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Assorted Tidbits

October 12, 2012

Last month Wayne Walton interviewed me on the various issues under discussion at Real Currencies:
You can download two mp3’s: first hour, second hour.

Justin Cooke and Brian Stavely of  Dose of Reality Radio interviewed me on Austrian Economics, Ron Paul and various other issues. These guys have a late night show and I had to set the alarm clock at 2:45, but I think we managed to have a decent conversation.

Wayne Walton and I got involved in a discussion on Facebook with Thomas Woods. Woods comes up with all the usual Austrian nonsense defending deflation and usury and resorts to the siltent treatment when I start deconstructing these arguments with the usual stuff.

It’s the same Thomas Woods that is now involved in a dialectical ‘debate’ with the Huffington Post, as Jason Erb discusses on Faux Capitalist.

14 Comments
  1. EdGe permalink

    That’s the wrong Wayne Walton show. You were on the day before…

  2. huh? Weird. Stupid mistake, thanks much

  3. Great stuff, especially that inteview with Tom Woods and his lackey on facebook.

  4. >>>>I got involved in a discussion on Facebook with
    Where exactly is your part in that discussion (I could see ‘republicae’ mainly)

    Where is the discussion (and answer) of why charlatan Bill Still and Ellen Brown invented a mythological Lincoln ?

  5. Without bloodshed, and rivers of it, there will be no political change —Sarah Emery

    • Never in the history of the world have the means for imparting information been conducted on such an extensive and magnificent scale as at the present time; yet never have the masses been more ignorant of their real condition, or more mystified as to the real cause of their afflictions. Distracted by misfortune, blinded by prejudice, disheartened and bewildered, they are an easy prey to the demagogue whose profession it is to mislead and entrap them in political snares. To awaken the people and to direct them in their search for the real source of evils that have overtaken them is the aim and object of this little book. —Sarah Emery, 1893

    • Violence is the hallmark of the adversary. I’m not saying it is unavoidable, but the Great Jihad is the fight against self. The selfless would easily overcome the NWO.

      • There is no more mistaken idea among men than that the overthrow of nations is brought about through special dispensation. We have been educated into a belief that the calamities which befall us in this life are visitations of Divine providence, that they are the will of God and that meek submission on our part is evidence of high Christian character. Not only does this view savor strongly of blasphemy against the eternal principle of good, but it betrays a disposition to shirk responsibility

        The injunction of Paul for “servants to obey their masters” and of our Savior to “render unto Caesar the things that are Cæsar’s,” was sound practical advise to a people who had no redress and no means for carrying on successful warfare.

      • There is no more mistaken idea among men than that the overthrow of nations is brought about through special dispensation. We have been educated into a belief that the calamities which befall us in this life are visitations of Divine providence, that they are the will of God and that meek submission on our part is evidence of high Christian character. Not only does this view savor strongly of blasphemy against the eternal principle of good, but it betrays a disposition to shirk responsibility

        The injunction of Paul for “servants to obey their masters” and of our Savior to “render unto Caesar the things that are Cæsar’s,” was sound practical advise to a people who had no redress and no means for carrying on successful warfare. —Sarah Emery

    • More than two thousand years ago Aristotle said “Democracies have almost an irresistable tendency to Plutocracies, and that the existence of opulent families in republics lead naturally in a few years to a craving for ennobling titles and aristocratic distinctions.” Now, is it not a fact that the accumulation of large fortunes in our country have begotten aristocratic notions ? What results may we expect from these conditions ? Are we ripe for an aristocracy in this country ? Wealth, influence and power say yes, but the great common people say no, and so we find ourselves on the verge of a conflict between the people on one hand, and wealth and power on the other. Today, this government of the people, for the people and by the people is on trial for its life.

      We are on the eve of a deadly conflict. A conflict between the centralized wealth of the world on one hand and the toiling masses on the other. —Sarah Emery

  6. Migchels idea of credit as currency –not new, not original, century old:–

    {
    I have been endeavoring for some time to contrive something for the benefit of my country; and at length I have hit upon a plan which must, I think, be eminently successful. We have, as has justly been observed, all the elements of wealth in the United States. We have plenty of land, millions of acres indeed more than we can cultivate: —plenty of pork; in Illinois it is selling at one cent a pound: —plenty of great men; some of them, I believe, would be very glad to throw the others overboard. All we want is plenty of money, and this is what my plan is intended to supply.

    I have taken my hint from the New York “Free Banking” system. The capital of banks founded on that system, consists of mortgages on land, and State stocks —such, for example, as stocks of Indiana and Illinois. This is very well as far as it goes; but it does not go far enough. My object is to carry out the principle, and convert all the capital of the country into credit, and all the credit into currency.

    If real estate can be converted into bank stock, why not also personal estate. The latter, in many cases, would be more convenient than the former, as it might be more readily used in meeting a run on a bank.

    My plan, if carried out, will just treble the riches of the country. First, by enabling every man to create bank stock, exactly equal to the value of his whole estate, real, personal, and mixed. Secondly, by enabling him to issue currency equal in amount to his bank stock, or to the estate, real, personal, and mixed, on which his bank stock should be founded.

    My plan is a truly Democratic one; for it proposes to convert every man in the country into a banker, and let him have a share in the profits of the paper money business. If a man’s whole capital consists of only one old coat and one old pair of breeches, I would have him found bank stock thereon, and issue currency to an equal amount with his stock. The New York plan was very Aristocratic, inasmuch as it confined “Free Banking” to holders of real estate and mortgages, and owners of State stocks.

    Will it be objected that the notes issued on my plan, would not rest on a good foundation ? I reply that they would rest on a much better foundation than many of the bank notes now in circulation. Not a few of the notes which now circulate most widely, represent nothing but stock notes and accommodation notes in the port folios of the banks, and these stock notes and accommodation notes never did represent any thing but the cunning of one portion of the community, and the credulity of another. Notes issued on my plan, would, in all cases, represent real wealth, not indeed gold and silver, but the equivalents of gold and silver. They would represent houses, lands, provisions, clothing, furniture —the very things, in fine, which men desire as ends; and to get possession of which they hanker after gold and silver as means.

    On this plan, we should have both a sound currency and a sufficient currency. We should have what the whole nation now so intensely desires, namely, “plenty of money.” At least, if this plan will not supply us with “plenty of money,” I know no other that will.
    }

  7. It was great to have you on Anthony. I really appreciate u waking up at 3am to come on our show. I’m doing my best to promote your work to the Austrian addicts. Glad I found your blog a while back, keep up the good work.

  8. [don’t go in the leagislature without a knife; especially when the Speaker of the House is a cut-throat]

    The murder case in the Arkansas Legislature.

    The Little Rock Gazette of the 23d inst. contains a full account of the trial of Colonel John Wilson, late speaker of the House of Representatives, and member from Clark County, for the murder of Major J.J. Anthony, member from the county of Randolph, on the 4th day of December last [1837]. There were six witnesses examined in behalf of the State, and two in behalf of the accused. It appears from the testimony that this unfortunate occurrence originated in an allusion made by Mr. Anthony with regard to the Real Estate Bank, of which the speaker was president. The deceased was speaking on a bill relative to granting premiums for killing wolves; the bill required that an affidavit should be made before a magistrate before the premium should be paid; Mr. Anthony moved to strike out the word “magistrate” and insert the “President of the Real Estate Bank.” The speaker immediately asked, “Do you mean to insult the chair ? If you do, you will take it back very quick!” Mr. Anthony disclaimed any insult, but observed that he “thought the certificates should be signed by a man of great dignity.” As soon as these words were uttered, the speaker left the chair; and, as he descended, drew his Bowie knife, having a blade about nine inches long. Mr. Anthony then left his seat, and drew his knife (blade twelve inches long), then advanced towards the speaker, flourished the knife, made two passes, and struck him on the arm. Wilson retreated a few paces, and, as he was in the act of again advancing, Anthony threw his knife, and afterwards a chair, at him. Wilson then rushed towards Anthony, who immediately picked up another chair to defend himself; Wilson caught it, made a thrust with his knife underneath the chair, which entered Anthony’s breast, who immediately fell and expired.

    The verdict of the jury was “Guilty of excusable homicide.” The prisoner was then discharged.

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