lewrockwell--2020-05-20--Trump Derangement vs. Trump Enablement

Trump Derangement vs. Trump Enablement

As the world continues its draconian slide through the plandemic psyop , our country has divided itself firmly into two misguided camps .
As has been the case since the election of Donald Trump , that division is centered around his impossibly cartoonish personality .
Those who suffer from the very real Trump Derangement Syndrome disorder have taken the side of the virus , clinging to it like desperate leeches .
They are emotionally invested in the virus , and in the medical and scientific “ experts ” who promote its dangers , and advocate more authoritarian means to combat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who remain loyal to him in spite of all the evidence that he is in fact just another neocon Republican , have contracted their own disorder , Trump Enablement Syndrome .
This group , while largely demanding that the country open up again , bends with every Trumpian flip-flop .
They cheer when Trump quips that we can “ beat ” the virus without a vaccine , and turn a deaf ear when he announces the military will be administering it .
Hidden History : An Exp ... Donald Jeffries Best Price : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the conspiracy world I inhabit can one find independent alternative views .
Every politician in both “ competing ” parties is waiting breathlessly for a vaccine to defeat this horrific plague .
They conveniently forget that the flu has not been eradicated by a vaccine .
They are also shockingly ignorant of the well documented negative effects from vaccines .
Instead , they are listening to the Godfather of this plandemic , noted nondoctor and nonscientist , eugenicist Bill Gates .
Gates and his equally unqualified wife Melinda have really been increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate continuing this disastrous lock down until everyone has been safely vaccinated .
Along with the Beetlejuice-looking Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot , whose arrogant pronouncements seem like self-satire , the transsexual Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania , Los Angeles ’ s “ health ” director , who looks like she belongs on the set of The Walking Dead , and the obese health ministers of Belgium , Alberta , and Quebec , it ’ s difficult to take their advice seriously .
Or to keep a straight face .
It should be obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front and center in running this world- wide psyop , just how horrific our leaders are .
At every level .
Look at Lightfoot- a laughably unimpressive mayor of a big city , who memorably got her own hair cut while forbidding her underlings to do so .
Drunk with power , she told Chicagoans that “ we will shut you down , ” while leading CDC official Dr. Carol Baker , who naturally is white herself , bluntly declared , “ we ’ ll just get rid of all Whites in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t explain what white people have to do with the present crisis , or with her own job description .
Most of these odious figures , the vast majority of them public servants , with many elected by the populace , remained safely in the background prior to the introduction of the COVID-19 show .
Now that they have to make decisions , and weigh in regularly with the press and the public , their mind-boggling incompetence and long learned sense of entitlement is being exposed .
Not that most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lightfoot and other cretinous “ representatives ” will unquestionably be returned to office in the next election .
Survival of the Riches ... Jeffries , Donald Best Price : $ 13.69 Buy New $ 12.79 Think about the questions no one is asking .
The most obvious one being ; why are all these businesses being forced to close , with their owners at risk of legal punishment , while corporate giants like Walmart and Home Depot have been allowed to remain open the entire time ?
What is the point of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cashiers , if the cashier is touching all of the items being purchased ?
Why put a plastic cover on the credit card keypad , when everyone is touching the same cover ?
Recently , stories have begun appearing throughout the mainstream media , attempting to convey the impression that many of the same idiotic , pointless rules we ’ re being forced to obey now were in place during the 1918 flu pandemic .
Photos have started appearing of people back then with the same ridiculous masks on .
There is even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player at bat , wearing a mask .
Sorry , as a long time student of baseball during that era , I can not accept that .
1918 was the last Red Sox World Series victory for many decades , just prior to the “ curse ” of the Bambino , when Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees .
I ’ ve read every book about that World Series , and would definitely have seen and remembered such a photo .
Altering or photoshopping old pictures is really nothing different than what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orwell ’ s 1984 .
Like Smith , our court historians and professional “ journalists ” work together to bring history into accord with our present-day sensibilities .
We are almost to the point of Orwell ’ s “ unpersons ” being thrown down the memory hole he invented .
At this point , it wouldn ’ t surprise me to see Hollywood come out with a big production featuring the long suppressed contributions of transgenders during the Civil War .
Assuming Hollywood ever resumes production , of course .
The Unreals Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 15.87 While many eminently qualified doctors have been banned from You Tube and social media , seventeen year old decidedly unqualified Greta Thunberg has been named to a ludicrous panel of “ experts ” on the Coraonvirus by CNN .
Well , I suppose she ’ s no less an expert on viruses than she is on “ climate change , ” which she ’ s been asked to pontificate on by our illustrious state-controlled media and obsequious politicians .
Standing at the center of all this is our Tweeter-in-Chief ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just as moronic as he seems to be , or if he is a brilliant actor hired to play someone incredibly stupid , Donald Trump is definitely not in charge .
He doesn ’ t appear to have a clue what ’ s going on , or to be fully on board with the lock down .
He has bickered publicly with Dr. Anthony “ Frankenstein ” Fauci , the Pavlovian seventy nine year old orchestrating the government ’ s actions on the issue .
This is nothing new for Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears opposed to his campaign rhetoric .
Trump will probably issue some nasty tweets about Fauci , but then begrudgingly go along with everything he proposes .
This is Trump 101 .
The Trump Derangement people are literally wishing for him to die on social media .
They would vote for Hitler over Trump .
They have come to retroactively love the likes of George W. Bush , because of his public opposition to Trump .
Anyone who hates Trump is good in their eyes .
If we can just get rid of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go back to the world of justice , peace , and fairness that we all remember so well prior to 2016 .
Crimes and Cover-ups i ... Donald Jeffries Best Price : $ 17.17 Buy New $ 17.19 The Trump Enablement people feast on Trump ’ s tweets , and demand nothing else .
Sound bites and juvenile names are enough to satisfy them .
Forget ending DACA , or birth-right citizenship , or the destructive foreign visa worker programs , or stopping the senseless wars , or rebuilding the infrastructure , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kennedy , Jr .
They also continue to claim Trump has stopped child sex trafficking ( even as Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to “ suicide ” himself under his watch ) .
They breathlessly await the ever-changing date when those 150,000 sealed indictments will bring down the Deep State .
They believe that William Barr , a swamp creature of decades long good standing , will fulfill Trump ’ s “ drain the swamp ” promise .
Virtually all Americans view this virus through the prism of Trump ’ s personality .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
If only they ’ d recall the advice of the greatest champion the poor and working class ever had , Huey Long , who said , “ They ’ ve got a set of Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side , but no matter which set of waiters brings you the dish , the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen.
” The Best of Donald Jeffries

As the world continues its draconian slide through the plandemic psyop, our country has divided itself firmly into two misguided camps. As has been the case since the election of Donald Trump, that division is centered around his impossibly cartoonish personality.
Those who suffer from the very real Trump Derangement Syndrome disorder have taken the side of the virus, clinging to it like desperate leeches. They are emotionally invested in the virus, and in the medical and scientific “experts” who promote its dangers, and advocate more authoritarian means to combat it.
Meanwhile, the Trump faithful who remain loyal to him in spite of all the evidence that he is in fact just another neocon Republican, have contracted their own disorder, Trump Enablement Syndrome. This group, while largely demanding that the country open up again, bends with every Trumpian flip-flop. They cheer when Trump quips that we can “beat” the virus without a vaccine, and turn a deaf ear when he announces the military will be administering it. Hidden History: An Exp... Donald Jeffries Best Price: $9.86 Buy New $14.70 (as of 04:30 UTC - Details)
Only in the conspiracy world I inhabit can one find independent alternative views. Every politician in both “competing” parties is waiting breathlessly for a vaccine to defeat this horrific plague. They conveniently forget that the flu has not been eradicated by a vaccine. They are also shockingly ignorant of the well documented negative effects from vaccines. Instead, they are listening to the Godfather of this plandemic, noted nondoctor and nonscientist, eugenicist Bill Gates.
Gates and his equally unqualified wife Melinda have really been increasing the pro- vaccine rhetoric lately. They advocate continuing this disastrous lock down until everyone has been safely vaccinated. Along with the Beetlejuice-looking Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whose arrogant pronouncements seem like self-satire, the transsexual Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania, Los Angeles’s “health” director, who looks like she belongs on the set of The Walking Dead, and the obese health ministers of Belgium, Alberta, and Quebec, it’s difficult to take their advice seriously. Or to keep a straight face.
It should be obvious to all, now that they are front and center in running this world- wide psyop, just how horrific our leaders are. At every level. Look at Lightfoot- a laughably unimpressive mayor of a big city, who memorably got her own hair cut while forbidding her underlings to do so. Drunk with power, she told Chicagoans that “we will shut you down,” while leading CDC official Dr. Carol Baker, who naturally is white herself, bluntly declared, “we’ll just get rid of all Whites in the United States.” The good doctor didn’t explain what white people have to do with the present crisis, or with her own job description.
Most of these odious figures, the vast majority of them public servants, with many elected by the populace, remained safely in the background prior to the introduction of the COVID-19 show. Now that they have to make decisions, and weigh in regularly with the press and the public, their mind-boggling incompetence and long learned sense of entitlement is being exposed. Not that most of the public seems to care, mind you. Lightfoot and other cretinous “representatives” will unquestionably be returned to office in the next election. Survival of the Riches... Jeffries, Donald Best Price: $13.69 Buy New $12.79 (as of 03:45 UTC - Details)
Think about the questions no one is asking. The most obvious one being; why are all these businesses being forced to close, with their owners at risk of legal punishment, while corporate giants like Walmart and Home Depot have been allowed to remain open the entire time? What is the point of installing a plexiglass shield between customers and cashiers, if the cashier is touching all of the items being purchased? Why put a plastic cover on the credit card keypad, when everyone is touching the same cover?
Recently, stories have begun appearing throughout the mainstream media, attempting to convey the impression that many of the same idiotic, pointless rules we’re being forced to obey now were in place during the 1918 flu pandemic. Photos have started appearing of people back then with the same ridiculous masks on. There is even a picture of a Major League Baseball player at bat, wearing a mask. Sorry, as a long time student of baseball during that era, I cannot accept that. 1918 was the last Red Sox World Series victory for many decades, just prior to the “curse” of the Bambino, when Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees. I’ve read every book about that World Series, and would definitely have seen and remembered such a photo.
Altering or photoshopping old pictures is really nothing different than what Winston Smith did for a living in Orwell’s 1984. Like Smith, our court historians and professional “journalists” work together to bring history into accord with our present-day sensibilities. We are almost to the point of Orwell’s “unpersons” being thrown down the memory hole he invented. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Hollywood come out with a big production featuring the long suppressed contributions of transgenders during the Civil War. Assuming Hollywood ever resumes production, of course. The Unreals Donald Jeffries Best Price: $10.38 Buy New $15.87 (as of 07:50 UTC - Details)
While many eminently qualified doctors have been banned from You Tube and social media, seventeen year old decidedly unqualified Greta Thunberg has been named to a ludicrous panel of “experts” on the Coraonvirus by CNN. Well, I suppose she’s no less an expert on viruses than she is on “climate change,” which she’s been asked to pontificate on by our illustrious state-controlled media and obsequious politicians.
Standing at the center of all this is our Tweeter-in-Chief; Tweetalini if you will. Whether he is just as moronic as he seems to be, or if he is a brilliant actor hired to play someone incredibly stupid, Donald Trump is definitely not in charge. He doesn’t appear to have a clue what’s going on, or to be fully on board with the lock down. He has bickered publicly with Dr. Anthony “Frankenstein” Fauci, the Pavlovian seventy nine year old orchestrating the government’s actions on the issue. This is nothing new for Trump, of course. Everyone in his administration appears opposed to his campaign rhetoric. Trump will probably issue some nasty tweets about Fauci, but then begrudgingly go along with everything he proposes. This is Trump 101.
The Trump Derangement people are literally wishing for him to die on social media. They would vote for Hitler over Trump. They have come to retroactively love the likes of George W. Bush, because of his public opposition to Trump. Anyone who hates Trump is good in their eyes. If we can just get rid of the buffoonish Orange Man, we can go back to the world of justice, peace, and fairness that we all remember so well prior to 2016.
Crimes and Cover-ups i... Donald Jeffries Best Price: $17.17 Buy New $17.19 (as of 06:20 UTC - Details) The Trump Enablement people feast on Trump’s tweets, and demand nothing else. Sound bites and juvenile names are enough to satisfy them. Forget ending DACA, or birth-right citizenship, or the destructive foreign visa worker programs, or stopping the senseless wars, or rebuilding the infrastructure, or that autism-vaccines commission headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. They also continue to claim Trump has stopped child sex trafficking (even as Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to “suicide” himself under his watch). They breathlessly await the ever-changing date when those 150,000 sealed indictments will bring down the Deep State. They believe that William Barr, a swamp creature of decades long good standing, will fulfill Trump’s “drain the swamp” promise.
Virtually all Americans view this virus through the prism of Trump’s personality. They are committed to love him or hate him. If only they’d recall the advice of the greatest champion the poor and working class ever had, Huey Long, who said, “They’ve got a set of Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side, but no matter which set of waiters brings you the dish, the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen.”
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Donald Jeffries


lewrockwell--2020-05-20--US Imperialism in Latin America: Big Sticks, Even Bigger Guns

Uncle Sam doesn ’ t have the best track record in Latin America .
Few foreign policy elites seem to care .
Yet , in what the regional proconsul , Admiral Craig Faller of Southern Command ( SOUTHCOM ) , recently called “ our hemisphere ” and “ our neighborhood , ” the actual residents haven ’ t forgotten .
Odds are , the U.S. will be even less welcome after the latest local adventure , the bizarre foiled American mercenary-led coup meant to topple President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela .
It is tempting and not unreasonable to dismiss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No doubt , by any practical measure it must be judged—an appropriate term since “ Operation Gideon , ” was named for a biblical Hebrew jurist—a total failure .
Karl Marx famously intoned that “ history repeats itself , first as tragedy , then as farce.
” Seen thus , the disastrous 1961 CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion of Fidel Castro ’ s Cuba counts as the tragedy ; and the newest escapade as farce .
Neat though the analogy be , this would be a mistake .
OVERTHROW Kinzer , Stephen Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14.88 The broad contours of the coup attempt are widely reported .
Combat-seasoned former U.S. green berets from the private military company Silvercorp , allegedly negotiated a lucrative contract with the Venezuelan opposition to violently replace Maduro with Juan Guaidó .
The mission fell apart for a variety of reasons : incompetence , internecine division , and regime infiltration .
Yet , for all the drama involved its occurrence wasn ’ t a total shock .
President Trump recently steamed warships towards Venezuela ’ s coast and his DEA literally placed a $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head .
One would expect mercenaries or amateur adventurers to try and collect such lucrative rewards .
Maduro is no saint , but this seems a rather vigilante brand of foreign policy .
Full details remain unavailable , especially regarding the degree of government foreknowledge or complicity , but Operation Gideon may prove profound .
First , the mercenary meddling itself is of a piece with the sordid U.S. backstory in the region .
The operation ’ s contours , and consequences should be framed accordingly .
Second , the coup ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines between public and private policy , reflects the prevailing American “ way of war.
” Today ’ s mercenary machination contains as much foreboding as farce .
America ’ s most underrated president , John Quincy Adams , presciently warned that a prudent America “ goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy , ” lest in “ imperial diadem…She might become the dictatress of the world.
” However , as Secretary of State he also conceived the Monroe Doctrine —announcing the Western Hemisphere henceforth closest to new European colonization .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon twisted to justify chauvinistic American interventions which violated his broader rejoinder .
Ghost Riders of Baghda ... Daniel A. Sjursen Best Price : $ 16.67 Buy New $ 16.58 In the High Age of U.S. regional imperialism ( 1898-1934 ) , Washington repeatedly deployed the military to pick electoral winners , topple uncooperative regimes , bolster favored dictators , and protect American business interests .
These generally revolved around what might be called “ Big Fruit ” —hence the label “ Banana Wars “ —in Central America , as well as Standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change ( or regime “ choice ” ) interventions included Cuba ( 1898 , 1906 ) , Panama ( 1903 ) , Nicaragua ( 1912 , 1927 ) , Mexico ( 1914 , 1916 ) , Haiti ( 1915 ) , and the Dominican Republic ( 1916 ) .
Many operations dragged on ; U.S. marines occupied Haiti for 19 years !
American casualties , at least , were low , sparing such imperialism much public ire .
Again , during the nearly two-decade Haiti campaign , only 31 U.S. troops ( but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Furthermore , several incidents illustrate that the latest hired-gun fiasco isn ’ t so singular either .
Memorable highlights include : • In 1856 , William Walker and his 57 mercenary “ immortals ” so deftly intervened in Nicaragua ’ s civil war that Walker himself became president .
Eventually toppled , he tried again in 1860 and ended up executed by firing squad .
• In 1894 , Lee Christmas , a former railroad engineer turned general de brigada , colluded with the Guatemalan despot in a failed invasion of Honduras .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of United Fruit .
Should the recent Venezuelan incident appear uniquely far-fetched , the Christmas-coup was allegedly plotted in a New Orleans brothel under federal agent surveillance .
• In 1909 , sundry American “ entrepreneurs and soldiers of fortune ” threw-in with a violent power-claimant in the Nicaraguan Revolution , and defended coastal towns full of expatriates with significant mining interests .
This time , U.S. marines—including a decidedly frustrated Smedley Butler—landed in support .
Jumping forward to the Cold War : to counter or exploit the perceived monolithic communist threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far bloodier interventions in Latin America .
First and famously , in Cuba ( again ) , after Fidel Castro took power .
In addition to the aborted Bay of Pigs invasion , Washington subjected Havana to a prolonged campaign of sabotage and economic strangulation .
It also invaded the Dominican Republic ( 1965 ) and fomented a Chilean coup ( 1973 ) to enthrone a murderous dictator .
Other putsches were crafted or backed in Guatemala ( 1954 ) and Brazil ( 1964 ) .
In its climactic phase ( 1979-91 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waged proxy wars through right-wing death squads like the Contras in Nicaragua , El Salvador , and to a lesser extent , Honduras and Guatemala .
This time body counts surpassed one hundred thousand .
Smaller overt U.S. military invasions hit Grenada ( 1983 ) and Panama ( 1989 ) .
Such Cold War-era operations were directed by Republican and Democratic administrations alike .
Bitter Fruit : The Stor ... Coatsworth , John H. Best Price : $ 15.03 Buy New $ 21.80 The final collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a rather muddled mission , U.S. landed troops in Haiti ( 1994 ) and special forces teams indefinitely waged an unwinnable “ drug war ” in Columbia .
Cuba remained under blockade , but a new nemesis , Venezuela ’ s Hugo Chavez , replaced Castro ’ s atop the pantheon of villainy .
There , in a sort of dress rehearsal for the latest mercenary run at his successor Maduro , Washington was embarrassingly linked to a failed 2002 coup attempt .
Declaring a not-so-covert war on the tinpot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chavez became a Yankee-vanquishing folk hero in many regional eyes .
Not altogether coincidentally , in the ensuing decade , faintly leftist and more independent leaders were elected in Brazil ( 2002 ) , Argentina ( 2003 ) , Uruguay ( 2004 ) , Bolivia , Nicaragua , Peru , Ecuador , and Chile ( 2006 ) , as well as Paraguay ( 2008 ) .
Undeterred , Washington waged a counter-counter-offensive , and backed or normalized reactionary coups in Honduras ( 2009 ) and Bolivia ( 2019 ) .
Recently , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ —Venezuela , Nicaragua , and Cuba —former National Security Adviser John Bolton lumped them in an absurd “ troika of tyranny.
” Such was the prevailing climate the lead-up to the recent mercenary mission .

Uncle Sam doesn’t have the best track record in Latin America. Few foreign policy elites seem to care. Yet, in what the regional proconsul, Admiral Craig Faller of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), recently called “our hemisphere” and “our neighborhood,” the actual residents haven’t forgotten. Odds are, the U.S. will be even less welcome after the latest local adventure, the bizarre foiled American mercenary-led coup meant to topple President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.
It is tempting and not unreasonable to dismiss the recent folly as an incompetent one-off. No doubt, by any practical measure it must be judged—an appropriate term since “Operation Gideon,” was named for a biblical Hebrew jurist—a total failure. Karl Marx famously intoned that “history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” Seen thus, the disastrous 1961 CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion of Fidel Castro’s Cuba counts as the tragedy; and the newest escapade as farce. Neat though the analogy be, this would be a mistake.
OVERTHROW Kinzer, Stephen Best Price: $4.29 Buy New $14.88 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details) The broad contours of the coup attempt are widely reported. Combat-seasoned former U.S. green berets from the private military company Silvercorp, allegedly negotiated a lucrative contract with the Venezuelan opposition to violently replace Maduro with Juan Guaidó. The mission fell apart for a variety of reasons: incompetence, internecine division, and regime infiltration. Yet, for all the drama involved its occurrence wasn’t a total shock.
President Trump recently steamed warships towards Venezuela’s coast and his DEA literally placed a $15 million bounty on Maduro’s head. One would expect mercenaries or amateur adventurers to try and collect such lucrative rewards. Maduro is no saint, but this seems a rather vigilante brand of foreign policy.
Full details remain unavailable, especially regarding the degree of government foreknowledge or complicity, but Operation Gideon may prove profound. First, the mercenary meddling itself is of a piece with the sordid U.S. backstory in the region. The operation’s contours, and consequences should be framed accordingly. Second, the coup’s shadowy, outsourced nature, the blurred lines between public and private policy, reflects the prevailing American “way of war.” Today’s mercenary machination contains as much foreboding as farce.
Past as Prologue
America’s most underrated president, John Quincy Adams, presciently warned that a prudent America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy,” lest in “imperial diadem…She might become the dictatress of the world.” However, as Secretary of State he also conceived the Monroe Doctrine —announcing the Western Hemisphere henceforth closest to new European colonization. Tragically, Monroe’s pronouncement was soon twisted to justify chauvinistic American interventions which violated his broader rejoinder. Ghost Riders of Baghda... Daniel A. Sjursen Best Price: $16.67 Buy New $16.58 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details)
In the High Age of U.S. regional imperialism (1898-1934), Washington repeatedly deployed the military to pick electoral winners, topple uncooperative regimes, bolster favored dictators, and protect American business interests. These generally revolved around what might be called “Big Fruit”—hence the label “Banana Wars“—in Central America, as well as Standard Oil in Mexico.
Major extended regime change (or regime “choice”) interventions included Cuba (1898, 1906), Panama (1903), Nicaragua (1912, 1927), Mexico (1914, 1916), Haiti (1915), and the Dominican Republic (1916). Many operations dragged on; U.S. marines occupied Haiti for 19 years! American casualties, at least, were low, sparing such imperialism much public ire. Again, during the nearly two-decade Haiti campaign, only 31 U.S. troops (but thousands of locals) were killed.
Furthermore, several incidents illustrate that the latest hired-gun fiasco isn’t so singular either. Memorable highlights include:
In 1856, William Walker and his 57 mercenary “immortals” so deftly intervened in Nicaragua’s civil war that Walker himself became president. Eventually toppled, he tried again in 1860 and ended up executed by firing squad.
In 1894, Lee Christmas, a former railroad engineer turned general de brigada, colluded with the Guatemalan despot in a failed invasion of Honduras. It was widely believed Christmas operated on behalf of United Fruit. Should the recent Venezuelan incident appear uniquely far-fetched, the Christmas-coup was allegedly plotted in a New Orleans brothel under federal agent surveillance. Empire’s Worksho... Grandin, Greg Best Price: $5.21 Buy New $8.49 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details )
colluded with the Guatemalan despot in a failed invasion of Honduras. It was widely believed Christmas operated on behalf of United Fruit. Should the recent Venezuelan incident appear uniquely far-fetched, the Christmas-coup was allegedly plotted in a New Orleans brothel under federal agent surveillance. In 1909, sundry American “entrepreneurs and soldiers of fortune” threw-in with a violent power-claimant in the Nicaraguan Revolution, and defended coastal towns full of expatriates with significant mining interests. This time, U.S. marines—including a decidedly frustrated Smedley Butler—landed in support.
Jumping forward to the Cold War: to counter or exploit the perceived monolithic communist threat, Washington kicked off a round of far bloodier interventions in Latin America. First and famously, in Cuba (again), after Fidel Castro took power. In addition to the aborted Bay of Pigs invasion, Washington subjected Havana to a prolonged campaign of sabotage and economic strangulation. It also invaded the Dominican Republic (1965) and fomented a Chilean coup (1973) to enthrone a murderous dictator. Other putsches were crafted or backed in Guatemala (1954) and Brazil (1964).
In its climactic phase (1979-91) of Cold War interventionism, the U.S. waged proxy wars through right-wing death squads like the Contras in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and to a lesser extent, Honduras and Guatemala. This time body counts surpassed one hundred thousand. Smaller overt U.S. military invasions hit Grenada (1983) and Panama (1989). Such Cold War-era operations were directed by Republican and Democratic administrations alike.
Bitter Fruit: The Stor... Coatsworth, John H. Best Price: $15.03 Buy New $21.80 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details) The final collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 hardly altered Washington’s interventionist penchant. In a rather muddled mission, U.S. landed troops in Haiti (1994) and special forces teams indefinitely waged an unwinnable “drug war” in Columbia. Cuba remained under blockade, but a new nemesis, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, replaced Castro’s atop the pantheon of villainy.
There, in a sort of dress rehearsal for the latest mercenary run at his successor Maduro, Washington was embarrassingly linked to a failed 2002 coup attempt. Declaring a not-so-covert war on the tinpot, low-threat—if oil-laden—regime predictably backfired. An empowered Chavez became a Yankee-vanquishing folk hero in many regional eyes. Not altogether coincidentally, in the ensuing decade, faintly leftist and more independent leaders were elected in Brazil (2002), Argentina (2003), Uruguay (2004), Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile (2006), as well as Paraguay (2008).
Undeterred, Washington waged a counter-counter-offensive, and backed or normalized reactionary coups in Honduras (2009) and Bolivia (2019). Recently, in a chilling warning to still intransigent governments —Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba —former National Security Adviser John Bolton lumped them in an absurd “troika of tyranny.” Such was the prevailing climate the lead-up to the recent mercenary mission.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-05-20--Turn Out the Lights, Russiagate Is Over

Turn Out the Lights, Russiagate Is Over

The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time , and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack .
Seldom mentioned among the motives behind the persistent drumming on alleged Russian interference was an over-arching need to help the Security State hide their tracks .
The need for a scapegoat to blame for Hillary Clinton ’ s snatching defeat out of the jaws victory also played a role ; as did the need for the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex ( MICIMATT ) to keep front and center in the minds of Americans the alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Russia .
( Recall that John McCain called the , now disproven , “ Russian hacking ” of the DNC emails an “ act of war.
” ) But that was then .
This is now .
Greetings From Senility Willow Creek Press Best Price : $ 0.39 Buy New $ 7.25 Though the corporate media is trying to bury it , the Russiagate narrative has in the past few weeks finally collapsed with the revelation that CrowdStrike had no evidence Russia took anything from the DNC servers and that the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flynn .
There was already the previous government finding that there was no collusion between Trump and Russia and the indictment of a Russian troll farm that supposedly was destroying American democracy with $ 100,000 in Facebook ads was dropped after the St. Petersburg defendants sought discovery .
All that ’ s left is to discover how this all happened .
Attorney General William Barr , and U.S. Attorney John Durham , whom Barr commissioned to investigate this whole sordid mess seem intent on getting to the bottom of it .
The possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack .
Given the diffident attitude the Security State plotters adopted regarding hiding their tracks , Durham ’ s challenge , with subpoena power , is not as formidable as were he , for example , investigating a Mafia family .
Plus , former NSA Director Adm. Michael S. Rogers reportedly is cooperating .
The handwriting is on the wall .
It remains to be seen what kind of role in the scandal Barack Obama may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 9.95 But former directors James Comey , James Clapper , and John Brennan , captains of Obama ’ s Security State , can take little solace from Barr ’ s remarks Monday to a reporter who asked about Trump ’ s recent claims that top officials of the Obama administration , including the former president had committed crimes .
Barr replied : In a more ominous vein , Barr gratuitously added that law enforcement and intelligence officials were involved in “ a false and utterly baseless Russian collusion narrative against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it was unprecedented in American history.
” Meanwhile , the corporate media have all been singing from the same sheet since Trump had the audacity a week ago to coin yet another “ -gate ” — this time “ Obamagate.
” Leading the apoplectic reaction in corporate media , Saturday ’ s Washington Post offered a pot-calling-the-kettle-black pronouncement by its editorial board entitled “ The absurd cynicism of ‘ Obamagate ” ?
The outrage voiced by the Post called to mind disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok ’ s indignant response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in a Oct. 20 , 2016 text exchange with FBI attorney Lisa Page : Fireproof Document Bag ... Best Price : $ 14.99 Buy New $ 19.99 Less vitriolic , but incisive commentary came from widely respected author and lawyer Glenn Greenwald on May 14 , four days after Trump coined “ Obamagate ” : ( See “ System Update with Glenn Greenwald – The Sham Prosecution of Michael Flynn ” ) .
For a shorter , equally instructive video of Greenwald on the broader issue of Russia-gate , see this clip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -sponsored debate he had with David Cay Johnston titled , “ As Mueller Finds No Collusion , Did Press Overhype Russiagate ?
Glenn Greenwald vs. David Cay Johnston ” : ( The entire debate is worth listening to ) .
I found one of the comments below the Democracy Now !
video as big as a bummer as the commentator did : Leather Travel Duffle ... Buy New $ 133.99 In any case , Johnston , undaunted by his embarrassment at the hands of Greenwald , is still at it , and so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them some 20 years older than Greenwald and set in their evidence-impoverished , media-indoctrinated ways .
Sadly , as is apparently the case with Covid:19 , older people seem particularly susceptible to what has been called Trump Derangement Syndrome—the notion that Trump is uniquely evil , while , for instance , George W. Bush , who illegally invaded Iraq—what Nuremberg termed the worst war crime , the crime of aggression—was not .
Johnston now has his own website : DCReport.org .
A piece dated May 8 , bears the title “ How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Become President For Life.
” Adducing “ evidence ” of this purported effort by Barr , Johnston indicates that he does not like what Barr ’ s Justice Department did in moving to drop the charges against Gen. Michael Flynn .
He does not like it , not one bit !
Here are some additional gems from Johnston ’ s latest : GOCOM Walkie Talkies F ... Buy New $ 48.99 “ Trump denies the Russians helped him become president .
But America ’ s intelligence agencies , the bi-partisan chairs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mueller report and emails from none other than Donald Trump Jr. all make clear the Kremlin helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton .
The only issue on which the facts are not complete was whether Trump was a passive beneficiary or he knowingly worked with the Kremlin , whether obliquely or hand-in-glove .
Just weeks after assuming office Trump held an unannounced meeting in the Oval Office with Russia ’ s foreign minister and Russian ambassador and a “ photographer ” for the Kremlin-owned Tass news agency .
The Russians revealed the meeting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ sources and methods ” intelligence , which is closely guarded to protect human and technological assets .
This latest abuse of power to protect a criminal crony who was on Vladimir Putin ’ s payroll and a secret foreign agent is more than an impeachable offense .
Trump , Barr and Shea also sent a clear message : Team Trump harbors no regard for the rule of law , the foundation of our liberties and democratic freedoms.
” NDN LINE Bamboo Digita ... Buy New $ 29.99 David Cay Johnston enjoys the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notably Frank Rich .
In younger days , both wrote for The New York Times , where , sadly , writers of all ages are showing acute susceptibility to the syndrome .
In a New York magazine article by Frank Rich performsing what he passes off as analysis of the recent statement of President Donald Trump about Obamagate .
Read it and lament over what has become of yet another formerly respectable journalist .
“ ‘ Obamagate ’ , in Trump ’ s brilliant coinage , is a conspiracy so vast , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarantee his reelection as soon as he figures out how to tell voters exactly what it is .
As best as I can glean from his spokespeople on the Rupert Murdoch payroll — at Fox News , the New York Post , and the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal — it was a coup that involved both installing Trump in the White House so that he could preside over the most corrupt and incompetent administration in American history and propelling a beloved national hero , the Kremlin sycophant and former Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For a moment , it seemed that at least that second goal might be thwarted by Bill Barr ’ s effort to hand Flynn a Get Out of Jail Free card .
But thanks to the deep-state intervention of a U.S. district judge in Washington this week , Flynn may end up behind bars after all .
Obamagate Accomplished !
” Has Rich lost it ?
Is this dismissive gibberish meant to be facetious , sarcastic ?
Is it a pedantic attempt at reductio ad absurdum ?
— like Saturday ’ s Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absurd cynicism of ‘ Obamagate ’ ” .
Does Rich keep up with the news , or is he now filing from Joe Biden ’ s basement ?
Is Consortium News included in his diet of reading ?
Quick .
Someone tell Rich that “ Russia-Trump collusion ” and the far-fetched charges that the Russian Internet Research Agency helped Trump become president — as well as the tall tale that Russia “ hacked ” the DNC emails — have all collapsed .
My father , for many years a professor at Fordham Law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another all-too-familiar syndrome he nonetheless took seriously : he called it “ the age of statutory senility.
” As Chancellor of the Board of Regents , he resigned well before he reached that age , offering his own example to superannuated Board colleagues ( to no avail ) .
These days , I think he would probably consider 70 the age of “ statutory senility ” , especially were he able to read the blather of once respected journalists — like Frank Rich , whose work he used to enjoy .
Let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine for the Trump Syndrome .
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News .

The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time, and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack.
Seldom mentioned among the motives behind the persistent drumming on alleged Russian interference was an over-arching need to help the Security State hide their tracks.
The need for a scapegoat to blame for Hillary Clinton’s snatching defeat out of the jaws victory also played a role; as did the need for the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex (MICIMATT) to keep front and center in the minds of Americans the alleged multifaceted threat coming from an “aggressive” Russia. (Recall that John McCain called the, now disproven, “Russian hacking” of the DNC emails an “act of war.”)
But that was then. This is now. Greetings From Senility Willow Creek Press Best Price: $0.39 Buy New $7.25 (as of 03:47 UTC - Details)
Though the corporate media is trying to bury it, the Russiagate narrative has in the past few weeks finally collapsed with the revelation that CrowdStrike had no evidence Russia took anything from the DNC servers and that the FBI set a perjury trap for Gen. Michael Flynn. There was already the previous government finding that there was no collusion between Trump and Russia and the indictment of a Russian troll farm that supposedly was destroying American democracy with $100,000 in Facebook ads was dropped after the St. Petersburg defendants sought discovery.
All that’s left is to discover how this all happened.
Attorney General William Barr, and U.S. Attorney John Durham, whom Barr commissioned to investigate this whole sordid mess seem intent on getting to the bottom of it. The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time, and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack.
Writing on the Wall
Given the diffident attitude the Security State plotters adopted regarding hiding their tracks, Durham’s challenge, with subpoena power, is not as formidable as were he, for example, investigating a Mafia family.
Plus, former NSA Director Adm. Michael S. Rogers reportedly is cooperating. The handwriting is on the wall. It remains to be seen what kind of role in the scandal Barack Obama may have played. Mouse Secrets Obamagat... Buy New $9.95 (as of 03:47 UTC - Details)
But former directors James Comey, James Clapper, and John Brennan, captains of Obama’s Security State, can take little solace from Barr’s remarks Monday to a reporter who asked about Trump’s recent claims that top officials of the Obama administration, including the former president had committed crimes. Barr replied:
“As to President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don’t expect Mr. Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man. Our concerns over potential criminality is focused on others.”
In a more ominous vein, Barr gratuitously added that law enforcement and intelligence officials were involved in “a false and utterly baseless Russian collusion narrative against the president. It was a grave injustice, and it was unprecedented in American history.”
Meanwhile, the corporate media have all been singing from the same sheet since Trump had the audacity a week ago to coin yet another “-gate” — this time “Obamagate.” Leading the apoplectic reaction in corporate media, Saturday’s Washington Post offered a pot-calling-the-kettle-black pronouncement by its editorial board entitled “The absurd cynicism of ‘Obamagate”?
The outrage voiced by the Post called to mind disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok’s indignant response to criticism of the FBI by candidate Trump, in a Oct. 20, 2016 text exchange with FBI attorney Lisa Page: Fireproof Document Bag... Best Price: $14.99 Buy New $19.99 (as of 08:53 UTC - Details)
Strzok: I am riled up. Trump is a f***ing idiot, is unable to provide a coherent answer. Strzok – I CAN’T PULL AWAY, WHAT THE F**K HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY … Page– I don’t know. But we’ll get it back. We’re America. We rock. Strzok– Donald just said “bad hombres” Strzok– Trump just said what the FBI did is disgraceful.
Less vitriolic, but incisive commentary came from widely respected author and lawyer Glenn Greenwald on May 14, four days after Trump coined “Obamagate”: ( See “System Update with Glenn Greenwald – The Sham Prosecution of Michael Flynn”).
For a shorter, equally instructive video of Greenwald on the broader issue of Russia-gate, see this clip from a March 2019 Democracy Now!-sponsored debate he had with David Cay Johnston titled, “As Mueller Finds No Collusion, Did Press Overhype Russiagate? Glenn Greenwald vs. David Cay Johnston”:

(The entire debate is worth listening to). I found one of the comments below the Democracy Now! video as big as a bummer as the commentator did: Leather Travel Duffle ... Buy New $133.99 (as of 03:47 UTC - Details)
“I think this is one of the most depressing parts about the whole situation. In their dogmatic pushing for this false narrative, the Russiagaters might have guaranteed Trump a second term. They have done more damage to our democracy than Russia ever has done and will do.” (From “Clamity2007”)
In any case, Johnston, undaunted by his embarrassment at the hands of Greenwald, is still at it, and so is the avuncular Frank Rich — both of them some 20 years older than Greenwald and set in their evidence-impoverished, media-indoctrinated ways.
Deranged by Trump
Sadly, as is apparently the case with Covid:19, older people seem particularly susceptible to what has been called Trump Derangement Syndrome—the notion that Trump is uniquely evil, while, for instance, George W. Bush, who illegally invaded Iraq—what Nuremberg termed the worst war crime, the crime of aggression—was not.
Johnston now has his own website: DCReport.org. A piece dated May 8, bears the title “How Barr Is Advancing Trump’s Quest to Become President For Life.”
Adducing “evidence” of this purported effort by Barr, Johnston indicates that he does not like what Barr’s Justice Department did in moving to drop the charges against Gen. Michael Flynn. He does not like it, not one bit! Here are some additional gems from Johnston’s latest: GOCOM Walkie Talkies F... Buy New $48.99 (as of 04:33 UTC - Details)
“— Flynn and his company were on Putin’s payroll — Flynn made himself susceptible to blackmail by taking Russian money and lying about it.”
Johnston drivels on:
“Trump denies the Russians helped him become president. But America’s intelligence agencies, the bi-partisan chairs of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the 418-page Mueller report and emails from none other than Donald Trump Jr. all make clear the Kremlin helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The only issue on which the facts are not complete was whether Trump was a passive beneficiary or he knowingly worked with the Kremlin, whether obliquely or hand-in-glove. Just weeks after assuming office Trump held an unannounced meeting in the Oval Office with Russia’s foreign minister and Russian ambassador and a “photographer” for the Kremlin-owned Tass news agency. The Russians revealed the meeting. They also disclosed that Trump gave them “sources and methods” intelligence, which is closely guarded to protect human and technological assets. This latest abuse of power to protect a criminal crony who was on Vladimir Putin’s payroll and a secret foreign agent is more than an impeachable offense. Trump, Barr and Shea also sent a clear message: Team Trump harbors no regard for the rule of law, the foundation of our liberties and democratic freedoms.”
Frank Rich Not Immune
NDN LINE Bamboo Digita... Buy New $29.99 (as of 03:47 UTC - Details) David Cay Johnston enjoys the company of other erstwhile respected pundits, notably Frank Rich. In younger days, both wrote for The New York Times, where, sadly, writers of all ages are showing acute susceptibility to the syndrome.
In a New York magazine article by Frank Rich performsing what he passes off as analysis of the recent statement of President Donald Trump about Obamagate. Read it and lament over what has become of yet another formerly respectable journalist.
“‘Obamagate’, in Trump’s brilliant coinage, is a conspiracy so vast, a crime so dastardly, that it should guarantee his reelection as soon as he figures out how to tell voters exactly what it is. As best as I can glean from his spokespeople on the Rupert Murdoch payroll — at Fox News, the New York Post, and the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal — it was a coup that involved both installing Trump in the White House so that he could preside over the most corrupt and incompetent administration in American history and propelling a beloved national hero, the Kremlin sycophant and former Obama official Michael Flynn, to prison. For a moment, it seemed that at least that second goal might be thwarted by Bill Barr’s effort to hand Flynn a Get Out of Jail Free card. But thanks to the deep-state intervention of a U.S. district judge in Washington this week, Flynn may end up behind bars after all. Obamagate Accomplished!”
Has Rich lost it? Is this dismissive gibberish meant to be facetious, sarcastic? Is it a pedantic attempt at reductio ad absurdum? — like Saturday’s Washington Post editorial board pronouncement of “ The absurd cynicism of ‘Obamagate’”.
Does Rich keep up with the news, or is he now filing from Joe Biden’s basement? Is Consortium News included in his diet of reading? Quick. Someone tell Rich that “Russia-Trump collusion” and the far-fetched charges that the Russian Internet Research Agency helped Trump become president — as well as the tall tale that Russia “hacked” the DNC emails — have all collapsed.
‘Statutory Senility’
My father, for many years a professor at Fordham Law School, used to speak jocularly of another all-too-familiar syndrome he nonetheless took seriously: he called it “the age of statutory senility.” As Chancellor of the Board of Regents, he resigned well before he reached that age, offering his own example to superannuated Board colleagues (to no avail).
These days, I think he would probably consider 70 the age of “statutory senility”, especially were he able to read the blather of once respected journalists — like Frank Rich, whose work he used to enjoy. Let’s make sure someone is working on a vaccine for the Trump Syndrome.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.


lewrockwell--2020-05-20--US Nukes in Poland Would Not Be Deterrent, But a Massive Provocation for Russia

The US has promoted the deployment of US nuclear weapons on Polish soil as part of NATO ’ s ‘ nuclear sharing ’ arrangement .
Such a move would only increase the chances of the very war such a deployment seeks to deter .
For the second time in little more than a year , the US ambassadors to Germany and Poland have commented on matters of NATO security in a manner which undermines the unity of the alliance while threatening European security by seeking to alter the balance of power in a way that is unduly provocative to Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Germany and the acting director of national intelligence , put matters into motion by writing an OpEd for the German newspaper Die Welt , criticizing politicians from within Chancellor Angela Merkel ’ s ruling coalition who were openly calling for the US to withdraw its nuclear weapons from German soil .
Adding fuel to the fire , the US ambassador to Poland , Georgette Mosbacher , tweeted out two days later that “ If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO , perhaps Poland – which pays its fair share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on NATO ’ s eastern flank – could house the capabilities here.
” European Missile Defen ... Giles , Keir Buy New $ 11.00 The action that provoked the Grenell-Mosbacher media blitz were comments made by Rolf Mützenich , the chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Germany ’ s parliament , calling for Germany to withdraw from its decades-old nuclear-sharing arrangement with NATO , noting that the deal had outlived its utility .
The US currently maintains a force of some 20 B-61 nuclear bombs on German soil , where they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war .
Since 1979 , Germany has maintained a force of Tornado fighter-bombers dedicated to the nuclear-sharing mission .
The decision by Germany to buy 30 US-manufactured F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft to replace the Tornado in its nuclear delivery mission prompted Mützenich ’ s outburst .
Grenell and Mosbacher last teamed up to shake the foundations of NATO-based European security in September 2019 , when Grenell ’ s comments made during the course of an interview with a German newspaper sparked controversy among German politicians sensitive to US criticism of German defense spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assume that the US taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany , ” Grenell said , “ but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs.
” Grenell ’ s comments were in the context of President Donald Trump ’ s ongoing insistence that America ’ s NATO allies pay their fair share of the cost of NATO by increasing their respective defense spending to levels matching two percent of their GDP .
Germany ’ s defense budget in 2019 was approximately €43 billion , representing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were quick to criticize Grenell ’ s comments , noting that while Germany ’ s defense expenditures were far short of what had been promised , it would not allow itself to be “ blackmailed ” by the US over matters relating to its national security .
The Second Nuclear Age ... Bracken , Paul Best Price : $ 3.98 Buy New $ 10.90 Mosbacher then jumped into the controversy , tweeting “ Poland meets its 2 % of GDP spending obligation towards NATO .
Germany does not .
We would welcome American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Some left-wing German politicians proposed that Germany take Grenell up on his offer and begin to negotiate the withdrawal of US troops from German soil ( there are some 52,000 Americans – 35,000 soldiers and 17,000 civilians – stationed in Germany today ) .
But these same politicians made a comment that has proved prescient .
“ If the Americans pull out their troops , ” they noted , “ then they should take their nuclear weapons with them .
Take them home , of course , and not to Poland , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations to Russia.
” This , of course , is precisely what the Grenell-Mosbacher tag team has proposed today .
“ NATO ’ s nuclear sharing , ” the current NATO secretary general , Jens Stoltenberg , wrote in an OpEd published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , “ is a multilateral arrangement that ensures the benefits , responsibilities and risks of nuclear deterrence are shared among allies.
” “ Politically , ” Stoltenberg said , “ this is significant .
It means that participating allies , like Germany , make joint decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintain appropriate equipment.
” Keeper of the Nuclear ... Brown , Andrew Best Price : $ 6.61 Buy New $ 23.98 For its part , Russia has declared the US-NATO nuclear-sharing arrangement as operating in violation of relevant provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT ) which prohibits the transfer by a nuclear weapons state of nuclear weapons to a non-nuclear weapons state .
While the US challenges this Russian interpretation , the point is that the issue of NATO ’ s nuclear arsenal is an extremely sensitive one to Russia , made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context of the expansion of NATO that brought Poland and other eastern European countries into its fold .
Poland , along with the Czech Republic and Hungary , joined NATO in March of 1999 , making a mockery of every assurance that had been given to the former Soviet president , Mikhail Gorbachev , that NATO would never expand eastwards if Germany were allowed to unify .
Russian President Vladimir Putin pointedly referred to these guarantees during his speech to the Munich Security Conference in February of 2007 , in the context of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ W ] e have the right to ask : against whom is this expansion intended ?
And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact ?
Where are those declarations today ?
No one even remembers them.
” Russia remembers .
For example , on February 6 , 1990 , when the former West German foreign minister , Hans-Dietrich Genscher , met with then-British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd , Genscher told Hurd that “ The Russians must have some assurance that if , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warsaw Pact one day , they would not join NATO the next.
” These assurances were made by the former US secretary of state , James Baker , to the former Soviet foreign minister , Eduard Shevardnadze , in February 1990 , when Baker noted that before Germany could reunify , “ There would , of course , have to be iron-clad guarantees that NATO ’ s jurisdiction or forces would not move eastward.
” Confronting the Bomb : ... Lawrence S. Wittner Best Price : $ 6.64 Buy New $ 13.53 These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violated during the administration of President Bill Clinton .
Today , over 4,500 US troops are stationed on Polish soil , including a reinforced battalion-sized ‘ battlegroup ’ stationed along the so-called Suwalki Gap separating Poland from the Baltic nations .
“ If Russian forces ever established control over the Suwalki region , or even threatened the free movement of NATO personnel and equipment through it , they would effectively cut the Baltic States off from the rest of the Alliance , ” a NATO report written in 2018 noted .
“ Deterring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat of action – against Suwalki is therefore essential for NATO ’ s credibility and Western cohesion.
” For its part , Russia has repeatedly declared that it has no desire to enter a conflict with NATO .
However , NATO ’ s expansion in Poland and other eastern European countries has increasingly placed Russian security interests at risk .
The deployment of Aegis Ashore launchers onto Polish soil in an ostensible anti-missile role , while declared by NATO to be exclusively oriented toward protecting Europe from Iranian missiles , is viewed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategic missile capability .
In response , Russia has deployed nuclear-capable short-range missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave between Poland and Lithuania .
If NATO were to deploy nuclear weapons on Polish soil as part of any upgraded nuclear-sharing agreement , the threat to Russia would be intolerable – every launch of a Polish fighter-bomber would be seen as a potential existential threat , forcing Russia to increase its alert status along its western frontier , as well as its capability to rapidly neutralize such a threat should an actual war break out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ choose a preemptive nuclear attack – far from it .
Instead , Russia would rely on the abilities of the front-line formations of its 1st Guards Tank Army and 20th Combined Arms Army to conduct deep penetration offensive operations designed to capture and/or destroy any forward-deployed nuclear weapons before they could be used .
Far from deterring a war with Russia , any deployment of nuclear weapons by the US on Polish soil only increases the likelihood of the very conflict NATO purports to seek to avoid .
The statements , views and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT .

The US has promoted the deployment of US nuclear weapons on Polish soil as part of NATO’s ‘nuclear sharing’ arrangement. Such a move would only increase the chances of the very war such a deployment seeks to deter.
For the second time in little more than a year, the US ambassadors to Germany and Poland have commented on matters of NATO security in a manner which undermines the unity of the alliance while threatening European security by seeking to alter the balance of power in a way that is unduly provocative to Russia.
Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany and the acting director of national intelligence, put matters into motion by writing an OpEd for the German newspaper Die Welt, criticizing politicians from within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition who were openly calling for the US to withdraw its nuclear weapons from German soil.
Adding fuel to the fire, the US ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher, tweeted out two days later that “If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland – which pays its fair share, understands the risks, and is on NATO’s eastern flank – could house the capabilities here.”
If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland – which pays its fair share, understands the risks, and is on NATO’s eastern flank – could house the capabilities here: https://t.co/VIzpHIgoUN — Georgette Mosbacher (@USAmbPoland) May 15, 2020
European Missile Defen... Giles, Keir Buy New $11.00 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details) The action that provoked the Grenell-Mosbacher media blitz were comments made by Rolf Mützenich, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Germany’s parliament, calling for Germany to withdraw from its decades-old nuclear-sharing arrangement with NATO, noting that the deal had outlived its utility.
The US currently maintains a force of some 20 B-61 nuclear bombs on German soil, where they are earmarked for delivery by German aircraft during war. Since 1979, Germany has maintained a force of Tornado fighter-bombers dedicated to the nuclear-sharing mission. The decision by Germany to buy 30 US-manufactured F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft to replace the Tornado in its nuclear delivery mission prompted Mützenich’s outburst.
Grenell and Mosbacher last teamed up to shake the foundations of NATO-based European security in September 2019, when Grenell’s comments made during the course of an interview with a German newspaper sparked controversy among German politicians sensitive to US criticism of German defense spending levels. “It is actually offensive to assume that the US taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany,” Grenell said, “but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs.”
Grenell’s comments were in the context of President Donald Trump’s ongoing insistence that America’s NATO allies pay their fair share of the cost of NATO by increasing their respective defense spending to levels matching two percent of their GDP. Germany’s defense budget in 2019 was approximately €43 billion, representing 1.2 percent of GDP. German lawmakers were quick to criticize Grenell’s comments, noting that while Germany’s defense expenditures were far short of what had been promised, it would not allow itself to be “blackmailed” by the US over matters relating to its national security. The Second Nuclear Age... Bracken, Paul Best Price: $3.98 Buy New $10.90 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details)
Mosbacher then jumped into the controversy, tweeting“Poland meets its 2% of GDP spending obligation towards NATO. Germany does not. We would welcome American troops in Germany to come to Poland.”
Some left-wing German politicians proposed that Germany take Grenell up on his offer and begin to negotiate the withdrawal of US troops from German soil (there are some 52,000 Americans – 35,000 soldiers and 17,000 civilians – stationed in Germany today).
But these same politicians made a comment that has proved prescient. “If the Americans pull out their troops,” they noted, “then they should take their nuclear weapons with them. Take them home, of course, and not to Poland, which would be a dramatic escalation in relations to Russia.”
This, of course, is precisely what the Grenell-Mosbacher tag team has proposed today.
“NATO’s nuclear sharing,” the current NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, wrote in an OpEd published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, “is a multilateral arrangement that ensures the benefits, responsibilities and risks of nuclear deterrence are shared among allies.”
“Politically,” Stoltenberg said, “this is significant. It means that participating allies, like Germany, make joint decisions on nuclear policy and planning, and maintain appropriate equipment.”
Keeper of the Nuclear ... Brown, Andrew Best Price: $6.61 Buy New $23.98 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details) For its part, Russia has declared the US-NATO nuclear-sharing arrangement as operating in violation of relevant provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which prohibits the transfer by a nuclear weapons state of nuclear weapons to a non-nuclear weapons state. While the US challenges this Russian interpretation, the point is that the issue of NATO’s nuclear arsenal is an extremely sensitive one to Russia, made even more so when viewed in the context of the expansion of NATO that brought Poland and other eastern European countries into its fold.
Poland, along with the Czech Republic and Hungary, joined NATO in March of 1999, making a mockery of every assurance that had been given to the former Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, that NATO would never expand eastwards if Germany were allowed to unify.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pointedly referred to these guarantees during his speech to the Munich Security Conference in February of 2007, in the context of NATO’s continued expansion. “[W]e have the right to ask: against whom is this expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today? No one even remembers them.”
Russia remembers. For example, on February 6, 1990, when the former West German foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, met with then-British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd, Genscher told Hurd that “The Russians must have some assurance that if, for example, the Polish Government left the Warsaw Pact one day, they would not join NATO the next.”
These assurances were made by the former US secretary of state, James Baker, to the former Soviet foreign minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, in February 1990, when Baker noted that before Germany could reunify, “There would, of course, have to be iron-clad guarantees that NATO’s jurisdiction or forces would not move eastward.”
Confronting the Bomb: ... Lawrence S. Wittner Best Price: $6.64 Buy New $13.53 (as of 10:54 UTC - Details) These assurances were given, only to be violated during the administration of President Bill Clinton. Today, over 4,500 US troops are stationed on Polish soil, including a reinforced battalion-sized ‘battlegroup’ stationed along the so-called Suwalki Gap separating Poland from the Baltic nations.
“If Russian forces ever established control over the Suwalki region, or even threatened the free movement of NATO personnel and equipment through it, they would effectively cut the Baltic States off from the rest of the Alliance,” a NATO report written in 2018 noted. “Deterring any potential action – or even the threat of action – against Suwalki is therefore essential for NATO’s credibility and Western cohesion.”
For its part, Russia has repeatedly declared that it has no desire to enter a conflict with NATO. However, NATO’s expansion in Poland and other eastern European countries has increasingly placed Russian security interests at risk. The deployment of Aegis Ashore launchers onto Polish soil in an ostensible anti-missile role, while declared by NATO to be exclusively oriented toward protecting Europe from Iranian missiles, is viewed by Russia as a threat to its own strategic missile capability. In response, Russia has deployed nuclear-capable short-range missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave between Poland and Lithuania.
If NATO were to deploy nuclear weapons on Polish soil as part of any upgraded nuclear-sharing agreement, the threat to Russia would be intolerable – every launch of a Polish fighter-bomber would be seen as a potential existential threat, forcing Russia to increase its alert status along its western frontier, as well as its capability to rapidly neutralize such a threat should an actual war break out.
This does not mean that Russia would choose a preemptive nuclear attack – far from it. Instead, Russia would rely on the abilities of the front-line formations of its 1st Guards Tank Army and 20th Combined Arms Army to conduct deep penetration offensive operations designed to capture and/or destroy any forward-deployed nuclear weapons before they could be used. Far from deterring a war with Russia, any deployment of nuclear weapons by the US on Polish soil only increases the likelihood of the very conflict NATO purports to seek to avoid.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


lewrockwell--2020-05-21--This Coronavirus Fraud Is Planned Panic and Murder for the Purpose of Advancing Agendas of Control

“ We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion : the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases , while the citizens may act only by permission ; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history , the stage of rule by brute force.
” ~ Ayn Rand — Ayn Rand– Nathaniel Branden , Alan Greenspan , Robert Hessen ( 1986 ) .
“ Capitalism : The Unknown Ideal ” , p.320 , Penguin It has taken little time for the people in the Unites States to become a comatose society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier takeover of the minds of Americans could hardly have been imagined .
This has been due in large part to mass ignorance that has been bred into the people over many decades .
Ignorance will always be evident in the herd , so in order to survive as a free soul , one must open his mind and change his perceptions so that an escape from ignorance is possible .
Accomplishment of this freedom requires a belief in only what one can prove , so question everything and believe only in self @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , joy , humility , kindness , compassion , and truth , and this will lead to a joining with others instead of fear and divisiveness .
Capitalism : The Unknow ... Ayn Rand , Nathaniel Br ... Best Price : $ 1.16 Buy New $ 5.99 At this point , fear is the single common denominator of human action , and that fear has led to chaos and large-scale submission .
That is a recipe for tyranny , and this is well known by the engineers of this fake crisis , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cause global upheaval through isolation and pitting everyone against his neighbor .
By doing this , infighting has taken the place of sanity , and instead of questioning the government ’ s false narrative people are questioning each other .
That leaves the real criminals free to continue their plot to restructure society to fit their agenda of total control .
One of the lynchpins in any effort to control large numbers of people is manufactured confusion , as mass confusion does not allow enough time to sort out the truth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few weeks is a tidal wave of confusion and doubt , with the hype from government assuring those already confused masses that rushing to get a vaccine will free all from risk of death .
In order to control the panic , government is claiming to be fast tracking an effort to create a vaccine when the vaccine is already available , and has been for some time in my opinion .
In fact , any vaccine that is mandated to the public in the near term will be so deadly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by more waves of sickness and death , all due to the viruses and adjutants injected directly into a populace that has had their immune systems destroyed due to government mandated isolation .
In essence , vaccination will enhance death , and will only lead to more control , more isolation , and more false testing , allowing for constant and continuous lockdowns , surveillance , tracing , and imprisonment .
UV-C Light Portable UV ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
This is so much more than a virus , as any actual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant to take over society .
This is about a technocratic takeover , where most everything is controlled from a central planning grid , where the most advantaged and the elites will have everything they need through automated services while the bulk of society will suffer the consequences of being locked into a controlled and monitored working class environment .
The destruction of this current economic system is already far advanced , as the consequences of shutdowns , business closings , food supply destruction , additional sickness , despair , and unemployment will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be devastating to all in this society other than the very top tier .
In addition , all privacy is gone , movement is monitored and controlled , and future life choices will be based on whether one has complied with government ’ s mandates of distancing , vaccination , testing , and other mandated orders concerning any and all behavior patterns .
Being prodded , probed , injected , and surveilled is now the “ new normal , ” with threats of state violence should any not adhere to direct orders by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule .
Tales of the Rot & Rui ... Maberry , Jonathan Buy New $ 31.99 People are being murdered on a daily basis , especially the old and those with immune system weakness , and this is no accident and not due to any virus .
Many hospitals are closed , normal medical care and surgery have been eliminated or suspended , many are dying in their homes for fear of going to a hospital , or knowing that they can get no care due the fact that hospitals are refusing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient that does get admitted to a hospital is putting their life at risk , as any diagnosed with Covid means higher pay to the hospital , and when the hospital puts any patient on a ventilator , normally a death sentence , the pay to the hospital is increased by multiple times .
This is a travesty .
Other things are happening as this dystopia continues , as the governor of Washington indicated a few days ago that any who do not cooperate with “ contact tracers ” and that do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to leave their homes for any reason .
Armed military personnel and other private contractors hired by the state are enforcing this invasion of citizens , and these totalitarian measures will soon be nationwide if heavy resistance is not forthcoming .
Our future looks bleak .
Our privacy is now a thing of the past , our homes can be invaded at any time by state goons pretending to protect the public , and life is relegated to one that is digital , and void of personal space and normal human interaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and simple pleasures such as dining out are now akin to a sterile science fiction setting .
Travel is almost impossible , and without the ability to move , to gather together , and to laugh and play , life is becoming unlivable .
Crane Tower Air Purifi ... Buy New $ 119.99 What has happened to the people of this country ?
Why is the bulk of society so willing to allow false fear to drive them to slavery ?
Why have normal people acquiesced to orders from the state ; orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and families , and placed them in a position of dependence that is never-ending ?
Starvation and poverty are knocking at the door of many in this country , but none should allow the government ’ s evil intentions to ever see the light of day due to this bogus pandemic created for the single purpose of destroying all that is good about humanity in order to create a world of non-human action .
We can take our right to life and freedom , or we can cower in fear and die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person ’ s whole life .
Moments in which everything they are and everything they may possibly become balance on a single decision .
Life and death , hope and despair , victory and failure teeter precariously on the decision made at that moment .
These are moments ungoverned by happenstance , untroubled by luck .
These are the moments in which a person earns the right to live , or not.
” ~ Jonathan Maberry ( 2012 ) .
“ Tales of the Rot & Ruin : Rot & Ruin ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Rot & Ruin story ; Flesh & Bone ” , p.233 , Simon and Schuster The Best of Gary D. Barnett

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.” ~ Ayn Rand — Ayn Rand– Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan, Robert Hessen (1986). “Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal”, p.320, Penguin
It has taken little time for the people in the Unites States to become a comatose society due the fraud called coronavirus. An easier takeover of the minds of Americans could hardly have been imagined. This has been due in large part to mass ignorance that has been bred into the people over many decades. Ignorance will always be evident in the herd, so in order to survive as a free soul, one must open his mind and change his perceptions so that an escape from ignorance is possible. Accomplishment of this freedom requires a belief in only what one can prove, so question everything and believe only in self. Accept love, empathy, caring, joy, humility, kindness, compassion, and truth, and this will lead to a joining with others instead of fear and divisiveness. Capitalism: The Unknow... Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Br... Best Price: $1.16 Buy New $5.99 (as of 03:55 UTC - Details)
At this point, fear is the single common denominator of human action, and that fear has led to chaos and large-scale submission. That is a recipe for tyranny, and this is well known by the engineers of this fake crisis, as they structured this pandemic in a manner to cause global upheaval through isolation and pitting everyone against his neighbor. By doing this, infighting has taken the place of sanity, and instead of questioning the government’s false narrative people are questioning each other. That leaves the real criminals free to continue their plot to restructure society to fit their agenda of total control.
One of the lynchpins in any effort to control large numbers of people is manufactured confusion, as mass confusion does not allow enough time to sort out the truth. What has happened in a period of a few weeks is a tidal wave of confusion and doubt, with the hype from government assuring those already confused masses that rushing to get a vaccine will free all from risk of death. In order to control the panic, government is claiming to be fast tracking an effort to create a vaccine when the vaccine is already available, and has been for some time in my opinion. In fact, any vaccine that is mandated to the public in the near term will be so deadly as to cause the next wave, followed by more waves of sickness and death, all due to the viruses and adjutants injected directly into a populace that has had their immune systems destroyed due to government mandated isolation. In essence, vaccination will enhance death, and will only lead to more control, more isolation, and more false testing, allowing for constant and continuous lockdowns, surveillance, tracing, and imprisonment. UV-C Light Portable UV... Check Amazon for Pricing.
This is so much more than a virus, as any actual virus is minor compared to this response meant to take over society. This is about a technocratic takeover, where most everything is controlled from a central planning grid, where the most advantaged and the elites will have everything they need through automated services while the bulk of society will suffer the consequences of being locked into a controlled and monitored working class environment. The destruction of this current economic system is already far advanced, as the consequences of shutdowns, business closings, food supply destruction, additional sickness, despair, and unemployment will not only harm some, but will be devastating to all in this society other than the very top tier.
In addition, all privacy is gone, movement is monitored and controlled, and future life choices will be based on whether one has complied with government’s mandates of distancing, vaccination, testing, and other mandated orders concerning any and all behavior patterns. Being prodded, probed, injected, and surveilled is now the “new normal,” with threats of state violence should any not adhere to direct orders by central planning authorities claiming the right to rule.
Tales of the Rot & Rui... Maberry, Jonathan Buy New $31.99 (as of 01:43 UTC - Details) People are being murdered on a daily basis, especially the old and those with immune system weakness, and this is no accident and not due to any virus. Many hospitals are closed, normal medical care and surgery have been eliminated or suspended, many are dying in their homes for fear of going to a hospital, or knowing that they can get no care due the fact that hospitals are refusing to help those in need. Most every patient that does get admitted to a hospital is putting their life at risk, as any diagnosed with Covid means higher pay to the hospital, and when the hospital puts any patient on a ventilator, normally a death sentence, the pay to the hospital is increased by multiple times. This is a travesty.
Other things are happening as this dystopia continues, as the governor of Washington indicated a few days ago that any who do not cooperate with “contact tracers” and that do not allow forced testing, will not be allowed to leave their homes for any reason. Armed military personnel and other private contractors hired by the state are enforcing this invasion of citizens, and these totalitarian measures will soon be nationwide if heavy resistance is not forthcoming.
Our future looks bleak. Our privacy is now a thing of the past, our homes can be invaded at any time by state goons pretending to protect the public, and life is relegated to one that is digital, and void of personal space and normal human interaction. Entertainment has been virtually eliminated, and simple pleasures such as dining out are now akin to a sterile science fiction setting. Travel is almost impossible, and without the ability to move, to gather together, and to laugh and play, life is becoming unlivable. Crane Tower Air Purifi... Buy New $119.99 (as of 01:43 UTC - Details)
What has happened to the people of this country? Why is the bulk of society so willing to allow false fear to drive them to slavery? Why have normal people acquiesced to orders from the state; orders that have destroyed their livelihoods, property, and families, and placed them in a position of dependence that is never-ending? Starvation and poverty are knocking at the door of many in this country, but none should allow the government’s evil intentions to ever see the light of day due to this bogus pandemic created for the single purpose of destroying all that is good about humanity in order to create a world of non-human action.
We can take our right to life and freedom, or we can cower in fear and die.
“There are moments that define a person’s whole life. Moments in which everything they are and everything they may possibly become balance on a single decision. Life and death, hope and despair, victory and failure teeter precariously on the decision made at that moment. These are moments ungoverned by happenstance, untroubled by luck. These are the moments in which a person earns the right to live, or not.”
~ Jonathan Maberry (2012). “Tales of the Rot & Ruin: Rot & Ruin; Dust & Decay; Dead & Gone, a Rot & Ruin story; Flesh & Bone”, p.233, Simon and Schuster
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


lewrockwell--2020-05-21--What If the Government Has It Wrong?

What If the Government Has It Wrong?

What if the government has it wrong — on the medicine and the law ?
What if face masks can ’ t stop the COVID-19 virus ?
What if quarantining the healthy makes no medical sense ?
What if staying at home for months reduces immunity ?
What if more people have been infected with the virus in their homes than outside them ?
Cu Napolitano 3 in 1 - ... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price : $ 1.50 Buy New $ 14.19 What if there are as many credible scientists and physicians who disagree with the government as those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government chooses to listen only to scientists and physicians who would tell it what it wanted to hear ?
What if the government silences scientists and physicians , and even fires one , who attempt to tell it what it didn ’ t want to hear ?
What if the government wants to stoke fear in the populace because mass fear produces mass compliance ?
What if individual fear reduces individual immunity ?
What if a healthy immunity gets stronger when challenged ?
What if a pampered immunity gets weaker when challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and viruses — that we don ’ t even know we have — on to others all the time , but their immune systems repel what we pass on to them ?
What if the COVID-19 virus has run its course and run into natural immunities ?
What if many folks have had symptom-free episodes with many viruses and are now immune from them ?
What if the government refuses to understand this because it undermines the government ’ s power to control us ?
What if government orders to nursing homes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contagious are insane ?
What if the same government that micromanages nursing homes and assisted living facilities knows that they are not hospitals and are not equipped to cure the sick or contain contagion ?
Introducing Blink Mini ... Buy New $ 34.99 What if the government makes health care decisions not on the basis of medicine or human nature but statistics ?
What if reliance on the government ’ s statistics has made many folks sick ?
What if we ’ d all be healthier and happier if we make our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the government making choices for us ?
What if it is un-American for the government to tell you how to care for yourself ?
What if it is equally un-American for you to follow the government when it intrudes into your personal choices ?
What if the Supreme Court has ruled many times that your health care decisions are private , personal and to be made between you and your physician ?
What if the Supreme Court has also ruled many times that your private health care decisions are none of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we never elected a government to keep us free from all viruses , but we did elect it to keep us free from all tyrants ?
What if the government — which can ’ t deliver the mail , fill potholes , stop robocalls , or spend within its income — is the last entity on earth into whose hands we would voluntarily repose our health for safekeeping ?
What if the government won ’ t admit that its understanding of science is colored by politics ?
The Case Against the Fed Murray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buy New $ 6.50 What if the government has misunderstood its mandate ?
What if the government thinks it can do its job by keeping us safe but unfree ?
What if — according to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence — government ’ s first duty is to safeguard our rights ?
What if there is no legal basis for the government to keep us at home or to close our businesses ?
What if the government gave itself the power to interfere with our personal choices ?
What if that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed ?
What if no one consented to a government that interferes with our personal choices ?
What if our personal choices to take personal chances have never needed a government permission slip ?
What if the Constitution was written to restrain the government ?
What if all in government — local , state and federal — have taken an oath to uphold and comply with the Constitution ?
What if the government decrees that liquor sales are essential but clothing sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decrees that abortions are essential but orthopedic surgery is not ?
What if the government decrees that music stores are essential but the free exercise of religion is not ?
All-new Ring Video Doo ... Buy New $ 99.99 What if these decisions about what is essential and inessential are for individuals — and not for the government — to make ?
What if to the barber or short-order cook or retail sales person a barbershop and a luncheonette and a clothing store are essential ?
What if to those who love God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential ?
What if the government makes essential whatever serves its friends , enhances its wealth , maintains its stability and removes obstacles to its exercise of power ?
What if the Constitution — with its protections of our rights to make free choices — is an intentional obstacle to governmental power ?
What if America ’ s founders and the Constitution ’ s framers chose liberty over safety ?
What if the government doesn ’ t like that choice ?
What if the government only nominally endorses it ?
What if — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government remains tyrannical ?
What if — when the pandemic is over — folks sue the government for its destruction of life , liberty and property only to learn that the government gave itself immunity from such lawsuits ?
What if — when the pandemic is over — the government refuses to acknowledge its end ?
What if — as Thomas Jefferson said — the blood of patriots should be spilled on the tree of revolution at least once in every generation ?
What if we nullify the government that has nullified our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Napolitano

Shop all books by Judge Napolitano
What if the government has it wrong — on the medicine and the law?
What if face masks can’t stop the COVID-19 virus? What if quarantining the healthy makes no medical sense? What if staying at home for months reduces immunity?
What if more people have been infected with the virus in their homes than outside them?
Cu Napolitano 3 in 1 -... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price: $1.50 Buy New $14.19 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details) What if there are as many credible scientists and physicians who disagree with the government as those who agree with it? What if the government chooses to listen only to scientists and physicians who would tell it what it wanted to hear? What if the government silences scientists and physicians, and even fires one, who attempt to tell it what it didn’t want to hear?
What if the government wants to stoke fear in the populace because mass fear produces mass compliance? What if individual fear reduces individual immunity?
What if a healthy immunity gets stronger when challenged? What if a pampered immunity gets weaker when challenged? What if we all pass germs and viruses — that we don’t even know we have — on to others all the time, but their immune systems repel what we pass on to them?
What if the COVID-19 virus has run its course and run into natural immunities? What if many folks have had symptom-free episodes with many viruses and are now immune from them? What if the government refuses to understand this because it undermines the government’s power to control us?
What if government orders to nursing homes and assisted living facilities to accept the sick and contagious are insane? What if the same government that micromanages nursing homes and assisted living facilities knows that they are not hospitals and are not equipped to cure the sick or contain contagion? Introducing Blink Mini... Buy New $34.99 (as of 01:44 UTC - Details)
What if the government makes health care decisions not on the basis of medicine or human nature but statistics? What if reliance on the government’s statistics has made many folks sick?
What if we’d all be healthier and happier if we make our own choices with our own physicians rather than the government making choices for us? What if it is un-American for the government to tell you how to care for yourself? What if it is equally un-American for you to follow the government when it intrudes into your personal choices?
What if the Supreme Court has ruled many times that your health care decisions are private, personal and to be made between you and your physician? What if the Supreme Court has also ruled many times that your private health care decisions are none of the government’s business?
What if we never elected a government to keep us free from all viruses, but we did elect it to keep us free from all tyrants? What if the government — which can’t deliver the mail, fill potholes, stop robocalls, or spend within its income — is the last entity on earth into whose hands we would voluntarily repose our health for safekeeping? What if the government won’t admit that its understanding of science is colored by politics? The Case Against the Fed Murray N Rothbard Best Price: $3.12 Buy New $6.50 (as of 07:45 UTC - Details)
What if the government has misunderstood its mandate? What if the government thinks it can do its job by keeping us safe but unfree? What if — according to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence — government’s first duty is to safeguard our rights? What if there is no legal basis for the government to keep us at home or to close our businesses?
What if the government gave itself the power to interfere with our personal choices? What if that self-imposed power violates the basic constitutional principle that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed? What if no one consented to a government that interferes with our personal choices? What if our personal choices to take personal chances have never needed a government permission slip?
What if the Constitution was written to restrain the government? What if all in government — local, state and federal — have taken an oath to uphold and comply with the Constitution?
What if the government decrees that liquor sales are essential but clothing sales are not? What if the government decrees that abortions are essential but orthopedic surgery is not? What if the government decrees that music stores are essential but the free exercise of religion is not? All-new Ring Video Doo... Buy New $99.99 (as of 01:44 UTC - Details)
What if these decisions about what is essential and inessential are for individuals — and not for the government — to make?
What if to the barber or short-order cook or retail sales person a barbershop and a luncheonette and a clothing store are essential? What if to those who love God, the free exercise of religion is essential?
What if the government makes essential whatever serves its friends, enhances its wealth, maintains its stability and removes obstacles to its exercise of power? What if the Constitution — with its protections of our rights to make free choices — is an intentional obstacle to governmental power?
What if America’s founders and the Constitution’s framers chose liberty over safety? What if the government doesn’t like that choice? What if the government only nominally endorses it?
What if — when the pandemic is over — the government remains tyrannical? What if — when the pandemic is over — folks sue the government for its destruction of life, liberty and property only to learn that the government gave itself immunity from such lawsuits? What if — when the pandemic is over — the government refuses to acknowledge its end?
What if — as Thomas Jefferson said — the blood of patriots should be spilled on the tree of revolution at least once in every generation? What if we nullify the government that has nullified our rights?
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano