When Honor and Courage Mattered- The Sunday Collage

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.
-Aristotle

The other day, I was reading more about Bill and Hillary Clinton's "Clinton Foundation" which is nothing more than a protected conduit for bribery. Rather than go into all of the criminality that is a way of life for the Clintons'- I've selected this item summary for your perusal. (It only relates to her scandals as Secretary of State) http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2566193?utm_content=buffer87642

It begs the question- how can an entire country seemingly look the other way? How does this translate to us?

Everywhere in America tomorrow, people will have opportunities to do great things. Most people will hardly recognize those opportunities, much less act on them.

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.
-Calvin Coolidge

Throughout my life I have seen people who have acted with honor. I've found them in strange places. Often you will be alerted to an act of honor when suddenly someone deviates from our usual expectations because it will take some measure of courage to do so. You cannot predict when or where it will happen.

My all time favorite act of honor and courage came about during a very rare meeting between our district's judges, prosecutors, court clerks, and head law enforcement officials. Probably 20 of us. We had been called together to discuss problems we were having mostly as they related to the elimination of a burgeoning amount of arrest warrants and the transportation of  prisoners within the state. The problem was that our local Sheriff refused to spend the time and money to transport prisoners arrested in remote parts of the state and return them to our jurisdiction. By refusing to pick them up- people with warrants were habitually released because the arrest warrant had mileage limits on it. Thus people with outstanding arrest warrants never took care of them and the amount of warrants increased. I opened discussions that day with, "If we at the very least arrested these people and made them post bond- it could be forfeited and sent to the appropriate jurisdiction whether we picked them up or not." The Sheriff said no to this because some of the prisoners could not post bond therefore he and his men would have to go pick them up. He said it was not "cost effective" to spend 300 dollars in gas and mileage to pick up a prisoner with a 100 dollar warrant.

I had heard this line of reasoning before. I expected the usual silent agreement and nodding of heads every time this logic was offered up when suddenly a judge, clearly departing from Robert's Rules of Order blurted out- "Since when and who was it that decided that the criminal justice system must be cost effective?" "We are not a business. We administer justice in the state of Idaho. If we wanted to operate in a cost effective manner such as that- we should simply shut down the state prison and release the prisoners. That would be cost effective."

I nearly choked when I heard that. It took great courage to say that given the like mindedness of the people in attendance.

People will act selflessly with honor rarely or most usually- they will act selfishly with cowardice. Which simply means that people will usually do what is in their own self interests. They no longer care about honor or courage. They see those virtues as items which might kill their careers and paychecks. When an opportunity to act with honor and courage presents itself- cowards always remain silent. They secretly rationalize that what they are doing is the intelligent choice.

In a vacuum where honor and courage no longer matter- Bill and Hillary Clinton have found a place to call home. Apparently no amount of corruption, bribery, destruction of evidence or loss of life with it's associated lies about Islamic video graphers- will be enough to investigate or actually charge Hillary Clinton with a crime. All of those Federal prosecutors, state prosecutors, and local law enforcement officials with jurisdiction in the Clinton affairs are cowards and that of course includes the President. Void of any sense of honor, integrity, or courage in our leadership- our society is disintegrating in front of our eyes.

I know this sounds crazy- but I have actually considered making a citizen's arrest of Hillary Clinton having read a few statutes that I believe she has violated. Is that what it is going to take? Does a citizen have to get the ball rolling and if so, can you imagine how they would try to dissuade and smear you? It would be painful indeed. That's how nuts this country is becoming. We accept all of this piss poor performance just like the cowards in Washington who actually get paid to enforce the rule of law.

There will come a day when honor and courage are valued again. Call me a pessimist but I'm just not seeing it anytime soon.

I shall leave you then with this.

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
-Maya Angelou

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
-Aristotle

The Invisible Road- The Sunday Collage

I'm bringing back the collage. I think I am capable of writing one decent or insightful piece each week and sharing it. The old Sunday Collage was simply a collection of observations and thoughts- things that happened to me as I went about my small, petty, and meaningless life each week. A few of the Sunday blogs were pretty good, many of them sucked.

First off- a funny story from last night.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that American Pharoah would win the Belmont Stakes and thus the triple crown yesterday. There is an absolute dearth of competition in the 3 year old horse racing world this year. I made that observation while watching Dortmund set leisurely and uncontested fractions in the Kentucky Derby. He should have had plenty of energy left  for the stretch drive but he simply folded up shop and finished 3rd. This was an undefeated horse. After the Kentucky Derby- American Pharoah stomped the competition at the Preakness. He won the Belmont by at least five open lengths.

At odds of 3/5, I'm just not interested in betting 200 bucks to win 120. So I passed the race yesterday and played cards instead. No limit Hold Em.

I'd like to tell you about an interesting hand and a little fun that I had with it. I have a friend I have been playing cards with for at least 20 years. He is 73 and deaf as a stump. He is a very funny guy, always laughing and flapping his gums. I enjoy playing with him. Anyway, he is sitting on my left yesterday. I am playing pocket 8's. During the hand and just after the flop, I catch a third 8, which makes my hand pretty strong. I bet 20 bucks into this pot and I get three callers- along with my friend Darrell. On the turn, the last 8 arrives and that card makes my hand unbeatable. I bet 20 bucks, Darrell goes all in, and some goofy kid goes all in as well. I am thinking what in the hell do they think they have?

So when the action gets to me, I kind of hem and haw, like I am pondering what to do. I wonder out loud whether to fold or not- and then I say " Well, I gotta see what you guys have." I call. I don't remember what the last card was and it didn't matter anyway. When Darrell turns over his hand, he has nothing. I started laughing while telling him that a 10 high busted nothing is not going to get the chips. The goofy kid just mucks his hand and leaves the game. Darrell says repeatedly that he misread his hand while he buys more chips. I am trying to tease him but he is so deaf that I don't think he can hear me. Most of the fun of playing poker, I think, is that I get a chance to tease these goofballs once in awhile and have some fun. I can't do that when they are deaf. Maybe I will buy Darrell a hearing aid. Switching gears....quickly...

Maybe it's our tribal nature or maybe we're just not as fully evolved as we should be.

Right now, in America, there is not a more hated class of people than police officers. It has become an epidemic. It would be rather easy for any sort of real leader to step up and stop this insane hatred but squandering opportunities seems to be our President's real legacy. Obama needs to find his way.

For years, I was in awe and quite literally dumbstruck- at the absolute inability of our society to take personal responsibility for their mistakes and irresponsible actions. Rather than accept responsibility, our society blames everything on something else. Gone are the days when the sad, simple truth about any given mistake was that you had nobody to blame but yourself. And why not? We have an entire class of professional enablers, crappy parents, lawyers, clinicians, co-dependent friends, none of whom are paid to tell you what you need to hear- instead they are paid to tell you what you want to hear. It's not your fault.

What a bunch of shit. You can't possibly become a better human being until that aha moment arrives, that moment when the clouds part, and God himself says, "You are the biggest problem in your life- quit blaming everyone else."

I am weary of every class of people whining about how bad they have it. The Indians are still blaming us for stealing their land. The blacks are still waiting for reparations for slavery. Women whine because they aren't paid what men make. The hispanics whine because they think they should be entitled to illegally cross our borders and receive every benefit that the citizens of this country have already paid for. They feel discriminated against. The younger generations think the boomers screwed them, the boomers think the younger generations are filled with idiots. The 99% hate the 1%.The old white guys think we're the only unprotected class and we get picked on. Obama thinks Fox is out to get him.

And millions of Americans think cops are the problem. Are you starting to see where I am going with this?

My very best moment arrived when it dawned on me that the biggest problem in my life had always been me. As much as I took responsibility for my decisions, I had rationalized away some of  my other poor decisions. I saw that as an opportunity. I can work and fix me. I can't fix the Indians, the blacks, women, millenials, or even some drunk. But I might be able to change the way I see things and improve the way I live. Until you get that piece of information and truly buy in- your road here, the really happy one, is invisible. It is not available to you. You will wander aimlessly, blaming others and squandering your gifts and your life, consumed with hatred, jealousy and contempt for the people you think are doing better than you. It's a sickness.

The worst part about our culture right now- is that they have no instruction and no leadership. I like to use President Obama because he is such a perfect example of what I am talking about and he is our chief law enforcement officer- the alleged head of the executive branch. Obama can't find the invisible road. He is busy blaming the GOP, Congress, Fox News, everyone but himself for his problems. That's all he cares about- himself and protecting his image. The dude is completely unconscious. It's a weird thought but I almost hope that Obama never discovers that he was his own, worst problem. I can't imagine having to spend the rest of my life knowing that not only was I the problem- but had I discovered that fact while I was still President and in a position to lead people- I could have inspired a nation to take responsibility and helped heal it's people. Instead, I made it worse. That's a lot of guilt to carry around.

Sometimes, I think, there might be a few folks who are better off not knowing what might have been.




 

The Epic Flight of Lawn Chair Larry

About a week or so ago, I saw a blurb on television about "Lawn Chair Larry." This dude is not an urban legend or myth- this guy is an urban truth. Of all of the crazy shit I have witnessed in my life, I'm not sure anything can top the epic flight of "Lawn Chair" Larry Walters, age 33, on July 2, 1982.

I was midway through my last year in college and I had just started an internship with the local sheriff's office when I read a story in the newspaper about this guy. Having exited the chaos of the 70's, I considered Larry Walters to be just another lunatic from California. I was wrong.

The story of Lawn Chair Larry is one of the most outrageously funny stories of all time. Larry you see, had a dream. He wanted to fly. He had no pilots license, his eyesight was bad, and he didn't have the means or the money to accomplish his dream. So Lawn Chair Larry did the next best thing. He built his own flying machine and dubbed it the "Inspiration 1."

It was a lawn chair with 42-45 (depending on varying accounts) helium balloons attached to it.

Now just in case you think Larry Walters was a lone nutter, please remember this. Behind every good nutter is a woman who is equally as nuts. In this case it was Carol Van Deusen, Larry's girlfriend. Rather than trying to dissuade Larry with (I don't know, maybe) some safety concerns, Carol actually bought the balloons and helped Larry by forging a document which allowed Larry to obtain enough helium to fill all 45 balloons.

Having fully thought this through, Larry strapped on a parachute. He had some sandwiches and soda, a CB radio for communications, a camera, and a pellet gun to shoot the balloons with once he had decided to descend. He also tied a number of milk jugs filled with water to the chair for ballast. The entire contraption was tethered to Larry's jeep and launched from San Pedro, Ca.

Upon severing the tether that restrained the Inspiration 1, he lost his eyeglasses and rapidly ascended to a height of 15,000 feet. Larry then drifted into LAX airspace where he was seen by several pilots. Larry was in contact with people during his flight via CB radio.

Larry got cold up in the atmosphere and after about 45 minutes he started shooting weather balloons until such point that he dropped the gun overboard. He was then at the mercy of the trade winds and subsequently- a slow and uncontrolled descent into some power lines. Rather than be electrocuted, Larry was able to exit the Inspiration 1 and was immediately arrested by Long Beach Police for something. They didn't know what exactly. He was subsequently fined for the episode.

Larry lived his dream. Later, the Smithsonian asked Larry for his chair but alas, he had given it away. It is now displayed at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
In a cruel, but not entirely unforeseeable event, Larry took his own life (1993)- 11 years later at the age of 44.

Some 33 years later, I still find Larry's story just as fascinating and funny as the day I first read about it. I guess Larry was put on this earth to live that one dream.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters

Click here to see the epic launch of the Inspiration 1.

http://maniacworld.com/Lawnchair-Larry-Original-Balloon-Boy.html

The Poker Room

Life has a perfect economy.

I watched Dick carefully as he walked into the room. He was hunched over and listing to the right. His glasses, always a little crooked, tilted down and to the left. His ball cap bill was straight and unfolded. His face was a little wrinkled but not too bad for a guy I figured to be in his early 80's. He gripped a cane in his right hand and he had a very tight hold on it. Just as soon as he sat down, he hunched over in his seat and peered around. I will always remember him looking over the top of his glasses. I wondered if his eyes were so bad that looking around the room just wasn't worth the effort anymore.

These are the kinds of things you wonder when you know you are next. On deck, I call it.

I first met Dick when I was 21. That was 33 years ago. I figured Dick was in his late 40's back then. He stood pretty tall, around 6' or so, and still had enough hair that wearing a ball cap wasn't part of his daily apparel. Dick often just kept to himself, playing far more hands than he should have. Once in awhile, he would have one of those divine days where he would get extraordinarily lucky- hitting every draw. I remember a few of those days. Dick could also lay into opponents that criticized his style of play at the poker table when he was having one of those good days. But mostly Dick was quiet and un remarkable. One of those guys who fills a seat in a poker game but rarely gets noticed.

Unless you played cards with him every weekend for 25 years.

I quit playing poker, more or less, about the same time I was getting divorced and being "retired." That was 8 years ago. On rare occasions, I still play a little. Mostly though, I have been beaten into submission by time and the cruel vagaries of luck. When it comes to cards, I just don't have that much luck.

I think Dick is one of those guys too.

The old guys remember our time in the poker room. We laugh and joke about the old days- the night we drank pussy drinks- a night which began when one of the guys at our table ordered a green grasshopper and we started teasing him. We all began ordering "pussy" drinks. I must have drank 30 drinks that night, green ones, pink ones, copper camels, white russians, sex on the beach, gawd did we get drunk- the entire table. We laughed until 6 am that morning drinking with our pinkies extended and talking like chicks. People talked about that game for years.

I remember the absolute worst beat I have ever delivered to another human being. He was a loudmouth and an arrogant guy, not unlike myself, although I must say Jim S. probably deserved the lifetime achievement award for ego. The hand, the beat, should have never been played. In fact, my hand- held by a rational human being using just a smidgen of sound judgment- would have been discarded. But big egos make for giant stories and this is one of those.

We were playing 10-20 limit Hold'em with a full table. Jim S. had raised, been re-raised by me, and subsequently took the last raise before the flop. There were five players in the hand and we had each invested 40 bucks before the flop. I had an A-10 suited. I was sitting chilly behind my loudmouth friend who came out firing just as soon as the flop showed up. The other players folded, leaving only Jim and I in the hand. The flop was K-9-9. I had nothing. Hoping he was bluffing, I raised him to find out. He raised me back. That's when I knew he had something. I don't know why- but I made a bad play. I called. The turn card was another 9. Now the board showed K-9-9-9. This time he checked. I began to think he had nothing so I bet 20- he check raised me and made it 40. I made another bad call just before the miracle happened. The 4th nine came on board. The board was K-9-9-9-9. He bet, I raised him and he was suddenly reduced to a caller and loser while simultaneously delivering the most ungodly howl of disgust and profanity I have ever heard in a poker room. It continued for the next 30 minutes.

In Texas Hold 'em, the best 5 cards play. In this case, no matter what he had- I had four 9's with an ace kicker or the best hand possible. When he rolled over pocket kings- I realized I had caught the only two cards I could possibly win with other than ace, ace.

And for just one moment, in the 33 years that I have been playing poker, I considered the possibility that there might be one guy on the planet more unlucky than I was. In fact, I have never seen Jim S. in the poker room since that time- although I have heard various rumors regarding his disappearance that had nothing to do with that hand..

There were plenty of bad moments in that room as well. Heart attacks and deaths at the table, cheaters, big losses, fist fights, a confrontation with my father once, thrown drinks, I even think poker played a large role in my divorce although at the time- I was in denial. Other couples played. My ex and I both played. Once the divorce was final- my ex never played again.

Last night, I recalled some of those memories with the old guys. We laughed a lot only because I skipped the re-telling of the bad stories. Nobody wants to hear those. I missed every draw for 10 hours straight but I did manage to win the biggest hand of the night with three 5's.

I kept glancing over at Dick from time to time. Broken down by life, hunched over and clutching his cane as he sat quiet- I couldn't help wondering if that's how it's gonna be for me. If that's how it is for all of us. Little caricatures of once mighty men. As I sat there- Dick who was seated across the room, glanced up, saw me, and smiled. I walked over, shook his hand, and told him it was good to see him. That might be the last time that I will ever have that chance.

Every once in awhile, somebody will remark to me what a waste of time all of those years in the poker room were. That of course is nonsense. No time is wasted, there is simply no such thing.

I spent thousands of hours in this room. Nearly a lifetime. I used to look at old people in the room and feel so detached from their reality- like that will never happen to me. Maybe I didn't want to think about it. I realize now, after spending thousands of hours with guys like Dick, that my time is coming. I wish that I had taken more time to get to know my opponents over the years.That's a shame. Not because I wasted so many years in the poker room- but because I failed to spend more time talking with these people for the countless hours I spent seated next to them at a table. People and their lives are infinitely more interesting than a deck of cards. Mostly, I think, I missed an opportunity. I could have nurtured so many friendships. Maybe I was there to learn that. Maybe I think, guys like Dick are there to help me with my old age apprenticeship.

In a poker game in New Orleans, I had a gal tell me about a book that changed my life.

In life's economy, nothing is wasted. People are living and learning- sharing knowledge, hope, and time in any number of venues like a poker room. I realize now that I spent those years in that room because I was supposed to be there. And when I learned what I came to learn, either via the soft way or the hard way, I moved on. I can't really quantify what I learned in that place. But if you insisted on having me answer the question, "Brian, what did you learn in that poker room?"

I might say, "I learned to be a better human being in that room."

Today, I am not sorry for one moment I spent in that room. Life offers a perfect economy and I am very grateful for the lessons I learned in that place and the people I met in there.

**Here's a link to an older piece I wrote along the same lines. http://thecivillibertarian.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-love-to-drink-and-gamble.html







    

We Got Out At Just the Right Time- A Boomer Story

I began my career in Jan. of 1983. As luck would have it, I would spend nearly all of my law enforcement years in small town America. I didn't really plan it that way nor did I particularly like it at first- that's just the way it worked out for me. There were a few bumps, I tried to get out once, but as fate would have it- I would spend the better part of 25 years in small town America. They were good years mostly- until the end.

My generation, the boomers, had one foot in the lives of the Greatest Generation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Generation and the other foot in the lives of Gen Y and the Millennials. When I contrast those three generations, I am struck with awe. Only about 75 years separates those generations and yet they seemingly have very little in common. The Greatest Generation in a way- sold Gen X, Gen Y, and the Millennials out. I'm not sure the new kids have figured that out yet.

You see, old rich people run this place. That's how it has always been. People like Warren Buffet are the new plantation owners. And their job, indeed their self worth, is measured by how much they can exploit others and make even more wealth while pretending simultaneously- that they are great humanitarians.

The Greatest Generation were my teachers, people older than me, who had lived through or been influenced by the Great Depression. Most had very little, so they were frugal. I do not use the word cheap because they understood the cost and value of buying quality merchandise. Quality goods were made in America. We made the best houses, the best cars, the best motorcycles, the best guns, the best can openers. Americans made them. When we saw "Made in Japan" on a product we put it back on the shelf. Back then the government tended to side with the working stiffs and they told the truth about most things I think and if they didn't- our citizens were quick to forgive them because everyone knew they were on our side. The Greatest Generation supported government- not because they were stupid or gullible but because they believed our government was the best there was and it represented our values.

The children of the Greatest Generation were the Boomers. We were taught our work ethic from the Great Generation. We showed up on time, we fought for unions and benefits and got them, and we worked hard. What changed in our lifetimes was government. Government became crooked and unresponsive. With the death of JFK, the Vietnam War ratcheted up, and we found ourselves fighting some war that nobody really cared about. By 1971, Nixon had closed the gold window and forever ruined our currency's gold standard. By 1973, Nixon was caught in a bungled burglary of Democratic Headquarters during the 1972 elections. We were held hostage, watching Watergate proceedings on television like the Watergate burglary was the crime of the century. People lied under oath, Nixon failed to produce a segment of tape, and the whole thing seemed like some shameful charade. Eventually Nixon resigned and went away. The boomers were entering the workforce enmasse' and were starting to work through the ranks.

We had a number of other shocks, mostly economic, and the failed Presidency of Jimmy Carter which ended in 1980. I have always thought Jimmy Carter was just too nice of a man to be President.

The 80's brought about Ronald Reagan and Reaganomics, the best music ever, and a stock market bull which arguably lasted more or less through 2007. That bull market spanned 25 years- the start and the end of my working life- almost to the very month.

At the end of my career, I was hiring the members of Gen Y. They were latch key kids. Kids from broken households- the kind Reagan warned us about. Their education, their knowledge of our history and of our government was poor. They were apathetic. They didn't just distrust government, they avoided the subject altogether. They seemed to care more about computers, video games, and cell phones than actually doing something physically constructive. Like every generation, they were self absorbed and thought they were smarter than those who preceded them. I think that is a thread of commonality that we all share.

I got out of the workforce in 2007 at the ripe old age of 46. I knew the markets were about to crater at that time so I adjusted everything I had- pulled it out of equities and beat the rush into bonds that occurred in 2008. I had just enough dough set aside to make it to age 50- when I would start getting retirement checks.

I was able to do that because I paid attention to history. That's it. I have always relied on history to tell me what to do next.

After the crash of '08, worker salaries and benefits were destroyed. Production and manufacturing jobs were lost to NAFTA, Mexico, and the Pacific Rim. Government has never been worse- our leaders are nothing but pathological liars- following some unwritten historical script that must take place before the fall of our Republic. Wall Street bankers own our government now- they are part of the script. They most certainly will bring about the final collapse.

Indeed, in my short life, I have seen the Greatest Generation and I just don't think they were that great. One day there will be a calamity of such magnitude and duration that it will most certainly spawn a new sense of what is important and what is not. That's how I think these things reset.

Gen X, Gen Y, and the Millennials have inherited a mess. It will not matter who was responsible for it. The only thing that will matter will be whether or not these generations are capable of diagnosing all of the problems that this country has contracted and whether or not they can plot a course for recovery. Unfortunately, they do not have history on their side. I cannot think of one time in history, when a deeply diminished and bankrupt society realized what was happening to them, stopped it, and plotted a course for recovery that didn't involve war.

Our entire culture has changed. I look at the the young kids now days and I can't believe they are still working for the same shitty wages we have always seen without benefits. Wages haven't really moved up in 30 years. Those that do manage to get a leg up are increasingly exploited. My gal has made the leap to restaurant manager only to find herself working 60-70 hour weeks with non stop texts and phone calls during her "non working" hours. All that for a measly 50k and benefits. It all works out to about 18 bucks an hour because if a company wants to avoid paying overtime, they simply make you a manager and get around it.

I often watch her race off to work for another 12 hour day, every day, 5 or 6 days a week. This upcoming week, she has no days off. Work is like a war zone for her and she returns home exhausted. How long can people endure this? I don't know. Left with no other choices, human beings can tolerate a lot of misery.

We had it pretty good. All I  had to do was 25 years and out. Just a few eternal days, health and dental insurance,40 hour weeks with overtime and an employer/employee retirement program.

Boomers didn't sign NAFTA or get rid of Glass Steagall. We didn't lever up and exploit every would be homeowner with pick a pay loans that issuers knew would never be repaid and didn't care- because they were going to sell them off anyway while greasing an entire industry to lie about their triple A rating. We didn't steal a few trillion from the treasury either- to keep our hordes of wealth intact.

You see, old rich people run this place. The old, rich people were still in charge 10 years ago. They were in charge of protecting all the wealth they had accumulated, privatizing profits for themselves and socializing losses. They were not ashamed to steal a few trillion from the Treasury in 2008 in order to keep their estates intact- they just had to find the right people to let them get away with it- which they did.

A lot of us, a few of my older boomer friends, we got out at just the right time. I see that all very clearly now.

The Greatest Generation- Tom Brokaw called them that. Surely, it must be true if Tom Brokaw said it. Old, rich people using whatever means they can muster to hang onto their fortunes. People like Warren Buffet, the Koch brothers, Kerkorian. Come to think of it, Brokaw at age 75, is exactly the kind of old, rich guy that runs this place. Why wouldn't you label yourself a member of the Greatest Generation? In the end, it always seems to make sense.

Silver Update, Explaining Bit Gold

After writing my blog on whether or not JP Morgan was trying to corner the silver market, silver rose from 16.40 (May 8) to 17.51 during the week. For the first time in at least a year, silver was actually up yesterday. (Friday) I went ahead and bought some anyway.

Buying silver here is a no brainer for me. Get zero interest on deposits or buy precious metals at rock bottom prices.

Last year, I bought a new, larger safety deposit box. I hate keeping my pm's in a credit union. I don't trust any kind of bankers- period. But the thought of pushing a 700 lb safe into my house and bolting it to the floor has me less than excited.

A few days ago, my uncle referred me to an article at 321 gold on "Bit gold." I read what I could about bit gold there and a few other places- and I love the idea. It is simply banking, with worldwide capabilities in any currency, using gold. I would have signed up for an account this week but alas, US government regulations prohibit it. Imagine that. Here is the link.

http://www.maxkeiser.com/2015/05/bob-moriarty-bitgold-explained/

Here is BitGold's site, company just a few days old! https://www.bitgold.com/

Going to try and put up a new piece on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone!

Is Too Big To Fail Bank, JP Morgan, Trying to Corner the Silver Market?

For several months and probably years, I have been following the silver market. I buy silver, small quantities, on a fairly regular basis. I always buy on Fridays because the price is always under attack on Fridays. I wish I had a chart of the silver price limited just to Fridays- because that is when precious metals are consistently sold off. It's almost automatic.

At any rate, several weeks ago, I caught an article about JP Morgan buying silver hand over fist. We're talking 9 million ounces in the space of two weeks.

The silver market, in relative dollar terms, is very small. The Hunt brothers tried to corner it in the late 70's but failed- driving the price of silver to 50 bucks an oz in the process. Interestingly enough, the Hunt brothers telegraphed their intentions which allowed a lot of folks to hop onto the bandwagon and drive the price up in the process. I was one of them. The Hunts helped pay for my college and a car.

So what about a giant TBTF banker- with access to billions of relatively cheap FED dollars and leverage to trillions more- what's stopping them from succeeding where the Hunt brothers failed? Especially if they have the means to take delivery of the actual physical metal rather than simply trading paper?

Not much. In fact, with nothing left to invest in- having driven the equity markets to 200% of probable fair value from the lows of Mar. 09- cornering the silver market seems like a no brainer. The price of silver has been so decimated that I doubt silver miners can even turn a profit. I think based on years and years of research- that fair value or break even costs of silver producers has to be around 21.00 dollars an oz.- in a very general sense because silver is often the by-product of other mining operations. Today the price of silver stands just a shade over 17 bucks an oz.

And oddly, in a deflating environment, with silver sales declining and demand at a lull- somebody is buying an absolute mountain of the stuff. http://srsroccoreport.com/why-is-the-u-s-importing-so-much-silver-bullion/why-is-the-u-s-importing-so-much-silver-bullion/

I like this website mainly because the author does not speculate where this vast demand is coming from nor does he speculate where it is going. He sticks pretty much with the data points.

But if I were actively trying to corner the silver market- I'd sure want to try it with very deep pockets at a time when nobody was watching with a very subdued price. Like now.

Here is Ted Butler's take on the situation. This is a fascinating piece. It's a year old but giant positions aren't built overnight without people noticing. http://goldsilverworlds.com/physical-market/jp-morgan-holds-highest-amount-of-physical-silver-in-history/

or this- today at the Silver Doctors...http://www.silverdoctors.com/

Here's something far more recent (May of 2015) I stole from somewhere: (I apologize if it is redundant)

At the time the Hunt brothers were believed to have acquired futures contracts worth one third of total annual global mine supply on leverage. Had they been in a position to meet the margin call if the outcome may have been quite different.

Had they accumulated physical silver rather than paper silver in the form of futures contracts, as JP Morgan are doing, the Hunts would likely have made an absolute fortune.

So, it is interesting to note that legendary silver market analyst Ted Butler has estimated that JP Morgan may currently hold far more than their official figure of 55 million ounces.

Butler believes the true figure to be closer to 350 million ounces. Annual global silver production is 820 million ounces which, if Butler is correct, puts JP Morgan in a position to corner the physical silver market today, unlike the Hunt brothers back in 1980. As this would equate to a holding 42.7% of total annual supply.

JP Morgan has been acquiring this vast hoard of physical silver while holding the largest short position in the silver futures market, i.e. while suppressing the silver price with its unlimited access to free money, according to Butler.

It's hard to escape the fact that if JP Morgan isn't trying to actively corner the silver market- it sure looks like it can. All that might stand in JP Morgan's path are laws which as we have learned- don't really apply to the TBTF banks anyway. They probably have a legal department which has far more savvy and acumen than anything our government can muster.

At any rate, it's kind of nice to be on the right side of a trade for a change. I am just going to go about my business of accumulating silver just like JP Morgan does. Very quietly and mostly on Fridays.