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 attempt to condense the week's events and examine how the news might affect your pocketbook. JSB

Financial Markets

This week, with the seemly endless hoopla, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the murder of JFK, I was, all week, intermittently nauseated by the never ending reinforcement loop of the government's explanation of the event. Here in Texas, they shut down state government facilities so that the state employees might be reinvigorated by attending ceremonies and hearing the official explanation yet one more time. The state employees, understandably, could care less about the occasion and instead, found solace in shopping malls and buffalo wing eating contests. Meanwhile, being unaware of the shutdown, I made a trip to my local government center for nothing, in an attempt to get some titles transferred.

The week has however, fostered, at least in me, a cause to revisit, not just the Kennedy murder conspiracy, but all the subsequent conspiracies that have each, incrementally, provided a bit more cause for doubt. Doubt, that is, in the "official" explanation. Doubt because of an ever increasing cause to suspect prevarication on the part of government spokspersons. Doubt because the government continues to be caught in an ever increasing volume of lies. In fact, the false statements coming out of the current administration almost defy belief. They are all criminals and conspirators, and not very good ones, at that.

Most of these conspiracy theories have been thoroughly exposed as events that actually occurred. But, as Dr, Paul Craig Roberts so presciently stated earlier this week:

"I am not going to write about the assassination to the extent that the massive information permits. Those who want to know already know. Those who cannot face the music will never be able to confront the facts regardless of what I or anyone else writes or reveals."

Another conspiracy that continues to confound to me is the conspiracy to suppress, through manipulation, the prices of precious metals. These actions are felonious and yet the perps continue to get away with their crimes because the sheeple are politically impotent and oblivious to the situation. There is however a "handful" of researchers who have, like all the other conspiracies I speak of, managed to uncover way more than ample evidence of the crimes. The problem, it would seem, lies in the absolute corrupt nature of the regulators who have, for reasons of remuneration through bribes and kickbacks, turned a blind eye to these activities. Granted, these regulators know little to nothing about the social ramifications that come into play when one group prospers at the expense of another. This, of course, happens all the time, but when one group "criminally" prospers at the expense of another, then unless regulatory energies are availed, the fabric of a healthy society will degrade to the point of failure.

One of these researchers is Charles Savoie. I was introduced to Charlie and his research through David Morgan in 2002. Charlie is, in my opinion, the most knowledgable silver/gold manipulation researcher that I am aware of, anywhere. I believe, that if we had an honest judicial system, in the United Stated (or anywhere else for that matter) we could prosecute and convict literally hundreds of felons who have, and continue to conspire to suppress the prices of precious metals for their personal profit. These prosecutions and convictions could easily be based on Charlie's research alone. This could be done, if anyone cared. Consequently, the number of folks in the whole world who care does not amount to many compared to those that don't.

Singing to the choir here I will say, yet again: The world is run by a criminal cartel (the Darkside). The cartel is populated by those in positions of great power. In most cases, their power stems from their ill gotten gains, and those of their fathers and grandfathers. Inter generational crime families are nothing new, but constitute a greater threat to our lives, liberties, and properties, from within, than all of the threats in the world, from without, combined. Nothing short of insurrection will ever change that. We hold all the evidence necessary to jail these evil putzes. The problem lies with the glaring absence of one honest judge. - JSB)

From Charles Savoie (click for the entire piece):

Is it credible to hold that there has been a monetary trend in the United States, England and Europe, using for example, a typical starting date;

the "Crime of '73," in which Congress wrecked most of the purchasing power of silver, and proceeding forward in many other adverse events including;

the Panic of 1893;

the Panic of 1907;

the National Monetary Commission of 1908;

the Federal Reserve Act of 1913;

England causing the Great Depression by dumping Indian silver on world markets starting in 1928;

President Hoover refusing to call a world silver conference unless England took the lead,

Britain exiting the gold standard in September 1931 (cheered by J.P. Morgan Jr.);

Franklin Roosevelt seizing gold from Americans in 1933 and seizing silver in 1934;

the World Economic Conference of 1933 in London allowing England to continue dumping tens of millions of silver ounces out of British India for another 4 years;

the Silver Purchase Act of 1934, which with its good effects, also had the intended terrible effect of derailing China off its centuries old silver standard;

Limitation Order L-208 in 1942, which ordered shutdown of USA gold mines for 33 months;

Bretton Woods conference in 1944 completely ignoring silver; silver leasing being pioneered during World War II;

the Silver Users Association being formed in 1947, the entity to which the megabankers have dumped silver down into a black hole, at throwaway rates;

the decades long imposition of fixed Federal price capping on domestic silver, finally reasserting itself as $1.61 per ounce silver during the Nixon years, a substantial price trim-back from the Treasury silver "auctions" that ended in late 1970 to the silver users;

Treasury sales of silver to industrial users ramping up during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations;

New York bankers, silver users, Congress and Federal officials achieving an end to 90% silver coins in 1965;

the COMEX smash of the Hunts in 1980;

the ultra-secretive silver leasing activities of the 1980's and beyond

All that,and very, very much more,has happened due to incompetence? A Federal court in Manhattan blocks silver; the CFTC blocks silver; the NYMEX institutes multiple margin increases as silver was FALLING in spring 2011; the number of members of both houses of Congress who we might not get denial responses is so few that we can count them on the fingers of one hand; various (allegedly neutral) CFTC commissioners over the last 15 years are on public record speaking at a Silver Users Association meeting, one CFTC chief even stating TWICE he "looks forward to working with you" (the silver users), and this is only incompetence, not any conscious plan to injure the free market? All that and much more---is due to incompetence? HUH? Only a bunch of mental midgets could always turn in an incompetent performance. This is hardly the situation in metals. Evil geniuses they are!

On the Economic War Front

I suspect that we all know someone, or several someones, who, despite the most logical, well researched and lucid explanation of a tyrannical situation, will reject the explanation in its entirety, if it includes the mere suggestion that it is against the conventional grain in nature or threatens the status quo in any way.

I have a friend who believes that, simply because he is an American, that he has the right to not only believe what he wants to believe, but the additional right to ignore any thing he doesn't understand or agree with. If its not sports or music, his eyes roll back. He's an OK guy. He's just incapable of any commitment that could, in any way, involve risk. He does, incidentally, feel threatened when confronted with any "non mainstream" event.

"He just hears what he wants to hear , and disregards the rest".

I believe that the prevalence of such persons, in America today, is an intentional occurrence. I believe that the growing number of folks that you couldn't depend on to do anything, much less help foster change, will preclude any change from occurring. Gosh, I'm making it sound like another conspiracy...

From Brandon Smith (click for the entire piece):

It is often said there only two kinds of people in this world: those who know, and those who don't. I would expand on this and say that there are actually three kinds of people: those who know, those who don't know, and those who don't care to know. Members of the last group are the kind of people I would characterize as "sheeple."

Sheeple are members of a culture or society who are not necessarily oblivious to the reality of their surroundings; they may have been exposed to valuable truths on numerous occasions. However, when confronted with facts contrary to their conditioned viewpoint, they become aggressive and antagonistic in their behavior, seeking to dismiss and attack the truth by attacking the messenger and denying reason. Sheeple exist on both sides of America's false political paradigm, and they exist in all social "classes". In fact, the "professional class" and the hierarchy of academia are rampant breeding grounds for sheeple; who I sometimes refer to as "intellectual idiots".

Doctors and lawyers, scientists and politicians are all just as prone to the sheeple plague as anyone else; the only difference is that they have a bureaucratic apparatus behind them which gives them a false sense of importance. All they have to do is tow the establishment line, and promote the establishment view.

Of course the common argument made by sheeple is that EVERYONE thinks everyone else is blind to the truth, which in their minds, somehow vindicates their behavior. However, the characteristic that absolutely defines a sheeple is not necessarily a lack of knowledge, but an unwillingness to consider or embrace obvious logic or truth in order to protect their egos and biases from harm. A sheeple's mindset is driven by self centered motives.

So-called mainstream media outlets go out of their way to reinforce this aggressive mindset by establishing the illusion that sheeple are the "majority" and that the majority perception (which has been constructed by the MSM) is the only correct perception.

Many liberty movement activists have noted recently that there has been a surge in media propaganda aimed at painting the survival, preparedness and liberty cultures as "fringe," "reactionary," "extremist," "conspiracy-minded," etc. National Geographic's television show "Doomsday Preppers" appears to have been designed specifically to seek out the worst possible representatives of the movement and parade their failings like a carnival sideshow. Rarely do they give focus to the logical arguments regarding why their subjects become preppers, nor do they normally choose subjects who can explain as much in a coherent manner. This is a very similar tactic used by the establishment media at large-scale protests; they generally attempt to interview the least-eloquent and easiest-to-ridicule person present and make that person a momentary mascot for the entire group and the philosophy they hold dear.

Precious Metals

I find myself addressing the convoluted nature of the precious metals markets by, once again, addressing the Federal Reserve.

That is basically the reason that "the Bear" is setup the way that it is. Pretty much, all the news in each section; Financial Markets, the Economic War that is being waged against the middle class, Precious Metals, Energy, The Federal Reserve, and Financial Survival are all deeply inter-related and the most obvious central theme is...the Federal Reserve.

Why do you think that the lion's share of all the gold above ground, in the whole world, is held by Central Bankers. Yes, they may seemingly contribute to price manipulation and suppression by, in concert with the central bank supported bullion banks, keeping gold and silver's price from ascending to much greater heights. This is done in an attempt to keep their fiat fairy tale going just a little while longer. It is still far easier for these criminals to invent money out of thin air and then trade it for real value in the form of industrial resources, all which stem from just three basic sources, farming, mining, or factories. So long as they can continue to find sources of value from those three areas, that they can acquire in return for their counterfeit currencies, they will continue to use what ever means that are available to them to "keep the party going". At some point, however, the world is going to wise up.

I am among those that portend the party is almost over. The Russians have long known what this game was all about and have not abetted the system monetarily. The Chinese, on the other hand, have contributed much to the party in the form of the purchase of U.S. Treasuries, through which our indebtedness to the Chinese has grown to now figure in the $trillions. Japan is no longer in a position to support the "impossible dream", and Europe is on the verge of economic implosion. Now we find ourselves in an enviable position. We are able to trade even fewer fiat dollars for gold and silver. As the Great Mogombo says, "Whee. This investing stuff is easy".

From Steve St. Angelo (click for the entire piece):

The conditions in the market are setting up for a once in a lifetime gold trade. Most of the participants don't know it because they have their face and eyes firmly placed up against the television screen called the MSM — Main Stream Media.

As they focus on the manipulated information and schizophrenic Fed press releases, there's another show taking place on a different channel very few are aware. It's called GOLD: Hidden Secrets of Money. Yes, this is the video series that Mike Maloney and the folks at GoldSilver.com put together.

It is probably one of the best video series describing the fraudulent fiat monetary system run by the Federal Reserve that has siphoned and stolen wealth from Americans as well as citizens throughout the world. Currently the ranking of this gold show on the air waves is very low, but that will change in the future.

You know we are in trouble when David Stockman, Former Dir. of the US Management and Budget interviewed on King World News this weekend, said the following on what he thought of the Janet Yellen Fed Chairman Nominee Senate hearing:

"Frankly, I thought it was appalling. Kind of a petty fogery of a Keynesian schoolmarm that was superficial, mechanical, naive and disingenuous."

Stockman goes on to say Yellen's answer (from one of the members at the hearing) that the Fed was not monetizing the debt, but rather carrying out the directions of Congress was simply, "Absurd" I highly recommend the KWN Stockman Interview if you have not heard it already.

This is where we are heading… into the end game of the fiat monetary system as the official policy and policymakers become even more bazaar, idiotic and deranged.

Energy

The Energy Forum is my personal favorite. It allows me the continuing opportunity to research innovations and technologies that will eventually contrbute to our independence from fossil fules. The transition to that situation is frought with roadblocks stemming from greed, corruption and criminality. Boy, it seems like I use the term criminal often. I guess that is because criminals pervade all aspects of our lives.We are getting screwed every step of the way by someone whose profession depends on their hand in your pocket.

Happily, this week has provided stories, ranging from a Silicon/nickel water splitter that could lead to cheaper hydrogen sequestration, to closing in on the application of geo thermal to lend to our energy needs, to the fact that Solar cells may soon be printed in the same way you print documents today.

While I realize that these technologies will, of course, lend to our future comfort and convenience, our ancestors managed to get by on campfires and rainfall. Of course, human beings have always had a formitable dependence on fresh water.

When the subject of our water dependence comes up, I am reminded of an essay I published in 2002 entitled "Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness". Here is an excerpt:

In 1998, the World Bank refused to guarantee a $25 million loan to refinance water services in Cochabamba, Bolivia, unless the government sold the public water system to the private sector and passed the costs on to consumers. Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in the world, finally acquiesced. Only one bid was considered, and the company was turned over to Aguas del Tunari, a subsidiary of a conglomerate led by Bechtel, the giant San Francisco engineering and construction company.

In December 1999, before making any infrastructure investments, the private water company, Aguas del Tunari, announced the doubling of water prices. For most Bolivians, this meant that water would now cost more than food; for those on minimum wage or unemployed, water bills suddenly accounted for close to half their monthly budgets, and for many, water was shut off completely.

To add to the problem, the Bolivian government, prompted by the World Bank, granted absolute monopolies to private water concessionaires, announced its support for full-cost water pricing, pegged the cost of water to the American dollar and declared that none of the World Bank loan could be used to subsidize water services for the poor. All water, even from community wells, required permits to access, and even peasants and small farmers had to buy permits to gather rainwater on their property.

The selling-off of public enterprises such as transportation, electrical utilities and education to foreign corporations has been a heated economic debate in Bolivia. But this was different; polls showed that 90 percent of the public wanted Bechtel out. Debate turned to protest and one of the world's first "water wars" was launched.

The people of Bolivia revolted against the government over the privatization of water. A broad-based movement of workers, peasants, farmers and others created the Coalition in Defense of Water and Life to "de-privatize" the local water system. Between January and early February, 2000, hundreds of thousands of Bolivians marched to Cochabamba in a showdown with the government, and a general strike and transportation stoppage brought the city to a standstill. Police reacted with violence and arrests and the army killed six people and injured more than 100 when it opened fire on demonstrators. In early April 2000, the government declared martial law.

Could this happen here? Is it possible that you could someday be charged for collecting rainwater off your roof? You would be surprised at how many trans-national companies already have stakes in water delivery in this country.

Globally, we have already entered water scarcity. The Middle East will run out of fresh water within the next ten years. Sub-Saharan Africa will run out in the next 5 years. China is considering moving the capital to another location because there is no more water in Beijing.

Closer to home, the mighty Colorado river no longer makes it to the Sea of Cortez. It trickles out somewhere in the Mexican desert south of the Arizona border. The Rio Grand, which use to flow into the Gulf of Mexico now stops some 20 miles short of Brownsville, Texas. Aquifers all over the country are being depleted far more rapidly than they can recharge themselves. We are on the verge of a national water crisis right here in America.

In the next two decades, the struggle for water will tear apart communities, exacerbate differences between social classes, and challenge governments and private organizations to change how they perceive their roles.

According to the World Trade Organization, "human needs can be supplied by private entrepreneurs for a profit, unlike a human right which accrues equally to everyone." National and international trade associations like the WTO and NAFTA define water as a "commodity" and have agreements requiring governments to permit water exports under specified conditions.

Commodification and privatization go hand in hand. Even though the evidence for water scarcity is overwhelming, governments and global bureaucracies, influenced by lobbyists, and, in many documented cases, outright bribery, are disposed to call water a commodity, to transfer what remains to private corporations, and to let the market determine who gets water and the price they pay for it.

The commodification of water, internationally, is on the horizon. The day will come when no one will be able to collect it without a permit. Many persons throughout the world will be prosecuted for its illegal possession.

It will happen here.

From David Zeiler (click for the entire piece):

The global water industry is already a $500 billion a year business – and it's headed to $20 trillion by 2025.

That's 3,900% growth in 12 years, headed for an amount bigger than the $17 trillion U.S. economy.

The reason for this explosive growth?
According to the United Nations, 783 million people today do not have access to water, and a shocking 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation. That's why the world is already spending billions of dollars on water.

Now imagine what happens when you add 2 billion more people by 2025. By then, the World Water Organization estimates, water demand will exceed supply by 56%.

The water industry has only just started to meet these needs, which makes investing in water stocks one of top profit opportunities of the 21st century.

Why Water Is So Precious

Unlike spending for other industries, there's no question governments will pay for their water needs. Society can't survive without water – and that doesn't mean just drinking and bathing.

Industrial production is extremely dependent on water.

For example, fracking of the vast U.S. shale oil and gas reserves would be impossible without large amounts of water. A single fracking well requires about 5 million gallons of water, and more than 82,000 such wells have been drilled since 2005.

Then there's agriculture, which uses about 70% of the fresh water we consume. A lack of water can quickly drive up food prices. During the U.S. drought of 2012, global food prices surged by 6% in a single month, with some items like corn (up 23%) and sugar (up 12%) going much higher.

The Fed

G Edward Griffin is a film producer, author and political lecturer. He is the founder of Freedom Force International, a libertarian-oriented activist network focused on advancing individual freedom. First released in 1994, Mr. Griffin's best-selling financial book, The Creature from Jekyll Island, is a no-holds-barred look into the inner workings of the Federal Reserve banking system, or cartel if you will. Mr. Griffin's literary contributions are especially noteworthy given the validity of his vision and the exciting and troublesome nature of the times in which we live.

In his film series, A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, he explains, in no uncertain terms, the nature of a two hundred year old conspiracy to rule the world. Because the perps in this conspiracy realized, early on, that the only way that they could ever accomplish such a fiendish plot would involve the attainment of the power to create money. That power has been shown to be, perhaps, the most powerful force on earth. The last president to try and end the Fed was JFK. We all know what happened to him. Through the application of the power to create money, the perps now have control over the weather (HAARP). Unseating these power freaks has become the sole means of insuring the future of our country and the world. These maniacs should be considered Public Enemies Number One. We, for the sake of our futures, must "END THE FED".

From G. Edward Griffin (click for the entire piece):

G. Edward Griffin is a writer and documentary film producer with many successful titles to his credit. Listed in Who’s Who in America, he is well known because of his talent for researching difficult topics and presenting them in clear terms that all can understand.

He has dealt with such diverse subjects as archaeology and ancient Earth history, the Federal Reserve System and international banking, terrorism, internal subversion, the history of taxation, U.S. foreign policy, the science and politics of cancer therapy, the Supreme Court, and the United Nations.

His better-known works include The Creature from Jekyll Island, World without Cancer, The Discovery of Noah’s Ark, Moles in High Places, The Open Gates of Troy, No Place to Hide, The Capitalist Conspiracy, More Deadly than War, The Grand Design, The Great Prison Break, and The Fearful Master.

Mr. Griffin is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he majored in speech and communications. In preparation for writing his book on the Federal Reserve System, he enrolled in the College for Financial Planning located in Denver, Colorado. His goal was not to become a professional financial planner but to better understand the real world of investments and money markets. He obtained his CFP designation (Certified Financial Planner) in 1989.

Financial Survival

I check the current price of precious metals three or four times a day, knowing that a move to the upside will lend to and fortify my insurance plan. I also realize that when the metals take off, that the end, for most, will be near.

I have been stating for years, that the average American is incredibly adaptable. Folks seem to get by no matter how incumbered the become with the discrepancies in the administrations wealth redistribution. I am not part of, nor do I know anyone who is part of whatever group, that supposedly exists out there, that the wealth is being redistributed to. I mean, yes, someone is getting it, but it ain't us. The only ones I see whose palms are getting greased are lobbyists representing big Insurance, big Agra, big Pharma, and political campaign coffers.

I readily admit to forwarding the consideration that there are over seven billion people on earth and it is being fucked up by four thousand. Seven billion? Four thousand? What gives? I believe I sense a manner of solution here. A remedy, so to speak...

From Mac Slavo (click for the entire piece):

Over the course of the last six weeks, since the disastrous launch of health care exchanges mandated under the new Patient Affordable Care Act, we have been made privy to something most Americans didn't believe was possible: that the government of the United States of America is being represented by thieves, liars and sycophants.

Every promise made by the President and Congressional democrats who supported Obamacare legislation has turned out to be a complete falsehood.

But what's critical to our future well-being is that we understand that the machinations and conjecture are not restricted solely to the health care debacle. They pervade every aspect of government on the federal, state and local level alike.

We have been lied to on every front, as evidenced by revelations just yesterday that the Bureau of Labor and Statistics completely fabricated unemployment numbers in an effort to sway the 2012 election results. This is supposed to be an impartial, non-partisan agency whose sole purpose is to calculate numbers, and even that has been hijacked by agenda-driven politicians and special interests.

Whether we're talking about health care, the economy, personal privacy, or national security, we must assume, unless proven otherwise, that we are being lied to.

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 be rising, so 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 think you know that is 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.