LIBERTY DOLLAR NEWS: February 2007 Vol. 9 No. 2
Welcome new Readers, Associates, Merchants and RCOs!
CALL TO ACTION:
If you do only one thing: Please recommend a site where we can advertise.
Now want your own Liberty Dollar? Why not? It’s the perfect present for
someone who has everything. And it might just be the perfect currency too.
Learn more below. Plus, great articles about Private Money from the Federal
Reserve and Germany . How about a Liberty Dollar radio? Please contact me to
address your group as part of my Semi-annual tour. Bottom line... please
read this Newsletter and share it with someone so they can start protecting
their purchasing power too.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Liberty Dollar Set to Explode?
2. US Mint’s new $1 coin – Review
3. Private Money by the Federal Reserve
4. Germans take pride in local money
5. Semi-Annual Tour... WTP... & LDU-13
6. New Ads with Reason and Coinflation
7. Liberty Dollar Radio and Pins
8. Letter / Article to the Editor
9. Success Story / Incident of the Month
10. Question of the Month
11. Liberty Associate of the Month
12. Quote of the Month
1. Liberty Dollar Set to Explode?
In what may be our darkest hour... with the full force of the oppressive
US Mint position against the Liberty Dollar... there is this ray of hope...
that undeniable human quality that will not surrender to government
persecution... expressly when we know we are right. That great human quality
that has empowered man to seek, create, build, and, yes, overcome
intolerable opposition and do great things. I feel that the Liberty Dollar
is a great effort. Many of you have obviously agreed by your persistent
efforts and noteworthy accomplishments. And that is the ray of hope that I
see and so dearly enjoy about the great men and women in the Liberty Dollar
organization.
What is that ray of hope? New projects. Acting within a group of RCOs and
other interested parties, we have decided to answer the call to action by
decentralizing the Liberty Dollar concept and developing a common monetary
platform that will provide a Liberty Dollar to anyone. Yes, anyone!
Hopefully everyone! Want a Liberty Dollar for your family, town, business or
organization? How about an anniversary or your state? In fact, we already
have about a half dozen projects in the talking stage, from a coffee shop
who may issue their own half ounce $10 Silver Jitter Bucks in direct
competition to Starbucks, to three commemoratives ($20, $10 and $5 face
values) to commemorate a well-known town’s anniversary, to a brand new
California Silver Liberty, which will be available very soon for presale at:
http://www.hchq.biz
Where is all this going? In the largest context, Private Liberty Dollars
exemplifies the further decentralization that we have been witnessing in
other industries for many years and has been turbo charged by the Internet.
Why use a depreciating currency when you can use your “own” appreciating
money? And as Bill Gates so aptly demonstrated with the Microsoft platform,
if there is commonality, there can be mass usage, regardless of any large
(IBM or gov) oppressive outdated entity. Money stands at the same point, and
it is our hope you will support the common platform the Liberty Dollar
offers and order your own Liberty Dollar. The use of the obverse die is free
and only $1000 for a custom reverse die, with all design and artwork
included. Minimum order 500 ounces. Plus by pre-selling First Day of Issues
and Limited Numbered Editions to your financial backers, friends and Liberty
Dollar collectors, you can be profitable before you even place a silver
order! No kidding! A $1000 deposit required to get started. Let the
explosion begin.
2. US Mint’s new $1 coin – Review
[Editor Note: This commentary was provided by Matthew Pitagora,
the RCO for the Liberty Dollar of San Jose]
U.S. Mint Stands to Make a Killing With New $1 Coin
On February 15, 2007, the United States Mint put the first Presidential
$1 Coin into circulation. Composed of a copper, zinc, manganese and nickel
alloy, this new, golden-colored $1 coin possesses the same metal content as
the Sacagawea Dollar.
Of course, according to the Coinage Act of 1792, which is the Currency
Constitution of the United States, a dollar, or unit, is clearly defined as
371.25 grains of pure (.999) silver, thus widening the chasm of disparity
between the Mint's new $1 coin, and that called for in the Rule of Law.
I find it fascinating that the U.S. Mint finds new ways to mass-market
coins whose face value is FAR in excess of their metal value, while at the
same time slandering competitors such as the Liberty Dollar. Of course, the
mint lavishes millions of Federal Reserve Notes each year on private
marketing firms, and with profit margins such as those to be experienced
moving Presidential Coins and state quarters, it is money well spent. Make
no mistake that the Mint is truly in business to make money, and in keeping
with its mission, in fact remains the most profitable U.S. government agency
each year.
So let’s find out just exactly how the United States Mint remains
profitable, and the new $1 coin is by far the best example.
The new $1 coin has a metal value of almost a Nickel, which means that
the coin’s face value of $1 is a whopping 1000% HIGHER THAN THE METAL VALUE,
and taking into account marketing, administration, manufacturing and
distribution costs, given the sheer scales of economy involved in producing
millions of coins per year, the Mint is left with a conservative 750% profit
on each $1 coin sold to the public. In order to recoup this profit “loss,”
the U.S. Mint also sells rolls of brilliant uncirculated coins, at a price
significantly higher than face value.
Contrasting this profitability with that of the Liberty Dollar®, we find
that the $20 Silver Liberty, even when first issued in late 2005, provided a
100% profit to the top level regional distributors, and at today’s silver
spot price, that profit margin has narrowed to about 15%, thus demonstrating
the increase in value that the Silver Liberty has afforded to those who
obtained them early on.
I have no problem with the U.S. Mint’s seeking a profit for their
product, as the Liberty Dollar® is a free-market product whose profit margin
provides the capital for sustainability and growth. I believe that the two
currency systems can peacefully co-exist, and even complement one another.
I do, however, have a problem with the Mint’s new “product.” First of
all, it is not a real dollar, in accordance with the legal definition for a
dollar. Secondly, the U.S. Mint has devoted a portion of its obscene
profits, and committed public service resources in sending letters
personally informing each Liberty Dollar® RCO that we are engaged in illegal
activity by promoting a private, voluntary, barter currency. The Mint
continues to publish a warning regarding the Liberty Dollar® on their web
site, which may have curtailed Liberty Dollar® sales, but has at the same
time tempered the resolve for those of us seeking to propagate HONEST MONEY
which is comprised of the precious metals silver and gold.
Back in September, when the U.S. Mint issued their warning, I speculated
that the Liberty Dollar® was considered a threat to the U.S. Mint’s
coin-collecting business, and sure enough, my suspicions have turned out to
be quite valid.
Not only is it reprehensible that those officials charged with the
safeguarding of our national currency have instead debased our coinage to a
tiny fraction of its lawful value, but these same guardians of coinage have
also blatantly displayed their disregard for lawful money by attempting to
stifle the legitimate and noble business endeavors of the Liberty Dollar®
Organization and its proponents.
So the next time you receive a handful of change, remember that the
United States Mint’s new $1 Presidential Coin is worth less than a nickel
(or even five pennies) and then ask yourself which currency system is the
most honest, and which type of money provides the best value to the public.
[Editor Note: Please check out Matt’s site at:
http://www.hchq.biz for the new California Silver Liberty...
it is HOT!]
3. Private Money by the Federal Reserve
Private Money in Our Past, Present, and Future
by Bruce Champ an economic advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Cleveland
Who is allowed to issue money in the United States? The Founding Fathers
made it clear that the power to create money would not be taken lightly.
Their experiences with money and inflation during the Revolutionary War made
them wary of paper money and conscious of the power wielded by those
authorized to create it. They gave Congress the right to issue money and
forbade the states from doing so. But the federal government isn’t the only
entity that has, in practice, issued money. Private citizens and private
companies have, too.
In the 1800s, for example, much of the country’s paper currency consisted
of notes issued by private banks. Nowadays, commercial banks don’t print
their own notes, but they create money just the same — in the form of
checking accounts. People and companies other than banks have also
occasionally seen the need to create their own forms of money.
Private money — money issued by individuals or companies — can be seen as
an innovation that arises to fill a void left by the federally provided
money of the day. Studying various examples of private money that have
arisen throughout U.S. history has taught economists much about the
qualities money must have to be useful. In this Commentary, we describe some
of the needs private money has arisen to fill and some of the problems
people have encountered when making or using private money. We consider the
lessons our experiences with private money imply for our money today and in
the future.
[Editor Note: Please read this important and exciting article by Bruce
Champ who is an economic advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
And while Champ’s views are “not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Cleveland, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or
its staff” .... it is abundantly clear that the Federal Reserve is aware
that the nature of money is changing... to a concept as modeled by Liberty
Dollar. Please read this whole article on our Commentary Page at: http://www.libertydollar.org/commentary/pdfs/1170878323.pdf
4. Germans take pride in local money
By Tristana Moore with BBC News, Magdeburg , Germany
The next time you venture out for lunch in Magdeburg , check what kind of
loose change you have in your wallet.
Like any other city in Germany , the normal currency here is the Euro. But
bizarrely, they also have another currency in circulation: the “Urstromtaler.”
Before you doubt its existence, it is not "Monopoly" money - it is very
real. At a jewellery shop in the city centre, Gerfried Kliems explained how
people use the regional currency.
"It's quite simple," he said. "The money you spend stays in the region. When
I accept Urstromtaler in my shop, I then have to see how I can spend the
local banknotes. You get to know everyone who's participating in this
project, and at the end of the day, you have a good feeling about life."
More than 200 businesses are using the regional currency, including shops,
bakeries, florists, restaurants. There is even a cinema which accepts
Urstromtaler.
”'Local boost”
Frank Jansky, a lawyer, launched the regional currency in Magdeburg . "We
are fostering links with businesses in the whole region and through the
contacts that we develop, we are supporting the domestic German market," he
said.
"All the businesses have signed contracts, and it's official. We have our
own banknotes and we have an issuing office in the city centre."
At the Urstromtaler "central bank" in Magdeburg , which is no larger than a
small office, the banknotes are issued at a rate of 1:1 against the Euro.
The banknotes have a time limit and lose value after a certain date, so
people are encouraged to spend their money quickly.
Campaigners argue that the currency can help boost the local economy.
[Editor Note: Sound familiar? Please read the whole article on our
Commentary Page at: http://www.libertydollar.org/commentary/pdfs/1172611040.pdf
5. Semi-Annual Tour... WTP... & LDU-13
Well it is that time again. Time for my semi-annual visit to the Liberty
Dollar office in Evansville . In the later part of March, I will venture out
of nice warm South Florida to visit my office. This year’s mini-tour will
also include a visit to Washington , DC , to check in with Bob Schulz’s
“Give Me Liberty” Conference by We The People, March 29-31. As usual, I will
be driving up the coast to DC, over to Evansville and back down through the
South. So if you want to cross paths with me, let me know... the schedule is
already set... but I will do my best to accommodate your request for a
meeting.
Liberty Dollar University - 13 will be in Evansville April 11-14. So if
you want to hang with the movers and shakers... and find out what is
happening with the US Mint, etc... Liberty Dollar University is the place to
be for only $200. I hope many of you will find that Evansville will be a
handy place to visit. Please call the office to register: 888.LIB.DOLLAR
(888.421.6181). Please note: LDU-13 will be limited to only 25 people.
“Give Me Liberty” Conference by We The People and Bob Schulz will be held
at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia from March 29
through 31. At $495 or $125 for a single day plus $548.55 for the room for
three nights, it is a bit pricy but the price includes food and if you share
a room for about $275, it is a real steal in the overpriced Washington hotel
market. So I encourage you to join me and lets find out what happens.
Hopefully Bob will have received a positive decision by the U.S. Court of
Appeals in his case, We The People v. The U.S. Government and we can
all celebrate! Certainly wishing Bob and We The People, of which I am a
member, all the best. Complete info and registration is available at:
http://givemeliberty.org/CONVENTION/GML2007/Registration.aspx
Attention: Just as we are ready to post... Bob has sent an urgent request
for donations of $159 to help pay for people who can’t come due to the steep
costs. If you can’t go and want to help others attend, Bob is offering a
copy of the event for a $159 donation... please consider supporting WTP. We
are all trying to make our country better...
6. New Ads with Reason and Coinflation
BREAKING NEWS... check out our ads! Now for the first time, the Liberty
Dollar is advertising on the Net. Of course, the Liberty Dollar has been
carried on hundreds and hundreds of sites thanks to your wonderful support.
But now we are paying for it... and getting results. More people are
learning about the Liberty Dollar and taking a stand for a value based
currency. Some are actually putting their money where their mouths are and
getting some Liberty Dollar! Amazing! So we are looking for more places to
advertise. Know of a good site that is not too expensive? Please let me
know!
Meanwhile please check out the Liberty Dollar ad at
www.Reason.com.
If you are not familiar with Reason – Free Minds and Free Markets, it is
time to tune into this terrific nonprofit think tank. Since 1978 when Robert
Poole founded the Reason Foundation, it has been dedicated to
individual liberty, limited government, and advancing free minds and free
markets. Who can disagree with that?!
Our second big ad is at
www.Coinflation.com. This is a
wonderful site! Alec, all the way up in Alaska, has put together the best
site to figure out the actual intrinsic market amount of value in the
government coins... and it does it all automatically. Plus there is a host
of additional info on money and inflation on this super site. I visited it
often before our VP of IT suggested advertising.
Please let us know where we can advertise next.
7. Liberty Dollar Radio and Pins
I am just constantly amazed by Liberty Associates! If for nothing else,
the Liberty Dollar has given us a great stage to voice our opinion on money
and more importantly, a great opportunity to flex our own personal monetary
desires. Now comes the Liberty Dollar Radio! Leave it to Nic Leobold,
Liberty Associate extraordinaire to create a really cute little radio with a
bigger message on it that I would have thought possible. We have a few
left... and I encourage you to get one and add it to your Liberty Dollar
collection. No, wait... the radio really works... get and use it... just
like the Liberty Dollar! BIG thanks to Nic for all his efforts and wonderful
products.
But Nic is not alone. Why are there so many Liberty Dollar items? Because
of people like Mike Parkin, RCO for Liberty Dollar of Hollister, California.
At the recent LDU, Mike showed me a custom label pin that was super.
Amazingly well done. And while we have not had time to order some, you may
want to contact Mike at
mparkin@bhit.com and ask him for
one. And if we don’t have what you want, do as Karl did with the Counter
Mat, or Sarah did with a Liberty Pillow, and dozens of other items created
by Liberty Associates... make it yourself and let me know! Remember one of
the BIG three parts of the Liberty Dollar is to “Have Fun” and if you are
not having fun with the Liberty Dollar... you are just missing out.
8. Letter / Article to the Editor
No Letter or Article this month as there is both a Success Story and an
Incident below.
9. Success Story / Incident of the Month
On February 7, Dan Doering filed this Success Story:
I went to a gas station last night. There were two young men, Josh said
he was 22, and his buddy was about the same age. I usually use a persona
like "Columbo." I look for money in several pockets.
Acting a little like I'm confused. While digging, I (intentionally) find
some Libs somewhere. Josh asked me if I misplaced my money. I said, “No, I
use silver.” He said, "Wow man, I save silver!" He then produced a pre-1960
quarter and dime. They had a real nice ring when he dropped them on the
counter.
I showed him the $10 and $5 Libs. His buddy came over and said, "We can't
take those, Josh, remember the memo we got from the regional office?" I then
showed them the article from the Fed of Cleveland and the BBC article. I
said, "Your company is not being honest with you. Private money has [been]
acknowledged by the Federal Reserve..."
Both of these guys were astounded! Josh said "Man, where can I get some
of these?" I said, "I'll be right back"
I returned with my "bucket” of all three denominations. Josh's eyes were
wide as I presented them to him. He went through them and took a 20, one 10
and two
fives, pushing two $20 fed notes in my hand. I gave him the website and
thanked him. He then said "NO, THANK YOU!" As I turned to leave, he said,
"Wait, man, I want some more." He then took out his plastic card and went to
the ATM. Went through the same process, another $40 face value in silver was
exchanged, $80 total.
I showed Josh the "SOLUTION" book. Another Believer in the Liberty
Dollar!
Now the Incident of the Month: Marvin Dence Arrest as Reported:
On Sunday evening, 2-11-07, Marvin Dence offered to pay for nine gallons
of gasoline at a small town in Tennessee with a one troy ounce $20 Silver
Liberty. The MAPCO station clerk went out and showed the $20 Silver Liberty
to a parked patrolman. She returned, declined the offer and asked for FRNS,
which he gave her. As he was leaving, the patrolman then entered the station
and started questioning him about the Silver Liberty.
Patrolman Waylon Inman chose to arrest Marin under the pretext of
violation of Tennessee Code 39-14-115 entitled Criminal Simulation,
"attempting to pass counterfeit coin" "with intent to defraud." "Criminal
Simulation is punishable as theft," (Blacks 6th Law Dictionary: Theft - "the
act of taking or stealing property without the owner's consent.")
Pursuant to Tennessee Code 39-14-105 as a Class E felony. Under T.C.A.
39-14-115 NOTES TO DECISIONS 7. Nature of Offense. Page 560. "To constitute
the offense of passing counterfeit coin, the spurious coin passed must be a
representation of genuine coin on both sides." Robert v State, 39 Tenn. 501.
This was an ignorant, if not blatant attempt by Patrolman Inman, to "call
evil good, and good evil"...and to "bear rule by their means"...Isa 5:20 ;
Jer 5:31 .
There was no injured party! There was no fraud or attempted theft, only
an offer in barter. The $20 Silver Liberty Dollar is not a counterfeit
facsimile of any US Coin, past or present. $20 on the one once Silver
Liberty is a suggested market value and may be traded at a higher or lower
rate for goods or services. Marvin never claimed the Liberty Dollar to be
legal tender, coin, or currency. He simply offered it to be used as a
Private Voluntary Barter Currency.
Unfortunately, Marvin was arrested and confined for three days. Finally
the Sheriff realized the injustice and called the Judge who agreed to
release Marvin on his own recognizance.
[Editor Note: Currently, I am happy to report that Marvin Dence is out of
jail. This is the most serious Incident to date. I hope it is dropped when
Marvin appears in court shortly.]
10. Question of the Month
QUESTION: 1) What prevents the government from seizing the silver/gold
that's stored in Sunshine Minting before or after the customer purchases it?
The Government has seized it before so are they allowed to do it again?
ANSWER: The opportunity for the government to seize the gold/silver at
Sunshine “before or after” any purchase is very small due to the quick
turn-around time on all orders. Plus all Associate orders and general orders
are filled by the Fulfillment Office in Evansville , not by Sunshine. The
only perceived risk is to the gold/silver that is stored for the Gold and
Silver Certificates issued as warehouse receipts. “Perceived risk” because
the government has never seized any warehouse receipts because there has
never been a warehouse receipt like the Liberty Dollar. Plus it is doubtful
that the government would want to risk any seizure and hand Liberty Dollar
the enormous publicity and draw their unbacked currency into the public
spotlight.
As for a general seizure like the Roosevelt Confiscation of 1933, this is
utterly impossible simply because the public attitude towards the government
has changed and most importantly because gold is now a free market commodity
traded around the world. Any seizure by any government, particularly the US
government, would drive gold and silver to unheard of prices. And as the
government cannot confiscate without paying market value, it would be
impossible for the government to outrun the escalating prices on the world
market. To learn more why confiscation is utterly impossible, please read
Chapter 28, page 244 in “Liberty Dollar Solution” book available for only $5
if you mention this issue of the Liberty Dollar News within the next 30
days.
11. Liberty Associate of the Month
As I often like to remark, “Just as good food takes time – good money
takes time.” Such is the case with this month’s Liberty Associate. In fact,
this Associate has a dynamite all night restaurant. Now, at first, you might
thing of some greasy spoon, truck stop... but that is not the case about the
place or the food. In fact, I always try to visit it every time I am in
Michigan. Our Liberty Associate offers a great place with plenty of down
home food with lots of Liberty Dollars. For that reason, I am very proud to
name Dave Gillie, owner/operator of Gillie’s Coney Island Restaurant, just
north of Flint, Michigan, the Liberty Associate of the Month. And if you are
ever nearby, be sure to stop in. Dave not only accepts Liberty Dollars, he
uses a lot for change too. Congrats, Dave, and thank you for your
outstanding support and good food too!
12. Quote of the Month
"Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave
little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different,
but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government
by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting
our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one
encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a
patron, the last a punisher." Thomas Paine
Closing Remarks:
Please stay tuned for more as we strive to resolve the matter with the US
Mint and develop our successful model currency.
Many thanks to all the Liberty Associates, Merchants, and RCOs for your
continued support. For it is only by banding together and adopting a free
and independent currency which provides us with “just weights and measures”
will we be able to throw off the yoke of a manipulated monetary/tax system
and generate a peaceful and prosperous society.
Thank you again for all your efforts to return America to value – one
dollar at a time!
Bernard von NotHaus
Monetary Architect/Editor
Editor@LibertyDollar.org
www.LibertyDollar.org
888.LIB.DOLLAR
888.421.6181
