Nothing "Federal" About It!

It's been awhile, and I know that the buzz is all about the potential war with Syria and the possibility of sparking-off WWIII.

But, I have begun to look into the force behind the funding of all the Wars and conflicts the U.S. has been involved in over the last century -- The Federal Reserve System.

As is likely the case with most of us (including our parents and grandparents), we have gone through our entire lives so far without even giving it the slightest thought (though we've probable heard  of "The Fed" or the name of Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and, perhaps, the latest Chairman, Ben Bernanke.

We may be vaguely aware that "The Fed" sets the rate that banks base interest rates on, but what is Federal Reserve System?

Here's a definition from Wikipedia:  "A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages a state's currency, money supply, and interest rates. Central banks also usually oversee the commercial banking system of their respective countries. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the amount of money in the nation, and usually also prints the national currency, which usually serves as the nation's legal tender.  Examples include the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve of the United States..."

I don't know about you, but that definition us glimpse into something scary....  While we elect our U.S. Government, what of this "Fed"?

“Some people think that the Federal Reserve Banks are United States Government institutions. They are private monopolies which prey upon the people of these United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign customers; foreign and domestic speculators and swindlers; and rich and predatory money lenders.” –The Honorable Louis McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking and Currency Committee in the 1930s

Hmmmm.

Check out:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/who-owns-the-federal-reserve/10489

Probably the most famous critique (expose' ?) Of the fed is The Creature from Jekyll Island (1994) - by G. Edward Griffin

See him give an excellent overview of the system on youtube: The Creature From Jekyll Island (by G. Edward Griffin)
http://www.youtube.com/embed/lu_VqX6J93k?autoplay=1

(also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Edward_Griffin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0912986212/ )

I look forward to your comments and input!

[Illustrations:  initially found on Equilibrium.blog.bg, but turns out they belong to http://www.deesillustration.com/index.asp , so please go there, check out the many excellent illustrations and support that site!]