MSM Just Called You the “F” Word

September 7, 2023

Emily Clancy

Questioning CBDCs means you’re paranoid
Gold has some catching up to do
Your liberty is not safe
Regulations gone WILD
Battle of the bands, Modi’s modus operandi… and “Duh”

Questioning CBDCs Means You’re Paranoid

“A few years ago, CBDCs were the domain of policy wonks. Today, they are a topic of growing political importance and, among fringe groups, creeping paranoia,” says a Financial Times article.

Well, this oughta be good…

“Although the exact nature of CBDCs vary from country to country, their overarching nature is that of a digital version of physical cash — money issued by the central bank, unlike cryptocurrencies, which are created by private entities.”

Oh, so nothing to see here: Just your run-of-the-mill war on cash and privacy.

“More than 100 countries are exploring their introduction,” the article reassures. “The U.S. and the U.K. are no exceptions.

“In January 2022, the Federal Reserve launched a period of debate and public comment on CBDCs. The Boston Fed and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology completed a project examining the technical feasibility of digital cash in December.”

Before that, in 2021, Paradigm’s macro expert Jim Rickards was already highlighting the dangerous reality of central bank digital currencies.

As did, oddly enough… the Financial Times!

“When money goes ID-based, one… has to consider the broader parameters of the potential data creep,” the salmon-colored rag warned in May 2021.

“If money is to be identity-based,” the FT reasoned at the time, “this introduces a whole new set of ethical dilemmas and social questions, which aren’t really being asked at the moment on a wide enough social level.”

But over a year later, another mainstream media outlet would take aim at Paradigm’s macro expert Jim Rickards (while not actually naming him) for daring to ask such questions.

And here in 2023, if you simply have concerns about CBDCs… you’re part of the paranoid fringe?

hat

Thankfully today, phew, the FT does the thinking for us!

“It is impossible to discuss CBDCs without considering the future of physical cash,” the article concedes.

Which brings us back to one of Brexit’s most notable figures, Nigel Farage.

“Farage, who has criticized CBDCs, has waded into the debate in the U.K.,” the FT says, “sponsoring a petition to protect cash via broadcaster GB News, for which he is a presenter, and posting, ‘The banks are trying to force a cashless society upon us!’ on X in August.”

In a glaring omission, however, the article fails to mention that Mr. Farage was a victim of financial cancellation when he was “de-banked” this summer for his fringe political opinions.

Jim Rickards sees an obvious throughline from CBDCs to financial cancellation: “CBDCs are programmable,” he says. “They allow central banks (or regulated commercial banks) to monitor your purchases.

“In conjunction with artificial intelligence (AI), purchases and other uses of money (charitable contributions, political contributions, travel, etc.) can create a profile that identifies you as an enemy of the people…

“CBDCs” thus, “[can] be used to freeze your account,” Jim says. “Still, this will not be fully implemented in the U.S. and Europe until early 2024.”

[Before that happens, take a second to review Jim’s warning about this massive shift.

If you do, you’ll not only be in the best position to avoid the impending carnage, but you could potentially make a small fortune in the process

It’s up to you… but you don’t have long to decide.]

Gold Has Some Catching up to Do

“Earlier this summer, I attended the Rick Rule Symposium on Natural Resource Investing,” says our income-investing ace Zach Scheidt.

“During the conference, I was struck by the importance of precious metals for preserving wealth — especially in light of the geopolitical and economic turbulence spreading around the world.

“Of course, we know that gold is one of the best long-term investments for protecting the true intrinsic value of your wealth,” Zach says. “And while gold fluctuates higher and lower based on myriad different factors, it has a tendency to hold its purchasing power very well over time.

“Those day-to-day fluctuations can also bring about some key opportunities for investors,” he notes. “Especially during times when gold is playing ‘catch up’ to inflationary forces that have been in play over the past three years.

“That’s exactly what I’m expecting to happen with gold prices over the coming six–12 months.”

In fact, Zach made a gutsy gold prediction at the beginning of 2023, saying: “The price of gold will reach $3,000 an ounce within the next year.” Here’s why the lid might be coming off for gold’s price…

“After a period of historically high inflation, gold has some catch-up work to do to retain its reputation as a tool for preserving wealth,” says Zach.

“One reason gold has not been a great inflation hedge so far this cycle is because of the historic rise in U.S. interest rates.

“Higher rates have made Treasury bonds a viable alternative,” he says, “both by driving prices for bonds lower and creating more income for every new dollar invested in these bonds.

“One of the more sobering concepts discussed at the natural resource symposium is the challenge of servicing the ballooning U.S. debt at the same time that interest rates are rising.

“The basic takeaway here,” Zach says, “is that the U.S. simply cannot afford to keep rates exceptionally high because our government’s debt will create way too much interest expense.

“So there’s a natural political argument for lower rates despite the stubborn inflation problem.

“Lower (or simply steady) interest rates will reverse the current headwind for gold and are now set to kick off a new rebound for gold prices.”

Since we’re discussing gold, the yellow metal is up 0.20% to $1,920.40 per ounce, according to Kitco, while silver’s moving in the opposite direction — down 0.80% — just below $23.

Elsewhere in the commodities complex, a barrel of crude is slightly in the red, priced at $87.48 for a barrel of WTI.

Turning our attention to stocks, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is getting hammered today, down 1.30% to 13,685. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is down 0.50% to 4,440; the Dow is the only major U.S. index ever so slightly in the green at 34,470.

Last, checking on crypto, Bitcoin is up 0.40% to $25,765, but Ethereum is in the red at $1,630.

Your Liberty Is Not Safe

Gun safe manufacturer Liberty Safe admits the company surrendered a customer’s safe access code to the FBI.

In a statement posted at X, Liberty Safe says the company complied with an FBI warrant for the passcode on Aug. 30. “Liberty Safe had no knowledge of any of the details surrounding the investigation at the time,” the statement adds.

An article at The Maine Wire says: “The safe in question was owned by Nathan Hughes of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The FBI has charged Hughes” — who was also arrested on Aug. 30 — “with nonviolent offenses for his presence at the Capitol protest on Jan. 6, 2021.”

More specifically, according to the DOJ, Mr. Hughes’ charges include “a felony offense of civil disorder. In addition to the… misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.”

So nonviolent, non-gun related offenses… Got it.

“Rather than wait for a court order to compel them to turn over the access codes,” the article notes, “the company reviewed the warrant and voluntarily released their customer’s information.”

In 2016, if you recall, the feds had a devil of a time getting an iPhone passcode from lefty Apple — for an iPhone belonging to an actual domestic terrorist. Nevertheless…

“Liberty Safe remains one of the top-advertised brands in conservative media,” The Maine Wire says.

However, the private equity company that purchased Liberty Safe in August 2021, Monomoy Capital Partners, supports values inconsistent with its conservative-leaning customers, including bowing to decidedly anti-Second Amendment ESG standards.

“The company regularly targets conservative talk radio and gun owners, leveraging the ‘liberty’ brand and support for the Second Amendment to sell safes,” the article continues.

“Those ads never include, however, a disclosure that the company will allow the FBI to poke around your safe without even being forced to do so by a court order.”

Thus, the following meme is now making the rounds…

bud light

We’ll keep you posted…

Regulations Gone WILD

“Don’t lick the taxidermy,” says Fran Richie of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections.

Huh?

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a collection of taxidermied animals, open to the public since 1984 as part of the Great Plains Zoo (GPZ), is closed “out of an abundance of caution.”

museum

Photo courtesy: Yelp (Ashley A.)Delbridge Museum of Natural History

The “[Delbridge] collection includes over 150 mounts from six continents,” says the zoo’s website, and the decision to close comes after “79% of specimens tested positive for detectable levels of arsenic” in August, according to The Associated Press.

Even though the wildlife collection was fenced off from zoo visitors who, presumably, would have limited exposure to the taxidermied animals, that was not enough for Sioux Falls’ mayor and some members of the City Council.

However, “to get rid of the animals, they’ll have to navigate a web of federal and state laws to do so.

“The Endangered Species Act protects animals even in death,” AP says, “so the collection can’t be sold.

“Under federal law, they could be given to another museum. But state law stipulates that exhibits like this must remain within the state.” (Adding to this bureaucratic hairball, most museums refuse to take taxidermied exhibits that have been treated with arsenic.)

“As a city asset,” says the zoo’s website, “the Sioux Falls City Council must approve the surplus and disposition of the Delbridge collection, which is expected sometime in the coming weeks.”

We assume disposition means the collection will be destroyed. “I am sick to my stomach,” says Barbara Philips, whose grandfather hunted and collected the wildlife from the 1940s–1970s.

“[Phillips] wants the specimens to be… kept behind glass as her grandfather did. The 1981 donation agreement, which the AP obtained through a records request, said the mounts ‘shall be behind a partition of glass or other suitable material.’”

Meaning, the zoo flouted a donor’s agreement for almost four decades, and now the GPZ claims it doesn’t have the money to encase the exhibits safely behind glass.

Sounds like a real cock-and-bull story to me.

Battle of the Bands, Modi’s Modus Operandi… and “Duh”

“Summer of 1969 and Woodstock,” says our first contributor, apropos of a Burning Man-Woodstock comparison.

“I was 31 years old, married, with two children, living and working in Mexico City. Proud to be an American, but happy I wasn’t living in the United States under Richard M. Nixon.

“My critical observation was ‘just wait until this bunch grows up and become political and business leaders.’ I think I have my answer!’”

Emily responds: The literal dumpster fire that was Woodstock ’99 was technically my generation’s Woodstock. Instead of Sly and the Family Stone, we got Limp Bizkit… Thanks for playing, game over, you win.

On a separate subject, a longtime reader comments on the cashless trend: “If I acquire cash by whatever method, I now make it a habit to exchange $100 and $50 bills for $20s. Just in case Biden pulls a Modi.”

“Duh,” is a reader’s laconic reply to our Tesla Supercharger expose.

“It is astounding how many people think electricity magically appears at a charging station! Somewhere along the grid is a generation plant(s) burning gas, oil, coal — oh, yes — and diesel.

“Do green energy advocates also believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy?”

Past That