Ross Powell of Survival 401k and Remnant Radio Network joins Steven on this episode of The Amateur society to discuss geopolitics and financial affairs following the election of Donald Trump.
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With the eyes of the country on whatever the trending trending propaganda is today – most likely accusations of Russia presented without evidence and how Donald Trump is the destroyer of American democracy based on his unwillingness to rule out conceding the election should Hillary Clinton win – I can’t help but express my weariness with all of the nonsense and how many still give any credibility to people and institutions that incessantly lie right to their faces.
I didn’t watch the debate on Wednesday, but I was a bit taken aback to hear Hillary Clinton revealing to the entire world the previously top secret timeline from nuclear launch order to actual nuclear launch. However, I was much less surprised to see that nothing immediately happened as a result even though something certainly should have.
Over the past month as tensions have mounted between the United States and Russia, one thing has stood out in my mind. I conducted more than 20 arms control inspections across the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, and Europe, working alongside NATO partner military members as well as members from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. At the conclusion of all those missions, there was always a dinner between the two teams, usually with a spread fit for a king and plenty of toasts (the people of the former Soviet states love to make toasts, and they are masters of putting together words for such events; we had to train for this practice, both in building up our alcohol tolerance, but also in order to pronounce our own toasts, as one side will make a toast, then the next, beginning with the highest ranking and proceeding to the lowest ranking). The first toast would usually be to the conclusion of the mission, and in good Soviet fashion, the second would be announced with a quick statement of “between the first and second, a bullet should not pass”. The third, depending on the company, would either be to the fallen or to women. And eventually, before the night was done, a toast would be made that those collected at the table should never meet one another on opposite sides of the battlefield. Often times, this toast would be preceded by words of how there is a brotherhood of military men. No matter what country we serve, we have in common that we have all taken on the duty to serve the people of our country. That we have put aside our own lives in order to answer the call of service, and that takes a special kind of person – that no matter what uniform or flag we wear, we are all cut from the same cloth, and therefore are a part of this brotherhood. And that is what comes to mind as our two nations stand on the precipice of war – all of those toasts done that we might not end up on opposite sides of the battlefield.
Much ink has been spilled declaring and defining the time of trial and tribulation that is swiftly approaching and even – in many cases – already here. With your permission I would like to pass over all of our current background context in order to get directly to a point of exhortation that will hopefully encourage you in the Lord and strengthen you for the days to come.
The Holy Spirit has put it on my heart that there are a great number of people all around the world who understand that we are potentially on the precipice of dangerous scenarios that could affect all of us. Of this group, it feels as if many are discouraged and don’t see a way forward. For some the obstacles may be concrete and immediate, and for others it is the darkness of the horizon that is troubling.
With Deutsche Bank hitting a fresh all time low today and getting within striking distance of the psychologically important $10 price point, we just might find out the answer to the question in the title of this article. That’s right ladies and gentlemen… Back again for the very first time, fighting out of Jekyll Island, in the green trunks with the white trim: it’s THE FEDERAL RESERVE! Everyone’s favorite central bank – based on the way economists, investors, and most importantly trading algorithms hang on every jot and tittle of its mouthpieces and press releases – is set to make another policy announcement this week, which means that we’ll get to hear once again from our dear monetary grandmother.