wnd--2020-05-07--A modest proposal on reparations in South Africa – and beyond

Both apartheid and the Atlantic slave trade have generated an endless spectacle of remorse , or at least a media-generated pretense of remorse , especially in America and Great Britain .
Spectacle aside , the real motive is to define , and therefore control , the past by reading it as an aspect of present political aims .
`` [ R ] itual apologies , '' argues Jeremy Black , author of `` The Slave Trade , '' are moves in a political game that relies on `` fatuous arguments about 'closure ' [ and ] 'resolution , ' '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the purpose of such policies is to keep the imagined wounds suppurating .
Plainly put , racial-grievance politics are leveled , in general , by Africans who were never enslaved or who were not born into apartheid , against Europeans who did not enslave or segregate them .
Only in the West could such a vicarious cult of self-flagellation thrive .
As I wrote in my book , `` Into the Cannibal 's Pot : Lessons for America From Post-Apartheid South Africa , '' `` White South Africans are told to give up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen .
Should not the relatives of cannibals who gobbled up their black brethren be held to the same standards ? ''
Part of the problem is our ignorance of southern African history .
There was bitter blood on Bantu lands well before white settlers arrived .
The Bantu were not indigenous to South Africa .
They migrated there out of central Africa and , like the European settlers , used their military might to displace Hottentots , Bushmen and one another through internecine warfare .
TRENDING : Fox News report : 'Schiff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolve Trump of collusion Westerners have committed the little San people of Southern Africa , the `` Bushmen , '' to folkloric memory for their unequaled tracking skills and for their delicate drawings on rock outcroppings .
The San were hunters , but they were also among the hunted .
Mercilessly so .
As late as the early 20th century , the Boers , Hottentots and Bantu made frequent sport of tracking and killing the San .
In `` The Washing of the Spears : The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cape Town 's founder and Dutch East India Company official J .
A .
Van Riebeeck , on landing at the Cape in 1652 , 500 miles to the south and 1,000 miles to the west of the nearest Bantu .
Joined by other Protestants from Europe , Dutch farmers , as we know , homesteaded the Cape Colony .
Doubtlessly , the question of land ownership deeply concerned the 19th century trek Boers , as they decamped from the British-ruled Cape Colony and ventured north .
Accordingly , they sent out exploration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land from the black chieftains , who very often acted magnanimously , allowing Europeans to settle certain areas .
Trek Boers , it must be said , were as rough as the natives and negotiated with as much finesse .
Still , the received narrative about the pastoral , indigenous , semi-nomadic natives , dispossessed of their lands in the 17th century , is as simplistic as it is sentimental .
When Boer and Bantu finally clashed on South Africa 's Great Fish River it was a clash of civilizations .
The Bantu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in perpetuity .
A chieftain could grant temporary rights , but could not permanently alienate the land .
The European mind in general could not grasp the concept of collective ownership and thought of land purchases as part of a binding contract on the individuals involved .
As Morris observes in his matter-of-fact way , `` The Bantu view insured European encroachment and the European view insured future strife . ''
South Africa has since reverted to the `` Bantu view . ''
It is perhaps inevitable that 21st-century claims for `` restitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by individual freehold owners reclaiming expropriated land on the basis of title deeds kept on record .
Rather , a group of blacks scheming on a property will band together as a `` tribe , '' pooling the taxpayer grants , which its members have received gratis , for the purpose of purchasing occupied land .
No sooner does this newly constituted `` tribe '' launch a claim with the South African Department of Rural Development and Land Reform , than related squatters – sometimes in the thousands – move to colonize the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groundwater by using these as one vast latrine , and terrorize , even kill , its occupants and their livestock in the hope of `` nudging '' them off the land .
Back in the day , Shaka Zulu himself considered the European clansmen to be the proper proprietors of the Cape frontier , with whom he would need to liaise diplomatically if he wished to subjugate his black brethren , the Xhosa-Nguni peoples , on the southern reaches of his empire , abutting the Cape .
And boy , did Shaka subjugate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formed south of the Orange River did not encounter the black civilization in the interior for some time .
But during that time , the black coastal clans warred against one another , continually raiding other kraals , driving off the cattle and exterminating the victims .
Before the consolidation of the Zulu empire , some 800 Nguni Bantu clans vied for a place in the sun in the Natal region between the mountains and the coast .
Where are these lineages today ?
Particularly brutal was the period from 1815-1840 known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Up to 2 million natives died , depopulating what is today the Orange Free State .
This death toll was not entirely the fault of Shaka .
Other causes included rising populations and vicious competition for land among tribal groups .
Nonetheless , Shaka – who once sated his psychopathic scientific curiosity by dissecting 700 pregnant women – destroyed the clan structure in Natal .
Again , as noted in my `` Into the Cannibal 's Pot , '' during the mass migration caused by tribal warfare , `` not a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles wide south of the Tugela River ; in an area that teemed with bustling clans only thousands of deserted kraals remained , most of them in ashes . ''
A few thousand terrified inhabitants found refuge in the bush or forest in pitiful bands , while cannibalism ran rampant , as it did whenever the kraal economy was demolished in ongoing warfare .
Lest one imagine that cannibalism was a common practice at the time , it `` was fully repugnant to Bantu civilization as it is to our own , [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where entire clans depended on it to feed themselves . ''
Mobs on the move marked their aimless tracks with ( DNA-rich ) human bones .
Was there never a duty to employ these bones for purposes other than soothsaying – say , to do the devoured justice ?
To repeat the opening salvo : Should not the descendants of cannibals who gobbled up their black brethren be petitioned for reparations ?
What about the descendants of Shaka Zulu ?
Do n't they owe reparation to the remnants of the Nguni Bantu clans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Zulu Empire ?
The Bushmen are , indubitably , the First Nation of southern Africa .
These long-suffering people have been barred by the Botswana Bantu from claiming their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari .
Where 's the international uproar ?
In the 1899-1902 Boer War , the British established concentration camps in which approximately 26,000 Afrikaners , mostly women and children , perished .
Surviving photographs from the camps can still give today 's beholders – however desensitized they might be by the legacy of two world wars and countless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They suggest nothing so much as starving Jewish victims of Nazi atrocities .
So , do n't the British authorities owe reparations to the relatives of , say , little Lizzie van Zyl , who perished in a Bloemfontein camp set up by the British for her people ?
By logical extension , how about requiring Gangland Chicago , generational enterprise , to pay reparations to victims and their families ?
Charity begins at home .
Intra-racial reparations would be my own Swiftian modest proposal to counter the Democrats ' reparations drumbeat .

Both apartheid and the Atlantic slave trade have generated an endless spectacle of remorse, or at least a media-generated pretense of remorse, especially in America and Great Britain.
Spectacle aside, the real motive is to define, and therefore control, the past by reading it as an aspect of present political aims. "[R]itual apologies," argues Jeremy Black, author of "The Slave Trade," are moves in a political game that relies on "fatuous arguments about 'closure' [and] 'resolution,'" but fails to reach closure, since the purpose of such policies is to keep the imagined wounds suppurating.
Plainly put, racial-grievance politics are leveled, in general, by Africans who were never enslaved or who were not born into apartheid, against Europeans who did not enslave or segregate them.
Only in the West could such a vicarious cult of self-flagellation thrive. As I wrote in my book, "Into the Cannibal's Pot: Lessons for America From Post-Apartheid South Africa," "White South Africans are told to give up ancestral lands they are alleged to have stolen. Should not the relatives of cannibals who gobbled up their black brethren be held to the same standards?"
Part of the problem is our ignorance of southern African history. There was bitter blood on Bantu lands well before white settlers arrived. The Bantu were not indigenous to South Africa. They migrated there out of central Africa and, like the European settlers, used their military might to displace Hottentots, Bushmen and one another through internecine warfare.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Westerners have committed the little San people of Southern Africa, the "Bushmen," to folkloric memory for their unequaled tracking skills and for their delicate drawings on rock outcroppings. The San were hunters, but they were also among the hunted. Mercilessly so. As late as the early 20th century, the Boers, Hottentots and Bantu made frequent sport of tracking and killing the San.
In "The Washing of the Spears: The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation," historian Donald R. Morris places Cape Town's founder and Dutch East India Company official J. A. Van Riebeeck, on landing at the Cape in 1652, 500 miles to the south and 1,000 miles to the west of the nearest Bantu. Joined by other Protestants from Europe, Dutch farmers, as we know, homesteaded the Cape Colony.
Doubtlessly, the question of land ownership deeply concerned the 19th century trek Boers, as they decamped from the British-ruled Cape Colony and ventured north. Accordingly, they sent out exploration parties tasked with negotiating the purchase of land from the black chieftains, who very often acted magnanimously, allowing Europeans to settle certain areas. Trek Boers, it must be said, were as rough as the natives and negotiated with as much finesse.
Still, the received narrative about the pastoral, indigenous, semi-nomadic natives, dispossessed of their lands in the 17th century, is as simplistic as it is sentimental.
When Boer and Bantu finally clashed on South Africa's Great Fish River it was a clash of civilizations. The Bantu regarded their traditional lands as clan possessions in perpetuity. A chieftain could grant temporary rights, but could not permanently alienate the land. The European mind in general could not grasp the concept of collective ownership and thought of land purchases as part of a binding contract on the individuals involved. As Morris observes in his matter-of-fact way, "The Bantu view insured European encroachment and the European view insured future strife."
South Africa has since reverted to the "Bantu view." It is perhaps inevitable that 21st-century claims for "restitution" in South Africa are not dominated by individual freehold owners reclaiming expropriated land on the basis of title deeds kept on record. Rather, a group of blacks scheming on a property will band together as a "tribe," pooling the taxpayer grants, which its members have received gratis, for the purpose of purchasing occupied land.
No sooner does this newly constituted "tribe" launch a claim with the South African Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, than related squatters – sometimes in the thousands – move to colonize the land. They defile its grounds and groundwater by using these as one vast latrine, and terrorize, even kill, its occupants and their livestock in the hope of "nudging" them off the land.
Back in the day, Shaka Zulu himself considered the European clansmen to be the proper proprietors of the Cape frontier, with whom he would need to liaise diplomatically if he wished to subjugate his black brethren, the Xhosa-Nguni peoples, on the southern reaches of his empire, abutting the Cape.
And boy, did Shaka subjugate his brethren!
The white civilization that formed south of the Orange River did not encounter the black civilization in the interior for some time. But during that time, the black coastal clans warred against one another, continually raiding other kraals, driving off the cattle and exterminating the victims.
Before the consolidation of the Zulu empire, some 800 Nguni Bantu clans vied for a place in the sun in the Natal region between the mountains and the coast.
Where are these lineages today?
Particularly brutal was the period from 1815-1840 known as the Mfecane, "the Crushing." Up to 2 million natives died, depopulating what is today the Orange Free State. This death toll was not entirely the fault of Shaka. Other causes included rising populations and vicious competition for land among tribal groups. Nonetheless, Shaka – who once sated his psychopathic scientific curiosity by dissecting 700 pregnant women – destroyed the clan structure in Natal.
Again, as noted in my "Into the Cannibal's Pot," during the mass migration caused by tribal warfare, "not a single clan remained in a belt a hundred miles wide south of the Tugela River; in an area that teemed with bustling clans only thousands of deserted kraals remained, most of them in ashes." A few thousand terrified inhabitants found refuge in the bush or forest in pitiful bands, while cannibalism ran rampant, as it did whenever the kraal economy was demolished in ongoing warfare.
Lest one imagine that cannibalism was a common practice at the time, it "was fully repugnant to Bantu civilization as it is to our own, [but a point was reached] … where entire clans depended on it to feed themselves." Mobs on the move marked their aimless tracks with (DNA-rich) human bones. Was there never a duty to employ these bones for purposes other than soothsaying – say, to do the devoured justice?
To repeat the opening salvo: Should not the descendants of cannibals who gobbled up their black brethren be petitioned for reparations? What about the descendants of Shaka Zulu? Don't they owe reparation to the remnants of the Nguni Bantu clans they hounded in the course of consolidating the Zulu Empire?
The Bushmen are, indubitably, the First Nation of southern Africa. These long-suffering people have been barred by the Botswana Bantu from claiming their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari. Where's the international uproar?
In the 1899-1902 Boer War, the British established concentration camps in which approximately 26,000 Afrikaners, mostly women and children, perished. Surviving photographs from the camps can still give today's beholders – however desensitized they might be by the legacy of two world wars and countless other massacres – a salutary shock. They suggest nothing so much as starving Jewish victims of Nazi atrocities.
So, don't the British authorities owe reparations to the relatives of, say, little Lizzie van Zyl, who perished in a Bloemfontein camp set up by the British for her people?
By logical extension, how about requiring Gangland Chicago, generational enterprise, to pay reparations to victims and their families?
Charity begins at home. Intra-racial reparations would be my own Swiftian modest proposal to counter the Democrats' reparations drumbeat.


wnd--2020-05-07--Behind Trump's strategic pivot

Behind Trump's strategic pivot

After Pearl Harbor , FDR declared that his role of `` Dr. New Deal '' had been superseded , replaced by his new role , `` Dr .
Win the War . ''
Tuesday , President Donald Trump signaled that , in the war on the coronavirus pandemic , he , too , is executing a strategic pivot .
Where the medical crisis had been the central front , pulling the U.S. economy out of its coma is now his principal objective .
Trump is not unaware of the consequences of this decision .
`` Will some people be affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , `` but we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon . ''
TRENDING : Fox News report : 'Schiff is in panic mode ' as transcripts absolve Trump of collusion '' Tremendous progress '' has been made in dealing with the medical crisis , Vice President Mike Pence told reporters Tuesday , adding that the White House task force he chairs could be phased out in June .
Wednesday , Trump reversed that .
From the public reaction , by popular demand , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary medical voices are Drs .
Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx , will continue .
As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is now 74,000 and still rising at a rate of 2,000 a day , what is behind Trump 's strategic pivot ?
First , there is not a great deal more the White House can do to slow the inexorable momentum of the disease itself .
`` Social distancing '' and `` sheltering '' have been in place for weeks .
So , too , are the programs for producing masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ventilators .
Trump can not create any more from a White House podium .
Invariably , while there , he is baited and thrown on the defensive by a hostile press demanding he explain why he did not act sooner .
The White House briefings on the medical crisis have reached a point of diminishing returns .
These invariably return to statically grim news – the new hospitalizations , the latest death toll , the `` hot spots '' where the coronavirus has flared up and is now raging .
The medical crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control ; its future will be largely dictated by the coronavirus pandemic itself .
Moreover , the economy is familiar and friendly terrain for Trump .
There , he has a three-year record of undeniable success .
In this crisis , the president can decide , lead , act and produce visible results .
And in moving from the medical crisis to the economic crisis , Trump has weapons to wield like the veto power to shape policy and directives to issue from the Executive Branch .
With this pivot , Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , by mid-June , the first large wave of deaths from the pandemic will have passed , the numbers will be diminishing , and almost all of America will be ready to get back to work .
Trump is betting that it does not matter if the country does not agree with him to open up today .
By July , the country will agree .
By summer 's end , he sees himself as having led us through the medical crisis that is then receding , and up and out of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best argument for reelection .
If this scenario unfolds , Trump can make the case that while China was the origin of the Wuhan virus that killed scores of thousands of Americans , it was Donald J. Trump who led us through the tragedy , and he is leading us forward , once again , to a new prosperity .
What will be Joe Biden 's argument to lead America , after having sat out the worst crisis since World War II in his basement ?
A majority of Americans are today wary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation .
Yet , each week , more and more people are demanding that it be done .
And each week , more and more governors , reflecting the views of their constituents , are moving up the dates for partial reopenings .
By midsummer , the country will have caught up with Trump .
That is the idea that animates the pivot .
And it is not a bad wager .
Does anyone believe it will be possible to keep hundreds of millions of Americans in their homes in June , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may face governors still conducting a strict lockdown in July .
Europe is already ahead of us .
Italy , which has now been passed by Britain as the nation in Europe with the most deaths , is already starting to open .
So , too , is Germany , the largest European nation with the fewest deaths .
And Austria is ahead of both .
The mainstream media and left-wing of his Democratic Party want the governors to keep the states locked down as the only way to avert a second wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right .
But however many victims succumb to this pandemic , it is going to end , and America is going to be reopened .
The closer we are to both goals by Nov. 3 , the better Donald J. Trump 's chances of retaking the oath on Jan. 20 , 2021 .
That 's the way Trump is betting .

After Pearl Harbor, FDR declared that his role of "Dr. New Deal" had been superseded, replaced by his new role, "Dr. Win the War."
Tuesday, President Donald Trump signaled that, in the war on the coronavirus pandemic, he, too, is executing a strategic pivot.
Where the medical crisis had been the central front, pulling the U.S. economy out of its coma is now his principal objective.
Trump is not unaware of the consequences of this decision.
"Will some people be affected badly? Yes," said the president, "but we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"Tremendous progress" has been made in dealing with the medical crisis, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters Tuesday, adding that the White House task force he chairs could be phased out in June.
Wednesday, Trump reversed that. From the public reaction, by popular demand, said Trump, the task force, whose primary medical voices are Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, will continue.
As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is now 74,000 and still rising at a rate of 2,000 a day, what is behind Trump's strategic pivot?
First, there is not a great deal more the White House can do to slow the inexorable momentum of the disease itself.
"Social distancing" and "sheltering" have been in place for weeks. So, too, are the programs for producing masks, gowns, gloves, tests and ventilators. Trump cannot create any more from a White House podium.
Invariably, while there, he is baited and thrown on the defensive by a hostile press demanding he explain why he did not act sooner.
The White House briefings on the medical crisis have reached a point of diminishing returns. These invariably return to statically grim news – the new hospitalizations, the latest death toll, the "hot spots" where the coronavirus has flared up and is now raging.
The medical crisis is essentially out of the president's control; its future will be largely dictated by the coronavirus pandemic itself.
Moreover, the economy is familiar and friendly terrain for Trump. There, he has a three-year record of undeniable success. In this crisis, the president can decide, lead, act and produce visible results.
And in moving from the medical crisis to the economic crisis, Trump has weapons to wield like the veto power to shape policy and directives to issue from the Executive Branch.
With this pivot, Trump is wagering his presidency on a belief that, by mid-June, the first large wave of deaths from the pandemic will have passed, the numbers will be diminishing, and almost all of America will be ready to get back to work.
Trump is betting that it does not matter if the country does not agree with him to open up today. By July, the country will agree.
By summer's end, he sees himself as having led us through the medical crisis that is then receding, and up and out of a Second Depression. That will be his best argument for reelection.
If this scenario unfolds, Trump can make the case that while China was the origin of the Wuhan virus that killed scores of thousands of Americans, it was Donald J. Trump who led us through the tragedy, and he is leading us forward, once again, to a new prosperity.
What will be Joe Biden's argument to lead America, after having sat out the worst crisis since World War II in his basement?
A majority of Americans are today wary of unlocking the economy and opening up the nation. Yet, each week, more and more people are demanding that it be done. And each week, more and more governors, reflecting the views of their constituents, are moving up the dates for partial reopenings.
By midsummer, the country will have caught up with Trump. That is the idea that animates the pivot.
And it is not a bad wager. Does anyone believe it will be possible to keep hundreds of millions of Americans in their homes in June, July and August?
Wholesale civil disobedience may face governors still conducting a strict lockdown in July.
Europe is already ahead of us. Italy, which has now been passed by Britain as the nation in Europe with the most deaths, is already starting to open. So, too, is Germany, the largest European nation with the fewest deaths. And Austria is ahead of both.
Trump's strategic pivot puts Biden in a box.
The mainstream media and left-wing of his Democratic Party want the governors to keep the states locked down as the only way to avert a second wave of infections. And they may be right.
But however many victims succumb to this pandemic, it is going to end, and America is going to be reopened. The closer we are to both goals by Nov. 3, the better Donald J. Trump's chances of retaking the oath on Jan. 20, 2021.
That's the way Trump is betting.


wnd--2020-05-09--Facebook 'censorship' board packed with liberals

Facebook 's new panel to monitor content will only increase concerns about censorship of conservative views on the social media platform , contends a coalition of more than 60 conservative organizations called the Free Speech Alliance .
`` Conservatives warned from the start that any new oversight mechanism was fraught with danger .
Our fears were well founded .
This new board will damage Facebook more than it can imagine , '' the FSA statement said , according to the Media Research Center site Newsbusters .
The alliance noted it has supported Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg 's stated desire to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to stand for freedom of expression .
`` Yet leftist forces within and outside of Facebook have condemned him for this , agitating for the company to become an arbiter of what is , and isn ’ t truth ; and therefore what should and should not be presented on Facebook , '' FSA said .
TRENDING : Texas governor and AG urge hair-salon owner be freed from jail The social-media giant 's new global oversight board , which will help decide what content `` to take down or leave up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Conservatives warned from the start that any new oversight mechanism was fraught with danger .
Our fears were well founded .
This new board will damage Facebook more than it can imagine , '' FSA said .
The Free Speech Alliance , with leadership from Brent Bozell 's Media Research Center , is comprised of 60 organizations , including ACT for America , the American Family Association , Americans for Limited Government , the Center for Security Policy , the Christian Broadcasting Network , Citizens United , the Claremont Institute , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Family Research Council , PragerU , Students For Life and Young America 's Foundation .
WND is also a member , and WND Vice President and Managing Editor David Kupelian is a signatory of the new statement .
FSA 's stated mission , citing First Amendment rights , is to fight `` for transparency on social media and demand equal footing for conservatives on Twitter , Facebook , Google and the other platforms . ''
WND reported in April a contributor to a Facebook fact-checking organization that censored articles suggesting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collaborated with a scientist at that lab .
Facebook , as WND previously reported in April , is using the World Health Organization as its authoritative source in an effort to censor discussion on its platform regarding the virus .
The alliance explained it had feared the Facebook board would adopt a left-leaning `` internationalist '' bent instead of embracing America 's First Amendment protections of free speech .
`` And that 's precisely what the company delivered .
The new Oversight Board announced itself with a New York Times op-ed from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four , Stanford Law School Prof. Michael McConnell , is at all conservative .
And not as strong as many would like . ''
The other three are `` reliably liberal , '' the coalition said .
Columbia Law Professor Jamal Greene was an aide to Sen. Kamala Harris , D-Calif. , during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings .
Catalina Botero-Marino is the dean of the Universidad de los Andes Faculty of Law of Colombia .
She is also a member of the board of directors of the pro-abortion Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infuriating to pro-life groups that are regularly targeted on social media for their beliefs .
No pro-life leader need apply to this board , '' FSA said .
Another member is the former prime minister of Denmark , Helle Thorning-Schmidt , who declared she `` does not believe in eternal life , salvation or heaven and hell , '' according to the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad .
Thorning-Schmidt is also one of at least six of the 15 foreign members of the board who is openly anti-Trump .
On Twitter recently , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden : `` The endorsement !
!
OMG , Miss the voice of decency and grace . ''
Former Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger has gone from supporting a free press to endorsing censorship , FSA said .
He tweeted in late March that the press should shut down Trump 's press conferences .
FSA said it can find no one on the panel supportive of President Trump .
At least three members have ties to billionaire left-wing activist George Soros .
One works directly for his Open Society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Central European University , which Soros founded and funded with nearly $ 1 billion .
The oversight board 's executive director is Thomas Hughes , a former executive director of the British non-profit Article 19 , which has received more than $ 2 million from Soros .
FSA pointed out Soros funds groups in the U.S. that censor conservative views by branding them `` haters '' and the like .
The entire American right , FSA said , is represented on the Facebook board by only one traditional conservative and one libertarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other 's votes in rulings on some key social issues , such as traditional marriage , religious freedom and abortion .
`` The board is dominated not by believers in the U.S. Constitution and its protections of rights ; it is controlled overwhelmingly by members who live in nations in opposition to such protections , '' FSA said .
`` The global view of rights — even in countries we consider strong allies like the U.K. or Australia — is as far away from American beliefs as they are geographically . ''
FSA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cousins , '' Facebook `` has made a good faith effort to reach out to conservatives for their opinion , and we recognize that . ''
`` And so we offer this opinion of the proposed Oversight Board : When you announce your next 20 members , ensure that they will balance out the aggressively leftist tilt of this new venture your company has taken .
Better yet : Get rid of the whole thing . ''
Among the signatories are of the FSA statement are James O'Keefe , president of Project Veritas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Family Association ; R. Emmett Tyrrell , founder and editor-in-chief of the American Spectator ; Gary Bauer , president of American Values ; Frank Gaffney , president of the Center for Security Policy ; John Hinderaker , president of the Center of the American Experiment ; Ted Baehr , publisher and founder of the Christian Film & Television Commission ; David Bossie , president and chairman of Citizens United ; and Allen West , former congressman and now senior fellow for the Media Research Center .

Facebook's new panel to monitor content will only increase concerns about censorship of conservative views on the social media platform, contends a coalition of more than 60 conservative organizations called the Free Speech Alliance.
"Conservatives warned from the start that any new oversight mechanism was fraught with danger. Our fears were well founded. This new board will damage Facebook more than it can imagine," the FSA statement said, according to the Media Research Center site Newsbusters.
The alliance noted it has supported Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's stated desire to make his platform a marketplace of ideas and to stand for freedom of expression.
"Yet leftist forces within and outside of Facebook have condemned him for this, agitating for the company to become an arbiter of what is, and isn’t truth; and therefore what should and should not be presented on Facebook," FSA said.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The social-media giant's new global oversight board, which will help decide what content "to take down or leave up," appears to be such an arbiter.
The Free Speech Alliance, with leadership from Brent Bozell's Media Research Center, is comprised of 60 organizations, including ACT for America, the American Family Association, Americans for Limited Government, the Center for Security Policy, the Christian Broadcasting Network, Citizens United, the Claremont Institute, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, the Family Research Council, PragerU, Students For Life and Young America's Foundation.
WND is also a member, and WND Vice President and Managing Editor David Kupelian is a signatory of the new statement.
FSA's stated mission, citing First Amendment rights, is to fight "for transparency on social media and demand equal footing for conservatives on Twitter, Facebook, Google and the other platforms."
WND reported in April that a contributor to a Facebook fact-checking organization, which had censored news articles suggesting the coronavirus pandemic originated at a Wuhan lab, herself had collaborated with a scientist at that very lab.
Facebook, as WND previously reported in April, is using the controversial World Health Organization as its authoritative source in an effort to censor discussion on its platform regarding the virus.
'Reliably liberal'
The alliance explained that it had feared the Facebook board would adopt a left-leaning "internationalist" bent, instead of embracing America's First Amendment protections of free speech.
"And that's precisely what the company delivered. The new Oversight Board announced itself with a New York Times op-ed from the four co-chairs. Only one of the four, Stanford Law School Prof. Michael McConnell, is at all conservative. And not as strong as many would like."
The other three are "reliably liberal," the coalition said.
Columbia Law Professor Jamal Greene was an aide to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Catalina Botero-Marino is the dean of the Universidad de los Andes Faculty of Law of Colombia. She is also a member of the board of directors of the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights.
"That is especially infuriating to pro-life groups that are regularly targeted on social media for their beliefs. No pro-life leader need apply to this board," FSA said.
Another member is the former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who declared she "does not believe in eternal life, salvation or heaven and hell," according to the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad.
Thorning-Schmidt is also one of at least six of the 15 foreign members of the board who is openly anti-Trump.
Facebook's new Oversight Board is packed with liberals. Read our full Free Speech Alliance statement at https://t.co/gmbXoQHZQL pic.twitter.com/FW3QPqcDw2 — Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) May 7, 2020
On Twitter recently, she wrote over a photo of Obama endorsing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden: "The endorsement!! OMG, Miss the voice of decency and grace."
Former Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger has gone from supporting a free press to endorsing censorship, FSA said. He tweeted in late March that the press should shut down Trump's press conferences.
Soros influence
FSA said it can find no one on the panel supportive of President Trump.
At least three members have ties to billionaire left-wing activist George Soros. One works directly for his Open Society organizations. Another was the founding dean at Central European University, which Soros founded and funded with nearly $1 billion.
The oversight board's executive director is Thomas Hughes, a former executive director of the British non-profit Article 19, which has received more than $2 million from Soros.
FSA pointed out that Soros funds groups in the U.S. that censor conservative views by branding them "haters" and similar labels.
The entire American right, FSA said, is represented on the Facebook board by only one traditional conservative and one libertarian. And they likely would cancel out each other's votes in rulings on some key social issues, such as traditional marriage, religious freedom and abortion.
"The board is dominated not by believers in the U.S. Constitution and its protections of rights; it is controlled overwhelmingly by members who live in nations in opposition to such protections," FSA said. "The global view of rights — even in countries we consider strong allies like the U.K. or Australia — is as far away from American beliefs as they are geographically."
FSA said that unlike its "Silicon Valley cousins," Facebook "has made a good faith effort to reach out to conservatives for their opinion, and we recognize that."
"And so we offer this opinion of the proposed Oversight Board: When you announce your next 20 members, ensure that they will balance out the aggressively leftist tilt of this new venture your company has taken. Better yet: Get rid of the whole thing."
Among the signatories are of the FSA statement are James O'Keefe, president of Project Veritas; Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association; R. Emmett Tyrrell, founder and editor-in-chief of the American Spectator; Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy; John Hinderaker, president of the Center of the American Experiment; Ted Baehr, publisher and founder of the Christian Film & Television Commission; David Bossie, president and chairman of Citizens United; and Allen West, former congressman and now senior fellow for the Media Research Center.


wnd--2020-05-08--Biden leads rush to judgment in Georgia shooting

`` The video is clear : Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood , '' tweeted presidential candidate Joe Biden in regard to the recently released video of the February shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick , Georgia .
In his shameless rush to judgment , Biden has taken a page straight out of Barack Obama 's Trayvon Martin playbook .
The page reads as follows : In an election year , ignore all contrary evidence and recklessly indict a white ( or white Hispanic ) in the shooting death of an unarmed black man in the hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden is in good company .
All the usual suspects have rushed in to the judgment game , from LeBron James to Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump to the shameless propagandists of the mainstream media .
To make the propaganda work , the conspirators have to portray Arbrey 's shooting as part of what Biden opportunistically called a `` pandemic of hate . ''
James echoed the same conspiratorial nonsense .
TRENDING : Doctor : Our voices are being silenced by media and 'experts' '' We 're literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' tweeted James .
In truth , the video is not clear at all .
Far from a problem for Biden et al.
, the lack of clarity is a blessing .
In the best of all worlds for Biden , the accused shooter and his alleged accomplices will be cleared by the grand jury or found not guilty .
An `` injustice '' of this magnitude will work much better on Election Day .
A letter sent by George Barnhill , the district attorney for the Waycross Judicial Circuit , to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chose initially not to arrest the suspects .
Wrote Barnhill , `` It appears Travis McMichael , Greg McMichael , and Bryan William were following , in pursuit burglary suspect , with solid firsthand probable cause , in their neighborhood , and asking/ telling him to stop . ''
As Barnhill explained , this was perfectly legal under Georgia law .
Neither of the McMichaels was a felon , and both were openly and legally carrying .
William was following the McMichaels ' truck in his vehicle and shooting the video in question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a cold-blooded murder .
`` From said video , '' wrote Barnhill , `` it appears Ahmaud Arbery was running along the right side of the McMichael truck then abruptly turns 90 degrees to the left and attacks Travis McMichael who was standing at the front left corner of the truck . ''
`` A brief skirmish ensues in which it appear Arbery strikes McMichael and appears to grab the shotgun and pull it from McMichael , '' Barnhill continued .
`` The shot is through Arbery 's right hand palm which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shotgun at the barrel tip , the 2nd and 3rd wounds are consistent with the struggle for the shotgun as depicted in the video . ''
The media are portraying Arbery as an innocent jogger .
Barnhill thought otherwise .
He wrote , `` Arbery 's mental health records & prior convictions help explain his apparent aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man . ''
Filmmaker Joel Gilbert has been watching this case with interest .
In his 2019 film , `` The Trayvon Hoax , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced a false witness to get George Zimmerman arrested for shooting Martin in what was transparently self-defense .
As in the Zimmerman case , the State has taken the case over from the local authorities and , given the media pressure , arrested the McMichaels for murder .
Based on the revelations in Gilbert 's film , Zimmerman is currently suing Crump and his co-conspirators .
`` Here we go again , '' says Gilbert .
`` The media have n't learned anything .
This is tragic that a young man lost his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rushing to judgment to exploit the victim for political purposes , just as they exploited Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman . ''
Jack Cashill 's forthcoming book , `` Unmasking Obama , '' is available for pre-order at Amazon .

"The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood," tweeted presidential candidate Joe Biden in regard to the recently released video of the February shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia.
In his shameless rush to judgment, Biden has taken a page straight out of Barack Obama's Trayvon Martin playbook.
The page reads as follows: In an election year, ignore all contrary evidence and recklessly indict a white (or white Hispanic) in the shooting death of an unarmed black man in the hope of stoking up the black vote.
Biden is in good company. All the usual suspects have rushed in to the judgment game, from LeBron James to Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump to the shameless propagandists of the mainstream media.
To make the propaganda work, the conspirators have to portray Arbrey's shooting as part of what Biden opportunistically called a "pandemic of hate." James echoed the same conspiratorial nonsense.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"We're literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes!" tweeted James.
In truth, the video is not clear at all. Far from a problem for Biden et al., the lack of clarity is a blessing.
In the best of all worlds for Biden, the accused shooter and his alleged accomplices will be cleared by the grand jury or found not guilty. An "injustice" of this magnitude will work much better on Election Day.
A letter sent by George Barnhill, the district attorney for the Waycross Judicial Circuit, to the Glynn County Police, explains why Barnhill chose initially not to arrest the suspects.
Wrote Barnhill, "It appears Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and Bryan William were following, in pursuit burglary suspect, with solid firsthand probable cause, in their neighborhood, and asking/ telling him to stop."
As Barnhill explained, this was perfectly legal under Georgia law. Neither of the McMichaels was a felon, and both were openly and legally carrying.
William was following the McMichaels' truck in his vehicle and shooting the video in question, an unlikely strategy for the participant in a cold-blooded murder.
"From said video," wrote Barnhill, "it appears Ahmaud Arbery was running along the right side of the McMichael truck then abruptly turns 90 degrees to the left and attacks Travis McMichael who was standing at the front left corner of the truck."
"A brief skirmish ensues in which it appear Arbery strikes McMichael and appears to grab the shotgun and pull it from McMichael," Barnhill continued.
"The shot is through Arbery's right hand palm which is consistent with him grabbing and pulling the shotgun at the barrel tip, the 2nd and 3rd wounds are consistent with the struggle for the shotgun as depicted in the video."
The media are portraying Arbery as an innocent jogger. Barnhill thought otherwise. He wrote, "Arbery's mental health records & prior convictions help explain his apparent aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man."
Filmmaker Joel Gilbert has been watching this case with interest. In his 2019 film, "The Trayvon Hoax," Gilbert showed how Attorney Benjamin Crump allegedly produced a false witness to get George Zimmerman arrested for shooting Martin in what was transparently self-defense.
As in the Zimmerman case, the State has taken the case over from the local authorities and, given the media pressure, arrested the McMichaels for murder.
Based on the revelations in Gilbert's film, Zimmerman is currently suing Crump and his co-conspirators.
"Here we go again," says Gilbert. "The media haven't learned anything. This is tragic that a young man lost his life, but the usual characters are rushing to judgment to exploit the victim for political purposes, just as they exploited Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman."
Jack Cashill's forthcoming book, "Unmasking Obama," is available for pre-order at Amazon.


wnd--2020-05-08--The coming epidemic of shortages

The coming epidemic of shortages

As of April 25 , 2020 , more than 30 million Americans were receiving unemployment payments .
Around 10 million more who had been self-employed were suddenly unable to earn an income yet found they could not file claims because of antiquated state systems .
The federal CARE Act was passed by Congress to support all those now unable to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic , including the self-employed .
Tens of billions of dollars were transferred to state governments for unemployment programs .
By mid-May , around 40 million newly unemployed Americans will be receiving payments to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – paid not to produce any products .
At the beginning of the pandemic , 67.9 million Americans were already being paid by the Social Security Administration programs to be unproductive .
There are approximately 230 million adults over the age of 18 in the United States .
By mid-May , a staggering total of 108 million of those adult Americans will be receiving money to remain unproductive .
That is an incredible 47 % of the population being paid to do nothing .
At the same time , with some overlap , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs ( SNAP ) .
In addition , the federal government pays for childcare for about 1.5 million children .
This does not include state and city welfare programs .
As an example , the state of New York was providing welfare payments to 600,000 people before the pandemic began .
Officially , the United States budget is nearly $ 800 billion for other welfare programs , not including Social Security .
The $ 800 billion does include Medicaid but not Medicare .
TRENDING : Texas governor and AG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of May , estimates are that $ 3 trillion will be passed out in `` transfer '' payments during 2020 to individuals not to produce any products , although the recipients will buy products including medical care .
While termed `` transfer payments , '' that is not a true definition because a large portion of the money does not come from taxation , but rather from the federal government just printing the money .
Initially , the federal government was projected to spend about $ 1 trillion more than was received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional pandemic spending so far , and reduction in taxes paid , the government is projected to borrow $ 4.5 trillion – the emphasis being on `` so far . ''
( Wall Street Journal May 5 ) This massive amount of money from the central government does not include the roughly $ 4 trillion the Federal Reserve has pumped into the system so far this year to prop up the casino known as `` the markets . ''
Now the Fed is buying ETF corporate bond funds .
Here is the big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from that tens of millions of Americans are being paid not to produce ?
In my book , `` Utopian Road to Hell , '' I wrote of my experiences in the Soviet Union just before the Great Collapse .
I witnessed firsthand the result of people being paid to produce little or nothing .
The Soviets invented the reusable shopping bag , but not to be `` green . ''
Everyone had a folded-up bag just in case something became available .
Women carried them in purses , men in lunch pails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nowhere , sometimes at a street corner waiting for a truck to pull up to sell food , or even durable goods , on the black market .
Tens of thousands in Moscow went to flea markets such as Levsha , which now sells mostly nostalgia items , but back then it was to find necessities .
The Soviet people were not poor , as depicted in Western media at the time .
They actually had plenty of money because there simply was nothing available to buy with their earnings !
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prices were fixed far below production costs , and jobs were guaranteed for life .
Workers were paid regardless of the profitability or quality of their products .
The Russian and Ukrainian areas of the Soviet Union had more fertile farmland than the United States , but still had to buy grain because of the lack of productivity .
In the Soviet Union , the retirement age was set at 60 for men and 55 for women , to show the world that communism did more `` for the good of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : President Putin tried to rectify the early retirement of productive people and saw his popularity immediately drop . )
During the years of perestroika ( 1985-1991 ) and after , I maintained a jointly owned company in the Soviet Union .
In Moscow the metro cost about 2 cents to ride , at a time it was almost $ 2 in Paris .
Bread was the equivalent of 5 cents a loaf , yet probably cost in the area of 50 to 75 cents a loaf to produce .
The costs were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the people , '' and as a result bread was rarely available – although lots of moldy bread could be found in dumpsters .
That 's because whenever bread was available , people would grab far more than they could use , causing hoarding shortages .
The core of the problem was , of course , workers being paid far more that the value of the products they produced .
The products may have been of poor quality , and with quantity lacking also , but they did produce something .
Currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the good of the people '' nearly half of the adult population is paid to produce nothing at all .
This works so long as Third World nations manufacture and grow products of value that Americans can buy at ridiculously low prices , with money our government just prints .
The system will continue to work as long as our nation can force on others the use of the dollar as the world 's currency .
There is more `` for the good of the people '' to come .
So much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' that the dollar may lose its value regardless of our military and current economic strength .
Nancy Pelosi , for all intent and purposes the head of the Democratic Party , has moved in the direction of a `` universal minimum wage '' proposed by Andrew Yang , Bernie Sanders and other socialists .
In light of COVID-19 , Sen. Sanders proposed $ 2,000 per month per person as a `` universal minimum wage '' for every American .
Presumably , a family of four would receive $ 96,000 a year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ money would be willing to work anywhere , even for $ 14 an hour , which is the highest minimum wage in the nation ?
( That wage is in Washington , D.C. , of course ) .
By working , the individual in Washington , D.C. , would make just $ 29,120 a year , versus $ 24,000 a year tax-free to do nothing .
Then who will bring in the crops ?
Illegals ?
Not if illegals are included in the universal minimum wage `` for the good of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as those in defense will be filled , but not many more .
At some point China , Vietnam , Bangladesh , India and the rest will begin to realize that the paper we are handing them can not be used to buy anything , because America produces little but armaments and Boeing airplanes that are lead balloons .
At that point , the whole scheme fails .
It is , after all , a Ponzi scheme that promises more and more out of the pot , for less and less put into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the products come from , the products all that money being printed `` for the good of the people '' will be able to buy ?
The products simply will not be available , and Americans will carry around their bags hoping to find something , just as did the Soviet citizens who lived in a nation that provided little more for `` the good of the people '' than hunger .

As of April 25, 2020, more than 30 million Americans were receiving unemployment payments. Around 10 million more who had been self-employed were suddenly unable to earn an income yet found they could not file claims because of antiquated state systems. The federal CARE Act was passed by Congress to support all those now unable to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the self-employed. Tens of billions of dollars were transferred to state governments for unemployment programs.
By mid-May, around 40 million newly unemployed Americans will be receiving payments to be unemployed – or to be more specific – paid not to produce any products.
At the beginning of the pandemic, 67.9 million Americans were already being paid by the Social Security Administration programs to be unproductive. There are approximately 230 million adults over the age of 18 in the United States. By mid-May, a staggering total of 108 million of those adult Americans will be receiving money to remain unproductive. That is an incredible 47% of the population being paid to do nothing.
At the same time, with some overlap, 40 million Americans receive food aid from federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP). In addition, the federal government pays for childcare for about 1.5 million children. This does not include state and city welfare programs. As an example, the state of New York was providing welfare payments to 600,000 people before the pandemic began.
Officially, the United States budget is nearly $800 billion for other welfare programs, not including Social Security. The $800 billion does include Medicaid but not Medicare.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
As of May, estimates are that $3 trillion will be passed out in "transfer" payments during 2020 to individuals not to produce any products, although the recipients will buy products including medical care. While termed "transfer payments," that is not a true definition because a large portion of the money does not come from taxation, but rather from the federal government just printing the money.
Initially, the federal government was projected to spend about $1 trillion more than was received in taxation for fiscal 2020. With additional pandemic spending so far, and reduction in taxes paid, the government is projected to borrow $4.5 trillion – the emphasis being on "so far." (Wall Street Journal May 5)
This massive amount of money from the central government does not include the roughly $4 trillion the Federal Reserve has pumped into the system so far this year to prop up the casino known as "the markets." Now the Fed is buying ETF corporate bond funds.
Here is the big question: Where will the products come from that tens of millions of Americans are being paid not to produce?
In my book, "Utopian Road to Hell," I wrote of my experiences in the Soviet Union just before the Great Collapse. I witnessed firsthand the result of people being paid to produce little or nothing. The Soviets invented the reusable shopping bag, but not to be "green." Everyone had a folded-up bag just in case something became available. Women carried them in purses, men in lunch pails or briefcases. Lines would appear out of nowhere, sometimes at a street corner waiting for a truck to pull up to sell food, or even durable goods, on the black market. Tens of thousands in Moscow went to flea markets such as Levsha, which now sells mostly nostalgia items, but back then it was to find necessities.
The Soviet people were not poor, as depicted in Western media at the time. They actually had plenty of money because there simply was nothing available to buy with their earnings! "For the good of the people" prices were fixed far below production costs, and jobs were guaranteed for life. Workers were paid regardless of the profitability or quality of their products. The Russian and Ukrainian areas of the Soviet Union had more fertile farmland than the United States, but still had to buy grain because of the lack of productivity.
In the Soviet Union, the retirement age was set at 60 for men and 55 for women, to show the world that communism did more "for the good of the people" than Western nations. (Note: President Putin tried to rectify the early retirement of productive people and saw his popularity immediately drop.)
During the years of perestroika (1985-1991) and after, I maintained a jointly owned company in the Soviet Union. In Moscow the metro cost about 2 cents to ride, at a time it was almost $2 in Paris.
Bread was the equivalent of 5 cents a loaf, yet probably cost in the area of 50 to 75 cents a loaf to produce. The costs were of course fixed "for the good of the people," and as a result bread was rarely available – although lots of moldy bread could be found in dumpsters. That's because whenever bread was available, people would grab far more than they could use, causing hoarding shortages.
The core of the problem was, of course, workers being paid far more that the value of the products they produced. The products may have been of poor quality, and with quantity lacking also, but they did produce something.
Currently in the United States, "for the good of the people" nearly half of the adult population is paid to produce nothing at all.
This works so long as Third World nations manufacture and grow products of value that Americans can buy at ridiculously low prices, with money our government just prints. The system will continue to work as long as our nation can force on others the use of the dollar as the world's currency.
There is more "for the good of the people" to come. So much more "for the good of the people" that the dollar may lose its value regardless of our military and current economic strength. Nancy Pelosi, for all intent and purposes the head of the Democratic Party, has moved in the direction of a "universal minimum wage" proposed by Andrew Yang, Bernie Sanders and other socialists.
In light of COVID-19, Sen. Sanders proposed $2,000 per month per person as a "universal minimum wage" for every American. Presumably, a family of four would receive $96,000 a year. Who in a family receiving that much money would be willing to work anywhere, even for $14 an hour, which is the highest minimum wage in the nation? (That wage is in Washington, D.C., of course). By working, the individual in Washington, D.C., would make just $29,120 a year, versus $24,000 a year tax-free to do nothing.
Then who will bring in the crops? Illegals? Not if illegals are included in the universal minimum wage "for the good of the people."
Some high-paying manufacturing jobs such as those in defense will be filled, but not many more.
At some point China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and the rest will begin to realize that the paper we are handing them cannot be used to buy anything, because America produces little but armaments and Boeing airplanes that are lead balloons. At that point, the whole scheme fails. It is, after all, a Ponzi scheme that promises more and more out of the pot, for less and less put into the pot.
Again, where do the products come from, the products all that money being printed "for the good of the people" will be able to buy?
The products simply will not be available, and Americans will carry around their bags hoping to find something, just as did the Soviet citizens who lived in a nation that provided little more for "the good of the people" than hunger.


wnd--2020-05-08--Obama official admitted under oath she lied about Trump-Russia collusion

Former Obama defense official and current congressional candidate Evelyn Farkas had an important role in the development of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative on the left 's go-to cable network , MSNBC , which saw its ratings spike during Robert Mueller 's special counsel probe .
But when she was put under oath -- as the newly released transcript of her House Intelligence Committee interview shows -- she admitted there was no basis for her bombshell claims , noted The Federalist 's Sean Davis .
In a March 2 , 2017 , interview with MSNBC , Farkas claimed knowledge of incriminating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She urged intelligence community bureaucrats to protect evidence of alleged collusion and even leak it to media .
TRENDING : Doctor : Our voices are being silenced by media and 'experts' '' I had a fear that somehow that information would disappear with the senior [ Obama administration ] people who left ... [ that ] it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy , '' Farkas said .
Farkas , who served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia , Ukraine and Eurasia from 2012 through 2015 , claimed Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collusion if they `` found out how we knew what we knew about the Trump staff ’ s dealing with Russians . ''
They might `` try to compromise those sources and methods , '' Farkas said , `` and we would no longer have access to that intelligence . ''
`` Not enough was coming out into the open , and I knew there was more , '' Farkas claimed .
But in her testimony to the House panel June 26 , 2017 , Farkas effectively admitted she lied .
Republican Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the March MSNBC interview .
`` Why do n't we go back to that sentence that I just asked you about .
It says 'the Trump folks , if they found out how we knew what we knew about their staff dealing with Russians , ' '' Gowdy said .
`` Well , how would you know what the U.S. government knew at that point ?
You did n't work for it , did you ? ''
`` I did n't , '' said Farkas , who left the federal government in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then how did you know ? ''
`` Did you have information connecting the Trump campaign to the hack of the DNC ? ''
Gowdy asked .
`` So when you say , 'We knew , ' the reality is you knew nothing , '' Gowdy asked later .
“ So when you say ‘ knew , ’ what you really meant was felt ?
” he asked .

Former Obama defense official and current congressional candidate Evelyn Farkas had an important role in the development of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative on the left's go-to cable network, MSNBC, which saw its ratings spike during Robert Mueller's special counsel probe.
But when she was put under oath -- as the newly released transcript of her House Intelligence Committee interview shows -- she admitted there was no basis for her bombshell claims, noted The Federalist's Sean Davis.
In a March 2, 2017, interview with MSNBC, Farkas claimed knowledge of incriminating information about Trump and his aides.
She urged intelligence community bureaucrats to protect evidence of alleged collusion and even leak it to media.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"I had a fear that somehow that information would disappear with the senior [Obama administration] people who left ... [that] it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy," Farkas said.
Farkas, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia from 2012 through 2015, claimed Trump officials might even destroy evidence of alleged collusion if they "found out how we knew what we knew about the Trump staff’s dealing with Russians."
They might "try to compromise those sources and methods," Farkas said, "and we would no longer have access to that intelligence."
"Not enough was coming out into the open, and I knew there was more," Farkas claimed.
But in her testimony to the House panel June 26, 2017, Farkas effectively admitted she lied.
Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina homed in on the March MSNBC interview.
"Why don't we go back to that sentence that I just asked you about. It says 'the Trump folks, if they found out how we knew what we knew about their staff dealing with Russians,'" Gowdy said.
"Well, how would you know what the U.S. government knew at that point? You didn't work for it, did you?"
"I didn't," said Farkas, who left the federal government in 2015.
Gowdy followed up, "Then how did you know?"
"I didn't know anything," Farkas admitted.
"Did you have information connecting the Trump campaign to the hack of the DNC?" Gowdy asked.
"No," Farkas replied.
"So when you say, 'We knew,' the reality is you knew nothing," Gowdy asked later.
"Correct," Farkas responded.
Gowdy continued.
“So when you say ‘knew,’ what you really meant was felt?” he asked.
“Correct,” Farkas answered.
“You didn’t know anything?” Gowdy asked.
“That’s correct,” Farkas replied.


wnd--2020-05-08--The China-virus shutdown and fiat currency

To understand how China hurt the United States and other capitalist countries by allowing the China virus to get out of Wuhan , we need to understand currency .
U.S. currency is debt .
It is fiat .
It does not represent ownership of anything .
Not gold .
Not silver .
Not anything .
Read what is on any denomination of currency .
A dollar is a note , debt , for some labor , service , or product that was provided .
It is only worth what someone else will provide in products , services , or labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that dollar – which changes in worth as economic conditions change for any specific product , service , or labor .
If less quantity is available of some labor , service , or product , then more dollars are required to procure it .
Who owns that debt ?
Anyone who purchases a treasury note or some other form of government-issued bond .
Investors .
Foreign governments .
Debt purchasing debt .
Fiat traded for bonds/treasuries .
Debt purchasing debt .
Why do investors purchase U.S.-issued bonds/treasuries since they do not represent ownership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most secure in the world .
What makes U.S. debt secure ?
The fact that you can purchase labor , service , or products in America with it .
If no labor , service , or products are available , then those notes ( currency ) would be worthless due to inflation caused by scarcity of labor , services and products .
That is the risk of the China virus .
That is how China hurt the United States .
Deliberately or not , by shutting down the U.S. economy because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ products were shut down , becoming less available .
By not opening up , the value of money is at risk as the economics for labor , services and products change .
TRENDING : Texas governor and AG urge hair-salon owner be freed from jail The government can print as much money as it sells treasuries or other bonds .
If the buyers of those bonds or treasuries think that too much currency ( debt ) has been printed , then they will stop purchasing bonds or treasuries .
That is the magic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the price and quantity of bonds and treasuries .
Currently , those investors and the Fed are buying all the bonds/treasuries the government issues .
Why ?
Because they are the best , most secure in the world .
The China virus is changing that dynamic as the economies of capitalist countries shut down .
Did China allow the virus to spread deliberately because it was losing the trade war ?
Half of the China economy depends on exports , as half of the Chinese live in abject poverty .
And China exports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1992 prior to the China virus pandemic .
When those treasuries/bonds become due , how does the government make payment on them ?
Either from 1 ) surpluses ( more government revenues than expenses – profits ) , or 2 ) by issuing more treasuries/bonds to replace them , or 3 ) by printing more currency ( notes ) .
Only the federal government can print more currency to pay expenses or bonds/treasuries .
An individual can not .
A state government can not .
This leaves only two choices for states and/or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profits ) , or 2 ) pay debt by incurring more debt .
And how do you do either of those if no one is working ?
Deliberately or not , China hurt the United States and other capitalist countries by getting us to shut down our economies .
We should never have done that .
We should never allow it again .
We need to reopen for business now , immediately , and rebuild capitalism as The Arsenal of Democracy .
If not , then the USA and other capitalistic countries are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Party want them to do .

To understand how China hurt the United States and other capitalist countries by allowing the China virus to get out of Wuhan, we need to understand currency.
U.S. currency is debt. It is fiat. It does not represent ownership of anything. Not gold. Not silver. Not anything. Read what is on any denomination of currency. A dollar is a note, debt, for some labor, service, or product that was provided. It is only worth what someone else will provide in products, services, or labor at a specific point in time for that dollar – which changes in worth as economic conditions change for any specific product, service, or labor. If less quantity is available of some labor, service, or product, then more dollars are required to procure it.
Who owns that debt? Anyone who purchases a treasury note or some other form of government-issued bond. Investors. Foreign governments. Debt purchasing debt. Fiat traded for bonds/treasuries. Debt purchasing debt.
Why do investors purchase U.S.-issued bonds/treasuries since they do not represent ownership of anything? Because they are the most secure in the world. What makes U.S. debt secure? The fact that you can purchase labor, service, or products in America with it. If no labor, service, or products are available, then those notes (currency) would be worthless due to inflation caused by scarcity of labor, services and products.
That is the risk of the China virus. That is how China hurt the United States. Deliberately or not, by shutting down the U.S. economy because of the China virus, labor, service and products were shut down, becoming less available. By not opening up, the value of money is at risk as the economics for labor, services and products change.
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The government can print as much money as it sells treasuries or other bonds. If the buyers of those bonds or treasuries think that too much currency (debt) has been printed, then they will stop purchasing bonds or treasuries. That is the magic of capitalism. Demand and supply control the price and quantity of bonds and treasuries. Currently, those investors and the Fed are buying all the bonds/treasuries the government issues. Why? Because they are the best, most secure in the world.
The China virus is changing that dynamic as the economies of capitalist countries shut down. Did China allow the virus to spread deliberately because it was losing the trade war? Half of the China economy depends on exports, as half of the Chinese live in abject poverty. And China exports were down for the first time since 1992 prior to the China virus pandemic.
When those treasuries/bonds become due, how does the government make payment on them? Either from 1) surpluses (more government revenues than expenses – profits), or 2) by issuing more treasuries/bonds to replace them, or 3) by printing more currency (notes).
Only the federal government can print more currency to pay expenses or bonds/treasuries. An individual cannot. A state government cannot. This leaves only two choices for states and/or citizens: 1) create surpluses (profits), or 2) pay debt by incurring more debt. And how do you do either of those if no one is working?
Deliberately or not, China hurt the United States and other capitalist countries by getting us to shut down our economies. We should never have done that. We should never allow it again.
We need to reopen for business now, immediately, and rebuild capitalism as The Arsenal of Democracy. If not, then the USA and other capitalistic countries are doing exactly what socialist/communist countries and the Democratic Party want them to do.


wnd--2020-05-08--A pandemic of double talk and double standards

The nation is facing a pandemic of double talk and double standards .
We were told we had to shut down the nation in order to prevent hospitals from being overrun , a very real possibility in New York City .
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo told us the entire nation had to shut down because what happens in New York City on Monday happens in Keokuk on Wednesday .
( New Yorkers never believed this or they would have moved to Keokuk a long time ago and skipped New York 's high rent and taxes , but that 's another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't overrun , and Keokuk , Iowa , and North Platte , Nebraska , did n't turn into Little Apples .
So , we were told we had to stay shut down because … the pandemic !
And do n't ask questions .
TRENDING : Texas governor and AG urge hair-salon owner be freed from jail Thus began the other pandemic , of double talk and double standards .
Cuomo told us we must stay home and suffer privations to protect our parents , our grandparents , the elderly , known to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diktat Matilda 's Law after his mother .
But while he was ordering the young and healthy to stay home , avoid the infected and protect our elders , Cuomo was sending the infected to stay with elders in nursing homes .
And killing them .
One culprit for New York 's high death rates was found : Cuomo 's government .
And it turned out the ventilators Cuomo hyperventilated about ( Send me 40,000 or tell me who should die ! )
were not only not needed but could have been doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to blame the overwhelmed health care workers armed with no treatment protocol against an unknown enemy .
It is to say there 's very little in the current situation that can be asserted with certainty , and anyone who claims certainty is likely offering doubletalk .
For example , Gov .
Cuomo tells us helpfully , `` One fact we do know about COVID : There is still much we do n't know . ''
Not sure if that came from Andrew 's highly paid McKinsey & Company consultants or his Magic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another gem of doubletalk and circular reasoning when he discussed bringing the state out of its politically induced coma .
Before we can `` reopen '' the state , we must repair the damage that 's been done , he said .
Never mind that the damage he wants to repair is the result of being closed .
That much we do know .
But let 's not pick on Andy ( too much ) .
He is not alone .
Too many in the political class are insisting on a government-appointed blue-ribbon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with charts and graphs and 27 8-by-10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one telling us how we can emerge from our caves .
Talk about double talk , this would be two firsts : It would be the first time Americans trusted politicians to run our lives .
And it would be the first time a government commission actually came up with a plan that worked .
Consider how Democrats and their supporters in the corporate media approach the question of letting small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a blue-ribbon commission consider all the possible alternative courses of action before we can proceed or even possibly decide how to proceed .
Then consider how these same Democrats have a very different approach when the question is the most crucial element of democracy : how to run an election .
Forget about a commission , discussion , study or alternatives .
They already know how to do it : Send ballots to every mailbox in the country !
And do n't ask questions .
If you do n't agree , you @ @ @ @

The nation is facing a pandemic of double talk and double standards.
We were told we had to shut down the nation in order to prevent hospitals from being overrun, a very real possibility in New York City.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told us the entire nation had to shut down because what happens in New York City on Monday happens in Keokuk on Wednesday. (New Yorkers never believed this or they would have moved to Keokuk a long time ago and skipped New York's high rent and taxes, but that's another story.)
Then the hospitals weren't overrun, and Keokuk, Iowa, and North Platte, Nebraska, didn't turn into Little Apples.
So, we were told we had to stay shut down because … the pandemic! And don't ask questions.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Thus began the other pandemic, of double talk and double standards.
Cuomo told us we must stay home and suffer privations to protect our parents, our grandparents, the elderly, known to be the most vulnerable. He called his diktat Matilda's Law after his mother.
But while he was ordering the young and healthy to stay home, avoid the infected and protect our elders, Cuomo was sending the infected to stay with elders in nursing homes. And killing them.
One culprit for New York's high death rates was found: Cuomo's government.
And it turned out the ventilators Cuomo hyperventilated about (Send me 40,000 or tell me who should die!) were not only not needed but could have been doing more harm than good.
This is not to blame the overwhelmed health care workers armed with no treatment protocol against an unknown enemy. It is to say there's very little in the current situation that can be asserted with certainty, and anyone who claims certainty is likely offering doubletalk.
For example, Gov. Cuomo tells us helpfully, "One fact we do know about COVID: There is still much we don't know."
Not sure if that came from Andrew's highly paid McKinsey & Company consultants or his Magic 8 Ball.
The excitable governor provided another gem of doubletalk and circular reasoning when he discussed bringing the state out of its politically induced coma.
Before we can "reopen" the state, we must repair the damage that's been done, he said. Never mind that the damage he wants to repair is the result of being closed. That much we do know.
But let's not pick on Andy (too much). He is not alone.
Too many in the political class are insisting on a government-appointed blue-ribbon commission issuing a detailed scientifically modeled report with charts and graphs and 27 8-by-10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one telling us how we can emerge from our caves.
Talk about double talk, this would be two firsts: It would be the first time Americans trusted politicians to run our lives. And it would be the first time a government commission actually came up with a plan that worked.
Consider how Democrats and their supporters in the corporate media approach the question of letting small businesses open their doors: We must have a blue-ribbon commission consider all the possible alternative courses of action before we can proceed or even possibly decide how to proceed.
Then consider how these same Democrats have a very different approach when the question is the most crucial element of democracy: how to run an election.
Forget about a commission, discussion, study or alternatives. They already know how to do it: Send ballots to every mailbox in the country! And don't ask questions. If you don't agree, you're a racist!
That's double talk and a double standard.


wnd--2020-05-08--The catastrophe of America's dependence on China

It 's hard today to get away from the fact that China plays an enormous role in our economy and , in fact , probably more than most Americans realize .
It may be good for China 's economy and plans for their future , but it does not bode well for our country .
We are seeing some of the effects of it now with the terrible battle against the coronavirus .
One thing most Americans do n't fully realize is that China is NOT a free , democratic country .
It is a country run and controlled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literal brainwashing by the American education system has created several generations of people who do n't see communism as a danger to their freedoms .
To them , it 's just another form of government .
And these miseducated Americans have no sense of history .
Lenin , Stalin , Mao – who are they and what does that have to do with us ?
We are finding out .
China and its leaders have lied about the Wuhan virus from the beginning including their sending planeloads of infected people across the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole issue of `` responsibility '' has been twisted by liberals to charges of racism .
There are actually jurisdictions in this country consider making it a misdemeanor for anyone to link the virus to China .
That 's nothing compared to the viciousness of the media toward President Trump if he refers to it that way .
TRENDING : Texas governor and AG urge hair-salon owner be freed from jail But there is so much more we have to be worried about .
It 's long been known that many Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often Chinese military or outright spies who have stolen much technical and other information .
Anyone who cares about religion , especially if they are Catholic , should be worried and angry at how the Chinese are diligently working to destroy the religion and the churches in their country .
It is an enigma why Pope Francis has allowed the Chinese Catholic Church to be undermined and virtually destroyed in the mainland without a word about the injustice and cruelty .
It makes no sense .
Another aspect of the coronavirus situation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous role China has in controlling our food supply .
We have heard this last week about the number of virus cases among the employees in many of our country 's meatpacking plants .
What I did n't know until now is that a good number of those plants are owned and operated by the Chinese government .
Smithfield was an American company begun in 1936 , but it was bought in 2013 by the WHGroup – the largest total acquisition of a U.S. company by the Chinese .
The $ 417 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmland , as reported in American Thinker .
So in addition to becoming the owner of the world 's most advanced animal-processing technology , China is also the world 's largest buyer of American farmland .
It should give us second thoughts that a country which clearly has designs on our economy and world influence has such controls over a major part of our food supply – land , animals and production .
Also , consider the fact that the coronavirus has also made it possible for Americans to realize that China also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical system .
Did you know that China makes 95 % of our ibuprofen , 91 % of hydrocortisone and 80 % of our antibiotics ?
Does n't that shock you ?
It does me .
Did you know that they make and control the critical needs we have for personal protective medical equipment – masks , gowns and other medical supplies ?
Does it bother you to know that masks recently purchase from China were revealed to be contaminated and had to be destroyed ?
That bothers me – a lot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not be trusted to play by the same `` rules '' a free , capitalistic country follows .
Yet , over the last decades , our own government – many of our own politicians – have allowed these kinds of situations to exist and get bigger – putting our country , our people and our security at risk .
We have allowed the Chinese government to gain strategic control over important parts of our economy , and the result of that could be catastrophic .
Some might regard it as treason .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the better .
It has nothing to do with racism .
It has to do with common sense and a sense of self-protection .

It's hard today to get away from the fact that China plays an enormous role in our economy and, in fact, probably more than most Americans realize.
It may be good for China's economy and plans for their future, but it does not bode well for our country. We are seeing some of the effects of it now with the terrible battle against the coronavirus.
One thing most Americans don't fully realize is that China is NOT a free, democratic country. It is a country run and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Years of literal brainwashing by the American education system has created several generations of people who don't see communism as a danger to their freedoms. To them, it's just another form of government. And these miseducated Americans have no sense of history. Lenin, Stalin, Mao – who are they and what does that have to do with us?
We are finding out.
China and its leaders have lied about the Wuhan virus from the beginning including their sending planeloads of infected people across the world. As the disease has spread, the whole issue of "responsibility" has been twisted by liberals to charges of racism. There are actually jurisdictions in this country consider making it a misdemeanor for anyone to link the virus to China. That's nothing compared to the viciousness of the media toward President Trump if he refers to it that way.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
But there is so much more we have to be worried about. It's long been known that many Chinese "scholars" in our universities are often Chinese military or outright spies who have stolen much technical and other information.
Anyone who cares about religion, especially if they are Catholic, should be worried and angry at how the Chinese are diligently working to destroy the religion and the churches in their country. It is an enigma why Pope Francis has allowed the Chinese Catholic Church to be undermined and virtually destroyed in the mainland without a word about the injustice and cruelty. It makes no sense.
Another aspect of the coronavirus situation is that it has brought to light the enormous role China has in controlling our food supply. We have heard this last week about the number of virus cases among the employees in many of our country's meatpacking plants.
What I didn't know until now is that a good number of those plants are owned and operated by the Chinese government. Smithfield was an American company begun in 1936, but it was bought in 2013 by the WHGroup – the largest total acquisition of a U.S. company by the Chinese.
The $417 billion price tag included some 146,000 acres of farmland, as reported in American Thinker. So in addition to becoming the owner of the world's most advanced animal-processing technology, China is also the world's largest buyer of American farmland.
It should give us second thoughts that a country which clearly has designs on our economy and world influence has such controls over a major part of our food supply – land, animals and production.
Also, consider the fact that the coronavirus has also made it possible for Americans to realize that China also controls critical products and components of our medical system.
Did you know that China makes 95% of our ibuprofen, 91% of hydrocortisone and 80% of our antibiotics? Doesn't that shock you? It does me.
Did you know that they make and control the critical needs we have for personal protective medical equipment – masks, gowns and other medical supplies?
Does it bother you to know that masks recently purchase from China were revealed to be contaminated and had to be destroyed?
That bothers me – a lot. It shows me that the Chinese government cannot be trusted to play by the same "rules" a free, capitalistic country follows.
Yet, over the last decades, our own government – many of our own politicians – have allowed these kinds of situations to exist and get bigger – putting our country, our people and our security at risk. We have allowed the Chinese government to gain strategic control over important parts of our economy, and the result of that could be catastrophic. Some might regard it as treason.
It must stop, and the sooner the better. It has nothing to do with racism. It has to do with common sense and a sense of self-protection.
Follow Barbara Simpson on Facebook.