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Australia: Ski field operators feel 'victimized' by COVID regulations

Private-sector policingA burglar with 105 previous convictions has been <a href=" https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13389409/Prolific-burglar-44-caught-breaking-M-S-jailed-private-prosecution-Met-refuse-investigate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sentenced </a>to prison after being detained and prosecuted not by the police but by a private investigation company, TM Eye. The store manager in the targeted business, Marks and Spencer in London, UK, had called law enforcement after identifying the burglar using CCTV footage; when London's Metropolitan Police declined to investigate, the manager turned to the private sector, leading to a successful conviction.&nbsp;No prolific police officers for prolific criminalsAs the police withdraw from policing — that is, the government withdraws from its most basic role and responsibility, that of protecting the citizenry — a space has opened up for private policing forces, such as <a href="https://tm-eye.co.uk/what-we-do/prolific-crimes-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TM Eye</a>, which claims to have made over 2,000 arrests of shoplifters, assisted in 800 prosecutions, and recovered almost $600,000 in stolen funds.It is noteworthy that TM Eye's department dedicated to retail crime is called the “Prolific Crimes Team.” The criminals they pursue are not random shoplifters, kids who ran out of cash for a Hershey bar and popped it into their pocket before sneaking away. They are repeat offenders, the scourge of stores across the world, who are responsible for massive losses for retailers.TM Eye “liaises” with police, which is <a href="https://www.jpllaw.net/blog/understanding-the-concept-of-a-citizens-arrest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">obligatory</a> when it comes to detaining criminals. But they also gather evidence, obtain witness statements, compile video footage, recover stolen goods, and detain criminals. Police, by their own admission, are understaffed for dealing with crimes against people and property and simply can't keep up with the numbers of shoplifters. Instead, they are focused on far more serious incidents, such as following up “hate crime" allegations or arresting people who broke lockdown regulations during the “pandemic” or committed “possession crimes.”&nbsp;Corrupted judgment?The police are not alone in cracking down on crimes without direct victims while de-emphasizing crimes with such victims. Sometimes district attorneys refuse to prosecute or pursue only minimal charges for dangerous criminals. Judges, too, can step in and ensure that even repeat criminals get off with a relatively lenient penalty which can be as little as community service with no time served behind bars at all.But the media, too, must accept its share of responsibility for downplaying or even excusing crime, as this headline from the UK's <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11454513/Tesco-puts-security-tags-four-pint-cartons-milk-cost-living-crisis-drives-shoplifting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Daily Mail</a> illustrates:<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1715206623/shoplifting_daily_mail_64d34e441b.png"></figure>Undoubtedly, the cost of living has risen in recent years. Nonetheless, people aren't actually collapsing of starvation. Although their suffering is real, people in earlier generations certainly experienced more challenging times, including those who lived through the Great Depression, without seeing (and certainly not condoning) anywhere near the level of theft seen today. Interestingly, even ChatGPT doesn't excuse shoplifting even when a person genuinely needs the food to survive.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1715207107/chat_25df18dbda.png"></figure>Presumably, ChatGPT's programmers recognize some basic adherence to moral law is necessary if society is not to entirely fragment.&nbsp;Are private militias to be the future of policing?Despite ChatGPT's outlook, society may indeed be fragmenting as few are those who are willing to step into the breach and do something about rampant crime (unless they are paid to do so).It's the stuff of movies, unless you live somewhere like South Africa:<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Hijackers apprehended by South African private security after a high speed car chase <a href="https://t.co/D50AwtHSlX">pic.twitter.com/D50AwtHSlX</a>— alex (@africaken1) <a href="https://twitter.com/africaken1/status/1409912179441258497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;Only for Big Business?Marks and Spencer is a large, established chain of stores with the ability to absorb the costs of employing private detectives to detain (and ultimately deter) criminals. Small stores have no such ability and they are being driven from the marketplace due not only to crime, but also hyper-regulation, competition from online stores, and onerous DEI mandates.The costs are not merely economic. If things continue this way, with the public losing faith in the will and ability of police to maintain public order, one can envision a future of private guard forces (militias) increasingly taking the law into their own hands, aided and abetted by the police themselves as they effectively delegate their responsibilities (for which they are paid) to the private sector. After all, TM Eye was founded by a <a href="https://tm-eye.co.uk/our-team/david-mckelvey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">former chief detective of Scotland Yard</a>.

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crime

Are private militias the future for Big Business?

Private-sector policing: How private detectives step in where police fear to tread

Rebecca Riley's parents brought her to a child psychiatrist when she was just two years old. Doctor Kayoko Kifuji of Tufts Medical Center promptly diagnosed the Springfield, Massachusetts girl with bipolar disorder and ADHD. Two years later Rebecca was dead and her parents were on trial for her murder.&nbsp;Bipolar babies?To anyone unfamiliar with the state of psychiatry today, two things may strike them as odd. One: How could a child—and certainly a toddler—be diagnosed with bipolar disorder? And two: What is the point in such a diagnosis—surely, no responsible doctor would give psychiatric medication to children of two, three, four, or five years of age? Or would they?Unfortunately, there are no surprises here to those involved with pediatric psychiatry, as Dr. Kifuji could tell you. Twenty years after she “diagnosed” Rebecca and after the girl died of “prolonged abuse” (according to the medical examiner) of the drugs Kifuji prescribed, Kifuji is still in practice—she never lost her license, was never disciplined by the medical board, and even the payout made to Rebecca’s siblings following a civil lawsuit was covered by her insurance.&nbsp;Murder by prescriptionRebecca’s parents, by contrast, are still in prison—her father was convicted of first-degree murder, her mother of second-degree murder. Both of them watched the girl deteriorate in her final days without taking her to see a doctor, despite the entreaties of worried neighbors. Kifuji gave evidence at their trials but was under immunity, a fact that <a href="https://spitbristleandfury.wordpress.com/tag/kayoko-kifuji/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shocked the jury members</a>, several of whom expressed their wish to see her in the dock as well.After all, Kifuji had seen Rebecca at many appointments and somehow failed to detect the signs of overmedication that nurses and teachers at her preschool program were <a href="https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2010/01/21/social-worker-testifies-she-warned/47038828007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concerned about</a>. She also knew that Mrs. Riley was giving her young daughter far more than the recommended dose of the drugs she was taking (if one can consider these drugs “recommended” at all for children). Although she apparently rebuked Rebecca’s mother for upping the doses without first getting permission, Kifuji gave that permission retroactively.&nbsp;No regretsWhile giving <a href="https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2010/03/18/psychiatrist-no-second-thoughts-in/47971690007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">evidence</a> at the trial of Rebecca's father, Michael Riley, she was asked by his defense attorney whether, in retrospect, she would have done things differently.<blockquote>[Attorney Darrell] Now that you’ve had this time for reflection, have you changed your mind about your diagnosis and treatment of Rebecca Riley?[Kifuji] No, I have not.</blockquote>This despite the doctor having being <a href="https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2010/01/21/social-worker-testifies-she-warned/47038828007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warned</a> by the school nurse that Rebecca was better off with less drugs:<blockquote>I did tell Dr. Kifuji that when Rebecca was a little more awake (after the clonidine wore off), she played nicely with the other children. She was more animated. She was a very sweet little girl.</blockquote>&nbsp;One in ten American kids on psych drugsAccording to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7243a5.htm#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20children%20and,%25)%20to%202022%20(9.3%25)." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CDC</a>, in 2022, 9.3 percent of children aged between 5 and 17 were taking drugs for their “mental health.” This translates to around five million children. As many anti-Pharma activists have pointed out, children are a very sought-after demographic for drugging, as they usually have little to no say as to whether to take the drugs or not, even when adverse events are disturbing, painful, and/or outright harmful. Furthermore, a childhood on drugs very often predicts adult life on more drugs—more of the same, plus others.Who is looking out for these children? Not the FDA it seems. Just a few months ago, the FDA decided to <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2023/021323Orig1s055,021365Orig1s039ltr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expand its approval</a> of an SSRI-class drug, Lexapro, to “treat anxiety” in children as young as seven years old.The authors of the clinical <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cap.2023.0004" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trial</a> upon which the approval was based wrote that Lexapro “reduced anxiety symptoms and was well tolerated,” adding that, “the benefits of the product outweigh the risks.”One of the risks, apparently, is suicide—one child (out of 137) in the trial (in the Lexapro cohort) actually tried to commit suicide. None of the children in the trial had been actively suicidal prior to the study. The FDA approval does not mention the suicide risk. Perhaps it is considered sufficient that SSRIs in general come with a boxed warning that notes their associated risk of both homicidal and suicidal ideation.&nbsp;“Angel” parents wanting angelic kids?Those who criticize ADHD diagnoses for children who cannot seem to adapt to the demands of classroom life often claim that the “unnatural” rigidity of the school environment is to blame, rather than the child's “natural” nature. A similar claim is also often made of psychiatric diagnoses given to very young children who are basically just regular toddlers — only their parents are either unwilling to or incapable of dealing with them.Seeking advice on an online parenting forum, “Angel MDSN” <a href="https://community.babycenter.com/post/a23645227/does_anyone_else_have_a_bipolar_child_step_child" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writes</a>:<blockquote>I'm having a really hard time with my stepson he is severely bipolar and has shown severe symptoms since he was 2 he is now over 5 1/2. We tried not medicating him for a long time but he just kept getting more and more out of control … Like tantrums for hours, telling lies all day, kicking/punching holes in walls. You get my drift and let me tell you we are a very strict boudry [sic.] set home and as consistent as you can get also have tried every discipline in the book. He has now been medicated for seven months We have tried various meds. and combinations. He is still so out of control though…</blockquote>“Glesa,” answering “Angel,” apparently has experienced something quite similar (and she’s far from being alone). Although she mentions that what she calls “Red dye” in food clearly makes her son “defiant and moody with outbursts,” she also writes:<blockquote>What you describe to me, sounds just like my DS when he was 2 and 3 ... it took constant pleading from me to get the dr to send him to see a behavioral specialist. Once she did our world changed. He has ADHD and Anxiety. DS has his moments still, but he knows that not having his meds, even in the summer, he is miserable and acts out. I really did not want to medicate him, but behavior modification alone was not working...</blockquote>&nbsp;A bleak outlookCommenting on the FDA’s approval of several “antipsychotic” drugs to treat children back in 2009, <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0906/S00142/fda-throws-life-line-to-antipsychotic-pushers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vera Sharav</a>, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, stressed that,<blockquote>The FDA's expanded marketing approval process for antipsychotics, highly toxic drugs, is unaffected by evidence uncovered by the US Justice Department showing that the studies submitted by drug manufacturers were often flawed, if not fraudulent.&nbsp;Rather than focus on protecting children's safety, FDA officials are doing their utmost to legitimize irresponsible, off-label prescribing of exceedingly toxic antipsychotics for children--thereby ensuring that far greater numbers of children will be victimized and die.</blockquote>Sharav was by no means exaggerating the dangers these drugs pose. In an <a href="https://karger.com/pps/article-abstract/77/4/198/282409/Irrational-Healers?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">editorial</a> published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Dr. David Healy notes that,<blockquote>For fifty years, the antipsychotics were viewed as too dangerous to use outside secondary care and were largely restricted to those with chronic psychotic disorders where the trade-off between hazards and benefits justified treatment.Yet now a new generation of possibly even more problematic antipsychotics is being given to preschoolers, in North America, on the basis that they might have a disorder that most of the rest of the world does not believe happens in children.</blockquote>

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Psychiatric Drug

Malpractice

How many more children will die from psychotropic medications before FDA takes notice?

Where is justice for Rebecca; diagnosed as bipolar at age 2, dead at 4 from overuse of meds

The World Economic Forum (WEF) says <a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-says-covid-moved-us-toward-a-cashless-economy-but-do-we-have-to-go-along-with-it-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">COVID moved us toward a cashless economy.</a> Frontline News reported how that claim was celebrated at the WEF conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The connection between COVID-19 and the ability to move along its cashless agenda was discussed at the conference's opening plenary. Khalid Humaidan, Bahrain's chief central banker who spoke during the session, noted that people's acceptance at the time showed their trust in the government's policy about cash:<blockquote>I think the transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch, people are used to it, people are engaged in it, and circumstances that help is adoption rates increased because of Covid.This is where contactless [payment systems] started to become something of a necessity, something of a safety, something of a requirement, and because of that there is very little resistance, trust is already there ...&nbsp;</blockquote>Frontline News concluded the first of this two-part series by asking if we have a choice in the matter or if a cashless society is inevitable, noting that cash is still needed and often the preferred choice of payment for many. We explore the future of paper currency in this part.<h2>Cash still needed&nbsp;</h2>Cash is essential to most economiesAccording to Cash Matters, “cash continues to <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/2023-payments-report-confirms-cash-is-essential-to-economies-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">play an essential role</a> in most economies,” accounting for over $7.6 trillion in consumer spending throughout 2022.<blockquote>Cash remains the most-used payment option across Africa and the Middle East, and Latin America, with the rate of decline in its use seen globally during the pandemic levelling off. Around the world, while its use has dropped in many countries, it remains steady in some and has seen modest rises in others. In Italy, the share of cash transactions at point of sale (POS) remained steady in 2021 and 2022 at 27 percent, while it rose in America from 11 to 12 percent, and in France from nine to 10 percent.</blockquote><h3>Important in the UK</h3>Cash is very important for the UK economy for several reasons, <a href="https://www.ftadviser.com/stephanie-hawthorne/2024/04/26/cash-is-hugely-important-to-uk-economy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">writes</a> FT Adviser.&nbsp;⇢ Cash use helps maintain neighborhoods.&nbsp;The presence of banks, financial institutions, and stores helps maintain upscale neighborhoods. Yet, with cash transactions declining, many stores and institutions closed and their communities have devolved into slums with fast-food restaurants. “The aroma of stinky burgers&nbsp;pervades once fine streets all over Britain. Is this the best&nbsp;a nation of shopkeepers can do for our health and wellbeing?,” FT Adviser asks.⇢ Cash is valued by the elderly and people who have low incomes.<blockquote>According to the Bank of England, which is currently running an exhibition called “The future of Money” until September 2025: “Cash remains a valued form of money for the elderly and those on lower incomes, with many using it to budget and manage their household finances.”</blockquote>⇢ Cash is needed by people with disabilities who cannot manage technology.<blockquote>Some people with physical and cognitive disabilities also find other payment methods difficult to use (they may struggle with pin numbers or passwords, for example).</blockquote>⇢ Going cashless might trigger an economic disaster.FT Adviser described five instances where the electricity and/or internet were disrupted and stores could not accept payment, resulting in lost profits, or could only accept cash. In one case, the store could accept credit cards but could only provide a handwritten receipt.&nbsp;<h3>Japan prefers cash</h3>Japanese prefer cash as it is secure and reliable and a means of being aware of how much money one has, decreasing the risk of overspending, <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/why-japan-prefers-cash" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to Cash Matters: &nbsp;<blockquote>Assessing the reasons why Japanese consumers prefer cash, Statista notes its security and reliability are highly valued. Over 55 percent of respondents cited concerns over personal information leakage as being a major drawback of cashless options. Nearly 42 percent worried about credit cards and account details being stolen—which could allow thieves to run up huge bills in their name—and around 38 percent said cashless options made them less aware of the amount of money they are spending, increasing the risk of spending too much.</blockquote>Cash Matters included this graph from Statista showing concerns about going cashless in Japan:<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Japan_concerns_about_digital_currency_ee4522f0d6.jpg"></figure>Cash is also treated with respect in Japan; people with bifold wallets can keep track of their money and avoid overspending, a practice of the wealthy.<blockquote>Japan Today noted bifold wallets allow more space for cash and help keep banknotes neat and uncreased. It cited a book by accountant Junichiro Kameda—Why Wealthy People Use Long Wallets—as one source of information on the importance of careful handling of cash, which the author believes ‘will help people appreciate their money and control their spending’.</blockquote><h3>The U.S. needs cash, too</h3>Money Under 30 <a href="https://www.moneyunder30.com/what-is-the-future-of-cash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contemplated</a> the future of cash in the United States since many younger people are not using it, and with more and more transactions being done electronically. While this can hamper drug-related crimes and theft of cash, Money under 30 noted it will also mean the layoff of many people who handle cash transactions.&nbsp;People still rely on cashThe benefits of cash are significant enough that the future of a cashless U.S. is in doubt. Nine million U.S. households do not have a relationship with a bank and a further 24.5 million households obtain financial services and products outside the banking system.<blockquote>A survey by the FDIC in 2015 revealed that 7% of US households, or about nine million households, had no banking relationship; these households are referred to as “unbanked”. The same survey reported an additional 19.9%—or 24.5 million households—are classified as “underbanked”. That means the household had a checking or savings account, but obtained financial products and services outside the banking system.The problem for many of the poor is bank fees. This can be compounded by low or unsteady income and deposits, resulting in non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees and even account closures by banks.</blockquote>Money Under 30 also referenced a Pew Research Center study that found that more than 11% of Americans do not use the Internet.<blockquote>But apart from banks, a study by the Pew Research Center found 11% of Americans don’t use the Internet. The percentage is even higher among the elderly and those who live in rural areas. Eliminating cash could potentially exclude this segment of the population from participating fully in the economy.</blockquote><h3>Back to barter?</h3>Using paper currency eliminates or reduces the possibility of identity theft and provides privacy. If the U.S. would, ultimately, go cashless, barter may make a comeback.<blockquote>A full-on cashless society may cause a return to barter. This may start among the poor, and among those who are simply uncomfortable going completely cashless. It’s something governments are undoubtedly weighing out very carefully, and why cash hasn’t been declared illegal thus far.</blockquote><h3>U.S. bill would preserve cash</h3>The Payment Choice Act, a bill to preserve the use of cash, was reintroduced in Congress in June 2023 by Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr., Loomis, the U.S.'s largest integrated cash distribution network, <a href="https://www.loomis.us/resources/insights/2023-update-payment-choice-act-reintroduced" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>.&nbsp;<blockquote>The bill aims to address the growing trend of businesses favoring digital payment methods over cash, ensuring that Americans retain the freedom to use physical currency for transactions. This legislation would also prohibit retail businesses from charging a higher price for using cash than for other forms of payment.</blockquote><h2>Less cash does not mean less crime</h2>Interestingly, Cash Matters <a href="https://www.cashmatters.org/blog/european-parliament-to-vote-on-cash-payment-limits" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cites studies</a> showing that restricting the use of cash does not mitigate money laundering or reduce support for terrorism. Rather, it restricts financial autonomy and personal rights and makes it harder to fight crime “since [cash's] movement is often the only surface point of otherwise hidden, illicit acts.”<h2>Teaching kids about money — without money?</h2>Teaching children about the value of money may become more difficult as cash is used less and less. The following articles offer some perspectives on the topic:<ul><li><a href="https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/resources/how-to-teach-your-kids-about-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to teach kids about money at every age</a></li><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/02/06/kids-cash-money-lessons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">When the lemonade stand accepts Venmo: What does money mean to kids?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-kids-are-adapting-to-a-cashless-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&nbsp;How kids are adapting to a cashless culture</a></li></ul><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Countries and cash</h2>The charts below, produced by Merchant Machine's analysis, display the degree of reliance on cash by different countries as of August 2022, as reported by Payments, cards and mobile.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:97.38%;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Worlds_20_countries_using_most_cash_31da141fca.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/aflds/image/upload/v1714905892/Mot_cashless_countries_in_Europe_9b2a4a40c5.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Read about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/going-cashless-isnt-straightforward-ask-sweden-or-zimbabwe-146187" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experiences</a> of Sweden and Zimbabwe with going cashless. The Conversation <a href="https://theconversation.com/going-cashless-isnt-straightforward-ask-sweden-or-zimbabwe-146187" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a> that it wasn't straightforward. Sweden has had to backtrack and in Zimbabwe, where trust in government is low, “Bad cash is better than good plastic!” as one street vendor said.<h2>Are we becoming boiled frogs? Is there any hope?</h2>PJ Media, in its <a href="https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2024/05/01/wef-central-banker-we-used-covid-to-destroy-cash-n4928682" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> on the WEF conference in Riyadh, concluded with a warning not to allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency when it comes to electronic transactions and digital currency. PJ Media argued that accepting what was voluntary — the widespread use of electronic payments during COVID as a safety measure &nbsp;— to become the only option allowed and a tool of social control is like boiling a frog in water. The frog, for those who don't know the analogy, is first put into a pot of cold water. The fire under the pot is slowly raised so that by the time the frog is troubled by the heat, it can no longer jump out.<blockquote>This is the frog boiling in water analogy: it starts with a voluntary program marketed to the public as a tool of convenience and efficiency, only to slowly replace any alternatives by fiat and become a transparent tool of social control, even though that’s how it was intended by the governing authorities all along. The technocrats’ bet is that at such a point that the abuse of this new technology becomes fully transparent and indisputable, any means of resistance will be nullified and it won’t matter.</blockquote>Since the WEF and others are still working to promote acceptance of the exclusive use of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), there is still time to resist going cashless. PJ Media writes, parenthetically, that once resistance is impossible they no longer need to use propaganda. So long as they attempt to persuade us, there is still an opportunity to stop them.<blockquote>This is why it’s always optimistic to remember the adage that “if resistance were impossible, the propaganda wouldn’t be necessary.” It’s only after the propaganda, whether regarding CBDC or any other social engineering cause, ceases to be useful to the state and it abandons any attempt at persuasion that we have entered the stage of totalitarianism.</blockquote>&nbsp;Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-says-covid-moved-us-toward-a-cashless-economy-but-do-we-have-to-go-along-with-it-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? Part 1</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/europe-moves-forward-with-cbdc">Europe moves forward with CBDC</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/imf-central-banks-may-control-cbdc-transactions">IMF: Central banks may control CBDC transactions</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/hidden-feature-in-brazilian-cbdc-allows-government-to-freeze-funds">Hidden feature in Brazilian CBDC allows government to freeze funds</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/south-dakota-governor-vetoes-pro-cbdc-legislation">South Dakota Governor vetoes pro-CBDC legislation</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/cbdc-alternative-fed-now-to-launch-in-july-says-federal-reserve">CBDC alternative ‘FedNow’ to launch in July, says Federal Reserve</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/central-banks-advance-with-cbdc-development">Central banks advance with CBDC development</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-summer-davos-attendees-promise-more-health-crises-cbdc-climate-punishments">WEF Summer Davos: Attendees promise more health crises, CBDC, climate punishments</a>&nbsp;</li></ul>

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Technocracy

'If resistance were impossible, the propaganda wouldn’t be necessary'

WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? -  Part 2

<h2>Have COVID measures created an inevitable path to a cashless world?</h2>Should we believe those who tell us that the end of cash is inevitable? Do we accept their pronouncement, throw up our hands, and do our best to get used to it, whether we like it or not? Do we ignore the signs even if it means losing personal freedoms and rights? Or do we say “No, this isn't going to happen. We must fight this?”&nbsp;A case in point is the attempt by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to create a cashless economy. This was the topic of the "Opening Plenary: A New Vision for Global Development" in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia during the WEF's two-day discussion, as <a href="https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2024/05/01/wef-central-banker-we-used-covid-to-destroy-cash-n4928682" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> by PJ Media. During the plenary session, COVID was declared an economic shock that necessitated going cashless as a safety measure.<blockquote>Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), highlighted the positive fundamentals for growth that the world has developed in recent years, showcasing resilience to economic shocks.</blockquote>PJ Media asked “What “economic shocks” in “recent years” is the IMF mouthpiece referring to?” and answered the question by quoting Khalid Humaidan, Bahrain's chief central banker who spoke during the session, noting that people's acquiescence at the time showed trust:<blockquote>I think the transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch, people are used to it, people are engaged in it, and circumstances that help is adoption rates increased because of Covid.This is where contactless [payment systems] started to become something of a necessity, something of a safety, something of a requirement, and because of that there is very little resistance, trust is already there ...&nbsp;</blockquote>A tweet of Humaidan's talk in Riyadh was posted to further document the role that COVID played in people's acceptance of not using cash.<blockquote>"There's less use of cash [...] The transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch [...] People are used to it [...] Its adoption rates increased because of COVID [...] There is very little resistance": Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Khalid Humaidan to the WEF on CBDC</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">"There's less use of cash [...] The transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch [...] People are used to it [...] Its adoption rates increased because of COVID [...] There is very little resistance": Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Khalid Humaidan to the WEF on CBDC <a href="https://t.co/zB7nJAi48G">pic.twitter.com/zB7nJAi48G</a>— Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimHinchliffe/status/1785023748539650460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Another tweet of Humaidan included his expectation that, at some point, digital currency will just become a “digital form of cash;” actual cash will no longer used.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">"We're probably going to stop calling it central bank digital currency [CBDC]. It's going to be a digital form of cash, and at some point in time hopefully we will be able to be 100% digital": Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Khalid Humaidan to the WEF <a href="https://t.co/Pspr0M1Uuq">https://t.co/Pspr0M1Uuq</a> <a href="https://t.co/N5aOkCpzh1">pic.twitter.com/N5aOkCpzh1</a>— Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimHinchliffe/status/1785022869635817781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h3>Digital currency is control, it's not cash</h3>X user “Resist CBDC” expressed his objection to Humaidan's referring to digital currency as cash, calling it out as wordsmithing. Rather, he wrote, it is a form of “surveillance and control.”<blockquote>Tells us that CBDC is going to be a digital form of cash.#CBDC is not "cash" or money or tender or anything like it. &nbsp;Do NOT fall for the word smithing. CBDC is surveillance and control.</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Khalid Humaidan - Central Bank of Bahrain Tells us that CBDC is going to be a digital form of cash.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBDC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBDC</a> is not "cash" or money or tender or anything like it. Do NOT fall for the word smithing. CBDC is surveillance and control. <a href="https://t.co/BfZztrnPpx">pic.twitter.com/BfZztrnPpx</a>— Resist CBDC (@Resist_CBDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Resist_CBDC/status/1786118653563527676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h2>Do we have a choice?</h2>Are Humaidan's prognostications accurate? Are they inevitable? Perhaps not. While cash use fell during COVID, it has rebounded some, and there are many reasons why people prefer to and need to hold cash. This will be covered shortly in part 2.Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/europe-moves-forward-with-cbdc">Europe moves forward with CBDC</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/imf-central-banks-may-control-cbdc-transactions">IMF: Central banks may control CBDC transactions</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/hidden-feature-in-brazilian-cbdc-allows-government-to-freeze-funds">Hidden feature in Brazilian CBDC allows government to freeze funds</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/south-dakota-governor-vetoes-pro-cbdc-legislation">South Dakota Governor vetoes pro-CBDC legislation</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/cbdc-alternative-fed-now-to-launch-in-july-says-federal-reserve">CBDC alternative ‘FedNow’ to launch in July, says Federal Reserve</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/central-banks-advance-with-cbdc-development">Central banks advance with CBDC development</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/wef-summer-davos-attendees-promise-more-health-crises-cbdc-climate-punishments">WEF Summer Davos: Attendees promise more health crises, CBDC, climate punishments</a></li></ul>

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WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? - Part 2

WEF says COVID moved us toward a cashless economy - but do we have to go along with it? Part 1