NESARA conspiracy theory
Encyclopedia
NESARA is an acronym for the proposed National Economic Security and Reformation Act, a set of economic reforms suggested during the 1990s by Harvey Francis Barnard. Barnard claimed that the proposals, which included replacing the income tax with a national sales tax (see also FairTax
), abolishing compound interest on secured loans, and returning to a bimetallic currency
, would result in 0% inflation and a more stable economy. The proposals were never introduced before Congress, and the only congressman known to have commented on the bill is Texas Rep. Ron Paul
, dismissively, and through a spokesman. NESARA has since become better known as the subject of a cult-like conspiracy theory
promoted by Shaini Candace Goodwin, who claimed that the act was actually passed with additional provisions as the National Economic Security and Reformation Act, and then suppressed by the George W. Bush administration
and the Supreme Court
. Other people have adopted and embellished Goodwin's ideas.
, and an engineering consultant and teacher, created the NESARA proposal during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He printed 1000 copies of his proposal, titled Draining the Swamp: Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform (1996), and sent copies to members of Congress, believing it would pass quickly on its merits. Based on a theory that debt is the number one economic factor inhibiting the growth of the economy, and compound interest the number one "moral evil" and reason for debt, Barnard made several other attempts during the 1990s to draw political attention to the problems he saw in the US economy, and his suggested economic recovery proposal based on the root causes he determined. After these did not succeed, he decided in 2000 to release the proposal to the public domain
and publish it on the internet. Barnard established the NESARA Institute in 2001, and published the 2nd edition of his book in 2005, retitling it Draining the Swamp: The NESARA Story - Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform.
. It is claimed that the new law was to be implemented at 10am on 11 September 2001, but that the computers, and data (of the beneficiaries of the trillions of dollars of "Prosperity funds") were destroyed on the second floor of one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City during the terrorist attacks. Earlier a gag order
issued by the Supreme Court
had prohibited any official or private source from discussing it, under penalty of death. Goodwin refers to "White Knights," most of them high-ranking military officials, who have since been struggling to have the law implemented despite opposition by President George W. Bush
. Goodwin allegedly believes and purports that Bush orchestrated the September 11, 2001 attacks
and the Iraq War as distractions from NESARA. Goodwin's description of NESARA goes far beyond Barnard's proposal by cancelling all personal debts, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service
, declaring world peace, and requiring new presidential and congressional elections. Goodwin often claims that Bush officials are attempting to hack into and bring down her web site to prevent her from publicizing the law.
Goodwin began commenting on NESARA in connection with Omega Trust
, a fraudulent investment scheme whose creator, Clyde Hood, was on trial at the time. According to Goodwin, Omega Trust investors would receive their returns after NESARA was announced. Goodwin repeatedly predicted that the NESARA announcement would occur in the very near future, although in recent years she has been more reserved in these predictions.
(occasionally on his website reports, but more prominently in his videos, seminars and public appearances). Jennifer Lee, who used to publish internet NESARA status reports almost daily on her now defunct site, discussed a host of other-worldly and "interdimensional" beings who are helping behind the scenes to get NESARA announced. Internet evangelist Sherry Shriner, who operates many websites, sees NESARA as linked to malevolent reptiloid aliens she feels have long controlled the U.S. Government.
NESARA groups are known for certain to exist and to have attracted press attention in Utah
, and the Netherlands
. Members of these groups get together to discuss the status of NESARA, read the various reports, hold protests, and pass out fliers about NESARA to the public. Goodwin claims that NESARA groups exist throughout several nations and US states including California, Washington, Arizona, and Texas, and provides hundreds of pieces of photographic evidence of people in public protests holding NESARA banners, but it is not clear to what degree the people holding the banners are aware of what NESARA is, or for how long these groups were active. The News Tribune has traced the story behind at least some of these photos (photos of trucks driving around Washington DC bearing the words "NESARA Announcement Now!"), and found that they were part of a $40,000 advertising campaign allegedly paid for an elderly San Francisco resident who had made donations to Goodwin.
campaign. Goodwin, for her part, dismisses the NESARA Institute as a disinformation front for the Bush family
.
Some NESARA detractors claim that NESARA is a cult
designed primarily to provide an income to Goodwin and others. They point to the fact that Goodwin, Lee, and Nidle frequently ask their readers to donate money. Goodwin, who also asks readers to donate their frequent flyer miles, claims that she needs and has used the funds to travel to various locations around the world to secretly meet with high-level government officials about getting NESARA announced.
Some NESARA supporters also make the claim that otherworldly beings are working to get NESARA announced. These include a "channeled" cosmic being called "Hatonn" ( a Pleiadean ), and another named Sananda
. According to some Ascended Master Teaching proponents such as Joshua David Stone
and Luis Prada, Sananda
is the "galactic name" of Ascended Master Jesus, which he uses in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Command flying saucer fleet. Ashtar ( Ashtar Sheran ) is regarded in these teachings as being second-in-command. Saint Germain, an Ascended Master
borrowed from the I AM Movement and the Church Universal and Triumphant
, along with benevolent aliens from the Galactic Federation, are also frequently mentioned ( most prominently by Nidle ) as working towards the NESARA announcement. The designation of George W. Bush as a disguised reptilian
often co-occurs with this claim. Goodwin has claimed that Ascended Master Saint Germain
has come down from the etheric plane
to physically meet with heads of banks and world leaders regarding the NESARA announcement.
The prominence of failed prophecy also lends support to the cult theory. NESARA supporters often tell their readers that the NESARA announcement is going to happen in a matter of days. These claims have been made too many times to enumerate, without ever coming to fruition. According to the documentary Waiting For NESARA, the claim was also made prior to March 2003 that George Bush was planning the war with Iraq only to further delay the NESARA announcement. It was prophesied that spiritual
beings and UFOs would intervene with Bush's plans and prevent the war.
A June 2006 complaint to the Washington consumer protection division accused Goodwin of using the NESARA story to defraud a 64-year-old San Francisco woman of at least $10,000. The woman's daughter said the actual amount is much larger, in the hundreds of thousands.
FairTax
The FairTax is a tax reform proposal for the federal government of the United States that would replace all federal taxes on personal and corporate income with a single broad national consumption tax on retail sales. The Fair Tax Act would apply a tax once at the point of purchase on all new goods...
), abolishing compound interest on secured loans, and returning to a bimetallic currency
Bimetallism
In economics, bimetallism is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent both to a certain quantity of gold and to a certain quantity of silver; such a system establishes a fixed rate of exchange between the two metals...
, would result in 0% inflation and a more stable economy. The proposals were never introduced before Congress, and the only congressman known to have commented on the bill is Texas Rep. Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
, dismissively, and through a spokesman. NESARA has since become better known as the subject of a cult-like conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
promoted by Shaini Candace Goodwin, who claimed that the act was actually passed with additional provisions as the National Economic Security and Reformation Act, and then suppressed by the George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
and the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. Other people have adopted and embellished Goodwin's ideas.
Origins
Harvey Francis Barnard, a Louisiana graduate in systems philosophySystems Philosophy
Systems philosophy is the study of the development of systems, with an emphasis on design and root cause analysis. Systems philosophy is a form of systems thinking....
, and an engineering consultant and teacher, created the NESARA proposal during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He printed 1000 copies of his proposal, titled Draining the Swamp: Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform (1996), and sent copies to members of Congress, believing it would pass quickly on its merits. Based on a theory that debt is the number one economic factor inhibiting the growth of the economy, and compound interest the number one "moral evil" and reason for debt, Barnard made several other attempts during the 1990s to draw political attention to the problems he saw in the US economy, and his suggested economic recovery proposal based on the root causes he determined. After these did not succeed, he decided in 2000 to release the proposal to the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and publish it on the internet. Barnard established the NESARA Institute in 2001, and published the 2nd edition of his book in 2005, retitling it Draining the Swamp: The NESARA Story - Monetary and Fiscal Policy Reform.
Goodwin's allegations
Soon after Barnard released NESARA on the internet, a user known as "Dove of Oneness" began posting about it in internet forums. "Dove of Oneness" has since been identified as Shaini Candace Goodwin, a former student of The Ramtha School Of Enlightenment. According to Goodwin's web site, the NESARA bill languished in Congress before finally being passed by a secret session in March 2000 and signed by President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. It is claimed that the new law was to be implemented at 10am on 11 September 2001, but that the computers, and data (of the beneficiaries of the trillions of dollars of "Prosperity funds") were destroyed on the second floor of one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City during the terrorist attacks. Earlier a gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
issued by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
had prohibited any official or private source from discussing it, under penalty of death. Goodwin refers to "White Knights," most of them high-ranking military officials, who have since been struggling to have the law implemented despite opposition by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Goodwin allegedly believes and purports that Bush orchestrated the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and the Iraq War as distractions from NESARA. Goodwin's description of NESARA goes far beyond Barnard's proposal by cancelling all personal debts, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, declaring world peace, and requiring new presidential and congressional elections. Goodwin often claims that Bush officials are attempting to hack into and bring down her web site to prevent her from publicizing the law.
Goodwin began commenting on NESARA in connection with Omega Trust
Omega Trust
Omega Trust was a fraudulent US investment scheme in Illinois.Clyde D. Hood is a former electrician from Mattoon, Illinois. In 1994 Hood formed Omega Trust and Trading Limited and began to lecture to church groups. He said that the Lord had given him a mission...
, a fraudulent investment scheme whose creator, Clyde Hood, was on trial at the time. According to Goodwin, Omega Trust investors would receive their returns after NESARA was announced. Goodwin repeatedly predicted that the NESARA announcement would occur in the very near future, although in recent years she has been more reserved in these predictions.
Further development
Since Goodwin began commenting on NESARA, other internet-based conspiracy theorists have latched onto it. One supporter, Sheldan Nidle, ties the imminent NESARA announcement into his years-old prophesy of an imminent large scale UFO visitation by benevolent aliensExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
(occasionally on his website reports, but more prominently in his videos, seminars and public appearances). Jennifer Lee, who used to publish internet NESARA status reports almost daily on her now defunct site, discussed a host of other-worldly and "interdimensional" beings who are helping behind the scenes to get NESARA announced. Internet evangelist Sherry Shriner, who operates many websites, sees NESARA as linked to malevolent reptiloid aliens she feels have long controlled the U.S. Government.
NESARA groups are known for certain to exist and to have attracted press attention in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Members of these groups get together to discuss the status of NESARA, read the various reports, hold protests, and pass out fliers about NESARA to the public. Goodwin claims that NESARA groups exist throughout several nations and US states including California, Washington, Arizona, and Texas, and provides hundreds of pieces of photographic evidence of people in public protests holding NESARA banners, but it is not clear to what degree the people holding the banners are aware of what NESARA is, or for how long these groups were active. The News Tribune has traced the story behind at least some of these photos (photos of trucks driving around Washington DC bearing the words "NESARA Announcement Now!"), and found that they were part of a $40,000 advertising campaign allegedly paid for an elderly San Francisco resident who had made donations to Goodwin.
Criticism and comparison to a cult
Barnard became aware of Goodwin's description of NESARA before his death in 2005. He denied that NESARA had been enacted into law or even assigned a tracking number, and condemned Goodwin's allegations as a disinformationDisinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
campaign. Goodwin, for her part, dismisses the NESARA Institute as a disinformation front for the Bush family
Bush family
The Bush family is a prominent American family. Along with many members who have been successful bankers and businessmen, across three generations the family includes two U.S. Senators, one Supreme Court Justice, two Governors, one Vice President and two Presidents...
.
Some NESARA detractors claim that NESARA is a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
designed primarily to provide an income to Goodwin and others. They point to the fact that Goodwin, Lee, and Nidle frequently ask their readers to donate money. Goodwin, who also asks readers to donate their frequent flyer miles, claims that she needs and has used the funds to travel to various locations around the world to secretly meet with high-level government officials about getting NESARA announced.
Some NESARA supporters also make the claim that otherworldly beings are working to get NESARA announced. These include a "channeled" cosmic being called "Hatonn" ( a Pleiadean ), and another named Sananda
Sananda
Sananda is a Bengali magazine published by Ananda Publishers from Kolkata, India. The magazine is a women's magazine. The periodocal is usually published on 15th and 30th of every month....
. According to some Ascended Master Teaching proponents such as Joshua David Stone
Joshua David Stone
Joshua David Stone was an American author and teacher in the ascension movement. His father was Hal Stone. Joshua had a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology and was a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor in California....
and Luis Prada, Sananda
Sananda
Sananda is a Bengali magazine published by Ananda Publishers from Kolkata, India. The magazine is a women's magazine. The periodocal is usually published on 15th and 30th of every month....
is the "galactic name" of Ascended Master Jesus, which he uses in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Ashtar Command flying saucer fleet. Ashtar ( Ashtar Sheran ) is regarded in these teachings as being second-in-command. Saint Germain, an Ascended Master
Ascended master
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or "Mahatmas", though they differ in important aspects...
borrowed from the I AM Movement and the Church Universal and Triumphant
Church Universal and Triumphant
Church Universal and Triumphant is an international New Age religious organization founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. It is an outgrowth of The Summit Lighthouse, founded in 1958 by Prophet's husband, Mark L. Prophet...
, along with benevolent aliens from the Galactic Federation, are also frequently mentioned ( most prominently by Nidle ) as working towards the NESARA announcement. The designation of George W. Bush as a disguised reptilian
Reptilians
Reptilians are purported reptilian humanoids that play a prominent role in modern ufology and conspiracy theories.-Alien abduction:...
often co-occurs with this claim. Goodwin has claimed that Ascended Master Saint Germain
St. Germain (Theosophy)
Also see Count of St. Germain for more information.The Count of St. Germain has been variously described in secular histories as a courtier, adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and amateur composer. Under the name "St...
has come down from the etheric plane
Etheric plane
The etheric plane is a term introduced into Theosophy by Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant to represent one of the planes of existence in neo-Theosophical and Rosicrucian cosmology. It represents the fourth[higher] subplane of the physical plane , the lower three being the states of...
to physically meet with heads of banks and world leaders regarding the NESARA announcement.
The prominence of failed prophecy also lends support to the cult theory. NESARA supporters often tell their readers that the NESARA announcement is going to happen in a matter of days. These claims have been made too many times to enumerate, without ever coming to fruition. According to the documentary Waiting For NESARA, the claim was also made prior to March 2003 that George Bush was planning the war with Iraq only to further delay the NESARA announcement. It was prophesied that spiritual
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
beings and UFOs would intervene with Bush's plans and prevent the war.
A June 2006 complaint to the Washington consumer protection division accused Goodwin of using the NESARA story to defraud a 64-year-old San Francisco woman of at least $10,000. The woman's daughter said the actual amount is much larger, in the hundreds of thousands.