First Occupy Wall Street — Now Occupy the Fed Written by Raven Clabough Friday, 07 October 2011 17:09 Perhaps surprising to some, many conservatives sympathize with the Occupy Wall Street protesters because they understand the motivating factors behind the protests: increased costs on everyday items, unemployment, inflation, etc. However, those conservatives recognize that much of the anger of the protesters is directed at the wrong target. The real enemy, they contend, is the Federal Reserve, and it is for that reason that those conservatives have chosen to use the momentum of the Occupy Wall Street protests to stage Occupy the Fed protests instead. One organizer, known only as “Anonymous A99,” announced the first operation targeting the Fed, called “Operation Empire State Rebellion,” on March 12. The announcement explained that the movement was intended to be a “decentralized non-violent resistance movement.” Anonymous A99 said of the intent of the organizers: Above all, we aim to break up the global banking cartel centered at the Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bank of International Settlement and World Bank. We demand that the primary dealers within the Federal Reserve banking system be broken up and held accountable for rigging markets and destroying the global economy, effective immediately. As a first sign of good faith, we demand Ben Bernanke step down as Federal Reserve chairman. Until our demands are met and a rule of law is restored, we will engage in a relentless campaign of non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience.” Those protests commenced on June 14, and took place in over 20 cities, but were scarcely reported on by the mainstream media. In some areas, they have been going on ever since. More recently, protests against the Federal Reserve have been launched by a number of groups, including some which were part of the Occupy Wall Street protests. One leader of the demonstrations against the Federal Reserve is blogger and radio personality Alex Jones. His website, infowars.com, issued a press release advertising the protests, which read:
Public sentiment has shifted — against the trends of Washington and Wall Street — and now, against the private Federal Reserve bank which controls or influences so much of the world’s finances. Whereas only a few years ago many Americans were unaware of the true nature of the shadowy organization, recent polls confirm that the public overwhelmingly wants to audit and even abolish the Federal Reserve bank. Explaining the growing animosity towards the Federal Reserve, Jones continues: By striking at the root of the true problems, we can attempt to reign in the predatory banking powers that plague our nation and begin to restore the Republic. The Federal Reserve banking system is at the root of that problem and a perpetual impediment towards ending the global economic crisis that continues to grow. The Federal Reserve has been harshly criticized by a number of individuals and groups, particularly those who are proponents of Austrian economics. GOP presidential contender Ron Paul has been a leading advocate of eliminating the Federal Reserve and restoring the free market economy. He has spent virtually his entire political career vocalizing his disdain for the unconstitutional system. In 2002, Paul said of the Federal Reserve: Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle- and working-class Americans have been victimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered a steadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. This represents a real, if hidden, tax imposed on the American people. Paul has often addressed how the Federal Reserve continues to serve the needs of a few, while imposing negative consequences on the average American: Though the Federal Reserve policy harms the average American, it benefits those in a position to take advantage of the cycles in monetary policy. The main beneficiaries are those who receive access to artificially inflated money and/or credit before the inflationary effects of the policy impact the entire economy. Federal Reserve policies also benefit big spending politicians who use the inflated currency created by the Fed to hide the true costs of the welfare-warfare state. It is time for Congress to put the interests of the American people ahead of the special interests and their own appetite for big government.
Above all, Paul notes that the Federal Reserve is an unconstitutional establishment that has ultimately stripped Congress of powers that were assigned to it by the Constitution: Abolishing the Federal Reserve will allow Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over monetary policy. The United States Constitution grants to Congress the authority to coin money and regulate the value of the currency. The Constitution does not give Congress the authority to delegate control over monetary policy to a central bank. Furthermore, the Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standard of living via an inflationary monetary policy. According to Paul, it is the policies of the Federal Reserve that have driven people to protest: “It is no wonder they are up on Wall Street raising Cain because they know the system is biased against the average person.” Protesters outside of the Federal Reserve were seen bearing signs targeting the Fed’s destructive economic policies, as well as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. One protester held a sign of Bernanke wearing Muslim garb that read, “Osama Bin Bernanke.” In Chicago, anti-Fed protesters have been stationed outside of the Federal Reserve bank since September 24. On Monday, nearly one dozen people sat outside of the Federal Reserve Bank with protest signs and hampers filled with food and blankets. The demonstrators claim that so much has been donated to them that they have actually begun to give the excess food and blankets to homeless people. In Dallas, hundreds of protesters marched from Pike Park to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, demanding change. Clearly, at least in some instances, Ron Paul’s assertions that the Fed has driven people to the streets to protest are true, but the protests have become so widespread that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine who is behind them and what their political philosophies are. Some media outlets are reporting that the Wall Street protesters are “libertarian,” which could be true of those who have focused their attention on the Federal Reserve. However, the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York include a number of unions and socialist groups which hold very different political stances from libertarians. Their list of demands have included more big government and more regulation, items that would not be supported by libertarian-minded or conservative demonstrators. Likewise, The New American's Alex Newman has revealed that leftist billionaire George Soros'
money has been tied to the Occupy Wall Street protests. In other words, the protests have encompassed a wide spectrum of political philosophies. According to The Daily Campus, a publication of the Southern Methodist University, those present at the Dallas protest hailed from a variety of backgrounds: “Followers of the Tea Party movement, Ron Paul supporters, and the Dallas Young Democrats all had strong showings.� Whether the protests against the Federal Reserve will help to bring about major change remains to be seen, but some analysts contend it is encouraging just to see people turn their attention to the Federal Reserve and finally take notice of the type of destruction it has imposed on the American people. We contacted John Birch Society President John McManus, who said, "Targeting the Federal Reserve is correct inasmuch as there is no constitutional justification for its existence and it possesses enormously harmful powers. But it was created by Congress and, therefore, can be abolished by Congress. Demonstrating against the Fed by camping out in the streets, especially if funding for such activity comes from the likes of George Soros, should be labeled a counterproductive exercise. These demonstrations seem designed to deflect attention and anger away from the Fed's creator, the Congress of the United States."
VOTE RON PAUL 2012
The Primary Pillars Of ‘Occupy The Fed Now’ 1) ‘Occupy The Fed Now’ is a non-partisan movement dedicated to transparency and accountability in Central Banking, corporate activity, as well as government. Our foremost purpose is to fully support the utilization of the First Amendment to the Constitution and the right of any American, regardless of their economic, political, religious, or social beliefs to redress grievances publically, and peacefully, while also defending the Constitution by directing attention to the primary sources of the ongoing destruction of our country. We are NOT a counter-movement in opposition to Occupy Wall Street. While we do not agree with many of the specific conclusions or solutions presented by some Occupy Wall Street activists, we do not seek to antagonize or interfere with them. We only seek to share the vast knowledge we have collected over many years of analysis on the true nature of the financial troubles surrounding us, as well as the true culprits behind their appearance. Ultimately, we hope to make all protestors against economic corruption aware of the root source of the current fiscal crisis; the privately controlled Federal Reserve Bank, as well as the central banking authorities of many other nations around the world. 2) We reject notions promoted by the mainstream media that the Wall Street protests (and spin-offs) are driven entirely by a “socialist uprising” or “Liberal Tea Party.” Such arbitrary talking points we believe are an attempt to co-opt and divide people into false factions of “Left” and “Right.” A 99% majority of American citizens no longer have a legitimate voice let alone any tangible influence over the decisions made by government today, and that 99% includes ALL political orientations, whether conservative or liberal, independent, libertarian, etc. Over 80% of the American public, for instance, stood in vehement opposition to bailout programs initiated by the Federal Reserve which rewarded the thievery of criminal banking cartels while punishing taxpayers. Our enemy is the same no matter what “side of the aisle” we might stand. This movement must transcend preconceived notions and political ideologies and focus upon what is most important; freedom, and the truth, no matter where it may lead us. 3) Occupy The Fed Now stands in opposition to any system which relies on centralization of power into the hands of an elite few in order administer the functions of government and society to the detriment of the common citizen. This is exactly the kind of system we have today, with the Federal Reserve as the core facilitator, and it is a complete affront to the principles and laws of liberty which founded this country. Wall Street and the corporations that dwell within are merely the peripheral vestiges of a much greater problem, and any movement which targets only Wall Street, we believe, is overlooking the source of our country’s ailments. Instead of endlessly battling the external symptoms, we must counter and extinguish the disease itself. 4) We feel that because America has not lived under a true capitalist free market system (in the Adam Smith sense) for at least a century, accusations that the methodology of Capitalism is to blame for our all our current ills are unfounded. In fact, it has been the steady destruction of Capitalism and free markets since 1913 (when the Federal Reserve was founded) by the monopolies and duopolies inherent in Corporatism that has wreaked havoc upon our nation and
our economy. Corporatism is inherently destructive of free markets, and is designed to remove options and competition from a system, rather than encouraging the creation of new choices and better ways of doing things. Occupy The Fed Now wishes to encourage the return of free markets and individual entrepreneurship while diminishing or completely removing the powers of the corporate system, including the protections of limited liability as well as legal categorization as “persons” that corporations have used for so long to dodge responsibility for their unlawful actions 5) Occupy The Fed Now is calling for the complete dissolution of the private Federal Reserve and the end of its domination of the creation of currency within the U.S. We oppose all monetary systems based on the spread of “fiat” (paper or digital money printed or generated out of thin air and backed by no tangible assets). Private banks and unaccountable bankers and global financiers should NEVER be given the authority to shift and manipulate our sovereign economic system at will, yet this is exactly how the Federal Reserve is run, and that is exactly what it does. All Fed accounts including its foreign transactions and holdings should be subjected to a FULL audit, and all debts that are owed to the Fed by the American government and by default the American taxpayer should be repudiated. The power to coin money must be taken away from the central bank and returned to the U.S. Treasury, as is authorized by the U.S. Constitution. 6) We believe solutions to economic crisis include the return of sound money, or money backed by tangible assets, instead of debt. Legislation which allows states and communities to have their own competing sound currencies would nurture an environment of financial choice, as well as spur a new era of business creativity. Government intrusions into the personal lives of citizens, as well as the institution of vast bureaucratic obstacles, to the advantage of corporations and to the detriment of the individual, must be eliminated. States must take back 10th Amendment reserved powers that have been worn away over the decades and reassert control over their own economies and internal politics. Globalization and centralization must be replaced with Localization backed by decentralized markets controlled by the people. Average Americans must take back their local economies and supplant corporate control by building alternative systems of trade, including barter markets, sound money networks, and local business organizations and co-ops. In order to defeat a corrupt system, we must first stop participating in that system, and then, build one of our own that services the needs of the people instead of the establishment, while working to dismantle and repeal the false, corrupt, unconstitutional fiat system. 7) Occupy The Fed Now is not a militant organization, nor a vehicle for “domestic terrorism” though government rhetoric has turned towards branding peaceful activist organizations like ours as such recently. We are not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties, nor will we be co-opted by either. We are “extremists” only in that we absolutely refuse to compromise on the truth. Our desire is to ensure a better future, if not for ourselves, then at least for our children. We will not rest or yield until this is accomplished. The window of opportunity to prevent outright economic and social catastrophe, we believe, is swiftly closing. We must act immediately if we hope to secure a positive outcome for our country, our Constitution, and our culture. There is no later, there is only now…
NOTE FROM STEWART RHODES (Founder of Oath Keepers): This is one of the most disturbing and disgusting things I have ever seen in America. At the time they were pepper sprayed by the police, these young women were doing nothing at all except standing there. Doesn’t matter if they were about to be arrested. Doesn’t matter if they had done something that justified arrest. They were not resisting arrest -- they were just standing there. An officer is supposed to work up the force continuum from presence, to voice commands, and then up the scale of physical force as proportional and needed to effect the arrest and/or defend himself or others. The officer who sprayed these women in the face jumped right to pepper spray, without even trying to cuff them (if they were even being arrested), and while THEY WERE JUST STANDING THERE. I see utterly no justification for what is shown in this video and it both makes my skin crawl, and makes my blood boil with anger to see these women treated like that. Listen to their screams. Doesn’t matter if you don’t like their politics, don’t like their speech, or anything else. THIS IS AMERICA, and in this nation, ALL AMERICANS are protected by the First Amendment and as human beings we all have a natural right to free speech, a right to associate, and a right to assemble with others to speak out and to discuss whatever we damn well please. And in America, all of America, and certainly every sidewalk, is a “free speech zone.” I know many fine police officers who I call both brothers and allies in the fight for liberty, and I know for a fact that there are fine officers on the NYPD, but this officer is an oath breaker who brings shame and dishonor on his department. Actions like this will turn the American people further against the police and kill what little is left of their good will and trust in police. It is essential that the good cops police their own, both to preserve that good will, and also, and more importantly, to keep their oaths. We all swore an oath to defend the Constitution, period. That means all of it, all the time, for all Americans, whoever they are, no exceptions. Anything less is a farce and a joke.