependent on government promises. The
governments issue more promises than taxes and borrowing can
fund. Then they inflate.
Government will prove to be the god that fails. That will
be a good lesson in theology for hundreds of millions of
voters. “Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote” will
prove to have been a destructive principle, although widely
believed.
GOLD
Gold is the asset that has the longest track record in
history. Financial records survive even when written
literature perishes. For as long as we have financial records,
there are entries about gold. Gold has been the commodity of
account in trading societies throughout history.
It is the essence of the arrogance of modern economic
theory that economists have dismissed gold as a barbarous
relic, a thing of the past. It is a thing of the past, a thing
of the present, and a thing of the future. Why? Because gold
is one way that rich people can vote against policies of their
governments. Rich people can buy gold and store it in
Switzerland. They can get out of Dodge, wherever Dodge may be.
They can get on a plane and buy their way into anywhere.
The common man could do the same, but he won't – not
until it's too late. He has heard of gold – mostly negative –
and he has stayed on the sidelines, waiting. The common man
can no longer afford to buy a dozen one-ounce gold coins. In
2001, yes, but not now. He missed the boat.
There is no commodity, no strategy, no place of safety in
a world dominated by governments who preach the gospel of
salvation through legislation. There is no hiding place today
in a world that really does believe in safety through voting.
But for those who look for a tried-and-true port in the storm,
gold is better than any other commonly marketable asset.
It has been the focus of a move from $257 to $1600, 2001
to today. This, despite the nay-saying of the talking heads,
the tenured economists, and the financial press. The run up
has come from outsiders With the banks in panic mode, building
excess reserves, prices have not risen much, despite the
enormous increase in the monetary base since 2008.
Gold is a crisis hedge. It is a buy-and-hold investment.
The American public buys gold only when spooked. Then their
fear subsides. That is why it went to $1900 and then fell
back. The late-comers think there is something magical about
gold. There isn't. Gold is an asset that rich people buy when
they get frightened. But then there is a positive press
release from Merkel, or some vague statement from Bernanke,
and demand falls. Prices fall.
The reality is clear: at some point, the vast increase in
the monetary base will be monetized. The FED will inflate more
in order to make a market for Treasury debt. Then gold will
again be the focus of panic buying.
We are seeing the decline of faith in the state, but
nothing has replaced it in the thinking of the elite. They do
not know where to turn. This decline of faith will create a
decline in the demand for digital money. We do not know when.
Prices are not rising much. The economy remains stagnant. But
the central bank cannot keep recession away by adopting stable
money. Volcker's FED did, but that produced two recessions and
also Reagan's $200 billion deficits. The thought of what the
next recession will do to the Federal deficit is frightening
today. But it will come. We will have to deal with it. One way
for people with extra money will be gold.
But gold buyers must think through why they are buying
gold. They must decide which form is best for their purposes.
Here are traditional reasons:
1. To transfer to children at their death. (Buy small gold
bullion coins.)
2. To invest in an SEC-regulated portfolio. (Buy Central Gold
Trust.)
3. To sell for digital money. (Buy one-ounce bullion coins.)
4. To barter in a crisis. (Buy small bullion coins.)
5. To hold outside the country. (Buy GoldMoney or Bullion
Vault.)
6. To sell to capitalize a business (Buy one-ounce bullion
coins.)
7. To sell to pay off a mortgage (Buy one-ounce bullion
coins.)
The third use – barter with gold coins – is a long-shot.
If it comes to that, you will not get a good return, compared
to having the things you are trading to obtain. Think about
such conditions. You are so desperate that you are willing to
surrender gold coins. That indicates a desperate situation.
The seller knows you are desperate. He will drive a hard
bargain.
I tell people to begin accumulating those things that
would be so desirable in a crisis that they would be willing
to pay for in gold. In most cases, these are common things in
normal times. You can buy them at Wal-Mart or even Dollar
General. You can buy them in bulk at Sam's Club or Costco. Why
not buy them now? Why not buy them on sale in normal times?
If your goal is to barter, then buy now. Barter is
inefficient. It takes place when the division of labor has
contracted. If we get to hyperinflation, which I doubt, we
will be far better off with consumer goods in reserve. We can
quietly consume our hoard, never calling attention to
ourselves.
When you go looking for goods that can be bought by gold
coins but not paper money, you expose yourself. You must
locate a reliable seller of desperately needed goods. You will
not find this person on Craigslist. Would you respond
favorably to an ad that announces this? “I can get you
whatever you need for gold coins. Contact me today.” I think I
would skip that offer.
Barter is a limited market. That means that transaction
costs are high. That means losses when compared to
transactions in normal times. Barter may pay better than not
bartering, but not bartering is better if you possess the
consumer goods that people are willing to pay gold to buy.
What do you want to do with the gold. This scenario
should determine how much gold you should own and in what
form.
GROCERIES
I use this in the broadest sense: immediate consumer
goods. These are goods that you must have. To get them, you
must pay.
Think of bottles of water two hours before a scheduled
hurricane strikes. The bottles will not be on supermarket
shelves. It will be illegal for retailers to hike the prices
of these goods. It's first come-first served. Getting in line
early pays. Waiting doesn't.
Most people wait.
Get in line early.
The economic conditions that would make food scarce are
either local (hurricane) or catastrophic (national). There are
scenarios in which catastrophe is possible. Most involve
plague. The recent movie “Contagion,” presents such a
scenario. It is possible; it is not likely.
A complete failure of the banking system is another. This
would be a black swan event. If the banks go down and stay
down for two months, Western civilization collapses. The death
toll would be enormous. Most people could not survive in such
a scenario. I do not think it pays to prepare for such an
event. The likelihood is too low, and so is your ability to
survive for years on end under such conditions.
The great advantage of storing up basic consumer goods is
that you can rotate them. You buy on sale. You use these goods
to replace what you are consuming. You therefore lower your
cost of living by means of bulk buying. This is good
economics. The fact that it serves as a cushion for a time of
disruptions is gravy.
Here is what could happen. You could lose your job. If
you are in that form of crises, you want a cushion. You will
be using money to make payments on your home. Maybe not even
that. Maybe you pay the water bill and electricity. You dip
into bank reserves. You watch every expense. That is when you
start consuming your reserves. This is not eating your seed
corn. This is living on reserves that you built up for a time
of crisis.
I have a theory about the collapse. Cities will keep
public utilities operating. They do not dare let water and
power go down for more than a week. The threat of panic is too
great. Even in Baghdad, there are rolling blackouts, not
constant blackouts. The city fathers know what would happen if
there were no public utilities for a month. People would start
moving out. The tax base would collapse.
The people who have built their careers on getting
elected know what has to be delivered by the state. They will
allocate their money the way that anyone else that is buying
something allocates his money. They are buying votes. You can
be sure that they will not turn off the flow of funds to any
sector of the economy that services the needs of every voter
in the city.
A garden is a way to store up food. It is expensive. Your
time is valuable. But it has its own rewards. The food is
better in all respects. It is there in an emergency. A garden
does not identify anyone as a crackpot survivalist. It is a
point of contact with neighbors. It is something that you can
recommend to a neighbor as a way to reduce the vulnerability
of the neighborhood in a crisis.
I recommend non-hybrid seeds. You can re-plant the seeds
produced by these plants. They build up immunities to local
plant diseases over several seasons.
GUNS
Guns are controversial. I don't think you need an
arsenal. You need a few simple weapons and the training to
master them. This poem gets the point across.
A .45 for the bedroom,
A shotgun over the door,
A 30.06 for distance,
You don't need any more.
I would add a snub-nosed .357 for a lady's purse. Two
shots will normally settle the issue. Either the assailant
runs or else he cannot run.
You do not have to be an expert marksman. If you can hit
a man-size target at 20 feet, you will do just fine.
The idea that guns are required for defense against gangs
is naïve. A gang that comes into your neighborhood to pillage
is going to be better armed than the police. They will be
carrying automatic weapons. You will not win a shootout with a
determined gang. The best you can hope for is that the members
decide that there are lower-risk victims nearby. A shotgun is
your best means of persuasion. There is nothing like the sound
of a shotgun being racked to persuade someone that he has
other urgent business elsewhere.
You do not want to go outside your home to confront an
armed gang. The guns must be defensive. You want the invader
to take the risk of coming through your door. He should bear
the risk.
I think you should take a firearms course from local
authorities. Get certified. If there is a concealed carry
permit in your state, apply for it.
The United States has a long tradition of gun ownership.
I hope this will continue. Support for an organization such as
Gun Owners of America makes sense.
It's not that you need guns to keep law enforcement
officers away. That is suicidal. Guns are necessary to send a
message to the kinds of college-educated voters who favor
using the state to compel people to submit the their social
reform programs. It makes those people very nervous that there
are millions of gun owners out there. This is altogether
positive.
I think of the scene in “The Day the Earth Stood Still,”
when the world comes to a halt. The professor, who knows why
it has come to a halt, asks his secretary if this makes her
nervous. She says that it does. “That's good,” he replies.
If the state can take away our guns it is because we have
moved past the point of no return politically. Owning a gun
testifies to yourself that you have still not crossed the
line. In this sense, gun ownership is part of positive self-
reinforcement.
CONCLUSION
The four G's are important for reducing our concern
against unforeseen negative events. Instead of worrying about
them, we take concrete steps to deal with them. Most of them
will not occur. But if they do occur, we will be in a position
to deal with them in the short term.
Any series of events that cannot be dealt with with a
two-month supply of food, water, and basic necessities will be
so overwhelming as to make extreme preparations problematical.
Most people cannot afford extreme preparations. They will not
take even minimal preparations.
If you are diligent about spending money and time wisely
in order to reduce your vulnerability to the unexpected, that
is sufficient. You cannot afford to deal with every
contingency. But you should deal with those that could disrupt
your life if you had made none.
If you want to plan for a crisis, plan for unemployment
for six months. That is scary enough.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
MARTIN ARMSTRONG: HIS LATEST ARTICLES
Russian Leader Tells Top Generals, “Prepare For Armageddon”
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1525.htm
the “aim” of theUnited States is as their war against the world has now entered its 10th year, the FSB says, is to prevent “at all costs” the implosion of the US Dollar as the main reserve currency of the present global economic system before the West’s envisioned “New World Order” can be established.
the “aim” of the
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Paul B. Farrell: A new Lost Decade is leading to revolution
The people have lost faith in voting. Not just lost faith in the markets and economy. The public no longer has faith in democracy. They know voting is irrelevant, nothing ever changes. They now know their world is being manipulated by a powerful cabal of wealthy special interests, corporate bosses, bankers, lobbyists and self-serving politicians.
Voters know they’re being played for suckers. The game is rigged. And they’ve also figured out that change will come only after a revolution, one they’re triggering.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-new-lost-decade-is-leading-to-revolution-2011-10-04
Voters know they’re being played for suckers. The game is rigged. And they’ve also figured out that change will come only after a revolution, one they’re triggering.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-new-lost-decade-is-leading-to-revolution-2011-10-04
Obama impeachment a possibility, says Ron Paul
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65035.html
GT sez: DON'T BE SURPRISED IF RON PAUL IS 'ASSASSINATED' AND HAVE IT MADE TO LOOK LIKE A HEART ATTACK OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT WOULD COMMONLY HAPPEN TO AN OLDER MAN IN HIS SEVENTIES.
GT sez: DON'T BE SURPRISED IF RON PAUL IS 'ASSASSINATED' AND HAVE IT MADE TO LOOK LIKE A HEART ATTACK OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT WOULD COMMONLY HAPPEN TO AN OLDER MAN IN HIS SEVENTIES.
China Warns Russia Of Coming American “Great Event”
the Central Intelligence Agencies (CIA) Haqqani terror network in Pakistan has launched an unprecedented bio-attack using the dengue fever virus the Americans plan to “modify” and then reintroduce into their own population.
Dengue fever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever
Monday, October 3, 2011
Obama: A Disaster for Civil Liberties
He may prove the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29269.htm
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29269.htm
Occupy Wall Street Protesters Call For Totalitarian Government, Re-Election Of Obama
There is something very wrong with this picture
Despite their honest intentions, many of the Occupy Wall Street protesters are being suckered into a trap and calling for the very “solutions” that are part of the financial elite’s agenda to torpedo the American middle class – higher taxes and more big government.
http://www.infowars.com/occupy-wall-street-protesters-call-totalitarian-government-re-election-of-obama/
WATCH THE SECOND VIDEO OF ALEX DESCRIBING THE SCENE
Despite their honest intentions, many of the Occupy Wall Street protesters are being suckered into a trap and calling for the very “solutions” that are part of the financial elite’s agenda to torpedo the American middle class – higher taxes and more big government.
http://www.infowars.com/occupy-wall-street-protesters-call-totalitarian-government-re-election-of-obama/
WATCH THE SECOND VIDEO OF ALEX DESCRIBING THE SCENE
Poverty in America: Special report
http://english.pravda.ru/business/finance/15-09-2011/119059-america_poverty-0/
it is important to keep in mind that the government definition of poverty rises based on the rate of inflation. If inflation was still calculated the way that it was 30 or 40 years ago, the poverty line would be much, much higher and millions more Americans would be considered to be living in poverty.
it is important to keep in mind that the government definition of poverty rises based on the rate of inflation. If inflation was still calculated the way that it was 30 or 40 years ago, the poverty line would be much, much higher and millions more Americans would be considered to be living in poverty.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Millions of people to become expendable next year
http://english.pravda.ru/business/finance/29-09-2011/119184-unemployment-0/
Since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008, developing and developed countries lost 20 million jobs. By the end of next year additional 20 million jobs could be lost. According to some experts, the number of unemployed worldwide has reached 200 million.
Since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008, developing and developed countries lost 20 million jobs. By the end of next year additional 20 million jobs could be lost. According to some experts, the number of unemployed worldwide has reached 200 million.
What’s behind the scorn for the Wall Street protests?
http://politics.salon.com/2011/09/28/protests_21/singleton/
Anyone who looks at mostly young citizens marching in the street protesting the corruption of Wall Street and the harm it spawns, and decides that what is warranted is mockery and scorn rather than support, is either not seeing things clearly or is motivated by objectives other than the ones being presented.
Anyone who looks at mostly young citizens marching in the street protesting the corruption of Wall Street and the harm it spawns, and decides that what is warranted is mockery and scorn rather than support, is either not seeing things clearly or is motivated by objectives other than the ones being presented.
30 PAGE ARTICLE THAT IS A MUST READ
http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/09_Global/090805.Matrix-US%20.Constitution.pdf
JUST READ THIS ARTICLE COMPLETELY AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
IT'S BETTER TO BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITIES THAN TO NOT BE.
THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE 2009, AND SOME OF THE PREDICTIONS HAVE NOT COME TRUE ON SCHEDULE...BUT COULD EASILY STILL COME TRUE.
THE MASS GENOCIDE COULD EASILY HAPPEN BY STARVATION AND DISEASES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD'S ECONOMIES WHICH IS SURE TO HAPPEN SOON ENOUGH
JUST READ THIS ARTICLE COMPLETELY AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
IT'S BETTER TO BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITIES THAN TO NOT BE.
THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE 2009, AND SOME OF THE PREDICTIONS HAVE NOT COME TRUE ON SCHEDULE...BUT COULD EASILY STILL COME TRUE.
THE MASS GENOCIDE COULD EASILY HAPPEN BY STARVATION AND DISEASES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD'S ECONOMIES WHICH IS SURE TO HAPPEN SOON ENOUGH
Rebellion Has Arrived in America
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/mike-kireger-rebellion-has-arrived-america
The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the government has a 'compelling interest' in censoring the Internet. The Second Amendment doesn't say you have the right to keep and bear arms until some madman plants a bomb. The Fourth Amendment doesn't say you have the right to be secure from search and seizure unless some FBI agent thinks you fit the profile of a terrorist. The government has no right to interfere with any of these freedoms under any circumstances.
- Harry Browne
The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the government has a 'compelling interest' in censoring the Internet. The Second Amendment doesn't say you have the right to keep and bear arms until some madman plants a bomb. The Fourth Amendment doesn't say you have the right to be secure from search and seizure unless some FBI agent thinks you fit the profile of a terrorist. The government has no right to interfere with any of these freedoms under any circumstances.
- Harry Browne
Saturday, October 1, 2011
CREDIT TO GOLDMELTER FOR THIS ONE
Five surgeons are discussing who were the best patients to operate on.
The first surgeon says, 'I like to see Accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.'
The second responds, 'Yeah, but you should try Electricians! Everything inside them is colour-coded.'
The third surgeon says, 'No, I really think Librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'
The fourth surgeon chimes in, 'You know I like Construction Workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would.'
But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed, 'You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine, and there are only two moving parts - the mouth and the arsehole - and they are interchangeable'
The first surgeon says, 'I like to see Accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.'
The second responds, 'Yeah, but you should try Electricians! Everything inside them is colour-coded.'
The third surgeon says, 'No, I really think Librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'
The fourth surgeon chimes in, 'You know I like Construction Workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would.'
But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed, 'You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine, and there are only two moving parts - the mouth and the arsehole - and they are interchangeable'
September 30, 2011Banks Raise Fees on Same People Who Bailed Out Their AssesIntroduce New ‘Thank You’ Fee on Debit CardsNEW YORK (The Borowitz Report) – The largest banks in the US made history today by hiking fees on the same people who bailed out their asses three years ago. “We would not exist today without the generosity of the American taxpayers,” said CEO Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, which received billions of dollars of Federal bailout money. “And we want to thank them by assessing a special monthly ‘thank you’ fee on all of our debit cards.” Becoming emotional, Mr. Moynihan added, “We think of the taxpayers every time we vacation on our yachts or visit our third homes, and we want them to think of us every time they try to spend $20 on groceries.” Mr. Moynihan said that even after paying the new $5 monthly fee, "American taxpayers should still have enough money left over to let them eat cake." In other news, CNN announced today that it plans to start covering the mass protests on Wall Street in lower Manhattan “as soon as the Michael Jackson trial is over.” And Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry today blasted President Obama’s decision to kill a terrorist in Yemen: “There are plenty of perfectly good people to execute right here in America.” |
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