offguardian--2020-08-23--Send in the Clowns for the Circus Is in Town

Send in the Clowns for the Circus Is in Town Don ’ t bother , they ’ re here , already performing in the center ring under the big top owned and operated by The Umbrella People .
Trump , Biden , Pence , Harris , and their clownish sidekicks , Pompeo , Michelle Obama , et al.
, are performing daily under the umbrella ’ s shadowy protection .
For The Umbrella People run a three-ring circus , and although their clowns pop out of separate tiny cars and , acting like enemies , squirt each other with water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , raucous laughter , and serious attentiveness , they are all part of the same show , working for the same bosses .
Sadly , many people think this circus is the real world and that the clowns are not allied pimps serving the interests of their masters , but are real enemies .
The Umbrella People are the moguls who own the showtime studios – some call them the secret government , the deep-state , or the power elite .
They run a protection racket , so I like to use a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure the sunlight of truth never gets to those huddled under their umbrella .
They produce and direct the daily circus that is the American Spectacle , the movie that is meant to entertain and distract the audience from the side show that continues outside the big top , the place where millions of vulnerable people are abused and killed .
And although the sideshow is the real main event , few pay attention since their eyes are fixed on the center ring were the spotlight directs their focus .
The French writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Spectacle .
For many months now , all eyes have been directed to the Covid-19 propaganda show with Fauci and Gates , and their mainstream corporate media mouthpieces , striking thunderbolts in the storm to scare the unknowing audience into submission so the transformation of the Great Global Reset , led by the World Economic Forum and the International Monetary Fund , can proceed smoothly .
Now hearts are aflutter with excitement to see the war-loving Joe Biden boldly coming forth like Lazarus from the grave to announce his choice of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his pronouncements .
And the star of the big top , the softly coiffured reality television emcee Trump , around whom the spectacle swirls , elicits outraged responses as he plays the part of the comical bad guy .
All the while the corporate mainstream media warn of grim viral milestones , election warnings , storms ahead !
The world as you know it is coming to an end , they remind us daily .
The latter meme contains a hint of truth since not just the world as we know it may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world itself , including human life , as the clowns initiate a nuclear holocaust while everyone is being entertained .
Meanwhile , as the circus rolls along , far away and out of mind , shit happens : With more than 400 military bases equipped with nuclear weapons surrounding China , the United States military continues its encirclement of China and China enters a “ state of siege.
” The US conducts military exercises with the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the contested South China Sea .
These US “ maritime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close to the Chinese mainland are a part of significantly increased US military exercises in the area .
The US Defense Secretary Esper announces that the US is withdrawing troops from Germany but moving them closer to the Russian border to serve as a more effective deterrent against Russia .
Russia says it will regard any ballistic missile aimed at its territory as a nuclear attack and will respond in kind with nuclear weapons .
Although the US is formally not at war with any African country , a new report reveals that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 22 African countries with 29 bases and 6,000 troops , with a huge drone hub in Niger that cost 100 + million to build and is expected to have operating costs of more than $ 280 billion by 2024 .
The US continues its assault on Syria , aside from direct military operations , by building up Kurdish proxies in northeastern Syria to protect the oil fields that they are stealing from the Syrian government , a plan hatched long ago .
The US says their strategy is to deny ISIS a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they used to attack the Syrian government in a war of aggression .
A new document exposes the US plan to overthrow the socialist government of Nicaragua through the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) , a traditional US regime change and CIA front organization .
Meanwhile , in Belarus , a place most Americans can ’ t find on a map , there is another color “ revolution ” underway .
Continuing its war against Iran and Venezuela by other means , the Trump administration seizes Iranian tankers carrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen with Venezuela .
That ’ s all I can tell you .
Something will be happening with Venezuela , ” said Trump in a July interview with Noticias Telemundo .
And of course the Palestinians are left to suffer and die as Israel is supported in its despotic policies in the Middle East .
The list goes on and on as the US under Trump continues to wage war by multiple means around the world .
But his followers see him as peaceful president because these wars are waged through sanctions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , etc .
But back in the center ring , the two presidential clown candidates keep the audience entertained , as they shoot water at each other .
Trump , who now presides over all the events just listed , and Biden , who enthusiastically supported the American wars against Iraq , Afghanistan , Syria , Libya , etc .
But then the followers of Obama/Biden also see their champions as peaceful leaders .
This is even more absurd .
Besides being a rabid advocate for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under Obama for eight years , seconded and promoted all of Obama ’ s wars that were wrapped in “ humanitarian ” propaganda to evade international law and keep his liberal supporters quiet .
From Bush II , an outright cowboy war-wager who used America ’ s large military forces to invade Afghanistan and Iraq under false pretensions – i.e .
lies , Obama and his sidekick Biden learned to arm and finance thousands of Islamic jihadists , run by the CIA and US special forces , to do the job in more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The United States Africa Command ( US AFRICOM ) throughout Africa .
They agreed to a $ 1 trillion upgrade of US nuclear weapons ( that continues under Trump ) .
They disarmed their followers , who , in any case , wished to look the other way .
Out of sight and out of mind , Obama/Biden continued the “ war on terror ” with drones , private militias , color revolutions , etc .
They waged war on six-seven – who knows how many – countries .
An exception to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s openly savage assault on Libya in 2011 under the lies of an imperial moral legitimacy .
In order to save you , we will destroy you , which is what they did to Libya , a country still in ruins and chaos .
Their equally blood-thirsty Secretary of State Hillary Clinton let the cat out of the bag when she laughed and gleefully applauded the brutal murder of Libya ’ s leader Moammar Gaddafi with the words : “ We came , we saw , he died.
” Yippee !
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an illegal and immoral war financed with $ 2 billion dollars from the America treasury , Joseph Biden bragged that the US didn ’ t lose a single life and such a war was a “ prescription for how to deal with the world as we go forward.
” Biden was Obama ’ s front man on Iraq , the war he voted for in 2003 , and wrote an op ed article in 2006 calling for the breakup of the country into three parts , Shia , Sunni , and Kurdish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more than ten thousand tons of bombs on Syria in 2016 , killing over a hundred civilians , a third of them children , V.P .
Biden stood proud and strong in support of the action .
When the US launched the bloody coup in Ukraine in 2014 , Biden was of course in agreement .
But we are told that Trump and Biden are arch-enemies .
One of them wants war and the other wants peace .
How many Americans will vote for these clowns this year ?
They are really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the money people who use the CIA and other undercover forces to carry out their organized crime activities .
As CS Lewis said in his preface to The Screwtape Letters : In the 2016 presidential election , Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump received 129 million votes out of 157 million registered American voters eager to believe that this system is not built on imperial war-making by both parties .
Perhaps that ’ s a generous assessment .
Maybe many of those voters believe in the USA ’ s “ manifest destiny ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s name .
I hope not .
But if so , you can expect a big turnout on November 3 , 2020 .
In any case , it ’ s quite a circus , but these clowns aren ’ t funny .
They are dangerous .
“ But where are the clowns ?
Quick , send in the clowns Don ’ t bother they ’ re here ” Edward Curtin is a writer whose work has appeared widely .
He teaches sociology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts .
His website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the author of the new book Seeking Truth in A Country of Lies

Send in the Clowns for the Circus Is in Town
Edward Curtin
Don’t bother, they’re here, already performing in the center ring under the big top owned and operated by The Umbrella People.
Trump, Biden, Pence, Harris, and their clownish sidekicks, Pompeo, Michelle Obama, et al., are performing daily under the umbrella’s shadowy protection. For The Umbrella People run a three-ring circus, and although their clowns pop out of separate tiny cars and, acting like enemies, squirt each other with water hoses to the audience’s delight, raucous laughter, and serious attentiveness, they are all part of the same show, working for the same bosses.
Sadly, many people think this circus is the real world and that the clowns are not allied pimps serving the interests of their masters, but are real enemies.
The Umbrella People are the moguls who own the showtime studios – some call them the secret government, the deep-state, or the power elite. They run a protection racket, so I like to use a term that emphasizes their method of making sure the sunlight of truth never gets to those huddled under their umbrella.
They produce and direct the daily circus that is the American Spectacle, the movie that is meant to entertain and distract the audience from the side show that continues outside the big top, the place where millions of vulnerable people are abused and killed. And although the sideshow is the real main event, few pay attention since their eyes are fixed on the center ring were the spotlight directs their focus.
The French writer Guy Debord called this The Society of the Spectacle.
For many months now, all eyes have been directed to the Covid-19 propaganda show with Fauci and Gates, and their mainstream corporate media mouthpieces, striking thunderbolts in the storm to scare the unknowing audience into submission so the transformation of the Great Global Reset, led by the World Economic Forum and the International Monetary Fund, can proceed smoothly.
Now hearts are aflutter with excitement to see the war-loving Joe Biden boldly coming forth like Lazarus from the grave to announce his choice of a masked vice-presidential running mate who will echo his pronouncements.
And the star of the big top, the softly coiffured reality television emcee Trump, around whom the spectacle swirls, elicits outraged responses as he plays the part of the comical bad guy.
Punch and Judy indeed.
All the while the corporate mainstream media warn of grim viral milestones, election warnings, storms ahead! The world as you know it is coming to an end, they remind us daily.
The latter meme contains a hint of truth since not just the world as we know it may be coming to an end, but the world itself, including human life, as the clowns initiate a nuclear holocaust while everyone is being entertained.
Meanwhile, as the circus rolls along, far away and out of mind, shit happens:
With more than 400 military bases equipped with nuclear weapons surrounding China, the United States military continues its encirclement of China and China enters a “state of siege.”
The US conducts military exercises with the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the contested South China Sea. These US “maritime Air defense operation[s]” close to the Chinese mainland are a part of significantly increased US military exercises in the area.
The US Defense Secretary Esper announces that the US is withdrawing troops from Germany but moving them closer to the Russian border to serve as a more effective deterrent against Russia.
Russia says it will regard any ballistic missile aimed at its territory as a nuclear attack and will respond in kind with nuclear weapons.
Although the US is formally not at war with any African country, a new report reveals that the United States has special forces operating in 22 African countries with 29 bases and 6,000 troops, with a huge drone hub in Niger that cost 100 + million to build and is expected to have operating costs of more than $280 billion by 2024.
The US continues its assault on Syria, aside from direct military operations, by building up Kurdish proxies in northeastern Syria to protect the oil fields that they are stealing from the Syrian government, a plan hatched long ago. The US says their strategy is to deny ISIS a valuable revenue stream. The same ISIS they used to attack the Syrian government in a war of aggression.
A new document exposes the US plan to overthrow the socialist government of Nicaragua through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a traditional US regime change and CIA front organization.
Meanwhile, in Belarus, a place most Americans can’t find on a map, there is another color “revolution” underway.
Continuing its war against Iran and Venezuela by other means, the Trump administration seizes Iranian tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela. “Something will happen with Venezuela. That’s all I can tell you. Something will be happening with Venezuela,” said Trump in a July interview with Noticias Telemundo.
And of course the Palestinians are left to suffer and die as Israel is supported in its despotic policies in the Middle East.
The list goes on and on as the US under Trump continues to wage war by multiple means around the world. But his followers see him as peaceful president because these wars are waged through sanctions, special operations, drones, third parties, etc.
But back in the center ring, the two presidential clown candidates keep the audience entertained, as they shoot water at each other. Trump, who now presides over all the events just listed, and Biden, who enthusiastically supported the American wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, etc.
But then the followers of Obama/Biden also see their champions as peaceful leaders. This is even more absurd.
Don’t you like farce?
Besides being a rabid advocate for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as a senator, Biden, as Vice-President under Obama for eight years, seconded and promoted all of Obama’s wars that were wrapped in “humanitarian” propaganda to evade international law and keep his liberal supporters quiet.
From Bush II, an outright cowboy war-wager who used America’s large military forces to invade Afghanistan and Iraq under false pretensions – i.e. lies, Obama and his sidekick Biden learned to arm and finance thousands of Islamic jihadists, run by the CIA and US special forces, to do the job in more circumspect ways.
They expanded and grew The United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM) throughout Africa. They agreed to a $1 trillion upgrade of US nuclear weapons (that continues under Trump). They disarmed their followers, who, in any case, wished to look the other way.
Out of sight and out of mind, Obama/Biden continued the “war on terror” with drones, private militias, color revolutions, etc. They waged war on six-seven – who knows how many – countries.
An exception to the more secretive wars was the Obama administration’s openly savage assault on Libya in 2011 under the lies of an imperial moral legitimacy. In order to save you, we will destroy you, which is what they did to Libya, a country still in ruins and chaos.
Their equally blood-thirsty Secretary of State Hillary Clinton let the cat out of the bag when she laughed and gleefully applauded the brutal murder of Libya’s leader Moammar Gaddafi with the words: “We came, we saw, he died.” Yippee!
After Libya was destroyed and so many killed in an illegal and immoral war financed with $2 billion dollars from the America treasury, Joseph Biden bragged that the US didn’t lose a single life and such a war was a “prescription for how to deal with the world as we go forward.”
Biden was Obama’s front man on Iraq, the war he voted for in 2003, and wrote an op ed article in 2006 calling for the breakup of the country into three parts, Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish.
When Obama launched 48 cruise missiles and more than ten thousand tons of bombs on Syria in 2016, killing over a hundred civilians, a third of them children, V.P. Biden stood proud and strong in support of the action.
When the US launched the bloody coup in Ukraine in 2014, Biden was of course in agreement.
But we are told that Trump and Biden are arch-enemies. One of them wants war and the other wants peace.
How many Americans will vote for these clowns this year? They are really front men for The Umbrella People, the money people who use the CIA and other undercover forces to carry out their organized crime activities.
As CS Lewis said in his preface to The Screwtape Letters:
The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint […] But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump received 129 million votes out of 157 million registered American voters eager to believe that this system is not built on imperial war-making by both parties.
Perhaps that’s a generous assessment. Maybe many of those voters believe in the USA’s “manifest destiny” to rule the world and wage war in God’s name. I hope not. But if so, you can expect a big turnout on November 3, 2020.
In any case, it’s quite a circus, but these clowns aren’t funny. They are dangerous.
“But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns
Don’t bother they’re here”
Don’t you like farce?
Edward Curtin is a writer whose work has appeared widely. He teaches sociology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. His website is http://edwardcurtin.com/. He is the author of the new book Seeking Truth in A Country of Lies


offguardian--2020-08-23--This Week in the Guardian #14

This Week in the Guardian #14

This week Creepy Uncle Joe becomes stunningly brave , captioning art is the same as art , and postponing elections is fine when empowered women do it .
Every week we like to highlight three or four stories that go full-Guardian , but don ’ t require an entire article of refutation .
We encourage reader-participation here , so if you come across something you feel should be included in the next edition either post a link below , or send us an e-mail .
In a mirroring of the nauseating collection of pro-Keir Starmer pap the Guardian ( et @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for weeks , the Biden cheerleaders so carefully ignoring the obvious signs of acute mental decline have squirted out this anonymous editorial praising Creepy Uncle Joe ’ s “ stubborn decency ” .
It makes particular reference to his DNC speech this week , but doesn ’ t mention something pretty important .
Namely , that it was in part word-for-word re-hashes of a speech he gave at the DNC twelve years ago : The New York Times called it “ The Speech of His Life ” , which is funny because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave it once and apparently totally forgot .
A more fitting parallel for his campaign could not exist .
This plays exactly into what we talking about in last week ’ s TWitG .
The push to hard-code “ the new normal ” by associating with more than just this particular coronavirus .
This article has experts tell us that Covid19 is a “ crucial opportunity ” to “ pull the planet back from brink ” .
Meaning , in essence , that all the limitations and destruction imposed on us in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease ” can ( and likely will ) be maintained in the name of “ saving us from climate change ” .
They even attempt to tie climate change in as a possible cause for entirely theoretical future pandemics : We called this last week .
It ’ s only going to get stronger from here on in .
Here is a Guardian opinion piece on Jacinda Ardern ’ s decision to postpone New Zealand ’ s general election : And here is an Op-Ed piece on Trump ’ s suggestion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be said ?
This just deserves a quick mention – there ’ s a woman who started a long twitter thread where she captioned medieval , renaissance and other classical paintings with quippy , “ feminist ” comments .
An inoffensive pass-time you might think , but not “ art ” .
You ’ d be wrong .
It IS art , and she ’ s now turned them into a book , which the Guardian has reviewed favourably alongside an interview where the “ artist ” talks about how terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and which ones you should avoid .
It ’ s posted in the “ art design ” section .
It ’ s all so tiresome .
All told , a busy week for The Guardian .
And we didn ’ t even cover “ the last taboo ” ( a paid content section of the Guardian devoted entirely to incontinence ) and featuring such stunning headlines as “ I ran a half marathon , leaky bladder and all ” and “ Peeing during sex ?
You ’ re not alone.
” Oh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world from climate disaster .
So that ’ s all sorted .
Did we miss anything ?
Tell us about it in the comments below , and keep an eye out for articles that should go in the next issue .

This week Creepy Uncle Joe becomes stunningly brave, captioning art is the same as art, and postponing elections is fine when empowered women do it.
Every week we like to highlight three or four stories that go full-Guardian, but don’t require an entire article of refutation.
We encourage reader-participation here, so if you come across something you feel should be included in the next edition either post a link below, or send us an e-mail.
In a mirroring of the nauseating collection of pro-Keir Starmer pap the Guardian (et al.) have been pumping out for weeks, the Biden cheerleaders so carefully ignoring the obvious signs of acute mental decline have squirted out this anonymous editorial praising Creepy Uncle Joe’s “stubborn decency”.
It makes particular reference to his DNC speech this week, but doesn’t mention something pretty important. Namely, that it was in part word-for-word re-hashes of a speech he gave at the DNC twelve years ago:
This is unbelievable. Same exact speech. pic.twitter.com/doY5R6QqKA — Power Tie (@realPowerTie) August 22, 2020
The New York Times called it “The Speech of His Life”, which is funny because it was inane, shallow and he already gave it once and apparently totally forgot. A more fitting parallel for his campaign could not exist.
This plays exactly into what we talking about in last week’s TWitG. The push to hard-code “the new normal” by associating with more than just this particular coronavirus.
This article has experts tell us that Covid19 is a “crucial opportunity” to “pull the planet back from brink”. Meaning, in essence, that all the limitations and destruction imposed on us in the name of “saving our lives from the disease” can (and likely will) be maintained in the name of “saving us from climate change”.
They even attempt to tie climate change in as a possible cause for entirely theoretical future pandemics:
A growing body of research has found destruction of ecosystems allows animals that carry potentially deadly diseases to proliferate, increasing the risk of another pandemic.
We called this last week. It’s only going to get stronger from here on in.
Hypocrisy: A visual presentation
Here is a Guardian opinion piece on Jacinda Ardern’s decision to postpone New Zealand’s general election:
And here is an Op-Ed piece on Trump’s suggestion of doing the same:
Does anything else need to be said?
BONUS: Post Modern “art”
This just deserves a quick mention – there’s a woman who started a long twitter thread where she captioned medieval, renaissance and other classical paintings with quippy, “feminist” comments. An inoffensive pass-time you might think, but not “art”.
You’d be wrong. It IS art, and she’s now turned them into a book, which the Guardian has reviewed favourably alongside an interview where the “artist” talks about how terrible all the different kinds of men are, and which ones you should avoid.
It’s posted in the “art design” section. It’s all so tiresome.
* * *
Oh and good news, soccer can save the world from climate disaster. So that’s all sorted.
Did we miss anything? Tell us about it in the comments below, and keep an eye out for articles that should go in the next issue.


Covid Seen Afar

From the vantage point of a remote Portuguese hill village , life in faraway cities seems either quirky or crazed .
The Celtic inhabitants—my neighbours—have managed to weather ( or not noticed ) the coming of the Phoenicians , the Greeks , Romans , Visigoths , and Moors .
Self-sufficient farmers , their days are circumscribed by their small plots of land and time indoors .
With the coming of Covid , their life has once again changed—well , not at all .
It takes an ex-Brit a few years to acclimatize to the outlook of a free and independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to think clearly .
But I feel it ’ s now time I countered the cheerless views from abroad , which paint the pandemic as a great trial or deprivation , and lay bare its greatest boon .
Moaning about lockdown is like Karl Marx complaining about being stuck in the British Museum for hours on end .
Newton , you ’ ll recall , did his best work while quarantining from the Plague at home .
Einstein , too , came up with the odd revolutionary theory while confined in a poky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Consolation of Philosophy during his one year of imprisonment .
The Latin poet Ovid wasn ’ t deterred from his craft by banishment from civilized society , nor Galileo by house arrest .
Whose fault , then , if you squander this gift of free time from Boris and don ’ t investigate that vast storehouse of knowledge whose portal is the opened lid of a laptop ?
No prudent person would elect to stay home in their imagination too , favouring popular culture and the nightly news , and not apply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great riddles—an investigation that may as well begin with Covid itself .
True , you won ’ t find mainstream media sites are allies in your quest for truth , since they act upon your assumption that they are to be trusted , and they in turn trust governing bodies like the WHO because it is trustworthy , and it trusts the experts , who are to be trusted because they ’ re experts , and they in turn trust the obviously brilliant algorithms fed into their computer just before lunch .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panicking when Pedro , my nearest neighbour , says his uncle told him that his cousin had said he ’ d seen some wolf prints in the mountains and calculated it was likely that vast numbers roamed up there and could sweep down anytime and wreak havoc .
Moreover , to then refuse to listen to any opinions to the contrary is like the NHS censoring ‘ fake news ’ : it ’ s to assume I ’ m right .
Pompous certitude may win respect .
Better though to go with openness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and thus grant Covid the power to turn the unconscious sleepwalker into an awakened soul ; to become one ’ s own investigative journalist .
It ’ s been known for a long time that doctors ’ surgeries and hospitals are hazardous places to be .
Like me you probably have stories to tell about a misdiagnosis , and medication that led to worse problems .
Well , the same thing happens on a more serious scale — but dead people don ’ t tend to share their grievances .
Safer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from doctors altogether .
And this , interestingly , is just what a new Covid-inspired NHS policy could achieve .
During the crisis , 1.5 million people were sternly warned to stay away from A & E and GP surgeries , and instead seek consolation in online services such as symptom checkers .
Meanwhile , offloading all patients “ medically fit to leave ” and rededicating hospital wards to theoretical patients instead , brought about a revolution in hospital administration , freeing up beds , decreasing the workload of doctors and nursing staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuits .
Simple extrapolation tells me that such streamlining is going a long way towards an ideal — an entirely patient-free facility .
In our grandparents ’ day seeking outside help for anything less than a broken neck was scorned .
One ’ s grandmother had most home remedies to hand , and could promptly deal with aches and pains , colds and flu , bouts of diarrhea , a gashed arm or a sprained ankle .
Back then mumps and measles were less a reason for alarm , more a sobering reminder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time for reflection on the vicissitudes of existence , and—for bookworm youngsters like Pedro ’ s son Bruno—the long-sought excuse to escape school and catch up on some ‘ serious ’ reading .
In other words , to lock down .
The doctor who was summoned in those halcyon days made do not with Big Pharma ’ s cornucopia of drugs , but with a small black bag .
He may for effect have retrieved from this a stethoscope or an ‘ ahh ’ stick .
What he really relied on was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as rain in a few days ” — the single most effective placebo ever devised .
He was right of course ; a basic knowledge of the body , faith in pre-80s nutrition , and elementary logic told him there wasn ’ t much to worry about .
I don ’ t mean to sound blasé .
I ’ m sure vaccines have their place .
They don ’ t usually lead to death , brain damage , loss of vision , or some surprising new allergy .
But don ’ t they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence and fearless fatalism our grandparents espoused ?
Covid needs to be seen for what it is : the catalyst for a return to that earlier and healthier way of being ; a world where we value thinking for ourselves , view life with a sense of proportion , trust in the body ’ s own immune system and its reliance on fresh air , sunshine , germs — and , yes , viruses — and reclaim the almost-forgotten understanding that we live with risk and that people always die in the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NHS can be congratulated , for it is moving intuitively towards that older ideal , recommending that you don ’ t front up unless you are suffering from : • Severe breathing problems – e.g .
being unable to talk normally or turning blue • Chest pain – e.g .
like a tight band or heavy weight in or around the chest • Severe injury or heavy bleeding that can not be stopped Good old-fashioned emergencies !
And reading between the lines , you can see the NHS is hinting that Covid , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since viruses that almost no one dies from and that rarely cause any health problems , aren ’ t .
In this bold foray into matters of verity , high school maths , simple reasoning and common sense will prove sufficient .
And you ’ ll have the satisfaction of defeating the best that Imperial College has to offer .
Virtually harmless , Covid does have some odd characteristics .
For instance , Public Health England have long been aware that any people who die , if they ever tested positive for Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That makes sense .
I had a cat once who upset a jug of water .
Weeks later the basement flooded .
I remember thinking at the time , That bloody cat !
Covid could even be a conscious entity , capable of responding to our knowledge of it .
As with Schrödinger ’ s quantum cat in a box , which only becomes dead once you lift the lid to take a look , ‘ Corona Cat ’ has been prowling around for more than a year , yet it only began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking it seriously and decided to lock down .
Pedro says his son Bruno developed a mastery of lockdown by the time he was six .
Covid is not unlike the nasty flu that suddenly took hold on a Sunday evening just when Maria came to tuck him in , and was confirmed by Bruno the next morning about the time he was due to dress for school .
Of course it was a ruse , an elaborate scam which any parent has the grace to indulge once in a while .
Perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position , aware it ’ s a scam of the sort kids might concoct , but if people believe it , what can they do ?
A look of concern and a hand held to the forehead seems appropriate .
But once you discount the childish hype and the lack of critical evidence , there ’ s really no reason for you to stay home .
In Bruno ’ s case , support often comes in the form of his favourite aunt .
Her smothering concern is enough to make him fear he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole household feeling weak and vulnerable .
As with our own ‘ Auntie Beeb ’ , who consistently follows the official narrative of Covid and finds it troubling if someone doesn ’ t , it is not clear whether she is just easily duped or has her own agender .
Either way , the new normal isn ’ t at all bad .
Plenty to eat and drink , pocket money accruing .
I now see why Bruno remained singularly unimpressed by my account of the fuss over Galileo ’ s confinement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being given an island to live on , or the need to escape the admittedly pleasant Stalag Luft III .
Perhaps The Man in the Iron Mask would make him sit up .
When it comes to face masks , Corona Cat must be deemed especially cunning , because he responds to our beliefs vis-à-vis the efficacy of these puny coverings .
We can say one day that they don ’ t work and the next that they do , and be confident he will play by our rules .
All masks obstruct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ containing viruses , because viruses are small .
Very small .
If you ’ ve ever kept chickens , like old José from the next quinta opines , you appreciate the neat relationship between chickens and chicken wire .
On the other hand , if you ’ ve ever been assailed by a swarm of midges , your first thought isn ’ t , where did I leave that roll of chicken wire ?
Wisdom comes in many guises in these parts .
Ever-cheerful and childlike Tiago , who loves everything to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a word .
I don ’ t expect ever to see him with more on his head than a cap , since he doesn ’ t kit up even when grape spraying .
When I showed him Macron and Merkel , ludicrous in masks , he nodded and said , “ Dodos.
” He was right : a dim-witted extinct species come back to roost in the seats of power .
But I must have looked downcast , for Tiago went to find , and then wordlessly offered me , a familiar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he considers it a cure for depression , or the virus , I don ’ t know .
But it got me thinking .
Donald Trump seems no more blessed with the marks of maturity .
But could that be a ruse ?
Is he a latter-day Scarlet Pimpernel , whose vain and shallow exterior hides an astuteness we could all learn from ?
At each stage of Covid lunacy the US president courageously defied orthodoxy , first pointing to its low risk to most people ; then questioning its true nature ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows what it is.
” ) ; its seriousness , likening it to seasonal flu ; its longevity ( “ It will go away ” ) ; suggesting a tried-and true remedy , hydroxychloroquine , known to work ; challenging the need for lockdown ; for face masks ( refusing to wear one because they are ridiculous and demeaning ) ; and so on .
All these reasonable , often factual , declarations were deemed an outrageous repudiation of the science .
“ Trust in science , ” Secretary-General Guterres advises .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s scientific judgement on dietary recommendations , until her waiting room filled up with expensive commercial cat biscuits for “ every type of cat , including yours.
” Luckily , I remembered there was only one domestic cat , Felis catus , and it eats meat .
When the people who do science are engaged in work for private firms , industry or government , we are right to be suspicious .
What is worse is when governments themselves flirt with this world .
Worse still is when scientists are motivated by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those same individuals get to influence the agencies responsible for promoting human health .
The very worst is the cynical and deliberate manipulation of the public by democratic governments , which hide their movements from scrutiny to gain what they seek .
All trust evaporates .
The polymath Jacob Bronowski summed up this corruption of knowledge more than forty years ago : Happily , there are still genuine experts to be found ( beyond the borders of my village ) , scientists who pursue a more noble tradition , committed to the truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at wielding figures — here , here , here , and here in fact .
The UK government recently urged a cautious return to work .
If the same thing happened here it would undoubtedly cause a change in behaviour in many villagers , though not in regard to the ‘ work ’ element .
Having never varied their routine of being out and about from sunrise till nightfall , they would be furtively scanning the overgrown verges , on the lookout for a plague of cobras , or perhaps for Pedro ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain were not jumping at the opportunity to return to work has led to speculation that life at home is too cushy , or that they are afraid to go back .
No , it is because people value freedom .
And while the madness of mask wearing and physical distancing lasts , along with attendant penalties or shaming for non-compliance , the only true freedom resides in people ’ s homes .
Homes made comfortable , often beautiful , with their money and hard work ; abodes that have become psychological supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can find peace from an oppressive government seemingly bent on control and heedless of the harm inflicted ; places in which they still feel human .
And if even some time has been spent circumventing the extraordinary dumbing-down policy of mainstream media , in fathoming the ways of deceit and propaganda , in understanding the tragedy of a science co-opted , and how corruption and greed can transform an already duplicitous elite into the enemies of humanity , then the long days at home , deprived of many of the joys and consolations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worthwhile .
For it is to begin to discern , in a gathering gloom , the ruination not just of freedom but of humanity itself .
The momentum is set .
The world of big business and the world of science draw ever closer .
The minds that inhabit these spheres are set to merge .
Then , an ever-declining consideration for the welfare of humanity will be matched to an ever-declining comprehension of what it is to be human .
Before this fatal moment arrives , the wellsprings of Google ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are sealed off , it is well to listen to the last voices to be raised in defense of a world we once all believed in .
You will have realized by now that Covid research is merely the beginning of something much bigger .
To follow Corona Cat ’ s trail is like setting off in search of Pedro ’ s wolves .
You ’ ll find nothing of substance , but all along the twisting paths you ’ ll encounter people who believe they ’ re around , and testify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the dearth of evidence provokes no interest .
In the end , communicating is a potential source of embarrassment — the more so if your interlocutors are otherwise intelligent and level-headed — and so getting to know where the trails lead and how they interconnect becomes the objective .
Your discovery of the greatest scam in a century is exactly balanced by their discovery of a conspiracy theorist in their midst .
Yesterday I was observing António ’ s sheep and goats , which graze the roadside banks below craggy terrace walls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biblical parable the two species are separated .
The sheep go to heaven and the goats to hell .
This is not the happiest animal metaphor in my view .
Sheep follow mindlessly .
Goats , on the other hand , think for themselves and know what ’ s what .
Which is why António introduces one or two into the flock as guides to take the rest in the right direction , help them find the best fodder , and bring them home when it ’ s time .
No doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what comes their way , believe they are pretty cool .
But it ’ s the goats who have scaled the walls .
John Griffin is a philosopher , artist and farmer , currently living in Portugal .
His books include On the Origin of Beauty and Javali with Oranges .

John Griffin
From the vantage point of a remote Portuguese hill village, life in faraway cities seems either quirky or crazed. The Celtic inhabitants—my neighbours—have managed to weather (or not noticed) the coming of the Phoenicians, the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. Self-sufficient farmers, their days are circumscribed by their small plots of land and time indoors.
With the coming of Covid, their life has once again changed—well, not at all. It takes an ex-Brit a few years to acclimatize to the outlook of a free and independent people and begin, once more, to think clearly. But I feel it’s now time I countered the cheerless views from abroad, which paint the pandemic as a great trial or deprivation, and lay bare its greatest boon.
Moaning about lockdown is like Karl Marx complaining about being stuck in the British Museum for hours on end. Newton, you’ll recall, did his best work while quarantining from the Plague at home. Einstein, too, came up with the odd revolutionary theory while confined in a poky patent office in Berne. Boethius achieved The Consolation of Philosophy during his one year of imprisonment. The Latin poet Ovid wasn’t deterred from his craft by banishment from civilized society, nor Galileo by house arrest.
Whose fault, then, if you squander this gift of free time from Boris and don’t investigate that vast storehouse of knowledge whose portal is the opened lid of a laptop? No prudent person would elect to stay home in their imagination too, favouring popular culture and the nightly news, and not apply themselves to some of life’s great riddles—an investigation that may as well begin with Covid itself.
True, you won’t find mainstream media sites are allies in your quest for truth, since they act upon your assumption that they are to be trusted, and they in turn trust governing bodies like the WHO because it is trustworthy, and it trusts the experts, who are to be trusted because they’re experts, and they in turn trust the obviously brilliant algorithms fed into their computer just before lunch.
When it comes to Covid this is like panicking when Pedro, my nearest neighbour, says his uncle told him that his cousin had said he’d seen some wolf prints in the mountains and calculated it was likely that vast numbers roamed up there and could sweep down anytime and wreak havoc. Moreover, to then refuse to listen to any opinions to the contrary is like the NHS censoring ‘fake news’: it’s to assume I’m right.
Pompous certitude may win respect. Better though to go with openness, discernment and persistence in this inquiry, and thus grant Covid the power to turn the unconscious sleepwalker into an awakened soul; to become one’s own investigative journalist.
It’s been known for a long time that doctors’ surgeries and hospitals are hazardous places to be. Like me you probably have stories to tell about a misdiagnosis, and medication that led to worse problems. Well, the same thing happens on a more serious scale — but dead people don’t tend to share their grievances.
Safer, you might conclude, to stay away from doctors altogether. And this, interestingly, is just what a new Covid-inspired NHS policy could achieve.
During the crisis, 1.5 million people were sternly warned to stay away from A&E and GP surgeries, and instead seek consolation in online services such as symptom checkers. Meanwhile, offloading all patients “medically fit to leave” and rededicating hospital wards to theoretical patients instead, brought about a revolution in hospital administration, freeing up beds, decreasing the workload of doctors and nursing staff, and providing more time for creative pursuits.
Simple extrapolation tells me that such streamlining is going a long way towards an ideal — an entirely patient-free facility.
In our grandparents’ day seeking outside help for anything less than a broken neck was scorned. One’s grandmother had most home remedies to hand, and could promptly deal with aches and pains, colds and flu, bouts of diarrhea, a gashed arm or a sprained ankle.
Back then mumps and measles were less a reason for alarm, more a sobering reminder of the touch-and-go element to life, a time for reflection on the vicissitudes of existence, and—for bookworm youngsters like Pedro’s son Bruno—the long-sought excuse to escape school and catch up on some ‘serious’ reading. In other words, to lock down.
The doctor who was summoned in those halcyon days made do not with Big Pharma’s cornucopia of drugs, but with a small black bag. He may for effect have retrieved from this a stethoscope or an ‘ahh’ stick. What he really relied on was, “You’ll be right as rain in a few days” — the single most effective placebo ever devised. He was right of course; a basic knowledge of the body, faith in pre-80s nutrition, and elementary logic told him there wasn’t much to worry about.
I don’t mean to sound blasé. I’m sure vaccines have their place. They don’t usually lead to death, brain damage, loss of vision, or some surprising new allergy. But don’t they take us ever further from that rugged independence and fearless fatalism our grandparents espoused?
Covid needs to be seen for what it is: the catalyst for a return to that earlier and healthier way of being; a world where we value thinking for ourselves, view life with a sense of proportion, trust in the body’s own immune system and its reliance on fresh air, sunshine, germs — and, yes, viruses — and reclaim the almost-forgotten understanding that we live with risk and that people always die in the end no matter what you do.
The NHS can be congratulated, for it is moving intuitively towards that older ideal, recommending that you don’t front up unless you are suffering from:
Severe breathing problems – e.g. being unable to talk normally or turning blue
Chest pain – e.g. like a tight band or heavy weight in or around the chest
Stroke – with common symptoms including drooping face and one-sided limb weakness
Severe injury or heavy bleeding that cannot be stopped
Fitting or being unconscious
Good old-fashioned emergencies! And reading between the lines, you can see the NHS is hinting that Covid, too, is not an emergency, since viruses that almost no one dies from and that rarely cause any health problems, aren’t. In this bold foray into matters of verity, high school maths, simple reasoning and common sense will prove sufficient. And you’ll have the satisfaction of defeating the best that Imperial College has to offer.
Virtually harmless, Covid does have some odd characteristics. For instance, Public Health England have long been aware that any people who die, if they ever tested positive for Covid-19, must have died from it. That makes sense. I had a cat once who upset a jug of water. Weeks later the basement flooded. I remember thinking at the time, That bloody cat!
Covid could even be a conscious entity, capable of responding to our knowledge of it. As with Schrödinger’s quantum cat in a box, which only becomes dead once you lift the lid to take a look, ‘Corona Cat’ has been prowling around for more than a year, yet it only began its reign of terror after we started taking it seriously and decided to lock down.
Pedro says his son Bruno developed a mastery of lockdown by the time he was six. Covid is not unlike the nasty flu that suddenly took hold on a Sunday evening just when Maria came to tuck him in, and was confirmed by Bruno the next morning about the time he was due to dress for school. Of course it was a ruse, an elaborate scam which any parent has the grace to indulge once in a while.
Perhaps the British government is in this very position, aware it’s a scam of the sort kids might concoct, but if people believe it, what can they do? A look of concern and a hand held to the forehead seems appropriate. But once you discount the childish hype and the lack of critical evidence, there’s really no reason for you to stay home.
In Bruno’s case, support often comes in the form of his favourite aunt. Her smothering concern is enough to make him fear he is sick, and even leave the whole household feeling weak and vulnerable. As with our own ‘Auntie Beeb’, who consistently follows the official narrative of Covid and finds it troubling if someone doesn’t, it is not clear whether she is just easily duped or has her own agender.
Either way, the new normal isn’t at all bad. Plenty to eat and drink, pocket money accruing. I now see why Bruno remained singularly unimpressed by my account of the fuss over Galileo’s confinement, or Napoleon’s gripe at twice being given an island to live on, or the need to escape the admittedly pleasant Stalag Luft III. Perhaps The Man in the Iron Mask would make him sit up.
When it comes to face masks, Corona Cat must be deemed especially cunning, because he responds to our beliefs vis-à-vis the efficacy of these puny coverings. We can say one day that they don’t work and the next that they do, and be confident he will play by our rules.
All masks obstruct normal breathing and are nearly useless at containing viruses, because viruses are small. Very small. If you’ve ever kept chickens, like old José from the next quinta opines, you appreciate the neat relationship between chickens and chicken wire. On the other hand, if you’ve ever been assailed by a swarm of midges, your first thought isn’t, where did I leave that roll of chicken wire?
Wisdom comes in many guises in these parts. Ever-cheerful and childlike Tiago, who loves everything to do with nature, sums up most things in a word. I don’t expect ever to see him with more on his head than a cap, since he doesn’t kit up even when grape spraying. When I showed him Macron and Merkel, ludicrous in masks, he nodded and said, “Dodos.”
He was right: a dim-witted extinct species come back to roost in the seats of power. But I must have looked downcast, for Tiago went to find, and then wordlessly offered me, a familiar plant with tiny red flowers. Perhaps he considers it a cure for depression, or the virus, I don’t know. But it got me thinking.
Donald Trump seems no more blessed with the marks of maturity. But could that be a ruse? Is he a latter-day Scarlet Pimpernel, whose vain and shallow exterior hides an astuteness we could all learn from?
At each stage of Covid lunacy the US president courageously defied orthodoxy, first pointing to its low risk to most people; then questioning its true nature (“I’m not sure anyone knows what it is.”); its seriousness, likening it to seasonal flu; its longevity (“It will go away”); suggesting a tried-and true remedy, hydroxychloroquine, known to work; challenging the need for lockdown; for face masks (refusing to wear one because they are ridiculous and demeaning); and so on. All these reasonable, often factual, declarations were deemed an outrageous repudiation of the science.
“Trust in science,” Secretary-General Guterres advises. I used to trust my vet Catarina’s scientific judgement on dietary recommendations, until her waiting room filled up with expensive commercial cat biscuits for “every type of cat, including yours.” Luckily, I remembered there was only one domestic cat, Felis catus, and it eats meat.
When the people who do science are engaged in work for private firms, industry or government, we are right to be suspicious. What is worse is when governments themselves flirt with this world.
Worse still is when scientists are motivated by the agendas of extremely wealthy individuals, or those same individuals get to influence the agencies responsible for promoting human health.
The very worst is the cynical and deliberate manipulation of the public by democratic governments, which hide their movements from scrutiny to gain what they seek. All trust evaporates.
The polymath Jacob Bronowski summed up this corruption of knowledge more than forty years ago:
[To be] in love with the aristocracy of intellect…is a belief which can only destroy the civilisation that we know. If we are anything, we must be a democracy of the intellect. We must not perish by the distance between people and government, between people and power… And that distance can only be conflated, can only be closed, if knowledge sits in the homes and heads of people with no ambition to control others, and not up in the isolated seats of power.”
The Ascent of Man (p. 435)
Happily, there are still genuine experts to be found (beyond the borders of my village), scientists who pursue a more noble tradition, committed to the truth, ever humane, and much better at wielding figures — here, here, here, and here in fact.
The UK government recently urged a cautious return to work. If the same thing happened here it would undoubtedly cause a change in behaviour in many villagers, though not in regard to the ‘work’ element. Having never varied their routine of being out and about from sunrise till nightfall, they would be furtively scanning the overgrown verges, on the lookout for a plague of cobras, or perhaps for Pedro’s wolves.
Concern that people in Britain were not jumping at the opportunity to return to work has led to speculation that life at home is too cushy, or that they are afraid to go back. No, it is because people value freedom. And while the madness of mask wearing and physical distancing lasts, along with attendant penalties or shaming for non-compliance, the only true freedom resides in people’s homes.
Homes made comfortable, often beautiful, with their money and hard work; abodes that have become psychological supports; havens of relative sanity where they can find peace from an oppressive government seemingly bent on control and heedless of the harm inflicted; places in which they still feel human.
And if even some time has been spent circumventing the extraordinary dumbing-down policy of mainstream media, in fathoming the ways of deceit and propaganda, in understanding the tragedy of a science co-opted, and how corruption and greed can transform an already duplicitous elite into the enemies of humanity, then the long days at home, deprived of many of the joys and consolations of life, may just have been worthwhile.
For it is to begin to discern, in a gathering gloom, the ruination not just of freedom but of humanity itself. The momentum is set. The world of big business and the world of science draw ever closer. The minds that inhabit these spheres are set to merge. Then, an ever-declining consideration for the welfare of humanity will be matched to an ever-declining comprehension of what it is to be human. Before this fatal moment arrives, the wellsprings of Google’s vast data centres still flow.
Before they are sealed off, it is well to listen to the last voices to be raised in defense of a world we once all believed in.
You will have realized by now that Covid research is merely the beginning of something much bigger. To follow Corona Cat’s trail is like setting off in search of Pedro’s wolves. You’ll find nothing of substance, but all along the twisting paths you’ll encounter people who believe they’re around, and testify to their ferocity. Your own account of the dearth of evidence provokes no interest.
In the end, communicating is a potential source of embarrassment — the more so if your interlocutors are otherwise intelligent and level-headed — and so getting to know where the trails lead and how they interconnect becomes the objective. Your discovery of the greatest scam in a century is exactly balanced by their discovery of a conspiracy theorist in their midst.
Yesterday I was observing António’s sheep and goats, which graze the roadside banks below craggy terrace walls. You’ll recall that in the biblical parable the two species are separated. The sheep go to heaven and the goats to hell.
This is not the happiest animal metaphor in my view. Sheep follow mindlessly. Goats, on the other hand, think for themselves and know what’s what. Which is why António introduces one or two into the flock as guides to take the rest in the right direction, help them find the best fodder, and bring them home when it’s time.
No doubt the sheep, heads down, accepting what comes their way, believe they are pretty cool. But it’s the goats who have scaled the walls.
John Griffin is a philosopher, artist and farmer, currently living in Portugal. His books include On the Origin of Beauty and Javali with Oranges.


offguardian--2020-08-24--“Unite for Freedom” Protest on August 29th

We had only planned it for 5 days , thought we would be back last Wedensday , but then we we were caught by the storm , and lost our new dinghy – the plastic brackets just snapped , and as the sea suddenly became very rough .
My wife and I shouted at the Captain – Get Your Life Jacket on , and most unusually our son obeyed .
It was very rough , but he got his dinghy back .
I screamed at him , do not leave the boat .
We can survive without the dinghy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you..
It was very scary .
So we found shelter for 3 days , when we couldn ’ t move cos the anchor and the chain were entagled amongst rocks ( which probably saved our lives ) The wind was very strong , but sheltered on an island , the other side of the wind , the waves were quite mild – even sexy in bed ( my wife came along too ) On the third day of not being able to move the boat my lad trecked across the other side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He had freedived to try and free the anchor , but was too boyant in his wet suit to disengage the tangle of chains , preventing him from pulling up the anchor .
There was no one there at the dive shop .
All he wanted to do was to borrow a bottle of air ( he is a fully qualified diver but didn ’ t have the gear ) So he comes back to our beach with nothing – and sees this family playing on the beach .
He asks them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with my boat – I can ’ t shift the anchor .
Have you got any scuba diving gear on your boat mate ?
He says to him , Yeh , I will meet you at 2:30pm at low tide .
I have never seen two people who had never met each other work so brilliantly .
trying to think of and try everything they could think of to disentagle the chain and the anchor from the rocks 8 metres below – with my lad freediving…his brilliant new friend on scuba By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never seen two people work so hard together , who had never met each other before in their lives .
He refused to take anything in thanks .
In fact he even offered us some milk .
We caught 7 large pollock and ate most of them ( we were running low on food ) The first few days were like heaven , then it got tough…but we survived ( so far – my son is still out at sea – but I am pretty sure he is safe – in fact he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 weeks , I had almost forgotten about COVID I have a problem .
I will not wear a MASK , and I very rarely go into a shop .
Halfway back home with my wife , I needed £60 ’ s worth of Diesel and a Piss .
The diesel was in my car , as COVID Police turned up , right next to it , and took up station by the entrance to the shop .
They could quite obviously see the packet of fags , sticking out of my shirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shop , but most importantly I was dying for a piss .
The COVID Police followed me round the shop .
My only defence was my walking stick , and talking to my wife ( who was wearing a mask ) .
I paid for the diesel and the snacks – the COVID Police watching my every move…but there was no bag .
So I had to give he snacks to my wife , as I went into the toilets .
Whilst I was in there , the COVID Police Interrogated my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I though I was like a jew in NAZI ENGLAND It really upset me .
We will be off again soon .
You are all mad here in England and you think its normal .

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“Unite for Freedom” Protest on August 29th
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offguardian--2020-08-25--Compassion, not shame: a stranger’s kindness for a maskless shopper sets the example

Now that Oregon Governor Kate Brown has cruelly mandated that healthy people wear masks when visiting indoor public spaces , and has engaged in an ugly hate and shaming campaign , the difficulty for people not wearing a mask has been amplified .
Oregonians are not alone in this .
Across the world the maskless have endured increasing abuse , assaults , fines , and hatred , piling yet more pain on top of the distress we ’ re all under .
Already at the breaking point , some folks just can ’ t take another lash of cruelty , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my personal sense of outrage has been eclipsed by my ability to keep my temper but the armor weakens some days .
We all have every justification to be screaming mad right now , maskless or otherwise .
This entire situation , to be blunt , is bullshit .
Yet in public I hold my tongue and smile .
I prefer peace and so I keep it .
I treat people exactly how I wish to be treated : friendly , benign , nonjudgmental , and helpful if possible .
I exhibit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others around me .
Yes , I know that makes me an asshole .
No , I don ’ t care .
Before the indoors mask edict in Oregon went into effect July 1 , I hadn ’ t gone anywhere in a while , and my stores were getting low .
A week later I finally had no choice but to attempt to go shopping .
There just wasn ’ t any other option .
So I loaded up and headed out , hoping it wouldn ’ t be a horror show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If not , what would I do ?
Would I be the next viral video of a public mask shaming ?
These worries weighed on me as I nervously drove to my destiny with a department store .
It was an incredibly humbling experience .
When I found myself leaning on a shopping cart aiming toward the store ’ s entry door , I was sweating with anxiety .
I knew the medical exemption for indoor mask wearing was meant for people like me .
And I had already contacted the store ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be an issue ; out of courtesy I didn ’ t want to blindside them any more than I wanted to be blindsided with being denied entry .
Yet the meanness and simmering hatred Governor Brown openly exhibits when talking about those not wearing a mask echoed firmly in my head .
How many of the people I was about to encounter consumed and believed her propaganda ?
How many would follow her example and abuse or harass me ?
I went right in unimpeded and no one bothered me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I turned into an aisle , and simply apologized for walking in my way .
No hassling .
A few other customers were unmasked and everyone went about their shopping .
I made it probably 1/3 of the store perimeter before breath issues slowed me , and not long after I was panting and dizzy .
I endured , knowing I ought to make it as long as I took it slow .
I stopped to look at coffee ( first coffee in two weeks ) and the masked employee stocking the shelf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brands on sale I should try .
She was friendly , and smelled some different roasts with me .
She said not one word about my bare face , which is right– if I was in the store , I ’ d already been cleared for entry maskless .
Even just talking coffee I was out of breath and I was leaning against the shelf for support .
Immediately concerned , the clerk offered me a chair .
I protested but before I could stagger away leaning on my cart she produced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sat it right in the aisle for me .
I gratefully fell into it and we lightly chatted about the suffocation of masks while I recovered .
Once I ’ d caught my breath , she actually took the time to walk with me and help track down the rest of my items in case I needed to sit down again .
With a fair amount of effort and a helpful companion , I managed to not end up on the floor and made it to the checkout .
I thanked her profusely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and offered a “ symbolic ” hug since I know real ones are not allowed for employees .
From the moment we met and until we parted , she was kind , helpful , nice , and openly caring .
Such unconditional good treatment towards a stranger , who is , by the estimation of so many politicians and commentators a “ loaded gun ” or a “ drunk driver ” or an outright “ murderer , ” was one of the most humbling things that has happened to me since this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been so nice to me , not once , not in months .
That simple act of kindness was a perfect example of how we all should behave .
No judgment , no impatience , no anger .
Just friendliness , honesty , and being unashamed to openly express care for another person .
The impact of that moment has not faded .
If there is one good person like her , then surely there are more .
But perhaps it is her rarity that makes her so valuable .
The world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influencers and celebrities are all joining forces to create a “ new normal ” where healthy people paradoxically wear masks and those not wearing them , regardless of the reason , are treated as badly as conceivably possible .
This lack of compassion today , I fear , is what their “ new normal ” will feature tomorrow .
Yet that day in that store , a simple act of true compassion and caring set the standard for how we all should proceed from here .
If the aim is to create a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of lockdowns , masks , shutdowns , closures , restrictions , layoffs and depression ?
Why must it involve violence , hatred , shame , and anger ?
Why can ’ t it be one where we care about each other even if we aren ’ t “ following the rules , ” where we won ’ t be publicly shamed by our own leaders or heroes for simply trying to survive ?
One where if you see a person out of breath in a store you don ’ t harass them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair so they can rest .
One where people keep an eye on each other not to tattle or report or shame or doxx but to make sure we ’ re all okay , to see if we need help , or simply just some friendly company .
It can exist .
It existed for two people that day , for just a few precious minutes , wherein a complete stranger did the right thing , the best thing .
It cost her nothing but gave both of us so very much .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” we can aim for .
But it ’ s not new , rather it ’ s something we used to simply call “ normal.
” If a store clerk in a small city and a nobody like me can do it so effortlessly , so unconditionally , so happily , then all of us can , in Oregon– and beyond .
Originally published on Dissenters and Skeptics of Oregon

Oregon Dissenter
Now that Oregon Governor Kate Brown has cruelly mandated that healthy people wear masks when visiting indoor public spaces, and has engaged in an ugly hate and shaming campaign, the difficulty for people not wearing a mask has been amplified.
Oregonians are not alone in this. Across the world the maskless have endured increasing abuse, assaults, fines, and hatred, piling yet more pain on top of the distress we’re all under. Already at the breaking point, some folks just can’t take another lash of cruelty, leading to public incidents.
So far, my personal sense of outrage has been eclipsed by my ability to keep my temper but the armor weakens some days. We all have every justification to be screaming mad right now, maskless or otherwise. This entire situation, to be blunt, is bullshit.
Yet in public I hold my tongue and smile. I prefer peace and so I keep it. I treat people exactly how I wish to be treated: friendly, benign, nonjudgmental, and helpful if possible. I exhibit or model the behavior I expect from others around me. Yes, I know that makes me an asshole. No, I don’t care.
Before the indoors mask edict in Oregon went into effect July 1, I hadn’t gone anywhere in a while, and my stores were getting low. A week later I finally had no choice but to attempt to go shopping. There just wasn’t any other option.
So I loaded up and headed out, hoping it wouldn’t be a horror show. Would I even get in? If not, what would I do? Would I be the next viral video of a public mask shaming? These worries weighed on me as I nervously drove to my destiny with a department store.
It was an incredibly humbling experience.
When I found myself leaning on a shopping cart aiming toward the store’s entry door, I was sweating with anxiety. I knew the medical exemption for indoor mask wearing was meant for people like me. And I had already contacted the store ahead of time to make sure there wouldn’t be an issue; out of courtesy I didn’t want to blindside them any more than I wanted to be blindsided with being denied entry.
Yet the meanness and simmering hatred Governor Brown openly exhibits when talking about those not wearing a mask echoed firmly in my head. How many of the people I was about to encounter consumed and believed her propaganda? How many would follow her example and abuse or harass me?
I went right in unimpeded and no one bothered me. An employee crossed paths with me as I turned into an aisle, and simply apologized for walking in my way. No hassling. A few other customers were unmasked and everyone went about their shopping.
I made it probably 1/3 of the store perimeter before breath issues slowed me, and not long after I was panting and dizzy. I endured, knowing I ought to make it as long as I took it slow.
I stopped to look at coffee (first coffee in two weeks) and the masked employee stocking the shelf offered some ideas as to which of the brands on sale I should try. She was friendly, and smelled some different roasts with me. She said not one word about my bare face, which is right– if I was in the store, I’d already been cleared for entry maskless.
Even just talking coffee I was out of breath and I was leaning against the shelf for support. Immediately concerned, the clerk offered me a chair.
I protested but before I could stagger away leaning on my cart she produced a camping chair from a display and sat it right in the aisle for me. I gratefully fell into it and we lightly chatted about the suffocation of masks while I recovered.
Once I’d caught my breath, she actually took the time to walk with me and help track down the rest of my items in case I needed to sit down again. With a fair amount of effort and a helpful companion, I managed to not end up on the floor and made it to the checkout.
I thanked her profusely, made sure to note her name, and offered a “symbolic” hug since I know real ones are not allowed for employees. From the moment we met and until we parted, she was kind, helpful, nice, and openly caring.
Such unconditional good treatment towards a stranger, who is, by the estimation of so many politicians and commentators a “loaded gun” or a “drunk driver” or an outright “murderer,” was one of the most humbling things that has happened to me since this whole coronavirus debacle started.
No stranger has been so nice to me, not once, not in months.
That simple act of kindness was a perfect example of how we all should behave. No judgment, no impatience, no anger. Just friendliness, honesty, and being unashamed to openly express care for another person.
The impact of that moment has not faded. If there is one good person like her, then surely there are more. But perhaps it is her rarity that makes her so valuable.
The world’s media, elected officials, influencers and celebrities are all joining forces to create a “new normal” where healthy people paradoxically wear masks and those not wearing them, regardless of the reason, are treated as badly as conceivably possible. This lack of compassion today, I fear, is what their “new normal” will feature tomorrow.
Yet that day in that store, a simple act of true compassion and caring set the standard for how we all should proceed from here.
If the aim is to create a new normal then why must it be one of lockdowns, masks, shutdowns, closures, restrictions, layoffs and depression? Why must it involve violence, hatred, shame, and anger?
Why can’t it be one where we care about each other even if we aren’t “following the rules,” where we won’t be publicly shamed by our own leaders or heroes for simply trying to survive?
One where if you see a person out of breath in a store you don’t harass them about a mask but rather offer a chair so they can rest. One where people keep an eye on each other not to tattle or report or shame or doxx but to make sure we’re all okay, to see if we need help, or simply just some friendly company.
It can exist. It existed for two people that day, for just a few precious minutes, wherein a complete stranger did the right thing, the best thing. It cost her nothing but gave both of us so very much.
That is the best “new normal” we can aim for. But it’s not new, rather it’s something we used to simply call “normal.”
If a store clerk in a small city and a nobody like me can do it so effortlessly, so unconditionally, so happily, then all of us can, in Oregon– and beyond.
Originally published on Dissenters and Skeptics of Oregon


offguardian--2020-08-25--Hymn for a Broken Empire: Republican National Security Officials for Biden

If fodder is needed for the argument that a Deep State is running wild and determined to depose President Donald J. Trump , this will surely help .
In a statement by self-titled “ former Republican National Security Officials ” , a hand-on-heart allegiance is made to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
The authors are intent on moving the incumbent out of office , “ profoundly concerned about our nation ’ s security and standing in the world under the leadership of Donald Trump .
The President has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Gen. Michael Hayden , see Joe Biden as the better horse .
He has “ the character , experience and temperament to lead this nation.
” They might have their disagreements with him , but there would be “ the time to debate those policy differences ” .
In the immediate future , Trump had to be ushered out of office to stop his “ assault on our nation ’ s values and institutions.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ language of defending democracy , the very sort of fragile creature such individuals have not been averse to mutilating in the past .
But it is also couched in terms of cod psychology .
The term “ unfit ” is used four times .
This lack of fitness was demonstrated by bad character , corrupt behaviour , the inability to lead “ during a national crisis.
” What is particularly galling for the authors is that Trump dared interfere with the National Security Family , offices of the imperium that should run without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they term it , involved the dismissal or replacement “ often by tweet ” of “ the secretaries of State , Defense , and Homeland Security , the Attorney General , the Directors of National Intelligence and the FBI , three National Security Advisors , and other senior officials in critical national security positions ” .
The signers also take issue with the president ’ s spread of “ misinformation ” , the undermining of public health expertise , attacking officials at state and local level “ and wallowing in self-pity.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ than the health of the American people.
” Misinformation is a good point .
Trump has been exceedingly inventive to the point of fiction in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic .
He takes of the root of conspiracy .
But it is also worth noting that many of these former security officials who take issue with him were not averse to getting on the well-laden wagon of misinformation when it came to launching a war against Iraq in 2003 .
The administration of George W. Bush was stacked high with true believers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspectors .
Then Secretary of State Colin Powell , who put in an appearance at the Democratic National Convention just passed , gave a show of supreme mendacity on February 5 , 2003 before the United Nations .
“ What we ’ re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.
” What was solid was the premature adjudication of the matter : Saddam Hussein had to go , and fictional weapons of mass destruction would do nicely as a pretext .
The result was the commission of what is loftily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” : the crime against peace or what is sometimes , if awkwardly termed , a “ war of aggression ” .
In 2005 , criminologists Ronald Kramer , Raymond Michalowski and Dawn Rothe gazed forlornly at the US-led invasion of Iraq and concluded that it , and the subsequent occupation , violated international law .
State crimes had been committed and “ state officials responsible for the violations of law pursuant to the invasion and occupation of Iraq are guilty of war crimes.
” The signatories of this pro-Biden note also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s compromising of the Department of Justice , his libelling of federal judges , and those who “ sought to uphold the law.
” He insulated himself from accountability , fired officials who commenced investigations or testified against him , threatened whistleblowers , promised pardons for silence “ and blocked prison time for a political crony convicted of lying on his behalf.
” Smelly stuff indeed , till you consider what took place in the Republic after September 11 , 2001 .
During those dark years under GWB , the rule of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and was barely able to walk after that .
Warrantless surveillance of US citizens was conducted with the specific purpose of avoiding the law altogether .
Torture was modish , given a shining light as a preferred method of military interrogation ; inventive apologias and seedy justifications could be found through the DOJ for it use .
The “ Bush Six ” – Alberto Gonzales , David Addington , William Haynes , John Yoo , Jay Bybee and Douglas Feith – rode high on stallions of bare legality .
The Central Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rendition Program .
Guantanamo Bay became code for human rights violations and legal purgatory .
In 2005 , Human Rights Watch suggested that the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld , CIA Director George Tenet and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez , formerly the chief US commander in Iraq and Gen. Geoffrey Miller , former commander of the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , be investigated for allegations of torture .
In 2011 , HRW released a further report arguing for “ a broad criminal investigation into alleged crimes committed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detainees , the CIA detention program , and the rendition of detainees to torture.
” To date , these dark retainers of executive power remain free to go about their business and whitewash a sullied era .
The Obama administration ensured that no prosecutions would take place .
The vocal , boisterous defenders of a cause are bound to be those who have , along the way , fiddled and forfeited it .
Be wary , claimed E.M. Forster in “ What I Believe ” , of the cohorts overly keen on causes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ransack an already soiled office .
The precedent of a burgeoning imperial presidency , indifferent to caution and legality , eager to bloody the noses of adversaries , spy on citizens and evade the rule of law , was already there to emulate .
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College , Cambridge .
He lectures at RMIT University , Melbourne .
Email : [ email protected ]

Binoy Kampmark
If fodder is needed for the argument that a Deep State is running wild and determined to depose President Donald J. Trump, this will surely help. In a statement by self-titled “former Republican National Security Officials”, a hand-on-heart allegiance is made to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
The authors are intent on moving the incumbent out of office, “profoundly concerned about our nation’s security and standing in the world under the leadership of Donald Trump. The President has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.”
These former security officials, who include former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Gen. Michael Hayden, see Joe Biden as the better horse. He has “the character, experience and temperament to lead this nation.”
They might have their disagreements with him, but there would be “the time to debate those policy differences”. In the immediate future, Trump had to be ushered out of office to stop his “assault on our nation’s values and institutions.”
The message is regaled in the language of defending democracy, the very sort of fragile creature such individuals have not been averse to mutilating in the past. But it is also couched in terms of cod psychology. The term “unfit” is used four times. This lack of fitness was demonstrated by bad character, corrupt behaviour, the inability to lead “during a national crisis.”
What is particularly galling for the authors is that Trump dared interfere with the National Security Family, offices of the imperium that should run without disruption and melodrama.
This mismanagement, as they term it, involved the dismissal or replacement “often by tweet” of “the secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Directors of National Intelligence and the FBI, three National Security Advisors, and other senior officials in critical national security positions”.
The signers also take issue with the president’s spread of “misinformation”, the undermining of public health expertise, attacking officials at state and local level “and wallowing in self-pity.” He had demonstrated greater interest in re-election “than the health of the American people.”
Misinformation is a good point. Trump has been exceedingly inventive to the point of fiction in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. He takes of the root of conspiracy. But it is also worth noting that many of these former security officials who take issue with him were not averse to getting on the well-laden wagon of misinformation when it came to launching a war against Iraq in 2003. The administration of George W. Bush was stacked high with true believers allergic to the findings of UN weapons inspectors.
Then Secretary of State Colin Powell, who put in an appearance at the Democratic National Convention just passed, gave a show of supreme mendacity on February 5, 2003 before the United Nations. “What we’re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”
What was solid was the premature adjudication of the matter: Saddam Hussein had to go, and fictional weapons of mass destruction would do nicely as a pretext.
The result was the commission of what is loftily described as the “supreme international crime”: the crime against peace or what is sometimes, if awkwardly termed, a “war of aggression”.
In 2005, criminologists Ronald Kramer, Raymond Michalowski and Dawn Rothe gazed forlornly at the US-led invasion of Iraq and concluded that it, and the subsequent occupation, violated international law. State crimes had been committed and “state officials responsible for the violations of law pursuant to the invasion and occupation of Iraq are guilty of war crimes.”
The signatories of this pro-Biden note also have their noses out of joint at Trump’s compromising of the Department of Justice, his libelling of federal judges, and those who “sought to uphold the law.” He insulated himself from accountability, fired officials who commenced investigations or testified against him, threatened whistleblowers, promised pardons for silence “and blocked prison time for a political crony convicted of lying on his behalf.”
Smelly stuff indeed, till you consider what took place in the Republic after September 11, 2001. During those dark years under GWB, the rule of law was given a right royal thrashing, and was barely able to walk after that. Warrantless surveillance of US citizens was conducted with the specific purpose of avoiding the law altogether.
Torture was modish, given a shining light as a preferred method of military interrogation; inventive apologias and seedy justifications could be found through the DOJ for it use. The “Bush Six” – Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, William Haynes, John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Douglas Feith – rode high on stallions of bare legality. The Central Intelligence Agency got bold and ugly with its Rendition Program. Guantanamo Bay became code for human rights violations and legal purgatory.
In 2005, Human Rights Watch suggested that the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA Director George Tenet and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, formerly the chief US commander in Iraq and Gen. Geoffrey Miller, former commander of the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, be investigated for allegations of torture.
In 2011, HRW released a further report arguing for “a broad criminal investigation into alleged crimes committed in connection with the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, the CIA detention program, and the rendition of detainees to torture.”
To date, these dark retainers of executive power remain free to go about their business and whitewash a sullied era. The Obama administration ensured that no prosecutions would take place.
The vocal, boisterous defenders of a cause are bound to be those who have, along the way, fiddled and forfeited it. Be wary, claimed E.M. Forster in “What I Believe”, of the cohorts overly keen on causes.
“I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend I hope I would have the guts to betray my country.”
Trump has done his immodest bit to ransack an already soiled office. The precedent of a burgeoning imperial presidency, indifferent to caution and legality, eager to bloody the noses of adversaries, spy on citizens and evade the rule of law, was already there to emulate.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]