Moon Dust

While Netflix certainly produces programs of questionable artistic merit ( although I do look forward to seeing The Two Popes ) , one series that from the standpoint of using historical events as an inspiration to create compelling theater—and frequently brilliant theater—is playwright Peter Morgan ’ s The Crown .
While co-produced by Sony ’ s Columbia studios , the latest series is only available at the time of this writing via Netflix itself , the primary financier , although as in the past Blu-ray and DVD physical media will in time become available , while Amazon evidently does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime platform available for streaming .
The new third season of The Crown features some of the series ’ s best writing , and one episode to me especially stands out : “ Moondust ” , which follows and is a companion piece to another superb episode , “ Bubbikins ” , which features a brilliant portrayal of Prince Phillip ’ s mother , the extraordinary Princess Alice of Greece , who exemplified what I would describe as traditional Christian faith .
In fact , the episode begins with the “ Regime of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stone noted here , was likely yet another CIA government overthrow “ Op.
” Given how Princess Alice is almost forgotten , this episode is to be praised for its accurate and sympathetic portrait of Princess Alice , a woman who not only endured great suffering but prevailed , and embodied the very spirit of Christian love and self-sacrifice : However , in the companion piece of this episode “ Bubbikins ” , “ Moondust , ” Morgan created an entirely fictional episode in which not long after his mother ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as portrayed in the scene in which he meets with Windsor Castle ’ s new in-house bishop , Dean Robin Woods ( brilliantly portrayed by Tim McMullan ) , who is in the process of creating a religious academy for “ personal and spiritual growth ” ( that shall become in the future Saint George ’ s House ) and he invites Prince Phillip to attend one of the early meetings .
One of the priests attending says , “ The public has turned away from us .
From the Church .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ failing to connect with people .
More and more people are finding their spiritual needs met elsewhere.
” Woods responds , “ The moon .
Yes , sir .
Five hundred million people watched the lunar landing .
Five hundred million people getting from television what they used to get from the church : a sense of coming together , of community , of awe and wonder .
Whether that ’ s part of a wider shift…from religion to science… ” And then the conversation continues .
One of the priests comments that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by science , the more questions are answered , the less need there is in a God to provide answers , a perspective that dates at least as early as Aristophanes .
That sentiment results in Dean Woods stating , “ I am reminded of Keats .
‘ What is there in thee , Moon !
that thou shouldst move My heart so potently ?
’ Now we know what the moon is .
Just dust .
Silence .
A monochromatic void .
We see no God behind those rocks and space dust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When I consider thy heavens , the work of thy fingers , the moon and the stars , which thou hast ordained ; What is man , that thou art mindful of him ?
and the son of man , that thou visitest him ?
” When after speaking these words Dean Woods asks Prince Phillip for his thoughts , he responds testily that he ’ s “ never heard such pretentious , self-piteous nonsense ” and that the men should in fact take action in the world , as the Apollo astronauts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philip admires .
While the Apollo astronauts did visit Windsor Castle and meet the Queen , an entirely fictitious encounter between the Prince and the lunar astronauts Aldrin , Collins , and Armstrong was written for this episode , where Prince Phillip ’ s hope in finding kindred spirits is dashed .
None of the men are anything like pilot John Gillespie Magee Jr. , tragically killed at the age of nineteen , who would write in his poem “ High Flight ” something that Prince Phillip tried to experience in a scene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ episode , reaching out to the moon ( an excerpt below of “ High Flight ” ) : It is clear that while the Prince Philip as created by Morgan is a kindred spirit of John Gillespie Magee Jr. , such sentiment , that is the sense of the numinous , is beyond the stolid ( as they were written in the episode ) American astronauts ’ comprehension .
I won ’ t reveal any more of the plot , suffice it to say that it deals with Prince Phillip ’ s seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As in Netflix ’ s “ The White Helmets ” film , most likely , I believe there is a twofold agenda served by “ Moondust.
” The first is obvious ; as an organ of the Neo-liberal global oligarchy , Netflix and its partners use the episode to present , as can be gleaned from both legacy media and ordinary viewer reactions , a sympathetic portrayal of the monarchy in general and in particular , Prince Phillip himself .
The less obvious agenda is to continue promoting the narrative of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recall Tucker Carlson in an opening monologue apropos of an entirely different subject likening skeptics of the reality of astronauts reaching the moon to crazy tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists ( and in the past since the Moon is a body at its nearest point is only 356,400 kilometers from the Earth I myself never thought landing on it an insurmountable obstacle to extant 1960s technology until overwhelmed by so many lies promulgated by government , I became skeptical ) , recently Dmitry Orlov , a Russian engineer , in two chapters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Generation , effectively debunked the mission ’ s likelihood of success using his expertise as an engineer and the mathematics of probability .
He doesn ’ t wade into the weeds the way “ The Moon Landings : A Giant Hoax for Mankind ?
” allows mendacious obfuscation and propaganda to attempt to debunk his specific challenges .
Orlov uses a different technique , in his words : And this is exactly what he does .
To summarize , Orlov explains NASA used the Russian scientist Yuri Kondratyuk ’ s method to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employs multi-stage rockets and numerous steps , lacking the ability to send a single stage rocket to the moon ; concomitant with each step introduced , multiple points of potential failure are necessarily introduced .
As Orlov writes : Let ’ s enumerate the steps of Kondratyuk ’ s method .
A multiple-stage rocket lifts the payload to near-Earth orbit .
The orbital module separates from the last stage of the rocket , turns around and docks to the lunar module .
Then the last stage of the rocket fires again , accelerating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward the Moon .
Then the rocket stage disconnects and crashes into the Moon along a ballistic trajectory .
Then the lunar modules brake and enter lunar orbit .
Then the lander undocks from the orbital module , descends and lands on the Moon .
Then , once the mission on the surface is completed , the ascent module disconnects from the lander , fires its rocket to enter lunar orbit and docks to the orbital module .
After the crew is transferred to the orbital module , the ascent module is disconnected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rocket to fly back to Earth .
Before reentry , the crew is transferred to the descent module , the service module separates and the descent module plummets through the atmosphere .
Count the steps : there are 13 of them .
Now , suppose that each step is 99 % reliable .
[ Emphasis added . ]
Then the probability of the overall mission being successful is 0.9913 or 88 % .
Problem is , practical experience of failures during space missions during the 60s and 70s puts the chance of success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , 0.613 gives us the chances of success of any given Apollo mission that lands on the moon at 0.13 % .
There were purportedly six Apollo missions that landed on the moon .
0.00136 gives us a truly astronomically small probability of success : 5×10–18 .
That ’ s one chance of success for every 200,000,000,000,000,000 attempts .
[ Emphasis added . ]
Suppose you don ’ t like the 60 % reliability number .
Maybe those NASA scientists were just extraordinarily good and managed to make each step 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had to get it right on first try .
Then the chance of all six Apollo missions being successful is one in 3,707 .
But then the 90 % number is itself highly unlikely .
[ Emphasis added . ]
As far “ highly unlikely ” goes , the Apollo missions pretty much set the gold standard .
It leads us to conclude that it is highly unlikely that any Americans ever set foot on the Moon .
Now , a lot of people are understandably flabbergasted at the possibility that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoax of this magnitude for 50 years .
Sure , that ’ s highly unlikely too .
I ’ ll leave it as an exercise for the readers to calculate the probability of pulling it off , but my hunch is that it is many orders of magnitude higher than one in 200,000,000,000,000,000 because I think it highly unlikely that an overwhelming percentage of highly compensated professionals wouldn ’ t keep their mouths shut in order to save their jobs , protect their reputations and , if the stakes are high enough , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second part of his American lunar landing debunking thesis , while providing additional technical and historical facts ( including Soviets being blackmailed and corrupt ) bolstering his contention , in his conclusion Orlov asks an obvious question : My endorsement of these two episodes of The Crown as powerful , thought-provoking drama is not an endorsement for the Christianity that governs the series and Matthew J.L .
Ehret in his “ The Coming Collapse of the House of Windsor and the Clash of ‘ Two Christianities ’ ” made me think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for as Ehret describes him using facts , he clearly is not the same one as portrayed in the dramatization : Ehret concludes that the British Royal form of Christianity is this—oligarchical : Parallel to the British Imperial version of Christianity , there is the “ Judaeo-Christian ” variant in America that , as Alistaire Crooke has recently written , compels America ( and allies such as the United Kingdom ) towards perpetual war .
This understanding of Jesus Christ , I would argue , is contrary to what most individual Christians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faith , believe and it is irreconcilable to how we understand Scripture .
In “ Israel in the Middle East — A Civilisational and Metaphysical War ” Crooke writes : An ‘ empire ’ – as in Isaiah , which describes the messianic times as a Pax Judaica , when “ all the nations ” will pay tribute “ to the mountain of Yahweh , to the house of the god of Jacob ” ; when “ the Law will issue from Zion and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem , ” so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations and arbitrate between many peoples.
” Further on in the same book , we read : “ The riches of the sea will flow to you , the wealth of the nations come to you ” ( 60:5 ) ; “ For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish , and the nations will be utterly destroyed ” ( 60:12 ) ; “ You will suck the milk of nations , you will suck the wealth of kings ” ( 60:16 ) ; “ You will feed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplant them in their glory ” ( 61:5-6 ) .
Pretty clear : this is not just run of the mill nationalism .
Aren ’ t such quotes just too historically arcane ?
What has this to do with last Tuesday ?
Well , a lot .
Because these notions of election , of an exceptional mission and destiny are literally believed by many Americans , as well as by Jews… These old prophesies may not be uppermost in the daily consciousness of many contemporaries .
But they are alive , and present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are wholly present in one key US constituency : Trump ’ s Evangelical base ( one in every four Americans say they are Evangelists ) .
They see the actualisation of Israel ’ s destiny as an eschatological necessity : It was they who insisted on the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem ; they supported the Trump ’ s assertion of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan ; they support the annexation of Israeli settlements ; and they were behind the demand that the US scrap the JCPOA .
If Prince Phillip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Crooke discusses are a second , later form , what we might call the First Christianity is apparent in the traditional interpretation ( a translation of Isaiah Sixty ) that is discussed in The Orthodox Study Bible .
Regarding 60:6-9 , “ Eusebius sees these nations , along with the camels , sheep and rams , and wealth , as metaphors for the spiritual gifts and sacrifices which will be offered on God ’ s altar .
In this way , His House of Prayer , Christ ’ s church , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ‘ virtue is a light and buoyant thing ’ and those that who live virtuous lives fly like clouds.
” Regarding Isaiah 61:1,2 as opposed to the Evangelical interpretation Crooke cites , the commentary states , “ It is to this passage which Jesus referred in Lk 4:16 when he stood in the synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah .
He told the people , ‘ Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
’ Jesus made very clear that He is the Lord God of whom Isaiah wrote .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 3 ) is : 76 .
If it is supposed that God could not enjoin warfare , because in after times it was said by the Lord Jesus Christ , “ I say unto you , That ye resist not evil : but if any one strike you on the right cheek , turn to him the left also , ” Matthew 5:39 the answer is , that what is here required is not a bodily action , but an inward disposition .
The sacred seat of virtue is the heart , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fathers , the righteous men of old .
But order required such a regulation of events , and such a distinction of times , as to show first of all that even earthly blessings ( for so temporal kingdoms and victory over enemies are considered to be , and these are the things which the community of the ungodly all over the world are continually begging from idols and devils ) are entirely under the control and at the disposal of the one true God .
Thus , under the Old Testament , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was to be disclosed in due time , was veiled , and so far obscured , in the disguise of earthly promises .
But when the fullness of time came for the revelation of the New Testament , which was hidden under the types of the Old , clear testimony was to be borne to the truth , that there is another life for which this life ought to be disregarded , and another kingdom for which the opposition of all earthly kingdoms should be patiently borne .
Thus the name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given to those who , by the will of God , bore this testimony , by their confessions , their sufferings , and their death .
The number of such witnesses is so great , that if it pleased Christ—who called Saul by a voice from heaven , and having changed him from a wolf to a sheep , sent him into the midst of wolves—to unite them all in one army , and to give them success in battle , as He gave to the Hebrews , what nation could withstand them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But as the doctrine of the New Testament is , that we must serve God not for temporal happiness in this life , but for eternal felicity hereafter , this truth was most strikingly confirmed by the patient endurance of what is commonly called adversity for the sake of that felicity .
Thus , the Christian Evangelical or Judaeo-Christian interpretation that Crooke discusses is at variance from earlier Christian tradition and the two can not be reconciled .
Pope Benedict ’ s book Jesus of Nazareth : From the Baptism in the Jordan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own words : For an understanding of the Orthodox faith and its differences with the Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines , the book , Surprised by Christ by Father James Bernstein offers I believe an excellent overview , and I also believe that learning about the different forms of Christianity is worthwhile .
The much admired Christian Apologist , C.S .
Lewis , wrote a brilliant preface to St Athanasius ’ On the Incarnation .
Yet in these difficult , and truly dangerous times , I also hope that Christians , whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any other denomination , will find that their core understanding of Jesus Christ is more similar than different .
I believe the commonality of traditional Christian faith is evident in the prayers offered to God by the various denominations and the conception therein of Jesus Christ not only as someone who helps the individual believer in the constant struggle against the temptations and powers in the world , but also in providing the moral and spiritual strength to better believers as human beings , to enable us to strive for the purposes God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purposes which I also believe are in offering selfless love , in sacrifice , in service , as Princess Alice herself demonstrated .
Below are examples of prayers that to me reflect this commonality in understanding , despite the differences of the subordinate dogmas the various denominations hold .
Below are examples .
Grant us , Master , as we depart for sleep , rest for body and soul .
Protect us from the gloom of sinful sleep and from all dark pleasures of the night .
Calm the impulses of passion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which are treacherously cast against us .
Check the turbulence of our flesh and lull all our earthly and mundane thoughts .
Grant us , O God , a watchful mind , prudent reason , a vigilant heart , and tranquil sleep , free from all evil dreams .
Raise us up at the hour of prayer , strengthen us in your commandments , and keep unshaken within us the remembrance of your judgments .
Grant us to glorify you all night long that we may praise and bless and glorify your all-honorable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Son and the Holy Spirit , now and forever and to the ages of ages .
Amen .
Most glorious , ever virgin , blessed Theotokos [ Theotokos ( in Greek , Θεοτόκος ) is a Greek word that means “ God-bearer ” or “ Birth-giver to God.
” ] present our prayers to your Son and our God , and plead with him , that through you he may save our souls .
My hope is the Father , my refuge , the Son , my protection , the Holy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you .
My every hope I place in you , Mother of God , keep me under your protection .
Because of you , O full of grace , all creation rejoices , the ranks of the Angels and the human race .
Hallowed Temple and spiritual Paradise , pride of Virgins , from you God became flesh and he , who is our God before the ages , became a little child .
For he made your womb a throne and caused it to become wider than the heavens .
Because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all creation rejoices , glory to you .
Holy angel , attendant of my wretched soul and miserable life , do not abandon me a sinner , neither desert me because of my incontinency .
Give no place to the evil demon to subdue me with the oppression of this mortal body , but take me by my wretched and outstretched hand , and lead me in the way of salvation .
Yes , Holy Angel of God , the guardian and protector of my hapless soul and body , forgive me all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all the days of my life , and if I have sinned in anything this day .
Shelter me in this present night , and keep me from every abuse of the adversary [ the devil ] , that I may not anger God by any sin , and intercede with the Lord in my behalf , that he might strengthen me in the fear of Him , and make me a worthy servant of His goodness .
Amen .
Blessed are you among women , and blessed is the fruit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Savior of our souls .
( Repeat three times ) .
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers , Lord Jesus Christ our God , have mercy on us .
Amen .
One of the greatest sopranos of the twentieth century is Teresa Stratas ; she was born to Cretan parents so I suspect but do not know that she is of the Orthodox faith .
However , she stopped her career at its height , as Wikipedia notes , and “ in the 1980s Stratas traveled to Calcutta and worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an orphanage and at the Kalighat Home for the Dying .
In the 1990s she again took time from her career to move into a Romanian hospital to clean cots and wash and care for the sick and dying orphans.
” I find in my personal life the religious denomination of an individual is not a barrier to friendship , affection and compassion , and this human interaction to me is more important than my writing , although I hope my words can be of small help to my readers .
Saint John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beautifully introduced in the book On Living Simply : The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom , was much beloved by the people but martyred by the corrupt church authorities , as the book details .
( For this and other reasons even now I have more faith in Christian individuals than the current churches ’ worldly leadership , be they Catholic , Orthodox , or Protestant .
( For example , I understand that the current Russian Orthodox church descends from those who collaborated with the Bolsheviks and of course Pope Francis has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prayer ! )
From the book are Saint John Chrysostom ’ s thoughts about war , perhaps a perspective that will be helpful to all Christians , a perspective I pray the Evangelicals consider : War is an abomination .
It is quite wrong that one nation or tribe should attack another in pursuit of land , power , or wealth .
It is doubly wrong that the victors should proclaim the glory of their battles , while their victims lie maimed and dying .
The glory of war is illusory ; war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not mean that military service is a dishonorable profession , nor that carrying arms impedes salvation .
Every emperor , king , and prince must have soldiers to protect his realm from attack , and his people from robbery and murder .
An army is necessary to keep peace with other nations , and to keep peace within a nation .
What , then , if the king orders his army to perform an evil act , such as invading a neighboring nation ?
Should the Christian soldier disobey his orders , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his disobedience ?
In such a situation he must weigh one evil against another : the evil of participating in the invasion , against the evil of leaving his family without material support .
None of us can presume to judge the soldier ’ s decision , but rather we must pray that the [ Holy ] Spirit guides his conscience .
More now than ever , I pray the words of Saint John resonate with those who consider serving in America ’ s military .
As an imperfect Christian , I also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Road to Damascus ” moment and repents , to become a son in the image of his mother .
I bear him no ill will ; he harms himself more than others by his beliefs and conduct , this I believe from a Christian perspective .
I ’ m sure Princess Alice is praying for her son .
However , my hope is that in a world that will increasingly persecute and punish traditional Christians , no matter what our denomination , we shall work together to find what binds us , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another , we shall work to strive to promote peace , and goodwill to all men and to be compassionate , humble and gracious in our interactions with one another .
The Best of Yvonne Lorenzo

A Crisis of Faith
While Netflix certainly produces programs of questionable artistic merit(although I do look forward to seeing The Two Popes), one series that from the standpoint of using historical events as an inspiration to create compelling theater—and frequently brilliant theater—is playwright Peter Morgan’s The Crown. While co-produced by Sony’s Columbia studios, the latest series is only available at the time of this writing via Netflix itself, the primary financier, although as in the past Blu-ray and DVD physical media will in time become available, while Amazon evidently does not have the prior series episodes on its Prime platform available for streaming. The new third season of The Crown features some of the series’s best writing, and one episode to me especially stands out: “Moondust”, which follows and is a companion piece to another superb episode, “Bubbikins”, which features a brilliant portrayal of Prince Phillip’s mother, the extraordinary Princess Alice of Greece, who exemplified what I would describe as traditional Christian faith.
In fact, the episode begins with the “Regime of the Generals,” which as Roger Stone noted here, was likely yet another CIA government overthrow “Op.” Given how Princess Alice is almost forgotten, this episode is to be praised for its accurate and sympathetic portrait of Princess Alice, a woman who not only endured great suffering but prevailed, and embodied the very spirit of Christian love and self-sacrifice:
Although she had little means and was basically starving herself, she managed to set up a food truck for the sake of helping young children who had no food at all. When her own money ran out completely, she traveled to Sweden to raise the necessary funds. After the outbreak of World War II, she bravely continued her charity work with the same intensity. During the German Occupation of Greece she faced the irony of having two sons-in-law fighting on the German side and one son (Philip) fighting in the British Royal Navy. It is said that, when visited by a German general who asked her, “Is there anything I can do for you?” she replied, “You can take your troops out of my country.” During that time Princess Alice sheltered a woman of Jewish descent, Rachel Cohen, with her five children in her own home. Several years later, when a member of the Cohen family happened to meet her in Rome and thanked her, she responded: “I was just doing my job.”
However, in the companion piece of this episode “Bubbikins”, “Moondust,” Morgan created an entirely fictional episode in which not long after his mother’s death Prince Phillip suffers a crisis of faith, as portrayed in the scene in which he meets with Windsor Castle’s new in-house bishop, Dean Robin Woods (brilliantly portrayed by Tim McMullan), who is in the process of creating a religious academy for “personal and spiritual growth” (that shall become in the future Saint George’s House) and he invites Prince Phillip to attend one of the early meetings.
One of the priests attending says, “The public has turned away from us. From the Church. It’s clear we’re failing to connect with people. More and more people are finding their spiritual needs met elsewhere.”
Woods asks, “Where for example?”
Prince Phillip replies, “The moon.”
Woods responds, “The moon. Yes, sir. Five hundred million people watched the lunar landing. Five hundred million people getting from television what they used to get from the church: a sense of coming together, of community, of awe and wonder. Whether that’s part of a wider shift…from religion to science…” And then the conversation continues.
One of the priests comments that the greater the mysteries that are answered by science, the more questions are answered, the less need there is in a God to provide answers, a perspective that dates at least as early as Aristophanes. That sentiment results in Dean Woods stating, “I am reminded of Keats. ‘What is there in thee, Moon! that thou shouldst move My heart so potently?’ Now we know what the moon is. Just dust. Silence. A monochromatic void. We see no God behind those rocks and space dust, simply an unknowable vastness. ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
When after speaking these words Dean Woods asks Prince Phillip for his thoughts, he responds testily that he’s “never heard such pretentious, self-piteous nonsense” and that the men should in fact take action in the world, as the Apollo astronauts did. They are the people Prince Philip admires.
While the Apollo astronauts did visit Windsor Castle and meet the Queen, an entirely fictitious encounter between the Prince and the lunar astronauts Aldrin, Collins, and Armstrong was written for this episode, where Prince Phillip’s hope in finding kindred spirits is dashed. None of the men are anything like pilot John Gillespie Magee Jr., tragically killed at the age of nineteen, who would write in his poem “High Flight” something that Prince Phillip tried to experience in a scene (again fictional) depicted in the episode, reaching out to the moon (an excerpt below of “High Flight”):
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds,–and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of–Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew–
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
It is clear that while the Prince Philip as created by Morgan is a kindred spirit of John Gillespie Magee Jr., such sentiment, that is the sense of the numinous, is beyond the stolid (as they were written in the episode) American astronauts’ comprehension. I won’t reveal any more of the plot, suffice it to say that it deals with Prince Phillip’s seeking faith and reconciling the conflict within himself.
The Implicit Agenda of “Moondust”
As in Netflix’s “The White Helmets” film, most likely, I believe there is a twofold agenda served by “Moondust.” The first is obvious; as an organ of the Neo-liberal global oligarchy, Netflix and its partners use the episode to present, as can be gleaned from both legacy media and ordinary viewer reactions, a sympathetic portrayal of the monarchy in general and in particular, Prince Phillip himself. The less obvious agenda is to continue promoting the narrative of America’s Apollo program. While I recall Tucker Carlson in an opening monologue apropos of an entirely different subject likening skeptics of the reality of astronauts reaching the moon to crazy tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists (and in the past since the Moon is a body at its nearest point is only 356,400 kilometers from the Earth I myself never thought landing on it an insurmountable obstacle to extant 1960s technology until overwhelmed by so many lies promulgated by government, I became skeptical), recently Dmitry Orlov, a Russian engineer, in two chapters in his thought provoking book, The Meat Generation, effectively debunked the mission’s likelihood of success using his expertise as an engineer and the mathematics of probability.
He doesn’t wade into the weeds the way “The Moon Landings: A Giant Hoax for Mankind?” allows mendacious obfuscation and propaganda to attempt to debunk his specific challenges. Orlov uses a different technique, in his words:
Short of demonstrating physical impossibility, there is an almost equally powerful technique: pointing out (using physics and math, if possible) that the event, as described, was highly unlikely. There is a common saying: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Analogously, if something is highly unlikely, it probably didn’t happen. The burden of proof then rests with whoever claims that it did happen.
And this is exactly what he does. To summarize, Orlov explains NASA used the Russian scientist Yuri Kondratyuk’s method to get to the moon, a method which employs multi-stage rockets and numerous steps, lacking the ability to send a single stage rocket to the moon; concomitant with each step introduced, multiple points of potential failure are necessarily introduced. As Orlov writes:
Let’s enumerate the steps of Kondratyuk’s method. A multiple-stage rocket lifts the payload to near-Earth orbit. The orbital module separates from the last stage of the rocket, turns around and docks to the lunar module. Then the last stage of the rocket fires again, accelerating to Earth boost velocity and driving it toward the Moon. Then the rocket stage disconnects and crashes into the Moon along a ballistic trajectory. Then the lunar modules brake and enter lunar orbit. Then the lander undocks from the orbital module, descends and lands on the Moon. Then, once the mission on the surface is completed, the ascent module disconnects from the lander, fires its rocket to enter lunar orbit and docks to the orbital module. After the crew is transferred to the orbital module, the ascent module is disconnected. Then the orbital module fires its rocket to fly back to Earth. Before reentry, the crew is transferred to the descent module, the service module separates and the descent module plummets through the atmosphere. Count the steps: there are 13 of them. Now, suppose that each step is 99% reliable. [Emphasis added.] Then the probability of the overall mission being successful is 0.9913 or 88%. Problem is, practical experience of failures during space missions during the 60s and 70s puts the chance of success at each step at around 60%. Now, 0.613 gives us the chances of success of any given Apollo mission that lands on the moon at 0.13%. There were purportedly six Apollo missions that landed on the moon. 0.00136 gives us a truly astronomically small probability of success: 5×10–18. That’s one chance of success for every 200,000,000,000,000,000 attempts. [Emphasis added.] Suppose you don’t like the 60% reliability number. Maybe those NASA scientists were just extraordinarily good and managed to make each step 90% reliable—a tall order, considering that they had to get it right on first try. Then the chance of all six Apollo missions being successful is one in 3,707. But then the 90% number is itself highly unlikely. [Emphasis added.] As far “highly unlikely” goes, the Apollo missions pretty much set the gold standard. It leads us to conclude that it is highly unlikely that any Americans ever set foot on the Moon. Now, a lot of people are understandably flabbergasted at the possibility that it has been possible to pull off a hoax of this magnitude for 50 years. Sure, that’s highly unlikely too. I’ll leave it as an exercise for the readers to calculate the probability of pulling it off, but my hunch is that it is many orders of magnitude higher than one in 200,000,000,000,000,000 because I think it highly unlikely that an overwhelming percentage of highly compensated professionals wouldn’t keep their mouths shut in order to save their jobs, protect their reputations and, if the stakes are high enough, stay alive.
In addition, in the second part of his American lunar landing debunking thesis, while providing additional technical and historical facts (including Soviets being blackmailed and corrupt) bolstering his contention, in his conclusion Orlov asks an obvious question:
…NASA’s response, over the past five decades, has been to stonewall any attempt at clarification and to demand that the doubters prove their allegations while withholding or destroying information that would make such proof possible. But the point can still be proven by asking just one question: Where’s the rocket engine that would have made the Apollo missions possible? If the US ever had such a rocket engine, it would be counted as a major, world-class asset and it would still exist and be in use today. But instead the US keeps having to buy the Russian RD-180 rocket engine. If the US ever had the means to reliably launch its astronauts into orbit, it would still be able to do so today.
The Two Christianities
My endorsement of these two episodes of The Crown as powerful, thought-provoking drama is not an endorsement for the Christianity that governs the series and Matthew J.L. Ehret in his “The Coming Collapse of the House of Windsor and the Clash of ‘Two Christianities’” made me think about Prince Phillip, the real man, for as Ehret describes him using facts, he clearly is not the same one as portrayed in the dramatization:
It is an open secret that the modern environmentalist movement’s longest living founder and patron is none other than Prince Philip himself, who co-founded the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in 1961 along with his bosom buddy Prince Bernhardt of Bilderberger fame. Married to the head of the Anglican Church, Prince Philip expressed this misanthropic anti-Christian view of man on multiple occasions over the years and has even publicly stated his wish to be “reincarnated as a deadly virus” to solve overpopulation. In a December 1981 People Magazine interview, His royal virus laid it all out when he said: “Human population growth is probably the single most serious long-term threat to survival. We’re in for a major disaster if it isn’t curbed… The more people there are, the more resources they’ll consume, the more pollution they’ll create, the more fighting they will do. We have no option. If it isn’t controlled voluntarily, it will be controlled involuntarily.”
In addition, Ehret noted:
Earlier last year an international pedophilia ring patronized by royalty with tentacles across the elite of the western world came to light in extreme detail with the effect that Royal Prince Andrew has found himself “fired” from all positions of authority in order to live in a state of early retirement. To the horror of the royals, Andrew’s connection to Epstein has renewed interest in the earlier Jimmy Saville scandal which blew up after the TV show host’s death in 2011. At that moment hundreds pedophilia (and necrophilia) cases spanning decades was made public. The fact that Saville was a lifelong friend of both Princes Charles and Andrew alike was even more detrimental a fact than the Epstein connection.
Ehret concludes that the British Royal form of Christianity is this—oligarchical:
This battle is found in the opposing concepts of Man, God and Nature’s law from which all definitions of “Justice”, “Goodness”, “Beauty”, “Truth” and “Love” emanate. In the case of what we will call “oligarchical Christianity” preferred by slave owners and imperialists, we will classify that perverted version which denies the validly of such passages as 1 Corinthians 13 preferring instead to emphasize the submissiveness of slaves to masters, masses to priesthoods and serfs to Caesar. Obedience without love or knowledge which slave owners used to keep their human property in bondage for centuries is the Christianity that modern critics like Marx and Engels have attacked as “opium for the masses”.
Parallel to the British Imperial version of Christianity, there is the “Judaeo-Christian” variant in America that, as Alistaire Crooke has recently written, compels America (and allies such as the United Kingdom) towards perpetual war. This understanding of Jesus Christ, I would argue, is contrary to what most individual Christians, whether of Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox faith, believe and it is irreconcilable to how we understand Scripture. In “Israel in the Middle East — A Civilisational and Metaphysical War” Crooke writes:
An ‘empire’ – as in Isaiah, which describes the messianic times as a Pax Judaica, when “all the nations” will pay tribute “to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the god of Jacob”; when “the Law will issue from Zion and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem,” so that Yahweh will “judge between the nations and arbitrate between many peoples.” Further on in the same book, we read: “The riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you” (60:5); “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish, and the nations will be utterly destroyed” (60:12); “You will suck the milk of nations, you will suck the wealth of kings” (60:16); “You will feed on the wealth of nations, you will supplant them in their glory” (61:5-6). Pretty clear: this is not just run of the mill nationalism. Aren’t such quotes just too historically arcane? What has this to do with last Tuesday? Well, a lot. Because these notions of election, of an exceptional mission and destiny are literally believed by many Americans, as well as by Jews… These old prophesies may not be uppermost in the daily consciousness of many contemporaries. But they are alive, and present in the Hebraic world. And they are wholly present in one key US constituency: Trump’s Evangelical base (one in every four Americans say they are Evangelists). They see the actualisation of Israel’s destiny as an eschatological necessity: It was they who insisted on the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem; they supported the Trump’s assertion of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan; they support the annexation of Israeli settlements; and they were behind the demand that the US scrap the JCPOA.
The First Christianity
If Prince Phillip’s Christianity and the martial Christianity that Crooke discusses are a second, later form, what we might call the First Christianity is apparent in the traditional interpretation (a translation of Isaiah Sixty) that is discussed in The Orthodox Study Bible. Regarding 60:6-9, “Eusebius sees these nations, along with the camels, sheep and rams, and wealth, as metaphors for the spiritual gifts and sacrifices which will be offered on God’s altar. In this way, His House of Prayer, Christ’s church, will be glorified. Gregory of Nyssa comments that ‘virtue is a light and buoyant thing’ and those that who live virtuous lives fly like clouds.”
Regarding Isaiah 61:1,2 as opposed to the Evangelical interpretation Crooke cites, the commentary states, “It is to this passage which Jesus referred in Lk 4:16 when he stood in the synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah. He told the people, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ Jesus made very clear that He is the Lord God of whom Isaiah wrote. The Bretton translation of 61.1, 2 (and 3) is:
1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; 2 to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn; 3 that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.
Saint Augustine writes in Contra Faustum Manichaeum Book 22:
76. If it is supposed that God could not enjoin warfare, because in after times it was said by the Lord Jesus Christ, “I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but if any one strike you on the right cheek, turn to him the left also,” Matthew 5:39 the answer is, that what is here required is not a bodily action, but an inward disposition. The sacred seat of virtue is the heart, and such were the hearts of our fathers, the righteous men of old. But order required such a regulation of events, and such a distinction of times, as to show first of all that even earthly blessings (for so temporal kingdoms and victory over enemies are considered to be, and these are the things which the community of the ungodly all over the world are continually begging from idols and devils) are entirely under the control and at the disposal of the one true God. Thus, under the Old Testament, the secret of the kingdom of heaven, which was to be disclosed in due time, was veiled, and so far obscured, in the disguise of earthly promises. But when the fullness of time came for the revelation of the New Testament, which was hidden under the types of the Old, clear testimony was to be borne to the truth, that there is another life for which this life ought to be disregarded, and another kingdom for which the opposition of all earthly kingdoms should be patiently borne. Thus the name martyrs, which means witnesses, was given to those who, by the will of God, bore this testimony, by their confessions, their sufferings, and their death. The number of such witnesses is so great, that if it pleased Christ—who called Saul by a voice from heaven, and having changed him from a wolf to a sheep, sent him into the midst of wolves—to unite them all in one army, and to give them success in battle, as He gave to the Hebrews, what nation could withstand them? What kingdom would remain unsubdued? But as the doctrine of the New Testament is, that we must serve God not for temporal happiness in this life, but for eternal felicity hereafter, this truth was most strikingly confirmed by the patient endurance of what is commonly called adversity for the sake of that felicity.
Thus, the Christian Evangelical or Judaeo-Christian interpretation that Crooke discusses is at variance from earlier Christian tradition and the two cannot be reconciled.
Where Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Agree
Pope Benedict’s book Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration can be summarized in his own words:
“…the great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: But what has Jesus really brought, then, if he has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God! He has brought the God who once gradually unveiled his countenance first to Abraham, then to Moses and the prophets, and then in the wisdom literature–the God who showed his face only in Israel, even though he was also honored among the pagans in various shadowy guises. It is this God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the true God, whom he has brought to the peoples of the earth. He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about where we are going and where we come from: faith, hope, and love.”
For an understanding of the Orthodox faith and its differences with the Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrines, the book, Surprised by Christ by Father James Bernstein offers I believe an excellent overview, and I also believe that learning about the different forms of Christianity is worthwhile. The much admired Christian Apologist, C.S. Lewis, wrote a brilliant preface to St Athanasius’ On the Incarnation. Yet in these difficult, and truly dangerous times, I also hope that Christians, whether Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, or any other denomination, will find that their core understanding of Jesus Christ is more similar than different.
I believe the commonality of traditional Christian faith is evident in the prayers offered to God by the various denominations and the conception therein of Jesus Christ not only as someone who helps the individual believer in the constant struggle against the temptations and powers in the world, but also in providing the moral and spiritual strength to better believers as human beings, to enable us to strive for the purposes God intended for us as His creations, purposes which I also believe are in offering selfless love, in sacrifice, in service, as Princess Alice herself demonstrated. Below are examples of prayers that to me reflect this commonality in understanding, despite the differences of the subordinate dogmas the various denominations hold. Below are examples.
Catholic Prayer:
My God,
I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong
and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
to do penance,
to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ
suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.
The English translation of the Act of Contrition from Rite of Penance © 1974, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Protestant Prayer:
A Peace Prayer
Lord, give me grace to hold righteousness in all things
that I may lead a clean and blessed life and prudently flee evil
and that I may understand the treacherous and deceitful falseness of the devil.
Make me mild, peaceable, courteous, and temperate.
And make me steadfast and strong.
Also, Lord, give Thou to me that I be quiet in words
and that I speak what is appropriate.
– John Wycliffe
Orthodox Prayer:
Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer by Antiochos, a monk of Pandectis. [Excerpt] Grant us, Master, as we depart for sleep, rest for body and soul. Protect us from the gloom of sinful sleep and from all dark pleasures of the night. Calm the impulses of passion, and quench the fiery darts of evil which are treacherously cast against us. Check the turbulence of our flesh and lull all our earthly and mundane thoughts. Grant us, O God, a watchful mind, prudent reason, a vigilant heart, and tranquil sleep, free from all evil dreams. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, strengthen us in your commandments, and keep unshaken within us the remembrance of your judgments. Grant us to glorify you all night long that we may praise and bless and glorify your all-honorable and magnificent name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Most glorious, ever virgin, blessed Theotokos [Theotokos (in Greek, Θεοτόκος) is a Greek word that means “God-bearer” or “Birth-giver to God.”] present our prayers to your Son and our God, and plead with him, that through you he may save our souls. My hope is the Father, my refuge, the Son, my protection, the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity, glory to you. My every hope I place in you, Mother of God, keep me under your protection. Because of you, O full of grace, all creation rejoices, the ranks of the Angels and the human race. Hallowed Temple and spiritual Paradise, pride of Virgins, from you God became flesh and he, who is our God before the ages, became a little child. For he made your womb a throne and caused it to become wider than the heavens. Because of you, O full of grace, all creation rejoices, glory to you. Holy angel, attendant of my wretched soul and miserable life, do not abandon me a sinner, neither desert me because of my incontinency. Give no place to the evil demon to subdue me with the oppression of this mortal body, but take me by my wretched and outstretched hand, and lead me in the way of salvation. Yes, Holy Angel of God, the guardian and protector of my hapless soul and body, forgive me all things whatsoever wherewith I have troubled you, all the days of my life, and if I have sinned in anything this day. Shelter me in this present night, and keep me from every abuse of the adversary [the devil], that I may not anger God by any sin, and intercede with the Lord in my behalf, that he might strengthen me in the fear of Him, and make me a worthy servant of His goodness. Amen. *** Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you gave birth to the Savior of our souls. (Repeat three times). Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
One of the greatest sopranos of the twentieth century is Teresa Stratas; she was born to Cretan parents so I suspect but do not know that she is of the Orthodox faith. However, she stopped her career at its height, as Wikipedia notes, and “in the 1980s Stratas traveled to Calcutta and worked with the Roman Catholic Mother Teresa in an orphanage and at the Kalighat Home for the Dying. In the 1990s she again took time from her career to move into a Romanian hospital to clean cots and wash and care for the sick and dying orphans.” I find in my personal life the religious denomination of an individual is not a barrier to friendship, affection and compassion, and this human interaction to me is more important than my writing, although I hope my words can be of small help to my readers.
Saint John Chrysostom, whose work and life is beautifully introduced in the book On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom, was much beloved by the people but martyred by the corrupt church authorities, as the book details. (For this and other reasons even now I have more faith in Christian individuals than the current churches’ worldly leadership, be they Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. (For example, I understand that the current Russian Orthodox church descends from those who collaborated with the Bolsheviks and of course Pope Francis has approved changes to the Lord’s Prayer!) From the book are Saint John Chrysostom’s thoughts about war, perhaps a perspective that will be helpful to all Christians, a perspective I pray the Evangelicals consider:
War is an abomination. It is quite wrong that one nation or tribe should attack another in pursuit of land, power, or wealth. It is doubly wrong that the victors should proclaim the glory of their battles, while their victims lie maimed and dying. The glory of war is illusory; war brings only misery. Yet this does not mean that military service is a dishonorable profession, nor that carrying arms impedes salvation. Every emperor, king, and prince must have soldiers to protect his realm from attack, and his people from robbery and murder. An army is necessary to keep peace with other nations, and to keep peace within a nation.
What, then, if the king orders his army to perform an evil act, such as invading a neighboring nation? Should the Christian soldier disobey his orders, even at the risk of being executed for his disobedience? In such a situation he must weigh one evil against another: the evil of participating in the invasion, against the evil of leaving his family without material support. None of us can presume to judge the soldier’s decision, but rather we must pray that the [Holy] Spirit guides his conscience.
More now than ever, I pray the words of Saint John resonate with those who consider serving in America’s military.
As an imperfect Christian, I also pray Prince Philip has his own “Road to Damascus” moment and repents, to become a son in the image of his mother. I bear him no ill will; he harms himself more than others by his beliefs and conduct, this I believe from a Christian perspective. I’m sure Princess Alice is praying for her son.
However, my hope is that in a world that will increasingly persecute and punish traditional Christians, no matter what our denomination, we shall work together to find what binds us, we shall work to support and help one another, we shall work to strive to promote peace, and goodwill to all men and to be compassionate, humble and gracious in our interactions with one another.
The Best of Yvonne Lorenzo


lewrockwell--2020-02-15--State Thieves and Forfeiture for Profit

State Thieves and Forfeiture for Profit

News today revealed that this tyrannical government had seized in September $ 181,500 from a Florida trucking company employee on his way to buy trucks in Cleveland for cash .
Cash is that commodity that is supposed to be legal tender , and therefore legitimate money .
The employee , Boris Nulman , was given $ 191,000 by his employers , Scott Smith and Michael Rosenberg , owners of FGL Transport , Inc. , and told to get on a plane to Cleveland in order to buy some trucks for their business .
While going through “ security ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bag was inspected , and the agents stole all but $ 10,000 .
Keep in mind that this was a domestic , not an international flight .
As always , the government thieves claimed without any evidence that this money was proceeds from “ specified unlawful activity ” and likely for the manufacture , sale , or distribution of a “ controlled substance.
” No charges were filed , and the owners of the company claim to have evidence that this money was taken directly out of their business account .
They are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a daunting and expensive venture to be sure .
These agencies can use other stolen money from taxpayers to hire attorneys , and drag this out in court for a very long time .
This usually ends up bankrupting the lowly citizen , while the government keeps its ill-gotten gains , and spends taxpayer money to defend their theft in the corrupt courts .
Against the State : An ... Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. Best Price : $ 2.11 Buy New $ 8.56 The lawsuit is against the U.S. Department of Homeland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Border Protection Agency .
How is stealing the rightfully owned money of American citizens “ border protection ?
Who is really being protected here ?
Obviously it is not American citizens .
The Newspaper report from Tampa stated that the government has not provided any reason whatsoever that it believes this money came from any illegal activities , but regardless , they will not return the money .
This is nothing new , but it is a stark reminder that the government can forcibly steal from Americans without any evidence or cause , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the process , bankrupt the victims .
It is painfully obvious that this government believes it owns all the property of the people , and can take it at any time it chooses to do so , and without cause .
Apparently , buying goods voluntarily with one ’ s own money can be considered suspicious by government thugs , and then they claim the right to steal the property of anyone they desire .
What this boils down to is honest citizens being treated as criminals , and therefore all their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or trial .
This is the America of today , and these are the evil agents of force called police and security , that can take at will the property of others to use as they see fit .
It is after all just a way to build extra revenue for these departments at the expense of those it claims to protect .
What a farce .
Government thugs call this asset forfeiture , but it is nothing short of outright theft of private property under the guise of protection from money laundering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But stopping crime is never the goal , for if it were , those in government would be the first arrested .
They are the cheats and liars , they are the murderers , they are the thieves , and this is all done in the name of the state .
They do this for one reason only , and that is to fill their coffers with the property of others , and in the process gain even more control and power over the public .
While much is hidden , or too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , specifically the Department of Justice , ( DOJ ) collected $ 29 billion from 2001 to 2014 .
( This beginning date is no coincidence ) Money stolen during this time went up over 1000 % .
Much of this stolen money was from those that committed no crime , and were never charged with any crime .
No surprise , but most all this money goes to Law Enforcement , the same thieves that stole it in the first place .
The police today steal more money through their immoral and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals steal put together .
Yes , the biggest thieves in the country are the police .
They love to steal other people ’ s money because the corrupt courts allow it .
They even keep wish lists , so they can target certain individuals in order to steal the things they desire .
This program is simply a multi-billion dollar slush fund for police and government .
For a New Liberty : The ... Murray N. Rothbard , Mu ... Best Price : $ 5.46 Buy New $ 10.50 “ As if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough on its own , there is also a process allowing police organizations to circumvent the existing laws .
It ’ s called equitable sharing and it ’ s a gold mine for both the federal government and police departments .
This process further incentivizes civil asset forfeiture as a means of funding police departments at the federal , state and local levels .
Here ’ s how it works : state and local law enforcement turn assets over to federal authorities for federal crimes .
The feds then return up to 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it came .
This effectively allows state and local authorities to circumvent relevant local laws by bringing in the feds .
For example , in Missouri , seized money is supposed to go to the schools .
When equitable sharing is used , nothing goes to schools.
” These programs are “ policing for money , ” and are as corrupt as mob shakedowns , except that mobsters are much more honest than the state and its police .
Everything is stolen , from cash , to automobiles and boats , to land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and of course drugs are stolen and sold as well , but that is more covert .
This is much more complicated than it seems at first glance , because it involves the lawmakers in Congress , the government agencies of force , the federal police system , the local and state police , and all the courts at every level , including the Supreme Court of the United States .
All these entities work in concert to steal the property of the citizenry , and to do so under the veil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it is criminal from the bottom to the top .
The Best of Gary D. Barnett

News today revealed that this tyrannical government had seized in September $181,500 from a Florida trucking company employee on his way to buy trucks in Cleveland for cash. Cash is that commodity that is supposed to be legal tender, and therefore legitimate money. The employee, Boris Nulman, was given $191,000 by his employers, Scott Smith and Michael Rosenberg, owners of FGL Transport, Inc., and told to get on a plane to Cleveland in order to buy some trucks for their business. While going through “security” and dealing with the perverted TSA, his bag was inspected, and the agents stole all but $10,000. Keep in mind that this was a domestic, not an international flight.
As always, the government thieves claimed without any evidence that this money was proceeds from “specified unlawful activity” and likely for the manufacture, sale, or distribution of a “controlled substance.” No charges were filed, and the owners of the company claim to have evidence that this money was taken directly out of their business account. They are now forced to sue two federal agencies, a daunting and expensive venture to be sure. These agencies can use other stolen money from taxpayers to hire attorneys, and drag this out in court for a very long time. This usually ends up bankrupting the lowly citizen, while the government keeps its ill-gotten gains, and spends taxpayer money to defend their theft in the corrupt courts.
Against the State: An ... Rockwell Jr., Llewelly... Best Price: $5.02 Buy New $5.52 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details) The lawsuit is against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. How is stealing the rightfully owned money of American citizens “border protection? Who is really being protected here? Obviously it is not American citizens. The Newspaper report from Tampa stated that the government has not provided any reason whatsoever that it believes this money came from any illegal activities, but regardless, they will not return the money. This is nothing new, but it is a stark reminder that the government can forcibly steal from Americans without any evidence or cause, and keep the proceeds, and possibly in the process, bankrupt the victims. It is painfully obvious that this government believes it owns all the property of the people, and can take it at any time it chooses to do so, and without cause.
Apparently, buying goods voluntarily with one’s own money can be considered suspicious by government thugs, and then they claim the right to steal the property of anyone they desire. What this boils down to is honest citizens being treated as criminals, and therefore all their property can be confiscated without any charges or trial. This is the America of today, and these are the evil agents of force called police and security, that can take at will the property of others to use as they see fit. It is after all just a way to build extra revenue for these departments at the expense of those it claims to protect. What a farce.
Government thugs call this asset forfeiture, but it is nothing short of outright theft of private property under the guise of protection from money laundering and other so-called crime and non-crime. But stopping crime is never the goal, for if it were, those in government would be the first arrested. They are the cheats and liars, they are the murderers, they are the thieves, and this is all done in the name of the state. They do this for one reason only, and that is to fill their coffers with the property of others, and in the process gain even more control and power over the public.
While much is hidden, or too complicated to decipher, the federal government, specifically the Department of Justice, (DOJ) collected $29 billion from 2001 to 2014. (This beginning date is no coincidence) Money stolen during this time went up over 1000%. Much of this stolen money was from those that committed no crime, and were never charged with any crime. No surprise, but most all this money goes to Law Enforcement, the same thieves that stole it in the first place.
The police today steal more money through their immoral and criminal asset forfeiture programs that all real criminals steal put together. Yes, the biggest thieves in the country are the police. They love to steal other people’s money because the corrupt courts allow it. They even keep wish lists, so they can target certain individuals in order to steal the things they desire. This program is simply a multi-billion dollar slush fund for police and government. For a New Liberty: The... Murray Rothbard Best Price: $9.51 Buy New $10.50 (as of 02:10 UTC - Details)
“As if civil asset forfeiture wasn’t bad enough on its own, there is also a process allowing police organizations to circumvent the existing laws. It’s called equitable sharing and it’s a gold mine for both the federal government and police departments. This process further incentivizes civil asset forfeiture as a means of funding police departments at the federal, state and local levels.
Here’s how it works: state and local law enforcement turn assets over to federal authorities for federal crimes. The feds then return up to 80 percent of the assets back from whence it came. This effectively allows state and local authorities to circumvent relevant local laws by bringing in the feds. For example, in Missouri, seized money is supposed to go to the schools. When equitable sharing is used, nothing goes to schools.”
These programs are “policing for money,” and are as corrupt as mob shakedowns, except that mobsters are much more honest than the state and its police. Everything is stolen, from cash, to automobiles and boats, to land and buildings, to art and jewels, and of course drugs are stolen and sold as well, but that is more covert.
This is much more complicated than it seems at first glance, because it involves the lawmakers in Congress, the government agencies of force, the federal police system, the local and state police, and all the courts at every level, including the Supreme Court of the United States. All these entities work in concert to steal the property of the citizenry, and to do so under the veil of law. It is atrocious, and it is criminal from the bottom to the top.
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


lewrockwell--2020-02-15--The Importance of Drinking Songs

The Importance of Drinking Songs

A good drinking song draws you in from another table or a distant corner of the room .
A good drinking song can be sung well by even the tone-deaf .
A good drinking song is competitive – the louder you sing , the louder your buddies sing , and vice versa until you guys are together making a spectacle of yourselves .
A good drinking song is easy to be inventive with and may flexibly change over time .
A good drinking song draws you closer to those around you singing : closer geospatially and closer emotionally .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up nice and tall and gives you an opportunity to give a joyous , fully extended , full-throated announcement to the world of what a wonderful time you are having .
Even some of the sad ones can accomplish that .
A good drinking song gets you to breathe deeply , one of nature ’ s simplest ways to feel great .
Might I dare say , a good drinking song is more important than the presence of drink .
And anyone who thinks otherwise may have lost touch with the beautiful camaraderie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can come in many ways , – high jinks , athleticism , sport – but if drink alone is the key to the camaraderie , then something is missing .
A good drinking song is capable of filling in that thing that is missing .
With a good drinking song , a group of people act in unison .
This is true of any song that is communally sung .
The English language is spotted with references to the importance of breath , that contain divergent ideas from how most think of breathing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even thinks of breathing at all .
A few of them include : Expire – “ to breathe out ( the last breath ) ” Transpire – “ to breathe something across ( the divide that separates thought from reality ) ” In contrast to our nonchalance around breathing , the importance of breath has had cult-like respect , as demonstrated in these far-reaching words passed on to us from wiser minds in wiser ages , kept alive in the buried-in-plain-sight treasure chest from the past we call language .
When singing together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a common act , and literally breathe together .
Performance is how many in our era view song , almost as a thing separated from life itself .
This is so much more important than a mere performance .
Psychologists observe that people who are in rapport with each other , as they speak to one another , often will unconsciously end up breathing at the same time together .
Their breathing patterns match up as they find rapport .
One way that psychologists may attempt to achieve rapport with a client @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inhale at the same time as a client and to exhale at the same time as a client , with similar location ( nose or mouth , diaphragm or chest ) , with similar intensity , similar depth , similar resonance , and with similar pattern .
Breath is important in these moments of seeking rapport .
Since , one is not able to breathe at the same time as talking , the existence of our breath inevitably makes space for listening .
For two people to breathe with each other , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a natural , relaxed pace , with lots of room for listening .
Those disinterested in listening will not only put a conversation partner off because of their obvious disinterest in listening , but they will also be off-putting because of their insistence in so desperately fighting their natural ability to breathe rhythmically with those around them .
With breath , if it is allowed to follow its calm , natural pattern , nature encourages a relaxing equilibrium between listening and speaking .
Such people disinterested in listening are additionally off-putting because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak , always unnaturally gasping or hurrying for that next breath .
The act of singing with others automatically achieves this rhythmic breathing with other people in unison – both inhaling and exhaling in unison – as most songs lend themselves to a pause for inhaling , while exhaling takes place as members of a group sing .
As a result , a community grows closer through singing together .
Aside from the aspect of breathing in unison , there is the idea of sharing a bawdy , sorrowful , or humorous moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea of doing together , a thing that many find embarrassment around doing – singing .
That has a bonding effect for many .
Rather than the discomfort of a solo performance on a stage , there is instead great ease because of the fellowship involved .
This involves a taking of risks together , however minor those risk may be .
It involves sharing common culture with each other through the values expressed or stories told through the song .
It involves evoking good cheer with each other that comes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a song .
Another place where communities traditionally met , at least in relatively homogenous communities was in church .
And there too , they breathed together in the singing of hymns .
Other than prayer and thanksgiving , those songs served a purpose to unite the community as well .
When you sing together , in addition to breathing together , a group of people also together form a harmony that goes beyond the mere music , but says a great deal about cooperation , negotiation , and living in rapport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true with the more artful care for detail that goes into a church hymn , as compared to a drinking song .
The positive value that joining in song offers people living together in a community is hard to overestimate .
And yet , we have so comfortably done away with this tradition passed to us by wiser minds from wiser eras .
In our era , being an observer is asked of us , being a follower , an audience member .
Every American does not have his own hustle – bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many Americans instead have a job .
So much so that not having a job could be enough to attract the attention of the IRS .
Every American is taught to consume television and movies and YouTube and music , to go to concerts and listen , to listen to experts , even to go to church and listen to a choir or a praise band .
The many in our era are told to listen obediently to the few .
It is an era that works against the two or three signing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or three gathered in the name of their maker , the 20 or 30 signing a hymn together , the family singing the doxology before bed , the family putting the devices away and having a singalong together on their road trip , the small group of friends singing Auld Lang Syne because New Year ’ s Eve offers them that excuse , Little League kids joining in song to lift their own morale and taunt the opposing pitcher on the mound , the secretary leading the team at work in a singing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Prayer before lunch , or people looking for reasons to celebrate a person and to be able to mirthfully sing For He ’ s a Jolly Good Fellow in an honest show of appreciation , the band of brothers reliving an old memory through song , the mother and daughter sweetly singing a lullaby together .
For many people in our present era , especially in the United States , the obligatory singing of “ Happy Birthday ” may be the most creative and social we become in the midst of song @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with all the eye rolling , huffing , and groans of many obligatory activities .
How sad for those who take that moment to groan .
Who have such resentment for the idea that their voice , their breath is to be confined to the role of the inconsequential and virtually anonymous audience member – a number – a number that no one would miss if one in ten thousand were not present .
It need not be that way .
As society asks you to fall into formation , to be an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to simultaneously be isolated from emotionally intimate contact with any of the individuals from among the throngs of people that surround you , song is among the most rebellious acts possible , as the few of you conspire .
The Best of Allan Stevo

A good drinking song gets you smiling.
A good drinking song is catchy.
A good drinking song draws you in from another table or a distant corner of the room.
A good drinking song can be sung well by even the tone-deaf.
A good drinking song is fun to sing.
A good drinking song is competitive – the louder you sing, the louder your buddies sing, and vice versa until you guys are together making a spectacle of yourselves.
A good drinking song is easy to remember.
A good drinking song is easy to be inventive with and may flexibly change over time.
A good drinking song gets you moving.
A good drinking song draws you closer to those around you singing: closer geospatially and closer emotionally.
A good drinking song gets you to stand up nice and tall and gives you an opportunity to give a joyous, fully extended, full-throated announcement to the world of what a wonderful time you are having. Even some of the sad ones can accomplish that.
A good drinking song gets you to breathe deeply, one of nature’s simplest ways to feel great.
Might I dare say, a good drinking song is more important than the presence of drink. And anyone who thinks otherwise may have lost touch with the beautiful camaraderie that can accompany drink. That camaraderie can come in many ways, – high jinks, athleticism, sport – but if drink alone is the key to the camaraderie, then something is missing.
A good drinking song doesn’t require drink.
A good drinking song is capable of filling in that thing that is missing. With a good drinking song, a group of people act in unison. This is true of any song that is communally sung.
The English language is spotted with references to the importance of breath, that contain divergent ideas from how most think of breathing in our present day, if one even thinks of breathing at all. A few of them include:
Inspire – which etymologically is “to breathe into.”
Spirit – “thing that breathes”
Dispirited – “without breath”
Aspire – “to breathe toward (a goal)”
Perspire – “to breathe through (the skin)”
Expire – “to breathe out (the last breath)”
Transpire – “to breathe something across (the divide that separates thought from reality)”
And a personal favorite:
Conspire – “to breathe together”
In contrast to our nonchalance around breathing, the importance of breath has had cult-like respect, as demonstrated in these far-reaching words passed on to us from wiser minds in wiser ages, kept alive in the buried-in-plain-sight treasure chest from the past we call language.
When singing together, a group of people join together in a common act, and literally breathe together. Performance is how many in our era view song, almost as a thing separated from life itself. This is so much more important than a mere performance.
Psychologists observe that people who are in rapport with each other, as they speak to one another, often will unconsciously end up breathing at the same time together. Their breathing patterns match up as they find rapport. One way that psychologists may attempt to achieve rapport with a client is to do the same: to inhale at the same time as a client and to exhale at the same time as a client, with similar location (nose or mouth, diaphragm or chest), with similar intensity, similar depth, similar resonance, and with similar pattern.
Breath is important in these moments of seeking rapport. Since, one is not able to breathe at the same time as talking, the existence of our breath inevitably makes space for listening. For two people to breathe with each other, and to carry on a conversation brings about a natural, relaxed pace, with lots of room for listening.
Those disinterested in listening will not only put a conversation partner off because of their obvious disinterest in listening, but they will also be off-putting because of their insistence in so desperately fighting their natural ability to breathe rhythmically with those around them. With breath, if it is allowed to follow its calm, natural pattern, nature encourages a relaxing equilibrium between listening and speaking. Such people disinterested in listening are additionally off-putting because they carry with them a desperation as they speak, always unnaturally gasping or hurrying for that next breath.
The act of singing with others automatically achieves this rhythmic breathing with other people in unison – both inhaling and exhaling in unison – as most songs lend themselves to a pause for inhaling, while exhaling takes place as members of a group sing.
As a result, a community grows closer through singing together. Aside from the aspect of breathing in unison, there is the idea of sharing a bawdy, sorrowful, or humorous moment together that is bonding.
There is the idea of doing together, a thing that many find embarrassment around doing – singing. That has a bonding effect for many. Rather than the discomfort of a solo performance on a stage, there is instead great ease because of the fellowship involved. This involves a taking of risks together, however minor those risk may be.
It involves sharing common culture with each other through the values expressed or stories told through the song. It involves evoking good cheer with each other that comes from the lifting of morale that may come with a song.
Another place where communities traditionally met, at least in relatively homogenous communities was in church. And there too, they breathed together in the singing of hymns.
Other than prayer and thanksgiving, those songs served a purpose to unite the community as well. When you sing together, in addition to breathing together, a group of people also together form a harmony that goes beyond the mere music, but says a great deal about cooperation, negotiation, and living in rapport with one another. This is especially true with the more artful care for detail that goes into a church hymn, as compared to a drinking song.
The positive value that joining in song offers people living together in a community is hard to overestimate. And yet, we have so comfortably done away with this tradition passed to us by wiser minds from wiser eras.
In our era, being an observer is asked of us, being a follower, an audience member. Every American does not have his own hustle – bringing value directly to other individuals day-in-and-day-out. Many Americans instead have a job. So much so that not having a job could be enough to attract the attention of the IRS. Every American is taught to consume television and movies and YouTube and music, to go to concerts and listen, to listen to experts, even to go to church and listen to a choir or a praise band. The many in our era are told to listen obediently to the few.
It is an era that works against the two or three signing a drinking song together, the two or three gathered in the name of their maker, the 20 or 30 signing a hymn together, the family singing the doxology before bed, the family putting the devices away and having a singalong together on their road trip, the small group of friends singing Auld Lang Syne because New Year’s Eve offers them that excuse, Little League kids joining in song to lift their own morale and taunt the opposing pitcher on the mound, the secretary leading the team at work in a singing of Johnny Appleseed or the Lord’s Prayer before lunch, or people looking for reasons to celebrate a person and to be able to mirthfully sing For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow in an honest show of appreciation, the band of brothers reliving an old memory through song, the mother and daughter sweetly singing a lullaby together.
For many people in our present era, especially in the United States, the obligatory singing of “Happy Birthday” may be the most creative and social we become in the midst of song. And that is often dismissively done with all the eye rolling, huffing, and groans of many obligatory activities.
How sad for those who take that moment to groan. Who have such resentment for the idea that their voice, their breath is to be confined to the role of the inconsequential and virtually anonymous audience member – a number – a number that no one would miss if one in ten thousand were not present.
It need not be that way.
As society asks you to fall into formation, to be an obedient member of the herd, and to simultaneously be isolated from emotionally intimate contact with any of the individuals from among the throngs of people that surround you, song is among the most rebellious acts possible, as the few of you conspire.
Gaudeamus Igitur – European Graduation Song
Polo się Ropczyce – Polish Wedding Song
Macejko – Slovak Drinking Song
Red Solo Cup – American Country Song
Kenny Rogers – Gambler
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-02-15--Coronavirus: Media and Politicians Take Anti-China Fear Mongering to New Levels

Starting in Wuhan in December , the coronavirus outbreak has spread across China , infecting around 64,000 people and worrying the rest of the world .
Fueling the panic , media have been printing alarmist scare stories and politicians peddling false information .
One prominent example of this is Arkansas senator Tom Cotton , who claimed that the virus was actually developed by the Chinese government .
Wuhan , he stated , “ has China ’ s only biosafety level-four super laboratory that works with the world ’ s most deadly pathogens to include , yes , coronavirus.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse than Chernobyl , ” referring to the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Ukraine .
“ The Wuhan coronavirus is a catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl for China , only Chernobyl was localized .
The coronavirus is spreading worldwide , ” he said , adding that in one day “ confirmed cases increased in China by 30 percent .
The true numbers are likely much higher.
” Cotton ’ s remarks were condemned as unhelpful , at best , and dangerously alarmist fake news , at worse by health authorities .
Experts have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus to debunk his super laboratory conspiracy theories .
On the supposed huge increase in cases , Dr. Michael Ryan , the head of the World Health Organization ’ s ( W.H.O . )
health emergencies program , said there was a far more mundane explanation for the change in numbers ; “ This increase that you ’ ve all seen in the last 24 hours is largely down to a change in how the cases are being reported , ” he told media .
The Chinese government has also expressed its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s very harmful , it ’ s very dangerous to stir up suspicion , rumors and spread them among the people .
For one thing , this will create panic .
Another thing , that it will fan up racial discrimination , xenophobia , all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus , ” said Cui Tiankai , China ’ s ambassador to the United States .
“ Of course , there are all kinds of speculation and rumors… How can we believe all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Western media have continually scorned China for its handling of the crisis .
The BBC claimed that “ Chinese authorities are trying hard to control the narrative ” and asked , “ can we trust the numbers ” from the government .
But in reality , the W.H.O .
has exalted China as a model of openness and dedication to eradicating the virus , sharing as much genetic and logistical information as possible with partners and organizations .
It also managed the Herculean task of building two huge hospitals to house patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ryan stated that he and the W.H.O .
Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had , “ never seen the scale of the commitment of an epidemic response at this level…The challenge is great but the response has been massive and the Chinese government deserves huge credit , ” personally thanking them for their unparalleled effort .
Despite this , the U.S. government has declared itself “ disappointed ” with China ’ s supposed defensiveness .
“ We thought there was better transparency coming out of China , but it doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic advisor Larry Kudlow said .
The W.H.O .
did make some strong criticisms regarding the outbreak .
However , these were reserved for the media , the organization declaring that alongside the medical global emergency , there was also a “ massive ‘ infodemic ’ – an overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.
” As the virus has spread , so has anti-Chinese racism .
In a similar fashion to how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , news of the coronavirus has led to an outbreak of anti-Chinese sentiment across the West , with Chinese restaurants in Europe experiencing decreased business and people of Chinese ancestry all over the world reporting an upsurge in xenophobic and bigoted comments leveled at them .
MintPress reported on the phenomenon last month .
As of Friday , there have been 64,435 confirmed cases in 25 countries , resulting in 1,383 deaths , all but two in China .
This means that only two percent of those who have contracted the virus have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for concern for health authorities , it pales in comparison to other , more mundane illnesses .
For example , the U.S. government estimates that during the winter of 2017-8 , over 800,000 Americans were hospitalized with influenza , with 61,000 deaths .
Reminiscent of the coverage of the SARS outbreak in 2003 or 2014 Ebola virus , media and politicians have hyped up the threat levels of a foreign virus for their own ends , creating pandemics of fear and xenophobia to accompany the real but limited medical outbreaks .
The coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scaremongering that has come with it .

Starting in Wuhan in December, the coronavirus outbreak has spread across China, infecting around 64,000 people and worrying the rest of the world. Fueling the panic, media have been printing alarmist scare stories and politicians peddling false information.
One prominent example of this is Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, who claimed that the virus was actually developed by the Chinese government. Wuhan, he stated, “has China’s only biosafety level-four super laboratory that works with the world’s most deadly pathogens to include, yes, coronavirus.” He also claimed that the outbreak is “worse than Chernobyl,” referring to the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Ukraine. “The Wuhan coronavirus is a catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl for China, only Chernobyl was localized. The coronavirus is spreading worldwide,” he said, adding that in one day “confirmed cases increased in China by 30 percent. The true numbers are likely much higher.”
Cotton’s remarks were condemned as unhelpful, at best, and dangerously alarmist fake news, at worse by health authorities. Experts have had to take time off from fighting the virus to debunk his super laboratory conspiracy theories. On the supposed huge increase in cases, Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organization’s (W.H.O.) health emergencies program, said there was a far more mundane explanation for the change in numbers; “This increase that you’ve all seen in the last 24 hours is largely down to a change in how the cases are being reported,” he told media. THE MIRACULOUS RESULTS... Bowles, Jeff T Buy New $3.99 (as of 04:54 UTC - Details)
The Chinese government has also expressed its consternation at Cotton’s views. “It’s very harmful, it’s very dangerous to stir up suspicion, rumors and spread them among the people. For one thing, this will create panic. Another thing, that it will fan up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus,” said Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States. “Of course, there are all kinds of speculation and rumors… How can we believe all these crazy things?” he added.
Western media have continually scorned China for its handling of the crisis. The BBC claimed that “Chinese authorities are trying hard to control the narrative” and asked, “can we trust the numbers” from the government. But in reality, the W.H.O. has exalted China as a model of openness and dedication to eradicating the virus, sharing as much genetic and logistical information as possible with partners and organizations. It also managed the Herculean task of building two huge hospitals to house patients in a matter of days. Dr. Ryan stated that he and the W.H.O. Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had, “never seen the scale of the commitment of an epidemic response at this level…The challenge is great but the response has been massive and the Chinese government deserves huge credit,” personally thanking them for their unparalleled effort.
Despite this, the U.S. government has declared itself “disappointed” with China’s supposed defensiveness. “We thought there was better transparency coming out of China, but it doesn’t appear to be,” White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said.
While #China‘s dealing with the #coronavirus, some US politicians and mainstream media manipulate things for their own benefit @dancohen3000 pic.twitter.com/RP5GzJ3g7b — The Alternative World (@TheAltWorld) February 13, 2020
The W.H.O. did make some strong criticisms regarding the outbreak. However, these were reserved for the media, the organization declaring that alongside the medical global emergency, there was also a “massive ‘infodemic’ – an overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”
As the virus has spread, so has anti-Chinese racism. In a similar fashion to how Ebola was racialized as an African plague, news of the coronavirus has led to an outbreak of anti-Chinese sentiment across the West, with Chinese restaurants in Europe experiencing decreased business and people of Chinese ancestry all over the world reporting an upsurge in xenophobic and bigoted comments leveled at them. MintPress reported on the phenomenon last month.
Chinese people don’t attend rallies, they “descend” upon them Corrupt Chinese officials don’t get convicted for corruption, they “lose power struggles” China doesn’t punish corrupt officials, they “net” them Chinese media doesn’t report news, it reports “propaganda” — Maitreya Bhakal (@MaitreyaBhakal) February 13, 2020
As of Friday, there have been 64,435 confirmed cases in 25 countries, resulting in 1,383 deaths, all but two in China. This means that only two percent of those who have contracted the virus have died. While certainly a serious cause for concern for health authorities, it pales in comparison to other, more mundane illnesses. For example, the U.S. government estimates that during the winter of 2017-8, over 800,000 Americans were hospitalized with influenza, with 61,000 deaths.
Reminiscent of the coverage of the SARS outbreak in 2003 or 2014 Ebola virus, media and politicians have hyped up the threat levels of a foreign virus for their own ends, creating pandemics of fear and xenophobia to accompany the real but limited medical outbreaks. The coronavirus is serious enough without the pandemic of scaremongering that has come with it.


lewrockwell--2020-02-15--Trump2020 Landslide – By the Numbers

Trump2020 Landslide – By the Numbers

A popular Twitter hashtag is # Trump2020Landslide .
Is this wishful thinking or a real possibility ?
Let ’ s look at the electoral landscape over the next 9 months .
As an initial caveat , understand the difference between confidence and overconfidence .
The former is a realistic expectation going forward of favorable electoral winds based on a thoughtful analysis .
The latter is thoughtless and dangerous based on emotion and desire , rather than data and realism .
Republicans learned this lesson during the George HW Bush presidency .
Bush enjoyed an 89 percent Gallup job approval in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Persian Gulf War .
A little over a year later the bottom fell out after Bush reneged on his campaign promise , “ Read my lips , no new taxes , ” nudging the economy into a recession .
In July 1992 , his approval rating was an anemic 29 percent .
Welcome , President Bill Clinton .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 Could something similar befall the Trump reelection efforts ?
Certainly .
The economy is strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recessions inevitably occur .
The media can ’ t destroy Trump as they didn ’ t create him .
Big media has been shooting spitballs at Superman Trump , everything bouncing off him and smacking the media in the face .
The only way Trump could lose his loyal base of support is through his own actions .
If Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the Supreme Court , with or without a pulse , and Trump nominated uber-liberal Lawrence Tribe as her replacement , he would lose his base .
If he began tearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or signed on to Medicare-for-all or the Green New Deal , then he would suffer and same fate as George HW Bush , but that ’ s as likely as Bernie Sanders denouncing communism in favor of capitalism .
What do the numbers say after President Trump ’ s marvelous week of the Iowa caucuses , impeachment acquittal in the Senate , the State of the Union address , and increasing Democrat chaos and confusion ?
Rasmussen , the most accurate pollster predicting the 2016 presidential election outcome , tracks presidential approval by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 , in their Daily Presidential Tracking Poll , Trump ’ s total approval sits at 50 percent , a point higher than Obama exactly 8 years ago when he too was facing reelection .

A popular Twitter hashtag is #Trump2020Landslide. Is this wishful thinking or a real possibility? Let’s look at the electoral landscape over the next 9 months.
As an initial caveat, understand the difference between confidence and overconfidence. The former is a realistic expectation going forward of favorable electoral winds based on a thoughtful analysis. The latter is thoughtless and dangerous based on emotion and desire, rather than data and realism.
Republicans learned this lesson during the George HW Bush presidency. Bush enjoyed an 89 percent Gallup job approval in February 1991 after US victory in the Persian Gulf War. A little over a year later the bottom fell out after Bush reneged on his campaign promise, “Read my lips, no new taxes,” nudging the economy into a recession. In July 1992, his approval rating was an anemic 29 percent. Welcome, President Bill Clinton.
Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details) Could something similar befall the Trump reelection efforts? Certainly. The economy is strong, but economies are cyclic, and recessions inevitably occur. The media can’t destroy Trump as they didn’t create him. Big media has been shooting spitballs at Superman Trump, everything bouncing off him and smacking the media in the face.
The only way Trump could lose his loyal base of support is through his own actions. If Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the Supreme Court, with or without a pulse, and Trump nominated uber-liberal Lawrence Tribe as her replacement, he would lose his base. If he began tearing down the wall rather than building it or signed on to Medicare-for-all or the Green New Deal, then he would suffer and same fate as George HW Bush, but that’s as likely as Bernie Sanders denouncing communism in favor of capitalism.
What do the numbers say after President Trump’s marvelous week of the Iowa caucuses, impeachment acquittal in the Senate, the State of the Union address, and increasing Democrat chaos and confusion?
Rasmussen, the most accurate pollster predicting the 2016 presidential election outcome, tracks presidential approval by day and by president. On February 12, in their Daily Presidential Tracking Poll, Trump’s total approval sits at 50 percent, a point higher than Obama exactly 8 years ago when he too was facing reelection.
Read the Whole Article