I just gave a Liberty Dollar brochure to President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (from AGN, Sept. 20th, 2006)

I just gave a Liberty Dollar brochure to President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela

by Nic Leobold

(from AGN, Sept. 20th, 2006)

This is a true story.

I just got back from going to Barnes and Noble Bookstore at Astor Place in Manhattan. On my way there, we passed by the Great Hall of The Cooper Union, and suddenly we were surrounded by numerous U.S. Secret Service agents and foreign security personnel in suits. There were big black VIP SUV's all over the streets and sidewalk, plus an ambulance.

I asked one of the foreign suits guarding the back doors where he was from and who was there speaking. "Venezuela", he told me. "Hugo Chavez? President Hugo Chavez?", I asked. "Yes", he nodded.

I went around to the front of Cooper Union and asked the people on line how to get in to hear the speech. Unfortunately, they told me you needed a ticket and there were none left. So we continued walking to Barnes and Noble.

40 minutes later on our way back, I realized I had Liberty Dollar brochures in my pocket that I could ask the Venezuelan Secret Service to give to Chavez. 'Who knows', I thought, 'maybe President Chavez will be impressed with the spirit of free enterprise and liberty of the American people, even if he is a dictator.'

When I got back to the back door, there were two Venezuelan Secret Service agents and a Venezuelan Army officer in full dress uniform guarding the entrance. When I had reached for my brochures during my approach back to Cooper Union, I had discovered that I had made a fortuitous mistake: I had unknowingly taken Puerto Rican Liberty Dollar brochures from my desk brochure holder instead of my usual English ones. Luckily, the brochure I could now offer Mr. Chavez would be in his native language of Spanish!

I gave one of the Venezuelan Secret Service agents the Puerto Rico brochure and asked if they would "please give it to Mr. Chavez, it's from America. I would like him to read it." The agents promised me they would pass it to the President (and I believe they will. Incidents and contacts like these are very important to dignitaries and diplomats traveling in foreign countries. They are often grist for TV broadcasts, speeches, politicking and 'fireside chats'.) The Army officer was eager to see what it was and as I was walking away I saw him look at it while the agents were examining it.

Who knows what will happen now? Maybe President Chavez will ask for payment for Venezuelan oil in Liberty Dollars from now on. Stranger things have happened. After all, if he really wants to stick it to George W. Bush and his administration, 1 million barrels a day of light sweet crude equals a heck of a lot of $20 silver Liberties. I wonder what the U.S. Mint and the Treasury Department would say if that happened! Of course, if they needed to, I'm sure Liberty Dollar would allow George W. Bush and the Treasury Department and the major oil companies to become Liberty Merchants. That way they could get their Liberty Dollars at a discount and save money when they spend money, and the American people would save an immediate 15% on our Venezuelan oil imports (at today's Sept. 20th Merchant Rate).

This would be a good deal for America and a good deal for Venezuela. I have a feeling that despite being a devout Communist, Mr. Chavez knows the difference between paper dollars and real gold and silver-backed money, and President Bush should know it too. Maybe when Chavez asks for his payment in Liberty Dollars, President Bush will finally realize that the Liberty Dollar can save us money and restore value to America, and he will order the Treasury Department and the U.S. Mint to stop attacking us.

Nic Leobold