The de-banking of individuals by major banks is becoming more common and should concern us all. Two high-profile individuals, Nigel Farage, and Dr. Joseph Mercola, are the most recent casualties in the de-banking game. Without warning or fanfare, they were both de-banked by financial institutions; Farage by NatWest and Mercola by JP Morgan Chase Bank. And, by the way, General Flynn, his wife, and our Editor-in-Chief, Tracy Beanz, were also de-platformed and demonetized; Flynn by Chase and Tracy by PayPal.
In the cases of Farage and Flynn, the banks "backtracked" or "apologized," but only after both men used their outsized megaphones to cause a fuss. I am by no means minimizing the very real pain Farage and Flynn suffered. Certainly, the consequences of being de-banked are equally real for them regardless of their station in life. However, when de-platforming happens to the average Joe—and it has and it will—the fight to be heard and financial wherewithal restored verges on impossible. Farage says the apology isn't enough. He also explains that "ordinary people" are starting to be hit as well:
Nebraska's State Treasurer John Murante wrote in his Newsweek opinion piece in March:
"When powerful banks like Chase retain unbridled discretion to cancel accounts for arbitrary or biased reasons, it undermines the freedom of everyday Americans to participate in society and the marketplace without fear of discrimination based on their political or religious views."
Murante's OpEd covered how banks and corporations seem to target those "holding mainstream American views." He cites DirectTV's (AT&T) removal of the conservative OAN network from its listings. Murante also gave several examples of people who have been "de-banked." General Flynn, the Arkansas Family Council, the Defense of Liberty, and Ambassador Sam Brownback (the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF)) were all on Murante's list. Kanye West was also booted in 2022 from Chase without notice, apparently for being too vocal about the "wrong" kinds of thoughts.
Murante described Chase's practice of "red-dotting" or flagging customers "for cancelation based on their perceived reputational or social risk." Brownback was so incensed he launched a #ChasedAway campaign to elicit responses from those who have been canceled by financial institutions. I am sure Chase is not alone in this practice, especially with the rise of ESG as a metric for corporate "good behavior."
In these cases, it seems "mainstream American views" means either a conservative or certain religious worldview or, at the very least, a viewpoint that clashes with the information pushed by those controlling the prevailing "narratives." Unfortunately, it isn't just the corporate world involved in this heinous unconstitutional behavior, but also the U.S. government. Just look at the copious evidentiary documents in the Missouri v Biden case, and you will see just how egregious the government's censoring and cancelation behavior has been.
A startling example of the government's bold plans to censor and suppress came out on Thursday when Rep. Jim Jordan (OH) exposed a set of internal emails between Facebook and officials in the federal government. The emails clearly show successful efforts to pressure and coerce the social media company to remove posts and memes from its platform. Facebook employees ultimately caved to the government, despite their best and repeated efforts to resist the government's orders.
Mercola's Case is Particularly Heinous
COVID-19 has been a sticky wicket for the "powers that be" from the get-go. Heaven forbid a doctor actually advocate for therapeutics or nutraceuticals instead of experimental shots. The media, Big Tech, and the government coordinated a complete lockdown on even the faintest whisper of dissent over masks, social gatherings, and common sense behavior. And Dr. Mercola has been on the "wrong side" of the COVID-19 equation for some time now. He was even on a very important governmental list of "extremists" because of his point of view.
Mercola did not think the correct thoughts about COVID-19 or the measures to mediate the pandemic. He has been openly critical of the mRNA vaccines, advocating for healthy choices and treatment protocols that the CDC and HHS did not approve.
Mercola—and it seems numerous people in his circle—are now paying a hefty price for his "wrongthink." His is one of the more atrocious cases of demonetization and de-platforming because Chase reached beyond Mercola's bank accounts. Mercola reported JP Morgan Chase Bank closed "all [his] business accounts" and the "personal accounts" of his CFO, their spouses, and children. Some of his employees believe it is because of Mercola's stance on COVID-19.
Mercola/https://flvoicenews.com/retail-health-company-has-chase-accounts-suddenly-terminated-owner-critical-of-covid-vaccines-fda/
Sadly, one of Mercola's employees allegedly reported, "The sudden decision to close her account is creating additional hurdles to help send money to her husband, who is bedridden with dementia in the Philippines." This is some really sick stuff if you ask me.
Governments, including ours, are trying to move toward digital control of all aspects of life, including financial transactions. One day you have funds available; the next, you have no access at all. That is what happened to Flynn and the others.
According to Biden's March 9, 2022, Executive Order #14067, "Over 100 countries are exploring or piloting Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), a digital form of a country's sovereign currency." It will be much easier to flip the switch on financial transactions the government doesn't approve of if the transition is complete. He says the "whole of government strategy will protect consumers, financial stability, national security, and address climate risks." What a bunch of horse puckey. Nevertheless, this EO was executed in Dec. 2022, and the U.S. is in the process of shifting to this strategy of central control and all the creepy Big Brother shenanigans that come with it.
Are People Awake?
I often see the phrase on social media, "People are waking up." Are they? I often wonder.
I had a conversation at the gym the other day with a person who was about 25 years my junior. She rarely looks at Twitter or any form of social media. Believe it or not, there are many others like her. I make it a point to speak with them. In any case, we were talking about Venmo as a payment system, and I told her I wouldn't use it because PayPal owns it and PayPal demonetized my Editor-in-Chief, Tracy Beanz. The look on her face indicated she had no idea such a world existed. I told her the de-platforming was most likely the consequence of a certain worldview, to which she reacted with surprise but didn't seem bothered by it. She probably thinks such things only happen to others.
I have had other conversations about J6, elections, the border, and almost any other topic you can imagine with others at this demographically young gym. I am older than everyone, and I mean everyone, by at least 20 years. In the last three years, I have only found three people who know anything about the topics I reference. I relay these stories because they are cautionary tales.
Social media is not real life. Maybe people are waking up there, but I see little evidence of that in my daily trips to the gym. Even social media only draws a particular universe of people, and within that universe, it is often siloed in ways that prevent the cross-pollination of important information. I still see catfights over the safety of some of the COVID-19 vaccines! I still see people there who do not know what is happening with J6 prisoners!
It is so human only to be affected by the things that touch us personally. However, this kind of self-contained attitude or stance is becoming increasingly risky. When Farage, Mercola, or Flynn gets the boot on the neck, the usual rationales for their punishment swim around in our heads. We say to ourselves, "They deserved it," "They have friends in high places," "They have the time to fight that stuff," and on and on. But the facts are that when it gets down to it, as fellow human beings, they suffer the same ways we do. It is lonelier than you think. Moreover, they often courageously fight the battles we should be fighting alongside them.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists
While it is absolutely true that many have awakened to some of the horrendous realities we face, it is also true there are way too many low-information, sheltered, unaffected, and disaffected people wandering around. The kind of behavior that demonetizes and de-platforms people for no good reason is entirely antithetical to the American ethos. And yet, I don't see a whole lot of outrage about it, even online. Frankly, it tells me there ain't a whole lot of "waking up" going on. Have robust conversations. Tell me what you find. Most importantly, don't wait until it comes for you.
