A group of concerned patriots, led by Jose Correa and Chappell Dew, held an expo at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia on June 27 with three impressive speakers, numerous vendors and patriotic organizations. Approximately 100 people came to hear Peter Koenig, an economist with the World Bank for thirty years, Thomas Moore, a former Washington insider and impetus behind the Southern National Congress, and special guest “Patrick Henry.”

Mr. Koenig, a native of Switzerland, became increasingly frustrated with the World Bank and finally left. He wrote the fictional novel “Implosion” about corporate greed destroying the world’s resources and keeping people impoverished. He said that many of his colleagues in the World Bank can’t see what is happening because they are too busy going to meetings and other daily activities to analyze events and see the big picture.

Peter Koenig, an economist with the World Bank for thirty years.

The World Bank was created in 1944 at Bretton Woods to administer the Marshall Plan money to rebuild Europe. He said the current economic crisis was planned, as our economy requires more and more resources, debt speculation, greed and globalization, which he considers to be the four principles of our economy.

Koenig said that the neocon doctrine was actually started after WWI and was defeated, but reappeared in the 1980s and flourished under Clinton. It consists of the country being run by a small corporate elite. Nothing happens in Washington, D.C. without the approval of corporate lobbyists, and the President is just a servant. The Group of 8 economically cooperating countries was gradually expanded to the Group of 20 to increase the sphere of influence of the Western corporate elite.

Our problems really accelerated when Nixon took us off the gold standard in 1971 to allow the Fed to print unlimited amounts of money, which according to Koenig, was to allow us to pay back our Vietnam War debt. Gold exploded from the pegged $35/oz. to approximately $3-400/oz.

Koenig said that in October 2008 $13.6 trillion in foreign debt obligations were added to the U.S. debt and that as of January 2009 we owe $60 trillion. This is an unprecedented 4.2 times our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He said mortgage debt is $14 trillion, credit card debt is $1 trillion and other types of debt are $2.5 trillion, which means that the people owe 2.1 times the GDP.

China holds $2 trillion in U.S. dollars in reserve and is trying to diversify. If they sell at once the value of the dollar will plummet and so will the value of their reserves. Koenig said he has never trusted the stock market, which lost $20 trillion in value in one month. It lost 40% of its industrial value from March 2008 to March 2009, but regained 20% by April 2009, demonstrating that it is not a serious economic engine.

Koenig believes that fighting terrorism is a pretext for obtaining natural resources such as hydrocarbons, minerals and water. Exxon had a 33% increase in profit in 2008, demonstrating how corporations benefit from global ventures, leadership and influence by the U.S.

Previous loan guidelines from international banks stipulated that the funds be tracked, but now they just issue blank checks, Koenig said. Consequently, it was harder to steal under the old rules, but now corruption is rampant. The banks now issue Development Policy Loans, with no procurement guidelines, and the money just disappears, the people end up in debt and there’s no money left for infrastructure. Many countries are privatizing water systems so that now poor people can’t even afford clean water. These organizations like the IMF, World Bank, etc. are doing to the world just what the Federal Reserve is doing to the American people.

The IMF was broke in October 2008 as Latin America had paid off their debts and the IMF had no more work so they began to lay off employees. But the current manufactured economic crisis has breathed new life into the IMF as they have had to hire even more employees to hand out new loans.

The latest fad for the World Bank is “climate change,” Koenig said, “which is a loose term used to coerce countries.” He added that the Cap and Trade bill is another ploy to benefit Wall St. through corporate tax breaks. Koenig said that Africa has 60% of the world’s resources, most of which are non-renewable and with Obama as President Africa may be friendlier towards U.S. corporations.

Ecuador conducted a study of their loans and found that 40% were illegally forced upon them. Their total debt is $4.2 trillion and of that $10 billion was to foreigners. During the Argentinian crisis their debt was sold off at 27 cents on the dollar, which was also fraudulently acquired, and Koening thinks this may inspire other Latin American countries and teach banks that perhaps they shouldn’t make these loans in the future.

Koenig quoted an American economist who said that if our current unemployment statistics were calculated using the same criteria as the Clinton Administration, we would have 16-20% unemployment, similar to Depression levels. He thinks the U.S. might return to a gold standard which would send gold to $1-2000 per oz. and wipe out U.S. debt.

Ending on a positive note, Koenig offered a four-step solution to the problems we face. First, he recommended staying away from the IMF, World Bank and other such bank loans. Second, he said we need to produce and consume locally and stay within our own borders. Third, he suggested establishing alliances with like-minded countries. And fourth, he recommends educating people as to what is happening in our world.

Just before lunch, Harry McKay of Florida, who was dressed up like Patrick Henry, delivered a stirring rendition of Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech to the audience. His delivery was so realistic that it was easy to imagine being in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1775 contemplating revolution against the British, and reminded one of the great sacrifices the Founding Fathers made for our great country.

Patrick Henry, speaking at the Patriot Expo, is portrayed by Henry McKay.

Thomas Moore gave an inspirational speech after lunch, recommending various ways to resist tyranny and prepare for what lies ahead. Moore worked for Sen. Strom Thurmond, in the Pentagon for the Reagan Administration and for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. and believes that the government is headed towards inevitable collapse. He reminded the audience of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous quote which describes most Americans: “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

Thomas Moore worked for Sen. Strom Thurmond, in the Pentagon for the Reagan Administration and for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Moore calls our current system of fiat money and perpetual debt “the Vampire Economy, because it sucks the blood out of the people. It does not deserve your obedience and the day may come to say ‘No more.’”

He described where he thinks we are in history by drawing on an historical analogy from Scotland in 1679, when preachers were preaching across Scotland in fields stirring the people to rebellion. The British had outlawed such preaching on penalty of execution. Rev. Thomas Douglas was preaching in a field at Loudoun Hill when Lord Claverhouse attacked with his men. Rev. Douglas, seeing the forces approaching, told his congregation “Ye have got the theory, now for the practice!”

Moore said that we must prepare for the bad times that lie ahead by “being the best people we can be: morally, spiritually and educationally.” He said the first thing we need to do is “dismiss the role of despair and hopelessness. We have an enormous opportunity to restore freedom.”

The second thing Moore said we must do is not cry “Who am I?” He reminded us that Patrick Henry was nobody special but rose to the occasion, while George Washington was a failed soldier in the French and Indian War.

Thirdly, Moore said we must acknowledge to ourselves that the system we are confronting is incontrovertibly broken. As a Washington insider, he said that lawmakers only rarely even read letters from constituents, which is why the system is futile. Moore said, “The system belongs to the highest bidder. That’s why it will be swept to the dung heap of history where it belongs.” He added that it only has power out of our consent. He said, “Everybody has a bit of individual sovereignty...We have more power. The elites fear us because they know that even the rankest tyranny exists by consent of the people.”

He then suggested several actions to prepare ourselves and our families. First he said to get out of debt completely. He said this prevents “the vampire from sinking its fangs into you and sucking out your blood.” Secondly, he urged that parents get their children out of the government school system

Thirdly, Moore said “One of the greatest acts of liberty you can engage in is planting a garden. Every one of us should be planting a garden. The empire is moving against our ability to eat and survive.” He advised not buying hybrid seeds because the seed cannot be saved.

As Chairman of the Southern Institute for Sustainable Living, Moore says that we should be living a sustainable existence in harmony with nature, like the Old South did. Also, he started the Southern National Congress as a platform to present grievances against the Federal government and to provide for a stable government if it fails. If this happens Moore hopes that the Southern states can re-establish a more conservative, sustainable economy. He reminded us that as conservatives, we should also conserve God’s resources that He has given us, not in according to communistic environmental laws, but according to Biblical principles.

Everyone agreed that the first Patriot Expo was a huge success and besides the wonderful speakers and vendors, it provided S.C. patriots with the opportunity to further network. The next Patriot Expo is scheduled for November 14 and 15 in Myrtle Beach, with plans for a future event in the Greenville area as well. Readers should watch The Times Examiner for further details. We should all be thankful for the huge amount of effort S.C. patriots donated in planning and coordinating these events.