Bull,

I love the analogies you choose.

And I think Norcini is saying a similar thing in a different way. The "masters of the financial universe" need to cap the price of gold no matter who they hurt or how blatant their action is. They, too, want public to remain calm. They need to "keep the beach open" if their repairs are ever to work. The sad part is that they are unlikely to work and I suspect they know that.

They fear the price of gold going well over 1000 might 'alert' (or 'cause recognition') in the populace and they would have to deal with the inevitable riots and chaos before they are ready.

I suspect they are working on two things at once and need time. One they are working to "fix things." Two they are working on their personal escape and protection plan for when the "fit inevitably hits the shan." Keeping the gold price down does two things. It gives them time and it perhaps scares loose some physical gold that they themselves hope to pick off.

I fear there are going to be many, many, many very angered and somewhat irrational people when the transportation system breaks down and I believe that too is highly likely. They will come from all segments of society; not just the poor.

Our economy does not work logically. A business, once started, should pay the bank off and operate independently.

[Highly simplified example] Trucker buys fuel, contracts for load, delivers, subtracts costs, logs profit (no bank needed except for startup of business). But everybody gets greedy. They keep the loan from the bank active and buy a second truck and then borrow more money to fill the tanks (rather than waiting 'til they have the profits from the 1st illustration to do so without the bank). Now they are dependent upon the banks to function. They make their contracts, deliver the load, collect, pay off the bank and log their profits. The banks got greedy and made calamitous investments which they always seem to do from time to time. They, therefore, have no capital to loan to the trucker so he can't function. If he can get a loan he has to be sure his customer on the other end of the haul can also get a loan so he can be sure to get the money in order to get paid so he can pay the bank (and log his profit). Since the bank is frozen he can't get fuel, he can't be sure his customer will be able to pay (they run their business the same way) and he can't continue to pay the bank the outstanding note he already has let alone renew it to function. And now that income stream is cut off from the starving bank, too!

The whole system is locked up and can no longer function. The "financial masters" are trying everything possible to unlock the system and get it moving again. Perhaps they will I cannot say.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 may find its fulfillment in this crisis if they are able to do so. Fulfillment of prophecy is seldom properly understood until after the fact.

I don't know when things will happen, but I try to keep alert and busy in the work I do.

With many thanks for your encouraging posts,

P.