[liberationtech] Cryptocurrency: War On Cash - Moving Fast Against You, / 4. Re: Censorship: ShadowGate
Yosem Companys
ycompanys at gmail.com
Tue Sep 1 17:00:06 CEST 2020
"I thought this was an intelligent technological mailing list, not some
American conspiracy theory mailing list."
Liberationtech has always been an open list, so you get a little of
everything. We have always temporarily moderated list members or the list
as a whole when situations get out of hand. Some people have hated that
(both the openness and the moderation) and have chosen to unsubscribe over
time.
Whenever something happens that makes the list unhappy, we always bring it
back to the list and ask you to make propositions and vote democratically
to decide how best to manage the list. Let me know if you would like to do
that in this situation.
Thanks,
Yosem
One of the moderators
On Tue, Sep 1, 2020 at 7:50 AM Welcome Mat <washingmachinebroke at riseup.net>
wrote:
> I thought this was an intelligent technological mailing list, not some
> American conspiracy theory mailing list.
>
> Considering the Cheeto Benito has retweeted the QAnon conspiracy
> material, we should understand why this propaganda has seen a resurgence
> with the election coming up. To get gullible apes to join dots in a
> particular way - even though Trump himself has many connections to
> Epstein. There is no overarching conspiracy, anyone who has ever worked
> in big organisations know how bureaucracy works and it's difficult to
> get any substantial orderly change done. There are always conspiracies
> between certain people but that can often be in-group power struggles,
> as well as trying to maintain dominance over the out-group people. As
> Mephistopheles mentioned - there are always worlds within worlds.
>
> The ever-increasing money supply is just a feature of capitalism - the
> religion of ever increasing growth. Whoever is in charge at a particular
> time, knows the system needs continuous bailouts and subsidies as debt
> always increases as a power law and money supply is 'only' exponential.
> Plus it's used by someone like Trump to inflate the stock market, to
> pander to his base.
>
> https://network23.org/thecapitaldelusion
>
> On 01/09/2020 11:00, lt-request at lists.liberationtech.org wrote:
> > Send LT mailing list submissions to
> > lt at lists.liberationtech.org
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> > https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/lt
> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> > lt-request at lists.liberationtech.org
> >
> > You can reach the person managing the list at
> > lt-owner at lists.liberationtech.org
> >
> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> > than "Re: Contents of LT digest..."
> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> > 1. Re: Censorship: ShadowGate Documentary Banned by FaceBook and
> > YouTube (bo0od)
> > 2. Re: Cryptocurrency: War On Cash - Moving Fast Against You
> > (grarpamp)
> > 3. Re: Cryptocurrency: War On Cash - Moving Fast Against You
> > (grarpamp)
> > 4. Re: Censorship: ShadowGate Documentary Banned by FaceBook and
> > YouTube (grarpamp)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 23:16:11 +0000
> > From: bo0od <bo0od at riseup.net>
> > To: lt at lists.liberationtech.org
> > Subject: Re: [liberationtech] Censorship: ShadowGate Documentary
> > Banned by FaceBook and YouTube
> > Message-ID: <2e725c25-c9fb-6aa9-3708-f32bad3e4574 at riseup.net>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> >
> > Video seems to be deleted as well in banned.video ?
> >
> > grarpamp:
> >> https://banned.video/watch?id=5f37fcc2df77c4044ee2eb03 ShadowGate
> >> Documentary Full Version
> >>
> >> Just another in the long list of now many many hundreds
> >> of well documented cases of censorship of peoples
> >> voices and content around the world. Such shutdowns,
> >> censorship and narrative steering control, rapidly accelerating
> >> in the last five years alone.
> >>
> >> Regardless of whatever book, film, dataset, voice...
> >>
> >> Such GovCorp Media and Political censorship is why you
> >> need fully encrypted distributed P2P and even guerilla
> >> radio and physical transport networks.
> >> And why you need to spam random surface dwellers with
> >> random links to them.
> >> Whether presenting different ideas, say CryptoAnarchism,
> >> or your own truths, no one will see them when they're censored
> >> or they don't know where to go to freely browse a wide range of
> >> things new to them, buy and sell physibles in open markets, etc.
> >>
> >> There's a reason these ridiculous censorious power and control
> structures
> >> don't want you to see, hear, read, posess, and consume things...
> >> you might wake up and rightly revolt against or ignore them,
> >> reaching unto a greater state of liberation for all.
> >> Your freedom is something they are not willing to grant.
> >> Seek it out.
> >>
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:52:21 -0400
> > From: grarpamp <grarpamp at gmail.com>
> > To: lt at lists.liberationtech.org
> > Subject: Re: [liberationtech] Cryptocurrency: War On Cash - Moving
> > Fast Against You
> > Message-ID:
> > <
> CAD2Ti28S48nZAimAmcn8O-eHGxH4F2eL4QMQAr05HzDqzrt7Xw at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >
> > On 8/26/20, Rand Strauss <Rand at peoplecount.org> wrote:
> >> NOT
> >> ...
> >> There seems to be no threat of a cashless society.
> >> ...
> >> there was no true evidence in the article that
> >> it’s happening.
> > The global trends, work, quotes by powers, and changes pushing
> > toward and in fact growing the implementations of cashless systems
> > and supporting structures toward implementing the same...
> > are very well documented, numerous, and broad... for those
> > who mind are liberated enough to actually search and confirm
> > or not the actual facts from the noise.
> >
> > Here's a bunch more authors and quote filled links,
> > many ultimately resolving back to GovCorpEdu sources
> > and actions, that one could actually bother to research
> > and study well, among many more one can search and
> > find elsewhere...
> >
> >
> https://old.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin+CryptoCurrencies+CryptoCurrency+btc/search?restrict_sr=on&q=%22war+on+cash%22+OR+%22cashless%22
> > https://www.google.com/search?q=war+on+cash
> >
> > ... whereby after such study it would be utterly ridiculous
> > for anyone to attempt to claim such a "NOT".
> >
> >> That first HumanEvents.com article was horrible, mostly just highly
> >> exaggerated opinions. It was often contradicted by it’s own links
> > The article and its links were well quoted and referenced
> > and on point to some of the issues and happenings, that
> > the entire thing is now included below. That way when people
> > wonder where their cash went in time of need that no one
> > can say they were not warned to wake up and act to prevent it.
> > Or better yet, allocate to more freedom oriented forms.
> >
> >> It started with the "don’t let the media shame you" crap was just
> >> that- crap trying to create fear.
> > Perhaps better than claiming that "crap" to spend time first
> understanding
> > how media propaganda from GovCorpEdu works starting with the
> > surface level...
> >
> > https://www.google.com/search?q=propaganda
> > https://www.google.com/search?q=media+propaganda
> > https://www.google.com/search?q=government+propaganda
> > https://www.google.com/search?q=corporate+propaganda
> >
> > Of course you already know Google and YouTube are engaged in
> > massive censorship and message steering as well...
> >
> > https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems/
> > https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/when-google-met-wikileaks/
> >
> > Or did liberation tech forget those things already.
> >
> >
> >> Whether it’s because the author really
> >> fears a cashless society or just wants to monetize eyeballs, I don’t
> know.
> > History has a way of ascribing all manner of slight,
> > censor, and death upon its various Galileo's of the moment.
> > Consider that the authors might just be right.
> > Or provide disproving evidence,
> > or even actual argument... both much harder tasks for most
> > who probably don't know, much, for lack of counter search perhaps.
> >
> >> FinTech businesses would like a cashless society.
> > True, since all monetized fintech is interested in is being over you,
> > "businesses" by definition being Gov, Bank, Corp... there are
> > much profits and freedom to take from you there... that is where and
> > how the fintech biz ultimately mentions "you" in their business plans.
> > Witness the endless proliferation of centrally controlled shitcoins
> > vs the few distributed P2P and privacy coins. There is no business
> > or control profits to be had with the latter coins... no business
> > to be had from such freedom... no first sale profit to the volunteer
> > opensource product given freely of copyright and license to the world.
> >
> >> And there seems to be a bit of a coin shortage, but
> >> the stores that the article says are refusing cash are not.
> > Various stores have refused to handle cash or give coin change,
> > frequent users of cash have documented that around the world
> > around corona shutdowns, even when there were sufficient coins
> > intake sitting in the store users watched stores brains explode
> > on such simple non-problems as giving that change out.
> > "We can take exact and over change, but we can't give change out".
> >
> >> Plus, a dime is worth a bit less
> >> than a penny was when I was growing up 50 years ago.
> > 90% drop in your purchase power, that's real nice, and people clamor and
> > "vote" for that shit in their praised democracies, because
> "peoplecount", lol.
> > Governments printing press, Banks loan machine, and Politicos did that
> scam.
> > Anyone having cash is devalued (effectively stolen from) by them all.
> > Cashless "cash" will of course only increase those and other more
> > direct takings and worse abuses.
> >
> > https://www.zerohedge.com/search-content?search_api_fulltext=cashless
> >
> >
> >> (could even make a quarter worth $0.30).
> > Such upward valuation is not in Government's interest.
> > Nor is any larger sum such as $1.00 readily divisible by it.
> > Nor is the world prepared to reprogram all its systems like that.
> > And by the time any of it is implemented, that $0.30 will
> > have been printed and debted downward to about $0.20.
> > Good luck.
> >
> >
> >> It’s
> >> weird that stores can give large discounts (sales) but not round the
> total
> >> down so pennies and nickels aren’t needed…
> > That's because they're stuffing you with *propaganda* that
> > $0.99 is meaningfully less than $1.00, and it worked,
> > you all bought that lie, so they have no reason to change
> > and will keep scamming those 9's from you. Add all those up.
> >
> >
> >> And no, cash is not worthless. ... Yes, gold and silver have a
> >> different kind of value,
> > That value being the capital and work that went into producing them
> > which no sane producer will supply for free into market demand,
> > plus their secondary uses... industry, jewelery, etc.
> > Cash is utterly worthless in comparison... having no more value than the
> > cost of printing paper per nominal, the stamping base metals, and these
> days
> > via War On Cash, that being further reduced to merely hitting
> > the enter key over some digital nominals and extra digital zeros.
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seigniorage
> >
> > Did anyone even bother to research that either.
> > Or consider any of these...
> >
> > https://www.mises.org/
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kt2De98Bck Creature from Jekyll
> > Island by G Edward Griffin
> > http://www.moneyasdebt.net/
> > http://www.paulgrignon.com/
> > http://paulgrignon.netfirms.com/
> > https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulLWGrignon/videos
> > The American Dream - Trailer
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOW7uCquNw
> > The American Dream - Parts 1 & 2 of 2
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExBE651_vOY
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx7HDTDDopA
> > Money Masters - Bill Still
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t0CkzD-Bv8
> > Secret of Oz - Bill Still
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U71-KsDArFM
> > Bill Still Talks Bitcoin
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJYooUmaGwY
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URVCS4PYyJk
> > Money For Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve - Money Inc
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maC7phpUVno
> > Creature From Jekyll Island - G. Edward Griffin
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu_VqX6J93k
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rimtKVZlnKs
> > Century of Enslavement: History of the Federal Reserve - CorbettReport
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IJeemTQ7Vk
> > https://www.usdebtclock.org/
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_creation
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_shock
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_exchange_rate
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_currency
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_drawing_rights
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_market_operation
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_economics
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_finance
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Gold_Pool
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_as_an_investment
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_reserve
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Delivery
> >
> http://www.lbma.org.uk/assets/market/gdl/GD_Rules_16_July_FINAL_20190722.pdf
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoard
> > Stack Overflow
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2tKg3E53DM
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhI72CFrqEk
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttC2VPQ50M
> >
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Fe2RvmxII Fed Chair Bernanke Admits
> Truth
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCWw8tQW15g Fed Chair Greenspan Admits
> Truth
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5RXQLAgdDk Fed Chair Powell Lies re
> > 2020's Real Breakevens
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg7tqUrPvYM Fed Chair Bernanke Trapped
> Again
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrjoElG8KGI Powell Prints
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=milb-uLbngE Soros Claims Magic Way
> > Around Hard Money
> >
> >> but they’re not liquid…
> > They are as liquid as what people choose to hold and transact,
> > same as cash, rocks, chickens, dollars, digits.
> > That is different from studying any inherent limitations or benefits
> > to liquidity that any particular forms may have.
> >
> >> All money, including gold and silver, only
> >> has value because people agree it does.
> > True, however only a fool would accept sand
> > for sweat regardless who elsewhere agree on it.
> >
> >> And no, the government
> >> doesn’t control its value. They wish they could. Yes, government
> bail-outs
> >> and borrowing make the chance of inflation much larger and the value of
> a
> >> currency can plummet, but that’ll effect digital currency as well.
> > Did anyone ever research bails and printing in Greece, Cyprus,
> > Venezuela, Russia, Rome, Germany, USA...
> > Central Bank Gov structures can and do literally burn, print, and
> > steal at will, they have total control of what passes through their
> fingers.
> > Your Government / Central Bank / Corporate Digital Currency
> > will have all such problems and more, and with them
> > you will also lose all means of rightly refusing their reach.
> >
> > Gold and distributed private p2p cryptocurrencies
> > (Bitcoin-alikes as early prototypes) are not thought
> > to be run by GovCorp (it's candy bait to give them diabetes death)
> > and could remain more immune over most parameters and times
> > to their silly interference, with all benefits in the documentaries on
> > same accruing to their users that want liberation freedom
> > around world.
> >
> >
> >> please don’t share such low-quality articles here.
> > Nice try at twistedly passive censorship,
> > people are free to post what they want to post,
> > for benefit of those who want to read what they want to read.
> > You're equally free to censor your own inbox to your hearts desire,
> > try looking at "maildrop" filter, it may suit needs.
> >
> > Distributed Uncensorable Private Cryptocurrency
> > re War on Cash is also clearly within realm of a
> > technology that liberators might consider applying
> > toward achieving a more liberated world.
> > But only If, as before, the mind was liberated towards
> > actual liberation, first, before considering any
> > application of such tech tools.
> >
> > PeopleCount-ing votes and representing yourselves
> > to power forcefully over other harmless peoples
> > has long since been shown not to be
> > about a state of liberation at all.
> >
> >> Or maybe just avoid ambitious politicos (author is: ...
> > Let us indeed also avoid discussing some ambitious
> > Lefty politic[o]s orgs proffering things that don't really "count"
> > as they are claimed to... all such things well tried and failed before.
> >
> >
> > Enjoy the links.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 3
> > Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:05:34 -0400
> > From: grarpamp <grarpamp at gmail.com>
> > To: lt at lists.liberationtech.org
> > Subject: Re: [liberationtech] Cryptocurrency: War On Cash - Moving
> > Fast Against You
> > Message-ID:
> > <
> CAD2Ti2_s0VuOJL_+ma1km_hGjYGbNpUCZNGj_PByWk9PocXxGQ at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >
> > https://www.theorganicprepper.com/cashless-society/
> >
> > "
> > Here's How A Cashless Society Would Affect Day-To-Day Life
> >
> > Have you ever thought about the ramifications of a cashless society?
> > I’m talking about the real, first-person effects, not some ephemeral
> > conspiracy theory or possible biblical prophecy. This is bad news for
> > a lot of reasons, not the least of which are the ways it would affect
> > day-to-day life.
> >
> > Here’s my definition of a cashless society, so we’re all singing from
> > the same songbook:
> >
> > Cash would no longer be legal tender, therefore you could not make
> > purchases with it, pay bills with it, or spend it in any way. You
> > would not be able to deposit cash into your bank account so you
> > wouldn’t be able to accept cash for an exchange of goods or services.
> >
> > Therefore, cash would be nothing more than a worthless piece of
> > paper. (I know, I know. Debt-based currency is a totally different
> > article though.)
> >
> > We’re heading this way.
> >
> > Jose recently wrote that Venezuela is rapidly becoming cashless and
> > here in the United States a concerning early sign is that there is a
> > “change shortage” which is causing many stores to give you your change
> > on a store loyalty card or invite you to donate that change to some
> > cause.
> > Gifts
> >
> > Think of all the times that cash is an appropriate gift. I’ve always
> > given money, like stuffing a child’s birthday card with a $20 bill or
> > giving a new graduate some cash to put toward college expenses. When
> > I got married, we received quite a bit of money from various loved
> > ones. My dad always gave my daughters some spending money of their own
> > each time we visited and they were surprised and delighted every
> > single time.
> >
> > However, in a cashless society, there are two problems with this.
> >
> > First of all, the recipient would not be able to use the cash. He or
> > she would not be able to spend or deposit it.
> >
> > Secondly, if a monetary gift is given, it would have to be done with a
> > check or electronic transfer. This means that the government (and the
> > Tax Man) would know precisely how much money any person is given. That
> > might not be a big deal for the 7-year-old who got $20 from grandpa,
> > but what about the graduate who raked in a couple thousand in gifts
> > from family members to celebrate his or her accomplishments? At what
> > point will the government have their hands out for “their fair share?”
> > Side Gigs
> >
> > A lot of folks are really struggling right now with the COVID
> > shutdowns. Jobs have been lost, hours have been cut, and financial
> > problems abound. One of the ways that these people are making ends
> > meet is with side gigs. Folks are cutting grass, cleaning houses,
> > driving for Uber, delivering food, babysitting – they’re coming up
> > with all sorts of ways to make some extra money. A huge percentage of
> > these people are being paid in cash.
> >
> > But if suddenly you can no longer spend your cash, you’d need to be
> > paid electronically. How many people who don’t already have a business
> > have a merchant account for taking credit or debit cards? There are
> > options like Paypal and Venmo, which take a percentage fee, but
> > they’re going to have to figure out something.
> >
> > And then, as above, every single bit of this side gig money is
> > traceable and trackable. This could quickly turn your 20 bucks from
> > lawn mowing into $15 after taxes.
> > Selling Secondhand Goods
> >
> > Raise your hand if you’ve ever sold something to pay a bill. Me too!
> > I’ve sold jewelry, furniture, exercise equipment – all sorts of stuff
> > to meet an obligation when in a pinch. Not only that, but I have a
> > yard sale every single year to downsize the things that I found I
> > don’t really use, which often brings in a few hundred dollars.
> >
> > How will this work in a cashless society? Well, if you are selling
> > just one larger item, you’d probably end up using some kind of payment
> > app like Venmo or Paypal. On the other hand, a yard sale would be
> > nearly impossible to conduct electronically. Who is really going to be
> > able to sit there and do Paypal transactions all day, especially when
> > folks are buying things that cost 25 cents?
> >
> > And there we are, down another way of making some quick money.
> > Tips
> >
> > Lots of folks who work in food service and the beauty industry, just
> > to name two niches, depend on tips to make a living. Generally, tips
> > are collected from tables or paid out at the end of the shift if they
> > were put on a debit card. But…once there is no cash, these tips will
> > have to end up going on a regular paycheck. One hundred percent of
> > this money will be subject to payroll withholdings.
> >
> > This will mean that a lot of people see a sharp decrease in their
> > earnings, plus they’ll have to wait for their checks to get the money.
> > It puts a lot of power into the hands of the management and it would
> > not be difficult at all for someone to manipulate the amounts the
> > workers have earned.
> > Children
> >
> > I’ve written many times about the importance of allowing children to
> > handle their own money. It teaches them responsibility and life skills
> > that will serve them well in the future. (Learn more about talking to
> > your kids about money in this article.) My daughters have had access
> > to money since they were in kindergarten, and possibly before.
> >
> > Now, how are you going to give a five-year-old access to money if it’s
> > all electronic? Are they going to end up with their own bank accounts
> > and debit cards? That hardly seems realistic. There is also the option
> > of gift cards, but that means the money can only be spent at certain
> > places, taking away the vital learning curve of saving your money to
> > put it toward a Big Goal. Forget lemonade stands, gifts from Grandpa,
> > or putting change in a piggy bank – these will all be things of the
> > past.
> > The unbanked or underbanked
> >
> > Eight million households in the United States are “underbanked” or
> > “unbanked.” This means that they don’t have any kind of bank account
> > due to fees, bad credit, or other obstacles. These people rely on
> > check-cashing businesses that already take a hefty fee to give them
> > the pay they’ve earned. What will they do when this is no longer an
> > option?
> >
> > Most of the people who are unbanked or underbanked are living under
> > the poverty line already. This would mean that they can no longer pick
> > up side-gigs to make ends meet, they can’t do odd jobs, and getting
> > them any kind of assistance will be more difficult.
> >
> > Slate reports how the coin shortage is affecting these Americans:
> >
> > To the average American, this shortage may only cause minor
> > headaches—a harder time paying at a parking meter or exact change
> > required at a coffee shop. But some 8 million American households, or
> > 6 percent of Americans, are “unbanked,” meaning that because of fees
> > and other financial hurdles, they have no checking, savings, or money
> > market account. Many rely instead on services such as money orders,
> > pawn shop loans, or payday loans. According to Venky Shankar, a
> > marketing professor at the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M
> > University, Americans who make $25,000 a year or less use cash for
> > around 45 percent of their purchases. So those Americans might
> > struggle to pay for essential services without change on hand. They
> > also might find it more stressful to round up or donate their change,
> > should stores ask for it. “For an unbanked or underbanked person, it
> > could leave them in a horrible situation if they don’t have access to
> > the cards,” saidAngela Lyons, a professor of economics at the
> > University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (source)
> >
> > And this is just a coin shortage. Imagine how difficult it would be if
> > our society became completely cashless.
> > There is an alarming amount of power in access.
> >
> > So, we can see this isn’t an ideal situation for any of us.
> >
> > But even these things are relatively minor in comparison to the
> > potential for abuse against citizens in a cashless society. If every
> > single dime you bring in is tracked and recorded, you will have no
> > financial privacy, and you’ll also be at far more risk. Many of us
> > keep some cash savings around the house for emergencies. Even if there
> > is a bank holiday, we’ll be okay because we have the money sitting
> > around to take care of any incidentals while we are unable to access
> > our banked money.
> >
> > But what happens when things are cashless? All that money we’ve
> > stashed away over the years would have to go into the coffers and we’d
> > lose a certain amount of control.
> >
> > It’s all well and good when times are okay, but what happens when
> > there’s a Cyprus-style event and the government decides a bail-in is
> > in order? If you don’t recall, back in 2013, billions of dollars were
> > seized from depositors to protect the small country’s banking system.
> > This was done to make good on an $11.6 billion dollar debt owed to
> > creditors outside the country.
> >
> > If you think that sounds far-fetched – like something that could
> > “never happen here,” it’s incredibly important to note that we already
> > have language that allows for bail-ins here in the United States.
> > After the bailouts for the economic crisis of 2008, Congress passed
> > the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Act of January 2010,
> > which prohibits government bailouts but allows bail-ins. So, yes, the
> > money in your account could indeed be used to save a floundering bank.
> >
> > Not only that, but think about the outrageous phenomenon of civil
> > asset forfeiture. If you aren’t familiar with it, that means that an
> > entity can seize your property or money even when you have not been
> > convicted of a crime. Civil asset forfeiture provides billions of
> > dollars to the US Government and local police departments every single
> > year. Imagine how much easier that would be if your wealth was all in
> > one place.
> >
> > And let me take it just one step further before I take off the tinfoil
> > – think about how many websites, YouTube channels, and social media
> > accounts have been purged and demonetized over the past few years. Is
> > it that much of a stretch of the imagination that this could be taken
> > a step further?
> >
> > That perhaps unpopular opinions could be fined and money immediately
> > be withdrawn from the accounts of those who dissent with the status
> > quo?
> >
> > Maybe I’m just another paranoid conspiracy theorist. But are you
> > actually paranoid when “they” are really out to control you?
> > "
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> https://humanevents.com/2020/08/22/media-deems-cashless-society-a-conspiracy-theory-after-admonishing-cash-use/
> >
> > "
> > Before there was a coin shortage, cash was under attack in the media,
> > and ridiculously hailed as a COVID-19 hazard.
> >
> > Now, it seems that news outlets have pivoted to making sure the public
> > thinks of a looming cashless society as a “conspiracy theory.”
> >
> > At the height of anxiety over the coronavirus, CNN berated the
> > American people for using cash. “Do NOT take a bunch of cash out of
> > the bank,” rang one headline; “Dirty money: The case against using
> > cash during the coronavirus outbreak,” read another. CBS News
> > similarly ran an anti-cash story at the time, as did other mainstream
> > networks.
> >
> > More recent stories, however, have pivoted to feign concern about the
> > growing suspicion of an impending digital coup against paper and
> > coined money. (It’s always fascinating to see how the media
> > manipulates emotions, giving us something to be outraged about one
> > day, and trying to calm us down the next day by trying to convince us
> > we’re outraged about the wrong thing.)
> >
> > “It’s a concern of some that all money would become traceable, which
> > could be the case, but also could be avoided if systems were designed
> > to provide privacy,” USA Today reported. That’s a big if. In fact,
> > that’s the entire issue at stake, because, as I’ll explain, high
> > profile promoters of cashlessness have an interest in gathering
> > private information en masse.
> >
> > The Associated Press similarly pounced on Facebook posts that
> > reportedly suggested a “conspiracy” was afoot. “Posts circulating
> > widely on Facebook are suggesting that the shortage of coins in the
> > U.S. is a hoax because it doesn’t make sense for the currency to have
> > ‘disappeared,’” the AP reported. (The literal interpretation of the
> > word “disappeared” was the crux of this supposed fact check. It’s
> > possible the journalists writing articles like those are genuinely
> > concerned about the spread of misinformation, but the condescension is
> > palpable and just feels paternalistic.)
> >
> > Of course, Americans should be concerned about moves away from cash,
> > and there is nothing wrong about questioning who would benefit and who
> > would lose in a cashless society. If that makes you a conspiracy
> > theorist in the eyes of the average journalist, so be it.
> >
> > For one thing, big banks and financial institutions would reap obvious
> > benefits, beyond saving on the costs of transacting in coins and paper
> > as well as transporting them. A cashless world would also give these
> > institutions a new resource to exploit: they would have that much more
> > data to collect in bulk on their customers. It was just last year that
> > Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said, “We want a cashless society.”
> >
> > For another, there’s the intensity through which cashlessness is being
> > defended. There is no downside to a cashless society for its fiercest
> > proponents. They aren’t worried about finding a side hustle or working
> > for tips. They aren’t kids trying to mow a lawn or who are otherwise
> > priced out or regulated out of the market by minimum wage and child
> > labor laws. The big players thrive in heavily top-down regulatory
> > regimes. The smaller ones, who might moderately improve their standing
> > (like freelancers or startup entrepreneurs), are often reliant on the
> > freedom that cash provides.
> >
> > Unfortunately, some leftist progressives are enthusiastically
> > spearheading efforts to “help” people in lower economic strata enroll
> > in the post-cash digital system. These initiatives entail subsidizing
> > free checking accounts or other special access to the financial
> > system. (At last, inclusiveness and equality will be guaranteed once
> > that fascist cash is out of the way. The campaign slogan will go
> > something like that).
> >
> > Instead of policing social media posts for falsehoods (or, more
> > accurately, words that imply falsehoods), journalists could provide
> > more value for their readers by showing what’s valid about their
> > reader’s concerns. There’s a cultural context, an economic context,
> > and a political one too, that inform how a person may or may not feel
> > about the coming cashless society. Each of these narratives, in fact,
> > is more interesting than a “gotcha” fact-check—but they may not come
> > with the sense of relief (or clout) one feels at discrediting a
> > challenge to the prevailing narrative.
> >
> > TO ELITES, IT’S CONSPIRATORIAL IF ANYONE BUT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IT
> >
> > There are more downsides to a cashless society.
> >
> > In the era of Cancel Culture, other more nightmarish consequences are
> > all too easy to fathom. The difference between being banned from
> > social platforms and financial platforms is a matter of degree, and
> > the latter is already happening.
> >
> > Nevertheless, the advocates continue to drum up support for fintech
> > adoption. For instance, many anti-cash advocates also tend to favor
> > negative interest rates and much freer reign for central banks. Such
> > policies are easier to enact without physical forms of legal tender.
> >
> > Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has expressed his aversion to
> > negative interest rates “for now” back in May, but President Donald
> > Trump and other monetary theorists support the idea. Negative interest
> > rates mean an end to traditional savings because, what’s not spent
> > from your bank account, will decrease in value according to the newest
> > negative rate. Thus, consumerism becomes all-encompassing and of far
> > greater importance for economic activity. The permanent stimulus of an
> > always-consuming market would become a compulsory force, rather than a
> > relief amid a downturn.
> >
> > So, the threat of a cashless society is real. It’s not just concocted
> > out of fringe viral Facebook posts, but actually, a topic of ongoing
> > and current discussion among the financial elite. Of course, how
> > urgent the threat is in today’s fast-paced and unpredictable
> > environment, people will have to decide for themselves. But just
> > because people grew concerned about something that wasn’t
> > media-generated doesn’t make it a conspiracy theory.
> >
> > FROM COMMON USE TO MUSEUM ARTIFACTS—UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
> >
> > The coin shortage, which is very real, does have a reasonable
> > explanation though, given the lockdown and social distancing orders
> > over the past six months. Smaller businesses are losing out to the
> > likes of Amazon and other online retailers, so coins are being used
> > much less. E-commerce is thriving under COVID-19.
> >
> > “I think most merchants, especially small merchants and
> > small-transaction merchants, would still prefer to take cash,” said K.
> > Craig Wildfang in an interview with Axios. He is with the law firm
> > Robins Kaplan, which is suing on behalf of retailers against card
> > swipe fees.
> >
> > Considering that over 90% of companies fail within two years of a
> > disaster according to the US Small Business Administration (anything
> > from political coups to hurricanes and, of course, pandemics), it is
> > all but guaranteed that there will be fewer businesses around to fight
> > for cash as an option, as long as COVID-19 lockdowns and related
> > emergency orders carry on. Even larger chains, like CVS, Kroger,
> > Walmart, are refusing to give physical change, instead choosing to
> > donate the extra cents to charity or otherwise digitize the value for
> > the customer for their next shopping trip.
> >
> > More and more, physical coins are becoming legacy artifacts. As
> > Clifford Thies at the American Institute for Economic Research
> > explains, pennies cost more than their worth to produce. The time lost
> > in counting them in transactions and transporting them also add to the
> > total cost of using pennies. Thies estimates the use of pennies to
> > cost up to $500 million per year, which may be more costly than simply
> > rounding off prices to the nearest nickel, or dollar.
> >
> > Thanks to monetary inflation, those same dynamics have an effect on
> > nickels, dimes, and quarters, which are all produced with much cheaper
> > metals than their original form required.
> >
> > Meanwhile, note the record high prices of gold and silver. The US
> > dollar is being (digitally) printed into oblivion, along with
> > trillions upon trillions of dollars being summoned by the Congress to
> > fund multiple COVID-19 relief bills. Cash may be the last bastion of
> > value, as it retains some scarcity in relation to digitized dollars.
> > And it’s important for people’s livelihood and freedom that it be
> > defended vigilantly.
> >
> > Don’t let the media shame you into complacence regarding a cashless
> > society. It’s only crazy not to question such a system that clearly
> > some have no qualms about forcing on us all.
> > "
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 4
> > Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2020 01:24:08 -0400
> > From: grarpamp <grarpamp at gmail.com>
> > To: lt at lists.liberationtech.org
> > Subject: Re: [liberationtech] Censorship: ShadowGate Documentary
> > Banned by FaceBook and YouTube
> > Message-ID:
> > <
> CAD2Ti29iOWD_bNHy308aggJOZ8ynNbxmh1qasMSfMXRw38t-Xg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >
> > On 8/31/20, bo0od <bo0od at riseup.net> wrote:
> >> Video seems to be deleted as well in banned.video ?
> > That's why when hot material comes out,
> > people really should download and save
> > a copy, and distribute copies around the
> > net and onto the overlay networks.
> > Else things will disappear forever.
> >
> > Many things posted have already disappeared.
> >
> > Regardless of whatever content or whether or not any
> > agree with it, things have much value to some number of people
> > (including those taken often dire risks to make and release it),
> > and also much historical value and context.
> >
> > People asking about link status that they already observed are broken
> > doesn't help that.
> > Do something instead, go search for it, find, download and save, reup,
> > and post the links.
> >
> >>> https://banned.video/watch?id=5f37fcc2df77c4044ee2eb03 ShadowGate
> >>> Documentary Full Version
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Subject: Digest Footer
> >
>
>
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