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Thursday and the Doctor is In with “Speech Challenged” Al

Big Al
April 16, 2015

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Discussion
81 Comments
    Apr 16, 2015 16:06 AM

    Al I can hear Doc fine… your audio needs to be beefed up-
    thanks

    LPG
    Apr 16, 2015 16:09 AM

    On the cash topic, here’s Zerohedge latest, from Citi:

    Citigroup’s Gold “Expert” Demands A Cash Ban
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-16/another-shill-statism-central-planning-demands-cash-ban

    GL to all investing/trading

    LPG

      Apr 16, 2015 16:29 AM

      Gold and silver owners should be thrilled by the idea of a non-cash society. It would mean their “stack” would fetch enormous premiums on the black market. Of course that is only if they had bought it prior to record keeping so it was, in other words, not known about by anybody.

        LPG
        Apr 16, 2015 16:36 AM

        Interesting thought(s) Birdman.
        Hope all’s well & Best to you.
        LPG

          Apr 16, 2015 16:55 AM

          Just as an observer, LPG…..the world will go cashless in the next 10 to 15 years. It just seems inevitable to me given all that is taking place. I have posted extensively on the M-Pesa system that has taken Kenya by storm.

          Totally amazing how it grew out of absolutely nowhere to be the biggest part of the daily transaction system. And it is of course 100% cash-less. But some would perhaps be afraid of it since paper money is no longer needed or necessary.

          Apple meanwhile has done an brilliant job of introducing its own Apple-pay system and captured a fraction of every txn in the process with the support of the major credit card companies and banks. Those guys are PURE GENIUS!

          I don’t know about you but I really don’t fear these new electronic technologies. I appreciate that some have trepidation and worry but this is the future. And it has arrived.

          The great thing about M-Pesa is it is not impacted by loss of power as are most electronic systems. Over here, when the electricity is cut off (frequently) you can just keep buying and selling because the system operates off the cell towers and mobile phones and those towers are run off generators during down-times.

          So commerce does not suffer…..as long as you have battery power!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:09 PM

            M-Pesa system is pure genius. When I first heard about it in 2008 I thought it would never take off… that people wouldn’t trust that type of system. Personally, I don’t have anything against a cash-less system, but I don’t want physical money to be removed completely.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:24 PM

            Kind of interesting coming from you Bird. I still am more than just a little apprehensive about the “record keeping ability” that a cashless system porvides.

            LPG
            Apr 16, 2015 16:08 PM

            Birdman,

            To answer your question, I don’t “fear these new electronics technologies” either.

            But I would simply note that they make it easier for gvts to control their citizens with better ease, should they decide to do so – which has to be expected at some point because… well… governments are governments.

            With this point, I have a b-i-g issue.

            Best to you,

            LPG

            Apr 16, 2015 16:51 PM

            What can I add? Like I mentioned above I am merely an observer. An older observer at that so maybe I will miss most of the changes the younger people will have to face. But I will add my two bits anyway.

            Just look…here is a short list of where we are at in the real world:

            We (as a society) have already accepted a national birth and death registry, rigid system of naming children, fingerprinting, body scanners and DNA recording, national student ID systems, photo ID from State and Provincial bodies, Social Security numbers, cradle to grave health care and safety nets, photo identification passports which now include biometrics, drivers license rules and identification that are country wide, credit cards with thumbprints and password protection and so many other identification systems there is not time in a day to record them all.

            And you really think that cash is the last bastion of privacy? (by you, I mean everyone who reads these pages and is trying to pretend that a cashless society is really a last defense for personal liberty and the protection of anonymity in this kind of society we live in)…………..as if!!!

            Our personal privacy was trashed long ago already. So to go cashless makes almost no difference whatsoever to our lives if we still live and breathe amongst the rest of society. You see, there is no privacy left. Nobody is anonymous anymore.

            Cash transactions only make you a target of interest in this kind of world. It is the EXCEPTIONS to the rule that are being watched and the guys who want to live off the grid who are being monitored…………not those who participate in the system that has been developed step by step for the past 100 years.

            I am just amazed hardly anyone gets this. The anonymity-stripping trend we are in has been in motion for all our lives. There are cameras on every street now. You car monitors you and communicates with switchboards in India. Your appliances, water services and utilities report automatically and seamlessly in the background to unknown authorities and intelligent computer systems.

            How the hell is holding on to physical cash going to make any difference!!!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:47 PM

            Okay, let me give that one a shot.

            The various forms of id that you mentioned do not necessarily have the bility to track you hour by hour. A debit card certainly does.

            Am I being too simplistic?

            Apr 16, 2015 16:47 PM

            I used to live there in the 60’s to 70’s and left in 74 for Montreal & then Toronto. Born in Kenya.

            bb
            Apr 16, 2015 16:09 PM

            Your right of course Bird, we are already monitored.
            And we will move to cashless in time.
            Cash might be about the last piece of privacy we have left.
            You neglected to mention the new televisions that record you in your home.
            In time we will be able to talk to other appliances and they will record as well.
            How far are we away from implanted “chips” at birth?
            I bet the majority would even like that to ensure their childrens safety.
            Maybe your right “resistance is futile”.

            LPG
            Apr 16, 2015 16:13 PM

            Birdman,

            Re: your post @ 1:51pm.
            I tend to agree with most of the things you wrote – I wrote “most” because some of the things you mentioned might be occurring in certain countries and not in others.

            Now, my initial comment was the following:
            “they make it easier for gvts to control their citizens with better ease”.
            Saying this doesn’t imply that gvts don’t try to control their citizens already.
            Saying this doesn’t imply that this is the first line of privacy/freedom to fall.

            To repeat myself, my point was that this enables gvts to find it easier to control their citizens. Said it otherwise, it makes it easy for them to turn the screw a bit more on the “people”.

            Hope this clarifies.

            Best to you,

            LPG

            Apr 16, 2015 16:07 PM

            We will likely be a RFID micro-chipped population in the future and we’ll swipe our arms for making payments, just like David Rockefeller and his creations The Council On Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission have planned.

            As much as I am against this concept philosophically and morally, if they make it where you can’t fly on an airplane, or get insurance, or go to the hospital without being micro-chipped, then what is a person to do?

            This is coming in the next 4-8 years, and the first phase will start as a “National ID Card” in the USA. The Dept of Homeland Security has already developed it with the all-seeing eye over a pyramid (like on the $1 bill). Many countries already use National ID cards, where we tend to use SS#s or Driver’s License #s.

            This is the real purpose for the shenanigans about requiring IDs to vote, and people feeling demographically targeted, etc… It is a bunch of hype to replace all forms of ID with just one – The National ID card. Phase 2 is that all National ID cards are now RFID chips implanted in the body, and you get with it, or lose out in society.

            At the same time, all these currency wars are just a bunch of politicians and bankers meddling around to create a big enough (problem) that eventually there is an outcry (reaction), and people demand a (Solution). This is how most laws like the Patriot Act, or Privacy Laws, or Tax laws get pushed down our throats. Problem-Reaction-Solution. The solution the Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations have openly proposed is one global currency. The problem is nobody and no country is going to go for that until there is a big enough problem and a corresponding big reaction.

            The world is moving towards one world currency in a micro-chipped populace where everyone and every transaction is tracked. It’s a Brave New World!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:35 PM

            Sorry if that sounded a bit like a rant LPG. Guess my point is that none of us have privacy anymore anyway. At least none of us with bank accounts, investments, homes and careers. I just don’t see how a paperless system will really affect us any differently than all the collective means of tracking us already. Do we really care at this stage if the government knows we bought a Snickers bar at the corner store with out phone or a pocketful of change? I know I don’t because at a deeper level the intrusions are so comprehensive (including the likes of Facebook and other social media monitoring us) that the only place of privacy remaining is inside our own heads. And even that is being cracked open little by little!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:37 PM

            Al, our mobile phones track us by the minute already. They collect location data, times and financial transactions including a wide array of our preferences and interests that are embodied in our use of the phones cameras and what Apps we are using.

            LPG
            Apr 17, 2015 17:18 PM

            Birdman,

            Re: your 11:35pm post

            1) apologies for the belated response/follow-up on it

            2) I typically agree w. what you mention about no privacy ALREADY etc…

            3) I would tend to think that a cashless society is not about loss of privacy.
            It’s, IMHO, about the fact that the gvt can take you by the throat any min they want to – with the obvious complicity/assistance of the banks (can they do anything but oblige ?).
            For ex.:
            say the gvt don’t like you for some reason… they wanna build a legal case against you. They ask a judge to freeze your bank account. It that happens, in a cashless society, YOU ARE DONE – unless you have plenty of friends to support you.
            In the current world, if you have frozen bank accounts, I would assume it’s painful, but if you have cash stashed somewhere, you can survive for a bit – depending on the stack.

            That’s just one example I wanted to make/take.

            Again, for me, a cashless society makes it easier for gvt to squeeze on citizens if/when they want to.

            Best to you,

            LPG

        bb
        Apr 16, 2015 16:11 PM

        I wonder tho, if a cashless society is merely to watch everyone.
        A police state. I don’t see that as a positive.
        On the other hand it seems to me that we will go cashless eventualy.
        Some people here may have read that Louisiana? has made it illegal to buy used goods with cash without overwhelming paper work. Another capital control I think.
        imo, people need be very wary of a cashless society.

        Good interview Al and Doc.

          Apr 16, 2015 16:17 PM

          Regarding a cashless society I completely agree with you bb!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:18 PM

            So do you consider your stack to be your personal “bank account”, Al? Or do you trust a bank to hold your “cash” for you?

            Yes, I think for my future how crazy it would be if all of our cashless bank accounts disappeared with one EMP in the radius of my bank’s servers and backup servers. What would happen? I honestly have no clue besides widespread chaos. I suppose my few coins of gold and silver bars will get me food for… about a month or two. If anyone accepts them.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:00 PM

            At this point in time, I do use my bank.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:55 PM

            Wiseguy – I’ve considered that as well (The EMP or some power outage wiping out the back up servers of banks), and everyone’s digital numbers in accounts erased. Everyone would be on a level playing field with nada left, if it was a major problem (like a war, global weather event, or a technological or energy breakdown).

            Yes, gold or silver coins may work in the short term if it was only a few weeks or months, but if it went on for an extended period of time, it would be only tangible things that would have real value (like whiskey, survival food, toilet paper, soap, and batteries).

            Apr 16, 2015 16:12 PM

            Wiseguy – I have considered that same thing where an EMP from terrorist or a war, or technological misfire, or Natural Disaster knocks out the power grid and back up servers and everyone’s bank accounts are wiped out.

            Everyone would be reduced to nothing more that the cash, jewelry, gold/silver tangible goods that they had to trade. The cash and PMs would only be good for short period of weeks to months. If it was an ongoing chronic outage, then the fabric of value and currency would become fresh food & survival food, alcohol, cigarettes, lighters, soap, toilet paper, medicine, etc…

            Apr 16, 2015 16:15 PM

            If you haven’t seen the series TV Jericho, it is based on just this topic:

            The storyline centers on the residents of Jericho, a small northwest Kansas town, in the aftermath of a limited nuclear attack on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin in nearby Denver, Colorado. Problems are compounded by loss of power and modern communications, effectively isolating Jericho. Later, power is restored to Jericho by what is alluded to as the efforts of the U.S. government. However, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from an unknown source disables all electronics.

          Apr 16, 2015 16:28 PM

          I don’t know that we can avoid what is inevitable, bb. Not saying it is all great and perfect or anything like that….but it is going to be a fact of our lives soon. Even cheques are not welcome anymore due to the hassle and fraud of the past. Paper money is being shrunk to the smallest of bills…everywhere you go these days the shops prefer cards or points or phone money. You cannot even park your car in some places without going electronic. So then the last bastion of cash is the late night 7-11, your local drug dealer or flea markets. ……forget about it. Cash is finished in this life time.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:57 PM

            Governments can’t wait!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:01 PM

            For sure we will be living in a cashless society soon, however, some where some how somebody will come up with an idea how to circumnavigate that system “Necessity is the mother of invention”

            Apr 16, 2015 16:44 PM

            count on that lorenzo95!

            Apr 16, 2015 16:29 PM

            Yes, barter, trade and private money. It is the only answer. So we will go back to the beginnings of money even as we advance into the technological future. And yes Dorothy, chickens will become money again.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:40 PM

            Maybe in Kansas.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:42 PM

            Straight off the bat numerous countries have 1,2 dollar/pound coins etc I bet not everyone will cash them in (I better start keeping some) Also outside the US, people could use US dollars, this would not be the first time in history this has happened

            Apr 16, 2015 16:21 PM

            In Texas, the illegal immigrants use basically cash only. I remember there was a used car I wanted to buy and it was pretty nice, but he only would accept cash. The banks were closed and I don’t keep that kind of cash around. By the time I got the cash he had already sold it to someone else.

            Then again, maybe I didn’t want that car anyway.

          LPG
          Apr 16, 2015 16:15 PM

          I would not talk on his behalf, but I would suspect Martin Armstrong would opine that the real purpose of a cashless society is not control of the masses but the capacity to tax people more.
          Best to all,
          LPG

            Apr 16, 2015 16:58 PM

            That would certainly be a very efficient way to accomplish that.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:49 PM

            LPG – Great point on the move to cashless society to make it easier to take the people.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:17 PM

            Yes LPG. I agree.

            When you have a cashless society, then you have a society that is easier to squeeze the taxes out of.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:22 PM

            I agree 100% Shad. But it does go deeper than that. For example, look at the treatment afforded the homeless, addicts, alcoholics, illegal immigrants, mentally ill and assorted religious devotees who are for one reason or another living “off the grid” and on city streets.

            I am talking about people who typically do not carry or possess valid ID, who are often living without gainful access to employment, medical care, housing and food. People who do not use credit or debit but rather live by cash alone.

            In the fewest words possible, they are criminalized and targeted. They are forbidden to live in groups or tent cities, are incarcerated for minor offenses like begging and loitering, are fingerprinted and photographed when they go to food banks or church shelters.

            The intrusions into their lives rise in proportion to how far off-grid they are trying to go. They typically get the most attention as a group from authorities at every level from welfare services to the police. They are often forbidden to keep their own children. They can be incarcerated for home -schooling.

            They are watched around the clock in some cities on the assumption they are up to no good. And now it is illegal to offer them food or shelter in a multitude of jurisdictions across the US and Canada. We don’t need to go far to see the impacts on those who are opting out or rejecting the system whether by madness or wilfulness.

            What is happening more recently is that a large number of new laws are being enacted related to food production and food safety that are designed to open the doors of any farm the authorities might choose to enter.

            No domain is sacrosanct. And so we can see that the leap from monitoring problem people within urban environments has been extended bit by bit to also include rural landowners who, while they are not typically associated with the above mentioned group, are nonetheless trying to live “off grid” and free of the system.

            I think these things are all linked. It is cash that seems to tie it altogether. And that is why the days of cash are numbered because that loophole, once closed, will complete the circuit of identifying who is participating and who is not.

            But it will have another effect. A cashless society will create a new form of serfdom where those who cannot tolerate authority will instead work for food and shelter alone and not have the privilege of participating in the money economy at all.

            How nuts is that?

            Apr 17, 2015 17:45 AM

            It’s a sad but true state of where our human family has evolved politically, morally, and philosophically. You are forced to be part of the system, and nobody is more suspect than those that refuse to join in the charade. It’s a very anti-utopian (1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World) only it is actually happening in the real world, versus the concerned mind of a fictional writer. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction…..

            Apr 17, 2015 17:08 AM

            And what is even weirder is that almost nobody seems to care or talk about it. We have merely adapted to this Brave New World of high technology and non-stop invasions of privacy like its normal.

            LPG
            Apr 17, 2015 17:24 PM

            Birdman,
            Re: your comment at 11:22pm.
            IMHO, it’s spot on.
            Best,
            LPG

            LPG
            Apr 17, 2015 17:38 PM

            Birdman,

            Re: your 10:08am comment:
            “what is even weirder is that almost nobody seems to care or talk about it. ”

            You are pretty spot on about it.
            I have had the opportunity to talk to Europeans about certain things going on in the world – going on or soon to come.

            I try to link things such as banking system, asset geographical diversification, taxes, precious metal ownership to their freedom etc…and tell them: “guys, we have a pblem. It’s big, and it’s coming.” I have even mentioned that to family members who just retired.
            Bottom line from these discussions (ok… typically: monologues): most people DON’T get it, or think I’m “loco en el coco” (a proxy for Paranoid Dr. doom Jr. ๐Ÿ™‚ ), or that… well.. maybe they will be dead when this bad stuff comes.
            So I just tell them all almost word for word:
            “whether you want it or not, there is a wall, and you are all driving fast toward it. Whether you like the idea or not, wether you think you can avoid the wall or not by doing nothing, if you do nothing, I am very confident YOU WILL HIT THE WALL. Trust me, YOU WILL HIT IT. I don’t know when… but the impact might be sooner than you think.” And I leave it there.
            But once in a while, I give them examples of stuff happening slowly here and there: FATCA, implementation for G20 countries etc…
            And I can tell you: I feel some of them are now starting to be a little bit… uncomfortable.

            I think that on certain things in life, it’s better to be 1,2,5,10 yrs in advance than 1 day or 1hr too late. Coz when the door shuts and it’s too late, well… it’s too late – and it’s too bad.

            Best to all and GL investing/trading.

            LPG

            Apr 18, 2015 18:08 AM

            Thanks LPG. I know what you mean and agree it is often pointless to talk to people about certain ideas. They are in their comfort zones and don’t feel violated individually or prefer not to worry about what is outside their control.

            A long time ago someone coined the term “erosion of rights” and its really a perfect term for what is happening. Erosion is the process of reducing the size and strength of an object over long periods of time. Day by day the changes are imperceptible and its only in the final analysis that the damage is obvious.

            Like Hoodoos in the desert that are windblown for centuries and eventually collapse under their own weight. Or a stone seawall that takes a hundred years to wear away before toppling into the ocean in a moment.

            The violation of privacy and the intrusions most of us face today are on a scale that only modern technology and computers could allow. And the human mind has had scant time to evolve and develop defenses against the kinds of attacks that have become so common.

            In a lot of cases we don’t even know who our adversary is nor why they are collecting data on us and intruding into our lives. And we are often unsure of how the collected information is being used. It could be the State working with statistical numbers through its mechanical systems of licensing, laws and regulations or it could be private companies.

            In the case of the latter we are far more vulnerable. Those entities are unelected and tend to escape the anger of people whose lives they have intruded upon because they do not face an electorate nor are they subject to public privacy laws in many cases or Freedom of Information Acts.

            In any case, the court does not side with people who claim they are victims of privacy invasion yet will readily admit they accepted the license terms of using free software for example.

            So when a software company turns your data over to law enforcement for any reason (say a child custody case) you might find you have fully incriminated yourself through your Facebook or email accounts such that you are left without a chance to dispute for your rights. Bet you never saw that coming…and yet this is becoming comment.

            Be careful what you say and write is a good motto.

            But it does not stop there. The threats are many times greater than that. Some worry about the NSA for its massive scope in collecting meta-data but perhaps they ought to worry more about the neighborhood snoops who scour your curbside garbage for Visa receipts, bank statements and even your old computer and disks (that you thought you wiped clean!).

            Garbage is public property now. That’s the law. Put it on the curb and it belongs to everybody and anybody who wants it for whatever purpose they might desire. Your ex-wife, a disgruntled business partner or a neighbor with an axe to grind are really your worst enemies in those cases.

            We need to evolve to learn better how to protect our privacy from such attacks.

            Because these days we often do not know where the attacks are coming from, whether they be private parties, public institutions, banks, government, surveillance companies or even people you think are your friends.

            The power to intrude on others lives is in everyone hands now.

            Every private individual has powers equal or greater to the apparatus of the state and large corporations if they can get close enough to you. And so we face an onslaught and profusion of listening devices, hidden cameras and GPS trackers that anybody can easily acquire and employ. And then there is the vast array of tracking software that might be uploaded casually by an acquaintance who asks to use your laptop to check a flight or some such excuse.

            The transition and trend of Joe Sixpack to employing highly sophisticated surveillance equipment against his neighbors, children, the babysitter, business adversaries, ex-spouses, friends and whomever might happen to use his bathroom during the Christmas house party has created an environment where none of us really trusts each other anymore.

            So this is hardly a situation of the public versus the state. It is us against the world now!

            This was brought home to me some years ago when I sat and discussed a land dispute problem with a neighbor. Unknown to me he activated the recording device on his smartphone and recorded our conversation while we had a cup of coffee and a talk. The mobile phone just sat there innocently on the table doing its work without my giving its presence a second thought. Fortunately I had been on my best behavior that day….but that is just one small aspect of the risks we face every single day.

            Personally, I began to lose trust in others after that moment.

            LPG
            Apr 18, 2015 18:29 AM

            Birdman,
            Re: your comment on April 18, 2015 at 1:08 am:
            +1
            Best to you,
            LPG

    Apr 16, 2015 16:14 AM

    Silver seems pretty resistive to me. It is rebounding quickly and the sell off pressure each day seems to die very quickly as if there is only one seller that missed the memo telling them to stop the sell off. Again, basing this on my own non-technical observations. Another miner appeared to die today North American Palladium. One thing I keep noticing when reviewing small miners in the excess milling capacity. Unused depreciating capital is something you want to stay away from and is clearly contributing to North American Palladiums death.

      Apr 16, 2015 16:35 AM

      I think North American Palladium’s death is the fate of quite a few exploration and Junior miners if the short side manipulation of PMs is not ended. Businesses can’t survive with out serious profits or mark ups.

        Apr 16, 2015 16:56 AM

        Yes the PAL (Now PALDF) as of 2pm is the death spiral many companies will facing, and we are finally at the bankruptcy phase in this market.

        We just had the big Allied Nevada Gold one as well, and quite a few mergers recently.

        http://www.alliednevada.com/wp-content/uploads/03-13-15-Delisting-Announcement.pdf

          Apr 16, 2015 16:31 PM

          Allied Nev. mine will continue to operate though. Not sure if T.PAL will close or not. We need some mines to shut down and close the doors. Once shut the likelihood of reopening, even if PM price move up, is slim to none in the short to medium term.

            Apr 16, 2015 16:56 PM

            There is still the opportunity for another company to buy them up until June 30th, but I don’t expect there to be a white knight ride in and rescue them due to the huge amount of debt the new company would need to absorb. It is far more likely that another company will buy that asset from Brookfield Capital Partners after they take it private and tidy up the balance sheet. The new company that gets the mine could take a different approach to how they mine the deep ore in their Lac des Iles mine, and it would be more profitable than how they were doing it.

            Oh well…. another one bites the dust…..

            Apr 16, 2015 16:04 PM

            To quote the very old rock and roll song!

    Apr 16, 2015 16:42 AM

    Agreed. NAP has a number of issues. I just keep seeing companies promoting their unused capacity as a positive and in some circumstances it may be but when it keeps sitting unused it is a massive liability particularly when it is integrated into the operation and you need a 700 t/d operation to sustain 1,400 t/d worth of capital. Numbers related to sustaining capital are severely under report as much of cost of sustaining capital gets captured in operating (likely a significant reason why companies like NAP cant reduce operating). T.EXN another example I looked at recently. Don’t get me wrong these companies have other issues as well.

    LPG
    Apr 16, 2015 16:51 AM

    There’s something about the Dutch which I sometimes find… how to say… priceless (not cashless ๐Ÿ™‚ ) ๐Ÿ™‚

    Enjoy this one:

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-16/dutch-central-banker-fired-being-nazi-cross-dressing-nymphomaniac-dominatrix-prostit

    Best to all,

    LPG

      Apr 16, 2015 16:22 PM

      Thanks LPG

      LPG
      Apr 16, 2015 16:00 PM

      Varoufakis about staying in the Eurozone:
      “We’re going to compromise, compromise, compromise, without being compromised”.
      Best to all,
      LPG

    Apr 16, 2015 16:23 PM

    Heck Al, you sound fine to me.

    And I bet no one ever told you that you have a tissue-trap mind. An ex-employer of mine once said that to me. Now would you ever say that to one of your employees?

    Apr 16, 2015 16:45 PM

    Crook to ATF agent:
    “A man can always use more Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.”
    ATF agent”
    “I can think of one more thing”.

    -from “Deja Vu” the movie.

    off topic – delete as necessary

    LPG
    Apr 16, 2015 16:27 PM

    (reposting)

    There are things in life I don’t “get”.
    This is one of them:
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-16/san-antonio-woman-fined-2000-feeding-homeless

    LPG

      Apr 16, 2015 16:57 PM

      I don’t understand that at all! (I did not read the entire article.)

        Apr 16, 2015 16:04 PM

        I know they can fine you for feeding the aminals at the zoo (and of course kick you out). Our rulers consider their subjects animals in more ways than one!

    Apr 16, 2015 16:59 PM

    A cashless world.

    The staggering gullibleness and child-like naive rationalization of people thinking that a cashless world will be better for any human in any country is so mind-blowing to me I can’t even quantify the nightmarish concept in a coherent manner.

    Once mankind accepts this nightmarish fully digital currency doctrine to buy and sell, the very essence of the human soul itself and its sentient importance will cease to exist forever.

    Once the value of your individual existence and control of your own labor have been truncated, diverted and encapsulated in a centrally controlled global digital database controlled by unaccountable and invisible rulers has been implemented, you will have effectively become nothing more than a completely controllable trans-human unit for the whims of the State.

    Human won’t even be a term used to describe your physical being, you’ll simply become property just like a dog a cow or a car.

      Apr 16, 2015 16:06 PM

      Most people are sheep and will either think this is great or think nothing of it at all. And it will be implemented gradually but one day you will wake up and find there is very little you will be allowed to buy with cash.

      Apr 16, 2015 16:23 PM

      Agree Vortex. See my post above regarding a global currency administered through a micro-chipped population if you want more cheery ideas from the global elite.

        Apr 17, 2015 17:29 AM

        We already put chips in dogs and cats. Some parents opt to put chips in their children.

        A large percentage of the population has been DNA fingerprinted. Iris scans are growing in usage. Virtually all of us have been photographed and identified by computer imaging equipment at one point in our lives. Our banks and brokers have software that can accurately identify us by our voices.

        Vortex, everything that you mention has ALREADY happened.

        What you and others here are talking about is closing the barn door after the horse has already fled. That is what I am posting about. What we needed was to have this discussion about cash 40 or 50 years ago and maybe push back then.

        It is entirely too late now. How does physical cash make a difference at this point?

        Look, more than 95% of financial transactions already happen in the electronic world. This is not the same as talking the amount of cash in the country that gets spit out of ATM’s.

        I mean, when we buys homes, cars, furniture, stocks, bonds and pretty much everything you can think of including fuel at the gas station it is done on a debit or credit card. So where is the cash and why does it suddenly matter?

        Here is a test. Try booking a hotel room, an air ticket, a trip on a train cross country or a long vacation with cash. Try paying the National mint or any dealers of major gold and silver dealers with paper money instead of your cards.

        You cannot even take that much money out of your own bank account without ending up in an exception report and coming under tax or police scrutiny. You cannot carry it on flights and you cannot take large amounts of money out of the country.

        All of these things are facts already. I don’t know how you can even fight it. The only step remaining is that paper money be made illegal for specific all-cash transactions…..ooops…..that is being done too.

        I am afraid to say, we are already talking about the old days. This is not even a debate where the pro-cash people might have a chance of winning. The horse has departed the barn. Too late to close the door. We had best get used to it.

          Apr 17, 2015 17:44 AM

          Ebolan, Shad and Bird, deep inside I know you all are correct.

          I’m apart of the foolish old guard that’s on the way out.

          I’m simply a relic of a past, so by accepting those realities and the follies of man, I admit that the world will indeed transition to its cashless construct, so I’ll just grab some popcorn, say what the hell and just sit back and enjoy whats left of the remaining ride.

            Apr 17, 2015 17:41 AM

            By the way Vortex, your post was amazing. Poetic even. That was a great read no matter what you had said!

            Apr 17, 2015 17:10 AM

            Bird,

            I appreciate the reasoned, respectful and rational reply. Its always great to have meaningful discussions with you all.

            An eclectic array of personalities, thoughts and opinions.

            take care

            V

            bb
            Apr 17, 2015 17:42 AM

            You articulate very well Bird.
            Good post Vortex.
            Might be pointless but I am going to continue using cash at every opportunity.
            Gas stations, corner stores etc still appreciate receiving small bills and exact change.

            Apr 17, 2015 17:56 AM

            Vortex,

            That’s a good idea on grabbing some popcorn and enjoying what’s left of the ride:-)

          Apr 17, 2015 17:57 AM

          Yes, my sister was advised it was recommended to chip her 2 children at birth to guard against them being taken by a kidnapper or terrorist. Now if RFID chips are being pushed that hard, than kidnappers and terrorist must be grabbing millions of a children a year.

          When a debate about the safety of her kids sprung up in our family and friends around this topic, I stated that for thousands of years humans have existed without chips in their bodies that emit radio frequencies. I mentioned to my family that we don’t know the health affects, how they can be used to transmit or disrupt brain wave frequencies, and if kidnappers and terrorists were so bad that the hospitals were pushing chipping your kids then I asked them all to name the last 10 children they knew personally that were taken by the “evil doers”. Nobody present could name one child. I remarked…”Huh, it must just be a bunch of hype then” and finally she agreed to live on the edge with un-micro-chipped children. For the record, no terrorist has grabbed them yet and they are now 9 and 11.

          It is all a fear-based push to get people chipping themselves voluntarily to get the tide of acceptance going. They’ll be plenty of opposition to the micro-chipping of humanity, but the powers that be want as many sheeple to adopt the campaign willingly to “save the kids from the bad guys” and give people the “security” they so desperately crave.

    Apr 17, 2015 17:50 AM

    where is cory anybody know?

      Apr 17, 2015 17:33 AM

      Somewhere in South America with his new Bride, Billy. Maybe lost on a private Island or out at sea on a cruise. He is having the time of his life, I suspect and taking lots of pictures for the memories.

      The real gold mine is love and family.

    Apr 17, 2015 17:49 AM

    bb- you noticed most of the ‘used’ stuff re Louisiana is METALS pre used….. hmmmm..