America: Freedom to Fascism

Our next Free Film is Aaron Russo's new film, America: Freedom to Facsism, a compelling documentary about the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve, the private bank controlling national finance.

Showing at 6pm, Monday December 4th, in the Program Room.

Russo made his name in the 1980s with the hit comedy Trading Places. He managed Bette Midler, and was the first American to book a Led Zeplin gig.

In his new film, Russo explores the facts surrounding the passing of the 16th amendment, back in 1913. This 'Federal Reserve Act' gave monopoly rights to print US currency to a private bank, now known as the Federal Reserve. This move was controversial--presidents before Woodrow Wilson had systematically denied the legislation, noting that the constitution empowers only congress with the ability to mint US coin and that granting this power to private interests would work against the people and undermine the principles this country was founded on.

However, the act was apparently never passed--there were not enough states that ratified it! The supreme court has ruled against the legality of the 16th amendment. And yet, the Federal Reserve still prints US currency and the IRS enforces payment of the Federal Income Tax.

But, according to Russo's film, there has never been a law enacted that requires any American pay this unconstitutional, apporitioned tax. That means, by US law and the constitution that supports it, no American need pay the Federal Income Tax.

At first this seems crazy. Surely every American needs to pay the Federal Income tax? And yet, through the investigations captured in this intriguing film, the truth becomes apparent. The Federal Income Tax is used only to repay interest on government loans granted by the Fed. Not a dime goes to education, transportation, healthcare, or even the salaries of government officials.

The Federal Income Tax, then, is just a way to bring money back to the machine that printed it, while restricting the amount of dollars in circulation. This artificial scarcity of US currency maintains value, and it is for this reason the Fed. and national inflation are so closely bound.

When the Fed. writes a check for ten million dollars it is creating money out of thin air! It is called creating currency FIAT, the Latin for 'Let it be'.

Even more frightening, perhaps, is the fact that the dollar-gold equivalency standard, that valued the dollar against national gold deposits, was dissolved in the late 1970s under President Nixon. Ever since then the dollar has no extrinsic value as a medium of exchange, it is, simply, a promise to pay the bearer on demand another US dollar! It is backed by nothing, only belief.

As a result, since 1913, the dollar has lost more than 75% of its value. A dollar today, when compared to a 1913 dollar, is worth about 4 cents.

All this is alarming. First, the fact that something as important as a national currency can be printed by private interests, interests not beholden to elections by, and of, the people, should make everyone sit up and ask, "what?" Second, the fact that this currency is printed without any backing whatsoever, printed on the whims and fancies of secret economists, to lend to the government who pays the interest with the public's paychecks, is unconstitutional and couter to the founding fathers' ideals that forged this great country of equality and equal opportunity. Essentially, this leaves the power to manifest national destiny in hands of a few people.

Mayer Rothschild said it when he said:

"Give me control of a nation's money, and I care not who makes the laws."

Or Henry Ford, who said:

"It is well the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."

Or Thomas Jefferson, who refused to allow bankers the powers to create and control the national currency:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power (of money) should be taken away from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

Or how about James Garfiled, while he was president, who noted duly that:

"Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce."

Even Woodrow Wilson, who unwittingly passed the Federal Reserve Act (if illegally) wrote:

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world, no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

He who controls money, controls the world. This film argues that the money-controllers have their own agenda, one not consonant with the ideals and liberties of this great nation. One that is leading us from freedom to a centralized government protecting the interests of a powerful elite, set to create a digitized finance system that will be inescapable.

Russo's arguments, and the testimony of former IRS officials--including a former commissioner--come together in a powerfully persuasive film that, according to Todd David Schwartz from CBS, makes,

"Farenheit 911 look like Bambi."

Watch it December 4th, 6 pm in the Program Room and make up your own mind.

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." Benito Mussolini