The Freedom Watch

The Deep State’s Christmas Present to America: Surveillance That Never Ends

"The Trump Administration has been actively lobbying Congress to reauthorize Section 702 in its entirety. Now, according to The Intercept, Trump is actively considering a proposal to establish his own global, private spy network that would circumvent official U.S. intelligence agencies and answer directly to the White House. If approved, this would be yet another secret government agency carrying out secret surveillance and counterintelligence, funded by a secret black ops budget that by its very nature does away with transparency, bypasses accountability and completely eludes any form of constitutionality."

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The FBI Is an Enemy of Freedom

"For its entire existence the FBI has served as the strong arm of the federal government. Beginning in 1909 as the Bureau of Investigation, no one’s life, liberty, or property has been safe since. Ostensibly created to investigate anarchists, bootleggers, kidnappers, bank robbers, crimes on federal property, and later, the KKK, the FBI would soon find its true calling: political repression, personal destruction, and terror."

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New ‘Vice’ ETF Mixes Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis Stocks

"AdvisorShares is rolling out the first U.S.-listed ETF to offer exposure to securities involved in the legal marijuana industry, including hemp- and cannabinoid-related companies. The actively managed AdvisorShares Vice ETF (ACT) also invests in stocks involve in the tobacco and alcohol industries."

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Cheers! California Winery Unveils Marijuana-Infused Wine

"The company doesn't plan to stop at just marijuana-infused Sauvignon Blanc. The owners are working on creating a pot-infused Rosé and champagne. Any wine and marijuana lovers older than 21 can pre-order a bottle of this Sauvignon Blanc for $59.99. Orders are expected to be sent out in early 2018. The company said the wine will be distributed through 500 marijuana dispensaries across the country."

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Timeline: How ‘Salvator Mundi’ Went From £45 to $450 Million in 59 Years

"Not so long ago, an eagle-eyed buyer purchased it at auction for a mere £45. How did we get from there to here? We’ve compiled a handy timeline of the painting’s history below. You really can’t make this stuff up."

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Warning: Trump’s Federal Reserve Pick Hates Gold and Cash

"Marvin Goodfriend thinks there should be a robust negative interest rate placed on cash. For example, if there was a -10% interest rate on cash, your $10 bill would actually be worth only $9. It is basically a penalty for using cash. The excuse is that this will stabilize the economy by keeping more capital in the banks. It means banks, and by extension, the Federal Reserve, have more control over your money. The gold standard, Goodfriend argues, was also an encumbrance on monetary policy, 'destabilizing' prices."

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The Bulgarian Government Is Sitting on $3 Billion in Bitcoin

"A crackdown on organized crime by Bulgarian law enforcement in May resulted in the seizure of more than 200,000 bitcoins – an amount worth more than $3 billion at today's prices. Twenty-three Bulgarian nationals were arrested during the operation, and officials said at the time that the arrests and subsequent asset seizures followed an investigation into an alleged customs fraud scam. In all, the alleged perpetrators avoided paying some 10 million leva (Bulgaria's national currency), worth roughly $6 million."

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