wakingtimes--2020-11-13--Life Starts from Here – The Great Reject

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Let ’ s do a reality check : many of us wake up in the morning with our default memory sleepily reverted back to a pre-covid state of seeming ‘ normality ’ .
But after splashing our face with cold water , taking the dog for a walk and having some breakfast , it dawns on us that we are being strung-along by the hands of a puppet master , whose tweaking of the strings of power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is 100 % alien to our natural evolutionary inclinations .
That puppet master is actually not one person , but a number of people ; although calling them ‘ people ’ might already be an error , since they operate in the shadows of a life less than human and impose their will based on a narcissistic ambition to ‘ own ’ everything – and of course , to control it too .
So you turn on your radio/television , open a newspaper/computer and you get something called ‘ The News ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually getting ?
Is it really The News ?
Your slow mind , which prefers to remain in a convenience/comfort mode , leads you to believe you are actually receiving The News – well doesn ’ t it ?
But once you get that mind sharpened-up a little , straighten your back , and let some sense of the true reality start to manifest , you recognize that it is not the news at all – but simply ‘ the spin of the day ’ .
The Daily Spin .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ puppet master and his less than human cabal , to ensure they remain on course to ‘ own ’ everything on this planet – which includes you , me our children , aunt Mary , uncle Tom , granny and grandad , our/their houses , furniture , gardens , money , cars , and even – thoughts .
With something of a jolt you realize ( once again ) that The News is a grand indoctrination exercise , duplicitously contrived by those who own and run ‘ the media ’ ; and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work hand in hand with the grand puppet master , as part of a mafia-esque stitch-up in which the ‘ news owner ’ s ’ get a handsome reward for printing and broadcasting ‘ The Daily Spin ’ .
But , you may well ask , from where does the cabal get its billions ?
How can it pay-off the great majority of the media chiefs so as to keep The Spin going from day to day ?
Pay-off not just the media chiefs but all the other operators who work from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its fake news into our overloaded psyches ?
Where does their blood money come from ?
These fake kings and queens of imposed virtual reality whose psychopathic ambition is to rule the world .
Wait a minute – don ’ t we know this ?
I mean , we take out a loan or get an overdraught agreement from our bank – and suddenly we owe that enterprise/corporation some repayment for its supposed ‘ generosity ’ .
Puppet master Big Banker really is a true master of deception – a magician !
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been around a good few centuries now , but still works a dream .
Yes , he simply ‘ lends ’ you that which he does not have – and commands you to pay him back with something you do actually have – your earnings garnered from your work , your job .
A truly treacherous sleight-of-hand , wouldn ’ t you agree ?
But you see , in this way the great cabal – which is actually a very small fiefdom ( probably less than 0.2 % of the population ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thereby ‘ run the world ’ according to its desired despotic blueprint .
That is – just so long as you and I keep taking out loans or overdraughts with Big Banking plc .
They press a button and hey presto !
We have 50,000 pounds/dollars in our bank account – wow !
But if you go to the cashier and ask for that 50,000 in bank notes , you will be refused .
Why ?
Because the bank doesn ’ t actually have it .
It ’ s just on paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you get into your repayments you may be allowed to withdraw around 10 % in notes , but only in separate tranches and at separated time gaps .
And only so long as bank notes are kept in circulation , in this digital age of illicit surveillance .
They control how you can use your money .
It is this amazingly deft act of in-your-face theft which keeps the cabal , media , fake democracies and corporations in the high chairs of control .
It is this supreme act of deception which underpins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep state ; the huge debts now faced by ‘ forever borrowing ’ governments of nation states .
Governments that then circulate the fraud by borrowing at interest from the Goldman Sachs ’ s of this corporate world , who in turn are supplied with endless liquidity by the Bank for International Settlements , the biggest launderer of all launderers .
Give your dirty laundry to the BIS and it will redistribute it around all the banking fiefdoms of the planet .
And thus wars are financed , Soros/Gates/Rothschild ‘ colour revolution ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; propaganda , social engineering and behavioral psychology agencies kept at work .
All engaged in mind controlling the masses into submission .
“ Keep the Great Reset on course !
” demands the puppet master .
The Reset , with its dystopian fake green techno-fascistic agenda brazenly heralded by The Daily Spin .
The ‘ green new deal ’ ‘ zero carbon ’ , ‘ smart grid internet-of-things ’ promised land we have all been dreaming about ?
Yes , dear friends , many among us – and maybe you – shout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth during that high moment of the day , or night , when the cabal ’ s road map suddenly comes into focus and the truth is out .
But the next morning , once again bamboozled by the digitalised torrent of words ; the tinkling announcement of incoming calls on your pocket sized microwave handset ; the beckoning big brother flat screen TV on your living room wall ; the long list of sterile supermarket fake-foods you need to purchase – not to mention Covid , the social agenda , the demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has one – all this and so much more – cloud that moment of truth once again – and leave one as slavishly dependent as ever on the puppet master ’ s darkly disguised template for global control .
How in God ’ s name to get out of this manic cul-de-sac ?
Answer : you must want to get out .
That ’ s the precondition of all freedom .
One must want it .
One must love what it offers , uncertainties and all , more than one loves one ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite obviously doesn ’ t want you to want to get out .
He wants you to continue to buy-into his little game of domestic and digital distractions .
He wants his empire and its occupants , to be largely robotic ; 5G driven and mindless .
Now , draw back .
Listen .
Just around the corner is the ‘ cashless society ’ , according to the cabal ’ s blueprint .
If and when that little objective is put in place we will have to admit to having capitulated to becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coup which leaves no recourse to daily survival other than a piece of digitally primed traceable plastic or RFID chip under the skin .
Let ’ s not let it get that far shall we ?
Let ’ s take the steps today that will keep freedom alive tomorrow .
One by one you can wean yourself off all the convenience items you adopted to make surviving in the rat-race that little bit more..err.. ’ comfortable ’ .
On one level it ’ s quite simple : you don ’ t want 5G @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cell phone .
You don ’ t want sterile , denatured , genetically modified and irradiated food busting your immune system ?
Give up the stupor-market .
You don ’ t want big banks stealing your money ?
Give-up big banking .
You don ’ t want Covid ?
Give up being afraid of life and give-up your mask .
You don ’ t want to be permanently under the cosh of arrogant technocrats ?
So say “ No ” to those bully-boy fake authority figures .
“ I do not consent.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your support instead to down-to-earth decentralized life-affirmative alternatives .
They exist , in embryonic forms and will flourish once a critical mass joins-up .
Once you have started down this road you have shifted from being an “ it ’ s them !
” accusative in-activist , into an “ it ’ s us ” self assertive activist .
Now that ’ s real .
Once tens of thousands – in each country – get on the same trajectory , the Big Brother blueprint starts to wobble .
Once tens of millions take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starts to pale .
Once that wave becomes a surfer ’ s dream , the Great Reset becomes the Great Reject .
We the people have made the only move that really matters : taking control of our destinies and choosing to support people-friendly enterprises that are already demonstrating that a whole other range of ‘ life positive ’ initiatives exist and are just waiting to be built upon .
In order to finally pull the rug out from under the feet of our oppressors we have to recognize ourselves as the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Psychologically we must overcome victim-hood and develop faith in our creative abilities .
The great majority of national and international political assemblies that orchestrate the ways of the world , have been exposed as immeasurably corrupted .
Giant institutions like the UN , WHO , WEF ( World Economic Forum ) are hornets nests of corrupted self interest and speculative financial wheeler-dealing .
Vast global financial institutions like the WTO , IMF and World Bank are just geopolitical hegemonic levers and money laundering exercises .
Add it all together and where else is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back home , to reactivate and fiercely defend your indigenous local resource base .
The place which is your immediate point of reference and hub around which your daily life revolves .
That is where the revolution starts .
The gardens , parkland , orchards , bees , allotments , renewable energy schemes , artisan skills , all micro elements that when joined together give a community some form of genuine sovereignty , self sufficiency and excitement .
As much as we might not wish to recognize it , the world of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revivification of our immediate neighbourhoods .
Those still non-digitalized , human-scale places of shared endeavour where one can rebuild the true connections without which life becomes intolerable .
Vital connections that form the most fundamental antidote to the collapse of community and natural intimacy ; irreplaceable qualities deliberately crushed by the anti-life ambitions of the master puppeteer and his less than human cabal .
You want to break the puppet master ’ s grip on your life ?
Yes ?
Then heal this severance .
Make life whole again .
Be life affirmative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death .
And that affirmation starts here , right in our back yards .
Julian Rose is an early pioneer of UK organic farming , writer , international activist , entrepreneur and teacher .
His latest book ‘ Overcoming the Robotic Mind – Why Humanity Must Come Through ’ is particularly prescient reading for this time : see www.julianrose.info

Life Starts from Here – The Great Reject
Julian Rose, Contributor
Waking Times
Let’s do a reality check: many of us wake up in the morning with our default memory sleepily reverted back to a pre-covid state of seeming ‘normality’. But after splashing our face with cold water, taking the dog for a walk and having some breakfast, it dawns on us that we are being strung-along by the hands of a puppet master, whose tweaking of the strings of power is making us dance to a tune which is 100% alien to our natural evolutionary inclinations.
That puppet master is actually not one person, but a number of people; although calling them ‘people’ might already be an error, since they operate in the shadows of a life less than human and impose their will based on a narcissistic ambition to ‘own’ everything – and of course, to control it too.
So you turn on your radio/television, open a newspaper/computer and you get something called ‘The News’. And what is it you are actually getting? Is it really The News?
Your slow mind, which prefers to remain in a convenience/comfort mode, leads you to believe you are actually receiving The News – well doesn’t it?
But once you get that mind sharpened-up a little, straighten your back, and let some sense of the true reality start to manifest, you recognize that it is not the news at all – but simply ‘the spin of the day’. The Daily Spin.
It’s a formula designed and constructed by the puppet master and his less than human cabal, to ensure they remain on course to ‘own’ everything on this planet – which includes you, me our children, aunt Mary, uncle Tom, granny and grandad, our/their houses, furniture, gardens, money, cars, and even – thoughts.
With something of a jolt you realize (once again) that The News is a grand indoctrination exercise, duplicitously contrived by those who own and run ‘the media’; and that these ‘less than human’ entities work hand in hand with the grand puppet master, as part of a mafia-esque stitch-up in which the ‘news owner’s’ get a handsome reward for printing and broadcasting ‘The Daily Spin’.
But, you may well ask, from where does the cabal get its billions? How can it pay-off the great majority of the media chiefs so as to keep The Spin going from day to day? Pay-off not just the media chiefs but all the other operators who work from the shadows to keep this virtual agenda pumping its fake news into our overloaded psyches?
Where does their blood money come from? These fake kings and queens of imposed virtual reality whose psychopathic ambition is to rule the world.
Wait a minute – don’t we know this? I mean, we take out a loan or get an overdraught agreement from our bank – and suddenly we owe that enterprise/corporation some repayment for its supposed ‘generosity’.
Puppet master Big Banker really is a true master of deception – a magician! He applies a simple but brilliant formula which has been around a good few centuries now, but still works a dream. Yes, he simply ‘lends’ you that which he does not have – and commands you to pay him back with something you do actually have – your earnings garnered from your work, your job. A truly treacherous sleight-of-hand, wouldn’t you agree?
But you see, in this way the great cabal – which is actually a very small fiefdom (probably less than 0.2% of the population) can acquire an infinite amount of dosh and thereby ‘run the world’ according to its desired despotic blueprint. That is – just so long as you and I keep taking out loans or overdraughts with Big Banking plc.
They press a button and hey presto! We have 50,000 pounds/dollars in our bank account – wow! But if you go to the cashier and ask for that 50,000 in bank notes, you will be refused. Why? Because the bank doesn’t actually have it. It’s just on paper, created from thin air. Once you get into your repayments you may be allowed to withdraw around 10% in notes, but only in separate tranches and at separated time gaps. And only so long as bank notes are kept in circulation, in this digital age of illicit surveillance.
They control how you can use your money. It is this amazingly deft act of in-your-face theft which keeps the cabal, media, fake democracies and corporations in the high chairs of control. It is this supreme act of deception which underpins the destructive capacity and longevity of the deep state; the huge debts now faced by ‘forever borrowing’ governments of nation states. Governments that then circulate the fraud by borrowing at interest from the Goldman Sachs’s of this corporate world, who in turn are supplied with endless liquidity by the Bank for International Settlements, the biggest launderer of all launderers.
Give your dirty laundry to the BIS and it will redistribute it around all the banking fiefdoms of the planet. And thus wars are financed, Soros/Gates/Rothschild ‘colour revolution’ putsches underwritten, false flag events fueled; propaganda, social engineering and behavioral psychology agencies kept at work. All engaged in mind controlling the masses into submission.
“Keep the Great Reset on course!” demands the puppet master. The Reset, with its dystopian fake green techno-fascistic agenda brazenly heralded by The Daily Spin. The ‘green new deal’ ‘zero carbon’, ‘smart grid internet-of-things’ promised land we have all been dreaming about?
Yes, dear friends, many among us – and maybe you – shout “Crime!” briefly grasping the truth during that high moment of the day, or night, when the cabal’s road map suddenly comes into focus and the truth is out. But the next morning, once again bamboozled by the digitalised torrent of words; the tinkling announcement of incoming calls on your pocket sized microwave handset; the beckoning big brother flat screen TV on your living room wall; the long list of sterile supermarket fake-foods you need to purchase – not to mention Covid, the social agenda, the demands of the job – if one still has one – all this and so much more – cloud that moment of truth once again – and leave one as slavishly dependent as ever on the puppet master’s darkly disguised template for global control.
“Take the vaccine and submit to my will.”
How in God’s name to get out of this manic cul-de-sac? Answer: you must want to get out. That’s the precondition of all freedom. One must want it. One must love what it offers, uncertainties and all, more than one loves one’s slavery. But the puppet master quite obviously doesn’t want you to want to get out. He wants you to continue to buy-into his little game of domestic and digital distractions. He wants his empire and its occupants, to be largely robotic; 5G driven and mindless.
Now, draw back. Listen. Just around the corner is the ‘cashless society’, according to the cabal’s blueprint. If and when that little objective is put in place we will have to admit to having capitulated to becoming an instrument of a 100% surveillance coup which leaves no recourse to daily survival other than a piece of digitally primed traceable plastic or RFID chip under the skin.
Let’s not let it get that far shall we? Let’s take the steps today that will keep freedom alive tomorrow. One by one you can wean yourself off all the convenience items you adopted to make surviving in the rat-race that little bit more..err..’comfortable’.
On one level it’s quite simple: you don’t want 5G scrambling your your DNA? Give up the cell phone. You don’t want sterile, denatured, genetically modified and irradiated food busting your immune system? Give up the stupor-market. You don’t want big banks stealing your money? Give-up big banking. You don’t want Covid? Give up being afraid of life and give-up your mask. You don’t want to be permanently under the cosh of arrogant technocrats? So say “No” to those bully-boy fake authority figures. “I do not consent.”
Give it all up. Give your support instead to down-to-earth decentralized life-affirmative alternatives. They exist, in embryonic forms and will flourish once a critical mass joins-up. Once you have started down this road you have shifted from being an “it’s them!” accusative in-activist, into an “it’s us” self assertive activist. Now that’s real. Once tens of thousands – in each country – get on the same trajectory, the Big Brother blueprint starts to wobble. Once tens of millions take up the challenge, the globalist agenda starts to pale. Once that wave becomes a surfer’s dream, the Great Reset becomes the Great Reject.
We the people have made the only move that really matters: taking control of our destinies and choosing to support people-friendly enterprises that are already demonstrating that a whole other range of ‘life positive’ initiatives exist and are just waiting to be built upon.
In order to finally pull the rug out from under the feet of our oppressors we have to recognize ourselves as the real actors – as people taking charge. Psychologically we must overcome victim-hood and develop faith in our creative abilities.
The great majority of national and international political assemblies that orchestrate the ways of the world, have been exposed as immeasurably corrupted. Giant institutions like the UN, WHO, WEF (World Economic Forum) are hornets nests of corrupted self interest and speculative financial wheeler-dealing. Vast global financial institutions like the WTO, IMF and World Bank are just geopolitical hegemonic levers and money laundering exercises. Add it all together and where else is there left to go other than right back home, to reactivate and fiercely defend your indigenous local resource base. The place which is your immediate point of reference and hub around which your daily life revolves. That is where the revolution starts.
The gardens, parkland, orchards, bees, allotments, renewable energy schemes, artisan skills, all micro elements that when joined together give a community some form of genuine sovereignty, self sufficiency and excitement.
As much as we might not wish to recognize it, the world of the Great Reset is best counteracted by the revivification of our immediate neighbourhoods. Those still non-digitalized, human-scale places of shared endeavour where one can rebuild the true connections without which life becomes intolerable. Vital connections that form the most fundamental antidote to the collapse of community and natural intimacy; irreplaceable qualities deliberately crushed by the anti-life ambitions of the master puppeteer and his less than human cabal.
You want to break the puppet master’s grip on your life?
Yes? Then heal this severance. Make life whole again. Be life affirmative. The new humanity affirms life over death. And that affirmation starts here, right in our back yards.
About the Author
Julian Rose is an early pioneer of UK organic farming, writer, international activist, entrepreneur and teacher. His latest book ‘Overcoming the Robotic Mind – Why Humanity Must Come Through’ is particularly prescient reading for this time: see www.julianrose.info


wakingtimes--2020-11-13--“Catastrophic Collisions” – NASA Warns About New 5G Satellite Constellation

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Several private companies are planning to launch large , low-Earth-orbit ( LEO ) satellite constellations .
NASA , who generally doesn ’ t comment on these types of developments , recently published a stark warning for AST & Science , which intends to launch a massive constellation of hundreds of large 5G satellites .
NASA engineer Samantha Fonder expressed concern about AST ’ s 5G mega constellation of satellites in a recently penned letter to FCC ’ s Marleen Dortch , about how the space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience a “ catastrophic collision , ” reported Ars Technica .
Since AST ’ s satellites are large , she noted that they could cause thousands of probable accidents every year .
AST insists it ’ s committed to resolving the issues with NASA .
Aside from the satellites ’ size , Fonder fears that AST ’ s inexperience could result in a high rate of satellites failing to achieve orbit .
Fonder added , “ for the completed constellation of 243 satellites , one can expect 1,500 mitigation actions per year and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equate to four maneuvers and 40 active planning activities on any given day.
” At the end of the letter , she requests the FCC , given the size of AST ’ s satellites and inexperience , along with the heightened probabilities that collision could be seen as LEO has been transformed into a crowded mess of satellites and space debris , that “ AST should consider alternative orbit regimes for this constellation.
” Besides Fonder ’ s warning , the European Space Agency ( ESA ) also warned about thousands of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jammed up Earth ’ s orbit .
While it becomes clear space debris is becoming a significant issue , ESA recently awarded the Swiss startup company Clearpace , a $ 117 million contract , to remove space debris from orbit .
Though the program to remove space junk won ’ t start until 2025 .
Judging by ESA ’ s animation above of satellites and space junk , collisions are bound to happen… By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge Like Waking Times on Facebook .
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“Catastrophic Collisions” – NASA Warns About New 5G Satellite Constellation
Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
Waking Times
Several private companies are planning to launch large, low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. NASA, who generally doesn’t comment on these types of developments, recently published a stark warning for AST & Science, which intends to launch a massive constellation of hundreds of large 5G satellites.
NASA engineer Samantha Fonder expressed concern about AST’s 5G mega constellation of satellites in a recently penned letter to FCC’s Marleen Dortch, about how the space agency worries its assets in orbit could experience a “catastrophic collision,” reported Ars Technica.
“NASA submits this letter during the public comment period for the purpose of providing a better understanding of NASA’s concerns with respect to its assets on-orbit, to further mitigate the risks of collisions for the mutual benefit of all involved,” Fonder wrote.
Since AST’s satellites are large, she noted that they could cause thousands of probable accidents every year. AST insists it’s committed to resolving the issues with NASA.
Aside from the satellites’ size, Fonder fears that AST’s inexperience could result in a high rate of satellites failing to achieve orbit.
Fonder added, “for the completed constellation of 243 satellites, one can expect 1,500 mitigation actions per year and perhaps 15,000 planning activities. This would equate to four maneuvers and 40 active planning activities on any given day.”
At the end of the letter, she requests the FCC, given the size of AST’s satellites and inexperience, along with the heightened probabilities that collision could be seen as LEO has been transformed into a crowded mess of satellites and space debris, that “AST should consider alternative orbit regimes for this constellation.”
Besides Fonder’s warning, the European Space Agency (ESA) also warned about thousands of new satellites and dangerous space debris that have jammed up Earth’s orbit.
While it becomes clear space debris is becoming a significant issue, ESA recently awarded the Swiss startup company Clearpace, a $117 million contract, to remove space debris from orbit. Though the program to remove space junk won’t start until 2025.
Judging by ESA’s animation above of satellites and space junk, collisions are bound to happen…
By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge
Like Waking Times on Facebook. Follow Waking Times on Twitter.


wakingtimes--2020-11-13--After Legalizing Cannabis, Arizona Begins Dismissing Weed Charges Immediately

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Across the country last week , Americans made their voices heard in regard to the war on drugs .
A record five states legalized cannabis in some form .
Montana voted to legalize cannabis for those 21 and up , New Jersey , South Dakota , and Arizona also approved recreational use and Mississippi approved medicinal use .
Legal weed started from a trickle in 2012 with Washington and Colorado and has now developed into a landslide with dozens of states legalizing it in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking place next month in Congress .
Telling cops to stop kidnapping and caging people for possessing and selling a plant that has never killed anyone , is most certainly a massive step in the direction of freedom .
However , many states who have legalized cannabis forget about those who have already been kidnapped and caged for this plant .
Hundreds of thousands of people are still rotting in a cages or have criminal records hanging over their heads in states where cannabis has been legalized .
This is an egregious injustice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are those in the political world who see this injustice and are moving to correct it .
With the passage of Proposition 207 ( the Smart and Safe Arizona Act ) on Nov 3rd , Arizona ’ s largest county , Maricopa , decided to make that move .
This week , Maricopa County Attorney ’ s Office ( MCAO ) stated that it will go ahead and begin dismissing “ all pending and unfiled charges of possession of marijuana ” as well as any associated paraphernalia-related charges that are active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismiss “ will include all cases pending in Early Disposition Court , those currently in diversion or pending trial , and those set for sentencing or probation violation hearings , ” the MCAO noted .
Those who are currently rotting in a cage and waiting for a trial for possessing the plant that was illegal prior to Nov. 3 , will be given priority and immediately freed .
And , the MCAO is also going to file motions to dismiss bench warrant cases where all the charges are covered by Prop 207 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ current cases is certainly noteworthy , the expungements are not retroactive .
Those who want to want to rid themselves of the charges hanging over their heads , must petition the state to do so .
Anyone convicted previously of possessing under an ounce of marijuana , possessing paraphernalia , or six or fewer plants can petition to have their record ( s ) expunged but not until July 12 , 2021 .
The idea of a person sitting in a jail cell or being unemployable over a criminal record for something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to be corrected .
Other states would do well to look at Colorado and Illinois have have issued unconditional pardons to hundreds of thousands of citizens with cannabis convictions .
Colorado was the most recent and last month Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order which granted a full , unconditional pardon to everyone convicted of possession of an ounce or less of marijuana .
According to Executive Order C 2020 004 : All individuals previously convicted in the State of Colorado of a petty offense , misdemeanor , or felony for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or less of marijuana under the following provisions are hereby granted a full and unconditional pardon for that conviction .
This Executive Order only applies to convictions of one ( 1 ) ounce or less of marijuana and no other charges or convictions are pardoned by this Executive Order .
“ We are finally cleaning up some of the inequities of the past by pardoning 2,732 convictions for Coloradans who simply had an ounce of marijuana or less .
It ’ s ridiculous how being written up for smoking a joint in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout their lives and gotten in the way of their success , ” Polis said .
Illinois was before Colorado and made a similar move .
On June 25 , 2019 , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker signed HB 1438 into law which ended cannabis prohibition and replaced it with a system to tax and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and over .
But the bill didn ’ t stop there , it also included an automatic expungement process for those whose lives have been ruined by the state who kidnapped and caged them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures in other states like Arizona , which fell short by requiring people with marijuana convictions to file forms and requests within arduous bureaucratic restraints , HB 1438 is automatic .
People who were arrested for possessing this plant in small amounts didn ’ t have to do anything to have it wiped from their records .
As more and more states legalize , those states who continue to enforce this draconian policy and lock people up for possessing a plant will find themselves not only on the wrong side of history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes to innovation , reduced crime , and medical advancements .
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA .
This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state .
Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world .
Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project .
Follow @ MattAgorist on Twitter , Steemit , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Legalizing Cannabis , Arizona Begins Dismissing Weed Charges Immediately ) was originally published at The Free Thought Project and is re-posted here with permission .
**

After Legalizing Cannabis, Arizona Begins Dismissing Weed Charges Immediately
Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project
Waking Times
Across the country last week, Americans made their voices heard in regard to the war on drugs. A record five states legalized cannabis in some form. Montana voted to legalize cannabis for those 21 and up, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Arizona also approved recreational use and Mississippi approved medicinal use. Legal weed started from a trickle in 2012 with Washington and Colorado and has now developed into a landslide with dozens of states legalizing it in some form and a vote to legalize nationally taking place next month in Congress.
Telling cops to stop kidnapping and caging people for possessing and selling a plant that has never killed anyone, is most certainly a massive step in the direction of freedom. However, many states who have legalized cannabis forget about those who have already been kidnapped and caged for this plant. Hundreds of thousands of people are still rotting in a cages or have criminal records hanging over their heads in states where cannabis has been legalized. This is an egregious injustice and it needs to change.
Luckily, there are those in the political world who see this injustice and are moving to correct it. With the passage of Proposition 207 (the Smart and Safe Arizona Act) on Nov 3rd, Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa, decided to make that move.
This week, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) stated that it will go ahead and begin dismissing “all pending and unfiled charges of possession of marijuana” as well as any associated paraphernalia-related charges that are active in their office.
“Instead of continuing to spend resources on these cases, this office will begin implementing the will of the voters immediately,” the MCAO stated. Imagine that.
The motions to dismiss “will include all cases pending in Early Disposition Court, those currently in diversion or pending trial, and those set for sentencing or probation violation hearings,” the MCAO noted.
Those who are currently rotting in a cage and waiting for a trial for possessing the plant that was illegal prior to Nov. 3, will be given priority and immediately freed. And, the MCAO is also going to file motions to dismiss bench warrant cases where all the charges are covered by Prop 207.
While the move to immediately drop all current cases is certainly noteworthy, the expungements are not retroactive. Those who want to want to rid themselves of the charges hanging over their heads, must petition the state to do so. Anyone convicted previously of possessing under an ounce of marijuana, possessing paraphernalia, or six or fewer plants can petition to have their record(s) expunged but not until July 12, 2021.
The idea of a person sitting in a jail cell or being unemployable over a criminal record for something that is now legal, is vile and needs to be corrected. Other states would do well to look at Colorado and Illinois have have issued unconditional pardons to hundreds of thousands of citizens with cannabis convictions.
Colorado was the most recent and last month Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order which granted a full, unconditional pardon to everyone convicted of possession of an ounce or less of marijuana.
According to Executive Order C 2020 004:
All individuals previously convicted in the State of Colorado of a petty offense, misdemeanor, or felony for possession of one (1) ounce or less of marijuana under the following provisions are hereby granted a full and unconditional pardon for that conviction. This Executive Order only applies to convictions of one (1) ounce or less of marijuana and no other charges or convictions are pardoned by this Executive Order. “We are finally cleaning up some of the inequities of the past by pardoning 2,732 convictions for Coloradans who simply had an ounce of marijuana or less. It’s ridiculous how being written up for smoking a joint in the 1970’s has followed some Coloradans throughout their lives and gotten in the way of their success,” Polis said.
Illinois was before Colorado and made a similar move.
On June 25, 2019, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed HB 1438 into law which ended cannabis prohibition and replaced it with a system to tax and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and over. But the bill didn’t stop there, it also included an automatic expungement process for those whose lives have been ruined by the state who kidnapped and caged them for possessing marijuana.
Unlike the previous measures in other states like Arizona, which fell short by requiring people with marijuana convictions to file forms and requests within arduous bureaucratic restraints, HB 1438 is automatic. People who were arrested for possessing this plant in small amounts didn’t have to do anything to have it wiped from their records.
As the Marijuana Policy Project reports:
HB 1438 will usher in one of the most sweeping criminal justice reforms so far in the cannabis movement. The governor’s clemency process will be used for convictions of up to 30 grams. These expungements will be automatic.
For amounts of 30-500 grams, the clemency process also applies, however the individual must petition the court to vacate the conviction. In all, around 770,000 cannabis-related records will be eligible for expungement.
As more and more states legalize, those states who continue to enforce this draconian policy and lock people up for possessing a plant will find themselves not only on the wrong side of history, but left in the dust when it comes to innovation, reduced crime, and medical advancements.
About the Author
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.
**This article (After Legalizing Cannabis, Arizona Begins Dismissing Weed Charges Immediately) was originally published at The Free Thought Project and is re-posted here with permission.**


wakingtimes--2020-11-14--George Orwell Warned us of the Most Dangerous Type of Censorship – And It’s Happening Now

George Orwell Warned us of the Most Dangerous Type of Censorship – And It ’ s Happening Now Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox .
Sign up here .
Editor ’ s Note 11/13/2020 : I ’ m republishing this article from August 2018 , unedited and with this comment : This publication is fully committed to the truthful expression of free speech in these troubling times .
Thank you for your readership and support over the years .
The big tech companies are now openly censoring popular viewpoints and deleting select social media pages who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , of course , never a detailed explanation of why companies like You Tube and Facebook delete user generated pages ( our You Tube page was deleted in 2017 for no apparent reason and our Facebook page has been throttled down to almost no reach ) , and there is never a reasonable way to appeal for the reinstitution of these pages .
The end result of this type of censorship , however , quite likely will not bring about the feared Soviet style clampdown on ideas that challenge the establishment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these companies have fallen pray to monopolistic hubris and will soon see massive declines in viewership , collapsing stock prices and the revolt of angry shareholders .
In other words , these companies are shooting themselves in the feet .
That said , the current social/political/media climate in America today is likely to bring about the rise of a far more insidious and dangerous type of censorship : self-censorship .
In other words , self-censorship is voluntarily silencing one ’ s self out of fear of inoffical reprisal .
That reprisal can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard , but at it ’ s most fundamental level it involves the fear of what others will think of you or say to you if they don ’ t like what they hear .
This form of censorship is already taking hold and is the result of the fear that individuals have of upsetting the mobs and virtue signaling hordes of self-righteous personalities .
It is the fear that anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion and political correctness .
That just by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being attacked by black clad and megaphone wielding tyrants , physically removed from restaurants or harassed when conducting the ordinary affairs of life .
George Orwell wrote extensively of self-censorship at the conclusion of world war II .
When he sought to publish his classic book Animal Farm , which he wrote during the war as a metaphorical critique of Soviet society , he was rejected by a number of publishers who were afraid to offend the prevailing sentiment of the time that the USSR should not be criticized for fear of instigating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Publishers and editors were not ordered by law not to criticize the USSR , but they did so as not to offend the political establishment and popular sentiment .
To this , Orwell penned an introduction to Animal Farm explaining the effects of self-censorship on a free society .
Entitled , ‘ The Freedom of the Press , ’ Orwell ’ s short letter aptly describes the situation we are faced with today .
“ …the chief danger to freedom of thought and speech at this moment is not the direct interference of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If publishers and editors exert themselves to keep certain topics out of print , it is not because they are frightened of prosecution but because they are frightened of public opinion .
In this country intellectual cowardice is the worst enemy a writer or journalist has to face , and that fact does not seem to me to have had the discussion it deserves.
” ~George Orwell “ Unpopular ideas can be silenced , and inconvenient facts kept dark , without the need for any official ban .
Anyone who has lived long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instances of sensational items of news — things which on their own merits would get the big headlines — being kept right out of the British press , not because the Government intervened but because of a general tacit agreement that “ it wouldn ’ t do ” to mention that particular fact .
So far as the daily newspapers go , this is easy to understand .
The British press is extremely centralized , and most of it is owned by wealthy men who have every motive to be dishonest on certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of veiled censorship also operates in books and periodicals , as well as in plays , films and radio .
At any given moment there is an orthodoxy , a body of ideas which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question .
It is not exactly forbidden to say this , that or the other , but it is “ not done ” to say it , just as in mid-Victorian times it was “ not done ” to mention trousers in the presence of a lady .
Anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silenced with surprising effectiveness .
A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing , either in the popular press or in the highbrow periodicals.
” ~George Orwell In this dynamic , the influences of peer pressure and commercial pressures do more to silence dissent than any official decree of censorship could possibly accomplish .
When speaking on the importance of press freedom , American writer E.B .
White spoke of the cultural importance of having many independent viewpoints and fearless news organizations professing a wide range of ideas .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reliable and useful not because of its good character but because of its great diversity .
As long as there are many owners , each pursuing his own brand of truth , we the people have the opportunity to arrive at the truth and to dwell in the light .
The multiplicity of ownership is crucial .
It ’ s only when there are a few owners , or , as in a government-controlled press , one owner , that the truth becomes elusive and the light fails .
For a citizen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous privilege and a wonderful protection to have access to hundreds of periodicals , each peddling its own belief .
There is safety in numbers : the papers expose each other ’ s follies and peccadillos , correct each other ’ s mistakes , and cancel out each other ’ s biases .
The reader is free to range around in the whole editorial bouillabaisse and explore it for the one clam that matters—the truth.
” ~E .
B .
White Media censorship is a shift in the flow of information , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is the dangerous cornerstone of group-think .
We haven ’ t reached that point yet , not by a long shot , as is evident in the fact that both sides of the political spectrum are 100 % engaged in bickering with the other side .
But as social discourse continues to digress and corporations and other institutions feel more empowered to compel their employees and clients to unofficially comply with one political view or another , self-censorship will come creeping more so into our culture .
Will you have the courage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet censorship gains momentum ?
Dylan Charles is the editor of Waking Times and host of The Battered Souls Podcast , both dedicated to ideas of personal transformation , societal awakening , and planetary renewal .
His personal journey is deeply inspired by shamanic plant medicines and the arts of Kung Fu , Qi Gong and Yoga .
After seven years of living in Costa Rica , he now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains , where he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and enjoys spending time with family .
He has written hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people around the world .
This article ( George Orwell Warned us of the Most Dangerous Type of Censorship ) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Dylan Charles and WakingTimes.com .
It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution , author bio , and this copyright statement .

George Orwell Warned us of the Most Dangerous Type of Censorship – And It’s Happening Now
Dylan Charles, Editor
Waking Times
Editor’s Note 11/13/2020: I’m republishing this article from August 2018, unedited and with this comment: This publication is fully committed to the truthful expression of free speech in these troubling times. Thank you sincerely for your readership and support over the years.
“The enemy is the gramophone mind, whether or not one agrees with the record that is being played at the moment.” ~George Orwell
The big tech companies are now openly censoring popular viewpoints and deleting select social media pages who supposedly ‘violate community guidelines.’
There is, of course, never a detailed explanation of why companies like You Tube and Facebook delete user generated pages (our You Tube page was deleted in 2017 for no apparent reason and our Facebook page has been throttled down to almost no reach), and there is never a reasonable way to appeal for the reinstitution of these pages.
The end result of this type of censorship, however, quite likely will not bring about the feared Soviet style clampdown on ideas that challenge the establishment. It’s more reasonable to expect that these companies have fallen pray to monopolistic hubris and will soon see massive declines in viewership, collapsing stock prices and the revolt of angry shareholders. In other words, these companies are shooting themselves in the feet.
That said, the current social/political/media climate in America today is likely to bring about the rise of a far more insidious and dangerous type of censorship: self-censorship.
The Cambridge dictionary defines self-censorship as:
“control of what you say or do in order to avoid annoying or offending others, but without being told officially that such control is necessary:”
Wikipedia defines it as:
“Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one’s own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority.” ~Wikipedia
In other words, self-censorship is voluntarily silencing one’s self out of fear of inoffical reprisal. That reprisal can come in many forms, soft and hard, but at it’s most fundamental level it involves the fear of what others will think of you or say to you if they don’t like what they hear.
This form of censorship is already taking hold and is the result of the fear that individuals have of upsetting the mobs and virtue signaling hordes of self-righteous personalities. It is the fear that anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion and political correctness. That just by voicing your opinion on something you risk being attacked by black clad and megaphone wielding tyrants, physically removed from restaurants or harassed when conducting the ordinary affairs of life.
George Orwell wrote extensively of self-censorship at the conclusion of world war II. When he sought to publish his classic book Animal Farm, which he wrote during the war as a metaphorical critique of Soviet society, he was rejected by a number of publishers who were afraid to offend the prevailing sentiment of the time that the USSR should not be criticized for fear of instigating a diplomatic rift with the UK.
Publishers and editors were not ordered by law not to criticize the USSR, but they did so as not to offend the political establishment and popular sentiment. To this, Orwell penned an introduction to Animal Farm explaining the effects of self-censorship on a free society.
Entitled, ‘The Freedom of the Press,’ Orwell’s short letter aptly describes the situation we are faced with today.
“…the chief danger to freedom of thought and speech at this moment is not the direct interference of the MOI or any official body. If publishers and editors exert themselves to keep certain topics out of print, it is not because they are frightened of prosecution but because they are frightened of public opinion. In this country intellectual cowardice is the worst enemy a writer or journalist has to face, and that fact does not seem to me to have had the discussion it deserves.” ~George Orwell
Orwell continues in his critique:
“Unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban. Anyone who has lived long in a foreign country will know of instances of sensational items of news — things which on their own merits would get the big headlines — being kept right out of the British press, not because the Government intervened but because of a general tacit agreement that “it wouldn’t do” to mention that particular fact. So far as the daily newspapers go, this is easy to understand. The British press is extremely centralized, and most of it is owned by wealthy men who have every motive to be dishonest on certain important topics. But the same kind of veiled censorship also operates in books and periodicals, as well as in plays, films and radio. At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question. It is not exactly forbidden to say this, that or the other, but it is “not done” to say it, just as in mid-Victorian times it was “not done” to mention trousers in the presence of a lady. Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the highbrow periodicals.” ~George Orwell
In this dynamic, the influences of peer pressure and commercial pressures do more to silence dissent than any official decree of censorship could possibly accomplish.
When speaking on the importance of press freedom, American writer E.B. White spoke of the cultural importance of having many independent viewpoints and fearless news organizations professing a wide range of ideas.
“The press in our free country is reliable and useful not because of its good character but because of its great diversity. As long as there are many owners, each pursuing his own brand of truth, we the people have the opportunity to arrive at the truth and to dwell in the light. The multiplicity of ownership is crucial. It’s only when there are a few owners, or, as in a government-controlled press, one owner, that the truth becomes elusive and the light fails. For a citizen in our free society, it is an enormous privilege and a wonderful protection to have access to hundreds of periodicals, each peddling its own belief. There is safety in numbers: the papers expose each other’s follies and peccadillos, correct each other’s mistakes, and cancel out each other’s biases. The reader is free to range around in the whole editorial bouillabaisse and explore it for the one clam that matters—the truth.” ~E. B. White
Final Thoughts
Media censorship is a shift in the flow of information, while self-censorship is a shift in consciousness. It is the dangerous cornerstone of group-think.
We haven’t reached that point yet, not by a long shot, as is evident in the fact that both sides of the political spectrum are 100% engaged in bickering with the other side. But as social discourse continues to digress and corporations and other institutions feel more empowered to compel their employees and clients to unofficially comply with one political view or another, self-censorship will come creeping more so into our culture.
Will you have the courage to be yourself as the push towards internet censorship gains momentum?
Read more articles by Dylan Charles .
About the Author
Dylan Charles is the editor of Waking Times and host of The Battered Souls Podcast, both dedicated to ideas of personal transformation, societal awakening, and planetary renewal. His personal journey is deeply inspired by shamanic plant medicines and the arts of Kung Fu, Qi Gong and Yoga. After seven years of living in Costa Rica, he now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and enjoys spending time with family. He has written hundreds of articles, reaching and inspiring millions of people around the world.
This article (George Orwell Warned us of the Most Dangerous Type of Censorship) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Dylan Charles and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.


wakingtimes--2020-11-14--As Millions Face Eviction, Senate Proposes Nearly $700 Billion for Pentagon

As Millions Face Eviction , Senate Proposes Nearly $ 700 Billion for Pentagon Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox .
Sign up here .
As millions face eviction and line up at food banks throughout the country , waiting for another stimulus payment that will seemingly never come , the Senate Appropriations Committee is proposing a $ 696 billion Pentagon spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year .
According to The Hill , The Senate ’ s version of the fiscal 2021 Pentagon spending bill was released Tuesday along with 11 other annual appropriations bills .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have said they want to pass an omnibus spending bill , and they will likely agree on the military budget , as Democrats overwhelmingly vote in favor of military spending when they have the opportunity , just as Republicans do .
In July , the House passed a $ 694.6 billion bill for Pentagon spending in July .
The Senate version released this week includes $ 627.2 billion for the base defense budget and $ 68.7 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations account , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise for troops .
However , the final Senate version of the bill left out a few causes that were championed by progressive Democrats , including the renaming of military bases that are named after Confederate leaders , and measures that were intended to block defense funds from being used on the border wall .
The Senate ’ s bill would also fund 96 F-35 fighter jets , which is an increase over the original bill and over the administration ’ s initial request .
In addition to the fighter jets , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion to build nine new battle force ships .
Meanwhile , millions of Americans are unemployed and many are now starting to get evicted .
According to the most recent numbers there are 6.8 million , and this only accounts for the people officially collecting unemployment , this does not include the number of people who are not qualified for unemployment , or people who have been out of the work force for an extended length of time .
The unemployment rate dropped slightly over the past two months , but is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Princeton University Eviction Lab , 3.6 million people face eviction cases in a typical year .
This year , up to 8 million people could be facing eviction , according to a tracking tool developed by the global advisory firm Stout Risius and Ross , which works with the nonprofit National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel .
It is also estimated that up to $ 32 billion in back rent will be due for tenants across the US once bans on evictions are lifted .
Despite bans on evictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still kicking people out of their homes , and in some cases , they have even challenged the eviction bans in court .
The people who are struggling financially in the US can ’ t count on much help from the government .
Even the prospects of a new stimulus check are uncertain , and a payment will not be coming until next year at the very earliest , if it comes at all .
Yet , the Pentagon is still able to claim nearly $ 700 billion in taxpayer money .
John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes a special interest in the counter culture , and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems .
He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast .

As Millions Face Eviction, Senate Proposes Nearly $700 Billion for Pentagon
John Vibes, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
As millions face eviction and line up at food banks throughout the country, waiting for another stimulus payment that will seemingly never come, the Senate Appropriations Committee is proposing a $696 billion Pentagon spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year.
According to The Hill, The Senate’s version of the fiscal 2021 Pentagon spending bill was released Tuesday along with 11 other annual appropriations bills.
Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have said they want to pass an omnibus spending bill, and they will likely agree on the military budget, as Democrats overwhelmingly vote in favor of military spending when they have the opportunity, just as Republicans do.
In July, the House passed a $694.6 billion bill for Pentagon spending in July. The Senate version released this week includes $627.2 billion for the base defense budget and $68.7 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations account, and also includes a 3% pay raise for troops.
However, the final Senate version of the bill left out a few causes that were championed by progressive Democrats, including the renaming of military bases that are named after Confederate leaders, and measures that were intended to block defense funds from being used on the border wall.
The Senate’s bill would also fund 96 F-35 fighter jets, which is an increase over the original bill and over the administration’s initial request. In addition to the fighter jets, the bill also gives the Pentagon $21.35 billion to build nine new battle force ships.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are unemployed and many are now starting to get evicted. According to the most recent numbers there are 6.8 million, and this only accounts for the people officially collecting unemployment, this does not include the number of people who are not qualified for unemployment, or people who have been out of the work force for an extended length of time. The unemployment rate dropped slightly over the past two months, but is still at record highs.
According to estimates by the Princeton University Eviction Lab, 3.6 million people face eviction cases in a typical year. This year, up to 8 million people could be facing eviction, according to a tracking tool developed by the global advisory firm Stout Risius and Ross, which works with the nonprofit National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel.
It is also estimated that up to $32 billion in back rent will be due for tenants across the US once bans on evictions are lifted. Despite bans on evictions, many landlords in the US are still kicking people out of their homes, and in some cases, they have even challenged the eviction bans in court.
The people who are struggling financially in the US can’t count on much help from the government. Even the prospects of a new stimulus check are uncertain, and a payment will not be coming until next year at the very earliest, if it comes at all. Yet, the Pentagon is still able to claim nearly $700 billion in taxpayer money.
About the Author
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast.


wakingtimes--2020-11-14--“Own Nothing And Be Happy” – The World Economic Forum’s Vision Of Your Future

“ Own Nothing And Be Happy ” – The World Economic Forum ’ s Vision Of Your Future Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox .
Sign up here .
The World Economic Forum ’ s ( WEF ) annual meeting at the end of January in Davos , Switzerland , brings together international business and political leaders , economists and other high-profile individuals to discuss global issues .
Driven by the vision of its influential CEO Klaus Schwab , the WEF is the main driving force for the dystopian ‘ great reset ’ , a tectonic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live , work and interact with each other .
The great reset entails a transformation of society resulting in permanent restrictions on fundamental liberties and mass surveillance as entire sectors are sacrificed to boost the monopoly and hegemony of pharmaceuticals corporations , high-tech/big data giants , Amazon , Google , major global chains , the digital payments sector , biotech concerns , etc .
Using COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions to push through this transformation , the great reset is being rolled out under the guise of a ‘ Fourth Industrial Revolution ’ in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bankruptcy or absorbed into monopolies , effectively shutting down huge sections of the pre-COVID economy .
Economies are being ‘ restructured ’ and many jobs will be carried out by AI-driven machines .
A happy smiling face is depicted while a drone delivers a product to a household , no doubt ordered online and packaged by a robot in a giant Amazon warehouse : ‘ no humans were involved in manufacturing , packaging or delivering this product ’ ; rest assured , it is virus- and bacteria-free – because even in 2030 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear narrative alive and well to maintain full-spectrum dominance over the population .
The jobless ( and there will be many ) could be placed on some kind of universal basic income and have their debts ( indebtedness and bankruptcy on a massive scale is the deliberate result of lockdowns and restrictions ) written off in return for handing their assets to the state or more precisely the financial institutions helping to drive this great reset .
The WEF says the public will ‘ rent ’ everything they require : stripping the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sustainable consumption ’ and ‘ saving the planet ’ .
Of course , the tiny elite who rolled out this great reset will own everything .
Hundreds of millions around the world deemed ‘ surplus to requirements ’ are to be robbed ( are currently being robbed ) of their livelihoods .
Our every movement and purchase are to be monitored and our main dealings will be online .
The plan for individual citizens could reflect the strategy to be applied to nation states .
For instance , World Bank Group President David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be ‘ helped ’ to get back on their feet after the various lockdowns that have been implemented .
This ‘ help ’ will be on condition that neoliberal reforms and the undermining of public services are implemented and become further embedded .
On 20 April , the Wall Street Journal ran the headline ‘ IMF , World Bank Face Deluge of Aid Requests From Developing World ‘ .
Scores of countries are asking for bailouts and loans from financial institutions with $ 1.2 trillion to lend .
An ideal recipe for fuelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or ‘ support ’ , global conglomerates along with the likes of Bill Gates will be able to further dictate national policies and hollow out the remnants of nation state sovereignty .
What will happen to our social and personal identity ?
Is that to be eradicated in the quest to commodify and standardise human behaviour and everything we do ?
The billionaire class who are pushing this agenda think they can own nature and all humans and can control both , whether through geoengineering the atmosphere , for example , genetically modifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than nature by producing bio-synthesised fake food in a lab .
They think they can bring history to a close and reinvent the wheel by reshaping what it means to be human .
And they think they can achieve this by 2030 .
It is a cold dystopian vision that wants to eradicate thousands of years of culture , tradition and practices virtually overnight .
And many of those cultures , traditions and practices relate to food and how we produce it and our deep-rooted connections to nature .
Consider that many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forebears were built around stories and myths that helped them come to terms with some of the most basic issues of existence , from death to rebirth and fertility .
These culturally embedded beliefs and practices served to sanctify their practical relationship with nature and its role in sustaining human life .
As agriculture became key to human survival , the planting and harvesting of crops and other seasonal activities associated with food production were central to these customs .
Freyfaxi marks the beginning of the harvest in Norse paganism , for example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebration of the first harvest/grain harvest in Paganism .
Humans celebrated nature and the life it gave birth to .
Ancient beliefs and rituals were imbued with hope and renewal and people had a necessary and immediate relationship with the sun , seeds , animals , wind , fire , soil and rain and the changing seasons that nourished and brought life .
Our cultural and social relationships with agrarian production and associated deities had a sound practical base .
Prof Robert W Nicholls explains that the cults of Woden and Thor were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the sun and the earth , the crops and the animals and the rotation of the seasons between the light and warmth of summer and the cold and dark of winter .
We need look no further than India to appreciate the important relationship between culture , agriculture and ecology , not least the vital importance of the monsoon and seasonal planting and harvesting .
Rural-based beliefs and rituals steeped in nature persist , even among urban Indians .
These are bound to traditional knowledge systems where livelihoods , the seasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seed exchange , healthcare and the passing on of knowledge are all inter-related and form the essence of cultural diversity within India itself .
Although the industrial age resulted in a diminution of the connection between food and the natural environment as people moved to cities , traditional ‘ food cultures ’ – the practices , attitudes and beliefs surrounding the production , distribution and consumption of food – still thrive and highlight our ongoing connection to agriculture and nature .
If we go back to the 1950s , it is interesting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on a series of images that depicted the company as a ‘ hand of god ’ coming out of the sky to ‘ solve ’ some of the issues facing humanity .
One of the most famous images is of the hand pouring the firm ’ s agrochemicals on Indian soils as if traditional farming practices were somehow ‘ backward ’ .
Despite well-publicised claims to the contrary , this chemical-driven approach did not lead to higher food production according to the paper New Histories of the Green Revolution written by Prof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had long-term devastating ecological , social and economic consequences ( see Vandana Shiva ’ s book The Violence of the Green Revolution and Bhaskar Save ’ s now famous and highly insightful open letter to Indian officials ) .
In the book Food and Cultural Studies ’ ( Bob Ashley et al ) , we see how , some years ago , a Coca Cola TV ad campaign sold its product to an audience which associated modernity with a sugary drink and depicted ancient Aboriginal beliefs as harmful , ignorant and outdated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of life to the parched .
This type of ideology forms part of a wider strategy to discredit traditional cultures and portray them as being deficient and in need of assistance from ‘ god-like ’ corporations .
What we are seeing in 2020 , is an acceleration of such processes .
In terms of food and agriculture , traditional farming in places like India will be under increasing pressure from the big-tech giants and agribusiness to open up to lab-grown food , GMOs , genetically engineered soil microbes , data harvesting tools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The great reset includes farmerless farms being manned by driverless machines , monitored by drones and doused with chemicals to produce commodity crops from patented GM seeds for industrial ‘ biomatter ’ to be processed and constituted into something resembling food .
What will happen to the farmers ?
Post-COVID , the World Bank talks about helping countries get back on track in return for structural reforms .
Are tens of millions of smallholder farmers to be enticed from their land in return for individual debt relief and universal basic income ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsequent destruction of rural communities and their cultures was something the Gates Foundation once called for and cynically termed “ land mobility ” .
Cut through the euphemisms and it is clear that Bill Gates – and the other incredibly rich individuals behind the great reset – is an old-fashioned colonialist who supports the time-honoured dispossessive strategies of imperialism , whether this involves mining , appropriating and commodifying farmer knowledge , accelerating the transfer of research and seeds to corporations or facilitating intellectual property piracy and seed monopolies created through IP laws and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – still an agrarian-based society – will the land of these already ( prior to COVID ) heavily indebted farmers then be handed over to the tech giants , the financial institutions and global agribusiness to churn out their high-tech , data-driven GM industrial sludge ?
Is this part of the ‘ own nothing , be happy ’ bland brave new world being promoted by the WEF ?
With the link completely severed between food production , nature and culturally embedded beliefs that give meaning and expression to life , we will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on lab-based food , who is reliant on income from the state and who is stripped of satisfying productive endeavour and genuine self-fulfilment .
Technocratic meddling has already destroyed or undermined cultural diversity , meaningful social connections and agrarian ecosystems that draw on centuries of traditional knowledge and are increasingly recognised as valid approaches to secure food security ( for example , see Food Security and Traditional Knowledge in India in the Journal of South Asian Studies ) .
The massive technocratic transformation currently envisaged regards humans as commodities to be controlled and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and AI being promoted .
But do not worry – you will be property-less and happy in your open prison of mass unemployment , state dependency , track and chip health passports , cashlessness , mass vaccination and dehumanisation .
By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

“Own Nothing And Be Happy” – The World Economic Forum’s Vision Of Your Future
Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
Waking Times
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, brings together international business and political leaders, economists and other high-profile individuals to discuss global issues.
Driven by the vision of its influential CEO Klaus Schwab, the WEF is the main driving force for the dystopian ‘great reset’, a tectonic shift that intends to change how we live, work and interact with each other.
The great reset entails a transformation of society resulting in permanent restrictions on fundamental liberties and mass surveillance as entire sectors are sacrificed to boost the monopoly and hegemony of pharmaceuticals corporations, high-tech/big data giants, Amazon, Google, major global chains, the digital payments sector, biotech concerns, etc.
Using COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions to push through this transformation, the great reset is being rolled out under the guise of a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ in which older enterprises are to be driven to bankruptcy or absorbed into monopolies, effectively shutting down huge sections of the pre-COVID economy. Economies are being ‘restructured’ and many jobs will be carried out by AI-driven machines.
In a short video showcased on social media, the WEF predicts that by 2030, “You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy.”
A happy smiling face is depicted while a drone delivers a product to a household, no doubt ordered online and packaged by a robot in a giant Amazon warehouse: ‘no humans were involved in manufacturing, packaging or delivering this product’; rest assured, it is virus- and bacteria-free – because even in 2030, they will need to keep the fear narrative alive and well to maintain full-spectrum dominance over the population.
The jobless (and there will be many) could be placed on some kind of universal basic income and have their debts (indebtedness and bankruptcy on a massive scale is the deliberate result of lockdowns and restrictions) written off in return for handing their assets to the state or more precisely the financial institutions helping to drive this great reset.
The WEF says the public will ‘rent’ everything they require: stripping the right of ownership under the guise of ‘sustainable consumption’ and ‘saving the planet’. Of course, the tiny elite who rolled out this great reset will own everything.
Hundreds of millions around the world deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ are to be robbed (are currently being robbed) of their livelihoods. Our every movement and purchase are to be monitored and our main dealings will be online.
The plan for individual citizens could reflect the strategy to be applied to nation states. For instance, World Bank Group President David Malpass has stated that poorer countries will be ‘helped’ to get back on their feet after the various lockdowns that have been implemented. This ‘help’ will be on condition that neoliberal reforms and the undermining of public services are implemented and become further embedded.
On 20 April, the Wall Street Journal ran the headline ‘IMF, World Bank Face Deluge of Aid Requests From Developing World‘. Scores of countries are asking for bailouts and loans from financial institutions with $1.2 trillion to lend. An ideal recipe for fuelling dependency.
In return for debt relief or ‘support’, global conglomerates along with the likes of Bill Gates will be able to further dictate national policies and hollow out the remnants of nation state sovereignty.
http://youtu.be/N0BPRn5KbAg
IDENTITY AND MEANING
What will happen to our social and personal identity? Is that to be eradicated in the quest to commodify and standardise human behaviour and everything we do?
The billionaire class who are pushing this agenda think they can own nature and all humans and can control both, whether through geoengineering the atmosphere, for example, genetically modifying soil microbes or doing a better job than nature by producing bio-synthesised fake food in a lab.
They think they can bring history to a close and reinvent the wheel by reshaping what it means to be human. And they think they can achieve this by 2030. It is a cold dystopian vision that wants to eradicate thousands of years of culture, tradition and practices virtually overnight.
And many of those cultures, traditions and practices relate to food and how we produce it and our deep-rooted connections to nature. Consider that many of the ancient rituals and celebrations of our forebears were built around stories and myths that helped them come to terms with some of the most basic issues of existence, from death to rebirth and fertility. These culturally embedded beliefs and practices served to sanctify their practical relationship with nature and its role in sustaining human life.
As agriculture became key to human survival, the planting and harvesting of crops and other seasonal activities associated with food production were central to these customs. Freyfaxi marks the beginning of the harvest in Norse paganism, for example, while Lammas or Lughnasadh is the celebration of the first harvest/grain harvest in Paganism.
Humans celebrated nature and the life it gave birth to. Ancient beliefs and rituals were imbued with hope and renewal and people had a necessary and immediate relationship with the sun, seeds, animals, wind, fire, soil and rain and the changing seasons that nourished and brought life. Our cultural and social relationships with agrarian production and associated deities had a sound practical base.
Prof Robert W Nicholls explains that the cults of Woden and Thor were superimposed on far older and better-rooted beliefs related to the sun and the earth, the crops and the animals and the rotation of the seasons between the light and warmth of summer and the cold and dark of winter.
We need look no further than India to appreciate the important relationship between culture, agriculture and ecology, not least the vital importance of the monsoon and seasonal planting and harvesting. Rural-based beliefs and rituals steeped in nature persist, even among urban Indians. These are bound to traditional knowledge systems where livelihoods, the seasons, food, cooking, processing, seed exchange, healthcare and the passing on of knowledge are all inter-related and form the essence of cultural diversity within India itself.
Although the industrial age resulted in a diminution of the connection between food and the natural environment as people moved to cities, traditional ‘food cultures’ – the practices, attitudes and beliefs surrounding the production, distribution and consumption of food – still thrive and highlight our ongoing connection to agriculture and nature.
‘HAND OF GOD’ IMPERIALISM
If we go back to the 1950s, it is interesting to note Union Carbide’s corporate narrative based on a series of images that depicted the company as a ‘hand of god’ coming out of the sky to ‘solve’ some of the issues facing humanity. One of the most famous images is of the hand pouring the firm’s agrochemicals on Indian soils as if traditional farming practices were somehow ‘backward’.
Despite well-publicised claims to the contrary, this chemical-driven approach did not lead to higher food production according to the paper New Histories of the Green Revolution written by Prof Glenn Stone. However, it has had long-term devastating ecological, social and economic consequences (see Vandana Shiva’s book The Violence of the Green Revolution and Bhaskar Save’s now famous and highly insightful open letter to Indian officials).
In the book Food and Cultural Studies’ (Bob Ashley et al), we see how, some years ago, a Coca Cola TV ad campaign sold its product to an audience which associated modernity with a sugary drink and depicted ancient Aboriginal beliefs as harmful, ignorant and outdated. Coke and not rain became the giver of life to the parched. This type of ideology forms part of a wider strategy to discredit traditional cultures and portray them as being deficient and in need of assistance from ‘god-like’ corporations.
What we are seeing in 2020, is an acceleration of such processes. In terms of food and agriculture, traditional farming in places like India will be under increasing pressure from the big-tech giants and agribusiness to open up to lab-grown food, GMOs, genetically engineered soil microbes, data harvesting tools and drones and other ‘disruptive’ technologies.
The great reset includes farmerless farms being manned by driverless machines, monitored by drones and doused with chemicals to produce commodity crops from patented GM seeds for industrial ‘biomatter’ to be processed and constituted into something resembling food. What will happen to the farmers?
Post-COVID, the World Bank talks about helping countries get back on track in return for structural reforms. Are tens of millions of smallholder farmers to be enticed from their land in return for individual debt relief and universal basic income? The displacement of these farmers and the subsequent destruction of rural communities and their cultures was something the Gates Foundation once called for and cynically termed “land mobility”.
Cut through the euphemisms and it is clear that Bill Gates – and the other incredibly rich individuals behind the great reset – is an old-fashioned colonialist who supports the time-honoured dispossessive strategies of imperialism, whether this involves mining, appropriating and commodifying farmer knowledge, accelerating the transfer of research and seeds to corporations or facilitating intellectual property piracy and seed monopolies created through IP laws and seed regulations.
In places like India – still an agrarian-based society – will the land of these already (prior to COVID) heavily indebted farmers then be handed over to the tech giants, the financial institutions and global agribusiness to churn out their high-tech, data-driven GM industrial sludge? Is this part of the ‘own nothing, be happy’ bland brave new world being promoted by the WEF?
With the link completely severed between food production, nature and culturally embedded beliefs that give meaning and expression to life, we will be left with the individual human who exists on lab-based food, who is reliant on income from the state and who is stripped of satisfying productive endeavour and genuine self-fulfilment.
Technocratic meddling has already destroyed or undermined cultural diversity, meaningful social connections and agrarian ecosystems that draw on centuries of traditional knowledge and are increasingly recognised as valid approaches to secure food security (for example, see Food Security and Traditional Knowledge in India in the Journal of South Asian Studies).
The massive technocratic transformation currently envisaged regards humans as commodities to be controlled and monitored just like the lifeless technological drones and AI being promoted.
But do not worry – you will be property-less and happy in your open prison of mass unemployment, state dependency, track and chip health passports, cashlessness, mass vaccination and dehumanisation.
By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge
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wakingtimes--2020-11-14--“The Great Reset” Already Happened

“The Great Reset” Already Happened

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The global elites ’ techno-fantasy of a completely centralized future , The Great Reset , is addressed as a future project .
Too bad it already happened in 2008-09 .
The lackeys and toadies tasked with spewing the PR are 12 years too late , and so are the critics listening to the PR with foreboding .
Simply put , events outran our understanding of them .
The future already manifested while we were trying to cram the present arrangement into an obsolete conceptual framework @ @ @ @ @ @ @ II era ended around 1970 .
The legitimate prosperity of 1946-1970 was based on cheap oil controlled by the U.S. and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar .
Everything else was merely decoration .
The Original Sin to hard-money advocates was America ’ s abandonment of the gold standard in 1971 , but this was the only way to maintain hegemony .
Maintaining the reserve currency is tricky , as the nation issuing the reserve currency has to supply the global economy with enough of the currency to grease commerce and stock central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the global economy expanded , the only way the U.S. could send enough dollars overseas was to run trade deficits , which in a gold standard meant the gold reserves would go to zero as trading partners holding dollars would exchange the currency for gold .
So the choice was : give up the reserve currency and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar by jacking up the dollar ’ s value so high that imports would collapse , or accept that hegemony was no longer compatible with the gold standard .
It wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would give up global hegemony , and for what ?
Many other dynamics changed around the same time : social , cultural , political .
These charts reflect the end of the postwar era and the ushering in of a new era .
Again in broad-brush , the key economic dynamic was the decline of labor ’ s share of the economy in favor of capital .
Those who had only their labor to sell lost purchasing power , while those who could borrow or access capital benefited enormously .
The charts below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share of the national income has stairstepped lower for 50 years ( since 1970 ) while the super-wealthy ’ s share has outpaced everyone else 15-fold .
The dominance of financial capital is visible in the third chart , as private-sector financial assets are now 6 times the nation ’ s GDP , double the percentage of the postwar era .
This capital-friendly era was rocket-boosted by financialization in the 1980s , technology in the 1990s and globalization in the early 21st century .
You can see each advance of capital ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chart below : the top 0.1 % first pulled away in the 1980s financialization , stutter-stepped in the early 1990s and then exploded higher as technology fueled capital ’ s leverage and exposure to the gains reaped by computers and the Internet .
Alas , these extremes are not stable or sustainable , and so each wave ends in a devastating crash .
The income of the top 0.1 % took a hit as the dotcom bubble burst , but then China ’ s entry into the WTO saved the day as rampant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fraud boosted their fortunes in the 2000s .
The dual extremes of financialization and globalization created the 2008 bubble , and its collapse almost took down the entire global capital house of cards .
Central banks , ultimately financed by the Fed to the tune of $ 29 trillion , twice the size of America ’ s entire GDP , instituted The Great Reset under the usual guise of “ emergency measures ” which then became permanent policies .
The Great Reset led to the hyper-centralization of control over the global economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unprecedented money-printing and financial repression , which includes zero-interest rate policies ( ZIRP ) , as the debt-bubble would pop if rates aren ’ t nailed down to zero .
All the PR being spewed about The Great Reset is the final frantic flailing of a system that ’ s drowning in its own excesses .
The 50-year long era of the few enriching themselves at the expense of the many has ended , for the same reason eras of extreme exploitation always end–the elites got too greedy and overshot the economy ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share of the income and wealth .
Put another way : the elites have cannibalized the system so thoroughly that there ’ s nothing left to steal , exploit or cannibalize .
The hyper-centralized global money control has run out of rope as the cheap oil is gone , debts have ballooned to the point there is no way they ’ ll ever be paid down , and the only thing staving off collapse is money-printing , which holds the seeds of its own demise .
Allow me to summarize the only way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can actually manifest : The Martians arrive towing huge meteorites of pure lithium and gold , and rather than incinerating the global elites , they hand the global elites the meteorites to further their concentration of wealth and power .
Short of that science fiction , this sucker ’ s going down .
The Great Reset has already run its course after 12 long years of artifice , fraud and trickery .
So global elite shills , lackeys , factotums , toadies and apparatchiks–prepare for your Wil-E-Coyote moment of truth .
Charles Hugh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the proprietor of the popular blog OfTwoMinds.com .
He is the author of numerous books , including Why Everything Is Falling Apart : An Unconventional Guide To Investing In Troubled Times .
A Hacker ’ s Teleology : Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet ( Kindle $ 8.95 , print $ 20 , audiobook coming soon ) Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
Will You Be Richer or Poorer ?
: Profit , Power , and AI in a Traumatized World ( Kindle $ 5 , print @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first section for free ( PDF ) .
Pathfinding our Destiny : Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ( $ 5 ( Kindle ) , $ 10 ( print ) , ( audiobook ) : Read the first section for free ( PDF ) .
The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher : The Disappearance of Drake $ 1.29 ( Kindle ) , $ 8.95 ( print ) ; read the first chapters for free ( PDF ) Money and Work Unchained $ 6.95 ( Kindle ) , $ 15 ( print @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( PDF ) .
Become a $ 1/month patron of my work via patreon.com .

“The Great Reset” Already Happened
Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds
Waking Times
The global elites’ techno-fantasy of a completely centralized future, The Great Reset, is addressed as a future project. Too bad it already happened in 2008-09. The lackeys and toadies tasked with spewing the PR are 12 years too late, and so are the critics listening to the PR with foreboding.
Simply put, events outran our understanding of them. The future already manifested while we were trying to cram the present arrangement into an obsolete conceptual framework.
In broad-brush, the post-World War II era ended around 1970. The legitimate prosperity of 1946-1970 was based on cheap oil controlled by the U.S. and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar. Everything else was merely decoration.
The Original Sin to hard-money advocates was America’s abandonment of the gold standard in 1971, but this was the only way to maintain hegemony. Maintaining the reserve currency is tricky, as the nation issuing the reserve currency has to supply the global economy with enough of the currency to grease commerce and stock central bank reserves around the world.
As the global economy expanded, the only way the U.S. could send enough dollars overseas was to run trade deficits, which in a gold standard meant the gold reserves would go to zero as trading partners holding dollars would exchange the currency for gold.
So the choice was: give up the reserve currency and the hegemony of the U.S. dollar by jacking up the dollar’s value so high that imports would collapse, or accept that hegemony was no longer compatible with the gold standard. It wasn’t a difficult decision: who would give up global hegemony, and for what?
Many other dynamics changed around the same time: social, cultural, political. These charts reflect the end of the postwar era and the ushering in of a new era.
Again in broad-brush, the key economic dynamic was the decline of labor’s share of the economy in favor of capital. Those who had only their labor to sell lost purchasing power, while those who could borrow or access capital benefited enormously. The charts below tell the story: labor’s share of the national income has stairstepped lower for 50 years (since 1970) while the super-wealthy’s share has outpaced everyone else 15-fold.
The dominance of financial capital is visible in the third chart, as private-sector financial assets are now 6 times the nation’s GDP, double the percentage of the postwar era.
This capital-friendly era was rocket-boosted by financialization in the 1980s, technology in the 1990s and globalization in the early 21st century. You can see each advance of capital’s top tier–the top 0.1%–in the chart below: the top 0.1% first pulled away in the 1980s financialization, stutter-stepped in the early 1990s and then exploded higher as technology fueled capital’s leverage and exposure to the gains reaped by computers and the Internet.
Alas, these extremes are not stable or sustainable, and so each wave ends in a devastating crash. The income of the top 0.1% took a hit as the dotcom bubble burst, but then China’s entry into the WTO saved the day as rampant globalization and additional extremes of financial leverage and fraud boosted their fortunes in the 2000s.
The dual extremes of financialization and globalization created the 2008 bubble, and its collapse almost took down the entire global capital house of cards. Central banks, ultimately financed by the Fed to the tune of $29 trillion, twice the size of America’s entire GDP, instituted The Great Reset under the usual guise of “emergency measures” which then became permanent policies.
The Great Reset led to the hyper-centralization of control over the global economy’s money as central banks coordinated unprecedented money-printing and financial repression, which includes zero-interest rate policies (ZIRP), as the debt-bubble would pop if rates aren’t nailed down to zero.
All the PR being spewed about The Great Reset is the final frantic flailing of a system that’s drowning in its own excesses. The 50-year long era of the few enriching themselves at the expense of the many has ended, for the same reason eras of extreme exploitation always end–the elites got too greedy and overshot the economy’s ability to sustain their rapidly expanding share of the income and wealth.
Put another way: the elites have cannibalized the system so thoroughly that there’s nothing left to steal, exploit or cannibalize. The hyper-centralized global money control has run out of rope as the cheap oil is gone, debts have ballooned to the point there is no way they’ll ever be paid down, and the only thing staving off collapse is money-printing, which holds the seeds of its own demise.
Allow me to summarize the only way The Great Reset envisioned by global elites can actually manifest: The Martians arrive towing huge meteorites of pure lithium and gold, and rather than incinerating the global elites, they hand the global elites the meteorites to further their concentration of wealth and power.
Short of that science fiction, this sucker’s going down. The Great Reset has already run its course after 12 long years of artifice, fraud and trickery. So global elite shills, lackeys, factotums, toadies and apparatchiks–prepare for your Wil-E-Coyote moment of truth.
About the Author
Charles Hugh Smith is a contributing editor to PeakProsperity.com and the proprietor of the popular blog OfTwoMinds.com. He is the author of numerous books, including Why Everything Is Falling Apart: An Unconventional Guide To Investing In Troubled Times.
Recent Podcasts:
AxisofEasy Salon #29: A Deep Dive into the Network State (1 hr)
My COVID-19 Pandemic Posts
My recent books:
A Hacker’s Teleology: Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet (Kindle $8.95, print $20, audiobook coming soon) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Will You Be Richer or Poorer?: Profit, Power, and AI in a Traumatized World
(Kindle $5, print $10, audiobook) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($5 (Kindle), $10 (print), ( audiobook): Read the first section for free (PDF).
The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher: The Disappearance of Drake $1.29 (Kindle), $8.95 (print); read the first chapters for free (PDF)
Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Become a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.