Dien Bien Phu

Nothing is equal to anything else .
In 1904 , Jack London traveled from Korea to China .
As soon as he crossed the border , he saw what he thought was a much more energetic , resourceful and resilient civilization , “ I rode to the shore , into the village of Kuelian-Ching .
There were no lounging men smoking long pipes and chattering .
The previous day the Russians had been there , a bloody battle had been fought , and to-day the Japanese were there—but what was that to talk about ?
Everybody was busy .
Men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for sale upon the street , and bread , as I live , bread in small round loaves or buns .
I rode on into the country .
Everywhere a toiling population was in evidence .
The houses and walls were strong and substantial .
Stone and brick replaced the mud walls of the Korean dwellings .
Twilight fell and deepened , and still the ploughs went up and down the fields , the sowers following after .
Trains of wheelbarrows , heavily loaded , squeaked by , and Pekin carts , drawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horses , mules , ponies , or jackasses—cows even with their newborn calves tottering along on puny legs outside the traces .
Everybody worked .
Everything worked .
I saw a man mending mending the road .
I was in China.
” Gushing at length over the Chinese , London concludes , “ The Korean is the perfect type of inefficiency—of utter worthlessness .
The Chinese is the perfect type of industry .
For sheer work no worker in the world can compare with him .
Work is the breath of his nostrils @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is to him what wandering and fighting in far lands and spiritual adventure have been to other peoples .
Liberty to him epitomizes itself in access to the means of toil .
To till the soil and labour interminably with rude implements and utensils is all he asks of life and of the powers that be .
Work is what he desires above all things , and he will work at anything for anybody.
” Having been around enough Koreans , I wouldn ’ t categorize them as slack or worthless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even fierce , to me , but London is correct about the Chinese ’ s industry .
Grunting , they press their sweaty shoulders to the wheel .
Crossing from Laos back into Vietnam , I thought of London ’ s comparison , for immediately , the landscape became animated with people buying , selling or working in the fields .
Across verdant paddies , dozens of figures were bent over to plant rice seedlings .
Everything seemed more purposeful than in Laos .
Even the herons flew straighter , and each dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minibus itself , we had had to endure one very loud Vietnamese .
Though hardly typical , he was certainly a product of a more aggressive society , than Laos ’ .
Overdoing it , the foul mouthed and desperately cocky young man may end up dead or in jail soon .
“ Fuck mother ” was his constant refrain , with “ fuck grandma ” thrown in occasionally for variety .
There is no place that isn ’ t worth revisiting , so that one ’ s impressions can be deepened , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , continually tug within one ’ s mind , so that , given a chance , I ’ d love to become more confidential and sweaty with Juarez , Great Yarmouth , Kiev , Napoli or Missoula , for example , and Dien Bien Phu , too , for my first fling was just too brief .
I had missed too many insinuations .
Thanks to its epoch changing battle in 1954 , Dien Bien Phu is legendary , and during my first visit in 1995 , the road leading towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population so thin , that one could imagine it had changed little since those epic 56 days .
A French tank , two pieces of artillery and General de Castries ’ bunker stood lonely in the open fields .
Until the 1990 ’ s , a trip from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu still took five days .
Even more than stones , bricks or people , stories make a place , and Dien Bien Phu ’ s are larger than life .
Since it was a catastrophe for the French , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geneviève de Galard .
Stranded because her medevac Dakota had veered off the runway , then shelled to pieces , de Galard stoically joined Dien Bien Phu ’ s squalid and gory hospital , until she too was taken prisoner with the rest .
The only other women in the French garrison were Algerian and Vietnamese prostitutes in two bordels militaire de campagne .
The French commander is not so well-remembered .
In Kevin Boylan and Luc Olivier ’ s Valley of the Shadow , he ’ s succinctly indicted , “ On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , de Castries had surrendered most of his authority as garrison commander to Langlais by making him responsible both for defending the Main Position and managing the reserves .
This remarkable abdication of authority was symptomatic of a crisis in command that arose because de Castries , stunned by the shocks and reverses of the siege ’ s first hours , had sunk into pessimism and inertia.
” As for his chief of staff , Lieutenant Colonel René Keller “ suffered a nervous breakdown and sat motionless in the command bunker cowering under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” On the third day of the siege , the artillery commander Charles Piroth committed suicide with a hand grenade .
To be fair , it ’ s not easy to fight a war across the globe with a hodgepodge army of Germans , Italians , Belgians , Moroccans , Algerians , Congolese , Vietnamese , Cambodians , Laos , Hmong and Tai , etc .
Non-French troops made up 87 % of Dien Bien Phu ’ s 14,000 defenders .
Most Tai sided with the French since Dien Bien Phu was on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since at least the 15th century .
Correctly , they feared the Vietnamese more than the French , whom they knew were already halfway out the door .
There were never enough French in Indochina to overwhelm Tai villages or warp their identity .
Now , Tai children in Vietnam study the Vietnamese language and history , and know nothing about their own heroes , Deo Van Tri or Deo Cat Han , etc .
The Viet Minh also had their Tai allies , so at Dien Bien Phu , you had Tai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against other Vietnamese , with each man believing , or allowing himself to believe , he ’ s defending his people ’ s interests .
Although the African and European mercenaries could not be so justified , they could claim to be fighting for “ the free world.
” After defeat , Geneviève de Galard was not just feted in France , but the United States , where she was given a ticker tape parade down Broadway , lined with 250,000 admirers .
A congresswoman lauded Galard as a “ symbol of heroic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in Washington DC , Eisenhower awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom .
Covertly , Eisenhower had authorized dozens of American pilots and hundreds of mechanics to assist the French in Vietnam , and the CIA was also active there .
The Viet Minh got help from Chinese advisors , mechanics and perhaps truck drivers .
Historical events should always be reexamined , new evidence dug up and debates encouraged .
It is not just absurd , but a cowardly crime , to criminalize historical investigations .
Although Bernard F. Fall ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a classic , it gets several key facts wrong , but no one has ever accused him of dishonesty .
Fall set the stage for latter historians .
No ivory tower-percher , Fall humped bushes and died from stepping on a mine near Hue .
His exact last words , as captured by a tape recorder , “ We ’ ve reached one of our phase lines after the firefight and it smells bad , meaning it ’ s a little bit suspicious .
Could be an amb… ” Since Dien Bien @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mountains , the French themselves described their position as being in a lion pit or at the bottom of a chamber pot , but there was no need to worry , since the Viet Minh could never position enough big guns around the peaks to pound them with some serious shit , then it happened .
Death thundered down continuously .
It was like one of God ’ s giant dumps , ragingly delivered , and it lasted almost two months , so life ’ s only meaning and aim became to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned into bloody shit .
Each 105mm howitzer had to be taken apart , then lugged up in pieces by porters , to be reassembled , emplaced , fortified and camouflaged .
Roads and bridges had to be immediately repaired after each French bombing run .
Many miles of trenches were dug .
Marveling at all these coordinated activities , the French brigadier general Pierre Langlais remarked , “ This efficiency was not doubted by those who knew the Tonkin delta and its giant dikes—the mechanical marvels of another age ; and as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in order to work under threat of delayed-action bombs that were dropped in each attack.
” Though war may expose man at his most barbaric , it ’ s also the summation of his civilization .
War isn ’ t won through base instincts , but vast planning , mastery of technology and mass discipline , based on a shared philosophy .
That ’ s why savages don ’ t win wars .
Engineers do .
Triumphant , the Vietnamese could trot out their heroes .
Though only Vo Nguyen Giap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also Le Trong Tan , a Vietnamese Zhukov who ’ s praised by Fidel Castro as Vietnam ’ s best general , plus three martyrs I ’ m sure you ’ ve never heard of .
To Vinh Dien wedged himself under the wheel of an artillery piece , to prevent it from slipping down a mountain .
Shouting “ I must sacrifice for the Party and the people , ” Phan Dinh Giot jammed himself into a French gun slot to incapacitate it .
Already badly injured , Be Van Dan used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and died while still clutching the weapon , it is said .
If you think these stories are rather suspect , sound like Hollywood , I know Vietnamese who also doubt them , yet these men are held up as models for Vietnamese schoolchildren .
No society can survive without enough of its members willing to die for it .
Even before getting off my minibus , I could see that Dien Bien Phu had been irrevocably changed .
With its population exploding , it had lost its rural character , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotels and cute cafes , with at least one serving not bad pizzas .
A monstrous victory monument crowned a steep hill .
Staying five days , I haggled down the price at Tuyet Trung Guest House .
This is Vietnam ’ s coldest and dampest region , so low-end hotel rooms aren ’ t just badly kept , but poorly ventilated .
Unto eternity , their assorted bad smells linger , molder and piss on your spirit .
Happily , though , my second floor , $ 8.66 a night room wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It even overlooked the airport , with its runway upgraded from what the Japanese had built during World War II , and what the French had used , then failed to use , during their fiasco .
From my balcony , I could see the weathered denim colored mountains , lightly curtained by mist .
A short walk away , there was a magnificent Bailey Bridge .
Field Marshal Montgomery said that without this engineering marvel , the Allies would not have won World War II , for it was easy to assemble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very durable .
When this bridge was overrun by the Viet Minh at 2PM on May 7th , 1954 , the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was effectively over .
Interestingly , its Vietnamese name , Muong Thanh , is also the brand of Vietnam ’ s ( and Southeast Asia ’ s ) biggest hotel chain .
Hungering for the old Dien Bien Phu of bamboo thickets , tall areca palms , narrow canals and thin footpaths , I wandered away from the city and discovered Ban Banh , a Tai village @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been recently built and generally larger than traditionally , so integration into a larger economy has its advantages .
Balusters , though , were mostly machine-made , with some of ugly chrome , and not wood .
Soon , they won ’ t know how to whittle a toothpick .
The only Vietnamese in Ban Banh was the teacher at its two-room school , but she left each day after work .
Her parents are from Thai Binh and came to Dien Bien Phu in 1960 .
Entering a tiny store , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some peanuts .
One bite yielded something obviously alien that tasted vaguely like crab , which I spat out .
I chased the foul flavor away with the crap beer , and more peanuts .
Oh how I missed my Beerlao !
Arrayed on three shelves were hunks of sweet bread , instant noodles , tiny cartons of sweetened milk , Boom Boom brand weeny sausages and plastic flip flops .
Each Tai I talked to that afternoon spoke Vietnamese perfectly .
Across the lane , a just-drafted young man returned home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He would serve two years .
Sixty-six years after the battle , most of its participants are long dead .
At Dien Bien Phu , the average age of a French captain was 38 , and a battalion commander was 43 !
Instead of expending or eating bullets , they should have been sunning themselves , like lizards , on some Mediterranean beach .
After Ban Banh , I kept walking past rice paddies , farmers and a few water buffaloes , until I ran into a fascinating old man , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interesting , young or old .
In any out of the way village , even a foreign gnat is immediately noticed , so that ’ s why he approached me , out of curiosity , and it took less than a minute for the thin , short man with few front teeth to proudly state his age , “ I ’ m 90 years old !
” “ So were you here during the battle ?
” “ Whoa !
Really ?
There can ’ t be many left , in this area.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The other two are even older than me !
One man is bedridden.
” “ I want to hear your stories , uncle .
Is there a place where we can sit , drink some wine and talk ?
” “ You can come to my house , ” and he grabbed my hand .
Merely a minute later , we were inside his small living room .
Framed photos and certificates covered an entire wall .
One congratulated Ly Quang Vinh for being a member of the Communist Party for 60 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” by the way .
Happy to have a visitor , Mr. Vinh told his grandson-in-law to bring out cans of Huda Beer and a very potent homemade sake , then insisted that I stayed for lunch .
Naturally , I wanted to hear about his battle experience , but he was rather terse with his recollections , “ I ’ m just lucky I didn ’ t die .
So many did.
” Mr. Vinh served in the elite 308th Infantry Division , which was as much a curse as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it some of the deadliest missions .
In January of 1951 , it got decimated at the Battle of Vinh Yen , yet just two months later , was ordered to attack the French at Mao Khe , where again it got clobbered .
Four months before Dien Bien Phu , the 308th was told to go all the way to Luang Prabang , deep in Laos .
Boylan and Olivier , “ This operation was intended to confuse the French , oblige Navarre to disperse his reserves , and aid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops of the 304th and 325th Divisions .
All these objectives were achieved , although the 308th was operating ‘ on a shoestring ’ because it had no time to make proper logistical preparations.
” Unlike me , Mr. Vinh had no time to enjoy a Beerlao or two on his Lao tour .
I feel softer than virgin tits .
Hanging my head , I count my blessings .
At Dien Bien Phu , the 308th lost a staggering 2,650 men , but its soldiers were the first to storm into de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also led the Viet Minh ’ s entry into Hanoi , five months later , as the French withdrew .
Mr. Vinh wasn ’ t among those who witnessed Castries ’ surrender .
“ I just missed getting there , ” he rued .
He and another Viet Minh did take 30 prisoners , “ Twenty-seven of them were Vietnamese .
Only three were French .
I told them , ‘ You can give up and receive clemency , or we can just kill you.
’ ” By this point , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French positions .
After Dien Bien Phu , Mr. Vinh was sent to Thai Binh to prevent refugees from heading South , ahead of the country ’ s partition .
The fact that a million Vietnamese headed South or North means the promised elections were never taken seriously by either side .
In 1960 , Mr. Vinh finally left the army after ten years .
“ I was only injured once , very slightly.
” Grimacing , he rubbed his left forearm .
“ Had I died , “ Had I died , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to identify me .
I had no ID of any kind.
” A Viet Minh soldier received no wage , just two cold balls of rice a day , “ We couldn ’ t cook .
If the French saw smoke , they ’ d bomb us.
” “ Ah , so you ’ ve had 30 good years !
That ’ s more than most people.
” Mr. Vinh ’ s illiterate .
After the army , he mostly farmed .
Even today , Mr. Vinh grows most of his vegetables , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets $ 181 a month in pension , and his wife , $ 172 .
She also served at Dien Bien Phu , as one of 33,500 [ ! ]
civilian volunteers .
Holding her 10-month-old great granddaughter , the old woman recounted , “ Once , when the French planes started attacking , we just all ran to a hill , and watched from there.
” Unprompted , Mr. Vinh declared , “ Vietnam is number one .
Like Uncle Ho said , ‘ We can defeat any enemy.
’ We beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A little later , he added , “ More and more countries are recognizing that Vietnam is number one .
Vietnamese food , for example , is the best !
” We had been knocking down his nasty sake .
Each time we clanked glasses , Mr. Vinh insisted we emptied them .
Though many Vietnamese love to drink , rural ones tend to be the worst .
Mr. Vinh drinks three times a day , starting with breakfast .
Mr. Vinh met General Giap twice , he told me three times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not shake his hand , ” so it was as a group .
He also saw Uncle Ho twice .
Though not nearly as common as photos of Ho Chi Minh , Vo Nguyen Giap ’ s can be found in many Vietnamese homes , particularly if they ’ re owned by an NVA or Viet Cong veteran .
On the streets , kids wear Captain America T-shirts .
I started out addressing Mr. Vinh as “ uncle ” or “ cụ , ” a respectful term for the very old , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call him “ dad , ” so he could call me “ son.
” “ You should rest now , dad .
I must walk back to Dien Bien Phu .
We ’ ve drank enough.
” “ That ’ s almost five kilometers away !
Let me call a taxi for you , son.
” “ No , no , I can walk .
If you could walk all the way here from Lai Chau , I can walk five kilometers.
” “ You should just take a nap here , son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no , I must go .
If I should come back here in two , five or even ten years , we can meet again !
” Even a young man can ’ t assume he ’ ll return to any place , distant or nearby , so that ’ s probably my last date with Dien Bien Phu .
I had the worst banh mi , coffee and pho this time , but even the French didn ’ t eat very well there .
Even before the siege began , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr. Vinh ’ s sweetness made everything worthwhile .
A few years ago , a tour guide brought some French tourists to his home , so he fed them all , just like he fed me .
“ I said to them , ‘ Ça va !
Ça va !
’ When we fought them , it was , ‘ Mains en l ’ air !
” Now , it was , ‘ Ça va !
’ ” Among the monuments scattered around Dien Bien Phu , there ’ s an obelisk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rolf Rodel , on land donated by the Vietnamese government .
Fronted by wreaths , plaques and even jars containing incense sticks , it ’ s a dignified memorial to the dead .
Just a two minute-stroll away lie To Vinh Dien , Phan Dinh Giot and Be Van Dan .
As published at Veterans Today , Smirking Chimp and Unz Review , 2/13/20 .
The Best of Linh Dinh

Nothing is equal to anything else. In 1904, Jack London traveled from Korea to China. As soon as he crossed the border, he saw what he thought was a much more energetic, resourceful and resilient civilization, “I rode to the shore, into the village of Kuelian-Ching. There were no lounging men smoking long pipes and chattering. The previous day the Russians had been there, a bloody battle had been fought, and to-day the Japanese were there—but what was that to talk about? Everybody was busy. Men were offering eggs and chickens and fruit for sale upon the street, and bread, as I live, bread in small round loaves or buns. I rode on into the country. Everywhere a toiling population was in evidence. The houses and walls were strong and substantial. Stone and brick replaced the mud walls of the Korean dwellings. Twilight fell and deepened, and still the ploughs went up and down the fields, the sowers following after. Trains of wheelbarrows, heavily loaded, squeaked by, and Pekin carts, drawn by from four to six cows, horses, mules, ponies, or jackasses—cows even with their newborn calves tottering along on puny legs outside the traces. Everybody worked. Everything worked. I saw a man mending mending the road. I was in China.”
Gushing at length over the Chinese, London concludes, “The Korean is the perfect type of inefficiency—of utter worthlessness. The Chinese is the perfect type of industry. For sheer work no worker in the world can compare with him. Work is the breath of his nostrils. It is his solution of existence. It is to him what wandering and fighting in far lands and spiritual adventure have been to other peoples. Liberty to him epitomizes itself in access to the means of toil. To till the soil and labour interminably with rude implements and utensils is all he asks of life and of the powers that be. Work is what he desires above all things, and he will work at anything for anybody.”
Having been around enough Koreans, I wouldn’t categorize them as slack or worthless. They seem very energetic, and even fierce, to me, but London is correct about the Chinese’s industry. Grunting, they press their sweaty shoulders to the wheel.
Crossing from Laos back into Vietnam, I thought of London’s comparison, for immediately, the landscape became animated with people buying, selling or working in the fields. Across verdant paddies, dozens of figures were bent over to plant rice seedlings. Everything seemed more purposeful than in Laos. Even the herons flew straighter, and each dog yawned with more determination.
On the minibus itself, we had had to endure one very loud Vietnamese. Though hardly typical, he was certainly a product of a more aggressive society, than Laos’. Overdoing it, the foul mouthed and desperately cocky young man may end up dead or in jail soon. “Fuck mother” was his constant refrain, with “fuck grandma” thrown in occasionally for variety.
There is no place that isn’t worth revisiting, so that one’s impressions can be deepened, complicated or even inverted. Some towns, though, continually tug within one’s mind, so that, given a chance, I’d love to become more confidential and sweaty with Juarez, Great Yarmouth, Kiev, Napoli or Missoula, for example, and Dien Bien Phu, too, for my first fling was just too brief. I had missed too many insinuations.
Thanks to its epoch changing battle in 1954, Dien Bien Phu is legendary, and during my first visit in 1995, the road leading towards it was so bad, and the population so thin, that one could imagine it had changed little since those epic 56 days. A French tank, two pieces of artillery and General de Castries’ bunker stood lonely in the open fields. Until the 1990’s, a trip from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu still took five days.
Even more than stones, bricks or people, stories make a place, and Dien Bien Phu’s are larger than life. Since it was a catastrophe for the French, there were no Gallic heroes save the nurse Geneviève de Galard. Stranded because her medevac Dakota had veered off the runway, then shelled to pieces, de Galard stoically joined Dien Bien Phu’s squalid and gory hospital, until she too was taken prisoner with the rest. The only other women in the French garrison were Algerian and Vietnamese prostitutes in two bordels militaire de campagne.
The French commander is not so well-remembered. In Kevin Boylan and Luc Olivier’s Valley of the Shadow, he’s succinctly indicted, “On the very first night of the siege, de Castries had surrendered most of his authority as garrison commander to Langlais by making him responsible both for defending the Main Position and managing the reserves. This remarkable abdication of authority was symptomatic of a crisis in command that arose because de Castries, stunned by the shocks and reverses of the siege’s first hours, had sunk into pessimism and inertia.”
As for his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel René Keller “suffered a nervous breakdown and sat motionless in the command bunker cowering under a steel helmet that he never removed.” On the third day of the siege, the artillery commander Charles Piroth committed suicide with a hand grenade.
To be fair, it’s not easy to fight a war across the globe with a hodgepodge army of Germans, Italians, Belgians, Moroccans, Algerians, Congolese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laos, Hmong and Tai, etc. Non-French troops made up 87% of Dien Bien Phu’s 14,000 defenders.
Most Tai sided with the French since Dien Bien Phu was on their territory, which they had controlled since at least the 15th century. Correctly, they feared the Vietnamese more than the French, whom they knew were already halfway out the door. There were never enough French in Indochina to overwhelm Tai villages or warp their identity. Now, Tai children in Vietnam study the Vietnamese language and history, and know nothing about their own heroes, Deo Van Tri or Deo Cat Han, etc.
The Viet Minh also had their Tai allies, so at Dien Bien Phu, you had Tai fighting against Tai, and Vietnamese warring against other Vietnamese, with each man believing, or allowing himself to believe, he’s defending his people’s interests. Although the African and European mercenaries could not be so justified, they could claim to be fighting for “the free world.”
After defeat, Geneviève de Galard was not just feted in France, but the United States, where she was given a ticker tape parade down Broadway, lined with 250,000 admirers. A congresswoman lauded Galard as a “symbol of heroic femininity in the free world,” and in Washington DC, Eisenhower awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Covertly, Eisenhower had authorized dozens of American pilots and hundreds of mechanics to assist the French in Vietnam, and the CIA was also active there. The Viet Minh got help from Chinese advisors, mechanics and perhaps truck drivers. Historical events should always be reexamined, new evidence dug up and debates encouraged. It is not just absurd, but a cowardly crime, to criminalize historical investigations.
Although Bernard F. Fall’s Hell in a Very Small Place is a classic, it gets several key facts wrong, but no one has ever accused him of dishonesty. Fall set the stage for latter historians. No ivory tower-percher, Fall humped bushes and died from stepping on a mine near Hue. His exact last words, as captured by a tape recorder, “We’ve reached one of our phase lines after the firefight and it smells bad, meaning it’s a little bit suspicious. Could be an amb…”
Since Dien Bien Phu was in a valley, surrounded by mountains, the French themselves described their position as being in a lion pit or at the bottom of a chamber pot, but there was no need to worry, since the Viet Minh could never position enough big guns around the peaks to pound them with some serious shit, then it happened.
Death thundered down continuously. It was like one of God’s giant dumps, ragingly delivered, and it lasted almost two months, so life’s only meaning and aim became to do whatever it takes to not be turned into bloody shit.
Each 105mm howitzer had to be taken apart, then lugged up in pieces by porters, to be reassembled, emplaced, fortified and camouflaged. Roads and bridges had to be immediately repaired after each French bombing run. Many miles of trenches were dug.
Marveling at all these coordinated activities, the French brigadier general Pierre Langlais remarked, “This efficiency was not doubted by those who knew the Tonkin delta and its giant dikes—the mechanical marvels of another age; and as for being courageous, one certainly had to be in order to work under threat of delayed-action bombs that were dropped in each attack.”
Though war may expose man at his most barbaric, it’s also the summation of his civilization. War isn’t won through base instincts, but vast planning, mastery of technology and mass discipline, based on a shared philosophy. That’s why savages don’t win wars. Engineers do.
Triumphant, the Vietnamese could trot out their heroes. Though only Vo Nguyen Giap has become universally known, there is also Le Trong Tan, a Vietnamese Zhukov who’s praised by Fidel Castro as Vietnam’s best general, plus three martyrs I’m sure you’ve never heard of.
To Vinh Dien wedged himself under the wheel of an artillery piece, to prevent it from slipping down a mountain.
Shouting “I must sacrifice for the Party and the people,” Phan Dinh Giot jammed himself into a French gun slot to incapacitate it.
Already badly injured, Be Van Dan used his shoulders as a machine gun mount, and died while still clutching the weapon, it is said.
If you think these stories are rather suspect, sound like Hollywood, I know Vietnamese who also doubt them, yet these men are held up as models for Vietnamese schoolchildren. No society can survive without enough of its members willing to die for it.
Even before getting off my minibus, I could see that Dien Bien Phu had been irrevocably changed. With its population exploding, it had lost its rural character, and was a bonafide city of restaurants, hotels and cute cafes, with at least one serving not bad pizzas. A monstrous victory monument crowned a steep hill.
Staying five days, I haggled down the price at Tuyet Trung Guest House. This is Vietnam’s coldest and dampest region, so low-end hotel rooms aren’t just badly kept, but poorly ventilated. Unto eternity, their assorted bad smells linger, molder and piss on your spirit. Happily, though, my second floor, $8.66 a night room wasn’t redolent of bodily effluvia! It even overlooked the airport, with its runway upgraded from what the Japanese had built during World War II, and what the French had used, then failed to use, during their fiasco. From my balcony, I could see the weathered denim colored mountains, lightly curtained by mist.
A short walk away, there was a magnificent Bailey Bridge. Field Marshal Montgomery said that without this engineering marvel, the Allies would not have won World War II, for it was easy to assemble, strong enough to support tanks and very durable. When this bridge was overrun by the Viet Minh at 2PM on May 7th, 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was effectively over. Interestingly, its Vietnamese name, Muong Thanh, is also the brand of Vietnam’s (and Southeast Asia’s) biggest hotel chain.
Hungering for the old Dien Bien Phu of bamboo thickets, tall areca palms, narrow canals and thin footpaths, I wandered away from the city and discovered Ban Banh, a Tai village of houses on stilts. Many had been recently built and generally larger than traditionally, so integration into a larger economy has its advantages. Balusters, though, were mostly machine-made, with some of ugly chrome, and not wood. Soon, they won’t know how to whittle a toothpick.
The only Vietnamese in Ban Banh was the teacher at its two-room school, but she left each day after work. Her parents are from Thai Binh and came to Dien Bien Phu in 1960. Entering a tiny store, I bought an awful can of Hanoi Beer and some peanuts. One bite yielded something obviously alien that tasted vaguely like crab, which I spat out. I chased the foul flavor away with the crap beer, and more peanuts. Oh how I missed my Beerlao!
Arrayed on three shelves were hunks of sweet bread, instant noodles, tiny cartons of sweetened milk, Boom Boom brand weeny sausages and plastic flip flops. Each Tai I talked to that afternoon spoke Vietnamese perfectly. Across the lane, a just-drafted young man returned home holding his fresh uniform and pith helmet. He would serve two years.
Sixty-six years after the battle, most of its participants are long dead. At Dien Bien Phu, the average age of a French captain was 38, and a battalion commander was 43! Instead of expending or eating bullets, they should have been sunning themselves, like lizards, on some Mediterranean beach.
After Ban Banh, I kept walking past rice paddies, farmers and a few water buffaloes, until I ran into a fascinating old man, but of course, they’re all interesting, young or old.
In any out of the way village, even a foreign gnat is immediately noticed, so that’s why he approached me, out of curiosity, and it took less than a minute for the thin, short man with few front teeth to proudly state his age, “I’m 90 years old!”
“So were you here during the battle?”
“I was in it!”
“Whoa! Really? There can’t be many left, in this area.”
“There are only three. The other two are even older than me! One man is bedridden.”
“I want to hear your stories, uncle. Is there a place where we can sit, drink some wine and talk?”
“You can come to my house,” and he grabbed my hand. Merely a minute later, we were inside his small living room. Framed photos and certificates covered an entire wall. One congratulated Ly Quang Vinh for being a member of the Communist Party for 60 years. His given name means “Glory,” by the way.
Happy to have a visitor, Mr. Vinh told his grandson-in-law to bring out cans of Huda Beer and a very potent homemade sake, then insisted that I stayed for lunch. Naturally, I wanted to hear about his battle experience, but he was rather terse with his recollections, “I’m just lucky I didn’t die. So many did.”
Mr. Vinh served in the elite 308th Infantry Division, which was as much a curse as an honor, for General Giap routinely assigned to it some of the deadliest missions. In January of 1951, it got decimated at the Battle of Vinh Yen, yet just two months later, was ordered to attack the French at Mao Khe, where again it got clobbered.
Four months before Dien Bien Phu, the 308th was told to go all the way to Luang Prabang, deep in Laos. Boylan and Olivier, “This operation was intended to confuse the French, oblige Navarre to disperse his reserves, and aid the invasion of central and southern Laos by troops of the 304th and 325th Divisions. All these objectives were achieved, although the 308th was operating ‘on a shoestring’ because it had no time to make proper logistical preparations.”
Unlike me, Mr. Vinh had no time to enjoy a Beerlao or two on his Lao tour. I feel softer than virgin tits. Hanging my head, I count my blessings.
At Dien Bien Phu, the 308th lost a staggering 2,650 men, but its soldiers were the first to storm into de Castries’ bunker, and the 308th also led the Viet Minh’s entry into Hanoi, five months later, as the French withdrew.
Mr. Vinh wasn’t among those who witnessed Castries’ surrender. “I just missed getting there,” he rued. He and another Viet Minh did take 30 prisoners, “Twenty-seven of them were Vietnamese. Only three were French. I told them, ‘You can give up and receive clemency, or we can just kill you.’” By this point, though, white flags were sprouting from nearly all French positions.
After Dien Bien Phu, Mr. Vinh was sent to Thai Binh to prevent refugees from heading South, ahead of the country’s partition. The fact that a million Vietnamese headed South or North means the promised elections were never taken seriously by either side. In 1960, Mr. Vinh finally left the army after ten years. “I was only injured once, very slightly.” Grimacing, he rubbed his left forearm. “Had I died, “Had I died, they wouldn’t have been able to identify me. I had no ID of any kind.”
A Viet Minh soldier received no wage, just two cold balls of rice a day, “We couldn’t cook. If the French saw smoke, they’d bomb us.”
“You suffered much, uncle.”
“I suffered for 60 years!”
“Ah, so you’ve had 30 good years! That’s more than most people.”
Mr. Vinh’s illiterate. After the army, he mostly farmed. Even today, Mr. Vinh grows most of his vegetables, and raises a dozen chickens. He gets $181 a month in pension, and his wife, $172. She also served at Dien Bien Phu, as one of 33,500 [!] civilian volunteers. Holding her 10-month-old great granddaughter, the old woman recounted, “Once, when the French planes started attacking, we just all ran to a hill, and watched from there.”
Unprompted, Mr. Vinh declared, “Vietnam is number one. Like Uncle Ho said, ‘We can defeat any enemy.’ We beat the French, Americans and Chinese.” A little later, he added, “More and more countries are recognizing that Vietnam is number one. Vietnamese food, for example, is the best!”
We had been knocking down his nasty sake. Each time we clanked glasses, Mr. Vinh insisted we emptied them. Though many Vietnamese love to drink, rural ones tend to be the worst. Mr. Vinh drinks three times a day, starting with breakfast.
Mr. Vinh met General Giap twice, he told me three times, “But we were advised beforehand to not shake his hand,” so it was as a group. He also saw Uncle Ho twice. Though not nearly as common as photos of Ho Chi Minh, Vo Nguyen Giap’s can be found in many Vietnamese homes, particularly if they’re owned by an NVA or Viet Cong veteran. On the streets, kids wear Captain America T-shirts.
I started out addressing Mr. Vinh as “uncle” or “cụ,” a respectful term for the very old, but by the end, he insisted I call him “dad,” so he could call me “son.”
“You should rest now, dad. I must walk back to Dien Bien Phu. We’ve drank enough.”
“That’s almost five kilometers away! Let me call a taxi for you, son.”
“No, no, I can walk. If you could walk all the way here from Lai Chau, I can walk five kilometers.”
“You should just take a nap here, son, then leave later.”
“No, no, I must go. If I should come back here in two, five or even ten years, we can meet again!”
Even a young man can’t assume he’ll return to any place, distant or nearby, so that’s probably my last date with Dien Bien Phu. I had the worst banh mi, coffee and pho this time, but even the French didn’t eat very well there. Even before the siege began, most had to forego wine and blood sausages.
Mr. Vinh’s sweetness made everything worthwhile. A few years ago, a tour guide brought some French tourists to his home, so he fed them all, just like he fed me.
“I said to them, ‘Ça va! Ça va!’ When we fought them, it was, ‘Mains en l’air!” Now, it was, ‘Ça va!’”
Among the monuments scattered around Dien Bien Phu, there’s an obelisk erected by a former Foreign Legionaire, Rolf Rodel, on land donated by the Vietnamese government. Fronted by wreaths, plaques and even jars containing incense sticks, it’s a dignified memorial to the dead.
Just a two minute-stroll away lie To Vinh Dien, Phan Dinh Giot and Be Van Dan.
Dien Bien Phu’s newly-strung garish lights can’t chase away its ghosts.
As published at Veterans Today, Smirking Chimp and Unz Review, 2/13/20.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Linh Dinh


lewrockwell--2020-02-18--The Rise of the Occult

The Rise of the Occult

Award–winning journalist Richard Abanes clears away the confusion many readers experience over fantasy books and films .
He delves into the differences between various forms of fantasy and digs out answers needed by every parent , youth worker , teacher , and student .
The stories of Tolkien , Lewis , and Rowling—and films based on them—have touched millions of lives .
How are these authors similar…and different ?
Where do they fit into today ’ s ever–growing desire for the mystery and magic fantasy provides ?
Abanes—himself a fantasy and science–fiction fan—helps shed light on this form of entertainment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ youth .
Readers will come away thoroughly equipped to differentiate between stories and films that are harmless , even inspiring—and those containing spiritual dangers .
See this .
My concern about the Harry Potter books is two-fold : 1 ) by J.K. Rowling ’ s own admission , the books contain references to real-world occult symbolism , lore , subjects , practices , and beliefs that she has gleaned from her hobby-like study of things like occultism , witchcraft , and magick ( this is verified and documented ) ; 2 ) the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relativism—i.e.
, there seems to be no objective standard of right and wrong .
If the good characters in the book feel like something is just fine ( or fun ) , then they simply do it , even though it may be bad/wrong ( e.g.
, the good characters habitually lie , steal , cheat , use foul language , break laws , deceive each other , behave hypocritically , and have no problem pursuing revenge ) .
The books do not strive to show kids a better way , they instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : e.g.
, crass/gross humor , the desire for revenge , the want for power over adults .
Some people say , “ So what ?
” But my worry is that children—who we all know tend to copy what they think is cool , or fun , or exciting—will begin emulating some of the poor ethical/moral behaviors exalted in Harry Potter as well as some of the occult aspects of the books .
This is not a far-fetched concern .
Kids are already copying various aspects of the series : e.g.
, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sky-rocketed ; a surge in buying owls for pets has taken place ; and one group of kids had to be rushed to the hospital after mixing a poisonous “ potion ” and drinking—all in direct response to Harry Potter .
We also have a 2002 Barna survey that found 12 % of kids who saw the Harry Potter movies were more interested in witchcraft .
And , most alarming , is how REAL wiccans/occultists/neopagans are writing their own pro-occult and pro-witchcraft books ( both fiction and non-fiction ) and using the popularity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ readers to their materials .
Clearly , concerns about Harry Potter are not misplaced .
My book also debunks the absurd view of Harry Potter offered by the likes of John Granger , Connie Neal , and Francis Bridger , and John Killinger—i.e.
, the claim that Harry Potter is actually a Christian series in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings .
In a nutshell , their assertions are plagued by a myriad of flaws that can be distilled down to two main issues : 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveals that it is not a depiction of anything Christian , but instead , is a depiction of the magick worldview .
( This has been confirmed by Witches , occultists , and neopagans . )
2 .
Rowling herself has explained both her work and her faith in ways that clearly contradict the assertions being made by the “ Harry-Potter-is-really-Christian ” group of supporters .
Should Christian children and/or adults read them ?
Well , what adults do is between them and God .
I could no more tell an adult Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to not go see an R-rated movie , or not have a glass of wine with spaghetti .
Reading Harry Potter as an adult , I think , would fall into the category of a freedom not explicitly discussed in scripture .
Children , on the other hand , need guidance .
But guiding someone else ’ s child is not my job .
My job is to get good , solid , documented information about Harry Potter to parents , then , it is their decision .
Personally , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor idea to have some kids , particularly younger ones ( e.g.
, ages 6-10 ) , reading the books—especially the latter volumes ( 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ) , which become progressively darker and more violent .
Also , the below I can discuss as part of it proving believing in nothing and not God leaves one open to believing in monstrosity .
See here , here and here .
Tourists that visit the Colosseum in Rome these days are getting quite a shock .
A gigantic statue of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Molech ” has been erected right at the entrance .
In ancient times , those that served Molech would literally sacrifice their children to him , and apparently this involved burning them to death .
And now a massive statue of this pagan idol is the centerpiece of a new “ archaeological exhibition ” at the world famous Roman Colosseum .
Yes , the exact same Colosseum where countless numbers of Christians were martyred for their faith is now the home for one of the most monstrous pagan deities that the world has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sounds almost too strange to be true , but this is actually happening .
The following comes from the official press release for this “ exhibition ” … They are referring to this enormous statue as “ Moloch ” , but according to Wikipedia this ancient pagan god was also known as “ Molech , Milcom , or Malcam ” … For purposes of this article , I will use the name “ Molech ” , because that is the name that will be most familiar to the majority of my readers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have chosen to put Molech in a dark corner where nobody would have really noticed him , but instead they purposely decided to feature him in a place where 100 percent of the visitors to the Colosseum would immediately see him .
One woman that recently visited the Colosseum told LifeSiteNews what she witnessed… How in the world could something like this possibly be allowed ?
And what makes this even more shocking is that the Colosseum is actually controlled by the Vatican .
The following comes from Breaking Israel News… The @ @ @ @

While in my own novels, I deal with pagan gods, both Norse and Greek, the protagonist who is of course flawed, is moving from the pagan world and in the end to the Christian one–and so are many other principal characters who had been pagans and sinners.
Award–winning journalist Richard Abanes clears away the confusion many readers experience over fantasy books and films. He delves into the differences between various forms of fantasy and digs out answers needed by every parent, youth worker, teacher, and student.
Part of the reason I chose to write my own novels although they feature (obviously nonexistent gods, who nevertheless while flawed venerate God) was in response to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series; the first novel features a televangelist being punished by the Ancient Greek god of the dead Hades and subsequent novels in this series and other Riordan series clearly has the human soul subject to the power of either Greek, Norse, or Egyptian deities and not God. My books will never sell in the millions of copies, as do Riordan’s and Rowling’s, not merely because of the lack of coordinated large scale promotion, but also because the consequence that we truly are in a post-Christian age and my perspective is less attractive to young people than Rowling and Riordan.
In addition, Riordan most recently has written works that promote the transgender agenda, and that concerns me given his target audience is so young. Riordan has written on his site:
I was honored to attend the Stonewall Award ceremony today at the American Library Association meeting in Chicago. Magnus Chase 2: The Hammer of Thor, won the children’s book award for “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience” because of the character of Alex Fierro. I had such a great time meeting young folks, librarians and other award-winning and honor-winning authors! Where did I get the nerve to write Alex Fierro, a transgender, gender fluid child of Loki in The Hammer of Thor, and why should I get cookies for that? These are all fair and valid questions, which I have been asking myself a lot. I think, to support young LGBTQ readers, the most important thing publishing can do is to publish and promote more stories by LGBTQ authors, authentic experiences by authentic voices. We have to keep pushing for this. The Stonewall committee’s work is a critical part of that effort. I can only accept the Stonewall Award in the sense that I accept a call to action – firstly, to do more myself to read and promote books by LGBTQ authors. But also, it’s a call to do better in my own writing. As one of my genderqueer readers told me recently, “Hey, thanks for Alex. You didn’t do a terrible job!” I thought: Yes! Not doing a terrible job was my goal! As important as it is to offer authentic voices and empower authors and role models from within LGBTQ community, it’s is also important that LGBTQ kids see themselves reflected and valued in the larger world of mass media, including my books. I know this because my non-heteronormative readers tell me so. They actively lobby to see characters like themselves in my books. They like the universe I’ve created. They want to be part of it. They deserve that opportunity. It’s important that I, as a mainstream author, say, “I see you. You matter. Your life experience may not be like mine, but it is no less valid and no less real. I will do whatever I can to understand and accurately include you in my stories, in my world. I will not erase you.”
The stories of Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling—and films based on them—have touched millions of lives. How are these authors similar…and different? Where do they fit into today’s ever–growing desire for the mystery and magic fantasy provides? Abanes—himself a fantasy and science–fiction fan—helps shed light on this form of entertainment and its effects on today’s youth.
Readers will come away thoroughly equipped to differentiate between stories and films that are harmless, even inspiring—and those containing spiritual dangers. See this.
Abanes, in an interview with Tim Challies, tells why he is worried about the Harry Potter series:
My concern about the Harry Potter books is two-fold: 1) by J.K. Rowling’s own admission, the books contain references to real-world occult symbolism, lore, subjects, practices, and beliefs that she has gleaned from her hobby-like study of things like occultism, witchcraft, and magick (this is verified and documented); 2) the ethics and morality in the series exalt relativism—i.e., there seems to be no objective standard of right and wrong. If the good characters in the book feel like something is just fine (or fun), then they simply do it, even though it may be bad/wrong (e.g., the good characters habitually lie, steal, cheat, use foul language, break laws, deceive each other, behave hypocritically, and have no problem pursuing revenge). The books do not strive to show kids a better way, they instead, appeal to their most basic/naturalistic instincts: e.g., crass/gross humor, the desire for revenge, the want for power over adults. Some people say, “So what?” But my worry is that children—who we all know tend to copy what they think is cool, or fun, or exciting—will begin emulating some of the poor ethical/moral behaviors exalted in Harry Potter as well as some of the occult aspects of the books. This is not a far-fetched concern. Kids are already copying various aspects of the series: e.g., registrations for boarding schools in England have sky-rocketed; a surge in buying owls for pets has taken place; and one group of kids had to be rushed to the hospital after mixing a poisonous “potion” and drinking—all in direct response to Harry Potter. We also have a 2002 Barna survey that found 12% of kids who saw the Harry Potter movies were more interested in witchcraft. And, most alarming, is how REAL wiccans/occultists/neopagans are writing their own pro-occult and pro-witchcraft books (both fiction and non-fiction) and using the popularity of Harry Potter books to lure young readers to their materials. Clearly, concerns about Harry Potter are not misplaced. My book also debunks the absurd view of Harry Potter offered by the likes of John Granger, Connie Neal, and Francis Bridger, and John Killinger—i.e., the claim that Harry Potter is actually a Christian series in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. In a nutshell, their assertions are plagued by a myriad of flaws that can be distilled down to two main issues: 1. The plainest reading of Harry Potter reveals that it is not a depiction of anything Christian, but instead, is a depiction of the magick worldview. (This has been confirmed by Witches, occultists, and neopagans.) 2. Rowling herself has explained both her work and her faith in ways that clearly contradict the assertions being made by the “Harry-Potter-is-really-Christian” group of supporters. Should Christian children and/or adults read them? Well, what adults do is between them and God. I could no more tell an adult Christian to not read the books than tell them to not go see an R-rated movie, or not have a glass of wine with spaghetti. Reading Harry Potter as an adult, I think, would fall into the category of a freedom not explicitly discussed in scripture. Children, on the other hand, need guidance. But guiding someone else’s child is not my job. My job is to get good, solid, documented information about Harry Potter to parents, then, it is their decision. Personally, however, I do think it is a very poor idea to have some kids, particularly younger ones (e.g., ages 6-10), reading the books—especially the latter volumes (4, 5, 6, 7), which become progressively darker and more violent.
In addition, in Albanes’s book Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies, he observes that in numerous book stores, books on witchcraft are right on the shelf next to Harry Potter books, enticing the young into the occult.
In fact, the Occult is having ever greater influence; in a “Post Christian” America, bizarre beliefs are taking its place. As Tara Isabella Burton states in her piece The Rise of Progressive Occultism:
More importantly, however, AOC’s gambit taps into the way in which progressive millennials have appropriated the rhetoric, imagery, and rituals of what was once called the “New Age”—from astrology to witchcraft—as both a political and spiritual statement of identity. For an increasing number of left-leaning millennials—more and more of whom do not belong to any organized religion—occult spirituality isn’t just a form of personal practice, self-care with more sage. Rather, it’s a metaphysical canvas for the American culture wars in the post-Trump era: pitting the self-identified Davids of seemingly secular progressivism against the Goliath of nationalist evangelical Christianity. There’s the coven of Brooklyn witches who publicly hexed then-Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh to the acclamation of the thousands-strong “Magic Resistance”—anti-Trump witches (among them: pop singer Lana del Rey) who used at-home folk magic to “bind” the president in the months following his inauguration. There are organizations like The Satanic Temple —newly featured in Penny Lane’s 2019 documentary Hail Satan—a “nontheistic religion” and activist group that uses its religious status to demand for its black-robe-clad members the same protections afforded to Christians in the hopes of highlighting the ridiculousness of faith-based exceptions (Satanic prayer in schools, say). There are dozens of Trump-era how-to spellbooks that blend folk magic with activist practice: the 2018 anthology The New Arcadia: A Witch’s Handbook to Magical Resistance; Michael Hughes’s 2018 Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change; David Salisbury’s 2019 Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance (Includes Spells for Social Justice, Civil Rights, the Environment, and More); and Sarah Lyons’s forthcoming Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide to Magical Activism. There are hundreds of thousands of users of witch-popular blogging platforms like Tumblr and Instagram, which at the moment boasts 8.5 million photographs hashtagged “#witch.”
People’s lack of traditional faith as demonstrated in the examples cited tend to support that lacking a belief in God leaves one open to believing in monstrosity.
See here, here and here.
Excerpt:
Tourists that visit the Colosseum in Rome these days are getting quite a shock. A gigantic statue of a pagan Canaanite deity known as “Molech” has been erected right at the entrance. In ancient times, those that served Molech would literally sacrifice their children to him, and apparently this involved burning them to death. And now a massive statue of this pagan idol is the centerpiece of a new “archaeological exhibition” at the world famous Roman Colosseum. Yes, the exact same Colosseum where countless numbers of Christians were martyred for their faith is now the home for one of the most monstrous pagan deities that the world has ever seen.
I know that this sounds almost too strange to be true, but this is actually happening. The following comes from the official press release for this “exhibition”…
A reconstruction of the terrible deity Moloch, linked to Phoenician and Carthaginian religions and featured in the 1914 film Cabiria (directed by Giovanni Pastore and written by Gabriele D’Annunzio) will be stationed at the entrance to the Colosseum to welcome visitors to the exhibition.
They are referring to this enormous statue as “Moloch”, but according to Wikipedia this ancient pagan god was also known as “Molech, Milcom, or Malcam”…
Moloch[a] is the biblical name of a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice, through fire or war. The name of this deity is also sometimes spelled Molech, Milcom, or Malcam.
For purposes of this article, I will use the name “Molech”, because that is the name that will be most familiar to the majority of my readers.
The organizers of this “exhibition” could have chosen to put Molech in a dark corner where nobody would have really noticed him, but instead they purposely decided to feature him in a place where 100 percent of the visitors to the Colosseum would immediately see him.
One woman that recently visited the Colosseum told LifeSiteNews what she witnessed…
“We were so excited the day we decided to go to the Colosseum,” Alexandra Clark told LifeSiteNews via email. She and her sister Tiffany were looking forward to visiting the site of Christian martyrdom. “But the moment we got there the sight that greeted us was horrifying! Standing guard over the entrance was the colossal pagan statue of Moloch. It was placed in that prime spot so that everyone that entered into the Colosseum had to pass it,” she continued.
How in the world could something like this possibly be allowed?
And what makes this even more shocking is that the Colosseum is actually controlled by the Vatican. The following comes from Breaking Israel News…
A source close to the matter told Breaking Israel News that: “There is no way that such a thing could be done without direct permission from the highest levels of the Vatican. The Colloseum of Rome is owned by the Vatican, and specifically the Diocese of Rome, also called the Holy See. If anyone wants to do anything there, they must get permissions from the office of the Diocese of Rome. This exhibition, called “Cathargo: the immortal myth” could not be held there at all unless permissions were granted at high levels.”
The Best of Yvonne Lorenzo


lewrockwell--2020-02-18--More Warfare, Slightly Less Welfare

More Warfare, Slightly Less Welfare

Listening to the howls from Democrats and the applause from Republicans , one would think President Trump ’ s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget is a radical assault on the welfare state .
The truth is the budget contains some minor spending cuts , most of which are not even real cuts .
Instead they are reductions in the “ projected rate of growth.
” This is equivalent of saying you are sticking to your diet because you ate five chocolate chip cookies when you wanted to eat ten .
President Trump ’ s plan reduces the Education Department ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaving the department with “ only ” 66.6 billion dollars .
Cuts to other departments are similarly small , while reductions in entitlement spending consist mostly of reforms that will not affect most of those dependent on these programs .
President Trump deserves credit for proposing an 11.6 billion dollars cut in funding for the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development ( USAID ) .
Foreign aid does little to help impoverished people overseas .
Instead , it benefits foreign government officials willing to do the US government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USAID are extensively involved in US intervention abroad , including efforts to overthrow governments .
Swords Into Plowshares ... Ron Paul Best Price : $ 2.70 Buy New $ 9.27 President Trump ’ s budget proposes a number of increases in spending .
For example , his budget spends around 900 million additional dollars on vocational education .
It also includes additional spending on items including infrastructure and childcare .
Few in DC have expressed concern over the fact that President Trump ’ s 4.8 trillion dollars budget proposal is the largest budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little outcry from supposedly antiwar progressive Democrats over Trump ’ s proposal to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on militarism .
This is not surprising , as many progressives are happy to support increased warfare spending as long as conservatives go along with increased welfare spending .
Similarly , many conservatives are happy to support increased welfare spending as long as it means that progressives will vote for increased warfare spending .
So , Congress is unlikely to approve any of President Trump ’ s spending cuts , but Congress will gleefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even if Congress agrees to all of President Trump ’ s cuts , federal deficits will still be over one trillion dollars for the next several years .
However , President Trump claims the budget will balance in 15 years .
In order to show a balanced budget by 2035 , the administration assumes three percent economic growth for most of the next decade .
This level of growth is unlikely to come to pass .
Instead , the current boom will likely end soon , and the economy will experience another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the verge of a downturn include rising homelessness and the Federal Reserve ’ s bailout of the repurchasing market .
The current economic boom is built on debt , and the debt-based economy is facilitated by the Federal Reserve ’ s easy money policies .
The massive amount of debt held by consumers , businesses , and especially government is the main reason the Fed feels compelled to maintain historically low interest rates .
If rates were to increase to market levels , government interest payments would be unstable .
This would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leading to a major crisis .
However , continuing on the current path of low interest rates will inevitably lead to a dollar crisis and a collapse of the welfare-warfare Keynesian system .
Continuing to waste billions on wars abroad and failed programs at home while pretending that we can avoid a crisis via phony cuts and Fed-fueled growth will only make the inevitable collapse more painful .
The only way to avoid economic disaster is to cut spending and audit , then end , the Federal Reserve .
The Best of @ @

Listening to the howls from Democrats and the applause from Republicans, one would think President Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget is a radical assault on the welfare state. The truth is the budget contains some minor spending cuts, most of which are not even real cuts. Instead they are reductions in the “projected rate of growth.” This is equivalent of saying you are sticking to your diet because you ate five chocolate chip cookies when you wanted to eat ten.
President Trump’s plan reduces the Education Department’s budget by nearly eight percent, leaving the department with “only” 66.6 billion dollars. Cuts to other departments are similarly small, while reductions in entitlement spending consist mostly of reforms that will not affect most of those dependent on these programs.
President Trump deserves credit for proposing an 11.6 billion dollars cut in funding for the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Foreign aid does little to help impoverished people overseas. Instead, it benefits foreign government officials willing to do the US government’s bidding. The State Department and USAID are extensively involved in US intervention abroad, including efforts to overthrow governments. Swords Into Plowshares... Paul, Ron Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $15.99 (as of 11:36 UTC - Details)
President Trump’s budget proposes a number of increases in spending. For example, his budget spends around 900 million additional dollars on vocational education. It also includes additional spending on items including infrastructure and childcare.
Few in DC have expressed concern over the fact that President Trump’s 4.8 trillion dollars budget proposal is the largest budget in American history. There is also little outcry from supposedly antiwar progressive Democrats over Trump’s proposal to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on militarism. This is not surprising, as many progressives are happy to support increased warfare spending as long as conservatives go along with increased welfare spending. Similarly, many conservatives are happy to support increased welfare spending as long as it means that progressives will vote for increased warfare spending. So, Congress is unlikely to approve any of President Trump’s spending cuts, but Congress will gleefully agree to all of his spending increases.
Even if Congress agrees to all of President Trump’s cuts, federal deficits will still be over one trillion dollars for the next several years. However, President Trump claims the budget will balance in 15 years. In order to show a balanced budget by 2035, the administration assumes three percent economic growth for most of the next decade. This level of growth is unlikely to come to pass. Instead, the current boom will likely end soon, and the economy will experience another major recession. Signs that we are on the verge of a downturn include rising homelessness and the Federal Reserve’s bailout of the repurchasing market.
The current economic boom is built on debt, and the debt-based economy is facilitated by the Federal Reserve’s easy money policies. The massive amount of debt held by consumers, businesses, and especially government is the main reason the Fed feels compelled to maintain historically low interest rates. If rates were to increase to market levels, government interest payments would be unstable. This would cause the government debt bubble to burst, leading to a major crisis. However, continuing on the current path of low interest rates will inevitably lead to a dollar crisis and a collapse of the welfare-warfare Keynesian system.
Continuing to waste billions on wars abroad and failed programs at home while pretending that we can avoid a crisis via phony cuts and Fed-fueled growth will only make the inevitable collapse more painful. The only way to avoid economic disaster is to cut spending and audit, then end, the Federal Reserve.
The Best of Ron Paul, MD


lewrockwell--2020-02-18--No One Gets Out of Here Alive

No One Gets Out of Here Alive

As we wander through the fog of history in the making , unsure who is lying and who is telling the truth , seemingly blind to what comes next , I look to previous Fourth Turnings for a map of what might materialize during the 2nd half of this current Fourth Turning .
After a tumultuous , harrowing inception to this Crisis in 2008/2009 , we have been told all is well and are in the midst of an eleven-year economic expansion , with the stock market hitting all-time highs .
History seemed to stop and we ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Outwardly , the establishment has convinced the masses , through propaganda and money printing , the world has returned to normal and the future is bright .
I haven ’ t bought into this provable falsehood .
Looking back to the Great Depression , we can get some perspective on our current position historically .
The Dow is up 450 % since its 2009 low , which is the metric used by the establishment to prove their money printing solutions have succeeded in lifting the country from the depths of despair and depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the lords of the manor through their fake news media mouthpieces for the past decade is one of solid recovery , as the cancer of debt proliferates through the global intestines , thrusting the patient towards a terminal fate .
Looking back to the previous Fourth Turning it seems the Dow went up 450 % from its 1932 low in just five years , making this bull market look like a calf .
It seems the ruling class did quite well in the midst of the Great Depression , while the masses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not repeat , but it certainly seems to be rhyming during this Fourth Turning , as the Wall Street cabal have been enriched while senior citizens have been impoverished by the Federal Reserve ZIRP and QE to infinity .
This is proof depressionary conditions can prevail for the majority even as the stock market skyrockets to new heights .
Trump consistently touts our economy as the best ever .
Obama crowed about bringing the country out of the depths of recession .
How many of today ’ s historically challenged iGadget addicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between 1933 and 1937 , in the midst of the Great Depression ?
Meanwhile , GDP has only grown by 48 % since the 2009 low , over a ten-year period .
And this has only been achieved through a 100 % increase in the national debt , a 450 % increase in the Federal Reserve balance sheet , a decade of zero interest rates , and trillion-dollar annual deficits .
The Fourth Turning : An ... William Strauss , Neil ... Best Price : $ 6.00 Buy New $ 12.42 The blizzard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic decline has been so persistent , critical thinking Americans have lost all trust in the existing social order .
The fabric of our nation has been torn asunder through the machinations and criminality of the Deep State players and their apparatchiks disseminated throughout our political , financial , government and media structures .
I do contemplate what future historians ( if our egomaniacal leaders don ’ t blow up the planet ) will write about this profoundly abnormal period in world history .
Rational sober minded people will wonder “ what were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass delusion sweep across the globe and convince hundreds of millions to believe debt equaled wealth and prosperity could be generated by central bankers printing money at hyper-speed .
How could supposedly highly educated financial professionals convince themselves it was rational to pay $ 900 per share for a company losing hundreds of millions per year ?
The irrational exuberance exhibited by the big swinging dicks on Wall Street during the dot.com bubble , the subprime mortgage induced bubble , and the current everything bubble has been encouraged and inspired by the reckless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow feckless central bank heroine dealers around the world .
Their arrogance is only exceeded by their greed and myopia .
Their grasp of history reaches to last Wednesday .
No one is heeding the wisdom of great men .
That ’ s why they will be blind-sided by the coming total catastrophe , once again .
I spent countless hours during the Obama administration poking holes in the false narrative of the unemployment figures produced by the BLS and GDP numbers produced by the BEA .
The Obama haters were completely onboard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with rational arguments that these government drones were doing nothing more than peddling lies to keep the serfs in the dark .
Even Donald Trump openly scorned and ridiculed the fake data pumped out month after month .
But it seems Donald now believes every economic data point his governmental agencies produce on a monthly basis .
The recent jobs report was a perfect example .
The mainstream media all blasted the same headline that 225,000 jobs were added in January , much higher than expected .
This proved the economy is doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s funny , but the Trump acolytes ignored the 520,000 downward revision of jobs created in the prior year , making his State of the Union boasts provably false .
I ’ ve trashed the birth/death adjustments made by the BLS for years , but now Trump and his supporters ignore its falsity .
The 225,000 increase in jobs came from the establishment survey .
I heard no one point out the household survey showed the number of employed Americans fell by 89,000 in January and the number of unemployed jumped by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million working age Americans not working , the same number not working at this point in Obama ’ s presidency .
The overall employment situation has improved in the last three years , but Trump touting this as a blue-collar recovery is laughable .
Real median weekly earnings for full-time workers is $ 362 ( $ 18,824 annually ) , up a phenomenal 2.8 % over the 3 years of Trump ’ s presidency .
Real wages did fall 2.9 % over the first three years of Obama ’ s presidency , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with less than 1 % real wage growth per year under Trump .
And remember , using a true inflation figure north of 5 % would show real wages are actually in decline .
None of the current narrative fanboys pointed out only 1.93 million private industry jobs were created in 2019 , the lowest level since 2010 .
Not exactly robust .
And not consistent with the “ greatest economy ever ” narrative being promoted to the masses .
The Fed reporting consumer debt soaring by $ 22 billion in December , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most in over two decades ( just prior to the dot.com debacle ) , is surely a sign of a healthy consumer .
Right ?
Consumer credit as a percentage of GDP reaching all-time highs as their real wages are stagnant isn ’ t a sign of middle-class desperation .
Right ?
We also know 40 % of American adults don ’ t have $ 400 of savings to cover an emergency expense , like a normal car repair or medical expense .
It is clear to any critical thinking individual that credit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highs because the average family is treading water by paying utilities , rent , taxes , food and medical bills with their credit cards .
The foolishness of consumers , corporations , politicians and government bureaucrats is borne out in the chart below .
The Federal Reserve created loose monetary policy , started under Greenspan in the 1980s , has convinced Wall Street titans the Fed will always have their back , bailing them out after they take excessive risks and push the financial system to the brink of collapse .
The hubris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issuing debt at hyper-speed to “ solve ” a crisis caused by excessive debt , knows no bounds .
Just the leveling off of debt in 2008/2009 threatened to bring the house of cards down .
The issuance of another $ 17 trillion of debt , a 30 % increase in ten years , has barely budged GDP .
The fallacy that debt doesn ’ t matter because we owe it to ourselves has been proven false time and again .
Consumers and corporations have to service their immense debt or go bankrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already crowding out spending on real priorities like our infrastructure .
Borrowing to pay interest on the debt is a pathway to destruction .
An unsustainable trend will not be sustained .
It ’ s just a matter of time .
So , who benefits from this hyperbolic increase in debt ?
Certainly not the average working stiff who has been propagandized into buying shit they don ’ t need with pretend money ( debt ) they don ’ t have , in order to keep up with the Joneses .
As clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beneficiaries of this stratospheric issuance of debt have been Wall Street shysters , mega-corporation executives , corrupt politicians , billionaire oligarchs , media titans , the military industrial complex , and the Deep State .
Why is it that Wall Street bankers were able to borrow for free from the Federal Reserve for a decade , while paying .15 % to senior citizens and reaping billions in ill-gotten profits ?
As the Federal Reserve chairman lies that keeping interest rates low is to benefit the average American , why are interest rates on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wonder who is benefitting from this interesting development .
If the average American hasn ’ t figured out ZIRP , QE to infinity , and trillion-dollar deficits aren ’ t for their benefit , then they are just willfully ignorant or plain stupid .
After what has seemed an eternity with this Fourth Turning not appearing to intensify , the last few months , and particularly since the start of 2020 , it seems like we are about to be flung forward into a coming storm of chaos , with no way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ruling oligarchs recognized their attempt to try and normalize our economic system by slowly weaning it from ever expanding debt during 2019 was headed towards a cliff .
Their actions over the last six or so months reveal an air of desperation .
The sudden reversal from methodically slow interest rate increases to three cuts in succession exposes the Fed as being trapped , with no way out .
Normalization is impossible .
Then the repo market began to implode , with overnight rates soaring to 10 % .
The ongoing hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fed every day divulges the rot underlying the financial system , requiring never ending emergency measures to keep it alive .
The masses have been trained through decades in government gulags ( aka public schools ) to worship the state and propagandized through the corporate media to believe government and the politicians picked for us by men in backrooms are working on our behalf .
Nothing could be further from the truth .
The Deep State is inhabited by a myriad of corrupt , vile men who are the source of the mischief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people across the land .
Central bankers and their Wall Street puppet masters have been making billions as they blow bubbles , then use their power and control over politicians to shift their losses to the ignorant masses when their bubbles burst .
When it happens over and over again , it clearly isn ’ t due to mistakes or misunderstandings .
The pillaging of your wealth , rigged markets , fraud , and buying off the regulatory system is now the standard operating procedure in our outlaw surveillance state .
Reprinted with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Best of Jim Quinn

“The seasons of time offer no guarantees. For modern societies, no less than for all forms of life, transformative change is discontinuous. For what seems an eternity, history goes nowhere – and then it suddenly flings us forward across some vast chaos that defies any mortal effort to plan our way there. The Fourth Turning will try our souls – and the saecular rhythm tells us that much will depend on how we face up to that trial. The saeculum does not reveal whether the story will have a happy ending, but it does tell us how and when our choices will make a difference.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning
As we wander through the fog of history in the making, unsure who is lying and who is telling the truth, seemingly blind to what comes next, I look to previous Fourth Turnings for a map of what might materialize during the 2nd half of this current Fourth Turning. After a tumultuous, harrowing inception to this Crisis in 2008/2009, we have been told all is well and are in the midst of an eleven-year economic expansion, with the stock market hitting all-time highs.
History seemed to stop and we’ve been treading water for over a decade. Outwardly, the establishment has convinced the masses, through propaganda and money printing, the world has returned to normal and the future is bright. I haven’t bought into this provable falsehood. Looking back to the Great Depression, we can get some perspective on our current position historically.
The Dow is up 450% since its 2009 low, which is the metric used by the establishment to prove their money printing solutions have succeeded in lifting the country from the depths of despair and depression. The narrative peddled to the plebs by the lords of the manor through their fake news media mouthpieces for the past decade is one of solid recovery, as the cancer of debt proliferates through the global intestines, thrusting the patient towards a terminal fate.
Looking back to the previous Fourth Turning it seems the Dow went up 450% from its 1932 low in just five years, making this bull market look like a calf. It seems the ruling class did quite well in the midst of the Great Depression, while the masses lined up in soup lines. History may not repeat, but it certainly seems to be rhyming during this Fourth Turning, as the Wall Street cabal have been enriched while senior citizens have been impoverished by the Federal Reserve ZIRP and QE to infinity. This is proof depressionary conditions can prevail for the majority even as the stock market skyrockets to new heights.
Trump consistently touts our economy as the best ever. Obama crowed about bringing the country out of the depths of recession. How many of today’s historically challenged iGadget addicted morons know GDP grew by 63% between 1933 and 1937, in the midst of the Great Depression? Meanwhile, GDP has only grown by 48% since the 2009 low, over a ten-year period. And this has only been achieved through a 100% increase in the national debt, a 450% increase in the Federal Reserve balance sheet, a decade of zero interest rates, and trillion-dollar annual deficits. The Fourth Turning: An... Howe, Neil Best Price: $7.92 Buy New $12.04 (as of 08:30 UTC - Details)
The blizzard of lies obfuscating the reality of our economic decline has been so persistent, critical thinking Americans have lost all trust in the existing social order. The fabric of our nation has been torn asunder through the machinations and criminality of the Deep State players and their apparatchiks disseminated throughout our political, financial, government and media structures.
I do contemplate what future historians (if our egomaniacal leaders don’t blow up the planet) will write about this profoundly abnormal period in world history. Rational sober minded people will wonder “what were they thinking?”. How did mass delusion sweep across the globe and convince hundreds of millions to believe debt equaled wealth and prosperity could be generated by central bankers printing money at hyper-speed. How could supposedly highly educated financial professionals convince themselves it was rational to pay $900 per share for a company losing hundreds of millions per year?
The irrational exuberance exhibited by the big swinging dicks on Wall Street during the dot.com bubble, the subprime mortgage induced bubble, and the current everything bubble has been encouraged and inspired by the reckless actions of the Federal Reserve and their fellow feckless central bank heroine dealers around the world. Their arrogance is only exceeded by their greed and myopia. Their grasp of history reaches to last Wednesday. No one is heeding the wisdom of great men. That’s why they will be blind-sided by the coming total catastrophe, once again.
“There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved.” – Ludwig von Mises, Human Action [1949]
I spent countless hours during the Obama administration poking holes in the false narrative of the unemployment figures produced by the BLS and GDP numbers produced by the BEA. The Obama haters were completely onboard with my counter-factual arguments, backed up with rational arguments that these government drones were doing nothing more than peddling lies to keep the serfs in the dark.
Even Donald Trump openly scorned and ridiculed the fake data pumped out month after month. But it seems Donald now believes every economic data point his governmental agencies produce on a monthly basis. The recent jobs report was a perfect example. The mainstream media all blasted the same headline that 225,000 jobs were added in January, much higher than expected. This proved the economy is doing wonderfully, in their eyes.
It’s funny, but the Trump acolytes ignored the 520,000 downward revision of jobs created in the prior year, making his State of the Union boasts provably false. I’ve trashed the birth/death adjustments made by the BLS for years, but now Trump and his supporters ignore its falsity. The 225,000 increase in jobs came from the establishment survey. I heard no one point out the household survey showed the number of employed Americans fell by 89,000 in January and the number of unemployed jumped by 139,000. There are still almost 101,000 million working age Americans not working, the same number not working at this point in Obama’s presidency.
The overall employment situation has improved in the last three years, but Trump touting this as a blue-collar recovery is laughable. Real median weekly earnings for full-time workers is $362 ($18,824 annually), up a phenomenal 2.8% over the 3 years of Trump’s presidency. Real wages did fall 2.9% over the first three years of Obama’s presidency, but let’s not get carried away with less than 1% real wage growth per year under Trump. And remember, using a true inflation figure north of 5% would show real wages are actually in decline.
None of the current narrative fanboys pointed out only 1.93 million private industry jobs were created in 2019, the lowest level since 2010. Not exactly robust. And not consistent with the “greatest economy ever” narrative being promoted to the masses. The Fed reporting consumer debt soaring by $22 billion in December, with credit card debt growing by the most in over two decades (just prior to the dot.com debacle), is surely a sign of a healthy consumer. Right?
Consumer credit as a percentage of GDP reaching all-time highs as their real wages are stagnant isn’t a sign of middle-class desperation. Right? We also know 40% of American adults don’t have $400 of savings to cover an emergency expense, like a normal car repair or medical expense. It is clear to any critical thinking individual that credit card debt has risen to new all-time highs because the average family is treading water by paying utilities, rent, taxes, food and medical bills with their credit cards.
The foolishness of consumers, corporations, politicians and government bureaucrats is borne out in the chart below. The Federal Reserve created loose monetary policy, started under Greenspan in the 1980s, has convinced Wall Street titans the Fed will always have their back, bailing them out after they take excessive risks and push the financial system to the brink of collapse. The hubris of the ruling oligarchs, exhibited by issuing debt at hyper-speed to “solve” a crisis caused by excessive debt, knows no bounds.
Just the leveling off of debt in 2008/2009 threatened to bring the house of cards down. The issuance of another $17 trillion of debt, a 30% increase in ten years, has barely budged GDP. The fallacy that debt doesn’t matter because we owe it to ourselves has been proven false time and again. Consumers and corporations have to service their immense debt or go bankrupt. Interest on the national debt is already crowding out spending on real priorities like our infrastructure. Borrowing to pay interest on the debt is a pathway to destruction. An unsustainable trend will not be sustained. It’s just a matter of time.
So, who benefits from this hyperbolic increase in debt? Certainly not the average working stiff who has been propagandized into buying shit they don’t need with pretend money (debt) they don’t have, in order to keep up with the Joneses. As clearly demonstrated over the last decade, the beneficiaries of this stratospheric issuance of debt have been Wall Street shysters, mega-corporation executives, corrupt politicians, billionaire oligarchs, media titans, the military industrial complex, and the Deep State.
Why is it that Wall Street bankers were able to borrow for free from the Federal Reserve for a decade, while paying .15% to senior citizens and reaping billions in ill-gotten profits? As the Federal Reserve chairman lies that keeping interest rates low is to benefit the average American, why are interest rates on credit cards at an all-time high? I wonder who is benefitting from this interesting development. If the average American hasn’t figured out ZIRP, QE to infinity, and trillion-dollar deficits aren’t for their benefit, then they are just willfully ignorant or plain stupid.
After what has seemed an eternity with this Fourth Turning not appearing to intensify, the last few months, and particularly since the start of 2020, it seems like we are about to be flung forward into a coming storm of chaos, with no way to plan for the challenges awaiting. The ruling oligarchs recognized their attempt to try and normalize our economic system by slowly weaning it from ever expanding debt during 2019 was headed towards a cliff.
Their actions over the last six or so months reveal an air of desperation. The sudden reversal from methodically slow interest rate increases to three cuts in succession exposes the Fed as being trapped, with no way out. Normalization is impossible. Then the repo market began to implode, with overnight rates soaring to 10%. The ongoing hundreds of billions in funding provided by the Fed every day divulges the rot underlying the financial system, requiring never ending emergency measures to keep it alive.
“The worship of the state is the worship of force. There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. The worst evils which mankind ever had to endure were inﬂicted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster.” ― Ludwig von Mises
The masses have been trained through decades in government gulags (aka public schools) to worship the state and propagandized through the corporate media to believe government and the politicians picked for us by men in backrooms are working on our behalf. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Deep State is inhabited by a myriad of corrupt, vile men who are the source of the mischief and disasters being inflicted on honest hard-working people across the land.
Central bankers and their Wall Street puppet masters have been making billions as they blow bubbles, then use their power and control over politicians to shift their losses to the ignorant masses when their bubbles burst. When it happens over and over again, it clearly isn’t due to mistakes or misunderstandings. The pillaging of your wealth, rigged markets, fraud, and buying off the regulatory system is now the standard operating procedure in our outlaw surveillance state.
Reprinted with permission from The Burning Platfrom.
The Best of Jim Quinn