lewrockwell--2020-09-07--How To Fly the Friendly Skies With Your Friendly, Maskless Face

The airlines have quickly become a choke point for the face mask orders .
On the ground you have a choice .
If Walgreens turns you away , you can go to CVS .
If CVS turns you away , you can go to the locally owned place .
If Menards turns you away , you can go to Lowe ’ s .
If Lowe ’ s turns you away , you can order online .
If Sprouts turns you away , you can go to a farmers market .
If the farmers market turns you away , you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy what you need out of the back of his truck .
Most of those places don ’ t turn people away , anyway , at least not if you invoke an exemption .
As predicted , the lockdown doesn ’ t end when some blue ribbon panel says it ends .
The lockdown comes to an end as every locked down person individually determines that they will return to living life normally again .
Each day becomes more and more normal .
In The Air , It ’ s A Little Different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 24.97 ( $ 1.33 / Ounce ) In the air , it ’ s a little different .
It ’ s not different because a passenger is captive .
It ’ s different because there is effectively no competition .
When there ’ s virtually no completion in an industry , that often points to one of two scenarios : 1 . )
A product is the best that anyone could come up with and the cheapest and it makes everyone so incredibly happy that no one would ever even dare challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or service .
That does not describe the commercial aviation industry in the United States .
The other option is that : 2 . )
Government thugs and mandates weigh so heavily on an industry that there is little competition in that industry , and barriers to entry are nearly impossible to surmount , so the consumer is left without a business that can provide the consumer exactly what he or she wants .
Unfortunately for consumers , that describes commercial aviation , banking , health care , and many other industries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Like “ Monopoly ” Or “ Free Rider Problem ” But there is one industry that it doesn ’ t even come close to describing : the internet .
People call Google and Facebook monopolies .
Please don ’ t be one of those people .
Monopolies exist when a company makes everyone as happy as possible , or when a government protects a big player from competition .
Neither takes place in tech , at least not yet .
There ’ s lots of competition for Google and Facebook .
Some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consumer correspondingly chooses to use Google and Facebook , which makes those two incredibly powerful , but it ’ s not deserving of being called a monopoly .
When you call things a monopoly , or when you argue that externalities are bad , or when you call “ free riders , ” a “ problem , ” as in the common business school phrase “ the free rider problem , ” you work against freedom .
Don ’ t fall for it .
ORBIT Sweet Mint Sugar ... Buy New $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you make that mistake , you invite a bigger government to step into your world in a more magnified way , and boy will they figure out a way to screw up whatever they touch .
If you want to know why all the airlines are behaving lockstep in line with each other , it ’ s because there ’ s nearly no competition in the airline industry , which is because of government ’ s protective involvement in the industry .
As can be expected , the face mask choke point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-competitive industry .
Government and the corresponding lack of competition is one of the causes of this .
There ’ s a positive aspect here too .
If you ’ ve been following any of my work on this topic ( here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here and here you know that there ’ s always an exemption .
Let ’ s go through that a little .
The Same Four Steps Will Help You Through This Problem That means you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 2 . )
Figure out how you fit into the face mask exemptions .
4 . )
Confirm the details of how you fit .
Obfuscation Of Information Makes These Four Steps Really Hard , But Why ?
At this point , I am more knowledgeable about airline face mask orders than any of the dozens of airline employees I ’ ve ever spoken to about the topic .
Most employees trust Fox , CNN , NPR , or whatever garbage news source they pretend to learn about reality from .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in at the airport will say things like “ There are absolutely no exemptions !
” even though their airlines actually have exemptions .
The lady at the counter will have a very different understanding of the rule than the guy you spoke to on the phone at 5 p.m. on Tuesday , who will , in turn , have a very different understanding of the rule than the guy you spoke to on the phone at 5:17 p.m. on Tuesday .
“ Why is this ?
” you may ask .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it impossible for anyone to walk through an airport without humming “ Rhapsody in Blue.
” The marketing departments of the airlines know how to communicate a message .
If a message is poorly communicated by an airline , it ’ s either because no one in the corporate hierarchy cares enough to communicate it well , or because someone decided that it should be poorly communicated .
Airline employees intimately connected to this topic have informed me that the latter is true .
“ But , why is this ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the answer is because no one has a clue what they are doing , and they are pretty sure that their policies won ’ t stand up to scrutiny .
The insurance company has one view .
The legal team has three views that are in clear dispute with each other .
The C-Suite thinks something else .
And none of them want to make a gutsy decision , just like almost everyone else in this awful cowardly land since on or about the Ides of March 2020 when the United States descended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buffalo Bob ’ s 10 ... Buy New $ 16.90 ( $ 2.25 / Ounce ) The big airlines are very difficult to get a straight answer from .
Luckily , I ’ ve spent enough time traveling during this lockdown to still have gotten through my life without wearing a face mask , despite living in the most locked down city on this planet .
I ’ ve got a two point plan for those who are entirely unable to fly with a face mask on .
1 . )
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use it .
If You Need A Medical Exemption , Just Use Delta & Bring A Doctor ’ s Note Most large airlines in the United States not only tell you that they don ’ t offer medical exemptions , they actually follow through with it .
Luckily , one airline still has a somewhat clear face mask exemption policy .
Delta .
The following is , more-or-less , what you can expect .
If you walk up to the ticket counter and claim a medical exemption , about 1-in-5 employees will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yell at you “ No exemption !
” while trying to hand you a clean face mask with their dirty hands from their big stack of surgical masks and waving it in your face .
If you don ’ t talk to the right one of the five , you just need to keep persisting politely , until someone says to the right person “ This guy wants a face mask exemption .
We don ’ t have face mask exemptions do we ?
” Eventually someone behind the counter will say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What will happen next , is that you will be asked if you have an exemption .
Then you will be put on a telephone to speak to a Delta doctor at the University of Pittsburgh .
The Delta doctor will ask you some questions such as : “ Why do you think you are unable to fly with a face mask ?
” “ Are you currently being treated for this condition ?
” “ What techniques have you used to try to tolerate a face mask ?
” Feel free to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Also , at any time you feel uncomfortable in this process , you are likely to be able to decline to board and get a full refund from Delta on your ticket .
If you have a doctor ’ s note that says something like this , you might get an exemption from the Delta doctor .
“ This man has severe advanced heart disease .
We have exhausted all options for alleviating his difficulty breathing .
He must not be asked to wear a mask at all .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a note that says the following , then that request from your doctor might be honored .
“ This woman has severe advanced lung disease .
We have exhausted all options for alleviating her difficulty breathing .
She must not be asked to wear a mask for more than 5 out of every 20 minutes .
She is also safe to fly.
” What If You Don ’ t Have A Doctor ’ s Note ?
Even if you don ’ t have a doctor ’ s note like this , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask .
If you suffer panic attacks while wearing a mask and you speak about your difficulty breathing to the Delta doctor on the phone , and you don ’ t have a doctors note , and you ’ ve had this problem for years , and it ’ s always been under control , and you don ’ t take medicine for it , and haven ’ t needed to see the doctor for it for many years , and the face masks have been a real problem for you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to board the flight and remove your mask every five minutes out of 30 minutes or every five minutes out of 60 minutes .
You won ’ t be able to go maskless .
You ’ ll need to agree to alternate between the mask on and off .
This doctor isn ’ t so much a doctor as he is Delta ’ s face mask compliance and negotiation specialist .
His job on the phone seems to be to convince you to only take off your face mask every 25 minutes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him that 5 minutes out of every 10 minutes would be better .
Settle for whatever his counter offer is , thank him for his time , and then pass the phone back to the ticket agent .
You ’ re supposed to allot an additional one hour for this process , but it really takes around seven minutes .
That leg of the solution is then handled .
It ’ s very unlikely anyone will time you .
If there is anyone along the way who you will see for less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past them .
If they give you a hard time , which they probably won ’ t , just say ‘ Delta says it ’ s okay , ’ or ‘ I have an accommodation.
’ That will probably be enough .
Now this does not handle the whole problem .
This may only get you through TSAs , into the lounge , through the gate , and onto the plane unmasked .
The next step of the plan is required in order to go fully unmasked the entire time .
Have you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an hour ?
I have .
I ’ ve also watched others do the same .
It ’ s hard to tell what the person is actually chewing when they are chewing gum .
Have you ever chewed beef jerky ?
I have .
That stuff can be a real jaw workout .
I ’ ve also watched others do the same .
It ’ s hard to tell what a person is chewing when they are chewing beef jerky .
Airline face mask orders have exemptions for eating and drinking .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seconds for a three hours flight .
But you can do something that produces the same effect .
You can open a bag of beef jerky on your lap , put a stick of gum in your mouth , and every time you are asked to remask can point to the beef jerky or your moving jaw .
If you want to take it even further you can say “ I ’ m eating.
” The Thing You Can ’ t Say If anyone says to you “ Are you refusing to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was cleared by a Delta doctor , ” or “ I ’ m eating.
” Do not say “ Yes , I refuse to wear a mask.
” If you refuse to wear a mask , you probably won ’ t be able to board your return flight back .
Delta claims to have blacklisted 150 flyers as of late August 2020 for refusing to wear a mask .
I have no idea when the Covid fear campaign and face masks will end , though Misters Biden and Trump seem to both believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-November .
It would be awful if it went on longer and you ended up banned long-term from one of the airlines in this already anti-competitive industry , simply because you misspoke .
Before traveling , do your best to make sure that the telehealth “ Clearance-to-Fly ” system is still in place at Delta .
That ’ s what this process is called .
It won ’ t last forever .
Something else will replace it .
The big airlines , true to their heavily regulated methods of protecting themselves from consumer-pleasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face mask mandate from the federal government , which the government , to date , has refused to grant .
While I have found Delta customer service to the helpful , I have found this page of Delta ’ s and the accompanying phone number to be the most useful customer service contact on this topic : “ Customers worldwide with general questions or concerns regarding services for those traveling with a disability can contact Delta at 404-209-3434.
” They won ’ t be able to answer many details , but they should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accuracy if the face mask exemptions and the Delta “ Clearance-to-Fly ” program are still in effect , since they are more likely to interact with the program than the average customer service representative at the airline .
The same page cites “ 14 CFR Part 382 , ” a federal law entitled “ Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel , ” a topic that some people have chosen to delve deeper into on the topic of face masks exemptions and air travel , as an alternate path .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gum are effective enough .
The Hoops One Must Jump Through To Have Their Legitimate Exemptions Honored The airlines are unfortunately very close to an across-the-board ban on face mask exemptions .
There ’ s not a lot of wiggle room .
Millions of people have a legitimate face mask exemption for legitimate conditions .
Yet the government protected airline industry is nearly lockstep saying to those millions of people “ Stay home !
” If you can ’ t wear a face mask , they want you to stay home .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be entirely unaware of the process , so unaware that you don ’ t even want to take the risk of traveling .
If that doesn ’ t get you , they put out press releases saying that you could be one of those 150 banned passengers if you try to fly without a mask .
If you indefatigably persist after that total obfuscation , they will use a phone call with a Delta-paid doctor , who has no allegiance to you , to use the authority of his white coat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be dangerous for you .
That ’ s just another step toward the idea that we are not individuals , that medical interventions should be determined by plebiscite , that your neighbor should have just as much of a say about your own body as you do .
Fluoride in the water , mosquito abatement , other mass spraying of chemicals , statins in the water , forced vaccines , face masks for all , and so many other topics — these are personal medical decisions that some believe should be levied across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behest of the public health profession .
They are the same band of anti-social and destructive Marxists who plunged us into six months of economic and human misery claiming that they needed to implement corona communism to save 2 million Americans in 2020 , an entirely false and disproven claim .
The further away from the Ides of March , and more sober we get , the more evident it becomes that the people entrusted to handle this , deserved no trust at all .
One day , not long from now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychopaths with their heavy-handed solutions killed ten or twenty million in the name of saving a few thousand .
Whatever other plans they have up their sleeves I am not privy to .
Folks like Bill Gates say such twisted things , that if even 1 % of it were true , the whole public health profession should be deported to a South Pacific atoll and left there to build exactly the society they want , far removed from the rest of us and far removed from any role of authority or public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with legitimate face mask exemptions , I ’ ve written this piece .
When the law ceases to make room for an individual ’ s humanity , the maker of the laws must be reminded that the law was made for man and not man for the law .
And if you don ’ t want to go through the trouble of reminding lawmakers of such a thing , you can just individually nullify the tyrannical orders they give you .
On airplanes , at this moment in time , that means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a few sticks of gum , and fly Delta .
Send me your stories from the face mask compliance checkpoint , and help me put an end to this tyranny .
The Best of Allan Stevo

The airlines have quickly become a choke point for the face mask orders.
On the ground you have a choice. If Walgreens turns you away, you can go to CVS. If CVS turns you away, you can go to the locally owned place. If Menards turns you away, you can go to Lowe’s. If Lowe’s turns you away, you can order online. If Sprouts turns you away, you can go to a farmers market. If the farmers market turns you away, you can go meet the farmer around back and buy what you need out of the back of his truck. Most of those places don’t turn people away, anyway, at least not if you invoke an exemption.
As predicted, the lockdown doesn’t end when some blue ribbon panel says it ends. The lockdown comes to an end as every locked down person individually determines that they will return to living life normally again. Each day becomes more and more normal.
In The Air, It’s A Little Different
Jack Linku2019s Beef J... Buy New $24.97 ($1.33 / Ounce) (as of 02:45 UTC - Details) In the air, it’s a little different. It’s not different because a passenger is captive. It’s different because there is effectively no competition.
When there’s virtually no completion in an industry, that often points to one of two scenarios:
1.) A product is the best that anyone could come up with and the cheapest and it makes everyone so incredibly happy that no one would ever even dare challenge the single provider of that amazing good or service. That does not describe the commercial aviation industry in the United States. The other option is that:
2.) Government thugs and mandates weigh so heavily on an industry that there is little competition in that industry, and barriers to entry are nearly impossible to surmount, so the consumer is left without a business that can provide the consumer exactly what he or she wants. Unfortunately for consumers, that describes commercial aviation, banking, health care, and many other industries.
Don’t Get Caught Saying Tropes Like “Monopoly” Or “Free Rider Problem”
But there is one industry that it doesn’t even come close to describing: the internet. People call Google and Facebook monopolies. Please don’t be one of those people. Monopolies exist when a company makes everyone as happy as possible, or when a government protects a big player from competition. Neither takes place in tech, at least not yet.
There’s lots of competition for Google and Facebook. Some of the competition is pretty awful, and the consumer correspondingly chooses to use Google and Facebook, which makes those two incredibly powerful, but it’s not deserving of being called a monopoly.
When you call things a monopoly, or when you argue that externalities are bad, or when you call “free riders,” a “problem,” as in the common business school phrase “the free rider problem,” you work against freedom. Don’t fall for it. ORBIT Sweet Mint Sugar... Buy New $17.48 ($0.06 / Count) (as of 02:45 UTC - Details)
When you make that mistake, you invite a bigger government to step into your world in a more magnified way, and boy will they figure out a way to screw up whatever they touch.
If you want to know why all the airlines are behaving lockstep in line with each other, it’s because there’s nearly no competition in the airline industry, which is because of government’s protective involvement in the industry.
Tyrannical Government Behaves Tyrannically
As can be expected, the face mask choke point is taking place in this heavily regulated anti-competitive industry.
Government and the corresponding lack of competition is one of the causes of this.
There’s a positive aspect here too. If you’ve been following any of my work on this topic ( here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here you know that there’s always an exemption. Let’s go through that a little.
The Same Four Steps Will Help You Through This Problem
That means you are doing this or some variation of this:
1.) Check the written face mask exemption policy.
2.) Figure out how you fit into the face mask exemptions.
3.) Requests your exemption. Trident Sugar Free Che... Buy New $24.99 ($24.99 / Count) (as of 02:45 UTC - Details)
4.) Confirm the details of how you fit.
Obfuscation Of Information Makes These Four Steps Really Hard, But Why?
At this point, I am more knowledgeable about airline face mask orders than any of the dozens of airline employees I’ve ever spoken to about the topic. Most employees trust Fox, CNN, NPR, or whatever garbage news source they pretend to learn about reality from.
That means, even those tasked with checking people in at the airport will say things like “There are absolutely no exemptions!” even though their airlines actually have exemptions.
The lady at the counter will have a very different understanding of the rule than the guy you spoke to on the phone at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, who will, in turn, have a very different understanding of the rule than the guy you spoke to on the phone at 5:17 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Why is this?” you may ask.
For some two decades, United has made it impossible for anyone to walk through an airport without humming “Rhapsody in Blue.” The marketing departments of the airlines know how to communicate a message. If a message is poorly communicated by an airline, it’s either because no one in the corporate hierarchy cares enough to communicate it well, or because someone decided that it should be poorly communicated.
Airline employees intimately connected to this topic have informed me that the latter is true.
“But, why is this?” Well, for goodness’ sake, the answer is because no one has a clue what they are doing, and they are pretty sure that their policies won’t stand up to scrutiny.
The insurance company has one view. The legal team has three views that are in clear dispute with each other. The C-Suite thinks something else. And none of them want to make a gutsy decision, just like almost everyone else in this awful cowardly land since on or about the Ides of March 2020 when the United States descended into a state of corona communism. Buffalo Bob’s 10... Buy New $16.90 ($2.25 / Ounce) (as of 02:45 UTC - Details)
The big airlines are very difficult to get a straight answer from. Luckily, I’ve spent enough time traveling during this lockdown to still have gotten through my life without wearing a face mask, despite living in the most locked down city on this planet.
I’ve got a two point plan for those who are entirely unable to fly with a face mask on.
1.) If you’ve got a medical exemption, use it.
2.) Beef jerky and chewing gum.
If You Need A Medical Exemption, Just Use Delta & Bring A Doctor’s Note
Most large airlines in the United States not only tell you that they don’t offer medical exemptions, they actually follow through with it.
Luckily, one airline still has a somewhat clear face mask exemption policy. Delta. The following is, more-or-less, what you can expect.
If you walk up to the ticket counter and claim a medical exemption, about 1-in-5 employees will be trained well enough on the topic to not yell at you “No exemption!” while trying to hand you a clean face mask with their dirty hands from their big stack of surgical masks and waving it in your face.
If you don’t talk to the right one of the five, you just need to keep persisting politely, until someone says to the right person “This guy wants a face mask exemption. We don’t have face mask exemptions do we?” Eventually someone behind the counter will say “I’ll handle it.”
What will happen next, is that you will be asked if you have an exemption. Then you will be put on a telephone to speak to a Delta doctor at the University of Pittsburgh. The Delta doctor will ask you some questions such as:
“What is your age?”
“Why do you think you are unable to fly with a face mask?”
“Do you have a doctors note?”
“Are you currently being treated for this condition?”
“What medicines are you taking?”
“What techniques have you used to try to tolerate a face mask?”
Feel free to answer or decline to answer any of them. Also, at any time you feel uncomfortable in this process, you are likely to be able to decline to board and get a full refund from Delta on your ticket.
If you have a doctor’s note that says something like this, you might get an exemption from the Delta doctor. “This man has severe advanced heart disease. We have exhausted all options for alleviating his difficulty breathing. He must not be asked to wear a mask at all. He is safe to fly.”
Or if you have a note that says the following, then that request from your doctor might be honored. “This woman has severe advanced lung disease. We have exhausted all options for alleviating her difficulty breathing. She must not be asked to wear a mask for more than 5 out of every 20 minutes. She is also safe to fly.”
What If You Don’t Have A Doctor’s Note?
Even if you don’t have a doctor’s note like this, you might still be able to fly without a mask.
If you suffer panic attacks while wearing a mask and you speak about your difficulty breathing to the Delta doctor on the phone, and you don’t have a doctors note, and you’ve had this problem for years, and it’s always been under control, and you don’t take medicine for it, and haven’t needed to see the doctor for it for many years, and the face masks have been a real problem for you, then you might be offered an opportunity to board the flight and remove your mask every five minutes out of 30 minutes or every five minutes out of 60 minutes.
You won’t be able to go maskless. You’ll need to agree to alternate between the mask on and off.
This doctor isn’t so much a doctor as he is Delta’s face mask compliance and negotiation specialist. His job on the phone seems to be to convince you to only take off your face mask every 25 minutes. He’s a gatekeeper. Tell him that 5 minutes out of every 10 minutes would be better. Settle for whatever his counter offer is, thank him for his time, and then pass the phone back to the ticket agent.
You’re supposed to allot an additional one hour for this process, but it really takes around seven minutes.
That leg of the solution is then handled.
It’s very unlikely anyone will time you.
If there is anyone along the way who you will see for less than five minutes, this will get you past them. If they give you a hard time, which they probably won’t, just say ‘Delta says it’s okay,’ or ‘I have an accommodation.’ That will probably be enough.
Now this does not handle the whole problem. This may only get you through TSAs, into the lounge, through the gate, and onto the plane unmasked.
The next step of the plan is required in order to go fully unmasked the entire time.
Beef Jerky And Chewing Gum
Have you ever chewed a piece of gum for an hour? I have. I’ve also watched others do the same. It’s hard to tell what the person is actually chewing when they are chewing gum.
Have you ever chewed beef jerky? I have. That stuff can be a real jaw workout. I’ve also watched others do the same. It’s hard to tell what a person is chewing when they are chewing beef jerky.
Airline face mask orders have exemptions for eating and drinking. You can’t drink water every ten seconds for a three hours flight. But you can do something that produces the same effect.
You can open a bag of beef jerky on your lap, put a stick of gum in your mouth, and every time you are asked to remask can point to the beef jerky or your moving jaw. If you want to take it even further you can say “I’m eating.”
The Thing You Can’t Say
If anyone says to you “Are you refusing to wear a mask?” say “I was cleared by a Delta doctor,” or “I’m eating.”
Do not say “Yes, I refuse to wear a mask.” If you refuse to wear a mask, you probably won’t be able to board your return flight back. Delta claims to have blacklisted 150 flyers as of late August 2020 for refusing to wear a mask.
I have no idea when the Covid fear campaign and face masks will end, though Misters Biden and Trump seem to both believe that face masks will be done by mid-November. It would be awful if it went on longer and you ended up banned long-term from one of the airlines in this already anti-competitive industry, simply because you misspoke.
Call First
Before traveling, do your best to make sure that the telehealth “Clearance-to-Fly” system is still in place at Delta. That’s what this process is called. It won’t last forever. Something else will replace it.
The big airlines, true to their heavily regulated methods of protecting themselves from consumer-pleasing competition, have been clamoring for a face mask mandate from the federal government, which the government, to date, has refused to grant.
Delta’s Best Phone Number For Face Masks
While I have found Delta customer service to the helpful, I have found this page of Delta’s and the accompanying phone number to be the most useful customer service contact on this topic:
“Customers worldwide with general questions or concerns regarding services for those traveling with a disability can contact Delta at 404-209-3434.”
They won’t be able to answer many details, but they should be able to tell you with some accuracy if the face mask exemptions and the Delta “Clearance-to-Fly” program are still in effect, since they are more likely to interact with the program than the average customer service representative at the airline.
The same page cites “14 CFR Part 382,” a federal law entitled “Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel,” a topic that some people have chosen to delve deeper into on the topic of face masks exemptions and air travel, as an alternate path. I have not. Beef jerky and chewing gum are effective enough.
The Hoops One Must Jump Through To Have Their Legitimate Exemptions Honored
The airlines are unfortunately very close to an across-the-board ban on face mask exemptions. There’s not a lot of wiggle room. Millions of people have a legitimate face mask exemption for legitimate conditions. Yet the government protected airline industry is nearly lockstep saying to those millions of people “Stay home!”
That’s awful.
If you can’t wear a face mask, they want you to stay home. If you still persist, they want you to be entirely unaware of the process, so unaware that you don’t even want to take the risk of traveling. If that doesn’t get you, they put out press releases saying that you could be one of those 150 banned passengers if you try to fly without a mask. If you indefatigably persist after that total obfuscation, they will use a phone call with a Delta-paid doctor, who has no allegiance to you, to use the authority of his white coat to bully you into doing something that could be dangerous for you.
That’s just another step toward the idea that we are not individuals, that medical interventions should be determined by plebiscite, that your neighbor should have just as much of a say about your own body as you do.
Fluoride in the water, mosquito abatement, other mass spraying of chemicals, statins in the water, forced vaccines, face masks for all, and so many other topics — these are personal medical decisions that some believe should be levied across entire populations by vote, at the behest of the public health profession. They are the same band of anti-social and destructive Marxists who plunged us into six months of economic and human misery claiming that they needed to implement corona communism to save 2 million Americans in 2020, an entirely false and disproven claim. The further away from the Ides of March, and more sober we get, the more evident it becomes that the people entrusted to handle this, deserved no trust at all.
One day, not long from now, it may be widely understood that these psychopaths with their heavy-handed solutions killed ten or twenty million in the name of saving a few thousand. Whatever other plans they have up their sleeves I am not privy to. Folks like Bill Gates say such twisted things, that if even 1% of it were true, the whole public health profession should be deported to a South Pacific atoll and left there to build exactly the society they want, far removed from the rest of us and far removed from any role of authority or public trust.
Disobeying An Unjust Order Is Individual Nullification
For those millions of Americans, with legitimate face mask exemptions, I’ve written this piece. When the law ceases to make room for an individual’s humanity, the maker of the laws must be reminded that the law was made for man and not man for the law.
And if you don’t want to go through the trouble of reminding lawmakers of such a thing, you can just individually nullify the tyrannical orders they give you.
On airplanes, at this moment in time, that means you bring a bag of beef jerky, a few sticks of gum, and fly Delta.
Send me your stories from the face mask compliance checkpoint, and help me put an end to this tyranny.
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--The Battle of Athens, Tennessee

The Battle of Athens, Tennessee

On August 1 , 1946 , a group of Southern World War Two veterans in Athens , Tennessee , fought and won the only successful armed insurrection in the United States since the War of Independence .
These brave men embodied that irrepressible Southern spirit , that martial valor and moral sublimity that suffused the souls of Dixie and her children for generations upon generations , stretching backwards in time through the annals of Indo-European civilization — that constitution which we fervently hope has not drained from our blood forevermore .
The Battle of Athens stands , then , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Southern , and thus Western , civilization , the fulfillment of an ancestral promise ; so , too , does the Battle of Athens represent a call echoing through the ages to fall on modern ears that must not remain deaf — a call to actualize the destiny that our forefathers spilt so much blood , both their own and their enemies ’ , to leave to us .
Just War Reconsidered : ... Dubik , James M. Best Price : $ 37.00 Buy New $ 25.00 Athens is the seat of McMinn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was the nerve center for Sheriff Paul Cantrell , a major lieutenant of a corrupt Democratic machine which stretched from Tennessee to the District of Columbia .
Though we will eschew labeling Cantrell or his machine politics “ evil , ” as this was simply the way things were done in many American polities , it is worth noting that before and especially during the Second World War , Cantrell presided over corruption and graft on an industrial scale .
As Chris DeRose details , the Sheriff drew salaries of nearly sixty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six years that were worth well over one million dollars in today ’ s purchasing power .
He was also appointed superintendent of the county workhouse for an additional salary of over two thousand dollars ; DeRose notes that “ McMinn County did not have a workhouse , making its superintending easy.
” This at a time when the median Tennessee home was worth less than two thousand dollars and the starting salary for enlisted men was fifty dollars per month .
Despite strict rationing , McMinn machine men never wanted for cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casinos , speakeasies , and whorehouses payed thousands of dollars per month in protection money .
Dozens of county employees were listed on the payrolls for the sole purpose of providing cover for a vast money laundering operation .
There were no “ elections ” in McMinn County through the war years .
The ballot boxes were in Democratic offices , and Cantrell ’ s deputies served as the election officers , some of whom were brutal killers with the blood of innocent civilians on their hands .
Other local thugs and felons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate of fear , including a man who murdered his own father and , five months after the election , murdered his sister-in-law , an expectant mother , and an infant child .
There were about two gunmen for each voter ; DeRose further illuminates the chicanery , noting that some voters were temporarily imprisoned to prevent them from voting , while others had their poll tax receipts and eligibility certificates invalidated , “ in some cases by the very official who had issued them.
” Word was put out among elderly voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless they voted “ the right way.
” When the Republican election judge , a disabled veteran of the First World War , attempted to view the ballot count , he was dragged into the corridor and beaten , leaving him paralyzed .
Another man who attempted to observe the ballot count was pistol-whipped , and one gunman fired at a poll worker who tried to leave the courthouse .
The Fighting Bunch : Th ... DeRose , Chris Buy New $ 28.99 Several Athenians petitioned the Department of Justice for relief , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not take any action against the machine .
A hardware store owner wrote Attorney General Francis Biddle , imploring , “ The good people of this county are sacrificing for the cause of America ’ s freedom but have lost their freedom at home .
Both parties have lost the freedom of the ballot box , a dictatorship has been set up , the county treasury is being raided at the expense of the taxpayers , and the good people of this county would like to sell their property and move away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense .
Please , for God ’ s sake come to the rescue of a helpless people.
” A minister wrote to Biddle of “ a ruthless exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous men who sacrifice public liberties for the sake of private gain .
.
.
nothing has been considered too low if it will enable them to perpetuate themselves in office .
Decent citizens feared to bring their wives to the polls , and often felt it unwise to cast their own ballots…It is not possible for a letter to contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities that have taken place in this county.
” The Department of Justice compiled a report , observing that “ the alleged violations in McMinn County were the worst ever brought to the attention of the Department of Justice.
” Despite overwhelming evidence and continuing petitions , the Feds took no action .
A separate ouster lawsuit against McMinn election commissioners was finally tried by the Assistant Attorney General , largely due to the fact that the U.S. Attorney and the two U.S .
Senators who had recommended him were believed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case was held before a judge who was also rumored to be a part of the organization .
The judge dismissed most of the charges and fined the men one penny for the charges that stuck .
Meanwhile , the machine hummed along .
Cantrell was elected to the Tennessee Senate , and his man Pat Mansfield replaced him as Sheriff .
A common refrain among the townsfolk became , “ Just wait ‘ til the boys come home.
” As the veterans trickled back to Athens , they found a town that @ @ @ @

On August 1, 1946, a group of Southern World War Two veterans in Athens, Tennessee, fought and won the only successful armed insurrection in the United States since the War of Independence. These brave men embodied that irrepressible Southern spirit, that martial valor and moral sublimity that suffused the souls of Dixie and her children for generations upon generations, stretching backwards in time through the annals of Indo-European civilization — that constitution which we fervently hope has not drained from our blood forevermore. The Battle of Athens stands, then, as a monumental event in the history of Southern, and thus Western, civilization, the fulfillment of an ancestral promise; so, too, does the Battle of Athens represent a call echoing through the ages to fall on modern ears that must not remain deaf — a call to actualize the destiny that our forefathers spilt so much blood, both their own and their enemies’, to leave to us.
Just War Reconsidered:... Dubik, James M. Best Price: $37.00 Buy New $25.00 (as of 02:46 UTC - Details) Athens is the seat of McMinn County, which, at the time, was the nerve center for Sheriff Paul Cantrell, a major lieutenant of a corrupt Democratic machine which stretched from Tennessee to the District of Columbia. Though we will eschew labeling Cantrell or his machine politics “evil,” as this was simply the way things were done in many American polities, it is worth noting that before and especially during the Second World War, Cantrell presided over corruption and graft on an industrial scale. As Chris DeRose details, the Sheriff drew salaries of nearly sixty thousand dollars per year over his first six years that were worth well over one million dollars in today’s purchasing power. He was also appointed superintendent of the county workhouse for an additional salary of over two thousand dollars; DeRose notes that “McMinn County did not have a workhouse, making its superintending easy.” This at a time when the median Tennessee home was worth less than two thousand dollars and the starting salary for enlisted men was fifty dollars per month. Despite strict rationing, McMinn machine men never wanted for cars, tires, or fuel. Illegal casinos, speakeasies, and whorehouses payed thousands of dollars per month in protection money. Dozens of county employees were listed on the payrolls for the sole purpose of providing cover for a vast money laundering operation.
There were no “elections” in McMinn County through the war years. The ballot boxes were in Democratic offices, and Cantrell’s deputies served as the election officers, some of whom were brutal killers with the blood of innocent civilians on their hands. Other local thugs and felons were on hand to further inculcate the climate of fear, including a man who murdered his own father and, five months after the election, murdered his sister-in-law, an expectant mother, and an infant child. There were about two gunmen for each voter; DeRose further illuminates the chicanery, noting that some voters were temporarily imprisoned to prevent them from voting, while others had their poll tax receipts and eligibility certificates invalidated, “in some cases by the very official who had issued them.” Word was put out among elderly voters that their pensions would be held up unless they voted “the right way.” When the Republican election judge, a disabled veteran of the First World War, attempted to view the ballot count, he was dragged into the corridor and beaten, leaving him paralyzed. Another man who attempted to observe the ballot count was pistol-whipped, and one gunman fired at a poll worker who tried to leave the courthouse.
The Fighting Bunch: Th... DeRose, Chris Buy New $28.99 (as of 02:46 UTC - Details) Several Athenians petitioned the Department of Justice for relief, knowing that local and State officials would not take any action against the machine. A hardware store owner wrote Attorney General Francis Biddle, imploring, “The good people of this county are sacrificing for the cause of America’s freedom but have lost their freedom at home. Both parties have lost the freedom of the ballot box, a dictatorship has been set up, the county treasury is being raided at the expense of the taxpayers, and the good people of this county would like to sell their property and move away. Your department is our last line of defense. Please, for God’s sake come to the rescue of a helpless people.” A minister wrote to Biddle of “a ruthless exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous men who sacrifice public liberties for the sake of private gain . . . nothing has been considered too low if it will enable them to perpetuate themselves in office. Decent citizens feared to bring their wives to the polls, and often felt it unwise to cast their own ballots…It is not possible for a letter to contain information concerning all the subversive and unscrupulous activities that have taken place in this county.”
The Department of Justice compiled a report, observing that “the alleged violations in McMinn County were the worst ever brought to the attention of the Department of Justice.” Despite overwhelming evidence and continuing petitions, the Feds took no action. A separate ouster lawsuit against McMinn election commissioners was finally tried by the Assistant Attorney General, largely due to the fact that the U.S. Attorney and the two U.S. Senators who had recommended him were believed to be associated with the machine, but this case was held before a judge who was also rumored to be a part of the organization. The judge dismissed most of the charges and fined the men one penny for the charges that stuck. Meanwhile, the machine hummed along. Cantrell was elected to the Tennessee Senate, and his man Pat Mansfield replaced him as Sheriff. A common refrain among the townsfolk became, “Just wait ‘til the boys come home.” As the veterans trickled back to Athens, they found a town that they longer recognized.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--An Actual Plague Wouldn’t Have Required a Government Response

“ I wanted to stay put in Colombia to build a better future for my daughter , but we have to go back.
” Those are the words of Nelson Torrelles to Wall Street Journal reporter John Otis .
As Otis reported in the August 31 edition of the Journal , the “ haggard and hungry ” Torrelles along with his wife and 5-year old daughter are walking back to Venezuela on a Colombian highway .
They ’ d initially moved to Colombia to escape Venezuela ’ s [ sanctioned ] socialist hellhole , only for Torrelles to get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant in Bogota .
But when Colombia joined much of the rest of the alarmed world in shutting down its economy in March in response to the coronavirus , Torrelles lost his job and soon enough the family apartment that he couldn ’ t make rent on .
Hard as it may be to imagine for those of us lucky enough to live in the United States , the hungry Torrelles and his family are moving back to Venezuela .
Please stop and think about this for a minute .
Please stop and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It surely extends well beyond hunger .
Imagine not being able to adequately provide for your family , including a daughter too young to understand that your failures are largely beyond your control .
Words don ’ t begin to describe what Torrelles must be going through , nor can someone lucky enough to be in the United States understand just how awful things must be for Torrelles and his family .
Star Spangled Scandal : ... DeRose , Chris Best Price : $ 8.50 Buy New $ 13.90 About the coronavirus shutdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it always has : Practicality is behind this simple assertion .
For one , economic growth has long been the biggest enemy of virus and disease precisely because economic growth produces the surplus resources that can be mobilized in pursuit of cures for what ails us .
If something threatens us with sickness or even death , no reasonable person would respond with forced economic contraction .
Second , the greater the presumed lethality of any virus , the more that any laws or rules meant to limit its spread are superfluous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibility of sickness or even death requires a law ?
People don ’ t need to be told to not hurt or kill themselves .
No reasonable person would seek to expand government power over human action during the spread of a virus precisely because wise people would govern themselves .
To which some who absolutely revel in being told what to do will respond that not everyone is rational when it comes to protecting themselves .
So true .
All of which speaks to the third reason any kind of governmental response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is because accepted wisdom rarely ages well .
Think back to AIDS in the 1980s , and the popular view that it could be spread by people merely existing in the same room .

“I wanted to stay put in Colombia to build a better future for my daughter, but we have to go back.” Those are the words of Nelson Torrelles to Wall Street Journal reporter John Otis. As Otis reported in the August 31 edition of the Journal, the “haggard and hungry” Torrelles along with his wife and 5-year old daughter are walking back to Venezuela on a Colombian highway.
They’d initially moved to Colombia to escape Venezuela’s [sanctioned] socialist hellhole, only for Torrelles to get a job as a waiter at a barbecue restaurant in Bogota. But when Colombia joined much of the rest of the alarmed world in shutting down its economy in March in response to the coronavirus, Torrelles lost his job and soon enough the family apartment that he couldn’t make rent on. Hard as it may be to imagine for those of us lucky enough to live in the United States, the hungry Torrelles and his family are moving back to Venezuela.
Please stop and think about this for a minute. Please stop and imagine the pain Torrelles is in. It surely extends well beyond hunger. Imagine not being able to adequately provide for your family, including a daughter too young to understand that your failures are largely beyond your control. Words don’t begin to describe what Torrelles must be going through, nor can someone lucky enough to be in the United States understand just how awful things must be for Torrelles and his family. Star Spangled Scandal:... DeRose, Chris Best Price: $8.50 Buy New $13.90 (as of 02:46 UTC - Details)
About the coronavirus shutdowns, this column will stress yet again what it always has:
the greater the presumed lethality of any virus, the less of any kind of need for shutdowns or government intervention.
Practicality is behind this simple assertion.
For one, economic growth has long been the biggest enemy of virus and disease precisely because economic growth produces the surplus resources that can be mobilized in pursuit of cures for what ails us. If something threatens us with sickness or even death, no reasonable person would respond with forced economic contraction.
Second, the greater the presumed lethality of any virus, the more that any laws or rules meant to limit its spread are superfluous. Really, what about the high possibility of sickness or even death requires a law? People don’t need to be told to not hurt or kill themselves. No reasonable person would seek to expand government power over human action during the spread of a virus precisely because wise people would govern themselves.
To which some who absolutely revel in being told what to do will respond that not everyone is rational when it comes to protecting themselves. So true.
All of which speaks to the third reason any kind of governmental response to a virus is impractical.
It is because accepted wisdom rarely ages well.
Think back to AIDS in the 1980s, and the popular view that it could be spread by people merely existing in the same room.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--Trump’s DHS To Label White Supremacists as the ‘Most Persistent and Lethal Threat’ to the US

President Trump needs to get on this immediately .
If this report in The Hill is correct , the head of the US Department of Homeland Security , Chad Wolf , is either anti-white , a moron , perhaps both , or simply unaware of what the DHS anti-white bureaucrats are up to .
While Antifa and Black Lives Matter burn and loot American cities , destroy property , attack and murder people in restaurants and on street corners , and declare their revolutionary intent , Trump ’ s Department of Homeland Security , reportedly , is declaring a hypothetical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence to be a “ lethal threat to the US.
” The mythical group is labeled “ white supremacy , ” and thus easily declared a “ lethal threat ” as the declaration of white threat is consistent with critical race theory used to brainwash students in American schools and universities and in mandatory sensitivity indoctrination for whites in state , local , and federal government and in corporations .
Keep in mind that The Hill is anti-Trump and Chad Wolf might not be aware of the draft reports of a “ white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his agency is preparing .
U.S. Department of Hom ... Buy New $ 3.89 The question immediately arises : What good is Homeland Security when it focuses on mythical instead of real threats ?
Why should Americans , hard-pressed as they are , pay for worthless “ homeland security ?
” Is the Homeland Security bureaucracy ’ s real worry that white Americans might organize to protect themselves against Antifa and Black Lives Matter ?
Is the threat perceived by Homeland Security that white Americans will not permit themselves to be dispossessed ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ use federal force to prevent white people from protecting their lives , families , and property ?
That is what it sounds like .
Where does Trump get the people he appoints to office ?
Here is Trump trying to demonstrate the difference between himself and anti-white Kamala Harris when there seems to be no difference between Homeland Security under Chad Wolf and Kamala .
Trump ’ s own administration is so anti-white that Trump has had to issue an executive order to stop the use of anti-white indoctrination sessions in the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Kamalas , what changes if she is elected ?
Trump ’ s own Department of Homeland Security is doing exactly what what the anti-white racist Kamala would do .
# DELETED : Big Tech & rsq ... Bokhari , Allum Buy New $ 28.00 White supremacists are like Saddam Hussein ’ s weapons of mass destruction .
They are like Iranian nuclear weapons .
They are like Assad ’ s use of chemical weapons .
They are like Russian invasion of Ukraine .
They are like Russiagate .
They are like Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an orchestrated fiction .
Think about it dear reader .
Is it white supremacists who have been looting and burning 400 American cities ?
Have you ever seen a white supremacist ?
Where are their organizations , their political representation , their media shills ?
Are CNN and the New York Times propagandists for them ?
You have seen them nowhere .
They don ’ t exist .
But here is Trump ’ s own Department of Homeland Security declaring a fiction to be the greatest lethal threat to the US .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wolf should be immediately fired , or we might as well vote for Kamala .
The Best of Paul Craig Roberts

President Trump needs to get on this immediately. If this report in The Hill is correct, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, is either anti-white, a moron, perhaps both, or simply unaware of what the DHS anti-white bureaucrats are up to. While Antifa and Black Lives Matter burn and loot American cities, destroy property, attack and murder people in restaurants and on street corners, and declare their revolutionary intent, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, reportedly, is declaring a hypothetical group that is not involved in any violence to be a “lethal threat to the US.” The mythical group is labeled “white supremacy,” and thus easily declared a “lethal threat” as the declaration of white threat is consistent with critical race theory used to brainwash students in American schools and universities and in mandatory sensitivity indoctrination for whites in state, local, and federal government and in corporations.
Keep in mind that The Hill is anti-Trump and Chad Wolf might not be aware of the draft reports of a “white supremacy threat to the US” that his agency is preparing.
U.S. Department of Hom... Buy New $3.89 (as of 02:47 UTC - Details) The question immediately arises: What good is Homeland Security when it focuses on mythical instead of real threats? Why should Americans, hard-pressed as they are, pay for worthless “homeland security?”
Is the Homeland Security bureaucracy’s real worry that white Americans might organize to protect themselves against Antifa and Black Lives Matter? Is the threat perceived by Homeland Security that white Americans will not permit themselves to be dispossessed? Is Homeland Security setting the stage to use federal force to prevent white people from protecting their lives, families, and property? That is what it sounds like.
Where does Trump get the people he appoints to office? Here is Trump trying to demonstrate the difference between himself and anti-white Kamala Harris when there seems to be no difference between Homeland Security under Chad Wolf and Kamala. Trump’s own administration is so anti-white that Trump has had to issue an executive order to stop the use of anti-white indoctrination sessions in the Trump administration. As Trump is staffed up with Kamalas, what changes if she is elected? Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security is doing exactly what what the anti-white racist Kamala would do. #DELETED: Big Tech&rsq... Bokhari, Allum Buy New $28.00 (as of 04:48 UTC - Details)
White supremacists are like Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. They are like Iranian nuclear weapons. They are like Assad’s use of chemical weapons. They are like Russian invasion of Ukraine. They are like Russiagate. They are like Trump badmouthing American war dead. They are an orchestrated fiction.
Think about it dear reader. Is it white supremacists who have been looting and burning 400 American cities? Have you ever seen a white supremacist? Where are their organizations, their political representation, their media shills? Are CNN and the New York Times propagandists for them? You have seen them nowhere. They don’t exist.
But here is Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security declaring a fiction to be the greatest lethal threat to the US.
If The Hill report is true, Chad Wolf should be immediately fired, or we might as well vote for Kamala.
The Best of Paul Craig Roberts


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--A Strategy To Restore Liberal Education

A Strategy To Restore Liberal Education

This was originally published on Townhall .
The term “ liberal education ” is very commonly thrown around in American political discourse pertaining to higher education .
But what does it really mean ?
The University of Mississippi notes that a liberal education is “ about nurturing human freedom by helping people discover and develop their talents.
” The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics defines liberalism as “ the belief that it is the aim of politics to preserve individual rights and to maximize freedom of choice.
” A host of different political factions have adopted the label “ liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differing views on economics and society .
But liberalism – broadly conceived – always signified the welcoming of debate and an open society .
It encouraged seeing all sides of the issue .
In Defense of a Libera ... Zakaria , Fareed Best Price : $ 3.25 Buy New $ 7.99 In higher education institutions , liberalism meant that students would be taught how to think , not what to think .
What has emerged in recent years is hardly a liberal education .
It is pure indoctrination .
What can those seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Rage and frustration alone do not suffice in the effort to restore the liberal education .
This indignation must be translated into tangible pressure put on the American higher education bureaucracy .
There are at least three ways in which pressure can surmount the higher education thought police : 1 .
Drying up money resources : The old cliché “ money talks ” never seems to fall short .
The higher education bureaucracy consists of many people who couldn ’ t be categorized as leftists .
Generally , these are centrist Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst .
Some decision makers may be on the far left , but these people generally don ’ t represent the majority .
On the other hand , far leftists are very vocal and can – to some extent – push around moderate and fair-minded administrators .
At the end of the day , higher education administrators are required to raise funds for their university or college .
Sometimes , this goes against the demands of leftist students and professors .
But other times , raising money may well fall in line with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s easy to see how a mandatory anti-racism course can funnel in more money to a university .
Many wealthy conservatives also become big donors to universities .
They are often blind to seeing that their contributions fund the efforts of leftist professors .
You Can Do Anything : T ... Anders , George Best Price : $ 6.49 Buy New $ 11.27 Thankfully , some efforts have been made to reach out to such people .
DivestU , a project of Turning Point USA ( of which I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focuses on drying up the donor money stream to universities .
Imagine if millions of dollars of donations all of a sudden disappeared .
Administrators would have to change something .
Donors alone would not suffice .
Fans who attend football games must be willing to forgo buying tickets .
They must be willing to see that the same people who sell them overpriced tickets also imply the broader community – which includes fans – is “ racist.
” Paradoxically , fans may even lose their mascots and the names of their favorite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money .
2 .
Embarrass higher education administrators : Too often , Americans get absorbed in abstract notions that the roles of policymakers and administrators encompass “ uniting ” the interests of everyone .
More often than not , this means compromising something , or favoring one group over another .
It is unwise to heckle policymakers , so the argument goes .
But this is precisely the way to take back the university .
When administrators clearly bend the knee to small , vocal mobs of leftists , they need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another .
Frustrated students should write to their local papers , try to appear on media outlets , and file complaints to their universities .
Negative attention is a very tangible form of pressure on administrators .
One poll cites that Republican college students are three times more likely to self-censor than Democratic students .
To bring back the liberal education , this epidemic of indifference must be reversed .
3 .
Troll the heck out of administrators : If all else fails , and students are forced to participate in mandatory “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be suited by trolling administrators – giving them a taste of their own medicine , so to speak .
Beyond the University : ... Roth , Michael S. Best Price : $ 1.28 Buy New $ 12.69 For example , if students are told by staff that they are “ inherently oppressive ” and have “ implicit biases ” against LGBTQIA+ people , they may want to respond with something along these lines : “ Why aren ’ t you voicing your concern for the rights of aromantic people ?
Why is this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are you perpetuating hate and exclusivity ?
” All in all , it doesn ’ t matter if a student uses this line , or a different one .
The point is to completely delegitimize the efforts of leftists trying to indoctrinate students by arguing within their framework .
Say things that are just as ridiculous as what they say .
There is a lesson to be learned from all of this : All it takes to sway and push around a diffident majority is a small , vocal , and vigilant mob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was taken over .
Luckily , independent institutions have slowly been proliferating around the country , holding true to the promise of a liberal education .
The Mises Institute – a free market economics educational organization in Auburn , Alabama – for example , recently launched a new graduate program , led by carefully selected professors from around the country .
This new decentralized approach to learning may pave the future of a free society .
If the liberal education can ’ t be restored in universities , it will be restored elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of powerful ideas .
The Best of Atilla Mert Sulker

This was originally published on Townhall.
The term “liberal education” is very commonly thrown around in American political discourse pertaining to higher education. But what does it really mean?
The University of Mississippi notes that a liberal education is “about nurturing human freedom by helping people discover and develop their talents.”
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics defines liberalism as “the belief that it is the aim of politics to preserve individual rights and to maximize freedom of choice.”
A host of different political factions have adopted the label “liberal” over the years – each with differing views on economics and society. But liberalism – broadly conceived – always signified the welcoming of debate and an open society. It encouraged seeing all sides of the issue. In Defense of a Libera... Zakaria, Fareed Best Price: $3.25 Buy New $7.99 (as of 02:48 UTC - Details)
In higher education institutions, liberalism meant that students would be taught how to think, not what to think. What has emerged in recent years is hardly a liberal education. It is pure indoctrination.
What can those seeking to advance a genuine liberal education do?
Rage and frustration alone do not suffice in the effort to restore the liberal education. This indignation must be translated into tangible pressure put on the American higher education bureaucracy.
There are at least three ways in which pressure can surmount the higher education thought police:
1. Drying up money resources: The old cliché “money talks” never seems to fall short. The higher education bureaucracy consists of many people who couldn’t be categorized as leftists. Generally, these are centrist Republicans at best, and moderate Democrats at worst. Some decision makers may be on the far left, but these people generally don’t represent the majority.
On the other hand, far leftists are very vocal and can – to some extent – push around moderate and fair-minded administrators. At the end of the day, higher education administrators are required to raise funds for their university or college. Sometimes, this goes against the demands of leftist students and professors. But other times, raising money may well fall in line with certain “what to think” agendas. It’s easy to see how a mandatory anti-racism course can funnel in more money to a university.
Many wealthy conservatives also become big donors to universities. They are often blind to seeing that their contributions fund the efforts of leftist professors. You Can Do Anything: T... Anders, George Best Price: $6.49 Buy New $11.27 (as of 02:48 UTC - Details)
Thankfully, some efforts have been made to reach out to such people. DivestU, a project of Turning Point USA (of which I’m no fan of!), focuses on drying up the donor money stream to universities. Imagine if millions of dollars of donations all of a sudden disappeared. Administrators would have to change something.
Donors alone would not suffice. Fans who attend football games must be willing to forgo buying tickets. They must be willing to see that the same people who sell them overpriced tickets also imply the broader community – which includes fans – is “racist.”
Paradoxically, fans may even lose their mascots and the names of their favorite football stadiums if they keep giving universities money.
2. Embarrass higher education administrators: Too often, Americans get absorbed in abstract notions that the roles of policymakers and administrators encompass “uniting” the interests of everyone. More often than not, this means compromising something, or favoring one group over another. It is unwise to heckle policymakers, so the argument goes.
But this is precisely the way to take back the university. When administrators clearly bend the knee to small, vocal mobs of leftists, they need to be called out – in one form or another. Frustrated students should write to their local papers, try to appear on media outlets, and file complaints to their universities. Negative attention is a very tangible form of pressure on administrators.
One poll cites that Republican college students are three times more likely to self-censor than Democratic students. To bring back the liberal education, this epidemic of indifference must be reversed.
3. Troll the heck out of administrators: If all else fails, and students are forced to participate in mandatory “diversity” trainings, they may best be suited by trolling administrators – giving them a taste of their own medicine, so to speak. Beyond the University:... Roth, Michael S. Best Price: $1.28 Buy New $12.69 (as of 02:48 UTC - Details)
For example, if students are told by staff that they are “inherently oppressive” and have “implicit biases” against LGBTQIA+ people, they may want to respond with something along these lines: “Why aren’t you voicing your concern for the rights of aromantic people? Why is this minority never represented? Therefore, why are you perpetuating hate and exclusivity?”
All in all, it doesn’t matter if a student uses this line, or a different one. The point is to completely delegitimize the efforts of leftists trying to indoctrinate students by arguing within their framework. Say things that are just as ridiculous as what they say.
The Future of Higher Education
There is a lesson to be learned from all of this: All it takes to sway and push around a diffident majority is a small, vocal, and vigilant mob. And this is how the academy was taken over.
Luckily, independent institutions have slowly been proliferating around the country, holding true to the promise of a liberal education. The Mises Institute – a free market economics educational organization in Auburn, Alabama – for example, recently launched a new graduate program, led by carefully selected professors from around the country.
This new decentralized approach to learning may pave the future of a free society. If the liberal education can’t be restored in universities, it will be restored elsewhere. No consolidation of power can stop the spread of powerful ideas.
The Best of Atilla Mert Sulker


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--Steroids Can Be Lifesaving for Severe Covid-19 Patients

W.H.O .
issues strong recommendation for critically ill patients .
Dexamethasone appears to reduce deaths by 36 % ; hydrocortisone @ @ @ @ @ “ Based on the new evidence , the World Health Organization issued new treatment guidance @ @ @ @ @ treat severely and critically ill patients , but not to those with mild disease , @ @ @ @ @ The New York Times .
DEXAMETHASONE Medical ... Buy New $ 8.95 Elegant Defense , @ @ @ @ @ , Matt Best Price : $ 15.29 Buy New $ 12.54 Basic Care Hydrocortis ... @ @ @ @ @ $ 3.23 / Ounce ) The Beautiful Cure : Th ... Davis , Daniel M. @ @ @ @

W.H.O. issues strong recommendation for critically ill patients. Dexamethasone appears to reduce deaths by 36%; hydrocortisone by 31%.
___________
“Based on the new evidence, the World Health Organization issued new treatment guidance, strongly recommending steroids to treat severely and critically ill patients, but not to those with mild disease,” writes Caryn Rabin in The New York Times.
Read the Whole Article
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lewrockwell--2020-09-07--Get Out of Syria

Get Out of Syria

Why are there still thousands of American troops in Syria ?
The government offers up an official counter-terrorism justification for maintaining an illegal military presence in the country , and the president will sometimes talk about “ keeping the oil ” there , but the real answer is that no one with any authority or influence in Washington wants to bring them home .
The usual mix of inertia , cowardice , and ideology that defines so many of our foreign policy debates also creates perverse incentives for politicians in both parties to defend an illegal , unauthorized mission that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. troops are in harm ’ s way in Syria , and they are occasionally engaged in hostilities with pro-regime forces .
Four American soldiers were injured in a collision last Wednesday between their armored vehicle and a Russian one .
That was just the latest in a string of clashes between U.S. forces and Syrian and Russian government forces that has been going on for months .
Last month , a group of American troops came under fire from Syrian government forces .
The Syrians claim that a U.S. helicopter had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of their soldiers .
There was a bigger clash in February of this year that also resulted in at least one Syrian fatality .
These have all been minor incidents , but they show how potentially dangerous it is to keep these troops there .
No War With Syria Shir ... Buy New $ 14.99 The longer those troops remain in a country where they aren ’ t wanted , the more likely it is that some of them will end up getting seriously injured or killed .
That would be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trigger a larger conflict that could claim many more .
Even if the U.S. avoids the worst-case scenario of a new war , there is still no good reason for American troops to be in Syria .
All of them need to be pulled out as soon as possible .
The mission is small enough that it usually goes unnoticed by the public , and almost everyone in the government is happy to let it stay that way .
Congress never authorized it , and U.S. forces are in Syria without the permission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops are illegally operating in a country whose government the U.S. isn ’ t formally at war with and has no discernible connection to protecting the United States or any of our treaty allies .
They have no business being there , and the government ’ s excuses are a weak attempt to hide this embarrassing reality .
Gil Barndollar , a senior fellow at Defense Priorities , made this point shortly after the most recent incident : “ Playing bumper cars with Russians in the Levant serves no vital U.S. national interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil is a valid reason to maintain this mission.
” The Morning They Came ... di Giovanni , Janine Best Price : $ 2.74 Buy New $ 8.19 The mission in Syria is exposing U.S. forces to unnecessary risk for no legitimate purpose , but as far as most of the foreign policy establishment and our elected officials are concerned , it is just one more unquestionable commitment that can not be ended .
It is therefore a perfect example of U.S. foreign policy dysfunction : an open-ended , militarized mission with no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ default .
Despite announcing that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria on two different occasions , the president has never followed through .
Some troops have been moved to other parts of Syria , and some have been shifted to other parts of the region , but full withdrawal has never happened .
Trump boasts that “ our troops are coming home , ” as he did in his convention speech last week , but they never do .
The Iran hawks in his administration and his party have fought to keep a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Syrian government , and Trump evidently agrees with them .
Meanwhile , most members of Congress show interest in the mission in Syria only when there is a possibility that the U.S. might actually withdraw , and do whatever they can to delay or block that outcome .

Why are there still thousands of American troops in Syria? The government offers up an official counter-terrorism justification for maintaining an illegal military presence in the country, and the president will sometimes talk about “keeping the oil” there, but the real answer is that no one with any authority or influence in Washington wants to bring them home. The usual mix of inertia, cowardice, and ideology that defines so many of our foreign policy debates also creates perverse incentives for politicians in both parties to defend an illegal, unauthorized mission that has nothing to do with American security.
U.S. troops are in harm’s way in Syria, and they are occasionally engaged in hostilities with pro-regime forces. Four American soldiers were injured in a collision last Wednesday between their armored vehicle and a Russian one. That was just the latest in a string of clashes between U.S. forces and Syrian and Russian government forces that has been going on for months. Last month, a group of American troops came under fire from Syrian government forces. The Syrians claim that a U.S. helicopter had attacked a Syrian government outpost and killed one of their soldiers. There was a bigger clash in February of this year that also resulted in at least one Syrian fatality. These have all been minor incidents, but they show how potentially dangerous it is to keep these troops there. No War With Syria Shir... Buy New $14.99 (as of 02:49 UTC - Details)
The longer those troops remain in a country where they aren’t wanted, the more likely it is that some of them will end up getting seriously injured or killed. That would be a senseless waste of lives, and could trigger a larger conflict that could claim many more. Even if the U.S. avoids the worst-case scenario of a new war, there is still no good reason for American troops to be in Syria. All of them need to be pulled out as soon as possible.
The mission is small enough that it usually goes unnoticed by the public, and almost everyone in the government is happy to let it stay that way. Congress never authorized it, and U.S. forces are in Syria without the permission of the government in Damascus. American troops are illegally operating in a country whose government the U.S. isn’t formally at war with and has no discernible connection to protecting the United States or any of our treaty allies. They have no business being there, and the government’s excuses are a weak attempt to hide this embarrassing reality. Gil Barndollar, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, made this point shortly after the most recent incident: “Playing bumper cars with Russians in the Levant serves no vital U.S. national interest. Neither counter-terrorism raids nor confiscating Syrian oil is a valid reason to maintain this mission.” The Morning They Came ... di Giovanni, Janine Best Price: $2.74 Buy New $8.19 (as of 02:49 UTC - Details)
The mission in Syria is exposing U.S. forces to unnecessary risk for no legitimate purpose, but as far as most of the foreign policy establishment and our elected officials are concerned, it is just one more unquestionable commitment that cannot be ended. It is therefore a perfect example of U.S. foreign policy dysfunction: an open-ended, militarized mission with no well-defined goal that almost everyone supports by default.
Despite announcing that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria on two different occasions, the president has never followed through. Some troops have been moved to other parts of Syria, and some have been shifted to other parts of the region, but full withdrawal has never happened. Trump boasts that “our troops are coming home,” as he did in his convention speech last week, but they never do. The Iran hawks in his administration and his party have fought to keep a military presence in Syria to deny territory to the Syrian government, and Trump evidently agrees with them. Meanwhile, most members of Congress show interest in the mission in Syria only when there is a possibility that the U.S. might actually withdraw, and do whatever they can to delay or block that outcome.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-07--India Implodes Its Own New Silk Road

India Implodes Its Own New Silk Road

There was a time when New Delhi was proudly selling the notion of establishing its own New Silk Road – from the Gulf of Oman to the intersection of Central and South Asia – to compete with China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) .
Now it looks like the Indians have stabbed themselves in the back .
In 2016 , Tehran and New Delhi signed a deal to build a 628-km rail line from strategic Chabahar port to Zahedan , very close to the Afghan border , with a crucial extension to Zaranj , in Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian Railways and Indian Railway Constructions Ltd .
But in the end nothing happened – because of Indian foot-dragging .
So Tehran has decided to build the railway anyway , with its own funds – $ 400 million – and completion scheduled for March 2022 .
The Future Is Asian Khanna , Parag Best Price : $ 3.50 Buy New $ 8.72 The railway was supposed to be the key transportation corridor linked to substantial Indian investments in Chabahar , its port of entry from the Gulf of Oman for an alternative New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Upgrading rail/road infrastructure from Afghanistan to its neighbors Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would be the next step .
The whole operation was inscribed in a trilateral India-Iran-Afghanistan deal – signed in 2016 in Tehran by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani .
The unofficial New Delhi excuse revolves around fears that the project would be slammed with US sanctions .
New Delhi actually did get a Trump administration sanctions waiver for Chabahar and the rail line to Zahedan .
The problem was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of them terrified of being sanctioned .
In fact , the whole saga has more to do with Modi ’ s wishful thinking of expecting to get preferential treatment under the Trump administration ’ s Indo-Pacific strategy , which relies on a de facto Quad ( US , India , Australia , Japan ) containment of China .
That was the rationale behind New Delhi deciding to cut off all its oil imports from Iran .
So far all practical purposes , India threw Iran under the bus .
No wonder Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially now with the $ 400 billion , 25-year “ Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Iran and China ” , a deal that seals a strategic partnership between China and Iran .
In this case , China may end up exercising control over two strategic “ pearls ” in the Arabian Sea/Gulf of Oman only 80 km away from each other : Gwadar , in Pakistan , a key node of the $ 61 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor ( CPEC ) , and Chabahar .
Why Did the US Issue a Sanctions Waiver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Tehran , so far , has denied that Chabahar port will be offered on a lease to Beijing .
But what is a real possibility , apart from Chinese investments in an oil refinery near Chabahar , and even , in the long run , in the port itself , is an operational link between Gwadar and Chabahar .
That will be complemented by the Chinese operating the port of Bandar-e-Jask in the Gulf of Oman , 350 km to the west of Chabahar and very close to the hyper-strategic Strait of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hangover could possibly imagine a more counter-productive “ strategy ” for Indian interests in case New Delhi backs off from its cooperation with Tehran .
Let ’ s look at the essentials .
What Tehran and Beijing will be working on is a de facto massive expansion of CPEC , with Gwadar linked to Chabahar and further onwards to Central Asia and the Caspian via Iranian railways , as well as connected to Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean ( via Iraq and Syria ) , all the way to the EU .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart of the whole Eurasian integration process – uniting China , Pakistan , Iran , Turkey and of course Russia , which is linked to Iran via the International North-South Transport Corridor ( INSTC ) .
For the moment , for all its hefty reverberations in multiple areas – upgrade of energy infrastructure , refurbishing of ports and refineries , construction of a connectivity corridor , investments in manufacturing , and a steady supply of Iranian oil and gas , a matter of national security for China – there ’ s no question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downplayed by both sides .
The reasons are self-evident : not to raise the Trump administration ’ s ire to even more incandescent levels , considering both actors are considered “ existential threats ” .
Still , Mahmoud Vezi , chief of staff for President Rouhani , guarantees the final Iran-China deal with be signed by March 2021 .
CPEC , meanwhile , is on a roll .
What Chabahar was supposed to do for India is already in effect at Gwadar – as transit trade to Afghanistan started only a few days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UAE .
Gwadar is already establishing itself as a key transit hub to Afghanistan – way ahead of Chabahar .
For Kabul , the strategic factor is essential .
Afghanistan essentially depends on overland routes from Pakistan – some can be extremely unreliable – as well as Karachi and Port Qasim .
Especially for southern Afghanistan , the overland link from Gwadar , through Balochistan , is much shorter and safer .
For Beijing , the strategic factor is even more essential .
For China , Chabahar would not be a priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for instance , via Tajikistan .
But Gwadar is a completely different story .
It ’ s being configured , slowly but surely , as the key Maritime Silk Road hub connecting China with the Arabian Sea , the Middle East and Africa , with Islamabad collecting hefty transit funds .
Win-win in a nutshell – but always taking into consideration that protests and challenges from Balochistan simply won ’ t disappear , and require very careful management by Beijing-Islamabad .
Belt and Road : A Chine ... Mau00e7u00e3es , Bruno Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23.56 Chabahar-Zahedan was not the only recent setback for India .
India ’ s External Affairs Ministry has recently admitted that Iran will develop the massive Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf “ on its own ” and India might join “ appropriately at a later stage ” .
The same “ at a later stage ” spin was applied by New Delhi for Chabahar-Zahedan .
The exploration and production rights for Farzad B were already granted years ago for India ’ s state company ONGC Videsh Limited ( OVL ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ – due to the proverbial specter of sanctions .
Sanctions , by the way , had been in effect already under Obama .
Yet at the time , India and Iran at least traded goods for oil .
Farzad B was scheduled to be back on track after the signing of the JCPOA in 2015 .
But then Trump ’ s sanctions iced it again .
It doesn ’ t take a PhD in political science to ascertain who may eventually take over Farzad B : China , especially after the signing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , against its own energy and geostrategic interests , has in fact been reduced to the status of hostage of the Trump administration .
The real target of applying Divide and Rule to India-Iran is to prevent them from trading in their own currencies , bypassing the US dollar , especially when it comes to energy .
The Big Picture though is always about New Silk Road progress across Eurasia .
With increasing evidence of closer and closer integration between China , Iran and Pakistan , what ’ s clear is that India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

There was a time when New Delhi was proudly selling the notion of establishing its own New Silk Road – from the Gulf of Oman to the intersection of Central and South Asia – to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Now it looks like the Indians have stabbed themselves in the back.
In 2016, Tehran and New Delhi signed a deal to build a 628-km rail line from strategic Chabahar port to Zahedan, very close to the Afghan border, with a crucial extension to Zaranj, in Afghanistan, and beyond.
The negotiations involved Iranian Railways and Indian Railway Constructions Ltd. But in the end nothing happened – because of Indian foot-dragging. So Tehran has decided to build the railway anyway, with its own funds – $400 million – and completion scheduled for March 2022. The Future Is Asian Khanna, Parag Best Price: $3.50 Buy New $8.72 (as of 02:50 UTC - Details)
The railway was supposed to be the key transportation corridor linked to substantial Indian investments in Chabahar, its port of entry from the Gulf of Oman for an alternative New Silk Road to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Upgrading rail/road infrastructure from Afghanistan to its neighbors Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would be the next step. The whole operation was inscribed in a trilateral India-Iran-Afghanistan deal – signed in 2016 in Tehran by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
The unofficial New Delhi excuse revolves around fears that the project would be slammed with US sanctions. New Delhi actually did get a Trump administration sanctions waiver for Chabahar and the rail line to Zahedan. The problem was to convince an array of investment partners, all of them terrified of being sanctioned.
In fact, the whole saga has more to do with Modi’s wishful thinking of expecting to get preferential treatment under the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which relies on a de facto Quad (US, India, Australia, Japan) containment of China. That was the rationale behind New Delhi deciding to cut off all its oil imports from Iran.
So far all practical purposes, India threw Iran under the bus. No wonder Tehran decided to move on its own, especially now with the $400 billion, 25-year “Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Iran and China”, a deal that seals a strategic partnership between China and Iran.
In this case, China may end up exercising control over two strategic “pearls” in the Arabian Sea/Gulf of Oman only 80 km away from each other: Gwadar, in Pakistan, a key node of the $61 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and Chabahar.
Why Did the US Issue a Sanctions Waiver for Iran’s Port of Chabahar?
Tehran, so far, has denied that Chabahar port will be offered on a lease to Beijing. But what is a real possibility, apart from Chinese investments in an oil refinery near Chabahar, and even, in the long run, in the port itself, is an operational link between Gwadar and Chabahar. That will be complemented by the Chinese operating the port of Bandar-e-Jask in the Gulf of Oman, 350 km to the west of Chabahar and very close to the hyper-strategic Strait of Hormuz.
How corridors attract
Not even a Hindu deity on hangover could possibly imagine a more counter-productive “strategy” for Indian interests in case New Delhi backs off from its cooperation with Tehran.
Let’s look at the essentials. What Tehran and Beijing will be working on is a de facto massive expansion of CPEC, with Gwadar linked to Chabahar and further onwards to Central Asia and the Caspian via Iranian railways, as well as connected to Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean (via Iraq and Syria), all the way to the EU.
This game-changing progress will be at the heart of the whole Eurasian integration process – uniting China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and of course Russia, which is linked to Iran via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
For the moment, for all its hefty reverberations in multiple areas – upgrade of energy infrastructure, refurbishing of ports and refineries, construction of a connectivity corridor, investments in manufacturing, and a steady supply of Iranian oil and gas, a matter of national security for China – there’s no question that the Iran-China deal is being effectively downplayed by both sides.
The reasons are self-evident: not to raise the Trump administration’s ire to even more incandescent levels, considering both actors are considered “existential threats”. Still, Mahmoud Vezi, chief of staff for President Rouhani, guarantees the final Iran-China deal with be signed by March 2021.
CPEC, meanwhile, is on a roll. What Chabahar was supposed to do for India is already in effect at Gwadar – as transit trade to Afghanistan started only a few days ago, with bulk cargo arriving from the UAE. Gwadar is already establishing itself as a key transit hub to Afghanistan – way ahead of Chabahar.
For Kabul, the strategic factor is essential. Afghanistan essentially depends on overland routes from Pakistan – some can be extremely unreliable – as well as Karachi and Port Qasim. Especially for southern Afghanistan, the overland link from Gwadar, through Balochistan, is much shorter and safer.
For Beijing, the strategic factor is even more essential. For China, Chabahar would not be a priority, because access to Afghanistan is easier, for instance, via Tajikistan.
But Gwadar is a completely different story. It’s being configured, slowly but surely, as the key Maritime Silk Road hub connecting China with the Arabian Sea, the Middle East and Africa, with Islamabad collecting hefty transit funds. Win-win in a nutshell – but always taking into consideration that protests and challenges from Balochistan simply won’t disappear, and require very careful management by Beijing-Islamabad. Belt and Road: A Chine... Mau00e7u00e3es, Bruno Best Price: $23.56 Buy New $23.56 (as of 02:50 UTC - Details)
Chabahar-Zahedan was not the only recent setback for India. India’s External Affairs Ministry has recently admitted that Iran will develop the massive Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf “on its own” and India might join “appropriately at a later stage”. The same “at a later stage” spin was applied by New Delhi for Chabahar-Zahedan.
The exploration and production rights for Farzad B were already granted years ago for India’s state company ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL). But then, again, nothing happened – due to the proverbial specter of sanctions.
Sanctions, by the way, had been in effect already under Obama. Yet at the time, India and Iran at least traded goods for oil. Farzad B was scheduled to be back on track after the signing of the JCPOA in 2015. But then Trump’s sanctions iced it again.
It doesn’t take a PhD in political science to ascertain who may eventually take over Farzad B: China, especially after the signing of the 25-year partnership next year.
India, against its own energy and geostrategic interests, has in fact been reduced to the status of hostage of the Trump administration. The real target of applying Divide and Rule to India-Iran is to prevent them from trading in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar, especially when it comes to energy.
The Big Picture though is always about New Silk Road progress across Eurasia. With increasing evidence of closer and closer integration between China, Iran and Pakistan, what’s clear is that India remains integrated only with its own inconsistencies.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.