Friday, June 5, 2009

FBI Arrests Bernard von NotHaus, and others from Liberty Dollar

LIBERTY DOLLAR ALERT:
June 2009 Vol. 11 No. 06-A


Urgent News for All Liberty Dollar Supporters!

FBI Arrests Bernard, Kevin, Sarah & Rachelle
The battle for a value based currency has began!

The last two days have been amazing! Just shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the phone started ringing and I let the answering machine take the call. But very soon there was another call… with an even more urgent message! Very quickly, a friend of Kevin Innes, explained to me that Kevin had been "detained" by the local sheriff and was being held for the FBI to arrest him! Holy Cow!! The #2 supporter for the Liberty Dollar and co-instructor at the Liberty Dollar University training sessions was in deep trouble with the Feds! I was sure to be next. But would they arrive in a few minutes or would it be a pre-dawn Nazi style assault?

Finally, I got up at 4:00 AM. I was very concerned for Kevin and wondered when the FBI would hit me. Fortunately the morning was quickly filled with a flurry of calls from Kevin's friend, other interested parties, the usual business calls and making preparations for the inevitable knock on the door. But nobody came. Then just after noon, Niles, who's wife, Rachelle, manages the Liberty Dollar Fulfillment Office, called to tell me that Rachelle had been picked up by the FBI at the LD Office and was due to be arraigned in just a few hours! The FBI strikes again!

Luckily, I was able to talk to Rachelle via her cell phone while the FBI was holding her. I was pleased that the FBI agents were the friendly professional types and afforded Rachelle and I quite a few minutes of private conversation. Under the circumstances, Rachelle's demeanor and resolve was right on target. And very quickly, I learned that a warrant had been issued for my arrest. And just a quickly, Rachelle was off to court to be arraigned.

Much later in the afternoon, I learned to my surprise that three big FBI agents had arrested Sarah at work. She and Rachelle were arraigned together and quickly released to on their own recognizance (OR) before the sun set on a very eventful day for the Liberty Dollar. The quick, professional effort with Sarah and Rachelle were gratifying and encouraging. Unfortunately, I was to learn that Sarah lost her job because of this event.

By last afternoon it was clear that the Liberty Dollar would be best served by my turning myself in to the to the US Marshals, otherwise know as 'self reporting.' After a few calls, I found myself talking to Agent Andy (aka Agent F) who was his usual friendly, chatty self. He even recognized my voice although we had only spoken twice and that was over 18 months ago. Sure enough he confirmed that a federal arrest warrant for my arrest had been issued. And after a bit of gamesmanship with Agent Andy, I agreed to report to the US Marshal's office in Fort Myers, Florida at 9:00 AM on Thursday morning as it was too late to be arraigned, plus an overnight in jail would have wrinkled by clothes Smiley

The following morning, Thursday, June 3, 2009, I actually arrived at the Marshal's office at 8:30 due to light traffic. As the saying goes, "If you gotta do time, do federal time." Quite simply, the federal boys are better educated, better trained and have better manners. I was immediately escorted to a holding cell. After an hour or less, I met with the Pre-Trila Service rep and made it to court at 11:00 in chains and handcuffs. The female judge was businesslike and granted my request to attend my son's graduation in Physics from UCLA next week. After fingerprinting, signing a $50,000 Appearance Bond, one final meeting with the Pre-Indictment Service rep, I was free.

In general, the arraignment was a pleasant affair. The US Marshals did their job with very little attitude, as they should. After all, I am self reporting, and it is for anything violent, I just want to prove that I have a right to issue my own currency and if any body chooses to use it then it is a "private contract." It is certainly not a crime.

And so it came to pass, 2009 years after the birth of Christ, that four regular Americans have taken a stand to defend the People's right to protect themselves from a government currency that has a long and unforgiving history of stealing the people's purchasing power. This is a test of individual rights, as protected by the Tenth Amendment. It is the deciding moment that a private voluntary barter currency (PVBC) is legal in the great United States of America. This is a test that the Liberty Dollar must and will pass, for that I have no doubt. But it will not be easy or cheap. Please, if you support our efforts, support us with any kind of money you have, including pro bono services. Now that the Liberty Dollar faces a federal criminal trial, it is the US Government v Liberty Dollar ala Bernard, Kevin, Sarah & Rachelle. Please help us win. Please help yourself win. Please help American win.

Very simply this is a Win or Lose battle. In addition to money for this legal fight we need articles that reference non-government currency, such as Air Miles as currency, legal research assistance, expert witnesses, legal assistance, etc. If you support the ideals of the Liberty Dollar, this is the time to get behind the Liberty Dollar. We critically need your help! Please send your digital info to Legal@LibertyDollar.org and your donations of value including other kinds of "currencies" to:
LIBERTY DOLLAR
225 N. Stockwell Road
Evansville. Indiana. 47715

The best news is that the Liberty Dollar finally has the opportunity to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is legal. Over two years ago I sued the US government for a Declaratory Judgment to resolve the legality issue. And how did they respond, they raided the Liberty Dollar and confiscated over $4 million dollars in gold, silver and cash. The US government has done everything possible to kill the Liberty Dollar! And guess what? It has not worked. The mere fact that the Liberty Dollar is still in business is a testament to your demand for Real Money and the ideals that the Liberty Dollar represents.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support! Trust me, the Liberty Dollar is not made up of any fat cats. We are all just regular Americans. And we all just want good money, a lot less government and no damn war!

Click HERE for a stilted Press Release by the DOJ. Its three pages with a whopper by Owen Harris, Special FBI Agent in Charlotte who said, "When groups try to replace the US dollar with coins and bills that don't hold the same value..." WOW what a telling statement of pure spin.

Click HERE for the 13 page Indictment.
Click HERE for Sarah's Arrest Warrant.

Guess what?! Liberty Dollar still in business and we need more business! As there has been no Cease and Desist Order, Liberty Dollar remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Please visit our shopping cart for all the 2009 Liberty, Peace, Freedom, T-Dollars and more. Don't be bashful or stupid. Silver is going to the moon, just as sure as the US dollar is going to hell with your purchasing power. Now is the time to protect your purchasing with the "inflation proof" currency and help usher in a new monetary model that provides the only proven, peaceful, and profitable solution to the monetary cancer that has infected America.

OUTSTANDING ORDERS: Please rest assured that we will fill all outstanding orders. Yes, after producing a sizable amount of pre-minted Silver Libertys and finally getting current with most orders, we changed mints and are now behind again. We apologize emphatically! Poor and/or slow delivery is not acceptable business. It hurts everyone. And just when we were about to get current again we were arrested. Please continue to support us with your patience too. We promise to get every order out ASAP. But as I hope you can understand, it is a struggle to run a business, any business, in such an environment and fight a major legal battle for our right to protect our purchasing power

The last few 2009 Arrest Dollars. Are you familiar with the Arrest Dollars? Starting in 2007 and continuing through this year the Arrest Dollar is one ounce Silver Liberty that is specially hand hallmarked with a micro "handcuffs" stamp and my federally registered mintmark. Issued only from the day of the raid to today. The last few 2009 Arrest Dollars are currently on the Shopping Cart. After these are gone, they are gone to eBay for much more money.

The 2009 Tea Party Dollar (T-Dollar) is still available and we are still waiting confirmation on the shipment. We are still expecting to have the first batch order in the first 24 HOURS here for the July 4 events. The T-Dollar is still only a buck for an ounce of copper AND you can still get them for 10% discount to they $1 face value for a 100 or more. Hey, they are only a buck… you can't go wrong. Plus every copper issue has sold out. Get these while you can and help support our legal efforts tooJ

The 2009 Silver Libertys! The backbone of the Liberty Dollar model is the one ounce .999 fine silver Lib! Just in the last few days, silver has bounced back over $16, soon the 30 day moving average will be $16 and the Liberty Dollar will Move Up again to the $50 Silver Base. PLEASE don't be dumb and buy silver when it is high. Get it NOW!!! Sure it is not $5 per ounce any more, nor will it ever be again. $5 silver is just not possible with the government spending phony baloney fiat money like a drunken sailor. Please order silver now and protect your purchasing power and profit tomorrow!

Stay tuned to the Liberty Dollar News as we vindicate and validate the legality of the Liberty Dollar. Please take an active role in this exciting and profitable time. Don't lose out. Get involved with the Liberty Dollar to make money, do good and have fun. I am having as much fun in my 60's and I did in The 60's and hope you are too.

Thanks again for your support.

Bernard von NotHaus
Monetary Architect
Editor@LibertyDollar.org
www.LibertyDollar.org
888.LIB.DOLLAR
888.421.6181

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Asheville man charged in alleged Liberty Dollar fraud scheme

By Clarke Morrison

Federal authorities arrested an Asheville man in what they said was a scheme to undermine the U.S. currency system and defraud consumers with so-called Liberty Dollars.

William Kevin Innes marketed the “barter” currency in Western North Carolina and recruited merchants willing to accept it and give it as change for products bought with real money, according to an indictment unsealed this week.

Innes, 53, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. He was indicted along with Bernard von NotHaus, president of the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve and Internal Revenue Codes, and two other defendants from Indiana associated with the corporation.

Innes made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Asheville Wednesday and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing set for Monday before a judge in Charlotte, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Liberty Dollars are coins made of silver or gold and are touted as inflation-proof and a way to encourage buying local goods.

“When groups seek to undermine the U.S. currency system, the government is compelled to act,” said acting U.S. Attorney Edward Ryan of the Western District of North Carolina.

“These coins are not government-produced coinage, yet purchasers were led to believe by those who made and sold them that they should be spent like U.S. Federal Reserve Notes,” Ryan said. “Such claims are in violation of federal law.”

Innes and von NotHaus are charged with uttering and passing coins resembling genuine U.S. coins and intended for use as money, mail fraud and selling and possessing Liberty Dollar coins with intent to defraud.

Past statements

Despite warnings from the federal government to the contrary, Innes told the Citizen-Times in 2006 that Liberty Dollars were legal.

“One of the first things I did when I started this in Asheville was go to the police and tell them what I was doing,” he said then.

Von NotHaus created his organization in Evansville, Ind., in 1998, and developed the Liberty Dollar. He touted the silver medallions as an inflation-proof alternative to official currency.

The indictment alleges the corporation's purpose was to limit reliance on and compete with U.S. currency.

Innes held the title of North Carolina regional currency officer and was one of three members of the group's executive committee, the indictment states.

A 2007 affidavit said more than 70 businesses in the Asheville area agreed to accept the Liberty Dollar.

“People understand that there is only one legal currency in the United States,” said Owen Harris, special agent in charge of the Charlotte office of the FBI. “When groups try to replace the U.S. dollar with coins and bills that don't hold the same value, it affects the economy.

“Consumers were using their hard-earned money to buy goods and services, then getting fake change in return.”

The arrests are the latest development in an investigation under way since at least 2004. Federal agents raided the company's headquarters in 2007 and seized documents and precious metals. A private mint in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, that produced the coins was raided the same day.

Von NotHaus' organization said in 2006 that more than $20 million worth of Liberty Dollar coins and notes were in circulation. Congress has exclusive power to coin money in the U.S. and to regulate its value, according to the Treasury Department.
citizen-times.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

three-day emergency response exercise

ALBANY — More than 550 first responders from State, federal and local governments, and hospital/health-care workers from over 30 federal, New York State and local agencies in Albany and Rensselaer Counties will participate beginning today in an intensive, three-day emergency response exercise in the capital region.

This comprehensive, coordinated response is one of the largest drills of its kind to be conducted in New York State .

The entire exercise, known as Empire 09, spans two months and began May 14, with a two-day facilitated drill in Albany . Today’s exercise will help officials from all levels of government respond to a frightening, but realistic scenario in the capital region – the detonation of a “dirty bomb,” known more accurately in the response world as a Radiological Dispersal Device. The third phase of the exercise – long-term recovery and cleanup – will be conducted in a facilitated exercise setting in Albany on June 16.

“Exercises like this one being held this week in the capital region are critically important because they allow us to test the functionality, capability and responsiveness of every government agency tasked with the responsibility of keeping New Yorkers safe during a disaster, whether it is man-made or natural,” said Denise E. O’Donnell, Governor Paterson’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety.

“First responders will be able to enhance their skills, identify and correct any weaknesses in the system and further enhance interagency partnerships that are crucial to ensuring that when disaster strikes, New York is ready,” O'Donnell said. “I want to commend the members of the state’s Disaster Preparedness Commission for their stewardship of this important initiative and extend thanks, on behalf of all New Yorkers, to the more than 550 first responders and health care workers who are participating in this drill today and work every day to serve and protect their neighbors.”

Mayor Gerald D. Jennings said, “The events of 9/11 made it imperative that at all levels we look at our ability to respond in the event of a catastrophic emergency. Our ability to respond in the most efficient and timely manner is integral to minimizing the impact to our citizens and maximizing our ability to deliver critical services. Exercises like Empire 09 provide an excellent training ground to test the countless hours that have been put in at the Federal, State and local level in emergency preparedness.”

Albany County Executive Mike Breslin said, “We welcome the opportunity Empire 09 affords us to test the response and recovery plans we have in place with our local, state and federal government agencies. Sheriff Jim Campbell, Dr. Jim Crucetti, Commissioner of our County Health Department, and I have worked tirelessly over the years to ensure a swift and effective response by Albany County agencies to protect our citizens during any incident.”

Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino said, “Protecting the public’s safety is a core responsibility of government. Rensselaer County is a proud partner in this exercise that will undoubtedly help us ensure the safety of our residents if a disaster or attack of this nature should occur.”

The exercise is hosted by the state through the state Disaster Preparedness Commission and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration. Because of the complexity of Empire 09, the Federal Department of Homeland Security’s National Exercise Program has designated it as a Tier II National Level Exercise.

Principal exercise locations include the State Emergency Operations Center (on the Harriman State Office Campus), the NYS Department of Health Operations Center in Menands, DOE/NNSA’s Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) at the Albany County Hockey Facility, and a number of environmental sampling and population monitoring sites.

John R. Gibb, director of the New York State Emergency Management Office and chairman of the DPC, said, “Empire 09 is an excellent opportunity for us to test the plans and procedures we have in place and the years of training our first responders have received. It also affords us the opportunity to cement our relationship with the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to ensure that we are doing everything possible to protect our citizens in the event of a real attack.”

Thomas G. Donlon, director of the state Office of Homeland Security, said, “This exercise demonstrates the State’s continuing commitment to be prepared to prevent, respond and recover from potential acts of terrorism. Police, fire, health analysts, logisticians and the Office of Homeland Security must remain vigilant and be ready to respond. This massive drill will measure our resources and capabilities.”

The exercise scenario – the terrorist RDD attack in New York ’s Capital City of Albany – involves the uncontrolled release of radiological material to test and evaluate response plans and procedures from the time it occurs through the cleanup process. The exercise will simulate the detonation of dirty bombs and will test out how multiple levels of government will work together to determine the chemical makeup of the bomb, immediate impact on public health, assess the extent and magnitude of the release on potentially affected populations and environments, determine protective actions, how to prevent further spread of the radiological materials, and restore critical infrastructure and key resources.

A “dirty bomb” is one type of RDD that uses a conventional explosion to disperse radioactive material over a targeted area. The term dirty bomb and RDD are often used interchangeably in technical literature. However, RDDs could also include other means of dispersal such as placing a container of radioactive material in a public place, or using an airplane to disperse powdered or aerosolized forms of radioactive material.

Homeland Security officials acknowledge that it is very difficult to design an RDD that would deliver radiation doses high enough to cause immediate health effects or fatalities in a large number of people. Therefore, experts generally agree that an RDD would more likely be used to contaminate facilities or places where people live and work, disrupting lives and livelihoods and would potentially also cause anxiety in those who think they are being, or have been exposed.

This Friday through Sunday, the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs will conduct a Defense Support to Civil Authorities exercise that is designed as a follow-on to Empire 09 in order to test the "tiered response" system in which Army and Air National Guard units follow after first responders deal with an emergency.

This exercise will test the ability of the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia to receive, process, and house National Guard troops from around

New York responding to an emergency in the Capital Region.

The National Guard’s 2nd Civil Support Team, the CERF-P, the CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) Enhanced Response Force Package, and the Joint Interagency Site Communications System will be tested in an exercise that takes place at the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) Urban Search and Rescue Center in the Capital District Area of New York. The exercise will be based on a CBRNE event.

National Guard forces will flow into Stratton ANGB on Friday, exercise at the Urban Search and

Rescue Center on Saturday, and then return home on Sunday. This will be a "drill weekend" for those Guard elements.

Participating agencies in Empire 09 include:

State Government

Office of the Governor, State Departments of Agriculture and Markets, Environmental Conservation, Education, Health, Labor, and Transportation; State Offices of Emergency Management, Homeland Security, Fire Prevention & Control, and General Services; State Divisions of State Police, and Military & Naval Affairs.

Albany and Rensselaer Counties

Albany County’s Critical Incident Emergency Management Unit, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, Albany County Health Department, City of Albany Fire and Police Departments, Office of the Mayor of Albany, Albany County Airport Authority, Rensselaer County Public Safety Department, Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, Rensselaer County Health Department, Albany Medical Center.

Federal government

U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, DOD Defense Threat Reduction Agency, United States Northern Command, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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