The chairman of a corporate watchdog was removed from a shareholder meeting and arrested after questioning Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett’s support for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The ejected nonprofit leader’s criticism Saturday included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ travel with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Pete Flaherty, chairman and CEO of the National Legal and Policy Center, was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing by police in Omaha, Nebraska, even though his name was on the list of attendees for the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting.
“I apparently touched the third rail of billionaire politics when I mentioned Jeffrey Epstein’s name,” Flaherty told The Daily Signal on Monday. “I’ve been involved in shareholder activism for 19 years, and I have never before had my mic cut and I was never before arrested.”
Epstein is a convicted sex offender whose 2019 death in a New York jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges was ruled a suicide. He had close ties to elites in politics, business, and entertainment.
Buffett, the billionaire chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is well known for taking political stances on the Left, often for higher taxes for the nation’s top earners.
Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate holding company based in Omaha, did not immediately respond Monday to phone and email inquiries from The Daily Signal.
“We all know how much bill gates loves children, he’s been with Epstein…” at berkshire hathaway annual meeting. pic.twitter.com/q6KgjSKrLX
— Tykoo (@0xTykoo) May 6, 2023
The National Legal and Policy Center, or NLPC, was the sponsor of Proposal No. 8 at Saturday’s shareholder meeting in Omaha, which would “require hereafter that two separate people hold the office of the chairman and the office of the CEO.” Buffett holds both jobs.
At the meeting, Flaherty said that under the proposed change, Berkshire “would be less identified with Mr. Buffett’s personal political activities,” and pointed to Buffett’s support for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among other factors.
Under the meeting rules, shareholders have three minutes to speak for a resolution. A Berkshire Hathaway employee interrupted Flaherty shortly after 1 minute, and then someone cut his microphone.
In his remarks, Flaherty talked about the Gates nonprofit’s funding of left-wing causes such as critical race theory, gender politics, and defunding the police. However, it was only when he brought up Epstein that several in the audience booed and hissed.
“The Gates Foundation bankrolls the teaching of critical race theory around the country, including that math is inherently racist,” Flaherty said at the shareholder meeting Saturday. “The Gates Foundation offers a Gender Identity Toolbox which asserts that gender is the result of “socially and culturally constructed ideas. This is a lie. Gender is not a cultural construct. It is a genetic and biological fact. … We know how much Bill Gates cares about children. He met and traveled with Jeffrey Epstein many times after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes.”
Two security officers then stood in front of Flaherty and told him that he would be arrested if he continued.
Flaherty recalled responding that he would leave after finishing his statement. He said he didn’t know at the time that his microphone’s audio had been cut.
Next, an Omaha police officer told Flaherty that he was under arrest and escorted him from the meeting at CHI Health Center Arena. Police transported him to the Douglas County Correctional Center in Omaha, where he was searched, handcuffed, and charged with criminal trespass.
NLPC Chairman Peter Flaherty is Arrested During #BerkshireHathaway #Shareholder Proposal Presentation https://t.co/E5YjXrp3f8 #BerkshireHathaway2023 #Buffett #WarrenBuffett #censorship #BillGates #BillGatesFoundation #JeffreyEpstein @WarrenBuffett @BillGates
— NLPC (@NLPC) May 8, 2023
Police detained Flaherty for about three hours, not waiting in a cell but on a bench with others who had been arrested. He paid a bond of $2,500 to be released.
Flaherty, a resident of Arlington, Virginia, is set to appear May 22 in Douglas County Court in Omaha.
Since 2004, Flaherty and other NLPC staffers have attended and spoken at annual shareholder meetings held by various corporations, including Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, Home Depot, PepsiCo, Salesforce, Visa, Alphabet, Amazon, Boeing, Citigroup, Facebook, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart.
“I was treated like any other criminal, fingerprinted, handcuffed,” Flaherty told The Daily Signal. “I’ve always been courteous with decorum at the annual shareholder meetings. I didn’t raise my voice. I was not disruptive.”
Flaherty said he is asking for an apology from Berkshire Hathaway, and that the charges be dropped.
He was on the schedule to speak at theshareholder meeting, Flaherty noted. Both Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and Delaware state law require that publicly traded companies hold annual meetings to hear shareholder input. Although based in Nebraska, like many major corporations, for tax reasons Berkshire Hathaway was incorporated in Delaware
Below is a transcript of the exchange Saturday:
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
Flaherty: I am Peter Flaherty, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. If we had an independent chair, the company [Berkshire Hathaway] would be less identified with Mr. Buffett’s political activities.
He’s donated tens of billions to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As Bill Gates explained when the couple was still together, “although the foundation bears our names, basically half our resources have come from Warren Buffett.”
If woke culture is a disease, then philanthropy is the virus. The Gates Foundation bankrolls the teaching of critical race theory around the country, including that math is inherently racist.
The Gates Foundation offers a Gender Identity Toolbox which asserts that gender is the result of “socially and culturally constructed ideas.” This is a lie. Gender is not a cultural construct. It is a genetic and biological fact.
[At this point, a Berkshire Hathaway employee interrupts.]
Flaherty: You are not going to censor what I say, Ma’am. I’m very sorry. And I appeal to the chair that I be allowed to continue. Sir?
Buffett: You may continue, but under the three-minute limitation.
Flaherty: Of course.
We know how much Bill Gates cares about children. He met and traveled with Jeffrey Epstein many times after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes. The Gates Foundation had a huge influence over the COVID response fiasco.
Bill Gates defended China’s COVID policies and still discounts the possibility that the virus originated from a lab [in Wuhan, China], even though U.S. intelligence agencies disagree.
The Gates Foundation may be the largest single donor to the dark money machine known as Arabella [Advisors.]
[Buffett gestures from the stage and makes inaudible comments.]
Flaherty: It funds causes like defunding the police that are making American cities unlivable. Money goes, too, to groups conducting—
[Flaherty’s microphone is cut at the 2:04 mark; the rest is inaudible.]
Article cross-posted from Daily Signal.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
