President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

One of the last things the Trump administration did before leaving town was to have the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency adopt a new rule preventing discrimination by the banking industry in lending practices or the provision of other services like credit card processing. The rule was based on the crazy idea that each customer should be evaluated based on their own financial strength and risk profile rather than discriminating against everyone in a certain, shall we say disfavored or politically unpalatable line of business.

Think firearms manufacturers, and gun stores.

Why would such a rule even need to be adopted? Well, back in the hopey changey Obama era, the administration, pushed along by the loving guidance of Attorney General Eric Holder, instituted Operation Choke Point. The Obamanauts weaponized the FDIC and OCC, using them to threaten banks, bank holding companies and other federally regulated lenders to stop doing business with the firearms industry and other business sectors the administration didn’t particularly like.

Obama and Holder justified Choke Point as an attempt to prevent fraud by keeping “high risk” industries out of the banking system. And if you believe that, I have some GameStop short positions I’d like to talk to you about.

Trump put an end to Choke Point when he took office and in the waning days of his presidency, the OCC adopted a new rule forbidding such political or ideological discrimination. But that was then. This is now.

Late last night, the OCC announced that publication of the new anti-discrimination rule is being “paused.” From Bloomberg (his news operation, not the anti-gun financier himself). . .

The OCC said in a statement that the delay of the rule, which drew opposition from bankers as well as Democratic lawmakers, will give the Biden administration’s pick to lead the agency a chance to review public comment on the measure.

Uh huh. Because there’s no chance at all that President Grampy McUnity’s appointee will want to see banks once again blackball payday lenders, frackers, coal companies, porn sites, or…we’re just spitballing here…gun makers and the retailers that sell their products.

Of course, Operation Choke Point never really went away. Money center banks like Bank of America, Citibank, Chase, and Wells Fargo have instituted their own non-government-prompted restrictions on doing business with gun industry customers, moves that accelerated after Parkland. The banks have been joined by other companies like Intuit, Salesforce.com, Shopify and others.

So once the Biden bunch has a new head of the OCC in place, look for the anti-discrimination rule to be quietly and finally euthanized. Why would they kill a non-discrimination rule unless they intent to discriminate again like in the good old days? The only question is how long before Operation Choke Point is dusted off, resuscitated, given a new name and reinstated in full.

 

 

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83 COMMENTS

      • Utopia, a name created by combining the Greek words ou (meaning “no, not”) and topos (meaning “place,” a root used in our word topography).

    • Everything democRats do from libel to slander to election fraud to threats is straight out of their Jim Crow Gun Control Playbook. If the country was not so politically inept and history illiterate they’d know a Rat when they see one.
      All the democRat bullies have are lies and more lies. Good news is The Party of Lincoln has the goods on the democRat Party. Bad news is RINOs like bitch mcconnell who bestow accolades upon his scumbag democRat “collegues” as he refers to them is not the kind of “man?” who’ll talk about democRat race based atrocities and hold the democRat Party accountable. He’s the kind of “man?” who hears his neighbor beating their wife and cowers in a corner with mitt romney et al.

    • Think more like “Vlad the Impaler”

      Instead of 400,000 flags on the mall representing (alleged) COVID deaths there will be 400,000 stakes planted waiting for customers.

  2. President Adult Diaper is doing and excellent job in pissing everyone off. He’s going to get his party demolished in the next election.

    Only question will be does his dementia progress to where he doesn’t even understand the 2022 results.

    Dementia joe is the least popular POTUS in decades at the start of a term. No one voted for him, they either voted for or against Trump

    • I doubt the Gaffe Machine will be there long. After his ‘salute the Marines’ debacleit became obvious he’s wearing an ear piece receiver and is being coached on what to say and do by an observer. In that case he got confused and instead of returning the Marines salute he just said ‘salute the Marines’ so that obviously isn’t working. Then we’ll get Willie Brown’s mattress another with no real accomplishments but with a history that reveals how she got where she is. This could give a whole new meaning to ‘foreign relations’.

      • A big mistake he’s made already is to sign so many EO in his first week. As soon as that stack is cleared there is one less thing they need him for. A smart player would dribble them out slowly while getting what he wants in return. All he’s doing is throwing the birds the whole bag of seed at once.

        Obama is seeing his people take their places all over including the Naval Observatory. Won’t be long.

    • “He’s going to get his party demolished in the next election.”

      There’s a reason they’re trying to buy 20 million+ votes, gain reps and senators from DC, and pack the federal courts. There’s also a reason that they’re already labeling anyone that doesn’t agree with their governance as white supremacist conspiracy theorists. They’re already cracking down on dissent by arresting a guy for memes. Expect that noise to get louder as we get closer to the next election. In the meantime, there’s always nontransparent, shady election practices and H.R. 1.

      • Yep we all have to thank Reagan for leaving the illegal alien doors wide open and not abolishing ‘birth right citizenship!”

        Reagan’s ‘amnesty’ was only for about a million plus and then they(the DNC) added over 7 million by the time it was done and EACH one had the right to ‘sponsor’ and that lead to EACH one getting at least 3 more into the nation!

        F….Reagan!

    • He’s set a record with 40 EOs since inauguration. Even the Democrat party is telling Sleepy Joe to slow down. His wrist must be sore from all the signing or he has a rubber stamp for his signature.

      • The Democrats will not lose an election for a very long time. At least two more terms minimum.

    • The left will steal the next election just like they did the last one.

      20 January 2020 was the first day of “The New Dark Ages”.
      It may take 500 years to recover like it did last time.

      Be Prepared !!!

  3. “unity” through discrimination and force.

    Well done democrats. Going back to the confederacy roots, I see.

    • Will they return to their “peculiar institution” along with the conjugal property rights?

      • Well, that already exists in our “mostly peaceful” society. Especially considering taxes, fees, and registrations.

  4. The billionaires that bought the left are hard at work on wall street. Now they’re fucking with everyday investors.

    And beijing, having their man in office, are getting bold and aggressive towards Taiwan.

    Fascism has been reborn and joe biden is its point man.

    • Just how mobs burning cities and murdering people all Summer is “just an idea” but a few LARPers taking selfies in one of their temples is a national emergency.

      They can manipulate markets, tank businesses and collude among themselves to add to their billions but a handful of trolls squeezing their short is a call for massive market regulation and control.

      Funny how it always works out for them at the expense of us.

    • The billionaire class is already declaring that capitalism is over. The ignorant kids are cheering because they think that means the government will take from the billionaires and give to them. It’s funny how they don’t stop to wonder why the billionaires and massive corporations are on board with this. What it really means, is that you won’t get the same opportunity they had to ever reach that point. It’s about protecting monopolies and control.

      • “Stakeholder capitalism” is their new term of art now. As in a champagne-socialist utopia where those who already have a large capital stake rearrange the whole world for their own benefit, and everybody else eats dirt.

        • “It’s as if they forgot what happens to kulaks under noncapitalistic societies.”

          The uber rich rarely, if ever, suffer under “noncapitalistic societies”. They are either the ruling elite, or they have readily available means to flee to safer locales.

      • They think if they control the revolution they won’t be among the victims. The purge will happen eventually.

      • Serious answer:… Look at what’s been going on for the past dozen years, and what the government and Democrat-aligned media are agitating for right now.

        – Exalts race above the individual: Check.
        – A centralized, autocratic government: Check.
        – Forcible suppression of dissent: Check.
        – A nominally capitalist economy with strict government controls: Check.
        – Business and industry acting as an arm of government: Check.
        – Extreme nationalism focused on an idealized pure society: No on the nationalism, but yes on the purity spiral.
        – A dehumanized cultural “enemy within the gates” to be purged: Check.

        Are there any fascist boxes the progressive left in this country hasn’t checked? A psychopathic cult-of-personality leader to lead the purity purges, maybe…but Kamala Harris is waiting in the wings to take over from Kaiser Wilhelm…

      • pink. A person is what they do. Not what they tell you. Fascism is the order of the day for those that claim to be ‘proud liberal democrats’.

  5. Sounds like the perfect reason to ditch reliance on traditional banking and embrace digital currency. Its not just smoke and mirrors any more. The “old system” does not have a foothold in the new realm. Though, they are working on it. Fortunately, the Bitcoin and Ethereum and the like have been developed and accepted by global “non-bank” people. Hopefully, keep the old bankers always playing catch up; yet never controlling.

    • Yeah, and without a broadly functioning technical infrastructure they are useless … as in, literally, you can’t use blockchain-based digital currencies like Bitcoin. Hell of a risk to take unless you believe infrastructure will never be seriously disrupted.

      • The transitioning is already underway. Look around… Plenty of platforms for blockchain transactions.
        Disruption can be good in the right measures. Introduces needed change.

        • And when the platform is suddenly and permanently shut off, where do you go to get your money? Such silliness. I have a couple pounds of gold outside jewelry, even though I consider that a bit silly (nothing like bitcoin). Anyone who thinks that something whose value fluctuates by thousands of percent in a day, because of nothing, is somehow a “currency”, simply does not understand currencies.

        • I’d beg to differ. Blockchain meets all the essential definitions of currency, even if it isn’t a very stable one.

  6. It would be swell if the SCOTUS stepped in on something like this but they won’t. Chuck might add new members of the progressive wing of the legal system to their ranks.
    Now if they cancel a black owned business from the banking system we’ll see some action.

  7. As so often noted before, Leftists/Democrats attack opponents all along the line, all the time. As Domestic Policy Advisor, Rice will likely have a wider scope of influence because even foreign policy stems from, or is affected by domestic policy. If we insist on “picking our battles”, we permanently cede the initiative.

    • In other words the “culture war” was more than just a battle over Butt Sex. For it or against it.
      The Left wants to control your life. And it was conservatives who were the ones fighting the culture war on all fronts. Not just on sex issues. I watched the “Libertarians” on the Tim Pool you-tube channel actually complain that President Trump didn’t fight the culture wars like they hoped he would???

      To fund or defund the police, has always been part of the culture war. And the obama/biden administration giving “free” select fire weapons to law enforcement departments. All over the country. Was part of the culture war. And the Education Department having SWAT teams, is part of it too.

      I don’t see much “unity” in the “freedom movement”. Or in the “gun community”.

      • “I don’t see much “unity” in the “freedom movement”. Or in the “gun community”.”

        The history of unity in conservative circles is the never-ending purity test. The Leftists have their purists, but they don’t use the test until they “win”. In all other times they encourage, embrace and practice the “enemy of my enemy…..” concept as a tool for organizing. After the “win”, the purists on the Left discover just how much their ideals are worth.

        • Libertarians are the “Useful Idiots” of the Liberals and the Left. Those are my words Not Eric July. As he says there is a very good reason why you have John Stossel, Kennedy, Judge Napolitano, and Tucker Carlson, with their own shows. All on Fox News. And not on any other channel. And now the Liberal and Leftist “friends” of the Libertarians are coming after them.

          The evangelical Christians figured out they were the “Useful Idiots” of the republican party. And they don’t vote Republican every time anymore.

          If you’re not with them, you’re the enemy… video 15 min long

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8fr9o9KJ-w

  8. Just wait until they realize that without a credit card transaction there’s not really a paper trail.

    • They don’t think things that far through. They think this will stop or slow activity but really drive it further underground. These are the same idiots who think gun laws apply to criminals.

    • Sorry, as long as we’re doing 4473s, there IS a paper trail. And if anyone believes that NICS and ATF don’t retain copies? I promise I won’t come in your mouth.

      • The ATF and FBI will see my 4473s for the first time when my lgs goes out of business, assuming any are more recent than 10 years. Otherwise, my carry license negates the requirement for a background check. The government has no idea of my last 10 (or so) firearm purchases.

        • Unfortunately, Larry, I live in Commiefornia (at least for a few more months, until my youngest graduates high school). Not only could I give live, physical birth to a handgun more easily than I could get a carry permit, but even assuming I DID manage to snag one, it would make exactly zero difference in buying my next gun – STILL a mandatory “universal background check”, STILL a mandatory ten day waiting period, etc.

          I know, I know, my fault for staying in a socialist s***hole. I’ll be out, soon.

  9. “…will give the Biden administration’s pick to lead the agency a chance to review public comment on the measure.

    Uh huh. Because there’s no chance at all that President Grampy McUnity’s appointee will want to see banks once again blackball payday lenders, frackers, coal companies, porn sites, or…we’re just spitballing here…gun makers and the retailers that sell their products.”

    The ‘Public Comment’ route seemed to work just fine for a few ATF issues like green tip ammo and more recently, arm braces. Why not exploit that?

    And what about dealing with it via the courts as a straight-up discrimination issue?

  10. What are Joe’s beliefs? Shouldn’t we know a guy that’s been a high profile politician for five decades? How many democrat voters actually believe he isn’t a puppet? I get the feeling that they just don’t care. The end justifies the means. That’s what happens when you have no principles.

    • ‘tHaT’s WhaT HaPPenS WhEn You don’t hAVe pRinciPles’, writes the ‘man’ who supported the President who organized and fomented a failed January 6th coup that left 5 people dead and the Capitol Building in ruins.

      • You see and hear what you want. No matter how you twist it, saying, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard,” is not code for vandalize, assault, and kill. (Who shot an unarmed woman?) Politicians have always said “fight” without meaning physical assault. It’s okay for democrats to suspect election results and not concede. The riot at the Capitol was beginning about an hour before Trump even finished speaking. Check the distance between where Trump was speaking and the riot area. You aren’t interested in facts because you’re a bitter partisan. You must also believe that Pelosi is a sincere person.

        • “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” said Mr. Brooks, Republican of Alabama. “Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?”

        • “Our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes and sometimes their lives to give us, their descendants, an America that is the greatest nation in world history.” He then asked the audience if they were “willing to do the same.”

        • So they’re impeaching Trump for something Brooks said? And that sort of “tough guy” talk isn’t anything new in politics. There are plenty of examples of democrats *literally* calling for or fantasizing about violence, and it gets a big yawn from the media. Democrat pols incited violence against police, and as a result, police officers were assassinated. No one cared because it didn’t help the narrative. Pelosi’s snap impeachment has cheapened the process and everyone knows it. She did it because she could.

      • “Antifa is an idea”

        First idea in history and science to physically destroy shit… but hey, whatever keeps that little kayak of yours floating in the rapids.

  11. Once something is renamed, the same thing with the old name gets turned into conspiracy theory and easily dismissed. That’s how so many thing get passed so many people.

  12. Wells Fargo didn’t go along with Checkpoint the first time. They were a refuge for many gun companies. The referenced article was about them booting TNVC for selling high power lasers (FDA regulations). There were calls for them to join the antigun canal in July 2020. We’ll see if they decide to put politics over profit this time.

  13. Been saying this for a while: We saw where this was going when the “bank consolidation” movement started. Now there are fewer choices for both consumers and businesses, and you are SHOCKED, shocked I say, that banks are discriminating against local consumers, businesses, and “politically-incorrect” businesses.

    Time to start forming our own banks. State-chartered banks are SLIGHTLY less regulated than national banks, and can enter into bank deposit and clearing agreements to have checks recognized in other states. We need to (and this is a serious suggestion) start our own bank, in, say, Wyoming or someplace like that, that aggressively CATERS to gun companies, FFLs, and gun owners. I would buy shares.

    If our response to their fascism is to sit back and b**** about it . . . we’ll get more Harris/Biden/Pelosi,Schumer/Deepstate fascism. Up to us to fight back, EFFECTIVELY. Not only support the industry, but support each other. Oh, and stick a thumb in the eye of wannabe fascists like Slow Joe and Kamala the Ho.

    • I Videos went and started their own version of Facebook, and Parlor got taken down.
      I applaud the call to form our own bank, credit union, credit card clearinghouse..
      I will certainly be one of millions who get the Second Amendment credit card, and put my money in the Second Amendment bank.
      But have no illusions, they will try to smother the conservative bank credit card clearing company and credit union just like they did Parlor

  14. As long as the government is not involved, Libertarians support multi billion dollar companies chocking off, other companies they don’t like. And the Democrat Party is very happy that their friends in the Billionaire Class are doing this. Under the classical definition, this use to be called Fascism.

    • edit
      “Libertarians support multi billion dollar companies choking off, other companies they don’t like”

      • Private companies can restrict stock sales to protect the upper 1% Wall Street interests as long as they have committed to diversity and inclusiveness.

        • This “Game Stop” issue is going to be the biggest Sh!t sandwich the investor class has ever had to eat.
          And I look forward to it.

  15. And the reason the Nazi party was formed is Why? Wouldn’t have had anything to do with banks or loans from foreign countries would it. Nah couldn’t be that.
    Our President Biden is the greatest president America will ever have, in fact he’s so great he should be appointed for life.

    • no, that is something Kam… Kamm… I can’t even say it’s name… that is something the crazy woke “VP” will do after she poisons Biden.

    • “President for life. And he’s great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll give that a shot some day.” Trump’s comments, made during a lunchtime fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida“

  17. bi-poc is a word play of Tupac, 2pac, two pac. Blacks figured out black magic and are going to use it on the elite democrats and republicans out of sheer villainy. Asians, Mexicans and all other not African minorities are not worth really allying with to conquer our oppressors so there is zero treaty with them and indigenous groups. Contrary to leftist belief the conformist left are not the voice of resistance. They are controlled opposition or operation mockingbird. They parrot what I say as misdirection to lead people away from my platform to theirs. They plagiarize my works for self interest all the while putting a twist on the original meaning and context. Again they worship the devil and use word play because to do so is thought to be satanic since the devil uses word play otherwise known as witch speak.

    I am pissed off that that the people I attack are not rolling over and obeying me. They are insolent. They should have just did what I said. They are just making it worse for everyone. Their is a concept of “since he is going to kill us all anyways we might as well defie him since there is nothing worse to us he can do other than kill us”. They are wrong. First to take such a noble position you have to have truth on your side which you don’t. You deluded yourself into thinking that the occult was divine but is was not. Long story short you are assholes. I can make things much worse than mere death.

    No matter what it takes I can always escalate a situation which you have dominion over from bad to worse. There is no “handling” me. I do not view you as intellectual nor biological equals. I am a god and the sooner you worship me the better. I noticed you lived to deify mortals as saviors such as Jesus. Good. Deify me. I hold more power and make more sense. Plus I am less racist. In the beginning of a cult there are always naysayers. I find your lack of faith disturbing.

    When people dictate orders to me it is pointless. The only thing that gives orders is balls. I view detractors as effeminate. So I refuse to follow their orders. Using subliminals is a way of saying something without saying something. It lets people know you are weak and a coward (meow). Cowardice is like a scent. I am like a shark that smells blood in the water. I am the master hunter and you are the prey. I am noble you are swine. You were given the choice to rise above your current status but you refused so you cannot cite hardship nor foulplay. YOU CHOSE to be inferior and on the losing side of things. Nobody forced you. We tried to help you. There was no malice only just decision.

    Joe Biden is a criminal for charges I will ascertain later. He will be imprisoned with Harris for (mumble mumble) xyz crimes. Once they are imprisoned for bank fraud I will use their ideas to go after my political enemies by labeling them terrorists, confiscating their bank accounts and businesses, using that booty to fund the war effort, executing them for sedition and treason. This is all settled law under the patriot act and homeland security. Thank you bush and the party of Lincoln. You gave me the tools and precedence to bully my way to power unopposed.

    I will re-id and change my name when rothschild does (in a pigs eye).
    Still mad at vanguard group for stealing my money.
    Still mad at cerebeus/dynecorp for stealing my money.
    I hold past and present ceos responsible.
    I do not care nobody will be spared.

    When you phonies on ttag are serious about joining a real power group call me at 253-861-2575.

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