theduran--2020-04-21--Leaping from Despair into Hope: The Lesson of Rembrandt’s Resurrection for Today’s Troubled World

Today , the world finds itself moving through a turbulent transformation between two systems .
Collapsing at a faster rate every day are the foundations of a failed imperial world order defined by zero-sum thinking , consumerism and materialism which has defined our existence for decades .
The question is now : will the new world system take the form of a new era of global empire , unmitigated war between faiths and a prolonged dark age OR might it take the form of the beautiful multi-polar world order defined by win-win cooperation between all of the nations , faiths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his life , Rembrandt van Rijn ( 1606-1669 ) continuously returned to the axiom-breaking theme of the famous biblical story of the ‘ Supper at Emmaus ’ in order to convey the powerful transformative “ moment ” of discovery in between the two states of mind of 1 ) the belief in the death of Christ and the end to his life ’ s mission and 2 ) the state of renewed faith in the immortal hope represented by the image of the resurrection .
While this lesson is taken from the Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides a lesson for people of all cultures who seek to bring a better world into being .
Before jumping to an analysis of some beautiful paintings , it would be necessary to summarize ever so briefly the story of the Dinner at Emmaus .
The Dinner at Emmaus and The Importance of Christianity in World History Featured in the New Testament Gospels of Luke and Mark , Jesus is invited to eat with two of his disciples ( Luke and Cleopas ) in the town of Emmaus .
This wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that Jesus had been violently crucified on the cross and entombed days earlier .
Neither Luke nor Cleopas recognize their mentor who has been resurrected after being entombed for three days and it is only upon breaking bread with this stranger that they make their discovery just as Christ vanishes miraculously into light .
Whether you are a Christian , Muslim , Jew , Confucian , Hindu , Buddhist or other , the lesson conveyed by this biblical story and especially Rembrandt ’ s artistic treatment has a universal value for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mission represented a moral power of changewhich had the unique capacity to undo the foundations of the Roman Empire .
This movement accomplished this miraculous feat not through military force , money or any other Hobbesian notion of power , but merely by tuning the hearts and minds of a suppressed people to the power of forgiveness , loving all including one ’ s enemies , and adhering to one ’ s conscience before all “ political norms of acceptable behaviour ” demanded by the Roman oligarchy .
One can imagine how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see that light of hope snuffed out under the suffocating weight of the world ’ s largest and most evil of empires whose unchallenged power had extended to Asia , Africa and all Europe .
One can easily imagine what an existential crisis overwhelmed the hearts of these early followers of Jesus ’ Gospel .
Were they just naive fools to believe in a better world and a loving Creator when such evil could dominate the world ?
How powerful and electrifying was the idea that the sacrificed leader of this movement actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even the most powerful of emperors and kings could not escape ?
If this were possible , then perhaps the material power of the Empire could be defeated after all and perhaps the ideals of Christ ’ s life and mission were worth having faith in too .
Over the coming centuries , the Roman oligarchy slowly learned that regardless of how many Christians it burned alive , or threw into the mouths of wild animals for the entertainment of the mob , the movement only grew in numbers .
This continued to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to attempt to co-opt the movement by Romanizing it and infusing imperial , pagan practices into its governing structures slowly suffocating the spirit of Christ ’ s message in favour of the formal structures of the “ word ” of the book as interpreted by an approved “ priesthood ” beholden to an oligarchical class .
Amidst this tendency to corruption and decay , Christ ’ s spirit was periodically re-awakened from time to time in the form of honest souls who broke from formalization to “ walk the walk ” and live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ souls who “ broke from the mould ” include such names as St. Augustine of Hippo , Alcuin , Charlemagne , Dante Alighieri , Nicholas of Cusa , Erasmus , Thomas More , and even Rembrandt van Rijn .
Were it not for their efforts to renew the spirit of Christianity by enflaming the kindling for new Renaissances , Europe would likely still be living under the conditions of the medieval dark age , or worse .
One can also argue that were it not for this transformative and miraculous story of reincarnation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just another one of many Jewish sects that tried nobly to bring substance to the darkness of a war-ridden world… but ultimately failed .
It is no coincidence that Rembrandt ’ s famous 1648 rendition of the theme of the ‘ Dinner at Emmaus ’ was painted during the year that the great Peace of Westphalia was finalised in Europe .
This Treaty not only ended the 30 Years War that destroyed generations of Europeans in an endless revengist bloodbath of Protestantism vs Catholicism , but also created a new basis of international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation states premised around the principles of forgiveness , and the agapic principle of the “ Benefit of the Other ” .
In the modern age , a correlate to this principle is found beautifully in the policy of “ win-win cooperation ” expressed in China ’ s New Silk Road which itself emanates from Confucian principles of “ Tianxia ” .
Rembrandt ’ s 1628 rendition of ‘ Supper at Emmaus ’ is featured below with an incredible use of chiaroscuro to convey the divinity of Christ and also the motion from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of knowledge .
Rembrandt ’ s choice to place the central focus on the un-named disciple rather than on Christ whom he places in a foreground silhouette is not an accident and neither is the choice to place the maid working in the kitchen covered in shadow and oblivious to the miracle behind her .
This central focus on the discovery process occurring in the mind of the disciple creates an opportunity for a cathartic experience with the viewer who is invited to share in the co-discovery occurring before their eyes .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s figure just before he disappears casts a divine glow upon his surprised associate which is very different from the candle casting artificial light upon the maid in the kitchen .
This metaphorical use of light is another device used by all great Platonic humanists to convey the image of different grades of knowledge as outlined in the famous Allegory of the Cave in Plato ’ s Republic .
Another rendition of Rembrandt ’ s ‘ Supper at Emmaus ’ was painted in 1648 featuring the artist ’ s struggle to convey the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rembrandt placed the light source not in Christ but rather hidden from view covered by one of his disciples .
In this rendition , Rembrandt chose to place the event on a theatrical stage ( a device he used in several biblical themes ) .
The great master understood painting as a performative principle akin to acting and not as some mere presentation of pretty objects on canvas and as such he wished the audience to imagine reliving the experience fully as good actors should rather than merely admire a show as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sketches , we see that Rembrandt considered rendering the scene in a very different manner wherein Christ would be depicted a split second later as pure light .
It is worth taking the opportunity to think to yourself : Why did the painter decide not to take this route ?
Why was the path he chose deemed wiser to the master ?
What idea is missing from the sketch ?
Velasquez Tackles the Paradox of Spirit and Matter A contemporary painter and kindred spirit to Rembrandt was the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge of capturing the important “ in between ” moment conveyed in the biblical story .
Many contemporary art critics who lack the sensitivity to art ’ s higher power to convey transformative discoveries often miss the principled intention of both Rembrandt and Velasquez ’ s moral choice to convey this subject matter ( and all their works ) as they do .
Below we can see Velasquez ’ s 1623 rendition of the “ eureka moment ” forever unfolding before the eyes of all future generations .
The hand of one disciple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the brilliant technical effect of immersing the audience into the living experience of discovery and further abolishing the false “ wall ” separating the “ subjective ” viewer from the “ objective ” art being viewed .
A few years before this painting , Velasquez tackled the same theme from the unique standpoint of the servant girl fixing a meal in the kitchen and placing the divine transformative scene in the background… not to downplay the importance of the event but to give the viewer a chance to breath , and ponder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordinary world in which we all exist which are too often fragmented and divided by an unbridgeable gulf between “ abstract ” spiritual concepts and “ real ” material facts .
We hope that during this Easter Sunday and all of the days to follow , you dear reader , take the time to seek the power of creative love and faith in a better world within yourself while sharing the fruits of that search with others .
Perhaps , in so doing the lives of such great souls as Velasquez , Rembrandt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may come alive once more .
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk , and has authored 3 volumes of ‘ Untold History of Canada ’ book series .
In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be reached at [ email protected ]

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Originally published on the Strategic Culture Foundation
Today, the world finds itself moving through a turbulent transformation between two systems. Collapsing at a faster rate every day are the foundations of a failed imperial world order defined by zero-sum thinking, consumerism and materialism which has defined our existence for decades. The question is now: will the new world system take the form of a new era of global empire, unmitigated war between faiths and a prolonged dark age OR might it take the form of the beautiful multi-polar world order defined by win-win cooperation between all of the nations, faiths and cultures of the world?
Throughout his life, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) continuously returned to the axiom-breaking theme of the famous biblical story of the ‘Supper at Emmaus’ in order to convey the powerful transformative “moment” of discovery in between the two states of mind of 1) the belief in the death of Christ and the end to his life’s mission and 2) the state of renewed faith in the immortal hope represented by the image of the resurrection. While this lesson is taken from the Christian matrix, it’s universal characteristic provides a lesson for people of all cultures who seek to bring a better world into being.
Before jumping to an analysis of some beautiful paintings, it would be necessary to summarize ever so briefly the story of the Dinner at Emmaus.
The Dinner at Emmaus and The Importance of Christianity in World History
Featured in the New Testament Gospels of Luke and Mark, Jesus is invited to eat with two of his disciples (Luke and Cleopas) in the town of Emmaus. This wouldn’t be anything exceptional, except for the fact that Jesus had been violently crucified on the cross and entombed days earlier. Neither Luke nor Cleopas recognize their mentor who has been resurrected after being entombed for three days and it is only upon breaking bread with this stranger that they make their discovery just as Christ vanishes miraculously into light.
Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Confucian, Hindu, Buddhist or other, the lesson conveyed by this biblical story and especially Rembrandt’s artistic treatment has a universal value for the simple reason that Christ’s life and mission represented a moral power of changewhich had the unique capacity to undo the foundations of the Roman Empire. This movement accomplished this miraculous feat not through military force, money or any other Hobbesian notion of power, but merely by tuning the hearts and minds of a suppressed people to the power of forgiveness, loving all including one’s enemies, and adhering to one’s conscience before all “political norms of acceptable behaviour” demanded by the Roman oligarchy.
One can imagine how disheartened Christ’s followers were to see that light of hope snuffed out under the suffocating weight of the world’s largest and most evil of empires whose unchallenged power had extended to Asia, Africa and all Europe. One can easily imagine what an existential crisis overwhelmed the hearts of these early followers of Jesus’ Gospel. Were they just naive fools to believe in a better world and a loving Creator when such evil could dominate the world? How powerful and electrifying was the idea that the sacrificed leader of this movement actually succeeded in defeating the one thing which even the most powerful of emperors and kings could not escape? If this were possible, then perhaps the material power of the Empire could be defeated after all and perhaps the ideals of Christ’s life and mission were worth having faith in too.
Over the coming centuries, the Roman oligarchy slowly learned that regardless of how many Christians it burned alive, or threw into the mouths of wild animals for the entertainment of the mob, the movement only grew in numbers. This continued to the point that the Empire was forced to attempt to co-opt the movement by Romanizing it and infusing imperial, pagan practices into its governing structures slowly suffocating the spirit of Christ’s message in favour of the formal structures of the “word” of the book as interpreted by an approved “priesthood” beholden to an oligarchical class.
Amidst this tendency to corruption and decay, Christ’s spirit was periodically re-awakened from time to time in the form of honest souls who broke from formalization to “walk the walk” and live according to their consciences. These courageous souls who “broke from the mould” include such names as St. Augustine of Hippo, Alcuin, Charlemagne, Dante Alighieri, Nicholas of Cusa, Erasmus, Thomas More, and even Rembrandt van Rijn. Were it not for their efforts to renew the spirit of Christianity by enflaming the kindling for new Renaissances, Europe would likely still be living under the conditions of the medieval dark age, or worse.
One can also argue that were it not for this transformative and miraculous story of reincarnation, then Christianity would have merely been just another one of many Jewish sects that tried nobly to bring substance to the darkness of a war-ridden world… but ultimately failed.
Rembrandt’s Renaissance Challenge
It is no coincidence that Rembrandt’s famous 1648 rendition of the theme of the ‘Dinner at Emmaus’ was painted during the year that the great Peace of Westphalia was finalised in Europe. This Treaty not only ended the 30 Years War that destroyed generations of Europeans in an endless revengist bloodbath of Protestantism vs Catholicism, but also created a new basis of international law by establishing the system of modern nation states premised around the principles of forgiveness, and the agapic principle of the “Benefit of the Other”. In the modern age, a correlate to this principle is found beautifully in the policy of “win-win cooperation” expressed in China’s New Silk Road which itself emanates from Confucian principles of “Tianxia”.
1648 rendition of Rembrandt’s ‘Supper at Emmaus;
Rembrandt’s 1628 rendition of ‘Supper at Emmaus’ is featured below with an incredible use of chiaroscuro to convey the divinity of Christ and also the motion from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. Rembrandt’s choice to place the central focus on the un-named disciple rather than on Christ whom he places in a foreground silhouette is not an accident and neither is the choice to place the maid working in the kitchen covered in shadow and oblivious to the miracle behind her. This central focus on the discovery process occurring in the mind of the disciple creates an opportunity for a cathartic experience with the viewer who is invited to share in the co-discovery occurring before their eyes.
The ethereal divine light emanating from Christ’s figure just before he disappears casts a divine glow upon his surprised associate which is very different from the candle casting artificial light upon the maid in the kitchen. This metaphorical use of light is another device used by all great Platonic humanists to convey the image of different grades of knowledge as outlined in the famous Allegory of the Cave in Plato’s Republic.
Rembrandt’s 1628 rendition of “Supper at Emmaus”
Another rendition of Rembrandt’s ‘Supper at Emmaus’ was painted in 1648 featuring the artist’s struggle to convey the transformative change. In the version below, Rembrandt placed the light source not in Christ but rather hidden from view covered by one of his disciples. In this rendition, Rembrandt chose to place the event on a theatrical stage (a device he used in several biblical themes). The great master understood painting as a performative principle akin to acting and not as some mere presentation of pretty objects on canvas and as such he wished the audience to imagine reliving the experience fully as good actors should rather than merely admire a show as voyeurs.
Looking through his surviving thumbnail sketches, we see that Rembrandt considered rendering the scene in a very different manner wherein Christ would be depicted a split second later as pure light. It is worth taking the opportunity to think to yourself: Why did the painter decide not to take this route? Why was the path he chose deemed wiser to the master? What idea is missing from the sketch?
Velasquez Tackles the Paradox of Spirit and Matter
A contemporary painter and kindred spirit to Rembrandt was the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez (1599-1660) who also took on the challenge of capturing the important “in between” moment conveyed in the biblical story. Many contemporary art critics who lack the sensitivity to art’s higher power to convey transformative discoveries often miss the principled intention of both Rembrandt and Velasquez’s moral choice to convey this subject matter (and all their works) as they do. Below we can see Velasquez’s 1623 rendition of the “eureka moment” forever unfolding before the eyes of all future generations.
The hand of one disciple strikes back towards the viewer which also has the brilliant technical effect of immersing the audience into the living experience of discovery and further abolishing the false “wall” separating the “subjective” viewer from the “objective” art being viewed.
A few years before this painting, Velasquez tackled the same theme from the unique standpoint of the servant girl fixing a meal in the kitchen and placing the divine transformative scene in the background… not to downplay the importance of the event but to give the viewer a chance to breath, and ponder the co-existence of the divine and the ordinary world in which we all exist which are too often fragmented and divided by an unbridgeable gulf between “abstract” spiritual concepts and “real” material facts.
We hope that during this Easter Sunday and all of the days to follow, you dear reader, take the time to seek the power of creative love and faith in a better world within yourself while sharing the fruits of that search with others. Perhaps, in so doing the lives of such great souls as Velasquez, Rembrandt, Confucius, Socrates, and Christ may come alive once more.
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk, and has authored 3 volumes of ‘Untold History of Canada’ book series. In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be reached at matt.ehret@tutamail.com
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theduran--2020-04-21--Sweden may find itself on the brink of catastrophe

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Lucas Leiroz , research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro… Sweden is on the verge of a real health and humanitarian catastrophe with the new coronavirus pandemic .
With almost 15,000 infected and about 1600 dead , the country is preparing to become one of the biggest affected by the virus in a few weeks .
However , unlike most nations , Sweden does not adopt quarantine and social isolation measures as public policies of compulsory and coercive nature , which has further facilitated the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 Swedish scientists wrote an open letter formally calling for “ swift and radical action ” by the country ’ s government to begin containing the further spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the country .
Previously , a group of more than 2,300 local researchers asked for the same .
The 22 scientists call on the government to immediately close schools and restaurants , conduct mass tests of health workers and force quarantines between families with a confirmed infection .
However , the government of Sweden opted , in an absolutely opposite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social detachment and voluntary self-isolation of the population .
The architect of the government ’ s strategy , state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell , publicly disapproved of the letter ’ s claims .
These are his words : “ I don ’ t understand what they mean .
The health care system has always been under control .
If you look at the curve , we have consistently had about 60 deaths a day .
We have had an unfortunate development in caring for the elderly and we started working hard on that ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flaws in the policy of social isolation in New York , which has ten times the death toll from Sweden , despite having a similar population to the country .
According to the epidemiologist , the difference in counts of deaths by countries tend to be very confusing , choosing to protect the Swedish economy instead of taking hasty measures .
When looking at the crisis in the country since a deep analytical point , we may come to the conclusion that Anders Tegnell is not correct in claiming that there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolation in Sweden .
If there is such a strategy , its influence on government ’ s decision-making is minimal , since the predominant factor is another : the ideology of the Swedish State .
Sweden is one of the European countries most committed to the liberal , democratic and western values that currently guide Europe , being one of the most permissive countries in relation to the axiological liberal agenda , which includes at its core the identity claims of the new lefts , the so-called “ identity causes ” , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal and anti-state economic proposals .
The supreme values of Swedish ideology are individual freedoms and , for this reason , the government can not even consider reducing them , even if this decision depends on the survival of its own population .
This is the Swedish bet : the belief that individuals will sovereignly decide what is best for them and for others and that this will be enough to prevent further damage to the country ’ s stability during the global pandemic .
Apparently , neither the negative experience of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopt social isolation nor the increase in deaths among the population itself can alter this immutable decision of the government , which silently watches the escalation of the infection in the name of individual freedoms and liberalism .
This is yet another chapter in the axiological war fought in the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic : the less Western ( liberal ) , the stronger States are against this invisible enemy ; the more western , the weaker and more vulnerable they are .
In order to combat the disease , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly less western , as European democracies are already doing , as well as the USA itself – epicenter of western ideology and , not coincidentally , of the pandemic .
Sweden considers the need for these measures and their strong strategic value , but does not make the slightest effort to implement them as it considers that they would mean the death of the Swedish democracy .
Fortunately , the government ’ s decision is not approved by all sectors of the society , with strong disapproval among the most specialists and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Umea in northeastern Sweden , says he believes the government ’ s strategy “ is not prudent ” .
These are his words : “ I think we should learn from the experience of other countries , but we have not learned any lessons from what is happening in Italy and Spain .
We must learn from them , be more rigorous in the implementation ( of measures ) and ensure that this does not turn into a public health catastrophe “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most worrying fact : the virus has a long waiting period until it manifests itself in symptoms , so it is very likely that a large part of the country ’ s population is already infected asymptomatically , transmitting it to others due to the absence of isolation , and that the results will appear only weeks later .
Finally , it remains to be seen which of the voices will be heard by the government : that of specialists committed to the well-being of the population or that of fanatical defenders of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will only find out too late that diminishing some freedoms could be vital to the survival of democracy itself in times of crisis .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro…
Sweden is on the verge of a real health and humanitarian catastrophe with the new coronavirus pandemic. With almost 15,000 infected and about 1600 dead, the country is preparing to become one of the biggest affected by the virus in a few weeks. However, unlike most nations, Sweden does not adopt quarantine and social isolation measures as public policies of compulsory and coercive nature, which has further facilitated the spread of the infection.
Recently, a group of 22 Swedish scientists wrote an open letter formally calling for “swift and radical action” by the country’s government to begin containing the further spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Previously, a group of more than 2,300 local researchers asked for the same. The 22 scientists call on the government to immediately close schools and restaurants, conduct mass tests of health workers and force quarantines between families with a confirmed infection.
However, the government of Sweden opted, in an absolutely opposite sense, to place its faith in social detachment and voluntary self-isolation of the population. The architect of the government’s strategy, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, publicly disapproved of the letter’s claims. These are his words: “I don’t understand what they mean. The health care system has always been under control. If you look at the curve, we have consistently had about 60 deaths a day. We have had an unfortunate development in caring for the elderly and we started working hard on that”. Tegnell also pointed to the well-known flaws in the policy of social isolation in New York, which has ten times the death toll from Sweden, despite having a similar population to the country. According to the epidemiologist, the difference in counts of deaths by countries tend to be very confusing, choosing to protect the Swedish economy instead of taking hasty measures.
When looking at the crisis in the country since a deep analytical point, we may come to the conclusion that Anders Tegnell is not correct in claiming that there is a strategic planning behind the absence of social isolation in Sweden. If there is such a strategy, its influence on government’s decision-making is minimal, since the predominant factor is another: the ideology of the Swedish State. Sweden is one of the European countries most committed to the liberal, democratic and western values that currently guide Europe, being one of the most permissive countries in relation to the axiological liberal agenda, which includes at its core the identity claims of the new lefts, the so-called “identity causes”, which constitute individualist agendas almost always added to liberal and anti-state economic proposals.
The supreme values of Swedish ideology are individual freedoms and, for this reason, the government cannot even consider reducing them, even if this decision depends on the survival of its own population. This is the Swedish bet: the belief that individuals will sovereignly decide what is best for them and for others and that this will be enough to prevent further damage to the country’s stability during the global pandemic. Apparently, neither the negative experience of all the countries that took too long to adopt social isolation nor the increase in deaths among the population itself can alter this immutable decision of the government, which silently watches the escalation of the infection in the name of individual freedoms and liberalism.
This is yet another chapter in the axiological war fought in the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic: the less Western (liberal), the stronger States are against this invisible enemy; the more western, the weaker and more vulnerable they are. In order to combat the disease, it is essential that all western states become increasingly less western, as European democracies are already doing, as well as the USA itself – epicenter of western ideology and, not coincidentally, of the pandemic. Sweden considers the need for these measures and their strong strategic value, but does not make the slightest effort to implement them as it considers that they would mean the death of the Swedish democracy.
Fortunately, the government’s decision is not approved by all sectors of the society, with strong disapproval among the most specialists and among the people themselves. Joacim Rocklöv, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Umea in northeastern Sweden, says he believes the government’s strategy “is not prudent”. These are his words: “I think we should learn from the experience of other countries, but we have not learned any lessons from what is happening in Italy and Spain. We must learn from them, be more rigorous in the implementation (of measures) and ensure that this does not turn into a public health catastrophe “. The specialist also warns of the most worrying fact: the virus has a long waiting period until it manifests itself in symptoms, so it is very likely that a large part of the country’s population is already infected asymptomatically, transmitting it to others due to the absence of isolation, and that the results will appear only weeks later.
Finally, it remains to be seen which of the voices will be heard by the government: that of specialists committed to the well-being of the population or that of fanatical defenders of ethereal values. Perhaps the Swedish government will only find out too late that diminishing some freedoms could be vital to the survival of democracy itself in times of crisis.
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theduran--2020-04-21--Obama White House knew Steele dossier was full of lies (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris take a look the latest declassified Horowitz footnotes that show Obama White House officials knew that the Steele Dossier was full of lies and disinformation campaigned designed to target US President Trump .
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Newly declassified footnotes from Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz ’ s December FBI report reveals that senior Obama officials , including members of the FBI ’ s Crossfire Hurricane team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British spy during the 2016 election was Russian disinformation to target President Donald Trump .
Further , the partially declassified footnotes reveal that those senior intelligence officials were aware of the disinformation when they included the dossier in the Obama administration ’ s Intelligence Communities Assessment ( ICA ) .
As important , the footnotes reveal that there had been a request to validate information collected by British spy Christopher Steele as far back as 2015 , and that there was concern among members of the FBI and intelligence community about his reliability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the Crossfire Hurricane team in their pursuit against the Trump campaign officials , according to sources who spoke to this reporter and the footnotes .
The explosive footnotes were partially declassified and made public Wednesday , after a lengthy review by the Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell ’ s office .
Grenell sent the letter Wednesday releasing the documents to Sen. Chuck Grassley , R-Iowa and Sen. Ron Johnson , R- Wisconsin , both who requested the declassification .
“ Having reviewed the matter , and having consulted the heads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have declassified the enclosed footnotes.
” Grenell consulted with DOJ Attorney General William Barr on the declassification of the documents .
Grassley and Johnson released a statement late Wednesday stating “ as we can see from these now-declassified footnotes in the IG ’ s report , Russian intelligence was aware of the dossier before the FBI even began its investigation and the FBI had reports in hand that their central piece of evidence was most likely tainted with Russian disinformation.
” “ Thanks to Attorney General Barr ’ s and Acting Director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we know the FBI ’ s justification to target an American Citizen was riddled with significant flaws , ” the Senator stated .
“ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and his team did what neither the FBI nor Special Counsel Mueller cared to do : examine and investigate corruption at the FBI , the sources of the Steele dossier , how it was disseminated , and reporting that it contained Russian disinformation.
” A U.S. Official familiar with the investigation into the FBI told this reporter that the footnotes “ clearly show that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been aware that the Russian Intelligence Services was trying to influence Steele ’ s reporting in the summer of 2016 , and that there were some preferences for Hillary ; and that this RIS [ Russian Intelligence Services ] sourced information being fed to Steele was designed to hurt Trump.
” The official noted these new revelations also “ undermines the ICA on Russian Interference and the intent to help Trump .
It undermines the FISA warrants and there should not have been a Mueller investigation.
” The footnotes also reveal a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s assessment that Russia was vying for Trump , when in fact , the Russians appeared to be hopeful of a Clinton presidency .
“ The FBI received information in June , 2017 which revealed that , among other things , there were personal and business ties between the sub-source and Steele ’ s Primary Sub-source , contacts between the sub-source and an individual in the Russian Presidential Administration in June/July 2016 [ redacted ] and the sub source voicing strong support for candidate Clinton in the 2016 U.S. election .
The Supervisory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not have a Section 702 vicarage on any other Steele sub-source.
” The complete four pages of the partially redacted footnotes paint a clear picture of the alleged malfeasance committed by former FBI Director James Comey , former DNI James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan , who were all aware of the concerns regarding the information supplied by former British spy Christopher Steele in the dossier .
Steele , who was hired by the private embattled research firm Fusion GPS , was paid for his work through the Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI also paid for Steele ’ s work before ending its confidential source relationship with him but then used Obama DOJ Official Bruce Ohr as a go between to continue obtaining information from the former spy .
In footnote 205 , for instance , payment documents show that Steele lied about not being a Confidential Human Source .
“ During his time as an FBI CHS , Steele received a total of $ 95,000 from the FBI , ” the footnote states .
“ We reviewed the FBI paperwork for those payments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Signed acknowledgement .
On each document , of which there were eight , was the caption ‘ CHS payment ’ and ‘ CHS Payment Name.
’ A signature page was missing for one of the payments.
” In footnote 350 , Horowitz describes the questionable Russian disinformation and the FBI ’ s reliance on the information to target the Trump campaign as an attempt to build a narrative that campaign officials colluded with Russia .
Further , the timeline reveals that Comey , Brennan and Clapper were aware of the disinformation by Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in January , 2017 on the Steele dossier .
“ [ redacted ] In addition to the information in Steele ’ s Delta file documenting Steele ’ s frequent contacts with representatives for multiple Russian oligarchs , we identified reporting the Crossfire Hurricane team received from [ redacted ] indicating the potential for Russian disinformation influencing Steele ’ election reporting , ” stated the partially declassified footnote 350 .
“ A January 12 , 2017 report relayed information from [ redacted ] outlining an inaccuracy in a limited subset of Steele ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The [ redacted ] stated that it did not have high confidence in this subset of Steele ’ s reporting and assessed that the referenced subset was part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate U.S. foreign relations .
A second report from the same [ redacted ] five days later stated that a person named in the limited subset of Steele ’ s reporting had denied representations in the reporting and the [ redacted ] assessed that the person ’ s denials were truthful .
A USIC report dated February 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual with reported connections to Trump and Russia who claimed that the public reporting about the details of Trump ’ s sexual activities in Moscow during a trip in 2013 were false , and that they were the product of RIS ( Russian Intelligence Services ) ‘ infiltrate [ ing ] a source into the network ’ of a [ redacted ] who compiled a dossier of that individual on Trump ’ s activities .
The [ redacted ] noted that it had no information indicating that the individual had special access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the partially declassified footnote .
The question remains that “ Steele ’ s unusual activity with 10 oligarch ’ s led the FBI to seek a validation review in 2015 but one was not started until 2017 , ” said the U.S. Official to this reporter .
“ Why not ?
Was Crossfire Hurricane aware of these concerns ?
Was the court made aware of these concerns ?
Didn ’ t the numerous notes about sub sources and sources having links or close ties to Russian intelligence…so why didn ’ t this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarming , it ’ s clear , Supervisory Intelligence Agent Jonathan Moffa says in June 17 , that he was not aware of reports that Russian Intelligence Services was aware of Steele ’ s election reporting and influence efforts .
“ However , he should have been given the reporting by UCIS ” which the U.S. Official says , goes back to summer 2016 .
Footnote 342 makes it clear that “ in late January , 2017 , a member of the Crossfire Hurricane team received information [ redacted ] that RIS [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orbis .
”

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris take a look the latest declassified Horowitz footnotes that show Obama White House officials knew that the Steele Dossier was full of lies and disinformation campaigned designed to target US President Trump.
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Via Sara Carter…
Newly declassified footnotes from Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s December FBI report reveals that senior Obama officials, including members of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team knew the dossier compiled by a former British spy during the 2016 election was Russian disinformation to target President Donald Trump.
Further, the partially declassified footnotes reveal that those senior intelligence officials were aware of the disinformation when they included the dossier in the Obama administration’s Intelligence Communities Assessment (ICA).
As important, the footnotes reveal that there had been a request to validate information collected by British spy Christopher Steele as far back as 2015, and that there was concern among members of the FBI and intelligence community about his reliability. Those concerns were brushed aside by members of the Crossfire Hurricane team in their pursuit against the Trump campaign officials, according to sources who spoke to this reporter and the footnotes.
The explosive footnotes were partially declassified and made public Wednesday, after a lengthy review by the Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell’s office. Grenell sent the letter Wednesday releasing the documents to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa and Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wisconsin, both who requested the declassification.
“Having reviewed the matter, and having consulted the heads of the relevant Intelligence Community elements, I have declassified the enclosed footnotes.” Grenell consulted with DOJ Attorney General William Barr on the declassification of the documents.
Grassley and Johnson released a statement late Wednesday stating “as we can see from these now-declassified footnotes in the IG’s report, Russian intelligence was aware of the dossier before the FBI even began its investigation and the FBI had reports in hand that their central piece of evidence was most likely tainted with Russian disinformation.”
“Thanks to Attorney General Barr’s and Acting Director Grenell’s declassification of the footnotes, we know the FBI’s justification to target an American Citizen was riddled with significant flaws,” the Senator stated. “Inspector General Michael Horowitz and his team did what neither the FBI nor Special Counsel Mueller cared to do: examine and investigate corruption at the FBI, the sources of the Steele dossier, how it was disseminated, and reporting that it contained Russian disinformation.”
The Footnotes
A U.S. Official familiar with the investigation into the FBI told this reporter that the footnotes “clearly show that the FBI team was or should have had been aware that the Russian Intelligence Services was trying to influence Steele’s reporting in the summer of 2016, and that there were some preferences for Hillary; and that this RIS [Russian Intelligence Services] sourced information being fed to Steele was designed to hurt Trump.”
The official noted these new revelations also “undermines the ICA on Russian Interference and the intent to help Trump. It undermines the FISA warrants and there should not have been a Mueller investigation.”
Russian’s Appeared To Have Preferred Clinton
The footnotes also reveal a startling fact that go against Brennan’s assessment that Russia was vying for Trump, when in fact, the Russians appeared to be hopeful of a Clinton presidency.
“The FBI received information in June, 2017 which revealed that, among other things, there were personal and business ties between the sub-source and Steele’s Primary Sub-source, contacts between the sub-source and an individual in the Russian Presidential Administration in June/July 2016 [redacted] and the sub source voicing strong support for candidate Clinton in the 2016 U.S. election. The Supervisory Intel Analyst told us that the FBI did not have a Section 702 vicarage on any other Steele sub-source.”
Steele’s Lies
The complete four pages of the partially redacted footnotes paint a clear picture of the alleged malfeasance committed by former FBI Director James Comey, former DNI James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan, who were all aware of the concerns regarding the information supplied by former British spy Christopher Steele in the dossier. Steele, who was hired by the private embattled research firm Fusion GPS, was paid for his work through the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee. The FBI also paid for Steele’s work before ending its confidential source relationship with him but then used Obama DOJ Official Bruce Ohr as a go between to continue obtaining information from the former spy.
In footnote 205, for instance, payment documents show that Steele lied about not being a Confidential Human Source.
“During his time as an FBI CHS, Steele received a total of $95,000 from the FBI,” the footnote states. “We reviewed the FBI paperwork for those payments, each of which required Steele’s Signed acknowledgement. On each document, of which there were eight, was the caption ‘CHS payment’ and ‘CHS Payment Name.’ A signature page was missing for one of the payments.”
Footnote 350
In footnote 350, Horowitz describes the questionable Russian disinformation and the FBI’s reliance on the information to target the Trump campaign as an attempt to build a narrative that campaign officials colluded with Russia. Further, the timeline reveals that Comey, Brennan and Clapper were aware of the disinformation by Russian intelligence when they briefed then President-elect Trump in January, 2017 on the Steele dossier.
“[redacted] In addition to the information in Steele’s Delta file documenting Steele’s frequent contacts with representatives for multiple Russian oligarchs, we identified reporting the Crossfire Hurricane team received from [redacted] indicating the potential for Russian disinformation influencing Steele’ election reporting,” stated the partially declassified footnote 350. “A January 12, 2017 report relayed information from [redacted] outlining an inaccuracy in a limited subset of Steele’s reporting about the activities of Michael Cohen. The [redacted] stated that it did not have high confidence in this subset of Steele’s reporting and assessed that the referenced subset was part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate U.S. foreign relations.
A second report from the same [redacted] five days later stated that a person named in the limited subset of Steele’s reporting had denied representations in the reporting and the [redacted] assessed that the person’s denials were truthful. A USIC report dated February 27, 2017, contained information about an individual with reported connections to Trump and Russia who claimed that the public reporting about the details of Trump’s sexual activities in Moscow during a trip in 2013 were false, and that they were the product of RIS (Russian Intelligence Services) ‘infiltrate[ing] a source into the network’ of a [redacted] who compiled a dossier of that individual on Trump’s activities. The [redacted] noted that it had no information indicating that the individual had special access to RIS activities or information,” according to the partially declassified footnote.
Looming Questions
Another concern regarding Steele’s unusual activity is found in footnote 210, which states “as we discuss in Chapter Six, members of the Crossfire Hurricane Team were unaware of Steele’s connections to Russian Oligarch 1.”
The question remains that “Steele’s unusual activity with 10 oligarch’s led the FBI to seek a validation review in 2015 but one was not started until 2017,” said the U.S. Official to this reporter. “Why not? Was Crossfire Hurricane aware of these concerns? Was the court made aware of these concerns? Didn’t the numerous notes about sub sources and sources having links or close ties to Russian intelligence…so why didn’t this set off alarm bells?”
More alarming, it’s clear, Supervisory Intelligence Agent Jonathan Moffa says in June 17, that he was not aware of reports that Russian Intelligence Services was aware of Steele’s election reporting and influence efforts.
“However, he should have been given the reporting by UCIS” which the U.S. Official says, goes back to summer 2016.
Footnote 342 makes it clear that “in late January, 2017, a member of the Crossfire Hurricane team received information [redacted] that RIS [Russian Intelligence Services] may have targeted Orbis.”
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theduran--2020-04-22--Amid coronavirus, US is trying to ‘squeeze’ what it can from the Army’s largest European exercise in

Amid coronavirus, US is trying to ‘squeeze’ what it can from the Army’s largest European exercise in 25 years

Preparations for Defender-Europe 20 , which was supposed to be the US Army ’ s largest exercise in Europe in 25 years , were upended in mid-March , when the coronavirus prompted a halt to movement of personnel and gear to Europe .
The exercise was supposed to involve 20,000 US soldiers and thousands of pieces of equipment deployed from the US , but only about 6,000 soldiers and about 3,000 pieces of gear made it to Europe between January and March .
Plans have shifted so the exercise can go forward in a truncated form and with the proper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to get as much as it can out of the exercise , according to the head of US European Command .
“ We ’ re adjusting every day , ” Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters said Thursday , adding that Defender-Europe 20 is “ the classic US example ” of what has been lost from a training perspective .
“ As a result of reducing the number of US troops that we brought from [ the US ] to Europe , we had a reduction ” in the number of countries participating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having 18 nations involved … it ’ s much , much less.
” “ But with each and every passing day , we ’ re looking for the opportunity to take those 5,700 to 6,200 US soldiers that we have on European soil to make sure that they get as much of the pre-prescribed Defender-Europe 20 training as they can possibly get , ” Wolters added .
“ Will they get it all ?
No , and it ’ ll be with a smaller footprint , ” Wolters said , “ but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can to squeeze out every second of the day and ensure that each and every one of the troops that we have invested already in Defender-Europe 20 can maximize their training.
” US Army Europe said in mid-March that exercises linked to Defender Europe , like this year ’ s Saber Strike , would not be conducted.The pandemic is also likely to affect this year ’ s iteration of Baltic Operations , a maritime exercise focused on interoperability and flexibility.Baltops , as it ’ s known , is ongoing , Wolters said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case where we have an exercise on the horizon in the June and July timeframe , and with each passing second of the day we ’ re taking a look at each and every one of our activities to make sure that we can preserve , potentially , as many as possible.
” ” We will be constantly adjusting the scope and scale of our exercises , as we have been for the last 70 to 80 days , to make sure if there is an ability to execute the exercise in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it on track , and if there is no ability to do so , we ’ ll look at cancellation or postponement , ” Wolters added .
“ Depending upon , again , the size , the cost , the location , we will continue to adjudicate.
” Wolters , who is also NATO ’ s Supreme Allied Commander Europe , said the alliance ’ s critical missions — including air policing and enhanced forward presence battle groups in the Baltics and Poland — remain intact.
” We ’ re working very , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can out of what we have available , but we have preserved all of the operational missions , ” Wolters said .
“ Those exercises that we ’ ve had to postpone or cancel , we ’ re looking at the innovative ways that we can squeeze as much learning out of each and every one of those events as possible.
” Wolters also said it was his goal to review “ the critical objectives ” of postponed or canceled exercises and make sure field commanders are aware of what lessons were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll try to pull out of them what we thought we would have pulled out of them to make sure that we can remind all of our forces of all the things that are involved to ensure that we can adequately deter and defend , ” Wolters said .
“ That ’ s the purpose of having those exercises — to improve our deterrence and defense posture.
” Wolters also said the US and its European allies are supporting coronavirus response efforts through NATO and bilateral mechanisms .
Early on Friday , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with medical equipment from China , made possibleby the NATO-supported Strategic Airlift Capability , under which NATO and partner countries own and operate three C-17s , sharing flying hours and costs .
Through that and other programs , “ we ’ re able to lift and shift critical assets and get them to the vital point of need , ” Wolters said , adding that the US has provided medical equipment and supplies to locations across Europe and this week , in a first for the Pentagon , moved three Americans from Kabul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also addressed disinformation regarding the coronavirus response in Europe , saying Russians have “ attempted to insert themselves ” into reporting on the delivery of medical goods and to “ downplay the importance of one nation in NATO providing [ personal protective equipment ] to another.
” Wolters said his command ’ s reaction to that disinformation effort was two-pronged , consisting of recognizing and correcting falsehoods and of promoting allies ’ own activities and investments .
“ We want to make sure that we continue to stick with our democratic values and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts so that our forces understand exactly what we ’ re doing , ” Wolters said .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Preparations for Defender-Europe 20, which was supposed to be the US Army’s largest exercise in Europe in 25 years, were upended in mid-March, when the coronavirus prompted a halt to movement of personnel and gear to Europe.
The exercise was supposed to involve 20,000 US soldiers and thousands of pieces of equipment deployed from the US, but only about 6,000 soldiers and about 3,000 pieces of gear made it to Europe between January and March.
Plans have shifted so the exercise can go forward in a truncated form and with the proper health safeguards. The US military still wants to get as much as it can out of the exercise, according to the head of US European Command.
“We’re adjusting every day,” Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters said Thursday, adding that Defender-Europe 20 is “the classic US example” of what has been lost from a training perspective.
“As a result of reducing the number of US troops that we brought from [the US] to Europe, we had a reduction” in the number of countries participating, Wolters said. “Instead of having 18 nations involved … it’s much, much less.”
“But with each and every passing day, we’re looking for the opportunity to take those 5,700 to 6,200 US soldiers that we have on European soil to make sure that they get as much of the pre-prescribed Defender-Europe 20 training as they can possibly get,” Wolters added.
“Will they get it all? No, and it’ll be with a smaller footprint,” Wolters said, “but we’re trying as hard as we can to squeeze out every second of the day and ensure that each and every one of the troops that we have invested already in Defender-Europe 20 can maximize their training.”US Army Europe said in mid-March that exercises linked to Defender Europe, like this year’s Saber Strike, would not be conducted.The pandemic is also likely to affect this year’s iteration of Baltic Operations, a maritime exercise focused on interoperability and flexibility.Baltops, as it’s known, is ongoing, Wolters said, but “it’s a classic case where we have an exercise on the horizon in the June and July timeframe, and with each passing second of the day we’re taking a look at each and every one of our activities to make sure that we can preserve, potentially, as many as possible.””We will be constantly adjusting the scope and scale of our exercises, as we have been for the last 70 to 80 days, to make sure if there is an ability to execute the exercise in its totality, we will attempt to keep it on track, and if there is no ability to do so, we’ll look at cancellation or postponement,” Wolters added. “Depending upon, again, the size, the cost, the location, we will continue to adjudicate.”
Innovative ways to squeeze
Wolters, who is also NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the alliance’s critical missions — including air policing and enhanced forward presence battle groups in the Baltics and Poland — remain intact.”We’re working very, very hard to squeeze as much as we can out of what we have available, but we have preserved all of the operational missions,” Wolters said. “Those exercises that we’ve had to postpone or cancel, we’re looking at the innovative ways that we can squeeze as much learning out of each and every one of those events as possible.”Wolters also said it was his goal to review “the critical objectives” of postponed or canceled exercises and make sure field commanders are aware of what lessons were expected to be learned.”We’ll try to pull out of them what we thought we would have pulled out of them to make sure that we can remind all of our forces of all the things that are involved to ensure that we can adequately deter and defend,” Wolters said. “That’s the purpose of having those exercises — to improve our deterrence and defense posture.”Wolters also said the US and its European allies are supporting coronavirus response efforts through NATO and bilateral mechanisms.
Early on Friday, a C-17 Globemaster transport plane landed in Bulgaria with medical equipment from China, made possibleby the NATO-supported Strategic Airlift Capability, under which NATO and partner countries own and operate three C-17s, sharing flying hours and costs.
Through that and other programs, “we’re able to lift and shift critical assets and get them to the vital point of need,” Wolters said, adding that the US has provided medical equipment and supplies to locations across Europe and this week, in a first for the Pentagon, moved three Americans from Kabul to Germany for coronavirus treatment.
Wolters also addressed disinformation regarding the coronavirus response in Europe, saying Russians have “attempted to insert themselves” into reporting on the delivery of medical goods and to “downplay the importance of one nation in NATO providing [personal protective equipment] to another.”
Wolters said his command’s reaction to that disinformation effort was two-pronged, consisting of recognizing and correcting falsehoods and of promoting allies’ own activities and investments.
“We want to make sure that we continue to stick with our democratic values and stay very, very laser-focused on the facts so that our forces understand exactly what we’re doing,” Wolters said.
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theduran--2020-04-22--Time To Stop The War On Cash

Time To Stop The War On Cash

David Icke , who was in the news again recently for all the wrong reasons , is both a certifiable lunatic and one of the greatest prophets of the Twentieth Century .
In 1995 , he wrote : “ Today if you go into a shop to buy food and your credit card is refused by the computer , you can pay with cash .
What happens when there is no cash ?
You are at the mercy of the computer .
If it refuses your card or microchip , you have no means to purchase anything.
” At that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to the recklessness of some of his other pronouncements .
Today , people are still laughing at him , but not quite so loud .
Icke and his fellow travellers see the invisible hand of a grand conspiracy behind every world event and every infringement of our God-given freedoms .
Their observations are correct , but not their diagnoses , because these attacks come from a plethora of different sources and from many directions .
About the only thing they have in common is the insistence of their advocates that everything they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what could be a more public good than the detection and prevention of crime ?
Since the invention of the cheque book back in the late Eighteenth Century , cash has played a smaller and smaller role in big transactions .
It isn ’ t difficult to understand why .
Carrying around large amounts of cash is a virtual invitation to be robbed or in some places to be murdered .
Less dramatically , losing a large amount of cash through carelessness or in a fire perhaps , can have devastating consequences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With the advent of the modern debit card including contactless payment , ordinary people are using cash less and less , but not everyone is happy with this .
During the recent and ongoing lockdown , some shops were taking card payment only , while others were accepting cash only .
Cash is the preferred method of payment for criminal transactions because it is usually difficult and often impossible to trace .
So if you prefer to deal only in cash , you must be a criminal , right ?
That appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some of the apparatchiks who police us take great delight in making their marks account for every cent .
Anyone who has ever claimed a means-tested benefit or been subjected to a tax audit will understand the truth of that statement .
In the criminal court , a case must be proved beyond all reasonable doubt .
In the civil court , it need be proved only on the balance of probabilities .
This , together with the expense and inconvenience of mounting a civil action , has led to the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bus through the rule of law and seizing money from members of the public , often quite small but at times extremely large sums .
In 2015 , American rap musician Snoop Dogg was stopped at an Italian airport because he was found to be transporting $ 422,000 in cash .
That may be a staggering amount of money for the average person , but not for one of the biggest stars in his genre .
Leaving aside the well-documented fondness of rap musicians for jewellery , expensive cars , and large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was on tour .
When you have other musicians , technical staff and roadies to pay coupled with transport , hotel bills , restaurants , after show parties…400k doesn ’ t go too far .
Whatever one thinks of rap music , no one could query this guy ’ s work ethic .
Earlier that month he had played nine concerts in other countries , and after two in Italy he was on his way back to England to play two more dates , then to France and Spain before crossing the Atlantic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US concerts .
So why did the Italian authorities seize his money ?
Because they could .
In the UK , existing money laundering regulations were augmented in 2002 with the Proceeds Of Crime Act .
This led to the British police gloating over the first such case to come to court .
In February 2003 , Police Review reported that a man who was arrested in possession of a false passport had £15,860 in his possession that was seized , and “ Now he will have to prove the money has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good ” .
The article continues “ Since December police can seize cash of over £10,000 if they believe it has come from or could be used in crime ” .
Note the second clause of that sentence : could be used in crime .
What does that even mean ?
It could be used to hire a hit-man , buy a car for use in a robbery , buy drugs ?
The arrogance and duplicity of these people knows no bounds .
And the tyranny doesn ’ t stop there .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a half later by unexplained wealth orders .
The first victim of these was Zamira Hajiyeva when the National Crime Agency seized her £15 million home .
At present , UWOs are being used only against foreign nationals , but it won ’ t stop there .
It never does .
The threshold for UWOs is property worth £50,000 or more .
That may sound like a lot of money , but the average price of a terraced house in Dagenham , London ’ s poorest borough , is over £300,000 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some unbelievable stories about gratuitous civil asset seizures in the United States , now here is a thought .
The Chinese mega-city Shenzhen is virtually cashless ; everyone there – denizen and tourist alike – uses mobiles phones and bank cards .
Remember what David Icke said : “ What happens when there is no cash ?
You are at the mercy of the computer .
If it refuses your card or microchip , you have no means to purchase anything.
” Anyone who thinks that sort of thing could happen only in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of policing in the West .
Phones and cards can be blocked ; we have long gone passed the stage where the police can simply confiscate ( read steal ) your property on the most tenuous of pretexts .
Indeed , they don ’ t even need a reason , if they are of a mind , like this uniformed thug they can simply make something up .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
David Icke, who was in the news again recently for all the wrong reasons, is both a certifiable lunatic and one of the greatest prophets of the Twentieth Century. In 1995, he wrote:
“Today if you go into a shop to buy food and your credit card is refused by the computer, you can pay with cash. What happens when there is no cash? You are at the mercy of the computer. If it refuses your card or microchip, you have no means to purchase anything.”
At that time, many people laughed at him due to the recklessness of some of his other pronouncements. Today, people are still laughing at him, but not quite so loud.
Icke and his fellow travellers see the invisible hand of a grand conspiracy behind every world event and every infringement of our God-given freedoms. Their observations are correct, but not their diagnoses, because these attacks come from a plethora of different sources and from many directions. About the only thing they have in common is the insistence of their advocates that everything they do is for the public good, and what could be a more public good than the detection and prevention of crime?
Since the invention of the cheque book back in the late Eighteenth Century, cash has played a smaller and smaller role in big transactions. It isn’t difficult to understand why. Carrying around large amounts of cash is a virtual invitation to be robbed or in some places to be murdered. Less dramatically, losing a large amount of cash through carelessness or in a fire perhaps, can have devastating consequences, but losing a cheque book…no sweat.
With the advent of the modern debit card including contactless payment, ordinary people are using cash less and less, but not everyone is happy with this. During the recent and ongoing lockdown, some shops were taking card payment only, while others were accepting cash only.
Cash is the preferred method of payment for criminal transactions because it is usually difficult and often impossible to trace. So if you prefer to deal only in cash, you must be a criminal, right? That appears to be the thinking of our masters. Some of the apparatchiks who police us take great delight in making their marks account for every cent. Anyone who has ever claimed a means-tested benefit or been subjected to a tax audit will understand the truth of that statement.
In the criminal court, a case must be proved beyond all reasonable doubt. In the civil court, it need be proved only on the balance of probabilities. This, together with the expense and inconvenience of mounting a civil action, has led to the police on both sides of the Atlantic driving a bus through the rule of law and seizing money from members of the public, often quite small but at times extremely large sums.
In 2015, American rap musician Snoop Dogg was stopped at an Italian airport because he was found to be transporting $422,000 in cash. That may be a staggering amount of money for the average person, but not for one of the biggest stars in his genre. Leaving aside the well-documented fondness of rap musicians for jewellery, expensive cars, and large wads of hundred dollar bills, he was on tour. When you have other musicians, technical staff and roadies to pay coupled with transport, hotel bills, restaurants, after show parties…400k doesn’t go too far.
Whatever one thinks of rap music, no one could query this guy’s work ethic. Earlier that month he had played nine concerts in other countries, and after two in Italy he was on his way back to England to play two more dates, then to France and Spain before crossing the Atlantic to continue with a heavy schedule of US concerts. So why did the Italian authorities seize his money? Because they could.
In the UK, existing money laundering regulations were augmented in 2002 with the Proceeds Of Crime Act. This led to the British police gloating over the first such case to come to court. In February 2003, Police Review reported that a man who was arrested in possession of a false passport had £15,860 in his possession that was seized, and “Now he will have to prove the money has not come from criminality or lose it for good”.
The article continues “Since December police can seize cash of over £10,000 if they believe it has come from or could be used in crime”.
Note the second clause of that sentence: could be used in crime. What does that even mean? It could be used to hire a hit-man, buy a car for use in a robbery, buy drugs? The arrogance and duplicity of these people knows no bounds. And the tyranny doesn’t stop there. This Draconian legislation was supplemented a decade and a half later by unexplained wealth orders. The first victim of these was Zamira Hajiyeva when the National Crime Agency seized her £15 million home. At present, UWOs are being used only against foreign nationals, but it won’t stop there. It never does.
The threshold for UWOs is property worth £50,000 or more. That may sound like a lot of money, but the average price of a terraced house in Dagenham, London’s poorest borough, is over £300,000.
The Lehto’s Law YouTube channel contains some unbelievable stories about gratuitous civil asset seizures in the United States, now here is a thought. The Chinese mega-city Shenzhen is virtually cashless; everyone there – denizen and tourist alike – uses mobiles phones and bank cards. Remember what David Icke said: “What happens when there is no cash? You are at the mercy of the computer. If it refuses your card or microchip, you have no means to purchase anything.”
Anyone who thinks that sort of thing could happen only in China has never been on the business end of policing in the West. Phones and cards can be blocked; we have long gone passed the stage where the police can simply confiscate (read steal) your property on the most tenuous of pretexts. Indeed, they don’t even need a reason, if they are of a mind, like this uniformed thug they can simply make something up.
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theduran--2020-04-22--CARDINAL GEORGE PELL — No, Not Him Too

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL — No, Not Him Too

What is the connection between an Australia Catholic priest and the # MeToo Movement ?
On the face of it , not a lot , but anyone can be falsely accused of any crime , and in the age of social media , anyone who has an Internet presence probably has .
If you don ’ t believe that statement , run the names of a few minor celebrities through your search engine coupled with the words rape , murder , paedophile…and see what comes up .
A police investigation usually begins with an allegation or some sort of complaint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may begin likewise , but what happens when the media or worse still the police go trawling for victims ?
When after an initial complaint they invite other “ survivors ” to “ come forward ” and point the finger at the accused or perhaps simply people associated with the accused ?
If you don ’ t know the answer to that question , it is Operation Yewtree in the UK , or the witch-hunt of Catholic priests in the United States .
Sex crimes including against the young are real , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , but allegations of sex crimes dating back years or decades are notoriously difficult to disprove , and with the cult of believing the victim , they need to be disproved .
As Treasurer to the Vatican , Cardinal George Pell was the number three man in the Catholic Church .
A controversial figure who has made more enemies than friends , he was accused and convicted of crimes that were physically impossible , not the first person of either sex to be so convicted in this supposedly so modern age .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the highest court in Australia .
Recently , he sat down with Andrew Bolt for a no holds barred interview .
Before you believe another “ survivor ” , listen to what George Pell has to say .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
What is the connection between an Australia Catholic priest and the #MeToo Movement?
On the face of it, not a lot, but anyone can be falsely accused of any crime, and in the age of social media, anyone who has an Internet presence probably has. If you don’t believe that statement, run the names of a few minor celebrities through your search engine coupled with the words rape, murder, paedophile…and see what comes up.
A police investigation usually begins with an allegation or some sort of complaint; an allegation of historical sexual abuse may begin likewise, but what happens when the media or worse still the police go trawling for victims? When after an initial complaint they invite other “survivors” to “come forward” and point the finger at the accused or perhaps simply people associated with the accused?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, it is Operation Yewtree in the UK, or the witch-hunt of Catholic priests in the United States.
Sex crimes including against the young are real, no one should be under any illusion about that, but allegations of sex crimes dating back years or decades are notoriously difficult to disprove, and with the cult of believing the victim, they need to be disproved.
As Treasurer to the Vatican, Cardinal George Pell was the number three man in the Catholic Church. A controversial figure who has made more enemies than friends, he was accused and convicted of crimes that were physically impossible, not the first person of either sex to be so convicted in this supposedly so modern age. This month, his conviction was overturned by the highest court in Australia.
Recently, he sat down with Andrew Bolt for a no holds barred interview. Before you believe another “survivor”, listen to what George Pell has to say.
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