An episodic documentary series about the origins and mechanisms of the mysterious paper documents that appear to fund and control our modern world. Inspired by the experiences and research of Cal Washington.
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Episode 1 – Ancient Merchant Paper – 
An introduction into the mysterious financial instruments that we spend our lives chasing, without really having any particular understanding of how they work. It may appear that these debt instruments (bank notes, mortgage agreements, checks, credit card slips and so on) we see around us in various forms are strictly ‘official’ documents, which only ‘authorised’ institutions are allowed to issue, but is that really the case, or are perhaps we the ones participating and issuing these documents ourselves, while being none-the-wiser?
Episode Contents
- 00:20 – What are these pieces of paper?
- 01:32 – [Series title card]
- 01:43 – ‘Official’ financial documents, or ancient financial instruments?
- 03:01 – 1990s credit card slips hint at their origin.
- 03:30 – Barcodes don’t ‘legitimise’ checks.
- 03:45 – Bills of Exchange acts all over the world.
- 03:56 – What are these bank notes promising, and why?
- 04:36 – [Episode 1 title card]
- 04:42 – Mercantile origins of financial instruments.
- 05:29 – The Law Merchant (Lex Mercatoria) introduced.
- 06:05 – ‘Negotiable’ definition.
- 06:50 – Promissory note introduction.
- 07:25 – Promissory note demonstration.
- 10:56 – Money created by signatures.
- 12:02 – Canada defines money as including negotiable instruments.
- 12:35 – Tease introduction of Bills of Exchange.
Episode 2 – For Merchants Only –
Part A
How could it be that the system works so differently to how the layman – or even the supposed professional participant – understands? Well, just as chess and checkers are both played on the same board, if you were only taught the rules of one, would you necessarily realise that you were being taken advantage of by someone playing the other?
Episode Contents
- 00:13 – The chess / checkers metaphor.
- 00:48 – [Series title card]
- 00:58 – [Episode 2 title card]
- 01:03 – Understanding of financial instruments gradually removed from public awareness.
- 01:38 – Even industry participants are ignorant of underlying dynamics.
- 02:10 – The ‘need-to-know-basis’ metaphor.
- 02:59 – Law, business and medical schools owned and controlled.
- 03:26 – Ignorance of the system, is a benefit to the system.
- 04:23 – The Law Merchant hidden in plain sight.
- 04:40 – The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) demands liberal application.
- 05:48 – Introducing the Bill of Exchange.
- 06:56 – Bills of Exchange, before the modern ‘edit’.
- 07:18 – Merchants in a class of their own.
- 08:13 – The Jacket Merchant demonstration.
- 11:04 – What if he didn’t pay?
- 11:45 – What if James sold the bill?
- 13:03 – The never-ending unpaid bill.
- 13:38 – The Jacket Merchant demonstration, now with details and terminology.
- 15:07 – The merchant’s assistant or agent.
- 16:21 – The medieval ‘blank check’.
- 18:24 – The 4 elements of a Bill of Exchange.
- 20:11 – Negotiating the bill, via indorsement.
Part B
There are numerous everyday words which we believe we understand the meaning of, but which in fact have very different definitions when used in a commercial context. Is this merely a bizarre coincidence? Or is it perhaps an elaborate ploy to extract our ‘willing’ participation in transactions which we don’t understand?
Episode Contents
- 00:08 – Merchants turning into merchant banks.
- 00:32 – Commercial definitions not as they seem – ‘negotiate’, ‘present’.
- 01:03 – Wordplay – the ‘match’ metaphor.
- 02:43 – Presumption of agreement – the restaurant example.
- 03:03 – Presumption of agreement – the lawn mower example.
- 03:39 – Enforcing agreements on the ignorant.
- 03:56 – Legalese – ‘person’, ‘suffer’, ‘must’, ‘prefer’, ‘gentleman’
- 04:42 – The ‘includes’ demonstration.
- 05:22 – More deceptive definitions – ‘subscribe’, ‘submission’, ‘employer’, ‘employee’.
- 05:46 – What is an ‘order’?
- 07:07 – Meeting the criteria of a Bill of Exchange.
- 08:10 – Banks hungry for signatures on documents.
- 08:50 – To understand, we need to go back.
- 09:28 – Merchants scaling up the scam.
Episode 3 – Corporate Countries –
The Hudson’s Bay Company was given a full commercial monopoly over the bulk of the land-mass we now know as ‘Canada’, issued via Royal Charter by the British Monarch of the day. This ‘trading company’ had its own forts, courts, military and the right to tax. Its mechanisms for financial exploitation and control are not unique, but represent just one example of a common formula, applied worldwide.
Episode Contents
- 00:18 – The Hudson’s Bay Company introduced.
- 00:53 – What is the company not telling us?
- 01:13 – [Series title card]
- 01:24 – [Episode 3 title card]
- 01:28 – This is not a mainstream historical account, but a revelation of what still exists today.
- 02:28 – Look out for patterns of agreement, consent and commerce.
- 03:01 – Two French merchants dealing with the locals.
- 04:22 – Prince Rupert of the Rhine gets involved.
- 05:13 – Royal Charter granted.
- 05:52 – Rupert’s land.
- 06:45 – A company with a commercial monopoly.
- 08:59 – Enforcement.
- 10:38 – The Trading Network
- 11:53 – Tokens.
- 13:27 – The paper switch.
- 14:08 – The catch.
- 16:27 – A popular model – other trading companies.
- 17:23 – The British East India Company
- 19:52 – The formula for gaining control.
- 21:45 – The 1701 Nanfan treaty with the locals.
- 24:17 – Remembering treaties.
- 25:15 – Indigenous dealing nation to nation.
- 27:09 – Making people forget.
- 26:28 – Benefits, comforts and ‘status’ to participate in a new system.
- 27:03 – An uncomfortable view of history.
- 28:42 – The real counterfeiters.
Episode 4 – The Decolonisation Show –
After conquering so much of the world, did the British Royals really just ‘give back’ their empire? Or is the worldwide process of ‘decolonisation’ which we are taught in school, merely a smokescreen for an updated implementation of their existing control grid, now enforced through subtler means?
Episode Contents
- 00:08 – Cold open – “The best slave is the one who thinks he is free”
- 00:41 – [Series title card]
- 00:50 – [Episode 4 title card]
- 01:00 – The British out-stay their welcome.
- 01:19 – The Boston Tea Party.
- 02:00 – China and India follow suit.
- 02:42 – ‘Decolonisation’ around the world.
- 03:31 – ‘Independence’ – what does it actually mean?
- 04:27 – The Commonwealth, as it is presented.
- 04:50 – Commonwealth ‘Realms’.
- 05:38 – Non ‘Realm’ member states.
- 06:28 – Charles’ ‘symbolic’ role as head of the Commonwealth.
- 06:48 – The Commonwealth Charter doesn’t sound so ‘voluntary’.
- 09:35 – The “Why don’t they just leave?” metaphor.
- 12:19 – The ‘member group’ power dynamic in other contexts.
- 12:32 – e.g. Home-owners associations or HOAs.
- 13:26 – Same dynamic, worldwide scale: the World Health Organization.
- 14:06 – Commonwealth member states also operate in sync.
- 15:27 – Royals seen as relics of the past.
- 16:59 – Constitutional Monarchies.
- 17:45 – Bills need Royal Assent.
- 18:50 – The ‘old boss’ metaphor.
- 20:31 – Charles’ legal ‘immunity’.
- 21:08 – Charles surrenders his hereditary revenues… again.
- 22:15 – Promises of Allegiance to Charles.
- 23:28 – Issuing pardons and honours.
- 24:18 – Oaths to Charles from around the world
- 24:39 – Canadian Parliamentary Oaths.
- 24:47 – Justin Trudeau’s oaths as a ‘faithful servant’.
- 26:29 – Australian Parliamentary oaths.
- 26:53 – ‘Allegiance’ definition.
- 27:42 – Is Charles really just a philanthropist?
- 29:27 – Oaths are ancient… and yet still everywhere.
- 30:34 – Oath definition, and court witness example.
- 31:33 – Oaths for maintaining a power structure.
- 31:44 – Where Police get their authority from.
- 32:48 – Hong Kong oath legislation – ‘affirmations’ have same force and effect.
- 35:07 – The Finance Connection – what we’re told.
- 37:38 – What about the families which used to own countries?
- 38:00 – Beating Hasbro at Monopoly.
- 39:11 – The Garden Metaphor of worldwide finance.
- 41:03 – Worldwide financial manipulation with the ‘money’ hose.
- 43:47 – Force-feeding agendas with unlimited funds.
- 46:05 – But where do they run it from?
- 46:50 – The City of London.
- 48:20 – The ‘tax-haven banker’ control theory.
- 50:36 – But who does the City of London answer to?
- 51:01 – The Lord Mayor’s Oath of Allegiance.
- 51:22 – Power hiding in plain sight.
- 52:40 – Is Charles really free to do as he likes?
- 53:40 – Charles bound by his own oaths.