Arson, Larceny, Vandalism: The Originarios Declare War

[Bill Bonner’s Diary]( Arson, Larceny, Vandalism: The Originarios Declare War By Bill Bonner Tuesday, 5 May 2020 – Week 8 of the Quarantine [Bill Bonner] SAN MARTIN, ARGENTINA – “This is going to be tough,” said Elizabeth. “This is a real war.” The war with the originarios has suddenly gotten hot. Two of our houses were burned down. About a mile of our water line was pulled up and burnt. Roof beams… and the sepo – which locks the cattle in place while they are being vaccinated – were stolen. Arson, larceny, vandalism. What will be next? “They might burn down your house, too,” suggested Natalio, our oldest and most trusted ranch hand. Recommended Link [The Biggest Stock Market Story for 2020]( [ad_img]( For the last 13 months, the public anticipated the arrival of a new piece of technology. If 5G is the future, then this technology is what will help make 5G a reality. And one tiny company – with 124 patents and 1/400th the size of Verizon – owns this groundbreaking technology. Telecom giants from the U.S., to China, Japan, the U.K., Brazil, Mexico, Russia, France, Africa, and Australia… They’re banging on this company’s door with millions in hand to pay for its technology. This company could be the next millionaire-maker. [Get full details here]( -- Above the Law To bring new readers up to date, the originarios are a group of malcontents in Argentina (mostly in the mountains) who claim “indigenous rights” above and beyond the rights of others. They say they are Native Americans – Indians – who have the right to the land they live on, with their own laws and customs. There probably are real originarios somewhere who deserve special consideration so that they can continue to live in traditional ways on tribal lands. But here in our area, there are no tribes and no tribal lands. The tribes were conquered, dispersed, or killed in the 17th century. And the people now claiming tribal rights are no different – racially or culturally – from any of the other locals, including our own employees. They drive pickup trucks, use iPhones, speak Spanish, and live off welfare payments. The ones on our property are not even from here. They were invited in by a previous owner to work on the farm. Now, they claim they own it! “They were cattle rustlers from the Puna (the high desert on the other side of the cordillera, or mountain range),” says Natalio… War in the Mountains For the last few years, we’ve tried a policy of détente. That is, we left them alone. We asked them to sign their leases and pay their rents (largely symbolic). They refused. And then, every time they broke down our gates, or caused trouble, we called the police. But the courts are reluctant to get involved. Originarios are a protected species. And nobody knows who’s an originario and who’s not. The law says you can decide for yourself. There was nothing more we could do. So, we figured we would wait them out. It’s a rough life up in the mountains. The younger ones leave for the city and don’t come back. Besides, it was not worth fighting over. One of our neighbors made peace with them. The terms are not yet public, but apparently he gave them the mountainous part of his property – some 100,000 acres – and each side agreed to respect each other’s interests. But that neighbor is a grape producer. The mountains and high valleys are worthless to him. Here, we raise cattle. And we share our high pastures with our own ranch hands, their extended families, and others who just keep their cattle there. [In an era of disease, this “new cure” could be one of the most powerful medical technologies of our time.]( They pay us by giving us a few scrawny cows each year. In exchange, they have the use of the pasture, and we maintain the corral, the houses that were just burned down, and the sepo that is indispensable to all of them. “They didn’t just declare war on you,” says Natalio. “They declared war on us, too. And the funny thing is they call us cholos too…” A cholo is a “half-breed.” Natalio, of course, is more originario than the originarios. He’s spent his whole life here… His family has always been here. But now the originarios brand everyone who cooperates with us as a cholo. Recommended Link [Is Washington on the verge of a massive announcement?]( [image]( This top financial expert just returned from a private meeting with members of the Senate Financial Services Committee… And he’s got his hands on a major announcement. He says, “In 3 decades, I’ve NEVER seen anything like this. Every retiree and investor in America should be alert.” [Click here to watch the full briefing]( -- Riding Out at First Light On Saturday, we rode up to have a look for ourselves. At first light, we mounted up. Natalio accompanied us. We rode our horses. Natalio was mounted on one of our mules, trailed by two small dogs. The mules are better for the mountain tracks, where we were going. The temperature was below freezing. We had dressed lightly, counting on the sun to warm us. But for the first two hours, the sun was blocked by the mountains on the east side of the valley. [Amazing 17-Second Video Reveals Key to Tech Fortune…]( The trail wound around the mountainsides, following the course of the river below. Then, it rose over a hill… and kept rising until finally we felt the sun on our backs. From there, it was up and up… and up some more. Each time we thought we had reached the crest of the pass, we found another one ahead… higher still. Finally, after about three hours, we were at about 12,000 feet and looking down on the broad valley in the distance. Legend of the Originarios The originarios live in two big valleys. Both are part of our ranch. But the originarios claim them as part of their tribal land. The only trouble is, they have no tribe. They say they are Diaguita, but local historians say the Diaguita never lived in this area and haven’t existed for at least 300 years. Instead, they say the “Diaguita” tribe was reinvented by an opportunist, whose mother was German and who now lives in London. Asked about the tribal connection, his father told a local newspaper that it was all just made up. The big valley is probably about 10,000 acres, with a river flowing through it. In the dry season, the river goes underground and the grass dies. We used to keep about 200 cows up there. They competed with sheep, burros, and llama for the grass. But three years ago, a drought forced us to bring the cattle down. Then, when we tried to put them back, the originarios blocked the road. Our cowhands didn’t want that kind of trouble. So, we backed off. It wasn’t worth a fight. And in any tussle with the landowner, the originarios always win. They are many; we are few. And they have the backing of the politicians. Recommended Link [EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Military Quietly Pours Millions Into Tiny Boston Biotech]( [image]( The U.S. military is not in the business of making bets on the stock market. But during his research trip to the Pentagon, one of America’s top biotech investors stumbled across a shocking discovery… Away from the public eye, the military made a big bet on a tiny biotech firm. With a major announcement due in a few weeks, this tiny stock could spike 12x in just hours. What does the U.S. military know that you don’t? [Click here to find out]( -- Remote Inca Path From the top of the pass, it takes about another hour to get down to the valley floor… and then yet another hour, along level ground, to where we have our corral. The inaccessibility of the place is part of the reason the damage is so great. It is very difficult and expensive to get anything up there. There are no trees. Every piece of wood must be carried up. Moving up roof beams is a major engineering feat. A burro, or donkey, can carry only one bag of cement. We took a tractor and a small trailer up when we put in the water line, about five years ago. But it took nearly a week, repairing the road as we went… and losing about half the workday each day just getting to the jobsite. The valley of Compuel The road follows an ancient Inca path. When it comes down from the pass it takes you to some ancient ruins. There are acres of squared-off stone buildings. Archeologists don’t understand exactly what they were used for. Near them is our corral, an impressive stone structure about half the size of a football field. There, the cattle from the valley and all the surrounding mountains were herded together each year, to be branded, castrated, tagged, and vaccinated. Assessing the Damage By the time we got there and surveyed the damage, it was 2 p.m. Like cattle bones, picked over by the condor and bleached by the sun, there was not much left of our cabin. The cattle chute was partially destroyed; the sepo was missing. The cabin burned, the manga destroyed, the sepo stolen Refuge in the Rocks The wind was picking up. We took refuge up in the rocks to eat lunch. It was a natural cave, formed by an overhanging rock. At the entrance, someone had made a rough stone wall. Don Bill and Natalio Natalio spoke: “Up in the mountains, you’ve got to round up the cattle on foot. And you look for a place like this to sleep. This is where I curl up when we do the roundup. “One time, I was getting into a little place like this to get out of the wind when I heard a puma [mountain lion] growling. We see them skulking around high in the mountains, but we rarely get very close. “They kill a lot of the calves. A lion will attack even a 2-year cow. It jumps on its back and rips its throat with its claws. “Between the condor and the lions, we’re lucky if half the mountain calves survive. “But one time I was looking for a place to get out of the wind. There was a nice little nook I was headed for when I heard the lion growl. I looked up. And it was almost right on top of me. “We say lions are cowards. They almost never attack humans. But this one was coming right at me. “I had a saddle blanket. I held it up to protect myself. I backed away… and yelled at the lion. It just stood there growling on top of the rock. “And then I realized what had happened. There were two lion cubs in that cave. I got out of there as fast as I could.” Natalio then turned to the subject at hand. “We need that sepo. The round-up is in a few weeks. Without a sepo, it’s almost impossible to vaccinate cows. “And we know where it is. Those [Natalio named the family that he thinks stole the sepo] must have it. They’ve always been a problem. My brother says they stole his calves. “If this were the old days, we would ride out, find our sepo, take it back, beat them up, and burn down their houses, too. “But those days are gone. Now, they get away with anything and we have to respect the law.” Long Ride Home We had seen the damage. We took our photos. It was time for the long ride home. Natalio and dog; Cachi in the background When we got back to the sala (the main farmhouse) we sent the photos to the police chief and asked him to send up someone. The police are supposed to arrive on Friday morning. In the meantime, our cowboys are out looking for the missing sepo. You can’t move that much stuff – beams, doors, and the sepo itself (made of heavy algarrobo wood) – without leaving a trail. With luck, the trail will lead us right to the arsonists’ door. We didn’t want a fight with the originarios. But we got one anyway. Stay tuned… Regards, [signature] Bill Like what you’re reading? Send your thoughts to feedback@rogueeconomics.com. FEATURED READS [Trump Scores High Economic Approval Despite Coronavirus]( The latest survey from Navigator shows 51% of voters approve or somewhat approve of President Donald Trump’s handling the economy, even though this is the worst economy in decades. Read on to learn how voter approval – or disapproval – breaks down... [Buy Copper Stocks to Take Advantage of Coming Rebound]( Casey Research commodities expert Dave Forest says adding copper to your portfolio now could position you well for the rebound he sees coming. And he suggests copper stocks are the best way to ride it out... MAILBAG One Dear Reader tells Bill to stop writing about politics. Meanwhile, others break down their views on Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and the C-virus… and still another Dear Reader offers a unique perspective... Just stick to talking about the ranch, financial issues, and wine! You should know that talking about politics is a waste of time! I read your daily letter, but when you talk about Trump or Democrats or Republicans, it’s like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher (blah, blah, blah)! I just skip through it! Now, the ranch stories are far better, as are Ireland and France! And yes, maybe just a little of Baltimore, not! Oh, and a thumbs up to Will Bonner and his wine club! We truly enjoy it and the wine selections so far! Looking forward to our next shipment! – Terry I. I had great hope when Trump got elected. But he wasn’t ready for what the Deep State controls and does with the media. But he has stood for our freedoms most of the time. Now we have a new election and a new kid on the block trying to be a libertarian. He first was Republican but voted Democrat. Then, he became an Independent still with the Democratic side. Now, he is trying for any job, so he’s trying to run on the Libertarian ticket. Watch out! How can things get any worse you ask? Just wait it’s not over yet. – Trish J. I think that by your own standards, Joe Biden would provide even more entertainment than Trump. Then, we would get a man who can never keep his gaff-prone mouth shut, but who is also mentally incapacitated and fading fast. Please speculate on who would be more entertaining. By the way, recent history virtually guarantees that all this free money will find its way into asset prices. How can gold, real estate, and the stock market ever go down with all that moola floating around? We better get in early. – Steve W. Sometime in the early ’50s my whole family was quarantined because I had Scarlet Fever. As I look back, that action, including the health department sign on the door, made sense because there was a fairly dangerous communicable disease in the house (even though my parents and siblings did not contract it). I do wonder what gives the governors and mayors of our country the right to label young, perfectly healthy, citizens as “prisoners of war” (of COVID-19). I can assure you that my children and grandchildren will not be visiting me other than electronically, because they are too wise to do that – and if they were not, my wife and I are too wise to allow them to visit. Even in multi-generational homes, the healthy should be allowed to make their own decisions. – John S. Thanks for responding to the supporters and critics with facts. You were starting to sound like a broken record – and one without facts. I agree that Democrats and Republicans are the same. My husband and I spent 13 years inside the Beltway and most people just don’t, or won’t, understand what is important to the politicians. The “Beltway” folks see politics as a profession and that was never meant to be the case. – Maureen W. Bill, I’ve gathered that you and your family are Catholic. I read your commentary because it’s entertaining and grounded in reality. I’m not qualified to judge, as do some many of your critics and supporters – and have no desire to. I’m neither conservative nor liberal; I’m Catholic. As a Catholic, you probably know that it’s an entirely dependent world view and know upon Whom it depends – right? I avoid listening to or reading any news that is not authentically Catholic. Since I returned to the Church (after a hedonistic quarter century), I’ve come to trust sources that prove to be grounded in reality. – Bill K. Would Joe Biden be a “more entertaining” figure in the White House than Donald Trump, like Steve says? Is the Diary “grounded in reality” as Bill K. asserts? Write us at feedback@rogueeconomics.com. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… [U.S. Government Pours $456 Million Into Tiny Niche of Tech Stocks?]( Did you know… In the crash of ’08, one tiny niche of the market rose up to 382%? And during the panic of COVID-19, the top two stocks (out of ALL S&P 500 stocks) came from the same place? It’s true! [The secret is what Jeff Brown, known to many as Silicon Valley’s top angel investor, calls “Penny IPOs”…]( These are tiny early-stage stocks that go public almost every week. And – according to Forbes – President Trump recently pumped $456 million into their corner of the market. And even Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are investing BIG! [In fact, Bezos put $134 million into a similar type of company… and his stake grew as much as 6,206%!]( Gains like these are rare. And this is an explosive story… But Jeff Brown just found three “Penny IPOs” you can buy today for dirt-cheap. 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