Given how difficult the fight for real money has been these past 12 years – but more specifically, the past two – I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of one of history’s most celebrated freedom fighters, Nelson Mandela.

Like Mahatma Gandhi, whose non-violent “civil disobedience” inspired a movement that led to India’s independence from Britain in 1947, Mandela’s peaceful tactics led a 30-year revolution to dethrone the oppressive Apartheid regime – which finally occurred in 1994.  Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his role in the Anti-Apartheid movement; yet, upon his release in 1991, was the primary unifying force between South African’s long-warring majority and minority factions (see this famous 1995 clip).  Gandhi was assassinated in January 1948; just five months after India became independent of Britain; while Mandela died of natural causes this weekend, 19 years after Apartheid was overthrown.  In both cases, they were fortunate enough to see the end result of their life’s work; while sadly, many of their followers did not.

In the case of the ‘fight for real money,’ we have not yet seen widespread physical oppression; and hopefully, we never do.  However, the war has just begun, and even Bitcoin can be considered an ally in the struggle to destroy the most “financially oppressive” monetary regime of all time.  The Miles Franklin Blog is but a small player in a major global movement, gaining significant momentum with each passing day and similar certainty of ultimate victory.  Clearly, our “backs” our covered by the movement’s undisputed leader – the Chinese government; but in the process, PM believers have been subjected to frustration, anger, and scorn from both the unenlightened and those motivated to maintain the status quo.

Ron Paul may well be the “secular head” of our movement, but everyone reading this blog is playing a part.  The war rages on, but its inflection point was passed at the turn of the century; and in my view, its inevitable conclusion becomes clearer with each passing day.  To this end, I salute one of history’s greatest revolutionaries, Nelson Mandela.  May he rest in peace.