Feedback Friday - August 3rd, 2012

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Your feedback came fast and furious this week, thanks to a dynamic and diverse selection of articles from your intrepid TDV contributors, correspondents, editors, and aficionados. Jim Karger has enraged the slaves with his viral article "When They Come For Your Guns . . . You Will Turn Them Over".

Additionally, we have a pitch for a Geraldo-led invasion of Fort Knox, Adam Kokesh, a request for employment advice for expats, and another in a seemingly endless parade of feedback from those afraid to leave their "homes" in the US. Remember, dear TDV readers, it's not hiding if you tell everybody where you are.  

On to the feedback!

CAPONE’S SAFE PART TWO?

IN RESPONSE TO: Auditing The Fed is Like Auditing a Mafia Counterfeiting Operation 

Jeff,

I think a video of opening the empty vaults at Fort Knox would be quite enlightening.  You could have Geraldo Rivera do it.

Tom in Texas

Jeff’s Response:

That would be enthralling!  I still remember watching it live when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's vault in the Lexington Hotel in Chicago in 1986.  They had many hours of speculation, all on live TV, leading up to them finally opening it and it was almost completely empty except for some debris!

Of course, Al Capone made almost all of his money being, what they call here in Mexico, a narco traficante during the period from 1920 to 1933 when alcohol was not "allowed" in the land of the free.  This, just like today's prohibition on plants, did not result in less use of alcohol... it just resulted in a few of the most violent people making untold fortunes as they supplied people with things they wanted voluntarily.  The violence becomes involved because a) Only people willing to fight or even kill usually enter into businesses which are prohibited because of the risks and b) Because they don't have access to arbitration procedures available to the rest of society they settle their disputes via violence.

Today, Al Capone is looked at fondly by most of the public while many Americans look at a man like El Chapo in Mexico as being the enemy!  Luckily, most people in Mexico consider him to be a hero, as do we, for fighting the US Government's prohibition and supplying millions of Americans with a product they desire.  Entrepreneurs should be looking up to narco-traficantes... they have governments hunting them down with machine guns and they still deliver the product... sometimes via plane, via submarines, via tunnels.  The free markets will not be stopped!

As for Geraldo doing a live TV special on what is in Fort Knox, we believe the end result would be similar to the Capone vault.  They'd find it empty.  The last time the total amount of gold in the United States Bullion Depository (Ft. Knox) was audited was in 1950.  In 1974 they allowed a few senators to take a peek.

But, whether the gold is there or not is not important.  The total amount of gold said to be there is 147.2 million ounces worth $250 billion at today's prices.  The US Federal Government, in 2012, had a total budget of $3.72 trillion... meaning this $250 billion would pay for 25 days of government expenditures.

So, who cares?

EXPAT BUSINESS OR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Hi Jeff and Company,

As an enthusiastic supporter of TDV and your recommendations to assure liberty, I have explored opportunities to expatriate myself (and hopefully) my twenty year old daughter.

I seem to be between a rock and a hard place right now. As a consultant specializing in IT Project Management and Process Improvement with over twenty years experience I have become quite adept at managing my business strategically and tactically to preserve both liberty and self reliance. In March I wrapped up my latest consulting engagement with a strong regional bank and have been liquidating non-strategic assets such as antiques, collectibles, silver coins (that have a value premium well above silver content, while retaining the coins that approximate silver values), and fine jewelry I've acquired at auction, to prepare for a move.

What I could really use are contacts in expat communities that would be interested in either engaging me as a consultant, or consider employing me until I am able to re-establish my business overseas. Are any such resources available through TDV?

Thanks for all the insight and guidance y'all provide.

Respectfully,

Alex

 Jeff’s Response:

Hi Alex,

This is a big part of what TDV is now growing into... it is growing into a worldwide network of liberty minded expats.  Being like minded, most TDVers are very happy to meet and help out other TDVers to visit or move into the area where they live.  As well, in the next two weeks we will be launching our new improved website.  The site will have a number of tools and ways to communicate for TDV subscribers.  We already have TDV Groups in numerous places including Chiang Mai and Bangkok in Thailand, Phnom Penh Cambodia, in the Dominican Republic and many in Mexico including San Miguel Allende and Acapulco.  So, in a few weeks you'll be able to meet and talk with many other TDVers around the world.

As well, we have our private, subscribers only Facebook Group which has many people on it who are always happy to help... your particular question has been asked and answered many times.

That said, you are an IT consultant... you of all people should be able to find contract opportunities no matter where you live in the world.  You should be working to attain contracts now that can be worked on from any location with internet access... this will help ease your transition into expatriothood.  Get on the TDV private Facebook Group for now, too, and let people know what you are looking for and you are sure to get pointed in the right direction.

NO PLACE TO RUN TO, BABY? NO PLACE TO HIDE?

IN RESPONSE TO: When They Come For Your Guns . . . You Will Turn Them Over

You are correct in what you say. However I will not leave but continue the battle for freedom and liberty. Hopefully people like me will prevail. If not you will find no place to run to, shortly. If you can go to the stars. I can not see any place on this planet where you can hide. Good luck. I mean it truly.

Cory B.

Jeff’s Response:

This is something I hear all the time, but only from Americans.  They say "there is no place on this planet where you can hide"... that is absolute nonsense.

Anyone who has travelled anywhere outside of the US/Canada/Australia/Europe knows that in most places there is a) not the same level of devotion to government as there is in the US and b) not the same level of sophistication on behalf of the government to track/tax/jail you.

Even where I sit right now, in North America, on the beach in southern Mexico, it is infinitely more free.  The cops are still just a nuisance and are usually too drunk to even care what you are doing and while the government exists it barely has any role in day-to-day life.  I even hear Americans say, "I would never go to Mexico, it is a failed state," and I usually respond, "You say that like it is a bad thing!"

Sure, in 5-10 years Mexico could get worse as their economy continues to grow and their burgeoning middle class have more wealth for the government to steal... although it is unlikely it will happen fast nor to the degree it has happened in the US because the culture here is very anarchic.  People have no interest in having a government nor paying much attention to any rules they may make.

Then, when you go to countless other countries, like Paraguay or Cambodia or dozens and dozens of others, they have even less government involvement than Mexico does... so to say that there is "nowhere to hide" is absolute nonsense... there are plenty of places to hide and it'll be decades before the one world government control grid can get the iris scanners and surveillance cameras installed in rural towns in Nicaragua or Colombia.

Almost weekly now we feature new locations where TDVers have expatriated and they almost always include their contact info and welcome fellow TDVers to come and visit them.  We suggest you take a read through many of these writeups and realize its a big, much freer world out there once you get outside of today's version of Nazi Germany, the USSA.

FROM OUR COLD DEAD HANDS?: VIDEO FEEDBACK

IN RESPONSE TO: When They Come For Your Guns . . . You Will Turn Them Over

The below video is a response to TDV correspondent, Jim Karger's post from Adam Kokesh, a former Corporal in the US Marine Corps Reserves and now an American activist and talk radio host.

Jeff's Response:

To all those who wrote in and told us we were crazy for thinking that the US military would ever turn inward on its own citizens, here is internet celebrity and former marine, Adam Kokesh, agreeing completely with us. 

FROM GERMANY, WITH LOVE

Dear Mr. Berwick,
dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
dear vigilantes,

Thank you for your great newsletter! Although I just receive the free version it is valuable and entertaining to me. My name is Benjamin and I am a student of laws in Germany. I have a question and would like to hear your opinion if you got time to answer:

The local rail-transportation agency (Deutsche Bahn) offers discounted tickets for groups of up to 5 persons. But it comes with the catch that you may not change the persons you travel with. Since there is no practical way to track with whom you travel you may use one ticket to go with different people. Then you can travel back and forth between two places and offer small prizes for your "passengers". This will provide you with a neat profit and you offer a valuable service of small-fee transportation to other people. But it is against the rules of the contract you signed when you bought the ticket. On the other hand the Deutsche Bahn is structured as a private entity but fully owned by the state. Since it is also fueled by my tax money (although I just pay consumer tax; 19% VAT!) I do not feel very bad about violating the contract. So what would you, from your educated anarcho-capitalistic point say? Can you use the ticket for a lot of people and offer them cheap transportation or do you have to honor the contract with a state agency fueled by tax-payer money.

Sincerely,

Benjamin 

Jeff's Response:

It is always difficult to know what is moral or not when the state, which is completely immoral, is so involved in so much of our daily lives.

Let's just make this answer short and sweet however.  Take any opportunity you can to nullify the state as long as the punishment is acceptable to you.

That's all for this week!  If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or hatemail for us please direct it to TDV@dollarvigilante.com.