Laughing All the Way to the Bank

I call it the weak preying on the weaker, because it takes a pretty weak person to take advantage of someone going through economic, financial, personal or emotional turmoil and try to use that to their own personal gain. It is sad to say that the old adage still holds as true today as it did when it was first coined by P.T. Barnum of Ringling Brother's Barnum & Bailey Circus that "There is a sucker born every minute." And this is exactly the credo that these parasites on society live by, it is how they make their living, seeking out those suckers. Living off the misfortunes of desperate people trying to find the easy way out of their meager existence to better their lives and that of their family.

What governs how one receives such information on how to free yourself from the bondage of indebtedness and rise above those around you to become independently wealthy beyond anything you could ever imagine is an easy explanation. The economy dictates this. They see the economy collapsing, banks going under, stocks falling, housing going under, businesses shutting their doors, large scale cutbacks in old established companies and the cost of living rising, all of this factors into their con and they know that during desperate times, people will take desperate measures in order to relieve themselves of financial burdens and live a life of that beyond the American Dream.

The two most sensitive things we possess are our ego and our desire to become someone more than we presently are and they know how to act on both in a manner that leads you to believe that they believe in you and the hidden talents or potential you have locked inside you and that they are the only ones who hold the key to unlock those special traits you possess. That you will be one of a very few chosen that will receive the secrets to riches from money to romance, the ability to see the future and make decisions by seeing all the pieces to the puzzle before the puzzle is completed. That you will be able to control others and cause your enemies to fear you and love interests to fall at your feet begging for your attention. That no matter what you do in life, from that point on of entering their "Secret Society" nothing will ever harm you again and you will succeed and prosper no matter what you do, even if in the past it had failed before. They send you testimonials from those who have been accepted into this society and have learned these ancient secrets and within a very short period of time have begun reaping the riches it has to offer. Rags to riches, despondent to self confident, from ignorant to enlightened. It is all there and they regale you with their unexplainable good fortunes that in the past had eluded them. They encourage you take advantage of a once in a life time opportunity in this and become a part of the very few that will be the future decision makers of tomorrow, that they are the ones that control the destiny of tomorrow's economic crisis and recovery and how you can profit during these hard times. That by just applying what you will be taught that no matter what the world situation is, whether it be disorder, chaos, war, recession, depression or a total economic break down, being a chosen member of this exclusive Secret Society you will still ride the crest of success as others around you sink into the dismal depths of despair and poverty.

There are other types they prey upon also, those are the greedy and lazy people that either want something for nothing or are too lazy to go out and work for it. Those that feel that the world owes them something and the goose that laid the golden egg has been laid at their feet. They play on this by pulling them in with their promises and guarantees that they will never have to work again, that the money will just come to them while they live the lavish lifestyle they crave. Women will flock to them and find them interesting and offering their favors and he will be able to control them and have them at his asking. That games of chance will only fatten their already bulging coffers, that every roll of the dice, every spin of the wheel, every deal of the card and every pull on a one armed bandit will be a winner. The odds are stacked in your favor if only you accept the invitation given to you to be a part of this secret society. Play the ponies, your horse will win, set great odds on the underdog in an NBA playoff, you are sure to watch the winning basket and even predict who will shoot it. Name what round in a boxing match the match will be over, you will be capable of all of this because you will know how the pieces of the puzzle fit and what the "big picture" looks like.

To impress you further they pepper their assault with famous names like Socrates, Copernicus, Galileo and our founding fathers of this country as being members of this very exclusive society. That by applying the secrets written by the ancient Greeks over 2300 years ago they were able to succeed and become immortal legends. Now if history serves me correct most of our founding fathers were Masons, a society of men coming together for the spiritual betterment of self and the good of the whole. That this society founded its root in Christianity and the teachings of Solomon. Not some secret society based on the writings of the ancient Greeks who at that time were still worshiping Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Hades, Poseidon and a multitude of others known to the Greeks as the Immortals that dwelt atop Mt. Olympus and still a number more called the Mortals who dwelt among them. The ancient Greeks gave us many things and I will have to admit that they have managed to immortalize themselves in history with their teachings and discoveries, but if this secret society has Greek origins, then why did they get conquered? Did some misguided society member accidentally have delivered to some Macedonian an invitation to become a member? Did a messenger stand before Alexander the Great's throne and offer him the secrets of this society and informing him that by utilizing these secrets he could see unforetold wealth and rule the world? I doubt it.

One thing about "secret societies" is that they do not remain secret. Eventually some disgruntled member will start talking and before long the so called secret society has become very public. They refuse to give you names of the "famous" people who are members of this very select group, but they boast movie stars and politicians, hence the explanation to the crossover in careers and how Ronald Reagan became President and Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California and Clint Eastwood Mayor of Carmel, California, oh, lets not forget the wrestler who became governor of a Midwest state too. I guess they were fortunate enough to be inducted into this very secretive society. They go further to tell you that you will meet all these famous people at their secret meetings held in different places around the world and then all will be revealed to you as they take you under their wing to share with you these secrets that will place you at the acme of riches. As I think of it, if I possessed the key to unlock riches beyond anything I could imagine, why would I want to share that secret? Why would I want to create competition in my endeavors to become the filthiest richest man in history? I would think that this would be something I would guard with my life and keep my mouth shut about how I made my money and call it an inheritance and good investing and just leave it at that.

The one word I have a problem with in all of this is the word "secret". The word itself can either be an adjective or a noun and has several different meanings. It can mean 1. kept from knowledge or view 2. marked by the habit of discretion 3. working with hidden aims or methods 4. conducted in secret. The word in itself seems to be a contradiction in meaning. The first two are the ones we akin to a whisper in another's ear, but the second two seems to take on a more deceptive connotation and it seems that deception is what this society is built around. With only hints of an endorsement of so called reclusive personalities that have benefited time and time again from being a member of the secret society. In all the propaganda that you are sent you are told that within the 56 page orientation booklet that the secret is there and if you are truly gifted you will be able to find it and understand it and use it. Well I read the 56 page orientation booklet and I read it again and yes, I read it again. I am very thorough when it comes to a challenge and I will admit I did find a secret embedded within the words in a form of a disclaimer, "I cannot guarantee that you will obtain the riches I have." I actually thought that was pretty sly of him to bury his disclaimer within the testimonial swearing to the success he has had by being a member of this secret society. He has now admitted there is a risk and he offers no guarantees as to your success.

Still not wanting to label this a con just yet and trying to remain objective concerning the validity of his claims, I went to the internet to do a little research on this so called secret society. Using several different search engines I plowed through the internet like a combine through a corn field and before long I had tab after tab referencing websites that had testimonials from people all over the United States. They had reference words like con, ripoff, pigeon, deceit,duped, but nothing positive, nothing stating how their life had changed for the better by becoming a member of this very exclusive secret society. They were lamenting their loss and bitching about how stupid the whole thing sounded.

He states that soon you will be laughing all the way to the bank and those that have chided you in the past will be jealous. You will profit beyond your wildest dreams and it will only cost you $139.95 to receive the ancient texts and then another $99.95 to unlock them, oh then you have to learn Annabell's Secrets for $99.95 and then finally, another $99.95 to unlock and understand Annabel's secret. He further states that this is a bargain at any price, that he has refused private offers of $50,000 and a $70,000 offer from a Fortune 500 company for these secrets. A pittance when compared to the monetary gain he claims he has made and I cannot really blame him at all for not selling at such a low price. He should wait for an offer of a presidency to some oil rich country and then milk it dry like he is trying to do to millions in the United States.

He is right about one thing, someone will be laughing all the way to the bank and I believe it will be him making his next deposit. Keep your money, feed your family and remember that there is no secret formula, no secret society that is going to rocket you to a position in life that you did not earn. If you want to gamble, then by all means, buy a lottery ticket, play the ponies, feed the slots, you have a much better chance of becoming rich that way than to be drawn into some secret society that preys on people looking for an easy way in life. And if you are still adamant about giving your money away, please send it to me, I will be more than happy to invest it in a retirement fund, mine.

Later...