lewrockwell--2020-03-19--Freedom in a Time of Madness

Freedom in a Time of Madness

“ The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and people , equally in war and in peace , and covers with the shield of its protection all classes of men , at all times and under all circumstances.
” — Ex parte Milligan , U.S. Supreme Court ( 1866 ) During the Civil War , when President Abraham Lincoln thought it expedient to silence those in the northern states who challenged his wartime decisions by incarcerating them in military prisons in the name of public safety , he was rebuked by a unanimous Supreme Court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ no matter the state of difficulties — whether war or pestilence — the Constitution protects our natural rights , and its provisions are to be upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort .
This basic principle of American law — our rights can only be interfered with by means of due process — is being put to a severe test today in most American states .
Here is the backstory .
Theodore and Woodrow : ... aa Best Price : $ 5.41 Buy New $ 15.93 The coronavirus pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has arrived in the United States and our central planners have panicked .
We do not have a free market here in the health care delivery system ; rather , we have thousands of pages of regulations and control at the federal , state and local levels .
That control was revealed as manifestly deficient and ignorant when the virus struck .
The feds have been so protective of their control of health care — an area of governance that the Supreme Court has ruled is nowhere delegated to them in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tax those who defy them , would be nonexistent — that they insisted that only the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta can be trusted to test for the virus .
It took weeks of begging by governors and mayors for the feds to relent .
Of course , once they acknowledged that labs throughout the country are as competent as theirs to conduct the tests , they realized that their incompetence had deprived all physicians as well as most private sector and state government-owned labs of the test kits themselves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ diminishes freedom and adds to the cost of products .
Now we know that central micromanagement of health care can kill people .
But these mayors and governors were not to be outdone by the feds in their totalitarian impulses .
Many of them , particularly in the northeast and the west coast , have issued decrees that are as profoundly unconstitutional as Lincoln ’ s efforts to silence dissent .
The governors of New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania and Connecticut have all issued decrees closing most retail establishments , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The governor of New Jersey is threatening to ban all travel after dark .
And , the mayor of New York City is threatening to ban all travel all the time .
The fulfillment of these totalitarian impulses has put more than 1 million folks out of work , closed thousands of businesses and impaired the fundamental rights of tens of millions of persons — all in violation of numerous sections of the Constitution .
The Contracts Clause of the Constitution prohibits the states from interfering with lawful contracts , such as leases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the states from interfering with life , liberty or property without a trial at which the state must prove fault .
The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires just compensation when the state meaningfully interferes with an owner ’ s chosen lawful use of his property .
Taken together , these clauses reveal the significant protections of private property in the Constitution itself .
Add to this the threat of punishment that has accompanied these decrees and the fact that they are executive decrees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the paramount rejection of basic democratic and constitutional principles in the minds and words and deeds of those who have perpetrated them .
Add to all this , the protection in the First Amendment of the right to associate and the judicially recognized right to travel — both of which are natural rights — and it is clear that these nanny state rules are unconstitutional , unlawful and unworthy of respect or compliance .
Why is this happening ?
Throughout history , free people have been willing to accept the Devil ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are fearful .
We supinely accept the shallow and hollow offers of government that somehow less liberty equals more safety .
Lies the Government To ... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price : $ 0.25 Buy New $ 4.46 This happened here with the Alien and Sedition Acts in the 1790s when the Federalists feared a second revolution , during the Civil War when Lincoln feared dissent and Congress feared defeat , during World War I when Wilson suppressed the speech he hated and feared , and during the Great Depression when FDR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compensation .
And , after 9/11 , fearing another attack , Congress secretly crafted the Patriot Act ’ s circumvention of the Fourth Amendment and creation of the total surveillance state .
This sordid history came about when the public was fearful of the unknown and trustful of the government ’ s bargain .
But the safety offered for the liberty sacrificed never came to pass .
Moreover , liberty is natural and personal .
You can sacrifice yours , but you can not sacrifice mine .
The natural nature of personal liberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls our rights inalienable and Madison ’ s Ninth Amendment reflects their nature as limitless — insulates their existence and exercise in a free society from totalitarian and even majoritarian interference .
Today , the fear of contagion gives government cover for its assaults on freedom and poses a question the government does not want to answer : If liberty can be taken away in times of crisis , then is it really liberty ; or is it just a license , via a temporary government permission slip , subject to the whims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Andrew P. Napolitano

Shop all books by Judge Napolitano
“The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and people, equally in war and in peace, and covers with the shield of its protection all classes of men, at all times and under all circumstances.” — Ex parte Milligan, U.S. Supreme Court (1866)
During the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln thought it expedient to silence those in the northern states who challenged his wartime decisions by incarcerating them in military prisons in the name of public safety, he was rebuked by a unanimous Supreme Court. The essence of the rebuke is that no matter the state of difficulties — whether war or pestilence — the Constitution protects our natural rights, and its provisions are to be upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort.
This basic principle of American law — our rights can only be interfered with by means of due process — is being put to a severe test today in most American states.
Here is the backstory. Theodore and Woodrow: ... aa Best Price: $5.41 Buy New $15.93 (as of 03:00 UTC - Details)
The coronavirus pandemic, which ravaged portions of China and Italy, has arrived in the United States and our central planners have panicked. We do not have a free market here in the health care delivery system; rather, we have thousands of pages of regulations and control at the federal, state and local levels.
That control was revealed as manifestly deficient and ignorant when the virus struck. The feds have been so protective of their control of health care — an area of governance that the Supreme Court has ruled is nowhere delegated to them in the Constitution, and but for their power to tax those who defy them, would be nonexistent — that they insisted that only the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta can be trusted to test for the virus.
It took weeks of begging by governors and mayors for the feds to relent. Of course, once they acknowledged that labs throughout the country are as competent as theirs to conduct the tests, they realized that their incompetence had deprived all physicians as well as most private sector and state government-owned labs of the test kits themselves.
We all know how central economic planning diminishes freedom and adds to the cost of products. Now we know that central micromanagement of health care can kill people.
But these mayors and governors were not to be outdone by the feds in their totalitarian impulses. Many of them, particularly in the northeast and the west coast, have issued decrees that are as profoundly unconstitutional as Lincoln’s efforts to silence dissent.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut have all issued decrees closing most retail establishments, particularly all restaurants, bars and theaters. The governor of New Jersey is threatening to ban all travel after dark. And, the mayor of New York City is threatening to ban all travel all the time.
The fulfillment of these totalitarian impulses has put more than 1 million folks out of work, closed thousands of businesses and impaired the fundamental rights of tens of millions of persons — all in violation of numerous sections of the Constitution.
The Contracts Clause of the Constitution prohibits the states from interfering with lawful contracts, such as leases and employment agreements. And the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the states from interfering with life, liberty or property without a trial at which the state must prove fault. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires just compensation when the state meaningfully interferes with an owner’s chosen lawful use of his property.
Taken together, these clauses reveal the significant protections of private property in the Constitution itself. Add to this the threat of punishment that has accompanied these decrees and the fact that they are executive decrees, not legislation, and one can see the paramount rejection of basic democratic and constitutional principles in the minds and words and deeds of those who have perpetrated them.
Add to all this, the protection in the First Amendment of the right to associate and the judicially recognized right to travel — both of which are natural rights — and it is clear that these nanny state rules are unconstitutional, unlawful and unworthy of respect or compliance.
Why is this happening? Throughout history, free people have been willing to accept the Devil’s bargain of trading liberty for safety when they are fearful. We supinely accept the shallow and hollow offers of government that somehow less liberty equals more safety. Lies the Government To... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price: $0.25 Buy New $4.46 (as of 12:15 UTC - Details)
This happened here with the Alien and Sedition Acts in the 1790s when the Federalists feared a second revolution, during the Civil War when Lincoln feared dissent and Congress feared defeat, during World War I when Wilson suppressed the speech he hated and feared, and during the Great Depression when FDR feared economic calamity and seized property without compensation. And, after 9/11, fearing another attack, Congress secretly crafted the Patriot Act’s circumvention of the Fourth Amendment and creation of the total surveillance state.
This sordid history came about when the public was fearful of the unknown and trustful of the government’s bargain. But the safety offered for the liberty sacrificed never came to pass.
Moreover, liberty is natural and personal. You can sacrifice yours, but you cannot sacrifice mine. The natural nature of personal liberty — Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence calls our rights inalienable and Madison’s Ninth Amendment reflects their nature as limitless — insulates their existence and exercise in a free society from totalitarian and even majoritarian interference.
Today, the fear of contagion gives government cover for its assaults on freedom and poses a question the government does not want to answer: If liberty can be taken away in times of crisis, then is it really liberty; or is it just a license, via a temporary government permission slip, subject to the whims of politicians in power?
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--The Only Pandemic in America Is Unbridled Fear and a Total Lack of Intelligent Thought

“ I must not fear .
Fear is the mind-killer .
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration .
I will face my fear .
I will permit it to pass over me and through me .
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path .
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing .
Only I will remain.
” ~ Frank Herbert , Dune Can the common flu cause people in America and worldwide to lose their minds , and lose all ability to think ?
Apparently , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone insane over a new monster created out of thin air called coronavirus .
I have anticipated a scenario such as this , and written about it for the past decade or more , but the response by the people of this country is more ridiculous than even I could have imagined .
It is the most pathetic sight I have seen in my life .
Without any initial testing , without any proof , without any certainty as to what this new fake threat to all mankind actually is , the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very easy to control .
A better plan for the globalists could not have been imagined , as the sheep get into line for sheering without any resistance or question .
I have watched this take place , and it was structured incrementally , all along testing the gullibility and fear of the populace , and as it progressed , it became obvious to those perpetrating this lie that taking over the entire country was going to be a cakewalk .
Dune Herbert , Frank Best Price : $ 1.98 Buy New $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Bill Gates previewed it in his idiocy called Event 201 , which seems to have been the initial test and propaganda piece set in place to start this engine .
This was no coincidence , regardless of what the mainstream media and globalists ’ claim , but was an active exercise for what was to come .
And yes , this is real conspiracy , not “ conspiracy theory.
” I will not relent in my efforts to expose the fact that the U.S. economy has been decimated due to spending , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
Considering the situation in 2008 , when all markets should have failed , the current economic picture is not only far worse , but has reached the pinnacle of disaster .
This economy can not be saved by money printing , QE , or sending checks out to those that have been forcibly relieved of their jobs by government fiat .
I firmly believe that a major factor in why this so-called pandemic was created is to shift blame for the impending economic collapse on this virus , and hide the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world completely destroyed the economy .
Had the markets and economy been allowed to fail without any fake pandemic , the government and banking system would have been exposed for the criminal thieves they are .
This could not be allowed to happen by the ruling elites .
Hence , the flu will kill us all !
“ It is my belief that the regular flu is being used as a cover for this fake virus , and will serve to hide fault of a state-created economic collapse .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state , and this is not a temporary tyranny , as it will last long after this current non-risk is over .
Today , Trump and his entourage of idiots stood before the cameras and said now we can do this next spring to help stop the flu !
That is basically an announcement that these measures can be used for any excuse deemed “ necessary ” by the ruling class .
They are actually preparing the sheep for ongoing martial law.
” Coronavirus , according to Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 % to 15 % of viruses are coronavirus , so that will show up in testing .
This is especially the case when testing the already sick and dying , the old and infirmed , and this kind of testing would be far different than random population tests .
In other words , if testing is set up to test sick people , up to 15 % will show coronavirus .
It is a natural part of flu , and will always show up , so it would be easy to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They are easily frightened , and expect government to take care of them from cradle to grave , so this test has been successful for those intending to take control of populations around the world .
Today , we all face horrendous consequences of this staged pandemic .
The economic collapse alone will devastate much of the population .
This will cause unheard of disaster , and will bankrupt many around the country .
This will be life-changing for all Americans , and will change forever the landscape of what is falsely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voluntary lockdowns will quickly become mandatory lockdowns , which requires martial law and certainly medical martial law .
Police will patrol not for real crime , but to force all to stay in a home prison .
National guard units have been deployed in many states already , and that will continue to expand , and then the military will take to the streets to enforce government mandates once full martial law is implemented .
In cities , gun sweeps will begin soon , as many areas have already banned gun and ammunition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most pathetic behaviors that have emerged in this chaos is that most all citizens are accepting everything they are fed , are monitoring their neighbors and anyone showing signs of dissent , and reporting them to authorities .
They are helping to enslave themselves without any concept of the stupidity of their actions .
Get prepared for total chaos , economic destruction , martial law , forced vaccinations , permanent job loss , lockdowns , panic , riots , and state violence against dissenters and regular citizens that has never been seen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be universal , and many more will die from these tyrannical measures than any flu could ever cause .
The governing bodies are calling this a war , and they are correct , but this war is an aggressive war against Americans , not against any virus or outside foreign threat .
The enemy now is us , and the aggressor forces will include full military power , with the sole objective of total control .
The only solution available is mass disobedience and mass dissent .
Numbers matter , and without numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken out !
The Best of Gary D. Barnett

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ~ Frank Herbert, Dune
Can the common flu cause people in America and worldwide to lose their minds, and lose all ability to think? Apparently, that is the case, as Americans have gone insane over a new monster created out of thin air called coronavirus. I have anticipated a scenario such as this, and written about it for the past decade or more, but the response by the people of this country is more ridiculous than even I could have imagined. It is the most pathetic sight I have seen in my life.
Without any initial testing, without any proof, without any certainty as to what this new fake threat to all mankind actually is, the world is now in lockdown, and therefore very easy to control. A better plan for the globalists could not have been imagined, as the sheep get into line for sheering without any resistance or question. I have watched this take place, and it was structured incrementally, all along testing the gullibility and fear of the populace, and as it progressed, it became obvious to those perpetrating this lie that taking over the entire country was going to be a cakewalk. Dune Herbert, Frank Best Price: $1.98 Buy New $7.18 (as of 03:20 UTC - Details)
What is happening now is exactly as Bill Gates previewed it in his idiocy called Event 201, which seems to have been the initial test and propaganda piece set in place to start this engine. This was no coincidence, regardless of what the mainstream media and globalists’ claim, but was an active exercise for what was to come. And yes, this is real conspiracy, not “conspiracy theory.”
I will not relent in my efforts to expose the fact that the U.S. economy has been decimated due to spending, debt, and money creation for many years. Considering the situation in 2008, when all markets should have failed, the current economic picture is not only far worse, but has reached the pinnacle of disaster. This economy cannot be saved by money printing, QE, or sending checks out to those that have been forcibly relieved of their jobs by government fiat. I firmly believe that a major factor in why this so-called pandemic was created is to shift blame for the impending economic collapse on this virus, and hide the fact that the Fed and central banks around the world completely destroyed the economy. Had the markets and economy been allowed to fail without any fake pandemic, the government and banking system would have been exposed for the criminal thieves they are. This could not be allowed to happen by the ruling elites. Hence, the flu will kill us all!
As I wrote yesterday here:
“It is my belief that the regular flu is being used as a cover for this fake virus, and will serve to hide fault of a state-created economic collapse. In the process, all will become slaves to the state, and this is not a temporary tyranny, as it will last long after this current non-risk is over. Today, Trump and his entourage of idiots stood before the cameras and said now we can do this next spring to help stop the flu! That is basically an announcement that these measures can be used for any excuse deemed “necessary” by the ruling class. They are actually preparing the sheep for ongoing martial law.”
Coronavirus, according to Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg, is a part of all viruses, and 8% to 15% of viruses are coronavirus, so that will show up in testing. This is especially the case when testing the already sick and dying, the old and infirmed, and this kind of testing would be far different than random population tests. In other words, if testing is set up to test sick people, up to 15% will show coronavirus. It is a natural part of flu, and will always show up, so it would be easy to use to fool the dumbed-down and dependent herd. They are easily frightened, and expect government to take care of them from cradle to grave, so this test has been successful for those intending to take control of populations around the world.
Today, we all face horrendous consequences of this staged pandemic. The economic collapse alone will devastate much of the population. This will cause unheard of disaster, and will bankrupt many around the country. This will be life-changing for all Americans, and will change forever the landscape of what is falsely considered a “free” country. Voluntary lockdowns will quickly become mandatory lockdowns, which requires martial law and certainly medical martial law. Police will patrol not for real crime, but to force all to stay in a home prison. National guard units have been deployed in many states already, and that will continue to expand, and then the military will take to the streets to enforce government mandates once full martial law is implemented. In cities, gun sweeps will begin soon, as many areas have already banned gun and ammunition sales.
One of the saddest and most pathetic behaviors that have emerged in this chaos is that most all citizens are accepting everything they are fed, are monitoring their neighbors and anyone showing signs of dissent, and reporting them to authorities. They are helping to enslave themselves without any concept of the stupidity of their actions.
Get prepared for total chaos, economic destruction, martial law, forced vaccinations, permanent job loss, lockdowns, panic, riots, and state violence against dissenters and regular citizens that has never been seen in this country before now. Isolation will be universal, and many more will die from these tyrannical measures than any flu could ever cause.
The governing bodies are calling this a war, and they are correct, but this war is an aggressive war against Americans, not against any virus or outside foreign threat. The enemy now is us, and the aggressor forces will include full military power, with the sole objective of total control. The only solution available is mass disobedience and mass dissent. Numbers matter, and without numbers, any individual dissenter will be quickly taken out!
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


Financial Distancing

What if you knew that markets were going to burst , an inevitable outcome of the funny money and credit created , especially since 2008–09 but also before then ?
What if this bursting was going to create a calamity both on Wall Street and Main Street ?
What if you knew martial law was in the cards due to this economic distress , but didn ’ t want to declare martial law ?
What if you knew that the debt load was much too high , and one way to drastically shrink that debt load was to push hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial distress and bankruptcy ?
What if by doing this , you would push many banks into distress ?
What if , by doing this , you opened up the door to allow you to borrow even more , given everyone ’ s flight to “ safety ” ?
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 What if you could solve all of these problems by taking the commercial loans off of the books of the banks while at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go insolvent , thereby allowing your favorite friends to pick up assets at pennies on the dollar ?
What if you could hold this bad debt at an institution that had absolutely no risk of insolvency ?
What if all of this allowed you to take even more control of all economic and social activity ?
How could you set it up such that you wouldn ’ t get blamed for the financial calamity , yet bring the financial calamity on for your benefit and the benefits of your closest buddies ?
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if there was martial law without declaring martial law ?
Well , nothing immediately comes to mind… .
The Best of Bionic Mosquito

What if you knew that markets were going to burst, an inevitable outcome of the funny money and credit created, especially since 2008–09 but also before then? What if this bursting was going to create a calamity both on Wall Street and Main Street? What if you knew martial law was in the cards due to this economic distress, but didn’t want to declare martial law?
What if you knew that the debt load was much too high, and one way to drastically shrink that debt load was to push hundreds – even thousands – of companies into financial distress and bankruptcy? What if by doing this, you would push many banks into distress? What if, by doing this, you opened up the door to allow you to borrow even more, given everyone’s flight to “safety”?
Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details) What if you could solve all of these problems by taking the commercial loans off of the books of the banks while at the same time allowing the distressed debt to go insolvent, thereby allowing your favorite friends to pick up assets at pennies on the dollar? What if you could hold this bad debt at an institution that had absolutely no risk of insolvency?
What if all of this allowed you to take even more control of all economic and social activity?
How could you set it up such that you wouldn’t get blamed for the financial calamity, yet bring the financial calamity on for your benefit and the benefits of your closest buddies? How could you get people to voluntarily act as if there was martial law without declaring martial law?
Well, nothing immediately comes to mind….
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
The Best of Bionic Mosquito


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--COVID-19; Made in China or Made in the USA?

Trump contends that the coronavirus was “ Made in China ” .
And that China threatens America .
The president of the US wants Americans to believe that the coronavirus pandemic carries the “ Made in China ” label .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refers to it as the “ Wuhan coronavirus.
” “ The Big Lie ” started on January 30th when the WHO Director General pressured by powerful US economic interests declared a global public health emergency with only 150 “ confirmed cases ” ( by the WHO ) outside China with only six cases in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
“ Fake media ” immediately went into high gear .
China was held responsible for “ spreading infection ” Worldwide .
On the following day ( January 31 , 2020 ) , Trump announced that he would deny entry to the US of both Chinese and foreign nationals “ who have traveled in China in the last 14 days ” .
This immediately triggered a crisis in air travel , transportation , US-China business relations as well as freight and shipping transactions .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 While the “ Made in China ” coronavirus label served as a pretext , the unspoken objective was to bring the Chinese economy to its knees .
It was an act of “ economic warfare ” , which has contributed to undermining both China ’ s economy as well as that of most Western countries ( allies of the US ) , leading to a wave of bankruptcies , not to mention unemployment , collapse of the tourist industry , etc .
Moreover , Trump ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately as of early February triggered a campaign against ethnic Chinese throughout the Western World .
On March 11 , a new phase was launched .
The Trump administration imposed a 30-day ban on Europeans entering the United States through the suspension of air-travel with the EU ( with the exception of Britain ) .
America is now waging its “ economic war ” against Western Europe , while using COVID-19 as a justification .
European governments have been co-opted .
In Italy a lockdown prevails , ordered by the Prime Minister , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Torino have literally closed down .
The stock value of airlines companies collapses overnight .
Those who had “ foreknowledge ” of Trump ’ s March 11 decision to ban transatlantic flights from EU countries made a bundle of money .
It ’ s called “ short-selling ” in the derivative market among other speculative ops .
Institutional speculators including hedge funds with “ inside info ” had already placed their bets .
More generally , a massive transfer of money wealth has occurred , among the largest in World history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mention the loss of lifelong savings engineered through the collapse of financial markets .
This process is ongoing .
It would be naive to believe that these occurrences are spontaneous , based on market forces .
They are deliberate .
They are part of a carefully designed plan involving powerful financial interests .
COVID-19 : “ Made in China ” or “ Made in America ” ?
And now a new bombshell has emerged : The White House rhetoric of accusing China of spreading the “ Wuhan virus ” Worldwide has been refuted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scientific analysis revealed by Larry Romanoff suggests that the virus was “ Made in America ” : And on March 12 , in a statement to the US Congress ( House Oversight Committee ) , CDC Director Robert Redfield unwittingly “ spilled the beans ” .
He candidly admitted , yes , some cases diagnosed as seasonal flu could have been coronavirus .
When did this occur ?
In October , November ?
What is the chronology .
It is worth noting that Redfield ’ s statement is corroborated by both Japanese and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staunch allies of the USA .
It is worth noting that the Taiwan virologist ( referred to above ) China ’ s Foreign Ministry has reacted to CDC Robert Redfield ’ s statements intimating that the virus could have originated in the US .
“ When Did “ Patient Zero ” Begin in the US ?
” said China ’ s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian .
Of course “ WHEN ” is the fundamental question .
The World is at the Crossroads of the Most Serious Social and Economic Crisis in Modern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are told : “ It ’ s going to get worse ” .
Angela Merkel has stated without a shred of evidence that “ 70 % of the German population could contract coronavirus if more isn ’ t done to stop its spread.
” In several countries , the economy has closed down .
Supermarkets , shopping malls , offices , factories , schools , universities are at a standstill .
People are confined to their homes .
Fear and intimidation prevail .
In the meantime , coinciding with the coronavirus lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been dispatched to the EU , under US-NATO ’ s “ Defend Europe 2020 ” war games against Russia , in the largest military deployment since World War II .
“ Could the Defender become the Invader… ?
” Let ’ s be clear : The coronavirus pandemic is not the “ cause ” of this unfolding economic and social crisis .
It is the “ pretext ” for the implementation of a carefully designed “ operation ” ( supported by media disinformation ) which destabilizes national economies , impoverishes large sectors of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives of millions of people .
What we are dealing with is “ An Act of War ” .
While COVID-19 is an important Public Health concern , the lockdown coupled with an ongoing fear campaign does not constitute an effective means to combating the virus , i.e .
by providing target medical assistance and health services to those affected .
For further details see : What Happens Next : The Potential Impacts of a Continued Freeze of US Trade with China The geopolitics are complex .
How will economic events unfold ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations .
Against the State : An ... Rockwell Jr. , Llewelly ... Best Price : $ 5.02 Buy New $ 5.52 Those who formulated America ’ s “ undeclared economic war ” against China , failed to envisage the potential backlash on the US economy .
In a matter of months , if normal US-China trade relations and transportation are not resumed , the impacts on the national economies of Western countries could be devastating .
A large share of goods displayed in America ’ s shopping malls , including major brands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Made in China ” is the backbone of retail trade in the USA which indelibly sustains household consumption in virtually all major commodity categories from clothing , footwear , hardware , electronics , toys , jewellery , household fixtures , medical supplies , medicine and prescription drugs , , TV sets , cell phones , etc .
“ Made in China ” also dominates the production of a wide range of industrial inputs , advanced technology , machinery , building materials , automotive , parts and accessories , etc .
not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on behalf of US conglomerates .
While the US has a powerful and sophisticated financial apparatus ( which has the ability to manipulate trade and stock markets Worldwide ) , America ’ s Real Economy is in a shambles .
Production does not take place in the USA .
The producers have given up production .
The US trade deficit with China is instrumental in fuelling the profit driven consumer economy which relies on “ Made in China ” consumer goods .
Meanwhile China holds a large part of the US public debt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assets overnight .
At this juncture of the coronavirus crisis , Beijing policy makers are fully aware that the US economy is fragile and heavily dependent on “ Made in China ” .
Moreover , China has overtaken the US in several high tech areas including 5G .
And with an internal market of 1.4 billion people , coupled with a global export market under the “ Belt and Road ” initiative , the Chinese economy will have the upper hand .

Trump contends that the coronavirus was “Made in China”. And that China threatens America.
The president of the US wants Americans to believe that the coronavirus pandemic carries the “Made in China” label.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refers to it as the “Wuhan coronavirus.”
“The Big Lie” started on January 30th when the WHO Director General pressured by powerful US economic interests declared a global public health emergency with only 150 “confirmed cases” (by the WHO) outside China with only six cases in the USA. And it was called a pandemic.
“Fake media” immediately went into high gear. China was held responsible for “spreading infection” Worldwide.
On the following day (January 31, 2020), Trump announced that he would deny entry to the US of both Chinese and foreign nationals “who have traveled in China in the last 14 days”. This immediately triggered a crisis in air travel, transportation, US-China business relations as well as freight and shipping transactions. Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details)
While the “Made in China” coronavirus label served as a pretext, the unspoken objective was to bring the Chinese economy to its knees.
It was an act of “economic warfare”, which has contributed to undermining both China’s economy as well as that of most Western countries (allies of the US), leading to a wave of bankruptcies, not to mention unemployment, collapse of the tourist industry, etc.
Moreover, Trump’s “Made in China” coronavirus label almost immediately as of early February triggered a campaign against ethnic Chinese throughout the Western World.
Stage 2.0: “Infections Transmitted by Europeans”?
On March 11, a new phase was launched. The Trump administration imposed a 30-day ban on Europeans entering the United States through the suspension of air-travel with the EU (with the exception of Britain).
America is now waging its “economic war” against Western Europe, while using COVID-19 as a justification.
European governments have been co-opted. In Italy a lockdown prevails, ordered by the Prime Minister, large cities in Northern Italy including Milano and Torino have literally closed down.
Confusion, Fear and intimidation prevail.
It’s “Damage Made in America”.
Late February: Financial manipulation characterizes stock market transactions Worldwide.
The stock value of airlines companies collapses overnight. Those who had “foreknowledge” of Trump’s March 11 decision to ban transatlantic flights from EU countries made a bundle of money. It’s called “short-selling” in the derivative market among other speculative ops. Institutional speculators including hedge funds with “inside info” had already placed their bets.
More generally, a massive transfer of money wealth has occurred, among the largest in World history, leading to countless bankruptcies, not to mention the loss of lifelong savings engineered through the collapse of financial markets.
This process is ongoing. It would be naive to believe that these occurrences are spontaneous, based on market forces. They are deliberate. They are part of a carefully designed plan involving powerful financial interests.
COVID-19: “Made in China” or “Made in America”?
And now a new bombshell has emerged: The White House rhetoric of accusing China of spreading the “Wuhan virus” Worldwide has been refuted by both Japanese and Chinese reports. Scientific analysis revealed by Larry Romanoff suggests that the virus was “Made in America”:
“it appears that the virus did not originate in China and, according to reports in Japanese and other media, may have originated in the US. … In February, the Japanese Asahi news report (print and TV) claimed the coronavirus originated in the US, not in China, and that some (or many) of the 14,000 American deaths attributed to influenza may have in fact have resulted from the coronavirus.
And on March 12, in a statement to the US Congress (House Oversight Committee), CDC Director Robert Redfield unwittingly “spilled the beans”. He candidly admitted, yes, some cases diagnosed as seasonal flu could have been coronavirus.
When did this occur? In October, November? What is the chronology. It is worth noting that Redfield’s statement is corroborated by both Japanese and Taiwanese virologists. Two countries which are staunch allies of the USA.
CDC director Robert Redfield admitted some Americans who seemingly died from influenza were tested positive for novel #coronavirus in the posthumous diagnosis, during the House Oversight Committee Wednesday. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/kk7q0bKE6p — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 12, 2020
It is worth noting that the Taiwan virologist (referred to above)
“stated that the US has recently [?] had more than 200 “pulmonary fibrosis” cases that resulted in death due to patients’ inability to breathe, … He said he .. informed the US health authorities to consider seriously those deaths as resulting from the coronavirus, … [He] then stated the virus outbreak may have begun earlier than assumed, suggesting “We must look to September of 2019”. (quoted in Larry Romanoff, op cit)
China’s Foreign Ministry has reacted to CDC Robert Redfield’s statements intimating that the virus could have originated in the US.
“When Did “Patient Zero” Begin in the US?” said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.
Of course “WHEN” is the fundamental question.
“How many people are infected, what are the names of the hospitals, It might be US Army that brought epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent, US owe us an explanation”
See below
@CDCDirector Dr. Robert Redfield: Some cases that were previously diagnosed as Flu in the US were actually #COVID19. It is absolutely WRONG and INAPPROPRIATE to call this the Chinese coronavirus. https://t.co/Mk4RB7XYq0 — Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) March 12, 2020
The World is at the Crossroads of the Most Serious Social and Economic Crisis in Modern History
People Worldwide are being misled. They are told: “It’s going to get worse”. Angela Merkel has stated without a shred of evidence that “70% of the German population could contract coronavirus if more isn’t done to stop its spread.”
In several countries, the economy has closed down. Supermarkets, shopping malls, offices, factories, schools, universities are at a standstill. People are confined to their homes. Fear and intimidation prevail.
In the meantime, coinciding with the coronavirus lockdown in Italy, 30,000 US troops have been dispatched to the EU, under US-NATO’s “Defend Europe 2020” war games against Russia, in the largest military deployment since World War II. “Could the Defender become the Invader…?”
Let’s be clear: The coronavirus pandemic is not the “cause” of this unfolding economic and social crisis. It is the “pretext” for the implementation of a carefully designed “operation” (supported by media disinformation) which destabilizes national economies, impoverishes large sectors of the World population and literally undermines the lives of millions of people. What we are dealing with is “An Act of War”.
While COVID-19 is an important Public Health concern, the lockdown coupled with an ongoing fear campaign does not constitute an effective means to combating the virus, i.e. by providing target medical assistance and health services to those affected.
For further details see:
COVID-19 Coronavirus “Fake” Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis
By Prof Michel Chossudovsky, March 08, 2020
What Happens Next: The Potential Impacts of a Continued Freeze of US Trade with China
The geopolitics are complex. How will economic events unfold? We will essentially focus briefly on US-China relations. Against the State: An ... Rockwell Jr., Llewelly... Best Price: $5.02 Buy New $5.52 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details)
Those who formulated America’s “undeclared economic war” against China, failed to envisage the potential backlash on the US economy.
It’s an “Economic Harakiri” i.e. “Suicide American Style”
In a matter of months, if normal US-China trade relations and transportation are not resumed, the impacts on the national economies of Western countries could be devastating.
A large share of goods displayed in America’s shopping malls, including major brands are “Made in China”.
“Made in China” is the backbone of retail trade in the USA which indelibly sustains household consumption in virtually all major commodity categories from clothing, footwear, hardware, electronics, toys, jewellery, household fixtures, medical supplies, medicine and prescription drugs,, TV sets, cell phones, etc.
“Made in China” also dominates the production of a wide range of industrial inputs, advanced technology, machinery, building materials, automotive, parts and accessories, etc. not to mention the extensive sub-contracting of Chinese companies on behalf of US conglomerates.
While the US has a powerful and sophisticated financial apparatus (which has the ability to manipulate trade and stock markets Worldwide), America’s Real Economy is in a shambles.
Production does not take place in the USA. The producers have given up production.
The US trade deficit with China is instrumental in fuelling the profit driven consumer economy which relies on “Made in China” consumer goods. Meanwhile China holds a large part of the US public debt which they can readily convert into real assets overnight.
www.Made-In-China.com
At this juncture of the coronavirus crisis, Beijing policy makers are fully aware that the US economy is fragile and heavily dependent on “Made in China”. Moreover, China has overtaken the US in several high tech areas including 5G.
And with an internal market of 1.4 billion people, coupled with a global export market under the “Belt and Road” initiative, the Chinese economy will have the upper hand.
Reprinted with permission from Global Research.


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--How the Coronavirus Will Spark the Greater Depression

International Man : Panicked people are emptying supermarket shelves and stockpiling toilet paper .
Hand sanitizer is impossible to find anywhere .
Is the impact of the fear and hysteria greater than the risk of the virus itself ?
Doug Casey : Yes , very much so .
The virus itself is what we can call a first-order effect .
I don ’ t want to spend much time talking about the flu itself because , even though worst-case numbers like a million deaths in the US are tossed around , it ’ s not the biggest problem .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hysteria—are actually much more serious .
The third-order effects—new laws and state action—will have the longest-lasting consequences .
We can talk about them in a minute .
As far as the virus itself is concerned , I ’ m sure everybody has read lots of articles and listened to podcasts from experts .
So knowledge—such as it is—about the virus is fairly widespread .
Except very little is certain , even now .
FWIW , I say that as a lifetime science aficionado , reading in many areas of science for years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ : $ 31.40 Buy New $ 33.52 Just in the last generation , we ’ ve had hantavirus , the bird flu , swine flu , Zika , West Nile , MERS , SARS , and H1N1 .
We ’ ve also had anthrax—which everybody ’ s forgotten about .
Of course , it ’ s a bacterial infection as opposed to a viral one .
They ’ ve all had their day in the dark sun of mass hysteria .
The point I ’ m making is that there are thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most of them pass through the population and go viral , so to speak—and we never even notice that they exist .
Now this one is said to be ten times worse in terms of death rate than a normal flu .
Is that true ?
It seems that if you get it , your odds of dying are much worse but still minimal .
Normal seasonal cases of the flu kill maybe 50,000 people a year in the US .
But we don ’ t even notice that .
So what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus ?
Nobody really knows because it is a new virus .
They ’ re still figuring it out , but maybe between 1 % and 2 % of the people who get it will die , mostly the old , the sick , and the obese .
If you ’ re in one of those categories , you should take it very seriously .
The interesting thing about this virus is that very few have died so far , anywhere ; the numbers would have been unnoticeable outside of the media hysteria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rounding error .
The important thing is that it ’ s said to be spreading exponentially , doubling every three days or so .
So maybe things will change radically in a week .
Or not .
It ’ s said at least 50 % of the US population will get it , although 80 % of them will be completely asymptomatic .
If you read all the conflicting reports from China , Italy , and other places , it ’ s pretty clear we don ’ t know much .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain : The world has been gripped by a genuinely titanic and insane hysteria .
Anyway , even the worst case from first-order effects—people dying— is being dwarfed by the second- and third-order effects .
The important thing about this virus is not the first order of effects—people that it kills directly .
It ’ s the consequences of the hysteria that it ’ s causing .
International Man : What are the secondary or tertiary effects of the coronavirus ?
Doug Casey : We just talked about the first-order effects of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of people .
An unfortunate part of life on this planet .
Let ’ s talk about second-order effects .
What the virus—or rather the hysteria surrounding it—is doing to people ’ s livelihoods .
Airlines are shut down .
An airliner , all in , costs them $ 10,000 a day , whether they use it or not .
Same , to some degree , for hotels .
A restaurant closes down , but the owner still has to pay his mortgage .
And the staff mostly lives on tips .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent—and if they don ’ t , then how ’ s the landlord going to pay his mortgage ?
The consequences of businesses shutting down , and going bust , are just huge .
For many years , the US has been what ’ s called a “ service economy.
” Most people don ’ t produce actual hard goods like houses , cars , food , and raw materials .
We mostly do services .
It ’ s a so-called “ consumer economy.
” A rather stupid concept actually—the term takes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption .
When you have a depression , what happens ?
Consumers cut back consumption to the very barest basics .
Services are the first to go .
Hospitality and travel alone is supposedly ten percent of the world ’ s economy .
People will now keep their cars for years , and maybe , sell the spare car .
Forget about new wardrobes .
The clothing and fashion businesses get slammed .
Everyone will try to sell their big showy houses and get something practical .
Distortions cranked into the economy by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be liquidated .
Everybody is going to cut back to the basics .
A lot of people are going to have to find new ways to support themselves .
It ’ s especially serious since , it ’ s said , most of America is one paycheck away from not being able to buy the next meal .
Plus , they have lots of debt—which is somebody else ’ s asset .
Counterparty risk is a big deal .
The collapse of the stock market isn ’ t just tagging speculators .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ savings for retirement , and most of what they have is in the market .
Will they lose their homes , and wind up eating cat food ?
Poverty , not flu , is what really kills masses of people .
This is why these second-order effects are so important .
The hysteria is unnecessary and foolish .
But sometimes hysterias seem to come out of nowhere , like the witch crazes of the 17th century .
Did the economy shut down for any of the past viruses that I mentioned ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu , which was largely forgotten until just now .
Now , that was serious .
It was a chaotic wartime environment , and medicine was primitive—we didn ’ t even know viruses existed .
Now , as was probably the case in 1918 , almost everybody is going to wind up getting the flu because the flu is a virus .
By definition , it goes viral .
The main reason given for shutting down everything is to “ flatten the curve ” , so the numbers don ’ t spike and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a serious casualty , you can go to a hospital .
But , frankly , they can do nothing for you , except put you on a ventilator , and hope that gives you time to recover .
It ’ s said there are about 150,000 in the US , and you may need it for five or six days .
But life goes on , and the economy will recover .
More serious than the first-order or second-order effects are third-order effects .
In other words , what the government is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ll probably set up a new national health regulatory agency , and/or give the FDA new powers .
Bad move .
The FDA is to medicine what Amtrak is to railroads .
It should be renamed the Federal Death Authority since it probably kills more people every year than the Defense Department does in the typical decade .
Governments all around the world are putting in onerous new laws and regulations about travel , movement , and business .
These things have to be paid for , which means higher taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a collapsing economy .
So , not just the Americans—everybody is going to print up boatloads of new money .
Because so many people have no savings and are living from paycheck to paycheck , it ’ s probably the perfect excuse to set up a guaranteed annual income .
People have been already been prepped for the ridiculous concept .
International Man : The stock market had its biggest drop since 1987 .
Has the everything bubble found its pin ?
Doug Casey : Yes .
A major second-order effect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the pin that broke the biggest financial bubble in world history .
And it ’ s very hard to reinflate a burst bubble .
I don ’ t care how much money the government prints .
That ’ s just going to cause catastrophic retail inflation .
Will it solve the debt problem ?
Only the way a heart attack will take your attention off cancer .
If you lose your job and your business isn ’ t making money , your debt is still there , and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why it ’ s likely The Greater Depression will start out like the US in 1929 .
The thing that worries the authorities is that we might have a catastrophic 1929 style credit collapse ; they ’ re printing tons of money to counter that .
We could have in sequence , first , the 1929-style credit collapse and then the 1923 German-style runaway inflation .
This is the worst of all possible worlds , and not unlikely .
It ’ s entirely the fault of state intervention in the economy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with all this phony money .
That ’ s where the blame should go .
But of course , the blame won ’ t go there .
The blame will go to capitalism .
It ’ s also a perfect excuse for Modern Monetary Theory ( MMT ) , which essentially holds that the government can print up all the money that it wants , and there really won ’ t be any bad effects .
Not only is the government herding people like cattle , but the people are screaming for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect the government to fix the problem .
As if it was magic .
But there ’ s no problem the government can ’ t make much worse .
The government is , quite naturally , further removing responsibility from the individual .
There are going to be vast consequences from this stock market meltdown .
Most people already had inadequate retirement funds , and what they had was in the market .
There will be recriminations about who was to blame , lawsuits , and lots of new laws as the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Every government and , indeed , every large company and organization feel that they have to do something or they ’ re going to be accused of sleeping at the switch .
That ’ s why they ’ re going wild on the side of caution and control .
In today ’ s ultra-litigious environment , they ’ re afraid they ’ ll get sued if anybody catches something , and it ’ s traced back to their restaurant , their gym , their conference—anything .
In times like this , Trump—who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an authoritarian by nature—is ultra-dangerous .
He ’ s capable of doing almost anything to show how decisive he is .
International Man : What other types of responses will we see from governments ?
Doug Casey : They ’ re likely to promote a vaccine .
I ’ m not against vaccines , per se .
Edward Jenner and his creation of the smallpox vaccine showed their efficacy 200 years ago .
Vaccines against seasonal flu are proven to be only 30–60 % effective , at best , but that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around this thing has been so catastrophic , they ’ re likely to force everybody to take the vaccine .
Now , this is where it gets really serious because if you don ’ t take the vaccine or if you escape taking it , you probably won ’ t get a vaccination card .
If you don ’ t get a card proving you ’ ve had it , maybe you can ’ t get on a plane or a train or even go to a public gathering without showing your card @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a new agency like the TSA .
Once it ’ s created , the thing will be self-perpetuating and won ’ t go away .
International Man : What else do you see happening ?
Doug Casey : Another third-order effect is that they ’ ll say that cash is a vector of transmission .
It ’ s an excellent impetus to speed up the elimination of cash , which would be a disaster for personal freedom , for reasons we ’ ve discussed before .
As I said , I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the second- and third-order effects .
The consequences , the knock-on effects , of the Wuhan Virus could be the biggest thing since the founding of the country , not just since the Great Depression of 1929 to 1946 .
The pin that broke the financial hyper bubble may well have started a cascade of consequences .
How an Economy Grows a ... Schiff , Andrew J .
Best Price : $ 1.99 Buy New $ 7.20 International Man : What should the average person be doing for prudence and profit ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s likely that we ’ ll have a deflationary collapse before we go into inevitable hyperinflation .
I ’ ve said this for years .
Things you expect to happen always seem to take longer than they should—but once they get underway , they happen much more quickly .
What to do ?
At this late stage , there ’ s not much the average person can do .
How do you prepare for a heart attack after a lifetime of eating junk food ?
It ’ s too late to pay off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they ’ ll probably have a moratorium on it , so it ’ s going to be somebody else ’ s problem .
You know what they say : “ If you owe the bank a thousand dollars , it ’ s your problem .
If you owe the bank a billion dollars , it ’ s the bank ’ s problem.
” There are going to be lots of variations on that theme , considering there are a couple hundred trillion of debt out there .
What can you do if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first of all , as far as assets are concerned , you ’ ve got to have gold and silver coins , although they ’ re now selling for big premiums and have become hard to get .
Previously , they were selling for almost no premium .
So , it ’ s getting a little bit late for that too .
On the bright side , however , in the next few months , if you have cash , there are going to be fantastic bargains in the stock market in general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be gold stocks , which are very , very cheap .
Unlike most companies today , they ’ re coining money because the average all-in sustaining costs of gold mines around the world are under $ 1,000 per ounce and dropping because about 20 % –30 % of the typical goldmine ’ s costs are fuel .
The price of oil has also collapsed to $ 20 , and gasoline is at $ 0.70 in the futures market .
This is the ideal time to buy gold miners .
You don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling safe ; you want to wait until it conveniently smashes open on the sidewalk .
Now is the time .
That ’ s what the average person should do .
Other than that , prepare to enter the trailing edge of the gigantic hurricane we entered in 2008 .
On the lighter side , this might be a perversely appropriate time to dust off your copy of Bocaccio ’ s Decameron .
It is , after all , a plague year… The Best of Doug Casey

International Man: Panicked people are emptying supermarket shelves and stockpiling toilet paper. Hand sanitizer is impossible to find anywhere.
Is the impact of the fear and hysteria greater than the risk of the virus itself?
Doug Casey: Yes, very much so. The virus itself is what we can call a first-order effect. I don’t want to spend much time talking about the flu itself because, even though worst-case numbers like a million deaths in the US are tossed around, it’s not the biggest problem.
The second-order effects—like the economy shutting down from hysteria—are actually much more serious.
The third-order effects—new laws and state action—will have the longest-lasting consequences. We can talk about them in a minute.
As far as the virus itself is concerned, I’m sure everybody has read lots of articles and listened to podcasts from experts. So knowledge—such as it is—about the virus is fairly widespread. Except very little is certain, even now. FWIW, I say that as a lifetime science aficionado, reading in many areas of science for years. America’s Great ... Best Price: $40.94 Buy New $53.98 (as of 04:03 UTC - Details)
Just in the last generation, we’ve had hantavirus, the bird flu, swine flu, Zika, West Nile, MERS, SARS, and H1N1. We’ve also had anthrax—which everybody’s forgotten about. Of course, it’s a bacterial infection as opposed to a viral one. They’ve all had their day in the dark sun of mass hysteria.
The point I’m making is that there are thousands of viruses floating around. They mutate constantly. Most of them pass through the population and go viral, so to speak—and we never even notice that they exist.
Now this one is said to be ten times worse in terms of death rate than a normal flu. Is that true? It seems that if you get it, your odds of dying are much worse but still minimal. Normal seasonal cases of the flu kill maybe 50,000 people a year in the US. But we don’t even notice that.
So what’s the worst-case scenario regarding this virus?
Nobody really knows because it is a new virus. They’re still figuring it out, but maybe between 1% and 2% of the people who get it will die, mostly the old, the sick, and the obese. If you’re in one of those categories, you should take it very seriously.
The interesting thing about this virus is that very few have died so far, anywhere; the numbers would have been unnoticeable outside of the media hysteria. Not even a rounding error on a rounding error. The important thing is that it’s said to be spreading exponentially, doubling every three days or so. So maybe things will change radically in a week. Or not. It’s said at least 50% of the US population will get it, although 80% of them will be completely asymptomatic.
If you read all the conflicting reports from China, Italy, and other places, it’s pretty clear we don’t know much. There’s just one thing for absolutely certain: The world has been gripped by a genuinely titanic and insane hysteria.
Anyway, even the worst case from first-order effects—people dying— is being dwarfed by the second- and third-order effects. The important thing about this virus is not the first order of effects—people that it kills directly. It’s the consequences of the hysteria that it’s causing.
That’s what’s really serious.
International Man: What are the secondary or tertiary effects of the coronavirus?
Doug Casey: We just talked about the first-order effects of the virus. Death for a relatively small number of people. An unfortunate part of life on this planet.
Let’s talk about second-order effects. What the virus—or rather the hysteria surrounding it—is doing to people’s livelihoods.
Airlines are shut down. An airliner, all in, costs them $10,000 a day, whether they use it or not. Same, to some degree, for hotels. A restaurant closes down, but the owner still has to pay his mortgage. And the staff mostly lives on tips. How are they going to pay the rent—and if they don’t, then how’s the landlord going to pay his mortgage? The consequences of businesses shutting down, and going bust, are just huge.
For many years, the US has been what’s called a “service economy.” Most people don’t produce actual hard goods like houses, cars, food, and raw materials. We mostly do services. It’s a so-called “consumer economy.” A rather stupid concept actually—the term takes the emphasis off production and puts it on consumption.
When you have a depression, what happens?
Consumers cut back consumption to the very barest basics.
Services are the first to go. Hospitality and travel alone is supposedly ten percent of the world’s economy. People will now keep their cars for years, and maybe, sell the spare car. Forget about new wardrobes. The clothing and fashion businesses get slammed. Everyone will try to sell their big showy houses and get something practical.
Distortions cranked into the economy by decades of money printing are going to be liquidated. Everybody is going to cut back to the basics. A lot of people are going to have to find new ways to support themselves.
It’s especially serious since, it’s said, most of America is one paycheck away from not being able to buy the next meal. Plus, they have lots of debt—which is somebody else’s asset. Counterparty risk is a big deal.
The collapse of the stock market isn’t just tagging speculators. Most older people don’t have enough savings for retirement, and most of what they have is in the market. Will they lose their homes, and wind up eating cat food? Poverty, not flu, is what really kills masses of people. This is why these second-order effects are so important.
The hysteria is unnecessary and foolish. But sometimes hysterias seem to come out of nowhere, like the witch crazes of the 17th century. Did the economy shut down for any of the past viruses that I mentioned?
The answer is no—not even for the Spanish flu, which was largely forgotten until just now. Now, that was serious. It was a chaotic wartime environment, and medicine was primitive—we didn’t even know viruses existed.
Now, as was probably the case in 1918, almost everybody is going to wind up getting the flu because the flu is a virus. By definition, it goes viral.
The main reason given for shutting down everything is to “flatten the curve”, so the numbers don’t spike and overwhelm hospitals. If you’re a serious casualty, you can go to a hospital. But, frankly, they can do nothing for you, except put you on a ventilator, and hope that gives you time to recover. It’s said there are about 150,000 in the US, and you may need it for five or six days.
But life goes on, and the economy will recover. More serious than the first-order or second-order effects are third-order effects.
In other words, what the government is going to do. For one thing, they’ll probably set up a new national health regulatory agency, and/or give the FDA new powers. Bad move. The FDA is to medicine what Amtrak is to railroads. It should be renamed the Federal Death Authority since it probably kills more people every year than the Defense Department does in the typical decade.
Governments all around the world are putting in onerous new laws and regulations about travel, movement, and business. These things have to be paid for, which means higher taxes. But that’s almost impossible in a collapsing economy. So, not just the Americans—everybody is going to print up boatloads of new money.
Because so many people have no savings and are living from paycheck to paycheck, it’s probably the perfect excuse to set up a guaranteed annual income. People have been already been prepped for the ridiculous concept.
International Man: The stock market had its biggest drop since 1987. Has the everything bubble found its pin?
Doug Casey: Yes. A major second-order effect of this virus is that it just happened to be the pin that broke the biggest financial bubble in world history. And it’s very hard to reinflate a burst bubble.
I don’t care how much money the government prints. That’s just going to cause catastrophic retail inflation.
Will it solve the debt problem? Only the way a heart attack will take your attention off cancer. If you lose your job and your business isn’t making money, your debt is still there, and it’s still compounding with interest. That’s why it’s likely The Greater Depression will start out like the US in 1929.
The thing that worries the authorities is that we might have a catastrophic 1929 style credit collapse; they’re printing tons of money to counter that. We could have in sequence, first, the 1929-style credit collapse and then the 1923 German-style runaway inflation.
This is the worst of all possible worlds, and not unlikely.
It’s entirely the fault of state intervention in the economy and the Federal Reserve creating a bubble economy with all this phony money. That’s where the blame should go. But of course, the blame won’t go there.
The blame will go to capitalism.
It’s also a perfect excuse for Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), which essentially holds that the government can print up all the money that it wants, and there really won’t be any bad effects.
Not only is the government herding people like cattle, but the people are screaming for the government to “do something.” People expect the government to fix the problem. As if it was magic. But there’s no problem the government can’t make much worse.
The government is, quite naturally, further removing responsibility from the individual.
There are going to be vast consequences from this stock market meltdown. Most people already had inadequate retirement funds, and what they had was in the market. There will be recriminations about who was to blame, lawsuits, and lots of new laws as the public screams for Congress to “do something.”
Every government and, indeed, every large company and organization feel that they have to do something or they’re going to be accused of sleeping at the switch. That’s why they’re going wild on the side of caution and control.
In today’s ultra-litigious environment, they’re afraid they’ll get sued if anybody catches something, and it’s traced back to their restaurant, their gym, their conference—anything.
In times like this, Trump—who has zero understanding of economics and is an authoritarian by nature—is ultra-dangerous. He’s capable of doing almost anything to show how decisive he is.
International Man: What other types of responses will we see from governments?
Doug Casey: They’re likely to promote a vaccine. I’m not against vaccines, per se. Edward Jenner and his creation of the smallpox vaccine showed their efficacy 200 years ago. Vaccines against seasonal flu are proven to be only 30–60% effective, at best, but that’s not the problem. Because the hysteria around this thing has been so catastrophic, they’re likely to force everybody to take the vaccine.
Now, this is where it gets really serious because if you don’t take the vaccine or if you escape taking it, you probably won’t get a vaccination card. If you don’t get a card proving you’ve had it, maybe you can’t get on a plane or a train or even go to a public gathering without showing your card.
No doubt, they’ll create a new agency like the TSA. Once it’s created, the thing will be self-perpetuating and won’t go away.
International Man: What else do you see happening?
Doug Casey: Another third-order effect is that they’ll say that cash is a vector of transmission. It’s an excellent impetus to speed up the elimination of cash, which would be a disaster for personal freedom, for reasons we’ve discussed before.
As I said, I don’t fear the virus as much as the second- and third-order effects.
The consequences, the knock-on effects, of the Wuhan Virus could be the biggest thing since the founding of the country, not just since the Great Depression of 1929 to 1946.
The pin that broke the financial hyper bubble may well have started a cascade of consequences. How an Economy Grows a... Schiff, Andrew J. Best Price: $1.99 Buy New $7.20 (as of 11:05 UTC - Details)
International Man: What should the average person be doing for prudence and profit?
Doug Casey: Again, it’s likely that we’ll have a deflationary collapse before we go into inevitable hyperinflation. I’ve said this for years. Things you expect to happen always seem to take longer than they should—but once they get underway, they happen much more quickly.
What to do? At this late stage, there’s not much the average person can do. How do you prepare for a heart attack after a lifetime of eating junk food?
It’s too late to pay off debt if you have a lot, but they’ll probably have a moratorium on it, so it’s going to be somebody else’s problem. You know what they say: “If you owe the bank a thousand dollars, it’s your problem. If you owe the bank a billion dollars, it’s the bank’s problem.” There are going to be lots of variations on that theme, considering there are a couple hundred trillion of debt out there.
What can you do if you have some savings?
Well, first of all, as far as assets are concerned, you’ve got to have gold and silver coins, although they’re now selling for big premiums and have become hard to get. Previously, they were selling for almost no premium.
So, it’s getting a little bit late for that too.
On the bright side, however, in the next few months, if you have cash, there are going to be fantastic bargains in the stock market in general. But by far the best place will be gold stocks, which are very, very cheap.
Unlike most companies today, they’re coining money because the average all-in sustaining costs of gold mines around the world are under $1,000 per ounce and dropping because about 20%–30% of the typical goldmine’s costs are fuel. The price of oil has also collapsed to $20, and gasoline is at $0.70 in the futures market.
This is the ideal time to buy gold miners. You don’t want to try to catch a falling safe; you want to wait until it conveniently smashes open on the sidewalk. Now is the time.
That’s what the average person should do. Other than that, prepare to enter the trailing edge of the gigantic hurricane we entered in 2008.
On the lighter side, this might be a perversely appropriate time to dust off your copy of Bocaccio’s Decameron. It is, after all, a plague year…
Reprinted with permission from International Man.
The Best of Doug Casey


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--China Is Locked in a Hybrid War With the US

Among the myriad , earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus , one is already graphically evident .
China has re-positioned itself .
For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping ’ s reforms in 1978 , Beijing openly regards the US as a threat , as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference during the peak of the fight against coronavirus .
Beijing is carefully , incrementally shaping the narrative that , from the beginning of the coronovirus attack , the leadership knew it was under a hybrid war attack .
Xi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said , on the record , that this was war .
And , as a counter-attack , a “ people ’ s war ” had to be launched .
Moreover , he described the virus as a demon or devil .
Xi is a Confucianist .
Unlike some other ancient Chinese thinkers , Confucius was loath to discuss supernatural forces and judgment in the afterlife .
However , in a Chinese cultural context , devil means “ white devils ” or “ foreign devils ” : guailo in Mandarin , gweilo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a powerful statement in code .
When Zhao Lijian , a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry , voiced in an incandescent tweet the possibility that “ it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan ” – the first blast to this effect to come from a top official – Beijing was sending up a trial balloon signaliing that the gloves were finally off .
Zhao Lijian made a direct connection with the Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019 , which included a delegation of 300 US military .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ T. Bennett , Thom ... Best Price : $ 1.90 Buy New $ 38.50 He directly quoted US CDC director Robert Redfield who , when asked last week whether some deaths by coronavirus had been discovered posthumously in the US , replied that “ some cases have actually been diagnosed this way in the US today.
” Zhao ’ s explosive conclusion is that Covid-19 was already in effect in the US before being identified in Wuhan – due to the by now fully documented inability of US to test and verify differences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that to the fact that coronavirus genome variations in Iran and Italy were sequenced and it was revealed they do not belong to the variety that infected Wuhan , Chinese media are now openly asking questions and drawing a connection with the shutting down in August last year of the “ unsafe ” military bioweapon lab at Fort Detrick , the Military Games , and the Wuhan epidemic .
Some of these questions had been asked – with no response – inside the US itself .
Extra questions linger about the opaque Event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2019 : a rehearsal for a worldwide pandemic caused by a deadly virus – which happened to be coronavirus .
This magnificent coincidence happened one month before the outbreak in Wuhan .
Event 201 was sponsored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , the World Economic Forum ( WEF ) , the CIA , Bloomberg , John Hopkins Foundation and the UN .
The World Military Games opened in Wuhan on the exact same day .
Irrespective of its origin , which is still not conclusively established , as much as Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Covid-19 already poses immensely serious questions about biopolitics ( where ’ s Foucault when we need him ? )
and bio-terror .
The working hypothesis of coronavirus as a very powerful but not Armageddon-provoking bio-weapon unveils it as a perfect vehicle for widespread social control – on a global scale .

Among the myriad, earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus, one is already graphically evident. China has re-positioned itself. For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1978, Beijing openly regards the US as a threat, as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference during the peak of the fight against coronavirus.
Beijing is carefully, incrementally shaping the narrative that, from the beginning of the coronovirus attack, the leadership knew it was under a hybrid war attack. Xi’s terminology is a major clue. He said, on the record, that this was war. And, as a counter-attack, a “people’s war” had to be launched.
Moreover, he described the virus as a demon or devil. Xi is a Confucianist. Unlike some other ancient Chinese thinkers, Confucius was loath to discuss supernatural forces and judgment in the afterlife. However, in a Chinese cultural context, devil means “white devils” or “foreign devils”: guailo in Mandarin, gweilo in Cantonese. This was Xi delivering a powerful statement in code.
When Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, voiced in an incandescent tweet the possibility that “it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan” – the first blast to this effect to come from a top official – Beijing was sending up a trial balloon signaliing that the gloves were finally off. Zhao Lijian made a direct connection with the Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019, which included a delegation of 300 US military. Official Lies: How Was... James T. Bennett, Thom... Best Price: $1.90 Buy New $38.50 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details)
He directly quoted US CDC director Robert Redfield who, when asked last week whether some deaths by coronavirus had been discovered posthumously in the US, replied that “some cases have actually been diagnosed this way in the US today.”
Zhao’s explosive conclusion is that Covid-19 was already in effect in the US before being identified in Wuhan – due to the by now fully documented inability of US to test and verify differences compared with the flu.
Adding all that to the fact that coronavirus genome variations in Iran and Italy were sequenced and it was revealed they do not belong to the variety that infected Wuhan, Chinese media are now openly asking questions and drawing a connection with the shutting down in August last year of the “unsafe” military bioweapon lab at Fort Detrick, the Military Games, and the Wuhan epidemic. Some of these questions had been asked – with no response – inside the US itself.
Extra questions linger about the opaque Event 201 in New York on October 18, 2019: a rehearsal for a worldwide pandemic caused by a deadly virus – which happened to be coronavirus. This magnificent coincidence happened one month before the outbreak in Wuhan.
Event 201 was sponsored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the CIA, Bloomberg, John Hopkins Foundation and the UN. The World Military Games opened in Wuhan on the exact same day.
Irrespective of its origin, which is still not conclusively established, as much as Trump tweets about the “Chinese virus,” Covid-19 already poses immensely serious questions about biopolitics (where’s Foucault when we need him?) and bio-terror.
The working hypothesis of coronavirus as a very powerful but not Armageddon-provoking bio-weapon unveils it as a perfect vehicle for widespread social control – on a global scale.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--No Quarantine Has Overcome Any Disease

No Quarantine Has Overcome Any Disease

You ’ re not an expert on Covid-19 , but nobody is .
Scientists don ’ t know everything .
In this case , they ’ re just beginning their research .
In the absence of hard data , we have to take theories as mere hypotheses .
History teaches us that to date no disease has been overcome by quarantine measures .
Quarantine measures can save time , not defeat the foe .
The Covid-19 outbreak awakens ancestral anxieties .
Some of us suddenly perceive our neighbors , friends and families as threats .
There is a real risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the face of any danger , we must first remain reasonable , not rational .
These are two very different ways of thinking .
We can not think logically on the basis of incomplete data .
Covid-19 is a hitherto unknown disease which seems to be able to kill up to 1 % of the world ’ s population , but which so far has killed only a few thousand people .
Researchers are just beginning to study it scientifically .
We know that it is caused by a virus that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face .
No one knows how to prevent its spread , but everyone has their own preconceived ideas about it .
Depending on their culture , scientists have advised the authorities in their countries differently : Prepperu2019s Pantry : ... Daisy Luther Best Price : $ 5.48 Buy New $ 3.22 The Chinese authorities have practiced population containment coupled with a home medical visit every two days .
Those suspected of being infected were taken by force to hospital .
This empirical method is consistent with the decrease of this disease .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any effectiveness , nor does it mean that the disease has been definitively eradicated .
The World Health Organization advocates the confinement of the population , without medical visits at home .
The WHO assumes that children become healthy carriers of the disease and infect grandparents in whom the disease can develop acutely .
The Swedish authorities are trying a third method .
They consider that only the elderly need to be protected and that there is no evidence that the disease is spread by children .
They are therefore only confining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses .
Which of these three schools is right , assuming that one of them is right ?
We can not know until all three methods have been tried and tested over a long period of time .
However , we must remember that never in history has an epidemic been overcome by quarantines , but only by hygienic measures .
Quarantines do not protect populations in which the disease is already present , they can only save a little time .
The Prepperu2019s Wate ... Daisy Luther Best Price : $ 7.49 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the anguish that leads our political leaders to take the measures that they consider to be the most radical , i.e .
the most traumatic , compared to those already taken by their neighbours .
The escalation of these measures teaches us the level of panic of our leaders , not the means to fight the disease .
Moreover , as always , some political leaders are instrumenting the crisis according to their personal agendas .
Over the past twenty-five years , the developed world has experienced several episodes of collective delirium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we sacrificed cattle on huge bonfires ; at the time of Y2K , we thought that planes would fall from the sky on our heads ; in the face of 9/11 , we thought that barbarians would destroy Western civilization ; and so on and so forth .
In retrospect , all of this seems ridiculous .
Consult old newspapers and you will see the credulity of the public , not that of our ancestors , but of ourselves , a few years ago .
The West is less and less reasonable and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknowingly adhered to a religious form of thought in which we have replaced the supposed divine will with supposed scientific knowledge .
Science tells us little about Covid-19 and nothing at all about how to prevent its spread .
We are only at the stage of hypothesis .
The Best of Thierry Meyssan

You’re not an expert on Covid-19, but nobody is. Scientists don’t know everything. In this case, they’re just beginning their research. In the absence of hard data, we have to take theories as mere hypotheses. History teaches us that to date no disease has been overcome by quarantine measures. Quarantine measures can save time, not defeat the foe.
The Covid-19 outbreak awakens ancestral anxieties. Some of us suddenly perceive our neighbors, friends and families as threats. There is a real risk of violence in the near future.
In the face of any danger, we must first remain reasonable, not rational. These are two very different ways of thinking. We cannot think logically on the basis of incomplete data.
Covid-19 is a hitherto unknown disease which seems to be able to kill up to 1% of the world’s population, but which so far has killed only a few thousand people. Researchers are just beginning to study it scientifically. We know that it is caused by a virus that is transmitted through the mucous membranes of the face. No one knows how to prevent its spread, but everyone has their own preconceived ideas about it.
Depending on their culture, scientists have advised the authorities in their countries differently: Prepperu2019s Pantry: ... Daisy Luther Best Price: $5.48 Buy New $3.22 (as of 04:30 UTC - Details)
The Chinese authorities have practiced population containment coupled with a home medical visit every two days. Those suspected of being infected were taken by force to hospital. This empirical method is consistent with the decrease of this disease. This does not mean that it has had any effectiveness, nor does it mean that the disease has been definitively eradicated.
The World Health Organization advocates the confinement of the population, without medical visits at home. The WHO assumes that children become healthy carriers of the disease and infect grandparents in whom the disease can develop acutely.
The Swedish authorities are trying a third method. They consider that only the elderly need to be protected and that there is no evidence that the disease is spread by children. They are therefore only confining the elderly and not closing down schools or businesses.
Which of these three schools is right, assuming that one of them is right? We cannot know until all three methods have been tried and tested over a long period of time.
However, we must remember that never in history has an epidemic been overcome by quarantines, but only by hygienic measures. Quarantines do not protect populations in which the disease is already present, they can only save a little time.
The Prepperu2019s Wate... Daisy Luther Best Price: $7.49 Buy New $9.94 (as of 06:00 UTC - Details) We must beware of the anguish that leads our political leaders to take the measures that they consider to be the most radical, i.e. the most traumatic, compared to those already taken by their neighbours. The escalation of these measures teaches us the level of panic of our leaders, not the means to fight the disease.
Moreover, as always, some political leaders are instrumenting the crisis according to their personal agendas.
Over the past twenty-five years, the developed world has experienced several episodes of collective delirium. During the mad cow crisis, we sacrificed cattle on huge bonfires; at the time of Y2K, we thought that planes would fall from the sky on our heads; in the face of 9/11, we thought that barbarians would destroy Western civilization; and so on and so forth. In retrospect, all of this seems ridiculous. Consult old newspapers and you will see the credulity of the public, not that of our ancestors, but of ourselves, a few years ago.
The West is less and less reasonable and more and more dogmatic. We have unknowingly adhered to a religious form of thought in which we have replaced the supposed divine will with supposed scientific knowledge.
Science tells us little about Covid-19 and nothing at all about how to prevent its spread. We are only at the stage of hypothesis.
The Best of Thierry Meyssan


lewrockwell--2020-03-19--The Sport of Speculation

The Sport of Speculation

I ’ m beginning to believe the current “ pandemic ” is perhaps just the latest contrived “ enemy of the state ” .
An opportunity taken by western governments that have , over the past 20 or 30 years , gotten bolder in their willingness to fabricate fear to secure a political end .
Political ends are always about greater control , corruption , and ultimately , cover ups .
In the age where air has become second to digital noise in terms of ubiquity , and hyperbole has replaced truth as the journalistic objective , governments ’ ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) has become a precision tool .
Like it or not , society has become confused by the amount of information thrown at us and that makes us susceptible .
But if this is contrived political hysteria , what is the objective ?
I ’ ve heard people on either side of the aisle suggest it is to help or hurt Trump .
And perhaps , it is that simple .
However , given equally good points on both sides of that argument I am skeptical .
So then what ?
Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you believe it was an act of terrorism by our own government or some other group , the end result was the same – The Patriot Act , and a truckload of knock-on legislation that quietly edged out our individual rights and freedoms .
All in the name of keeping us safe from harm .
The Real Crash : Americ ... Peter Schiff Best Price : null Buy New $ 23.95 Ok , but do we see any of that happening as a result of this current narrative ?
Of course .
Right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Congress that most legislators , have admittedly , not read but are ready to approve .
And perhaps the most glaring action is the $ 5 trillion financial bail out that took place over the weekend .
This is by far , the biggest financial industry bailout ever to take place , at least on this planet .
Most Americans have no idea a bailout is taking place and those that do will never come to know that the bailout began in early September .
On September 2nd , the Fed began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is , it has nothing to do with the virus .
And it isn ’ t just banks but the entire sport of speculation that require a bailout .
The leverage inherent in the sport of speculation , across all asset classes , has created an aggregate risk position so large there is no longer enough cash to cover the margin call .
And this is where we ’ ve run into trouble .
In 2008 , we had levered specific collateral instruments up using nonsensical economics .
At the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Booth .
I graduated in December 2008 , after spending 2 years studying the models that were proving , in real time , to be absolutely wrong and creating massive pain for the bottom half of the economic food chain .
To crawl out of that mess we printed trillions of dollars to bail out the large risk positions that had earlier created immense wealth for those on the top of the economic food chain .
This past weekend , once again the Fed announced a $ 5 trillion bailout and it went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are distracted by a “ world ending virus ” .
The largest financial bailout in the history of the world and nobody knows it happened because the focus is on a virus that to date , has resulted in 50 deaths in America ( at the same time 8,000 deaths have resulted from the flu in America ) .

I’m beginning to believe the current “pandemic” is perhaps just the latest contrived “enemy of the state”. An opportunity taken by western governments that have, over the past 20 or 30 years, gotten bolder in their willingness to fabricate fear to secure a political end. Political ends are always about greater control, corruption, and ultimately, cover ups.
In the age where air has become second to digital noise in terms of ubiquity, and hyperbole has replaced truth as the journalistic objective, governments’ ability to leverage misinformation (i.e. propaganda) has become a precision tool. Like it or not, society has become confused by the amount of information thrown at us and that makes us susceptible.
But if this is contrived political hysteria, what is the objective?
I’ve heard people on either side of the aisle suggest it is to help or hurt Trump. And perhaps, it is that simple. However, given equally good points on both sides of that argument I am skeptical. So then what? Well, I think back to 9/11 and whether you believe it was an act of terrorism by our own government or some other group, the end result was the same – The Patriot Act, and a truckload of knock-on legislation that quietly edged out our individual rights and freedoms. All in the name of keeping us safe from harm. The Real Crash: Americ... Peter Schiff Buy New $23.95 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details)
Ok, but do we see any of that happening as a result of this current narrative? Of course. Right now a bill is making its way through Congress that most legislators, have admittedly, not read but are ready to approve. And perhaps the most glaring action is the $5 trillion financial bail out that took place over the weekend. This is by far, the biggest financial industry bailout ever to take place, at least on this planet. Most Americans have no idea a bailout is taking place and those that do will never come to know that the bailout began in early September. On September 2nd, the Fed began its second epic “bank bailout”. That is, it has nothing to do with the virus.
And it isn’t just banks but the entire sport of speculation that require a bailout. The leverage inherent in the sport of speculation, across all asset classes, has created an aggregate risk position so large there is no longer enough cash to cover the margin call.
And this is where we’ve run into trouble. In 2008, we had levered specific collateral instruments up using nonsensical economics. At the time I was studying financial engineering at Chicago Booth. I graduated in December 2008, after spending 2 years studying the models that were proving, in real time, to be absolutely wrong and creating massive pain for the bottom half of the economic food chain. To crawl out of that mess we printed trillions of dollars to bail out the large risk positions that had earlier created immense wealth for those on the top of the economic food chain.
This past weekend, once again the Fed announced a $5 trillion bailout and it went completely unnoticed by the public because we are distracted by a “world ending virus”. The largest financial bailout in the history of the world and nobody knows it happened because the focus is on a virus that to date, has resulted in 50 deaths in America (at the same time 8,000 deaths have resulted from the flu in America).
Read the Whole Article