Peter Schiff: Buy Gold and Silver Now, Money Printing Until We Have A Currency Crisis & More

"Fed Chief Ben Bernanke is going to be replaced by the end of this year. CEO of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, Peter Schiff, speculates on his replacement by saying, 'If it's solely based on which Fed Chairman is the most bullish for gold and silver, I would say that would be Janet Yellen. No matter who's put in at the Fed, they are going to keep printing because that's all they can do.' Schiff warns, 'They're going to keep printing until we have a currency crisis . . . and that is the most bullish environment for gold. Don't wait for the crisis to buy because you are not going to like the price.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingPeter Schiff: Buy Gold and Silver Now, Money Printing Until We Have A Currency Crisis & More

People Are Using Borrowed Money To Buy Stock Like It’s 2007 Or 1999

"Deutsche Bank has a monster note out on margin debt that has been making the rounds. The conclusion of the note is rather simple – today’s euphoric borrowing on margin to buy stocks is reminiscent of past bubbly equity market periods (see here for more). The note reviews commentary from the 1999 & 2007 periods and compares it to what’s being said today. So, are we in a 2007 or 2000 type environment? Yes. I would say we are given that the data is confirming the same sort of market trends and debt trends. But the question is what’s the trigger? The market is kind of like a Jenga set at this stage in the cycle." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPeople Are Using Borrowed Money To Buy Stock Like It’s 2007 Or 1999

Federal Debt: Frozen for Two Months. A Miracle!

"How is is it that the official debt of the United States government has been frozen at $16,699,396,000,000.00 for over 70 days? The Secretary of the Treasury is not saying. He merely reports that this is the case. 'Trust me.' Congress is trusting him. The Media are trusting him. The voters are trusting him. How does the U.S. government deal with an annual deficit of at least $600 billion, yet the official, on-budget debt does not change for over two months? Inquiring minds want to know. Actually, they don’t want to know. This willingness to believe in miracles is part of the national pastime: 'kick the can.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingFederal Debt: Frozen for Two Months. A Miracle!

Bernanke Must Testify Under Oath

"In September 2008 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a privately owned entity, paid $182 million to buy 80% of the busted insurance firm AIG. Why would any privately owned company pay par value for the shares of a company that had only hours to live? That’s what the court wants to know. Why? Because — you’ll love this — the former CEO of the almost busted insurance company says he was cheated. The value of his stock was diluted. How? By all that money. All that money let an outside agency — the New York FED — buy 80% of his worthless shares. He wants payback. From whom? 'The U.S. government.'" Continue reading

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Chicago’s Cash-on-Hand Plunges

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed the books on 2012 with $33.4 million in unallocated cash on hand — down from $167 million the year before — while adding to the mountain of debt piled on Chicago taxpayers, year-end audits show, reports the Chicago Sun Times. Last week, Moody’s Investors ordered an unprecedented triple-drop in the city’s bond rating, citing Chicago’s 'very large and growing' pension liabilities, 'significant' debt service payments, 'unrelenting public safety demands'." Continue reading

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Cities’ Strategy in Health Insurance for Retirees: “Dump Them Into ObamaCare!”

"The 61 largest U.S. cities in 2009 were in the hole by about $118 billion to retirees’ health insurance obligations. They now think they have a way out: default on these obligations and force retirees into ObamaCare. This gets the obligations off their backs and onto the backs of the federal government. This is what Detroit is doing. Other cities’ officials are impressed. But Detroit is declaring bankruptcy. How can the other cities get out from under without declaring bankruptcy?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingCities’ Strategy in Health Insurance for Retirees: “Dump Them Into ObamaCare!”

BGPSEC: More Internet Control In The Name Of “Security”

"BGPSEC is a control that, once fully implemented, would allow the federal government to instantly revoke an ISPs right to advertise specific IP addresses, effectively shutting off all services that exist on those addresses. BGP is a key component of the Internet infrastructure, existing barely above the physical cables and fibers that carry data. BGPSEC provides much more sweeping control over who and what can exist on the Internet. BGPSEC combined with the DNS system which is already managed by the government means a giant step forward for Big Brother. ARIN has already begun offering the capability as a free 'service'." Continue reading

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The routing security battles intensify

"In essence, what is now being debated in SIDR is whether routing – one of the last areas in which Internet operations is distributed and autonomous – will become rigidified and centralized by what one participant in the debate calls 'slamming a hierarchical PKI into a distributed routing system.' RPKI is being advocated by US government-funded contractors and US government agencies such as the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The engineers leading the revolt against BGPSEC in its current incarnation, on the other hand, are coming from operators – i.e., the people who actually have to run things." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe routing security battles intensify

Edward Snowden’s father: ‘Absolutely no faith’ son would get fair trial in U.S.

"Lon Snowden, the father of National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden, on Monday revealed that he and his legal team had attempted to work with the U.S. Department of Justice to find a way for his son to come home, but talks had broken down. '[W]e’ve attempted to work with the Justice Department and both the people investigating this, and I just do not believe that that collaboration, that the good faith exists anymore,' he explained. 'So I’m very very disappointed and we’ve attempted to get assurances that Ed would receive a fair trial. I have absolutely no faith in Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States. None.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s father: ‘Absolutely no faith’ son would get fair trial in U.S.