‘Crashmaker’ – A Must Read Book

September 10, 2001 – Even before “Crashmaker” arrived in the post, I knew that I would like this book. My expectations were high because I’ve known both of the authors for about fifteen years, so I understand what they are capable of achieving. Furthermore, I hold both of them in very high regard because of their professional accomplishments and the vast reservoir of knowledge that each commands.

Victor Sperandeo is a Wall Street legend whose deft stock picking and commodity trading over the years earned him the sobriquet, ‘Trader Vic’. And Alvaro Almeida is the pen name of an accomplished constitutional attorney whose knowledge about the legal basis for sound money throughout United States history is second to none.

So it was with great eagerness that I picked up this book and began reading. But it quickly became evident as I delved into Crashmaker that this was no ordinary book. When I finished, there was no doubt that even my high expectations for it were more than succeeded. This book is truly magnificent. Everyone must read this book, all two volumes and 1,572 pages of it.

Crashmaker can be read on two levels. First of all, it is a very entertaining novel, with a gripping plot that will keep you in suspense throughout the book. Though entirely a work of fiction, it is humorous to parallel real people with the characters in the book, like the Ranscums, a despicable former president who along with his wife brought disrepute to the White House because of their numerous scandals, lack of morals and disregard for the law. And it is very amusing to read about the exploits of Allen Stillwell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is a central character of this story. But while the book on this level is fun and entertaining, it is the second level that is of importance and the reason I recommend that everyone read this book.

Crashmaker challenges the reader. It asks each American what is required to achieve true freedom, and then thoughtfully and thoroughly explains how American freedoms have been lost by the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. Its establishment has created a monetary system that subverts freedom by violating the monetary provisions of the Constitution, thereby making possible what the Founding Fathers feared – a ruling elite, which the book disparagingly refers to as the ‘Establishment’.

How have American freedoms been lost? How has the Establishment accomplished this end? In the words of Edward dos Santos, one of the book’s protagonists: “They have two strategies. The first is the totalitarian gambit: perverting the Constitution through the Supreme Court’s misinterpretations, thereby concentrating powers in the national government…[Also] the elitists have turned to a second strategy: transferring America’s sovereignty piece by piece through treasonable treaties and other international agreements, to a nascent one-world government they intend to control.”[285] The Federal Reserve is central to this strategy of control because of the power it wields through its iron-hand on the nation’s money.

Though a work of fiction, this book is not some lightweight story of little relevance. Consider this insight when the heroine, Lara Bernot, confronts Allen Stillwell with the realization that the Federal Reserve and other central banks are working to depress the gold price. “‘You’ve figured out what we’re doing?!’ Stillwell was momentarily taken aback. ‘Clever girl. Well, we can’t be too careful, can we? We have to keep the [gold] price low to lull the masses. Once they doubt the solvency of the system, and the price spurts up, there’ll be no stopping it.'”[377]

The Federal Reserve and the banking cartel come under careful yet total scrutiny in Crashmaker. Moreover, this book delivers some of the most devastating critiques of fractional reserve banking that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In one debate in Congress on economic reform, one representative explains it this way: “…fractional-reserve banking’s eaten away at America’s prosperity, political liberties, and social cohesion. Fractional-reserve banking’s the true cause of all the supposed instabilities of the specie standard – the true cause of inflation, deflation, and depression of the boom-and-bust cycle – the true cause of the governmental legislation that’s led to central banks, banking cartels, irredeemable legal-tender paper currency, and an increasingly fascistic regimentation in all areas of business.”[1240]

There is nothing of significance in the way that Washington, D.C. works today that is not covered in this book. The connection between drug money and the government, the deterioration of public education, the un-Constitutional nature of the income tax, the hubris and the hidden agendas of the big foundations, and so much more are all exposed in chilling but enlightening detail. But Crashmaker just doesn’t introduce and then leave the reader burdened and disheartened with all the problems it identifies and analyzes; rather, it provides very workable solutions to these problems. It has created a thoughtful, reasonable agenda for political and economic reform.

It is likely that Crashmaker will be compared to Atlas Shrugged, because both books are monumental achievements that profoundly affect the reader. But drawing this comparison is I think a little like comparing apples and oranges. Both books are exceptional, but they are written for different objectives. Crashmaker is not imbued with theoretical discourses that may have little practical relevance. Rather, it takes an honest look at the state of the federal government in America, addresses each problem and then tackles them one-by-one with thought provoking solutions. And though I’ve read Atlas Shrugged three times, I never had the urge to start re-reading it again right after finishing it, which is how I feel about Crashmaker.

That Americans need to re-learn the Constitution is apparent from my own experience a few years back. I had thought that I was fairly familiar with this document, but one simple test made me realize that my understanding of it was deficient, causing me to read and study more about it and the true intent of the Founding Fathers.

If you doubt that what Crashmaker calls the Establishment exists or if you do not believe that it exerts harmful control with pernicious results, then take this test. Look at any modern schoolbook that publishes “The Constitution of the United States of America”, and then go back to the original document signed by the Founding Fathers, which is actually titled “The Constitution for (sic) the United States of America”. That one small word change found only in modern schoolbooks alters significantly the intent of the Founding Fathers.

Their intent is made clear if you think of the federal government in terms of the “united States” – or in other words, States, each of which is a sovereign power, that are united – as opposed to the “United States”, a single sovereign power. The reality is that the Founding Fathers found the concept of a single sovereign power to be abhorrent. When they spoke of the loss of power within a State to a federal authority, they called it “consolidation” and they were dead-set against it.

That realization explains why the Founding Fathers went to great pains in the Constitution to delegate only 17 specific and enumerated powers to the federal government. They intended that the powers of the federal government would be few and limited. And so it was until the establishment of the Federal Reserve created the ruling elite. After all, who do you think is responsible for that one small word change in today’s ‘textbooks’ if not the Establishment?

If you have any doubt whatsoever that a conspiracy could exist in the federal government, your view will be forever altered once you read Crashmaker. You will learn who really pulls the strings in Washington, D.C.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. This book is a must-read. You’ll be both entertained and enlightened at the same time. And then when finished reading you can decide how you will respond to the challenge this book presents – restoration of individual freedoms as the Founding Fathers intended, or continuing to move toward what Hayek called the road to serfdom.

You can order Crashmaker by calling toll-free at 1-800-247-6553. You can also buy this book online through their website, www.crashmaker.com.

Don’t be intimidated by either the length of this book or its cost – about $60 including shipping & handling. I assure you that no one will be disappointed.

Not only is this book a pleasure to read, it is a sound and worthwhile investment. Crashmaker will inform you about money, banking, and the political system in ways you can’t imagine. And you will, as I did, marvel at the unique and creative solutions crafted by the authors to restore all the freedoms and political liberties that are intended for us by the legacy of Founding Fathers. In the end, you will ponder whether Americans are willing to restore individual freedom, as the Founding Fathers understood that term.