Yearly Archives: 2013

Bitcoins gain traction in Argentina

"Enter the bitcoin? The virtual currency is emerging as the latest inflation refuge – and Bloomberg reports that TradeHill, a US-based bitcoin exchange, is now planning to open an office in Argentina where demand is fastest in the region. Bitcoins are absolutely not words on everybody’s lips here and many people have no clue about how to use them. But a quick squint at the website of MercadoLibre – a kind of ebay – reveals that you can buy plenty of things, from motorbikes to apartments to an anti-slip spray for bathtubs, and pay with bitcoins. Argentina’s two centuries’ history of currency turbulence, has wired a need for financial smarts into the national DNA." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Is this a major change of direction for gold?

"Everyone believes the gold market has reversed direction. The bull market of the last 14 years has finally ended. It's all downhill from here, they say. But if that is true, what else will have to be true? The last bull market in gold ended when the Fed changed course. Arthur Burns was replaced by Paul Volcker. A loose money policy became a tight money policy. By the end of the bear market in gold there was hardly a single gold bug who was still sober or still solvent. But what's the Fed doing now? Has it reversed course? Has Ben 'Bubbles' Bernanke been replaced with a tough-as-nails inflation fighter? Has the FOMC vowed to stop printing money?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Is this a major change of direction for gold?

When The Window Closes For Americans

"Something I think you can plan your life around is the eventuality of the US government imposing capital controls and other restrictive measures on the movement of people and capital. Any country that is sufficiently desperate can and will implement such measures. The big question remains: When will this happen in the US? I believe that moment will arrive sometime before it is apparent that the US dollar has lost its place as the world's premier currency. The ramifications of the US dollar losing this status are difficult to overstate. It will be the tipping point at which the US government becomes sufficiently desperate." Continue reading →

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Ron Paul Supporter Sues City Of St. Peters Following Caucus Arrest

"Stafford, 45, of O’Fallon, was arrested after things got out of control at a March 2012 St. Charles County GOP caucus. After a rules disagreement, St. Peters Police attempted to clear Francis Howell North High School and close the caucus. Stafford remained in the parking lot, trying to reconvene a meeting he said was improperly shut down, standing on a chair. During his trial in July 2012, officers said that they did not order him to leave as he was standing on the chair, but arrested him for disobeying orders to leave, and they felt everyone knew they were to leave the area. Police arrested Stafford and charged him with trespassing." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul Supporter Sues City Of St. Peters Following Caucus Arrest

Federal Government Rating Hits New Low Among Americans

"For the first time since Barack Obama became president, more Democrats say they have an unfavorable view of the federal government in Washington than a favorable view (51% unfavorable vs. 41% favorable). Favorable opinions of the federal government among Republicans, already quite low in 2012 (20% favorable), have fallen even further, to 13% currently. Notably, politically divided state governments get positive ratings from members of both parties. In the 13 states with divided governments – those in which the governor and a majority of state legislators are from different parties – majorities of both Republicans and Democrats express favorable opinions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Government Rating Hits New Low Among Americans

Congressional Research Service says not much Feds can do about legalized marijuana

"So where does this leave the feds? They can use their limited resources to arrest and seize whomever they can get their hands on. They can tie marijuana to other federal laws — gun possession, public housing occupancy, employment drug testing, etc. None of these options will achieve the overturning of state laws. And their pettiness will turn individuals further against the federal government. Or… the federal government could listen to the states, and to the people. Just a thought." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongressional Research Service says not much Feds can do about legalized marijuana

Keene Activist Threatened With Eighty-One Years In Prison For Weed

"The thing that Rich is counting on to stop the hammer from falling—and reward him for standing up for his why-can’t-I-sell-some-fucking-pot-to-my-friends principles—isn’t a traditional legal argument. It’s pretty much assumed that Rich did technically break the (unjust) law by selling weed. What he’s banking on is that the jury will 'nullify' his case—in other words, they’ll come to the conclusion that the statutes he violated shouldn’t exist in the first place and there’s no reason to send him to jail. That’s not such a far-fetched idea." Continue reading →

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Doug Casey on Second Passports

"It used to be that a passport was a document that a ruler of one country would give to a traveler to ask the rulers of other countries to assist him in his travels. Now, instead of a convenience, it's become a required permit for travel. It's degrading and actually runs counter to the whole idea of the thing. The original purpose of a passport has been turned upside down. But since they are necessary in today's world, you ought to have several of them, for your own convenience. If nothing else, it prevents any one government from basically placing you under house arrest by taking your passport away from you." Continue reading →

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Living the Lockdown Life

"While watching coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath, I couldn’t help but notice multiple uses and variations of the word 'lockdown' (e.g. 'Boston is locked down'). I’ve been hearing that word used more and more frequently over the last few years, and finding its connotations are troubling. Between 1990 and 2008, use of the term 'lockdown' in English-language books ballooned ten times. Suddenly lockdowns were no longer just a prison thing. They became a school thing, and then an area, neighborhood, city thing. As of Tuesday morning, Google News reported more than 50,000 uses of the word 'lockdown' in the news media in the previous 30 days." Continue reading →

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537 Taser-Related Deaths In The United States Since 2001

"Between 2001 and 2008, 351 people in the United States died after being shocked by police Tasers. Our blog has documented another 186 taser-related deaths in the United States in 2009-2012. That means there have been 537 documented taser-related deaths in America. I think that something is wrong in America when the police electrocute folks on a WEEKLY basis with their taser arsenal … and the public is mute in its response. Sometimes it takes a lawsuit … like the one recently settled in Ohio … to get the police to cool it. The police in Cincinnati, Ohio took the hint … they changed their taser policy!" Continue reading →

Continue Reading537 Taser-Related Deaths In The United States Since 2001