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Mike Krieger On Why Ditching The Prozac Is Long Overdue And Why It's Time For A New Renaissance
From Mike Krieger at KAM LP
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
- Wolfgang von Goethe
This new LG billboard is in the heart of Times Square, above the corner of 45th Street and 7th Avenue, and will exist solely for the purpose of collecting and distributing good news. Helping to bring the billboard to life will be LG's first-ever Good News Ambassador, an animated character who will reside in the billboard and invite passersby to share their own good news via text message and tweets, giving them the chance to see their name and news in lights high above Times Square.
Source: LG Electronics
Ditch the Prozac it's Time for a New Renaissance
Before I get into it, I want people to understand that the use of Prozac in the title should not be taken literally. There are many people out there that really do have serious mental issues and medication is useful in helping their condition. As I hope is clear, “Prozac” is a metaphor for all of the brainless endeavors that have become such an integral part of many Americans’ lives. Such activities destroy the soul of humankind and play directly into the hands of the ruling elite that wish for you to be dumb, ignorant animals easily manipulated, corralled and sheared. There is a reason that plantation owners used to forbid slaves to learn how to read and write. They understood that an ignorant person is much less likely to resist their enslavement. The same is true in America today, where an unthinking and DEPENDENT person is unlikely to resist.
When we watch videos like the most recent one showing hundreds of people trampling and drooling over each other like mindless drones to get $25 off an IPAD at Wal-Mart the reaction of thinking people the world over is sheer terror. It makes you want to move to another planet where you never have to interact with such frightening stupidity that can easily be manipulated into something far worse once their “goodies” are inevitably taken away from them. While I share this concern I want to make it very clear that there is hope for us once we get through the complete and total systemic collapse that I believe will occur within the next 1-2 years. The main reason for the hope is the internet and all related technologies. The other, ironically enough, is the financial crisis itself.
First the financial crisis. Strangely enough, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to the United States. It may have come just in time and just at the right moment. While a very large percentage of the population remains a gigantic unthinking blob, this is appears always to be the case throughout history. On the other hand, we that are conscious and are trying to changes things represent a small fraction; however, it is always the dedicated few on the margin that create profound and lasting change. Sometimes this change is liberating. Think the founding fathers. Sometimes this change is nightmarish. Think the rise of Nazi Germany. Sometimes it is just a campaign slogan and results in business as usual. Think Barack Obama.
There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind of one thing. That we are in what Neil Howe and William Strauss dub “The Fourth Turning,” which represent periods where the prior status quo is completely ended and something new emerges from the ashes. This means that despite the best efforts of the Washington D.C./Wall Street TBTF oligarchy the monetary system is on its last legs and something new will replace it. Unfortunately for us, the leadership in these areas are so filled with greed and arrogance they cannot see what is right in front of their eyes. Or those that do see it care so little about the future of the country relative to their personal social status that they dare not speak up. The universe will have its way with these folks.
In light of this, I have two primary concerns at the moment. First, I see what the Chinese and Russians are doing. They are buying physical gold by the boatload so that the real money is over there when the collapse happens and then they can try to institute a credible currency in the aftermath and take on the role of global economic leaders. In the case of the Chinese they are also encouraging citizens to buy gold and silver. When the collapse happens and gold and silver are seen as money again the Chinese government wants to come out smelling like roses. Meanwhile, here in America our disingenuous financial leaders like Warren Buffet ridicule gold. Everyone needs to remember what this man and his senile sidekick Charlie Munger said about gold once the collapse occurs. As such, one of my missions to funnel as much gold and silver as possible into the hands of the United States citizenry right now while we can. That way China will not be able to dictate monetary rules to us down the road.
My second concern relates to the first. I know there will be tremendous change in the years to come. It will be the type of total geopolitical change witnessed only once in a generation. I want this change to be the good sort of change. While there is no doubt there will be a period of chaos and very challenging times, we can react to that in a variety of ways. We can look for a leader like George Washington or we can look for a leader like Adolf Hitler. Hard times bring out the best and the worst in people. Of course, I want the former and I have become increasingly encouraged that this is a possibility.
What the financial crisis did for myself and many others like me was to shake me out of the slob-like daze I was in prior to it. Prior to the crisis, I was your typical brainwashed sell-side Wall Streeter. I had always read books voraciously in my free time before I joined Wall Street. All of that stopped. I used to play guitar. That stopped as well. What the financial crisis forced me to do was to look beneath the façade of the financial system to how it really works. When I did this I realized it was a gigantic ponzi scheme centered around a paper U.S. dollar defended by our hundreds of military bases abroad and periodic wars in the Middle East to ensure oil is priced in dollars. I saw that this system was not only immoral to the rest of the world, but it was immoral domestically since it funnels all the country’s wealth to its least productive members. Washington D.C. bureaucrats, the military-industrial complex and TBTF Wall Street firms. This made me question everything about my life and forced me to make serious changes. I started reading profusely again. I started meditating every morning. I quit my job. Most recently, I moved from Manhattan to Colorado. People all over the country are doing similar things and are forming the nucleus of what will hopefully later be seen as the New Renaissance.
When I wrote earlier that the crisis happened at the right time I meant at a time when the internet was mature enough o help us find our way out of this. The absence of a filter on the web is perhaps the most liberating and connecting event that has ever happened to humanity. Think about what you would have to do if you wanted to research a topic fifteen years ago. Think about how quickly I can share a lecture by Murray Rothbard (RIP) via youtube with thousands of people that have never heard of him.
I take great exception when people say the smart thing to do is to flee the country. If everyone with a brain and some fight left in them did this we would surely end up with a dictator. We have the tools to fight and to win. The nation is heavily armed, fiercely independent, has a constitution and a history of freedom. We also have the internet. It is the parasites in D.C. and the financial terrorists that should think about moving out.
All the best,
Mike
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Our lawmakers are indeed being, "too generous," but in spending of our money, not by taking less. It is indeed a parasitic mind set. Sick. Fucking sick.
Great! This is just great! After reaching the point of nearly ripping every last hair out of my head, I had a little conversation with myself that resulted in the epiphany that maybe, just maybe, I should hop on board and take Prozac like the rest of zombie America. Then I read this article. Great.
I was thinking that I would have to take Prozac if ever I was going to hop on board with the unconstitutional Bernank and simply loot away at the US treasury, joining criminal syndicate Wall Street bankers at the free bar at the Roach Hotel.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Krieger.
Nice piece Mike, and welcome to the State with a real 'Make My Day Law'.!
1. What makes you think that the communication infrustructure of the US will still be working when it all goes to hell? Won't the innumerabel number of people required to keep it running be at home defending their own?
2. A dictatorship is currently running the second largest economy in the world, and you laid out the argument that they are doing a better job of it now than the US Govt. is, (...case of the Chinese they are also encouraging citizens to buy gold and silver).
3. If when it all goes to hell, the Internet is magically working, the lazy people will be at home looking for lectures on the internet by Murray Rothbard. The doers will be out in the streets, pitchforks and guns in hand, it will be from those ranks that the new leader is found, not someone tucked safely in their room searching the internet.
4. I will no langer have to do math CAPTCHA's either!
yes, each time a person with brains leaves, the concentration of idiots goes up.
Excellent post, Mike!
Where's the beef? I feel like I've read the exact same article about 15 times.
me, too
Sound Money, it's the only real discussion. The federal reserve act of 1913 must be repealed as having been an illegal abrogation of constitutional responsibility by the congress. Sound money instituted, bills denominated in ounces of pure gold. Silver and copper coin, 999 pure. Monetary expansion, when neccesary, by adjustment of bank reserve requirement. No fractioning by treasury. 18 month moratorium on physical demand, after that bills redeamable at face. No exchange of bills for bullion by foreign governments i.e. no large shipments of physical offshore for any reason. UST debt redeamed in new money, probably at a discount. No payout to Federal Reserve period, it goes away and its shareholders count themselves lucky to escape with their yachts and their lives. Federal govt returned to constitutional limits. Standing army slashed. No military offshore without a declaration of war by congress not the executive. United States gets back to the business of creating wealth for all by innovation and sound economic practice.
Husk,
I vote for you for President...as soon as Obama resigns. Per his own words regarding the current tax "whatever" vote, pack your bags.
Cdad
The war or death struggle for America, as envisioned by the puppet masters who backed Obama, was supposed to be fought between the Marxists (Progressives in power positions in Congress and the unions), and the corporate elites (primarily the FED and TBTFs together with sycophants from GE and Google). Unfortunately, the financial crisis and the last election have forestalled this.
It will be interesting to see the next moves, especially those of Trumka and Stern and their allies in Congress.
The phonetic of disease is dis-ease. Happy is the "American DIS-EASE". Americans want to be happy no matter the cost. Even at the expense of liberty and reality. FYI: Eli Lilly the maker of Prozac was developed when Poppa Bush was on it's board of director's.
When I bump up against dis-ease, Is it the edge of real reality? Yes! We are pain and fear avoidance creatures. We must use our reason and intellect to over come fear of pain. One must understand the subconscience to understand what tools are being used against us. First step: Turn the brain washing machine i.e -TV off.
I disagree with china completely controlling the monetary future, and this is even as a holder of silver and gold, which I think regardless of outcome will do well. In relation to the US, china has a couple of things against it, a pond known as the pacific ocean that seperates us and the fact that it has to import alot of what it needs. And while I do agree that things have an end point, I am not sure I totally agree with the xenophobic outcomes. China is still an export based economy, and so it goes the saying "ashes, ashes, we all fall down". I am not a pain denier, oh yeah, their will be pain, and while I like the chinese put on gold and silver, as a country it is still a glass tiger that could be shattered.
Has anyone ever been in a room or some place with a group of people when some crisis arises? If yes, try and recall the reaction of 99% of them. My observations were that they immediately look around for leadership, for anyone who seems to know what to do; even if that "know what to do" leads them to their demise.
Most people are dependent and want to stay that way . It's in our training from the very first day of kindergarten. We learn at an early age to turn off the mechanism that keeps us alive. The mechanism that runs the logic and reason part of our brains. The mechanism that should act as the means to keep us alive. Parents, grandparents, clerics, teachers and every other person we have been taught is the authority are complicit. It's tough to break those chains that bind our minds.
I believe we all carry within ourselves, an outline of who we are supposed to be. Our outline or blueprint of how we will respond to outside stimuli and how we will demonstrate our feelings was burned into the synapses of our brains when we were very, very young. Unfortunately, the foundation of our blueprint was developed and influenced by others and took place outside our control. The data that influenced the blueprint of ourselves came from few sources; our parents, their parents, our grandparent’s parents and so on. Most meant well but unfortunately were they afflicted with the same deficiencies and dysfunction that are present today. Because of societal stigmas associated with certain dysfunctions at the time; our close ancestors secretively kept most of theirs hidden or locked away. These sources of our blueprint, previous generations whom we share our DNA, had good intentions but the prevailing ignorance of their day and reliance on mystics won out.
Quantitative myths, simple prejudices and misguided views of the world, formed our ancestor’s rationale. They were pulling from a contaminated well of information that had built up for hundreds and maybe thousands of years. Some of which had value and usefulness but most of it was tainted with myth and ritualistic dogma that was passed down the generational pipeline. The contrived architecture that most of us carry was cemented in our psyche like pillars and positioned like trigger happy sentries standing guard. Through the passage of time, these pillars remain robust and are connected or attached to the part of our brain that somehow lacks the credentials for logic and reason.
Everyday we embrace our ubiquitous blueprint and function inside some part of the routine that was laid out for us; no matter how outrageous or ludicrous it might seem. We latch onto the routine of our cognitive degeneration and cling to it like a security blanket. Its electrochemical patterns so ingrained; they become entangled in our involuntary reflex mechanism that ironically was supposed to act to protect our body and mind. Without delineation, this blueprint dictates our likes and dislikes and formulates our actions or reactions. It dictates our thoughts and attitudes toward everyone and everything we come in daily contact with. We react without thinking and sometimes under duress; we fumble and become paralyzed when our natural skepticism provides us with solutions that contradict our blueprint. So why do our dysfunctional and deficient thought patterns seem to almost always prevail? Why can’t we overpower the thoughts that dictate our actions that are not life affirming? It might be that our blueprint, stuffed with myth and illogic, and its arsenal of ingrained phantasmagorical based solutions, are formidable adversaries against skepticism and reason, especially when they are omnipresent in every waking minute of our lives; bombarding almost all of our senses. Not only do our parents deliver them through myths most likely rooted in misguided religious dogma and outright lies, but also societal accomplices release them like serotonin subtly and blatantly through TV, books, radio, news, movies etc.
Guard your "attention" well. Ads on billboards, on TV and the womans low cut blouse are all about grabbing your attention.
Thoughts seem to always be going on. Are you aware of them?
Do you think actively, choosing your thoughts? Or are all your thoughts reactive?
Can you focus your attention? for how long?
Do you still believe you are the meat and bones you give life to?
Religion has led us astray. Self observation and spiritual self discovery is squashed for the many lazy who choose to simply "believe".
Perhaps now people will discover the reality of what we humans really are as they discover a new humility in poverty.
Watch the National Geographic documentary on North Korea. It has the most fascinating view I have ever seen of brainwashed people where stockholm syndrome is the prevailing pathology.
Why woulld you stop playing guitar? I took up guitar as a result of all this bullshit. I'm glad I did. You need to get a good acoustic and strum bro.
Per Mike's speculation over China, I haven't seen it documented anywhere that they're advocating silver to their people. Anyone? I keep thinking a Chinese Silver ETF will soon follow the China Gold ETF, but no dice yet.
I'm not sure Mike's belief on China taking over is valid yet--I'll believe it when and if I see them break the Silver COMEX market, which they could do within 15 minutes, not 20, not 30, but within 15 (hear me Ben). That will reveal their hand--the tipping point, as it were--or not, depending on action or inaction.
What could be better than China itself busting the COMEX and JPM--the real folks in charge of our central bank that the Chinese finance minister believes are "idiots." Well then? What are they waiting for?
Until China takes action, everything else is noise, including Mike's concern over China that they will be in the drivers seat with good money. If it were true, where's the silver?
I just can't help myself by asking the same question, over and over: Where is China's Silver? Plus, they produce 89 million ounces of it annually. Where's the hoarding?
Watch for the tipping point, this will be it--or not, folks. It is certainly not the folks in America now snorting Prozac that have waken up to the Silver call as they head out to buy their next round of Chinese made shit.
China is the clever chess player that is also still somewhat of a glass tiger.
perhaps, the chinese might not want to bust it; perhaps, they want to keep the game going, while they accumulate as much as someone is willing to depart w/...
in the meantime, time is on their side, they keep building their cities...anyone cares to know how many they got?
yeah, i know our geniuses will be retarded in Bermuda by that time and they do not care...well, you know the end game then...teach your kids chinese -
@ 6 string
China urges its citizens to purchase gold and silver
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/279166#ixzz18JS1NXoj
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/279166
Thank you, DollarMenu. Interesting information. Perhaps as to not tip their hand, China wants their citizens to take control of the measly silver pile for them. Thus, they maitain the appearance of keeping all as status quo on the basic currency wars....
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain
New York State has the highest population of white tail deer...... over 1 Million. Half of which are harvested yearly by NYS hunters.
Fractional reserve banking requires infinite growth (fueled by credit growth thus requiring leverage) when the inputs are finite, when these two paths eventually cross, that will be the end.
The problem is, it's somewhat of an esoteric issue, so there is a learning curve required to understand a) what fractional reserve banking is b) what it affects and c) what the outcome is.
Regardless, it has to end, it will change the composition of GDP drastically, but in a good way.
On point...the West has become very lazy. Character is built in the midst of struggle; but not the struggle for the last on-sale IPad.
A bit naive on the purpose of the US military-industrial complex. Here's a refresher:
1) Defense of the US
2) Defense of global US interests
On point #1, there is little debate. On point #2, there is a ton of debate. So, on point #2, what do you want and what are you willing to give up, per your current or desired lifestyle, down to the smallest details?
There are now 3 global security choices: US (most capable), Russia, and China. You can watch the goings-on to see who is picking who for their security.
Point #2
Protecting those oil interests! And keeping oppressive middle east people in power, so yes we are the kid with the biggest stick in that regard.
As for chinese military, I thought I read somewhere that india had purchased some fighter jets from china at one time, and they were garbage.
As an enginneering guy, cutting costs for consumer crap to make american ceo's rich may work, but to build for defense is where the rubber meets the road.
One day we'll use our own oil, or vastly reduce our need for it. But, today is not that day.
What the Chinese lack in technology they make up for in sheer numbers, and there's lots of land over there. You need a vast army to hold land. Plus, they l-o-v-e oil too.
We need to vastly ramp up our domestic manufacturing capability, and we may be at the tipping point of returning to this capability. I'm pushing for it!
The Internet is the equivalent of the Minuteman's Rifle.
We just have to remember that the Minuteman's Rifle does not shoot or fight on it's own.
I worry about us spending too much time wallowing in the internet, and too little time on the field of battle, where the real risk is.
Nope! It's the equivalent of Paul Revere's Ride.
The modern rifle is the equivalent of the minuteman's musket. There, fixed it for ya.
The 'long rifle', used by the militia and Continental Army, had a rifled barrel. The French supplied muskets but the accuracy of the long rifle was preferred.
Great article mike.
Where is the best (i.e. cheapest and reputable) place online to buy silver?
Gainesville Coins is a very good shop. I've been buying from them for over 15 years with not one single problem. Plus they are in another state from me so I can avoid sales tax.
They are in Florida. A good place.
The NIA (inflation.us) has a comprehensive review of all the major metals sellers. GC tops the list.
NIA, I know, I know. I don't like them either......
(d)
(d)
"I take great exception when people say the smart thing to do is to flee the country."
1. if you're talking about "The Usa" it's not "your" country. Some pommies with scots muscle went over there and slaughterized all the natives, and today, after some insider squabbles about which group of whites should get the tax revenues ... it's called "the Usa". Gosh. Now That's Worth Dying For!
2. it's utterly impossible that you and a few friends will be able to change the power structure in The Usa. it's just a non-starter. it's sweet that you think so, but it's a dream. it hasn't happened anywhere else in the new world and it's not going to happen in that particular part of north america. In another 50 or 100 years, The Usa will become exactly like - well anywhere else in the nouveau world .. eg, Brasil, Mexico etc. A banana republic (still run by the very same power structure).
Don't forget that other slaughter-all-the-natives countries like Argentina, also had a few decades where everything seemed great and people ranted about freedom in the sun and so on. Whatever.
3. You're hardly "fleeing" The Usa, "Flee" suggests a Sound of Music situation. What would you be "fleeing" from?Under what duress? Back on Earth, you should simply choose a good jurisdiction to live in. This is no more amazing that in The Usa, every president has a drop address in Texas (lower taxes), or most every large corporation simply jurides in a jurisdiction suitable for it's business. (Your bank is in the Netherlands Antilles (look at the little letters after the name), the import company your Dell arrived on is in Singapore - or whatever.)
Just bluntly - only saying this as it might help you and your children - You Are Silly if you choose The Usa presently as a place to live. It's as bad now as it was good in the 1970s. (Conversely it's as bad now as it was bad in the 1850s ... or pick any other incredibly bad / incredibly good companion decade pairs.)
Note that nobody living outside of The Usa cares if you "take exceptions" (take and keep as many as you like - you're living in The Usa in the 2010s - ("no, seriously") - everyone only feels sorrow and pity for you
On top of that, every extra thousand people that "flee" The Usa, help starve the beast.
Here's a handy telephone number if you wake up to the slavery you are both part of and are contributing to .. 1-800-864-8331
So what? Its my country, I dont care what some poofter or other in a kilt did 300 years ago, or what paperwork he signed.
I can agree somewhat with this post. I think Doug Casey at Casey research has the best perspective. We are embarking on the age of the individual, not nations, where people have more in common with others whom are hard working and have sound morals whether they are in africa or china. I am not quite sure if people whom depend on largesse or ill gotten gains can necessarily be trusted, which unfortunately happens to encompass alot of american society.
For those that don't think our military will fire on it's citizenry, and I agree. But I don't hink it's our army that we have to worry about...
Look! Multi-culturalism and diversity spare the elites the effort of hiring mercenaries from foreign lands. They can easily find the right color of manpower they need to put down a rebellion by any group of a different color right here within our borders and already enlisted in our armed forces.
Why is it that everyone knows this but none dare speak it?
Well, in any event we now have another "benefit" of diversity - in addition to a broad choice of restaurants - that we can mention at cocktail parties.
(d)
This is exactly why I spend time writing on blogs like Zero Hedge beacuse Michael is right, a renaissance is coming. Unfortunately America is digging themselves too deep in the hole right now and when the dollar crisis hits we will be naked in a blizzard. China and Russia have been moving away from the dollar in stealth mode for a while now. They sit back and watch us bury ourselves and even encourage us to shovel on more dirt, meanwhile they buy up all the precious resources and form alliances with more and more developing nations, "Especially oil producing Nations." The rest of the world is ditching the US as they realize our only strength is a big ponzi scheme run by printing presses that can easily be taken down. The Oligarchs' master plan of a one world currency will not work, because we now have a split happening and they are losing supporters. It will be them against us and other countries will have to decide who to go with. We are grasping onto Europe right now to keep them in our corner through the ECB and the IMF but that could change very quickly as Germany is now showing us. Look no further then the latest education statistics, America is falling so far behind developing Nations that sooner then later we will be considered third world in education. We have allowed the rest of the world to look under the hood of the American sports car and they now know it only runs on a 4 cylinder Hyundai engine. The time for the dollar was destined to come, it is actually long overdue and we have not prepared ourselves for it. We have sold our souls in the name of GREED so that a handful of large banks and 5% of the population will be able to transition when the time comes. Meanwhile the rest of us will face a place we will not recognize or a big ass war that we can not win. 2012 is starting to become more of a reality then most of us would probably care to believe, it's all taking shape to be as destuctive as the Myans predicted so many years ago.
mikey, HI, did you bring any guns with you?
why such a maniac focus on Adolf Hitler as the only bad guy ?
Remember the georgian jew Jozef Stalin for instance ?
Stalin was from Georgia?
Yes. In fact, one of the suburbs of Atlanta ---- Kennesaw, I believe.
PS: You might want to learn a little geography, and a little non-American history (not that many Americans even give a damn about their OWN history).
(d)
I wonder if individual states will slowly decouple from DC rule... produce their own gold & silver coins, set up local food grower / transport / consumer networks, encourage the return of manufacturing (clothing, etc)... can it be organized in time? I see Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah & Wyoming as winners, no doubt there's other candidates that will avoid anarchy.
Thats exactly what states should do, claim states rights, secede. But the states love that Gubment federal dollars a lot, in effect the states are groups of welfare basket cases themselves, just like the citizens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcosm_and_Macrocosm
Universal themes, are, well, universal.
If the prior status quo ends, and something new emerges, why are we so sure hoarding gold will be the best way to store value?
6000 years ago people were fascinated by the shiny and glitery metal. But I don't understand why sophisticated people in the 21st century are willing to put their wealth into a metal that has no utility. But then I don't understand why someone is willing to sell me a loaf of bread for two pieces of green paper with George Washington's picture on it.
Value doesn't necessarily = utility
I can across Bob Altemeyer's "The Authoritarians" the other day. It is a very good read and fits in nicely with this discussion. 40 years of social science studies on basically what makes "Authoritarian Leaders" tick, the studies that were done and the results, goes into great "profile" depths about the "sheeple". It is a free read, below is the link to the book.
http://members.shaw.ca/jeanaltemeyer/drbob/TheAuthoritarians.pdf
Nothing else matters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erPnyi90cIc
The British police know that if you put on riot gear you can encourage fringe elements to escalate the violence... as they have found out policing Scottish football matches. They have calmed down problems by less visually dramatic and antagonistic policing.
Yet the police against the students were heavily riot-geared up... and treated the students like wild animals. They were in effect because of their experiences actually provoking the students and then they could therefore say 'look how bad the students are, we must ban this to prevent further evil being done by the BAAAAD students who are after all lazy slobs as we all know students to be'
Balzac wrote: Chains of gold are the heaviest burden to bear.
That's only because he was not familiar with chains of paper, which are counterintuitively not only far heavier than chains of gold, but which bind far more tightly.
(d)