Fakeries and Federal failures

The largest counterfeiter in the world - the Federal Reserve - now has a new poster boy for what happens when you muscle in on their territory:

Von NotHaus promised a “spectacular trial” when, in 2007, he was interviewed by our Joseph Goldstein.* At the time von NotHaus was expecting to be indicted, as he eventually was, in connection with his minting of coins. His boast to our Mr. Goldstein was that he would “put this country's monetary system on trial.” In the event, the trial of von NotHaus, which took place at Statesville, North Carolina, was over in but eight days. The jury deliberated but two hours before bringing in its verdict of guilty. It will stand for many as a lesson in the difficulties of illuminating the illogic of our monetary system...

What we ... suggest is that the contrast between the Fed and von NotHaus is an example of how the scandal is not in what’s illegal but in what’s legal.
(read the whole thing...)

It should be none of the government's business what medium of exchange people use to conduct their economic affairs. "Wooden nickels" and other such tokens have a long history. They bind together buyers and sellers into communities--a key function of currency. This is why the European Unionists pushed for the Euro--to bind together in an almost unescapable embrace the various nations of Europe. The same logic is at work for those who call for a global currency. Such common currencies, however 'efficient' they may be, dilute local community ties at the same time they hand significant power to those who control the supply of said currency.

This latter is what the Fed fears most. Having mightily abused their printing presses, they're already under pressure from lenders around the world who worry about the devaluation of their dollar holdings. Should Americans themselves pick up the idea of preserving their purchasing power by using alternate mediums of exchange, the Wizard's illusion will be gone, and his power with it. Mark my words - this won't be the last action taken against free market and sound money advocates. And given the average American's poor understanding of economics, it will continue to be easy to get juries to believe whatever the prosecutors tell them, even as the money in their wallets continues to steadily lose whatever value it has left.

Meanwhile, how much do you want to bet the investigation, procedings and verdict to this won't get NEARLY as much coverage as von NotHaus has:

Border Patrol agents caught 13 illegal immigrants wearing U.S. Marine uniforms at a border patrol checkpoint near San Diego, an agency spokesman said Tuesday.
The immigrants were in a van that was stopped March 14 along Interstate 8, Border Patrol spokesman Michael Jimenez said. The van had a U.S. government license plate with an altered number, Jimenez said. He did not know where the group obtained the military uniforms.

Then again, von NotHaus had the potential to undermine a long-running Federal scam. These faux Marines, however, were merely supporting D.C.'s open border policy...