Asset Protection – Is the US a Fascist Police State?

This week I want to share with you two separate news items that are both frightening and disgusting.  The first one occurred just about two weeks ago and involves a court case where the CA appeals court approved cell phone searches during traffic stops.  The details of the case can be found here.

It all started with a traffic stop and a driver that had some photos of guns on his phone.  The man was pulled over for speeding in Santa Cruz County and the officer suspected him of driving under the influence of drugs.

Upon further inspection the officer found the driver had an expired driver’s license and decided to impound the car.  The officer refused to allow the car to be parked roadside and await a friend of the driver to pick up the car.  At that point, the officer decided to conduct an inventory search of the car.

Upon the inventory search, the officer found a fully legal Glock pistol and the driver’s Blackberry phone.  On the screen of the phone there were pictures of two men holding AR-15 rifles.  At that point, another officer went through the contents of the driver’s phone.  It wasn’t until much later did they get a search warrant for this action.

Based on the info found on the phone, the sheriff’s office sent a SWAT team to execute a search warrant at the driver’s home 10 days later.  The SWAT team confiscated a cache of weapons, marijuana growing paraphernalia, and $15,000 cash.

In summary, the driver’s lawyer argued the search was a violation of the 4th amendment and all evidence should be disallowed.  The judge agreed and ordered the information to be suppressed.  However the appeals court overturned the judge’s ruling on the grounds that the phone was part of the inventory check needed to process the vehicle impound.

Ironically the driver died of an unrelated incident before he went to trial, but the decision was released anyway solely for the purpose of creating a precedent for future cases.

I ask you dear readers, do you feel it is legal and moral for the police to have the right to confiscate and search your mobile phone if you are stopped for speeding or running a red light?  Is it legal and moral for the police to take this information acquired through unconstitutional means and raid your personal residence and confiscate your personal property?

If you can answer yes to either of these questions, you have clearly subscribed to the wrong newsletter.  Or you are a fascist troll lurking in the shadows trying to gain the perspective of freedom lovers in an attempt to shut down the party.  Either way, please unsubscribe at the bottom.

The second news article involves a bill the House Judiciary Committee passed on October 6th, 2011 that would make it a federal crime for US residents to discuss or plan activities on foreign soil that if carried out in the US would violate the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Essentially this is saying that if a US resident makes plans to use a controlled substance outside of the US, he or she would be subject to federal law even if the event took place in a country where the act is legal.

For example, let’s say you are planning a bachelor party for your buddy who is getting married in December.  The bachelor party is to be held in Amsterdam and the group decides that you all want to visit a couple of cafes and smoke some pot.

Keep in mind, you have not bought or consumed marijuana in the US, only made plans to do so in a country where the substance is legal to own and use.  But low and behold, your entire bachelor party group is now subject to prosecution.

What if you have been successfully running your medical marijuana dispensary in California for the past 5 years and have formulated a unique method to increase yields for other growers.  You may decide to provide consulting services to growers in other countries where marijuana is legal to grow and buy.

By providing this service as a US resident, you would now be in violation of this new law.  If interpreted broadly enough, doctors, academics and policymakers could even be charged criminally for contributing their expertise to companies or other agencies outside of the US.

Let me be as delicate as possible here – what kind of arrogant bastard thinks he can legislate the morality of its citizenry as well as regulate the actions of those citizens abroad?  House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), that’s who.

Welcome to the United Fascist States of America.

How many of you are continuing to keep your head in the sand thinking the United States is still a free country?  In what bizarre universe does running a police state that directly violates the core foundation of the country constitute freedom?  When does criminalizing the citizenry for actions outside of your home country become the moral obligation of the ruling class?

I sincerely hope you are doing something to protect your assets and ensure your wealth for the future.  Please take the time to assess your own personal and financial situation and make sure you are prepared to prosper in the coming years.  Putting your head in the sand doesn’t make the problems go away.

Finally, I want to address some reader comments over the past couple of weeks.

I have received numerous questions about recent emails promoting the Chuck Hughes Cash Flow Trader trading service and the John Thomas Macro Millionaire trading service.

First of all, I made a mistake in the most recent email when I stated that John Thomas doesn’t use options.  I meant he is not a net buyer of options, but he does frequently sell options.  John looks at macro economic conditions and makes trades accordingly.

He is not tied to the stock market, bond market, currency market or the commodities market.  He will trade where the opportunity lies at any given moment.

Chuck is more of a technical trader that looks at individual stocks and trades options as both a buyer and seller.  Both services use options and both services are frequently traded, although Chuck’s service is a bit more actively managed.

I have lost count how many people have asked me if I personally use either of these services.  Let me be perfectly clear, I only recommend products that I have personal experience with.  So to directly answer the question, yes, I use both services.

I have been a trader and investor myself for many years.  I don’t follow every single trade from either service.  I use them both to further my trading education and unearth opportunities I may have not seen.  But I don’t trade someone else’s recommendations blindly and I wouldn’t recommend that you do as well.

I’m a huge advocate of personal responsibility so if I lose money trading, it’s my own fault, not the fault of some hedge fund manager who made a recommendation.  Accordingly if I make money, he doesn’t get the credit either.  I am the one that pays my bills and thus I am responsible for me.

I will mention that there is a 90 day money back guarantee on both services.  I personally spoke to my contact at the company on Wednesday to verify the policy and they honor the policy as long as you can send in proof (like a computer screenshot) that you have attempted to make the trades recommended.

If either service appeals to you, go for it.  They stand by their product.  But clearly this is not for everyone.  Rest assured that I will continue to make you aware of opportunities that I have personally vetted.  I do not blindly recommend anything just because it looks pretty.