A house Divided

Diane Reidy Being Removed from House

One of the first news items I came across this morning related to a woman named Dianne Reidy who is employed as a stenographer for the House of Representatives. During the vote to extend the government debt limit and re-open the portions of the federal government that have been shut down for the past 17 days, she walked up to the rostrum where the President normally stands to speak and spoke with a “Thus saith the Lord...” Gathering fragments of her words from different sources, the following appears to be the message she declared to the members of the House of Representatives. I have edited it for clarity as she was interrupted by Capitol Hill security trying to remove her from the House chambers.

“Thus saith the Lord, this is not the Lord’s work. A house divided will not stand. He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. It never was. Had it been... the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons... and go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, lord Jesus Christ.”

Capitol Police told CNN that Dianne Reidy wasn’t arrested or charged, but was taken to a local hospital to undergo a mental evaluation. It is quite fashionable to conclude that someone is crazy if they begin speaking about Jesus while decrying the activities of the American government. Representative Joaquin Castro (Dem., TX) said she had “a crazed look” on her face, though no one else reported this and she did not appear deranged from the video available online. Castro told Fox News, “You have a lot of members who are concerned about who is allowed on the floor when something like that happens.”

Undoubtedly, the American public should be greatly concerned about who is allowed on the floor of the House. There is some truly crazy thinking that possesses most of the members whenever it comes time to vote. The photo below reveals some of the lunacy of government.




If you do not understand the message on the photo, you have not been paying attention to what is truly going on in the world. America’s government is run on money that is backed by nothing of tangible value. (President Nixon officially ended all linkage to the gold standard in 1971.) The U.S. dollar is used as legal tender simply on the “good faith” of the U.S. government. The Federal Reserve is expanding the money supply by tens of billions of dollars monthly. This money creation is nothing more than digital 1s and 0s in a computer system. The Federal Reserve “loans” this imaginary fiat money to the government to run their expanding programs. In turn, the government promises to pay this ethereal money back by collecting more and more taxes from the American population.

By one estimate, the average American worker pays 59.7% of their income to taxes. When Federal Income Tax, State and Local Income Tax, Sales Tax, Social Security and Medicaid, Property Tax, Fuel Tax, and other miscellaneous taxes are added up, nearly 60% of a person’s income ends up in the government coffers. See the following link:

http://www.nowandfutures.com/taxes.html

With the implementation of Obamacare, this percentage will increase significantly. This money ultimately goes into the pockets of the international bankers who own the Federal Reserve system. If you have a home mortgage, bank loans, or credit cards, you are giving even more of your money to the bankers. This is ultimately how a capitalist, free-market nation is transformed into a socialist/communist state.

Think of it this way, in order to earn the 59.7% of your income that goes to pay various taxes, you would have to work from January 1st until August 6th just to pay taxes. In other words, for 60% of the year, the average American works as a tax slave, and from August 7th until December 31st they earn their discretionary income. Each year the date when Americans begin earning discretionary income is pushed back a little further.

This scenario becomes even more crazy when one considers that unlike State governments that are legally required to balance their budgets annually, the taxes collected by the U.S. government fall far short of paying for the enormous spending of the Federal government. The “official” debt of the U.S. government currently stands at nearly 17 trillion dollars. This is money the government has spent that they do not have the means to cover.

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current

This number, as enormous and mentally inconceivable as it is, does not tell the true tale. The actual government debt is estimated to be between 70 and 211 trillion dollars.

http://rt.com/usa/us-debt-study-hamilton-economy-103/

To put that in perspective, at 70 trillion dollars, every man, woman, and child in America would equally share a debt burden of nearly a quarter of a million dollars apiece. I have never possessed a quarter of a million dollars. I would feel truly wealthy in a material sense if I had that much money. How then should Americans feel to know that their government has put them on the hook for this same amount of debt?

Perhaps more concerning is the following news item that appeared on the Infowarswebsite.

Chase Bank Limits Cash Withdrawals, Bans International Wire Transfers
Chase Bank has moved to limit cash withdrawals while banning business customers from sending international wire transfers from November 17 onwards, prompting speculation that the bank is preparing for a looming financial crisis in the United States by imposing capital controls.

Numerous business customers with Chase BusinessSelect Checking and Chase BusinessClassic accounts have received letters over the past week informing them that cash activity (both deposits and withdrawals) will be limited to a $50,000 total per statement cycle from November 17 onwards.

The letter reads;

Dear Business Customer,

Starting November 17, 2013:

- You will no longer be able to send international wire transfers. You will still be able to send domestic wires and receive both domestic and international wires. We’ll cancel any international wire transfers, including reccurring ones, you scheduled to be sent after this date.

- Your cash activity limit for these accounts(s) will be $50,000 per statement cycle, per account. Cash activity is the combined total of cash deposits made at branches, night drops and ATMs and cash withdrawals made at branches (including purchases of money orders) and ATMs.

These changes will help us more effectively manage the risks involved with these types of transactions.

Another letter (PDF) received by Peak to Peak Charter School, an Elementary School in Colorado, states that the option to send both international and domestic wire transfers has been withdrawn from Chase business savings account holders.

Natural News’ Mike Adams also confirmed his company received the letter. “This is happening, folks! The capital controls begin on November 17th. The bank runs may follow soon thereafter. Chase Bank is now admitting that you cannot use your own money that you’ve deposited there,” writes Adams.

Meanwhile, financial expert Gerald Celente said the news was a sign that Americans should prepare for a bank holiday.

Chase is obviously very keen to make it hard for their customers to have any kind of control over their savings and is trying to prevent them from sending dollars abroad, prompting concerns that Cyprus-style account gouging could occur in America...

Why has Chase announced such a ludicrous and restrictive policy change? Speculation is rife that the bank is preparing for some kind of economic crisis by “locking down” its customers’ money.

Others fear the move to restrict international wire transfers is part of a plan to protect against a near-future collapse of the US dollar...

It is clear that these regulations are being enacted for three different but equally plausible reasons, all of which contribute to the ultimate goal of sacrificing the global economy on the altar of derivative monster zombie banks.

1) Capital controls to prevent money leaving the country as the US dollar continues to devalue. Note that Chase will allow international wire transfers coming in, but not going out of the accounts. Note that they are only concerned about “risks” when the money is being moved out of the account.

2) Forcing businesses to abandon cash and switching everything over to digital currency that can be more easily tracked, traced and controlled.

3) Part of the preparatory phase for Cyprus-style bail-ins where the government announces a new “tax” to gouge out a percentage of people’s savings.
[Source: http://www.infowars.com/chase-bank-limits-cash-withdrawals-bans-international-wire-transfers/print/]

Also see the following article on Mike Adams’ Natural News website.

http://www.naturalnews.com/042529_Chase_bank_capital_controls_financial_red_alert.html#

Further reports on this issue indicate that other banks are following this same policy.

SHOCK: HSBC USA Joins Chase in Limiting International Money Transfers

Yesterday, I reported that JPMorganChase will start to limit cash withdrawals and ban ceratain business customers from sending international wire transfers, from November 17 onward.

Now, word comes via Simon Black that starting October 20th, HSBC USA's Premier clients will have to wait a minimum of five days before transferring funds to their OWN international accounts!

This is not good. The cover story for these measures is to "protect" banks and customers from theft. In reality, this is a major move toward limiting movement of capital overseas. Black writes:

This is the very nature of capital controls-- restricting the free flow of capital across borders until it is trapped inside the country and forcibly denominated in a rapidly devaluing currency.

And this is exactly how it starts... making it more difficult to move money abroad.

A word to the wise, it will only get worse. Act accordingly.
[Source: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/10/shock-hsbc-usa-joins-chase-in-limiting.html]

I would very much expect that when the U.S. economy is about to collapse that banks will institute capital controls to prevent Americans from transferring money outside the United States. Everyone will be made to suffer equally, except for the very rich. Such individuals were able to move their money out of Cyprus banks when the middle class account holders could not do so.

I see what these banks are doing as one more step in preparation for the looming economic collapse of America. As the powers-that-be make their plans and carry them forward, America is distracted by political theater about pseudo government shutdowns and fearmongering about defaults if the federal debt limit is not raised. Such theatrics are reminiscent of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.




Returning to the first story in this post, the Fox and Friends broadcast this morning discussed Dianne Reidy’s outburst before the House of Representatives. The website The Wrap included the following commentary.

A minister wrote the Fox News morning program arguing that the woman was simply sharing a communique from on high.

“It was not a mental episode,” host Steve Doocy read from the email. “What she was doing was known as an exercise of the gifts of the spirit where she was. She had brought a warning and a message from God.”

It wasn’t just the Lord’s outrage over Obamacare that got “Fox & Friends” viewers riled up, they were upset that guards seized Reidy for sharing her beliefs.

“Amazingly, this religious and obviously a sweet lady gets fed up and speaks her mind, something we all have tried to do,” Doocy read from a second email. “She brings up our dear Lord and she gets a mental evaluation?”
[Source: http://www.thewrap.com/fox-friends-debates-whether-ranting-house-stenographer-victim-religious-persecution/]

Did Yahweh move upon this woman to declare three times to the House of Representatives that “God will not be mocked”? Did He tell her to inform them that they were deceived to believe that America is “one nation under God”? What she shared about Freemasonry and the Satanic origins of America’s government are certainly true. The series I posted last year titled Dragon Flood revealed the truth of this matter.

If you are reading this blog, you are likely a believer in the Lord Yahshua the Messiah. Are you preparing spiritually, and any other way the Lord directs you, to be in readiness for the tumultuous days ahead? The signs are everywhere around us that great chaos is coming. If you did not read about the food riots that occurred when the government EBT food stamp system went down in 17 states for a portion of one day last week-end, you should read about the matter. America can expect far worse things to occur when the dollar collapses. The stores will be emptied in short order. Violence and theft will follow.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-coming-food-stamp-riots

Since I have been on the island the past couple weeks, I have been listening to the Bible on Audio. I have the NAS Bible on MP3 and I play it through my bus’s stereo system. Recently I have been listening to the Psalms. The Psalms are incredibly faith building. I encourage the people of God to soak in the presence of the Father, having their faith affirmed and strengthened by feeding on the anointed Scriptures.

You can find a copy of the Scriptures on DVD in MP3 format at Amazon for a reasonable cost. Following are a couple of links:

NAS
www.amazon.com/Voice-Only-Bible-NASB-Elegance-Simplicity/dp/1598561200/

NKJV
http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Bible-NKJV-Voice-Only-With-DVD/dp/1598562789/

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

P.S. Numerous people sent me links to some of these stories after I had decided to write on them. To save time I have not replied to each person individually, assuming that they would read the blog post. I am still riding my bicycle regularly for exercise, and also taking my dog Champ on bike jogs. This takes up considerable time (I rode 23 miles today before writing this post), so please understand my failure to answer each e-mail individually. I do appreciate the notes and links people send in.

Credit to Joseph Herrin

Is Open Revolt the Solution?

Americans Have Lost VIRTUALLY ALL of Our Constitutional Rights

 

Painting by Anthony Freda: www.AnthonyFreda.com

How Many Constitutional Freedoms Have We Lost?

This post explains the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution – and provides a scorecard on the extent of the loss of each right. (This is an updated version of an essay we wrote in February. Unfortunately, a lot of information has come out since then.)

First Amendment
The 1st Amendment protects speech, religion, assembly and the press:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Supreme Court has also interpreted the First Amendment as protecting freedom of association.

However, the government is arresting those speaking out … and violently crushing peaceful assemblies which attempt to petition the government for redress.

A federal judge found that the law allowing indefinite detention of Americans without due process has a“chilling effect” on free speech. And see this and this.

There are also enacted laws allowing the secret service to arrest anyone protesting near the president or other designated folks (that might explain incidents like this).

Mass spying by the NSA violates our freedom of association.

The threat of being labeled a terrorist for exercising our First Amendment rights certainly violates the First Amendment. The government is using laws to crush dissent, and it’s gotten so bad that even U.S. Supreme Court justices are saying that we are descending into tyranny.

For example, the following actions may get an American citizen living on U.S. soil labeled as a “suspected terrorist” today:
Complaining about the taste of your tap water
Being young (if you live near a battle zone, you are fair game; and see this)
Using social media
Reporting or doing journalism (and here and here)
Having “strange odors” or “bright colored stains on clothes” (what if you eat mustard or ketchup?)
Speaking out against government policies
Protesting anything (such as participating in the “Occupy” or “Tea Party” movements)
Questioning war (even though war reduces our national security; and see this)
Criticizing the government’s targeting of innocent civilians with drones (although killing innocent civilians with drones is one of the main things which increases terrorism. And see this)
Asking questions about pollution (even at a public Congressional hearing?)
Paying cash at an Internet cafe
Asking questions about Wall Street shenanigans
Holding gold
Creating alternative currencies
Stocking up on more than 7 days of food (even though all Mormons are taught to stockpile food, and most Hawaiians store up on extra food)
Having bumper stickers saying things like “Know Your Rights Or Lose Them”
Investigating factory farming
Infringing a copyright
Taking pictures or videos
Talking to police officers
Wearing a hoodie
Driving a van
Writing on a piece of paper
(Not having a Facebook account may soon be added)

And holding the following beliefs may also be considered grounds for suspected terrorism:
Being frustrated with “mainstream ideologies”
Valuing online privacy (and see this)
Being a libertarian
Liking the Founding Fathers
Being a Christian
Being anti-tax, anti-regulation or for the gold standard
Being “reverent of individual liberty”
Being “anti-nuclear”
“Believe in conspiracy theories”
“A belief that one’s personal and/or national “way of life” is under attack”
“Impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)”
“Insert religion into the political sphere”
“Those who seek to politicize religion”
“Supported political movements for autonomy”
Being “anti-abortion”
Being “anti-Catholic”
Being “anti-global”
“Suspicious of centralized federal authority”
“Fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)”
“A belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in … survivalism”
Opposing genetically engineered food
Opposing surveillance

Of course, Muslims are more or less subject to a separate system of justice in America.

And 1st Amendment rights are especially chilled when power has become so concentrated that the same agency which spies on all Americans also decides who should be assassinated.
Second Amendment

The 2nd Amendment states:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Gun control and gun rights advocates obviously have very different views about whether guns are a force for violence or for good.

But even a top liberal Constitutional law expert reluctantly admits that the right to own a gun is as important a Constitutional right as freedom of speech or religion:


Like many academics, I was happy to blissfully ignore the Second Amendment. It did not fit neatly into my socially liberal agenda.
***

It is hard to read the Second Amendment and not honestly conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an individual right. It is true that the amendment begins with a reference to militias: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Accordingly, it is argued, this amendment protects the right of the militia to bear arms, not the individual.

Yet, if true, the Second Amendment would be effectively declared a defunct provision. The National Guard is not a true militia in the sense of the Second Amendment and, since the District and others believe governments can ban guns entirely, the Second Amendment would be read out of existence.

***

More important, the mere reference to a purpose of the Second Amendment does not alter the fact that an individual right is created. The right of the people to keep and bear arms is stated in the same way as the right to free speech or free press. The statement of a purpose was intended to reaffirm the power of the states and the people against the central government. At the time, many feared the federal government and its national army. Gun ownership was viewed as a deterrent against abuse by the government, which would be less likely to mess with a well-armed populace.

Considering the Framers and their own traditions of hunting and self-defense, it is clear that they would have viewed such ownership as an individual right — consistent with the plain meaning of the amendment.

None of this is easy for someone raised to believe that the Second Amendment was the dividing line between the enlightenment and the dark ages of American culture. Yet, it is time to honestly reconsider this amendment and admit that … here’s the really hard part … the NRA may have been right. This does not mean that Charlton Heston is the new Rosa Parks or that no restrictions can be placed on gun ownership. But it does appear that gun ownership was made a protected right by the Framers and, while we might not celebrate it, it is time that we recognize it.

The gun control debate – including which weapons and magazines are banned – is still in flux …

Third Amendment

The 3rd Amendment prohibits the government forcing people to house soldiers:


No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

While a recent lawsuit by a Nevada family – covered by (Mother Jones, Fox News and Courthouse News – alleges violation of the Third Amendment, this appears to be an isolated incident and an aberration.

So we’ll count this as an Amendment which is still being honored! Score one for We the People!

Painting by Anthony Freda: www.AnthonyFreda.com.

Fourth Amendment
The 4th Amendment prevents unlawful search and seizure:


The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

But the government is spying on everything we do … without any real benefit or justification.

Indeed, experts say that the type of spying being carried out by the NSA and other agencies is exactlythe kind of thing which King George imposed on the American colonists … which led to the Revolutionary War.

And many Constitutional experts – such as Jonathan Turley – think that the police went too far in Boston with lockdowns and involuntary door-to-door searches.

Paintings by Anthony Freda: www.AnthonyFreda.com.

Fifth Amendment
The 5th Amendment addresses due process of law, eminent domain, double jeopardy and grand jury:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

But the American government has shredded the 5th Amendment by subjecting us to indefinite detention and taking away our due process rights.

The government claims the right to assassinate or indefinitely detain any American citizen on U.S. citizen without any due process. And see this.

As such, the government is certainly depriving people of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

There are additional corruptions of 5th Amendment rights – such as property being taken for privatepurposes.

The percentage of prosecutions in which a defendant is denied a grand jury is difficult to gauge, as there is so much secrecy surrounding many terrorism trials.

Protection against being tried twice for the same crime after being found innocent (“double jeopardy”) seems to be intact. Hey … that’s two Constitutional rights which are still intact!

Image by William Banzai

Sixth Amendment
The 6th Amendment guarantees the right to hear the criminal charges levied against us and to be able to confront the witnesses who have testified against us, as well as speedy criminal trials, and a public defender for those who cannot hire an attorney:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Subjecting people to indefinite detention or assassination obviously violates the 6th Amendment right to a jury trial. In both cases, the defendants is “disposed of” without ever receiving a trial … and often without ever hearing the charges against them.

More and more commonly, the government prosecutes cases based upon “secret evidence” that they don’t show to the defendant … or sometimes even the judge hearing the case.

The government uses “secret evidence” to spy on Americans, prosecute leaking or terrorism charges (even against U.S. soldiers) and even assassinate people. And see this and this.

Secret witnesses are being used in some cases. And sometimes lawyers are not even allowed to read their own briefs.

Indeed, even the laws themselves are now starting to be kept secret. And it’s about to get a lot worse.

True – when defendants are afforded a jury trial – they are provided with assistance of counsel. However, the austerity caused by redistribution of wealth to the super-elite is causing severe budget cuts to the courts and the public defenders’ offices nationwide.

Moreover, there are two systems of justice in America … one for the big banks and other fatcats, andone for everyone else. The government made it official policy not to prosecute fraud, even though fraud is the main business model adopted by Wall Street. Indeed, the biggest financial crime in world history, the largest insider trading scandal of all time, illegal raiding of customer accounts and blatant financing of drug cartels and terrorists have all been committed recently without any real criminal prosecution or jail time.

On the other hand, government prosecutors are using the legal system to crush dissent and to silence whistleblowers.

And some of the nation’s most powerful judges have lost their independence … and are in bed with the powers-that-be.

Seventh Amendment

The 7th Amendment guarantees trial by jury in federal court for civil cases:

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

As far as we know, this right is still being respected (that’s three rights still being followed).

However – as noted above – the austerity caused by redistribution of wealth to the super-elite is causing severe budget cuts to the courts, resulting in the wheels of justice slowing down considerably.

Painting by Anthony Freda: www.AnthonyFreda.com

Eighth Amendment

The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Indefinite detention and assassination are obviously cruel and unusual punishment.

The widespread system of torture carried out in the last 10 years – with the help of other countries –violates the 8th Amendment. Many want to bring it back … or at least justify its past use.

While Justice Scalia disingenuously argues that torture does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment because it is meant to produce information – not punish – he’s wrong. It’s not only cruel and unusual … it is technically a form of terrorism.

And government whistleblowers are being cruelly and unusually punished with unduly harsh sentences meant to intimidate anyone else from speaking out.

Ninth Amendment

The 9th Amendment provides that people have other rights, even if they aren’t specifically listed in the Constitution:


The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

We can debate what our inherent rights as human beings are. I believe they include the right to a level playing field, and access to non-toxic food and water. You may disagree.

But everyone agrees that the government should not actively encourage fraud and manipulation. However, the government – through its malignant, symbiotic relation with big corporations – is interfering with our aspirations for economic freedom, safe food and water (instead of arsenic-laden, genetically engineered junk), freedom from undue health hazards such as irradiation due togovernment support of archaic nuclear power designs, and a level playing field (as opposed to our crony capitalist system in which the little guy has no shot due to redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the super-elite, and government support of white collar criminals).

By working hand-in-glove with giant corporations to defraud us into paying for a lower quality of life, the government is trampling our basic rights as human beings.

Tenth Amendment

The 10th Amendment provides that powers not specifically given to the Federal government are reserved to the states or individual:


The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Two of the central principles of America’s Founding Fathers are:


(1) The government is created and empowered with the consent of the people

and

(2) Separation of powers

Today, most Americans believe that the government is threatening – rather than protecting – freedom. We’ve become more afraid of our government than of terrorists, and believe that the government is no longer acting with the “consent of the governed“.

And the federal government is trampling the separation of powers by stepping on the toes of the states and the people. For example, former head S&L prosecutor Bill Black – now a professor of law and economics – notes:


The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the resident examiners and regional staff of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency [both] competed to weaken federal regulation and aggressively used the preemption doctrine to try to prevent state investigations of and actions against fraudulent mortgage lenders.

Indeed, the federal government is doing everything it can to stick its nose into every aspect of our lives … and act like Big Brother.

Conclusion: While a few of the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights still exist, the vast majority are under heavy assault.
Other Constitutional Provisions … and The Declaration of Independence

In addition to the trampling of the Bill of Rights, the government has also trashed the separation of powers enshrined in the main body of the Constitution.

The government is also engaging in activities which the Founding Fathers fought against, such as taxation without representation (here and here), cronyism, deference to central banks, etc.

As thethe preamble to the Declaration of Independence shows, the American government is still carrying out many of the acts the Founding Fathers found most offensive:


He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. [Background]

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. [Background here, here and here]

***

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: [Background]

***

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences [Background]

***

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. [Background]

***

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. [Background here, here and here]




Credit to the Washington Blog

LaRouche: Obama's Policies Are Mass Murdering Americans

9 Signs That China Is Making A Move Against The U.S. Dollar

On the global financial stage, China is playing chess while the U.S. is playing checkers, and the Chinese are now accelerating their long-term plan to dethrone the U.S. dollar.  You see, the truth is that China does not plan to allow the U.S. financial system to dominate the world indefinitely.  Right now, China is the number one exporter on the globe and China will have the largest economy on the planet at some point in the coming years.  The Chinese would like to see global currency usage reflect this shift in global economic power.  At the moment, most global trade is conducted in U.S. dollars and more than 60 percent of all global foreign exchange reserves are held in U.S. dollars.  This gives the United States an enormous built-in advantage, but thanks to decades of incredibly bad decisions this advantage is starting to erode.  And due to the recent political instability in Washington D.C., the Chinese sense vulnerability.  China has begun to publicly mock the level of U.S. debt, Chinese officials have publicly threatened to stop buying any more U.S. debt, the Chinese have started to aggressively make currency swap agreements with other major global powers, and China has been accumulating unprecedented amounts of gold.  All of these moves are setting up the moment in the future when China will completely pull the rug out from under the U.S. dollar.

Today, the U.S. financial system is the core of the global financial system.  Because nearly everybody uses the U.S. dollar to buy oil and to trade with one another, this creates a tremendous demand for U.S. dollars around the planet.  So other nations are generally very happy to take our dollars in exchange for oil, cheap plastic gadgets and other things that U.S. consumers "need".

Major exporting nations accumulate huge piles of our dollars, but instead of just letting all of that money sit there, they often invest large portions of their currency reserves into U.S. Treasury bonds which can easily be liquidated if needed.

So if the U.S. financial system is the core of the global financial system, then U.S. debt is "the core of the core" as some people put it.  U.S. Treasury bonds fuel the print, borrow, spend cycle that the global economy depends upon.

That is why a U.S. debt default would be such a big deal.  A default would cause interest rates to skyrocket and the entire global economic system to go haywire.

Unfortunately for us, the U.S. debt spiral cannot go on indefinitely.  Our debt is growing far, far more rapidly than our GDP is, and therefore our debt is completely and totally unsustainable.

The Chinese understand what is going on, and when the dust settles they plan to be the last ones standing.  In the aftermath of a U.S. collapse, China anticipates having the largest economy on the planet, more gold than anyone else, and a respected international currency that the rest of the globe will be able to use to conduct international trade.

And China is not just going to sit back and wait for all of this to happen.  In fact, they are already doing lots of things to get the ball moving.  The following are 9 signs that China is making a move against the U.S. dollar...

#1 Chinese credit rating agency Dagong has downgraded U.S. debtfrom A to A- and has indicated that further downgrades are possible.

#2 China has just entered into a very large currency swap agreement with the eurozone that is considered a huge step toward establishing the yuan as a major world currency.  This agreement will result in a lot less U.S. dollars being used in trade between China and Europe...

The swap deal will allow more trade and investment between the regions to be conducted in euros and yuan, without having to convert into another currency such as the U.S. dollar first, said Kathleen Brooks, a research director at FOREX.com.

"It's a way of promoting European and Chinese trade, but not doing it with the U.S. dollar," said Brooks. "It's a bit like cutting out the middleman, all of a sudden there's potentially no U.S. dollar risk."

#3 Back in June, China signed a major currency swap agreement with the United Kingdom.  This was another very important step toward internationalizing the yuan.

#4 China currently owns about 1.3 trillion dollars of U.S. debt, and this enormous exposure to U.S. debt is starting to become a major political issue within China.

#5 Mei Xinyu, Commerce Minister adviser to the Chinese government,warned this week that if the U.S. government ever does default that China may decide to completely stop buying U.S. Treasury bonds.

#6 According to Yahoo News, China has already been looking for ways to diversify away from the U.S. dollar...

There have been media reports this week that China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the body that handles the country's $3.66 trillion of foreign exchange reserve, is looking to diversify into real estate investments in Europe.

#7 Xinhua, the official news agency of China, called for a "de-Americanized world" this week, and also made the following statement about the political turmoil in Washington: "The cyclical stagnation in Washington for a viable bipartisan solution over a federal budget and an approval for raising debt ceiling has again left many nations' tremendous dollar assets in jeopardy and the international community highly agonized."

#8 Xinhua also said the following about the U.S. debt deal on Thursday: "[P]oliticians in Washington have done nothing substantial but postponing once again the final bankruptcy of global confidence in the U.S. financial system".  The commentary in the government-run publication also declared that the debt deal "was no more than prolonging the fuse of the U.S. debt bomb one inch longer."

#9 China is the largest producer of gold in the world, and it has also been importing an absolutely massive amount of gold from other nations.  But instead of slowing down, the Chinese appear to be accelerating their gold buying.  In fact, money manager Stephen Leeb says that his sources are telling him that China plans to buy another 5,000 tons of gold.  There are many that are convinced that China eventually plans to back the yuan with gold and try to make it the number one alternative to the U.S. dollar.

So exactly what would happen if the Chinese announced someday that they were going to back their currency with gold and would no longer be using the U.S. dollar in international trade?

It would change the face of the global economy almost overnight.  In a previous article, I described some of the things that we could expect to see happen...

If China does decide to back the yuan with gold and no longer use the U.S. dollar in international trade, it will have devastating effects on the U.S. economy.  Demand for the U.S. dollar and U.S. debt would drop like a rock, and prices on the things that we buy every day would soar.  At that point you could forget about cheap gasoline or cheap Chinese imports.  Our entire way of life depends on the U.S. dollar being the primary reserve currency of the world and being able to import things very inexpensively.  If the rest of the world (led by China) starts to reject the U.S. dollar, it would result in a massive tsunami of currency coming back to our shores and a very painful adjustment in our standard of living.  Today, most U.S. currency is actually used outside of the United States.  If someday that changes and we are no longer able to export our inflation that is going to mean big trouble for us.

The fact that we get to print up giant mountains of money and virtually everyone around the world uses it has been a huge boon for the U.S. economy.

When that changes, the word "catastrophic" is not going to be nearly strong enough to describe what is going to happen.

According to a Rasmussen Reports survey that was released this week, only 13 percent of all Americans believe that the country is on the right track.  But the truth is that these are the good times.  The American people haven't seen anything yet.

Someday people will look back and desperately wish that they could go back to the "good old days" of 2012 and 2013.  This is about as good as things are going to get, and it is only downhill from here.

Credit to The Economic Collapse

US Democracy Is Nearing its Limits

The United States has temporarily avoided federal default. As the Republicans lick their wounds, the Democrats are triumphant. But no one should be happy, because the debacle has exposed just how broken the American political system truly is.

The president kept things short, speaking for only three minutes on Wednesday night to praise the debt compromise reached by Congress. After he finished, a reporter called after him: "Mr. President, will this happen again in a couple of months?" Barack Obama, who was on his way out the door, turned and answered sharply, "No."

But such optimism has proven to be unrealistic in the past. With his re-election in 2012, Obama thought he could break the Republican "fever." Instead, the conservatives paralyzed the government and risked a federal default just so they could stop Obama's signature project: health care reform. And this despite the fact that "Obamacare" had been approved by a majority of both houses of Congress, was upheld by the US Supreme Court, and was endorsed by the American people in the voting booths.

No, the democratic process cannot reduce this "fever," and probably won't during the next fight, either. On the contrary, the political crisis has turned out to be a systemic crisis.

America's 237-year-old democracy is approaching its limits. Its political architecture was not designed for long-lasting blockades and extortion,the likes of which have been enthusiastically practiced by Tea Party supporters for almost the last four years. The US's founding fathers proposed a system of checks and balances, not checks and boycotts.

In hardly any other western democracy are the minority's parliamentary rights as strongly pronounced as they are in the US, where a single senator can delay legislation, deny realities, and leverage the system.




Credit to the Spiegel

Iraq Taking Delivery of Russian Arms under 2012 Contract

MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has started implementation of a multibillion dollar arms deal with Iraq, an official with the Middle Eastern nation’s government said Thursday.

Russia is to supply over 10 fully armed and equipped Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters to Iraq under a $4.3 billion agreement on cooperation in the defense and technology sector signed in 2012.

Ali Musawi, an aide to the Iraqi prime minister, told the RT television network there had been some doubts about the contract, but said “implementation of one of the contract’s stages has begun.”

He said the contract provides for the delivery of weaponry mainly for anti-terrorist operations.

Alexander Mikheyev, deputy general director at Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said in late June that the helicopter contract also covers pilot and technical personnel training and the delivery of essential weapons systems.

This is the first contract with Iraq under the package agreement, he added.

Credit to RIA Novosti