lewrockwell--2020-12-23--Who Is Destroying Lebanon and Why?

Who Is Destroying Lebanon and Why?

If the destruction of five states in the Greater Middle East over the past two decades has required deadly wars , the destruction of Lebanon was carried out by the Lebanese themselves , without them realizing it .
The Resistance has helplessly seen the country collapse .
It is indeed possible to win a war without having to fight it .
Within a few months , Lebanon , often misrepresented as “ the only Arab democratic state ” or even as the “ Switzerland of the Middle East , ” has collapsed .
Successively , popular demonstrations against the political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banking crisis ( November 2019 ) , a health crisis ( July 2020 ) , an explosion at the port of Beirut ( August 2020 ) caused a sudden disappearance of the middle classes and a general decline in living standards of around 200 % .
From the Lebanese point of view , this horror would be due to the catastrophic management of the country by the political class , whose leaders would be corrupted except for the leader of the religious community to which the person being questioned belongs .
This absurd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reality .
Kindness Goes Unpunish ... Johnson , Craig Best Price : $ 4.99 Buy New $ 7.48 Since the Ottoman occupation [ 1 ] , especially since independence in 1942 , and even more so since the civil war ( 1975-90 ) , the Lebanese population has not formed a nation [ 2 ] , but an aggregate of confessional communities .
The Constitution and the Taif Accords allocate all political functions and henceforth all public jobs , not according to the capacities of citizens , but according to community quotas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , usually former civil warlords , who have been recognized by the international community .
They managed in their own name the subsidies that the former colonial powers offered for their community .
They have taken a huge amount of royalties , which they have long since transferred abroad , but they have also distributed very large sums of money to maintain their “ clientele ” in the image of the ancient Roman senators .
It is therefore perfectly stupid to accuse them today of corruption when they have been celebrated for decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was maintained by the United States and the European Union .
Thus the President of the Bank of Lebanon , Riad Salame , was celebrated as the best money manager in the Western world before being accused of hiding a hundred million dollars in personal accounts in the United Kingdom .
Or , the European Union ’ s High Representative , Federica Mogherini , claimed to be helping Lebanon solve its waste crisis while helping the two former prime ministers , Saad Hariri and Najib Mikati , to embezzle a hundred million dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only the Lebanese , who have been kept in a state of political unconsciousness for eighty years and still have not understood what they experienced during the civil war , do not realize this .
How can we fail to notice that the collapse of Lebanon follows those of Yemen , Syria , Libya , Iraq and Afghanistan ?
How can we fail to notice that in 2001 , US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his advisor , Admiral Arthur Cebrowski , advocated adapting the mission of the US armed forces to emerging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was necessary to destroy all the state structures of all the states of the “ Broader Middle East ” so that no one – enemy or friend – could prevent the exploitation of the region by US multinationals .
If we admit that this “ Endless War ” ( sic ) , proclaimed by President George W. Bush , is indeed going on , we must note that the destruction of the state structures of Lebanon was achieved at a lower cost .
The Dawn of a Nazi Moo ... MacKinnon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 17.85 However , given the effectiveness of the Lebanese resistance , it was necessary to achieve this objective by non-military means that escaped the vigilance of Hezbollah .
Everything had already been decided in April 2019 , as attested by the US response to the Lebanese delegation visiting the US State Department [ 4 ] .
Four coalition powers , the United States , the United Kingdom , Israel and France , played a decisive role in this plan .
The Pentagon set the objective : to destroy Lebanon and exploit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ambassador Frederic C. Hof ) .
Whitehall set out the method [ 5 ] : manipulate the post-Civil War generation in order to liberate the current system without replacing it .
Its propaganda specialists thus organized the so-called “ October Revolution ” which , contrary to what was sometimes believed , was not at all spontaneous .
[ 6 ] Israel destroyed the economy thanks to its control of all telephone communications ( except Hezbollah ’ s private network ) and its presence in the world banking system .
It provoked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cartels that had placed their assets in Lebanon to brutally withdraw them .
It deprived the country of its economic lung , the port , by bombarding it with a new weapon .
[ 7 ] France , for its part , proposed to privatize everything that could be privatized and put Saad Hariri back on stage to carry it out .
It has applied itself to pouring out fine words while marginalizing Hezbollah [ 8 ] .
Ultimately , the next twenty years should be devoted to plundering the country , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to blame scapegoats and ignore their real enemies .
Already , the Israeli port of Haifa has partially replaced that of Beirut .
Eventually , the country itself should be divided and the part south of the Litani River attached to Israel .
[ 9 ] It should be kept in mind , however , that the USA-UK-Israel-France coalition is not composed of equal states , but is commanded exclusively by the United States .
In Libya , the USA alone pocketed the oil pact .
Despite the promises made to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The same scenario can be repeated in Lebanon .
None of their allies could profit from their common crime .
[ 1 ] Les Libanais ne reconnaissent pas l ’ Empire ottoman comme une puissance coloniale , ce qu ’ elle était pourtant .
NdA .
My Side of the Mountain George , Jean Craighead Best Price : $ 8.00 Buy New $ 14.69 [ 5 ] Une fuite de documents officiels britannique atteste de ce rôle .
Lire Complete infiltrating Lebanon ( 65,11 Mo ) .
Les résultats ambitionnés ont manifestement été @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ils ne voient plus ni l ’ origine de leurs problèmes , ni les solutions à portée de main , cf .
“ Taking Lebanon ’ s Pulse after the Beirut Explosion ” , Michael Robbins , Arab barometer , December 15 , 2020 .
The Best of Thierry Meyssan

If the destruction of five states in the Greater Middle East over the past two decades has required deadly wars, the destruction of Lebanon was carried out by the Lebanese themselves, without them realizing it. The Resistance has helplessly seen the country collapse. It is indeed possible to win a war without having to fight it.
Within a few months, Lebanon, often misrepresented as “the only Arab democratic state” or even as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” has collapsed. Successively, popular demonstrations against the political class (October 2019), a banking crisis (November 2019), a health crisis (July 2020), an explosion at the port of Beirut (August 2020) caused a sudden disappearance of the middle classes and a general decline in living standards of around 200%.
From the Lebanese point of view, this horror would be due to the catastrophic management of the country by the political class, whose leaders would be corrupted except for the leader of the religious community to which the person being questioned belongs. This absurd prejudice reveals an intolerant population and masks the reality. Kindness Goes Unpunish... Johnson, Craig Best Price: $3.24 Buy New $15.00 (as of 09:00 UTC - Details)
Since the Ottoman occupation [1], especially since independence in 1942, and even more so since the civil war (1975-90), the Lebanese population has not formed a nation [2], but an aggregate of confessional communities. The Constitution and the Taif Accords allocate all political functions and henceforth all public jobs, not according to the capacities of citizens, but according to community quotas. Each community has chosen its leaders, usually former civil warlords, who have been recognized by the international community. They managed in their own name the subsidies that the former colonial powers offered for their community. They have taken a huge amount of royalties, which they have long since transferred abroad, but they have also distributed very large sums of money to maintain their “clientele” in the image of the ancient Roman senators. It is therefore perfectly stupid to accuse them today of corruption when they have been celebrated for decades for the same work.
This system was maintained by the United States and the European Union. Thus the President of the Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salame, was celebrated as the best money manager in the Western world before being accused of hiding a hundred million dollars in personal accounts in the United Kingdom. Or, the European Union’s High Representative, Federica Mogherini, claimed to be helping Lebanon solve its waste crisis while helping the two former prime ministers, Saad Hariri and Najib Mikati, to embezzle a hundred million dollars of this sum. [3]
Only the Lebanese, who have been kept in a state of political unconsciousness for eighty years and still have not understood what they experienced during the civil war, do not realize this.
How can we fail to notice that the collapse of Lebanon follows those of Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan? How can we fail to notice that in 2001, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his advisor, Admiral Arthur Cebrowski, advocated adapting the mission of the US armed forces to emerging financial capitalism? According to them, it was necessary to destroy all the state structures of all the states of the “Broader Middle East” so that no one – enemy or friend – could prevent the exploitation of the region by US multinationals.
If we admit that this “Endless War” (sic), proclaimed by President George W. Bush, is indeed going on, we must note that the destruction of the state structures of Lebanon was achieved at a lower cost.
The Dawn of a Nazi Moo... MacKinnon, Douglas Best Price: $4.05 Buy New $13.90 (as of 10:47 UTC - Details) However, given the effectiveness of the Lebanese resistance, it was necessary to achieve this objective by non-military means that escaped the vigilance of Hezbollah. Everything had already been decided in April 2019, as attested by the US response to the Lebanese delegation visiting the US State Department [4].
Four coalition powers, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and France, played a decisive role in this plan.
The Pentagon set the objective: to destroy Lebanon and exploit the gas and oil fields (plan of Ambassador Frederic C. Hof).
Whitehall set out the method [5]: manipulate the post-Civil War generation in order to liberate the current system without replacing it. Its propaganda specialists thus organized the so-called “October Revolution” which, contrary to what was sometimes believed, was not at all spontaneous. [6]
Israel destroyed the economy thanks to its control of all telephone communications (except Hezbollah’s private network) and its presence in the world banking system. It provoked the banking rout by convincing South American drug cartels that had placed their assets in Lebanon to brutally withdraw them. It deprived the country of its economic lung, the port, by bombarding it with a new weapon. [7]
France, for its part, proposed to privatize everything that could be privatized and put Saad Hariri back on stage to carry it out. It has applied itself to pouring out fine words while marginalizing Hezbollah [8].
Ultimately, the next twenty years should be devoted to plundering the country, especially its hydrocarbons, while the Lebanese will continue to blame scapegoats and ignore their real enemies. Already, the Israeli port of Haifa has partially replaced that of Beirut. Eventually, the country itself should be divided and the part south of the Litani River attached to Israel. [9]
It should be kept in mind, however, that the USA-UK-Israel-France coalition is not composed of equal states, but is commanded exclusively by the United States. In Libya, the USA alone pocketed the oil pact. Despite the promises made to them, their allies got only crumbs. The same scenario can be repeated in Lebanon. None of their allies could profit from their common crime.
—
[1] Les Libanais ne reconnaissent pas l’Empire ottoman comme une puissance coloniale, ce qu’elle était pourtant. NdA. My Side of the Mountain George, Jean Craighead Best Price: $3.30 Buy New $13.58 (as of 10:47 UTC - Details)
[2] Par définition, le Liban n’étant pas une nation ne peut être ni une démocratie, ni une république. NdA.
[3] “EU funds embezzled by Mogherini, Hariri and Mikati”, Voltaire Network, 24 January 2020.
[4] « L’administration Trump contre le Liban », Réseau Voltaire, 2 mai 2019.
[5] Une fuite de documents officiels britannique atteste de ce rôle. Lire Complete infiltrating Lebanon (65,11 Mo). Les résultats ambitionnés ont manifestement été tenus : les Libanais souffrent tellement qu’ils ne voient plus ni l’origine de leurs problèmes, ni les solutions à portée de main, cf. “Taking Lebanon’s Pulse after the Beirut Explosion”, Michael Robbins, Arab barometer, December 15, 2020.
[6] « Les Libanais, prisonniers de leur Constitution », par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 21 octobre 2019.
[7] “Israel playing with Lebanese people’s nerves”, Voltaire Network, 30 September 2020.
[8] “President Macron’s bad play in Lebanon”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Roger Lagassé, Voltaire Network, 29 September 2020.
[9] “Towards a partition of Lebanon?”, Voltaire Network, 8 October 2020.
The Best of Thierry Meyssan


lewrockwell--2020-12-23--The GOP’s Big Black Suicide Tent

The GOP’s Big Black Suicide Tent

There are “ bad ” takes , and then there are takes that make you stop dead in your tracks , stare blankly ahead , and say to yourself , “ Well , we ’ re screwed.
” Liz Peek is a Wall Street and petroleum industry cockroach who ’ s become an unavoidable presence these days on Fox News , where she ’ s a regular contributor on air ( Varney & Co. , Making Money With Charles Payne , After the Bell , The Evening Edit , Your World With Neil Cavuto , Fox & Friends ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a die-hard Trumpist , and in fact her son Andrew served under the president as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran before becoming the National Security Council ’ s Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs…until he was escorted off White House grounds by security in January , I ’ m assuming for stealing cutlery .
Liz Peek is the culprit behind the aforementioned “ bad take to end all bad takes.
” Indeed , the op-ed that she penned for Fox last week should ’ ve been dedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was the Massachusetts woman who was convicted of manslaughter for ordering her mentally troubled boyfriend to get back into a carbon-monoxide-filled truck after he chickened out during a suicide attempt .
Crow Killer , New Editi ... Bunker , Robert Best Price : $ 10.54 Buy New $ 10.29 The gist of her piece is that BLM has been unjustly victimized by Joe Biden , Kamala Harris , and the Democrat Party .
See , the Democrats—and didja know that they ’ re the real racists ?
—exploited poor BLM in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ betrayed and abandoned the “ civil rights ” org after emerging victorious .
Peek portrays BLM as abused lil ’ waifs who won the election for Biden— “ Biden happily rode BLM ’ s coattails ” to victory—but “ now that Black Lives Matter activists have served out their useful purpose for Democrats—energizing Black and White liberal voters to turn out for Joe Biden—they have apparently been dumped by the president-elect.
” That ’ s pretty much what Peek was doing to the GOP in her op-ed .
Peek urges the spurned sweetie-pies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP , where the real anti-racists reside !
In a separate post and video , Smith applauded BLM members for “ revolting ” against their Democrat-aligned leaders .
After all , Smith explained , the rank-and-file BLMs are just “ trying to build communities and make their streets safer.
” So yes , good citizens of BLM , ditch your leaders and come over to our side !
This echoes what Turning Point USA ’ s main Twitter account proclaimed months ago : “ the BLM movement is FLOODED with Free Market Capitalists.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirit of America , and TPUSA drove that point home with a video about how BLM is all about “ black entrepreneurship and capitalism ” in pursuit of “ the American dream.
” In fact , the TPUSA video doesn ’ t profile BLM radicals but black vendors selling merch to BLM radicals , but who cares about such minor deceptions when there ’ s a larger point to be made : BLMs are natural Republicans !

There are “bad” takes, and then there are takes that make you stop dead in your tracks, stare blankly ahead, and say to yourself, “Well, we’re screwed.”
Liz Peek is a Wall Street and petroleum industry cockroach who’s become an unavoidable presence these days on Fox News, where she’s a regular contributor on air (Varney & Co., Making Money With Charles Payne, After the Bell, The Evening Edit, Your World With Neil Cavuto, Fox & Friends) and on the Fox News website. Peek is a die-hard Trumpist, and in fact her son Andrew served under the president as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran before becoming the National Security Council’s Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs…until he was escorted off White House grounds by security in January, I’m assuming for stealing cutlery.
Liz Peek is the culprit behind the aforementioned “bad take to end all bad takes.” Indeed, the op-ed that she penned for Fox last week should’ve been dedicated to Michelle Carter. Remember her? She was the Massachusetts woman who was convicted of manslaughter for ordering her mentally troubled boyfriend to get back into a carbon-monoxide-filled truck after he chickened out during a suicide attempt. Crow Killer, New Editi... Bunker, Robert Best Price: $7.32 Buy New $11.99 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details)
The gist of her piece is that BLM has been unjustly victimized by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Democrat Party. See, the Democrats—and didja know that they’re the real racists?—exploited poor BLM in order to win in November, and then betrayed and abandoned the “civil rights” org after emerging victorious. Peek portrays BLM as abused lil’ waifs who won the election for Biden—“Biden happily rode BLM’s coattails” to victory—but “now that Black Lives Matter activists have served out their useful purpose for Democrats—energizing Black and White liberal voters to turn out for Joe Biden—they have apparently been dumped by the president-elect.” That’s pretty much what Peek was doing to the GOP in her op-ed.
Peek urges the spurned sweetie-pies of BLM to come over to the GOP, where the real anti-racists reside!
Peek isn’t alone in those sentiments. Also last week, Rob Smith of Turning Point USA told his 200,000 Twitter followers that BLM organizers “were used for votes, and are now being cast aside .” On a Fox & Friends appearance, Smith complained that Democrats were using and abusing BLM “just like African American voters have been used in the past.” The problem for BLM protesters is that the Democrats “don’t care about them,” Smith solemnly concluded.
In a separate post and video, Smith applauded BLM members for “revolting” against their Democrat-aligned leaders. After all, Smith explained, the rank-and-file BLMs are just “trying to build communities and make their streets safer.” So yes, good citizens of BLM, ditch your leaders and come over to our side!
This echoes what Turning Point USA’s main Twitter account proclaimed months ago: “the BLM movement is FLOODED with Free Market Capitalists.” Yes, BLM embodies the true spirit of America, and TPUSA drove that point home with a video about how BLM is all about “black entrepreneurship and capitalism” in pursuit of “the American dream.”
In fact, the TPUSA video doesn’t profile BLM radicals but black vendors selling merch to BLM radicals, but who cares about such minor deceptions when there’s a larger point to be made: BLMs are natural Republicans!
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-12-23--Julian Assange’s Fiancée Sits Down With Revolver To Reveal the Deep State’s Plot To Erase Our First

Julian Assange’s Fiancée Sits Down With Revolver To Reveal the Deep State’s Plot To Erase Our First Amendment

For years , America ’ s oligarch class has grown fat by betraying the country they rule over .
They ’ ve outsourced the country ’ s wealth and well-being to China .
They ’ ve embroiled the country in one disastrous war after another — wars that did nothing to make America safer but did a great deal to enrich the defense contractors who supplied them .
They ’ ve colluded with Big Tech and Big Finance to gradually chip away at the basic rights that Americans once took for granted .
To the badly misnamed , oligarch-captured “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Editor and free speech activist Julian Assange remains Public Enemy Number One .
As head of Wikileaks , Assange published leaked documents from former Army soldier Chelsea Manning ( born Bradley Manning ) .
Manning has already gone free , but Assange has been a hunted man ever since .
For seven years , Assange holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid an unjust extradition on trumped-up charges .
Prairie Fires : The Ame ... Fraser , Caroline Best Price : $ 2.87 Buy New $ 7.88 In 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Podesta .
These emails exposed how the Democrat Party rigged the primary race for Hillary Clinton .
After an informed public unexpectedly rejected Hillary Clinton for president , Washington , D.C. ’ s rage against Assange boiled over .
Assange was assigned a key role in the Russiagate conspiracy theory that charged Russia with handing Trump the 2016 election .
In spring 2019 , Ecuador revoked Assange ’ s asylum , and he was dragged out of the embassy to face extradition on more than a dozen espionage charges in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump could thumb his nose at the Deep State ’ s decade-long obsession with persecuting Assange , and give him the pardon he deserves .
Revolver has advocated just such a course .
Remarkably , a steadily-growing group of fair-minded patriots around the world have come together to ask for Assange ’ s freedom .
Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had her emails published by Wikileaks in 2008 , but on Saturday she called her prior attacks on Assange a ‘ mistake ’ and called on President Trump to pardon the Wikileaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat Tulsi Gabbard have joined forces to endorse clemency for Assange as well .
Actress Pamela Anderson wants clemency as well , as does Iranian dissident and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi .
A recent tweet by Pastor Mark Burns mistakenly announcing an imminent pardon for Assange has racked up nearly 200,000 likes on Twitter .
Stella Moris-Smith Robinson is a human rights lawyer who was born in South Africa .
She was a member of Assange ’ s legal team during his stay at the Ecuadorian embassy .
Now , she is his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
Moris has spent years fighting relentlessly for Assange ’ s freedom , and she graciously agreed to join Revolver for an exclusive interview .
True Grit : Young Reade ... Portis , Charles Best Price : $ 2.89 Buy New $ 3.95 First off , many thanks for agreeing to do this interview and for your bravery in defense of Julian and his mission .
Your appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight was powerful and remains a must see for patriots all over the world .
Let ’ s start with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 .
Is there any evidence at all that Julian committed espionage ?
From what I ’ ve seen he published classified information , which is something that all major newspapers have done , such as the New York Times .
Also there are claims that he assisted his source Chelsea in hiding her identity — which is also a standard journalistic practice .
So where ’ s the actual crime here ?
There isn ’ t one .
This is an unconstitutional , political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit its political objective .
It turns necessary journalistic practices — communicating with a source and having and publishing true information — into crimes .
Saying that it is a crime for Julian to have published this material is as absurd as saying that US journalists are legally bound not to violate China ’ s , Turkey ’ s , or France ’ s secrecy or censorship laws , even though they are publishing in the U.S. Whatever those countries ’ legislations have to say about that , I think we can all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correct .
Monte Walsh Schaefer , Jack Best Price : $ 12.73 Buy New $ 17.79 I sometimes hear Julian mentioned in the same breath as famous American whistleblowers .
But their cases are different .
They are American citizens .
They worked for the US government .
That does not apply to Julian .
Julian is a publisher .
He wasn ’ t in the United States .
He wasn ’ t a government employee or a contractor .
He never signed a confidentiality agreement .
The only promise he made was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth about governments and corporations .
Everyone has their role in a free society and Julian ’ s role is to publish .
The strength of the First Amendment is that it is simple , clear , absolute .
It is truly exceptional when you compare it to equivalent rights in Europe , and that comes from the fact that it isn ’ t what people think it is .
It doesn ’ t grant people rights that can be taken away .
It bans lawmakers and the executive from interfering with speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is passing laws attempting to criminalize speech and the press .
So how do you get around that ?
Well you don ’ t — if you abide by the Constitution .
What is happening is that those who are driving the case against Julian — the most sinister elements of the US government — are abusing the broad wording of an existing piece of legislation , the 1917 Espionage Act , to re-purpose it so that it will do what the First Amendment forbids : interfere with freedom of speech and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has created a noose around the First Amendment rights of everyone .
During the Obama years , the DOJ normalized re-purposing the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers .
But expanding it to apply to journalists and publishers is explicitly against what is in the the spirit and the wording of the Constitution .
Congress ’ s stated intent when it passed the Espionage Act was that it would not apply to the press .
Julian ’ s case is the first time it has ever been used against a publisher .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides of politics , that the case against Julian is the number one threat to free speech and press freedom and that it will have catastrophic consequences for US democracy .
While Republicans may not have been concerned about this under the current administration , the threat that this case poses to them must now be obvious .
It is a certainty that if the case proceeds , the precedent it sets will be abused by the most anti-democratic elements of future administrations .

For years, America’s oligarch class has grown fat by betraying the country they rule over. They’ve outsourced the country’s wealth and well-being to China. They’ve embroiled the country in one disastrous war after another — wars that did nothing to make America safer but did a great deal to enrich the defense contractors who supplied them. They’ve colluded with Big Tech and Big Finance to gradually chip away at the basic rights that Americans once took for granted.
To the badly misnamed, oligarch-captured “intelligence community,” the imprisoned Wikileaks Editor and free speech activist Julian Assange remains Public Enemy Number One.
As head of Wikileaks, Assange published leaked documents from former Army soldier Chelsea Manning (born Bradley Manning). Manning has already gone free, but Assange has been a hunted man ever since. For seven years, Assange holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid an unjust extradition on trumped-up charges. Prairie Fires: The Ame... Fraser, Caroline Best Price: $3.39 Buy New $7.99 (as of 10:47 UTC - Details)
In 2016, Wikileaks released emails from the DNC and John Podesta. These emails exposed how the Democrat Party rigged the primary race for Hillary Clinton. After an informed public unexpectedly rejected Hillary Clinton for president, Washington, D.C.’s rage against Assange boiled over. Assange was assigned a key role in the Russiagate conspiracy theory that charged Russia with handing Trump the 2016 election. In spring 2019, Ecuador revoked Assange’s asylum, and he was dragged out of the embassy to face extradition on more than a dozen espionage charges in the U.S.
But another possibility exists. President Trump could thumb his nose at the Deep State’s decade-long obsession with persecuting Assange, and give him the pardon he deserves. Revolver has advocated just such a course.
Remarkably, a steadily-growing group of fair-minded patriots around the world have come together to ask for Assange’s freedom. Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had her emails published by Wikileaks in 2008, but on Saturday she called her prior attacks on Assange a ‘mistake’ and called on President Trump to pardon the Wikileaks publisher. Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and Democrat Tulsi Gabbard have joined forces to endorse clemency for Assange as well. Actress Pamela Anderson wants clemency as well, as does Iranian dissident and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.
A recent tweet by Pastor Mark Burns mistakenly announcing an imminent pardon for Assange has racked up nearly 200,000 likes on Twitter.
Stella Moris-Smith Robinson is a human rights lawyer who was born in South Africa. She was a member of Assange’s legal team during his stay at the Ecuadorian embassy. Now, she is his fiancée. The pair have two children together. Moris has spent years fighting relentlessly for Assange’s freedom, and she graciously agreed to join Revolver for an exclusive interview. True Grit: Young Reade... Portis, Charles Best Price: $4.22 Buy New $3.95 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details)
—
First off, many thanks for agreeing to do this interview and for your bravery in defense of Julian and his mission. Your appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight was powerful and remains a must see for patriots all over the world. Let’s start with the crime with which Julian is actually charged, a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917. Is there any evidence at all that Julian committed espionage? From what I’ve seen he published classified information, which is something that all major newspapers have done, such as the New York Times. Also there are claims that he assisted his source Chelsea in hiding her identity — which is also a standard journalistic practice. So where’s the actual crime here?
There isn’t one. This is an unconstitutional, political case that has bent the law to suit its political objective. It turns necessary journalistic practices — communicating with a source and having and publishing true information — into crimes.
Saying that it is a crime for Julian to have published this material is as absurd as saying that US journalists are legally bound not to violate China’s, Turkey’s, or France’s secrecy or censorship laws, even though they are publishing in the U.S. Whatever those countries’ legislations have to say about that, I think we can all agree — that proposition cannot be correct.
Monte Walsh Schaefer, Jack Best Price: $17.51 Buy New $17.45 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) I sometimes hear Julian mentioned in the same breath as famous American whistleblowers. But their cases are different. They are American citizens. They worked for the US government. That does not apply to Julian. Julian is a publisher. He wasn’t in the United States. He wasn’t a government employee or a contractor. He never signed a confidentiality agreement. The only promise he made was to the public, to publish the truth about governments and corporations. Everyone has their role in a free society and Julian’s role is to publish.
The strength of the First Amendment is that it is simple, clear, absolute. It is truly exceptional when you compare it to equivalent rights in Europe, and that comes from the fact that it isn’t what people think it is. It doesn’t grant people rights that can be taken away. It bans lawmakers and the executive from interfering with speech and publishing. So what is unlawful is passing laws attempting to criminalize speech and the press.
So how do you get around that? Well you don’t — if you abide by the Constitution. What is happening is that those who are driving the case against Julian — the most sinister elements of the US government — are abusing the broad wording of an existing piece of legislation, the 1917 Espionage Act, to re-purpose it so that it will do what the First Amendment forbids: interfere with freedom of speech and the press. The political case against Julian has created a noose around the First Amendment rights of everyone.
During the Obama years, the DOJ normalized re-purposing the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers. But expanding it to apply to journalists and publishers is explicitly against what is in the the spirit and the wording of the Constitution. Congress’s stated intent when it passed the Espionage Act was that it would not apply to the press. Julian’s case is the first time it has ever been used against a publisher. That’s why everyone agrees, on all sides of politics, that the case against Julian is the number one threat to free speech and press freedom and that it will have catastrophic consequences for US democracy.
While Republicans may not have been concerned about this under the current administration, the threat that this case poses to them must now be obvious. It is a certainty that if the case proceeds, the precedent it sets will be abused by the most anti-democratic elements of future administrations.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-12-23--Why Has the Flu Disappeared?

Why Has the Flu Disappeared?

With COVID-19 still dominating headlines , influenza ( flu ) has been conspicuous in its absence , especially during what is typically peak flu season .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) tracks influenza ( flu ) and pneumonia deaths weekly through the National Center for Health Statistics ( NCHS ) Mortality Reporting System .
Killing Crazy Horse : T ... Dugard , Martin Best Price : $ 9.00 Buy New $ 15.00 It also creates a preliminary estimate of the burden of seasonal flu , based on crude rates of lab-confirmed flu hospitalizations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of how many people have been sick from or died from the flu in any given season — that is , except for 2020 .
“ April 4 , 2020 , was the last week in-season preliminary burden estimates were provided , ” the CDC wrote on its 2019-2020 U.S. flu season webpage.1 The reason the estimates stopped in April is because flu cases plummeted so low that they ’ re hardly worth tracking .
In an update posted December 3 , 2020 , the CDC stated:2 They also added , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this season is lower than end-of-season total hospitalization estimates for any season since CDC began making these estimates.
” 3 In late summer 2020 , warnings surfaced that there might soon be a “ twin-demic ” of flu and COVID-19 that would decimate the globe.4 So far , this hasn ’ t panned out .
In the U.S. , the CDC reported that the percentage of respiratory specimens submitted for influenza testing that test positive decreased from greater than 20 % to 2.3 % since the start of the pandemic .
As of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that positive influenza tests have “ remained at historically low interseasonal levels ( 0.2 % versus 1 to 2 % ) .
” 5 Further , from September 29 , 2019-February 29 , 2020 to March 1-May 16 , 2020 , the CDC noted a 98 % decrease in influenza activity.6 Similar drops have been observed worldwide , including in the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia , Chile and Southern Africa , which often serve as sentinels for influenza activity in the U.S. All three areas had very low influenza activity during June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peak flu season .
From April to July 2020 , only 33 influenza positive test results were detected in Australia ; 12 in Chile ; and six in South Africa , for a total of 51 positive tests .
For comparison , during April to July in 2017 to 2019 , 24,512 specimens tested positive for influenza.7 Butch Cassidy : The Tru ... Leerhsen , Charles Best Price : $ 13.95 Buy New $ 16.49 It was initially thought that the steep drops in influenza activity were due to decreased testing , since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests instead .
However , according to the CDC , public health officials have made a concerted effort to test for flu , and even though “ adequate numbers ” have been tested , little to no flu virus has been detected .
In Australia , meanwhile , they tested “ markedly more specimens for influenza ” this season than usual , yet still detected very few cases of flu.8 So what happened to the flu ?
The “ COVID ” deaths the CDC has been reporting are actually a combination of pneumonia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new category listed as “ PIC ” ( pneumonia , Influenza , COVID ) .
Their COVIDView webpage , which provides a weekly surveillance summary of U.S. COVID-19 activity , states that levels of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , and “ associated illnesses ” have been increasing since September 2020 , while the percentage of deaths due to pneumonia , flu and COVID-19 has been on the rise since October.9 As noted by professor William M. Briggs , a statistical consultant and policy adviser at the Heartland Institute , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above , “ CDC , up until about July 2020 , counted flu and pneumonia deaths separately , been doing this forever , then just mysteriously stopped … It ’ s become very difficult to tell the difference between these , ” referring to the combined tracking of deaths from “ PIC.
” They ’ re even using PIC to state that cases are above the epidemic threshold:10 Did Masks and Lockdowns Stop the Spread of Flu ?
It could appear that flu hasn ’ t just vanished into thin air but rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — or even intentionally mislabeled as such .
Another theory centers on viral interference , which is the phenomenon in which a cell infected by a virus becomes resistant to other viruses ; 11 basically , cells are rarely infected with more than one virus , so COVID-19 could be winning out over influenza .
However , with COVID-19 being such a novel virus , with reportedly only a minority of the population having been exposed , there should still be plenty of room for influenza to spread.12 The Saga of Hugh Glass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : $ 7.31 Buy New $ 11.88 According to the CDC , however , flu cases began to decline in response to “ widespread adoption of community mitigation measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
” In other words , they believe that flu cases have plummeted because of the widespread adoption of mask wearing , social distancing and lockdowns .
In their MMWR weekly report released September 18 , 2020 , they state , “ In the United States , influenza virus circulation declined sharply within 2 weeks of the COVID-19 emergency declaration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including school closures , social distancing and mask wearing , although the exact timing varied by location.
” 13 But here again this leaves many unanswered questions , the primary one being why , if the COVID-19 mitigation efforts are so effective against the spread of flu , are COVID cases still rising ?
The two viruses are spread basically the same way .
As Irish science journalist Peter Andrews put it in RT:14 When asked whether he believes lockdowns were responsible for getting rid of the flu , Briggs said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not .
Lockdowns only help spread the flu … Locking down the healthy , quarantining the healthy , is asinine.
” Briggs believes that lockdowns would only increase flu infection because the virus spreads more easily when people spend more time indoors , in close quarters with others , in dry , indoor air .
He also pointed to lockdown failures , like the one that occurred in New York City .
The mortality rate from COVID-19 reached beyond 50 deaths per million per day in April 2020 , despite a full lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients from hospitals until May 10 , when the order was reversed , but by then the virus was already ravaging nursing homes ’ elderly residents — the most vulnerable .
The Great Book of Texa ... O'Neill , Bill Best Price : $ 6.54 Buy New $ 11.95 “ By facilitating the transmission of the virus from hospitals to nursing homes , the rate of spread within the elderly population was maximized , and any possible benefit from lockdown of the young and healthy population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berdine , an associate professor of medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center , explained.15 Social Distancing and Masks to Stay to Fight Flu ?
The CDC is already using the mysteriously low number of flu cases this season as an impetus to suggest that masks , school closures and social distancing could become the new normal every fall to combat the upcoming flu season : Meanwhile , even while stating that flu cases are next to nonexistent this season , and that the COVID-19 mitigation measures already in place are likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still want you to get your flu shot , “ especially this season ” :17 If you want to be proactive , it ’ s worth remembering that flu shots are controversial , and your chances of getting influenza after vaccination are still greater than 50/50 in any given year .
According to CDC data , for example , the 2017-2018 seasonal influenza vaccine ’ s effectiveness against “ influenza A and influenza B virus infection associated with medically attended acute respiratory illness ” was just 36 % .18 Meanwhile , we already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good idea , not only for COVID-19 but also for influenza .
The Best of Joseph Mercola

With COVID-19 still dominating headlines, influenza (flu) has been conspicuous in its absence, especially during what is typically peak flu season. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks influenza (flu) and pneumonia deaths weekly through the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Reporting System. Killing Crazy Horse: T... Dugard, Martin Best Price: $2.13 Buy New $8.00 (as of 10:47 UTC - Details)
It also creates a preliminary estimate of the burden of seasonal flu, based on crude rates of lab-confirmed flu hospitalizations. Such estimates are intended to give an idea of how many people have been sick from or died from the flu in any given season — that is, except for 2020.
“April 4, 2020, was the last week in-season preliminary burden estimates were provided,” the CDC wrote on its 2019-2020 U.S. flu season webpage.1 The reason the estimates stopped in April is because flu cases plummeted so low that they’re hardly worth tracking. In an update posted December 3, 2020, the CDC stated:2
“The model used to generate influenza in-season preliminary burden estimates uses current season flu hospitalization data. Reported flu hospitalizations are too low at this time to generate an estimate.”
They also added, “The number of hospitalizations estimated so far this season is lower than end-of-season total hospitalization estimates for any season since CDC began making these estimates.”3
Flu Deaths Plummet While COVID Cases Rise
In late summer 2020, warnings surfaced that there might soon be a “twin-demic” of flu and COVID-19 that would decimate the globe.4 So far, this hasn’t panned out. In the U.S., the CDC reported that the percentage of respiratory specimens submitted for influenza testing that test positive decreased from greater than 20% to 2.3% since the start of the pandemic.
As of September 18, 2020, they noted that positive influenza tests have “remained at historically low interseasonal levels (0.2% versus 1 to 2%).”5 Further, from September 29, 2019-February 29, 2020 to March 1-May 16, 2020, the CDC noted a 98% decrease in influenza activity.6
Similar drops have been observed worldwide, including in the Southern Hemisphere countries of Australia, Chile and Southern Africa, which often serve as sentinels for influenza activity in the U.S.
All three areas had very low influenza activity during June to August 2020, which is their peak flu season. From April to July 2020, only 33 influenza positive test results were detected in Australia; 12 in Chile; and six in South Africa, for a total of 51 positive tests. For comparison, during April to July in 2017 to 2019, 24,512 specimens tested positive for influenza.7
Butch Cassidy: The Tru... Leerhsen, Charles Best Price: $2.13 Buy New $9.38 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) It was initially thought that the steep drops in influenza activity were due to decreased testing, since people with respiratory symptoms likely received COVID-19 tests instead. However, according to the CDC, public health officials have made a concerted effort to test for flu, and even though “adequate numbers” have been tested, little to no flu virus has been detected.
In Australia, meanwhile, they tested “markedly more specimens for influenza” this season than usual, yet still detected very few cases of flu.8 So what happened to the flu?
CDC Tracking Combines COVID, Flu and Pneumonia Deaths
The “COVID” deaths the CDC has been reporting are actually a combination of pneumonia, flu and COVID-deaths, under a new category listed as “PIC” (pneumonia, Influenza, COVID).
Their COVIDView webpage, which provides a weekly surveillance summary of U.S. COVID-19 activity, states that levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and “associated illnesses” have been increasing since September 2020, while the percentage of deaths due to pneumonia, flu and COVID-19 has been on the rise since October.9
As noted by professor William M. Briggs, a statistical consultant and policy adviser at the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank, in the video above, “CDC, up until about July 2020, counted flu and pneumonia deaths separately, been doing this forever, then just mysteriously stopped … It’s become very difficult to tell the difference between these,” referring to the combined tracking of deaths from “PIC.” They’re even using PIC to state that cases are above the epidemic threshold:10
“Based on death certificate data, the percentage of deaths attributed to PIC for week 49 was 14.3% and remains above the epidemic threshold.
The weekly percentages of deaths due to PIC increased for seven weeks from early October through mid-November and are expected to increase for the most recent weeks as additional data are reported. Hospitalization rates for the most recent week are also expected to increase as additional data are reported.”
Did Masks and Lockdowns Stop the Spread of Flu?
It could appear that flu hasn’t just vanished into thin air but rather cases could be being mistaken for COVID-19 — or even intentionally mislabeled as such. Another theory centers on viral interference, which is the phenomenon in which a cell infected by a virus becomes resistant to other viruses;11 basically, cells are rarely infected with more than one virus, so COVID-19 could be winning out over influenza.
However, with COVID-19 being such a novel virus, with reportedly only a minority of the population having been exposed, there should still be plenty of room for influenza to spread.12
The Saga of Hugh Glass... Myers Myers, John Best Price: $5.68 Buy New $12.00 (as of 11:52 UTC - Details) According to the CDC, however, flu cases began to decline in response to “widespread adoption of community mitigation measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.” In other words, they believe that flu cases have plummeted because of the widespread adoption of mask wearing, social distancing and lockdowns.
In their MMWR weekly report released September 18, 2020, they state, “In the United States, influenza virus circulation declined sharply within 2 weeks of the COVID-19 emergency declaration and widespread implementation of community mitigation measures, including school closures, social distancing and mask wearing, although the exact timing varied by location.”13
But here again this leaves many unanswered questions, the primary one being why, if the COVID-19 mitigation efforts are so effective against the spread of flu, are COVID cases still rising? The two viruses are spread basically the same way. As Irish science journalist Peter Andrews put it in RT:14
“The scientific establishment is quickly forming ranks behind the theory that the flu has gone away because of Covid restrictions — especially masks, social distancing and lockdowns.
They ‘overwhelmingly agree’ that this is so; their certainty is remarkable at this early stage. But why would these measures have worked so unintentionally well for flu, which has been with us for millennia, but Covid cases are still skyrocketing? Do masks let one particle through and stop another?
The proponents of this theory have an explanation. They claim that people with Covid are more contagious than those with flu. It has a longer ‘incubation period’ than flu does, and its ‘R rate’ is three times higher than that of flu. But even if all of these estimates were right, there is still the unanswered question of why flu would have been eradicated so completely.”
Problems With Lockdowns
When asked whether he believes lockdowns were responsible for getting rid of the flu, Briggs said in the video, “No, absolutely not. Lockdowns only help spread the flu … Locking down the healthy, quarantining the healthy, is asinine.” Briggs believes that lockdowns would only increase flu infection because the virus spreads more easily when people spend more time indoors, in close quarters with others, in dry, indoor air.
He also pointed to lockdown failures, like the one that occurred in New York City. The mortality rate from COVID-19 reached beyond 50 deaths per million per day in April 2020, despite a full lockdown being implemented in March. The state ordered nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients from hospitals until May 10, when the order was reversed, but by then the virus was already ravaging nursing homes’ elderly residents — the most vulnerable.
The Great Book of Texa... O'Neill, Bill Best Price: $2.72 Buy New $11.95 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) “By facilitating the transmission of the virus from hospitals to nursing homes, the rate of spread within the elderly population was maximized, and any possible benefit from lockdown of the young and healthy population was rendered moot,” Dr. Gilbert Berdine, an associate professor of medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, explained.15
Social Distancing and Masks to Stay to Fight Flu?
The CDC is already using the mysteriously low number of flu cases this season as an impetus to suggest that masks, school closures and social distancing could become the new normal every fall to combat the upcoming flu season:
“If extensive community mitigation measures continue throughout the fall, influenza activity in the United States might remain low and the season might be blunted or delayed. In the future, some of these community mitigation measures could be implemented during influenza epidemics to reduce transmission, particularly in populations at highest risk for developing severe disease or complications.”16
Meanwhile, even while stating that flu cases are next to nonexistent this season, and that the COVID-19 mitigation measures already in place are likely effective at curbing its spread — they still want you to get your flu shot, “especially this season”:17
“Given the novelty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of continued community mitigation measures, it is important to plan for seasonal influenza circulation in the United States this fall and winter. Influenza vaccination of all persons aged ≥6 months remains the best method for influenza prevention and is especially important this season when SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus might cocirculate.”
If you want to be proactive, it’s worth remembering that flu shots are controversial, and your chances of getting influenza after vaccination are still greater than 50/50 in any given year.
According to CDC data, for example, the 2017-2018 seasonal influenza vaccine’s effectiveness against “influenza A and influenza B virus infection associated with medically attended acute respiratory illness” was just 36%.18 Meanwhile, we already know that vitamin D optimization is a good idea, not only for COVID-19 but also for influenza.
Sources and References
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola


Yuletide Visitations

Welcome to the longest night of the year , the moment of maximum mystification and terror for frail humanity , fretting that the sun might be going away for all the rest of time .
Scanning the smoke signals from America ’ s loudest engine of mystification , The New York Times , one searches in vain for some evidence that Joe Biden still exists .
There is barely a cookie-crumb trail of some hypothetical cabinet appointments , plus a few obviously insincere and artificial sugarplums about “ healing the nation.
” Where-oh-where is the party ’ s avatar and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ White Joe , in these fraught hours ?
Has the fabled basement become his tomb ?
Will his revenant float transparently out into the night sky on Christmas Eve and pass through the walls of the “ residence ” at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to rattle his chains like Jacob Marley ’ s ghost at the foot of the president ’ s bed , wailing , “ I can not rest , I can not stay , I can not linger anywhere .
My spirit never walked beyond the awful shackles of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — in life my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our family ’ s money-changing hole ; and weary journeys lie before me !
Oooooohhhhhhhh… ?
” Post Captain ( Aubrey/M ... O'Brian , Patrick Buy New $ 15.95 It says something , does it not , that the corporeal Joe Biden is missing-in-action ?
You ’ d think he ’ d be bustling around like crazy out there , trying to , at least , give some impression of being at-large-and-in-charge , preparing to launch a score of battles against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afflicting this sore-beset nation , yo-yo-ing back and forth between Jake Tapper and Rachel Maddow to reassure their cringing viewers of Wokedom come , wolfing down plates of field peas , ham hocks , and cornbread to display his allyship with the downtrodden masses of this-and-that color , gender , flavor , and texture , comforting the homeless on the pitiless streets of the ailing cities , volunteering to get stuck with vaccine needles of every pharma company on the S & P , with side orders of hydroxychloroquine , ivermectin , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wall Street to halt the sinking dollar , visiting the troops with plane-loads of turkey dinners — you know… rallying the worried people of this anxious land in their time of trouble… .
And what of Kamala Harris ?
Did she steal off to some Caribbean beach to mull over her options ?
It appears that she ’ s still holding that seat in the US Senate , let ’ s face it , a very cushy sinecure that “ fixes ” its exalted members for life , and in more ways than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean .
Of all the thoughts racing through Ms. Harris ’ s skull these dark days , I suspect the dimmest of them concerns the actual possibility she may actually end up as president .
She acts like someone who knows something , and knows that the something she knows is not altogether a good something .
Notice the giggling has ceased .
And so , we pass through a weekend of predictable news that Congress has authorized another gazillion dollars to bail out stock markets and banks , under the guise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and government-induced small business failures , and we hurtle toward what ’ s likely to be the bluest Christmas in memory with the republic in the balance .
The president… that would be Mr. Trump… is portrayed in the nervous mainstream news media as flailing wildly around the West Wing , confabbing with Krakens , battling with his “ closest advisors , ” all importuning him to concede the election .
D ’ ya think so ?
Maybe , but I ’ m not so sure .
MARY -- raised in a whor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 20.95 Buy New $ 24.95 Something more orderly and momentous might be playing out , and on the q.t.
, something that may turn-around the odious sham that was the election phase of the long-running coup against the chief executive .
Joe Biden , or the ghost of Joe Biden and the people who manage his hologram , must not be allowed to occupy the Oval Office and seize the levers of power .
It should be impossible to ignore the evidence of his previously bought-and-paid-for obligations to the folks who run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us the “ news ” do exactly that , and are probably acting as accessories to what will amount to one of the greatest attempted political crimes of history .
It also appears that , in the course of all these fractious election hijinks , foreign actors have penetrated America ’ s most sensitive computer networks , including the treasury department , the nuke labs , and the electric grid .
Why not then the computers that tabulated the recent election ?
They were , after all , hooked up to the Internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be .
All this is right in the wheelhouse of the Defense Intelligence Agency , and the least you can say is that President Trump anticipated it when he shifted out the old DOD top management a month ago and replaced them with , shall we say , a more reliable crew .
What remains to be seen this fretful Christmas week is exactly what , and who , will be flying over America ’ s rooftops on the eve of the Great Day .
A toast to all my readers , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hallowed week of our darkest days , and a merry Christmas to all !
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

Welcome to the longest night of the year, the moment of maximum mystification and terror for frail humanity, fretting that the sun might be going away for all the rest of time. Scanning the smoke signals from America’s loudest engine of mystification, The New York Times, one searches in vain for some evidence that Joe Biden still exists. There is barely a cookie-crumb trail of some hypothetical cabinet appointments, plus a few obviously insincere and artificial sugarplums about “healing the nation.” Where-oh-where is the party’s avatar and the country’s savior, Ol’ White Joe, in these fraught hours? Has the fabled basement become his tomb? Will his revenant float transparently out into the night sky on Christmas Eve and pass through the walls of the “residence” at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to rattle his chains like Jacob Marley’s ghost at the foot of the president’s bed, wailing, “I cannot rest, I cannot stay, I cannot linger anywhere. My spirit never walked beyond the awful shackles of the CEFC Energy Company — mark me! — in life my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our family’s money-changing hole; and weary journeys lie before me! Oooooohhhhhhhh…?”
Post Captain (Aubrey/M... O'Brian, Patrick Best Price: $6.53 Buy New $10.49 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) It says something, does it not, that the corporeal Joe Biden is missing-in-action? You’d think he’d be bustling around like crazy out there, trying to, at least, give some impression of being at-large-and-in-charge, preparing to launch a score of battles against the enemies of peace and prosperity lately afflicting this sore-beset nation, yo-yo-ing back and forth between Jake Tapper and Rachel Maddow to reassure their cringing viewers of Wokedom come, wolfing down plates of field peas, ham hocks, and cornbread to display his allyship with the downtrodden masses of this-and-that color, gender, flavor, and texture, comforting the homeless on the pitiless streets of the ailing cities, volunteering to get stuck with vaccine needles of every pharma company on the S & P, with side orders of hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and famotidine, huddling with the nabobs of Wall Street to halt the sinking dollar, visiting the troops with plane-loads of turkey dinners — you know… rallying the worried people of this anxious land in their time of trouble….
And what of Kamala Harris? Did she steal off to some Caribbean beach to mull over her options? It appears that she’s still holding that seat in the US Senate, let’s face it, a very cushy sinecure that “fixes” its exalted members for life, and in more ways than one, if you know what I mean. Of all the thoughts racing through Ms. Harris’s skull these dark days, I suspect the dimmest of them concerns the actual possibility she may actually end up as president. She acts like someone who knows something, and knows that the something she knows is not altogether a good something. Notice the giggling has ceased.
And so, we pass through a weekend of predictable news that Congress has authorized another gazillion dollars to bail out stock markets and banks, under the guise of helping ordinary Americans hopelessly crushed by lockdowns and government-induced small business failures, and we hurtle toward what’s likely to be the bluest Christmas in memory with the republic in the balance. The president… that would be Mr. Trump… is portrayed in the nervous mainstream news media as flailing wildly around the West Wing, confabbing with Krakens, battling with his “closest advisors,” all importuning him to concede the election. D’ya think so? Maybe, but I’m not so sure.
MARY--raised in a whor... Hoffman, Janis Best Price: $24.66 (as of 12:07 UTC - Details) Something more orderly and momentous might be playing out, and on the q.t., something that may turn-around the odious sham that was the election phase of the long-running coup against the chief executive. Joe Biden, or the ghost of Joe Biden and the people who manage his hologram, must not be allowed to occupy the Oval Office and seize the levers of power. It should be impossible to ignore the evidence of his previously bought-and-paid-for obligations to the folks who run China, though the people who bring us the “news” do exactly that, and are probably acting as accessories to what will amount to one of the greatest attempted political crimes of history.
It also appears that, in the course of all these fractious election hijinks, foreign actors have penetrated America’s most sensitive computer networks, including the treasury department, the nuke labs, and the electric grid. Why not then the computers that tabulated the recent election? They were, after all, hooked up to the Internet, though they were not supposed to be. All this is right in the wheelhouse of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the least you can say is that President Trump anticipated it when he shifted out the old DOD top management a month ago and replaced them with, shall we say, a more reliable crew. What remains to be seen this fretful Christmas week is exactly what, and who, will be flying over America’s rooftops on the eve of the Great Day.
A toast to all my readers, and even the rowdy comment gang, this hallowed week of our darkest days, and a merry Christmas to all!
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


2020: Meh? or Yeah!

Evaluating 2020 has been difficult .
The facts of this past year are available , in any form or flavor you want .
That complicates things .
If you lean progressive , believing centralized and authoritarian government should shape the directions and quality of humanity , you should be delighted .
Whether under the administration of the progressively-hated Trump , or despite it , human action has been constrained , deformed , warped and most certainly altered by authoritarian government , and its media handmaidens – in the name of saving lives and keeping people out of the hospital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenza ( and perhaps all deaths ) were reduced , and hospital visits and stays for a wide array of both emergency treatments and elective surgeries were drastically down this year .
The same data also suggests that authoritarianism and its associated propaganda has been , and is increasingly , ignored , scoffed at , tuned out and ridiculed by the population at large .
Every harsh mandate seems to crystallize the disobedient from the public pool , over time creating thousands of spectacularly unorganized pike squares .
Go Vacation - Nintendo ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 55.70 On COVID alarmism and shutdowns , 2020 closes in a draw .
For every government submissive , we ’ re getting another person who is thinking about secession for the first time .
For every suggestible and fearful but otherwise healthy person , we have his or her parents , grandparents , children and grandchildren debating whether they ’ d rather see their friends and relatives and spend their last days satisfied , or die angry , lonely and disappointed .
The vaccines , touted as a key step in getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Government-funded , crony capitalist-created ( without liability and using pre-existing experimental technology designed for a far less profitable purpose ) , these vaccines are increasingly doubted by an anxious public .
This investment ( $ 18 billion and climbing ) is nearly matched by federal and state spending on PPE and other COVID reactions , consisting largely of over-priced disposable white and blue single-use masks one finds discarded in every car and truck , parking lot and sidewalk .
Experimental vaccines , and ineffective and throwaway PPE , seem to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fiat handed out by the two main COVID spending bills , CARES I and II , and the Paycheck Protection Act .
Tulsi Gabbard called the latest bill a slap in the face ; Thomas Massie said it was a secret-theater omnibus catchall ; it includes billions of dollars in foreign aid , and builds more museums that we may or may not be able to ever visit in person .
Latice Hawaii Strategy ... Buy New $ 34.99 On top of this festering pile of spending ( or perhaps buried underneath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result of government mandates .
The destruction of small businesses and churches is compounded by government corraling of all human interaction onto the internet , where it is completely monitored and analyzed by Big Tech , and by law served up on request to the DoD and other parts of the USG .
This trend could be called in military logistics jargon “ Containment , Government Issued , First and Second Amendment , One Each.
” It is a great re-set .
It works in concert with , and is facilitated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money , the rise of digital cash , and global central banking .
Technology has slashed overhead for doing business decade over decade , and increased growth and productivity , empowered us all and improved countless lives , and lengthened them .
But where is the government ’ s portion ?
With debt and unfunded liabilities looming large , our ruling class ( part of , and protected , by that government ) wants to know .
We should not recall 2020 for its awkward authoritarian assertions of power – after all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preceding the War of Independence , or the election of Abe Lincoln and the war on the South , or the rise of Wilson and the progressive prohibitionists , or even FDR ’ s sly machinations .
If anything , 2020 has offered us a real example of the limits and vulnerabilities of simple government authoritarianism in America .
While Etienne de la Boetie would certainly not understand modern America , he would have liked the fact that state houses and the White House faced never ending rallies and protests this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nod as well .
Itu2019s in The Bag !
| ... Buy New $ 27.99 2020 will be noted as a year where government interference in the free market was as vulgar as it gets , complete with blatant choosing of winners and losers , political identification of the essential workers , and the dead-to-me non-essential .
And yet , in this key area , government institutions and elected officials alike demonstrated pure , almost continuous , incompetence , while sociopathically projecting every failure on the people .
This arrogance delivered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-taxpayers alike , of the native decrepitude of government , with its conflicting and ever-changing rules and edicts , and general silliness .
Take public schooling ( please ) !
2020 is the year the government education was finally recognized by just about everyone to be little more than government funded daycare for the young , largely unnecessary for teenagers , with residential four year college an overpriced and disappointing option for high school grads .
Life in full color beckons , excites , and is suddenly possible and real for so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educational tyrannies , listless and smelling of death simply can not compete .
Not bad , 2020 !
As we look back , we will also recognize that 2020 was the year where statist visionaries revealed their true hearts , and gave away their strategy in a war that pits them against their own irrelevance , and incidentally , all of us .
The Klaus Schwabs of the world understand very little about the actual world ; when they echo “ Build Back Better ” ( as did Joe Biden and Kamala Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who don ’ t know how to build anything , how to grow anything , how to process or create anything , how , in fact , to do anything .
To paraphrase Hayek , from The Fatal Conceit : The Errors of Socialism they are “ naive minds… [ conceiving ] of order only as the product of deliberate arrangement… ” Economic reality , that is to say , reality , will demonstrate to these men , and all of us , “ how little they really know about what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to say that the war is not serious , nor that Capitol trolls under multiple bridges do not scheme to strengthen their grip over people and property , raw materials , produce and livestock , every productive mechanism and endeavor , from sea to shining sea .
They undeniably intend to achieve their goals , enslave the willing , and imprison or destroy the unwilling .
If they fail , they will cease to be powerful , will lose wealth and security , and they may face public humiliation , guillotines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning back .
The future really is at stake .
Let ’ s take a moment to thank 2020 for shining a cold harsh light on the designs of our “ betters.
” As Americans , let us be grateful to her for leading more than a few million people , from all philosophies , political leanings , and backgrounds , to liberty ’ s boot camp .
The Best of Karen Kwiatkowski

Evaluating 2020 has been difficult. The facts of this past year are available, in any form or flavor you want. That complicates things. If you lean progressive, believing centralized and authoritarian government should shape the directions and quality of humanity, you should be delighted. Whether under the administration of the progressively-hated Trump, or despite it, human action has been constrained, deformed, warped and most certainly altered by authoritarian government, and its media handmaidens – in the name of saving lives and keeping people out of the hospital. It “worked:” deaths by influenza (and perhaps all deaths) were reduced, and hospital visits and stays for a wide array of both emergency treatments and elective surgeries were drastically down this year.
The same data also suggests that authoritarianism and its associated propaganda has been, and is increasingly, ignored, scoffed at, tuned out and ridiculed by the population at large. Every harsh mandate seems to crystallize the disobedient from the public pool, over time creating thousands of spectacularly unorganized pike squares.
Go Vacation - Nintendo... Best Price: $39.96 Buy New $49.99 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) On COVID alarmism and shutdowns, 2020 closes in a draw. For every government submissive, we’re getting another person who is thinking about secession for the first time. For every suggestible and fearful but otherwise healthy person, we have his or her parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren debating whether they’d rather see their friends and relatives and spend their last days satisfied, or die angry, lonely and disappointed.
The vaccines, touted as a key step in getting back to normal, demonstrate the problem. Government-funded, crony capitalist-created (without liability and using pre-existing experimental technology designed for a far less profitable purpose), these vaccines are increasingly doubted by an anxious public. This investment ($18 billion and climbing) is nearly matched by federal and state spending on PPE and other COVID reactions, consisting largely of over-priced disposable white and blue single-use masks one finds discarded in every car and truck, parking lot and sidewalk.
Experimental vaccines, and ineffective and throwaway PPE, seem to be the model for the nearly $4 trillion in fiat handed out by the two main COVID spending bills, CARES I and II, and the Paycheck Protection Act. Tulsi Gabbard called the latest bill a slap in the face; Thomas Massie said it was a secret-theater omnibus catchall; it includes billions of dollars in foreign aid, and builds more museums that we may or may not be able to ever visit in person.
Latice Hawaii Strategy... Buy New $39.99 (as of 12:32 UTC - Details) On top of this festering pile of spending (or perhaps buried underneath) is the lost economic productivity, the result of government mandates. The destruction of small businesses and churches is compounded by government corraling of all human interaction onto the internet, where it is completely monitored and analyzed by Big Tech, and by law served up on request to the DoD and other parts of the USG. This trend could be called in military logistics jargon “Containment, Government Issued, First and Second Amendment, One Each.” It is a great re-set. It works in concert with, and is facilitated by, the ongoing war on dirty filthy money, the rise of digital cash, and global central banking.
Technology has slashed overhead for doing business decade over decade, and increased growth and productivity, empowered us all and improved countless lives, and lengthened them. But where is the government’s portion? With debt and unfunded liabilities looming large, our ruling class (part of, and protected, by that government) wants to know.
We should not recall 2020 for its awkward authoritarian assertions of power – after all, none of us personally endured the years preceding the War of Independence, or the election of Abe Lincoln and the war on the South, or the rise of Wilson and the progressive prohibitionists, or even FDR’s sly machinations. If anything, 2020 has offered us a real example of the limits and vulnerabilities of simple government authoritarianism in America. While Etienne de la Boetie would certainly not understand modern America, he would have liked the fact that state houses and the White House faced never ending rallies and protests this year. Surely, de Toqueville would give us a nod as well.
Itu2019s in The Bag, F... Buy New $28.99 (as of 12:37 UTC - Details) 2020 will be noted as a year where government interference in the free market was as vulgar as it gets, complete with blatant choosing of winners and losers, political identification of the essential workers, and the dead-to-me non-essential. And yet, in this key area, government institutions and elected officials alike demonstrated pure, almost continuous, incompetence, while sociopathically projecting every failure on the people. This arrogance delivered a miraculous new awareness, among taxpayers and non-taxpayers alike, of the native decrepitude of government, with its conflicting and ever-changing rules and edicts, and general silliness. Take public schooling (please)! 2020 is the year the government education was finally recognized by just about everyone to be little more than government funded daycare for the young, largely unnecessary for teenagers, with residential four year college an overpriced and disappointing option for high school grads. Life in full color beckons, excites, and is suddenly possible and real for so many of our young people – rule-obsessed entitled educational tyrannies, listless and smelling of death simply cannot compete. Not bad, 2020!
As we look back, we will also recognize that 2020 was the year where statist visionaries revealed their true hearts, and gave away their strategy in a war that pits them against their own irrelevance, and incidentally, all of us. The Klaus Schwabs of the world understand very little about the actual world; when they echo “Build Back Better” (as did Joe Biden and Kamala Harris throughout 2020) they do so as people who don’t know how to build anything, how to grow anything, how to process or create anything, how, in fact, to do anything. To paraphrase Hayek, from The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism they are “naive minds…[conceiving] of order only as the product of deliberate arrangement…” Economic reality, that is to say, reality, will demonstrate to these men, and all of us, “how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”
That is not to say that the war is not serious, nor that Capitol trolls under multiple bridges do not scheme to strengthen their grip over people and property, raw materials, produce and livestock, every productive mechanism and endeavor, from sea to shining sea. They undeniably intend to achieve their goals, enslave the willing, and imprison or destroy the unwilling. If they fail, they will cease to be powerful, will lose wealth and security, and they may face public humiliation, guillotines, or both. The clock is not turning back. The future really is at stake. Let’s take a moment to thank 2020 for shining a cold harsh light on the designs of our “betters.” As Americans, let us be grateful to her for leading more than a few million people, from all philosophies, political leanings, and backgrounds, to liberty’s boot camp.
The Best of Karen Kwiatkowski


lewrockwell--2020-12-24--Vatican Nativity Is ‘Expression of Apostasy, Immorality, and Vice’

This irreverent monstrosity is the mark of the universal religion of transhumanism hoped for by the New World Order ; it is the expression of apostasy , immorality and vice – of ugliness erected as a model .
And just like everything that is constructed by man ’ s hands without God ’ s blessing , indeed against Him , it is destined to perish , to disappear , and to crumble .
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has written the following reflection on this year ’ s Nativity scene in St. Peter ’ s Square .
EN GREGE RELICTO [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Saint Peter ’ s Square Elite Outdoor Games Fo ... Buy New $ 25.97 At the center of Saint Peter ’ s Square , a metallic tensile structure dominates the scene , hastily decorated with a tubular light , underneath which stand , disturbing as totems , a few horrible statues that no one endowed with common sense would dare to identify with the characters of the Nativity .
The solemn background of the Vatican Basilica only serves to augment the abyss between the harmonious Renaissance architecture and the indecorous parade of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these atrocious artifacts are the fruit of students of an obscure Abruzzo art institute : whoever dared to put together this affront to the Nativity did so in an era that , besides creating countless monstrosities of pseudo-art , did not know how to make anything beautiful or that merits to be preserved for posterity .
Our museums and modern art galleries are overflowing with creations , installations , and provocations born from sick minds that straddle the Sixties and Seventies : paintings that are impossible to look at , sculptures that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is impossible to determine either their subject or their significance .
Nor were the churches spared : even they are overflowing with such works , always stemming from those unpropitious years , impudent contaminations produced by “ artists ” appreciated more for their ideological and political affiliation than for their talent .
Nintendo Switch - Anim ... Best Price : $ 289.99 Buy New $ 299.00 For decades , architects and craftsmen have been making horrifying structures , furnishings , and sacred ornaments of such ugliness that they leave the simple disgusted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evil root there has also stemmed , in a Bergoglian migrationist key , the bronze barge that is the “ monument to the unknown migrant ” which now disturbs the harmony of the right side of Bernini ’ s colonnade and whose oppressive weight is making the very cobblestones sink , to the consternation of the Roman people .
It should be recalled that this year ’ s blasphemous Nativity scene was preceded by the equally sacrilegious one of 2017 , offered to the Vatican by the shrine of Montevergine , a pilgrimage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community .
This anti-nativity scene , “ carefully planned and premeditated according to the dictates and doctrine of Pope Francis , ” was supposed to depict alleged works of mercy : a naked man lying on the ground , a corpse with a dangling arm , the head of a prisoner , an archangel with a rainbow flower garland , and the cupola of Saint Peter ’ s shown in ruins .

This irreverent monstrosity is the mark of the universal religion of transhumanism hoped for by the New World Order; it is the expression of apostasy, immorality and vice – of ugliness erected as a model. And just like everything that is constructed by man’s hands without God’s blessing, indeed against Him, it is destined to perish, to disappear, and to crumble.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has written the following reflection on this year’s Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square.
EN GREGE RELICTO[1]
Considerations on the Nativity scene in Saint Peter’s Square
Elite Sportz Ring Toss... Best Price: $23.47 Buy New $24.99 (as of 12:47 UTC - Details) At the center of Saint Peter’s Square, a metallic tensile structure dominates the scene, hastily decorated with a tubular light, underneath which stand, disturbing as totems, a few horrible statues that no one endowed with common sense would dare to identify with the characters of the Nativity. The solemn background of the Vatican Basilica only serves to augment the abyss between the harmonious Renaissance architecture and the indecorous parade of anthropomorphic bowling pins.
It matters little that these atrocious artifacts are the fruit of students of an obscure Abruzzo art institute: whoever dared to put together this affront to the Nativity did so in an era that, besides creating countless monstrosities of pseudo-art, did not know how to make anything beautiful or that merits to be preserved for posterity. Our museums and modern art galleries are overflowing with creations, installations, and provocations born from sick minds that straddle the Sixties and Seventies: paintings that are impossible to look at, sculptures that cause disgust, works of which it is impossible to determine either their subject or their significance. Nor were the churches spared: even they are overflowing with such works, always stemming from those unpropitious years, impudent contaminations produced by “artists” appreciated more for their ideological and political affiliation than for their talent.
Nintendo Switch - Anim... Best Price: $286.97 Buy New $328.00 (as of 02:37 UTC - Details) For decades, architects and craftsmen have been making horrifying structures, furnishings, and sacred ornaments of such ugliness that they leave the simple disgusted and scandalize the faithful. From this same evil root there has also stemmed, in a Bergoglian migrationist key, the bronze barge that is the “monument to the unknown migrant” which now disturbs the harmony of the right side of Bernini’s colonnade and whose oppressive weight is making the very cobblestones sink, to the consternation of the Roman people.
It should be recalled that this year’s blasphemous Nativity scene was preceded by the equally sacrilegious one of 2017, offered to the Vatican by the shrine of Montevergine, a pilgrimage destination for the Italian homosexual and transgender community. This anti-nativity scene, “carefully planned and premeditated according to the dictates and doctrine of Pope Francis,” was supposed to depict alleged works of mercy: a naked man lying on the ground, a corpse with a dangling arm, the head of a prisoner, an archangel with a rainbow flower garland, and the cupola of Saint Peter’s shown in ruins.
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Christmas in America

What if Christmas is a core belief in a personal God who lived among us and many times offered a freely given promise of eternal salvation that no believer should reject or apologize for ?
What if Christmas is the rebirth of Christ in the hearts of all believers ?
What if Christmas is the potential rebirth of Christ in every heart that will have Him , whether currently a believer or not ?
What if Jesus Christ was born about 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem ?
What if He is true God and true man ?
What if this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What if this came about as part of God ’ s plan for the salvation of all people ?
What if Jesus was sent into the world to atone for our sins by offering Himself as a sacrifice ?
What if He was sinless ?
What if His life was the most critical turning point in human history ?
What if the reason we live is that He died ?
What if after He died , He rose from the dead ?
What if He was murdered by the government because it feared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Him ?
What if the government thought He was crazy when He said He was a king but His kingdom was not of this world ?
What if He was not crazy but divine ?
What if when He said that He could forgive sins , He was referring to Himself as God ?
Masters of The Univers ... Buy New $ 11.99 What if He is one of the three parts of a triune God ?
What if this is an inexplicable mystery ?
What if there is no power without mystery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , He exercised only for the good ?
What if He truly gave sight to the blind , hearing to the deaf , musculature to the lame , hope to the disillusioned , courage to the weak , freedom to the unjustly prisoned and life to the dead ?
What if He freely did these things but sought no acclamation for them ?
What if after each of these miracles , He disappeared into the temple precincts or walked well past the crowd , lest the crowd anoint him as a temporal or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in His towering personality a deep thread of shyness ?
What if He was shy about His Godness ?
What if He was shy about His goodness ?
What if He loved saving us ?
What if He was joyful but did not want us to see His joy ?
What if He knew all along how profoundly untimely and utterly painful the end of His life on earth would be , but He neither feared nor avoided it ?
What if His greatest display of love was self-restraint on the cross ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 59.95 What if most of the world that He came to save has rejected Him ?
What if He still loves those who have rejected Him ?
What if He still offers them salvation ?
What if His offer is real and forever ?
What if many folks today have rejected the true God for the government-as-god ?
What if the government-as-god has set itself up as providing for all secular needs in return for subservience ?
What if this seductive offer has been accepted by millions in America today ?
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruined individual initiative , destroyed personal work ethic , fostered cancerous laziness , enhanced deep poverty and impelled thoughtless obedience to the government in those who have accepted it ?
What if the blind acceptance of the government-as-god chills the exercise of personal freedom for fear of the loss of the government ’ s munificence ?
What if the government is only generous with money it has taken from those who work and earn it ?
What if it ’ s then given to those who don ’ t ?
What if it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else ’ s money ?
Super Smash Bros. Ulti ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
What if Jesus came to set us free from the yoke of government oppression and the chains of personal sin ?
What if freedom is our birthright , given to us by the true God , not by the government-as-god ?
What if the true God made us in His own image and likeness ?
What if the most similar likeness between us mortals and the true God is personal freedom ?
What if just as God is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free ?
What if we have failed to preserve freedom and have permitted governments to take it from us ?
What if we can never pursue happiness fully or know God completely without personal freedom ?
What if the world was full of darkness before He came into it ?
What if there is much darkness still today but some glimmers of light ?
What if those glimmers of light are from places of faith in Him ?
What if those places of faith in Him are also places of joy ?
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light of the world ?
What if Christmas is the birthday of the Son of God and the Son of Mary ?
What if we recognize the presence of the Son of God and the Son of Mary in our hearts and among us ?
What if the God-as-baby whose birthday we celebrate is the savior of the world ?
What if we don ’ t hide this but live it ?
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano

What if Christmas is a core belief in a personal God who lived among us and many times offered a freely given promise of eternal salvation that no believer should reject or apologize for? What if Christmas is the rebirth of Christ in the hearts of all believers? What if Christmas is the potential rebirth of Christ in every heart that will have Him, whether currently a believer or not?
What if Jesus Christ was born about 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem? What if He is true God and true man? What if this is a mystery and a miracle? What if this came about as part of God’s plan for the salvation of all people? What if Jesus was sent into the world to atone for our sins by offering Himself as a sacrifice? What if He was sinless? What if His life was the most critical turning point in human history? What if the reason we live is that He died?
What if after He died, He rose from the dead? What if He was murdered by the government because it feared a revolt if it did not murder Him? What if the government thought He was crazy when He said He was a king but His kingdom was not of this world? What if He was not crazy but divine? What if when He said that He could forgive sins, He was referring to Himself as God? Mattel Games Masters o... Check Amazon for Pricing.
What if He is one of the three parts of a triune God? What if this is an inexplicable mystery? What if there is no power without mystery? What if the power He possessed, He exercised only for the good? What if He truly gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, musculature to the lame, hope to the disillusioned, courage to the weak, freedom to the unjustly prisoned and life to the dead?
What if He freely did these things but sought no acclamation for them? What if after each of these miracles, He disappeared into the temple precincts or walked well past the crowd, lest the crowd anoint him as a temporal or secular leader?
What if there was in His towering personality a deep thread of shyness? What if He was shy about His Godness? What if He was shy about His goodness? What if He loved saving us? What if He was joyful but did not want us to see His joy?
What if He knew all along how profoundly untimely and utterly painful the end of His life on earth would be, but He neither feared nor avoided it? What if His greatest display of love was self-restraint on the cross? LEGO Super Mario Adven... Buy New $43.50 (as of 04:13 UTC - Details)
What if most of the world that He came to save has rejected Him? What if He still loves those who have rejected Him? What if He still offers them salvation? What if His offer is real and forever?
What if many folks today have rejected the true God for the government-as-god? What if the government-as-god has set itself up as providing for all secular needs in return for subservience? What if this seductive offer has been accepted by millions in America today?
What if the acceptance of the government-as-god has ruined individual initiative, destroyed personal work ethic, fostered cancerous laziness, enhanced deep poverty and impelled thoughtless obedience to the government in those who have accepted it?
What if the blind acceptance of the government-as-god chills the exercise of personal freedom for fear of the loss of the government’s munificence? What if the government is only generous with money it has taken from those who work and earn it? What if it’s then given to those who don’t? What if it is impossible to be charitable with someone else’s money? Super Smash Bros. Ulti... Best Price: $40.59 Buy New $47.99 (as of 12:29 UTC - Details)
What if Jesus came to set us free from the yoke of government oppression and the chains of personal sin? What if freedom is our birthright, given to us by the true God, not by the government-as-god? What if the true God made us in His own image and likeness? What if the most similar likeness between us mortals and the true God is personal freedom? What if just as God is perfectly free, so are we perfectly free? What if we have failed to preserve freedom and have permitted governments to take it from us? What if we can never pursue happiness fully or know God completely without personal freedom?
What if the world was full of darkness before He came into it? What if there is much darkness still today but some glimmers of light? What if those glimmers of light are from places of faith in Him? What if those places of faith in Him are also places of joy? What if we recognize that He is the light of the world?
What if Christmas is the birthday of the Son of God and the Son of Mary? What if we recognize the presence of the Son of God and the Son of Mary in our hearts and among us? What if the God-as-baby whose birthday we celebrate is the savior of the world? What if we don’t hide this but live it?
Merry Christmas.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano