I. Mission Statement
Why choose to participate in a system that doesn’t work? A system that is designed to drain the people of wealth instead of enriching them and their lives? A system that is constructed upon irrational principles, faulty laws, and unstable values? A system on the verge of collapse? This is the question that the Alternative Market Movement (AMM) poses to the American citizen. Why continue living under an economic structure that is poised to erupt, threatening you, your family, and your ability to provide a meaningful future for them? Would anyone voluntarily choose to live under the barrel of a gun their entire lives?
The only plausible answer is that most people participate in our current destructive financial system because they feel there are no other options. The AMM plans to change this by offering a new choice, one which presents a solid foundation, an honest and legitimate sense of community, self sufficiency, and sound trade backed by tangible commodities instead of unsustainable debts. We will work to help each and every individual achieve greater independence and to connect with other like-minded participants in a newer, liberty based market. This market will be facilitated and administrated by communities themselves, away from bureaucracy, corporate influence, and overt regulation. It will serve the interests of the average man and woman, and not the interests of globalism and elitist hierarchy.
We believe wholeheartedly in the framework of Constitutional Law, and that no government or supranational entity has the right to overstep Constitutional boundaries for any reason, regardless of supposed intentions or mandates. We do not recognize the self proclaimed authority of corporately created and managed entities such as the Federal Reserve, the IMF, or the World Bank. We are fully opposed to the practice of fractional reserve banking, fiat currency, central banking, and other fraudulent financial Ponzi schemes. We stand against the forced centralization of countries and cultures and the erasure of national sovereignty. We believe that the first step in defending against such economic and political manipulation is to create an alternative system that safeguards the values of free markets and free peoples. We are a natural extension of the Liberty Movement which is already making great headway in American society today.
Our goal is not to centralize authority in this movement, but to encourage individual awareness, and individual action. We hope to provide the knowledge and tools necessary to make it possible for anyone, from the average working American, to the successful private business owner, to become their own leaders, taking actions in their own neighborhoods and towns with the purpose of forming viable trade networks, eventually decoupling and shielding themselves from the diseased economy currently in place.
The root ideology of our mission could be expressed as follows:
Provide for yourself and others those human necessities which the corrupt establishment cannot or will not.
Through this, you make the damaging system unneeded and obsolete. Eventually, the establishment will have to come after you, openly exposing its tyrannical nature, or it will have to conform to you. In either case, you benefit.
II. Example of the AMM Ideology in Action
The principle described above is not just a “theory;” it has been used to great advantage in the past by those seeking to break free from totalitarianism. The Founding Fathers of the American Revolution, for instance, used the method of decoupling and self sufficiency in order to revolt before a shot was ever fired against the British. Instead of invading England, or attacking the British, revolutionaries forced them to make a choice; accept a free America, or attack Americans and expose English tyranny to the world.
This method can be seen in modern times as well with the advent of the internet and alternative media. Citizen journalists have used the internet to create an independent network of information sources outside the corporately controlled MSM. Today, the audience numbers of the MSM are in a shambles, plummeting monthly, while the alternative media’s audience is skyrocketing. The alternative media is supplanting the MSM for one reason; truth. They provided something which the MSM would not, and the people gravitated to the web in droves. We believe this same idea can be applied to the economy. By building a better option, the people will finally abandon the establishment system.
III. AMM Methods for Promoting Alternative Economy
Here are some important steps in the development of an alternative market in any community…
a) Create a Website with a Dedicated AMM Forum [Editor's note: CHECK and CHECK!]
A website independent from Neithercorp.us, Oathkeepers.org, or any other established alternative outlet, would give a fresh start to the AMM, while at the same time receiving the support of our pre-existing audiences. Our websites could cross promote the AMM while at the same time remaining mostly separate. This gives the AMM the opportunity to grow as its own organization, independent from its affiliates.
A dynamic forum which helps AMM participants connect would serve as a vital stepping stone towards meaningful community. This community, however, should not remain only as an animal of the internet. It must eventually be developed in real towns and cities outside the web as well. The forum could help foster this transition by having a board structure based on geographic location. This would encourage members to start local chapters and participate in discussions which pertain to their specific locality.
The AMM website would benefit greatly from sponsorship or advertising dollars from companies that provide Liberty Movement based products, such as gold and silver, survival gear, alternative health products, alternative energy products, food storage, etc. This revenue would then be used to continuously expand AMM operations and content to the benefit of participants, as well as provide equal business opportunities for those companies that contribute. If done correctly, everyone involved wins, and funds go directly into supporting free markets across the country.
b) Promote Self-Sufficiency and Survival Preparation
The beauty of this step is that many hundreds of thousands of Americans in the Liberty Movement are already taking action in regards to survival. The ‘prepper’ community is enormous and growing daily. The AMM can take it further by offering an outlet where ‘preppers’ can share ideas and be exposed to other methods beyond mere survivalism, including alternative markets and trade, as a way to preempt the economic collapse.
Survivalism is about independence. It teaches people to separate from the system they are desperately tied to. Survivalism (food storage, shelter, off grid water and energy, self defense, etc.) must be one of the first ideas promoted by the AMM in the process of moving towards such complex and foreign issues as alternative trade.
c) Start with Necessities
The key to any stable market is a solid foundation in human necessities. Food, water, shelter, energy, etc. For an alternative economy to thrive, all of these “products” would have to be addressed, and business models on the local level would have to be explored. Private farms and co-ops would be the perfect starting point. There are already many farming groups across the country which desire to break away from corporate monopolies. The alternative market would offer a devoted customer base for their crops while at the same time provide non-corporate food sources for Liberty Movement families.
Once a working barter network is constructed in farmers markets, many other businesses would fall into place.
d) Micro Industry and Practical Skills
An alternative market is going to have to develop on the local level, and operate in a fashion opposite that of corporations. Some of the possible businesses could include; gunsmithing, small appliance repair, electronics repair, engine repair, leather making, textiles, candle making, soap making, ammo reloading, locksmithing, livestock care, efficient gardening (squarefoot gardening), indoor gardening and hydroponics, seed saving and plant heraldry, home security consultation, welding, wood stove making, alternative energy consultation and production, wells and water table expertise, food banks and refrigeration in the event of a grid-down scenario, self-defense training, etc.
As stated above, farms and community garden plots dedicated to AMM principles would be an ideal first step. This could then be followed by the numerous other micro-industries above. Those with land not suited for cultivation could operate neighborhood solar power stations for instance, using their solar panels to charge battery banks or to directly distribute electricity to those who cannot afford to set up their own solar power systems. Neighborhood or town water filtration businesses could be instituted by those with the means, ensuring clean drinkable water is always available for trade. Hundreds of businesses based on truly essential goods and services can be set up by regular people for little money and become driver of alternative economy as long as they have a dependable customer base to turn to. It would be the job of the AMM to help inform and encourage this customer base.
e) Promote Gold and Silver as a Currency Superior to the Dollar
Gold and silver are the best currency options available to the AMM at this time. They offer tangible stable wealth as well as a defense against inflation. A precious metals currency system would probably have to wait until the idea of barter is properly introduced to participants. By encouraging AMM businesses to accept gold and silver for goods and services, we can then acclimate the public to the concept of gold and silver as currency, instead of just a manner of investment. AMM businesses would have to be at least growing at the time this step is taken.
Alternative markets will attract participation only if we make every element of trade accessible. That means avoiding absolutes as much as possible. Forcing people to choose between only using dollars, or only using gold, for example, would be a mistake. Instead, the AMM should promote the use of several methods of trade at once. AMM businesses could eventually accept dollars, barter, or gold and silver, thereby leaving as many options as possible open to consumers. As the dollar loses its value and appeal, gold and barter will be there to take its place, and the markets would continue operating without missing a beat. Alternative markets would become adaptable, flexible, and much more difficult to destabilize.
Later, businesses could then begin offering their employees the option of being paid in gold and silver, instead of dollars, for their work. This would complete the circle and the reintroduction of the precious metals standard would be on its way.
IV. AMM Services
There are many things the AMM could do to nurture a new alternative economy. Here are a few ideas…
a) Non-Corporate Alternatives
Just by existing, the AMM allows Americans to end their dependence on corporate chains which do not support local communities but siphon wealth and jobs away from them. Businesses which associate with the AMM could get listings on our website, an AMM Seal window sticker to identify themselves to customers as AMM members and that they accept barter and PM’s. Possible memberships at AMM “business fairs” or community workshops would be a later step.
This serves to create a protective buffer between towns and corporate chains by offering a separate network of businesses that help keep local wealth circulating within the communities. Businesses benefit because they would not only maintain their current customer base, but expand it greatly by showing support for the Liberty Movement. Over time, this system could completely dissolve global corporate dominance of local business forever.
If executed correctly, all business owners will want to participate in the barter and precious metals system, if not out of a sense of what is right, but because of the many incentives involved. This also defies the use of co-option by globalists. Corporation could try to adopt the barter and PM’s system as a way to derail alternative business, but by doing so they would only further the cause of sound money and strong economy, which is the ultimate goal of all of this anyway.
b) Education and Promotion
In the beginning, the AMM will likely start small, with articles, videos, and perhaps the occasional presentation by AMM advisors and others who have expertise to offer in varying fields. Essays on the need for sovereign economy, articles on the many dangers of the current system, instructional videos on how to invest in precious metals, how to start particular business, how to prepare your household for possible collapse, would represent the bulk of the content on the AMM website. The rest of the site would be dedicated to promoting those businesses that participate, as well as connecting people to one another so they can do business more effectively.
Finding Liberty Movement experts to contribute very specific how-to courses would be an excellent way to increase enthusiasm and public confidence in the viability of alternative economy.
c) Workshops and Expos
Workshops serve two purposes; first, they provide a hands-on learning experience, enhancing people’s knowledge in ways the internet cannot. Second, it gets AMM participants away from the computer and gives them an arena which fosters a more tangible sense of community. This is a much more difficult phase in the AMM toolbox; it would require more complex planning and logistics, as well as expenses. However, a certain point will be reached in which learning will have to move away from the internet and into a public forum. Community workshops, traveling expos, and conventions, would solidify the reality of the Alternative Market Movement by showing people they are truly not alone; that there are many others around them working towards the same goal.
d) Promote Neighborhood Watch and Citizens Defense
People accept tyranny only when they are afraid, when the threat of harm to them and their family becomes so great that they will submit to the demands of despots on the promise of safety alone. By constructing alternative markets at a local level, we preempt the primary cause of distress, which is the lack of livelihood. However, with economic collapse comes the threat of destabilization in the rule of law, as well as the dissolution of normal protections such as the police. The only available answer to this dilemma is a community that is capable of its own defense.
By helping people to form their own liberty based neighborhood watches and offering training materials which allow them to ensure their own safety, we remove intrusive government from the picture. When people are self-reliant, they are not afraid, and if they aren’t afraid, they won’t turn towards autocracy for help.
e) Bring Together the Most Effective Minds for the Benefit of All
For the AMM to fulfill its potential, it will need the contributions of some of the best and brightest the Liberty Movement has to offer; a kind of “advisory board.” Many brilliant writers, economists, journalists, constitutionalists, businessmen, and political leaders, are already working within the movement to help save this country, but they are for the most part working separate from each other, and in many different directions. This is not necessarily a problem, but it would be exciting and empowering for people to see these same men and women working together on a single project that encompasses everything the movement stands for. We believe the AMM could be that project. It gives the movement a sense of solidarity, and at the same time, it avoids the pitfalls of dominating the individual projects of is advisors.
Another advantage is that while this advisory board is helping to guide the movement, it would not be the de facto “leadership” of the movement, because the AMM will be predicated on the promotion of individual action, and not centralization. This means that if the establishment chose to attack or disrupt the activities of the advisory board members, it would do nothing to disrupt the movement itself.
V. Conclusion
Again, the key to AMM success will be in its ability to work in parallel with the current market. To offer a new option without forcing people to immediately abandon the old system they are used to. The aspirations and objectives described above sound lofty, and perhaps even unattainable, but our circumstances are well-known. The current economy is, indeed, on the verge of collapse. We all see it. We all know what is coming. With this cold hard fact at our doorstep, the question of whether or not the AMM is possible becomes rather meaningless. We must act, regardless of how difficult the solution might be to achieve. We have no other choice but make our greatest effort, and to make it now, before time runs out.
Alternative systems are the ultimate form of non-violent protest. They deny the establishment its base of power by making citizens independent. Corrupt governments and economies need people to rely on them, otherwise, they cannot survive. We have seen many concrete examples of alternative systems throughout history. If the method works, then we should employ it. The reality of social movements could be summed up, thus:
There is no power over us but that which we give away,and no freedom that is taken, that cannot be taken back.
Poster Comment:
2-10-11 The Alternative Market Project: A Sneak Preview
3-01-11 The Alternative Market Project Has Been Launched!: http://www.alt-market.com/
Will print those articles below.