Might not be a good "precedent" going forward....
....seems like an "end around" attack by the darkside on Ron Paul's campaign in a big way.
...what happens if you try to barter "real money"(Constitutional gold or silver) in the future during a time of US dollar depreciation or acute crisis?
You get a knock on your door from the Feds or BlackWater??
How dare you try to use gold or silver as money!!!!!
Hiel Hitler!
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Feds raid 'Liberty Dollar' operations in Idaho and Indiana
*Did someone see that piece of paper called the U.S. Constitution???...
Feds raid 'Liberty Dollar' operations in Idaho and Indiana
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last updated November 16, 2007 7:15 a.m. PT
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- Federal agents have raided sites in Idaho and Indiana linked to the "Liberty Dollar," a silver coin used by groups that oppose the Federal Reserve System and the federal income tax, a newspaper reported.
FBI agents seized records and dies for casting the coins at three locations Thursday in this north Idaho resort town, and FBI and Secret Service agents also raided the headquarters of the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act & Internal Revenue Code, known as NORFED, in Evansville, Ind.
The raids were confirmed by four sources close to the investigation who asked not to be identified, and a notice was posted on the Internet by NORFED founder Bernard von NotHaus, according to The Spokesman-Review of Spokane.
NORFED has produced an estimated $20 million its own paper currency in the past decade, claiming the $1, $5 and $10 bills were backed by silver coins stored in Coeur d'Alene. The raids were the first direct federal challenge to that operation, the newspaper reported.
NotHaus, a self-described "monetary architect" and Federal Reserve System critic, started NORFED while he lived in Hawaii in the late 1990s as a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.
"We never refer to the American Liberty as a coin," von NotHaus told The Spokesman-Review in 1999. "The word 'coin' is a government-controlled term. This is currency that is free from government control."
Since 1998 the coins have been made at Sunshine Minting, which also produces a variety of precious metal products.
"When the people own the money, they control the government," von NotHaus said. "When the government owns the money, it controls the people."
The organization reportedly was preparing to sell and distribute "Ron Paul" dollars to support the Texas congressman in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Paul previously ran for president as a Libertarian.
Law enforcement sources told the newspaper that dies used to produce the coins were seized at the minting company and records were taken from two local accounting firms.
Kootenai County sheriff's deputies said they were unaware of the raids. Federal authorities in Idaho referred inquiries to the U.S. attorney's office in the Charlotte, N.C., which could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
Tom Power, owner of Sunshine Minting, did not return telephone calls Thursday, but other employees told the newspaper he was present at the time of the raid.
The Web notice, purportedly issued Thursday by von NotHaus, said, "I sincerely regret to inform you that about 8 this morning a dozen FBI and Secret Service agents raided the Liberty Dollar office in Evansville.
"For approximately six hours they took all the gold, all the silver, all the platinum, and almost two tons of Ron Paul Dollars that were just delivered last Friday. They also took all the files and computers and froze our bank accounts."
Purchasers with pending orders were asked to be patient.
"We have no money. We have no products. We have no records to even know what was ordered or what you are owed. We have nothing but the will to push forward and overcome this massive assault on our liberty and our right to have real money as defined by the U.S. Constitution," the notice said.
The U.S. Mint recently issued a statement saying "prosecutors with the Department of Justice have determined that the use of these gold and silver NORFED 'Liberty Dollar' medallions as circulating money is a federal crime."
"Consumers who are considering the purchase or use of these items should be aware that they are not genuine United States Mint bullion coins and they are not legal tender."
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, spokesmanreview.com
LINK: seattlepi.nwsource.com |
