Prayer Requests: America’s Latest Inversions of Justice

Like many other Americans living in rural towns, I attend a church that is small enough that there is time to hear the prayer requests of individual congregants–both at the Wednesday evening Bible study meeting and at the Sunday worship services. This coming Sunday, I plan to voice three prayer requests in succession. This is in reaction to three news stories that have circulated in just the past two weeks. These news reports have deeply troubled me, and have begun to dominate my prayer life. All three of these involve inversions of justice. They are:

  1. Indictment of the Planned Parenthood Baby-Parts-For-Sale Whistleblowers. An article at The Federalist began: “A Houston grand jury has concluded there’s not enough evidence to bring Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast to trial from the series of videos David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress produced this last summer. It did, however, indict Daleiden on two charges, a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record (another employee, Sandra Merritt, was indicted on this charge as well) and a misdemeanor count related to purchasing organs.” When I read that I was shocked. How could justice become so inverted? Why would a grand jury indict well-intended undercover Whistleblowers who were posing as baby part buyers instead of the actual baby part sellers?
  2. The failed court appeal of a New York married Roman Catholic couple for refusing to host a homosexual “wedding” at their family farm. (See: “Court Unanimously Upholds $13,000 Fine Against Couple for Refusing ‘Gay Marriage’ Ceremony“.) The article noted: “Liberty Ridge Farms was also ordered to provide proof that they have trained their employees not to refuse requests from homosexuals. A poster noting that the business is subject to human rights law was additionally to be displayed prominently at the business.” Reading that put a chill up my spine. That smacks of Maoist “Re-Education”. And shaming posters? Court-ordered shaming of a family for taking a righteous stand? This reminds me of the public humiliation that was used against Jewish storekeepers in Germany in the 1930s, when their store windows were painted with the Star of David and the word “Jude!” How could justice become so inverted to make it a crime to preserve the sanctity of a family home and farm?
  3. The shooting death of Lavoy Finicum on January 26th. Regardless of your opinion of the merit or lack of merit on their protest or of their tactics, the men and women who occupied the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon were obviously seeking a redress of grievances. Further, it is noteworthy that the Malheur protest occupation was itself triggered by another inversion of justice: The re-sentencing of the Hammonds under a counter terrorism law’s mandatory minimum sentence terms. Not only was this re-sentencing a form of double jeopardy, but their original conviction was a gross misapplication of a law that was intended to stop true terrorists from setting fire to buildings full of innocent people. (It was was not intended to protect sagebrush!) Similarly, the felony conspiracy indictments of Ammon Bundy and his compatriots for “Conspiracy to Impede Officers of the United States from discharging their official duties though the use of force, intimidation or threats” was misapplied. That is a Federal law that was originally enacted to stop the KKK intimidation of federal officers. It was not intended to stop people from occupying a BLM office building that was closed for the winter. That conspiracy law was intended to stop intimidation of people from doing their jobs. How does someone “intimidate” unoccupied desks and office cubicles? How could justice become so inverted?

I am also troubled that journalist Peter Santilli was named as a co-conspirator on the indictment. Although he was clearly sympathetic to the cause, it is chilling to think that a journalist who camps out with protestors to cover a news story would be named as a “co-conspirator.” And this by the way is the same Pete Santilli, who just a few weeks earlier was stopped at gunpoint in Ohio, because he was supposedly “misidentified” as being on a “terrorist watch list.” Although Santilli has been roundly criticized for having bad business dealings in the past, he was still a bonafide journalist and this has set a horrible precedent. After Santilli’s indictment, what American journalist is going to want to go and cover the next “Occupy Wherever” event? And if it had been a journalist with a mainstream news network who had gone to camp out with Bundy, would he or she have also been indicted? I really doubt that.

A Time of Darkness

We are clearly now living in The Age of Deception and Betrayal. Increasingly, we are seeing miscarriages of justice – both by our paid peace officers (who now refer to themselves are “law enforcement officers”) and by our courts. Ironically, in reaction to falsely-alleged “intimidation” by Ammon Bundy and his group, the FBI has used genuine intimidation of their own, on a grand scale. (And there is nothing quite so intimidating as their unspoken message: “If you step out of line or get uppity, then we’ll shoot you dead.”) Many of the recent inversions of justice are so wicked and so vile that we must speak out. In fact, if we fail to speak out against them, then we are indirectly complicit and will have to answer for our silence, come Judgement Day.

This is my message to fellow Christians: We are called to be Watchmen. “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” – Ezekiel 3:17.

I urge my readers to make these recent events a part of their prayers in the days and weeks to come. If, following prayer, you feel convicted to speak out, then do so publicly and repeatedly. Ask your friends and relatives to also pray about this and to contact their elected representatives.

Speak out now, while you still have the right to speak out! – JWR

(Note: Permission is granted for re-posting of this entire article, but only if done so in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and only if the included links are preserved.)

Digital Currency: The Key Tool of 21st Century Monolithic Nanny State Tyranny

There has been talk of doing away with paper currency for several decades, but up until now that has mostly been idle conjecture and mostly bluster. Gradually, however, the building blocks of such a system have indeed been developed. These enabling technologies include:

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • Postal meters
  • Credit and debit card enabled pay phones
  • Credit and debit card enabled vending machines
  • Credit and debit card enabled “pay before you exit” parking garage kiosks
  • Grocery and warehouse store “member” cards
  • Automated bank account and wage garnishment by the IRS
  • Automated child support and alimony payments
  • Transnational debit cards with a Maestro logo (such as EC and Switch cards)
  • EBT cards
  • Widespread use of cellular smartphones
  • Widespread use of tablet and laptop computers
  • Direct deposit of payroll checks and Social Security payments
  • “E-Stamp” electronic postage stamp equivalents
  • Electronic banking
  • “Self checkout” terminals at stores
  • Point of purchase (POP) credit/debit card terminals
  • Credit/debit card enabled gas pumps
  • The new chip-equipped “smart” credit cards
  • The “Square” and PayPal “Here” credit/debit card readers

Perhaps the most crucial yet underappreciated one of these technologies was the advent of the very compact Square card reader in 2010. The Square magnetic strip card reader is a tiny attachment weighing less than two ounces that plugs into a cell phone. When used with its SquareUp cross-platform app, this device allows anyone with a functioning cell phone signal the ability to process credit card and debit card transactions. The Square reader is now a mature technology that is being mass produced and sold for less than $9.

The other key enabler was the advent of the EBT card, which replaced U.S. food stamps. The EBT card put the Federal government in the debit card-issuing business. Thus, all of the infrastructure is already in place to have a government-issued “Cash Card”. (It would be very quick and easy to start issuing a combination cash and EBT card, which might be marked “Federal Reserve Cash Card” or something similar.)

Here Comes E-Cash

It is noteworthy that some American urban dwellers no longer carry any cash. They pay for all of their everyday expenses with debit cards and credit cards. I expect the number of people in this category to continue to grow.

Back in 2012, the International Business Times, in a story headlined Sweden Going Cashless reported: “In Sweden, monetary transactions made with physical cash are down to three percent of the national economy” and predicted that the country would go entirely cashless in a few years. And just last week, the same publication reported that Norway is now very close to implementing a cashless society by means of cash cards that will entirely replace paper currency and coins. This is a frightening prospect, because once Norway does so other European nations will almost surely soon follow, claiming that “they must” for the sake of competitiveness. And once EU goes cashless, then the U.S. and Canada will likely follow suit.

An Orwellian Nightmare

A cashless society is a Collectivist/Statist Tyrant’s dream come true. It seems like something inspired by George Orwell’s novel 1984. Think of it: Fully documented accounting and taxation on every transaction, large or small, leaving little or no opportunity to conduct free, private enterprise on the gray market or so-called black market. There would be Total Information Awareness of every citizen’s spending habits and Total Information Awareness of every citizen’s travel and business relationships! What better tool for imposing a statist tyranny than having the ability to instantly target individuals, groups of individuals, or even entire demographic groups? Picture this: If you step out of line, then your account gets frozen, levied, or even zeroed in the blink of any eye. (If you think that the FAA’s horribly flawed “No Fly” list is bad, then just imagine a “No Buy” list for everything–even gasoline or groceries!) Have you ever seen the Aaron Eckhart movie titled Erased? Or the Will Smith movie Enemy Of The State? Those movies provide apropos analogies. The bottom line: Any dissent could be crushed, overnight.

Going “cashless” could give bankers, the police, debt collection companies, and/or tax agencies the ability to not only monitor but control and seize the liquid net worth of every private citizen, with no notice whatsoever. The incremental “fees” and taxes could be conducted at many levels simultaneously: local and state sales taxes, a future national sales tax, a future Value Added Tax (VAT), various “sin” taxes on alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and firearms, et cetera. With a cashless currency, the revenue gathering possibilities are endless.

Going Full Mugabe

Inflation, which is a hidden form of taxation, could be manufactured on demand and then conveniently “eliminated” by dropping a zero from a national currency unit. This process could be repeated, as needed, allowing governments to overspend to their heart’s desire. (Without the bother of printing and minting currency, any government could inflate their currency as much as they’d like. No muss, no fuss.)

All Crime Is Retail

The implementation of e-currency will no doubt be heralded in the mainstream press with cries of “All crime is retail”, meaning that without cash then most property crimes would be made very difficult or even impossible. What is the point of stealing someone’s wallet, if all that it contains is a driver’s license and a Cash Card that is worthless without a personal Identification Number (PIN)? Why steal anyone’s household property if it cannot be resold on the black market? The whole concept of a “bank robbery” at gunpoint would become ludicrous. They will also claim that it will eliminate street begging. And the narco-traffickers would lose the ability to transport their proceeds. The Generally Dumb Public (GDP) will be easily swayed by such arguments. So, I predict that the majority of the citizenry will be in favor of the “convenient” switch to digital currency.

Rural Exceptions?

Fully implementing an electronic currency in a nation as vast as the United States could prove difficult. Here in my corner of The American Redoubt, for example, there is no cellular phone coverage, and there probably won’t be for another 20 years. (The population density is so low that it does not justify the expense of building cell phone towers.) How could we “Square” our transactions without cell phones? So it is conceivable that an exception will be made for some rural residents. Perhaps this exception might be by allowing the continued use of U.S. coinage in rural areas. We’ll see what happens.

The Ultimate Stumbling Block: The Banksters

Here in the United States, the banksters effectively control our government. (If you doubt that they do, then just think of the last time that a banker truly LOST any money in a financial crisis. They no longer lose, because they are now always the first in line for full government bailouts. The game is rigged.) The key stumbling block to implementing a new e-currency will be the bankers themselves. Why? Because they make huge sums of money on credit card interest payments and banking fees, and they are loathe to giving up those revenue streams. So if a “Cash Card” system were ever put in place in the U.S. of A., I am almost certain that the bankers would insist that they still somehow get their generous slice of pie. Perhaps the national Cash Card “deposits” could somehow be proportionally divided between the regional Federal Reserve banks and local banks for “safekeeping”, based upon the ZIP codes of the resident “depositers”. Then, along with gradually higher interest rates, the banks would profit handsomely on the float of all those billions of “e-dollars”. (The switch to E-cash would drive all of the mattress money out of circulation; thus, the banksters would finally control all of the money supply.)

Speedy Implementation

When the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve eventually do away with circulating Federal Reserve Notes and coins, it will probably be a swift transition. It is conceivable that as little as 60 days will be allowed for people to turn in their mattress money and empty their piggy banks before the paper currency is declared null and void. (Foreigner holders of U.S. Dollars will probably be allowed six months, or even longer.) Soon after, U.S. Savings bonds will also be called in, probably with a longer window of opportunity–perhaps two years. And then, finally, it will become illegal to hold foreign paper currencies or bearer bonds. That will be the proverbial last nail in the coffin for currency privacy.

If you think that the preceding sounds like some sort of implausible fiction, then consider this: In the depths of The Great Depression of the 1930s, the U.S. government forcibly called in all of the circulating gold coins in the country. The populace went along with it, with hardly a peep of discontent. I can foresee that in the next great financial crisis we will witness some highly-publicized bank runs, bank closures, and “bank holidays”. Following that, there will be loud calls for a digital currency, ostensibly so that “people will always have access to their deposits”. Count on it.

Plan Ahead!

Since the adoption of a digital currency now appears inevitable, I recommend that SurvivalBlog readers proactively begin to take a few defensive measures to buffer themselves:

  1. Invest in some pre-1965 U.S. dimes and quarters. These coins were minted with 90% silver and therefore will continue to be valuable for barter, regardless of what the politicians and banksters dream up.
  2. Invest in common caliber ammunition. Again, like small silver coins, ammo is ideal for barter, because it is: A.) Easily Recognizable B.) Durable, C.) Desirable. D.) Useful, and E.) Easily Divisible.
  3. Invest in some rolls of U.S. nickels (five cent pieces). These are the only coins still in common circulation that have a base metal value (an alloy of copper and nickel) that is equal to their face value. (Yes, I know, pre-1981 pennies have real value, but they must be sorted.) If our current coinage ever formally goes out of circulation, I predict that nickels will still be used as a de facto barter currency.
  4. If you keep any non-U.S. currency on hand for traveling, then convert it into Swiss Franc currency. I predict that even if the rest of Europe goes cashless, then the Swiss government will keep the Swiss Franc in circulation, right alongside the transnational e-cash cards.
  5. If you have substantial wealth, then open an offshore banking account. For most Americans, the best hedge would be a demand account (with an accompanying debit card) that is denominated in Swiss Francs with a bank in the Cayman Islands or on St. Kitts. While you are at it, also get a safe deposit box offshore, and store some of your precious metals there.
  6. Practice bartering, and gather the requisite reference books.
  7. Install Bitcoin on your computer, and practice using it. (Note: because of the many wild fluctuations in the value of Bitcoin, I DO NOT recommend keeping more than a few hundred Dollars worth of your “cash” in the form of Bitcoin.)
  8. Pray hard. Pray first for repentance, and then pray that God providentially puts you in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, to be able to live without Taking The Mark. (There are many American Christians who believe that a universal electronic cash card might then be soon replaced by a universal biochip. See: Revelation 13:16-17. For some insights on whether or not we are now living in “The End Times”, see the preaching of Pastor J.D. Farag, of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe, Hawaii , on YouTube. Pay special attention to the 11 minute mark, and beyond.)

In closing, remember that there are three types of people in the world: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder “What just happened?” Don’t be in that last category! – JWR

(Note: Permission is granted for re-posting of this entire article but only if done so in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and only if the included links are preserved.)

Letter Re: Bug Out Boats

Hugh,

Living in a coastal city on the northeast has had me thinking of bugout boats for some time. A cabin cruiser with supplies and full tank would make for an expedient exit from a burning city.

Having a retreat to arrive at would beat trying to make it on the boat à la “waterworld”. Sadly the logistics are daunting. A year around-maintained boat is not easy in a zone 5 climate, plus a maintained retreat to arrive at and then trying to make it in your “new home”.

As mentioned in numerous survival articles, you will most likely not be welcomed unless you spend some time living in said retreat. It’s not impossible but not easy if you have to maintain a full-time job and keep your family happy. Right now they may put up with your survival plans; however, make them sacrifice some material things to fund the bug out plan and life at home could get ugly.

I don’t see pirates in the equation for sometime after SHTF, but the Somalians have proved it doesn’t take much to be successful. My plan is 12-gauge slugs aimed at the waterline and .223 aimed at the cabin area. Most light craft here are made of fiberglass, and shotgun slugs should make quick work of the hulls. Of course, you would need a hardened position on your vessel to survive a gun battle.

If you were in Miami and had a cat to sail off in, it might suit your purposes. My plan is to head north and make landfall away from the cities. In a warmer climate maybe an island, but again you have to deal with caching supplies and unfriendlies. – UG

Economics and Investing:

Wondering how “Too big to fail” came about? You need to see this graphic: The Instrument of Our Enslavement – JFJ

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The War on Cash: A Country by Country Guide

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Taxpayers to IRS: Fix the Debt Yourself(Washington Examiner) Taxpayers’ donations to debt reduction are drying up. Maybe they finally realize that their contributions haven’t made so much as a dent in the debt, nor have their contributions changed the behaviors of a spendthrift government. Excerpt: “Taxpayers have been able to donate money to reduce the national debt since 1961, when Congress passed legislation allowing the practice. But in recent years, the idea has become quaint in an era of annual budget deficits in the range of several hundred billion dollars, or even more than $1 trillion under President Obama.”

Warning! Feds Now Foresee $30T in Debt (Washington Times) Excerpt: “The federal government will be flirting with $30 trillion in debt within a decade, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, blaming an aging population, new spending and tax cuts approved on Capitol Hill, and the growing burden from Obamacare for erasing the progress Washington had made over the past few years.” …and with this in mind, now seems like an especially appropriate time to recall the US Debt Clock.

Is Infrastructure Spending a Good Investment?(Waste Fraud and Abuse) Excerpt: “It is also a mistake to assume that it’s the role of the federal government to pay for roads and highway expansions.” Although Hillary Clinton clearly has a different view. Yes. Hillary Clinton is calling for the creation of an Infrastructure Bank (Bloomberg).

International News

Brazil’s Easy-Money Problem (Mises) Excerpt: “… we must pay attention to the fact that “the attempts to lower interest rates by credit expansion generate, it is true, a period of booming business,” which in Brazil’s case occurred mostly between 2006 and 2013. “But the prosperity thus created is only an artificial hot-house product and must inexorably lead to the slump and to the depression. People must pay heavily for the easy-money….”

Free Lunch: China Capital Flight Goes Mainstream (Financial Times) Will China proactively move toward a floating exchange rate? Or put in place ever more Draconian capital controls? We’ll see.

Europe’s Banks Still Weighed Down by a Trillion Euros in Bad Debts (The Telegraph) Excerpt: “On average, European banks have twice the level of non-performing loans as their US counterparts…”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

How I Paid Off My Student Loans Early (Market Watch) Excerpt: “After three years of paying only the minimum on my student loans, I realized I wasn’t making any progress. In fact, one loan balance had actually increased because of interest. It was time to get serious.”

3 Questions to Ask BEFORE You Use Your Emergency Fund (Dave Ramsey) Excerpt: ” So what classifies as a true budgeting emergency? It all boils down to these three simple questions…”

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Hundreds of DHS badges, guns, cell phones lost or stolen since 2012 Exerpt: “…the phones are likely to have enough protocols in place to prevent them from being used for nefarious purposes, the badges and credentials are an entirely different matter and could allow access to sensitive areas such as cargo.” – A.L.

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Do you sometimes wish you had the same data as the police, when trying to find someone? Maybe you can… An Unprecedented Threat to Privacy Vigilant Solutions, makers of the license plate recognition software, has taken roughly 2.2 billion license plate photos to date and the data is for sale. To install a GPS tracker on your car, they need a warrant, but to see years of data in this location database, they just need to spend some of your tax dollars. – P.S.

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Danish teen fought off her attacker – now she’ll face fine – Using pepper spray, she was able to fend her attacker off, but she is now likely to be charged. – G.G.

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The Empire Has No Clothes – JFJ

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Feds installing facial recognition cameras to identify pedestrians at night and through fog – That name “Vigilant Solutions” keeps popping up again and again when it comes to finding unique ways to track you. – B.B.

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Last August a sudden onslaught of customer orders fully depleted the stock of Mountain House canned food at the factory warehouse. But now–most of the canned varieties are available again to Safecastle with discounts on MH canned food of between 32% and 46%. Get it while you can.

Malheur: The 3,025 FPS Arrest Warrant

News of the recent events in Oregon deeply saddened me. According to Victoria Sharp (who was in the car that was ambushed) Lavoy Finicum was shot when he had his hands in the air. We really won’t know who to believe until video of the event is released. (There were 30+ vehicles there, so the chances are very good that a dashcam recorded what happened.) The Federal agents have apparently now upped the ante, turning what had been a peaceful dialogue into a shooting affray. It saddens me to hear that there was loss of life in the ambush-arrest of several of the Malheur protestors. I must ask: Why did the FBI roadblock them out in the middle of nowhere, where there would be no independent witnesses? (Why not just arrest them in the parking lot, just before the well-publicized public meeting?) Since when is an arrest warrant served at 3,025 feet per second?

The highway ambush was reminiscent of the ambush of tax protestor Gordon Kahl. There, Kahl and his son were ambushed by U.S. Marshals in a roadblock set up on a lonely stretch of road, as they traveled home from a public meeting. (Kahl’s story is told in the documentary film Death & Taxes.) The difference there was that Karl, a WWII veteran, shot back with a rifle and escaped. His son, Yorie Kahl, is still serving a life sentence in a Federal supermax prison, even though he never fired a shot during the ambush or in the subsequent “shoot in” that took his father’s life.)

The January 26th Highway 395 ambush leaves the remaining protestors at the Harney County Resource Center in a predicament. They probably now expect to be shot on sight. Will they hunker down, attempt to exfiltrate, or parlay for surrender? Since the FBI drew first blood, some of the protestors might now feel justified in engaging in combat. The situation could get very ugly, with more loss of life.

The new FBI “checkpoints” (read: siege/blockade) on all of the roads leading into the Harney County Resource Center are a clear attempt to isolate and possibly starve out the remaining protestors.

As I have written before, I think that the tactics chosen by Ammon Bundy and his group were unwise. However, they did have good reason to seek a redress of grievances, but it was foolish to occupy Federal property. (They should have studied the history of the Native American takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969/1970. There, the Native Americans could at least claim that Alcatraz was “abandoned” Federal property.) Something tells me that Ammon Bundy will not be given nationwide television coverage of his trial. If he is afforded even a few minutes to make a truncated John Galt speech, few people outside of the courtroom will ever hear it.

Again, I recommend that the citizenry take up the pen, not the sword, in response to the protest at the Harney County Resource Center (aka Malheur Wildlife Refuge). The Federal government must be held accountable for their unconstitutional land grab in the western states. It is time for a redress of grievances.

All that I can safely predict is that this will probably not end well.

But please pray for a peaceful ending, that justice is served, and that our Constitutional rights are restored. – JWR

Notes for Wednesday – January 27, 2016

January 27th is commemorated at International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, Soviet troops liberated the remaining prisoners from Auschwitz death camp. Sadly, most of its population had been evacuated and sent on a forced death march. Only those too weak to travel had been left behind.

This is also the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006). She was a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho.

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We have completed the move to our new server and are now working out the small bugs. You should see several improvements including:

  • Faster, better performance.
  • The SSL implementation now gets an A+ rating instead of an F.
  • We’ve given up on the “Responsive” layout for mobile users. It seems the users want the old layout back, so the old layout is back. Sorry Google; the readership has spoken.

News From Oregon: We are waiting for more information at this time. Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan and seven others have been arrested after an altercation at a traffic stop/road block. One person is dead and one is injured.

Not much is known, but it appears that the men were asked to a meeting by locals and then stopped en route by the Feds. The altercation ensued resulting in the death of one of the militia. We will update as we get more accurate information.

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Updates:

The Daily Mail – Oregon militia spokesman is shot dead as traffic stop escalates into shoot-out with the FBI that ends with leader Ammon Bundy arrested and his brother Ryan wounded

Fox News – 1 killed, 1 injured during arrest of Ammon Bundy, leader of Oregon standoff

Sipsey Street Irregulars – The Feds accommodate Ammon Bundy and give him his John Brown at Harper’s Ferry moment, and we get to make a choice.

Oath Keepers – BREAKING: Ammon Bundy Taken Into FBI Custody

MSN – One dead as FBI arrests Oregon occupation leader and others

Hillary Rodham Clinton: The Queen of Codeword Compromise–America’s #1 Unprosecuted Felon

Recent news reports on the Clinton Servergate scandal have made it clear that Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) does not deserve a term in the White House. Rather, she deserves a term in prison, a long term.

On January 19th, Fox News published an exclusively-obtained, unclassified letter written by I. Charles McCullough III, the Intelligence Community Inspector General for the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). His letter summarized the findings of a recent comprehensive review by intelligence agencies that identified “several dozen” previously unreported classified e-mails stored on Clinton’s “secret” (yet unsecure) server that until 2013 was managed by Justin Cooper, an aide to former President Bill Clinton. According to published accounts, that server was kept in a home closet, and Cooper held no security clearance, and he had no expertise in computer security or classified document handling procedures. HRC later contracted privately with Platte River Networks, which was a continuing violation of both departmental procedures and Federal law (since their system was outside of official secure channels).

Most importantly, the “several dozen” e-mails quite obviously included intelligence products for Top Secret Special Access Programs (SAPs), also known as compartmented access intelligence and conversationally called “TS Codeword” material in intelligence circles. These intelligence gathering and analysis programs have “sources and methods” that are so sensitive that they carry the blanket proviso that any compromise to this compartmented information would cause “irreparable injury” to the security of the United States. Often erroneously referred to in the mass media as “Above Top Secret”, they are in fact collateral to Top Secret, but SCI access is very strictly guarded, and special codeword or corresponding acronym markings are used at the top and bottom of every page of these documents. In order to have Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), an individual must first have a Top Secret security clearance following a Special Background Investigation (SBI). Note that someone only gets a very expensive SBI if the intent is to give them potential access to one or more SCI programs.

It is apparent that HRC made repeated gross breaches of both national security policy and Federal law. After reading the news reports, I can only ask:

  1. Why, after all these months, has HRC not been interviewed by the FBI about this? (She recently claimed that she still hasn’t been interviewed by the FBI.)
  2. Why hasn’t she been “read off” of SCI and had her security clearance revoked? (If anyone else had done anything even remotely approaching the level of her alleged crimes, then that would have happened immediately after the investigation began (not to mention that the individual would probably have been arrested, advised of their rights, polygraphed, and confined without bail).
  3. Why wasn’t it until August of 2105 that Hillary’s secret e-mail server was finally seized by the FBI? (News of the private server was made public in March of 2015, but word of it had been circulating inside the Beltway much longer.)
  4. Why hasn’t a House or Senate Intelligence subcommittee been assigned to specifically investigate the potential damage that the “several dozen” e-mails containing SCI material could have caused or has caused, if it was somehow surreptitiously accessed? (Again, these were SCI products or summaries thereof that were stored on a non-secure server in a closet in a private home, not in a government facility, and that server was entirely outside of the DCI’s control procedure/channels. Furthermore, it was managed by a private contracted individual who had no security clearance!)
  5. It has been reported that more than 100 Federal agents (mostly from the FBI) have been assigned to this case full time, for many months. With so many people working on this for so long, and with such abundant evidence, why haven’t any formal charges been made?
  6. If what HRC did was “legal”, then why did her aide Bryan Pagliano plead the Fifth Amendment when subpoenaed to testify about what had happened? At the very minimum–even aside from the much more serious issue of SCI codeword material– Federal law prohibits “Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information”, per 18 U.S. Code § 793, paragraphs (e) and (f). That is a felony offense with a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment. Here are the applicable paragraphs:(e) Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver, transmit or cause to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it; or (f) Whoever, being entrusted with or having lawful possession or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, note, or information, relating to the national defense, (1) through gross negligence permits the same to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust, or to be lost, stolen, abstracted, or destroyed, or (2) having knowledge that the same has been illegally removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of its trust, or lost, or stolen, abstracted, or destroyed, and fails to make prompt report of such loss, theft, abstraction, or destruction to his superior officer— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
  7. The feds have a prima facie case against HRC on violating those statutes. So why hasn’t that first simple charge been made? Oh, I think I might have the answer: Such charges are up to the prosecutorial discretion of the U.S. Attorney, both for what charges are filed and when they are filed and the U.S. Attorney for United States Attorney for the District of Columbia is Obama Administration appointee Channing D. Phillips, who is Democratic party faithful. So I’m not holding my breath.
  8. Under the 1950 Federal Records Act (which was codified under 44 U.S. Code § 3106 “Unlawful removal, destruction of records”):

The head of each Federal agency shall notify the Archivist of any actual, impending, or threatened unlawful removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records in the custody of the agency of which he is the head that shall come to his attention, and with the assistance of the Archivist shall initiate action through the Attorney General for the recovery of records he knows or has reason to believe have been unlawfully removed from his agency, or from another Federal agency whose records have been transferred to his legal custody. In any case in which the head of the agency does not initiate an action for such recovery or other redress within a reasonable period of time after being notified of any such unlawful action, the Archivist shall request the Attorney General to initiate such an action, and shall notify the Congress when such a request has been made.

So why hasn’t the more recent head of the Department of State made that formal referral to the Attorney General? Failing to do so is a violation of Federal law!

9.) HRC and her staff failed to provide records to fulfill a Congressional Committee subpoena, which violates Federal law. Why have no charge been brough on that?

10.) HRC and her staff failed to provide records to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which also violates Federal law. Why have no charges been brought on that?

11.) By law, immediately after assuming office as secretary of state, Clinton must have signed a Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Nondisclosure Agreement that spells out the criminal penalties for “any unauthorized disclosure” of classified information. That legally binding NDA states:

“I have been advised that the unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized retention, or negligent handling of SCI by me could cause irreparable injury to the United States or be used to advantage by a foreign nation.”

and,

“I understand that it is my responsibility to consult with appropriate management authorities in the Department … in order to ensure that I know whether information or material within my knowledge or control that I have reason to believe might be SCI.”

That “unauthorized retention, or negligent handling” wording in the NDA seems pretty clear to me! Why wasn’t it clear to HRC? It was certainly clear to Edward Snowden. So why haven’t our nation’s prosecuting attorneys pressed charges against HRC, the same way that they did Edward Snowden?

Conclusion

Here is the bottom line, folks: Back when I was an Army Intelligence Corps officer, I held a TS/SBI clearance and was “read on” to access several codeword compartments of SCI. Those codewords themselves were classified as Secret, and the act of revealing them would be a crime, just by itself. Moving those files from a secure computer inside a SCIF on a memory stick and copying them to a unsecure computer or server grossly violates the basic “air gap” rule that was constantly drilled into us: “NO, NO, NO! Thou shalt not!…”

If I had done the same things that HRC reportedly did by copying actual SCI intelligence products to her private mail server, then right now I would now be in Leavenworth prison, awaiting trial. I would be facing at least one 10 year prison sentence–and probably multiple 10 years sentences, to be served consecutively.

So why isn’t Hillary Rodham Clinton already in prison? – JWR

(Note: Permission is granted for re-posting of this entire article, but only if done so in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and only if the included links are preserved.)

Letter Re: Bug Out Boats

Good Morning Hugh,

I’ll begin a reply, but I don’t really know where it will ultimately lead.

GS’s comments this morning (1/26/16) ought to be enough to take the wind out of anyone’s sails regarding bug-it boats! Although he makes some valid points, the overall tone is so negative he’ll put folks off the idea. But if you’re not already into boating/sailboating that may be for the best. It is a learned skill set.

Some random thoughts:

  1. You don’t have to cross an ocean to ‘escape. There are many places much closer that would probably suffice. As mentioned previously, I would probably head for coastal British Columbia and the Inside Passage (to Alaska). There is a LOT of really remote territory up there, relatively friendly ‘folk for the most part, fresh water, game/fish aplenty. Resupply would be challenging but doable. Hunkering down in some isolated cove will be cold, but it might even include establishing comfortable base camps ashore.
  2. True, a boat isn’t your best fighting platform. That said, if you’re in a remote area what is the actual probability of having to fight-off the hordes? As mentioned previously, the idea of having two or three boats for mutual support could be a life saver. With a few like-minded companion boats and carefully chosen sites, defensive tactics would be much more effective, plus supplies and spare parts could be coordinated. Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork….
  3. Study the folks who lived in BC/SEAK centuries ago. Choose your bugout locale very carefully. The native/First Nation people remained along the water for a reason; they found that surviving (even thriving) was quite possible. They often had a summer camp AND a winter camp; learn why they did that.
  4. Spend the summer(s) preparing for the winter(s). There is a lot of work necessary to prepare for long winters; plan your strategy. Learn to catch/cure resources for the winter. It’ll keep you busy and be good for the soul. The good news is the summer days are long; you can even have a spectacular garden (if you have the right preps).
  5. Back to choosing a boat…. Find one you’re comfortable with that’s not too big and not too small, just right! Relatively small can be GOOD; it’s easier to maintain, heat, and anchor. Frankly, I wouldn’t want a fifty-footer (even if I could afford it!). They’re too ungainly, and it shout’s: “here’s money and good stuff”. Remember: simpler can be better, and less is often more. My choice would be a pilot house sailboat in the 28-32′ realm, with overly large tankage (mostly for fuel) and a good (non-inflatable) dinghy or kayak.

There are countless other items that could be mentioned, these are just some items off the top of my head. It’s interesting and makes me daydream of times gone by. – C.C.

Economics and Investing:

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Peter Schiff: Clueless in Davos – While I agree with Schiff, I however don’t agree that this is just misguided policies, rather it is intention in my view. Also, not sure many foreign currencies will rise either.

Why A Former Fed Official Fears A Global Meltdown

Video: Bill Holter- This Is It, The Collapse Is Here – Bill is always interesting, and I am not deep enough into the derivatives world to know there are defaults happening, but it is worth the watch/listen.

Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Bank Mortgage Settlements Total $144B: Where Did It Go? (Contra Corner) Excerpt: “Surely after losing track of TARP funds, you’d have put some sort of mechanism in place somewhere so we could keep a better count than we did last time when we went… 1, 2, 3, 4… 9 trillion, and then it was all lost. We did better than that this time though, didn’t we. Say we did, I need to hear it.”

Too Big to Tax: Settlements are Tax Write-Offs for Banks (Newsweek) Excerpt: “At the Justice Department, senior officials like to congratulate themselves on the headline-making, big bucks settlements they have imposed upon banks and lenders for their part in causing the 2008 mortgage meltdown that sparked the biggest American financial crisis since the Great Depression. But wait a moment. Those settlement figures are not quite what they seem.”

Only the Wealthy are Building Homes and They’re Bigger Than Ever (Market Watch) Excerpt: “It isn’t that all Americans, in general, are clamoring for huge homes. Rather, it’s mainly the wealthy that are building right now, and they’re building big—skewing the overall average. Meanwhile, buyers between the ages of 25 and 34 are basically absent from the new-home market.”

Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis Just Got Worse (CNN Money) Excerpt: “The island has even less money than everyone thought….”

International News

Smuggling Soars as Venezuela’s Economy Sinks (Reuters) Excerpt: “Driven by a deepening economic crisis, smuggling across Venezuela’s land and maritime borders – as well as illicit domestic trading – has accelerated to unprecedented levels and is transforming society.”

European Regulators Pressure Big Banks to Increase Capital (Wall Street Journal) Excerpt: “European regulators are turning up the pressure on large banks to raise more capital, as authorities globally are trying to fix a financial system still ailing from the crisis six years ago.” Note: The Wall Street Journal requires subscription access for some content.

Deutsche Bank to Cut 2015 Bonuses After Record Losses (Reuters) Excerpt: “…expects to post a record loss for the year on writedowns, litigation charges, restructuring costs and tough trading conditions….”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Financial Planning and Your Emergency Fund: Understanding the Importance of Cash (Innovative Wealth) Excerpt: “If you want to figure out what your optimal emergency fund amount should be, here are a few steps to take…”

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

A SurvivalBlog reader wrote in to recommend three novels by Ken Gallender: Jernigan’s War and Porter’s Run (a sequel to Jernigan’s War). Based on a collapse of society with the United States under siege from an invading army and biological warfare, they provide an excellent entertaining adventure.

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Reader P.M. wrote in: “One of my all time favorite movies is ‘Ride With The Devil,’ a Civil War era film about bushwackers and jayhawkers. It is a side of the war that is seldom discussed, and never from the Southern perspective. The production values are excellent, as is the cast. It is an Ang Lee film, was set for national release until it was discovered that one of the main characters was a black man fighting for the South. Down the memory hole it went, and has survived only by word of mouth. Highly recommended!” (Editors note: Rated “R”)

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I have just finished a novel that I believe your readers would enjoy very much. The book is Joshua by John Wilson, and it is about a man and small boy traveling across the U.S. after a major economic meltdown. It has been compared to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and there is a vague similarity. I have read both and must say I enjoyed Mr. Wilson’s book much more. It certainly has a better ending! I believe that your readers that like survival type fiction will enjoy it too. – J.K.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Writing from his retirement home, the former press secretary to Democrat Governor Cecil Andrus (and biographer of the four-term governor) penned this diatribe: Serious questions about American Redoubt. This septegenarian Democrat did his best to sling mud, but he had difficulty finding a handful to toss. He sounded downright disappointed that the American Redoubt movement is anti-racist. In a fit of convoluted logic, he even implied that somehow we would be racists if the demographic situation were different. Sorry, sir, but that is not the case. (It is the statist leftists who are famous for situational ethics–not us constitutional libertarians.) In summary, all I can say is thanks to Chris Carlson, who has given the American Redoubt movement some publicity. Despite his best efforts, the Redoubt movement has a reputation for being level-headed, anti-racist, and liberty loving that remains untarnished. The extra publicity that his column generates will only serve to help the movement grow. Thanks again, Mr. Carlson. – JWR

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Have you ever stopped and looked around at the political scene, remembered what it used to be like, and wondered “what happened?” Do you find it strange that today’s conservative is oftentimes more progressive/liberal than yesterday’s liberal was? All-Of-A-Sudden. Sent in by A.L.

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Back on January 17th, 2016, an article ran in the Associated Press that stated that Maryland attorney general had issued an opinion that found that the governor had the authority to ration life-saving ventilators if a flu epidemic ever hit Maryland. That seemed kind of “out of the blue”. Yesterday we get word that a “flu” epidemic is sweeping the Ukraine. Up to 80 are dead and the schools are closed. You might want to make sure your preparations are in place for protections against the “flu”. – R.G.

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An excellent article posted on the dangers of calling a constitutional convention: Another Constitutional Convention: An Idea Whose Time Has Not Come – A.A.

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Feds not liable for truck damaged during botched drug sting. Apparently, the Feds can commandeer your truck, without your permission or knowledge, use it for a drug sting operation, and when it gets shot up and damaged they don’t have to pay for it. – T.P.