Category: Commentary Archive
Invest where God is blessing
This post is to those who have subscribed to the newsfeed and/or subscribed to the email notification. First of all, I want to thank you for your interest in what I am trying to do here. It is you whom I write for primarily, and if it makes sense, I would like to continue to do.
Reality says there are only so many hours in the day. Right now God is opening up tremendous opportunity for me to fight the battle for honest money on a level I could not have dreamed only a year or two ago. I’ve been working with people in South Carolina, Idaho and will soon be working with others, to help them grow a grass roots organization to fight this evil – a battle you all know is where my heart of hearts is – at the state and national level.
Right now I am developing (in conjunction with my employeer MassMetal, LLC, developers of the SilverSaver program) a web site called the Honest Money Center, which will be launched in March 2011. I am incredibly blessed to work with a group of godly men who get it, and have allowed me to work in a position that acts as a ministry as well, using what God has given me to help grow a company and educate a people. The new site will have as contributors some of the most respected people in the world in honest money battle. The potential is huge. Obviously, helping grow our company (putting God’s money into the hands of the masses) and this new site is occupying a great deal of my time and energy.
With that said, the Traditions of Men site has always held a special place in my heart. It is where the Lord has used me to help people on what feels to me, like a more personal level. The site has, however, seemed to flattened out in its reach. Maybe God is moving me on, maybe He isn’t. I happen to love reading through and writing on the important issues of the day. The object however, was to see people who valued it pass the site to others so that they could become informed and prepare for what is coming. If you value this site and the information here, please pass it along to your friends, co-workers, family, etc.
We do not have the luxury of many years to prepare. It takes people time to read, accept, and then act. If all I am doing is preaching to the choir here, then this site is not the best use of my time. My heart is to help a growing number of people understand and track what is happening. If my message is too radical to be shared, or if it simply is being rejected when it is, then I have to take that as a cue to invest elsewhere for a season. It doesn’t mean the site will go away, it simply means my updates will drop to monthly. And reality is, those types of sites generally die off.
So you let me know. Post a comment, and pass it on to as many people as you feel need to hear what is coming – not who you feel will accept it. I track site hits and subscriptions and will know quickly if it is growing. If it is (I don’t have to reach thousands) then I will continue to invest. It is time to make a decision.
May the Lord bless each of you and your families! You are special to me and I pray you will be wise in the years to come.
View PostWhat in the world is going on?
Current events have not changed my outlook for the next four years at all. In fact, they continue to validate at least the overall premise that we are headed for extraordinary times in this nation.
Civil unrest is now taking a more partisan form. Rather than general protests over taxes, spending, lack of leadership, etc., some states have upped the ante by striking at the heart of the Democratic party – the Unions. By focusing on budget cuts that include unions (not exclusively, but simply including them in the austerity) these states have fired a shot across the bow of one of the Democratic Party’s sacred cows.
In return, Obama (he is the first person to occupy the White Hose whom I refuse to refer to “President” even out of respect for the office) has upped the ante on social conservatives by refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. In response, Presidential candidate (he will run) Newt Gingrich is pandering to social conservatives with a veiled threat of impeachment. Gingrich: If Palin Took Obama Actions, There Would Be Calls for Impeachment.
Make no mistake. The geopolitical chaos is a breeding ground for domestic chaos, and both parties are increasing their hard line stances – defining their “lines in the sand.” As these lines become deeper and more visible, it will serve to frame the battle when it erupts. And at the current pace, erupt it will.
The police state continues to expand and is now increasingly targeting our children. See Arvada Police arrest 11 year old over inappropriate stick figures and Deputies seek protection after threatening family. Public school or home school. The police are set to intimidate families and children. They almost seem to be probing to find out just how people will fight back, assuming that people’s children are something they will fight for. What they learn will tell them a lot about how far they can expand their police state before they have to deal with real opposition. Sadly, it appears as though it will be very far down the line.
Now, enter the pro-life debate. Defunding of Planned Abortionhood should have happened eons ago. However now it is a real threat. These traditionally “compromised” areas of social conservatives are being addressed with steps that actually have teeth – baby teeth yes, teeth none-the-less. And it has the left going nuts.
Oh yes, if homosexuals, abortionists and unions are not enough of a minefield, lets talk about food. The good ole’ police state is claiming now that walnuts are drugs and need to be regulated. Big Pharma can’t have natural cures now can it.
Add to all of this the fact that inflation is raging. Calls for shortages of vegetables due to the late frost in Mexico has people expecting a doubling of prices of some foods in the next few weeks. Gas is well over $3 per gallon nation wide. Monetary policies are one thing, but when the geopolitical world gets lit on fire, there is no telling what oil can do.
My sense is that a growing number of “average” Americans are getting quite uneasy about the future. They are beginning to sense that their ‘normalcy bias’ is about to be exposed in a very powerful and unpleasant manner. The rhetoric used in nearly every political arena is growing more intense. This is exactly what was predicted just two months ago. If you haven’t done it, read the Outlook 2014 paper. It is early, however it is playing out as scripted.
A brief update – Egypt changes everything.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted, so I thought I’d put out a brief update with a few thoughts.
We have reached a phase of acceleration toward the coming global dislocation geopolitically and economically. How far this current phase takes us is yet unknown. I suspect it will take us quite a distance, but not to the final collapse.
What transpired in Egypt, for all intents and purposes, will possibly be looked at as the event which began the slide to the next great war. That war may be a few years off yet, however the incredible magnitude of change that it has begun in the Middle East is greatly underestimated by all MSM analysts. If “democracy” does come to Egypt, then consider this – the population is dominated by Muslims and a large percentage are radical Islamists. That means a government that was once under U.S. influence will now be dominated by enemies of the West and Israel.
For the past 30 years or more, the United State’s influence in the Middle East has been fostered by a three legged support structure. 1) Petro dollars made each Middle East nation at least somewhat dependent on the United States economically. We have been witnessing the decline of that leg for several years now, and it is accelerating. 2) Security – the U.S. support of the Saudi Arabia regime is a critical leg in Middle East stability. With the U.S. not being able to (or willing to) support Mubarak in Egypt, it has sent a shock wave through any regime that has relied on U.S. support to stay in power. The unmistakable message is: the U.S. either cannot or will not guarantee their safety. They will now rapidly begin to distance themselves from Washington in favor of self preservation locally (including Saudi Arabia). This will likely fail, as there is deep resentment for aligning with the “Great Satan” to begin with. 3) Oil – The Middle East agreements to supply the west with oil will come under attack. With the first two legs weakened, there is little reason to continue this relationship with the “Great Satan.” This means another oil embargo is possible in the next 12 to 18 months in order to let the United States know who is in charge now.
The Global European Anticipation Bulletin says it this way: “Beyond the regional perspective, it is becoming apparent that it’s the trilogy of Oil-Security-Dollar which has formed the base of the status quo in the Arab world for over thirty years that is breaking up before our eyes. And it is, of course, a crucial geopolitical event that will have major consequences in economic, financial, monetary and strategic circles across the globe during the coming quarters. The Euro crisis or
the subprime one may pale in comparison and the G20 meeting in Cannes in November 2011 risks having an agenda upset by the consequences of events in the Middle East.”
In short – the game has changed. We have entered into the next phase of the global unraveling. Support for Israel in the region and around the world is rapidly waning. It puts them in a very difficult position, especially in regards to Iran. If they feel abandoned (and they are beginning to) and left to fend for themselves, U.S. pressure to hold their fire will become meaningless. If they feel they have no other options and engage Iran, then we enter a war phase that will encompass the globe. All of this can happen very quickly.
This is the first time in two years I have made this appeal.
1) Get stocked up on essentials now. This includes food, a pure water source, your choice of self defense items. The prices of all of these things is going to rise substantially in the coming WEEKS, not months or years.
2) If you can, move savings out of paper assets. This means precious metals, and equities in companies that produce commodities – grains, oil, etc.
If you’ve already done the above, add to your stocks. There will be those who will be blind sided by all of this, and if it goes to the point of collapse, they will need your help.
As I said, this phase of acceleration is not likely IMHO to lead to the final collapse. However it will move us down the path at a more rapid rate, taking us closer to that day.
The game has changed people. Everything you see happening in the Middle East and Europe is very, very likely to happen here in the years to come. If it gets out of control and we do see the collapse as a result of the current instability, it may happen just a few months from now. Don’t take chances. Be ready. Better to be two years early than one day late. The stakes for not being prepared are quite high.
Keep our nation and the world in prayer. Stay strong in Him.
“A prudent man foresees evil and seeks refuge, while the simple pass on and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3.
Commentary
Folks, we have developing one of the most perverse dichotomies in the history of economic data. With the DOW over 12,000, and unemployment “down” to 9.0 percent, pundits are falling all over themselves to claim victory in the battle of the Great Recession of 2008/2009. Here are a few facts:
1) Trillions of dollars in stimulus and money printing to keep interest rates low are the only reason that there is any meaningful economic activity at all. Govt programs (food stamps/unemployment benefits) have kept many families out of the streets. Without it, we’d be 1930′s all over again. However these programs and this money printing cannot last forever without disastrous repercussions. The spin is that the bond market is selling off in the face of QE2 because economic activity is rebounding. I submit rather that it is selling off because the bond vigilantes are once again coming back, seeing that QE2 is failing and that QE3 to QEX will be implemented, further debasing our money.
2) Housing is entering into its “double dip” as the sales figures are deteriorating once again across the nation. Without a recovery in housing (one of the targets of QE2) there will be no lasting economic recovery. With mortgage rates rising, there will be no housing recovery. Can anyone say “death spiral?”
3) Unemployment numbers are a joke and more people are beginning to understand that. Unemployment falling to 9.0% when the number of jobs created in Jan were 1/4 of the expected number is finally telling people to look behind the curtain. Here is what they see. Take a long look at this chart. It is telling of our economic future because it IS the most important employment chart you will see.
This is the labor force participate rate. It is showing en exodus of people who are even trying to look for a job. This is sad. I mean it is really heart breaking. Families across the nation have Mom or Dad, maybe both, who have given up looking for work. If all those who have given up started looking again, official unemployment would jump by multiple percentage points. This IS reality. For more information about this story, see this link.
4) A market that will not sell off even slightly, when the Middle East has turned into a tinder box has something wrong with it. We do not understand the implications of a 30 year staunch ally of both the U.S. and Israel potentially falling into Muslim hands. This could be the black swan event that tips things over, yet the markets march higher. As an aside, I really wonder if our government will heed its own words when it says the Egyptian military should not fire on its own people. At the rate things are going, within five years, we will see massive protests in the streets of Washington.
People may read this and think I cannot do anything but preach doom and gloom. I would say, I only present you with some facts. You decide what they mean. I simply do not like being lied to. The chart above isn’t lying.
The rhetoric of the establishment
Those who think Fox News is part of the answer to this nation’s problems, think again. This headline says so much. Think about it for a minute.
Baby Boomers Could Force Economic Catastrophe
You don’t even have to read the article to see that this is the mind-set of our government and the elite financial masters of our nation.
I ask a simple question – How could a group of people simply getting older (which by the way, unless they can change the laws of time they can do NOTHING about) be responsible for “economic catastrophe?” The fact is, they can’t. Instead, the economic catastrophe will come because of a government and banking system with such insatiable appetites for money and power that they put in place ponzi schemes (social security, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.) that must eventually blow up. And as they approach that point (they know it is ending as much as you and I), they put out propaganda headlines such as those above, which subtly but surely in the minds of the uneducated in this nation, place the blame at the feet of others – in this case the elderly.
The headline should read “Giant Ponzi Schemes Promised to Baby Boomers Bring Economic Catastrophe.” But it doesn’t. And Fox News prints the headlines the masters write, contributing to the lies that continue to divide the nation, one against the other (in this case young against the elderly – read the article), rather than telling the truth, which would pit the nation against the ruling elite, causing them to be tossed out on their petards.
When America will you recognize this? When will you begin to assign responsibility where it lies? But most importantly – when America will you have the courage to do something real about it?
Agenda – Grinding America Down (5 star!)
The Next Phase Begins
In 2010, the world caught its breath after the global financial system nearly collapsed. In 2011, powerful trends are converging which will take the United States to the brink financially and politically. A divided nation, a sleeping church and wave two of our economic crisis are dead ahead.
By dead ahead, I mean they are coming over the horizon at this very moment. It does not mean that we are going to tip over into a hyperinflationary depression and total anarchy in the next three months. It does mean however, that trends are accelerating. The debt ceiling debate has pulled the veil from many American’s eyes. The degree of cognitive dissonance is increasing. More Americans are overcoming their normalcy bias. They are searching for answers to some very difficult problems.
The church. Well, lets just say the the church is still having a nice nap. The prophets are awakening, but they are having about as much effect as Jeremiah and Isaiah did early in their ministries. That doesn’t mean we stop trying – and praying. It just means we have to recognize it for what it is.
Deal with reality or it will deal with you. Until next time, enjoy your family, enjoy your love for Christ. There is nothing that we are going to go through that cannot be overcome by His love and mercy.
Got Jesus?
In Him,
Doug
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