Freedom May Arise From Adversity

A message of hope from Ron Helwig that economic adversity may furnish fertile ground for the triumph of individual liberty -- with sound money (I believe) a necessary component of such rejuvenation.

Titled, There is still a government in Argentina, read it at the link here.

Stephen Lendman Calls for Abolition of the Federal Reserve

Another article calling for an end to the Federal Reserve System is Stephen Lendman's The Federal Reserve Abolition Act appearing on Information Clearing House.

Written in support of Representative Ron Paul's proposed legislation of the same name (HR 2755), this essay reviews the history of the Fed, the monetary system of silver and gold coin mandated by the U. S. Constitution, and the damage the current fiat monetary scheme has done and continues to do to ordinary Americans.

Well worth reading, which you may do at the link here.

"A Crisis of Dollars and Sense" by Edwin Vieira, Jr.

For those wanting a refresher course in American monetary history and the degeneration of our currency from the constitutional dollar of 371.25 grains of fine silver to the Federal Reserve "dollar bill" of no anything-of-real-value, as well as for the concrete steps needed to restore honest money to our republic, one need look no further than this article by Edwin Viera, Jr. on the website of the New American.

Titled, A Crisis of Dollars and Sense, I consider this piece a "must read" for its accuracy, succinctness, and timeliness. Read it at the link here.

Whither the American Dream?

As we near the end of another year, it is perhaps time once again to take stock of where we are and of where we have been.

Darryl R. Schoon has a piece on The Market Oracle that addresses this subject. Titled, The Federal Reserve Bank is the Reason for America's Downfall, the article briefly reviews the history of the United States, the ideals upon which it was founded, and the roll the Federal Reserve System has played in the demise of our nation through its destruction of our constitutional monetary system.

To quote Schoon:

"Only if America returns to the principle of sound money enumerated in its Constitution, will the abomination of unsound money and unsound governance end. If the Federal Reserve is allowed to continue, so too will our problems and the now 95 year downward spiral of America .

"The choice is clear: End the Federal Reserve or the American dream will end. End of story."

Read Schoon's essay at the link here.

"The Bomb in the Christmas Stockings" by Darryl Schoon

If anyone still needs a reminder of the perilous pitfalls of paper money, I suggest they read Darryl Schoon's latest editorial on Financial Sense University.

Titled, The Bomb in the Christmas Stockings, it may be found at the link here.

First in a Series: "Is America Broke" by Douglas V. Gnazzo

Titled, Is America Broke, this first of a three-part series by Douglas V. Gnazzo at GoldSeek.com reveals in clear and concise language the identities and motives of those who, by legislative sleight of hand, illegally replaced our country's constitutionally mandated system of silver and gold coin with the current regime of irredeemable paper money and bottomless debt.

As Gnazzo states near the beginning of this article, "The goal of this work is to ferret out what is wrong with our monetary system, and to offer a possible solution before it is too late." That coincides nicely with the goal of this blog, to which end the articles, links, and resources found herein are directed.

You need to do yourself a favor and read Gnazzo's piece. And then recommend to everyone you know that they do the same. The key to the success (so far) of the monetary criminal enterprise of irredeemable paper money is, as Gnazzo points out, "...that few understand money."

This lack of understanding needs to be remedied in order that the criminal activities of the paper-money crowd can be arrested. Many of the tools to accomplish the necessary education can be found on this blog. Essentially all of them are free. The short truth of the matter is that we can no longer afford monetary ignorance. Given the current unstable state of the existing paper-money schemes, a general state of monetary ignorance, such as now exists, equals economic death -- for all of us.

Read part one of Douglas V. Gnazzo's new three-part series at the link here.

Why Abolish the Fed if its Replacement is Just as Bad?

I wish to call your attention to an article titled Bag the Fed! by Jerry Mazza at Online Journal.

While correctly identifying the monetary crisis we now face as stemming from the Federal Reserve System, and while correctly calling for the abolition of said Fed, the writer falls into the same pit as many others have of late in calling instead for the Treasury to issue money in the form of United States Notes.

One problem with United States Notes is that they are "bills of credit*" and as such unauthorized by the Constitution which mandates silver and gold coins only as the official constituents of the monetary system of the United States.

Another problem with United States Notes is that they can be created in any quantity that those in charge of their generation may wish.  History teaches that any system that allows for the possibility of abuse will be abused sooner or later.  That is the problem with the current Federal Reserve System and it would be the problem with Treasury created money as well.  Indeed, it was the actual experience of such abuse that compelled the Founders to mandate a monetary system constrained through the naturally occuring limitations imposed by gold and silver.

The difference between whether we choose the paper money scheme advocated in the Mazza article or the constitutional system will be the difference between whether we end up with a different set of villians to blame for our troubles or whether we actually solve our monetary problems.

Time, fortunately or unfortunately, will tell.

To read Mazza's article, visit the link here.

*Bill of Credit - "Such bills of credit are declared to mean promissory notes or bills issued exclusively on the credit of the state, and for the payment of which the faith of the state only is pledged....Bills of credit may be defined to be paper issued and intended to circulate through the community for its ordinary purposes, as money redeemable at a future day."

Malaysia to Propose Use of Gold Dinar for Trade

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop of Malaysia has stated that his country would hold discussions with the other members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference regarding reconsideration of the use of the Islamic gold dinar for trade.

According to the report on The New Straits Times, “'At this time when the currency market is uncertain and challenging, maybe it will be good for the OIC countries to look again at the role of the gold dinnar [sic] in increasing trade among members,' [Minister Yakop] told reporters here today."

With other nations reconsidering the use of real money, perhaps the United States should return to its constitutional roots and do the same, lest Americans be left out of future economic prosperity?

Read the original news story at the link here.

The American Open Currency Standard and the Demand for Sound Money

The ranks of private silver currencies continues to grow.  The American Open Currency Standard is an organization which describes its mission with the following sentence:  "The AOCS exists to expedite the implementation of silver as money."  Further details may be found at the link above.

Among the currencies recognized by the AOCS are:

1.  The NeoCoins

2.  The Freedom Mint

3.  Free Lakota Bank

4.  The Dixie Dollar

5.  Liberty Dollar

6.  LibreCoins

7.  Community Dollar

In addition to these AOCS recognized coins, there is also the Shire Silver project in New Hampshire and, perhaps the newest entry in this category, silver rounds called First Majestic Coins produced by First Majestic Silver Corporation, which owns and operates three producing silver mines in Mexico.  Further details on First Majestic are available at the link above.

While private silver (or gold) currencies are perhaps not as desirable as the constitutionally mandated system of silver and gold coinage, the proliferation of these systems proves not only the existence of a growing popular demand for sound money but, that when the government fails to do its constitutional duty, the free market will step into the breach with its own innovations.

One way or another, Americans are determined to establish honest money in our country once again.