thewakingtimes--2020-10-17--The 2020 Election Bamboozle – We Are All Victims of the Deep State’s Con Game

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This is not an election .
This is a con game , a scam , a grift , a hustle , a bunko , a swindle , a flimflam , a gaffle , and a bamboozle .
In this carefully choreographed scheme to strip the American citizenry of our power and our rights , “ we the people ” are nothing more than marks , suckers , stooges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We are victims of the Deep State ’ s confidence game .
Every confidence game has six essential stages : 1 ) the foundation to lay the groundwork for the illusion ; 2 ) the approach whereby the victim is contacted ; 3 ) the build-up to make the victim feel like they ’ ve got a vested interest in the outcome ; 4 ) the corroboration ( aided by third-party conspirators ) to legitimize that the scammers are , in fact , on the up-and-up ; 5 ) the pay-off , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some small early “ wins ” ; and 6 ) the “ hurrah ” — a sudden manufactured crisis or change of events that creates a sense of urgency .
In this particular con game , every candidate dangled before us as some form of political savior—including Donald Trump and Joe Biden—is part of a long-running , elaborate scam intended to persuade us that , despite all appearances to the contrary , we live in a constitutional republic .
In this way , the voters are the dupes , the candidates are the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the Deep State rigging the outcome .
Terrorist attacks , pandemics , civil unrest : these are all manipulated crises that add to the sense of urgency and help us feel invested in the outcome of the various elections , but it doesn ’ t change much in the long term .
No matter who wins this election , we ’ ll all still be prisoners of the Deep State .
We just haven ’ t learned to recognize our prison walls as such .
It ’ s like that old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes place in a mysterious , self-contained , cosmopolitan , seemingly idyllic retirement community known only as The Village .
Perhaps the best visual debate ever on individuality and freedom , The Prisoner ( 17 episodes in all ) centers around a British secret agent who abruptly resigns only to find himself imprisoned , monitored by militarized drones , and interrogated in The Village , a beautiful resort with parks and green fields , recreational activities and even a butler .
While luxurious , the Village is a virtual prison disguised as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true freedom , they can not leave the Village , they are under constant surveillance , all of their movements tracked .
Residents of the Village are stripped of their individuality and identified only by numbers .
First broadcast in Great Britain 50-some years ago , The Prisoner dystopian television series —described as “ James Bond meets George Orwell filtered through Franz Kafka ” —confronted societal themes that are still relevant today : the rise of a police state , the loss of freedom , round-the-clock surveillance , the corruption of government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass marketing , and the tendency of human beings to meekly accept their lot in life as prisoners in a prison of their own making .
The series ’ protagonist , played by Patrick McGoohan is Number Six .
Number Two , the Village administrator , acts as an agent for the unseen and all-powerful Number One , whose identity is not revealed until the final episode .
“ I am not a number .
I am a free man , ” was the mantra chanted on each episode of The Prisoner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patrick McGoohan , who also played the title role .
In the opening episode ( “ The Arrival ” ) , Number Six meets Number Two , who explains to him that he is in The Village because information stored “ inside ” his head has made him too valuable to be allowed to roam free “ outside.
” Throughout the series , Number Six is subjected to interrogation tactics , torture , hallucinogenic drugs , identity theft , mind control , dream manipulation , and various forms of social indoctrination and physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to comply , give up , give in and subjugate himself to the will of the powers-that-be .
Yet no matter how far Number Six manages to get in his efforts to escape , it ’ s never far enough .
Number Six ’ s escapes become a surreal exercise in futility , each episode an unfunny , unsettling Groundhog ’ s Day that builds to the same frustrating denouement : there is no escape .
As journalist Scott Thill concludes for Wired , “ Rebellion always comes at a price .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Number Six is tortured , battered and even body-snatched : In the episode ‘ Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling , ’ his mind is transplanted to another man ’ s body .
Number Six repeatedly escapes The Village only to be returned to it in the end , trapped like an animal , overcome by a restless energy he can not expend , and betrayed by nearly everyone around him.
” The series is a chilling lesson about how difficult it is to gain one ’ s freedom in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the seemingly benevolent trappings of technological and scientific progress , national security and the need to guard against terrorists , pandemics , civil unrest , etc .
The Prisoner ’ s Village is also an apt allegory for the American Police State : it gives the illusion of freedom while functioning all the while like a prison : controlled , watchful , inflexible , punitive , deadly and inescapable .
The American Police State , much like The Prisoner ’ s Village , is a metaphorical panopticon , a circular prison in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single watchman situated in a central tower .
Because the inmates can not see the watchman , they are unable to tell whether or not they are being watched at any given time and must proceed under the assumption that they are always being watched .
Bentham ’ s panopticon , in which the prisoners are used as a source of cheap , menial labor , has become a model for the modern surveillance state in which the populace is constantly being watched , controlled and managed by the powers-that-be while funding its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hide : this is the new mantra of the architects of the Deep State and their corporate collaborators ( Facebook , Amazon , Netflix , Google , Instagram , etc. )
.
They see your every move : what you read , how much you spend , where you go , with whom you interact , when you wake up in the morning , what you ’ re watching on television and reading on the internet .
Every move you make is being monitored , mined for data , crunched , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of who you are , what makes you tick , and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line .
When the government sees all and knows all and has an abundance of laws to render even the most seemingly upstanding citizen a criminal and lawbreaker , then the old adage that you ’ ve got nothing to worry about if you ’ ve got nothing to hide no longer applies .
Apart from the obvious dangers posed by a government that feels justified and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use its ever-expanding arsenal of weapons and technology to monitor and control them , we ’ re approaching a time in which we will be forced to choose between obeying the dictates of the government—i.e.
, the law , or whatever a government official deems the law to be—and maintaining our individuality , integrity and independence .
When people talk about privacy , they mistakenly assume it protects only that which is hidden behind a wall or under one ’ s clothing .
The courts have fostered this misunderstanding with their constantly shifting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of privacy.
” And technology has furthered muddied the waters .
However , privacy is so much more than what you do or say behind locked doors .
It is a way of living one ’ s life firm in the belief that you are the master of your life , and barring any immediate danger to another person ( which is far different from the carefully crafted threats to national security the government uses to justify its actions ) , it ’ s no one ’ s business what you read , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom you spend your time with , and how you spend your money .
We now find ourselves in the unenviable position of being monitored , managed , corralled and controlled by technologies that answer to government and corporate rulers .
Consider that on any given day , the average American going about his daily business will be monitored , surveilled , spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways , by both government and corporate eyes and ears .
A byproduct of this new age in which we live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a store , driving your car , checking email , or talking to friends and family on the phone , you can be sure that some government agency , whether the NSA or some other entity , is listening in and tracking your behavior .
This doesn ’ t even begin to touch on the corporate trackers that monitor your purchases , web browsing , Facebook posts and other activities taking place in the cyber sphere .
Stingray devices mounted on police cars to warrantlessly track cell phones , Doppler radar devices that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a home , license plate readers that can record up to 1800 license plates per minute , sidewalk and “ public space ” cameras coupled with facial recognition and behavior-sensing technology that lay the groundwork for police “ pre-crime ” programs , police body cameras that turn police officers into roving surveillance cameras , the internet of things : all of these technologies ( and more ) add up to a society in which there ’ s little room for indiscretions , imperfections , or acts of independence—especially not when the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , read your emails , monitor your driving habits , track your movements , scrutinize your purchases and peer through the walls of your home .
This is the electronic concentration camp—the panopticon prison—the Village—in which we are now caged .
It is a prison from which there will be no escape .
Certainly not if the government and its corporate allies have anything to say about it .
None of this will change , no matter who wins this upcoming presidential election .
And that ’ s the hustle , you see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being done to help us buy into the fantasy that things will change if we just elect the right candidate , the day after a new president is sworn in , we ’ ll still find ourselves prisoners of the Village .
This should come as no surprise to those who haven ’ t been taking the escapist blue pill , who haven ’ t fallen for the Deep State ’ s phony rhetoric , who haven ’ t been lured in by the promise of a political savior : we never stopped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escape ?
For starters , resist the urge to conform to a group mind and the tyranny of mob-think as controlled by the Deep State .
You want to be free ?
Remove the blindfold that blinds you to the Deep State ’ s con game , stop doping yourself with government propaganda , and break free of the political chokehold that has got you marching in lockstep with tyrants and dictators .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , until you come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government is the problem ( no matter which party dominates ) , you ’ ll never be free .
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute , where this article ( John Lennon at 80 : One Man Against the Deep State ‘ Monster ’ ) was originally published .
He is the author of A Government of Wolves : The Emerging American Police State and The Change Manifesto .

The 2020 Election Bamboozle – We Are All Victims of the Deep State’s Con Game
John W. Whitehead, Rutherford
Waking Times
“We’re run by the Pentagon, we’re run by Madison Avenue, we’re run by television, and as long as we accept those things and don’t revolt we’ll have to go along with the stream to the eventual avalanche…. As long as we go out and buy stuff, we’re at their mercy… We all live in a little Village. Your Village may be different from other people’s Villages, but we are all prisoners.”— Patrick McGoohan
This is not an election.
This is a con game, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko, a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle, and a bamboozle.
In this carefully choreographed scheme to strip the American citizenry of our power and our rights, “we the people” are nothing more than marks, suckers, stooges, mugs, rubes, or gulls.
We are victims of the Deep State’s confidence game.
Every confidence game has six essential stages: 1) the foundation to lay the groundwork for the illusion; 2) the approach whereby the victim is contacted; 3) the build-up to make the victim feel like they’ve got a vested interest in the outcome; 4) the corroboration (aided by third-party conspirators) to legitimize that the scammers are, in fact, on the up-and-up; 5) the pay-off, in which the victim gets to experience some small early “wins”; and 6) the “hurrah”— a sudden manufactured crisis or change of events that creates a sense of urgency.
In this particular con game, every candidate dangled before us as some form of political savior—including Donald Trump and Joe Biden—is part of a long-running, elaborate scam intended to persuade us that, despite all appearances to the contrary, we live in a constitutional republic.
In this way, the voters are the dupes, the candidates are the shills, and as usual, it’s the Deep State rigging the outcome.
Terrorist attacks, pandemics, civil unrest: these are all manipulated crises that add to the sense of urgency and help us feel invested in the outcome of the various elections, but it doesn’t change much in the long term.
No matter who wins this election, we’ll all still be prisoners of the Deep State.
We just haven’t learned to recognize our prison walls as such.
It’s like that old British television series The Prisoner, which takes place in a mysterious, self-contained, cosmopolitan, seemingly idyllic retirement community known only as The Village.
Perhaps the best visual debate ever on individuality and freedom, The Prisoner (17 episodes in all) centers around a British secret agent who abruptly resigns only to find himself imprisoned, monitored by militarized drones, and interrogated in The Village, a beautiful resort with parks and green fields, recreational activities and even a butler.
While luxurious, the Village is a virtual prison disguised as a seaside paradise: its inhabitants have no true freedom, they cannot leave the Village, they are under constant surveillance, all of their movements tracked. Residents of the Village are stripped of their individuality and identified only by numbers.
First broadcast in Great Britain 50-some years ago, The Prisoner dystopian television series —described as “James Bond meets George Orwell filtered through Franz Kafka”—confronted societal themes that are still relevant today: the rise of a police state, the loss of freedom, round-the-clock surveillance, the corruption of government, totalitarianism, weaponization, group think, mass marketing, and the tendency of human beings to meekly accept their lot in life as prisoners in a prison of their own making.
The series’ protagonist, played by Patrick McGoohan is Number Six.
Number Two, the Village administrator, acts as an agent for the unseen and all-powerful Number One, whose identity is not revealed until the final episode.
“I am not a number. I am a free man,” was the mantra chanted on each episode of The Prisoner, which was largely written and directed by Patrick McGoohan, who also played the title role.
In the opening episode (“The Arrival”), Number Six meets Number Two, who explains to him that he is in The Village because information stored “inside” his head has made him too valuable to be allowed to roam free “outside.”
Throughout the series, Number Six is subjected to interrogation tactics, torture, hallucinogenic drugs, identity theft, mind control, dream manipulation, and various forms of social indoctrination and physical coercion in order to “persuade” him to comply, give up, give in and subjugate himself to the will of the powers-that-be.
Number Six refuses to comply.
In every episode, Number Six resists the Village’s indoctrination methods, struggles to maintain his own identity, and attempts to escape his captors. “I will not make any deals with you,” he pointedly remarks to Number Two. “I’ve resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.”
Yet no matter how far Number Six manages to get in his efforts to escape, it’s never far enough.
Watched by surveillance cameras and other devices, Number Six’s attempts to escape are continuously thwarted by ominous white balloon-like spheres known as “rovers.” Still, he refuses to give up. “Unlike me,” he says to his fellow prisoners, “many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment, and will die here like rotten cabbages.”
Number Six’s escapes become a surreal exercise in futility, each episode an unfunny, unsettling Groundhog’s Day that builds to the same frustrating denouement: there is no escape.
As journalist Scott Thill concludes for Wired, “Rebellion always comes at a price. During the acclaimed run of The Prisoner, Number Six is tortured, battered and even body-snatched: In the episode ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ his mind is transplanted to another man’s body. Number Six repeatedly escapes The Village only to be returned to it in the end, trapped like an animal, overcome by a restless energy he cannot expend, and betrayed by nearly everyone around him.”
The series is a chilling lesson about how difficult it is to gain one’s freedom in a society in which prison walls are disguised within the seemingly benevolent trappings of technological and scientific progress, national security and the need to guard against terrorists, pandemics, civil unrest, etc.
As Thill noted, “The Prisoner was an allegory of the individual, aiming to find peace and freedom in a dystopia masquerading as a utopia.”
The Prisoner’s Village is also an apt allegory for the American Police State: it gives the illusion of freedom while functioning all the while like a prison: controlled, watchful, inflexible, punitive, deadly and inescapable.
The American Police State, much like The Prisoner’s Village, is a metaphorical panopticon, a circular prison in which the inmates are monitored by a single watchman situated in a central tower. Because the inmates cannot see the watchman, they are unable to tell whether or not they are being watched at any given time and must proceed under the assumption that they are always being watched.
Eighteenth century social theorist Jeremy Bentham envisioned the panopticon prison to be a cheaper and more effective means of “obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example.”
Bentham’s panopticon, in which the prisoners are used as a source of cheap, menial labor, has become a model for the modern surveillance state in which the populace is constantly being watched, controlled and managed by the powers-that-be while funding its existence.
Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide: this is the new mantra of the architects of the Deep State and their corporate collaborators (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Instagram, etc.).
Government eyes are watching you.
They see your every move: what you read, how much you spend, where you go, with whom you interact, when you wake up in the morning, what you’re watching on television and reading on the internet.
Every move you make is being monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to amass a profile of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line.
When the government sees all and knows all and has an abundance of laws to render even the most seemingly upstanding citizen a criminal and lawbreaker, then the old adage that you’ve got nothing to worry about if you’ve got nothing to hide no longer applies.
Apart from the obvious dangers posed by a government that feels justified and empowered to spy on its people and use its ever-expanding arsenal of weapons and technology to monitor and control them, we’re approaching a time in which we will be forced to choose between obeying the dictates of the government—i.e., the law, or whatever a government official deems the law to be—and maintaining our individuality, integrity and independence.
When people talk about privacy, they mistakenly assume it protects only that which is hidden behind a wall or under one’s clothing. The courts have fostered this misunderstanding with their constantly shifting delineation of what constitutes an “expectation of privacy.” And technology has furthered muddied the waters.
However, privacy is so much more than what you do or say behind locked doors. It is a way of living one’s life firm in the belief that you are the master of your life, and barring any immediate danger to another person (which is far different from the carefully crafted threats to national security the government uses to justify its actions), it’s no one’s business what you read, what you say, where you go, whom you spend your time with, and how you spend your money.
Unfortunately, George Orwell’s 1984—where “you had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized”—has now become our reality.
We now find ourselves in the unenviable position of being monitored, managed, corralled and controlled by technologies that answer to government and corporate rulers.
Consider that on any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears.
A byproduct of this new age in which we live, whether you’re walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior.
This doesn’t even begin to touch on the corporate trackers that monitor your purchases, web browsing, Facebook posts and other activities taking place in the cyber sphere.
Stingray devices mounted on police cars to warrantlessly track cell phones, Doppler radar devices that can detect human breathing and movement within in a home, license plate readers that can record up to 1800 license plates per minute, sidewalk and “public space” cameras coupled with facial recognition and behavior-sensing technology that lay the groundwork for police “pre-crime” programs, police body cameras that turn police officers into roving surveillance cameras, the internet of things: all of these technologies (and more) add up to a society in which there’s little room for indiscretions, imperfections, or acts of independence—especially not when the government can listen in on your phone calls, read your emails, monitor your driving habits, track your movements, scrutinize your purchases and peer through the walls of your home.
As French philosopher Michel Foucault concluded in his 1975 book Discipline and Punish, “Visibility is a trap.”
This is the electronic concentration camp—the panopticon prison—the Village—in which we are now caged.
It is a prison from which there will be no escape. Certainly not if the government and its corporate allies have anything to say about it.
As Glenn Greenwald notes:
“The way things are supposed to work is that we’re supposed to know virtually everything about what [government officials] do: that’s why they’re called public servants. They’re supposed to know virtually nothing about what we do: that’s why we’re called private individuals. This dynamic – the hallmark of a healthy and free society – has been radically reversed. Now, they know everything about what we do, and are constantly building systems to know more. Meanwhile, we know less and less about what they do, as they build walls of secrecy behind which they function. That’s the imbalance that needs to come to an end. No democracy can be healthy and functional if the most consequential acts of those who wield political power are completely unknown to those to whom they are supposed to be accountable.”
None of this will change, no matter who wins this upcoming presidential election.
And that’s the hustle, you see: because despite all of the work being done to help us buy into the fantasy that things will change if we just elect the right candidate, the day after a new president is sworn in, we’ll still find ourselves prisoners of the Village.
This should come as no surprise to those who haven’t been taking the escapist blue pill, who haven’t fallen for the Deep State’s phony rhetoric, who haven’t been lured in by the promise of a political savior: we never stopped being prisoners.
So how do you escape? For starters, resist the urge to conform to a group mind and the tyranny of mob-think as controlled by the Deep State.
Think for yourself. Be an individual. As McGoohan commented in 1968, “At this moment individuals are being drained of their personalities and being brainwashed into slaves… As long as people feel something, that’s the great thing. It’s when they are walking around not thinking and not feeling, that’s tough. When you get a mob like that, you can turn them into the sort of gang that Hitler had.”
You want to be free? Remove the blindfold that blinds you to the Deep State’s con game, stop doping yourself with government propaganda, and break free of the political chokehold that has got you marching in lockstep with tyrants and dictators.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, until you come to terms with the fact that the government is the problem (no matter which party dominates), you’ll never be free.
About the Author
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, where this article (John Lennon at 80: One Man Against the Deep State ‘Monster’) was originally published. He is the author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State and The Change Manifesto.


thewakingtimes--2020-10-17--Colorado Battles Largest Wildfire in State History

Strong winds pushed the Cameron Peak fire 17 miles to the east Tuesday and Wednesday , Wildfire Today reported .
It burned more than 20,000 acres in a single day , swelling to 158,300 acres by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and placing at least nine new areas under evacuation orders , the Fort Collins Coloradoan reported .
Here is the # CameronPeakFire map created with data from the multi mission aircraft ( MMA ) flight earlier today .
The map includes the most up-to-date acreage of 158,300 acres .
There are 1,011 personnel on the fire and containment has been measured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pic.twitter.com/oCSI9eF18K “ This really was almost an epic day for doing evacuations and again , for everybody that ’ s been moved , I know it ’ s extremely difficult , ” officials said Wednesday night , as CBS4 Denver reported .
“ We do know that we lost structures today and for anybody who is impacted , you know , our heart goes out to you.
” One family lost two cabins they owned in the Buckhorn Canyon area .
“ The materials is one thing , ” Parker Hutchinson told CBS4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family heirlooms and just the memories of that area , they ’ ve been burned.
” Despite these individual tragedies , Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said the day could have been even worse .
“ We have no reported injuries , no deaths , a lot fewer structures were impacted that we truly anticipated based on what we saw with that said , there ’ s certainly a lot of folks that got hit , ” he said , as Colorado Public Radio reported .
The Cameron Peak fire has been burning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roosevelt National Forest .
It has persisted despite a snowstorm in early September and more snow on Sunday , fueled by high winds and drought .
It had already destroyed or damaged 99 structures before exploding Tuesday , and officials said conditions were still too dangerous to assess the total number of buildings impacted in the last 24 hours .
It is now 56 percent contained and more than 1,000 people are fighting it .
The fire is burning to the west of Fort Collins , but Smith said he did not think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area or the nearby city of Loveland because they are protected by bodies of water and a lack of the heavy timber that feeds the flames .
The two largest fires in Colorado history both ignited this year .
The Cameron Peak fire unseated the Pine Gulch fire , which burned 139,007 acres over the summer and held the record for only 48 days .
The ten largest fires in Colorado history all took place in the last 20 years , and seven took place in the last 10 , according to figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of August , 2020 was Colorado ’ s third driest year on record and twelfth warmest , according to Colorado Public Radio .
Almost a fourth of the state is experiencing extreme drought .
These fire-fueling conditions are in line with what scientists say the climate crisis will do to the state .
“ What we ’ re seeing here is indicative of the fact that when the hot , dry years come around , they ’ re hotter than most of the time when they ’ ve occurred in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado Public Radio .
“ And that ’ s pretty well in line with what climate projections have been saying for some time .
”

“This really was almost an epic day for doing evacuations and again, for everybody that’s been moved, I know it’s extremely difficult,” officials said Wednesday night, as CBS4 Denver reported . “We do know that we lost structures today and for anybody who is impacted, you know, our heart goes out to you.”
One family lost two cabins they owned in the Buckhorn Canyon area.
“The materials is one thing,” Parker Hutchinson told CBS4 Denver. “But the amount of family heirlooms and just the memories of that area, they’ve been burned.”
Despite these individual tragedies, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said the day could have been even worse.
“We have no reported injuries, no deaths, a lot fewer structures were impacted that we truly anticipated based on what we saw with that said, there’s certainly a lot of folks that got hit,” he said, as Colorado Public Radio reported .
Time lapse sent by a colleague (with permission to share), taken near the mouth of the Big Thompson canyon #cameronpeakfire pic.twitter.com/ECSrjFStSi
The Cameron Peak fire has been burning since Aug. 13 in the Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest. It has persisted despite a snowstorm in early September and more snow on Sunday, fueled by high winds and drought. It had already destroyed or damaged 99 structures before exploding Tuesday, and officials said conditions were still too dangerous to assess the total number of buildings impacted in the last 24 hours. It is now 56 percent contained and more than 1,000 people are fighting it.
The fire is burning to the west of Fort Collins, but Smith said he did not think the flames would reach that more populous area or the nearby city of Loveland because they are protected by bodies of water and a lack of the heavy timber that feeds the flames.
The two largest fires in Colorado history both ignited this year. The Cameron Peak fire unseated the Pine Gulch fire, which burned 139,007 acres over the summer and held the record for only 48 days.


thewakingtimes--2020-10-17--Mexico Taking Big Steps Toward Nationwide Legalization Of Cannabis, Senate Leader Confirms

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The Mexican government appears increasingly likely to legalize cannabis on a federal level , potentially making Mexico the biggest legal weed market in the world .
The move would amount to a massive u-turn after decades of prohibitionist policies led to the explosive growth of transnational drug cartels – and local cartel wars – in the Latin American nation , with demand from the U.S. fueling violence and crime .
According to Mexican Senate leader Ricardo Monreal of the ruling MORENA party , a cannabis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmaking body at some point within the next two weeks and is “ likely to pass , ” reports Los Angeles Times .
The bill would enable private companies to sell the plant and its derivative products to the public .
If the Mexican Senate approves the bill , it will move on to the Chamber of Deputies – the lower house of Mexico ’ s bicameral Congress – where it is also believed to be likely to pass .
The move could finally determine the fate of cannabis legalization efforts in Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that legalizing the plant would allow the country to advance alternative drug policies , halt the criminalization of drug users and refocus its security efforts to better address public health .
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador , popularly known by his initials AMLO , has long endorsed the need to radically reform the country ’ s laws to put an end to rampant drug violence in Mexico , where drug cartels still hold sway over the illicit trade of narcotics .
In a policy proposal for AMLO ’ s National Development Plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current “ prohibitionist strategy is unsustainable , ” adding that “ the ‘ war on drugs ’ has escalated the public health problem posed by currently banned substances to a public safety crisis.
” The document also notes that an end to prohibition is “ the only real possibility ” in terms of addressing the crisis .
Former President Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party ( PAN ) , which is bitterly opposed to AMLO ’ s MORENA party on nearly every issue , has also been a vocal proponent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , Fox further affirmed the need to legalize the use of the “ wonder plant ” of cannabis .
The country been on a steady path toward legalization for years , and gained momentum in 2018 after a Supreme Court ruling that the prohibition of cannabis was a constitutional violation of the people ’ s right to the “ free development of personality.
” The court further instructed the legislature to pass a bill permitting the legal use of the plant within a year .
The court granted an extension until Dec. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to meet the deadline .
This past August , the president reminded the public that lawmakers would continue working on legalizing the plant after their return from summer break .
Under the bill , adults over 18 will be allowed to cultivate and possess up to 28 grams of cannabis for personal use .
Possession of up to 200 grams would also be decriminalized .
Individuals would be allowed to grow up to 20 plants provided their annual yield isn ’ t in excess of 480 grams .
Medical patients would be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary .
Public consumption of cannabis would also be allowed in all spaces besides those marked as “ 100 percent smoke-free.
” Cannabis sales would also be subject to a 12 percent tax , with revenue going toward drug abuse programs .
The new laws and regulations would be enforced and overseen by the Mexican Institute of Regulation and Control of Cannabis .
Advocates have also expressed caution about moving forward while taking into account social equity concerns and safeguards to prevent transnational corporations from monopolizing the massive , burgeoning weed market in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reform advocates across the world , social movement group México Unido tweeted that any bill that passes must prevent the monopolization of the market by big multinationals while simultaneously addressing the “ matter of distributing the benefits of the market among those who have been most affected ” by the long , tragic prohibition of m******** .
Activists in Mexico City have been growing , harvesting , and consuming cannabis in “ The Garden of Maria ” since last February .
The garden lies in a small plot of land just adjacent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Police have not bothered to shut the garden down , giving strength to advocates for legalization who hope to finally close the chapter of the failed years-long war on drugs in Mexico .

Mexico Taking Big Steps Toward Nationwide Legalization Of Cannabis, Senate Leader Confirms
Elias Marat, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
The Mexican government appears increasingly likely to legalize cannabis on a federal level, potentially making Mexico the biggest legal weed market in the world.
The move would amount to a massive u-turn after decades of prohibitionist policies led to the explosive growth of transnational drug cartels – and local cartel wars – in the Latin American nation, with demand from the U.S. fueling violence and crime.
According to Mexican Senate leader Ricardo Monreal of the ruling MORENA party, a cannabis legalization bill will be presented to the lawmaking body at some point within the next two weeks and is “likely to pass,” reports Los Angeles Times. The bill would enable private companies to sell the plant and its derivative products to the public.
If the Mexican Senate approves the bill, it will move on to the Chamber of Deputies – the lower house of Mexico’s bicameral Congress – where it is also believed to be likely to pass.
The move could finally determine the fate of cannabis legalization efforts in Mexico. Advocates of legalization have long argued that legalizing the plant would allow the country to advance alternative drug policies, halt the criminalization of drug users and refocus its security efforts to better address public health.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, popularly known by his initials AMLO, has long endorsed the need to radically reform the country’s laws to put an end to rampant drug violence in Mexico, where drug cartels still hold sway over the illicit trade of narcotics.
In a policy proposal for AMLO’s National Development Plan for 2019-2024, the government argues that the current “prohibitionist strategy is unsustainable,” adding that “the ‘war on drugs’ has escalated the public health problem posed by currently banned substances to a public safety crisis.” The document also notes that an end to prohibition is “the only real possibility” in terms of addressing the crisis.
Former President Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party (PAN), which is bitterly opposed to AMLO’s MORENA party on nearly every issue, has also been a vocal proponent of legalization efforts. In a tweet Thursday, Fox further affirmed the need to legalize the use of the “wonder plant” of cannabis.
Es tiempo de legalizar la industria de Canabis y legalizar el uso de esa maravillosa planta de la mariguana.
Arrebatar de esta manera los cuantiosos recursos que se lleva el crimen y los criminales
Esta debe ser una industria, en manos de empresas y empresarios.
HOY es el tiempo. — Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) October 15, 2020
The country been on a steady path toward legalization for years, and gained momentum in 2018 after a Supreme Court ruling that the prohibition of cannabis was a constitutional violation of the people’s right to the “free development of personality.” The court further instructed the legislature to pass a bill permitting the legal use of the plant within a year. The court granted an extension until Dec. 15, 2020, after legislators failed to meet the deadline.
This past August, the president reminded the public that lawmakers would continue working on legalizing the plant after their return from summer break.
México requiere de #CannabisLegalConJusticiaSocial y el @senadomexicano tiene hasta el 15 de diciembre para legislar. Abrimos hilo para explicarte porqué es importante tener un mercado de #cannabis inclusivo. — México Unido (@MUCD) October 13, 2020
Under the bill, adults over 18 will be allowed to cultivate and possess up to 28 grams of cannabis for personal use. Possession of up to 200 grams would also be decriminalized.
Individuals would be allowed to grow up to 20 plants provided their annual yield isn’t in excess of 480 grams. Medical patients would be able to grow over 20 plants, if necessary. Public consumption of cannabis would also be allowed in all spaces besides those marked as “100 percent smoke-free.”
Cannabis sales would also be subject to a 12 percent tax, with revenue going toward drug abuse programs. The new laws and regulations would be enforced and overseen by the Mexican Institute of Regulation and Control of Cannabis.
Advocates have also expressed caution about moving forward while taking into account social equity concerns and safeguards to prevent transnational corporations from monopolizing the massive, burgeoning weed market in the North American country.
Echoing cannabis reform advocates across the world, social movement group México Unido tweeted that any bill that passes must prevent the monopolization of the market by big multinationals while simultaneously addressing the “matter of distributing the benefits of the market among those who have been most affected” by the long, tragic prohibition of m********.
So there’s a story on developing marijuana legislation in Mexico and nobodies commenting on the protest weed garden they set up outside of the Mexican senate? That is so punk-rock pic.twitter.com/zcT5J8wNbp — Baldemar (@baldomart) October 14, 2020
Activists in Mexico City have been growing, harvesting, and consuming cannabis in “The Garden of Maria” since last February. The garden lies in a small plot of land just adjacent to the Senate building in the capital city. Police have not bothered to shut the garden down, giving strength to advocates for legalization who hope to finally close the chapter of the failed years-long war on drugs in Mexico.
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com


thewakingtimes--2020-10-20--No Real Change Can Come If Speech Is Restricted By Monopolistic Oligarchs

No Real Change Can Come If Speech Is Restricted By Monopolistic Oligarchs Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox .
Sign up here .
In a solid new article titled “ Facebook and Twitter Cross a Line Far More Dangerous Than What They Censor ” on the cross-platform silencing of The New York Post ‘ s publication of Hunter Biden ’ s emails , The Intercept ‘ s Glenn Greenwald writes the following : That is always how it will work : it is exclusively the voices on the fringes and the margins , the dissidents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power who will be subjected to this silencing .
Mainstream political and media voices , and the U.S. Government and its allies , will be fully free to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation without ever being subjected to these illusory “ rules.
” Censorship power , like the tech giants who now wield it , is an instrument of status quo preservation .
The promise of the internet from the start was that it would be a tool of liberation , of egalitarianism , by permitting those without money and power to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war with the most powerful governments and corporations .
But just as is true of allowing the internet to be converted into a tool of coercion and mass surveillance , nothing guts that promise , that potential , like empowering corporate overloads and unaccountable monopolists to regulate and suppress what can be heard .
Greenwald is correct .
The increasingly iron-fisted internet censorship we ’ ve seen rolled out over the last four years has consistently targeted groups that are oppositional to the status quo with which monopolistic Silicon Valley megacorporations like Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Monopolistic corporations , historically , do everything they can to maintain their power .
Once you ’ ve reached a certain level of power and influence , this means agreeing to collaborate with existing power structures , like when Google , Facebook and Twitter were called before the Senate Judiciary Committee and instructed to come up with a strategy “ to prevent the fomenting of discord ” .
Obviously a violent uprising is something that any sane person would hope to avoid , but when you ’ re talking about “ information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discord ” and “ division ” you ’ re not limiting yourself to the prevention of violence .
You ’ re talking about controlling the flow of information to prevent people from using the power of their numbers to collectively take direct action against the ruling power establishment in any way .
As Greenwald noted , the internet was initially hailed as a tool of the people for democratizing the flow of information instead of allowing that flow to be controlled entirely by the media-owning class , and for the moment it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back before the public had any access to media platforms of their own .
People with an ear to the ground understood the potential political ramifications of a new paradigm in which ordinary people can circulate ideas and information without the permission of the establishment political/media class .
The problem came in when the corporations which were elevated to the top of this new paradigm began collaborating more and more brazenly with ruling power structures , to the point where they ’ re now just openly working with US government agencies to determine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every incentive to do this as talk of antitrust cases and reinterpreting Section 230 heats up ; they know the odds of their monopolies being torn apart go down the more favorable they make themselves to the government powers that would enforce them .
This is a major , major problem for humanity as a species , because we will never be able to make real changes to the systemic problems which are driving us toward disaster as long as establishment power is controlling our ability to interact with each other .
Establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all cost , even if it means pushing us into nuclear war or climate collapse .
The only way to end their destructive rule is for a critical mass of the public to rise up and use the power of their numbers to force real change .
People will not rise up and use the power of their numbers to force real change as long as they are being successfully propagandized not to by the ruling power establishment .
People will continue to be successfully propagandized as long as a critical mass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which contradict establishment-friendly narratives .
It really is that simple .
If internet censorship of dissident voices continues to tighten , it will lose any potential to exist as a tool of the people which can be used to advance real change , and will instead exist only as a tool for the powerful which enables them to dispense propaganda narratives at a much faster rate than they previously could .
With the added bonus of sweeping surveillance powers .
The establishment pushes censorship for the same reason cult leaders and abusive partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want people sharing ideas and information with each other about their abuser , because that can lead to their victims escaping from the abuse .
We will never escape from the abuse as long as we are successfully prevented from sharing ideas and information with each other about our abusers to awaken a critical mass .
Remember Alex Jones ?
Big Texan , voice like a fleet of helicopters , talked about Satan a lot ?
How often do you notice him these days ?
I used to see his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever since his coordinated deplatforming across multiple online platforms I often forget he even exists .
I have no idea what he ’ s even up to these days ; he could be a hemp-wearing hippie now for all I know .
Maybe you ’ re happy to not see Jones himself around anymore , but think about what kind of power these monopolistic platforms have for a second .
They can completely disappear someone from public attention at a whim .
That ’ s how thoroughly they ’ ve come to dominate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just too powerful a weapon for a small group of oligarchs to wield .
It ’ s hard to know what to do about this problem .
The common argument that is often made sincerely by libertarians and insincerely by liberals is that monopolistic social media platforms which censor speech can be fought by free market competition–that developers can just start new platforms which people will flock to as safe havens from authoritarian regulations .
This is a path fraught with obstacles , as Ars Technica explained following a House Judiciary Subcommittee antitrust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been actively making competition next to impossible .
Of course people are free to start more fringe alternative social media platforms that won ’ t be censored .
They ’ re free to dig a hole in the ground and yell into it without censorship , too .
In both cases , nobody will hear them ; a critical mass of people will never be reached with healthy new ideas and unauthorized information .
In order to be allowed to grow to a size where a critical mass could be influenced , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existing power structures and implement censorship in the same way Facebook , Twitter and Google are doing .
Moreover , there ’ s nothing the establishment narrative managers would like better than for dissident voices to quarantine themselves onto obscure fringe platforms where they can ’ t infect the mainstream herd with wrongthink .
A mass exodus of all dissident voices from all mainstream platforms wouldn ’ t cause problems for the establishment , it would solve problems for the establishment .
So I don ’ t see competition resolving this problem any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to have to be faced directly , in the same way all the other arms of establishment oppression must be faced directly .
I think we need to stand as close to the mainstream spotlight as we can , draw as much attention as possible to the dangers of internet censorship by monopolistic oligarchs , and hopefully drum up some support for legal action against these corporations which benefits ordinary human beings .
Basic public pressure helps too .
Twitter has announced a rollback of its decision on the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinfo disclaimer instead of blocking to URL .
This is still a paternalistic authoritarian intervention into information sharing , but it does show that censorship decisions can be swayed by public outcry .
The establishment can only advance ugly policies if people aren ’ t shining a big bright light on what they ’ re doing and calling lots of attention to it ; they risk losing the ability to manufacture consent if they are too brazenly forceful in their authoritarianism .
Like the rest of our struggle , we ’ ll either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t .
But we ’ ve got to do everything we can to make sure humanity comes out on top , because there are very dark days ahead of us if we fail .
There are some battles which we can afford to lose because the cost outweighs the benefit and it won ’ t affect the outcome of the war , but this is not one of those battles .
The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff she publishes is to subscribe to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will get you an email notification for everything .
Her articles are entirely reader-supported , so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around , liking her on Facebook , following her antics on Twitter , checking out her podcast , throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal , or buying her book Woke : A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers .

No Real Change Can Come If Speech Is Restricted By Monopolistic Oligarchs
Caitlin Johnstone, Guest
Waking Times
In a solid new article titled “Facebook and Twitter Cross a Line Far More Dangerous Than What They Censor” on the cross-platform silencing of The New York Post‘s publication of Hunter Biden’s emails, The Intercept‘s Glenn Greenwald writes the following:
That is always how it will work: it is exclusively the voices on the fringes and the margins, the dissidents, those who reside outside of the factions of power who will be subjected to this silencing. Mainstream political and media voices, and the U.S. Government and its allies, will be fully free to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation without ever being subjected to these illusory “rules.” Censorship power, like the tech giants who now wield it, is an instrument of status quo preservation. The promise of the internet from the start was that it would be a tool of liberation, of egalitarianism, by permitting those without money and power to compete on fair terms in the information war with the most powerful governments and corporations. But just as is true of allowing the internet to be converted into a tool of coercion and mass surveillance, nothing guts that promise, that potential, like empowering corporate overloads and unaccountable monopolists to regulate and suppress what can be heard.
Facebook and Twitter Cross a Line Far More Dangerous Than What They Censorhttps://t.co/CR3wDPsCvs — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 15, 2020
Greenwald is correct. The increasingly iron-fisted internet censorship we’ve seen rolled out over the last four years has consistently targeted groups that are oppositional to the status quo with which monopolistic Silicon Valley megacorporations like Twitter, Facebook and Google have aligned themselves.
Monopolistic corporations, historically, do everything they can to maintain their power. Once you’ve reached a certain level of power and influence, this means agreeing to collaborate with existing power structures, like when Google, Facebook and Twitter were called before the Senate Judiciary Committee and instructed to come up with a strategy “to prevent the fomenting of discord”.
“We all must act now on the social media battlefield to quell information rebellions that can quickly lead to violent confrontations and easily transform us into the Divided States of America,” the social media giants were told by think tanker and former FBI agent Clint Watts, who added, “Stopping the false information artillery barrage landing on social media users comes only when those outlets distributing bogus stories are silenced—silence the guns and the barrage will end.”
Friendly reminder that last year representatives of Google/Youtube, Facebook and Twitter were instructed on the floor of the US Senate that it is their responsibility to "quell information rebellions" so as to "prevent the fomenting of discord.”https://t.co/X4Hc56fH0k — Caitlin Johnstone ⏳ (@caitoz) August 6, 2018
Obviously a violent uprising is something that any sane person would hope to avoid, but when you’re talking about “information rebellions” with vague terms like “discord” and “division” you’re not limiting yourself to the prevention of violence. You’re talking about controlling the flow of information to prevent people from using the power of their numbers to collectively take direct action against the ruling power establishment in any way.
As Greenwald noted, the internet was initially hailed as a tool of the people for democratizing the flow of information instead of allowing that flow to be controlled entirely by the media-owning class, and for the moment it is still far more democratic than it was back before the public had any access to media platforms of their own. People with an ear to the ground understood the potential political ramifications of a new paradigm in which ordinary people can circulate ideas and information without the permission of the establishment political/media class.
The problem came in when the corporations which were elevated to the top of this new paradigm began collaborating more and more brazenly with ruling power structures, to the point where they’re now just openly working with US government agencies to determine what information to censor. They have every incentive to do this as talk of antitrust cases and reinterpreting Section 230 heats up; they know the odds of their monopolies being torn apart go down the more favorable they make themselves to the government powers that would enforce them.
This is a major, major problem for humanity as a species, because we will never be able to make real changes to the systemic problems which are driving us toward disaster as long as establishment power is controlling our ability to interact with each other.
To Those Cheering on Censorship: pic.twitter.com/9bt0t2chE3 — Richard Medhurst 🇸🇾🇵🇸 (@richimedhurst) October 16, 2020
Establishment power will keep advancing its own interests at all cost, even if it means pushing us into nuclear war or climate collapse. The only way to end their destructive rule is for a critical mass of the public to rise up and use the power of their numbers to force real change. People will not rise up and use the power of their numbers to force real change as long as they are being successfully propagandized not to by the ruling power establishment. People will continue to be successfully propagandized as long as a critical mass are prevented from viewing ideas and information which contradict establishment-friendly narratives.
It really is that simple. If internet censorship of dissident voices continues to tighten, it will lose any potential to exist as a tool of the people which can be used to advance real change, and will instead exist only as a tool for the powerful which enables them to dispense propaganda narratives at a much faster rate than they previously could. With the added bonus of sweeping surveillance powers.
The establishment pushes censorship for the same reason cult leaders and abusive partners work to isolate their victims: they don’t want people sharing ideas and information with each other about their abuser, because that can lead to their victims escaping from the abuse. We will never escape from the abuse as long as we are successfully prevented from sharing ideas and information with each other about our abusers to awaken a critical mass.
Remember Alex Jones? Big Texan, voice like a fleet of helicopters, talked about Satan a lot? How often do you notice him these days? I used to see his face around all the time, but ever since his coordinated deplatforming across multiple online platforms I often forget he even exists. I have no idea what he’s even up to these days; he could be a hemp-wearing hippie now for all I know.
Maybe you’re happy to not see Jones himself around anymore, but think about what kind of power these monopolistic platforms have for a second. They can completely disappear someone from public attention at a whim. That’s how thoroughly they’ve come to dominate political discourse, and that’s just too powerful a weapon for a small group of oligarchs to wield.
"If you don't like power companies burning coal, go make your own grid." https://t.co/jxoqJBVO3G — Alice who means well 🌿 (@AliceFromQueens) October 15, 2020
It’s hard to know what to do about this problem. The common argument that is often made sincerely by libertarians and insincerely by liberals is that monopolistic social media platforms which censor speech can be fought by free market competition–that developers can just start new platforms which people will flock to as safe havens from authoritarian regulations. This is a path fraught with obstacles, as Ars Technica explained following a House Judiciary Subcommittee antitrust investigation, because these giant platforms have been actively making competition next to impossible.
Of course people are free to start more fringe alternative social media platforms that won’t be censored. They’re free to dig a hole in the ground and yell into it without censorship, too. In both cases, nobody will hear them; a critical mass of people will never be reached with healthy new ideas and unauthorized information. In order to be allowed to grow to a size where a critical mass could be influenced, they’d be forced to collaborate with existing power structures and implement censorship in the same way Facebook, Twitter and Google are doing.
Moreover, there’s nothing the establishment narrative managers would like better than for dissident voices to quarantine themselves onto obscure fringe platforms where they can’t infect the mainstream herd with wrongthink. A mass exodus of all dissident voices from all mainstream platforms wouldn’t cause problems for the establishment, it would solve problems for the establishment.
So I don’t see competition resolving this problem any time soon. I think it’s going to have to be faced directly, in the same way all the other arms of establishment oppression must be faced directly. I think we need to stand as close to the mainstream spotlight as we can, draw as much attention as possible to the dangers of internet censorship by monopolistic oligarchs, and hopefully drum up some support for legal action against these corporations which benefits ordinary human beings.
Straight blocking of URLs was wrong, and we updated our policy and enforcement to fix. Our goal is to attempt to add context, and now we have capabilities to do that. https://t.co/ZLUw3YD887 — jack (@jack) October 16, 2020
Basic public pressure helps too. Twitter has announced a rollback of its decision on the New York Post article, opting to attach a disinfo disclaimer instead of blocking to URL. This is still a paternalistic authoritarian intervention into information sharing, but it does show that censorship decisions can be swayed by public outcry. The establishment can only advance ugly policies if people aren’t shining a big bright light on what they’re doing and calling lots of attention to it; they risk losing the ability to manufacture consent if they are too brazenly forceful in their authoritarianism.
Like the rest of our struggle, we’ll either win this battle or we won’t. But we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure humanity comes out on top, because there are very dark days ahead of us if we fail. There are some battles which we can afford to lose because the cost outweighs the benefit and it won’t affect the outcome of the war, but this is not one of those battles.
About the Author
Caitlin Johnstone – Rogue journalist. Bogan socialist. Anarcho-psychonaut. Guerrilla poet. Utopia prepper.
The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff she publishes is to subscribe to the mailing list for her website, which will get you an email notification for everything. Her articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers.


thewakingtimes--2020-10-20--Human Rights Watchdog Says Governments Using Pandemic To Crack Down On Online Dissent

Human Rights Watchdog Says Governments Using Pandemic To Crack Down On Online Dissent Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox .
Sign up here .
Governments around the world are using the ongoing pandemic to crack down on online dissent according to a human rights watchdog .
Washington-based Freedom House said dozens of countries have cited CV as a means “ to justify expanded surveillance powers and the deployment of new technologies that were once seen as too intrusive.
” They added that it marks the 10th consecutive annual decline in internet freedom , Barron ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is enabling governments social control , according to the report .
“ The pandemic is accelerating society ’ s reliance on digital technologies at a time when the internet is becoming less and less free , ” said Michael Abramowitz , president of the nonprofit group .
“ Without adequate safeguards for privacy and the rule of law , these technologies can be easily repurposed for political repression.
” China was singled out in the report noting , Chinese authorities “ combined low- and high-tech tools not only to manage the outbreak of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet users from sharing information from independent sources and challenging the official narrative.
” The report stated this shows a growing trend toward Chinese-style “ digital authoritarianism ” globally and a “ splintering ” of the internet as each government imposes its own regulations for citizens .
Freedom House said that of the estimated 3.8 billion people using the internet , just 20 percent live in countries with a free internet , 32 percent in countries “ partly free , ” while 35 percent were in places where online activities are not free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weren ’ t among the 65 assessed .
Activist Post has previously reported that countries were using the pandemic to shutdown online dissent back in May of this year .
Expressing that governments around the world were using fake news to hide behind their online censorship efforts .
Hungary is one of the countries that began arresting citizens for allegedly spreading fake news related to the CV pandemic as ordered by Prime Minister Viktor Orban .
Hungary isn ’ t the only country that is using the CV crisis to push draconian laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported early on during the CV outbreak that two individuals were arrested under Thailand ’ s new “ Anti-Fake News Center ” for spreading false information about the coronavirus .
Malaysia also issued four arrests of its citizens for spreading rumors and “ disinformation , ” according to a report by Hong Kong ’ s South China Morning Post .
Those “ suspects ” included a tutor , two pharmacy assistants and a university student whom if found guilty will face upwards to a $ 12,000 fine and up to 1 year in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , which arrested 8 people who were charged with spreading rumors about a virus before the coronavirus was publicly known .
Beyond that , China recently highlighted what can be done with such a law by censoring a media outlet Caijing , which is one of the most reputable outlets in the country .
In that article the authors claimed that China significantly under reported both the cases and deaths , especially among the elderly .
( archive ) ( translation ) Another country , Singapore , on April 1st proposed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the draft law , those who spread online falsehoods with a malicious intent to harm public interest could face jail terms of up to 10 years , Reuters reported .
Activist Post previously highlighted that the CV pandemic would be used as a Trojan horse to take away our rights and be used to push increased digital surveillance via our smartphones .
But that ’ s not all , it also serves a means for other facial recognition technology to be more frequently used .
Top10VPN continues to monitor the increase of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ digital and physical rights noting the following figures .
• 120 contact tracing apps are available in 71 countries • 45 apps now use Google and Apple ’ s API • The U.S. has 23 apps , more than any other country in the world • 19 apps , with 4 million downloads combined , have no privacy policy • 60 digital tracking measures have been introduced in 38 countries • 43 physical surveillance measures have been adopted in 27 countries • Drones have been used 22 countries to help enforce lockdowns • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other region As Activist Post previously wrote while discussing the increase of a police surveillance state , these measures being put into place now will likely remain long after the pandemic has stopped and the virus has run its course .
That ’ s the everlasting effect that COVID-19 will have on our society .
The coronavirus may very well be a legitimate health concern for all of us around the world .
But it ’ s the government ’ s response that should worry us all more in the long run .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this article ( OCTOPUS PROMIS : The Rise Of Thought Crime Technology — We ’ re Living In Orwell ’ s 1984 ) was originally published .

Human Rights Watchdog Says Governments Using Pandemic To Crack Down On Online Dissent
Aaron Kesel, Activist Post
Waking Times
Governments around the world are using the ongoing pandemic to crack down on online dissent according to a human rights watchdog.
Washington-based Freedom House said dozens of countries have cited CV as a means “to justify expanded surveillance powers and the deployment of new technologies that were once seen as too intrusive.” They added that it marks the 10th consecutive annual decline in internet freedom, Barron’s reported.
The expansion of technological systems is enabling governments social control, according to the report.
“The pandemic is accelerating society’s reliance on digital technologies at a time when the internet is becoming less and less free,” said Michael Abramowitz, president of the nonprofit group. “Without adequate safeguards for privacy and the rule of law, these technologies can be easily repurposed for political repression.” China was singled out in the report noting, Chinese authorities “combined low- and high-tech tools not only to manage the outbreak of the coronavirus, but also to deter internet users from sharing information from independent sources and challenging the official narrative.”
The report stated this shows a growing trend toward Chinese-style “digital authoritarianism” globally and a “splintering” of the internet as each government imposes its own regulations for citizens.
Freedom House said that of the estimated 3.8 billion people using the internet, just 20 percent live in countries with a free internet, 32 percent in countries “partly free,” while 35 percent were in places where online activities are not free. The remainder live in countries that weren’t among the 65 assessed.
The report cited declines in countries where authorities have imposed internet shutdowns including Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and India, and in Rwanda for its use of “sophisticated spyware to monitor and intimidate exiled dissidents.”
Activist Post has previously reported that countries were using the pandemic to shutdown online dissent back in May of this year. Expressing that governments around the world were using fake news to hide behind their online censorship efforts. Hungary is one of the countries that began arresting citizens for allegedly spreading fake news related to the CV pandemic as ordered by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Hungary isn’t the only country that is using the CV crisis to push draconian laws on its citizens. Activist Post previously reported early on during the CV outbreak that two individuals were arrested under Thailand’s new “Anti-Fake News Center” for spreading false information about the coronavirus. Malaysia also issued four arrests of its citizens for spreading rumors and “disinformation,” according to a report by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post. Those “suspects” included a tutor, two pharmacy assistants and a university student whom if found guilty will face upwards to a $12,000 fine and up to 1 year in prison if convicted.
Then there is China, which arrested 8 people who were charged with spreading rumors about a virus before the coronavirus was publicly known. Beyond that, China recently highlighted what can be done with such a law by censoring a media outlet Caijing, which is one of the most reputable outlets in the country. In that article the authors claimed that China significantly under reported both the cases and deaths, especially among the elderly. (archive) (translation)
Another country, Singapore, on April 1st proposed a law to combat online fake news. Under the draft law, those who spread online falsehoods with a malicious intent to harm public interest could face jail terms of up to 10 years, Reuters reported.
Activist Post previously highlighted that the CV pandemic would be used as a Trojan horse to take away our rights and be used to push increased digital surveillance via our smartphones. But that’s not all, it also serves a means for other facial recognition technology to be more frequently used. Top10VPN continues to monitor the increase of the police state and decrease of our digital and physical rights noting the following figures.
120 contact tracing apps are available in 71 countries
45 apps now use Google and Apple’s API
The U.S. has 23 apps, more than any other country in the world
19 apps, with 4 million downloads combined, have no privacy policy
Digital Tracking Measures:
60 digital tracking measures have been introduced in 38 countries
Telecom providers have shared user data in 20 countries
Physical Surveillance Initiatives:
43 physical surveillance measures have been adopted in 27 countries
Drones have been used 22 countries to help enforce lockdowns
Europe introduced more surveillance measures than any other region
As Activist Post previously wrote while discussing the increase of a police surveillance state, these measures being put into place now will likely remain long after the pandemic has stopped and the virus has run its course. That’s the everlasting effect that COVID-19 will have on our society. The coronavirus may very well be a legitimate health concern for all of us around the world. But it’s the government’s response that should worry us all more in the long run.
About the Author
Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post where this article (OCTOPUS PROMIS: The Rise Of Thought Crime Technology — We’re Living In Orwell’s 1984) was originally published.


thewakingtimes--2020-10-19--Why Has Everyone Seemingly Forgotten How the Immune System Works?

Why Has Everyone Seemingly Forgotten How the Immune System Works ?
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Sign up here .
The media blitz surrounding the COVID-19 crisis strangely omits any mention of the power of the human immune system .
It is critical for thinking people to look beyond the noise and learn why a healthy lifestyle and a targeted nutritional approach , which I ’ ve been passionately advocating for over 30 years in my practice , is such an effective strategy in response to COVID-19 .
Is it the Germ , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes back to the great debate between two famous men of science , Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp .
The essential debate can be boiled down to this : Is it germs ( Pasteur ) , that cause disease ?
Or , is it poor terrain ( Bechamp ) , that allows the germ to gain a foothold and spread unabated ?
In other words , does exposure to a germ mean you ’ re destined to “ catch ” the disease or become “ infected ” ?
Does the germ have all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or , is the person who is exposed a receptive host ?
Is their immune system a fine-tuned machine , or weak and insufficient ?
In other words , is their level of resistance to the exposure high or low ?
See my recent Facebook post for a more detailed explanation of this “ Great Debate ” .
Scientists have determined that there are approximately : • 40 trillion bacteria on and in the human body • 380 trillion viruses on and in the human body So , from sheer numbers it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest number of organisms on and in our bodies , no matter what we do to avoid or eliminate them .
They are a part of our constitution .
The Human Microbiome Project initiated in 2007 by the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) , has been working to map out , classify and understand the roles of the residents of the universe within us .
It has given us a much better appreciation for the incredibly complex associations and relationships they play in health and disease .
There are thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for space and control of our tissues , made up of beneficial players , opportunists and harmful actors .
These organisms are significantly influenced by how we live , exercise , sleep , what we eat and drink and these lifestyle factors even effect how our genes are expressed .
We call all these healthy organisms symbiotic , because we both benefit from each other .
In fact , we could not survive without them !
Our environments and lifestyles determine whether we assist our symbiotic organisms to give them the upper hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disease , or we sabotage their efforts and promote the growth of destructive organisms and the demise of our health .
Beneficial bacteria are the housekeepers and defenders of our gastrointestinal ( G.I . )
tract .
They produce B-vitamins , brain signaling molecules like serotonin ( the antidepressant “ brain ” hormone—about 80 % of it is made in the gut ) , short chain fatty acids that feed and maintain the cells lining our G.I .
tract , regulate pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines ( cell signaling protein molecules ) to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other beneficial activities .
Healthy bacteria also live in our mouths , on our skin , and in all the nooks and crannies of our body .
They all have vital housekeeping chores in those places .
The strength of the health and population numbers of our beneficial bacteria are the first line of defense of our entire immune system .
It is estimated that 70 % of our immune system resides in the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue ( GALT ) .
Then , there are the harmful bacteria that compete for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all throughout the body .
If environmental factors throw the balance of power in their direction that ’ s when bad things happen .
Our diet , lifestyles , medication , chemical use and emotional health all influence the balance of the healthy versus the unhealthy organisms .
There are beneficial viruses also , on and in all parts of our body .
Bacteriophages , sometimes called phages for short , are viruses that infect bacteria and eventually destroy them .
They can help control rogue and harmful bacterial populations .
Scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of phages that attack pathogenic bacteria for decades to treat serious and even life-threatening bacterial infections , including those caused by drug-resistant species .
Why has COVID-19 hit certain people harder ?
The Terrain !
The terrain refers to the body and immune system , representing our resistance to disease .
We are exposed to millions of microorganisms every day and will be for the rest of our lives .
It is estimated that there are approximately 200 species of respiratory viruses ; influenza viruses , rhinoviruses , coronaviruses , adenoviruses , parainfluenza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have always lived and interacted with these viruses and thousands more .
Many of these categories of viruses can cause severe illness and even death in certain people .
In other people those infections are very mild and self-limiting .
In fact , it ’ s exposure to these viruses , bacteria , and fungi that matures and strengthens our immune systems .
So , the notion that we should avoid all germs is preposterous and actually damaging to our health .
Two people can be exposed to the same virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets sick and the other doesn ’ t .
It is the same organism both people are exposed to , so why the different result ?
Same germ , different terrain .
This is why COVID-19 hits certain groups much harder than others .
Those include the elderly , the obese , those with comorbidities like diabetes , heart disease , high blood pressure and vascular diseases , immune deficiency disorders , cancer , respiratory diseases , autoimmune disease , those taking certain medications , the poorly nourished consuming low nutrient dense ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minerals and not supplementing to offset those deficiencies , and even certain minority groups all are at much greater risk of severe complications and death .
This is no surprise and it is not unique to this version of coronavirus or any other pathogenic virus or bacteria for that matter .
Throughout history , infectious diseases have ravaged the same groups with mortality levels being much higher in densely populated areas , the elderly , the obese , the sickly , areas with poor sanitation , inadequate waste disposal , and tainted water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or under-nourished .
( p. 483-492 ) .
All of these conditions weaken the terrain .
The comorbidities listed above all have physiological and biochemical shifts away from healthy organ and tissue function and toward a state of oxidative stress , inflammation and lowered immune resistance , thus providing a good host for the SARS-CoV-2 ( the virus that causes COVID-19 ) to gain a foothold and replicate .
Recently , it has been reported that African American populations are disproportionately suffering a greater proportion of serious complications and death from COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more densely populated urban areas and often live in multi-generational households .
For persons of African American descent living in those conditions , statistics show that nutrition is typically sub-par and the previously mentioned comorbidities are high .
Additionally , African Americans tend to suffer from lower levels of vitamin D than Caucasian groups .
This is due to the pigmentation of their skin , which blocks the production of vitamin D from the sun as explained in this 2006 article Vitamin D and African Americans from the Journal of Nutrition .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science behind the protective benefits of vitamin D against respiratory infections , see my article Vitamin D status as it relates to COVID-19 complications and death . )
Is it possible that one of the variables making the elderly susceptible to coronavirus infection is the flu shot ?
The elderly have long been a highly targeted group for marketing the flu vaccine , yet a recently released study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense and published October 2019 in the journal Vaccine , Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , found that service personnel given the flu shot were 36 % more likely to get a coronavirus infection than those who were unvaccinated .
It has long been known that receiving influenza vaccination may increase the risk of other respiratory viruses , a phenomenon known as “ virus interference.
” Yet , CMS ( Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ) requires that elderly persons living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities get vaccinated against influenza .
That very flu shot mandate may have left those individuals with already compromised immune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post from October 2005 , CMS Will Require Nursing Homes to Vaccinate Residents Against the Flu stated : “ Nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid patients will have to provide immunizations against influenza and pneumococcal disease to all residents if they want to continue in the programs , according to a final rule published by CMS in today ’ s Federal Register.
” CMS and CDC assert that 90 % of all flu related deaths annually are in persons 65 years and older and that is their rationale .
If the flu shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no side effects , vaccinating all elderly people may be an excellent idea .
The problem with that rationale is that the flu shot is neither safe nor effective .
The highly respected and prestigious Cochrane Collaboration , famous for their Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , published a review in 2018 , Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly .
Looking at published studies from between the years 1965 and 2000 , the review found an approximate 3 % effectiveness rate for preventing influenza and a 2 % effectiveness rate in preventing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on effectiveness !
In Part 2 of this series , we ’ ll look at how we can learn lessons from history and apply them to COVID-19 .
Specifically we ’ ll take a look at the fallacy upon which so much current vaccine policy is based : that vaccines are historically responsible for the decline of deaths from infectious diseases .
That narrative has some factual problems we ’ ll outline .
We will also further explore the power of our terrain that will protect us from all infections .
Dr. Palmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Truth Will Prevail , now 730 pages long , includes over 1400 published studies – authored by thousands of scientists and researchers – that contradict what officials are telling the public about vaccine safety and efficacy .
It has easy search and navigation features including links to article abstracts and studies on PubMed or the source journal that make it an invaluable research and reference tool .
Download it free at www.1200studies.com

Why Has Everyone Seemingly Forgotten How the Immune System Works?
Dr. Alan Palmer, Guest
Waking Times
The media blitz surrounding the COVID-19 crisis strangely omits any mention of the power of the human immune system. It is critical for thinking people to look beyond the noise and learn why a healthy lifestyle and a targeted nutritional approach, which I’ve been passionately advocating for over 30 years in my practice, is such an effective strategy in response to COVID-19.
Is it the Germ, or is it the Terrain?
This issue comes back to the great debate between two famous men of science, Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp. The essential debate can be boiled down to this: Is it germs (Pasteur), that cause disease? Or, is it poor terrain (Bechamp), that allows the germ to gain a foothold and spread unabated? In other words, does exposure to a germ mean you’re destined to “catch” the disease or become “infected”? Does the germ have all the power to control your fate? Or, is the person who is exposed a receptive host? Is their immune system a fine-tuned machine, or weak and insufficient? In other words, is their level of resistance to the exposure high or low? See my recent Facebook post for a more detailed explanation of this “Great Debate”.
Bathing in a Sea of Microorganisms
Scientists have determined that there are approximately:
30 trillion cells in the average size human body
in the average size human body 40 trillion bacteria on and in the human body
on and in the human body 380 trillion viruses on and in the human body
So, from sheer numbers it would appear that viruses are by far the greatest number of organisms on and in our bodies, no matter what we do to avoid or eliminate them. They are a part of our constitution.
The Human Microbiome Project initiated in 2007 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been working to map out, classify and understand the roles of the residents of the universe within us. It has given us a much better appreciation for the incredibly complex associations and relationships they play in health and disease.
There are thousands of species of bacteria and viruses that compete for space and control of our tissues, made up of beneficial players, opportunists and harmful actors. These organisms are significantly influenced by how we live, exercise, sleep, what we eat and drink and these lifestyle factors even effect how our genes are expressed. We call all these healthy organisms symbiotic, because we both benefit from each other. In fact, we could not survive without them! Our environments and lifestyles determine whether we assist our symbiotic organisms to give them the upper hand and help to provide us with resistance to disease, or we sabotage their efforts and promote the growth of destructive organisms and the demise of our health.
Essential Workers
Beneficial bacteria are the housekeepers and defenders of our gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract. They produce B-vitamins, brain signaling molecules like serotonin (the antidepressant “brain” hormone—about 80% of it is made in the gut), short chain fatty acids that feed and maintain the cells lining our G.I. tract, regulate pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines (cell signaling protein molecules) to prevent autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and numerous other beneficial activities. Healthy bacteria also live in our mouths, on our skin, and in all the nooks and crannies of our body. They all have vital housekeeping chores in those places. The strength of the health and population numbers of our beneficial bacteria are the first line of defense of our entire immune system. It is estimated that 70% of our immune system resides in the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT).
Then, there are the harmful bacteria that compete for the real estate in our G.I. tract and all throughout the body. If environmental factors throw the balance of power in their direction that’s when bad things happen. Our diet, lifestyles, medication, chemical use and emotional health all influence the balance of the healthy versus the unhealthy organisms.
There are beneficial viruses also, on and in all parts of our body. Bacteriophages, sometimes called phages for short, are viruses that infect bacteria and eventually destroy them. They can help control rogue and harmful bacterial populations. Scientists and physicians world-wide have used various species of phages that attack pathogenic bacteria for decades to treat serious and even life-threatening bacterial infections, including those caused by drug-resistant species.
Why has COVID-19 hit certain people harder? The Terrain!
The terrain refers to the body and immune system, representing our resistance to disease. We are exposed to millions of microorganisms every day and will be for the rest of our lives. It is estimated that there are approximately 200 species of respiratory viruses; influenza viruses, rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus and more. We have always lived and interacted with these viruses and thousands more. Many of these categories of viruses can cause severe illness and even death in certain people. In other people those infections are very mild and self-limiting. In fact, it’s exposure to these viruses, bacteria, and fungi that matures and strengthens our immune systems. So, the notion that we should avoid all germs is preposterous and actually damaging to our health. Two people can be exposed to the same virus and the same viral load and one gets sick and the other doesn’t.
It is the same organism both people are exposed to, so why the different result? Same germ, different terrain. This is why COVID-19 hits certain groups much harder than others. Those include the elderly, the obese, those with comorbidities like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and vascular diseases, immune deficiency disorders, cancer, respiratory diseases, autoimmune disease, those taking certain medications, the poorly nourished consuming low nutrient dense (junk) foods deficient in vitamins and minerals and not supplementing to offset those deficiencies, and even certain minority groups all are at much greater risk of severe complications and death. This is no surprise and it is not unique to this version of coronavirus or any other pathogenic virus or bacteria for that matter.
SARS-CoV-2 is not unique
Throughout history, infectious diseases have ravaged the same groups with mortality levels being much higher in densely populated areas, the elderly, the obese, the sickly, areas with poor sanitation, inadequate waste disposal, and tainted water supplies, the poor and the mal- or under-nourished. (p. 483-492). All of these conditions weaken the terrain. The comorbidities listed above all have physiological and biochemical shifts away from healthy organ and tissue function and toward a state of oxidative stress, inflammation and lowered immune resistance, thus providing a good host for the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) to gain a foothold and replicate.
Recently, it has been reported that African American populations are disproportionately suffering a greater proportion of serious complications and death from COVID-19. The likely reasons are lower income, more densely populated urban areas and often live in multi-generational households. For persons of African American descent living in those conditions, statistics show that nutrition is typically sub-par and the previously mentioned comorbidities are high. Additionally, African Americans tend to suffer from lower levels of vitamin D than Caucasian groups. This is due to the pigmentation of their skin, which blocks the production of vitamin D from the sun as explained in this 2006 article Vitamin D and African Americans from the Journal of Nutrition. (If you want to see the extraordinary science behind the protective benefits of vitamin D against respiratory infections, see my article Vitamin D status as it relates to COVID-19 complications and death.)
A Shot In the Dark
Is it possible that one of the variables making the elderly susceptible to coronavirus infection is the flu shot? The elderly have long been a highly targeted group for marketing the flu vaccine, yet a recently released study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense and published October 2019 in the journal Vaccine, Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among Department of Defense personnel during the 2017–2018 influenza season, found that service personnel given the flu shot were 36% more likely to get a coronavirus infection than those who were unvaccinated. It has long been known that receiving influenza vaccination may increase the risk of other respiratory viruses, a phenomenon known as “virus interference.” Yet, CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) requires that elderly persons living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities get vaccinated against influenza. That very flu shot mandate may have left those individuals with already compromised immune systems more vulnerable to COVID-19.
A post from October 2005, CMS Will Require Nursing Homes to Vaccinate Residents Against the Flu stated: “Nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid patients will have to provide immunizations against influenza and pneumococcal disease to all residents if they want to continue in the programs, according to a final rule published by CMS in today’s Federal Register.” CMS and CDC assert that 90% of all flu related deaths annually are in persons 65 years and older and that is their rationale.
If the flu shot were greatly effective and had little or no side effects, vaccinating all elderly people may be an excellent idea. The problem with that rationale is that the flu shot is neither safe nor effective. The highly respected and prestigious Cochrane Collaboration, famous for their Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, published a review in 2018, Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly. Looking at published studies from between the years 1965 and 2000, the review found an approximate 3% effectiveness rate for preventing influenza and a 2% effectiveness rate in preventing influenza-like illness. Those are miserable statistics on effectiveness!
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at how we can learn lessons from history and apply them to COVID-19. Specifically we’ll take a look at the fallacy upon which so much current vaccine policy is based: that vaccines are historically responsible for the decline of deaths from infectious diseases. That narrative has some factual problems we’ll outline. We will also further explore the power of our terrain that will protect us from all infections.
About the Author
Dr. Palmer’s free eBook 1200 Studies – Truth Will Prevail, now 730 pages long, includes over 1400 published studies – authored by thousands of scientists and researchers – that contradict what officials are telling the public about vaccine safety and efficacy. It has easy search and navigation features including links to article abstracts and studies on PubMed or the source journal that make it an invaluable research and reference tool. Download it free at www.1200studies.com