lewrockwell--2020-02-13--Will Google’s Social Credit System Determine Your Future?

You may have heard about China ’ s social credit system — a dystopian monitoring scheme focused on the moral dimension of human life and behavior — which was conceived in 2014 and rolled out in in earnest in 2018 .
As reported by Business Insider in October that year:1 Aside from impeding your ability to travel , an individual ’ s punishment for “ bad behavior ” per the social credit system can also result in slower internet speed , being banned from attending certain schools or getting a higher education , being barred from certain types of employment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course , public shaming.2 In the bitchute video above , Truthstream Media details how this kind of public “ trustworthiness ” scoring can alter the way people behave — indeed their view of reality itself , and the vast data mining required for the system to work .
As noted in the video : Google , of course , is a perfect fit for this kind of Orwellian surveillance scheme .
It is , by far , the largest monopoly the world has ever seen , and its data-siphoning tentacles reach deep into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every move you make and conversation you have , whether online or in the real world .
Google actually tracks your movements online , even when you don ’ t think you are using their products .
Most websites you visit use the ‘ free ’ Google Analytics program to track everything you do on a website .
Google purchased Urchin Software back in 2005 , and by giving it away were able to integrate this important surveillance tool into most of the internet .
Google Analytics integrates with Google ’ s ad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest email service Gmail .
These systems are not free , they are a tightly integrated package of surveillance tools – selling your data , selling ads served to you , and manipulating content to direct your behavior .
These tools collect data along with other Google products like the Android ‘ smart ’ phones , the Nest home security system , and even Google ’ s Home Assistant .
You can expect these surveillance products to become free over time as the absolute goal is to exploit every bit of data they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wired article3 revealed some of the details of how Google ’ s online empire is built , noting “ One of the company ’ s cluster switches provides about 40 terabits per second of bandwidth — the equivalent of 40 million home internet connections , ” and “ Google now sends more information between its data centers than it trades with the internet as a whole.
” As highlighted in a January 27 , 2020 , article4 by The Intercept , smart camera networks equipped with facial recognition and video analytic software will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be banned to prevent an inevitable slide into invisible yet all-encompassing authoritarianism .
According to Fast Company,6 China ’ s social credit system is not entirely unique .
“ A parallel system is developing in the United States , in part as the result of Silicon Valley and technology-industry user policies , and in part by surveillance of social media activity by private companies , ” Fast Company writes.7 For example , life insurance companies can now use content shared in social media posts to determine your premium .
“ That Instagram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Yellowstone with a martini in one hand , a bucket of cheese fries in the other , and a cigarette in your mouth , could cost you , ” Fast Company notes.8 PatronScan is another example .
These devices are used by restaurants to identify fake IDs and undesirable customers — people previously removed from an establishment for causing a fight , committing sexual assault , stealing or doing drugs .
The list is shared among PatronScan customers , so getting banned in one bar or restaurant effectively bans you from all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada and U.K. for up to one year .
For additional examples , see the original Fast Company article.9 Many TV ’ s now have a camera and can be used to record your emotions while watching presidential debates or the evening news .
The Intercept article10 cited earlier goes on to detail the rise and expansion of video surveillance , starting with Axis Communications ’ internet-enabled surveillance camera , launched in the late ’ 90s , to more modern video management systems that organize all this visual data into databases .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm IHS Markit predicts 1 billion cameras will be watching public movements across the globe .
As if that ’ s not enough , cities are also inviting residents and businesses to plug their private surveillance cameras into their police network , which expands the system even further .
According to The Intercept , Detroit , Chicago , New Orleans , New York City and Atlanta have all deployed these types of “ plug-in surveillance networks , ” and many others are considering it as well .
To actually make sense of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artificial intelligence ( AI ) are used .
Video analytic capabilities include “ fight detection , motion recognition , fall detection , loitering , dog walking , jaywalking , toll fare evasion and even lie detection , ” The Intercept reports.11 Object recognition and “ anomalous or unusual behavior detection ” are also used to flag particular incidents that are then reviewed by human eyes .
The Intercept recounts how this information can be used by law enforcement to identify potential crime situations : Companies are also working on searchable databases that can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a range of different platforms , which will “ supercharge the ability to search and surveil public spaces , ” The Intercept says.12 Fat for Fuel : A Revolu ... Dr. Joseph Mercola Best Price : $ 7.40 Buy New $ 11.89 What ’ s more , there are now proposals suggesting all of this data , in combination with AI-enabled analytics systems , could be used for “ predictive policing ” as illustrated in the 2002 movie “ Minority Report , ” where suspected perpetrators are arrested before actually committing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true ?
The Intercept cites a 2018 document13 by the data storage firm Western Digital and the consulting company Accenture , “ Value of Data : Seeing What Matters — A New Paradigm for Public Safety Powered by Responsible AI , ” which predicts smart surveillance networks may be deployed “ across three tiers of maturity.
” The first tier is where we ’ re at now , where law enforcement use CCTV networks to investigate crimes after they ’ ve already occurred .
At the second tier level , predicted to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be transformed into fully connected “ smart cities , ” where the cameras of businesses and public institutions are all plugged into a government-run AI-enabled analytics system .
The third tier , predicted by 2035 , will have predictive capabilities .
As reported by The Intercept:14 Google ’ s monopoly goes well beyond web search .
It also has a potentially dangerous monopoly on online advertising .
In 2007 , Google bought DoubleClick , which already dominated the digital advertising market .
As reported by InfoWorld:15 To learn more of Google ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , please view my comprehensive interview with Robert Epstein below .
Epstein , former editor-in-chief at Psychology Today , is now a senior research psychologist for the American Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology , where for the last decade he has helped expose Google ’ s manipulative and deceptive practices .
Google Goes After Your Health Data More recently , it ’ s also become apparent Google is going after everyone ’ s health data .
Fitbit , which was recently purchased by Google , will provide them with all your physiological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to everything else that Google already has on you .
As discussed in “ How Google Is Stealing Your Personal Health Data , ” Google , Amazon and Microsoft also collect data entered into health and diagnostic sites , which is then shared with hundreds of third parties — and this data is not anonymized , meaning it ’ s tied specifically to you , without your knowledge or consent .
In other words , DoubleClick , Google ’ s ad service , will know which prescriptions you ’ ve searched for on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you with personalized drug ads .
“ There is a whole system that will seek to take advantage of you because you ’ re in a compromised state , ” Tim Libert , a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University told Financial Times.16 Google and various tech startups have even been investigating the possibility of assessing mental health problems using a combination of electronic medical records and tracking your internet and social media use .
Undisclosed data mining is also occurring in hospitals .
A whistleblower recently revealed Google amassed health data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Project Nightingale , and patients have not been informed of this data mining.17,18 As reported by The Guardian:19 According to Google and Ascension , the data being shared will be used to build a search tool with machine-learning algorithms that will spit out diagnostic recommendations and suggestions for medications that health professionals can then use to guide them in their treatment .
Google claims only a limited number of individuals will have access to the data , but just how trustworthy is Google these days ?
Since the data includes full personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re likely to find a way to use it .
Your credit card data , which at first glance would appear completely separate from Google , is also being used by the internet giant to customize ads .
As reported by Bloomberg20 August 31 , 2018 , four unnamed insiders , three of whom claim to have been directly involved in the negotiations , claim Google and Mastercard brokered a business alliance that gives Google access to Mastercard users ’ retail spending .
KetoFast : Rejuvenate Y ... Dr. Joseph Mercola Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9.64 The two companies never made the agreement public , though .
Christine Bannan , counsel with the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center ( EPIC ) told Bloomberg:21 According to Google , Mastercard users can opt out of ad tracking using Google ’ s online Web & App Activity console.22 The question is , how would users know to do that when they were never told such tracking was occurring in the first place ?
Google ’ s Store Sales Measurement service also suggests it ’ s not just Mastercard users that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg , when Google announced the new sales measurement service in 2017 , it claimed it had access to about 70 % of U.S. credit and debit card sales .
To have any chance of protecting your privacy , you simply must avoid Google products , as they account for the greatest personal data leaks in your life .
To that end , Mercola.com is now Google-free .
We do not use Google Analytics , Google ads or Google search for internal searches .
To boycott Google , be sure to ditch or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you write is permanently stored .
It becomes part of your profile and is used to build digital models of you , which allows them to make predictions about your line of thinking and every want and desire .
Many other older email systems such as AOL and Yahoo are also being used as surveillance platforms in the same way as Gmail .
ProtonMail.com , which uses end-to-end encryption , is a great alternative and the basic account is free .
•Google ’ s Chrome browser , as everything you do on there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ webpage you ’ ve ever visited .
Brave is a great alternative that takes privacy seriously .
Brave is also faster than Chrome , and suppresses ads .
It ’ s based on Chromium , the same software code that Chrome is based on , so you can easily transfer your extensions , favorites and bookmarks .
•Google search engine , or any extension of Google , such as Bing or Yahoo , both of which draw search results from Google .
The same goes for the iPhone ’ s personal assistant Siri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Google .
Alternative search engines include SwissCows and Qwant .
Avoid StartPage , as it was recently bought by an aggressive online marketing company , which , like Google , depends on surveillance .
•Android cellphones , which run on a Google-owned operating system , can track you even when you ’ re not connected to the internet , whether you have geo tracking enabled or not .
Blackberry is more secure than Android phones or the iPhone .
Blackberry ’ s upcoming model , the Key3 , may be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
•Google Home devices , as they record everything that occurs in your home or office , both speech and sounds such as brushing your teeth and boiling water , even when they appear to be inactive , and send that information back to Google .
Android phones are also always listening and recording , as are Google ’ s home thermostat Nest , and Amazon ’ s Alexa .
In my recent interview ( above ) with Epstein , he also offered the following guidance for those seeking to protect their online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( VPN ) such as Nord , which is only about $ 3 per month and can be used on up to six devices .
In my view , this is a must if you seek to preserve your privacy .
Epstein explains : Nord , when used on your cellphone , will also mask your identity when using apps like Google Maps .
•Clear your cache and cookies — As Epstein explains in his article:23 •Don ’ t use Fitbit , as it was recently purchased by Google and will provide them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels , in addition to everything else that Google already has on you .
The Best of Joseph Mercola

Expert Review by: Maryam Henein
You may have heard about China’s social credit system — a dystopian monitoring scheme focused on the moral dimension of human life and behavior — which was conceived in 2014 and rolled out in in earnest in 2018. As reported by Business Insider in October that year:1
“Like private credit scores, a person’s social score can move up and down depending on their behavior. The exact methodology is a secret — but examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games and posting fake news online.
China has already started punishing people by restricting their travel. Nine million people with low scores have been blocked from buying tickets for domestic flights …
They can also clamp down on luxury options — three million people are barred from getting business-class train tickets. The eventual system will punish bad passengers specifically. Potential misdeeds include trying to ride with no ticket, loitering in front of boarding gates, or smoking in no-smoking areas.”
Aside from impeding your ability to travel, an individual’s punishment for “bad behavior” per the social credit system can also result in slower internet speed, being banned from attending certain schools or getting a higher education, being barred from certain types of employment, confiscation of pets and, of course, public shaming.2
Google Makes Orwellian Surveillance Easy
In the bitchute video above, Truthstream Media details how this kind of public “trustworthiness” scoring can alter the way people behave — indeed their view of reality itself, and the vast data mining required for the system to work. As noted in the video:
“Social credit scores award or remove points based on behavior. It’s Big Data meets Big Brother. This will be a world with no more personal experiences, only transactions for the social credit system.
This [the system] knows every person, every bike, every car, every bus. That’s because it essentially turns every public interaction into a transaction where points can be earned or lost.”
Google, of course, is a perfect fit for this kind of Orwellian surveillance scheme. It is, by far, the largest monopoly the world has ever seen, and its data-siphoning tentacles reach deep into our everyday lives, collecting data on every move you make and conversation you have, whether online or in the real world.
Google actually tracks your movements online, even when you don’t think you are using their products. Most websites you visit use the ‘free’ Google Analytics program to track everything you do on a website. Google purchased Urchin Software back in 2005, and by giving it away were able to integrate this important surveillance tool into most of the internet.
Google Analytics integrates with Google’s ad network monopoly, as well as the largest email service Gmail. These systems are not free, they are a tightly integrated package of surveillance tools – selling your data, selling ads served to you, and manipulating content to direct your behavior.
These tools collect data along with other Google products like the Android ‘smart’ phones, the Nest home security system, and even Google’s Home Assistant. You can expect these surveillance products to become free over time as the absolute goal is to exploit every bit of data they can collect from you.
A 2015 Wired article3 revealed some of the details of how Google’s online empire is built, noting “One of the company’s cluster switches provides about 40 terabits per second of bandwidth — the equivalent of 40 million home internet connections,” and “Google now sends more information between its data centers than it trades with the internet as a whole.”
As highlighted in a January 27, 2020, article4 by The Intercept, smart camera networks equipped with facial recognition and video analytic software will advance global surveillance even further, and should be banned to prevent an inevitable slide into invisible yet all-encompassing authoritarianism.
“The rise of all-seeing smart camera networks is an alarming development that threatens civil rights and liberties throughout the world.
Law enforcement agencies have a long history of using surveillance against marginalized communities, and studies show surveillance chills freedom of expression — ill effects that could spread as camera networks grow larger and more sophisticated,” The Intercept notes.5
Silicon Valley Is Building America’s Social Credit System
According to Fast Company,6 China’s social credit system is not entirely unique. “A parallel system is developing in the United States, in part as the result of Silicon Valley and technology-industry user policies, and in part by surveillance of social media activity by private companies,” Fast Company writes.7
For example, life insurance companies can now use content shared in social media posts to determine your premium. “That Instagram pic showing you teasing a grizzly bear at Yellowstone with a martini in one hand, a bucket of cheese fries in the other, and a cigarette in your mouth, could cost you,” Fast Company notes.8
PatronScan is another example. These devices are used by restaurants to identify fake IDs and undesirable customers — people previously removed from an establishment for causing a fight, committing sexual assault, stealing or doing drugs.
The list is shared among PatronScan customers, so getting banned in one bar or restaurant effectively bans you from all bars and restaurants in the U.S., Canada and U.K. for up to one year. For additional examples, see the original Fast Company article.9
The Expansion of Public Video Surveillance
Many TV’s now have a camera and can be used to record your emotions while watching presidential debates or the evening news. The Intercept article10 cited earlier goes on to detail the rise and expansion of video surveillance, starting with Axis Communications’ internet-enabled surveillance camera, launched in the late ’90s, to more modern video management systems that organize all this visual data into databases.
By the end of 2021, the marketing firm IHS Markit predicts 1 billion cameras will be watching public movements across the globe. As if that’s not enough, cities are also inviting residents and businesses to plug their private surveillance cameras into their police network, which expands the system even further.
According to The Intercept, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, New York City and Atlanta have all deployed these types of “plug-in surveillance networks,” and many others are considering it as well. To actually make sense of all this footage, video analytic software and artificial intelligence (AI) are used.
Video analytic capabilities include “fight detection, motion recognition, fall detection, loitering, dog walking, jaywalking, toll fare evasion and even lie detection,” The Intercept reports.11
Object recognition and “anomalous or unusual behavior detection” are also used to flag particular incidents that are then reviewed by human eyes. The Intercept recounts how this information can be used by law enforcement to identify potential crime situations:
“In Connecticut, police have used video analytics to identify or monitor known or suspected drug dealers.
Sergeant Johnmichael O’Hare, former Director of the Hartford Real-Time Crime Center, recently demonstrated how BriefCam helped Hartford police reveal ‘where people go the most’ in the space of 24 hours by viewing footage condensed and summarized in just nine minutes.
Using a feature called ‘pathways,’ he discovered hundreds of people visiting just two houses on the street and secured a search warrant to verify that they were drug houses.”
Is a ‘Pre-Crime’ Department Next?
Companies are also working on searchable databases that can access and make sense of visual data from a range of different platforms, which will “supercharge the ability to search and surveil public spaces,” The Intercept says.12
Fat for Fuel: A Revolu... Dr. Joseph Mercola Best Price: $7.40 Buy New $11.89 (as of 10:20 UTC - Details) What’s more, there are now proposals suggesting all of this data, in combination with AI-enabled analytics systems, could be used for “predictive policing” as illustrated in the 2002 movie “Minority Report,” where suspected perpetrators are arrested before actually committing the crime.
Sound too crazy to be true? The Intercept cites a 2018 document13 by the data storage firm Western Digital and the consulting company Accenture, “Value of Data: Seeing What Matters — A New Paradigm for Public Safety Powered by Responsible AI,” which predicts smart surveillance networks may be deployed “across three tiers of maturity.”
The first tier is where we’re at now, where law enforcement use CCTV networks to investigate crimes after they’ve already occurred.
At the second tier level, predicted to be in place by 2025, municipalities will be transformed into fully connected “smart cities,” where the cameras of businesses and public institutions are all plugged into a government-run AI-enabled analytics system. The third tier, predicted by 2035, will have predictive capabilities. As reported by The Intercept:14
“A ‘public safety ecosystem’ will centralize data ‘pulled from disparate databases such as social media, driver’s licenses, police databases, and dark data.’ An AI-enabled analytics unit will let police assess ‘anomalies in real time and interrupt a crime before it is committed.’ That is to say, to catch pre-crime.”
Google’s Ad Network Monopoly
Google’s monopoly goes well beyond web search. It also has a potentially dangerous monopoly on online advertising. In 2007, Google bought DoubleClick, which already dominated the digital advertising market. As reported by InfoWorld:15
“Here’s the danger: Google already knows a tremendous amount about the traffic it sends to individual Web sites — where it comes from, what people are looking for, even some basic demographics.
With DoubleClick in the fold, they will also know what ads are being served on any given page. That gives Google unprecedented insight into publishers’ business. And remember, those publishers may be partners, but they are also competitors, often trying to woo the same advertisers as Google.
Web sites live and die based upon ad revenue and on charging advertisers a certain rate based upon the number of pages served and the quality of their readership/user base. I could imagine a not-entirely-paranoid fantasy in which Google can run the numbers, turn around, and offer better rates to advertisers for a similar audience.”
To learn more of Google’s surveillance of you and those you love, please view my comprehensive interview with Robert Epstein below. Epstein, former editor-in-chief at Psychology Today, is now a senior research psychologist for the American Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology, where for the last decade he has helped expose Google’s manipulative and deceptive practices.
Google Goes After Your Health Data
More recently, it’s also become apparent Google is going after everyone’s health data. Fitbit, which was recently purchased by Google, will provide them with all your physiological information and activity levels, in addition to everything else that Google already has on you.
As discussed in “How Google Is Stealing Your Personal Health Data,” Google, Amazon and Microsoft also collect data entered into health and diagnostic sites, which is then shared with hundreds of third parties — and this data is not anonymized, meaning it’s tied specifically to you, without your knowledge or consent.
In other words, DoubleClick, Google’s ad service, will know which prescriptions you’ve searched for on Drugs.com, for example, thus providing you with personalized drug ads. “There is a whole system that will seek to take advantage of you because you’re in a compromised state,” Tim Libert, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University told Financial Times.16
Google and various tech startups have even been investigating the possibility of assessing mental health problems using a combination of electronic medical records and tracking your internet and social media use.
Undisclosed data mining is also occurring in hospitals. A whistleblower recently revealed Google amassed health data from millions of Americans in 21 states through its Project Nightingale, and patients have not been informed of this data mining.17,18 As reported by The Guardian:19
“The secret scheme … involves the transfer to Google of healthcare data held by Ascension, the second-largest healthcare provider in the U.S. The data is being transferred with full personal details including name and medical history and can be accessed by Google staff. Unlike other similar efforts it has not been made anonymous though a process of removing personal information known as de-identification …“
According to Google and Ascension, the data being shared will be used to build a search tool with machine-learning algorithms that will spit out diagnostic recommendations and suggestions for medications that health professionals can then use to guide them in their treatment.
Google claims only a limited number of individuals will have access to the data, but just how trustworthy is Google these days? Since the data includes full personal details, sooner or later, they’re likely to find a way to use it.
Google and Mastercard Track Your Purchasing Habits
Your credit card data, which at first glance would appear completely separate from Google, is also being used by the internet giant to customize ads. As reported by Bloomberg20 August 31, 2018, four unnamed insiders, three of whom claim to have been directly involved in the negotiations, claim Google and Mastercard brokered a business alliance that gives Google access to Mastercard users’ retail spending.
KetoFast: Rejuvenate Y... Mercola, Dr. Joseph Check Amazon for Pricing. The two companies never made the agreement public, though. Christine Bannan, counsel with the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) told Bloomberg:21
“People don’t expect what they buy physically in a store to be linked to what they are buying online. There’s just far too much burden that companies place on consumers and not enough responsibility being taken by companies to inform users what they’re doing and what rights they have.”
According to Google, Mastercard users can opt out of ad tracking using Google’s online Web & App Activity console.22 The question is, how would users know to do that when they were never told such tracking was occurring in the first place?
Google’s Store Sales Measurement service also suggests it’s not just Mastercard users that are being tracked. As noted by Bloomberg, when Google announced the new sales measurement service in 2017, it claimed it had access to about 70% of U.S. credit and debit card sales.
Goodbye Google
To have any chance of protecting your privacy, you simply must avoid Google products, as they account for the greatest personal data leaks in your life. To that end, Mercola.com is now Google-free. We do not use Google Analytics, Google ads or Google search for internal searches. To boycott Google, be sure to ditch or replace:
•Gmail, as every email you write is permanently stored. It becomes part of your profile and is used to build digital models of you, which allows them to make predictions about your line of thinking and every want and desire.
Many other older email systems such as AOL and Yahoo are also being used as surveillance platforms in the same way as Gmail. ProtonMail.com, which uses end-to-end encryption, is a great alternative and the basic account is free.
•Google’s Chrome browser, as everything you do on there is surveilled, including keystrokes and every webpage you’ve ever visited. Brave is a great alternative that takes privacy seriously.
Brave is also faster than Chrome, and suppresses ads. It’s based on Chromium, the same software code that Chrome is based on, so you can easily transfer your extensions, favorites and bookmarks.
•Google search engine, or any extension of Google, such as Bing or Yahoo, both of which draw search results from Google. The same goes for the iPhone’s personal assistant Siri, which draws all of its answers from Google.
Alternative search engines include SwissCows and Qwant. Avoid StartPage, as it was recently bought by an aggressive online marketing company, which, like Google, depends on surveillance.
•Android cellphones, which run on a Google-owned operating system, can track you even when you’re not connected to the internet, whether you have geo tracking enabled or not. Blackberry is more secure than Android phones or the iPhone. Blackberry’s upcoming model, the Key3, may be one of the most secure cellphones in the world.
•Google Home devices, as they record everything that occurs in your home or office, both speech and sounds such as brushing your teeth and boiling water, even when they appear to be inactive, and send that information back to Google. Android phones are also always listening and recording, as are Google’s home thermostat Nest, and Amazon’s Alexa.
Additional Privacy Tips
In my recent interview (above) with Epstein, he also offered the following guidance for those seeking to protect their online privacy:
•Use a virtual private network (VPN) such as Nord, which is only about $3 per month and can be used on up to six devices. In my view, this is a must if you seek to preserve your privacy. Epstein explains:
“When you use your mobile phone, laptop or desktop in the usual way, your identity is very easy for Google and other companies to see. They can see it via your IP address, but more and more, there are much more sophisticated ways now that they know it’s you. One is called browser fingerprinting.
This is something that is so disturbing. Basically, the kind of browser you have and the way you use your browser is like a fingerprint. You use your browser in a unique way, and just by the way you type, these companies now can instantly identify you.
Brave has some protection against a browser fingerprinting, but you really need to be using a VPN. What a VPN does is it routes whatever you’re doing through some other computer somewhere else. It can be anywhere in the world, and there are hundreds of companies offering VPN services. The one I like the best right now is called Nord VPN.
You download the software, install it, just like you install any software. It’s incredibly easy to use. You do not have to be a techie to use Nord, and it shows you a map of the world and you basically just click on a country.
The VPN basically makes it appear as though your computer is not your computer. It basically creates a kind of fake identity for you, and that’s a good thing. Now, very often I will go through Nord’s computers in the United States. Sometimes you have to do that, or you can’t get certain things done. PayPal doesn’t like you to be in a foreign country for example.”
Nord, when used on your cellphone, will also mask your identity when using apps like Google Maps.
•Clear your cache and cookies — As Epstein explains in his article:23
“Companies and hackers of all sorts are constantly installing invasive computer code on your computers and mobile devices, mainly to keep an eye on you but sometimes for more nefarious purposes.
On a mobile device, you can clear out most of this garbage by going to the settings menu of your browser, selecting the ‘privacy and security’ option and then clicking on the icon that clears your cache and cookies.
With most laptop and desktop browsers, holding down three keys simultaneously — CTRL, SHIFT and DEL — takes you directly to the relevant menu; I use this technique multiple times a day without even thinking about it. You can also configure the Brave and Firefox browsers to erase your cache and cookies automatically every time you close your browser.”
•Don’t use Fitbit, as it was recently purchased by Google and will provide them with all your physiological information and activity levels, in addition to everything else that Google already has on you.
Sources and References
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola


lewrockwell--2020-02-14--Interview With Butler Shaffer

Interview With Butler Shaffer

The class assignment was to interview an adult about a memorable presidential election .
My niece , Calista Madzar , chose her grandfather ( my dad ) .
The result is a thing of beauty .
Bretigne Shaffer .
Here is the text : The Johnson-Goldwater Election of 1964 was most memorable to my grandfather , Butler Shaffer , because it was the election he was most directly involved in .
At that time my grandfather ran the Republican Party headquarters for the state of Nebraska where he lived , and was also very much involved with the campaign of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nebraska ’ s delegates to the National Republican Convention , in San Francisco , which is a very exciting place to be during an important period in his life .
At the same time through these experiences my grandfather was becoming very turned off to politics .
He had learned through his experiences that politics is a very dishonest way of doing things , and this was the year he finally turned his back on the whole political process .
He has not voted in an election since because , after understanding how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with this election , he realized the dishonest nature of politics ( taking taxes , fighting wars , etc . )
was not the best way for people to live .
After the election he went home and quit his job and later became a law school professor who always tried to help his students figure out how to think about things like this by learning to ask more and more questions instead of listening to someone else give an answer .

The class assignment was to interview an adult about a memorable presidential election. My niece, Calista Madzar, chose her grandfather (my dad). The result is a thing of beauty. Bretigne Shaffer.
Here is the text:
The Johnson-Goldwater Election of 1964 was most
memorable to my grandfather, Butler Shaffer, because it was
the election he was most directly involved in. At that time my
grandfather ran the Republican Party headquarters for the
state of Nebraska where he lived, and was also very much
involved with the campaign of Barry Goldwater. He was one of
Nebraska’s delegates to the National Republican Convention, in
San Francisco, which is a very exciting place to be during an
important period in his life. At the same time through these
experiences my grandfather was becoming very turned off to
politics. He had learned through his experiences that politics
is a very dishonest way of doing things, and this was the year
he finally turned his back on the whole political process. He
has not voted in an election since because, after
understanding how the political system works through his
experience with this election, he realized the dishonest
nature of politics (taking taxes, fighting wars, etc.) was not
the best way for people to live. After the election he went
home and quit his job and later became a law school professor
who always tried to help his students figure out how to think
about things like this by learning to ask more and more
questions instead of listening to someone else give an answer.


lewrockwell--2020-02-14--Rothbard: The Constitution Was a Coup d’État

[ Conceived in Liberty : The New Republic , 1784–1791.By Murray N. Rothbard .
Edited by Patrick Newman .
Mises Institute , 2019 .
332 pages . ]
We owe Patrick Newman a great debt for his enterprise and editorial skill in bringing to publication the fifth volume , hitherto thought lost , of Murray Rothbard ’ s Conceived in Liberty .
The details of his rescue of the lost manuscript are indeed dramatic , but rather than recount them here , I should like to concentrate on a theme central to the new book .
It is well known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be mainly libertarian in its inspiration .
The libertarian impulses of the Revolution were betrayed by a centralizing coup d ’ état .
As Rothbard puts it : Basically , urban merchants and artisans , as well as many slaveholding planters , united in support of a strong nation-state that would use the power of coercion to grant them privileges and subsidies .
The subsidies would come at the expense of the average subsistence yeoman farmer who might be expected to oppose such a new nationalism .
But against them , to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmers aided by the southern plantation-farmers who also wanted power and regulation for their own benefit .
Given the urban support , the split among the farmers , and the support from wealthy educated elites , it is not surprising that the nationalist forces were able to execute their truly amazing political coup d ’ état which illegally liquidated the Articles of Confederation and replaced it with the Constitution .
In short , they were able to destroy the original individualist and decentralized program of the American Revolution .
( p. 128 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rothbard Best Price : $ 9.00 Buy New $ 15.39 The theme I should like to concentrate on is this : what happens to the way we understand the Constitution if Rothbard is right that it was a centralizing document ?
The Anti-Federalists , with whom Rothbard agreed , denounced it for that reason .
For example , in Virginia Patrick Henry , one of Rothbard ’ s heroes , said : When the American spirit was in its youth , the language of America was different : liberty , sir , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the American spirit , assisted by the ropes and chains of consolidation , is about to convert this country into a powerful and mighty empire….Such a government is incompatible with the genius of republicanism .
There will be no checks , no real balances , in this government .
What can avail your specious , imaginary balances , your rope-dancing , chain-rattling , ridiculous ideal checks and contrivances ?
But , sir , we are not feared by foreigners ; we do not make nations tremble .
Would this constitute happiness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) With all this as background , we can now consider the theme I ’ d like to stress .
If the Anti-Federalists were right .
We can not say that the Constitution as originally written gave us a limited government that later regimes have ruthlessly and recklessly expanded .
In taking this approach , Rothbard set himself firmly against the dominant trend in American conservative thought .
He remarks : The Constitution was unquestionably a high-nationalist document , creating what Madison once referred to as a “ high mounted government.
” Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationalistic Virginia Plan Report carried out in the Constitution , but the later changes made were preponderantly in a nationalist direction….While it is true that the general congressional veto over state laws and the vague broad grant of powers in the original Virginia Plan were whittled down to a list of enumerated powers , enough loopholes existed in the enumerated list : the national supremacy clause ; the dominance of the federal judiciary ; the virtually unlimited power to tax , raise armies and navies , make war , and regulate commerce ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the powerful general welfare loophole ; all allowed the virtually absolute supremacy of the central government .
While libertarian restraints were placed on state powers , no bill of rights existed to check the federal government .
( p.211 ) We can argue that later regimes extended national power beyond what the Constitution contemplated , but if Rothbard is right , the Constitution as written provides ample scope for tyranny .
One of the leading arguments of Constitutional conservatives is that since Congress is granted the power to declare war , military engagements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unconstitutional .
( In several reviews , I have argued this way myself . )
Rothbard does not agree .
He says : Rothbard finds similar slippery language in the Tenth Amendment , imagined by some defenders of limited government to be a principal means to thwart efforts by the federal government to centralize power : ( Note that Rothbard does not disagree with the nationalist judges ’ interpretation . )
Rothbard does see some hope of restraining the central government in the “ forgotten ” Ninth Amendment , but this was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Supreme Court until the 1960s .
Defenders of the Constitution as a bulwark of limited government often invoke the wisdom to be found in the Federalist Papers , but Rothbard views them as deceptive propaganda : The essays contained in The Federalist were designed not for the ages—not as an explanation of nationalist views—but as a propaganda document to allay the fears and lull the suspicions of the Antifederal forces .
Consequently , these field marshals of the Federalist campaign were concerned to make the Constitution look like a mixed concoction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they really desired , and believed that they had , a political system of overriding national power .
What is remarkable is the fact that historians and conservative political theorists have seized upon and canonized these campaign pieces as fountains of quasi-divine political wisdom , as hallowed texts to be revered , even as somehow a vital part of American constitutional law .
( pp .
269–70 ) James Madison ’ s argument that a large national republic would better cope with the dangers of factionalism than a small one is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not impressed : Madison claimed that the greater diversity of interests over a large area will make it more difficult for a majority of the interests to combine and oppress a minority .
It is difficult to see , however , why such a combination should be difficult….But the main fallacy in Madison ’ s argument is that it is part and parcel of the antidemocratic Federalist doctrine that the danger of despotic government comes , not from the government , but from among the ranks ( i.e.
, the majority ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this by now should be evident .
Even if a majority approves an act of tyranny , it almost never initiates or elaborates or executes such action ; rather they are almost always passive tools in the hands of the oligarchy of rulers and their allied favorites of the state apparatus .
( pp .
270–71 ) Rothbard concludes with this verdict on the Constitution : Overall , it should be evident that the Constitution was a counterrevolutionary reaction to the libertarianism and decentralization embodied in the American Revolution .
The Antifederalists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong national government , were decisively beaten by the Federalists , who wanted such a polity under the guise of democracy in order to enhance their own interests and institute a British-style mercantilism over the country .
Most historians have taken the side of the Federalists because they support a strong national government that has the power to tax and regulate , call forth armies and invade other countries , and cripple the power of the states .
The enactment of the Constitution in 1788 drastically changed the course of American history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an omnipresent leviathan that fulfilled all of the Antifederalists ’ fears .
( p. 312 ) There is evidence that Rothbard wrote the manuscript of this book before 1967 ( see p. 312 , editor ’ s note 7 ) .
But I do not think that he later changed his mind about the Constitution .
Those who wish to challenge his brilliant analysis have a difficult task ahead of them .
Note : The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute .
The Best of David @

[Conceived in Liberty: The New Republic, 1784–1791.By Murray N. Rothbard. Edited by Patrick Newman. Mises Institute, 2019. 332 pages.]
We owe Patrick Newman a great debt for his enterprise and editorial skill in bringing to publication the fifth volume, hitherto thought lost, of Murray Rothbard’s Conceived in Liberty. The details of his rescue of the lost manuscript are indeed dramatic, but rather than recount them here, I should like to concentrate on a theme central to the new book.
It is well known that Rothbard took the American Revolution to be mainly libertarian in its inspiration. The libertarian impulses of the Revolution were betrayed by a centralizing coup d’état. As Rothbard puts it:
Basically, urban merchants and artisans, as well as many slaveholding planters, united in support of a strong nation-state that would use the power of coercion to grant them privileges and subsidies. The subsidies would come at the expense of the average subsistence yeoman farmer who might be expected to oppose such a new nationalism. But against them, to support a new constitution, were the commercial farmers aided by the southern plantation-farmers who also wanted power and regulation for their own benefit. Given the urban support, the split among the farmers, and the support from wealthy educated elites, it is not surprising that the nationalist forces were able to execute their truly amazing political coup d’état which illegally liquidated the Articles of Confederation and replaced it with the Constitution. In short, they were able to destroy the original individualist and decentralized program of the American Revolution. (p. 128)
Conceived in Liberty, ... Murray N Rothbard Best Price: $9.00 Buy New $15.39 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details) The theme I should like to concentrate on is this: what happens to the way we understand the Constitution if Rothbard is right that it was a centralizing document? The Anti-Federalists, with whom Rothbard agreed, denounced it for that reason. For example, in Virginia Patrick Henry, one of Rothbard’s heroes, said:
When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: liberty, sir, was then the primary object….But now, sir, the American spirit, assisted by the ropes and chains of consolidation, is about to convert this country into a powerful and mighty empire….Such a government is incompatible with the genius of republicanism. There will be no checks, no real balances, in this government. What can avail your specious, imaginary balances, your rope-dancing, chain-rattling, ridiculous ideal checks and contrivances? But, sir, we are not feared by foreigners; we do not make nations tremble. Would this constitute happiness, or secure liberty? (p. 262)
With all this as background, we can now consider the theme I’d like to stress. If the Anti-Federalists were right. We cannot say that the Constitution as originally written gave us a limited government that later regimes have ruthlessly and recklessly expanded. In taking this approach, Rothbard set himself firmly against the dominant trend in American conservative thought. He remarks:
The Constitution was unquestionably a high-nationalist document, creating what Madison once referred to as a “high mounted government.” Not only were the essential lines of the nationalistic Virginia Plan Report carried out in the Constitution, but the later changes made were preponderantly in a nationalist direction….While it is true that the general congressional veto over state laws and the vague broad grant of powers in the original Virginia Plan were whittled down to a list of enumerated powers, enough loopholes existed in the enumerated list: the national supremacy clause; the dominance of the federal judiciary; the virtually unlimited power to tax, raise armies and navies, make war, and regulate commerce; the necessary and proper clause; and the powerful general welfare loophole; all allowed the virtually absolute supremacy of the central government. While libertarian restraints were placed on state powers, no bill of rights existed to check the federal government. (p.211)
We can argue that later regimes extended national power beyond what the Constitution contemplated, but if Rothbard is right, the Constitution as written provides ample scope for tyranny.
One of the leading arguments of Constitutional conservatives is that since Congress is granted the power to declare war, military engagements by later presidents that bypass Congress are unconstitutional. (In several reviews, I have argued this way myself.) Rothbard does not agree. He says:
Congress’ proposed broad military powers occasioned much debate. The nationalists tried to narrow Congress’ power to make war into a more concentrated, and therefore a more controllable, form: Pinckney to the Senate only, Butler to the president himself. While these were defeated, Madison cunningly moved to alter congressional power: ‘make war’ became ‘declare war,’ which left a broad, dangerous power for the president, who was grandiosely designated in the draft as the ‘commander in chief’ of the U.S. army and navy, and of all the state militias. For now, the president might make war even if only Congress could formally declare it.” (p. 185)
Rothbard finds similar slippery language in the Tenth Amendment, imagined by some defenders of limited government to be a principal means to thwart efforts by the federal government to centralize power:
This amendment did in truth transform the Constitution from one of supreme national power to a partially mixed polity where the liberal anti-nationalists had a constitutional argument with at least a fighting chance of acceptance. However, Madison had cunningly left out the word “expressly” before the word “delegated,” so the nationalist judges were able to claim that because the word “expressly” was not there, the “delegated” can vaguely accrue through judges’ elastic interpretation of the Constitution….The Tenth Amendment has been intensely reduced, by conventional judiciary construction, to a meaningless tautology. (pp. 302–3)
(Note that Rothbard does not disagree with the nationalist judges’ interpretation.) Rothbard does see some hope of restraining the central government in the “forgotten” Ninth Amendment, but this was not to be invoked in a serious way by the Supreme Court until the 1960s.
Defenders of the Constitution as a bulwark of limited government often invoke the wisdom to be found in the Federalist Papers, but Rothbard views them as deceptive propaganda:
The essays contained in The Federalist were designed not for the ages—not as an explanation of nationalist views—but as a propaganda document to allay the fears and lull the suspicions of the Antifederal forces. Consequently, these field marshals of the Federalist campaign were concerned to make the Constitution look like a mixed concoction of checks-and balances and popular representation, when they really desired, and believed that they had, a political system of overriding national power. What is remarkable is the fact that historians and conservative political theorists have seized upon and canonized these campaign pieces as fountains of quasi-divine political wisdom, as hallowed texts to be revered, even as somehow a vital part of American constitutional law. (pp. 269–70)
James Madison’s argument that a large national republic would better cope with the dangers of factionalism than a small one is often invoked for its profundity, but Rothbard is not impressed:
Madison claimed that the greater diversity of interests over a large area will make it more difficult for a majority of the interests to combine and oppress a minority. It is difficult to see, however, why such a combination should be difficult….But the main fallacy in Madison’s argument is that it is part and parcel of the antidemocratic Federalist doctrine that the danger of despotic government comes, not from the government, but from among the ranks (i.e., the majority) of the public. The fallacy of this by now should be evident. Even if a majority approves an act of tyranny, it almost never initiates or elaborates or executes such action; rather they are almost always passive tools in the hands of the oligarchy of rulers and their allied favorites of the state apparatus. (pp. 270–71)
Rothbard concludes with this verdict on the Constitution:
Overall, it should be evident that the Constitution was a counterrevolutionary reaction to the libertarianism and decentralization embodied in the American Revolution. The Antifederalists, supporting states’ rights and critical of a strong national government, were decisively beaten by the Federalists, who wanted such a polity under the guise of democracy in order to enhance their own interests and institute a British-style mercantilism over the country. Most historians have taken the side of the Federalists because they support a strong national government that has the power to tax and regulate, call forth armies and invade other countries, and cripple the power of the states. The enactment of the Constitution in 1788 drastically changed the course of American history from its natural decentralized and libertarian direction to an omnipresent leviathan that fulfilled all of the Antifederalists’ fears. (p. 312)
There is evidence that Rothbard wrote the manuscript of this book before 1967 (see p. 312, editor’s note 7). But I do not think that he later changed his mind about the Constitution. Those who wish to challenge his brilliant analysis have a difficult task ahead of them.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
The Best of David Gordon


lewrockwell--2020-02-14--Collectivism Will Lead to the Downfall of Man

Those who know that they are profound strive for clarity ; those who would like to appear profound to the crowd strive for obscurity .
The crowd thinks everything is profound where it can not see the bottom – it is so timid and dislikes going into the water .
~ The Gay Science : Third Book , 173 .
To be Profound and to Appear Profound , Friedrich Nietzsche Collectivism , or herd mentality , can only lead to a meaningless life that is devoid of honest living , adventure , love , freedom , happiness , and fulfillment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think as individuals , and envy and jealously become the primary driving force of thought .
This of course leads to a demand for equality where none is available or warranted , and due to this pathetic psychological state , all that is beautiful and good must be destroyed in order to make room for the mediocre community .
This is the state of America today .
This country is made up of groups that require consensus of thought and actions , and this inevitably leads to a hatred for individual intellect and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the less important the individual , as uniformity takes hold over all that is unique .
Any individual that relinquishes his individuality in order to conform to the group has lost all .
Once the herd mentality sets in , the consciousness of self disappears , leaving only weakness and confusion .
This state that is the crowd is worthless in every way , and mass despair is the result , as it tears down the exceptional .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herd mentality is the breeding ground of slavery , as there is no escape from the division that is necessary in order to follow the group .
Consider the phenomenon of the party system in the United States today .
Republican and Democratic politics are based entirely on conflict , and this dynamic allows for easy control of the crowd by the ruling elite .
Any struggle for clarity becomes impossible , as hatred is rampant , and the most common attitude of the mob .
This divisiveness is the root of evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harmony .
The postmodern era that has seemingly consumed this country has done nothing less than demand conformity over the individual , and this effort has led to mass mediocrity .
The irrelevance of the individual in society is the lynchpin of tyranny , as politics takes center stage , and all policy is driven without any consideration for individual desires .
This makes life hopeless and meaningless , and moral decay is a certainty in this environment .
Individual consciousness has been replaced in favor of a sort of social conscious , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herd thinking reality .
This is deadly to the fate of man .
All ideas of worth come from the non-conformist , those with individual intellect .
Without non-conformity , ideas disappear , and inferiority consumes society .
For the average man , the slave of the state , this inferiority is a comfort , because being a part of the herd seems safe to the lower human , and personal responsibility is not required .
But in order to perpetuate this system of group compliance , the slaves must tear down all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Due to envy and weakness of mind , he desires to bring all down to his level in order to gain imaginary equality .
This is the essence of the egalitarian mind , that all art , beauty , love , and passion should be destroyed in order to claim equality where none exists .
If this scenario is ever the predominate basis of society , the downfall of man will follow .
No vibrant society can exist in a state of obedience .
While many great minds have discussed the natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Sigmund Freud , this trait in man does not allow the capability to seek or claim freedom .
The obedient are bound to a life of rule , as that is their nature .
The mindsets of the herd are steeped in a deeply religious belief in equality of outcome , and normally have a hatred of dissent and voluntary behavior , and a love for the tyrannical state that can be used to stifle excellence .
Technology has played a major role in the advancement of collectivism because it has lessened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is extraordinary and unique .
It is not that technology itself is the problem , but easier access to the rest of the herd has allowed mass dissemination of propaganda that helps to destroy that which they envy .
Social media has been particularly advantageous to the lower members of society in this effort to destroy the individual in favor of the mob .
This is ever worsening because those who dare to practice disobedience , those who do not bow down to the state or to politically correct nonsense , those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who denounce all efforts to control the individual , are being isolated and singled out as threats to the Marxist ideology that now consumes this country and its political system .
The West has almost fully accepted the collectivist political ideology , and has done so in order to find meaning in what has become a meaningless existence .
The race toward mediocrity is based on a weakness brought about by a lack of self , and a need to believe that being a part of the herd will allow them to feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of languishing in a life that is devoid of individual awareness .
This has come about due to long held core beliefs and values being thrown aside , and replaced by worship to the false god that is the state .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 10.00 This ruination of the individual and the idea of self was no accidental occurrence , but stands in stark contrast to what the confused masses falsely believe today .
Freedom is not based on equality , and in fact can not exist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on rule understand the weaknesses of the herd , and cater to the fears that are evident amongst them .
They use propaganda to breed envy , and use control techniques to advance a loyalty to the state .
This helps to create the mob that will voluntarily work as one to destroy all that they fear .
This is apparent in the idea of “ we the people , ” it is apparent in the dishonest idiocy called voting , it is apparent in mandatory state indoctrination centers called schools , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at every turn , and it is apparent in the efforts of the herd to fight over which ruler will lord supreme over them .
Only the individual can face this monster called collectivism .
Only the individual can defeat the indifference consuming the crowd .
Those that reject authority , that reject the state , and that resist all conformity , can be the light for others to follow so that they can escape the darkness that has consumed the western world .
These few are the real heroes .
…only one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dragon and is not overcome by it wins the hoard , the “ treasure hard to attain.
” He alone has the claim to self-confidence , for he has faced the dark ground of his self and thereby has gained himself .
This experience gives some faith and trust…in the ability of the self to sustain him , for everything that menaced him from inside he has made his own .
He has acquired the right to believe that he will be able to overcome all future threats by the same means .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which makes him capable of self-reliance.
” ~ Carl Jung…The Symbolic Life The Best of Gary D. Barnett

Those who know that they are profound strive for clarity; those who would like to appear profound to the crowd strive for obscurity. The crowd thinks everything is profound where it cannot see the bottom – it is so timid and dislikes going into the water. ~ The Gay Science : Third Book, 173. To be Profound and to Appear Profound, Friedrich Nietzsche
Collectivism, or herd mentality, can only lead to a meaningless life that is devoid of honest living, adventure, love, freedom, happiness, and fulfillment. Societal herds lose the ability to think as individuals, and envy and jealously become the primary driving force of thought. This of course leads to a demand for equality where none is available or warranted, and due to this pathetic psychological state, all that is beautiful and good must be destroyed in order to make room for the mediocre community.
This is the state of America today. This country is made up of groups that require consensus of thought and actions, and this inevitably leads to a hatred for individual intellect and individual independence. The larger the mob, the less important the individual, as uniformity takes hold over all that is unique. Any individual that relinquishes his individuality in order to conform to the group has lost all. Once the herd mentality sets in, the consciousness of self disappears, leaving only weakness and confusion. This state that is the crowd is worthless in every way, and mass despair is the result, as it tears down the exceptional.
Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details) The herd mentality is the breeding ground of slavery, as there is no escape from the division that is necessary in order to follow the group. Consider the phenomenon of the party system in the United States today. Republican and Democratic politics are based entirely on conflict, and this dynamic allows for easy control of the crowd by the ruling elite. Any struggle for clarity becomes impossible, as hatred is rampant, and the most common attitude of the mob. This divisiveness is the root of evil among men, and can only destroy harmony.
The postmodern era that has seemingly consumed this country has done nothing less than demand conformity over the individual, and this effort has led to mass mediocrity. The irrelevance of the individual in society is the lynchpin of tyranny, as politics takes center stage, and all policy is driven without any consideration for individual desires. This makes life hopeless and meaningless, and moral decay is a certainty in this environment. Individual consciousness has been replaced in favor of a sort of social conscious, making crowd dominance primary, and unconscious herd thinking reality. This is deadly to the fate of man.
All ideas of worth come from the non-conformist, those with individual intellect. Without non-conformity, ideas disappear, and inferiority consumes society. For the average man, the slave of the state, this inferiority is a comfort, because being a part of the herd seems safe to the lower human, and personal responsibility is not required. But in order to perpetuate this system of group compliance, the slaves must tear down all those he believes to be above him. Due to envy and weakness of mind, he desires to bring all down to his level in order to gain imaginary equality. This is the essence of the egalitarian mind, that all art, beauty, love, and passion should be destroyed in order to claim equality where none exists. If this scenario is ever the predominate basis of society, the downfall of man will follow.
No vibrant society can exist in a state of obedience. While many great minds have discussed the natural desire of man to obey authority, including Sigmund Freud, this trait in man does not allow the capability to seek or claim freedom. The obedient are bound to a life of rule, as that is their nature. The mindsets of the herd are steeped in a deeply religious belief in equality of outcome, and normally have a hatred of dissent and voluntary behavior, and a love for the tyrannical state that can be used to stifle excellence.
Technology has played a major role in the advancement of collectivism because it has lessened the effort necessary to tear down that which is extraordinary and unique. It is not that technology itself is the problem, but easier access to the rest of the herd has allowed mass dissemination of propaganda that helps to destroy that which they envy. Social media has been particularly advantageous to the lower members of society in this effort to destroy the individual in favor of the mob. This is ever worsening because those who dare to practice disobedience, those who do not bow down to the state or to politically correct nonsense, those who continually question authority, and those who denounce all efforts to control the individual, are being isolated and singled out as threats to the Marxist ideology that now consumes this country and its political system.
The West has almost fully accepted the collectivist political ideology, and has done so in order to find meaning in what has become a meaningless existence. The race toward mediocrity is based on a weakness brought about by a lack of self, and a need to believe that being a part of the herd will allow them to feel as if they are contributing to something instead of languishing in a life that is devoid of individual awareness. This has come about due to long held core beliefs and values being thrown aside, and replaced by worship to the false god that is the state. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
This ruination of the individual and the idea of self was no accidental occurrence, but stands in stark contrast to what the confused masses falsely believe today. Freedom is not based on equality, and in fact cannot exist in such a society. Those intent on rule understand the weaknesses of the herd, and cater to the fears that are evident amongst them. They use propaganda to breed envy, and use control techniques to advance a loyalty to the state. This helps to create the mob that will voluntarily work as one to destroy all that they fear. This is apparent in the idea of “we the people,” it is apparent in the dishonest idiocy called voting, it is apparent in mandatory state indoctrination centers called schools, it is apparent in the purposely created division at every turn, and it is apparent in the efforts of the herd to fight over which ruler will lord supreme over them.
Only the individual can face this monster called collectivism. Only the individual can defeat the indifference consuming the crowd. Those that reject authority, that reject the state, and that resist all conformity, can be the light for others to follow so that they can escape the darkness that has consumed the western world. These few are the real heroes.
…only one who has risked the fight with the dragon and is not overcome by it wins the hoard, the “treasure hard to attain.” He alone has the claim to self-confidence, for he has faced the dark ground of his self and thereby has gained himself. This experience gives some faith and trust…in the ability of the self to sustain him, for everything that menaced him from inside he has made his own. He has acquired the right to believe that he will be able to overcome all future threats by the same means. He has arrived at an inner certainty which makes him capable of self-reliance.” ~ Carl Jung…The Symbolic Life
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


The Suicidal Empire

There are a lot of behaviors being exhibited by those in positions of power in the US that seem disparate and odd .
We watch Trump who is imposing sanctions on country after country , dreaming of eradicating his country ’ s structural trade deficit with the rest of the world .
We watch pretty much all of US Congress falling over each other in their attempt to impose the harshest possible sanctions on Russia .
People in Turkey , a key NATO country , are literally burning US dollars and smashing iPhones in a fit of pique .
Confronted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese weapons systems that largely neutralize the ability of the US to dominate the world militarily , the US is setting new records in the size of its already outrageously bloated yet manifestly ineffectual defense spending .
As a backdrop to this military contractor feeding frenzy , the Taliban are making steady gains in Afghanistan , now control over half the territory , and are getting ready to stamp “ null and void , ” in a repeat of Vietnam , on America ’ s longest war .
A lengthening list of countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US sanctions , especially sanctions against Iranian oil exports .
In a signal moment , Russia ’ s finance minister has recently pronounced the US dollar “ unreliable.
” Meanwhile , US debt keeps galloping upwards , with its largest buyer being reported as a mysterious , possibly entirely nonexistent “ Other.
” Although these may seem like manifestations of many different trends in the world , I believe that a case can be made that these are all one thing : the US—the world ’ s imperial overlord—standing on a ledge and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vassals—too many to mention—are standing down below and shouting “ Please , don ’ t jump !
” To be sure , most of them would be perfectly happy to watch the overlord plummet and jelly up the sidewalk .
But here is the key point : if this were to happen today , it would cause unacceptable levels of political and economic collateral damage around the world .
Does this mean that the US is indispensable ?
No , of course not , nobody is .
But dispensing with it will take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process runs its course the rest of the world is forced to keep it on life support no matter how counterproductive , stupid and demeaning that feels .
Reinventing Collapse : ... Dmitry Orlov Best Price : $ 3.92 Buy New $ 1.99 What the world needs to do , as quickly as possible , is to dismantle the imperial center , which is in Washington politically and militarily and in New York and London financially , while somehow salvaging the principle of empire .
“ What ?
!
” you might exclaim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Well , sure it is , whatever , but empires make possible efficient , specialized production and efficient , unhindered trade over large distances .
Empires do all sorts of evil things—up to and including genocide—but they also provide a level playing field and a method for preventing petty grievances from escalating into tribal conflicts .
The Roman Empire , then Byzantium , then the Tatar/Mongol Golden Horde , then the Ottoman Sublime Porte all provided these two essential services—unhindered trade and security—in exchange for some amount of constant rapine and plunder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Tatar/Mongol Empire was by far the most streamlined : it simply demanded “ yarlyk ” —tribute—and smashed anyone who attempted to rise above a level at which they were easy to smash .
The American empire is a bit more nuanced : it uses the US dollar as a weapon for periodically expropriating savings from around the world by exporting inflation while annihilating anyone who tries to wiggle out from under the US dollar system .
All empires follow a certain trajectory .
Over time they become corrupt , decadent and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When they collapse , there are two ways to go .
One is to slog through a millennium-long dark age—as Western Europe did after the Western Roman Empire collapsed .
Another is for a different empire , or a cooperating set of empires , to take over , as happened after the Ottoman Empire collapsed .
You may think that a third way exists : of small nations cooperating sweetly and collaborating successfully on international infrastructure projects that serve the common good .
Such a scheme may be possible , but I tend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simian natures .
We come equipped with MonkeyBrain 2.0 , which has some very useful built-in functions for imperialism , along with some ancillary support for nationalism and organized religion .
These we can rely on ; everything else would be either a repeat of a failed experiment or an untested innovation .
Sure , let ’ s innovate , but innovation takes time and resources , and those are the exact two things that are currently lacking .
What we have in permanent surplus is revolutionaries : if they have their way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Terror , followed by the rise of a Bonaparte .
That ’ s what happens every time .
Lest you think that the US isn ’ t an empire—a collapsing one—consider the following .
The US defense budget is larger than that of the next ten countries combined , yet the US can ’ t prevail even in militarily puny Afghanistan .
( That ’ s because much of its defense budget is trivially stolen . )
The US has something like a thousand military bases , essentially garrisoning the entire planet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire planet as its dominion : no matter where you go , you still have to pay US income taxes and are still subject to US laws .
It controls and manipulates governments in numerous countries around the world , always aiming to turn them into satrapies governed from the US embassy compound , but with results that range from unprofitable to embarrassing to lethal .
It is now failing at virtually all of these things , threatening the entire planet with its untimely demise .
What we are observing , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blackmail : “ Do as we say , or no more empire for you !
” The US dollar will vanish , international trade will stop and a dark age will descend , forcing everyone to toil in the dirt for a millennium while mired in futile , interminable conflicts with neighboring tribes .
None of the old methods of maintaining imperial dominance are working ; all that remains is the threat of falling down and leaving a huge mess for the rest of the world to deal with .
The rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating a situation where the US empire can be dealt a coup de grâce safely , without causing any collateral damage—and that ’ s a huge task , so everyone is forced to play for time .
There is a lot of military posturing and there are political provocations happening all the time , but these are sideshows that are becoming an unaffordable luxury : there is nothing to be won through these methods and plenty to be lost .
Essentially , all the arguments are over money .
There is a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total trade surplus of the BRICS countries with the West ( US+EU , essentially ) is over a trillion dollars a year .
SCO—another grouping of non-Western countries—comes up with almost the same numbers .
That ’ s the amount of products these countries produce for which they currently have no internal market .
Should the West evaporate overnight , nobody will buy these products .
Russia alone had a 2017 trade surplus of $ 116 billion , and in 2018 so far it grew by 28.5 % .
China alone , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generated $ 275 billion in surplus .
Throw in another $ 16 billion for its trade with the EU .
The Five Stages of Col ... Dmitry Orlov Best Price : $ 4.53 Buy New $ 1.99 Those are big numbers , but they are nowhere near enough if the project is to build a turnkey global empire to replace US+EU in a timely manner .
Also , there are no takers .
Russia is rather happy to have shed its former Soviet dependents and is currently invested in building a multilateral , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions such as SCO , BRICS and EAEU .
Numerous other countries are very interested in joining together in such organizations : most recently , Turkey has expressed interest in turning BRICS into BRICTS .
Essentially , all of the post-colonial nations around the world are now forced to trade away some measure of their recently won independence , essentially snatching defeat from the jaws of victory .
The job vacancy of Supreme Global Overlord is unlikely to attract any qualified candidates .
What everyone seems to want is a humble , low-budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the corruption and with a lot less life-threatening militarism .
It will take time to build , and the resources to build it can only come from one place : from gradually bleeding US+EU dry .
In order to do this , the wheels of international commerce must continue to spin .
But this is exactly what all of the new tariffs and sanctions , the saber-rattling and the political provocations , are attempting to prevent : a ship laden with soya is now doing circles in the Pacific off the coast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the dock in Turkey… But it is doubtful that these attempts will work .
The EU has been too slow in recognizing just how pernicious its dependence on Washington has become , and will take even more time to find ways to free itself , but the process has clearly started .
For its part , Washington runs on money , and since its current antics will tend to make money grow scarce even faster than it otherwise would , those who stand to lose the most will make the Washingtonians feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course .
As a result , everyone will be pushing in the same direction : toward a slow , steady , controllable imperial collapse .
All we can hope for is that the rest of the world manages to come together and build at least the scaffolding of a functional imperial replacement in time to avoid collapsing into a new post-imperial dark age .
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There are a lot of behaviors being exhibited by those in positions of power in the US that seem disparate and odd. We watch Trump who is imposing sanctions on country after country, dreaming of eradicating his country’s structural trade deficit with the rest of the world. We watch pretty much all of US Congress falling over each other in their attempt to impose the harshest possible sanctions on Russia. People in Turkey, a key NATO country, are literally burning US dollars and smashing iPhones in a fit of pique. Confronted with a new suite of Russian and Chinese weapons systems that largely neutralize the ability of the US to dominate the world militarily, the US is setting new records in the size of its already outrageously bloated yet manifestly ineffectual defense spending. As a backdrop to this military contractor feeding frenzy, the Taliban are making steady gains in Afghanistan, now control over half the territory, and are getting ready to stamp “null and void,” in a repeat of Vietnam, on America’s longest war. A lengthening list of countries are set to ignore or compensate for US sanctions, especially sanctions against Iranian oil exports. In a signal moment, Russia’s finance minister has recently pronounced the US dollar “unreliable.” Meanwhile, US debt keeps galloping upwards, with its largest buyer being reported as a mysterious, possibly entirely nonexistent “Other.”
Although these may seem like manifestations of many different trends in the world, I believe that a case can be made that these are all one thing: the US—the world’s imperial overlord—standing on a ledge and threatening to jump, while its imperial vassals—too many to mention—are standing down below and shouting “Please, don’t jump!” To be sure, most of them would be perfectly happy to watch the overlord plummet and jelly up the sidewalk. But here is the key point: if this were to happen today, it would cause unacceptable levels of political and economic collateral damage around the world. Does this mean that the US is indispensable? No, of course not, nobody is. But dispensing with it will take time and energy, and while that process runs its course the rest of the world is forced to keep it on life support no matter how counterproductive, stupid and demeaning that feels.
Reinventing Collapse: ... Dmitry Orlov Best Price: $3.92 Buy New $1.99 (as of 10:45 UTC - Details) What the world needs to do, as quickly as possible, is to dismantle the imperial center, which is in Washington politically and militarily and in New York and London financially, while somehow salvaging the principle of empire. “What?!” you might exclaim, “Isn’t imperialism evil.” Well, sure it is, whatever, but empires make possible efficient, specialized production and efficient, unhindered trade over large distances. Empires do all sorts of evil things—up to and including genocide—but they also provide a level playing field and a method for preventing petty grievances from escalating into tribal conflicts.
The Roman Empire, then Byzantium, then the Tatar/Mongol Golden Horde, then the Ottoman Sublime Porte all provided these two essential services—unhindered trade and security—in exchange for some amount of constant rapine and plunder and a few memorable incidents of genocide. The Tatar/Mongol Empire was by far the most streamlined: it simply demanded “yarlyk”—tribute—and smashed anyone who attempted to rise above a level at which they were easy to smash. The American empire is a bit more nuanced: it uses the US dollar as a weapon for periodically expropriating savings from around the world by exporting inflation while annihilating anyone who tries to wiggle out from under the US dollar system.
All empires follow a certain trajectory. Over time they become corrupt, decadent and enfeebled, and then they collapse. When they collapse, there are two ways to go. One is to slog through a millennium-long dark age—as Western Europe did after the Western Roman Empire collapsed. Another is for a different empire, or a cooperating set of empires, to take over, as happened after the Ottoman Empire collapsed. You may think that a third way exists: of small nations cooperating sweetly and collaborating successfully on international infrastructure projects that serve the common good. Such a scheme may be possible, but I tend to take a jaundiced view of our simian natures.
We come equipped with MonkeyBrain 2.0, which has some very useful built-in functions for imperialism, along with some ancillary support for nationalism and organized religion. These we can rely on; everything else would be either a repeat of a failed experiment or an untested innovation. Sure, let’s innovate, but innovation takes time and resources, and those are the exact two things that are currently lacking. What we have in permanent surplus is revolutionaries: if they have their way, look out for a Reign of Terror, followed by the rise of a Bonaparte. That’s what happens every time.
Lest you think that the US isn’t an empire—a collapsing one—consider the following. The US defense budget is larger than that of the next ten countries combined, yet the US can’t prevail even in militarily puny Afghanistan. (That’s because much of its defense budget is trivially stolen.) The US has something like a thousand military bases, essentially garrisoning the entire planet, but to unknown effect. It claims the entire planet as its dominion: no matter where you go, you still have to pay US income taxes and are still subject to US laws. It controls and manipulates governments in numerous countries around the world, always aiming to turn them into satrapies governed from the US embassy compound, but with results that range from unprofitable to embarrassing to lethal. It is now failing at virtually all of these things, threatening the entire planet with its untimely demise.
What we are observing, at every level, is a sort of blackmail: “Do as we say, or no more empire for you!” The US dollar will vanish, international trade will stop and a dark age will descend, forcing everyone to toil in the dirt for a millennium while mired in futile, interminable conflicts with neighboring tribes. None of the old methods of maintaining imperial dominance are working; all that remains is the threat of falling down and leaving a huge mess for the rest of the world to deal with. The rest of the world is now tasked with rapidly creating a situation where the US empire can be dealt a coup de grâce safely, without causing any collateral damage—and that’s a huge task, so everyone is forced to play for time.
There is a lot of military posturing and there are political provocations happening all the time, but these are sideshows that are becoming an unaffordable luxury: there is nothing to be won through these methods and plenty to be lost. Essentially, all the arguments are over money. There is a lot of money to be lost. The total trade surplus of the BRICS countries with the West (US+EU, essentially) is over a trillion dollars a year. SCO—another grouping of non-Western countries—comes up with almost the same numbers. That’s the amount of products these countries produce for which they currently have no internal market. Should the West evaporate overnight, nobody will buy these products. Russia alone had a 2017 trade surplus of $116 billion, and in 2018 so far it grew by 28.5%. China alone, in its trade just with the US, generated $275 billion in surplus. Throw in another $16 billion for its trade with the EU.
The Five Stages of Col... Orlov, Dmitry Best Price: $4.27 Buy New $1.99 (as of 03:30 UTC - Details) Those are big numbers, but they are nowhere near enough if the project is to build a turnkey global empire to replace US+EU in a timely manner. Also, there are no takers. Russia is rather happy to have shed its former Soviet dependents and is currently invested in building a multilateral, international system of governance based on international institutions such as SCO, BRICS and EAEU. Numerous other countries are very interested in joining together in such organizations: most recently, Turkey has expressed interest in turning BRICS into BRICTS. Essentially, all of the post-colonial nations around the world are now forced to trade away some measure of their recently won independence, essentially snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The job vacancy of Supreme Global Overlord is unlikely to attract any qualified candidates.
What everyone seems to want is a humble, low-budget, cooperative global empire, without all of the corruption and with a lot less life-threatening militarism. It will take time to build, and the resources to build it can only come from one place: from gradually bleeding US+EU dry. In order to do this, the wheels of international commerce must continue to spin. But this is exactly what all of the new tariffs and sanctions, the saber-rattling and the political provocations, are attempting to prevent: a ship laden with soya is now doing circles in the Pacific off the coast of China; steel I-beams are rusting at the dock in Turkey…
But it is doubtful that these attempts will work. The EU has been too slow in recognizing just how pernicious its dependence on Washington has become, and will take even more time to find ways to free itself, but the process has clearly started. For its part, Washington runs on money, and since its current antics will tend to make money grow scarce even faster than it otherwise would, those who stand to lose the most will make the Washingtonians feel their pain and will force a change of course. As a result, everyone will be pushing in the same direction: toward a slow, steady, controllable imperial collapse. All we can hope for is that the rest of the world manages to come together and build at least the scaffolding of a functional imperial replacement in time to avoid collapsing into a new post-imperial dark age.
Reprinted with permission from Dmitry Orlov.
The Best of Dmitry Orlov


lewrockwell--2020-02-14--An Establishment in Panic

An Establishment in Panic

From the day he entered the race , Joe Biden was the great hope of the Democratic establishment to spare them from the horrifying prospect of a 2020 race between The Donald and Bernie Sanders .
Today , that same establishment wants Joe out of the race .
Why has Biden suddenly become an albatross ?
His feeble debate performances and fifth-place finish in New Hampshire all but ensure Joe will not be the nominee , and if he stays in , he will siphon off votes in Nevada and South Carolina that would go to candidates who might put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The panic of the establishment is traceable to the new political reality .
The Death of the West : ... Patrick J. Buchanan Check Amazon for Pricing .
With popular-vote victories in Iowa and New Hampshire , Sanders has largely united the left-wing of his party and displaced Biden as the front-runner and favorite for the nomination .
Meanwhile , the non-socialist wing of the party has failed to coalesce around a champion to stop Sanders and is becoming ever more splintered .
In Nevada , Sanders now has three moderate challengers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who ran second in New Hampshire , and Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who ran third and took votes that might have given Buttigieg a win in the Granite State .
Biden , Buttigieg and Klobuchar are all now headed for the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22 , where Sanders is favored .
And all three will be going on to South Carolina , a state into which billionaire Tom Steyer has poured millions of dollars .
Sanders , however , is not without his own problems .
Not only is he anathema @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wholly unite his party ’ s left-wing until his senatorial soulmate Elizabeth Warren gets out .
Though she ran a poor fourth in New Hampshire , Warren is also going to Nevada to offer herself as a unity candidate .
But as Biden ’ s hour is up , so is hers .
And if she is not out of the race before Super Tuesday on March 3 , she risks being beaten in her own home state of Massachusetts .
Where does this leave the Democratic field ?
Two candidacies , Warren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in hospice care .
Two candidates , Buttigieg and Klobuchar , competing to be the moderate alternative to Sanders , are in danger of canceling each other out .
Two candidates , Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer , are billionaires who will be battling on Super Tuesday to crush the scourge of billionaires , Bernie Sanders .
Bloomberg , the three-term mayor of New York , upon whom the establishment has begun to look like the last best hope of stopping Sanders , has already dumped a third of a billion dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risen accordingly , and he is probably the strongest challenger to Sanders now , because , with his $ 60 billion fortune , he can sustain himself and his organization through the convention .
But would Sanders lose gracefully to a plutocrat who deployed his billions to deny him a nomination Sanders has sought for half a decade ?
Would Bernie Bros , who believe they were cheated out of the nomination in 2016 , accept defeat and support a billionaire they believe robbed them of a prize they thought they had won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... Patrick J. Buchanan Best Price : $ 9.48 Buy New $ 14.00 Bloomberg is now facing more serious matters as a candidate in a party of minorities .
Here is an excerpt from an audiotape of Mayor Mike at a 2015 conference in Aspen , Colorado , addressing the crime-fighting tactic of stop and frisk that he used for years as mayor .
“ Ninety-five percent of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O .
You can just take the description , Xerox it and pass it out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minorities , 15 to 25 , ” said Bloomberg .
“ One of the unintended consequences is people say , ‘ Oh , my God , you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.
’ Yes , that ’ s true .
Why ?
Because we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods .
… Why do we do it ?
Because that is where all the crime is .
… And the way you get the guns out of the kids ’ hands is to throw them up against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was learned that Bloomberg , during the economic crisis in 2008 , said that getting rid of “ redlining ” — a policy by which bankers routinely deny mortgages to low-income largely minority neighborhoods circled in red as risky — was to blame for the collapse .
In remarks at Georgetown University in 2008 , Bloomberg said : “ It all started back when there was a lot of pressure on banks to make loans to everyone .
… Redlining …was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re not going to be able to pay off their mortgages , tell your salesmen don ’ t go into those areas . '
” In presidential elections , Democratic candidates win 90-95 % of the black vote .
After revelations of his candid discussions of the merits of redlining and the benefits of stop and frisk , Bloomberg may have a tough time climbing that hill .
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From the day he entered the race, Joe Biden was the great hope of the Democratic establishment to spare them from the horrifying prospect of a 2020 race between The Donald and Bernie Sanders.
Today, that same establishment wants Joe out of the race.
Why has Biden suddenly become an albatross?
His feeble debate performances and fifth-place finish in New Hampshire all but ensure Joe will not be the nominee, and if he stays in, he will siphon off votes in Nevada and South Carolina that would go to candidates who might put together a majority and stop Sanders.
The panic of the establishment is traceable to the new political reality.
With popular-vote victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders has largely united the left-wing of his party and displaced Biden as the front-runner and favorite for the nomination.
Meanwhile, the non-socialist wing of the party has failed to coalesce around a champion to stop Sanders and is becoming ever more splintered.
In Nevada, Sanders now has three moderate challengers.
Biden, “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg, who ran second in New Hampshire, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran third and took votes that might have given Buttigieg a win in the Granite State.
Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar are all now headed for the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22, where Sanders is favored. And all three will be going on to South Carolina, a state into which billionaire Tom Steyer has poured millions of dollars.
Sanders, however, is not without his own problems.
Not only is he anathema to the establishment, he cannot wholly unite his party’s left-wing until his senatorial soulmate Elizabeth Warren gets out. Though she ran a poor fourth in New Hampshire, Warren is also going to Nevada to offer herself as a unity candidate.
But as Biden’s hour is up, so is hers. And if she is not out of the race before Super Tuesday on March 3, she risks being beaten in her own home state of Massachusetts.
Where does this leave the Democratic field?
Two candidacies, Warren’s and Biden’s, are in hospice care.
Two candidates, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, competing to be the moderate alternative to Sanders, are in danger of canceling each other out.
Two candidates, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, are billionaires who will be battling on Super Tuesday to crush the scourge of billionaires, Bernie Sanders.
Bloomberg, the three-term mayor of New York, upon whom the establishment has begun to look like the last best hope of stopping Sanders, has already dumped a third of a billion dollars into his campaign
His poll numbers have risen accordingly, and he is probably the strongest challenger to Sanders now, because, with his $60 billion fortune, he can sustain himself and his organization through the convention.
But would Sanders lose gracefully to a plutocrat who deployed his billions to deny him a nomination Sanders has sought for half a decade?
Would Bernie Bros, who believe they were cheated out of the nomination in 2016, accept defeat and support a billionaire they believe robbed them of a prize they thought they had won fairly? Churchill, Hitler, and... Patrick J. Buchanan Best Price: $9.48 Buy New $14.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
Bloomberg is now facing more serious matters as a candidate in a party of minorities. Here is an excerpt from an audiotape of Mayor Mike at a 2015 conference in Aspen, Colorado, addressing the crime-fighting tactic of stop and frisk that he used for years as mayor.
“Ninety-five percent of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities, 15 to 25,” said Bloomberg.
“One of the unintended consequences is people say, ‘Oh, my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.’ Yes, that’s true. Why? Because we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods. … Why do we do it? Because that is where all the crime is. … And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them.”
Midweek, it was learned that Bloomberg, during the economic crisis in 2008, said that getting rid of “redlining” — a policy by which bankers routinely deny mortgages to low-income largely minority neighborhoods circled in red as risky — was to blame for the collapse.
In remarks at Georgetown University in 2008, Bloomberg said:
“It all started back when there was a lot of pressure on banks to make loans to everyone. … Redlining …was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said, ‘People in these neighborhoods are poor, they’re not going to be able to pay off their mortgages, tell your salesmen don’t go into those areas.'”
In presidential elections, Democratic candidates win 90-95% of the black vote. After revelations of his candid discussions of the merits of redlining and the benefits of stop and frisk, Bloomberg may have a tough time climbing that hill.
The Best of Patrick J. Buchanan