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

With the advent of the New Year I am going to attempt to "spruce up" the Bear somewhat. Mostly cosmetic changes. I haven't changed the presentation for quite awhile.

One of the editorial changes I am going to make involves the manner in which I present my commentary each week. For the last year, I have adhered to a format that allowed me to comment on cherry picked articles from the previous week. This year I plan to omit the excerpts from six featured articles and, instead, comment on news and information from all the articles previously posted. I will accomplish this through the use of hyper links. I hope that you find the new format compelling.

I have lately been receiving feedback that resulted from aspects on my take on our current situation in the Middle East. Several readers found my suggestion that the demise of the Petro Dollar System was about to occur, somewhat far fetched. They also were somewhat skeptical that there was a system, which requires participation from, not only all members of OPEC but also from, every buyer on earth of OPEC oil, and that a system was being forced on countries all over the world, to use Federal Reserve Notes for the purchase of oil, at the point of a gun. The reality is, it's the sellers who are being forced to sell their resources in Federal Reserve Notes. I used the analogy that it was like a protection racket.

In a protection racket, you pay for protection. In the protection rackets of old, if you didn't pay, somebody broke your legs. In this new and improved version, it's not your legs that get broken, it's your whole country. The threat is provided by, basically, the U.S. Military. While I realize that the gist of the agreement suggested that, as a member of OPEC, the U.S. Military would protect your oil fields from neighboring countries that might want to steal them, the reality of the situation became crystal clear when, upon the threat by Saddam Hussin, that he would sell Iraq's oil in Euros, it was the U.S. Military that invaded and decimated Iraq, not neighboring countries. The occupation and decimation of Iraq continues to this day. The millions of people that have been killed in the overthrow of the Iraqi government as well as the attempted occupation of Afghanistan, by U.S. Military Forces, are deemed collateral damage by the U.S. Government. All of the death and carnage that resulted from these actions was motivated by a lust for wealth and power. None of that wealth, or power, has been shared with the American people. In fact, it is much to the contrary. It has cost America $trillions as well as the respect of the rest of the world. The only ones who profit are those stockholders of the war machine and the banksters.

As I explained in my latest rant: All the King's Horses and All the King's Men, Part Two, Coming Out from Under the Bus, the Petro Dollar System is a scheme, fostered by the Federal Reserve, that has been intended to create an artificial demand for the Federal Reserve's funny money. The greater the demand, the more they can print. Since they invent them out of thin air, the more they print, the richer the get. They make their money charging interest on the stuff the print. The Federal Reserve's ultimate goal has always been to expand their reach globally. The Petro Dollar Protection Racket was, in many respects, simply a replacement for the previous scheme, which was the Bretton Woods Accord. Bretton Woods had also been a scheme to create an artificial demand for their funny money. Bretton Woods had broken down because the banksters were no longer willing to exchange gold, with real value, especially at the "stupid low" government set price of $35.00 an ounce, for worthless Federal Reserve Notes. It had been ill conceived. Although it worked for a couple of decades it was known, by the banksters, that the world would wise up sooner or later. In my view, they both where schemes that extended, updated and expanded the initial scheme which was the criminal Federal Reserve Act of 1913.

In my Coming Out from Under the Bus rant, I suggested that the trouble in Syria was all about access to energy markets. I went on to explain that Russia's support for the Syrian regime was prompted by a lust for wealth and power, by precluding the natural gas reserves of the Persian Gulf from reaching European markets via a pipeline through Syria. This action was taken in the support of the Russian Energy behemoth, Gasprom who maintains somewhat of a monopoly on the sales of non liquefied natural gas to Europe.

Earlier this week news surfaced of a verbal exchange between Arabia's intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Vladimir Putin which occurred July 31st, 2012 when Bandar bin Sultan had threatened Putin with acts of terror that would be committed by Chechen terrorists who were in the employ of the Saudis, the same terrorists who have been attacking Russian targets for years. At the time, Putin warned Saudi Arabia of potentially severe consequences -- suggesting military retaliation -- if Bandar's implied warning was followed up by actual terrorist attacks.

The Volgograd terrorist bombings on Monday, only 400 miles away from the site of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia killed more than 30 people. It was suggested in an article in the Tehran Times that those attacks were intended to be a warning and that Bandar would proceed with a terrorist plan to disrupt the Winter Olympics if Russia continued to support the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

What Are We Doing?

Now the question, it appears to me, is how and why are we "in bed" with a regime that not only condones terrorism, it pays for it. Why does Syria not construct its own series of pipelines, and charge the Persian Gulf States to use them. It would seem that Syria would become even wealthier than it already is, the Europeans would be treated to lower gas prices as a result of the competition and everyone could live happily ever after. Now I am not so naive that I believe that it is that simple. I am afraid that "the wrench in the gears" is the American Hegemony that hinges on the continuing implementation of the Petro Dollar/Federal Reserve Note scheme. We have agreed to protect Saudi Arabia from whomever, which includes the Russians. I expect that a Russian attack on Saudi Arabia would be a natural response to an overt act of war, which the recent terrorist attacks at Volgograd provided. If we do live up to our agreement, we will be at war with Russia. And yes Virginia, it's true, we are damned if we do and damed if we don't. The Petro Dollar system is at stake, and when it snaps it can only result in one thing, war. A very big war. A war not only with Russia, but with China too as a collapse of our currency will engender a default on our debt to them. When that happens, and the crap we have been using for money becomes worthless, and the Chinese and the Russians start lobbing missles at us, we are all screwed.

And if That Wasn't Bad Enough...

This last week I made a video available that accompanied an article from James Hall entitled "The World According to Monsanto". The following is an except from that missive:

F. William Engdahl in an interview with RT, ‘Monsanto is the metaphor for genetic manipulation, food chain control’, nicely sums up the complicity in creating a NWO food supply.

RT: Why is the US government so keen to protect the interests of Monsanto?

F. William Engdahl: I think this is the strategic interest of the US agribusiness lobby, the lobby of Bush senior as president in 1992. Monsanto went to the White House and had a closed-door meeting with Bush, and got him to agree to make sure there are no government tests whatsoever on the health and safety of GMO products before they were released to the commercial public. That was called the doctrine of 'substantial equivalence'– it’s a fraudulent doctrine if you just analyze the name, it’s by no means scientifically rigorous.

The Globalist objective to reduce the earthly population coincides with Monsanto’s strategy to strangle the food supply. The world their 'substantial equivalence' envisions has no equality among humans. The roundup has begun and the survivors will be few.

The fact that a former President of the United States could conspire to a mass genocide is uncomfortable to swallow. A "bitter pill" so to speak. But if you have been following my research, you are already aware that Bush Senior was complicit in the murder of JFK. That we have had some pretty despicable and evil putzes in positions of great power in this country is too much for many to even consider. We have provided conclusive evidence on several conspiracies in the 20th century, including the sinking of the Lusitania, the attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK's murder, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Waco, Ruby Ridge, Oklahoma City, 911, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and now Syria.

As I have mentioned many times before, my role as your editor was prompted by a desire, on my part, to make sense of market machinations which transpired in 2000, and resulted in my family losing a noteworthy portion of our savings. I was just trying to make sense of it. In the early days, I thought that my research could also provide some investment insights and ways that one could skirt a recurrence of the same type. In the first few years of the new millennia, I researched issues as diverse as participants in the Military Industrial Complex. I researched how much money was being funneled to Congressmen and Senators, by the war machine, in return for favorable legislation. The Bear has evolved somewhat since the days when profit was our main motive.

Back in those early days I was still looking for the truth. My tenacity has been met with unexpected and shocking results. About six years ago I started sharing my findings by relating two sentences: "The Truth will set you free. But first it will make you sick."

Now, after thirteen years, which comprised thousands of hours of diligent research, I have connected enough dots to see behind the curtain. I can step back and view "the big picture", and believe me, it has made me sick. What I have found out is that our greatest enemy resides amongst us.

My commentary will be provided as a running dialog. I will continue with this train of thought in weekly installments. I believe that 2014 will be a pivotal year and will accelerate the overt and covert dangers that we now face as a free society. I welcome your feed back and appreciate your readership.

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 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 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.