russia-insider--2020-07-14--US Is Trying to Start a Nuclear Missile Arms Race With China / Russia to Hurt Their Economies

The US is attempting to create an arms race with China and Russia in order to severely impact their economies .
This is in addition to the US also utilizing sanctions to try and weaken China and Russia , while also trying to weaken them from within by backing their opposition .
This is why frequent calls by Washington for China to join trilateral negotiations on the extension of New START , the leading nuclear weapons agreement between Russia and the US which is due to expire in February 2021 , can not be trusted .
Beijing wants the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the same to what they have , and it is unlikely that the US will in any way meet the Chinese demand .
In Washington ’ s view , it perceives these agreements as something that hinders their global dominance in the post-Soviet world and this is why they are also attempting to separate China and Russia from cooperating with each other .
The US is deliberately creating a narrative that attempts to portray China as responsible for not renewing the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty ( START 3 ) , just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Open Skies and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaties .
Washington is well aware of Beijing 's position , which does not participate in multilateral agreements because it recognizes that there is a disproportion in the military potential of China compared to the US and Russia .
Russia and the US account for 90 % of all nuclear weapons .
Washington is simply looking for someone to blame to end these treaties in order to make China , and maybe even Russia , guilty .
Washington deliberately weakens arms control in the hope of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaken the rise and resurgence of many opposing states , such as China and Russia .
It is indisputable that the economic development of China will lead to it having a great and powerful military with a huge arsenal of strategic missiles .
Although Russia can not match the economic might of both the US and China , it has continuously proven that it has a powerful military that it is willing to use to protect their interests that are in opposition to American ambitions – as seen in South Ossetia in 2008 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Russia , including when it led the now defunct Soviet Union , have remained the leading actors who possess nuclear weapons , strategic missiles for many purposes and different combat platforms .
However , international circumstances changed and over time China appeared .
China is not such a military giant compared to these two countries , but it is an economic powerhouse that has all the prerequisites and control over military technologies needed for the production of strategic offensive missiles and the production of modern combat .
This is why the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in arms control treaties .
However , Beijing 's condition that the US reduces its existing nuclear weapons to China ’ s level , which are about 20 times smaller than the American one , is something that Washington will reject without a second thought .
It is impossible for several reasons .
How can the US destroy so many missiles and technology that is extremely expensive and at the same time return to a position from where they would have to compete again with a great economic power on the rise ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ biggest strategic players on the world stage , and it is possible that there will be mutual concessions .
What is certain is that the future of these negotiations and agreements depend primarily on the results of the upcoming elections in the US and the next government that will be constituted there .
Since Donald Trump ’ s campaign to become president of the US several years ago , he has taken aim at China as the main reason for his country ’ s decline in economic and military power .
For any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preposterous and discounts the US ’ perpetual state of war that significantly drains public coffers – and Trump likely knows this too .
There is every chance that if Trump is successful in securing a second term , he may become softer on China as he no longer needs to play the populist card .
But until then , he will not ease pressure on China while many within his administration hope to trigger an arms race with both China and Russia to hamper their economic progress under the guise that Beijing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arms control treaties .

The US is attempting to create an arms race with China and Russia in order to severely impact their economies. This is in addition to the US also utilizing sanctions to try and weaken China and Russia, while also trying to weaken them from within by backing their opposition. This is why frequent calls by Washington for China to join trilateral negotiations on the extension of New START, the leading nuclear weapons agreement between Russia and the US which is due to expire in February 2021, cannot be trusted. Beijing wants the US to reduce the number of their missiles to the same to what they have, and it is unlikely that the US will in any way meet the Chinese demand.
In Washington’s view, it perceives these agreements as something that hinders their global dominance in the post-Soviet world and this is why they are also attempting to separate China and Russia from cooperating with each other. The US is deliberately creating a narrative that attempts to portray China as responsible for not renewing the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (START 3), just as they blamed Russia for the cancellation of the Open Skies and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaties.
Washington is well aware of Beijing's position, which does not participate in multilateral agreements because it recognizes that there is a disproportion in the military potential of China compared to the US and Russia. Russia and the US account for 90% of all nuclear weapons. Washington is simply looking for someone to blame to end these treaties in order to make China, and maybe even Russia, guilty. Washington deliberately weakens arms control in the hope of maintaining a US-centric global order and to weaken the rise and resurgence of many opposing states, such as China and Russia.
It is indisputable that the economic development of China will lead to it having a great and powerful military with a huge arsenal of strategic missiles. Although Russia cannot match the economic might of both the US and China, it has continuously proven that it has a powerful military that it is willing to use to protect their interests that are in opposition to American ambitions – as seen in South Ossetia in 2008 and Syria in 2015.
The US and Russia, including when it led the now defunct Soviet Union, have remained the leading actors who possess nuclear weapons, strategic missiles for many purposes and different combat platforms. However, international circumstances changed and over time China appeared. China is not such a military giant compared to these two countries, but it is an economic powerhouse that has all the prerequisites and control over military technologies needed for the production of strategic offensive missiles and the production of modern combat. This is why the US has a public expectation to include China in arms control treaties.
However, Beijing's condition that the US reduces its existing nuclear weapons to China’s level, which are about 20 times smaller than the American one, is something that Washington will reject without a second thought. It is impossible for several reasons. How can the US destroy so many missiles and technology that is extremely expensive and at the same time return to a position from where they would have to compete again with a great economic power on the rise? But it is a game of the biggest strategic players on the world stage, and it is possible that there will be mutual concessions.
What is certain is that the future of these negotiations and agreements depend primarily on the results of the upcoming elections in the US and the next government that will be constituted there. Since Donald Trump’s campaign to become president of the US several years ago, he has taken aim at China as the main reason for his country’s decline in economic and military power. For any serious observer, this is of course preposterous and discounts the US’ perpetual state of war that significantly drains public coffers – and Trump likely knows this too.
There is every chance that if Trump is successful in securing a second term, he may become softer on China as he no longer needs to play the populist card. But until then, he will not ease pressure on China while many within his administration hope to trigger an arms race with both China and Russia to hamper their economic progress under the guise that Beijing and Moscow are responsible for the end of arms control treaties.


russia-insider--2020-07-14--Iran and China Turbo-Charge the New Silk Roads

Two of the US ’ s top “ strategic threats ” are getting closer and closer within the scope of the New Silk Roads – the leading 21st century project of economic integration across Eurasia .
The Deep State will not be amused .
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi blasted as “ lies ” a series of rumors about the “ transparent roadmap ” inbuilt in the evolving Iran-China strategic partnership .
That was complemented by President Rouhani ’ s chief of staff , Mahmoud Vezi , who said that “ a destructive line of propaganda has been initiated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expansion of Iran ’ s relations with neighbors and especially ( with ) China and Russia.
” Vezi added , “ this roadmap in which a path is defined for expansion of relations between governments and the private sectors is signed and will continue to be signed between many countries.
” To a great extent , both Mousavi and Vezi were referring to a sensationalist reportwhich did not add anything that was not already known about the strategic partnership , but predictably dog-whistled a major red alert about the military alliance .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , when President Xi visited Tehran .
These are the guidelines .
Two articles among the 20 listed in the agreement are particularly relevant .
Item 7 defines the scope of the partnership within the New Silk Roads vision of Eurasia integration : “ The Iranian side welcomes ‘ the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road ’ initiative introduced by China .
Relying on their respective strengths and advantages as well as the opportunities provided through the signing of documents such as the “ MOU on Jointly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road ’ and ‘ MOU on Reinforcement of Industrial and Mineral Capacities and Investment ’ , both sides shall expand cooperation and mutual investments in various areas including transportation , railway , ports , energy , industry , commerce and services.
” And item 10 praises Iran ’ s membership of the AIIB : “ The Chinese side appreciates Iran ’ s participation as a ‘ Founding Member ’ of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank .
Both sides are willing to strengthen their cooperation in the relevant areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prosperity of Asia.
” The core of the Iran-China strategic partnership – no secret whatsoever since at least last year – revolves around a $ 400 billion Chinese investment in Iran ’ s energy and infrastructure for the next 25 years .
It ’ s all about securing a matter of supreme Chinese national interest : a steady supply of oil and gas , bypassing the dangerous bottleneck of the Strait of Malacca , secured with a median 18 % discount , and paid in yuan or in a basket of currencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also invest roughly $ 228 billion in Iranian infrastructure – that ’ s where the AIIB comes in – over 25 years , but especially up to 2025 .
That ranges from building factories to badly needed energy industry renovation , all the way to the already in progress construction of the 900 km-long electric rail from Tehran to Mashhad .
Tehran , Qom and Isfahan will also be linked by high-speed rail – and there will be an extension to Tabriz , an important oil , gas and petrochemical node and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All of the above makes total sense in New Silk Road terms , as Iran is a key Eurasian crossroads .
High-speed rail traversing Iran will connect Urumqi in Xinjiang to Tehran , via four of the Central Asian “ stans ” ( Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan ) all the way to West Asia , across Iraq and Turkey , and further on to Europe : a techno revival of the Ancient Silk Roads , where the main language of trade between East and West across the heartland was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ naval military cooperation between Iran and China and also Russia are still not finalized – as Iranian sources told me .
And no one has had access to the details .
What Mousavi said , in a tweet , was that “ there is nothing [ in the agreement ] about delivering Iranian islands to China , nothing about the presence of military forces , and other falsehoods.
” The same applies to – totally unsubstantiated – speculation that the PLA would be granted bases in Iran and be allowed to station troops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed Iran and China had been negotiating “ with confidence and conviction ” and there was “ nothing secret ” about the agreement .
Iranian , Chinese and Russian negotiators will meet next month to discuss terms of the military cooperation among the top three nodes of Eurasia integration .
Closer collaboration is scheduled to start by November .
Geopolitically and geoeconomically , the key take away is that the US relentless blockade of the Iranian economy , featuring hardcore weaponized sanctions , is impotent to do anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a decent expose of some of the factors in play .
The Iran-China strategic partnership is yet another graphic demonstration of what could be deconstructed as the Chinese brand of exceptionalism : a collective mentality and enough organized planning capable of establishing a wide-ranging , win-win , economic , political and military partnership .
It ’ s quite instructive to place the whole process within the context of what State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed at a recent China-US Think Tanks meeting , attended , among others , by Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been floating around in recent years , alleging that the success of China ’ s path will be a blow and threat to the Western system and path .
This claim is inconsistent with facts , and we do not agree with it .
Aggression and expansion are never in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years of history .
China does not replicate any model of other countries , nor does it export its own to others .
We never ask other countries to copy what we do .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forefathers advocated that ‘ All living things can grow in harmony without hurting one another , and different ways can run in parallel without interfering with one another ’ ” .

A picture provided by the Iranian Presidency on January 23, 2016, shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) attend a press conference following their meeting in Tehran. (Photo by HO / IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)
Two of the US’s top “strategic threats” are getting closer and closer within the scope of the New Silk Roads – the leading 21st century project of economic integration across Eurasia. The Deep State will not be amused.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi blasted as “lies” a series of rumors about the “transparent roadmap” inbuilt in the evolving Iran-China strategic partnership.
That was complemented by President Rouhani’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vezi, who said that “a destructive line of propaganda has been initiated and directed from outside Iran against the expansion of Iran’s relations with neighbors and especially (with) China and Russia.”
Vezi added, “this roadmap in which a path is defined for expansion of relations between governments and the private sectors is signed and will continue to be signed between many countries.”
To a great extent, both Mousavi and Vezi were referring to a sensationalist reportwhich did not add anything that was not already known about the strategic partnership, but predictably dog-whistled a major red alert about the military alliance.
The Iran-China strategic partnership was officially established in 2016, when President Xi visited Tehran. These are the guidelines.
Two articles among the 20 listed in the agreement are particularly relevant.
Item 7 defines the scope of the partnership within the New Silk Roads vision of Eurasia integration: “The Iranian side welcomes ‘the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road’ initiative introduced by China. Relying on their respective strengths and advantages as well as the opportunities provided through the signing of documents such as the “MOU on Jointly Promoting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road’ and ‘MOU on Reinforcement of Industrial and Mineral Capacities and Investment’, both sides shall expand cooperation and mutual investments in various areas including transportation, railway, ports, energy, industry, commerce and services.”
And item 10 praises Iran’s membership of the AIIB: “The Chinese side appreciates Iran’s participation as a ‘Founding Member’ of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank. Both sides are willing to strengthen their cooperation in the relevant areas and join their efforts towards the progress and prosperity of Asia.”
So what’s the deal?
The core of the Iran-China strategic partnership – no secret whatsoever since at least last year – revolves around a $400 billion Chinese investment in Iran’s energy and infrastructure for the next 25 years. It’s all about securing a matter of supreme Chinese national interest: a steady supply of oil and gas, bypassing the dangerous bottleneck of the Strait of Malacca, secured with a median 18% discount, and paid in yuan or in a basket of currencies bypassing the US dollar.
Beijing will also invest roughly $228 billion in Iranian infrastructure – that’s where the AIIB comes in – over 25 years, but especially up to 2025. That ranges from building factories to badly needed energy industry renovation, all the way to the already in progress construction of the 900 km-long electric rail from Tehran to Mashhad.
Tehran, Qom and Isfahan will also be linked by high-speed rail – and there will be an extension to Tabriz, an important oil, gas and petrochemical node and the starting point of the Tabriz-Ankara gas pipeline.
All of the above makes total sense in New Silk Road terms, as Iran is a key Eurasian crossroads. High-speed rail traversing Iran will connect Urumqi in Xinjiang to Tehran, via four of the Central Asian “stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) all the way to West Asia, across Iraq and Turkey, and further on to Europe: a techno revival of the Ancient Silk Roads, where the main language of trade between East and West across the heartland was Persian.
The terms of aerial and naval military cooperation between Iran and China and also Russia are still not finalized – as Iranian sources told me. And no one has had access to the details. What Mousavi said, in a tweet, was that “there is nothing [in the agreement] about delivering Iranian islands to China, nothing about the presence of military forces, and other falsehoods.”
The same applies to – totally unsubstantiated – speculation that the PLA would be granted bases in Iran and be allowed to station troops in Iranian territory.
Last Sunday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed Iran and China had been negotiating “with confidence and conviction” and there was “nothing secret” about the agreement.
Iranian, Chinese and Russian negotiators will meet next month to discuss terms of the military cooperation among the top three nodes of Eurasia integration. Closer collaboration is scheduled to start by November.
Geopolitically and geoeconomically, the key take away is that the US relentless blockade of the Iranian economy, featuring hardcore weaponized sanctions, is impotent to do anything about the wide-ranging Iran-China deal. Here is a decent expose of some of the factors in play.
The Iran-China strategic partnership is yet another graphic demonstration of what could be deconstructed as the Chinese brand of exceptionalism: a collective mentality and enough organized planning capable of establishing a wide-ranging, win-win, economic, political and military partnership.
It’s quite instructive to place the whole process within the context of what State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed at a recent China-US Think Tanks meeting, attended, among others, by Henry Kissinger:
“One particular view has been floating around in recent years, alleging that the success of China’s path will be a blow and threat to the Western system and path. This claim is inconsistent with facts, and we do not agree with it. Aggression and expansion are never in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years of history. China does not replicate any model of other countries, nor does it export its own to others. We never ask other countries to copy what we do. More than 2,500 years ago, our forefathers advocated that ‘All living things can grow in harmony without hurting one another, and different ways can run in parallel without interfering with one another’”.


russia-insider--2020-07-16--How the Tech Giants Killed Jared Taylor's Free Speech Lawsuit Against Twitter

As you may know , in 2018 I and American Renaissance sued Twitter after it banned our accounts .
After some initial successes , we lost on a couple of crucial rulings and decided not to appeal .
Here is the story .
In 2011 , I started a Twitter account and American Renaissance set up a corporate account .
In 2017 , Twitter gave me its blue-check “ verification badge , ” and by December , I and AmRen had more than 70,000 combined followers .
On the 18th of that month , Twitter permanently banned both accounts without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bans and were told by email that we were “ violating Twitter ’ s Terms of Service , specifically the Twitter Rules against being affiliated with a violent extremist group.
” This was , of course , nonsense , but we were never able to learn from Twitter what “ violent extremist group ” it had in mind or what our “ affiliation ” was .
We decided to sue Twitter for censorship .
We filed a complaint , which went before Judge Harold Kahn in the Superior Court of California on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three grounds to believe Twitter ’ s action in banning us was illegal , and they are laid out in the complaint below .
After initial briefs and a hearing , Twitter succeeded in persuading Judge Kahn to dismiss two of our grounds for the suit , but on June 18 , 2018 , he upheld our claim under California ’ s Unfair Competition Law ( UCL ) .
Judge Kahn called our complaint “ very eloquent , ” adding that it was “ hard to imagine a clearer public interest lawsuit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the heart of free speech principles that long precede our constitution.
” Our claim was that Twitter could be , in effect , guilty of false advertising by boasting about its support for free speech and then banning ideas it didn ’ t like .
At the time we opened our accounts , Twitter ’ s terms of service reflected its claim to be “ the free-speech wing of the free-speech movement.
” It promised to allow everything except : ( 1 ) threats of violence ( 2 ) promoting illegal activity ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 ) impersonating people ( 5 ) publicizing the personal information of others .
Needless to say , neither I nor AmRen ever violated those rules .
Judge Kahn noted that after we had opened our accounts , Twitter changed its rules and decided it could ban any user for any reason .
He agreed that this was potentially an “ unconscionable ” violation of the law .
At oral argument , Judge Kahn asked opposing counsel this question : “ Twitter can discriminate on the basis of religion , or gender , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or mental disability ?
” Twitter ’ s lawyers admitted that it claimed that right .
Judge Kahn disagreed and ordered our suit to move forward .
No suit against a social-media ban had ever reached that stage , and we prepared for battle .
We looked forward to taking the testimony of Twitter executives — we would put Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey under oath and make him try to justify censorship .
What then happened baffled both our legal team and Judge Kahn .
Ordinarily , when a judge orders a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this case , Twitter — has no choice but to fight it out .
If it loses , it can appeal .
Instead , Twitter petitioned the California Court of Appeal for a writ of mandate and immediate review , something so unusual it left even our appellate practice lawyers scratching their heads .
Twitter claimed that win or lose , merely to have to face a suit of this kind would cause it irreparable damage .
Twitter persuaded Facebook , Google , Reddit , Snap ( Snapchat ) , TripAdvisor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joint brief , agreeing with Twitter that letting our suit go forward would “ open a Pandora ’ s box of litigation burdens and claims of liability against providers.
” The California Court of Appeal didn ’ t even give our lawyers a chance to reply .
It issued a ruling “ commanding ” Judge Kahn to reverse his original finding that we had a valid case against Twitter based on California ’ s Unfair Competition Law .
When a superior court orders a trial judge to reverse himself , he doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kahn did as he was told .
Our lawyers asked him to reconsider , but on March 8 , 2019 , he issued his final ruling , in which he threw out our UCL grounds for suing Twitter .
It was clearly painful for Judge Kahn to submit to this completely unexpected order from a higher authority .
His conclusion , which is worth quoting at some length , referred to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 .
This section has widely been interpreted — mistakenly , in the view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media companies the right to censor content and ban users for any reason .
We had argued that our unfair-practices claim against Twitter didn ’ t even fall within the scope of Section 230 , no matter how it is interpreted .
In his conclusion , Judge Kahn also referred to some of the legal cases ( their names are in italics ) that he had considered in initially ruling in our favor : In arguing that their UCL claim fell outside the scope of Section 230 , plaintiffs [ that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but also the Ninth Circuit decisions in Barnes ( cited in the Alternative Writ Order ) and Doe v. Internet Brands and several other published and unpublished federal decisions .
Barnes , Internet Brands , and a few other federal decisions contain helpful language for plaintiffs , if not outright holdings in their favor .
[ emphasis added ] But those cases are only of persuasive value and must give way to the binding authority of the California court decisions .
This is true even though Barnes and some of the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been cited and discussed by California courts .
Barnes , Internet Brands and the other federal cases ( as well as Demetriades ) relied on by plaintiffs show that plaintiffs ’ argument that their UCL claim survives the defense of section 230 finds support in the text of that section , is far from frivolous , and might some day even be adopted by the United States Supreme Court .
[ emphasis added ] In the absence of a United States Supreme Court authoritative decision , my job is to apply the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
.
.
.
Judge Kahn was all but saying that he was right and the California Court of Appeal was wrong .
He hinted that the US Supreme Court might eventually agree with him and pave the way for litigation like ours .
So far , no anti-censorship case has made it that far , so the justices have not ruled .
How did we react to Judge Kahn ’ s coerced reversal of his initial position ?
We could have appealed — but we would have been filing our briefs with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kahn .
It ’ s true that the judges had not heard our side of the argument , and an appeal would have forced them to consider it .
Litigators love to fight ; it ’ s what they are trained to do , but our lawyers said it was time to stop .
They reasoned that the chances of the California Court of Appeal changing its mind were close to zero .
But there was an even more important reason .
The court ’ s “ command ” to Judge Kahn to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not a ruling that set a legal precedent .
A formal rejection of our appeal would have set a precedent , making it much harder for any other plaintiff to sue social media companies in that jurisdiction — and the San Francisco Bay area , where so many of those companies are headquartered , is the ideal place to sue .
Finally , no matter how airtight our case was against Twitter , a plaintiff that anyone has ever called a “ white supremacist ” is fighting a strong headwind .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter was banning conservatives for increasingly frivolous reasons .
I decided that if , in the current hysterical climate over “ racism , ” the identity of the plaintiff can be as important as the legal arguments , it would be better to withdraw so that plaintiffs who had a better chance of winning carry on the fight .
And so , I decided not to appeal .
A victory by anyone against social-media censorship will benefit everyone , and I didn ’ t want to be the cause of an appeals court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chances .
It would have been nice to have been the victor in Taylor v Twitter , but broader considerations made it wiser to withdraw .
So far , no other plaintiff has made it to the point we did — of a trial judge ordering the case to proceed — but I still think we made the right decision .
We are fighting many battles on many fronts .
We must choose them carefully and concentrate our forces where we have the greatest chance of success .
I am sorry that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom of speech , but I am deeply grateful to everyone who sent money to help us pay for the suit .
As you know , every setback only redoubles our determination .
We will never give up .

As you may know, in 2018 I and American Renaissance sued Twitter after it banned our accounts. After some initial successes, we lost on a couple of crucial rulings and decided not to appeal. Here is the story.
In 2011, I started a Twitter account and American Renaissance set up a corporate account. In 2017, Twitter gave me its blue-check “verification badge,” and by December, I and AmRen had more than 70,000 combined followers. On the 18th of that month, Twitter permanently banned both accounts without explanation or warning. We immediately appealed the bans and were told by email that we were “violating Twitter’s Terms of Service, specifically the Twitter Rules against being affiliated with a violent extremist group.” This was, of course, nonsense, but we were never able to learn from Twitter what “violent extremist group” it had in mind or what our “affiliation” was. We decided to sue Twitter for censorship.
We filed a complaint, which went before Judge Harold Kahn in the Superior Court of California on March 14, 2018. We had three grounds to believe Twitter’s action in banning us was illegal, and they are laid out in the complaint below.
After initial briefs and a hearing, Twitter succeeded in persuading Judge Kahn to dismiss two of our grounds for the suit, but on June 18, 2018, he upheld our claim under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL). Judge Kahn called our complaint “very eloquent,” adding that it was “hard to imagine a clearer public interest lawsuit,” and that “it goes to the heart of free speech principles that long precede our constitution.”
Our claim was that Twitter could be, in effect, guilty of false advertising by boasting about its support for free speech and then banning ideas it didn’t like. At the time we opened our accounts, Twitter’s terms of service reflected its claim to be “the free-speech wing of the free-speech movement.” It promised to allow everything except: (1) threats of violence (2) promoting illegal activity (3) copyright or trademark violation (4) impersonating people (5) publicizing the personal information of others. Needless to say, neither I nor AmRen ever violated those rules. Judge Kahn noted that after we had opened our accounts, Twitter changed its rules and decided it could ban any user for any reason. He agreed that this was potentially an “unconscionable” violation of the law.
At oral argument, Judge Kahn asked opposing counsel this question: “Twitter can discriminate on the basis of religion, or gender, or sexual preference, or physical disability, or mental disability?” Twitter’s lawyers admitted that it claimed that right. Judge Kahn disagreed and ordered our suit to move forward. No suit against a social-media ban had ever reached that stage, and we prepared for battle. We looked forward to taking the testimony of Twitter executives — we would put Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey under oath and make him try to justify censorship.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter founder. (Credit Image: Mark Warner / Wikimedia)
What then happened baffled both our legal team and Judge Kahn. Ordinarily, when a judge orders a case to move forward the defendant — in this case, Twitter — has no choice but to fight it out. If it loses, it can appeal. Instead, Twitter petitioned the California Court of Appeal for a writ of mandate and immediate review, something so unusual it left even our appellate practice lawyers scratching their heads. Twitter claimed that win or lose, merely to have to face a suit of this kind would cause it irreparable damage. Twitter persuaded Facebook, Google, Reddit, Snap (Snapchat), TripAdvisor, Yelp, and others to file a joint brief, agreeing with Twitter that letting our suit go forward would “open a Pandora’s box of litigation burdens and claims of liability against providers.”
The California Court of Appeal didn’t even give our lawyers a chance to reply. It issued a ruling “commanding” Judge Kahn to reverse his original finding that we had a valid case against Twitter based on California’s Unfair Competition Law. When a superior court orders a trial judge to reverse himself, he doesn’t have much choice, and Judge Kahn did as he was told. Our lawyers asked him to reconsider, but on March 8, 2019, he issued his final ruling, in which he threw out our UCL grounds for suing Twitter.
It was clearly painful for Judge Kahn to submit to this completely unexpected order from a higher authority. His conclusion, which is worth quoting at some length, referred to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. This section has widely been interpreted — mistakenly, in the view of our lawyers — as giving social media companies the right to censor content and ban users for any reason. We had argued that our unfair-practices claim against Twitter didn’t even fall within the scope of Section 230, no matter how it is interpreted. In his conclusion, Judge Kahn also referred to some of the legal cases (their names are in italics) that he had considered in initially ruling in our favor:
In arguing that their UCL claim fell outside the scope of Section 230, plaintiffs [that’s us] relied not only on Demetriades, but also the Ninth Circuit decisions in Barnes (cited in the Alternative Writ Order) and Doe v. Internet Brands and several other published and unpublished federal decisions. Barnes, Internet Brands, and a few other federal decisions contain helpful language for plaintiffs, if not outright holdings in their favor. [emphasis added] But those cases are only of persuasive value and must give way to the binding authority of the California court decisions. This is true even though Barnes and some of the other federal decisions supportive of plaintiffs’ position have been cited and discussed by California courts. Barnes, Internet Brands and the other federal cases (as well as Demetriades) relied on by plaintiffs show that plaintiffs’ argument that their UCL claim survives the defense of section 230 finds support in the text of that section, is far from frivolous, and might some day even be adopted by the United States Supreme Court. [emphasis added] In the absence of a United States Supreme Court authoritative decision, my job is to apply the California courts’ interpretation of section 230 . . . .
Judge Kahn was all but saying that he was right and the California Court of Appeal was wrong. He hinted that the US Supreme Court might eventually agree with him and pave the way for litigation like ours. So far, no anti-censorship case has made it that far, so the justices have not ruled.
Image Credit: Wikimedia
How did we react to Judge Kahn’s coerced reversal of his initial position? We could have appealed — but we would have been filing our briefs with the very same benchthat had overruled Judge Kahn. It’s true that the judges had not heard our side of the argument, and an appeal would have forced them to consider it.
Litigators love to fight; it’s what they are trained to do, but our lawyers said it was time to stop. They reasoned that the chances of the California Court of Appeal changing its mind were close to zero. But there was an even more important reason. The court’s “command” to Judge Kahn to reverse himself was, for technical reasons, not a ruling that set a legal precedent. A formal rejection of our appeal would have set a precedent, making it much harder for any other plaintiff to sue social media companies in that jurisdiction — and the San Francisco Bay area, where so many of those companies are headquartered, is the ideal place to sue.
Finally, no matter how airtight our case was against Twitter, a plaintiff that anyone has ever called a “white supremacist” is fighting a strong headwind. By the time Judge Kahn reversed himself, Twitter was banning conservatives for increasingly frivolous reasons. I decided that if, in the current hysterical climate over “racism,” the identity of the plaintiff can be as important as the legal arguments, it would be better to withdraw so that plaintiffs who had a better chance of winning carry on the fight.
And so, I decided not to appeal. A victory by anyone against social-media censorship will benefit everyone, and I didn’t want to be the cause of an appeals court ruling that could jeopardize anyone’s chances. It would have been nice to have been the victor in Taylor v Twitter, but broader considerations made it wiser to withdraw. So far, no other plaintiff has made it to the point we did — of a trial judge ordering the case to proceed — but I still think we made the right decision.
We are fighting many battles on many fronts. We must choose them carefully and concentrate our forces where we have the greatest chance of success.
I am sorry that I cannot report a great triumph for freedom of speech, but I am deeply grateful to everyone who sent money to help us pay for the suit. As you know, every setback only redoubles our determination. We will never give up.


russia-insider--2020-07-16--Young Woman Starts Successful Honey/Berry Company in Remote Village to Help Impoverished Grandmas, D

Young Woman Starts Successful Honey/Berry Company in Remote Village to Help Impoverished Grandmas, Dumps Promising Moscow Career (Video)

You can order Guzel 's products from : https : //cocco-bello.com/ https : //турыш.рф/ Guzel Sanzhapova became famous in Russia @ @ @ @ @ promising IT career in Moscow to focus on developing the countryside .
She came back @ @ @ @ @ and started a company selling jams , creamed honey and much more .

× Disabling adblock
Disabling adblock for a specific site just takes a couple of clicks.
Usually it is as simple as clicking on the adblock icon in your browser, and choosing the ‘disable on this page or domain’ option.
If that doesn’t work this wikihow article gives more detail: https://www.wikihow.com/Disable-AdBlock
Thank you for your support!


russia-insider--2020-07-16--Traffic for Race Realist News Sites Soars Amid US Racial Unrest (Amren, Vdare)

Thanks to America 's new 🔥peaceful protest🔥 epidemic , it seems people are rapidly warming up to the idea that @ @ @ @ @ exactly like us .
Based on these web statistics , race realist sites are enjoying @ @ @ @ @ traffic .


russia-insider--2020-07-16--China-Iran Deal Is a Major Blow to U.S. Aspirations in Central Asia

“ Two ancient Asian cultures , two partners in the sectors of trade , economy , politics , culture and security with a similar outlook and many mutual bilateral and multilateral interests will consider one another strategic partners ” – these were the opening words of an 18-page document that confirmed a multi-billion dollar deal between China and Iran that blatantly defies U.S. imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic .
According to The New York Times , the agreement that Iran and China drafted is an economic and security partnership that would allow China to invest in Iran ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dozens of other projects , “ undercutting the Trump administration ’ s efforts to isolate the Iranian government because of its nuclear and military ambitions.
” In Tehran 's view , China and Iran are long-standing strategic partners who are now reinforcing their strategies on the international stage to oppose U.S. unilateralism .
Both countries had already agreed on a strategic partnership in 2016 , but this latest agreement allows Iran ’ s economy to have a semblance of normalcy with this flurry of desperately needed investments .
The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joint training and exercises , joint research and weapons development and intelligence sharing ” to fight “ the lopsided battle with terrorism , drug and human trafficking and cross-border crimes.
” Effectively , the agreement between the two countries “ represents a major blow to the Trump administration ’ s aggressive policy toward Iran.
” The agreement is expected to guarantee the supply of Iranian oil to China for the next 25 years , which undoubtedly benefits both parties as the U.S. intends to completely block Iranian crude exports to starve the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major win for China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative as Iran ’ s major new investments in transportation , rail , ports , energy , industry , commerce and services will improve China ’ s network in the region .
Iran serves as a meeting point between South Asia , Central Asia , the Caucasus and the Middle East , making it one of the most important countries for the Belt and Road Initiative .
The agreement secures the supply of oil and gas to China with an overland route that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waterways , especially at a time when hostilities between China and the U.S. in the South China Sea are increasing .
The deal will see $ 400 billion worth of Chinese investments into Iran 's infrastructure , including upgrades in the oil industry and the construction of a 900-kilometer railway between Tehran and Mashhad , the second city of Iran and a center of pilgrimage near the borders with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan .
Not only will this railway line connect two of Iran ’ s most important cities , but as its on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will give both China and Iran greater access into Eurasia .
Zbigniew Brzezinski argued in his book The Grand Chessboard that Central Asia was the center of global power and that it was imperative that no power , indirectly referring to Russia and China , should arise that could challenge U.S. dominance in the region .
If something like this happened , the global power of the U.S. would erode .
Halford John Mackinder argued in his 1904 article , The Geographical Pivot of History , that whoever ruled the “ Heartland , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Heartland as the great Eurasian expanse of Siberia and Central Asia .
Iran is certainly a major gateway into Central Asia , and China ’ s enormous investment into the Islamic Republic shows that it is making a strong push to control the region .
In accordance to Brzezinski ’ s and Mackinder ’ s theories , by China being the major influencer in Central Asia , it is making a strong push to control the entire region and/or world .
Although Russia is another major power with vast influence in Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region can be considered cooperative at best or friendly rivals at worst .
However , both are making strong efforts to limit U.S. influence in the region .
Russia simply can not economically challenge China in the region , but due to the long history of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union controlling the region , it still has large influence for historical reasons that also includes a significant Russian minority and Russian being the second language of Central Asia .
Although Russia deals with Iran , it does not have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , meaning that the Islamic Republic will certainly come under much stronger Chinese influence , and there is not much the U.S. can do to stop it .
“ The United States will continue to impose costs on Chinese companies that aid Iran , the world ’ s largest state sponsor of terrorism , ” a State Department spokeswoman wrote in response to questions about the draft agreement .
“ By allowing or encouraging Chinese companies to conduct sanctionable activities with the Iranian regime , the Chinese government is undermining its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace.
” It appears the U.S. will penalize Chinese companies dealing with Iran , but China would have anticipated this .
How Beijing plans to deal with such penalizations that can unravel a worsening of already tense relations with the U.S. remains to be seen , but China certainly would have prepared for such a scenario .
Despite some harsh words from the State Department , it is highly unlikely that Washington can respond to this immense deal that will give the beleaguered Iranian economy and currency a major lifeline .
The deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. sanctions to begin dealing with Iran again knowing that they can have Chinese support and backing .

“Two ancient Asian cultures, two partners in the sectors of trade, economy, politics, culture and security with a similar outlook and many mutual bilateral and multilateral interests will consider one another strategic partners” – these were the opening words of an 18-page document that confirmed a multi-billion dollar deal between China and Iran that blatantly defies U.S. imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
According to The New York Times, the agreement that Iran and China drafted is an economic and security partnership that would allow China to invest in Iran’s banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and dozens of other projects, “undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to isolate the Iranian government because of its nuclear and military ambitions.”
In Tehran's view, China and Iran are long-standing strategic partners who are now reinforcing their strategies on the international stage to oppose U.S. unilateralism. Both countries had already agreed on a strategic partnership in 2016, but this latest agreement allows Iran’s economy to have a semblance of normalcy with this flurry of desperately needed investments.
The New York Times claims that the military ties include “joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development and intelligence sharing” to fight “the lopsided battle with terrorism, drug and human trafficking and cross-border crimes.”
Effectively, the agreement between the two countries “represents a major blow to the Trump administration’s aggressive policy toward Iran.” The agreement is expected to guarantee the supply of Iranian oil to China for the next 25 years, which undoubtedly benefits both parties as the U.S. intends to completely block Iranian crude exports to starve the country of foreign money.
The deal is a major win for China’s Belt and Road Initiative as Iran’s major new investments in transportation, rail, ports, energy, industry, commerce and services will improve China’s network in the region. Iran serves as a meeting point between South Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East, making it one of the most important countries for the Belt and Road Initiative. The agreement secures the supply of oil and gas to China with an overland route that gives another option away from Southeast Asian waterways, especially at a time when hostilities between China and the U.S. in the South China Sea are increasing.
The deal will see $400 billion worth of Chinese investments into Iran's infrastructure, including upgrades in the oil industry and the construction of a 900-kilometer railway between Tehran and Mashhad, the second city of Iran and a center of pilgrimage near the borders with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Not only will this railway line connect two of Iran’s most important cities, but as its on the doorstep of Central Asia, it will give both China and Iran greater access into Eurasia.
Zbigniew Brzezinski argued in his book The Grand Chessboard that Central Asia was the center of global power and that it was imperative that no power, indirectly referring to Russia and China, should arise that could challenge U.S. dominance in the region. If something like this happened, the global power of the U.S. would erode. Halford John Mackinder argued in his 1904 article, The Geographical Pivot of History, that whoever ruled the “Heartland,” ruled the world. He defined the Heartland as the great Eurasian expanse of Siberia and Central Asia.
Iran is certainly a major gateway into Central Asia, and China’s enormous investment into the Islamic Republic shows that it is making a strong push to control the region. In accordance to Brzezinski’s and Mackinder’s theories, by China being the major influencer in Central Asia, it is making a strong push to control the entire region and/or world. Although Russia is another major power with vast influence in Central Asia, their relationship with China in the region can be considered cooperative at best or friendly rivals at worst. However, both are making strong efforts to limit U.S. influence in the region.
Russia simply cannot economically challenge China in the region, but due to the long history of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union controlling the region, it still has large influence for historical reasons that also includes a significant Russian minority and Russian being the second language of Central Asia. Although Russia deals with Iran, it does not have the capabilities of investing hundreds of billions into the country, meaning that the Islamic Republic will certainly come under much stronger Chinese influence, and there is not much the U.S. can do to stop it.
“The United States will continue to impose costs on Chinese companies that aid Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” a State Department spokeswoman wrote in response to questions about the draft agreement. “By allowing or encouraging Chinese companies to conduct sanctionable activities with the Iranian regime, the Chinese government is undermining its own stated goal of promoting stability and peace.”
It appears the U.S. will penalize Chinese companies dealing with Iran, but China would have anticipated this. How Beijing plans to deal with such penalizations that can unravel a worsening of already tense relations with the U.S. remains to be seen, but China certainly would have prepared for such a scenario. Despite some harsh words from the State Department, it is highly unlikely that Washington can respond to this immense deal that will give the beleaguered Iranian economy and currency a major lifeline. The deal will also encourage other states wary of U.S. sanctions to begin dealing with Iran again knowing that they can have Chinese support and backing.
Paul Antonopoulos is an independent geopolitical analyst.


russia-insider--2020-07-16--Dishonest Abe Lincoln Was a Big Fan of Karl Marx, They Even Corresponded (Video)

“ No leader of a powerful nation ” should allow such a thing as “ the dismemberment of the Soviet Union.
” A July 27 , 2019 article in the Washington Post by Gillian Brockell was headlined , “ You Know Who Was into Karl Marx ?
No , not AOC .
Abraham Lincoln.
” Following up on the New York Times ’ 2017 weeks-long celebration of the centenary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia , the Post was doing its part to celebrate and promote Marxian socialism by crowing that “ the first Republican president .
.
.
was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for counsel.
” The message being conveyed by the Post was that this is what all American presidents should do .
They should listen to and obey the Washington Post , in other words .
Much of Lincoln ’ s socialilstic “ counsel ” came from Horace Greeley ’ s New York Tribune , described by the Post as “ the newspaper largely responsible for transmitting the ideals and ideas that formed the Republican Party in 1854 , ” many of which were “ overtly socialist.
” It is little wonder that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the mouthpiece of the Republican Party , were overtly socialist : Karl Marx himself was a twice-weekly columnist for the paper from 1852 to 1862 , contributing over 500 articles .
An April 1957 article in American Heritage magazine entitled “ When Marx Worked for Horace Greeley ” spoke of how “ the organ of .
.
.
the new Republican party , sustained Karl Marx over the years when he was mapping out his crowning tract of overthrow , Das Kapital .
.
.
The Tribune was not only Marx ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for agitation and ideas during the most creative period of his life.
” Without this financial support , “ there might possibly – who knows ?
—have been no Das Kapital ” and maybe even no “ Lenin and a Stalin as the master ’ s disciples .
.
.
” Much of what was written in The New York Tribune by Karl Marx “ went bodily into Das Kapital.
” Lincoln was an avid reader of the Tribune since it was “ the ” voice first of “ respectable Whig opinion ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He addressed his letters to Greeley as “ Dear Friend Greeley.
” Lincoln and Karl Marx personally communicated as well and had a sort of mutual admiration society .
Upon being reelected , Lincoln received a letter from Marx saying , “ We congratulate the American people upon your reelection by a large majority.
” Lincoln responded with a thank-you letter .
The Washington Post , meanwhile sounded absolutely giddy in noting that “ Once in office , [ Lincoln ’ s ] alliance with socialists didn ’ t stop.
” That “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literary : Lincoln ’ s army was filled with so-called “ 48ers , ” German immigrants to America who had participated in failed socialist revolutions in Europe in 1848 , the year of publication of The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels ( See Lincoln ’ s Marxists by Al Benson , Jr. and Walter Kennedy ) .
The Post brings all of this up in order to make the point that , despite President Trump ’ s occasional references to Abraham Lincoln in support of his populist agenda , the most appropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to promote their crusade for socialism in America .
There is nothing new about this .
At their 1939 national convention the American Communist Party adorned its stage with a gigantic image of Abraham Lincoln alongside a large image of Vladimir Lenin and held Lincoln-Lenin Day rallies in New York City .
In other words , far from defacing the Lincoln Memorial or other Zeus-like images of Lincoln around the country , the radical , violent , and often criminal communists of Antifa and Only Black Lives Matter ( “ We are trained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of OBLM has said ) are more likely to continue using the image , words , and deeds of Lincoln to assist in their crusade to destroy American civilization and replace it with another communist hell .
If they ever get control of the government it is not beyond the imagination that they would follow Lincoln ’ s footsteps and suspend habeas corpus , mass arrest and imprison dissenters , censor communications , shut down conservative newspapers , withdraw licenses from conservative talk radio and television stations , deport or imprison some opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all the rest , abolish the separation of powers , confiscate firearms , and use the military to wage total war on the civilian population of areas of the country where “ deplorable ” political dissent is strongest .
The Best of Thomas DiLorenzo Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo [ send him mail ] is a senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute .
His latest book is The Problem with Lincoln .

“No leader of a powerful nation” should allow such a thing as “the dismemberment of the Soviet Union.”
–Marxist “Civil War” historian Eric Foner, The Nation, Feb. 11, 1991
A July 27, 2019 article in the Washington Post by Gillian Brockell was headlined, “You Know Who Was into Karl Marx? No, not AOC. Abraham Lincoln.” Following up on the New York Times’ 2017 weeks-long celebration of the centenary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Post was doing its part to celebrate and promote Marxian socialism by crowing that “the first Republican president . . . was surrounded by socialists and looked to them for counsel.” The message being conveyed by the Post was that this is what all American presidents should do. They should listen to and obey the Washington Post, in other words.
Much of Lincoln’s socialilstic “counsel” came from Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune, described by the Post as “the newspaper largely responsible for transmitting the ideals and ideas that formed the Republican Party in 1854,” many of which were “overtly socialist.”
It is little wonder that the ideas promulgated by the New York Tribune, the mouthpiece of the Republican Party, were overtly socialist: Karl Marx himself was a twice-weekly columnist for the paper from 1852 to 1862, contributing over 500 articles. An April 1957 article in American Heritage magazine entitled “When Marx Worked for Horace Greeley” spoke of how “the organ of . . . the new Republican party, sustained Karl Marx over the years when he was mapping out his crowning tract of overthrow, Das Kapital . . . The Tribune was not only Marx’s meal ticket but his experimental outlet for agitation and ideas during the most creative period of his life.” Without this financial support, “there might possibly – who knows?—have been no Das Kapital” and maybe even no “Lenin and a Stalin as the master’s disciples . . .” Much of what was written in The New York Tribune by Karl Marx “went bodily into Das Kapital.”
Lincoln was an avid reader of the Tribune since it was “the” voice first of “respectable Whig opinion” and then of the Republican Party. He addressed his letters to Greeley as “Dear Friend Greeley.” Lincoln and Karl Marx personally communicated as well and had a sort of mutual admiration society. Upon being reelected, Lincoln received a letter from Marx saying, “We congratulate the American people upon your reelection by a large majority.” Lincoln responded with a thank-you letter. The Washington Post, meanwhile sounded absolutely giddy in noting that “Once in office, [Lincoln’s] alliance with socialists didn’t stop.” That “alliance” was not only political or literary: Lincoln’s army was filled with so-called “48ers,” German immigrants to America who had participated in failed socialist revolutions in Europe in 1848, the year of publication of The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels (See Lincoln’s Marxists by Al Benson, Jr. and Walter Kennedy). The Post brings all of this up in order to make the point that, despite President Trump’s occasional references to Abraham Lincoln in support of his populist agenda, the most appropriate use of the Lincoln myth would be to promote their crusade for socialism in America.
There is nothing new about this. At their 1939 national convention the American Communist Party adorned its stage with a gigantic image of Abraham Lincoln alongside a large image of Vladimir Lenin and held Lincoln-Lenin Day rallies in New York City.
In other words, far from defacing the Lincoln Memorial or other Zeus-like images of Lincoln around the country, the radical, violent, and often criminal communists of Antifa and Only Black Lives Matter (“We are trained Marxists,” one of the founders of OBLM has said) are more likely to continue using the image, words, and deeds of Lincoln to assist in their crusade to destroy American civilization and replace it with another communist hell. If they ever get control of the government it is not beyond the imagination that they would follow Lincoln’s footsteps and suspend habeas corpus, mass arrest and imprison dissenters, censor communications, shut down conservative newspapers, withdraw licenses from conservative talk radio and television stations, deport or imprison some opposition members of Congress to send a message to all the rest, abolish the separation of powers, confiscate firearms, and use the military to wage total war on the civilian population of areas of the country where “deplorable” political dissent is strongest.
The Best of Thomas DiLorenzo
Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo [send him mail] is a senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. His latest book is The Problem with Lincoln.


russia-insider--2020-07-16--Moscow Mayor Announces Masks No Longer Needed, COVID Not a Big Threat After All

Mayor Sobyanin is now hailing Moscow 's `` herd immunity '' and pooh-poohing virus alarmism .
Life is back to normal in Moscow , everything is open , people are taking public transport .
The panic is over and they wo n't fall for it again .
Editor ’ s note : This is fresh .
Russia ’ s main Covid-19 alarmist , the Moscow rat mayor Sobyanin is now sounding like Andres Tegnell talking about “ herd immunity ” and how there is no cause for alarm .
The scumbag played a huge role in locking down , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But for whatever reason Russia reopened after a briefer lockdown period than Western Europe .
The fact that a lockdown has been deemed unnecessary and unhelpful for the present situation as about 150 Russians continue to die while carrying the virus daily , is proof enough it was just as unnecessary ( and disastrous ) in April when the daily death toll was only slightly greater .
In fact , even before Sobyanin ’ s ruling that masks are no longer mandatory Moscovites had already stopped wearing them .
His apparent U-turn from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dove is him having to bow down to what the people are already practicing .
MOSCOW , July 10 .
/TASS/ .
The herd immunity threshold for COVID-19 in Moscow is at the level that allows relaxing the restrictions imposed in the city amid the pandemic , moreover a second wave is not expected in the city in the near future , Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a televised interview with the Russian channel Rossiya-24 on Friday .
“ On the basis of experience and conversations with a variety of experts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian consumer watchdog ] , I can see that we managed to pass the peak and no second wave is expected in the foreseeable future .
We believe that the population in Moscow has developed herd immunity , which lets us ease the restrictions with confidence , ” he said .
Sobyanin pointed out that he takes calmly any coronavirus forecasts .
The Moscow mayor said that people have “ got used to the threat ” and constantly expect bad news .
Nevertheless , Sobyanin recalled , the Russian capital hosted the Victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian constitution in recent weeks .
“ Prior to the parade , there had been lots of prognoses , including negative .
But nothing bad happened , ” the mayor said adding that there were rumors that the authorities were understating morbidity rates .
“ Nothing like that .
Those were all lies .
It can be stated today that we have been witnessing the disease rate going down over these days and weeks , ” Sobyanin concluded .
Earlier , Sobyanin signed a decree on the next stage of easing coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face coverings will not be mandatory outdoors , except public transport , stores and other public spaces .
Educational institutions , amusement and recreational parks and cultural centers will reopen on that day .
On August 1 , theaters , cinemas and concert halls with under 3,000 seats could reopen , but their seating capacity will be cut by half .

Mayor Sobyanin is now hailing Moscow's "herd immunity" and pooh-poohing virus alarmism. Life is back to normal in Moscow, everything is open, people are taking public transport. The panic is over and they won't fall for it again.
Editor’s note: This is fresh. Russia’s main Covid-19 alarmist, the Moscow rat mayor Sobyanin is now sounding like Andres Tegnell talking about “herd immunity” and how there is no cause for alarm. The scumbag played a huge role in locking down, not just Moscow, but also Russia.
But for whatever reason Russia reopened after a briefer lockdown period than Western Europe. The fact that a lockdown has been deemed unnecessary and unhelpful for the present situation as about 150 Russians continue to die while carrying the virus daily, is proof enough it was just as unnecessary (and disastrous) in April when the daily death toll was only slightly greater.
In fact, even before Sobyanin’s ruling that masks are no longer mandatory Moscovites had already stopped wearing them. His apparent U-turn from a COVID Rouge zealot to a relative dove is him having to bow down to what the people are already practicing.
MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The herd immunity threshold for COVID-19 in Moscow is at the level that allows relaxing the restrictions imposed in the city amid the pandemic, moreover a second wave is not expected in the city in the near future, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a televised interview with the Russian channel Rossiya-24 on Friday.
“On the basis of experience and conversations with a variety of experts, doctors and specialists of Rospotrebnadzor [the Russian consumer watchdog], I can see that we managed to pass the peak and no second wave is expected in the foreseeable future. We believe that the population in Moscow has developed herd immunity, which lets us ease the restrictions with confidence,” he said.
Sobyanin pointed out that he takes calmly any coronavirus forecasts. The Moscow mayor said that people have “got used to the threat” and constantly expect bad news.
Nevertheless, Sobyanin recalled, the Russian capital hosted the Victory Day Parade and voting on amendments to the Russian constitution in recent weeks.
“Prior to the parade, there had been lots of prognoses, including negative. But nothing bad happened,” the mayor said adding that there were rumors that the authorities were understating morbidity rates.
“Nothing like that. Those were all lies. It can be stated today that we have been witnessing the disease rate going down over these days and weeks,” Sobyanin concluded.
Earlier, Sobyanin signed a decree on the next stage of easing coronavirus restrictions. On July 13, wearing face coverings will not be mandatory outdoors, except public transport, stores and other public spaces. Educational institutions, amusement and recreational parks and cultural centers will reopen on that day.
On August 1, theaters, cinemas and concert halls with under 3,000 seats could reopen, but their seating capacity will be cut by half.
Source: TASS


russia-insider--2020-07-16--AliExpress, China's Version of Amazon, Sets Ambitious Goals in Russia, IPO Possible

AliExpress Russia ( AER ) is aiming to reach $ 10bn gross merchandise volume ( GMV ) by 2022-2023 , Reuters reported citing the CEO of the company Dmitry Sergeev .
As reported by bne IntelliNews , AliExpress and Tmall e-commerce platforms in Russia operate under the umbrella of AliExpress Russia , the joint venture of Alibaba , internet major Mail.ru Group , mobile major Megafon and Russian Direct Investment Fund .
Tmall already ranked sixth of all e-retailers in 2019 with RUB36bn in sales , soaring by 162 % .
The company also stepped up investment in logistics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown boosted competition in e-commerce .
Sergeev also told Reuters that AER plans to bring the ratio of local merchants on its platform to 50 % , from 20 % at present .
Notably , he did not rule out an AER IPO in three to four years .
VTB Capital estimated that AER 's GMV in 2019 stood at RUB250bn ( $ 3.5bn ) , which would mean that the company aims to triple its volume .
VTBC pointed out that AER is the biggest e-commerce player in Russia , although the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform is still relatively small , generating only about RUB36bn GMV versus RUB200bn for cross-border business .
The analysts estimate that AER accounted for 12-12.5 % of the Russian e-commerce market ( both cross-border and domestic ) in 2019 , with the market share target not set at 16-18 % .
`` Overall , we believe that AER is well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly expanding e-commerce market in Russia .
We note that , excluding the cross border segment , the e-commerce market stood at just 6 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VTBC commented .
Notably , Mail.ru Group , which holds a 15 % economic interest in AER , is seen as benefiting from the growth of this joint venture , `` while the JV 's potential IPO could help unlock its value for equity investors and current shareholders , '' VTBC added .
Earlier in 2020 , before the COVID-19 outbreak , the `` big four '' Russian e-commerce operators , AliExpress Russia , Wildberries , Ozon and Beru , were expected to eventually be leading a market consolidation drive .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the more likely it is to have a dominant leading player , '' Sberbank CIB argued in January 2020 , pointing to Amazon , whose share of 45 % of the US market is 6.4 times larger than the second biggest player .
In China , leader Alibaba 's 62 % share is 2.5 times bigger than its closest rival , and in the UK , Amazon 's 27 % share is 2.6 times bigger .
The consolidation scenario is seen as likely for Russia , as the country 's vast geography might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and profitable growth without burning cash for consistent customer acquisition for all large players in the market .
Sberbank CIB saw the key challenges for AliExpress ( the most popular online store in Russia in terms of reach and user engagement ) as maintaining cross-border GMV growth despite regulatory headwinds and developing the Tmall platform into an independent , strong and profitable player .

AliExpress Russia (AER) is aiming to reach $10bn gross merchandise volume (GMV) by 2022-2023, Reuters reported citing the CEO of the company Dmitry Sergeev.
As reported by bne IntelliNews, AliExpress and Tmall e-commerce platforms in Russia operate under the umbrella of AliExpress Russia, the joint venture of Alibaba, internet major Mail.ru Group, mobile major Megafon and Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Tmall already ranked sixth of all e-retailers in 2019 with RUB36bn in sales, soaring by 162%. The company also stepped up investment in logistics and deliveries as the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown boosted competition in e-commerce.
Sergeev also told Reuters that AER plans to bring the ratio of local merchants on its platform to 50%, from 20% at present. Notably, he did not rule out an AER IPO in three to four years.
VTB Capital estimated that AER's GMV in 2019 stood at RUB250bn ($3.5bn), which would mean that the company aims to triple its volume.
VTBC pointed out that AER is the biggest e-commerce player in Russia, although the share of the domestic business on its platform is still relatively small, generating only about RUB36bn GMV versus RUB200bn for cross-border business.
The analysts estimate that AER accounted for 12-12.5% of the Russian e-commerce market (both cross-border and domestic) in 2019, with the market share target not set at 16-18%.
"Overall, we believe that AER is well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly expanding e-commerce market in Russia. We note that, excluding the cross border segment, the e-commerce market stood at just 6% of the total retail turnover in 2020," VTBC commented.
Notably, Mail.ru Group, which holds a 15% economic interest in AER, is seen as benefiting from the growth of this joint venture, "while the JV's potential IPO could help unlock its value for equity investors and current shareholders," VTBC added.
Earlier in 2020, before the COVID-19 outbreak, the "big four" Russian e-commerce operators, AliExpress Russia, Wildberries, Ozon and Beru, were expected to eventually be leading a market consolidation drive.
"The more developed an e-commerce market is, the more likely it is to have a dominant leading player," Sberbank CIB argued in January 2020, pointing to Amazon, whose share of 45% of the US market is 6.4 times larger than the second biggest player. In China, leader Alibaba's 62% share is 2.5 times bigger than its closest rival, and in the UK, Amazon's 27% share is 2.6 times bigger.
The consolidation scenario is seen as likely for Russia, as the country's vast geography might hinder achieving the scale needed for sustainable and profitable growth without burning cash for consistent customer acquisition for all large players in the market.
Sberbank CIB saw the key challenges for AliExpress (the most popular online store in Russia in terms of reach and user engagement) as maintaining cross-border GMV growth despite regulatory headwinds and developing the Tmall platform into an independent, strong and profitable player.


russia-insider--2020-07-16--Western Christians Are on the Brink of the Same Catastrophe Which Befell Russian Christians During t

Western Christians Are on the Brink of the Same Catastrophe Which Befell Russian Christians During the Revolution

`` If you are going to live your whole life with dreams of valor that will never be realized , prepare for sacrifice .
Ready yourself mentally , physically , spiritually , to give up all that you are holding onto . ''
“ Anyone who is capable of speaking the truth but remains silent , will be heavily judged by God , especially in this case , where the faith and the very foundation of the entire church of the Orthodox is in danger .
To remain silent under these circumstances is to betray these , and the appropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand up for the faith ) .
” — St .
Basil the Great Below you ’ ll find my first-ever guest post , which was written by my friend Mike ’ s wife , Lady Orthodixie .
I don ’ t make it a habit of publishing other people ’ s essays , but Mike has been a godsend to me during these last few months .
He ’ s an elder Orthodox Christian , who has listened to me , answered my questions , shared insights , and offered prayers as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seas of church covid directives , Southern cultural genocide , leftist terrorism , Ameridox gnosticism , historical erasure , anti-white fervor , and peaked illogic and conformity to the god of secular-humanism .
Mike reminded me often that Satan wants the haters to win and seeks to have the rest of us worn down and ready to abandon all that is good and right .
Mike ’ s strength and counsel have helped straighten my course on numerous occasions , so I figured the least I could do is oblige his request to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moreover , Lady Orthodixie eloquently lays out the spiritual battles we face , calling for Christians to pick up that cross and repel the poison of puritanical-progressivism .
No apologies .
No surrender .
No virtue-signaling and no foot-washing .
No matter the cost .
Onward , Christian soldiers !
When looking for graphics to capture Lady Orthodixie ’ s voice , I stumbled upon Michigan State University ’ s website Seventeen Moments in Soviet History .
It ’ s a user-friendly , multi-academic endeavor , where you can search Soviet history by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled with primary-sourced photographs , propaganda art , and archival videos , all with Russian-to-English translations .
Just take a few minutes to peruse at least the religion theme .
This is where I snagged the images below , as well as the essay ’ s feature photo called “ Gesundheit , ” which comes from a 1923 issue of the “ The Godless ” magazine .
It shows just how “ grossly offensive the [ communist ] anti-religious campaign could be.
” Orthodox Christianity was the sickness , you see , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usher in the “ new religion ” of equality and justice .
It ’ s really mind-blowing the parallels between Soviet times and now .
But then again , like King Solomon said , “ There is nothing new under the sun.
” “ Religion is the opiate of the people ” reads the header of this poster .
Click here for a further translation .
Our situation is dire .
We stand at the precipice , just as the Christian Russians did before the Bolshevik annihilation .
We must mentally , physically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up .
We need thousands , and then tens of thousands , to gather together in public to defend our right to live .
We must be non-violent but we have to be physically present .
We must come out of the shadows to risk everything before we are so oppressed that we have nothing left to defend , including our dignity .
Some people will be doxed , but the idea of doxing 10,000 is laughable , and pointless , and if 10,000 are doxed , there are places of comfort and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into 100,000 and more .
White people , Christians , anti-zionist allies , and other groups fighting for God-given unalienable human rights must prepare themselves for suffering – temporary suffering for the greater good and to avoid WAR .
It is time to move to areas where we can gather together in communities .
It is time to move and congregate in small groups that are willing to lead and organize .
It is time to accept that they are coming for your job , and your property , and your reputation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , arms , assembly , faith , and life .
You have to stand up to people who would do this to you .
Because , if they would do this , they will take your life as soon as they have the power to do so .
They rule us by intimidation and financial oppression .
These people do not have real power against the group .
They can censor and imprison individuals , and they do this to control and oppress the greater population .
They know they can not overtake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the majority .
But how are we to stand up ?
How are we to overcome our fears of financial insecurity , losing things we have or not getting things we want , imprisonment , social rejection , what we will eat , what we will wear , and where will we live ?
We worry we will risk all and our people won ’ t back us up .
We know we lack power , we are demoralized .
How are we to fight when we can ’ t keep our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents and children are addicted to drugs , nicotine , alcohol , sugar , pornography , Hollywood filth , professional sports , gaming and casual sex ?
We have no common morality , no cohesive group , and have become such rugged individualists that we can ’ t get along with anyone .
So we retreat , and atomize and withdraw further .
Emotions rule us , we are soft in every way that we should be hardened .
We are weak and prone to despondency and confusion .
We don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are going .
We accepted views of the world that have no meaning .
Each of us has our own religion and therefore we are all atheists .
We have abandoned discipline and discomfort , reading for television , fasting for gluttony , purity for lust , sacrifice for carnal pleasure , and we constantly do the same things , like alcoholics drinking the poison we know is killing us .
We inherently know what is good , right and pure .
We know these things .
We know we are called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know gratuitous sex , violence , vulgarity , and materialism are evil .
We know what they bring , we know what drugs bring , drinking too much , we all know these things .
What we lack is power .
Like the alcoholic , we are powerless over the type of evil that rapes and murders children , literally traffics children for sexual deviancy and political power ( e.g .
Epstein ) .
Evil that uses the manipulation and emotional appeal of Hollywood to turn lies into truth and evil into good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murder of innocents in dozens of countries for the propagation of a truly racist state .
An evil that facilitates countless wars in the name of lies , every form of degeneracy – a people who rule the world by deceit .
They hide the genocide of women and children in America , South Africa , and Palestine .
They conceal the greatest atrocities ever perpetrated in the history of the world during the Bolshevik takeover of Russia .
We can not fight fire with fire , we can not learn their tactics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We can not defeat this kind of evil .
We can not become these people , it wouldn ’ t be worth it .
It would be better to die than to be like them .
The alcoholic that recovers literally dies to himself .
As a matter of survival , he admits that it has utterly beat him and that his only hope is to surrender to this truth .
He then becomes willing to believe in a power greater than himself that has all power , and from this , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the old , like a phoenix .
He develops a new paradigm completely .
He replaces drunkenness with sobriety , hopelessness with faith , changes every aspect of his life , and his outlook , and his actions and becomes a man that has Power .
This is our only hope .
From the early Greek philosophers who understood eternal truth , the ultimate goal of transcendence , beauty for the sake of beauty and absolute morality , not dependent on relativity .
They were Christians before Christ and they led the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coming of the Logos .
This in turn led the way to more than two millennia of Western Christian order and beauty .
This world has never seen power like the power of Christendom .
It was only when that common faith , morality , and unity turned its eyes and its hopes toward the one and only God of the universe , that we were able to create real and lasting beauty on earth .
This beauty was created by the kind of fearlessness only people of real faith can have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect the innocent , and the weak , and the family , and the citizen .
We all know the battles of the Christians , we all know the stories of the Martyrs , the fearlessness of the faithful .
The enemies of the Logos have deceived you .
They will tell you anything you want to hear , to turn you away from that Power .
They will tell you Christ is your enemy all the while they plot to kill him again and again in the hearts of our people just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can not deny there is none they hate as they HATE the Christ .
And without our faith , The Family of the Trinity , The balance of the paradox of absolute right and wrong with total redemption , fierce power with compassion , death with Resurrection , there is no purpose to your love .
You don ’ t matter if there is no God .
Only the cold and the ruthless of this natural fallen world you worship will prevail , and only they should prevail in that reality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead and meaningless , and only the strong deserve to live because there is no reality , no good , no God , everything is relative .
In the real world where nature and laws of nature are fallen by our weakness and restored by Our God , everything transcendent matters and everything physical matters because of the Incarnate God .
And good wins , and water is purified , and death is conquered , drug addicts cleaned up , families reconciled , people unified under a common banner .
When Power is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true Trinitarian God of our fathers , and worship is removed from every satanic and evil thing they mesmerize us with , that is when we rise fearlessly from the ashes .
We will throw off our self-imposed chains of weakness , despair and addiction .
We will march into battle like our forebears with Holy things , and Holy banners , and they will tremble at the power .
And then if you die , you are martyred , and you die with no bondage , having lived in good health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dignity .
How long have we watched dissidents get cancelled ?
How many years will we tell ourselves , we don ’ t have anything to contribute ?
That it ’ s better to keep your job and donate to the braver ones , only to sit on your money and quietly hide , never finding the courage to do the right thing .
If you are working and making money and honestly contributing significant amounts to truth tellers , keep doing it .
But if you are going to live your whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never be realized , prepare for sacrifice .
Ready yourself mentally , physically , spiritually , to give up all that you are holding onto .
None of it will save you or add a cubit to you .
And if you lack power , find the faith in the God that even the kings of our fathers worshiped .

"If you are going to live your whole life with dreams of valor that will never be realized, prepare for sacrifice. Ready yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, to give up all that you are holding onto."
Introduction: Godlessness Is the Real Pandemic
“Anyone who is capable of speaking the truth but remains silent, will be heavily judged by God, especially in this case, where the faith and the very foundation of the entire church of the Orthodox is in danger. To remain silent under these circumstances is to betray these, and the appropriate witness belongs to those that reproach (stand up for the faith).”
— St. Basil the Great
Below you’ll find my first-ever guest post, which was written by my friend Mike’s wife, Lady Orthodixie. I don’t make it a habit of publishing other people’s essays, but Mike has been a godsend to me during these last few months. He’s an elder Orthodox Christian, who has listened to me, answered my questions, shared insights, and offered prayers as I struggled seemingly rudderless on the tumultuous seas of church covid directives, Southern cultural genocide, leftist terrorism, Ameridox gnosticism, historical erasure, anti-white fervor, and peaked illogic and conformity to the god of secular-humanism.
Mike reminded me often that Satan wants the haters to win and seeks to have the rest of us worn down and ready to abandon all that is good and right. Mike’s strength and counsel have helped straighten my course on numerous occasions, so I figured the least I could do is oblige his request to publish his wife’s essay.
Moreover, Lady Orthodixie eloquently lays out the spiritual battles we face, calling for Christians to pick up that cross and repel the poison of puritanical-progressivism. No apologies. No surrender. No virtue-signaling and no foot-washing. No matter the cost. Onward, Christian soldiers!
When looking for graphics to capture Lady Orthodixie’s voice, I stumbled upon Michigan State University’s website Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. It’s a user-friendly, multi-academic endeavor, where you can search Soviet history by year or by theme, and is filled with primary-sourced photographs, propaganda art, and archival videos, all with Russian-to-English translations.
Just take a few minutes to peruse at least the religion theme. This is where I snagged the images below, as well as the essay’s feature photo called “Gesundheit,” which comes from a 1923 issue of the “The Godless” magazine. It shows just how “grossly offensive the [communist] anti-religious campaign could be.” Orthodox Christianity was the sickness, you see, and must be stamped out in order to usher in the “new religion” of equality and justice.
It’s really mind-blowing the parallels between Soviet times and now. But then again, like King Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
“Religion is the opiate of the people” reads the header of this poster. Click here for a further translation.
“An anti-religious play in the artisans’ club of the Jewish theater Fraie-Kunst, Moscow.”
On Easter Day nobody skips work.”
This photo called “Restorers” shows workers reading the latest issue of “The Godless” while taking a break from dismantling an Orthodox church.
Our Situation Is Dire
By Lady Orthodixie
Our situation is dire. We stand at the precipice, just as the Christian Russians did before the Bolshevik annihilation.
We must mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare ourselves to stand up. We need thousands, and then tens of thousands, to gather together in public to defend our right to live. We must be non-violent but we have to be physically present. We must come out of the shadows to risk everything before we are so oppressed that we have nothing left to defend, including our dignity.
Some people will be doxed, but the idea of doxing 10,000 is laughable, and pointless, and if 10,000 are doxed, there are places of comfort and support. Furthermore, 10,000 can turn into 100,000 and more. White people, Christians, anti-zionist allies, and other groups fighting for God-given unalienable human rights must prepare themselves for suffering – temporary suffering for the greater good and to avoid WAR.
It is time to move to areas where we can gather together in communities. It is time to move and congregate in small groups that are willing to lead and organize. It is time to accept that they are coming for your job, and your property, and your reputation, and ALL of your rights: speech, arms, assembly, faith, and life.
You have to stand up to people who would do this to you. Because, if they would do this, they will take your life as soon as they have the power to do so. They rule us by intimidation and financial oppression. These people do not have real power against the group. They can censor and imprison individuals, and they do this to control and oppress the greater population. They know they cannot overtake the majority or even a significant minority of the majority.
But how are we to stand up? How are we to overcome our fears of financial insecurity, losing things we have or not getting things we want, imprisonment, social rejection, what we will eat, what we will wear, and where will we live? We worry we will risk all and our people won’t back us up. We know we lack power, we are demoralized. How are we to fight when we can’t keep our own marriages and families together? When parents and children are addicted to drugs, nicotine, alcohol, sugar, pornography, Hollywood filth, professional sports, gaming and casual sex?
We have no common morality, no cohesive group, and have become such rugged individualists that we can’t get along with anyone. So we retreat, and atomize and withdraw further. Emotions rule us, we are soft in every way that we should be hardened. We are weak and prone to despondency and confusion. We don’t know where we came from or where we are going.
We accepted views of the world that have no meaning. Each of us has our own religion and therefore we are all atheists. We have abandoned discipline and discomfort, reading for television, fasting for gluttony, purity for lust, sacrifice for carnal pleasure, and we constantly do the same things, like alcoholics drinking the poison we know is killing us.
We inherently know what is good, right and pure. We know these things. We know we are called to stand up for right, we know gratuitous sex, violence, vulgarity, and materialism are evil. We know what they bring, we know what drugs bring, drinking too much, we all know these things. What we lack is power.
Like the alcoholic, we are powerless over the type of evil that rapes and murders children, literally traffics children for sexual deviancy and political power (e.g. Epstein). Evil that uses the manipulation and emotional appeal of Hollywood to turn lies into truth and evil into good.
Evil that promotes and defends the murder of innocents in dozens of countries for the propagation of a truly racist state. An evil that facilitates countless wars in the name of lies, every form of degeneracy – a people who rule the world by deceit. They hide the genocide of women and children in America, South Africa, and Palestine. They conceal the greatest atrocities ever perpetrated in the history of the world during the Bolshevik takeover of Russia.
We cannot fight fire with fire, we cannot learn their tactics and turn their methods against them. We cannot defeat this kind of evil. We cannot become these people, it wouldn’t be worth it. It would be better to die than to be like them.
The alcoholic that recovers literally dies to himself. As a matter of survival, he admits that it has utterly beat him and that his only hope is to surrender to this truth. He then becomes willing to believe in a power greater than himself that has all power, and from this, a new man rises out of the ashes of the old, like a phoenix. He develops a new paradigm completely. He replaces drunkenness with sobriety, hopelessness with faith, changes every aspect of his life, and his outlook, and his actions and becomes a man that has Power.
This is our only hope. From the early Greek philosophers who understood eternal truth, the ultimate goal of transcendence, beauty for the sake of beauty and absolute morality, not dependent on relativity. They were Christians before Christ and they led the way for our pagan ancestors to accept the coming of the Logos.
This in turn led the way to more than two millennia of Western Christian order and beauty. This world has never seen power like the power of Christendom. It was only when that common faith, morality, and unity turned its eyes and its hopes toward the one and only God of the universe, that we were able to create real and lasting beauty on earth.
This beauty was created by the kind of fearlessness only people of real faith can have. Societies were created that strove to protect the innocent, and the weak, and the family, and the citizen. We all know the battles of the Christians, we all know the stories of the Martyrs, the fearlessness of the faithful.
The enemies of the Logos have deceived you. They will tell you anything you want to hear, to turn you away from that Power. They will tell you Christ is your enemy all the while they plot to kill him again and again in the hearts of our people just as they did at the Cross. You cannot deny there is none they hate as they HATE the Christ.
And without our faith, The Family of the Trinity, The balance of the paradox of absolute right and wrong with total redemption, fierce power with compassion, death with Resurrection, there is no purpose to your love. You don’t matter if there is no God. Only the cold and the ruthless of this natural fallen world you worship will prevail, and only they should prevail in that reality. In that view, the world is dead and meaningless, and only the strong deserve to live because there is no reality, no good, no God, everything is relative.
In the real world where nature and laws of nature are fallen by our weakness and restored by Our God, everything transcendent matters and everything physical matters because of the Incarnate God. And good wins, and water is purified, and death is conquered, drug addicts cleaned up, families reconciled, people unified under a common banner.
When Power is recognized as belonging only to the one true Trinitarian God of our fathers, and worship is removed from every satanic and evil thing they mesmerize us with, that is when we rise fearlessly from the ashes. We will throw off our self-imposed chains of weakness, despair and addiction. We will march into battle like our forebears with Holy things, and Holy banners, and they will tremble at the power. And then if you die, you are martyred, and you die with no bondage, having lived in good health, internal peace, with intact families and dignity.
How long have we watched dissidents get cancelled? How many years will we tell ourselves, we don’t have anything to contribute? That it’s better to keep your job and donate to the braver ones, only to sit on your money and quietly hide, never finding the courage to do the right thing.
If you are working and making money and honestly contributing significant amounts to truth tellers, keep doing it. But if you are going to live your whole life with dreams of valor that will never be realized, prepare for sacrifice. Ready yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, to give up all that you are holding onto. None of it will save you or add a cubit to you.
And if you lack power, find the faith in the God that even the kings of our fathers worshiped.