The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve

You know those moments when you're standing in a store, or scrolling online, and you just have to have something? Or you see what someone else is buying and you think, "Seriously? That?" I used to just shrug it off as human nature, maybe a little weirdness. But after reading Gad Saad's "The Consuming Instinct," I feel like I've been handed a secret decoder ring to the retail jungle. This book is a fascinating, often hilarious, deep dive into why we consume the way we do, seen through the lens of evolutionary psychology. Saad connects our modern purchasing habits – from our cravings for juicy burgers to our desires for flashy cars, and yes, even touches on things like pornography and gift-giving – back to ancient, hardwired instincts we share with the animal kingdom. It sounds heavy, but trust me, it's anything but. Saad has this incredible knack for making complex scientific concepts accessible and genuinely entertaining. I found myself constantly having "Aha!" moments, seeing my own behaviors, and those of people around me, in a completely new light. It's like suddenly noticing the invisible strings pulling our consumer puppets. He doesn't just throw out theories; he backs them up with examples that range from the surprisingly relatable to the utterly wild (comparing human gift-giving to certain animal mating rituals? Mind blown!). It's a powerful reminder that beneath our sophisticated modern lives, we're still driven by fundamental biological impulses. Reading this book didn't make me want to stop consuming, but it made me a much more aware consumer. It's given me a framework to understand the subtle (and not-so-subtle) evolutionary forces at play in the marketplace and in our own minds. It's impactful because it changes how you perceive a huge part of daily life. If you've ever wondered why we crave what we crave, buy what we buy, or react to products and brands the way we do, this book is an absolute must-read. It's witty, insightful, and will leave you seeing the world of consumption – and human nature – with brand new eyes. Prepare for some serious 'consuming instinct' revelations!

[...] This audio is a 74 minute summary of the book. (The book contains 600 pages and is the most comprehensive book I have found on this subject.) However, anyone interested in this subject who understands how the Federal Reserve is slowly but steadily draining the wealth of our country, will want to tell others why we must end the Fereral Reserve System. This audio is a good way to spread the word. In fact, at the end, the author gives permission for anyone to make copies of this CD and give them to friends as long as they are not sold. Of course, for an in depth understanding, you should read the book. If you're interested in this subject, you will want to view a 3 1/2 hour documentary called The Money Masters that was made in 1995. You can see it for free by going to YouTube.com and entering 'The Money Masters' in the search bar. You can also purchase it from an Amazon third party seller. (I purchased a copy because, with what I now know about the Fed, I would not be surprised if this documentary becomes "unavailable" if the movement to end the Fed starts gathering steam.) In a nutshell, this is how the Ponzi scheme known as the Federal Reserve System operates; First, it is not "federal". It is a private corporation owned by a handful of individuals. It has been exempted from the Freedom Of Information Act and the identities of the owners of the Fed are, for the most part, a secret. Next, there aren't any "reserves" of money. Last, it is not a "system". It is a cartel of bankers who have been given an exclusive banking monopoly and the to power to "print" (i.e.: create) money. The Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913. This law took the power to print money away from the government (unconstitutionally, I might add) and gave it to the newly created Federal Reserve System which is actually a privately owned Central Bank. When the federal government needs more money than it can obtain through taxes or borrowing, it obtains the money from the Federal Reserve which is why it euphemistically referred to as the lender of last resort. The Fed will always lend ANY AMOUNT of money to the government because it can do so by simply "printing" the money. In reality, the Fed simply makes a bookkeeping entry crediting, for example, a trillion dollars to the government's checking account. This "printing" of money is actually a theft of money from American people because it dilutes the value and reduces the purchasing power of all previously existing currency. This is why something that could be purchased for $1 in 1913, now costs more than $50. Prior to 1913, if the government needed additional money, it could simply print the money itself. Abraham Lincoln did this during the Civil War when "Greenbacks" were issued. These were simply promissory notes like today's Federal Reserve Notes that we think of as money. If you look at the top of any bill, you will see the words Federal Reserve Note. However, after the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, the government must now have a third party, the Fed, print the additional money it needs. This might not be such a horrible thing except for the fact that the government must now pay interest on this newly created money that it has borrowed from the Fed. In addition, this new money is the product of purchasing power that has been stolen from the people of the United States. So, in effect, the taxpayers must now pay interest on money that the Fed has stolen from them, and then loaned back to them. But wait. It gets worse. After the government borrows a trillion dollars from the Fed, it writes checks and spends the money. The military gets paid, people receive their Social Security checks, and so forth. After people receive these checks from the government, they deposit them into their bank accounts. Let's say that someone receives a check for $1,000 from the government and deposits it into a savings account. Most people think that the bank will now have $1,000 (minus some percentage set aside for a reserve) that it can loan out. Wrong! Using the magic of something called Fractional Reserve Banking, the bank can loan out $9,000 for every $1,000 in deposits. Initially, the bank loans out $900 and holds $100 (10%) in reserve. However, the $900 that has been loaned out will ultimately be re-deposited into the banking system. When it is, the process will repeat itself with the bank loaning $810 and holding $90 (10%) in reserve. This process continues to repeat itself until the bank (i.e.: the banking system) has loaned out $9,000 for every $1,000 that was originally deposited. At this point, the bank (i.e.: banking system) is "loaned up" and must look elsewhere for additional money to loan. To obtain additional money, the bank goes to the Federal Reserve's "Discount Window" and pledges the $9,000 in loans it has made as collateral to borrow money from the Fed. Based on this collateral, the Fed will lend an equal amount to the bank at the Federal Funds rate of 1 or 2% interest. The bank can now loan this money out at a higher rate of interest on loans made to consumers for purchases of cars, homes, credit cards, etc. Okay, here's the 64 dollar question: Where do you think the Fed got this $9,000 to loan to the bank? Yes, you guessed it. The Fed created/stole this money. Therefore, the money that you borrowed from the bank for the mortgage on your house is money that the Fed created/stole from the purchasing power of the American people. So, once again, you are paying interest on money that was stolen from you, and then loaned back to you. You may ask how the Fed is able to do this. Let me remind you that the Fed has a monopoly on the banking system. This means that every check written by anyone for anything must "clear" through a federal reserve bank. Well, if someone owns ALL the banks, and they say a check is good, its' good because there isn't anyone to say otherwise. Moreover, under the Federal Reserve Act, this fraudulent Ponzi scheme is legal! The bottom line is that for every trillion dollars the Federal Reserve steals from the purchasing power of the American people to loan to the government, it is able to steal/create an additional 9 trillion dollars that it will loan out to the American people through its' member banks. As though all of this wasn't bad enough, I now have even worse news for you. When the Fed creates/steals $10 trillion and loans it out to the government and consumers, the loans must, of course, be paid back. Well, there's no problem paying back the $10 trillion. The same money that was created/stolen can be used to pay back the principle amount of the loans. But, what about the interest? No additional money has been created/stolen to pay the interest. Where does the money come from to pay the interest on the loans? Think about that for a minute. If no additional money has been created/stolen to pay the interest, where will the money to pay this come from? It will come from all of the real wealth that exists in the world. Can't make the payment on your car? Maybe you should sell your diamond ring. Can't make your mortgage payment? Maybe you should sell your car and use the money to pay your mortgage. You already sold your car? No problem. The bank will be happy to take your house away from you. Government can't pay the interest on the national debt? Well, maybe it will have to raise taxes. Can't raise taxes? No problem. The Fed will be happy to loan more money to the government that it will create/steal from the American people. Are you starting to see the big picture? Eventually, the handful of people who own the Federal Reserve, will own everything! And, they will accomplish this by charging us interest on loans made to us with money they stole from us! THIS is the scandal. THIS is what they don't want the people to know. As I said above, the Federal Reserve is actually a privately owned Central Bank. There are Central Banks in other countries around the world. And, when countries go to war, they are desperate to borrow whatever amount of money it takes to fight the war. The vast sums required to fight a war are impossible to obtain through taxes or borrowing. Therefore, each country borrows what it needs from its' Central Bank. And, the dirty little secret is that, usually the winner of the war agrees to pay back the money loaned to the loser by the loser's Central Bank. Hmmm. Do you think that there might be some common ownership of the different Central Banks? Could it be that the same bankers are financing both sides of a war? Hmmm. Could these bankers actually be involved in instigating these wars? Was Viet Nam really necessary? Are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan really necessary? A Republican President got us into these wars and a Democratic President, who promised while campaigning that he would begin to bring the troops home IMMEDIATELY after he was elected, is keeping these wars going. Is it possible that someone else is calling the shots? Why was Tim Geitner, the former President of the New York Federal Reserve Bank selected as Secretary of the Treasury? If this isn't putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop, I don't know what is. With just the little information you now have, you can begin to understand why you are hearing prominent individuals (including President Bush, Sr.) use the term "New World Order". The "new world order" means a one world government with a Central Bank Of The World and a cashless society. If this happens, the owners of the Central Bank will be the ruling elite of the world, everyone else will be impoverished, and there will be nowhere to escape to. So, there you have it - the Federal Reserve in a nutshell. And, if this information is new to you, you must surely be thinking that I am some kind of nut. Well, read Griffin's book, watch The Money Masters, and get The Red Pill Project DVD from RealityZone.com. These are not the only sources of information on this topic. There are other books and, of course, information on the web. Read the books and watch the videos. Then, decide for yourself. However, I should caution you that all this stuff is extremely well documented. So, if what I have described to you above is something that you would rather not believe, don't go any further because, if you look into this, you will find that what I have told you is true. And, frankly, knowing that this is true is rather unnerving.

Some books change your life,...and some change your entire world! In 2001 9/11 started an inner vortex within my very being. I was a die hard conservative, in the mid 80's I had been a corporal in the US Army 82nd Airborne. The intel dished out through the media at some point started my subconcious crunching facts while I slept at night. I became obcessed with finding the truth, I became what I term as being a realist. I stepped away from the viper pits of the snake oil salesman,..media,...politicians. I had always thought of conspiracy theory in the same way I viewed alice in wonderland,...a hippie on an acid trip. The problem was the more I went down the rabbit hole the more the puzzle started to materialise before my eyes,....things started to make sense. I even slept better. I had started my journey with Secret Societies. I learned about the Bilderbergs, Illuminati, Skull & Bones, Masons, and so on. I even read,... how many of these secret orders were interwined. A family tree if you will. That wonderful word popped up again,...WHY? Suddenly my subconscious screamed "Show Me The Money" This was the glue,...the item that would hold different sect's with at times different agenda's intact. This was also the pivotal time in which I found the holy grail. This book is a Bible. It is an understanding of the economic calamity you have lived your entire life. You have pondered time & time again why can't I get ahead? I'm working more hours, I'm making less money, I'm more tired & stressed than ever before,....WHY! How you arrive at this question isn't even important. What is important is provided you really want the answer you are now AWAKE,....you are AWARE,....and you are SEARCHING for the TRUTH. You just found the best book you will ever read. Your life will never again be the same,...but would you really go back anyway? Welcome Neo,...you have arrived.

A friend of mine--who is one of those rare fellows who actually worries about the national debt (which according to this link is ~$9 trillion and counting... fast)--laid Creature on me last time we broke bread together. In this tome, author Edward Griffin delivers a devastating expose on the background, execution, and remedies to the Federal Reserve Banking system (FRBS). The system, which amounts to a national bank under control of (surprise) the money interests who dominate the government of the United States, was rather sneakily enacted into law by Congress just before Christmas recess in 1913. Creature shows how this surreptitious meeting on Jekyll Island, a private resort off the coast of Georgia owned by J.P. Morgan and associates, led to the FRBS and its seemingly unlimited license to steal continuously from the productive class. The men came to the island in November of 1910 courtesy of Aldrich's splendiferous private railway car; every effort was made to conceal their identities and the nature of their business. News did not leak until 1916 when a young financial reporter for Leslie's Weekly, B.C. Forbes (who later founded Forbes Magazine) wrote a story about the meeting... approvingly. Griffin lays out the objectives of these less-than-magnificent seven straightforwardly, then, what follows is history, as they say. And "history" should be the middle name of Griffin's fascinating book, which is largely a compendium of how the American and world economies developed from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Griffin makes everything so crystal clear, even I can comprehend it. (I can honestly assert that finally, after all the books I've read over the years on money and banking, I truly understand how the federales create money out of thin air.) ... For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie reviews, please visit my site [...] Brian Wright Copyright 2007

I haven't finished reading this book. I'm beginning the final Time Travel chapter. This book was recommended to me off a trusted message board. I've found it very interesting. I was seeking greater knowledge of the monetary system after google research on international cash flows through history pulled up a reference to the Pujo Committee. In particular I enjoyed the historical backsetting. I enjoyed learning about the civil war, the previous systems tried by the founders, the constitutional interpretations, inflation, the details of the US monetary system, and the descriptions of financial instruments. Cons: At times this book led me to the same disappointments as reading another work by Hayek. Like they were throwing countless turds against a wall in hope some would stick. Sometimes I would know of information he had not included, which was disappointing, seeing how he colored his work. In particular I found the obsessive socialist conspiracy interpretations frustrating. While I'm not one to knock off something just because there is no proof, I do have some education. I found that my previous education and Griffin's interpretation differed most sharply in regards to international financial aid and the Lost Decades of third world nations. Amusing to pose Griffin and Chomsky against each other as two fierce blowhards, and the wide range of pundits and scholars in between. The weakest point in the book there, in my opinion. I'd done detailed monetary and political research on the impact of internal and international financial policies there, particularly in South America, with cold hard data including changes in international cash flows over time and changes in domestic stats, and Griffin's conspiracy theory interpretation came across as stale propaganda grossly distorting the facts at that point. While admitting the flaws and propagandizing, I found reading this book to be an enjoyable exercise in interpreting what the kernel of truth is and seeking out unsupported logic gaps. I recommend and give a 4 star for the enjoyment of considering his opinion, and the richness of some of the historic information (not talking about the he-said she-said conspiracy chats). I agree with some of his interpretation. Agency conflict.

Great information!

Item was delivered as described.

The book merely describes the game "Bailout" which has been going on for years and then shows specific examples of when they played it and why. Here is the game Gov't releases bonds to pay for itself; no one shows up to buy said bonds so the Fed purchases them with printed money out of nowhere. Eventually Fed wants the money back and the easiest place to get it is from the general public so they make lending easy. Step 2 the Feb Banks start to lend at ridiculously low rates to other smaller banks who then lend to corporations at a marginally higher rate but still a very low rate. A rate so low that the corporations would be foolish not to take the money because they can easily pay the interest off with more secure investments they already have. Step 3 enter Congress, they now call a rules change, like Mark to Markets & force the value of the new assets on corporations to extreme lows. Congress then states they have to fill in the gaps of their accounting errors or they will be shut down. By the way did anyone see the humor in the decision to end the Uptick Rule in June of 2008? Step 4 corporations like Bear Stearns & Lehman get shut down because they can't make up that difference, this shows the general public that the situation is serious. Step 5 go after an extremely large company like (wait for it) AIG, tell the public this company too will be closed unless WE "BAIL" it out. Step 6 Take taxpayers money and give it to corporations on a list that need help being "bailed out", tell said taxpayer they will not only get the money back but that Congress will give them a balance sheet so they can see everything. But isn't funny that they never actually tell the taxpayer how much was truly needed? Step 7 AIG and others receive the money and quickly pay back those small banks they borrowed the money from in the first place Step 8 Those small banks receive the cash from AIG & then pay off the larger Fed controlled bank Step 9 Dirt bags like Warren Buffett preach about how they believe in America during the panic & step in to buy damaged investments off the now defunct corporations like Bear Stearns & Lehman (this guy bought Bear debt in Oct 2008 for roughly $85 million, he sold that debt less than one year later for over $1 billion) Step 10 Inflation now ensues bumping the general public into a new tax bracket so Congress can now get even fatter without actually raising taxes. There is something in this for all parties except of course the taxpayer & small banks Step 11 The media screams that this all occurred due to de-regulation, the taxpayers believe it & scream for tighter rules on lending. Congress gladly obliges & forces small banks to tighten credit even more. This furthers the strain on small banks since they can longer make a profit and they have to shut down - thus destroying any competition for the large Fed Banks See how this works Please tell me this didn't just happen.

Everyone who has a pension or savings should read this book. Our education system is failing us. Anyone who has studied economics to degree level & thinks they have a good understanding of how cash flows through the stock exchange won't know anything about QE. Everything changed in 2008. This book is surprisingly easy to understand even for the layman. It takes you on a journey through the history of money, how it is created & details historical events along the way that often changed society & triggered events. Investing money in stocks & shares isn't for the feint hearted, it's a science. Young people today leave school with little to no knowledge of how to look after or respect money. The human race is facing many new challenges & knowing how to look after wealth is high on the list

Grundlegend. Perfekt geschrieben, um die Währungs- und Finanzarchitektur, die die westliche Welt regiert, leicht zu verstehen.

a great classic

this is a must read, to start your financial education , forget the schools , brainwashing. Think for yourself.

A must have in any Truther's Reference Library! A great resource! The when and how of the founding of the Federal Reserve. It is neither Federal nor a reserve. Find out what it's really used for.