The Dollar Vigilante Blog

The Weekend Vigilante

Jeff Berwick — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:29:26 +0000

Hello from beautiful Acapulco,

Not all is perfect down here in the land of sun, cervezas and tacos, however. Slowly, backwards American culture creeps into Mexico. I was very unhappy to see that my Starbucks has just installed "recycle bins".

To translate, from left to right it says, "Plastic", "Glass and Aluminum", "Paper" and "Organic". Am I the only one who finds these types of things totally confusing? For example, in which one does gum go? Or how about a plastic cup half full of organic liquids?

Well, in this particular case it doesn't really matter because I guarantee you that they just dump it all into the garbage. Mexico has never had any sort of recycling services... and that's a good thing by the way.

I had a Canadian family member come down once and ask where he puts his plastic disposables for recycling. "They don't do that here," I said. He responded, "That's terrible!"

Is it? Penn and Teller did a great job on their program "Bullshit" deconstructing the recycling myth:

The free market (if we were to ever allow it to exist) tells us whether recycling makes economic sense or not. If it makes economic sense then entrepreneurs would start up services going door to door paying you for your "recyclables". Since this doesn't make economic sense, governments subsidize this "service" by taking your money and then spending it to collect your recyclables. The pure fact that it has to be subsidized shows it is not economically viable... and if it isn't economically viable then it makes no sense to do. It means that it takes more resources to recycle than not to recycle. So by recycling you are actually destroying valuable resources.

Who's the bad guy now?

CHIMPANZEES IN PANTS

Listening to uninformed and brainwashed Americans hoot and holler about recycling further instills in my mind something that I keep thinking more about the older I get. We are all, for the most part, just chimpanzees with pants.

Most people have no principles by which they live and are almost purely reactionary, reacting to whatever social meme happens to make sense to their dull, monkey minds. Yes, recycling good! Me like recycling!

But, it's not economic, therefore it's destroying assets, you respond. They just look back with a dim stare, confused. Then repeat, recycling good! Me like recycling!

In many ways people are just like this hilarious accidental comedy scene from the movie Ark II.

A bit less running, a little more thinking, people. Please.

PDAC & CAFAYATE

I'm enjoying my last week on the beach before returning to Toronto where I'll be speaking at the PDAC next Sunday (March 4th) from 1:45pm to 2:10pm in room 801. I'll be speaking at the "Investor's Exchange" and that part of the conference is free. You can register onsite. Drop by and say hi if you will be at the PDAC. For those that don't know, the PDAC is the wildest mining conference on the planet. Literally everyone who has anything to do with mining from anywhere in the world descends on Toronto for this 4 day conference. Geologists who have been in the bush for months can be spotted in downtown Toronto with some money in their pocket and looking for a good time. It is a site to behold and the amount of "hospitality suites" and parties thrown is epic.

From the PDAC I'll be heading straight to Cafayate from March 9th to 23rd for the grape harvest celebration activities. Apparently Cafayate was a stop on the US TV show "The Amazing Race". Watch or DVR the show to see how beautiful this little corner of the world is, and see how hard it is to get there. It's worth the effort, as you step back in time. Show time: 7PM Central this Sunday after 60 Minutes.

TDV GOLDEN TRADER

Our gold stock trading service, the TDV Golden Trader, continues to rack up impressive gains, just as I suggested it would. As I mentioned when I first introduced the service, Vin rarely loses. And on the rare trade when he loses, he keeps his losses to a minimum... the mark of a great trader.

He's been finding great opportunities for trades and investments in the sector. If you are looking for a more actively traded portfolio alert type service, you owe it to yourself to take a look at TDV Golden Trader. Vin will also be speaking at the PDAC next week if you'd like to hear some of his trading strategies and philosophy in person.

Here's Vin Maru's track record to date:

WANT A EU PASSPORT QUICKLY AND EASILY?

In our ongoing effort to help westerners diversify their citizenship we have recently uncovered a way to get a EU passport in less than a month... and it can even be Fedexed to you, wherever you are. It costs $17,000 USD (and cheaper for family members)... but for those who need/want a second passport ASAP and with minimal inconvenience, this is the best deal we know of. And, an EU passport is one of the best travel/work documents in the world.

We don't know for how long we can do this and how long the loophole we have uncovered will stay open. And we have to be careful in how we tell people about it for that reason... but if you want more info, email us at DRPASSPORTS@dollarvigilante.com.

With the US Government about to make foreign bank account holding filings mandatory in 2013 and a very good chance that Americans will soon not even be able to open a foreign bank account, this could be just the thing many people need at just the right time.

We continue to look for all possible means to free yourself from your own government and internationalize your assets.

NOTE: For TDV Subscribers we will have much more info and specific details on this in our Interim Update due out on Monday. Also, as with all of our products, TDV subscribers receive a discount.

GET YOUR GOLD OUT OF DODGE

Speaking of that, we are in the final hours of finishing our report on internationalizing your precious metals. It will be called "Get Your Gold Out of Dodge" (GYGOOD) and will be the most complete compendium on how to get your gold outside of your own country and safely placed in various jurisdictions worldwide where they are less prone to considering your assets their assets.

The report will be free to TDV and TDV Golden Trader subscribers or $44.95 for non-subscribers. Yet another great reason to subscribe to TDV if you aren't already a subscriber. We are one of the only publications who are actively working to find ways to help westerns internationalize themselves and their wealth outside of the control of their own government.

SNN LIVE

Here is a recent interview I did with Shelly Kraft of SNN Live talking about the nullification of the Bill of Rights by Barack O'Bomber.

HAVE A GOOD ONE

That's all for this week. I'm about to throw my mocha frapuccino cup into a random recycling can and move on into the night on a Friday in Acapulco where the discotheque was actually invented and with some of the most interesting and fun strip clubs on Earth. Midgets on rollerskates. Need I say more?

Surely good times lie ahead of me. I wish the same for you!

It's Far Worse This Time 'Round, Mr. Browne

Jeff Berwick — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:13:36 +0000

Government is good at one thing: It knows how to break your legs, hand you a crutch, and say, "See, if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be able to walk." - Harry Browne

Two months before I was born, on September 30, 1970, Harry Browne appeared on "Firing Line" with CIA operative, William F. Buckley Jr. For those unaware, Harry Browne was an American free-market libertarian writer and publisher of "Harry Browne's Special Report", a financial newsletter he published from 1974-1997.

In the debate between Browne and economist Eliot Janeway, Browne outlines the premise in his book, “How You Can Profit From the Coming Devaluation”, and states that:

“Looking at the world as it is, looking at the position the government has painted itself into. After 30 years of inflation, and I’m saying that as an act of economic desperation they will one day devalue the dollar and renege on the promise to foreign governments to pay 1 ounce of gold for every $35 turned in at the treasury.”

Despite the moanings from Eliot Janeway about Browne being an "alarmist", less than a year later Richard Nixon reneged on the promise to pay gold for dollars proving Browne right. Furthermore, those who followed Browne's advice to buy and hold gold and silver in his book would have had an incredible decade as gold rose from $35 per ounce to over $800 per ounce.

Janeway also calls Browne a "pessimist" for his views... a refrain we often hear around these parts. Browne countered, “I don’t consider myself a pessimist at all. I think I have my affairs in such order, as a result of doing the thing that is in this book, that I don’t have to worry about things.”

IT'S FAR WORSE THIS TIME 'ROUND

Perhaps what is most striking about this exchange over forty years ago is how little has changed. Harry Browne states that the big problems are government debt and high rates of inflation. Well, if he thought it was bad before, he wouldn't believe the state of affairs today.

In fact, that's why the entire financial system didn't implode in 1980. It was on the verge but the US Government had one last option: to allow interest rates to rise to their true market level. They did, and interest rates hit over 18% at their peak. But, because US Government debt had only had a decade unrestrained by gold, it had only managed to build a total debt of $900 billion by 1980. At the time the US had a GDP of $2.7 trillion. So, debt to GDP was "only" 33%.

Today, the US GDP is approximately $15.4 trillion (2011). The admitted to federal government debt is also currently at $15.4 trillion, meaning a debt to GDP ratio of 100%. Forgetting for the moment the unfunded liabilities which have already been spent, which would leave the figure at closer to 500%, an interest rate of 18% on the current debt would require $2.7 trillion per year in payments.

The total tax theft "revenue" of the US Government in 2011 was $2.3 trillion. In other words, the only way to end the current state of affairs in the US and "save" the dollar would be to allow interest rates to rise to market rates... and if they rose as high as they did in 1980, when things were much better in general, every penny of money stolen from US tax slaves would be used just to pay the interest on the debt.

In other words, it's far worse this time 'round, Mr. Browne.

THE END GAME

In fact, there is no way out for this system now. Debt levels, and a government in the US who has stated that they will have $1 trillion+ deficits until the end of the decade, all but ensure a nuclear event.

Either the dollar will enter hyperinflation and reach its intrinsic value, resulting in a collapse of the US Government. Or the US Government will have to collapse. Socialist Security will have to be officially reneged on, and most other government programs, including the US military industrial complex will have to be downsized by 80%. The second option, government collapse, is not an easy option for politicians who will be strung up in the streets by an entitlement dependent population... so, like almost every other time in history, the currency will be sacrificed.

As the dollar goes from being worth less to being worthless, the majority of US citizens will be eating catfood and riots and chaos will reign on the streets. The government will try to convince them that the rising cost of living is all caused by "corporate greed" or the Iranians... or the Chinese. What happens then is anyone's guess, but we don't intend to stick around to find out.

Until then, we feel a bit like Mr. Browne. Many people claim we are being "alarmist"... many state that we are "pessimists". We're neither. Just like Mr. Browne, we're just trying to alert people to the situation and offer some advice on how best to survive and prosper the collapse of the US dollar and western monetary system.

The remedy remains the same. Gold and silver. But the extent to which government debt has expanded also means that even more extreme measures are necessary. Mr. Browne never saw a fascist police state like the one that has been building in the US. He never saw cash sniffing dogs at US international airports, checking Americans on the way out. He never saw the US Government all but make it impossible for Americans to open international brokerage accounts and soon international bank accounts.

Now, on top of precious metals, it is important to geopolitically internationalize your assets... to get a second passport to avoid confiscation... and to consider your own government as the biggest threat to your life, liberty and possessions. The US President who ran on the platform of closing Guantanamo Bay and who signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) enabling indefinite detention of US citizens has further shown the direction in which the US is headed.

Things have changed since 1970 Mr. Browne. Now it's not just about salvation of your wealth but salvation of yourself.

Subscribe to The Dollar Vigilante, one of the only free-market, Austrian economics based newsletters in the mold of Harry Browne, or the Rothbard-Rockwell Report. See what some of the top names in the industry think of TDV: http://www.dollarvigilante.com/endorsements/. Join us to get regular dispatches on how to protect your family and your wealth and self from the coming collapse.

One Small Step For Man

Jeff Berwick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:40:05 +0000

[Ed. note: This article is by Alan Lynch, a TDV reader who is sharing some of the steps he is taking to protect himself during TEOTMSAWKI]

These words were spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong, who, supposedly, was the first person to walk on the moon on July 21, 1969. There is a fair amount of evidence that it never happened. But, whether it happened or not, the words themselves have some value.

Neil Armstrong’s quote does have some foundations that we can use to prepare for the death of all ‘paper’ currencies.

If you make enough small steps towards a goal, you will eventually get there. I myself, follow this mantra. After some failed attempts at going full swing into goals, and failing to achieve them; I used the method of educating myself on the specific topics that would enable me to achieve my goal, and then implemented what I had learned, via small steps. This way, I found that the changes I made were more likely to stick, and I was less prone to the shock of change. Plus, by arming myself with more knowledge I became better equipped for the situation. Makes sense, right?

My ideal situation is to become totally self sufficient and not be dependant on the government in any way. Now, I understand that this is no easy feat – it will take time and small, progressive steps are the easiest way to accomplish this.

Here are some small steps I have made, which have equated to a giant leap:

MONEY

Try to dump (no pun intended) paper currency and get involved with real money – GOLD/SILVER.

After finding some great people; Stefan Molyneux, Doug Casey, Mises, Rothbard, and Jeff Berwick, I soon realised what was ‘really’ going on in the world,– I really started to enter the arena or REAL MONEY.

I educated myself by reading all the books on real economics (Austrian) that I could get my hands on. I started with all of Doug Casey’s then progressed from there. I also signed up to all the top Austrian economics websites and subscribed. Once I felt comfortable, I started buying some physical silver initially. When that bar arrived, I don’t know why, but it felt good holding this bar of precious metal. I started to get the bug; I progressed onto some physical gold and after accumulating small amounts every now and again – I had made a giant leap. I think about 30% is a good allocation to have in the physical precious metals as they recommend at TDV (although as Jeff has stated, anything up to 100% is reasonable).

By doing this I have freed myself up from the debt ridden paper currency, which has lost 98% of its value since the Federal Reserve reared its ugly head in 1913. Make the small steps and you will feel like you really have made that giant leap ahead of the rest of the brainwashed individuals.

FOOD AND WATER

OK so we all understand that we need to be fed and watered to survive. But some people are so dependent on supermarkets, that if they were to close or be emptied tomorrow, what would people do?

Now, I appreciate that it probably won’t happen tomorrow, but in the very near future we could see mass panic, as people lose their wealth, unemployment rises, fuel costs increase, food prices increase and the list could go on and on. So in that case, what are people doing to ensure their survival! Well 90% of people probably - not too much. Now, following my ‘small steps’ mantra, what could we do?

Well, I have been steadily stocking up on long shelf life foods, collecting large gallons of mineral water, medical stores, a first aid kit, growing food… and again this list is not exhaustive. Every individual person’s list may be different, but we will all need some food and water supply for the future.

Another reason I stock up is because food is not getting any cheaper, so you could think of this also as a hedge against inflation.

SHELTER

A very important aspect of surviving the coming collapse is shelter. Now, for some people their shelter will be their home, others, perhaps, a barge. Shelters will differ from person to person. I personally, live in a small house. So using our ‘small steps’ again, and appreciating that we will all need to keep warm (unless you are lucky enough to already live in Acapulco or Cafayate or other similar places) and protect ourselves from the elements, we will require some form of shelter. Now, with the housing bubble that has popped, it is a long topic as to whether to own your own home or rent. Obviously it would be better to own your shelter outright, as debt is a form of slavery – by definition. So it will differ from person to person. The steps I have made over the last 6 months have been to get my home as ready as possible…think of it as your fortress, that you will want to protect. Imagine the possibility of invaders, and seek methods to deal with that situation

Shelter should be comfortable, well equipped and fit for purpose. I have tried to sell any junk that I will not need that was just gathering dust. It’s amazing how light you feel when you get rid of old junk, and make some money in the process.

ENERGY

Energy is essential to our quality of life. Think of electricity, fuel for the car, central heating…it all boils down to energy. We are so dependent on the government monopoly energy providers that most have no back up plan if these fail.

Although government sponsored “renewable energy” is anything but renewable, solar energy and wind turbines on a small, single home scale can be of use to continue to provide electricity in the event of the grid going down.

Some small steps to take that I have been recommending are;

Be able to heat your home in the event of a collapse. I have got some portable propane heaters and have stocked up on canisters. Store some petrol in large containers, in the event of fuel for the car becoming scarce, or fuel costs rising substantially. Consider a petrol generator to power your household goods.

Have a look into cheaper methods for solar energy, like, passive solar heating, homemade panels, solar radios and wind - up torches.

Stock up on candles also, which could be of use in the event of no power from the providers.

CONCLUSION

By starting off slowly and becoming more independent, you really will feel more in control of your life. The feeling of knowing that I could survive, for some time, if things went into turmoil, is very satisfying.

Also, if the state of affairs doesn’t get any worse (which I highly doubt) then I will feel happy knowing that I have saved money, and have greater level of independence. So either way…I win.

There are many other methods we can use to attain self-sufficiency, which we can talk about in a later article. I have some great methods for saving money and becoming thrifty, and making your own home cleaning products, which are completely natural and far more effective than the chemical ridden products out their today.

So by taking small steps we can ensure that we have taken a great leap in the survival of mankind. Thanks for the advice Mr. Armstrong.

Alan Lynch lives in Birmingham, UK and works as a Firefighter and operates a Birmingham based driving school. Alan is into philosophy, anarchism, free-markets and voluntary interactions.

USA Slipping and Sliding Towards Fascism

Jeff Berwick — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:30:46 +0000

The Fascist conception of the State is all embracing; outside of it no human or spiritual values can exist, much less have value. Thus understood, Fascism, is totalitarian, and the Fascist State - a synthesis and a unit inclusive of all values - interprets, develops, and potentates the whole life of a people. - Benito Mussolini, 1932

I never watch the State of the Union in the US. I just can't stand someone looking into my eyes and lying to me for an hour. But I sometimes like to skim the transcripts after, mostly for entertainment, to see how they spin everything.

But the one thing I've noticed is there are never any tangible plans or strategies laid out. It's pure demagoguery. But, behind the scenes, the US Government is working to transform the country in leaps and bounds... and not for the better.

Buried deep in Barack O'Bomber's 2013 budget is actually a plan to all but outright nationalize the US Economy.

THE DE FACTO NATIONALIZATION OF THE US ECONOMY

In the budget it proposes to raise the dividend tax rate to the higher personal income tax rate of 39.6% that will kick in next year. Add in the planned phase-out of deductions and exemptions, and the rate hits 41%. Then add the 3.8% investment tax surcharge in ObamaCare, and the new dividend tax rate in 2013 would be 44.8%... nearly three times today's 15% rate.

But that's just what dividend recipients have to pay. Before they even see a penny the corporations have to pay taxes on their profit. Assuming a maximum 35% corporate tax rate and a 44.8% dividend tax, the total tax on corporate earnings passed through as dividends would be 64.1%.

You read that right. The only way as an investor to take profits out of US corporations next year will be after the US Government takes 64.1% of the profit. Think you can avoid it by keeping your gains via capital gains? The top rate for capital gains will be 39.6% in 2013 also, effectively the same rate as the dividend rate.

In other words, nearly 2/3rds of all productive gains will be expropriated by the state.

NEO-NATIONAL SOCIALISM

Barack O'Bomber, and all but one member of the US Congress are socialists. The lesson learned with the fall of the Soviet Union was that Socialism of the “Russian Pattern” simply could not function.

What was made clear to those in control, was that the path ahead in the 21^st century was to be modeled on the “German Pattern” as Ludwig von Mises termed it:

An economic system completely planned and controlled by the government while retaining many of the labels and nominal forms of capitalism. A form of socialism (q.v.) which retains the appearance and terminology of the market economy while in fact private ownership of the means of production, real buying and selling, and real market prices, wages and interest rates no longer exist because all production activities and product allocations are directed and controlled by government orders which all participants are bound to obey unconditionally. This form of socialism was put into operation in Germany during the Nazi regime (1933-1945) but collapsed with the German defeat in World War II. The German term is Zwangswirtschaft (q.v.), a compulsory economic system.

Adolf Hitler made clear how this insidious system differed from the overt Socialism of the Soviet Union when he stated:

"Each activity and each need of the individual will thereby be regulated by the party as the representative of the general good. There will be no license, no free space, in which the individual belongs to himself. This is socialism — not such trifles as the private possession of the means of production. Of what importance is that if I range men firmly within a discipline they cannot escape? Let them then own land or factories as much as they please. The decisive factor is that the State, through the party, is supreme over them, regardless whether they are owners or workers. All that, you see, is unessential. Our socialism goes far deeper."

Today's US Government is following in Hitler's footsteps, still allowing the nominal ownership of the means of production, but remaining "supreme over them". Supreme to the tune of 64.1% of all profits!

Of course the Neo-National Socialism being practiced by the beltway goes much deeper than merely expropriating wealth – the US Federal Government is currently attempting to codify into law every conceivable aspect of its “citizens” lives.

The Federal Register, created in 1935, is only the tip of the iceberg. In 2002 the Register contained 75,606 pages delineating everything from street signs to the armaments of the military industrial complex. On top of that, as George Reisman points out: “there are presently fifteen federal cabinet departments, nine of which exist for the very purpose of respectively interfering with housing, transportation, healthcare, education, energy, mining, agriculture, labor, and commerce”

Each one of these federal departments has a multitude of sub-departments that employ thousands upon thousands of bureaucrats. In total there are over 1,300 federal government agencies, employing over 1,774,000 people whose sole purpose is to extend Federal Power over the lives of those who happen to have the misfortune of living within the territorial boundaries of the USSA.

Now of course, what use are laws, if you aren’t enforcing them? According to Harvey A. Silverglate, the average American commits three felonies a day.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the average busy professional in this country wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes home, takes care of personal and family obligations, and then goes to sleep, unaware that he or she likely committed several federal crimes that day. Why? The answer lies in the very nature of modern federal criminal laws, which have become not only exceedingly numerous and broad, but also impossibly vague. As the Morissette scenario indicated, federal criminal laws have become dangerously disconnected from the English common law tradition and its insistence on fair notice, so prosecutors can find some arguable federal crime to apply to just about any one of us, even for the most seemingly innocuous conduct (and since the mid-1980s have done so increasingly).

ENTER THE JACKBOOTS

So with so many laws being broken, and the just nature of these laws unquestionable (this being the land of the free), it is absolutely necessary that the state prosecute them to their fullest extent. Currently there are over 800,000 federal, state and local law enforcement personnel employed to apprehend those guilty of these “crimes”. You know, selling milk, organic vegetables, bits of mildly psychoactive plants, “insider” trading, not showing proper respect to an agent of the state, producing coins, dancing in Washington Monument, or even celebrating with your fellow students:

The 2011 annual Wheeler Block Party at Western Illinois University (WIU) was met with brute force this year as a "multi-jurisdictional task force" was sent in to intimidate students with long-range acoustic device (LRAD) sound weapons, tear gas, riot gear, dogs, and even physical assaults -- all for no apparent reason.

"You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party"

The US Federal government is currently militarizing the Local and State police forces – SWAT teams have become ubiquitous even in small towns, with armoured cars being granted to all:

Despite tight budgets at entirely levels of government, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still giving local law enforcement agencies military vehicles. According to a report in The Huffington Post, a small town in New Hampshire was set to receive an armored personnel vehicle before one local resident launched a petition drive to block the acquisition.

And to top it all off, the Federal Government, under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security has created 72 Threat Fusion Centers to coordinate the enforcement arm of the Neo-National Socialist state. And who is in their sights? According to the 2009 MIAC report, those who desire freedom:

The MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as “militia” influenced terrorists and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with the Constitutional, Campaign for Liberty, and Libertarian parties.

LAST CHANCE TO STOP THIS?

As I alluded to in the beginning of this article, there is one man who not only recognizes all of this for what it is, but is brave enough to speak the truth to power.

Here is Ron Paul speaking in Kansas City Missouri four days ago:

“We’ve slipped away from a true Republic,” Paul said. “Now we’re slipping into a fascist system where it’s a combination of government and big business and authoritarian rule and the suppression of the individual rights of each and every American citizen.”

Lew Rockwell, of the Ludwig von Mises Institute speaks to this on Russia Today

Will those within the borders of the USSA wake up in time? One can only hope, but here at The Dollar Vigilante, we are advising that you hedge your bets, and consider joining us as sovereign individuals, free to choose your own path in life.

The Fear of Gold

Jeff Berwick — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:32:38 +0000

I was on a panel at the recent California Investment Conference in Palm Springs and the question was asked, "What percentage of your portfolio should be in gold bullion?"

The first panelist answered 20%. The second panelist said, up to 30%. Then it came to me.

"I have no problem with someone having 100% of their portfolio in gold," I stated bluntly. Many in the crowd laughed. Their laughter confused me. What's so funny about that, I thought?

I went on, "I think it's weird that people find my answer weird."

GOLD IS REAL MONEY

After all, we are talking about time tested and true money. The only money that has lasted for thousands of years and is still fully accepted worldwide as a store of wealth. Even Warren Buffet had to recently admit that “Meanwhile, if you own one ounce of gold for an eternity, you will still own one ounce at its end.”

And that from a man who hates gold the way Whitney Houston fans hate Bobby Brown.

So, by stating that I have no problem with someone having 100% of their portfolio in gold I am making an ultra conservative statement. I am stating that I'd have no problem with someone having their entire portfolio in "cash". In real money.

What would you rather hold "for eternity"? US dollars? A paper debt obligation of a bankrupt nation state?

The fact that so many found that to be a shocking statement says a lot about where we are in this current process of the collapse of the fiat currency system.

THE FEAR OF GOLD

There is such a "fear of gold" amongst most people that it must be due to statist indoctrination and propaganda. It makes no rational sense to have such a fear of such a time tested and true store of wealth.

The same people who fear gold seem to have no problem holding a significant amount of their assets in euros in a European bank as Europe burns around them, both figuratively and literally. The euro might not exist 12 months from now but no one seems too concerned. They act like its been around forever and always will be, but it only was dreamt up by globalists in 1999.

YOUR BROKER FEARS GOLD

Near the end of 2007 a good friend of mine who had been wanting to sell her house called me. I had been telling her for a few months to sell her house and buy gold because a big housing crash was coming.

She said she had received a good offer for her house and checked with me to make sure I was certain about her selling, buying gold with the proceeds, and renting for a few years. I told her, emphatically, yes.

So she sold her house. At the time gold was around $750 per ounce. We fell out of touch for a few years and she contacted me last year around when gold was near $2,000 per ounce. I smiled when she called, waiting for her to tell me about the fortune she made.

"So?" I asked, waiting for the exhaltation.

"What?" she also asked, confused.

"How'd that trade work out for you?" I asked.

"Oh. Well I sold the house. And I put the funds into my brokerage account with my (government registered) financial advisor," she responded.

My heart sank. I knew what she was going to say.

He talked her out of it. He said putting all her assets into gold was far too risky. Where in the government training manuals does it tell you to even own any gold!

She got worried too and less than a year after selling, under pressure from her old Chinese parents, bought another house. It was a bit cheaper but after transaction and moving costs it was a loss.

GOLD IS IN A BUBBLE

Of course, now, with gold over $1,700, it is nearly impossible to get anyone from the general public to buy gold. It's gone too high, they cry! CNBC says it was a bubble, they repeat like trained seals.

It's gone from near $300 to nearly $2,000 in the last decade. Surely that is a bubble and if it hasn't already popped it soon will, right?

No. That's not right. This is the problem with watching the value of anything in terms of constantly depreciating US Federal Reserve Notes. In the following chart, when looking at the price of gold in nominal dollar terms it looks like an insane rocket ride of epic proportions. But, when adjusted by the US Government's own, heavily massaged inflation statistic (the Consumer Price Index, or CPI), the price of gold has just finally reached nearly the same level it was at in 1980 and looks far less spectacular.

PORTFOLIO ALLOCATIONS

Getting back to the initial question posed on the panel as to what percentage we recommend people hold gold bullion as a percentage of their portfolio. While I stated I'd have no problem with 100%, we actually recommend to TDV subscribers holding 30% of their portfolio in bullion - both gold and silver.

We also recommend, at this time holding 20% of your portfolio in gold mining juniors and 15% in gold mining major stocks amongst other things. That's because we are expecting all the monetary printing going on with abandon in the western world to foment a true bubble, not only in the price of gold but even moreso in the price of the mining shares, especially the juniors.

We are expecting a mania for the ages in these stocks. And, how will we know when to sell? When I am asked what percentage of their portfolio should be held in gold bullion and I say 100% and no one laughs.

Subscribe to The Dollar Vigilante Premium newsletter today to get info and actionable information on how to get positioned in the junior stocks that Jeff thinks are headed for a mania for the ages.

Terrorism 101: Governments are the Terrorists

Jeff Berwick — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:02:20 +0000

Terrorism 101: Governments are the Terrorists

[Ed. Note: The Following article is by TDV Correspondent, Gary Kinghorn]

A breathtaking testimony was given this past week in the aftermath of the Underwear Bomber trial by someone who was on the flight and witnessed the bomber passing through security and boarding the plane. The “Victim Impact Statement” was read in open court by a Michigan man under state law that allows victims five minutes to say how they were affected by a crime. Kurt Haskell and his wife, Lori flew back to Detroit from Amsterdam that fateful day, and recounted the following:

On Christmas Day 2009, my wife and I were returning from an African safari and had a connecting flight through Amsterdam. As we waited for our flight, we sat on the floor next to the boarding gate. What I witnessed while sitting there and subsequent events have changed my life forever. While I sat there, I witnessed Umar dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, being escorted around security by a man in a tan suit who spoke perfect American English and who aided Umar in boarding without a passport. The airline gate worker initially refused Umar boarding until the man in the tan suit intervened. The event meant nothing to me at the time. Little did I know that Umar would try to kill me a few hours later as our flight approached Detroit. The final 10 minutes of our flight after the attack were the worst minutes of my life. During those 10 minutes I sat paralyzed in fear. Unfortunately, what happened next has had an even greater impact on my life and has saddened me further.

When we landed, I was shocked that our plane taxied up to the gate. I was further shocked that we were forced to sit on the plane for 20 minutes with powder from the so called bomb all over the cabin. The officers that boarded the plane did nothing to ensure our safety and did not check for accomplices or other explosive devices. Several passengers trampled through parts of the bomb as they exited the plane. We were then taken into the terminal with our unchecked carry on bags. Again, there was no concern for our safety even though Umar told the officers that there was another bomb on board as he exited the plane. I wondered why nobody was concerned about our safety, accomplices or other bombs and the lack of concern worried me greatly. I immediately told the FBI my story in order to help catch the accomplice I had seen in Amsterdam. It soon became obvious that the FBI wasn't interested in what I had to say, which upset me further. For one month the government refused to admit the existence of the man in the tan suit before changing course and admitting his existence in an ABC News article on January 22, 2010. That was the last time the government talked about this man. The video that would prove the truth of my account has never been released. I continue to be emotional upset that the video has not been released. The Dutch police, meanwhile, … also confirmed that Umar did not show his passport in Amsterdam which also meant that he didn't go through security as both are in the same line in Amsterdam. It upsets me that the government refuses to admit this fact.

I became further saddened from this case, when Patrick Kennedy of the State Department during Congressional hearings, admitted that Umar was a known terrorist, was being followed, and the U.S. allowed him into the U.S. so that it could catch Umar's accomplices. I was once again shocked and saddened when Michael Leiter of the National Counter terrorism Center admitted during these same hearings that intentionally letting terrorists into the U.S. was a frequent practice of the U.S. Government. I cannot fully explain my sadness, disappointment and fear when I realized that my government allowed an attack on me intentionally.

During this time, I questioned if my country intentionally put a known terrorist onto my flight with a live bomb. I had many sleepless nights over this issue. My answer came shortly thereafter. In late 2010, the FBI admitted to giving out intentionally defective bombs to the Portland Christmas Tree Bomber,the Wrigley Field Bomber and several others. Further, Mr. Chambers was quoted in the Free Press on January 11, 2011 when he indicated that the government's own explosives experts had indicated that Umar's bomb was impossibly defective. I wondered how that could be. Certainly, I thought, Al Qaeda wouldn't go through all of the trouble to plan such an attack only to provide the terrorist with an impossibly defective bomb.

In closing I will just say that regardless of how the media and government try to shape the public perception of this case, I am convinced that Umar was given an intentionally defective bomb by a U.S. Government agent and placed on our flight without showing a passport or going through security, to stage a false terrorist attack to be used to implement various government policies.

The effect this matter has had on my life has been astounding and due to this case, I will never trust the government in any matter, ever.

Also in the news, on Friday a Moroccan man was accused of a suicide bombing mission targeting the U.S. Capitol building. He was, however, arrested before reaching his destination. Tony Cartalucci from PrisonPlanet.com picks up the rest of the story:

While initial reports portrayed the incident as a narrowly averted terrorist attack, CBS would report that a “high ranking source told CBS News the man was “never a real threat.”" The explosives the would-be bomber carried were provided to him by the FBI during what they described as a “lengthy and extensive operation.” The only contact the suspect had with “Al Qaeda” was with FBI officials posing as associates of the elusive, omnipresent, bearded terror conglomerate. The FBI, much like their MI5 counterparts in England, have a propensity for recruiting likely candidates from mosques they covertly run.

This is but the latest in a string of national terror plots carried out from start to finish by the FBI, who has made a business of approaching likely candidates and grooming them to carry out terror attacks.

And on a grander scale, also this week, actor Ed Asner told the Alex Jones show that Navy Seals told him military action against Iran is forthcoming, and will be preceded by a false flag attack, of which they were trying to warn the American people.

Now, as most people know, I don’t subscribe to Conspiracy Theories and I hate to pass on hypothetical scenarios from unnamed sources (even Navy Seals), but the warning is eerily reminiscent of the case of the USS Liberty, an acknowledged false flag operation (although egregiously suppressed by both media and govt to this day) during the six-day war in 1967. For those that don’t know the story, the Liberty was an obsolete reconnaissance ship in international waters in the Mediterranean that was attacked by Israeli jets in an attempt to blame the attack on Egypt and draw the U.S. into the war. Israel finally admitted it attacked the ship, but under a case of mistaken identity, yet had every intention of sinking it and killing all survivors, as evidenced by their machine gunning the life rafts of U.S. sailors attempting to flee the stricken vessel. The U.S., in on the deception targeted at the American public, refused to send naval support to the Liberty while under attack, as one-time presidential candidate John McCain’s father, admiral on a nearby carrier, called back the planes that could have fended off the Israeli jets, seemingly dooming any chance to save the Liberty. Thanks to a jury-rigged antenna, the heroic crew got off a distress signal that was responded to by a Russian vessel, causing the attack to be aborted, and saving the U.S. from a costly Middle-East war and potentially a greater war with the Soviets who were allies of Syria. I highly recommend the stirring account of the attack, the cover-up and the personal aftermath of Phillip Tourney, one of the sailors on the Liberty, in his book “What I Saw That Day”. Some have recently speculated that the outdated and soon to be mothballed USS Enterprise aircraft carrier will be a similar sitting duck for a false flag attack in the Straits of Hormuz.

For those still not convinced what first world governments are capable of doing to their own people, perhaps the most sickening insights come from a new video on the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, “A Noble Lie”. News reports from the day of the bombing, and eye witness testimony from first responders clearly show there were undetonated bombs inside the building that were removed, and that the structural damage could only have been caused by other bombs inside the building, not the truck bomb driven by Timothy McVeigh. In addition, several Federal Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received notice not to go in the building that morning, and all were spared. So who knew? And who was involved? Recent research, documented in the film, traces the attack to another FBI/CIA terrorist recruitment and training organization operating out of Elohim City, OK, and that the bombing was most likely a terrorism sting operation that went very, very wrong. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson by now.

But of course, it’s now me that’s the terrorist for questioning government policies and activities and spreading all this hate-filled rumor-mongering, not your government that’s actually behind all the “terrorism”.

Bio: Gary Kinghorn is currently a senior marketing manager at Cisco in Silicon Valley, and is a part time ex-pat in Argentina at Doug Casey's "Galt's Gulch" in Cafayate. He is a long-time student of the Austrian School of Economics and previously worked as a financial advisor at Citigroup/Smith Barney. He continues to follow and offer advice on the economy, geopolitical landscape and asset protection strategies.

Subscribe to The Dollar Vigilante to keep abreast of how best to free your assets and yourself from the now outright intentions of the US and most western governments.

Jeff Berwick on "The Global Escape Hatch" on The Overseas Radio Network

Jeff Berwick — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:28:33 +0000

Last Chance to Join Us in Cafayate, Argentina

Jeff Berwick — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:54:01 +0000

If you are still on the fence about coming down to Argentina this March, take note. This is the last time we are going to mention the upcoming Harvest Event at Doug's Gultch in Argentina.

I've now booked my flights. Here is a tip for flights, there is an Airline called Aerosur that flies direct from places like Miami to Santa Cruz, Bolivia... and then they have a direct from Santa Cruz to Salta... and from there it is about a 3 hour drive to Cafayate. Other options include flying COPA to Panama and then COPA has a direct from Panama to Santa Cruz as well. That is the route I've chosen this time around, starting in Acapulco, then Mexico City. It's a long one, but well worth it. Another tip is that Aerosur doesn't have online booking but there is a website that does called One Travel.

My wife and I arrive on the 9th of March and leave on the 23rd. There are actually three separate events this time around. The first group is from March 6-11 and the second group is from March 12-17. As you see I'll miss the first few days of the first group as I'll be at PDAC in Toronto.

You are welcome to register for both groups too if you'd like... that way you can meet more of the interesting people who gravitate to these events.

Then there is an Owner's only event from March 18-22. It's a jam packed affair. Many of the owners will be around for some of the earlier events too, I am sure. It should be, as usual, an amazing affair.

Many of the writers and contributors here at TDV will be there including myself, Pete Kofod, Gary Kinghorn and the research analyst who wrote the research report, BulletProof Shares, Tekoa Da Silva. As well as many people from Casey Research including Doug Casey, just to name a few of the interesting people with which you may find yourself sitting in a vineyard like the one above, having lunch and some fine Malbec wine.

Come on down and see why so many of us have gravitated to this amazing region in Northern Argentina to sit out The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It (tEOTMSAWKI).

Time is running out, so email tdv@lec.com.ar ASAP if you'd like to make arrangements to come down. And if you'd like more info, check out our page here: http://www.dollarvigilante.com/galtsgulchmarch2012.

Already many dollar vigilantes have registered so I'm looking forward to meeting many of you down there.

The Weekend Vigilante

Jeff Berwick — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:06:59 +0000

Hello from sunny Acapulco,

If you've never been here I highly recommend it. I spent more than 6 months sailing the entire Pacific coast of Mexico a few years ago on my sailboat, so I've seen nearly every single town and city on the entire Pacific coast. From Ensenada and the entire desolate and cold Baja, to Cabo, which is for all intents and purposes the US, to Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad, Ixtapa, Huatulco and more.

The neat thing about Acapulco is it is nothing like any of those other places. Many of them are very Americanized tourist traps. And even the ones that are less so, like Huatulco, are small towns. This place, now known as Acapulco, has been inhabited since the 8th century by the Olmecs. The Olmecs eventually died out due to "very serious environmental changes that rendered the region unsuited for large groups of farmers". Interesting, hey? There were serious environmental changes hundreds of years ago. I didn't even know they had SUV's then.

Speaking of "Global Warming" or now, "Climate Change", now that it has been proven that the world is not warming but that it has been cooling and we are headed for a mini ice age, does that mean we should all buy more SUVs and just leave them running all night? And should those who own carbon credits be punished for trying to cool the Earth as we head into such a time of crisis? Al Gore, always ahead of the crowd, seems to have already figured this out, that's why he flies around in private jets and owns numerous mansions, some with electric bills of over $1,200/month. Thanks again Al for trying to save us all!

But I digress. After the Olmecs, Acapulco came to be occupied by the Mayans and then, in 1486, it became part of the Aztec empire. Then, by 1530, the white devils had arrived by ship from Spain. Things progressed quickly after that and by 1550 Spanish Galleons began arriving from the far east. For 300 years, from the 16th century to the 19th century, the Manila Galleon would make its yearly run from Acapulco to Manila. It was the first real "global trade".

Still to this day Chinese New Years is well celebrated in Acapulco and many people are part Asian, including my wife who is typical for the locals being 25% Filipina, 25% African, 25% Native Mexican and 25% Spanish.

The tradition and culture here is, to say the least, storied. And so, in the last few years, with the criminal US Government giving the criminal Mexican Government billions of dollars to "fight drugs" and the Obama Administration has run countless high powered firearms in to the narco-entrepreneurs there has been some activity. The police every now and then attack some free market providers of plants (cannabis and coca leaf, mostly). But, and this part I like, rather than lying down like whipped dogs like in the US, the narco-preneurs fight back. Often kidnapping and beheading some cops. Touche, I say. And all part of the strong warrior tradition of the Aztecs and the strong people who have lived in this region for millennia.

Any of that almost always occurs far, far away from the tourist and rich areas of Acapulco, by the way. Constantly scared Americans always ask, "Is it safe?". They've been trained to fear everything up there. Well, every time I go to the US I get kidnapped (Phoenix, Palm Springs). Here, I have no problems. What more can I tell you.

Not to mention even the statistics show that the US is far more dangerous than Mexico for foreigners. Here are stats on Canadians:

Since 2005, 40 Canadians have been killed in the United States.

Since 2005 24 Canadians have been killed in Mexico.

But, besides that, really, the point I want to make is that a few years of US and Mexican Government interference in the natural free market lives of the people of Acapulco is but a speck in time in the history of this place. And, as quickly as it came, it has already left, as I recounted a few months ago.

This place is truly one of the most interesting and beautiful places on Earth... and that is why I am here.

MEXICO

Speaking of Mexico, I always laugh at people in the US' misperceptions of Mexico. They really have no clue. Most think it is a third world, dangerous, poor place where people siesta all day and fiesta all night. Here is a graphic from the already dead "What I Really Do/Am" meme on Mexicans:

DON'T FORGET TO SMILE

About a decade ago I started feeling a little depressed. Most of it had to do with the fact that I was living in Los Angeles. I sat back and gave it some thought. What had I been doing differently lately? Or, even more, how was I living then compared to how my ancestors probably lived for hundreds of thousands of years?

I decided to take a look at my daily life. I'd wake up, check my computer. Then I'd go for a run on the beach. I'd return, shower, then spend about three hours on my computer. Later I'd go to the gym, where there was never one other person and then I'd return and spend most of the rest of the day/evening on my computer.

If you already haven't spotted why I was depressed it should be obvious. Our ancestors, all the way up until even the 1970s likely spent much of their time amongst others working, playing, laughing, eating. I'd often go days without even talking live to another person... but I didn't realize it because I was communicating with so many through my computer.

I eventually figured out that the main problem was that I needed to have more real human interactions... and there was one other simple answer. I needed to smile more. Luckily I hadn't gone to a "medical doctor" in LA or almost assuredly he'd put me on mind lobotomizing chemicals to help cure the symptoms of my depression. But the answer was so simple. Talk to people and smile more. There is actually scientific evidence to show that even if you fake smile a few times per day it will improve your mood.

This cartoon is what reminded me of my past small bout of depression. Look at the way we used to live and the way many live today... is it any wonder many people are feeling depressed when they mostly sit in a cubicle and stare blankly, emotionless, at a computer all day?

Remember to get off the computer as much as possible. And if you can't... as stupid as it sounds AND looks, fake smile a few times per day to remind your brain to release a few endorphins. Because, if you live in the western world, you'd need those endorphins to not be suicidal for living in an enslaved police state!

WHAT'D THEY DO TO RON PAUL THIS WEEK

And now for the latest installment of how the mainstream media in the US tries to hide Ron Paul from the public. Now they list percentage winners from the lowest to the highest:

Poor Ron Paul, last again!

THE PASSING OF DAVID COFFIN

There was some sad news this week as mining industry veteran, David Coffin, of the Hard Rock Analysts, passed away. I've known David for close to twenty years and him and his brother, Eric, have always been some of the most well respected mining analysts in the business. Our condolences go out to Eric and David's family.

PRESIDENT'S DAY

Monday is President's Day in the US... the day of the year to celebrate the biggest criminal in the land. Here is a funny President's day joke we came across:

I was eating lunch with a 6-year-old and I asked her, "What is the 20th of February?" She said "President's Day!" She is a smart kid, so, I asked her, "What does President's Day mean?" I was waiting for something about Washington or Lincoln etc. She replied, "President's Day is when President Obama steps out of the White House, and if he sees his shadow we have one more year of unemployment."

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

Remember to get out and have some personal communications... and smile! And have a great weekend from all of us at The Dollar Vigilante.

Governments and Statists are an Anachronism

Jeff Berwick — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:17:52 +0000

I listened to a debate today between Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute and Doug Casey on Kerry Lutz' fine Financial Survival Network that frankly shocked me. I'll tell you why in a moment. But first, some background.

I'm fairly new to the intellectual discussion of liberty. While I've been anarchist minded since my early adulthood I was only officially beknighted an anarchist by Doug Casey himself somewhere around 2004. Before then I thought what most of the brainwashed public thought, that the word anarchy meant violence and chaos. I hadn't even heard the word libertarian until that same evening.

But I've dug my head deep into the virtual library that is the internet for the last eight years reading everything I can get my hands on. So, I've been coming onto things somewhat like a newbie... or a virgin you might say. This parallels my experiences of being the father of young children. As we go through life, unless we are incredibly careful, we get tied down with all sorts of intellectual baggage that simply makes no sense in a rapidly changing world. That is why having a young child around is a laugh a minute as they point out ways of seeing things that you would never, in a million years, have imagined. Everything is new for them, everything is questioned – their inquisitive nature allows us to see the world with fresh eyes. Like the kid who asked his mom why she had two. Is one for hot and one for cold milk?

And so, like a newborn anarchist I've wandered the world. I have read quite a bit about liberty and freedom, but I haven't met many who call themselves “libertarians”. I always assumed that anyone who denotes themselves as "libertarian" was "on the same team" as me.

AN ANARCHIC AWAKENING

Well, there have been three distinct moments in the last month where I realized that is simply not the case. It's not the case at all.

The first was when I was invited to an LA cocktail party hosted by Reason.com. Reason proclaims it is "libertarian" so I couldn't wait to get to the party and have some interesting freedom minded conversations. To be honest I was shocked by what I heard – one starry eyed attendee celebrated Barack Obama’s calls for socialized medicine during his State of the Union. I quickly became castigated just for mentioning I am an anarchist. The top speaker at the event was the former mayor of Washington, who everyone cheered heartily. Apparently he closed down a few public schools. I could tell that my question, "Why not close all of them?" would have been met with great distress so I didn't bother. In fact, just mentioning I lived in Mexico just drew glares and puzzlement. Why would you live there, it's so dangerous, they'd ask... right before I headed into Hollywood and saw some things that really scared the crap out of me.

The next thing that awoke me to the world around me was when I went to FreedomFest in the Bahamas. It is Freedomfest after all, I thought some people might be interested in Freedom. I was on a panel with Richard Rahn a self described “Libertarian Conservative”. Rahn, a senior fellow at the “libertarian” CATO Institute, seemed disgusted to meet me after I was described as a prodigy of Doug Casey's and then he went on to natter on about how governments need to change how they regulate banks. To give you a sense of the type of worldview that CATO espouses, check out the following blog post from CATO celebrating the “death” of Osama Bin Laden:

All Americans celebrate the news that we have been waiting to hear for over nine and a half years: Osama Bin Laden is dead. The operation that resulted in his demise is a credit to the prowess and professionalism of the men and women in our military, and our intelligence and law enforcement agencies. All Americans — and the world — owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

I've since learned that this particular species of statist is what Lew Rockwell calls a "beltway libertarian". The model of the “beltway libertarians” is to whisper in the ear of the king, and hope that he changes his ways. Accordingly, the name of his speech was "Nine Countries That Did It Right". Yeesh.

And then, today, I was listening to the debate between Yaron Brook and Doug Casey and it was all crystallized. Doug attempted to be cordial with Yaron, stating that Randians and anarchists are on the same team to which Yaron stated that they weren't. Anarchists are against freedom and are for tyranny, he said! I almost choked on my coffee and Baileys!

He went on to gush about how the US Military is such a force for good. Yes. He said that. And, in some sort of bizarre, perhaps early onset of alzheimers, paranoid statement, said that if it weren't for the US Military spending more than the rest of the world combined that the "barbarians would be on our shore'. Yes. He said that.

BRAINWASHING OF THE PRIOR GENERATIONS

In fact, most of these so-called libertarians seem to really love the US Military. You know, the one that kills more men, women and children every year than... anyone. For decades in a row.

Poor guys. They've been brainwashed. They need to watch "The New American Century" to see what happened to them. They've been systematically lied to their whole lives... by many of the same people decades ago who are still around today. Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld and other scoundrels have a sick belief that the only way America can be prosperous and safe is to always have an enemy.

The Soviet Union was certainly a murderous totalitarian state, but the Military Industrial complex was happy to have an “Evil Empire” that would require a permanent war footing.

And, when the Soviet Union fell they scrambled to find a new enemy. They chose muslims. It could have been anything really... it could have been pygmies. Close call pygmies!

The entire US is a big propaganda pit. That's why Americans seem like complete morons when they leave their protected walls and go out in the world and try to talk to the unbrainwashed. Because they rattle off all sorts of nonsense that can only make sense to someone who also has been brainwashed. “They hate us for our freedom”, "If we didn't go to Europe in World War II we'd all be speaking German now," etc.

If you don't believe propaganda surrounds Americans like an ubiquitous blanket just look at the movies.

RAMBO III - LIBERATOR OF THE MUJAHEDEEN

Try to get a copy of US Government propaganda in its golden years with Rambo III. It's hard to find nowadays - a bit embarrassing to all involved. For those who forgot this piece of expertly packaged patriotism, John Rambo was sent in to defend the Mujahedeen (soon to be the Taliban) of Afghanistan from the Soviets.

I just re-watched it today and here is some of the dialogue:

US military officer: You talk peace and disarmament to the world and here you are wiping out a race of people (in Afghanistan)

Soviet officer: We are wiping out no one! I think you are too intelligent to believe such absurd propaganda

US officer: You expect sympathy? You started this damn war and now you have to deal with it

Soviet officer: And we will. It is just a matter of time before we achieve complete victory

US officer: (laughs). You won’t get victory. Every day your war machines lose ground to a bunch of poorly armed, poorly equipped freedom fighters. The fact is that you underestimated your competition. If you’d have studied your history you’d know that these people have never given up to anyone. They’d rather die than be slaves to an invading army. You can’t defeat a people like that. We tried. We already had our Vietnam! Now you are having yours.

Soon after, Rambo and an Afghan horseman ride into a beautiful valley and the horseman states, "This is Afghanistan. Alexander the Great tried to conquer this country. Then Genghis Khan, then the British. Now Russia. But Afghan people fight hard, they never be defeated."

Then as Rambo enters into the Mujahedeen camp the music turns sweet and angelic. The Mujahedeen riders depicted as heroes and freedom fighters, little doughie eyed kids looking up to the strong American to help them out of their horrible ordeal. The rest of the movie is to be expected… bombs, explosions, heroic music and Rambo defeating the entire Soviet Army single-handedly.

But the irony of the whole thing today is the point.

So, where is Hollywood with "Rambo V: Return to Afghanistan", to once again free the Mujahedeen from the latest occupying force? Not. Going. To. Happen.

STATISTS OF ALL FORMS ARE AN ANACHRONISM

In the debate, Doug Casey finished off by stating that governments are an anachronism. I'd add to that. Statists are also an anachronism. Mostly older and heavily scarred from decades of brainwashing, these so-called libertarians cling to the need for government. What they actually have is a fear of freedom.

And, really, given what they've been through, you can understand. But it's time to step off the stage folks. You are embarrassing yourselves. Since the advent of the internet ALL of these topics have been talked over countless times by great minds worldwide (Stefan Molyneux being one of the topmost but there are thousands of others) and anyone who looks objectively at the discussions cannot possibly think the violent and coercive state has any positive role in modern life.

Yaron Brook not only embarrasses himself with his out-of-touch, anachronistic comments but he actually outs himself as a traitor to Ayn Rand by his statements. He uses the collectivist words "we" and "us" with great abandon, something for which his supposed idol, Ayn Rand (a friend of Doug Casey's by the way), warned against. And, he states the necessity for a coercive government countless times in the debate. But, let's listen to what Ayn Rand said:

"In a fully free society, taxation—or, to be exact, payment for governmental services—would be voluntary. Since the proper services of a government—the police, the armed forces, the law courts—are demonstrably needed by individual citizens and affect their interests directly, the citizens would (and should) be willing to pay for such services, as they pay for insurance."

Let me know when payments are voluntary, Yaron. And, if they are, don't be expecting a cheque.

CONSERVATIVE LIBERTARIANS

Most of those listed above, including Richard Rahn of Cato, publicly call themselves "Conservative Libertarians". A libertarian means that freedom is of your utmost concern... choosing things to which you think freedom applies and choosing other things to which it doesn't is disingenuous at best, cognitive dissonance at a minimum and mostly just outright fraudulent.

If there is one group, the "conservative libertarians" or the anarchists who don't deserve to even be mentioned on the freedom political spectrum it is "conservative libertarians". Take heart that out of respect to the memory of Ayn Rand, Doug Casey didn't wipe the debate floor completely with you today, Yaron. The millions of anarcho-capitalists rising up worldwide will do you no such courtesy.

That is a guarantee.