George Orwell’s 1984 is a great if disturbing read. And if you haven’t read it, then you must – because within its pages is to be found the template for, and explanation of, so much that is going on in our current world.
John Pilger hits the nail on the head with his essay: 2010: Welcome to Orwell’s World.
Not sure how to verify this – but an interesting cached page from the San Francisco Examiner relates how the United Nations is planning to issue two global gold and silver coins – as an alternative to fiat money.
The Uno (silver) and the Oro (gold) coins would apparently be legal tender and able to be authenticated via modified ATM machines.
Interesting story – if true!
What really disturbs me about “leaders” – whether political or economic (or even religious) – is that we take what they say as gospel. We hold these people in such high regard that we literally believe everything they tell us – well, most of us do anyway. And we would never consider that they are lying.
But sometimes you really have to call out “The Emperor Has No Clothes!” – and burst a few leader-worship bubbles.
Doug Casey sets the record straight in this interview.
Al Qaeda – that mighty terrorist force – must surely be joking. The same shadowy organisation that is blamed for 9/11 is now claiming responsibility for the man with a failed bomb in his underpants.
I find it strangely amusing how we suck all this up – believing every word dished out to us. Think about it – if Al Qaeda has really stooped to underpants bombing – from the dizzy heights of highly-co-ordinated and sophisticated “building disposal” – then surely the “war on terror” is being won. For to fall this far from technological prowess (9/11) to utter failure must surely be proof of their imminent demise.
Justin Raimondo has a few questions too, in his essay: The Lap Bomber Mystery
Anyone watching world affairs knows that power is shifting from West to East – and that China is rising to number one position. Of course the USA and the rest of the developed western world will not admit this – but it’s happening.
A fascinating report appeared in the UK Guardian – a left wing publication which takes the side of the “climate warmers/changers” in demanding government “action”. And of course they are dismayed that nothing was achieved at Copenhagen.
All I can say is “three cheers”, as anything that delays government action is to be applauded.
But the article in question was not really about that – as it revealed how China literally commandeered the whole show, even humiliating President Obama. This revelation, from a person actually in the room, is a shock in some ways, because it shows in dramatic terms to what level this West-East power shift has already developed.
Read the article yourself and you’ll see what I mean.
When talking of freedom one cannot avoid the issue of individual rights. However, those who oppose freedom (although they do not admit to such) have a very different concept of rights. And they usually obfuscate the issue by referring to “human” rights – and attempt to sneak in things which are not rights at all.
Ayn Rand defined the issue of rights with her usual clarity:
The concept of a “right” pertains only to action—specifically, to freedom of action. It means freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men.
This is a far cry from the “rights” typical socialists and fascists (which includes all governments everywhere) are on about.
Take the issue of health care – which President Obama has made his own moral crusade. What is not discussed is this question: Why on earth does the government have anything to do with providing or funding health care?
Well, to your typical socialist/fascist the government has every intention of meddling in this issue because health care is a human right.
But is it? Of course not. Any “human” or individual right cannot impose an obligation on another individual human. You do not have a right to brand name jeans which involves you stealing mine. You do not have a right to food which involves you stealing from your local supermarket. And you do not have a right to money which involves you picking other people’s pockets!
Same with health care. You do not have a right to something which obviously has to be provided by someone else – in this case a doctor – either by forcing the doctor give of his time for free, or by paying the doctor using funds taken off me by force (via taxation).
This issue of rights – valid or not – is at the core of so much conflict in our society that it is way past time we got this debate out in the open. Instead of Obama jousting with his fellow politicians as to the best way to fund universal health care, they should instead by arguing about the nature of rights and whether they have any right to be discussing health care at all!
Health care is a “good”, just like food and shelter and a myriad of other things we want. But it is not a right.
Andrew Napolitano has written a hard-hitting essay on this very issue which is well worth reading – What is a Right.
I’m constantly amused by the way we in the west are fooled by our leaders and politicians in general. For example:
It’s common parlance to say that than the Iranian leadership is mad – mad enough to start a war in fact. That’s the common wisdom. We hear about “mad mullahs” and fundamentalist regimes. And I agree, I am constantly concerned by regimes with fundamentalist religious foundations.
Trouble is, this type of name-calling by western politicians is supposed to assure us that while those mullahs are mad and untrustworthy – our own “dear leaders” are sane and trustworthy.
Well, I beg to differ. Previously I would have quickly said “look at George Bush and Tony Blair, and tell me if you really trust them?”.
Now I’m saying it about the hack called Obama. I cannot think of a more despicable type of politician – one who talks one way and consistently acts another. Obama is the equivalent of a smooth talking con-man. At least with Iran’s Ahmadinejad you know what you are getting and that he’s more likely to act on his words.
And if doing what you say and acting on what you believe is a measure of personal integrity – then ask yourself this difficult question: Would you trust Obama more than Ahmadinejad to put his rhetoric into practice and to do as he says?
Think about it.
Whether we like it or not, the Middle East is at the heart of what currently drives the world economy – oil. And what happens there is intimately connected with what happens in our own countries and lives. So keeping a close watch on events in that part of the world is in everyone’s best interest.
Of course you cannot even think of the Middle East without thinking of Iran Iraq or Israel – and any instability caused by these countries has an immediate impact on global share markets.
The common view is that apart from Israel – a presumed island of democracy and freedom in the region – this “hotbed” of instability is driven by religious fundamentalist theocracies bent on mayhem and destruction.
However, the real situation is not quite so clear-cut, as Israel is much more fundamentalist than is commonly thought. In fact Gideon Levi, in this essay published in Haaretz, considers it to be a semi-theocracy.
And I agree. What’s more, it’s this warring nature of competing fundamentalist beliefs that is at the heart of so much of the antagonism and instability in the region. The solution, long term, is a substantial move to secularism – for all parties concerned.
But I’m not holding my breath!
If you’ve been online for some time you will have seen many online e-currency services come and go.
What do I mean by e-currency services? I’m talking about those payment systems that enable you to buy and sell online, and to exchange payments in real time. A virtual “bank” if you will.
I recall, back in 1998/1999, how e-gold was king of this alternative transactions system regime. It was good. I loved it. Trouble though was e-gold got hammered and the PTB (powers that be) decided e-gold was a threat to national sovereignty by providing money-laundering facilities to the world’s “undesirables”.
Pity. I was a great supporter of e-gold. Nowadays, since its timid relaunch, it is nothing like the service is was. In fact, I cannot even withdraw my remaining balance – such is the “strictness” of they KYC (know your customer) regime.
Then there was e-Bullion, another fine service in its day – until the owner ran off with the money!
Meanwhile, in mainstream internet life, there is PayPal – that oh-so-popular online payment system that has literally cleaned up and can claim the largest client base of all.
Trouble is, PayPal is not that friendly to merchants – those who do business using PayPal. In fact, if you cross PayPal in any way (even if you do not know you are crossing them) they will freeze your account before you can yell “withdraw!”.
I’m sure many reading this will have experienced the chilling message from PayPal saying that your account access has been suspended and a limitation put on it, pending resolution of some “problem”.
So where to turn, if you’re looking for a reliable online e-currency service?
This question came back to haunt me as I considered a viable payment system for affiliates in the upcoming SovereignLife v2 – launching in January 2010.
I needed to find a reliable and trustworthy e-currency service which was not based in any of the mega-control countries (you know what they are!). And I needed to find an e-currency that offered a level of privacy that my members expect – and a level of service that would outcompete the various alternatives.
I already have a number of e-currency accounts – which, to name a few, include the following:
PayPal, AlertPay, Liberty Reserve, SolidTrustPay, EPAY – not to mention my previous experiences with e-gold and e-bullion.
But none of them quite fit the bill.
So it was a pleasant surprise to be recommended to a little-known e-currency service that was quietly providing what its customers really want – an efficient service with reasonable fees, that allows for flexible in and out payments and offers a jurisdictional privacy advantage – not to mention a practical Visa debit card plug-in.
After weighing my options and checking them out by doing some “Googling” for customer comments and feedback, I have decided to cast my lot in with StrictPay for future affiliate payments associated with the up- coming SovereignLive v2 “upgrade”.
I created an account in a seconds, I completed their KYC (know your customer) requirements in 10 minutes, and I had a verified account within 12 hours. Now that’s what I call impressive.
They have good security systems in place, an internal secure messaging system that clients can use to contact each other, straightforward deposit and withdrawal options (without the need for 3rd party exchangers), and as already mentioned, a globally recognised debit card with which to access your funds.
So if you’ve been looking for a good e-currency service, and do not already have an account with them, then I certainly suggest you take a closer look at StrictPay.
No, their website is not going to win a graphic designer’s competition – but their “internals”, where it all matters, seem to be up to the game.
Anyway, check it out for yourself.
Congressman Ron Paul is a rare breed of politician. He is in fact a statesman – something other politicians would hardly recognise in their overriding lust for power and status.
Ron Paul, regardless of popular opinion, stands his ground admirably – and qualifies as the only politician in the whole world that I can think of who has integrity.
I don’t hide the fact that I have no respect for your average politician – a veritable bunch of psychopaths and criminals if you ask me – but Ron Paul is definitely different.
The one thing that diminishes his influence, is his overly-humble and folksy delivery and demeanour. What he needs to do is realise his “rightness” and speak like that.
However, that’s a personality issue – and not at the heart of the matter.
Once again Ron Paul stands up for sanity and common sense in this video response to that fraud of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning US president – Barack Obama. Watch it for yourself, then consider what courage it takes to run against the momentum of imbecility that appears to infect not only our politicians but also the wider media.
