lewrockwell--2020-09-12--From 9/11 to the Great Reset

From 9/11 to the Great Reset

The events of 9/11 were the foundation stone of the new millennium – ever as much indecipherable as the Mysteries of Eleusis .
A year ago , for Asia Times , once again I raised a number of questions that still find no answer .
A lightning speed breakdown of the slings and arrows of outrageous ( mis ) fortune trespassing these two decades will certainly include the following : The end of history .
The short unipolar moment .
The Pentagon ’ s Long War .
Homeland security .
The Patriot Act .
Shock and Awe .
The tragedy/debacle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Arab Spring .
Color revolutions .
“ Leading from behind.
” Humanitarian imperialism .
Syria as the ultimate proxy war .
The ISIS/Daesh farce .
The JCPOA .
Maidan .
The Age of Psyops .
The Age of the Algorithm .
The Age of the 0.0001 % .
Once again , we ’ re deep in Yeats territory : “ the best lack all conviction/ while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
” The Problem of Politic ... Michael Huemer Best Price : $ 28.00 Buy New $ 33.99 All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” – the actual decantation of the Long War – proceeded unabated , killing Muslim multitudes and displacing at least 37 million people .
WWII-derived geopolitics is over .
Cold War 2.0 is in effect .
It started as US against Russia , morphed into US against China and now , fully spelled out in the US National Security Strategy , and with bipartisan support , it ’ s the US against both .
The ultimate Mackinder-Brzezinski nightmare is at hand : the much dread “ peer competitor ” in Eurasia slouched towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form of the Russia-China strategic partnership .
Something ’ s got ta give .
And then , out of the blue , it did .
A drive by design towards ironclad concentration of power and geoconomic diktats was first conceptualized – under the deceptive cover of “ sustainable development ” – already in 2015 at the UN ( here it is , in detail ) .
Now , this new operating system – or technocratic digital dystopia – is finally being codified , packaged and “ sold ” since mid summer via a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole Planet Lockdown hysteria that elevated Covid-19 to post-modern Black Plague proportions has been consistently debunked , for instance here and here , drawing from the highly respected , original Cambridge source .
The de facto controlled demolition of large swathes of the global economy allowed corporate and vulture capitalism , world wide , to rake untold profits out of the destruction of collapsed businesses .
And all that proceeded with widespread public acceptance – an astonishing process of voluntary servitude .
Anatomy of the State Murray Rothbard Best Price : $ 5.00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is accidental .
As an example , over then years ago , even before setting up a – privatized – Behavioral Insights Team , the British government was very much interested in “ influencing ” behavior , in collaboration with the London School of Economics and Imperial College .
The end result was the MINDSPACE report .
That was all about behavioral science influencing policymaking and most of all , imposing neo-Orwellian population control .
MINDSPACE , crucially , featured close collaboration between Imperial College and the Santa Monica-based RAND corporation .
Translation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ behavioral approaches embody a line of thinking that moves from the idea of an autonomous individual , making rational decisions , to a ‘ situated ’ decision-maker , much of whose behavior is automatic and influenced by their ‘ choice environment ’ ” .
So the key question is who decides what is the “ choice environment ’ .
As it stands , our whole environment is conditioned by Covid-19 .
Let ’ s call it “ the disease ” .
And that is more than enough to beautifully set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reset .
The Great Reset was officially launched in early June by the World Economic Forum ( WEF ) – the natural habitat of Davos Man .
Its conceptual base is something the WEF describes as Strategic Intelligence Platform : “ a dynamic system of contextual intelligence that enables users to trace relationships and interdependencies between issues , supporting more informed decision-making ” .
The Law Frederic Bastiat Best Price : $ 2.98 Buy New $ 4.00 It ’ s this platform that promotes the complex crossover and interpenetration of Covid-19 and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Davos Global Economy “ Great Reset ” .
What Happens After the Covid-19 Pandemic ?
conceptualized back in December 2015 and the WEF ’ s choice futuristic scenario .
One can not exist without the other .
That is meant to imprint in the collective unconscious – at least in the West – that only the WEF-sanctioned “ stakeholder ” approach is capable of solving the Covid-19 challenge .
The Great Reset is immensely ambitious , spanning over 50 fields of knowledge and practice .
It interconnects everything from economy recovery recommendations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restoration of the environment to the redesign of social contracts .
The beating heart of this matrix is – what else – the Strategic Intelligence Platform , encompassing , literally , everything : “ sustainable development ” , “ global governance ” , capital markets , climate change , biodiversity , human rights , gender parity , LGBTI , systemic racism , international trade and investment , the – wobbly – future of the travel and tourism industries , food , air pollution , digital identity , blockchain , 5G , robotics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end , only an all-in-one Plan A applies for making these systems interact seamlessly : the Great Reset – shorthand for a New World Order that has always been glowingly evoked , but never implemented .
There is no Plan B. COVID-19 : The Great Reset Malleret , Thierry Best Price : $ 24.00 Buy New $ 10.99 The two main actors behind the Great Reset are Klaus Schwab , the WEF ’ s founder and executive chairman , and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva .
Georgieva is adamant that “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis ” .
She believes the Great Reset must imperatively start in 2021 .
The House of Windsor and the UN are prime executive co-producers .
Top sponsors include BP , Mastercard and Microsoft .
It goes without saying that everyone who knows how complex geopolitical and geoeconomic decisions are taken is aware that these two main actors are just reciting a script .
Call the authors “ the globalist elite ” .
Or , in praise of Tom Wolfe , the Masters of the Universe .
Schwab , predictably , wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Over a month later , he expanded on the absolutely key connection : the “ legacy ” of Covid-19 .
All this has been fully fleshed in a book , co-written with Thierry Malleret , who directs the WEF ’ s Global Risk Network .
Covid-19 is described as having “ created a great disruptive reset of our global , social , economic and political systems ” .
Schwab spins Covid-19 not only as a fabulous “ opportunity ” , but actually as the creator ( italics mine ) of the – now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dovetail beautifully with Schwab ’ s own baby : Covid-19 “ accelerated our transition into the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution ” .
The revolution has been extensively discussed at Davos since 2016 .
The book ’ s central thesis is that our most pressing challenges concern the environment – considered only in terms of climate change – and technological developments , which will allow the expansion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution .
In a nutshell , the WEF is stating that corporate globalization , the hegemonic modus operandi since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s time for “ sustainable development ” – with “ sustainable ” defined by a select group of “ stakeholders ” , ideally integrated into a “ community of common interest , purpose and action.
” Sharp Global South observers will not fail to compare the WEF ’ s rhetoric of “ community of common interest ” with the Chinese “ community of shared interests ” as applied to the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) , which is a de facto continental trade/development project .
Shaping the Future of ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19.19 Buy New $ 18.96 The Great Reset presupposes that all stakeholders – as in the whole planet – must toe the line .
Otherwise , as Schwab stresses , we will have “ more polarization , nationalism , racism , increased social unrest and conflicts ” .
So this is – once again – a “ you ’ re with us or against us ” ultimatum , eerily reminiscent of our old 9/11 world .
Either the Great Reset is peacefully established , with whole nations dutifully obeying the new guidelines designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sages , or it ’ s chaos .
Whether Covid-19 ’ s ultimate “ window of opportunity ” presented itself as a mere coincidence or by design , will always remain a very juicy question .
The actual , face-to-face Davos meeting next year has been postponed to the summer of 2021 .
But virtual Davos will proceed in January , focused on the Great Reset .
Already three months ago , Schwab ’ s book hinted that the more everyone is mired in the global paralysis , the more it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( italics mine ) to return to what we considered normal .
Five years ago , the UN ’ s Agenda 2030 – the Godfather of the Great Reset – was already insisting on vaccines for all , under the patronage of the WHO and CEPI – co-founded in 2016 by India , Norway and the Bill and Belinda Gates foundation .
Timing could not be more convenient for the notorious Event 201 “ pandemic exercise ” in October last year in New York , with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .
No in-depth criticism of Gates ’ s motives is allowed by media gatekeepers because , after all , he finances them .
Shaping the Fourth Ind ... Davis , Nicholas Best Price : $ 14.23 Buy New $ 14.99 What has been imposed as an ironclad consensus is that without a Covid-19 vaccine there ’ s no possibility of anything resembling normality .
And yet a recent , astonishing paper published in Virology Journal – which also publishes Dr. Fauci ’ s musings – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread ” .
This is a “ relatively safe , effective and cheap drug ” whose “ significant inhibitory antiviral effect when the susceptible cells were treated either prior to or after infection suggests a possible prophylactic and therapeutic use.
” Even Schwab ’ s book admits that Covid-19 is “ one of the least deadly pandemics in the last 2000 years ” and its consequences “ will be mild compared to previous pandemics ” .
It doesn ’ t matter .
What matters above all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offered by Covid-19 , boosting , among other issues , the expansion of what I previously described as Digital Neo-Feudalism – or Algorithm gobbling up Politics .
No wonder politico-economic institutions from the WTO to the EU as well as the Trilateral Commission are already investing in “ rejuvenation ” processes , code for even more concentration of power .
Very few thinkers , such as German philosopher Hartmut Rosa , see our current plight as a rare opportunity to “ decelerate ” life under turbo-capitalism .
As it stands , the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ attack of the civilization-state ” .
The point is assertive civilization-states – such as China , Russia , Iran – not submitted to the Hegemon , are bent on charting a quite different course .
The Great Reset , for all its universalist ambitions , remains an insular , Western-centric model benefitting the proverbial 1 % .
Ancient Greece did not see itself as “ Western ” .
The Great Reset is essentially an Enlightenment-derived project .
Surveying the road ahead , it will certainly be crammed with imponderables .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smartphone financial apps in the US to China advancing an Eurasia-wide trade/economic system side-by side with the implementation of the digital yuan .
The Global South will be paying a lot of attention to the sharp contrast between the proposed wholesale deconstruction of the industrial economic order and the BRI project – which focuses on a new financing system outside of Western monopoly and emphasizes agro-industrial growth and long-term sustainable development .
The Great Reset would point to losers , in terms of nations , aggregating all the ones that benefit from production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Russia , China and Canada to Brazil , Indonesia and large swathes of Africa .
As it stands , there ’ s only one thing we do know : the establishment at the core of the Hegemon and the drooling orcs of Empire will only adopt a Great Reset if that helps to postpone a decline accelerated on a fateful morning 19 years ago .

The events of 9/11 were the foundation stone of the new millennium – ever as much indecipherable as the Mysteries of Eleusis. A year ago, for Asia Times, once again I raised a number of questions that still find no answer.
A lightning speed breakdown of the slings and arrows of outrageous (mis)fortune trespassing these two decades will certainly include the following:
The end of history. The short unipolar moment. The Pentagon’s Long War. Homeland security. The Patriot Act. Shock and Awe. The tragedy/debacle in Iraq. The 2008 financial crisis. The Arab Spring. Color revolutions. “Leading from behind.” Humanitarian imperialism.
Syria as the ultimate proxy war. The ISIS/Daesh farce. The JCPOA. Maidan. The Age of Psyops. The Age of the Algorithm. The Age of the 0.0001%.
Once again, we’re deep in Yeats territory: “the best lack all conviction/ while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” The Problem of Politic... Michael Huemer Best Price: $28.00 Buy New $33.99 (as of 04:55 UTC - Details)
All along, the “War on Terror” – the actual decantation of the Long War – proceeded unabated, killing Muslim multitudes and displacing at least 37 million people.
WWII-derived geopolitics is over. Cold War 2.0 is in effect. It started as US against Russia, morphed into US against China and now, fully spelled out in the US National Security Strategy, and with bipartisan support, it’s the US against both. The ultimate Mackinder-Brzezinski nightmare is at hand: the much dread “peer competitor” in Eurasia slouched towards the Beltway to be born in the form of the Russia-China strategic partnership.
Something’s gotta give. And then, out of the blue, it did.
A drive by design towards ironclad concentration of power and geoconomic diktats was first conceptualized – under the deceptive cover of “sustainable development” – already in 2015 at the UN (here it is, in detail).
Now, this new operating system – or technocratic digital dystopia – is finally being codified, packaged and “sold” since mid summer via a lavish, concerted propaganda campaign.
Watch your mindspace
The whole Planet Lockdown hysteria that elevated Covid-19 to post-modern Black Plague proportions has been consistently debunked, for instance here and here, drawing from the highly respected, original Cambridge source.
The de facto controlled demolition of large swathes of the global economy allowed corporate and vulture capitalism, world wide, to rake untold profits out of the destruction of collapsed businesses.
And all that proceeded with widespread public acceptance – an astonishing process of voluntary servitude. Anatomy of the State Murray Rothbard Best Price: $5.00 Buy New $5.82 (as of 05:45 UTC - Details)
None of it is accidental. As an example, over then years ago, even before setting up a – privatized – Behavioral Insights Team, the British government was very much interested in “influencing” behavior, in collaboration with the London School of Economics and Imperial College.
The end result was the MINDSPACE report. That was all about behavioral science influencing policymaking and most of all, imposing neo-Orwellian population control.
MINDSPACE, crucially, featured close collaboration between Imperial College and the Santa Monica-based RAND corporation. Translation:
the authors of the absurdly flawed computer models that fed the Planet Lockdown paranoia working in conjunction with the top Pentagon-linked think tank.
In MINDSPACE, we find that, “behavioral approaches embody a line of thinking that moves from the idea of an autonomous individual, making rational decisions, to a ‘situated’ decision-maker, much of whose behavior is automatic and influenced by their ‘choice environment’”.
So the key question is who decides what is the “choice environment’. As it stands, our whole environment is conditioned by Covid-19. Let’s call it “the disease”. And that is more than enough to beautifully set up “the cure”: The Great Reset.
The beating heart
The Great Reset was officially launched in early June by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the natural habitat of Davos Man. Its conceptual base is something the WEF describes as Strategic Intelligence Platform: “a dynamic system of contextual intelligence that enables users to trace relationships and interdependencies between issues, supporting more informed decision-making”. The Law Frederic Bastiat Best Price: $2.98 Buy New $4.00 (as of 10:45 UTC - Details)
It’s this platform that promotes the complex crossover and interpenetration of Covid-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution –
Now Comes the Davos Global Economy “Great Reset”. What Happens After the Covid-19 Pandemic?
conceptualized back in December 2015 and the WEF’s choice futuristic scenario. One cannot exist without the other. That is meant to imprint in the collective unconscious – at least in the West – that only the WEF-sanctioned “stakeholder” approach is capable of solving the Covid-19 challenge.
The Great Reset is immensely ambitious, spanning over 50 fields of knowledge and practice. It interconnects everything from economy recovery recommendations to “sustainable business models”, from restoration of the environment to the redesign of social contracts.
The beating heart of this matrix is – what else – the Strategic Intelligence Platform, encompassing, literally, everything: “sustainable development”, “global governance”, capital markets, climate change, biodiversity, human rights, gender parity, LGBTI, systemic racism, international trade and investment, the – wobbly – future of the travel and tourism industries, food, air pollution, digital identity, blockchain, 5G, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI).
In the end, only an all-in-one Plan A applies for making these systems interact seamlessly: the Great Reset – shorthand for a New World Order that has always been glowingly evoked, but never implemented. There is no Plan B.
The Covid-19 “legacy”
COVID-19: The Great Reset Malleret, Thierry Best Price: $24.00 Buy New $10.99 (as of 04:23 UTC - Details) The two main actors behind the Great Reset are Klaus Schwab, the WEF’s founder and executive chairman, and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Georgieva is adamant that “the digital economy is the big winner of this crisis”. She believes the Great Reset must imperatively start in 2021.
The House of Windsor and the UN are prime executive co-producers. Top sponsors include BP, Mastercard and Microsoft. It goes without saying that everyone who knows how complex geopolitical and geoeconomic decisions are taken is aware that these two main actors are just reciting a script. Call the authors “the globalist elite”. Or, in praise of Tom Wolfe, the Masters of the Universe.
Schwab, predictably, wrote the Great Reset’s mini-manifesto. Over a month later, he expanded on the absolutely key connection: the “legacy” of Covid-19.
All this has been fully fleshed in a book, co-written with Thierry Malleret, who directs the WEF’s Global Risk Network. Covid-19 is described as having “created a great disruptive reset of our global, social, economic and political systems”. Schwab spins Covid-19 not only as a fabulous “opportunity”, but actually as the creator (italics mine) of the – now inevitable – Reset.
All that happens to dovetail beautifully with Schwab’s own baby: Covid-19 “accelerated our transition into the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. The revolution has been extensively discussed at Davos since 2016.
The book’s central thesis is that our most pressing challenges concern the environment – considered only in terms of climate change – and technological developments, which will allow the expansion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In a nutshell, the WEF is stating that corporate globalization, the hegemonic modus operandi since the 1990s, is dead. Now it’s time for “sustainable development” – with “sustainable” defined by a select group of “stakeholders”, ideally integrated into a “community of common interest, purpose and action.”
Sharp Global South observers will not fail to compare the WEF’s rhetoric of “community of common interest” with the Chinese “community of shared interests” as applied to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is a de facto continental trade/development project. Shaping the Future of ... Davis, Nicholas Best Price: $19.19 Buy New $18.96 (as of 04:23 UTC - Details)
The Great Reset presupposes that all stakeholders – as in the whole planet – must toe the line. Otherwise, as Schwab stresses, we will have “more polarization, nationalism, racism, increased social unrest and conflicts”.
So this is – once again – a “you’re with us or against us” ultimatum, eerily reminiscent of our old 9/11 world. Either the Great Reset is peacefully established, with whole nations dutifully obeying the new guidelines designed by a bunch of self-appointed neo-Platonic Republic sages, or it’s chaos.
Whether Covid-19’s ultimate “window of opportunity” presented itself as a mere coincidence or by design, will always remain a very juicy question.
Digital Neo-Feudalism
The actual, face-to-face Davos meeting next year has been postponed to the summer of 2021. But virtual Davos will proceed in January, focused on the Great Reset.
Already three months ago, Schwab’s book hinted that the more everyone is mired in the global paralysis, the more it’s clear that things will never be allowed (italics mine) to return to what we considered normal.
Five years ago, the UN’s Agenda 2030 – the Godfather of the Great Reset – was already insisting on vaccines for all, under the patronage of the WHO and CEPI – co-founded in 2016 by India, Norway and the Bill and Belinda Gates foundation.
Timing could not be more convenient for the notorious Event 201 “pandemic exercise” in October last year in New York, with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security partnering with – who else – the WEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. No in-depth criticism of Gates’s motives is allowed by media gatekeepers because, after all, he finances them. Shaping the Fourth Ind... Davis, Nicholas Best Price: $14.23 Buy New $14.99 (as of 04:48 UTC - Details)
What has been imposed as an ironclad consensus is that without a Covid-19 vaccine there’s no possibility of anything resembling normality.
And yet a recent, astonishing paper published in Virology Journal – which also publishes Dr. Fauci’s musings – unmistakably demonstrates that “chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread”. This is a “relatively safe, effective and cheap drug” whose “significant inhibitory antiviral effect when the susceptible cells were treated either prior to or after infection suggests a possible prophylactic and therapeutic use.”
Even Schwab’s book admits that Covid-19 is “one of the least deadly pandemics in the last 2000 years” and its consequences “will be mild compared to previous pandemics”.
It doesn’t matter. What matters above all is the “window of opportunity” offered by Covid-19, boosting, among other issues, the expansion of what I previously described as Digital Neo-Feudalism – or Algorithm gobbling up Politics. No wonder politico-economic institutions from the WTO to the EU as well as the Trilateral Commission are already investing in “rejuvenation” processes, code for even more concentration of power.
Survey the imponderables
Very few thinkers, such as German philosopher Hartmut Rosa, see our current plight as a rare opportunity to “decelerate” life under turbo-capitalism.
As it stands, the point is not that we’re facing an “attack of the civilization-state” . The point is assertive civilization-states – such as China, Russia, Iran – not submitted to the Hegemon, are bent on charting a quite different course.
The Great Reset, for all its universalist ambitions, remains an insular, Western-centric model benefitting the proverbial 1%. Ancient Greece did not see itself as “Western”. The Great Reset is essentially an Enlightenment-derived project.
Surveying the road ahead, it will certainly be crammed with imponderables. From the Fed wiring digital money directly into smartphone financial apps in the US to China advancing an Eurasia-wide trade/economic system side-by side with the implementation of the digital yuan.
The Global South will be paying a lot of attention to the sharp contrast between the proposed wholesale deconstruction of the industrial economic order and the BRI project – which focuses on a new financing system outside of Western monopoly and emphasizes agro-industrial growth and long-term sustainable development.
The Great Reset would point to losers, in terms of nations, aggregating all the ones that benefit from production and processing of energy and agriculture, from Russia, China and Canada to Brazil, Indonesia and large swathes of Africa.
As it stands, there’s only one thing we do know: the establishment at the core of the Hegemon and the drooling orcs of Empire will only adopt a Great Reset if that helps to postpone a decline accelerated on a fateful morning 19 years ago.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.


lewrockwell--2020-09-12--The Selfie, the Defining Cultural Artifact of Our Time

The selfie is perhaps the defining cultural artifact of our time .
Me and the Mona Lisa , Me and the Pyramids , Me and the Colosseum , with the emphasis on the Me , of course ; at least COVID-19 has put paid to all that for a time , as well as to little Greta ’ s public harangues , which somehow manage to combine the qualities of the zombie and the hysteric .
Alas , it could all come back .
Sometimes one reads about the taker of a selfie who has died as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was trying to get a better picture of himself .
I know that in theory accidental death is something tragic and much to be lamented , but I would not be telling the truth if I were to deny that I did not experience a frisson of pleasure on reading of such a death , that is to say of a martyrdom to egotism .
Oddly enough , the best commentary on selfies I ever saw was a cartoon in the English-language newspaper of Bahrain .
A young man was taking a selfie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just before the funeral .
If it were not a paradox , I should say that shallowness could go no deeper .
Admirable Evasions : Ho ... Theodore Dalrymple Best Price : $ 12.26 Buy New $ 13.35 I have an aversion to having my photograph taken , let alone to selfies .
This is not because of laudable modesty ; rather , it is another manifestation of vanity , albeit a negative one .
Until I see a photograph of myself , I can think that I am better-looking than I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually look like .
It is the same with public speaking ( which I do rarely ) : I believe , as I speak , that I don ’ t sound too bad .
Then I hear the recording and think , “ Who ’ s that pompous buffoon ?
” No , selfies are not for me .
But posing and posturing have become a mass phenomenon , the tattooing of our time .
Of nothing is this more true than contemporary Woke morality .
Whereas not long ago young people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sympathy for the lower and supposedly oppressed orders by imitating their tattoos and way of dress , imitation being the highest form of empathy available to egotists , they now express the same desire by making Wokeness the touchstone of their morality .
They think they are rebelling when , of course , they are conforming .
They do not realize that it is more difficult , and more courageous , to contradict a friend than to criticize a society .
The sight of young middle-class people taking the knee—an expression with which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands up as if they are about to be shot , disgusts me .
It is the same kind of bogus sensibility , if that is the word for it , that encourages people to wear carefully torn jeans , as if by doing so they were expressing solidarity with the poor .
Instead of proper gratitude for being able to afford decent food and clothing , thanks to the efforts of all preceding generations , they prefer to pretend to feel guilt .
If anything has been institutionalized , it is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a peculiar , ersatz , dishonest kind .
Guilt is an appropriate response to one ’ s own bad actions or omissions , and its level should be proportionate to the bad action or omission .
For example , the other day I put the phone down on someone who called to sell me something .
This was rude of me , and there was no occasion for rudeness .
The woman was only doing her job , from which I think it is unlikely that she derived much satisfaction , let alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her call was a very mild one .
My rudeness probably made her day a little worse than it need otherwise have been .
I could , with very little effort , have thanked her but said that I was not interested in what she was trying to sell .
The Best of Theodore Dalrymple

The selfie is perhaps the defining cultural artifact of our time. Me and the Mona Lisa, Me and the Pyramids, Me and the Colosseum, with the emphasis on the Me, of course; at least COVID-19 has put paid to all that for a time, as well as to little Greta’s public harangues, which somehow manage to combine the qualities of the zombie and the hysteric. Alas, it could all come back.
Sometimes one reads about the taker of a selfie who has died as a result of a fall down a precipice because he was trying to get a better picture of himself. I know that in theory accidental death is something tragic and much to be lamented, but I would not be telling the truth if I were to deny that I did not experience a frisson of pleasure on reading of such a death, that is to say of a martyrdom to egotism.
Oddly enough, the best commentary on selfies I ever saw was a cartoon in the English-language newspaper of Bahrain. A young man was taking a selfie beside the corpse in an open coffin just before the funeral. If it were not a paradox, I should say that shallowness could go no deeper.
Admirable Evasions: Ho... Theodore Dalrymple Best Price: $12.26 Buy New $13.35 (as of 11:00 UTC - Details) I have an aversion to having my photograph taken, let alone to selfies. This is not because of laudable modesty; rather, it is another manifestation of vanity, albeit a negative one. Until I see a photograph of myself, I can think that I am better-looking than I am, and am alarmed at what I actually look like. It is the same with public speaking (which I do rarely): I believe, as I speak, that I don’t sound too bad. Then I hear the recording and think, “Who’s that pompous buffoon?” No, selfies are not for me.
But posing and posturing have become a mass phenomenon, the tattooing of our time. Of nothing is this more true than contemporary Woke morality. Whereas not long ago young people of the middle classes sought to express their sympathy for the lower and supposedly oppressed orders by imitating their tattoos and way of dress, imitation being the highest form of empathy available to egotists, they now express the same desire by making Wokeness the touchstone of their morality. They think they are rebelling when, of course, they are conforming. They do not realize that it is more difficult, and more courageous, to contradict a friend than to criticize a society.
The sight of young middle-class people taking the knee—an expression with which we are now lamentably familiar—and putting their hands up as if they are about to be shot, disgusts me. It is the same kind of bogus sensibility, if that is the word for it, that encourages people to wear carefully torn jeans, as if by doing so they were expressing solidarity with the poor. Instead of proper gratitude for being able to afford decent food and clothing, thanks to the efforts of all preceding generations, they prefer to pretend to feel guilt. If anything has been institutionalized, it is not racism but guilt, though guilt of a peculiar, ersatz, dishonest kind.
Guilt is an appropriate response to one’s own bad actions or omissions, and its level should be proportionate to the bad action or omission. For example, the other day I put the phone down on someone who called to sell me something. This was rude of me, and there was no occasion for rudeness. The woman was only doing her job, from which I think it is unlikely that she derived much satisfaction, let alone much pay. The inconvenience to me of her call was a very mild one. My rudeness probably made her day a little worse than it need otherwise have been. I could, with very little effort, have thanked her but said that I was not interested in what she was trying to sell.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Theodore Dalrymple


lewrockwell--2020-09-12--America’s 1984: Welcome to the Hate

America’s 1984: Welcome to the Hate

Is it time for The Hate ?
It ’ s a question that we , like the protagonist of George Orwell ’ s dystopian 1984 , may be asking ourselves now as we tune into a news program or click on our favorite website .
For Orwell ’ s Winston Smith , the Two Minutes Hate occurs at 11:00 a.m. as coworkers assemble in front of a telescreen .
Together they watch as Emmanuel Goldstein , designated enemy of the Party , demands freedom of speech and an end to war .
And together they scream , kick their chairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s image .
The scene reveals the devastating effects of sustained hatred .
After thirty seconds , half of the spectators are enraged .
By the second minute , they are in a frenzy .
As Smith reflects , The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part , but that it was impossible to avoid joining in .
Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary .
A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness .
.
.
seemed to flow through the whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , turning one even against one ’ s will into a grimacing , screaming lunatic .
It ’ s Oceania ’ s 1984 .
But it ’ s becoming America ’ s , too , as any news program or social media feed will confirm .
Left uninterrupted , the current of hate could start a fire we may never extinguish .
But how are we to stop it ?
1984 ( Signet Classics ) George Orwell Best Price : $ 1.49 Buy New $ 3.58 Start with language .
In 1984 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhapsodizes about the destruction of words .
By eliminating phrases , the Party destroys the ability of people not only to express ideas but to think them : “ In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible , because there will be no words in which to express it.
” What words have ceased to exist in this dystopia ?
Honor , justice , and morality , to name a few .
One can not demand something one can not express .
Today we might build our own list , starting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are told , to insist on treating other individuals with dignity and courtesy .
To use it in some contexts , particularly at universities , is to incite a frenzy akin to The Hate .
To be safe , one must use sanctioned slogans , such as those in 1984 : “ War is Peace , ” “ Freedom is Slavery , ” “ Ignorance is Strength.
” And now we are on the verge of creating new slogans , such as “ Riots are Peaceful Protests , ” “ Unequal Treatment is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” After all , looting is “ a political mode of action ” that “ attacks the idea of property ” and the way in which it ’ s “ unjust.
” Perhaps people really believe these mantras .
Or perhaps they know that today ’ s Big Brothers are watching , ready to cancel them as quickly as the Party vaporizes its opponents .

Is it time for The Hate?
It’s a question that we, like the protagonist of George Orwell’s dystopian 1984, may be asking ourselves now as we tune into a news program or click on our favorite website.
For Orwell’s Winston Smith, the Two Minutes Hate occurs at 11:00 a.m. as coworkers assemble in front of a telescreen. Together they watch as Emmanuel Goldstein, designated enemy of the Party, demands freedom of speech and an end to war. And together they scream, kick their chairs, and hurl books at Goldstein’s image.
The scene reveals the devastating effects of sustained hatred. After thirty seconds, half of the spectators are enraged. By the second minute, they are in a frenzy. As Smith reflects,
The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary. A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness . . . seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one’s will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic.
It’s Oceania’s 1984. But it’s becoming America’s, too, as any news program or social media feed will confirm.
Left uninterrupted, the current of hate could start a fire we may never extinguish. But how are we to stop it? 1984 (Signet Classics) George Orwell Best Price: $1.49 Buy New $3.58 (as of 10:53 UTC - Details)
“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words”
Start with language. In 1984, one editor of the dictionary of Newspeak rhapsodizes about the destruction of words. By eliminating phrases, the Party destroys the ability of people not only to express ideas but to think them: “In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.”
What words have ceased to exist in this dystopia? Honor, justice, and morality, to name a few. One cannot demand something one cannot express.
Today we might build our own list, starting with civility. It is elitist, we are told, to insist on treating other individuals with dignity and courtesy. To use it in some contexts, particularly at universities, is to incite a frenzy akin to The Hate.
To be safe, one must use sanctioned slogans, such as those in 1984: “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” “Ignorance is Strength.”
And now we are on the verge of creating new slogans, such as “Riots are Peaceful Protests,” “Unequal Treatment is Equity,” “Looting is Justice.” After all, looting is “a political mode of action” that “attacks the idea of property” and the way in which it’s “unjust.”
Perhaps people really believe these mantras. Or perhaps they know that today’s Big Brothers are watching, ready to cancel them as quickly as the Party vaporizes its opponents.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-12--This Is How It Ends: All That Is Solid Melts into Air

While the Federal Reserve and the Billionaire Class push the stock market to new highs to promote a false facade of prosperity , everyday life will fall apart .
How will the status quo collapse ?
An open conflict–a civil war , an insurrection , a coup–appeals to our affection for drama , but the more likely reality is a decidedly undramatic dissolution in which all the elements of our way of life we reckoned were solid and permanent simply melt into air , to borrow Marx ’ s trenchant phrase .
In other words , Rome won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an insurrectionary conflagration–everything will simply stop working as those burdened with the impossible task of keeping a failed system glued together simply walk away .
Everything Was Forever ... Yurchak , Alexei Best Price : $ 29.56 Buy New $ 30.28 If we examine the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Western Roman Empire , we can trace the eventual collapse to the sudden psychological shift from an assumption of permanence that found expression in denial ( Rome can ’ t fall , it ’ s eternal… ) or in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so everything was forever .
This psychological state was replaced by a shocked awareness that what was unimaginable , “ impossible ” –systemic collapse–was not only entirely possible , it was happening in real time .
This change in consciousness arose in individuals in differing ways and velocities , but eventually everyone accepted that some adaptation was now necessary .
Correspondent R.J. and I have been discussing the consequences of the sharp decline in the value of labor which is painfully obvious in the chart below and the many other charts depicting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skimming of the majority of the economic gains by the top 0.1 % .
Armageddon Averted : Th ... Kotkin , Stephen Best Price : $ 3.12 Buy New $ 10.95 In effect , it no longer pays to work beyond the bare minimum needed to survive as all the value generated by labor above this minimum is either skimmed by the Bezos , Buffetts , Gates , Zuckerbergs et al .
or it ’ s paid in higher taxes to the government .
If collecting bread and circuses from the state is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely offers a better lifestyle than those afforded the working poor .
While the working poor are crushed by the stresses of low wages , plummeting purchasing power , long commutes and poor working conditions , a consequential slice of the highly paid professional class is crushed by taxes and the stresses of limitless liability , bureaucracy and work .
The Fall of the Roman ... Michael Grant Best Price : $ 1.46 Buy New $ 22.76 When physicians , nurses , managers , et al .
stop showing up for work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not showing up can take a number of forms : early retirement , sick leave , a demand to work halftime , a workers compensation stress leave , and of course , resignation/quitting .
As in take this job and shove it .
Maybe you remember the old Johnny Paycheck tune ?
Let me refresh your memory : take this job and shove it , I ain ’ t working here no more .
I ’ m stepping off the rat race merry-go-round , thank you very much .
You can find some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and BS work , all for the greater glory and wealth of your New Nobility shareholders .
I ’ m outta here .
So I won ’ t get rich , that dream died a long time ago .
What I ’ m interested in now is getting my life back and getting the heck out of Dodge as things fall apart .
The Best of Charles Hugh Smith

While the Federal Reserve and the Billionaire Class push the stock market to new highs to promote a false facade of prosperity, everyday life will fall apart.
How will the status quo collapse? An open conflict–a civil war, an insurrection, a coup–appeals to our affection for drama, but the more likely reality is a decidedly undramatic dissolution in which all the elements of our way of life we reckoned were solid and permanent simply melt into air, to borrow Marx’s trenchant phrase.
In other words, Rome won’t be sacked by Barbarians, or ignite in an insurrectionary conflagration–everything will simply stop working as those burdened with the impossible task of keeping a failed system glued together simply walk away. Everything Was Forever... Yurchak, Alexei Best Price: $29.56 Buy New $30.28 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details)
If we examine the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Western Roman Empire, we can trace the eventual collapse to the sudden psychological shift from an assumption of permanence that found expression in denial (Rome can’t fall, it’s eternal…) or in the universal belief that life was unchanging and so everything was forever.
This psychological state was replaced by a shocked awareness that what was unimaginable, “impossible”–systemic collapse–was not only entirely possible, it was happening in real time. This change in consciousness arose in individuals in differing ways and velocities, but eventually everyone accepted that some adaptation was now necessary.
Correspondent R.J. and I have been discussing the consequences of the sharp decline in the value of labor which is painfully obvious in the chart below and the many other charts depicting the declining purchasing power of wages and the skimming of the majority of the economic gains by the top 0.1%. Armageddon Averted: Th... Kotkin, Stephen Best Price: $3.12 Buy New $10.95 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details)
In effect, it no longer pays to work beyond the bare minimum needed to survive as all the value generated by labor above this minimum is either skimmed by the Bezos, Buffetts, Gates, Zuckerbergs et al. or it’s paid in higher taxes to the government.
If collecting bread and circuses from the state is an option, then foregoing formal work entirely offers a better lifestyle than those afforded the working poor.
While the working poor are crushed by the stresses of low wages, plummeting purchasing power, long commutes and poor working conditions, a consequential slice of the highly paid professional class is crushed by taxes and the stresses of limitless liability, bureaucracy and work. The Fall of the Roman ... Michael Grant Best Price: $1.46 Buy New $22.76 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)
When physicians, nurses, managers, et al. stop showing up for work, the system breaks down very quickly. Not showing up can take a number of forms: early retirement, sick leave, a demand to work halftime, a workers compensation stress leave, and of course, resignation/quitting.
As in take this job and shove it. Maybe you remember the old Johnny Paycheck tune? Let me refresh your memory: take this job and shove it, I ain’t working here no more. I’m stepping off the rat race merry-go-round, thank you very much. You can find some other sucker to do your dirty work and BS work, all for the greater glory and wealth of your New Nobility shareholders. I’m outta here. So I won’t get rich, that dream died a long time ago. What I’m interested in now is getting my life back and getting the heck out of Dodge as things fall apart.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Charles Hugh Smith


lewrockwell--2020-09-14--The Conquered in The Lost, Ivanhoe, and Rob Roy

A few weeks ago my wife proposed that we read a book together .
Her choice , based on the recommendation of a friend and the fact that she recently had worked on a Holocaust related documentary , was The Lost : A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn .
My wife read the paperback in French , I read the Kindle edition in English .
In this book Mendelsohn recounts his search for details on the life and death of his great uncle Shmiel and his family ( wife and four daughters ) in a small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during World War II .
Normally I am loath to read a current book ( first published in 2005 ) and especially from an academic ( but he is also a writer ) .
I am not the first to note that a husband has many obligations in life that are not always to his liking .
But in the end , I thought this book was worth reading .
In fact , Mendelsohn is an excellent writer , if also a deliberate storyteller ( he notes in the manner of Homer or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe to Australia ( a dozen countries on four continents ) in search of survivors to interview is engaging .
A fundamental theme is how this old town in the Hapsburg Empire was a happy place for the Poles , Ukranians , and Jews who lived there together in relative harmony .
But the Soviet and later German invasions brought forth hostility that continued in the minds of his relatives and the survivors up to this day .
They would tell him the Poles were bad but the Ukranians were the worst .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My desire to have that narrative was no different from my grandfather ’ s desire to believe the stories about the Jewish neighbor or the Polish maid .
Both were motivated by a need for a story that , however ugly , would give their deaths some meaning—that would make their deaths be about something.
” handling MR. HYDE : que ... Katz , Ira Best Price : $ 17.20 Buy New $ 12.98 In any case , after fulfilling this obligation I went back to my grossly entertaining reading of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular Ivanhoe , published in 1819 .
I had some notion of the romantic knights and damsels related to the tale of Ivanhoe , but I did not know any particulars of the plot of Scott ’ s novel .
To my great surprise , this old romantic novel had the same theme as Mendelsohn ’ s modern memoir The Lost !
That is , it was also a story about a conquered people and their stories of survival .
In Ivanhoe the victims were the WASPs ( White Anglo-Saxon Pagans , really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were oppressed by the Norman conquerors .
But here there were also the Jews .
And thus it is probable , that the Jews , by the very frequency of their fear on all occasions , had their minds in some degree prepared for every effort of tyranny which could be practised upon them ; so that no aggression , when it had taken place , could bring with it that surprise which is the most disabling quality of terror .
Neither was it the first time that Isaac had been placed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore experience to guide him , as well as hope , that he might again , as formerly , be delivered as a prey from the fowler .
Above all , he had upon his side the unyielding obstinacy of his nation , and that unbending resolution , with which Israelites have been frequently known to submit to the uttermost evils which power and violence can inflict upon them , rather than gratify their oppressors by granting their demands .
Scott treats the Jews very well .
His character the Jewesse Rebecca , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have encountered in literature .
Super not in comic book powers but fundamental human traits .
She is drop dead gorgeous , intelligent ( a master healer ) , courageous , wise , loyal , considerate and generous ; even if her father Isaac was always scheming about money .
The primary evil character is the Templar knight Brian Bois-Guilbert who falls in love with her in spite of his own reason and interests .
As she is tried as a witch , for bewitching him into falling in love , he rails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today , “ Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed !
” said Bois-Guilbert , striding up and down the apartment .
“ What they may believe , I know not , ” said Malvoisin , calmly ; “ but I know well , that in this our day , clergy and laymen , take ninety-nine to the hundred , will cry amen to the Grand Master ’ s sentence.
” Later in the same conversation there is this tidbit about justice that is also relevant today , “ For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we be seen to hold close conversation — I must order the hall for his judgment-seat.
” “ What !
” said Bois-Guilbert , “ so soon ?
” “ Ay , ” replied the Preceptor , “ trial moves rapidly on when the judge has determined the sentence beforehand.
” ” After reading Ivanoe , that includes elements of the Robin Hood legend , I then read Scott ’ s Rob Roy which includes the eponymous Scottish Robin Hood .
Here again there is the theme of the conquered , the Scotts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history of politics and religion in the early 18th century .
In particular , for those Jacobite Scotts ( and English ) who desire the return of the Catholic Stuart Monarchy .
The theme of prejudice is presented in the manner that the English thought of the Scotts and the Scotts thought of the English .
Here the hero Francis Osbaldistone explains how he was formed into a prejudice against the Scotts .
Eagle Creek Wayfinder ... Buy New $ 109.95 In short , if Mabel complained of the Scottish arms in ancient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the arts of these modern Sinons ; and between them , though without any fixed purpose of doing so , they impressed my youthful mind with a sincere aversion to the northern inhabitants of Britain , as a people bloodthirsty in time of war , treacherous during truce , interested , selfish , avaricious , and tricky in the business of peaceful life , and having few good qualities , unless there should be accounted such , a ferocity which resembled courage in martial affairs , and a sort of wily craft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ordinary commerce of mankind .
In justification , or apology , for those who entertained such prejudices , I must remark , that the Scotch of that period were guilty of similar injustice to the English , whom they branded universally as a race of purse-proud arrogant epicures .
Such seeds of national dislike remained between the two countries , the natural consequences of their existence as separate and rival states .
We have seen recently the breath of a demagogue blow these sparks into a temporary flame , which I sincerely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ashes .
The heroine Diane Vernon reproachs him for his prejudice .
“ Mr .
Osbaldistone , ” she said , “ your own observation will enable you to verify the justice , or injustice , of Rashleigh ’ s suggestions concerning such individuals as Mr. Campbell and Mr. Morris .
But , in slandering Scotland , he has borne false witness against a whole country ; and I request you will allow no weight to his evidence.
” “ Perhaps , ” I answered , “ I may find it somewhat difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; for I must own I was bred up with no very favourable idea of our northern neighbours.
” “ Distrust that part of your education , sir , ” she replied , “ and let the daughter of a Scotchwoman pray you to respect the land which gave her parent birth , until your own observation has proved them to be unworthy of your good opinion .
Preserve your hatred and contempt for dissimulation , baseness , and falsehood , wheresoever they are to be met with .
You will find enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gentlemen , I wish you good evening.
” Coming back to The Lost , the wisdom of Mendelsohn shines as he works at making sense of what he learned and what is true ; lessons and truths that are of the utmost importance today .
Lightning X Premium Ri ... Buy New $ 99.99 Still , it must be said that this unwillingness to believe anything good of Ukrainians struck me as irrational , too , since every survivor I talked to had been saved by a Ukrainian .
I did not say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it seemed to me that Jews more than others should be wary of condemning entire populations out of hand .
So I am , perhaps naively , unwilling to condemn “ Ukrainians ” in general , although I know that many Ukrainians committed atrocities .
I am , however , willing to believe in other generalizations , for instance that seething resentment by a class of people who both have been and perceive themselves to be an underclass , particularly when those people have recently suffered unspeakable oppression—one example of which would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intentional starvation of between five and seven million Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933 , which for Ukrainians is the galvanizing national tragedy just as the Holocaust is the galvanizing national tragedy for Jews—that seething resentment of such a class of people will , under the right combination of circumstances , explode into bestial savagery against those whom they hold responsible for their suffering , however unjustly .
And as I know , it is easiest to hold responsible those to whom you live in closest intimacy .
The clear lesson of history for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ books , is to always keep in mind that all peoples have been conquered , raped and pillaged .
And also , all peoples have conquered , raped and pillaged others .
So moving forward , it is not only justice that must dominate , but justice tempered by wisdom , mercy , and humility to have a society that is more than purely a battle for power .
More wisdom for the ages from Walter Scott in Rob Roy .
On the nature of a capitalist : Guided Science Readers ... Charlesworth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buy New $ 14.03 He would have been a poorer man , indeed , but perhaps as happy , had he devoted to the extension of science those active energies , and acute powers of observation , for which commercial pursuits found occupation .
Yet , in the fluctuations of mercantile speculation , there is something captivating to the adventurer , even independent of the hope of gain .
He who embarks on that fickle sea , requires to possess the skill of the pilot and the fortitude of the navigator , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unless the gales of fortune breathe in his favour .
This mixture of necessary attention and inevitable hazard , — the frequent and awful uncertainty whether prudence shall overcome fortune , or fortune baffle the schemes of prudence , affords full occupation for the powers , as well as for the feelings of the mind , and trade has all the fascination of gambling without its moral guilt .
On a true understanding of privilege for whites and blacks : We are so apt , in our engrossing egotism , to consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us by prosperity , as pertaining and belonging to our own persons , that the discovery of our unimportance , when left to our own proper resources , becomes inexpressibly mortifying .
At the time , this person ’ s conduct only inspired me with contempt , and confirmed me in an opinion which I already entertained , that of all the propensities which teach mankind to torment themselves , that of causeless fear is the most irritating , busy , painful , and pitiable .
The Best of Ira Katz

A few weeks ago my wife proposed that we read a book together. Her choice, based on the recommendation of a friend and the fact that she recently had worked on a Holocaust related documentary, was The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn. My wife read the paperback in French, I read the Kindle edition in English. In this book Mendelsohn recounts his search for details on the life and death of his great uncle Shmiel and his family (wife and four daughters) in a small town in Poland (now Ukraine) during World War II. Normally I am loath to read a current book (first published in 2005) and especially from an academic (but he is also a writer). I am not the first to note that a husband has many obligations in life that are not always to his liking. But in the end, I thought this book was worth reading. In fact, Mendelsohn is an excellent writer, if also a deliberate storyteller (he notes in the manner of Homer or Proust). His travels from Eastern Europe to Australia (a dozen countries on four continents) in search of survivors to interview is engaging. A fundamental theme is how this old town in the Hapsburg Empire was a happy place for the Poles, Ukranians, and Jews who lived there together in relative harmony. But the Soviet and later German invasions brought forth hostility that continued in the minds of his relatives and the survivors up to this day. They would tell him the Poles were bad but the Ukranians were the worst. Mendelsohn needed to know what had happened. “My desire to have that narrative was no different from my grandfather’s desire to believe the stories about the Jewish neighbor or the Polish maid. Both were motivated by a need for a story that, however ugly, would give their deaths some meaning—that would make their deaths be about something.”
handling MR. HYDE: que... Katz, Ira Best Price: $17.20 Buy New $12.98 (as of 04:58 UTC - Details) In any case, after fulfilling this obligation I went back to my grossly entertaining reading of Walter Scott’s novels, in particular Ivanhoe, published in 1819. I had some notion of the romantic knights and damsels related to the tale of Ivanhoe, but I did not know any particulars of the plot of Scott’s novel. To my great surprise, this old romantic novel had the same theme as Mendelsohn’s modern memoir The Lost! That is, it was also a story about a conquered people and their stories of survival. In Ivanhoe the victims were the WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Pagans, really mostly Catholic with old pagan thoughts) who were oppressed by the Norman conquerors. But here there were also the Jews.
And thus it is probable, that the Jews, by the very frequency of their fear on all occasions, had their minds in some degree prepared for every effort of tyranny which could be practised upon them; so that no aggression, when it had taken place, could bring with it that surprise which is the most disabling quality of terror. Neither was it the first time that Isaac had been placed in circumstances so dangerous. He had therefore experience to guide him, as well as hope, that he might again, as formerly, be delivered as a prey from the fowler. Above all, he had upon his side the unyielding obstinacy of his nation, and that unbending resolution, with which Israelites have been frequently known to submit to the uttermost evils which power and violence can inflict upon them, rather than gratify their oppressors by granting their demands.
Scott treats the Jews very well. His character the Jewesse Rebecca, is the most extraordinary super heroine I have encountered in literature. Super not in comic book powers but fundamental human traits. She is drop dead gorgeous, intelligent (a master healer), courageous, wise, loyal, considerate and generous; even if her father Isaac was always scheming about money. The primary evil character is the Templar knight Brian Bois-Guilbert who falls in love with her in spite of his own reason and interests. As she is tried as a witch, for bewitching him into falling in love, he rails against the system as we might hear today, “Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!” said Bois-Guilbert, striding up and down the apartment. “What they may believe, I know not,” said Malvoisin, calmly; “but I know well, that in this our day, clergy and laymen, take ninety-nine to the hundred, will cry amen to the Grand Master’s sentence.” Later in the same conversation there is this tidbit about justice that is also relevant today, “For the present we part, nor must we be seen to hold close conversation — I must order the hall for his judgment-seat.” “What!” said Bois-Guilbert, “so soon?” “Ay,” replied the Preceptor, “trial moves rapidly on when the judge has determined the sentence beforehand.””
After reading Ivanoe, that includes elements of the Robin Hood legend, I then read Scott’s Rob Roy which includes the eponymous Scottish Robin Hood. Here again there is the theme of the conquered, the Scots, though this is a very complex history of politics and religion in the early 18th century. In particular, for those Jacobite Scots (and English) who desire the return of the Catholic Stuart Monarchy. The theme of prejudice is presented in the manner that the English thought of the Scots and the Scots thought of the English. Here the hero Francis Osbaldistone explains how he was formed into a prejudice against the Scots. Eagle Creek Wayfinder ... Buy New $109.95 (as of 03:59 UTC - Details)
In short, if Mabel complained of the Scottish arms in ancient times, Mr. Osbaldistone inveighed no less against the arts of these modern Sinons; and between them, though without any fixed purpose of doing so, they impressed my youthful mind with a sincere aversion to the northern inhabitants of Britain, as a people bloodthirsty in time of war, treacherous during truce, interested, selfish, avaricious, and tricky in the business of peaceful life, and having few good qualities, unless there should be accounted such, a ferocity which resembled courage in martial affairs, and a sort of wily craft which supplied the place of wisdom in the ordinary commerce of mankind.
In justification, or apology, for those who entertained such prejudices, I must remark, that the Scotch of that period were guilty of similar injustice to the English, whom they branded universally as a race of purse-proud arrogant epicures. Such seeds of national dislike remained between the two countries, the natural consequences of their existence as separate and rival states. We have seen recently the breath of a demagogue blow these sparks into a temporary flame, which I sincerely hope is now extinguished in its own ashes.
The heroine Diane Vernon reproachs him for his prejudice.
“Mr. Osbaldistone,” she said, “your own observation will enable you to verify the justice, or injustice, of Rashleigh’s suggestions concerning such individuals as Mr. Campbell and Mr. Morris. But, in slandering Scotland, he has borne false witness against a whole country; and I request you will allow no weight to his evidence.” “Perhaps,” I answered, “I may find it somewhat difficult to obey your injunction, Miss Vernon; for I must own I was bred up with no very favourable idea of our northern neighbours.” “Distrust that part of your education, sir,” she replied, “and let the daughter of a Scotchwoman pray you to respect the land which gave her parent birth, until your own observation has proved them to be unworthy of your good opinion. Preserve your hatred and contempt for dissimulation, baseness, and falsehood, wheresoever they are to be met with. You will find enough of all without leaving England.— Adieu, gentlemen, I wish you good evening.”
Coming back to The Lost, the wisdom of Mendelsohn shines as he works at making sense of what he learned and what is true; lessons and truths that are of the utmost importance today. Lightning X Premium Ri... Buy New $99.99 (as of 03:59 UTC - Details)
Still, it must be said that this unwillingness to believe anything good of Ukrainians struck me as irrational, too, since every survivor I talked to had been saved by a Ukrainian. I did not say this to them at the time, but it seemed to me that Jews more than others should be wary of condemning entire populations out of hand.
So I am, perhaps naively, unwilling to condemn “Ukrainians” in general, although I know that many Ukrainians committed atrocities. I am, however, willing to believe in other generalizations, for instance that seething resentment by a class of people who both have been and perceive themselves to be an underclass, particularly when those people have recently suffered unspeakable oppression—one example of which would be, say, Stalin’s intentional starvation of between five and seven million Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933, which for Ukrainians is the galvanizing national tragedy just as the Holocaust is the galvanizing national tragedy for Jews—that seething resentment of such a class of people will, under the right combination of circumstances, explode into bestial savagery against those whom they hold responsible for their suffering, however unjustly. And as I know, it is easiest to hold responsible those to whom you live in closest intimacy.
The clear lesson of history for me, exemplified in these very different books, is to always keep in mind that all peoples have been conquered, raped and pillaged. And also, all peoples have conquered, raped and pillaged others. So moving forward, it is not only justice that must dominate, but justice tempered by wisdom, mercy, and humility to have a society that is more than purely a battle for power.
Epilogue
More wisdom for the ages from Walter Scott in Rob Roy.
On the nature of a capitalist: Guided Science Readers... Charlesworth, Liza Best Price: $16.01 Buy New $14.03 (as of 04:24 UTC - Details)
He would have been a poorer man, indeed, but perhaps as happy, had he devoted to the extension of science those active energies, and acute powers of observation, for which commercial pursuits found occupation. Yet, in the fluctuations of mercantile speculation, there is something captivating to the adventurer, even independent of the hope of gain. He who embarks on that fickle sea, requires to possess the skill of the pilot and the fortitude of the navigator, and after all may be wrecked and lost, unless the gales of fortune breathe in his favour. This mixture of necessary attention and inevitable hazard,— the frequent and awful uncertainty whether prudence shall overcome fortune, or fortune baffle the schemes of prudence, affords full occupation for the powers, as well as for the feelings of the mind, and trade has all the fascination of gambling without its moral guilt.
On a true understanding of privilege for whites and blacks:
We are so apt, in our engrossing egotism, to consider all those accessories which are drawn around us by prosperity, as pertaining and belonging to our own persons, that the discovery of our unimportance, when left to our own proper resources, becomes inexpressibly mortifying.
On fearmongers:
At the time, this person’s conduct only inspired me with contempt, and confirmed me in an opinion which I already entertained, that of all the propensities which teach mankind to torment themselves, that of causeless fear is the most irritating, busy, painful, and pitiable.
The Best of Ira Katz


lewrockwell--2020-09-14--Foreign Interventionism, 9/11, and the Perpetual War on Terrorism

With today being another anniversary of the 9/11 attacks , it ’ s important to recall why it was that that deadly event came about .
No , the terrorists didn ’ t attack us because they hated our “ freedom and values , ” as U.S. officials and American interventionists claimed after the attacks .
Instead , the attacks occurred in retaliation for what the U.S. national-security establishment , specifically the Pentagon and the CIA , had been doing to people in the Middle East prior to the 9/11 attacks .
Recall the Persian Gulf War in 1991 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict involving their old partner and ally , Saddam Hussein , the dictator of Iraq .
Iraq had gotten in a territorial dispute with Kuwait , which ended up with Iraq invading Kuwait .
U.S. officials felt that they could not let Iraq ’ s invasion of Kuwait to stand , which is somewhat strange given that the U.S. government supported Iraq when it invaded Iran in the 1980s .
Without the congressional declaration of war the Constitution requires , the U.S. government went to war against Iraq , killing multitudes of Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction across the country .
Good Sense Security - ... Buy New $ 6.99 During the conflict , the Pentagon ordered the destruction of Iraq ’ s water-and-sewage treatment plants , after a study revealed that such destruction would help spread infectious illnesses within the Iraqi populace .
Then once hostilities were ended , the U.S. and UN enforced one of the most brutal systems of sanctions in history against the Iraqi people , which proceeded to kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children , especially since the sanctions prevented those destroyed water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. government ’ s ambassador to the UN , Madeleine Albright , declared that the deaths of half-a-million Iraqi children were “ worth it.
” There was also the Pentagon ’ s intentional stationing of U.S. troops near Islamic holy lands , knowing full well the effect that such an action would have on Muslims .
There was also the brutal “ no-fly zones ” over Iraq , which enabled the U.S. planes to wreak even more death and destruction in Iraq .
There was also the unconditional support given by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The rage that all that interventionism produced within people in the Middle East is what brought on the 9/11 attacks .
It also brought on the anti-American terrorism that preceded 9/11 attacks : the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center , the attack on the USS Cole , and the attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa .
LifeStraw Go Water Fil ... Best Price : $ 28.59 Buy New $ 36.84 Unfortunately , rather than acknowledge what their pre-9/11 interventionism produced , the Pentagon and the CIA doubled down and used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq .
Those interventions were followed by interventions in Libya , Syria , Yemen , Somalia , and elsewhere .
All that new interventionism added fuel to the pre-9/11 rage , which produced more anti-American terrorism , which then caused the Pentagon and the CIA to react even more forcefully against the terrorism .
That ’ s how we have ended up with an endless supply of terrorists , an perpetual war on terrorism , and the destruction of liberty and prosperity here at home , all of which , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the NSA in high cotton in terms of both money and power .
It ’ s quite possibly the biggest racket in U.S. history .
Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation .
The Best of Jacob G. Hornberger

With today being another anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it’s important to recall why it was that that deadly event came about.
No, the terrorists didn’t attack us because they hated our “freedom and values,” as U.S. officials and American interventionists claimed after the attacks. Instead, the attacks occurred in retaliation for what the U.S. national-security establishment, specifically the Pentagon and the CIA, had been doing to people in the Middle East prior to the 9/11 attacks.
Recall the Persian Gulf War in 1991, when the U.S. government intervened in a conflict involving their old partner and ally, Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq. Iraq had gotten in a territorial dispute with Kuwait, which ended up with Iraq invading Kuwait.
U.S. officials felt that they could not let Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait to stand, which is somewhat strange given that the U.S. government supported Iraq when it invaded Iran in the 1980s. Without the congressional declaration of war the Constitution requires, the U.S. government went to war against Iraq, killing multitudes of Iraqi people in the process and wreaking untold destruction across the country. Good Sense Security - ... Buy New $6.99 (as of 03:59 UTC - Details)
During the conflict, the Pentagon ordered the destruction of Iraq’s water-and-sewage treatment plants, after a study revealed that such destruction would help spread infectious illnesses within the Iraqi populace.
Then once hostilities were ended, the U.S. and UN enforced one of the most brutal systems of sanctions in history against the Iraqi people, which proceeded to kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children, especially since the sanctions prevented those destroyed water and sewage treatment plants from being repaired. The U.S. government’s ambassador to the UN, Madeleine Albright, declared that the deaths of half-a-million Iraqi children were “worth it.”
There was also the Pentagon’s intentional stationing of U.S. troops near Islamic holy lands, knowing full well the effect that such an action would have on Muslims.
There was also the brutal “no-fly zones” over Iraq, which enabled the U.S. planes to wreak even more death and destruction in Iraq.
There was also the unconditional support given by U.S. officials to the Israeli government.
The rage that all that interventionism produced within people in the Middle East is what brought on the 9/11 attacks. It also brought on the anti-American terrorism that preceded 9/11 attacks: the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the attack on the USS Cole, and the attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa. LifeStraw Go Water Fil... Best Price: $28.59 Buy New $36.84 (as of 03:59 UTC - Details)
Unfortunately, rather than acknowledge what their pre-9/11 interventionism produced, the Pentagon and the CIA doubled down and used the 9/11 attacks to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. Those interventions were followed by interventions in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere.
All that new interventionism added fuel to the pre-9/11 rage, which produced more anti-American terrorism, which then caused the Pentagon and the CIA to react even more forcefully against the terrorism.
That’s how we have ended up with an endless supply of terrorists, an perpetual war on terrorism, and the destruction of liberty and prosperity here at home, all of which, of course, has kept the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA in high cotton in terms of both money and power. It’s quite possibly the biggest racket in U.S. history.
Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation.
The Best of Jacob G. Hornberger


lewrockwell--2020-09-14--Economic Doom Due to the Covid Response Is on the Horizon and Beyond

“ Only a psychopath would ever think of doing these things , only a psychopath would dream of abusing other people in such a way , only a psychopath would treat people as less than human just for money .
The shocking truth is , even though they now have most if not all of the money , they want still more , they want all of the money that you have left in your pockets , they want it all because they have no empathy with other people , with other creatures , they have no feeling for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no love or sense of being or belonging for their souls are dead , dead to all things but greed and a desire to rule over others.
” Covid-19 as it is called , was invented for many reasons , none of which are more evident than as cover for the coming economic collapse .
Long before the fake pandemic , that collapse was already imminent , but now it can take place in plain sight , as the eyes of the masses will remain blind to the truth .
The planned global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to accomplish such a task as this , the current economic system will have to be eliminated in favor of a digitized system designed for total control over the current monetary order and the people themselves .
This dystopian nightmare is well underway , but the American people are not prepared for the destruction of the economy at every level from money to food .
What is coming is an economic nightmare .
Arcturus Packable , Reu ... Buy New $ 19.97 Forgetting for a moment all that is to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , just try concentrating on how devastating this government response to this manufactured pandemic has been to date .
That alone should send chills up the spine of any paying attention to what is happening and will happen to this economy .
There is no need to go into the vast complexities of economic theory to see the imminent risk we face .
Just six months ago , lockdowns and isolation began in earnest .
Initially , what were falsely called “ non-essential ’ businesses were shut down , and all employees were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not work to sustain themselves .
This was a large swath of the American workforce , and as private businesses , mostly small and medium sized businesses were forcibly closed due to orders from a handful of politicians , people began to suffer .
In response , the Trump administration decided to give everyone a one-time ‘ free ’ check and a period of extra unemployment pay , which should have been an insult to any able to think and function normally .
Sadly , it was accepted by most , and thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by government , when in essence , it was money stolen from the people , and then a small portion given back to them to appease their discontent .
It is telling to understand that many large businesses were left alone , including places of large gatherings of people like WalMart , Home Depot , large grocery stores , government related businesses , and many others , while normal people were greatly harmed .
Most of the large businesses that were shut down were on the receiving end of much largesse coming from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people .
That of course was a pack of lies , as most all the billions of dollars slated for false restitution for the herd was given to those controlling and in bed with government .
This of course was a massive wealth transfer planned long before the actual staged ‘ virus ’ pandemic .
With these draconian policies firmly in place , mass unemployment ensued , and huge numbers of businesses closed , many for good .
Many more will be forced into bankruptcy in the near term ; especially once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few months .
Americans had been carefully guided and long-groomed into a mindset of consumption instead of saving , this due in large part to brainwashing , but more due to a decade long period of zero interest rates meant to stoke credit and debt at the expense of saving for the future .
With 70 % of Americans not having enough money to even last a month without a paycheck , one can only imagine the great harm that has and will continue to decimate the general population .
Now , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , what is on the horizon are poverty , starvation , and total dependence on the state , which will only increase the state ’ s power and control over the people .
Waterpik Water Flosser ... Best Price : null Buy New $ 69.49 The long-term effects of this government response will continue to worsen the situation , causing even more unemployment , but also will lead to massive psychological problems and record sickness and suicide .
This is already evident , and in my opinion , this nightmare is just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reserve is completely insane , and is being done purposely to extend all wealth transfers to the top 1 % , while destroying the lives of the rest of society .
This can only lead to financial disaster for all except the top tier of controlling ‘ elites , ’ and their political pawns that continue to force policy as the real masterminds of this takeover and global reset have instructed them to do .
This is a travesty .
There is another aspect of this tragedy that is not understood by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lately concerning the fact that the U.S. government now owns 1/3 of all U.S. mortgages .
While this is ridiculously troubling , it is a deception .
That statistic by omission hides much of what is actually going on with the mortgage market .
What this is describing is that government owns 1/3 of the mortgage bonds , but these are mortgages that have been packaged by Wall Street and sold as high-grade investments due to the government backing of most all mortgages .
Government backed mortgages are one thing , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mae , Freddy Mac , and Ginnie Mae buy almost every residential mortgage in the country immediately , so these bonds now being purchased by the government are in essence already government owned , and are merely repurchased in another form that is packaged by the investment banking system .
This takes all the risk away from the banks , and places it squarely on the shoulders of the people .
So the government is buying mortgage bonds that are already owned by government .
Of course that means that the taxpayers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mortgages , and by government ’ s destruction of the economy during this response and reset due to a fake virus , every default of a mortgage will be the responsibility of the American taxpayer .
What a coup ?
All of you are paying for all the defaults to come that were purposely caused by this evil response to a so-called flu named Covid-19 .
Vibit Portable Persona ... Buy New $ 59.99 Three years ago , the government held all the credit risk of 60 % of all total mortgage loans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since that time , and this year alone it has increased exponentially .
So while the government now owns over 1/3 of all mortgage bonds created and profited on by Wall Street , this does not even touch the surface of the real truth of this criminal fraud .
Once again , this simply exposes the gargantuan wealth transfer that is taking place today at the expense of the public .
When millions of Americans lose their homes due to this plot , the same people selling the government these bonds will own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The coming financial upheaval and increase of economic tyranny have not yet been mentioned here .
Soon , new mandates will surface , more lockdowns will occur , more quarantines and isolation will be enforced , more businesses will be closed and reclosed , and a deadly vaccine will be said to be the answer to your problems .
Be careful what you wish for , as what you are wishing for is exactly what you are being trained to do .
It is not for the well-being of those in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advance the control agendas of the state and the claimed ‘ elite ’ globalist ruling class .
The rioting , looting , property destruction , and criminal assaults will far exceed what has been seen so far , and will be much more widespread , all planned and fully supported by this corrupt and evil government .
The risks to liberty and freedom going forward are extreme .
This will not end well , regardless of any pushback at this time , but without mass resistance now , we face a future of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer made by a rational process of public discussion ; they are made by a process of blackmail and intimidation , and they are executed in the same manner ” Sources : Here , here , and here .
The Best of Gary D. Barnett

“Only a psychopath would ever think of doing these things, only a psychopath would dream of abusing other people in such a way, only a psychopath would treat people as less than human just for money. The shocking truth is, even though they now have most if not all of the money, they want still more, they want all of the money that you have left in your pockets, they want it all because they have no empathy with other people, with other creatures, they have no feeling for the world which they exploit, they have no love or sense of being or belonging for their souls are dead, dead to all things but greed and a desire to rule over others.”
~ Arun D. Ellis, Corpalism
Covid-19 as it is called, was invented for many reasons, none of which are more evident than as cover for the coming economic collapse. Long before the fake pandemic, that collapse was already imminent, but now it can take place in plain sight, as the eyes of the masses will remain blind to the truth. The planned global reset is in the works, and in order to accomplish such a task as this, the current economic system will have to be eliminated in favor of a digitized system designed for total control over the current monetary order and the people themselves. This dystopian nightmare is well underway, but the American people are not prepared for the destruction of the economy at every level from money to food. What is coming is an economic nightmare. Arcturus Packable, Reu... Buy New $19.97 (as of 03:59 UTC - Details)
Forgetting for a moment all that is to come this fall and spring, and after, just try concentrating on how devastating this government response to this manufactured pandemic has been to date. That alone should send chills up the spine of any paying attention to what is happening and will happen to this economy. There is no need to go into the vast complexities of economic theory to see the imminent risk we face. Just six months ago, lockdowns and isolation began in earnest. Initially, what were falsely called “non-essential’ businesses were shut down, and all employees were sent home and told that they could not work to sustain themselves. This was a large swath of the American workforce, and as private businesses, mostly small and medium sized businesses were forcibly closed due to orders from a handful of politicians, people began to suffer. In response, the Trump administration decided to give everyone a one-time ‘free’ check and a period of extra unemployment pay, which should have been an insult to any able to think and function normally. Sadly, it was accepted by most, and thought of as some sort of benevolent gesture by government, when in essence, it was money stolen from the people, and then a small portion given back to them to appease their discontent.
It is telling to understand that many large businesses were left alone, including places of large gatherings of people like WalMart, Home Depot, large grocery stores, government related businesses, and many others, while normal people were greatly harmed. Most of the large businesses that were shut down were on the receiving end of much largesse coming from the bailout money said to be for the people. That of course was a pack of lies, as most all the billions of dollars slated for false restitution for the herd was given to those controlling and in bed with government. This of course was a massive wealth transfer planned long before the actual staged ‘virus’ pandemic.
With these draconian policies firmly in place, mass unemployment ensued, and huge numbers of businesses closed, many for good. Many more will be forced into bankruptcy in the near term; especially once more lockdowns become evident over the next few months. Americans had been carefully guided and long-groomed into a mindset of consumption instead of saving, this due in large part to brainwashing, but more due to a decade long period of zero interest rates meant to stoke credit and debt at the expense of saving for the future. With 70% of Americans not having enough money to even last a month without a paycheck, one can only imagine the great harm that has and will continue to decimate the general population. Now, with up to 60 million people out of work, what is on the horizon are poverty, starvation, and total dependence on the state, which will only increase the state’s power and control over the people. Waterpik Water Flosser... Buy New $69.49 (as of 09:00 UTC - Details)
The long-term effects of this government response will continue to worsen the situation, causing even more unemployment, but also will lead to massive psychological problems and record sickness and suicide. This is already evident, and in my opinion, this nightmare is just beginning.
Money printing by the Federal Reserve is completely insane, and is being done purposely to extend all wealth transfers to the top 1%, while destroying the lives of the rest of society. This can only lead to financial disaster for all except the top tier of controlling ‘elites,’ and their political pawns that continue to force policy as the real masterminds of this takeover and global reset have instructed them to do. This is a travesty.
There is another aspect of this tragedy that is not understood by the masses. There have been many reports lately concerning the fact that the U.S. government now owns 1/3 of all U.S. mortgages. While this is ridiculously troubling, it is a deception. That statistic by omission hides much of what is actually going on with the mortgage market. What this is describing is that government owns 1/3 of the mortgage bonds, but these are mortgages that have been packaged by Wall Street and sold as high-grade investments due to the government backing of most all mortgages. Government backed mortgages are one thing, but in realty, the government agencies like Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, and Ginnie Mae buy almost every residential mortgage in the country immediately, so these bonds now being purchased by the government are in essence already government owned, and are merely repurchased in another form that is packaged by the investment banking system. This takes all the risk away from the banks, and places it squarely on the shoulders of the people. So the government is buying mortgage bonds that are already owned by government. Of course that means that the taxpayers are on the hook for almost all residential mortgages, and by government’s destruction of the economy during this response and reset due to a fake virus, every default of a mortgage will be the responsibility of the American taxpayer. What a coup? All of you are paying for all the defaults to come that were purposely caused by this evil response to a so-called flu named Covid-19.
Vibit Portable Persona... Buy New $59.99 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details) Three years ago, the government held all the credit risk of 60% of all total mortgage loans, and that number has increased dramatically since that time, and this year alone it has increased exponentially. So while the government now owns over 1/3 of all mortgage bonds created and profited on by Wall Street, this does not even touch the surface of the real truth of this criminal fraud. Once again, this simply exposes the gargantuan wealth transfer that is taking place today at the expense of the public. When millions of Americans lose their homes due to this plot, the same people selling the government these bonds will own your house for pennies on the dollar.
The coming financial upheaval and increase of economic tyranny have not yet been mentioned here. Soon, new mandates will surface, more lockdowns will occur, more quarantines and isolation will be enforced, more businesses will be closed and reclosed, and a deadly vaccine will be said to be the answer to your problems. Be careful what you wish for, as what you are wishing for is exactly what you are being trained to do. It is not for the well-being of those in this country, but is meant only to advance the control agendas of the state and the claimed ‘elite’ globalist ruling class. The rioting, looting, property destruction, and criminal assaults will far exceed what has been seen so far, and will be much more widespread, all planned and fully supported by this corrupt and evil government.
The risks to liberty and freedom going forward are extreme. This will not end well, regardless of any pushback at this time, but without mass resistance now, we face a future of living hell.
“Laws are no longer made by a rational process of public discussion; they are made by a process of blackmail and intimidation, and they are executed in the same manner”
~ H.L. Mencken (2012). “Mencken Chrestomathy”, p.260, Vintage
Sources: Here, here, and here.
The Best of Gary D. Barnett