Revising 'the dream'..
posted on
Aug 26, 2012 01:40PM
(Edit this Message from the "Fast Facts" Section)
Well said Spiny. From the first day you posted you have always been one of the best contributors to this forum. Thank you...and to Pic and all the other genuine investors.
Remember when we were unabashed, unapologetic fans of SFMI? I actually started in 2009...and read all I could on the property and its history. It was very impressive. I remember talking to RK and being most optimistic. He and I shared some knowledge of the mining sector in the Timmins area so I figured he was pretty reliable. I proceeded merrily to the many red flags for years. Silly me. After all the years wandering in the desert of the JPMs one would think I should have known better. There were a handful of us from the beginning who communicated regularly and awaited the progress of SFMI based on the premise of the fabulous historical documentation and promise after promise of progress... with delay after delay and mistake after mistake. We endured one setback after another...one seemingly plausible reason after another...and I rationalized/denied the realities of the gaping doubt…and by the way, we were receiving continuous and repeated, titillating tidbits of positive BS...from some 'close to the scene'. What a joke. I think we are all annoyed by our own gullibility. These are not stupid people and we all have successful lives. In retrospect RK and PQ worked us all...and continue to do so.
I never hear from most of the small core group who were originally excited (and duped) by PQ and RK. A few of them even stopped replying to my emails and I have stopped trying to call them. We saw annual, successive optimism from those who attended the AGMs and tours of WEM. PQ has done a masterful job of both disarming and letting down the shareholders. But we all ignored the warning signs boldly flashing in his somewhat questionable 'resume'. I have always said that management is THE number one factor in investing in a junior gold stock. But, this, I thought might just be the rare exception. Huh!
It was clear from the start that PQ is an expert at making an excellent living off losing ventures. But of course we pioneers ignored all that. After all, how could someone purchase and accrue access to one of the most promising, historically rich gold and silver properties in all of the U.S.A.? He must have something going for him. Right? In a few weeks he will again go to the AGM along with Rich and look everyone in the face and unabashedly disarm the crowd. I have to think the guy has some sort of an intimidating nature because hard questions have never been asked at those meetings….and hey, it wouldn’t be ‘respectful’. Now ask yourself if said ‘respect’ is mutual. He will have an answer for all the pleasant questions. Everyone will leave all excited and await the 'good news' to come. Maybe it will. I do not want to sound like some shill from the 'other board'. And, to be realistic, it does take a long time and millions upon millions of project dollars to start the drilling....never mind the digging. But, look out there in the world and you will see hundreds of junior upstarts that have done so in 2 years or less...with no historical documentation and far greater odds against finding an economically feasible deposit than SFMI. Yet, the carrot still dangles.
From all the discussion that continues here, from many very intelligent and experienced investors, most of whom bought much higher, I see the caution signs over and over and over again. One day one wakes up and sees something ugly in the mirror. It always comes down to guessing what PQ is doing, his relationships/contracts/contacts with past and present employees... his family running the BOD, etc... and it always looks very opaque…and it drones on. There is progress no doubt, but as you pointed out Spiny, in the past this has always seemed to be followed by a negative 'surprise' on one thing or another... yet another revelation that a timeline has been badly missed, a new 'deal' may have been struck/lost, a new, wealthy, 'partner' is on board etc. It is a painful and repetitive refrain. There is also a string of ex associates/contractors/employees that have had differences with the management. Can they all have been wrong? We put this off to unreasonable and devious agendas of course. And yet we try to believe that one day PQ will come through with the goods. PQ is getting well paid for 'doing his job'. Others forever await the upside in the share price. Meanwhile, the ubiquitous pumpers and bashers pass incessantly through the SFMI forum turnstiles gaming and defrauding anyone they can.
A lot of very good people have lost an awful lot of $ at the SFMI table and really, when you look at the past events, the word 'fraud' does rattle around in the back of many minds…but even fraud is complacently accepted now. There has been 'suspicion' of deception for sure since not all of it is merely ineptness. But still the lure of gold prevails and the possibility of success is just over the near horizon. Lies, err 'miss-statements' and delays can be tolerated until the long suffering investors ( not the shorters, naked shorters and fraudsters and ? who have illegally made $ ) are rewarded. I am sorry for all those I know here who are well intended people who are banking on a big pay day from SFMI. I must say that I can no longer ignore the management debacle this investment suffers from....and continues to do so. Long ago I suspected nefarious NY related 'activities'. Long ago I got disenchanted with the excellent compensation/shareholdings management 'deserved'...and their excuses for ineptness. But, hey, if there is a payday for all, it can be overlooked, right? There is the tragic flaw from my perspective. And that's something I should have seen long ago, coming full circle. My fault entirely. You see for the management, so far, the journey IS the goal.
I sincerely want to see SFMI evolve into that promise which it appears capable of. The thing that is pressing for me here...and should be for many...is that we are on the launch of a new day for the gold and silver miners which is offering us the biggest investment opportunity of our lifetimes over the next year. I see so many other juniors out there that will be ten bangers that I fear being locked in to an SFMI could lock one out of other, bigger, faster gains...those with millions of ounces of resources in the ground....many so undervalued for ounces in the ground that it is mind blowing...from $1 to $38….that could soon soar to the hundreds. Waiting for an ''SFMI' to 'come through’, even if PQ somehow pulls it off, will take at least 6 months to a year before even minimal drill assays come in...I am guessing...and given the record that may be generous considering the litany of delays. So, we are trapped here with the shares we have, unless they were purchased at 3 cents. That my fellow SFMI shareholders is the real pity.
Good luck to all honest people here who have no hidden agendas. I hope by some fluke that SFMI goes to 50 cents and then $1 in a hurry for all of you. Serious, large shareholders should immediately put management's feet to red hot coals and not revise SFMI's checkered progress or allow further shoddy, inexperienced and questionable tactics to continue any longer. You have a right to demand transparency in all things, a sense of urgency and continued, honest updates on all management plans, project setbacks, unforeseen events, financial arrangements, etc. I am now on the sidelines save for a few hundred thousand shares...but will watch for any signs of a normal heartbeat.