lewrockwell--2020-11-28--What Can You Learn About ‘The Green New Deal’ from Thanksgiving?

Research has now revealed that from the age of three , toddlers don ’ t forget a debt .
Does that strike you as odd ?
Why would toddlers even recognize the concept of “ debt , ” let alone not forget one ?
Have AmEX , VISA , Capital 1 and MasterCard already gotten to them ?
Clearly it ’ s not the credit industry that explains this .
At such an early age , genetics must be involved .
But why would Mother Nature give us an instinctive genetically specified understanding of “ debts ” — and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as toddler-hood ?
She must have had very very good reasons .
She did !
The Stair Barrier Baby ... Buy New $ 154.69 The interesting thing is that you have certainly experienced the results of this gift from Mother in your adult life and they ’ re very important if usually under-appreciated , particularly because they tend to be subliminal and instinctive rather than explicit .
For example , you know who needs to buy the next round of drinks — and which soccer mom needs to drive this week .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not , but everyone takes a turn or there will be problems .
Once you consider such things , they seem rather normal and deceptively mundane , but keep in mind that Mother Nature had to go to a lot of trouble over a long period of time to make things seem that way .
But why would Mother take the time and trouble to give us that innate understanding of debt — and apparently a little subliminal accounter app to keep track of it ?
The answer starts with the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compared to other organisms , we humans are born largely “ tabula rasa , ” that is as “ blank slates , ” and so rather than being born with most of our behaviors and knowledge , we have to acquire them later .
For example , while hoofed animals can walk within a few minutes of birth and run soon after , it takes us approximately three months to learn to merely crawl .
That means that like us , nearly all our ancestors ’ key knowledge , skills and behaviors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or , preferably , by learning from someone else .
Learning from someone else avoids the many dangers of learning by experience — and the monumental handicap of continually needing to reinvent the wheel .
The fact that we don ’ t inherit our key knowledge , skills , information , and behaviors means that each one of us becomes a depository of different , often unique — and sometimes critical — information , skills , knowledge — and particularly , experience .
And these exist only in our individual brains .
Spasilk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This dispersion of unique knowledge and experience means the essential human data-base and operating system is spread out and distributed among all the individuals around us .
Madrigal knows which herbs help heal wounds — and how to find and use them .
Gaud can always find that hidden water-hole during the semi-annual desert crossing .
But our ancestors had a problem we don ’ t have : They were indeed pre-historic — that is , they existed before writing was available to write his-story down in black and white .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our ancestors were each-others ’ only reference-library and internet .
The loss of either Madrigal or Gaud could be catastrophic to everyone .
Ditto the loss of other group members and their special knowledge , information and experience .
Mother Nature — or as some like to call Her “ The Theory of Biological Evolution by Natural Selection ” — wasn ’ t oblivious to this problem and so gave us an appropriate and nearly unique set of behaviors which prod us to keep each other alive .
By convention , folks call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creates its own problems .
Anthropologist , scholar , and all-around mensch Christopher Boehm puts it this way : “ How can cheerful , altruistic cooperators , people guided by generous feelings and positive expectations about cooperation , avoid being exploited by lazy slackers and outright cheaters , or by opportunistic bullies who take advantage of situations by force ?
” –Christopher Boehm , Hierarchy in the Forest , p. 212″ The problems with “ lazy slackers ” and “ outright cheaters ” taking advantage of generous productive folks are fairly obvious .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by force — or as we call them , psychopaths — are a much bigger problem , especially when they congregate and morph themselves into permanent “ leaders.
” And/or governments .
Simple Joys by Carter & ... Buy New $ 17.99 None-the-less — since they all have similar effects — slackers , cheaters , bullies and bullying leaders are all usually called “ free-riders ” by population geneticists .
So the population geneticists and others rightly ask , “ How can altruistic genes survive when beset by free riders of all kinds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can altruists — who are intent on keeping the data-base intact by keeping everyone alive — keep from being bled dry and rendered extinct by free-riders — who are only too happy to take advantage of their altruistic tendencies ?
Thus our data-dependent ancestors had to solve two competing equations at the same time : • How do you preserve the distributed decentralized data-base by keeping everyone alive while , at the same time , • how do you keep opportunistic free-riders of all kinds from bleeding everyone dry ?
As you may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracked by our little subliminal accounter — and the trade that enables — which , by definition , requires reciprocity , to balance those competing equations .
You give me some cream for my strawberries today , I give you some huckleberries to go with your cream tomorrow .
With reciprocal trade in place — and our little subliminal accounter on duty — any potential free-rider is quickly recognized as taking but not giving back .
What ?
No huckleberries ?
A shirking soccer mom finds herself out of the pool .
Harry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finds himself drinking alone .
On the other hand , we don ’ t mind buying drinks for Donald who just lost his job .
We don ’ t expect him to buy but know when he gets his next gig , he ’ ll try to make good .
With our little subliminal accounter on duty , while any potential free-riders get nipped in the bud and can ’ t even get off the ground , folks still get help when they need it .
Nifty solution !
We “ moderns ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s necessary to keep things explicit instead of subliminal and we call it “ accounting.
” This is the solid foundation upon which trade , the whole modern economy , and so the world-as-we-know-it is constructed .
hiccapop Nursery Organ ... Best Price : $ 19.10 Buy New $ 27.92 But unfortunately , there are a few problems .
For example , our little accounter requires face-to-face recognition to work .
That means it doesn ’ t work well or at all in larger groups , especially when folks pool their resources in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mind that keeping track is hanging in the shadows well before we moderns evolved the habit of keeping it explicit .
As you ’ ll see , it ’ s hanging in the shadows even when it isn ’ t explicit , expected — or even welcome .
In fact , the strangest problem is that Mother apparently designed the accounting to be mostly subliminal and non-conscious .
That ’ s why it ’ s taken so long for researchers to discover it .
Here ’ s how I first stumbled on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul R. was a blackjack counting group organizer .
He was extremely personable , well read , a passable pianist and an entertaining raconteur , but he remarked to me that no one would go out for drinks with him and he didn ’ t understand why .
I was friends with several of his team-mates and so thought I might be able to trouble-shoot .
I asked Mark , Girl George , and several others about the situation .
At first they didn ’ t see things the way Paul did but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had it right and folks indeed avoided clubbing with him .
It took a good bit of digging to excavate the underlying dynamics .
What it amounted to was that Paul actually ran a tally on-the-spot to keep track who should buy the next round of drinks , food , etc .
and for how much and let everyone know .
Once that habit of Paul ’ s was uncovered and brought to the surface , everyone “ snapped ” on it and agreed that was indeed the problem .
This somehow took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an extent no one wanted to hang-out with Paul , even if they didn ’ t exactly know why .
It seems that believing in the surface context of no-strings-attached apparently altruistic “ gifting ” and “ sharing ” is important even if the underlying dynamics are something different .
And of course , Paul didn ’ t know about our little subliminal accounter app and neither did I at that time .
Paul didn ’ t realize that it would have pretty much automatically taken care of things without his explicit accounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little very gentle nudging would have taken care of things and that usually comes automatically from everyone ’ s subliminal accounter anyway .
Because of its anthropological importance — those free-riders remember — and strength , that nudging , if even necessary , usually works quite well — at least in small face-to-face groups .
And if that nudging doesn ’ t work , things automatically get more serious .
Although we ’ ve all experienced these subliminal transactions , and although we may not recognize them as such , most of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for some reason , we don ’ t particularly like the “ trade ” part to always be explicit , it turns out the reciprocal nature of these transactions is often deprecated , ignored — or sometimes even suppressed — invariably with catastrophic results .
But let me lead up to those catastrophes gently .
First , Austrian-school economist Frederick von Hayek , recognizing the intellectual consequences of that suppression , points out that as a result of historical , mostly “ left-wing ” influence in sociology , history , archaeology , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions such as property ‘ fell under a ban ’ ” and that as a result archaeology , sociology and other similar and related disciplines , even to this day ( 2020 A.D. ) , demonstrate an “ inability to comprehend economic phenomena.
” So as not to miss Hayek ’ s emphasis on the significance of this malign intellectual influence , he punctuates it like this : “ I have just written that the study of traditional institutions such as property ‘ fell under a ban ’ .
This is hardly an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotional and intellectual pressure to deprecate the transactional nature of “ altruism , ” even the left had to reluctantly curtsy to the evidence .
Implicitly recognizing the existence of our little subliminal accounter before the research proved it existed , anthropologist and over-all mensch Christopher Boehm curtsies by pointing out that in our small ancestral groups , “ vigilant sharing ” — rather than “ automatic , unambivalent , totally altruistic sharing ” is how things are done and posits — even at the small ancestral group level — “ actuarial intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that makes “ vigilant sharing ” work .
This recognition of the transactional nature of most altruism has even managed to struggle its way into left-handicapped literature and academia as — don ’ t laugh — “ reciprocal-altruism.
” So now with even the left grudgingly admitting “ reciprocal ” — and thus the transactional nature of altruism — we can begin to make logical sense of things .
If you ’ ve ever been forced into naked one-sided altruism against your will , maybe because you ’ ve been taught it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example of what it looks like from the inside – – – Having no clue what I was observing as a youngster at a Boy Scout Jamboree — no I was never molested — a particular incident made a solid impression on me .
I heard another young attendee in a neighboring tent crying softly .
I ’ d talked to him earlier .
What stood out was that he was proud of his new baseball glove , and , as compared to my literally antique glove , he should have been .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong .
“ I want to play baseball with the others over there , ” he said , pointing to a pick-up game just starting .
“ Well , why don ’ t you go over and ask .
They don ’ t have full teams , I bet they ’ d be glad to have you play.
” “ I can ’ t .
I don ’ t have a glove , ” he said .
“ But you showed me your new glove a little while ago.
“ “ I let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first base.
“ This is clearly not a good idea for harmonious and productive relationships .
Here ’ s another real-life example of the havoc that often happens when someone ignores their own accounter – – – Two teachers who are good friends , Mrs. W. and Ms. C , take turns driving to work together in a northestern state .
Mrs. W. is older and because she dosen ’ t see well at night , has an accident while driving them home in the snow one evening .
The next time it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take her turn driving .
Ms. C. agrees good naturedly — and possibly in the interest of self-preservation , offers to drive during all the bad wheather .
After asking if Ms. C. is serious , Mrs. W. is delighted and relieved .
After several weeks , Mrs. W. asks if she should now drive .
Ms. C. declines the offer .
Mrs. W. continually offers to buy gas , but this offer is also declined so Mrs. W. is suprised , hurt and devestated when Ms. C. blows up a few weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loader.
” As the song goes , “ He Ain ’ t Heavy , He ’ s My Brother.
” But how about next month ?
What I call “ naked altruism , ” that is no-strings-attached altruistic “ gifting ” and “ sharing ” does happen but until proven otherwise , it ’ s safest to assume you ’ re involved in a subliminal reciprocal transaction .
Your little accounter probably does .
Which brings us to North America ’ s Thanksgiving and the catastrophic failures it ear-marks – – – [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required that “ all profits & benefits that are got by trade , working , fishing , or any other means ” were to be placed in the common stock of the colony , and that , “ all such persons as are of this colony , are to have their meat , drink , apparel , and all provisions out of the common stock.
” … In his ‘ History of Plymouth Plantation , ’ the governor of the colony , William Bradford , reported that the colonists went hungry for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fields .
… This “ from each according to his ability , to each according to his need ” was an early form of socialism , and it is why the Pilgrims were starving .
… Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states , all with the same terrible results .
At Jamestown , established in 1607 , out of every shipload of settlers that arrived , less than half would survive their first twelve months in America .
Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1609-10 , called “ The Starving Time , ” the population fell from five-hundred to sixty .
–Richard J. Maybury , The Great Thanksgiving Hoax Here ’ s an instructive example of what that was like , notice the impeccable source : Likewise ignoring or suppressing our little accounter on the large-group cultural level causes socialism in larger groups such as countries to self-destruct and/or morph into totalitarianism in the attempt to make things work despite our little accounters .
The end result has been , that despite “ The withering away of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , paradoxically and ironically , the countries that attempted the world-wide socialist revolutions ended up with the most repressive , murderous totalitarian states in the history of the world .
You probably won ’ t be too surprised by the quick and easy fix for Jamestown , Plymouth , etc .
After much debate , the officials assigned every family a parcel of land and let them keep their produce and trade it , thus keeping their little accounters happy .
As a result , in 1614 , Jamestown Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ plenty of food…we reaped not so much corn from the labors of thirty men as three men have done for themselves now.
” In other words , they were producing ten times as much corn after ditching the socialist system .
So what you can learn about “ The Green New Deal ” from America ’ s Thanksgiving — and for that matter , about all other naked altruistic unbalanced-transaction schemes such as the former Soviet Union , Mao ’ s Communist China , North Korea , “ The Green New Deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same lesson the Puritans learned — and what my friends in Warsaw-Pact era Poland taught me .
I heard it over and over from them .
I ’ m pretty sure you ’ ve heard it too : “ They promised us workers ’ Paradise but gave us the other place instead.
” HERE for updates , additions , comments , and corrections .
AND , “ Like , ” “ Tweet , ” and otherwise , pass this along !
The Best of L. Reichard White

Research has now revealed that from the age of three, toddlers don’t forget a debt.
Does that strike you as odd? Why would toddlers even recognize the concept of “debt,” let alone not forget one? Have AmEX, VISA, Capital 1 and MasterCard already gotten to them?
Clearly it’s not the credit industry that explains this. At such an early age, genetics must be involved. But why would Mother Nature give us an instinctive genetically specified understanding of “debts” — and the capacity to remember them — as early as toddler-hood?
She must have had very very good reasons.
She did! The Stair Barrier Baby... Buy New $154.69 (as of 06:31 UTC - Details)
The interesting thing is that you have certainly experienced the results of this gift from Mother in your adult life and they’re very important if usually under-appreciated, particularly because they tend to be subliminal and instinctive rather than explicit. For example, you know who needs to buy the next round of drinks — and which soccer mom needs to drive this week.
You may consciously work out a schedule or not, but everyone takes a turn or there will be problems.
Once you consider such things, they seem rather normal and deceptively mundane, but keep in mind that Mother Nature had to go to a lot of trouble over a long period of time to make things seem that way.
But why would Mother take the time and trouble to give us that innate understanding of debt — and apparently a little subliminal accounter app to keep track of it?
The answer starts with the fact that, as suggested by Rosseau and others, compared to other organisms, we humans are born largely “tabula rasa,” that is as “blank slates,” and so rather than being born with most of our behaviors and knowledge, we have to acquire them later.
For example, while hoofed animals can walk within a few minutes of birth and run soon after, it takes us approximately three months to learn to merely crawl.
That means that like us, nearly all our ancestors’ key knowledge, skills and behaviors had to be acquired by experience, or, preferably, by learning from someone else. Learning from someone else avoids the many dangers of learning by experience — and the monumental handicap of continually needing to reinvent the wheel.
The fact that we don’t inherit our key knowledge, skills, information, and behaviors means that each one of us becomes a depository of different, often unique — and sometimes critical — information, skills, knowledge — and particularly, experience. And these exist only in our individual brains. Spasilk Essential Newb... Buy New $49.40 (as of 06:31 UTC - Details)
This dispersion of unique knowledge and experience means the essential human data-base and operating system is spread out and distributed among all the individuals around us.
Madrigal knows which herbs help heal wounds — and how to find and use them. Gaud can always find that hidden water-hole during the semi-annual desert crossing.
But our ancestors had a problem we don’t have: They were indeed pre-historic — that is, they existed before writing was available to write his-story down in black and white.
So, like the book-people in Fahrenheit 451, our ancestors were each-others’ only reference-library and internet.
The loss of either Madrigal or Gaud could be catastrophic to everyone. Ditto the loss of other group members and their special knowledge, information and experience.
Mother Nature — or as some like to call Her “The Theory of Biological Evolution by Natural Selection” — wasn’t oblivious to this problem and so gave us an appropriate and nearly unique set of behaviors which prod us to keep each other alive. By convention, folks call these behaviors “altruism.”
But altruism creates its own problems. Anthropologist, scholar, and all-around mensch Christopher Boehm puts it this way:
“How can cheerful, altruistic cooperators, people guided by generous feelings and positive expectations about cooperation, avoid being exploited by lazy slackers and outright cheaters, or by opportunistic bullies who take advantage of situations by force?” –Christopher Boehm, Hierarchy in the Forest, p. 212″
The problems with “lazy slackers” and “outright cheaters” taking advantage of generous productive folks are fairly obvious. Opportunistic bullies who take advantage of situations by force — or as we call them, psychopaths — are a much bigger problem, especially when they congregate and morph themselves into permanent “leaders.” And/or governments.
Simple Joys by Carter&... Buy New $17.99 (as of 06:31 UTC - Details) None-the-less — since they all have similar effects — slackers, cheaters, bullies and bullying leaders are all usually called “free-riders” by population geneticists. So the population geneticists and others rightly ask, “How can altruistic genes survive when beset by free riders of all kinds?”
In other words, how can altruists — who are intent on keeping the data-base intact by keeping everyone alive — keep from being bled dry and rendered extinct by free-riders — who are only too happy to take advantage of their altruistic tendencies?
Thus our data-dependent ancestors had to solve two competing equations at the same time:
How do you preserve the distributed decentralized data-base by keeping everyone alive while, at the same time, how do you keep opportunistic free-riders of all kinds from bleeding everyone dry?
As you may have guessed, Mother used debt as tracked by our little subliminal accounter — and the trade that enables — which, by definition, requires reciprocity, to balance those competing equations.
You give me some cream for my strawberries today, I give you some huckleberries to go with your cream tomorrow.
With reciprocal trade in place — and our little subliminal accounter on duty — any potential free-rider is quickly recognized as taking but not giving back. What? No huckleberries?
A shirking soccer mom finds herself out of the pool. Harry — who never buys a round — finds himself drinking alone.
On the other hand, we don’t mind buying drinks for Donald who just lost his job. We don’t expect him to buy but know when he gets his next gig, he’ll try to make good.
With our little subliminal accounter on duty, while any potential free-riders get nipped in the bud and can’t even get off the ground, folks still get help when they need it. Nifty solution!
We “moderns” learned that in many cases it’s necessary to keep things explicit instead of subliminal and we call it “accounting.” This is the solid foundation upon which trade, the whole modern economy, and so the world-as-we-know-it is constructed. hiccapop Nursery Organ... Best Price: $19.10 Buy New $27.92 (as of 06:31 UTC - Details)
But unfortunately, there are a few problems. For example, our little accounter requires face-to-face recognition to work. That means it doesn’t work well or at all in larger groups, especially when folks pool their resources in a central “pot.”
And keep in mind that keeping track is hanging in the shadows well before we moderns evolved the habit of keeping it explicit. As you’ll see, it’s hanging in the shadows even when it isn’t explicit, expected — or even welcome.
In fact, the strangest problem is that Mother apparently designed the accounting to be mostly subliminal and non-conscious. That’s why it’s taken so long for researchers to discover it. Here’s how I first stumbled on this odd design feature – – –
Paul R. was a blackjack counting group organizer. He was extremely personable, well read, a passable pianist and an entertaining raconteur, but he remarked to me that no one would go out for drinks with him and he didn’t understand why.
I was friends with several of his team-mates and so thought I might be able to trouble-shoot. I asked Mark, Girl George, and several others about the situation. At first they didn’t see things the way Paul did but when pressed, Mark realized that Paul had it right and folks indeed avoided clubbing with him.
It took a good bit of digging to excavate the underlying dynamics. What it amounted to was that Paul actually ran a tally on-the-spot to keep track who should buy the next round of drinks, food, etc. and for how much and let everyone know.
Once that habit of Paul’s was uncovered and brought to the surface, everyone “snapped” on it and agreed that was indeed the problem. This somehow took the fun out of things to such an extent no one wanted to hang-out with Paul, even if they didn’t exactly know why.
It seems that believing in the surface context of no-strings-attached apparently altruistic “gifting” and “sharing” is important even if the underlying dynamics are something different.
And of course, Paul didn’t know about our little subliminal accounter app and neither did I at that time. Paul didn’t realize that it would have pretty much automatically taken care of things without his explicit accounting or that at most, only a little very gentle nudging would have taken care of things and that usually comes automatically from everyone’s subliminal accounter anyway.
Because of its anthropological importance — those free-riders remember — and strength, that nudging, if even necessary, usually works quite well — at least in small face-to-face groups. And if that nudging doesn’t work, things automatically get more serious.
Although we’ve all experienced these subliminal transactions, and although we may not recognize them as such, most of us instinctively understand their operation.
But since, for some reason, we don’t particularly like the “trade” part to always be explicit, it turns out the reciprocal nature of these transactions is often deprecated, ignored — or sometimes even suppressed — invariably with catastrophic results. But let me lead up to those catastrophes gently.
First, Austrian-school economist Frederick von Hayek, recognizing the intellectual consequences of that suppression, points out that as a result of historical, mostly “left-wing” influence in sociology, history, archaeology, etc. “the study of traditional institutions such as property ‘fell under a ban’” and that as a result archaeology, sociology and other similar and related disciplines, even to this day (2020 A.D.), demonstrate an “inability to comprehend economic phenomena.”
So as not to miss Hayek’s emphasis on the significance of this malign intellectual influence, he punctuates it like this: “I have just written that the study of traditional institutions such as property ‘fell under a ban’. This is hardly an exaggeration …”
Yet, despite the emotional and intellectual pressure to deprecate the transactional nature of “altruism,” even the left had to reluctantly curtsy to the evidence.
Implicitly recognizing the existence of our little subliminal accounter before the research proved it existed, anthropologist and over-all mensch Christopher Boehm curtsies by pointing out that in our small ancestral groups, “vigilant sharing” — rather than “automatic, unambivalent, totally altruistic sharing” is how things are done and posits — even at the small ancestral group level — “actuarial intelligence” as part of the built-in skill-set that makes “vigilant sharing” work.
This recognition of the transactional nature of most altruism has even managed to struggle its way into left-handicapped literature and academia as — don’t laugh — “reciprocal-altruism.”
So now with even the left grudgingly admitting “reciprocal” — and thus the transactional nature of altruism — we can begin to make logical sense of things.
If you’ve ever been forced into naked one-sided altruism against your will, maybe because you’ve been taught it’s good, you may recognize this example of what it looks like from the inside – – –
Having no clue what I was observing as a youngster at a Boy Scout Jamboree — no I was never molested — a particular incident made a solid impression on me.
I heard another young attendee in a neighboring tent crying softly. I’d talked to him earlier. What stood out was that he was proud of his new baseball glove, and, as compared to my literally antique glove, he should have been.
I went over to see what was wrong. “I want to play baseball with the others over there,” he said, pointing to a pick-up game just starting. “Well, why don’t you go over and ask. They don’t have full teams, I bet they’d be glad to have you play.” “I can’t. I don’t have a glove,” he said.
“But you showed me your new glove a little while ago.“
“I let Joey use it so he could play first base.“
This is clearly not a good idea for harmonious and productive relationships.
Here’s another real-life example of the havoc that often happens when someone ignores their own accounter – – –
Two teachers who are good friends, Mrs. W. and Ms. C, take turns driving to work together in a northestern state. Mrs. W. is older and because she dosen’t see well at night, has an accident while driving them home in the snow one evening. The next time it snows Mrs. W. asks Ms. C. to take her turn driving. Ms. C. agrees good naturedly — and possibly in the interest of self-preservation, offers to drive during all the bad wheather. After asking if Ms. C. is serious, Mrs. W. is delighted and relieved. After several weeks, Mrs. W. asks if she should now drive. Ms. C. declines the offer. Mrs. W. continually offers to buy gas, but this offer is also declined so Mrs. W. is suprised, hurt and devestated when Ms. C. blows up a few weeks later and calls her a “free loader.”
As the song goes, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” But how about next month?
What I call “naked altruism,” that is no-strings-attached altruistic “gifting” and “sharing” does happen but until proven otherwise, it’s safest to assume you’re involved in a subliminal reciprocal transaction. Your little accounter probably does.
Which brings us to North America’s Thanksgiving and the catastrophic failures it ear-marks – – –
[Plymouth Plantation’s charter] had required that “all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means” were to be placed in the common stock of the colony, and that, “all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock.” … In his ‘History of Plymouth Plantation,’ the governor of the colony, William Bradford, reported that the colonists went hungry for years, because they refused to work in the fields. …
This “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” was an early form of socialism, and it is why the Pilgrims were starving. …
Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states, all with the same terrible results. At Jamestown, established in 1607, out of every shipload of settlers that arrived, less than half would survive their first twelve months in America. Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of the men … In the winter of 1609-10, called “The Starving Time,” the population fell from five-hundred to sixty. –Richard J. Maybury, The Great Thanksgiving Hoax
Here’s an instructive example of what that was like, notice the impeccable source:
The Smithsonian: New evidence shows Jamestown colonists ate 14-year-old girl’s brain
Likewise ignoring or suppressing our little accounter on the large-group cultural level causes socialism in larger groups such as countries to self-destruct and/or morph into totalitarianism in the attempt to make things work despite our little accounters.
The end result has been, that despite “The withering away of the state” as the motivating meme, paradoxically and ironically, the countries that attempted the world-wide socialist revolutions ended up with the most repressive, murderous totalitarian states in the history of the world.
You probably won’t be too surprised by the quick and easy fix for Jamestown, Plymouth, etc.
After much debate, the officials assigned every family a parcel of land and let them keep their produce and trade it, thus keeping their little accounters happy.
As a result, in 1614, Jamestown Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor wrote that after the switch there was “plenty of food…we reaped not so much corn from the labors of thirty men as three men have done for themselves now.” In other words, they were producing ten times as much corn after ditching the socialist system.
So what you can learn about “The Green New Deal” from America’s Thanksgiving — and for that matter, about all other naked altruistic unbalanced-transaction schemes such as the former Soviet Union, Mao’s Communist China, North Korea, “The Green New Deal,” etc. — is the same lesson the Puritans learned — and what my friends in Warsaw-Pact era Poland taught me.
I heard it over and over from them. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard it too: “They promised us workers’ Paradise but gave us the other place instead.”
HERE for updates, additions, comments, and corrections.
AND, “Like,” “Tweet,” and otherwise, pass this along!
The Best of L. Reichard White


lewrockwell--2020-11-28--Taxation and Forced Labor

Taxation and Forced Labor

When the government taxes you , it is taking away your money without your consent , and this is theft .
This argument is well known , but there is another , though related , problem with taxes on income that you earn .
By taking away part of the money you earn , the government is forcing you to work for it .
Robert Nozick advanced this argument in Anarchy , State , and Utopia , and what I ’ d like to discuss in this week ’ s column is a defense of Nozick ’ s argument by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year in the Southern Journal of Philosophy .
It ’ s especially timely to discuss Moore ’ s article now , because Moore uses a famous argument by the philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson , who passed away last Saturday .
Thomson asks us to consider this case : “ Violinist : You wake up in the morning and find yourself back to back in bed with an unconscious violinist .
A famous unconscious violinist .
He has been found to have a fatal kidney ailment , and the Society of Music Lovers has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that you alone have the right blood type to help .
They have therefore kidnapped you , and last night the violinist ’ s circulatory system was plugged into yours , so that your kidneys can be used to extract poisons from his blood as well as your own.
” The violinist will die unless you remain hooked up to him for nine months .
Do you have the right to detach yourself ?
Thomson thinks it is obvious that you do .
You didn ’ t consent to the arrangement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disposal of others , even if they need it in order to survive .
( Thomson uses her example to defend the permissibility of certain cases of abortion , but that isn ’ t relevant here . )
Turkish Handmade Jewel ... Buy New $ 34.90 Moore varies the example in order to make it more relevant to his own argument .
“ Where in the original case Thomson has you hooked up for nine months , I will suppose that you are hooked up each day for several hours .
Each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kidnaps you and attaches the violinist .
In five years , the violinist ’ s kidneys will be healed , and no further kidnappings will need to occur.
” Moore says you would still be justified in detaching yourself , because the Society is using your body without your consent .
He goes on to present a case of his own in which someone on an island has to work extra hours to support someone else unable to work .
Here again Moore says you aren ’ t morally required to do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to aid the person unable to work , but someone can ’ t be compelled to do this .
The way the example applies to income taxes is obvious .
When the government taxes your income , it is taking away the product of hours of your labor .
Just as I would be appropriating your labor if I forced you to work several hours for me without paying you anything , the government by taxing your income is seizing hours of your labor .
Moore considers an interesting objection to his argument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay income tax , couldn ’ t you avoid this by working less or for lower pay , so that your income fell below the minimum income for taxation ?
But why does the government have the right to put you in this unenviable position ?
Moore considers , in elaborate detail , a number of variations of the case , in each instance concluding that the government acts improperly .
These I ’ ll leave to interested readers to examine for themselves .
Turkish Handmade Speci ... Buy New $ 34.90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument open to another objection ?
The government isn ’ t just taking away your hours of labor .
It also provides you with benefits .
Of course , most government programs are detrimental or at best useless , but never mind that .
Moore responds by using another point that Nozick raised .
People can ’ t confer benefits on you without your consent and then demand that you pay for them .
“ Nozick writes , ‘ One can not , whatever one ’ s purposes , just act so as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( or seize ) payment .
Nor can a group of persons do this .
If you may not charge and collect for benefits you bestow without prior agreement , you certainly may not do so for benefits whose bestowal costs you nothing , and most certainly people need not repay you for costless-to-provide benefits which yet others provided them.
’ ” Most readers will already know how to answer the objection that the taxes aren ’ t imposed by a dictator but are the outcome of a democratic election .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others , even if your partial slavery is the result of a majority vote .
The rejoinder that I am drawn to at this point is one word : democracy !
In democratic societies we vote about how to share the benefits and burdens of social interaction .
Everyone gets a vote , and the will of the majority decides the appropriate share of benefits and burdens .
The idea is to join together two factors , accruing benefits and democracy , that will justify taxation and redistribution .
But , imagine our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small village where the principles of democracy and majority rule have been in place for centuries .
After a brief campaign to get out the vote and save the violinist , the village votes unanimously–1 ( your vote ) to hook you up and begin your daily sessions with the violinist .
I warrant that this would be immoral independent of the vote and the benefits .
Ottoman Collection Aut ... Buy New $ 25.00 Moore with great ingenuity responds to a number of other objections , and I ’ ll mention just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens agree to them as part of a social bargain .
In return for the benefits that society bestows on the fortunate—and by using the goods and services offered by society—these individuals are indebted and agree to this contract… [ but ] no one has actually signed this social contract .
Minimally , for a contract to generate moral and legal norms it must take place in conditions that are fair and where the parties to the contract have enough information .
For example , withholding crucial information ( the “ car ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shell with no internal parts ) or threatening someone ( pointing a gun at someone to ensure they sign the contract ) would invalidate whatever moral norms that might typically arise in a proposed contract .
How would any of this work related to a social contract ?
Moreover , there may be individuals who simply “ don ’ t use the facilities ” so-to-speak .
Not only have they not agreed to pay any taxes , but they also do not consume any societal benefits .
We are greatly indebted to Moore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t owe him any money for the benefit he has conferred on us , because we have signed no agreement to pay him .
Note : The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute .
The Best of David Gordon

When the government taxes you, it is taking away your money without your consent, and this is theft. This argument is well known, but there is another, though related, problem with taxes on income that you earn. By taking away part of the money you earn, the government is forcing you to work for it. Robert Nozick advanced this argument in Anarchy, State, and Utopia, and what I’d like to discuss in this week’s column is a defense of Nozick’s argument by Adam D. Moore that was published this year in the Southern Journal of Philosophy. It’s especially timely to discuss Moore’s article now, because Moore uses a famous argument by the philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson, who passed away last Saturday.
Thomson asks us to consider this case: “Violinist: You wake up in the morning and find yourself back to back in bed with an unconscious violinist. A famous unconscious violinist. He has been found to have a fatal kidney ailment, and the Society of Music Lovers has canvassed all the available medical records and found that you alone have the right blood type to help. They have therefore kidnapped you, and last night the violinist’s circulatory system was plugged into yours, so that your kidneys can be used to extract poisons from his blood as well as your own.” The violinist will die unless you remain hooked up to him for nine months. Do you have the right to detach yourself? Thomson thinks it is obvious that you do. You didn’t consent to the arrangement, and your body isn’t at the disposal of others, even if they need it in order to survive. (Thomson uses her example to defend the permissibility of certain cases of abortion, but that isn’t relevant here.) Turkish Handmade Jewel... Buy New $34.90 (as of 06:32 UTC - Details)
Moore varies the example in order to make it more relevant to his own argument. “Where in the original case Thomson has you hooked up for nine months, I will suppose that you are hooked up each day for several hours. Each day, the Society of Music Lovers kidnaps you and attaches the violinist. In five years, the violinist’s kidneys will be healed, and no further kidnappings will need to occur.” Moore says you would still be justified in detaching yourself, because the Society is using your body without your consent. He goes on to present a case of his own in which someone on an island has to work extra hours to support someone else unable to work. Here again Moore says you aren’t morally required to do so. It might be a nice thing to aid the person unable to work, but someone can’t be compelled to do this.
The way the example applies to income taxes is obvious. When the government taxes your income, it is taking away the product of hours of your labor. Just as I would be appropriating your labor if I forced you to work several hours for me without paying you anything, the government by taxing your income is seizing hours of your labor.
Moore considers an interesting objection to his argument. If you don’t want to pay income tax, couldn’t you avoid this by working less or for lower pay, so that your income fell below the minimum income for taxation? But why does the government have the right to put you in this unenviable position? Moore considers, in elaborate detail, a number of variations of the case, in each instance concluding that the government acts improperly. These I’ll leave to interested readers to examine for themselves. Turkish Handmade Speci... Buy New $34.90 (as of 06:32 UTC - Details)
But isn’t Moore’s argument open to another objection? The government isn’t just taking away your hours of labor. It also provides you with benefits. Of course, most government programs are detrimental or at best useless, but never mind that. Moore responds by using another point that Nozick raised. People can’t confer benefits on you without your consent and then demand that you pay for them. “Nozick writes, ‘One cannot, whatever one’s purposes, just act so as to give people benefits and then demand (or seize) payment. Nor can a group of persons do this. If you may not charge and collect for benefits you bestow without prior agreement, you certainly may not do so for benefits whose bestowal costs you nothing, and most certainly people need not repay you for costless-to-provide benefits which yet others provided them.’”
Most readers will already know how to answer the objection that the taxes aren’t imposed by a dictator but are the outcome of a democratic election. You can’t be forced to labor for others, even if your partial slavery is the result of a majority vote.
The rejoinder that I am drawn to at this point is one word: democracy! In democratic societies we vote about how to share the benefits and burdens of social interaction. Everyone gets a vote, and the will of the majority decides the appropriate share of benefits and burdens. The idea is to join together two factors, accruing benefits and democracy, that will justify taxation and redistribution. But, imagine our original Violinist case and add in a small village where the principles of democracy and majority rule have been in place for centuries. After a brief campaign to get out the vote and save the violinist, the village votes unanimously–1 (your vote) to hook you up and begin your daily sessions with the violinist. I warrant that this would be immoral independent of the vote and the benefits. Ottoman Collection Aut... Buy New $25.00 (as of 06:32 UTC - Details)
Moore with great ingenuity responds to a number of other objections, and I’ll mention just one more:
Taxes are justified because citizens agree to them as part of a social bargain. In return for the benefits that society bestows on the fortunate—and by using the goods and services offered by society—these individuals are indebted and agree to this contract…[but] no one has actually signed this social contract. Minimally, for a contract to generate moral and legal norms it must take place in conditions that are fair and where the parties to the contract have enough information. For example, withholding crucial information (the “car” you are about to buy is a shell with no internal parts) or threatening someone (pointing a gun at someone to ensure they sign the contract) would invalidate whatever moral norms that might typically arise in a proposed contract. How would any of this work related to a social contract? Moreover, there may be individuals who simply “don’t use the facilities” so-to-speak. Not only have they not agreed to pay any taxes, but they also do not consume any societal benefits.
We are greatly indebted to Moore for his fine analysis. But we don’t owe him any money for the benefit he has conferred on us, because we have signed no agreement to pay him.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
The Best of David Gordon


lewrockwell--2020-11-28--Rebellion Rising: The People Have Had Enough

Large anti-lockdown protests are sweeping across Europe .
Denmark , France , Germany , Italy , the UK , Poland .
The media are trying to put a lid on coverage of these momentous events .
In Southern California , five sheriffs of populous counties ( 17 million people ) are refusing to enforce Governor Newsom ’ s new curfew order .
A petition to recall the governor is gaining steam .
In New York , members of the Chasidic sect held a wedding attended by several thousand people , sitting closely packed without masks .
In a more intimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gym members and owners in Buffalo , New York , shouted down cops and a public health officer , who had entered the gym because the gathering exceeded the prescribed limit .
The gym personnel drove out the cops and followed them , to make sure they left the property .
In Buffalo , protestors came to the house of Erie County Executive , Mark Poloncarz , to express their anger at new lockdown restrictions .
The protest was also aimed at New York Governor Andrew Cuomo .
Sheriffs in Fulton and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refusing to enforce Thanksgiving lockdowns which limit the number of people in private homes .
Men ’ s Cufflinks ... Buy New $ 50.00 In various areas of England , police have warned government officials they ’ re “ sitting on a time bomb , ” because lockdown rules make it illegal for two or more families to gather together for Christmas—and law-enforcement personnel are permitted to invade homes where violations are occurring .
The time bomb is , of course , huge numbers of outraged citizens .
In Australia , Qantas airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to fly only after receiving the COVID vaccine , once it is approved .
Soon afterwards , Joyce stood at a podium at an event to give a speech , and a grizzled Aussie walked up to him and shoved a pie in his face .
Two women saw New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy eating dinner at a restaurant with his family .
He was maskless .
“ You ’ re such a dick !
” one woman told him .
Murphy has just extended his state ’ s lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March .
At his dinner table , Murphy tried to remain calm .
He put on his mask .
Andrew Kudrick , the police chief of Howell Township in New Jersey , says he won ’ t enforce the governor ’ s “ draconian ” limit of 10 people for Thanksgiving dinners .
The CDC has told Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving .
Last weekend , two million Americans boarded flights .
In a form of silent protest , 300,000 residents of New York have left the city since pandemic restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , among the several hundred thousand ( or more ) Trump supporters who gathered in Washington DC , at a Stop The Steal rally , few people wore masks , and no one paid attention to social distancing regulations .
Across America , without fanfare , pockets of the economy are wide open—no masks , no distancing , no one is paying attention to government regulations .
The walls of lockdown fascism are cracking , in large ways and small .
Actually , there is no small .
Every act inspired by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Jon Rappoport

Signs of the times—
Large anti-lockdown protests are sweeping across Europe. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Poland. The media are trying to put a lid on coverage of these momentous events.
In Southern California, five sheriffs of populous counties (17 million people) are refusing to enforce Governor Newsom’s new curfew order. A petition to recall the governor is gaining steam.
In New York, members of the Chasidic sect held a wedding attended by several thousand people, sitting closely packed without masks.
In a more intimate setting, up close and powerfully personal, gym members and owners in Buffalo, New York, shouted down cops and a public health officer, who had entered the gym because the gathering exceeded the prescribed limit. The gym personnel drove out the cops and followed them, to make sure they left the property.
In Buffalo, protestors came to the house of Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, to express their anger at new lockdown restrictions. The protest was also aimed at New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Sheriffs in Fulton and Erie Counties (New York) are refusing to enforce Thanksgiving lockdowns which limit the number of people in private homes. Men’s Cufflinks ... Buy New $50.00 (as of 06:32 UTC - Details)
In various areas of England, police have warned government officials they’re “sitting on a time bomb,” because lockdown rules make it illegal for two or more families to gather together for Christmas—and law-enforcement personnel are permitted to invade homes where violations are occurring. The time bomb is, of course, huge numbers of outraged citizens.
In Australia, Qantas airline CEO Alan Joyce announced that travelers will be able to fly only after receiving the COVID vaccine, once it is approved. Soon afterwards, Joyce stood at a podium at an event to give a speech, and a grizzled Aussie walked up to him and shoved a pie in his face.
Two women saw New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy eating dinner at a restaurant with his family. He was maskless. “You’re such a dick!” one woman told him. Murphy has just extended his state’s lockdown, the ninth time he has done so since March. At his dinner table, Murphy tried to remain calm. He put on his mask.
Andrew Kudrick, the police chief of Howell Township in New Jersey, says he won’t enforce the governor’s “draconian” limit of 10 people for Thanksgiving dinners.
The CDC has told Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving. Last weekend, two million Americans boarded flights.
In a form of silent protest, 300,000 residents of New York have left the city since pandemic restrictions began.
It should be noted that, among the several hundred thousand (or more) Trump supporters who gathered in Washington DC, at a Stop The Steal rally, few people wore masks, and no one paid attention to social distancing regulations.
Across America, without fanfare, pockets of the economy are wide open—no masks, no distancing, no one is paying attention to government regulations.
The walls of lockdown fascism are cracking, in large ways and small. Actually, there is no small. Every act inspired by the fire of freedom counts.
Reprinted with permission from Jon Rappoport’s blog.
The Best of Jon Rappoport


President Swamp

Donald Trump found out the hard way how illusory his powers as POTUS really were , conditioned against the inertia , malice , and bad faith resistance of the bureaucratic establishment , a.k.a .
the Swamp .
He also knows that the Swamp just worked the system it created to elect itself president as ( it likes to think ) a final act of revenge against the orange interloper who threatened to drain it and , alas , failed to .
All hail President Swamp !
Unless that doesn ’ t pan out , and there ’ s a fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 2020 election fraud case will eventually land in the Supreme Court where at least five justices might not be so inclined to let what remains of the Republic roll into a Woke sludge of lawlessness .
Do you suppose Clarence Thomas & Co haven ’ t been paying attention the past four years to the swampish doings in the other branches of government ?
And that they are , just perhaps , good and goddam sick of it ?
Everything from RussiaGate and the manipulation of the FISA court through the attempted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Eric Ciaramella “ whistleblower ” impeachment caper starring Rep. Adam Schiff , plus all the side dishes of Antifa / BLM street anarchy , Covid-19 lockdown tyranny , French Laundry hypocrisy , and the gaslighting of America by the news-and-social media , with a transsexual reading hour cherry-on-top ?
King of Coin Rings Han ... Buy New $ 124.99 I hope the justices are pissed off a little bit at the hijacking of this country by a party that laughs at the law the way , for one example , DC District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Justice and the DC Circuit Court of Appeals when they both told him to drop the Flynn case .
The deadline for adjudicating the janky election is soon upon us , and upon the SCOTUS justices , so the country will know shortly whether it has become the Honduras of the north .
In a just universe , the SCOTUS would invalidate the election results in several states and send the matter into the House of Representatives as the constitution stipulates .
Heads would explode from sea to shining sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Comey , Weissmann , Strzok , and many more — realize they will not be getting their get-out-of-jail-free cards after all .
Hunter B would retreat to the Chateau Marmont with his crack pipe for one last lost weekend .
Nancy Pelosi would melt into a puddle of rage , prednisone , and hairspray in the capitol rotunda .
And for Ol ’ White Joe Biden it would be just another day of fog and stillness .
And then , of course , the punishments will begin , or , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean the Democrats would let loose their street mobs to burn down , loot , and destroy whatever is still left to ruin in select Democratic-run cities .
That will polish the party ’ s image fer sure ( not ) .
And this time , the national guard may do a bit more than just stand by .
US Army Submarine Dolp ... Buy New $ 99.00 But then , suppose the election is not overturned and Joe Biden glides into the Oval Office on those marvelously greased skids set up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Woke hopes and dreams for a golden era of work-optional free stuff and renewed overseas nation-building .
Be careful what you wish for , DNC .
Unlike Mr. Trump in 2016 , Joe Biden will not even enjoy the perception that he was somehow legitimately elected , if only by a fluke .
In fact , the Swamp gang ’ s credibility will erode daily because independent , entrepreneurial investigators will be out in the swing state thickets figuring out exactly how the election was managed , and how all those Dominion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly this shady company , with origins and operations all around the world , won state contracts with money changing hands .
A day will not pass when Joe B is off-the-hook for all that , and meanwhile he will not evade being revealed as the empty shell of what he was before the axons in his brain-pan demyelinated — a third-rate grifting pol available to all comers with an open checkbook .
Gon na be an exciting few weeks ahead .
Mr. Trump is not going to concede until he plays the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play .
He ’ ll indulge his adversaries in the playacting of a transition .
I confess , it ’ s already entertaining to see the laughable cast-of-characters that Mr. Biden ’ s managers have picked to run the various federal agencies : slithering millipedes , reptiles , and poisonous invertebrates from the rankest dense-emergent backwaters of the Swamp : John Kerry ( the haircut-in-search-of-a-brain ) , RussiaGate shill Jake Sullivan , John Brennan disciple Avril Haines , open border activist Alejandro Mayorkas , and K-Street catamite Ron Klain to run the show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a pageant that may never happen .
And , if things don ’ t work out as you expect , don ’ t pee on the rugs on your way out .
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

Donald Trump found out the hard way how illusory his powers as POTUS really were, conditioned against the inertia, malice, and bad faith resistance of the bureaucratic establishment, a.k.a. the Swamp. He also knows that the Swamp just worked the system it created to elect itself president as (it likes to think) a final act of revenge against the orange interloper who threatened to drain it and, alas, failed to. All hail President Swamp!
Unless that doesn’t pan out, and there’s a fair chance it won’t, since a 2020 election fraud case will eventually land in the Supreme Court where at least five justices might not be so inclined to let what remains of the Republic roll into a Woke sludge of lawlessness. Do you suppose Clarence Thomas & Co haven’t been paying attention the past four years to the swampish doings in the other branches of government? And that they are, just perhaps, good and goddam sick of it? Everything from RussiaGate and the manipulation of the FISA court through the attempted character assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, to the Eric Ciaramella “whistleblower” impeachment caper starring Rep. Adam Schiff, plus all the side dishes of Antifa / BLM street anarchy, Covid-19 lockdown tyranny, French Laundry hypocrisy, and the gaslighting of America by the news-and-social media, with a transsexual reading hour cherry-on-top? King of Coin Rings Han... Buy New $124.99 (as of 06:33 UTC - Details)
I hope the justices are pissed off a little bit at the hijacking of this country by a party that laughs at the law the way, for one example, DC District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan blew raspberries at the Department of Justice and the DC Circuit Court of Appeals when they both told him to drop the Flynn case. The deadline for adjudicating the janky election is soon upon us, and upon the SCOTUS justices, so the country will know shortly whether it has become the Honduras of the north.
In a just universe, the SCOTUS would invalidate the election results in several states and send the matter into the House of Representatives as the constitution stipulates. Heads would explode from sea to shining sea as heroes of the Resistance — Brennan, Comey, Weissmann, Strzok, and many more — realize they will not be getting their get-out-of-jail-free cards after all. Hunter B would retreat to the Chateau Marmont with his crack pipe for one last lost weekend. Nancy Pelosi would melt into a puddle of rage, prednisone, and hairspray in the capitol rotunda. And for Ol’ White Joe Biden it would be just another day of fog and stillness.
And then, of course, the punishments will begin, or, at least, be attempted. By which I mean the Democrats would let loose their street mobs to burn down, loot, and destroy whatever is still left to ruin in select Democratic-run cities. That will polish the party’s image fer sure (not). And this time, the national guard may do a bit more than just stand by.
US Army Submarine Dolp... Buy New $99.00 (as of 06:33 UTC - Details) But then, suppose the election is not overturned and Joe Biden glides into the Oval Office on those marvelously greased skids set up for him, propelled by a mighty tail-wind of Woke hopes and dreams for a golden era of work-optional free stuff and renewed overseas nation-building. Be careful what you wish for, DNC. Unlike Mr. Trump in 2016, Joe Biden will not even enjoy the perception that he was somehow legitimately elected, if only by a fluke. In fact, the Swamp gang’s credibility will erode daily because independent, entrepreneurial investigators will be out in the swing state thickets figuring out exactly how the election was managed, and how all those Dominion voting machines were gamed, and how exactly this shady company, with origins and operations all around the world, won state contracts with money changing hands. A day will not pass when Joe B is off-the-hook for all that, and meanwhile he will not evade being revealed as the empty shell of what he was before the axons in his brain-pan demyelinated — a third-rate grifting pol available to all comers with an open checkbook.
Gonna be an exciting few weeks ahead. Mr. Trump is not going to concede until he plays the hand that the law allows him to play. He’ll indulge his adversaries in the playacting of a transition. I confess, it’s already entertaining to see the laughable cast-of-characters that Mr. Biden’s managers have picked to run the various federal agencies: slithering millipedes, reptiles, and poisonous invertebrates from the rankest dense-emergent backwaters of the Swamp: John Kerry (the haircut-in-search-of-a-brain), RussiaGate shill Jake Sullivan, John Brennan disciple Avril Haines, open border activist Alejandro Mayorkas, and K-Street catamite Ron Klain to run the show. I hope they enjoy their rehearsals for a pageant that may never happen. And, if things don’t work out as you expect, don’t pee on the rugs on your way out.
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


lewrockwell--2020-11-28--Antony Blinken’s Past: Will It Catch Up With Him?

When last week Antony Blinken emerged as the candidate likely to be tapped by Joe Biden to be his nominee for either National Security Advisor or Secretary of State , those of us in the camp dissenting from the ‘ bash Russia ’ policies on Capitol Hill during the Trump years groaned at the thought of the same policy being now enthroned in the Executive Branch by one of its most prominent spokesmen .
Blinken had long served Biden as an advisor , had been in the Obama Administration as Undersecretary of State and was known to be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Russia as from its 2014 takeover of the Crimea .
When he was interviewed a couple of days ago by Stephen Sackur on the BBC ’ s Hard Talk show , Blinken gave mixed signals on what Russia policy will be under Joe Biden .
He reiterated his long held stance that Russia would have to pay a tougher price for its [ alleged ] massive and malign intervention in the American political process during the 2016 presidential election .
At the same time , he said that there were areas such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States and the Russian Federation should cooperate .
Clearly there was nothing about the way he handled Sackur ’ s questions to suggest he shares the opinion of former CIA Director John Brennan that Russians are incurable liars and low life because it is in their DNA .
Mens Trump Shirt & Hat ... Buy New $ 19.95 A lot of attention has been given in the press in recent days to Blinken ’ s background from childhood on up .
We are told , for example , that he is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign policy specialists in memory .
Not quite a Henry Kissinger , but then not a bumpkin either .
Though our journalists are quick to speak of the “ fluency ” of the leading personalities in our foreign policy community , as for example the supposedly Russian-fluent Susan Rice , in the case of Blinken the bouquet to him over fluency in French is very possibly justified .
In 1971 , at the age of nine , he left behind the exclusive Dalton School in Manhattan and moved with his divorced mother to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new stepfather , the internationally celebrated French lawyer Samuel Pisar .
There he entered the Ecole Jeannine Manuel .
But before jumping to conclusions about young Blinken ’ s studying all those years in French , I point out that the Ecole describes itself as “ a French bilingual and international school.
” English clearly figures as a language of tuition .
Yet , let us assume that Blinken had plenty of exposure to French over a number of years , at home as well as at school .
And what else could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Samuel Pisar have meant for the young Blinken other than introduction to the French language ?
Wikipedia ’ s updated entry for Blinken speaks about the link between Blinken ’ s mother and Pisar in their common experience as survivors , both of them , of the German concentration camps , Auschwitz and Dachau .
This was a determinedly Jewish home .
When we turn to Wikipedia ’ s entry for Samuel Pisar , there is heavy stress on his being a Holocaust survivor , on his collaboration with Leonard Bernstein in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No .
3 ( “ Kaddish ” ) .
We read about how he recited a poem at a performance of Kaddish at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in 2009 .
Then there is mention of his fabulous education , his doctorates in law from Harvard and the Sorbonne .
Pisar is described as having “ become a member of John F. Kennedy ’ s economic and foreign policy task force .
He was also an advisor to the State Department , the Senate and House committees.
” This high profile in the 1960s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wikipedia says “ Pisar ’ clients included many Fortune 500 companies and many known business leaders of the 20th and 21st century.
” Trump 2020 Shirt Gift ... Buy New $ 15.99 We are told by Wikipedia that his books have been translated into many languages .
But the list of books shown here is on the literary , artistic side , with no mention whatsoever of the book I will present in a moment .
It has been airbrushed away lest it detract from the author ’ s reputation as human rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years leading up to his death in 2015 .
We learn almost nothing about how Pisar made his living , exactly which services he was providing to those Fortune 500 companies .
I suggest we give this full consideration because it is highly relevant to the household that young Blinken grew up in .
The fact is that Samuel Pisar was one of the earliest exponents of détente in the heyday of the Cold War and one of the most professionally successful advisors to corporations on how to do business with the Soviet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the broad public was his 558 page book entitled Coexistence & Commerce : Guidelines for Transactions between East and West , published in 1970 by McGraw-Hill in the United States .
The French language edition is even more revealing of the author ’ s intentions : Les Armes de la Paix : l ’ ouverture economique vers l ’ Est [ The Weapons of Peace : the Economic Opening to the East ] .
Note that the publication date is just one year before Blinken came into his home .
The covers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , business people , politicians and mainstream media on two continents .
Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber tells us : “ The publication of Samuel Pisar ’ s monumental book…is a major event .
For the first time , a man of impressive intellectual credentials and vast practical experience explains the entire spectrum of East-West exchange.
” Henry Ford II is quoted as saying of the book : “ …cuts through the fog of emotionalism , ideology and misunderstanding…a very important book… ” The New York Times wrote : “ A timely and authoritative study of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war calefacient.
” Not surprising that the Times was speaking out of both sides of its mouth even back then by likening the book to a mustard plaster… At the start of Coexistence , on the page opposite the Acknowledgements , Pisar quotes Alexander Hamilton , 1787 : “ The spirit of commerce has a tendency to soften the manners of men and to extinguish those inflammable humors which so often have kindled into wars.
” Donald Trump Hat Camou ... Buy New $ 10.99 I never met Samuel Pisar , though I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when I accompanied the Vice President , International of Burger King Corporation to Moscow for negotiations with the Moscow City Council and the Russian Olympics Organizing Committee ahead of the 1980 Summer Olympics .
The objective was to win designation as official supplier to the Olympics , to open a hamburger restaurant on the grounds of the Olympics stadium at Luzhniki and also a number of downtown restaurants to serve visitors to the Games .
In parallel there was the ambition to get a ten-year exclusivity on hamburger restaurants opening in the USSR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drinks at the start of the decade .
We were welcomed into the Organizing Committee just days after McDonalds had been shown to the door following its protracted and ultimately unsuccessful talks on the same subject .
McDonalds was guided in their negotiations by…Samuel Pisar , who reportedly received fees of $ 150,000 for his sage advice .
The Russians were less than impressed .
More details on this adventure can be found in my Memoirs of a Russianist , Volume I .
However , a decade later , at the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times with one of Sam Pisar ’ s former colleagues in his Paris law firm , Jeffrey Hertzfeld .
In the Acknowledgements page of Coexistence , Pisar mentions Hertzfeld as having “ collaborated in the long , arduous , multilingual research and in the drafting of Book Two.
” They had in common their law profession , transatlantic culture and French-English bilingualism .
In addition , Hertzfeld was fluent in Russian and his clientele when we met consisted heavily of companies entering the Russian market .
Patriot ’ s Cave 1 ... Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was paid by the International Business Development manager of the French household appliances and Teflon pots and pans company SEB-Calor to interview me in Paris and check my Russian language ability when the company was vetting me to take over management of the joint venture manufacturing facility they were planning to build in St Petersburg .
I was duly given a written employment offer which I turned down to join UPS .
A year later , our paths crossed again , this time fortuitously near the World Trade Center in Moscow .
Hertzfeld @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was still vacant .
A nice hint… Pisar ’ s Coexistence and Commerce is now long out of print .
In case his stepson , our incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken should wish to take a look at what his stepfather wrought and to reconsider his own political positions on the question of sanctions and cold wars versus détente , I will gladly lend him my copy .

When last week Antony Blinken emerged as the candidate likely to be tapped by Joe Biden to be his nominee for either National Security Advisor or Secretary of State, those of us in the camp dissenting from the ‘bash Russia’ policies on Capitol Hill during the Trump years groaned at the thought of the same policy being now enthroned in the Executive Branch by one of its most prominent spokesmen. Blinken had long served Biden as an advisor, had been in the Obama Administration as Undersecretary of State and was known to be one of those actively promoting imposition of stiff sanctions on Russia as from its 2014 takeover of the Crimea.
When he was interviewed a couple of days ago by Stephen Sackur on the BBC’s Hard Talk show, Blinken gave mixed signals on what Russia policy will be under Joe Biden. He reiterated his long held stance that Russia would have to pay a tougher price for its [alleged] massive and malign intervention in the American political process during the 2016 presidential election. At the same time, he said that there were areas such as disarmament and climate change where the United States and the Russian Federation should cooperate. Clearly there was nothing about the way he handled Sackur’s questions to suggest he shares the opinion of former CIA Director John Brennan that Russians are incurable liars and low life because it is in their DNA. Mens Trump Shirt & Hat... Buy New $19.95 (as of 06:34 UTC - Details)
A lot of attention has been given in the press in recent days to Blinken’s background from childhood on up. We are told, for example, that he is one of the most “European” American foreign policy specialists in memory. Not quite a Henry Kissinger, but then not a bumpkin either.
Though our journalists are quick to speak of the “fluency” of the leading personalities in our foreign policy community, as for example the supposedly Russian-fluent Susan Rice, in the case of Blinken the bouquet to him over fluency in French is very possibly justified. In 1971, at the age of nine, he left behind the exclusive Dalton School in Manhattan and moved with his divorced mother to Paris, into the household of his new stepfather, the internationally celebrated French lawyer Samuel Pisar. There he entered the Ecole Jeannine Manuel. But before jumping to conclusions about young Blinken’s studying all those years in French, I point out that the Ecole describes itself as “a French bilingual and international school.” English clearly figures as a language of tuition. Yet, let us assume that Blinken had plenty of exposure to French over a number of years, at home as well as at school.
And what else could a childhood spent in the bigger-than-life presence of Samuel Pisar have meant for the young Blinken other than introduction to the French language?
Wikipedia’s updated entry for Blinken speaks about the link between Blinken’s mother and Pisar in their common experience as survivors, both of them, of the German concentration camps, Auschwitz and Dachau. This was a determinedly Jewish home.
When we turn to Wikipedia’s entry for Samuel Pisar, there is heavy stress on his being a Holocaust survivor, on his collaboration with Leonard Bernstein in the latter’s composition of Symphony No. 3 (“Kaddish”). We read about how he recited a poem at a performance of Kaddish at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in 2009. Then there is mention of his fabulous education, his doctorates in law from Harvard and the Sorbonne.
Pisar is described as having “become a member of John F. Kennedy’s economic and foreign policy task force. He was also an advisor to the State Department, the Senate and House committees.” This high profile in the 1960s carried over to his law practice where Wikipedia says “Pisar’clients included many Fortune 500 companies and many known business leaders of the 20th and 21st century.” Trump 2020 Shirt Gift ... Buy New $15.99 (as of 06:34 UTC - Details)
We are told by Wikipedia that his books have been translated into many languages. But the list of books shown here is on the literary, artistic side, with no mention whatsoever of the book I will present in a moment. It has been airbrushed away lest it detract from the author’s reputation as human rights activist receiving many state decorations in the years leading up to his death in 2015.
We learn almost nothing about how Pisar made his living, exactly which services he was providing to those Fortune 500 companies. I suggest we give this full consideration because it is highly relevant to the household that young Blinken grew up in.
The fact is that Samuel Pisar was one of the earliest exponents of détente in the heyday of the Cold War and one of the most professionally successful advisors to corporations on how to do business with the Soviet Union. The cornerstone of his reputation with the broad public was his 558 page book entitled Coexistence & Commerce: Guidelines for Transactions between East and West, published in 1970 by McGraw-Hill in the United States. The French language edition is even more revealing of the author’s intentions: Les Armes de la Paix: l’ouverture economique vers l’Est [The Weapons of Peace: the Economic Opening to the East]. Note that the publication date is just one year before Blinken came into his home.
The covers of the book display blurbs from thinkers, business people, politicians and mainstream media on two continents. Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber tells us: “The publication of Samuel Pisar’s monumental book…is a major event. For the first time, a man of impressive intellectual credentials and vast practical experience explains the entire spectrum of East-West exchange.” Henry Ford II is quoted as saying of the book: “…cuts through the fog of emotionalism, ideology and misunderstanding…a very important book…” The New York Times wrote: “A timely and authoritative study of trade and its potential as a cold war calefacient.”
Not surprising that the Times was speaking out of both sides of its mouth even back then by likening the book to a mustard plaster…
At the start of Coexistence, on the page opposite the Acknowledgements, Pisar quotes Alexander Hamilton, 1787: “The spirit of commerce has a tendency to soften the manners of men and to extinguish those inflammable humors which so often have kindled into wars.” Donald Trump Hat Camou... Buy New $10.99 (as of 02:58 UTC - Details)
I never met Samuel Pisar, though I was hot on his trail in 1979 when I accompanied the Vice President, International of Burger King Corporation to Moscow for negotiations with the Moscow City Council and the Russian Olympics Organizing Committee ahead of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The objective was to win designation as official supplier to the Olympics, to open a hamburger restaurant on the grounds of the Olympics stadium at Luzhniki and also a number of downtown restaurants to serve visitors to the Games. In parallel there was the ambition to get a ten-year exclusivity on hamburger restaurants opening in the USSR similar to what Pepsico received for cola drinks at the start of the decade.
We were welcomed into the Organizing Committee just days after McDonalds had been shown to the door following its protracted and ultimately unsuccessful talks on the same subject. McDonalds was guided in their negotiations by…Samuel Pisar, who reportedly received fees of $150,000 for his sage advice. The Russians were less than impressed. More details on this adventure can be found in my Memoirs of a Russianist, Volume I.
However, a decade later, at the end of the 1980s, I did meet several times with one of Sam Pisar’s former colleagues in his Paris law firm, Jeffrey Hertzfeld. In the Acknowledgements page of Coexistence, Pisar mentions Hertzfeld as having “collaborated in the long, arduous, multilingual research and in the drafting of Book Two.” They had in common their law profession, transatlantic culture and French-English bilingualism. In addition, Hertzfeld was fluent in Russian and his clientele when we met consisted heavily of companies entering the Russian market.
Patriot’s Cave 1... Buy New $14.99 (as of 04:21 UTC - Details) Indeed, Jeffrey Hertzfeld was paid by the International Business Development manager of the French household appliances and Teflon pots and pans company SEB-Calor to interview me in Paris and check my Russian language ability when the company was vetting me to take over management of the joint venture manufacturing facility they were planning to build in St Petersburg. I was duly given a written employment offer which I turned down to join UPS. A year later, our paths crossed again, this time fortuitously near the World Trade Center in Moscow. Hertzfeld told me that the position at SEB-Calor was still vacant. A nice hint…
Pisar’s Coexistence and Commerce is now long out of print. In case his stepson, our incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken should wish to take a look at what his stepfather wrought and to reconsider his own political positions on the question of sanctions and cold wars versus détente, I will gladly lend him my copy.