First Occupy Wall Street — Now Occupy the Fed

Written by Raven Clabough Friday, 07 October 2011 17:09

Perhaps surprising to some, many conservativessympathize with the Occupy Wall Street protestersbecause they understand the motivating factors behindthe protests: increased costs on everyday items,unemployment, inflation, etc. However, thoseconservatives recognize that much of the anger of theprotesters is directed at the wrong target. The realenemy, they contend, is the Federal Reserve, and it isfor that reason that those conservatives have chosento use the momentum of the Occupy Wall Streetprotests 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 wasintended to be a “decentralized non-violent resistancemovement.” Anonymous A99 said of the intent of theorganizers:

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 andheld 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 campaignof non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience.”

Those protests commenced on June 14, and took place in over 20 cities, but were scarcelyreported 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 personalityAlex Jones. His website, infowars.com, issued a press release advertising the protests, which read:

Public sentiment has shifted — against thetrends of Washington and Wall Street — andnow, against the private Federal Reservebank which controls or influences so muchof the world’s finances. Whereas only a fewyears ago many Americans were unaware ofthe true nature of the shadowy organization,recent polls confirm that the publicoverwhelmingly wants to audit and evenabolish the Federal Reserve bank.

Explaining the growing animosity towardsthe Federal Reserve, Jones continues:

By striking at the root of the true problems, we can attempt to reign in the predatory bankingpowers 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 impedimenttowards 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 RonPaul has been a leading advocate of eliminating the Federal Reserve and restoring the free marketeconomy. He has spent virtually his entire political career vocalizing his disdain for theunconstitutional system.

In 2002, Paul said of the Federal Reserve:

Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle- and working-class Americans have beenvictimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered asteadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. Thisrepresents 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, whileimposing negative consequences on the average American:

Though the Federal Reserve policy harms the average American, it benefits those in a position totake advantage of the cycles in monetary policy. The main beneficiaries are those who receiveaccess to artificially inflated money and/or credit before the inflationary effects of the policyimpact the entire economy. Federal Reserve policies also benefit big spending politicians who usethe inflated currency created by the Fed to hide the true costs of the welfare-warfare state. It istime for Congress to put the interests of the American people ahead of the special interests andtheir own appetite for big government.

Above all, Paul notes that the Federal Reserve is anunconstitutional establishment that has ultimatelystripped Congress of powers that were assigned to itby the Constitution:

Abolishing the Federal Reserve will allow Congressto reassert its constitutional authority over monetarypolicy. The United States Constitution grants toCongress the authority to coin money and regulatethe value of the currency. The Constitution does notgive Congress the authority to delegate control overmonetary policy to a central bank. Furthermore, the

Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standardof living via an inflationary monetary policy.

According to Paul, it is the policies of the Federal Reserve that have driven people to protest: “Itis no wonder they are up on Wall Street raising Cain because they know the system is biasedagainst the average person.”

Protesters outside of the Federal Reserve were seen bearing signs targeting the Fed’s destructiveeconomic policies, as well as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. One protester held a signof Bernanke wearing Muslim garb that read, “Osama Bin Bernanke.”

In Chicago, anti-Fed protesters have been stationed outside of the Federal Reserve bank sinceSeptember 24. On Monday, nearly one dozen people sat outside of the Federal Reserve Bank withprotest signs and hampers filled with food and blankets. The demonstrators claim that so muchhas been donated to them that they have actually begun to give the excess food and blankets tohomeless 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 thestreets to protest are true, but the protests have become so widespread that it is becomingincreasingly 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 betrue 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 andsocialist groups which hold very different political stances from libertarians. Their list of demandshave included more big government and more regulation, items that would not be supported bylibertarian-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 widespectrum of political philosophies.

According to The Daily Campus, a publication of theSouthern Methodist University, those present at the Dallasprotest hailed from a variety of backgrounds: “Followers ofthe Tea Party movement, Ron Paul supporters, and theDallas Young Democrats all had strong showings.”

Whether the protests against the Federal Reserve will helpto 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 Reserveand finally take notice of the type of destruction it hasimposed on the American people.

We contacted John Birch Society President JohnMcManus, who said, "Targeting the Federal Reserve iscorrect inasmuch as there is no constitutionaljustification for its existence and it possessesenormously harmful powers. But it was created byCongress and, therefore, can be abolished byCongress. Demonstrating against the Fed by campingout in the streets, especially if funding for such activitycomes from the likes of George Soros, should belabeled a counterproductive exercise. Thesedemonstrations seem designed to deflect attention and anger away from the Fed's creator, theCongress 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 andaccountability in Central Banking, corporate activity, as well as government. Our foremostpurpose is to fully support the utilization of the First Amendment to the Constitution and the rightof any American, regardless of their economic, political, religious, or social beliefs to redressgrievances publically, and peacefully, while also defending the Constitution by directing attentionto the primary sources of the ongoing destruction of our country. We are NOT acounter-movement in opposition to Occupy Wall Street. While we do not agree with many of the specific conclusionsor solutions presented by some Occupy Wall Street activists,we do not seek to antagonize or interfere with them. We onlyseek to share the vast knowledge we have collected over manyyears of analysis on the true nature of the financial troublessurrounding us, as well as the true culprits behind theirappearance. Ultimately, we hope to make all protestorsagainst economic corruption aware of the root source of thecurrent fiscal crisis; the privately controlled Federal ReserveBank, as well as the central banking authorities of many othernations around the world.2) We reject notions promoted by the mainstream media that the Wall Street protests (andspin-offs) are driven entirely by a “socialist uprising” or “Liberal Tea Party.” Such arbitrarytalking 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 anytangible influence over the decisions made by government today, and that 99% includes ALLpolitical orientations, whether conservative or liberal, independent, libertarian, etc. Over 80% ofthe American public, for instance, stood in vehement opposition to bailout programs initiated bythe Federal Reserve which rewarded the thievery of criminal banking cartels while punishingtaxpayers. Our enemy is the same no matter what “side of the aisle” we might stand. Thismovement must transcend preconceived notions and political ideologies and focus upon what ismost 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 ofpower into the hands of an elite few in order administer the functions of government and societyto the detriment of the common citizen. This is exactly the kind of system we have today, withthe Federal Reserve as the core facilitator, and it is a complete affront to the principles and lawsof liberty which founded this country. Wall Street and the corporations that dwell within aremerely the peripheral vestiges of a much greater problem, and any movement which targets onlyWall Street, we believe, is overlooking the source of our country’s ailments. Instead of endlesslybattling 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 theAdam Smith sense) for at least a century, accusations that the methodology of Capitalism is toblame for our all our current ills are unfounded. In fact, it has been the steady destruction ofCapitalism and free markets since 1913 (when the Federal Reserve was founded) by themonopolies 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 removeoptions and competition from a system, rather than encouraging the creation of new choices andbetter ways of doing things. Occupy The Fed Now wishes to encourage the return of freemarkets and individual entrepreneurship while diminishing or completely removing the powers ofthe 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 unlawfulactions

5) Occupy The Fed Now is calling for the complete dissolution of the private Federal Reserveand the end of its domination of the creation of currency within the U.S. We oppose all monetarysystems based on the spread of “fiat” (paper or digital money printed or generated out of thin airand backed by no tangible assets). Private banks and unaccountable bankers and global financiersshould NEVER be given the authority to shift and manipulate our sovereign economic system atwill, yet this is exactly how the Federal Reserve is run, and that is exactly what it does. All Fedaccounts including its foreign transactions and holdings should be subjected to a FULL audit, andall debts that are owed to the Fed by the American government and by default the Americantaxpayer should be repudiated. The power to coin money must be taken away from the centralbank 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 backedby tangible assets, instead of debt. Legislation which allows states and communities to have theirown competing sound currencies would nurture an environment of financial choice, as well asspur a new era of business creativity. Government intrusions into the personal lives of citizens, aswell as the institution of vast bureaucratic obstacles, to the advantage of corporations and to thedetriment of the individual, must be eliminated. States must take back 10th Amendment reservedpowers that have been worn away over the decades and reassert control over their owneconomies and internal politics. Globalization and centralization must be replaced withLocalization backed by decentralized markets controlled by the people. Average Americans musttake back their local economies and supplant corporate control by building alternative systems oftrade, including barter markets, sound money networks, and local business organizations andco-ops. In order to defeat a corrupt system, we must first stop participating in that system, andthen, 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 oursas such recently. We are not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties, nor will we beco-opted by either. We are “extremists” only in that we absolutely refuse to compromise on thetruth. 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 preventoutright economic and social catastrophe, we believe, is swiftly closing. We must act immediatelyif we hope to secure a positive outcome for our country, our Constitution, and our culture. Thereis no later, there is only now…

NOTE FROM STEWART RHODES (Founder of OathKeepers):

This is one of the most disturbing and disgustingthings I have ever seen in America. At the timethey were pepper sprayed by the police, theseyoung women were doing nothing at all exceptstanding there. Doesn’t matter if they wereabout to be arrested. Doesn’t matter if they had

done something that justified arrest. They were not resistingarrest -- they were just standing there. An officer issupposed to work up the force continuum from presence,to voice commands, and then up the scale of physical forceas proportional and needed to effect the arrest and/ordefend himself or others. The officer who sprayed thesewomen in the face jumped right to pepper spray, withouteven trying to cuff them (if they were even being arrested),and while THEY WERE JUST STANDING THERE. I seeutterly no justification for what is shown in this video and itboth makes my skin crawl, and makes my blood boil withanger to see these women treated like that. Listen to theirscreams. Doesn’t matter if you don’t like their politics,don’t like their speech, or anything else. THIS ISAMERICA, and in this nation, ALL AMERICANS areprotected by the First Amendment and as human beings weall have a natural right to free speech, a right to associate,and a right to assemble with others to speak out and todiscuss whatever we damn well please. And in America, allof 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 theNYPD, but this officer is an oath breaker who bringsshame and dishonor on his department. Actions like thiswill turn the American people further against the policeand kill what little is left of their good will and trust inpolice. It is essential that the good cops police their own,both to preserve that good will, and also, and moreimportantly, to keep their oaths. We all swore an oath todefend the Constitution, period. That means all of it, allthe time, for all Americans, whoever they are, noexceptions. Anything less is a farce and a joke.