NC Renegades

What do you expect when the pResident is unchecked?

David DeGerolamo

by Brandon Smith

As I write this, the news is saturated with stories of a hostage situation possibly involving Islamic militants in Sydney, Australia. Like many, I am concerned about the shockwave such an event will create through our sociopolitical structures. However, while most of the world will be distracted by the outcome of this crisis (for good or bad) for at least the week, I find I must concern myself with a far more important and dangerous situation.

Up to 40 people may be held by a supposed extremist in Sydney, but the entire world is currently being held hostage economically by international banks. This is the crisis no one in the mainstream is talking about, so alternative analysts must.

As I predicted last month in “We Have Just Witnessed The Last Gasp Of The Global Economy,”severe volatility is now returning to global markets after the pre-game 10 percent drop in equities in October hinted at what was to come.

We expected such destabilization after the wrap-up of the Fed taper, and the markets have not disappointed so far. My position has always been that the taper of QE3 made very little sense in terms of maintaining the manipulated illusion of economic health — unless, of course, the Federal Reserve was implementing the taper in preparation for a renewed financial catastrophe. That is to say, the central bankers have established the lie of American fiscal recovery and then separated themselves from blame for the implosion they KNOW is coming. If the markets were to collapse while stimulus is officially active, the tragedy would be forever a millstone on the necks of the banksters. And we can’t have that now, can we?

More…

h/t John P

Gunvor’s move away from physical commodities trading in itself is not surprising: recall that first it was Germany banking titan Deutsche Bank which announced it would no longer trade physical precious metals last month.

According to Bloomberg at least two traders are leaving the company in Geneva and Singapore: Francois Beuzelin, hired in 2012 as head of metals in Geneva, and Cedric Chanu, who started in Singapore in January as a precious-metals trader. Chanu declined to comment by phone and Beuzelin didn’t answer calls to his office nor an e-mail sent via his LinkedIn account.

But the biggest surprise in this story was the reason why Gunvor chose to discontinues its gold trading. Per Bloomberg, “executives decided to abandon the precious metals trading business partly because of difficulties in finding steady supplies of gold where the origin could be well documented, one of the people said.”

More…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was reminded yesterday of the following saying: Whoever has the most gold wins. As Ann Barnhardt succinctly stated: “If you cannot defend it with an AR-15, you don’t own it”. There is an exception to this rule that I call the Obama Corollary. It is the national debt that has been used to enslave us.

David DeGerolamo

From Paul on The Economic Collapse

Oh the economy outside is frightful
But my 80 inch Big Screen is so delightful
And since our economy’s got no place to go
Let It Blow! Let It Blow! Let It Blow!!

Oh, the collapse doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I’ve brought some credit card debt for popping
My Obamaphones are turned way down low
Let It Blow! Let It Blow! Let It Blow!

When we finally kiss our economy goodnight
How I’ll hate going out in the storm!
But if Obama really tells me everything’s alright
All the way home I’ll be warm

The economy is slowly dying
And my dear we’re still denying
But as long as you love me so
Let It Blow! Let It Blow! Let It Blow!

Oh, it doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I’ve brought some student loan debt for popping
Since my Obamaphones are turned way down low
Let It Blow! Let It Blow! Let It Blow!

When we finally kiss our economy goodnight
How I’ll hate going out in the storm!
But if Obama really tells me everything’s alright
All the way home I’ll be warm

Let It Blow! Let It Blow! Let It Blow!!!

Based on the treatment that the police have given me personally at protests and demonstrations, this is wishful thinking on Bill’s part.

David DeGerolamo

All I Want for Christmas is a (Real) Government Shutdown

The political class breathed asigh of relief Saturday when the US Senate averted a government shutdown by passing the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. This year’s omnibus resembles omnibuses of Christmas past in that itwas drafted in secret, was full of special interest deals and disguised spending increases, andwas voted on before most members could read it.The debate over the omnibus may have made for entertaining political theater, but the outcome was never in doubt. Most House and Senate members are so terrified of another government shutdown that they would rather vote for a 1,774-page bill they have not read than risk even a one or two-day government shutdown.Those who voted for the omnibus to avoid a shutdown fail to grasp that the consequences of blindly expanding government are far worse than the consequences of a temporary government shutdown. A short or even long-term government shutdown is a small price to pay to avoid an economic calamity caused by Congress’ failure to reduce spending and debt.

The political class’ shutdown phobia is particularly puzzling because a shutdown only closes 20 percent of the federal government. As the American people learned during the government shutdown of 2013, the country can survive with 20 percent less government.

Instead of panicking over a limited shutdown, a true pro-liberty Congress would be eagerly drawing up plans to permanently close most of the federal government, staring with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies not only degrade the average American’s standard of living, they also allow Congress to run up huge deficits. Congress should take the first step toward restoring a sound monetary policy by passing the Audit the Fed bill, so the American people can finally learn the truth about the Fed’s operations.

Second on the chopping block should be the Internal Revenue Service. The federal government is perfectly capable of performing its constitutional functions without imposing a tyrannical income tax system on the American people.

America’s militaristic foreign policy should certainly be high on the shutdown list. The troops should be brought home, all foreign aid should be ended, and America should pursue a policy of peace and free trade with all nations. Ending the foreign policy of hyper-interventionism that causes so many to resent and even hate America will increase our national security.

All programs that spy on or otherwise interfere with the private lives of American citizens should be shutdown. This means no more TSA, NSA, or CIA, as well as an end to all federal programs that promote police militarization. The unconstitutional war on drugs should also end, along with the war on raw milk.

All forms of welfare should be shut down, starting with those welfare programs that benefit the wealthy and the politically well connected. Corporate welfare, including welfare for the military-industrial complex that masquerades as “defense spending,” should be first on the chopping block. Welfare for those with lower incomes could be more slowly phased out to protect those who have become dependent on those programs.

The Department of Education should be permanently padlocked. This would free American schoolchildren from the dumbed-down education imposed by Common Core and No Child Left Behind. Of course, Obamacare, and similar programs, must be shut down so we can finally have free-market health care.

Congress could not have picked a worse Christmas gift for the American people than the 1,774-page omnibus spending bill. Unfortunately, we cannot return this gift. But hopefully someday Congress will give us the gift of peace, prosperity, and liberty by shutting down the welfare-warfare state.

---

Copyright © 2014 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Continue reading →

Sydney to be the game changer

by Doug Hagmann

It was just a few hours into the hostage crisis at the Lindt Café in Sydney, Australia when I received information from my source within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that this evolving incident will be a catalyst for many events inside the U.S. and throughout the West. According to my source, the hostage crisis created by an Islamic terrorist in Sydney, Australia “is not, nor will it be, a ‘one off’ event. “Don’t be fooled, this will be a ‘game-changer’ in many ways for not just Australia, but for all of the West. Maybe not immediately, but in short order. And this [Obama] regime will use it to their tactical advantage.”

According to this DHS source who is well-embedded at a fairly high level within this political leviathan inside the beltway, high level DHS briefings made late Sunday (Washington, DC time) confirmed that various police and intelligence agencies throughout New South Wales and Australia not only know the identity of the perpetrator at the Lindt Café, but “[they] have had numerous dealings with him over the last several months.” This source stated that “he is not just some random unknown perpetrator without a history, but has made his intentions known for some time. Once,  or if the truth comes out, you will see that he is also known by the CIA.”

More…