As the editor of the Silver Bear Cafe, I spend most of my time researching current events. I explore the markets, the economic war that is being waged on the middle class, precious metals, the Federal Reserve, energy, and how to go about surviving financially. In this weekly column I will provide commentary, and attempt to condense the week's events and examine how the news might affect your pocketbook. - JSB

"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil." - Ayn Rand

If you are reading this, you have, most probably, felt occasionally frustrated by your inability to communicate your feelings concerning the attacks on our personal liberties, to members of your family and/or friends who refuse to "get it". In order to quell my frustration, I have to continually remind myself that most members of our society have been "psychologically conditioned, mentally constrained and dumbed down" by a system that was designed expressly for that purpose. We are basically aware of the abject failure of the Public School Systems to adequately educate our children. The quality of American public schools has been eroding continuously since the creation of the abomination known as the United States Department of Education which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 17, 1979. This act, by Carter, was blatantly unConstitutional.

We are also aware that the problems that confront us are a result of the forsaken public trust on the part of of politicians and legislators (like Carter, and many before him, and every President since) who routinely break their solemn oaths, to uphold and defend the Constitution and, instead, continue to pass or support legislation that impairs opportunity, incentive, and individuality.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

While our public servants have been required to swear to uphold and defend the Constitution, our legislators have conveniently ignored all remedies and penalties for the violation of their oaths.

United States Constitution
Article VI, Section 3

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Congress has never altered the Article V Convention clause by constitutional amendment. Hence, the original language written in the law by the Framers and its original intent remains undisturbed and intact. That law specifies a convention call is peremptory on Congress when the states have applied for a convention call and uses the word "shall" to state this. The states have applied. When members of Congress disobey the law of the Constitution and refuse to issue a call for an Article V Convention when peremptorily required to do so by that law, they have asserted a veto power when none exists nor was ever intended to exist in that law. This veto alters the form of our government by removing one of the methods of amendment proposal the law of the Constitution creates. Such alteration without amendment is a criminal violation of 5 U.S.C. 7311 and 18 U.S.C. 1918.

I submit for your approval, a solution, of sorts, that, I feel, would go a long way towards "righting our ship of state". If there were penalties in place for acts proscribed by the the Constitution, I contend that most of the problems we now have in a corrupt and dishonest government would go away. If a Congressman or Senator who, by mandate, was intimately familiar with Constitutional Law, witnessed its subjugation, and was then compelled to sound the alarm so that the perpetrator of the subjugation could be charged, prosecuted and jailed, all instances of this nature would soon cease.

Of course, the odds of members of government cleaning up their act is slim to none. The main flaw with my reasoning is that a push for such legislation would require the overt support of society as a whole. Consequently, I am speaking of the same society that has been on the receiving end of the devolutionary tactics prescribed by institutions such as the Carnegie Foundation and several others. At this point I will borrow from my research while penning a former essay, Hippies.

Rewriting History

Oxford

Back in 1923, the Carnegie Foundation conducted a contest. The prize was a scholarship to Oxford, in England for a PhD. The Foundation placed advertisements in magazines and on the radio seeking history teachers with Advanced Degrees to compete for the prize. The contest amounted to writing an essay about the current state of America. The judges of the contest declared that twenty young history teachers had won and then swept them off to London. There, they were lined up and each bestowed with PhDs from Oxford as well a Fellowship with the Guggenheim Foundation. They received no further education (just the honorifics) but, instead, were brought back the the USA and became the core of the American Historical Association.

In 1928, the American Historical Association was granted $400,000 by the Carnegie Endowment to write a seven volume study on the direction the nation was to take. The thrust of these books was that "the future of this country belongs to collectivism and humanism.", The AHA has since then, determined what history books will be used in all public schools. If your school district receives any Federal funds, then they are mandated, by Congress, to teach history from these revisionist volumes. The Carnegie Foundation (in collusion with the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation) has been rewriting history for the last eighty-five years. Their goal was to create a passive, dumbed down society that would not oppose their vision for the future. Pretty much everything you think you know is made up.

It's not what you don't know that will screw you up, it's what you are absolutely sure of that is absolutely wrong." - Mark Twain

We have been misled by revisionist crap. Our parents and teachers were misled by revisionist crap. Their parents and teachers were misled by revisionist crap. We have now been collectively dumbed down on purpose for over eighty-five years.

This week I thought that I might reintroduce a test which will prompt introspection and provide (hopefully) enjoyment. It is called the Political Compass and it asks difficult questions that, at first, you will automatically provide conditioned answers. The conditioning comes as a result of growing up in America. If your thought processes have been affected by peer pressure, perceived morality, or religion, you will answer in a certain way. If you are, as I suspect, an advocate of freedom and liberty (most people are not) then you might be torn between certain answers. I have taken the test many times, trying to engineer a certain result. As I took the test over and over, I tried to use the experience to gain a greater understanding of the concepts being brought up. The concept of liberty in one of the main themes. I have come to believe that liberty is the most important thing we, as forthright and honest men, can aspire to attain.

The old one-dimensional categories of 'right' and 'left', established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today's complex political landscape. For example, who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher? Where does Putin fit in this landscape?

On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It's not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can't explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as 'right-wingers', yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.

I found that, when answering, I could always "Strongly Disagree" or "Strongly Agree" if I gave the question enough thought. I think our first tendency is to answer moderately, but that won't incite the contemplation that I feel is necessary to benefit from the exercise. Here is a sample question:

When you finish, you will be provided with a chart which exhibits where you reside, ideologically, on the political spectrum. I consider myself a conscientious anarchist. This is how I am defined:

I initially incorporated this test in an essay I wrote in 2005 entitled The Great Silver Heist. In my humble opinion, the notions of left and right, as they relate to politics, are no longer viable gauges of any ideological differences (read in: Demopublicans) but rather, have always been contrived distractions intended to divert public attention away from any meaningful understanding of the differences between the ideologies of our founding fathers and those of "the Dark Side".

When I hear someone blaming it on the Republicans or the Democrats, I immediately realize that that person has been sufficiently "propagandized" and as a result, tends to completely miss the point. It's not about left and right. It is about Collectivism (total control by the government) and anarchism (individual control of everything relating to one's self).

If you have not yet "taken the test", please do so and then re-examine your personal feelings about the last several administrations and their apparent agendas. By the way, if you fancy yourself a Libertarian, it's just as much about everyone else's liberties, as it is yours. Keep that in mind as you "take the test".

It is unfortunate that a gulf continues to exist between those who know about the effects of the dismantling of the US Constitution, and those who do not know. It is even a sadder commentary that there are so many that don't even care. We are all responsible for, not only our liberties, but also those of our fellow countrymen. I extract solace from my quest for the truth, even if I am a member of a group that comprises only 3% of the population. I hope that you are also a member of that group. I would rather be right by myself than wrong with everyone else.

The test is entirely anonymous. None of your personal details are required, and nothing about your result is recorded or logged in any way. The answers are only used to calculate your reading, and cannot be accessed by anyone, ever. Click here to start.

Conclusion

You must first realize that there are, present in our lives, enemies. You must then know who those enemies are, and act accordingly.

Eliminate as much debt as possible, especially “variable rate” debt, such as credit cards and lines of credit. Interest rates will eventually rise, which will leave borrowers unable to repay loans. These borrowers include cities, states and countries. Rising interest rates will provide "the straw that breaks the camels back". If you are present, you will be taken down with everybody else. The elimination of debt offers a “real return” of escaping rising rates by creditors.

Get some control over some fresh water.

If you are depending exclusively on Social Security, stop.

Follow the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well...

Its not what you don't know that will screw you up, it's what you are absolutely sure of that is absolutely wrong. The spin you hear from the mainstream media is intended to mislead you. Open your eyes and face the future. If you leave your head in the sand and ignore it, you are only leaving your butt exposed for the world to kick. This all may sound like gloom and doom, but when you get a handle on what is going to happen, you will have a future filled with opportunity. Fortune favors the Informed.

More next week...

May the Great Spirit be with you always,

Johnny Silver Bear
Chief cook and bottle washer, The Silver Bear Cafe

Disclaimer

All statements and expressions are the sole opinions of the editor and are subject to change without notice. A profile, description, or other mention of a company in the newsletter is neither an offer nor solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. While we believe all sources of information to be factual and reliable, in no way do we represent or guarantee the accuracy thereof, nor the statements made herein. The staff of Silver Bear Cafe are not registered investment advisors and do not purport to offer personalized investment related advice. The publisher, editor, staff, or anyone associated with, or associated to the Silver Bear Cafe may own securities mentioned in this newsletter and may buy or sell securities without notice.