Secession Studies

Frank H. Buckley ’ s highbrow yet quick and lively new book American Secession comes with the foreboding subtitle The Looming Threat of a National Breakup , but the conservative George Mason U. law professor and Trump family adviser is sanguine .
In Buckley ’ s view , a Trump reelection combined with Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death might trigger a Calexit movement by aggrieved Californians ( a state where Hillary won by 4.3 million votes , while she lost by 1.5 million in the other 49 states ) enraged at having to share a country with Trump voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Democrats ’ smug “ that ’ s not who we are ” rhetoric , will call a new Constitutional Convention ( which would require only 34 state legislatures ) at which who knows what might happen… The last one , in 1787 , tore up the existing Articles of Confederation and invented a federal system .
And would the U.S. breaking into two or more chunks be so bad ?
Buckley writes : Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( no relation to William F. ) imports the Canadian assumption that territorial unions , like political parties , come and go .
Canada evolved into independence from Britain over a long , mostly peaceful expanse of time .
Newfoundland didn ’ t join Canada until 1949 , and the people of Quebec very nearly voted to secede in 1995 .
In the U.S. , however , the idea of secession has been off the table since roughly the Battle of Gettysburg .
Likewise , the same two parties that led the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still utterly dominant here .
But growing bad blood between the two American parties now makes a territorial split-up seem conceivable once again .
After all , the United States occupies a huge expanse of longitude and latitude .
Perhaps America is just too big these days for 330 million residents to get along ?
In his breezy style , Buckley makes the case that a geographic split , such as that of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992 , wouldn ’ t be so bad , before finally recommending as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home rule ” that Britain granted Canada and that Prime Minister Gladstone wished to offer Ireland in the 1880s .
On the other hand , would any kind of regional division actually cure what currently ails America during the Great Awokening ?
For instance , perhaps the worst cause of the recent unhappiness explosion in the U.S. since the Obama reelection campaign revived identity politics in 2012 is the much-exacerbated war between the sexes .
But how would secession solve the problem of men and women getting on each other ’ s nerves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single-sex country would solve anything .
And are Americans most irritated by their fellow Americans whom they encounter in real life , or by those they clash with in cyberspace ?
And if they divided up into separate geographic countries , would they then cease taunting each other online ?
I doubt it : The truth is , it ’ s fun .

Frank H. Buckley’s highbrow yet quick and lively new book American Secession comes with the foreboding subtitle The Looming Threat of a National Breakup, but the conservative George Mason U. law professor and Trump family adviser is sanguine.
In Buckley’s view, a Trump reelection combined with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death might trigger a Calexit movement by aggrieved Californians (a state where Hillary won by 4.3 million votes, while she lost by 1.5 million in the other 49 states) enraged at having to share a country with Trump voters.
Or perhaps the deplorables, offended by the Democrats’ smug “that’s not who we are” rhetoric, will call a new Constitutional Convention (which would require only 34 state legislatures) at which who knows what might happen… The last one, in 1787, tore up the existing Articles of Confederation and invented a federal system.
And would the U.S. breaking into two or more chunks be so bad? Buckley writes:
We’re overly big, one of the biggest countries in the world. Smaller countries are happier and less corrupt. They’re less inclined to throw their weight around militarily, and they’re freer. If there are advantages to bigness, the costs exceed the benefits. Bigness is badness.
Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details) Born in Saskatoon, Buckley (no relation to William F.) imports the Canadian assumption that territorial unions, like political parties, come and go. Canada evolved into independence from Britain over a long, mostly peaceful expanse of time. Newfoundland didn’t join Canada until 1949, and the people of Quebec very nearly voted to secede in 1995.
In the U.S., however, the idea of secession has been off the table since roughly the Battle of Gettysburg. Likewise, the same two parties that led the United States into disaster in the Civil War are still utterly dominant here.
But growing bad blood between the two American parties now makes a territorial split-up seem conceivable once again. After all, the United States occupies a huge expanse of longitude and latitude. Perhaps America is just too big these days for 330 million residents to get along?
In his breezy style, Buckley makes the case that a geographic split, such as that of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992, wouldn’t be so bad, before finally recommending as a compromise the kind of super-federalist “home rule” that Britain granted Canada and that Prime Minister Gladstone wished to offer Ireland in the 1880s.
On the other hand, would any kind of regional division actually cure what currently ails America during the Great Awokening?
For instance, perhaps the worst cause of the recent unhappiness explosion in the U.S. since the Obama reelection campaign revived identity politics in 2012 is the much-exacerbated war between the sexes. But how would secession solve the problem of men and women getting on each other’s nerves? Nobody besides Andrea Dworkin ever thought a single-sex country would solve anything.
Similarly, red and blue American states are divided less by race—while California is now only 36.8 percent white, Texas isn’t far behind at just 41.5 percent white—than by white vs. white animus.
And are Americans most irritated by their fellow Americans whom they encounter in real life, or by those they clash with in cyberspace?
And if they divided up into separate geographic countries, would they then cease taunting each other online? I doubt it: The truth is, it’s fun.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--Turkey Sacrifices Its Own Troops To Protect Al-Qaeda

After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib , Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria – successfully avoiding all mention of the uncomfortable fact that Turkey has been protecting radical terror networks not only in Idlib but across Syria as a whole for years .
During this time , Islamist forces within Turkey favorable to Assad ’ s overthrow have been attempting to play a complex game of geopolitics for which they are totally unqualified .
Turkey in over its head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NATO , Turkey had originally been preparing itself to gain entry into the European Union with the promise of being granted local control across the Middle East as a loyal member of the New World Order .
This ambition for a revived Ottoman Empire made Erdogan an enthusiastic proponent of regime change in the Middle East , and as journalist Eva Bartlett has documented for years , resulted in Turkey ’ s role as supplier of logistics , military hardware , training and monetary support to the various terrorist groups masquerading as anti-Assad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly resulted in Turkey being wiped off the map after shooting down a Russian jet in Syrian airspace on November 24 , 2015 ( the claims that it had flown into Turkish airspace have long been debunked ) , Erdogan began to change his tune first sending a letter of apology to Putin on June 27 , 2016 , whereby it began to change its behaviour dramatically .
For this shift in policy , Turkey was thanked by Washington with a nation-wide coup d ’ etat effort launched by followers of the strange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 This hefty serving of humble pie brought a dose of sanity to Turkey which toned down its pro-regime change rhetoric , opened up diplomatic channels with Syria and Russia , cut down many of its ISIS supporting operations ( especially its role as primary purchaser of oil stolen by ISIS from Syrian oilfields ) , and settled with a more benign role in the region… but not entirely .
Part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia-Syria-Turkey-Iran negotiations in Sochi ) involved Turkey ’ s establishment of 12 military observation posts in Idlib province which increased Turkey ’ s already significant Idlib military installations to 29 .
What they were doing there was never addressed in the western press but in 2017 Brett McGurk , Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition Against ISIL stated at a Middle East Policy forum that “ Idlib province is the largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11.
” In a rare moment of cogency in 2014 even rambling Joe Biden admitted that Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for which he was duly slapped and then apologized ) .
All signs of that sort of honesty have long disappeared from Biden ’ s mind , leaving Tulsi Gabbard as the only presidential figure today who has raised this uncomfortable fact .
In opposition to Ankara ’ s demands that the current anti-terrorist Idlib operation be halted going so far as to threaten war with Russia , Syrian-Russian forces have continued full speed with great success knowing that if this last zone of insurgents is cleansed then all remaining terrorist threats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconstruction can begin .
It isn ’ t a secret that this reconstruction would be guided in large measure by a new partnership with Russia and China in the region which have offered billions of dollars , and engineering assistance for years guided by the Belt and Road Initiative .
The BRI ’ s designs run directly through Iran , Iraq and Syria- all of whom would be transformed by this multi-trillion dollar initiative .

After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib, Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria – successfully avoiding all mention of the uncomfortable fact that Turkey has been protecting radical terror networks not only in Idlib but across Syria as a whole for years.
During this time, Islamist forces within Turkey favorable to Assad’s overthrow have been attempting to play a complex game of geopolitics for which they are totally unqualified.
Turkey in over its head
One of the most wild-card members of NATO, Turkey had originally been preparing itself to gain entry into the European Union with the promise of being granted local control across the Middle East as a loyal member of the New World Order. This ambition for a revived Ottoman Empire made Erdogan an enthusiastic proponent of regime change in the Middle East, and as journalist Eva Bartlett has documented for years, resulted in Turkey’s role as supplier of logistics, military hardware, training and monetary support to the various terrorist groups masquerading as anti-Assad regime freedom fighters.
When this policy nearly resulted in Turkey being wiped off the map after shooting down a Russian jet in Syrian airspace on November 24, 2015 (the claims that it had flown into Turkish airspace have long been debunked), Erdogan began to change his tune first sending a letter of apology to Putin on June 27, 2016, whereby it began to change its behaviour dramatically. For this shift in policy, Turkey was thanked by Washington with a nation-wide coup d’etat effort launched by followers of the strange CIA-asset Fethullah Gülen on July 15, 2016.
This hefty serving of humble pie brought a dose of sanity to Turkey which toned down its pro-regime change rhetoric, opened up diplomatic channels with Syria and Russia, cut down many of its ISIS supporting operations (especially its role as primary purchaser of oil stolen by ISIS from Syrian oilfields), and settled with a more benign role in the region… but not entirely.
Part of the 2017 Astana negotiations (and later Russia-Syria-Turkey-Iran negotiations in Sochi) involved Turkey’s establishment of 12 military observation posts in Idlib province which increased Turkey’s already significant Idlib military installations to 29.
What they were doing there was never addressed in the western press but in 2017 Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition Against ISIL stated at a Middle East Policy forum that “Idlib province is the largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11.” In a rare moment of cogency in 2014 even rambling Joe Biden admitted that Turkey was a major sponsor of ISIS (for which he was duly slapped and then apologized). All signs of that sort of honesty have long disappeared from Biden’s mind, leaving Tulsi Gabbard as the only presidential figure today who has raised this uncomfortable fact.
In opposition to Ankara’s demands that the current anti-terrorist Idlib operation be halted going so far as to threaten war with Russia, Syrian-Russian forces have continued full speed with great success knowing that if this last zone of insurgents is cleansed then all remaining terrorist threats to the region can be properly addressed and reconstruction can begin. It isn’t a secret that this reconstruction would be guided in large measure by a new partnership with Russia and China in the region which have offered billions of dollars, and engineering assistance for years guided by the Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI’s designs run directly through Iran, Iraq and Syria- all of whom would be transformed by this multi-trillion dollar initiative.
Returning to the crisis today
In response to Ankara’s howling threats, Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded by clearly making two points: 1) Turkey has avoided following through on its part of the 2018 Sochi agreement on Idlib which demanded a separation of terrorists from moderates which it entirely failed to do and 2) Turkish military made no effort to convey their location which is odd considering an active military operation was in place. Either way, as Lavrov stated “the Syria Army certainly has [the] full right to retaliate and suppress the terrorists.”
In response to the Turkish deaths, Ankara invoked Article 4 of NATO convening a meeting of all 29 Ambassadors of NATO allies which he hoped would result in a no-fly zone over Idlib and Patriot air defence backing. To increase the pressure, Erdogan even tried to blackmail NATO allies by playing the immigrant card by permitting for the first time in four years an opening of their northern frontier to the millions of Syrian refugees who wish to go to Europe by land and sea. After the 2015-2016 immigration crisis that saw millions of refugees flood into Europe from war-torn nations of Syria and Libya, Turkey agreed to close its northern frontier in resulting in 3.7 million Syrian refugees in camps suffering through cold winters, low sanitation levels and often food scarcity.
Erdogan’s threats didn’t result in his desired outcome as NATO merely released a written message of condemnation of the offensive, but nothing more. To this point, military analyst Scott Ritter commented that “At a time when NATO is focused on confronting Russia in the Baltics, opening a second front against the Russians in Syria is not something the alliance was willing to support at this time.”
It is unknown how Europe will respond to this new onslaught of refugees, but the fact is there isn’t much they can do to turn back Russian and Syrian forces or sabotage the success of the Idlib operation at this point in the game. If European countries wish to get the best results to this long drawn out game, the best thing they could possibly do is accept the flux of immigrants with open arms and ignore Ankara’s cries of indignation. By giving Russia and Syria the space to properly extinguish terrorism from Idlib, the Middle East will come that much closer to genuine stabilization and full reconstruction can begin. This in turn would create a positive dynamic of growth and stability that would usher in a homecoming of Syrian refugees living abroad who would proudly take part in their nations’ rebirth.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--The Fun of Driving Slow, Fast

The Fun of Driving Slow, Fast

There is much to be said about driving a slow car fast .
Or even a slow-by-today ’ s standards car .
I have more fun in the Orange Barchetta – my 1976 Trans-Am – than I have in the new performance cars I get to test drive , many of which have twice or even three times the performance capability .
Because their capability is cosseted .
The tires only slip so much before the traction nanny cuts throttle or applies brakes , keeping you from getting too sideways .
Your line is corrected by stability control .
Anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of something called “ launch control ” – an electronic killjoy which takes the art of the thing entirely out of the thing .
The computer manages everything .
Holds the engine at just the right RPM ; shifts at precisely the right moment .
All you do is push a button and hold the gas pedal to the floor .
I remember trying out the high-speed elevators in the old WTC towers in New York City .
They ’ d vault you up 50 stories in about the time it took to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not nearly as fun as riding a home-built zip line from a tree down to the pond .
You are along for the ride as much as your passengers – and it gets boring because it ’ s all so tediously predictable ; the same thing every time .
Lots of speed – no surprises .
This takes any feeling of accomplishment out of the thing , since anyone can push a button and stand on the gas .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 10.00 Would anyone remember the Red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Baron ?
My Trans-Am ( which is lightly modified ) has about half the horsepower of something like a new Corvette but it feels – and sounds – as though it has twice as much .
The humongous carbureted V8 – 7.5 liters !
– doesn ’ t have a smooth idle .
It lopes threateningly .
The car shakes .
When it ’ s cold out you can see the V8 ’ s heart beating through the twin-splitter dual exhaust in syncopated , slow-motion gattling gun puffs of vapor .
Left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flat tappet camshaft ’ s highly irregular lobe profile .
New performance cars idle smoothly – like a Camry – even the ones with 800 horsepower engines , like the Dodge Hellcat .
They aren ’ t nearly as scary , despite being much faster .
Anyone can drive them fast without loss o control – which is almost like giving every kid a a ribbon no matter who won the game .
My car wards off the fearful .
It is not for everyone .
As performance cars used to be @ @ @ @ @ @

There is much to be said about driving a slow car fast. Or even a slow-by-today’s standards car. I have more fun in the Orange Barchetta – my 1976 Trans-Am – than I have in the new performance cars I get to test drive, many of which have twice or even three times the performance capability.
Because their capability is cosseted.
The tires only slip so much before the traction nanny cuts throttle or applies brakes, keeping you from getting too sideways.
Your line is corrected by stability control.
Anyone can run a perfect quarter mile because of something called “launch control” – an electronic killjoy which takes the art of the thing entirely out of the thing. The computer manages everything. Holds the engine at just the right RPM; shifts at precisely the right moment. All you do is push a button and hold the gas pedal to the floor.

I remember trying out the high-speed elevators in the old WTC towers in New York City. They’d vault you up 50 stories in about the time it took to read this sentence. Extremely fast and not nearly as fun as riding a home-built zip line from a tree down to the pond.
You are along for the ride as much as your passengers – and it gets boring because it’s all so tediously predictable; the same thing every time. Lots of speed – no surprises. This takes any feeling of accomplishment out of the thing, since anyone can push a button and stand on the gas. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
Would anyone remember the Red Baron if anyone could have been the Red Baron?
My Trans-Am (which is lightly modified) has about half the horsepower of something like a new Corvette but it feels – and sounds – as though it has twice as much. The humongous carbureted V8 – 7.5 liters! – doesn’t have a smooth idle. It lopes threateningly. The car shakes. When it’s cold out you can see the V8’s heart beating through the twin-splitter dual exhaust in syncopated, slow-motion gattling gun puffs of vapor. Left, then right – in tune with the flat tappet camshaft’s highly irregular lobe profile.
New performance cars idle smoothly – like a Camry – even the ones with 800 horsepower engines, like the Dodge Hellcat.
They aren’t nearly as scary, despite being much faster.
Anyone can drive them fast without loss o control – which is almost like giving every kid a a ribbon no matter who won the game.
My car wards off the fearful. It is not for everyone. As performance cars used to be.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--Will Joe Kick It Away Again?

Will Joe Kick It Away Again?

A week ago , the candidacy of Joe Biden was at death ’ s door .
On a taping of “ The McLaughlin Group , ” this writer suggested it might be time to “ call the rectory ” and have the monsignor come render last rites .
Today , Biden ’ s candidacy is not only alive .
He is first in votes , victories and delegates , and is favored to win the nomination and , by most polls , to defeat Donald Trump in November .
“ The World Turned Upside Down ” was a song the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown .
That title applies to what happened in the U.S. political world in the five days from Feb. 29 to March 4 .
Going into South Carolina on Feb. 29 , Joe Biden had run a miserable and losing campaign .
The Death of the West : ... Patrick J. Buchanan Best Price : $ 2.12 Buy New $ 12.46 Starting as the odds-on favorite for the nomination , he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses , fifth in New Hampshire and then was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucuses .
His fundraising was anemic .
His debate performances ranged from tolerable to terrible .
On the eve of South Carolina , his proclaimed “ firewall , ” the media conceded he might win but wrote him off as a probable fatality on Super Tuesday when 14 states went to the polls .
Then came South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn ’ s endorsement of Biden , which solidified and energized the African American vote in the Palmetto State and led to a Biden blowout in Saturday ’ s primary .
The nonstop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victory created a momentum that Mike Bloomberg ’ s billions could not buy .
Over that weekend came the withdrawal of Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar and endorsements by both of Biden as the party ’ s best hope against Donald Trump .
Came then Biden ’ s sweep of 10 of the 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday .
Wednesday saw the withdrawal of Bloomberg , who endorsed Biden and pledged his vast fortune to help Joe and the party defeat Trump in November .
Moreover , for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” “ When sorrows come , they come not single spies but in battalions.
” For 10 days , the Dow Jones average has gyrated wildly , wiping out trillions of dollars in wealth , while the coronavirus slowly claimed victims and dominated the world ’ s media .
Predictions of a pandemic , a global economic downturn and a national recession were everywhere .
All in all , a triumphal week for Biden , who racked up 11 state primary victories .
Before last Saturday , he had not won a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But if earlier reports of the demise of Joe Biden were premature , so , too , are today ’ s confident predictions of a Biden sweep this November , marching over the political corpse of Trump and bringing in a Democratic Senate and Democratic House .
As Yogi Berra said , “ It ain ’ t over till it ’ s over.
” Bernie Sanders ’ “ Revolution ” remains unreconciled to a Beltway-Biden restoration , against which many of the Democratic candidates railed before dropping out , including Elizabeth Warren .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last hurrah , must decide whether he wants to go down fighting for his cause or stack arms and march into Biden ’ s camp .
Churchill , Hitler , and ... Patrick J. Buchanan Check Amazon for Pricing .
If Sanders chooses to fight , he can , even in near-certain defeat , be victorious in history if his “ movement ” one day captures the national party as it has captured a plurality of the party ’ s young .
If Sanders goes into the coming debates and forces Biden to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s war in Iraq and for NAFTA and WTO trade concessions to Communist China — he may still be crushed .
But Sanders is a true believer .
And , for such as these , it is better to die on the hill you have lived and fought on than to march into camp to be patted on the head by an establishment that secretly detests you .
Then there is Biden ’ s vulnerability .
He may be hailed by a fickle media as a conquering hero today .
But after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be , for the next eight months , the same candidate he has been for the last eight months .
Here is a description of that candidate by The New York Times the day after his Super Tuesday triumph : “ Any suggestion that Mr. Biden is now a risk-free option would appear to contradict the available evidence .
He is no safer with a microphone , no likelier to complete a thought without exaggeration or bewildering detour .
“ He has not , as a 77-year-old man proudly set in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or management in the 72 hours since the first primary state victory of his three presidential campaigns .
“ Mr .
Biden has blundered this chance before — the establishment front-runner ; the last , best hope for moderates — fumbling his initial 2020 advantages in a hail of disappointing fund-raising , feeble campaign organization and staggering underperformance.
” It ain ’ t over till it ’ s over .
The Best of Patrick J. Buchanan

Shop all books by Pat Buchanan
A week ago, the candidacy of Joe Biden was at death’s door.
On a taping of “The McLaughlin Group,” this writer suggested it might be time to “call the rectory” and have the monsignor come render last rites.
Today, Biden’s candidacy is not only alive. He is first in votes, victories and delegates, and is favored to win the nomination and, by most polls, to defeat Donald Trump in November.
“The World Turned Upside Down” was a song the British army band is said to have played at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. That title applies to what happened in the U.S. political world in the five days from Feb. 29 to March 4.
Going into South Carolina on Feb. 29, Joe Biden had run a miserable and losing campaign. The Death of the West:... Patrick J. Buchanan Best Price: $2.12 Buy New $12.46 (as of 06:40 UTC - Details)
Starting as the odds-on favorite for the nomination, he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses, fifth in New Hampshire and then was routed by Bernie Sanders in the Nevada caucuses. His fundraising was anemic. His debate performances ranged from tolerable to terrible.
On the eve of South Carolina, his proclaimed “firewall,” the media conceded he might win but wrote him off as a probable fatality on Super Tuesday when 14 states went to the polls.
Then came South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden, which solidified and energized the African American vote in the Palmetto State and led to a Biden blowout in Saturday’s primary.
The nonstop free and favorable publicity Biden gained from the victory created a momentum that Mike Bloomberg’s billions could not buy. Over that weekend came the withdrawal of Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar and endorsements by both of Biden as the party’s best hope against Donald Trump.
Came then Biden’s sweep of 10 of the 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday. Wednesday saw the withdrawal of Bloomberg, who endorsed Biden and pledged his vast fortune to help Joe and the party defeat Trump in November.
Moreover, for Trump, as Claudius observed in “Hamlet,” “When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.”
For 10 days, the Dow Jones average has gyrated wildly, wiping out trillions of dollars in wealth, while the coronavirus slowly claimed victims and dominated the world’s media. Predictions of a pandemic, a global economic downturn and a national recession were everywhere.
All in all, a triumphal week for Biden, who racked up 11 state primary victories. Before last Saturday, he had not won a single primary in three presidential campaigns.
But if earlier reports of the demise of Joe Biden were premature, so, too, are today’s confident predictions of a Biden sweep this November, marching over the political corpse of Trump and bringing in a Democratic Senate and Democratic House.
As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Bernie Sanders’ “Revolution” remains unreconciled to a Beltway-Biden restoration, against which many of the Democratic candidates railed before dropping out, including Elizabeth Warren.
Sanders, for whom this is the last hurrah, must decide whether he wants to go down fighting for his cause or stack arms and march into Biden’s camp.
If Sanders chooses to fight, he can, even in near-certain defeat, be victorious in history if his “movement” one day captures the national party as it has captured a plurality of the party’s young.
If Sanders goes into the coming debates and forces Biden to defend his votes — for George Bush’s war in Iraq and for NAFTA and WTO trade concessions to Communist China — he may still be crushed.
But Sanders is a true believer. And, for such as these, it is better to die on the hill you have lived and fought on than to march into camp to be patted on the head by an establishment that secretly detests you.
Then there is Biden’s vulnerability.
He may be hailed by a fickle media as a conquering hero today. But after the cheering stops, Biden is going to be, for the next eight months, the same candidate he has been for the last eight months. Here is a description of that candidate by The New York Times the day after his Super Tuesday triumph:
“Any suggestion that Mr. Biden is now a risk-free option would appear to contradict the available evidence. He is no safer with a microphone, no likelier to complete a thought without exaggeration or bewildering detour.
“He has not, as a 77-year-old man proudly set in his ways, acquired new powers of persuasion or management in the 72 hours since the first primary state victory of his three presidential campaigns.
“Mr. Biden has blundered this chance before — the establishment front-runner; the last, best hope for moderates — fumbling his initial 2020 advantages in a hail of disappointing fund-raising, feeble campaign organization and staggering underperformance.”
It ain’t over till it’s over.
The Best of Patrick J. Buchanan


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--Empires of the Steppes Fuel Erdogan Khan’s Dreams

he latest installment of the interminable Syria tragedy could be interpreted as Greece barely blocking a European “ invasion ” by Syrian refugees .
The invasion was threatened by President Erdogan even as he refused the EU ’ s puny “ offer you can refuse ” bribe of only one billion euros .
Well , it ’ s more complicated than that .
What Erdogan is in fact weaponizing is mostly economic migrants – from Afghanistan to the Sahel – and not Syrian refugees .
Informed observers in Brussels know that interlocking mafias – Iraqi , Afghan , Egyptian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for quite a long time smuggling everyone and his neighbor from the Sahel via Turkey , as the Greek route towards the EU Holy Grail is much safer than the Central Mediterranean .
The EU sending a last-minute emissary to Ankara will yield no new facts on the ground – even as some in Brussels , in bad faith , continue to carp that the one million “ refugees ” trying to leave Idlib could double and that , if Turkey does not open its borders with Syria , there will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All Pea ... Fromkin , David Best Price : $ 4.51 Buy New $ 14.19 Those in Brussels spinning the “ Turkey as victim ” scenario list three conditions for a possible solution .
The first is a ceasefire – which in fact already exists , via the Sochi agreement , and was not respected by Ankara .
The second is a “ political process ” – which , once again , does exist : the Astana process involving Russia , Turkey and Iran .
And the third is “ humanitarian aid ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , a NATO intervention of the Libya “ humanitarian imperialism ” kind .
As it stands , two facts are inescapable .
Number one : the Greek military don ’ t have what it takes to resist , in practice , Ankara ’ s weaponizing of the so-called “ refugees.
” Number two is the kind of stuff that makes NATO fanatics recoil in horror : Since the Ottoman siege of Vienna , this is the first time in four centuries that a “ Muslim invasion ” of Europe is being prevented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This past Sunday , Ankara launched yet another Pentagon-style military adventure , baptized as Spring Shield .
All decisions are centralized by a triumvirate : Erdogan , Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the head of MIT ( Turkish intel ) Hakan Fidan .
John Helmer has memorably called them the SUV ( Sultan and the Ugly Viziers ) .
Behlul Ozkan , from the University of Marmara , a respected Kemalist scholar , frames the whole tragedy as having been played since the 1980s , now back on the stage on a much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so-called Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring in 2011 .
Ozkan charges Erdogan with creating “ conquering troops out of five unlikely fundamentalist groups ” and “ naming the armed groups after Ottoman sultans , ” claiming they are a sort of national salvation army .
But this time , argues Ozkan , the results are much worse – from millions of refugees to the terrible destruction in Syria , and “ the emergence of our political and military structures affecting national security in a dangerous way.
” To say that the Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SUV ’ s shenanigans is the ultimate understatement .
That ’ s the background for the meeting this Thursday in Moscow between Putin and Erdogan .
Methodically , the Russians are disrupting Turk operations to an unsustainable level – ranging from renewed air cover to the Syrian Arab Army to electronic countermeasures totally smashing all Turkish drones .
Russian diplomatic sources confirm that no one in Moscow believes any word , promise or cajoling emanating from Erdogan anymore .
So it ’ s useless to ask him to respect the Sochi agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian side displaying the very picture of self-restraint while scrutinizing Erdogan on how much he is willing to suffer before desisting from his Idlib adventure .
What ghosts from the past evolve in Erdogan ’ s unconscious ?
Let history be our guide – and let ’ s go for a ride among the empires of the steppes .
In the 5th century , the Juan Juan people , proto-Mongols as much as their cousins the White Huns ( who lived in today ’ s Afghanistan ) , were the first to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – afterwards used by the Turks as well as the Mongols .
A vast Eurasian Turco-Mongol linguistic spectrum – studied in detail by crack French experts such as J.P. Roux – evolved via conquering migrations , more or less ephemeral imperial states , and aggregating diverse ethnic groups around rival Turkish or Mongol dynasties .
We can talk about an Eurasian Turk space from Central Asia to the Mediterranean for no less than a millennium and a half – but only , crucially , for 900 years in Asia Minor ( today ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Racket : Origi ... Butler , Smedley D. Best Price : $ 4.72 Buy New $ 3.75 These were highly hierarchical and militarized societies , unstable , but still capable , given the right conditions , such as the emergence of a charismatic personality , to engage in a strong collective project of building political constructions .
So the charismatic Erdogan Khan mindset is not much different from what happened centuries ago .
The first form of this socio-cultural tradition appeared even before the conversion to Islam – which happened after the battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arabs against the Chinese .
But most of all it all crystallized around Central Asia from the 10th and 11th centuries onwards .
Unlike Greece in the Aegean , unlike India or Han China , there was never a central focus in terms of a cultural berth or supreme identity organizing this process .
Today this role in Turkey is played by Anatolia – but that ’ s a 20th century phenomenon .
What history has shown is an east-west Eurasian axis across the steppes , from Central Asia to Anatolia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkmen , then the Ottoman Turks , migrated and progressed , as conquerors , between the 7th and the 17th centuries : a whole millennium building an array of sultanates , emirates and empires .
No wonder the Turkish president pictures himself as Erdogan Khan or Sultan Erdogan .

he latest installment of the interminable Syria tragedy could be interpreted as Greece barely blocking a European “invasion” by Syrian refugees. The invasion was threatened by President Erdogan even as he refused the EU’s puny “offer you can refuse” bribe of only one billion euros.
Well, it’s more complicated than that. What Erdogan is in fact weaponizing is mostly economic migrants – from Afghanistan to the Sahel – and not Syrian refugees.
Informed observers in Brussels know that interlocking mafias – Iraqi, Afghan, Egyptian, Tunisian, Moroccan – have been active for quite a long time smuggling everyone and his neighbor from the Sahel via Turkey, as the Greek route towards the EU Holy Grail is much safer than the Central Mediterranean.
The EU sending a last-minute emissary to Ankara will yield no new facts on the ground – even as some in Brussels, in bad faith, continue to carp that the one million “refugees” trying to leave Idlib could double and that, if Turkey does not open its borders with Syria, there will be a “massacre.”
A Peace to End All Pea... Fromkin, David Best Price: $4.51 Buy New $14.19 (as of 11:15 UTC - Details) Those in Brussels spinning the “Turkey as victim” scenario list three conditions for a possible solution. The first is a ceasefire – which in fact already exists, via the Sochi agreement, and was not respected by Ankara. The second is a “political process” – which, once again, does exist: the Astana process involving Russia, Turkey and Iran. And the third is “humanitarian aid” – a euphemism that means, in fact, a NATO intervention of the Libya “humanitarian imperialism” kind.
As it stands, two facts are inescapable. Number one: the Greek military don’t have what it takes to resist, in practice, Ankara’s weaponizing of the so-called “refugees.”
Number two is the kind of stuff that makes NATO fanatics recoil in horror: Since the Ottoman siege of Vienna, this is the first time in four centuries that a “Muslim invasion” of Europe is being prevented by, who else, Russia.
Fed up with sultan
This past Sunday, Ankara launched yet another Pentagon-style military adventure, baptized as Spring Shield. All decisions are centralized by a triumvirate: Erdogan, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the head of MIT (Turkish intel) Hakan Fidan. John Helmer has memorably called them the SUV (Sultan and the Ugly Viziers).
Behlul Ozkan, from the University of Marmara, a respected Kemalist scholar, frames the whole tragedy as having been played since the 1980s, now back on the stage on a much larger scale since the start of the so-called Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring in 2011.
Ozkan charges Erdogan with creating “conquering troops out of five unlikely fundamentalist groups” and “naming the armed groups after Ottoman sultans,” claiming they are a sort of national salvation army. But this time, argues Ozkan, the results are much worse – from millions of refugees to the terrible destruction in Syria, and “the emergence of our political and military structures affecting national security in a dangerous way.”
To say that the Russian General Staff are absolutely fed up with the SUV’s shenanigans is the ultimate understatement. That’s the background for the meeting this Thursday in Moscow between Putin and Erdogan. Methodically, the Russians are disrupting Turk operations to an unsustainable level – ranging from renewed air cover to the Syrian Arab Army to electronic countermeasures totally smashing all Turkish drones.
Russian diplomatic sources confirm that no one in Moscow believes any word, promise or cajoling emanating from Erdogan anymore. So it’s useless to ask him to respect the Sochi agreement. Imagine a Sun Tzu-style meeting with the Russian side displaying the very picture of self-restraint while scrutinizing Erdogan on how much he is willing to suffer before desisting from his Idlib adventure.
Those non-nonsense proto-Mongols
What ghosts from the past evolve in Erdogan’s unconscious? Let history be our guide – and let’s go for a ride among the empires of the steppes.
In the 5th century, the Juan Juan people, proto-Mongols as much as their cousins the White Huns (who lived in today’s Afghanistan), were the first to give their princes the title of khan – afterwards used by the Turks as well as the Mongols.
A vast Eurasian Turco-Mongol linguistic spectrum – studied in detail by crack French experts such as J.P. Roux – evolved via conquering migrations, more or less ephemeral imperial states, and aggregating diverse ethnic groups around rival Turkish or Mongol dynasties. We can talk about an Eurasian Turk space from Central Asia to the Mediterranean for no less than a millennium and a half – but only, crucially, for 900 years in Asia Minor (today’s Anatolia). War Is A Racket: Origi... Butler, Smedley D. Best Price: $4.72 Buy New $3.75 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details)
These were highly hierarchical and militarized societies, unstable, but still capable, given the right conditions, such as the emergence of a charismatic personality, to engage in a strong collective project of building political constructions. So the charismatic Erdogan Khan mindset is not much different from what happened centuries ago.
The first form of this socio-cultural tradition appeared even before the conversion to Islam – which happened after the battle of Talas in 751, won by the Arabs against the Chinese. But most of all it all crystallized around Central Asia from the 10th and 11th centuries onwards.
Unlike Greece in the Aegean, unlike India or Han China, there was never a central focus in terms of a cultural berth or supreme identity organizing this process. Today this role in Turkey is played by Anatolia – but that’s a 20th century phenomenon.
What history has shown is an east-west Eurasian axis across the steppes, from Central Asia to Anatolia, through which nomad tribes, Turk and Turkmen, then the Ottoman Turks, migrated and progressed, as conquerors, between the 7th and the 17th centuries: a whole millennium building an array of sultanates, emirates and empires. No wonder the Turkish president pictures himself as Erdogan Khan or Sultan Erdogan.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--Peter Schiff: They’re Going To Need a Bigger Rate Cut!

Stop and pause for a moment and think about what just happened .
The Federal Reserve says the US economy is strong , but it just initiated emergency monetary policy last seen during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression .
The Fed cut rates 50 basis points on Tuesday .
It was the first interest rate move between regularly schedule FMOC meetings since the 2008 financial crisis .
The Fed funds rate now stands between 1.0 and 1.25 % .
The decision to cut rates was unanimous .
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out , this kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ when the economic outlook has quickly darkened , as in early 2001 and early 2008 , when the US economy was heading into recession.
” The 50-basis point cut was the first cut of such magnitude since December 2008 .
Pacific Management investment economist Tiffany Wilding called it a “ shock-and-awe approach.
” It may have been shocking , but the results weren ’ t awesome .
How an Economy Grows a ... Schiff , Andrew J .
Best Price : null Buy New $ 10.99 The Dow Jones closed down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The S & P 500 fell 2.81 % .
The Nasdaq experienced a similar drop , closing down 2.99 % .
Meanwhile , gold rallied , quickly pushing back above $ 1,600 and gaining over $ 50 .
Wednesday morning , the yellow metal was knocking on the door of $ 1,650 .
Bond yields sank again as investors continued their retreat into safe-havens .
The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped below 1 % .
In a press conference after the announcement , Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy and chose to act.
” Just the day before , Powell hinted at the possibility of a rate cut while insisting “ The fundamentals of the US economy remain strong .
However , the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity.
” Mises Institute senior editor Ryan McMaken pointed out that Powell ’ s statement sounds an awful lot like John McCain in September 2008 when he said , “ The fundamentals of our economy are strong , but these are very , very difficult times.
” McMaken raises the crucial question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why the need to enact the biggest rate cut in more than a decade ?
And further , “ If the Fed is slashing interest rates while ‘ fundamentals are strong , ’ what must it do when things aren ’ t so ‘ strong ?
’ Negative rates and QE seem to be the logical next step.
” Of course , the Fed has been engaged in QE that it calls “ not QE ” for months already .
In his podcast Tuesday , Peter Schiff put it another way .
Schiff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re going to need a bigger rate cut.
” But Schiff said he doesn ’ t think there ’ s a big enough rate cut to do it .
I think the air is coming out of this bubble .
As I said , the coronavirus was the pin .
At this point , it doesn ’ t matter what happens to the pin .
They could find a cure for the virus .
It doesn ’ t matter .
Once the pin pricks the bubble , doesn ’ t matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters is the air is now coming out of that bubble and that ’ s exactly what ’ s happening.
” The Real Crash : Americ ... Schiff , Peter D. Best Price : null Buy New $ 14.99 From a practical standpoint , it remains unclear how an interest rate cut will solve the potential economic problems associated with coronavirus .
It appears that the move was primarily intended to rescue the financial markets .
This is not unlike the way the Fed moved when stocks started to tank in the fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement , Powell even conceded that rate cuts won ’ t address the specific economic issues raised by the virus .
The real worry for the Fed is that the stock market will pull the economy down with it .
After all , the central bank built the economic “ recovery ” after the 2008 financial crisis on a “ wealth effect.
” Easy money pumped up asset prices and made people feel richer .
If that wealth effect unwinds , the underlying economy will likely unwind with it .
Schiff said another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in the economy going into the next recession .
Normally , during an expanding economy , people pay down debt .
But over the last decade , Americans have piled on debt .
The federal government is running trillion-dollar deficits .
Consumer debt is at record levels .
Rising levels of corporate debt have even set off warning bells at the Fed .
The Fed simply doesn ’ t have the bullets in its arsenal to fight a deep recession .
That ’ s why it is firing them know , hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the best-case scenario is that they buy some time .
To do that , they ’ re going to need bigger rate cuts .

Stop and pause for a moment and think about what just happened. The Federal Reserve says the US economy is strong, but it just initiated emergency monetary policy last seen during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Something doesn’t add up.
The Fed cut rates 50 basis points on Tuesday. It was the first interest rate move between regularly schedule FMOC meetings since the 2008 financial crisis. The Fed funds rate now stands between 1.0 and 1.25%.
The decision to cut rates was unanimous.
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, this kind of Federal Reserve move has been reserved for “when the economic outlook has quickly darkened, as in early 2001 and early 2008, when the US economy was heading into recession.” The 50-basis point cut was the first cut of such magnitude since December 2008. Pacific Management investment economist Tiffany Wilding called it a “shock-and-awe approach.”
It may have been shocking, but the results weren’t awesome. How an Economy Grows a... Schiff, Andrew J. Buy New $10.99 (as of 12:20 UTC - Details)
Stocks tanked anyway.
The Dow Jones closed down 785.91 points, a 2.94% plunge. The S&P 500 fell 2.81%. The Nasdaq experienced a similar drop, closing down 2.99%.
Meanwhile, gold rallied, quickly pushing back above $1,600 and gaining over $50. Wednesday morning, the yellow metal was knocking on the door of $1,650.
Bond yields sank again as investors continued their retreat into safe-havens. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped below 1%.
In a press conference after the announcement, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank “saw a risk to the economy and chose to act.”
“The magnitude and persistence of the overall effect on the US economy remain highly uncertain and the situation remains a fluid one. Against this background, the committee judged that the risks to the US outlook have changed materially. In response, we have eased the stance of monetary policy to provide some more support to the economy.”
Just the day before, Powell hinted at the possibility of a rate cut while insisting “The fundamentals of the US economy remain strong. However, the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity.”
Mises Institute senior editor Ryan McMaken pointed out that Powell’s statement sounds an awful lot like John McCain in September 2008 when he said, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times.”
McMaken raises the crucial question: If fundamentals are so strong, why the need to enact the biggest rate cut in more than a decade?
And further, “If the Fed is slashing interest rates while ‘fundamentals are strong,’ what must it do when things aren’t so ‘strong?’ Negative rates and QE seem to be the logical next step.”
Of course, the Fed has been engaged in QE that it calls “not QE” for months already.
In his podcast Tuesday, Peter Schiff put it another way.
You shoot your bullets at Super Man and they bounce off his chest; then what do you do?”
Schiff said his first reaction was, “They’re going to need a bigger rate cut.”
Just like the guy from Jaws, ‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat to catch this shark,’ the Fed is going to need a much bigger rate cut if they want to stop this bear market.”

But Schiff said he doesn’t think there’s a big enough rate cut to do it.
I think the air is coming out of this bubble. As I said, the coronavirus was the pin. At this point, it doesn’t matter what happens to the pin. They could find a cure for the virus. It doesn’t matter. Once the pin pricks the bubble, doesn’t matter what happens to the pin. What matters is the air is now coming out of that bubble and that’s exactly what’s happening.” The Real Crash: Americ... Schiff, Peter D. Buy New $14.99 (as of 11:05 UTC - Details)
From a practical standpoint, it remains unclear how an interest rate cut will solve the potential economic problems associated with coronavirus. It appears that the move was primarily intended to rescue the financial markets. This is not unlike the way the Fed moved when stocks started to tank in the fall of 2008. In a rather convoluted statement, Powell even conceded that rate cuts won’t address the specific economic issues raised by the virus.
A rate cut will not reduce the rate of infection. It won’t fix a broken supply chain. We get that. But we do believe that our action will provide a meaningful boost to the economy.”
The real worry for the Fed is that the stock market will pull the economy down with it. After all, the central bank built the economic “recovery” after the 2008 financial crisis on a “wealth effect.” Easy money pumped up asset prices and made people feel richer. If that wealth effect unwinds, the underlying economy will likely unwind with it.
Schiff said another concern is the amount of debt built up in the economy going into the next recession. Normally, during an expanding economy, people pay down debt. But over the last decade, Americans have piled on debt. The federal government is running trillion-dollar deficits. Consumer debt is at record levels. Rising levels of corporate debt have even set off warning bells at the Fed.
So, if we have another economic downturn, that debt is a much bigger problem than its ever been in other recessions. It’s likely going to cause a worse financial crisis than the one we had in 2008. And so to try to keep that from happening, the Fed is cutting rates, because it wants to make it easier for people who have debt to service that debt. And it also wants to delay the recession it knows we can’t survive.”
The Fed simply doesn’t have the bullets in its arsenal to fight a deep recession. That’s why it is firing them know, hoping to hold it off. But Schiff said the best-case scenario is that they buy some time. To do that, they’re going to need bigger rate cuts.
Reprinted with permission from SchiffGold.com.


lewrockwell--2020-03-06--Leading Harvard Doctor Says Coronavirus is Not as Deadly as Feared

A leading Harvard doctor has claimed that coronavirus isn ’ t anywhere near as fatal as people fear , saying the real death rate is less than 1 percent – far lower than the World Health Organization ’ s alarming figures of 3.4 percent .
Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust , emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women ’ s Hospital in Boston , and an instructor at Harvard Medical School , said people should not be anxious about the outbreak and stop hoarding food and masks in preparations to self-isolate , in a post he penned for Slate .
Initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who get the disease will die , similar to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which wiped out over 50 million people worldwide .
The World Health Organization has upped the figure further to 3.4 percent .
The Prepperu2019s Blue ... Tess Pennington Best Price : $ 11.98 Buy New $ 18.98 While directors of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given a lower rate of 1 percent .
However , Faust said that the real case fatality rate , known as CFR , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports .
He said that looking at the Diamond Princess ship gives a better indication of how fatal the disease is than global statistics , because it provided a controlled environment to study how the disease spread .
‘ A quarantined boat is an ideal—if unfortunate—natural laboratory to study a virus .
Many variables normally impossible to control are controlled , ’ wrote Faust .
‘ We know that all but one patient boarded the boat without the virus .
We know that the other passengers were healthy enough to travel .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 705 passengers out of the 3,711 on board the boat caught coronavirus .
More than half did not show any symptoms or signs of illness .
Six people from the boat have died , giving a death rate of 0.85 percent , Faust said .
However , he added that not a single death among passengers has been in a person under 70 , showing the rate is lower still in younger cases .

Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust, emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, said people should not be anxious about the outbreak
A leading Harvard doctor has claimed that coronavirus isn’t anywhere near as fatal as people fear, saying the real death rate is less than 1 percent - far lower than the World Health Organization’s alarming figures of 3.4 percent.
Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust, emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, said people should not be anxious about the outbreak and stop hoarding food and masks in preparations to self-isolate, in a post he penned for Slate.
Initial reports suggested about two to three percent of people who get the disease will die, similar to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which wiped out over 50 million people worldwide.
The World Health Organization has upped the figure further to 3.4 percent.
While directors of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given a lower rate of 1 percent.
However, Faust said that the real case fatality rate, known as CFR, is actually lower than each of these reports.
He said that looking at the Diamond Princess ship gives a better indication of how fatal the disease is than global statistics, because it provided a controlled environment to study how the disease spread.
‘A quarantined boat is an ideal—if unfortunate—natural laboratory to study a virus. Many variables normally impossible to control are controlled,’ wrote Faust.
The doctor slammed the ‘frightening numbers’ for the global death rate of coronavirus which are not only conflicting, but massively overstate the risk to people
‘We know that all but one patient boarded the boat without the virus. We know that the other passengers were healthy enough to travel. We know their whereabouts and exposures.’
Around 705 passengers out of the 3,711 on board the boat caught coronavirus.
More than half did not show any symptoms or signs of illness.
Six people from the boat have died, giving a death rate of 0.85 percent, Faust said.
However, he added that not a single death among passengers has been in a person under 70, showing the rate is lower still in younger cases.
Faust said that looking at the doomed cruise ship, which became a hotbed for the infection, provides more realistic figures of how fatal contracting the disease is. Around 705 passengers out of the 3,711 on board the boat caught coronavirus but only six have died, giving a death rate of 0.85 percent
‘The data from the Diamond Princess suggest an eightfold lower mortality amongst patients older than 70 and threefold lower mortality in patients over 80 compared to what was reported in China initially,’ he wrote.
‘But even those numbers, 1.1 percent and 4.9 percent respectively, are concerning. But there’s another thing that’s worth remembering: These patients were likely exposed repeatedly to concentrated viral loads (which can cause worse illness). Some treatments were delayed. So even the lower CFR found on the Diamond Princess could have been even lower, with proper protocols.’
He also cast doubt on the death toll in China, saying it is impossible to know how many people in China were already ill before being infected with the virus – and how many actually died of coronavirus and not a similar illness.
He also pointed out that 25,000 people die in China every day, while just 25 coronavirus deaths have been reported per day in the country at the height of the outbreak.
The doctor slammed the ‘frightening numbers’ which he said are not only conflicting, but massively overstate the risk to people.
People are pictured wearing masks in New York on Tuesday. Faust also goes on to raise doubts over the death toll reported from China. He said it is impossible to know how many people in China were already ill before being infected with the virus – and how many actually died of coronavirus and not a similar illness
A woman wears a protective mask at a local market on Wednesday in Beijing. Faust points out that 25,000 people die in China every day, a high proportion of which is due to respiratory diseases which show symptoms similar to coronavirus
He pointed out that 25,000 people die in China every day, a high proportion of which is due to respiratory diseases which show symptoms similar to coronavirus.
Figures from China show that just 25 of the typical 25,000 daily deaths were from coronavirus at the peak of the outbreak and many of the deaths were of individuals in the same age groups and in the same areas where the deaths from respiratory diseases was already high.
‘Most were older patients in whom the chronic diseases listed above are prevalent. Most deaths occurred in Hubei province, an area in which lung cancer and emphysema/COPD are significantly higher than national averages in China, a country where half of all men smoke,’ wrote Faust.
‘How were doctors supposed to sort out which of those 25 out of 25,000 daily deaths were solely due to coronavirus, and which were more complicated?’
Coronavirus is ‘a relatively benign disease’ for young people and, though it is dangerous for the elderly and chronically ill, the dangers are far lower than people think, Faust said.
Faust’s claims may provide welcome relief as fears over coronavirus have been spreading faster than the disease itself.
Eleven people have now died from coronavirus in the US and the number of confirmed cases has soared to more than 150.
Ten of the deaths have occurred in Washington state while California recorded its first death on Wednesday, among an elderly patient with underlying health conditions who is thought to have been exposed on a cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico in early February.
At least six of the 10 deaths in Washington are linked to the senior living facility, Life Care Center, near Seattle, where most residents are elderly or have chronic conditions.
Faust said the heightened risk for old people means the priority should be protecting these people.
People are pictured stockpiling supplies in a store in Los Angeles last week. Eleven people have now died from coronavirus in the US and the number of confirmed cases has soared to more than 150
Instead of stockpiling food, Faust said the public should be helping the elderly and infirm
Shelves where disinfectant wipes are usually displayed are nearly empty at a Target store in Novato, California on Monday. Sales of hand sanitizers alone were up 73 percent in the four weeks ending February 22 compared to the same period a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen
He encouraged the public to focus on nursing homes and hospitals, where the old and ill reside rather than places like schools where healthy individuals are far more likely to survive.
Instead of stockpiling food, he said the public should be helping the elderly and infirm.
His comments come as panic buying across the US has ramped up in recent weeks, with anxious shoppers loading up on essential items such as bottled water, toilet paper, disinfectant, tinned food and cleaning products to prepare for the possibility of having to self-isolate.
Sales of hand sanitizers alone were up 73 percent in the four weeks ending February 22 compared to the same period a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen.
Most if not all pharmacies and supermarkets have been out of face masks for more than a month, with little hope of restocking anytime soon as the US faces a shortage.
However, while hand sanitizer and face masks are flying off the shelves, Faust also warns that these are not effective in curbing the spread of the disease.
He wrote: ‘(Yes, just wash your hands).’


lewrockwell--2020-03-07--President Trump: End This Stupid War Now!

After 19 years of war , over $ 1 trillion in spending , 2,400 dead and a torrent of lies , the US may now be facing an end to its longest war .
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 .
There were three reasons : 1. to cover up the humiliation of the tough-talking Bush administration for being caught sleeping on guard duty by the 9/11 attacks ; 2 .
To secure oil pipeline routes through Afghanistan from Central Asia down to Pakistan ’ s sea coast ; and 3 .
To occupy a supposedly empty square on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2001 , hardly a word of truth about Afghanistan has come out of Washington .
All wars are accompanied by a bodyguard of lies , as Churchill wrote , but the lies and propaganda about Afghanistan were extraordinary and shameful .
Chief among the lies : Osama bin Laden was the architect of the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 Americans and that the plot was hatched in Afghanistan with the help of the Taliban movement .
In fact , the plot was hatched in Germany and Spain by Saudi exiles , not Afghans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their nation and exploiting its riches .
American Raj : Liberati ... Eric Margolis Best Price : $ 4.99 Buy New $ 10.00 Faked videos were shown on US TV to implicate bin Laden .
He applauded the attacks after the fact , saying they were revenge for Israel ’ s destruction in large part of Beirut in 1982 .
The so-called ‘ terrorist training camps ’ in Afghanistan cited as a reason for the US invasion were actually camps run by Pakistan ’ s intelligence service , an ally of the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Indian rule in Kashmir .
I know this because I toured some of the camps .
General Hamid Gul , the head of ISI , Pakistan ’ s crack intelligence service , briefed me on this operation .
Pakistan ’ s former president , Pervez Musharraf , told me the US had threatened to ‘ bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age ’ if it did not allow the US to wage war against Afghanistan from Pakistani territory .
Al-Qaeda ’ s founder , Sheikh Abdullah Azzam , told me ` after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will go on to liberate Saudi Arabia from American rule.
’ He was assassinated soon after .
To this day , what ’ s left of al-Qaeda remains an anti-imperialist movement .
In recent years , al-Qaeda and Taliban have become bitter enemies .
Taliban agreed in recent talks never to shelter al-Qaeda or the more recent , Islamic State movement .
It originally sheltered bin Laden only because he was a hero of the anti-Communist struggle and an honored guest .
Taliban offered to hand bin Laden to an impartial court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Iraq ’ s leader , Saddam Hussein , was a serious enemy of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden .
Yet the Bush administration lied that Iraq was somehow behind 9/11 to justify invading and grabbing its oil riches .
Most Americans believed this falsehood promoted by Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney .
[ War at the Top of th ... Eric S Margolis Check Amazon for Pricing .
I was in Afghanistan and Pakistan when Taliban was formed .
Far from being a ‘ terrorist ’ movement , as the Americans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was created by a village preacher , Mullah Omar , to protect caravans from bandits during the Afghan civil war of the early 1990 ’ s , and to protect women from mass rape .
When Taliban took Kabul , it crushed the drug trade and restored order with an iron fist .
America ’ s main ally in Afghanistan , the Communist dominated Tajik Northern Alliance , was put into power in Kabul and quickly restored the opium trade .
Today , US Afghan allies control almost all the drug trade which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Three US presidents claim they tried to end the Afghan War – but failed .
Why ?
Intense opposition from the war party , military industrial complex , and the neocons .
$ 1 trillion is huge business .
Many war suppliers grew rich on this conflict ; imperial generals got promotions and new commands .
Politicians loved to orate against so-called ‘ terrorism ’ and call for more war .
The costs of the Afghan War were buried in the national debt , to be repaid by coming generations .
None @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to the deep state .
President Donald Trump claims he will shut down the Afghan War , which he properly termed , ‘ stupid.
’ But can he ?
It will be so easy to sabotage the fragile cease-fire agreement just signed in Qatar .
The Afghan drug lords have already started fire fights .
US generals and conservatives quail at the prospect of being charged with losing this war .
The best way to end a war is to end it .
Declare victory , bring the troops home , cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Best of Eric S. Margolis

Special to LewRockwell.com
After 19 years of war, over $1 trillion in spending, 2,400 dead and a torrent of lies, the US may now be facing an end to its longest war.
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001. There were three reasons: 1. to cover up the humiliation of the tough-talking Bush administration for being caught sleeping on guard duty by the 9/11 attacks; 2. To secure oil pipeline routes through Afghanistan from Central Asia down to Pakistan’s sea coast; and 3. To occupy a supposedly empty square on the Asian chessboard before China did.
Since 2001, hardly a word of truth about Afghanistan has come out of Washington. All wars are accompanied by a bodyguard of lies, as Churchill wrote, but the lies and propaganda about Afghanistan were extraordinary and shameful.
Chief among the lies: Osama bin Laden was the architect of the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 Americans and that the plot was hatched in Afghanistan with the help of the Taliban movement. In fact, the plot was hatched in Germany and Spain by Saudi exiles, not Afghans, who claimed the US was occupying their nation and exploiting its riches. American Raj: Liberati... Eric Margolis Best Price: $4.99 Buy New $10.00 (as of 05:35 UTC - Details)
Faked videos were shown on US TV to implicate bin Laden. He applauded the attacks after the fact, saying they were revenge for Israel’s destruction in large part of Beirut in 1982.
The so-called ‘terrorist training camps’ in Afghanistan cited as a reason for the US invasion were actually camps run by Pakistan’s intelligence service, an ally of the US, to train insurgent guerrillas for action against Indian rule in Kashmir. I know this because I toured some of the camps. General Hamid Gul, the head of ISI, Pakistan’s crack intelligence service, briefed me on this operation.
Pakistan’s former president, Pervez Musharraf, told me the US had threatened to ‘bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age’ if it did not allow the US to wage war against Afghanistan from Pakistani territory.
Al-Qaeda’s founder, Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, told me `after defeating the communists in Afghanistan, we will go on to liberate Saudi Arabia from American rule.’ He was assassinated soon after.
To this day, what’s left of al-Qaeda remains an anti-imperialist movement. In recent years, al-Qaeda and Taliban have become bitter enemies. Taliban agreed in recent talks never to shelter al-Qaeda or the more recent, Islamic State movement. It originally sheltered bin Laden only because he was a hero of the anti-Communist struggle and an honored guest. Taliban offered to hand bin Laden to an impartial court. The US refused and quickly invaded Afghanistan.
Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, was a serious enemy of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Yet the Bush administration lied that Iraq was somehow behind 9/11 to justify invading and grabbing its oil riches. Most Americans believed this falsehood promoted by Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney.
[ War at the Top of th... Eric S Margolis Check Amazon for Pricing. I was in Afghanistan and Pakistan when Taliban was formed. Far from being a ‘terrorist’ movement, as the Americans and their Afghan communist allies claimed, Taliban was created by a village preacher, Mullah Omar, to protect caravans from bandits during the Afghan civil war of the early 1990’s, and to protect women from mass rape. When Taliban took Kabul, it crushed the drug trade and restored order with an iron fist.
America’s main ally in Afghanistan, the Communist dominated Tajik Northern Alliance, was put into power in Kabul and quickly restored the opium trade. Today, US Afghan allies control almost all the drug trade which props up the puppet government in Kabul.
Three US presidents claim they tried to end the Afghan War – but failed. Why? Intense opposition from the war party, military industrial complex, and the neocons. $1 trillion is huge business. Many war suppliers grew rich on this conflict; imperial generals got promotions and new commands. Politicians loved to orate against so-called ‘terrorism’ and call for more war. The costs of the Afghan War were buried in the national debt, to be repaid by coming generations.
None of the presidents were able to stand up to the deep state. President Donald Trump claims he will shut down the Afghan War, which he properly termed, ‘stupid.’ But can he?
It will be so easy to sabotage the fragile cease-fire agreement just signed in Qatar. The Afghan drug lords have already started fire fights. US generals and conservatives quail at the prospect of being charged with losing this war.
The best way to end a war is to end it. Declare victory, bring the troops home, cut off the dollars and ammo and leave.
The Best of Eric S. Margolis


lewrockwell--2020-03-07--Insights of a Gifted Mind

Insights of a Gifted Mind

Hans Hoppe gave an in-depth interview to Jeff Deist at the Mises Institute .
The entire interview is worth a read , as it covers a wide variety of topics – from Hoppe ’ s personal history to some of his most controversial writing .
In this post I will cover some of the topics that are – and have been – of interest to me in my writing .
Suffice it to say , I truly admire the work that Hoppe has done .
This began well before I started this blog , but only grew when I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way that I challenged left-libertarians .
I can truly say that taking up this challenge has offered to me one of the handful of meaningful paths that have brought me to my current thought .
With that , let ’ s begin .
Hoppe begins with a look back at his childhood , a child of refugees from East Germany , having fled the Soviet darkness : Orderly and Humane : Th ... Douglas , R. M. Best Price : $ 16.74 Buy New $ 20.61 Germans living in the east at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to one of the most brutal forced expulsions in history , with as many as fourteen million forced from their homes and one million killed .
I have examined this history via a book by R.M .
Douglas , Orderly and Humane : The Expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War .
I cover this history with these several posts : Germans , at Nuremberg , were subjected to trials that made the Soviets proud ; Germans were thereafter forced – by law – a to accept a historical narrative of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the war ; they were thereafter required to reiterate this fiction as a condition for re-unification .
Truth doesn ’ t need law to defend it ; when laws are used to protect against speech or inquiry , it is safe to assume that the laws defend lies .
When you find law defending a narrative , it is only proper to believe the exact opposite .
It was into just such a world where Hoppe was born .
The next topic of note from the interview is that of the role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West and in the development of the liberty – to the extent we have it – that we enjoy .
It can not be denied that it is in the Christian West where “ the idea of natural human rights and human freedom , ” as Hoppe puts it , was fully developed .
Without this notion that all men are made in God ’ s image , on what basis could institutions like slavery be properly abolished ?
This is not to suggest that all men are created equal – not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used today .
I first came across this idea in Fritz Kern ’ s , Kingship and Law in the Middle Ages .
I have written about this book in the following posts : Kingship and Law in th ... Fritz Kern , S.B .
Chrim ... Best Price : $ 46.01 Buy New $ 50.00 I have further developed this history in several other posts too numerous to list here .
The Church and the king were competing authorities , neither fully sovereign and each providing a check upon the other .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspects of Hoppe ’ s work , regarding Hoppe ’ s views about physically removing those who have goals and lifestyles that would destroy a libertarian social order : I am certain that this was the intent of the individual who first challenged me to challenge Hoppe ; if I ever come across this individual , I will truly thank him for starting me on this aspect of my journey .
Yes .
Such examples – at least at this moment in time – are not considered scandalous by today ’ s standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more so when it is the view taken by those who otherwise might be considered philosophical allies .
Walter Block is , unfortunately , one of these .
I have addressed this issue in the past , where Block ( and other critics of Hoppe ’ s view ) ignore the conditions set by Hoppe in his example where he explicitly writes : What is so complicated about “ my property , my rules ” ?
In any case , Block now offers a more recent example , addressing Hoppe ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community : I don ’ t even know what this objection means or how it applies to Hoppe ’ s example .
Hoppe was explicit about the “ society ” from which such people must be expelled , he was not writing about “ society as a whole , ” whatever that means – the world , the hemisphere , the continent ?
Are they to be sent to the moon ?
Not according to Hoppe .
In any case , in my earlier post I addressed all of this – and shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no more , other than it would be good if this mischaracterization by those who consider themselves allies with Hoppe would stop .
Next is the highly controversial ( within libertarian circles and almost nowhere else ) issue of immigration and open-borders .
I have written dozens of posts examining this question ( look for the word immigration or borders on this page for a sampling ) .
Hoppe offers the most libertarian view , yet is demonized as a xenophobe .
To begin , what Hoppe says about “ immigration ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be denied by any libertarian : In a world of private property , borders would be “ managed , ” not “ open.
” This is so obvious on its face that it is mind-boggling that libertarians don ’ t get it .
Is it not up to the property owner – whether a private home or business – to decide the entrance requirements for those whishing to enter ?
Would libertarians require , by force , open borders to private property ?
Would libertarians support forcing others to pay the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ( or community ) of fully private property , would this not be the case ?
Yet , since we do not live in a world of complete private property , what would be the most libertarian position in our world , a world of state borders ?
What “ policy ” would come closest to mimicking this perfectly libertarian policy ?
I have written of this policy : it would be one of invitation , where the one doing the inviting would take on any liability generated by the one invited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liable for any crimes committed .
Of course , in practice , immigrants don ’ t go to such places .
Yet , the proper objection is even more fundamental : Every square inch of government-controlled land has been “ improved , ” to a more or less degree , by the government using money appropriated from the taxpayer .
Libertarian theory would hold , unequivocally , that it is the taxpayer who is the rightful owner of the government-controlled property .
It was the stolen property from the taxpayer that paid for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires a return of stolen property to its rightful owner .
In other words , there is no unowned wilderness lands .
From these realities ( private property is managed , not open ; there is no unowned wilderness ) , proper libertarian conclusions can be reached regarding immigration and borders in a world of state-controlled property .
Finally , regarding Hoppe ’ s argumentation ethics .
The presuppositions of Hoppe ’ s position are as follows : Hoppe does not see this as replacing the natural law argument for liberty ; it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not hold to a natural law , objective value in ethics : I have read and considered Hoppe ’ s argumentation ethics in the past , including arguments for and against by others ; I don ’ t recall ever coming across a more concise and clearly worded explanation of its purpose .
He does not view it as a replacement for natural law ; it is a complement for those who will deny an objective natural law .
In other words , it is an answer for the ethical relativist .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I thank Jeff Deist and the Mises Institute for bringing it to us ; I especially thank Hans Hoppe for sharing his time with us .
The Best of Bionic Mosquito

Hans Hoppe gave an in-depth interview to Jeff Deist at the Mises Institute. The entire interview is worth a read, as it covers a wide variety of topics – from Hoppe’s personal history to some of his most controversial writing. In this post I will cover some of the topics that are – and have been – of interest to me in my writing.
Suffice it to say, I truly admire the work that Hoppe has done. This began well before I started this blog, but only grew when I was challenged to challenge Hoppe in the same way that I challenged left-libertarians. I can truly say that taking up this challenge has offered to me one of the handful of meaningful paths that have brought me to my current thought.
With that, let’s begin. Hoppe begins with a look back at his childhood, a child of refugees from East Germany, having fled the Soviet darkness:
Germany had lost a devastating war, and the German population was subjected to a systematic, American-led reeducation campaign, a Charakterwaesche (character-wash), as I was to realize only many years later, of truly enormous proportions, which involved a complete rewriting of history from the victor’s viewpoint, essentially portraying Germans as congenital villains.
Orderly and Humane: Th... Douglas, R. M. Best Price: $16.74 Buy New $20.61 (as of 09:17 UTC - Details) Germans living in the east at the end of World War Two were subject to one of the most brutal forced expulsions in history, with as many as fourteen million forced from their homes and one million killed. I have examined this history via a book by R.M. Douglas, Orderly and Humane: The Expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War. I cover this history with these several posts:
Germans, at Nuremberg, were subjected to trials that made the Soviets proud; Germans were thereafter forced – by law – a to accept a historical narrative of total, complete, and unique guilt for the war; they were thereafter required to reiterate this fiction as a condition for re-unification.
Truth doesn’t need law to defend it; when laws are used to protect against speech or inquiry, it is safe to assume that the laws defend lies. When you find law defending a narrative, it is only proper to believe the exact opposite. It was into just such a world where Hoppe was born.
The next topic of note from the interview is that of the role of Christianity in the development of the West and in the development of the liberty – to the extent we have it – that we enjoy. It cannot be denied that it is in the Christian West where “the idea of natural human rights and human freedom,” as Hoppe puts it, was fully developed.
The Christian notion that each person is created in the image of God contributed to the uniquely Western tradition of individualism and was instrumental in abolishing, at long last, the institution of slavery within the Christian orbit (all the while it lingered on outside the West, even until today).
Without this notion that all men are made in God’s image, on what basis could institutions like slavery be properly abolished? This is not to suggest that all men are created equal – not in any egalitarian sense that the word is used today.
And the institutional separation and jealous competition for social recognition and authority in the West between the Christian church and its hierarchy of popes, cardinals, bishops, and priests, on the one hand, and all worldly power with its hierarchy of emperors, kings, nobles, and heads of households on the other contributed greatly to the uniquely Western tradition of limited (as opposed to absolutist) government.
I first came across this idea in Fritz Kern’s, Kingship and Law in the Middle Ages. I have written about this book in the following posts:
Kingship and Law in th... Fritz Kern, S.B. Chrim... Best Price: $46.01 Buy New $50.00 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details) I have further developed this history in several other posts too numerous to list here. The Church and the king were competing authorities, neither fully sovereign and each providing a check upon the other.
Now for one of the more controversial aspects of Hoppe’s work, regarding Hoppe’s views about physically removing those who have goals and lifestyles that would destroy a libertarian social order:
This harks back to your earlier question concerning Hoppephobia. The whole affair, most likely initiated by one of the usual left-libertarian suspects from the DC beltway, was a deliberate attempt to smear and malign me personally and with that also the program of a realistic or right-libertarianism first outlined in the book.
I am certain that this was the intent of the individual who first challenged me to challenge Hoppe; if I ever come across this individual, I will truly thank him for starting me on this aspect of my journey.
Essentially, I did not say anything more controversial or scandalous in the short passage than that anyone insisting on wearing a bathing suit on a nude beach may be expelled from this beach (but be free to look for another one), just as anyone insisting on nudity may be expelled from a formal dinner party (but be free to look for another party).
Yes. Such examples – at least at this moment in time – are not considered scandalous by today’s standards of wokesterism.
In my example, however, it was not nudes but homosexuals that figured. I wrote that in a covenant established for the purpose of protecting family and kin, people openly displaying and habitually promoting homosexuality may be expelled and compelled to look for another place to live. But in some “woke” circles, mentioning homosexuality and expulsion in one and the same sentence apparently leads to intellectual blank-out and a loss of all reading comprehension.
This is unfortunate, and more so when it is the view taken by those who otherwise might be considered philosophical allies. Walter Block is, unfortunately, one of these. I have addressed this issue in the past, where Block (and other critics of Hoppe’s view) ignore the conditions set by Hoppe in his example where he explicitly writes:
In a covenant concluded among proprietor and community tenants for the purpose of protecting their private property…. Likewise, in a covenant founded for the purpose of protecting family and kin…
What is so complicated about “my property, my rules”? In any case, Block now offers a more recent example, addressing Hoppe’s supposedly anti-libertarian view on private property and community:
To wit, he should have written here removal from a condo, or from a voluntary association, or from a club, not from “society” as a whole
I don’t even know what this objection means or how it applies to Hoppe’s example. Hoppe was explicit about the “society” from which such people must be expelled, he was not writing about “society as a whole,” whatever that means – the world, the hemisphere, the continent? Are they to be sent to the moon? Not according to Hoppe.
In any case, in my earlier post I addressed all of this – and shared it with Block. I need say no more, other than it would be good if this mischaracterization by those who consider themselves allies with Hoppe would stop.
Next is the highly controversial (within libertarian circles and almost nowhere else) issue of immigration and open-borders. I have written dozens of posts examining this question (look for the word immigration or borders on this page for a sampling). Hoppe offers the most libertarian view, yet is demonized as a xenophobe. To begin, what Hoppe says about “immigration” in a completely private property order cannot be denied by any libertarian:
Ideally, with all pieces of land and everything on them privately owned, there would be a huge variety of entrance requirements, i.e., of degrees, respectively, of openness and closedness. …all migration would be by invitation and invariably the full cost principle would apply.
In a world of private property, borders would be “managed,” not “open.” This is so obvious on its face that it is mind-boggling that libertarians don’t get it.
Is it not up to the property owner – whether a private home or business – to decide the entrance requirements for those whishing to enter? Would libertarians require, by force, open borders to private property? Would libertarians support forcing others to pay the cost of such access? Laughable.
Either the inviting host or the invited guest or both jointly would have to pay the full cost associated with the guest’s presence. No cost could be shifted and externalized onto third parties, and the inviter and/or invitee would be held liable for any and all damage resulting from the invitation to the property of others.
In a world (or community) of fully private property, would this not be the case? Yet, since we do not live in a world of complete private property, what would be the most libertarian position in our world, a world of state borders? What “policy” would come closest to mimicking this perfectly libertarian policy?
If and as long as there is a state with so-called public property in place, as happens to be the case in today’s world, then the best one may hope for is an immigration policy that tries to approach this ideal of a natural order.
I have written of this policy: it would be one of invitation, where the one doing the inviting would take on any liability generated by the one invited – up to and including being held liable for any crimes committed.
Further…
…in today’s world the sometimes mentioned “wilderness” of mountaintops, swamps, tundra, etc., is no longer truly wild and thus ready to be homesteaded.
Of course, in practice, immigrants don’t go to such places. Yet, the proper objection is even more fundamental:
There is no inch left on earth today that is not claimed to be the “property” of some government. Whatever wilderness there is, then, it is wilderness that has been barred and prevented by some government, i.e., with taxpayer funds, from being homesteaded by private parties (most likely by neighboring property owners). If anyone, it is domestic taxpayers who are the legitimate owners of such wilderness.
Every square inch of government-controlled land has been “improved,” to a more or less degree, by the government using money appropriated from the taxpayer. Libertarian theory would hold, unequivocally, that it is the taxpayer who is the rightful owner of the government-controlled property.
It was the stolen property from the taxpayer that paid for the improvements of government-controlled property. Justice requires a return of stolen property to its rightful owner. In other words, there is no unowned wilderness lands.
From these realities (private property is managed, not open; there is no unowned wilderness), proper libertarian conclusions can be reached regarding immigration and borders in a world of state-controlled property.
Finally, regarding Hoppe’s argumentation ethics. The presuppositions of Hoppe’s position are as follows:
…first, each person is entitled to exclusive control or ownership of his physical body (that he and only he can control directly, at will) so as to act independently of others and come to a conclusion on his own. And secondly, for the same reason of mutually independent standing or autonomy, both proponent and opponent must be entitled to their respective prior possessions, i.e., the exclusive control of all other, external means of action appropriated indirectly by them prior to and independent of one another.
Hoppe does not see this as replacing the natural law argument for liberty; it is an argument for those who do not hold to a natural law, objective value in ethics:
In response to the relativist proponent it is essentially pointed out that by virtue of his own engagement in argumentation he has already effectively rejected his own thesis, because argumentation is an activity, a special, conflict-free form of interaction between a proponent and an opponent with the specific purpose of clarifying and possibly coming to a mutual agreement concerning some rival truth claims.
I have read and considered Hoppe’s argumentation ethics in the past, including arguments for and against by others; I don’t recall ever coming across a more concise and clearly worded explanation of its purpose. He does not view it as a replacement for natural law; it is a complement for those who will deny an objective natural law. In other words, it is an answer for the ethical relativist.
Conclusion
There is much more to the interview, and I thank Jeff Deist and the Mises Institute for bringing it to us; I especially thank Hans Hoppe for sharing his time with us.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
The Best of Bionic Mosquito


lewrockwell--2020-03-07--LRC’s Best-Selling Books for February 2020

1 .
Conceived in Liberty , Volume 5 : The New Republic – Murray N. Rothbard 2 .
What You Must Know About Food and Supplements for Optimal Vision Care : Ocular Nutrition Handbook – Jeffrey Anshel 3 .
The Martyrdom of Thomas Merton : An Investigation – Hugh Turley 4 .
Left of Bang : How the Marine Corps ’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life – Patrick Van Horne 5 .
Swords Into Plowshares : A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity – Ron Paul 6 .
Recarving Rushmore : Ranking the Presidents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Ivan Eland 8 .
The Miraculous Results Of Extremely High Doses Of The Sunshine Hormone Vitamin D3 My Experiment With Huge Doses Of D3 From 25,000 To 50,000 To 100,000 Iu A Day Over A 1 Year Period – Jeff Bowles 10 .
The Fourth Turning : An American Prophecy – What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America ’ s Next Rendezvous with Destiny – William Strauss 13 .
Lincoln Unmasked : What You ’ re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe – Thomas Dilorenzo 14 .
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1. Conceived in Liberty, Volume 5: The New Republic – Murray N. Rothbard
2. What You Must Know About Food and Supplements for Optimal Vision Care: Ocular Nutrition Handbook – Jeffrey Anshel
3. The Martyrdom of Thomas Merton: An Investigation – Hugh Turley
4. Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life – Patrick Van Horne
5. Swords Into Plowshares: A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity – Ron Paul
6. Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty – Ivan Eland
7. Against the Left: A Rothbardian Libertarianism – Lew Rockwell
8. The Miraculous Results Of Extremely High Doses Of The Sunshine Hormone Vitamin D3 My Experiment With Huge Doses Of D3 From 25,000 To 50,000 To 100,000 Iu A Day Over A 1 Year Period – Jeff Bowles
9. Sodium Bicarbonate: Nature’s Unique First Aid Remedy – Mark Sircus
10. The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy – What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny – William Strauss
11. American Contempt for Liberty (Hoover Institution Press Publication) – Walter Williams
12. The Hunt – Jack Cashill
13. Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe – Thomas Dilorenzo
14. Official Lies: How Washington Misleads Us – James Bennett
15. The Vitamin D Cure, Revised – James Dowd
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