What was in the rabbit hole?

Here are the most relevant links I followed on my journey down the rabbit hole, as I described here.

Aaron Russo’s film – America: Freedom to Fascism
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

Aaron Russo interviews Congressman Ron Paul on the subject of the Federal Reserve (at YouTube)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UaUhGpBNBtk
While you’re at YouTube, do a search for more Ron Paul videos. He’s been onto the same thing for years.

More Aaron Russo videos at YouTube
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=aaron+russo&search_type=

Freedom to Fascism website, with some interesting videos
http://www.freedomtofascism.com

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On the creation of the Federal Reserve in the U.S.

Taken from “Billions for Bankers–Debts for the People” by Pastor Sheldon Emry. This was the original article mentioned in the message board post.
http://www.6towns.com/driving/Billions.html

“But in December of 1913, Congress, with many members away for the Christmas Holidays, passed what has since been known as the Federal Reserve Act. (For the full story of how this infamous legislation was forced through our Congress, read “Conquest or Consent”, by W. D. Vennard).

“Omitting the burdensome details, it simply authorized the establishment of a Federal Reserve Corporation, run by a Board of Directors (The Federal Reserve Board). The act divided the United States into 12 Federal Reserve “Districts.

“This simple, but terrible, law completely removed from Congress the right to ‘create’ money or to have any control over its ‘creation’, and gave that function to The Federal Reserve Corporation. It was accompanied by the appropriate fanfare. The propaganda claimed that this would ‘remove money from politics’ (they did not say ‘and therefore from the people’s control’) and prevent ‘boom and bust’ economic activity from hurting our citizens.

“The people were not told then, and most still do not know today, that the Federal Reserve Corporation is a private corporation controlled by bankers and therefore is operated for the financial gain of the bankers over the people rather than for the good of the people. The word ‘Federal’ was used only to deceive the people.”

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Article on the legal status of the European Central Bank

“The European Central Bank and Legitimacy — Is the ECB a Modification of or an Exception to the Principle of Democracy?”
by Päivi Leino
http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/papers/00/001101.html

From the 1st chapter of the above article: “The Sovereign of Monetary Policy”
http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/papers/00/001101-01.html

“Placing all central rules regulating the ECB in the Treaty and Statute which constitute primary law with direct effect on and within Member States gives the System a strong law-based status and strengthens its independence even further. Since the Treaty can only be changed if all Member States agree on and ratify amendments, the Statute has a very high legal, de facto constitutional status.”

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From a section of the European Union website
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/index.htm

“From this page you can access the basic legal texts on which the European Union and the European Communities are founded: the founding Treaties (original versions and later updatings), the amending Treaties, the Accession Treaties for each of the six enlargements, plus other essential documents.”

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From a preview of an article at Questia.com
(To read it all, you have to be a subscriber to the website.)
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=HJ4QRVcKQQ5xh4vnyyvTVzRM1PhyLKL8sfGV6CyWy53qJwJGrZWB!-1575571952?docId=5001260566

“The European Systems of Central Banks: Quo Vadis?”
Journal article by Patrick Deller; Houston Journal of International Law, Vol. 21, 1999

“The ESCB Statute is a protocol to the EC Treaty.”

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From the protocol establishing the ESCB (.pdf)
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/legal/pdf/en_statute_2.pdf

PROTOCOL ON THE STATUTE OF THE EUROPEAN SYSTEM OF CENTRAL BANKS AND OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES,

DESIRING to lay down the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank provided for in Article 8 of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

HAVE AGREED upon the following provisions, which shall be annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community.

CHAPTER I
CONSTITUTION OF THE ESCB
Article 1
The European System of Central Banks

1.1. The European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the European Central Bank (ECB) shall be established in accordance with Article 8 of this Treaty; they shall perform their tasks and carry on their activities in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty and of this Statute.

1.2. In accordance with Article 107(1) of this Treaty, the ESCB shall be composed of the ECB and of the central banks of the Member States (‘national central banks’). The Institut monétaire luxembourgeois will be the central bank of Luxembourg.