lewrockwell--2020-09-08--Human Diversity and Individual Instruction

One of the most important facts about human nature is the great diversity among individuals .
Of course , there are certain broad characteristics , physical and mental , which are common to all human beings .
But more than any other species , individual men are distinct and separate individuals .
Not only is each fingerprint unique , each personality is unique as well .
Each person is unique in his tastes , interests , abilities , and chosen activities .
Animal activities , routine and guided by instinct , tend to be uniform and alike .
But human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values , despite mutual influences , tend to express the unique imprint of the individual ’ s own personality .
The development of individual variety tends to be both the cause and the effect of the progress of civilization .
As civilization progresses , there is more opportunity for the development of a person ’ s reasoning and tastes in a growing variety of fields .
And from such opportunities come the advancement of knowledge and progress which in turn add to the society ’ s civilization .
Furthermore , it is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permits the growth of specialization and division of labor , on which civilized economies depend .
As the Reverend George Harris expressed it : Savagery is uniformity .
The principal distinctions are sex , age , size , and strength .
Savages…think alike or not at all , and converse therefore in monosyllables .
There is scarcely any variety , only a horde of men , women , and children .
The next higher stage , which is called barbarism , is marked by increased variety of functions .
There is some division @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , better leadership , more intellectual and aesthetic cultivation .
The highest stage , which is called civilization , shows the greatest degree of specialization .
Distinct functions become more numerous .
Mechanical , —commercial , educational , scientific , political , and artistic occupations multiply .
The rudimentary societies are characterized by the likeness of equality ; the developed societies are marked by the unlikeness of inequality or variety .
As we go down , monotony ; as we go up , variety .
As we go down , persons are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persons are more unlike , it certainly seems…as though [ the ] approach to equality is decline towards the conditions of savagery , and as though variety is an advance towards higher civilization… .
Certainly , then , if progress is to be made by added satisfactions , there must be even more variety of functions , new and finer differentiations of training and pursuits .
Every step of progress means the addition of a human factor that is in some way unlike all existing factors .
The progress of civilization , then…must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that compose society….There must be articulation of each new invention and art , of fresh knowledge , and of broader application of moral principles .
Education : Free & Comp ... Rothbard , Murray N. Best Price : $ 4.00 Buy New $ 19.95 With the development of civilization and individual diversity , there is less and less area of identical uniformity , and therefore less “ equality.
” Only robots on the assembly line or blades of grass can be considered as completely equal , as being identical with respect to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that two organisms have in common , the less they are “ equal ” and the more they are unequal .
Civilized human beings , therefore , are unequal in most of their personalities .
This fact of inequality , in tastes , and in ability and character , is not necessarily an invidious distinction .
It simply reflects the scope of human diversity .
It is evident that the common enthusiasm for equality is , in the fundamental sense , anti-human .
It tends to repress the flowering of individual personality and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a drive toward savage uniformity .
Since abilities and interests are naturally diverse , a drive toward making people equal in all or most respects is necessarily a leveling downward .
It is a drive against development of talent , genius , variety , and reasoning power .
Since it negates the very principles of human life and human growth , the creed of equality and uniformity is a creed of death and destruction .
There is a sense , however , in which equality among men is sensible and beneficial .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ scope for the development of his faculties and his personality .
In order to have this scope , he must have freedom from violence against himself .
Violence can only repress and destroy human growth and endeavor , and neither can reason and creativity function under an atmosphere of coercion .
If each person has equal defense against violence , this “ equality before the law ” will permit him to maximize his potentialities .
Since each person is a unique individual , it is clear that the best type of formal instruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own particular individuality .
Each child has different intelligence , aptitudes , and interests .
Therefore , the best choice of pace , timing , variety , and manner , and of the courses of instruction will differ widely from one child to another .
One child is best suited , in interests and ability , for an intensive course in arithmetic three times a week , followed six months later by a similar course in reading ; another may require a brief period of several courses ; a third may need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , etc .
Given the formal , systematic courses of instruction , there is an infinite variety of pace and combination which may be most suitable for each particular child .
Free and Unequal : An i ... WILLIAMS , ROGER J .
Best Price : $ 14.95 Buy New $ 985.00 It is obvious , therefore , that the best type of instruction is individual instruction .
A course where one teacher instructs one pupil is clearly by far the best type of course .
It is only under such conditions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree .
It is clear that the formal school , characterized by classes in which one teacher instructs many children , is an immensely inferior system .
Since each child differs from the other in interest and ability , and the teacher can only teach one thing at a time , it is evident that every school class must cast all the instruction into one uniform mold .
Regardless how the teacher instructs , at what pace , timing , or variety , he is doing violence to each and every one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each child into a Procrustean bed of unsuitable uniformity .
What then shall we say of laws imposing compulsory schooling on every child ?
These laws are endemic in the Western world .
In those places where private schools are allowed , they must all meet standards of instruction imposed by the government .
Yet the injustice of imposing any standards of instruction should be clear .
Some children are duller and should be instructed at a slower pace ; the bright children require a rapid pace to develop their faculties .
Furthermore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one subject and very dull in another .
They should certainly be permitted to develop themselves in their best subjects and to drop the poor ones .
Whatever the standards that the government imposes for instruction , injustice is done to all—to the dullards who can not absorb any instruction , to those with different sets of aptitudes in different subjects , to the bright children whose minds would like to be off and winging in more advanced courses but who must wait until the dullards are hounded once again .
Similarly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class wreaks an injustice on almost all ; on the dull who can not keep up , and on the bright who lose interest and precious chances to develop their great potential .
Obviously , the worst injustice is the prevention of parental teaching of their own children .
Parental instruction conforms to the ideal arrangement .
It is , first of all , individualized instruction , the teacher dealing directly with the unique child , and addressing himself to his capabilities and interests .
Second , what people can know the aptitudes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own parents ?
The parents ’ daily familiarity with , and love for , their children , renders them uniquely qualified to give the child the formal instruction necessary .
Here the child receives individual attention for his own personality .
No one is as qualified as the parent to know how much or at what pace he should teach the child , what the child ’ s requirements are for freedom or guidance , etc .
Biochemical Individuality Williams , Roger Best Price : $ 5.38 Buy New $ 12.00 Almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children , particularly in the elementary subjects .
Those who are not so qualified in the subjects can hire individual tutors for their children .
Tutors may also be hired where the parents do not have the time to devote to the formal instruction of their children .
Whether or not they themselves should do the teaching , or which tutor is the best for their child , is best determined under the overall supervision of the parents directly .
The parents can determine the progress of the child , the daily effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ etc .
In addition to parental instruction and tutorial instruction , the parents can send the children to private schools .
This alternative , however , is not as satisfactory because of the necessary lack of individual instruction and individual pacing .
There are classes with many children , set times for courses , set grades , etc .
The only reason for schools instead of individual instruction is the economic one : that the price of individual tutoring is prohibitive for most parents .
Consequently , they must adopt the only practical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher instructs many children at the same time .
It is clear that such private schools are an inferior solution to individual instruction .
Whichever pace the teacher sets , an injustice is done to many of the children .
If the State enforces certain “ standards ” on the private schools , a far worse crime against the children is committed .
For if the parents ’ selection of instruction is completely free and unhampered by State coercion , they , knowing and loving the child best , will be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can afford .
If they hire tutors , they will choose the most competent for their child .
If they can select any type of private school , they will select that type which is best suited for their child .
The advantage of unlimited development of private schools is that there will tend to be developed on the free market a different type of school for each type of demand .
Schools will tend to be developed especially for bright children , for average children , and for dull ones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those for whom it would be best to specialize , etc .
But if the State decrees that there may be no schools which do not , for example , teach arithmetic , it would mean that those children who may be bright in other subjects but have little or no aptitude for arithmetic will have to be subjected to needless suffering .
The State ’ s imposition of uniform standards does grave violation to the diversity of human tastes and abilities .
Toward a Psychology of ... Maslow , Abraham H. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 7.49 The effect of the State ’ s compulsory schooling laws is not only to repress the growth of specialized , partly individualized , private schools for the needs of various types of children .
It also prevents the education of the child by the people who , in many respects , are best qualified—his parents .
The effect is also to force into schools children who have little or no aptitude for instruction at all .
It so happens that among the variety of human ability there is a large number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not receptive to instruction , whose reasoning capacity is not too great .
To force these children to be exposed to schooling , as the State does almost everywhere , is a criminal offense to their natures .
Without the ability to learn systematic subjects , they must either sit and suffer while others learn , or the bright and average students must be held back greatly in their development while these children are pressured to learn .
In any case , the instruction has almost no effect on these children , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasted because of the State ’ s decree .
If these hours were spent in simple , direct experience which they were better able to absorb , there is no question that they would be healthier children and adults as a result .
But to dragoon them into a school for a formative decade of their lives , to force them to attend classes in which they have no interest or ability , is to warp their entire personalities .
For further writings on the topics of biological individuality and psychology see Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1953 ) , and Biochemical Individuality ( 1956 ) ; Gordon W. Allport , Becoming ( 1955 ) ; and Abraham H. Maslow , Toward a Psychology of Being ( 1962 ) .
Note : The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute .
The Best of Murray N. Rothbard

[A selection from Education: Free and Compulsory.]
One of the most important facts about human nature is the great diversity among individuals. Of course, there are certain broad characteristics, physical and mental, which are common to all human beings. But more than any other species, individual men are distinct and separate individuals. Not only is each fingerprint unique, each personality is unique as well. Each person is unique in his tastes, interests, abilities, and chosen activities. Animal activities, routine and guided by instinct, tend to be uniform and alike. But human individuals, despite similarities in ends and values, despite mutual influences, tend to express the unique imprint of the individual’s own personality. The development of individual variety tends to be both the cause and the effect of the progress of civilization. As civilization progresses, there is more opportunity for the development of a person’s reasoning and tastes in a growing variety of fields. And from such opportunities come the advancement of knowledge and progress which in turn add to the society’s civilization. Furthermore, it is the variety of individual interests and talents that permits the growth of specialization and division of labor, on which civilized economies depend. As the Reverend George Harris expressed it:
Savagery is uniformity. The principal distinctions are sex, age, size, and strength. Savages…think alike or not at all, and converse therefore in monosyllables. There is scarcely any variety, only a horde of men, women, and children. The next higher stage, which is called barbarism, is marked by increased variety of functions. There is some division of labor, some interchange of thought, better leadership, more intellectual and aesthetic cultivation. The highest stage, which is called civilization, shows the greatest degree of specialization. Distinct functions become more numerous. Mechanical,—commercial, educational, scientific, political, and artistic occupations multiply. The rudimentary societies are characterized by the likeness of equality; the developed societies are marked by the unlikeness of inequality or variety. As we go down, monotony; as we go up, variety. As we go down, persons are more alike; as we go up, persons are more unlike, it certainly seems…as though [the] approach to equality is decline towards the conditions of savagery, and as though variety is an advance towards higher civilization…. Certainly, then, if progress is to be made by added satisfactions, there must be even more variety of functions, new and finer differentiations of training and pursuits. Every step of progress means the addition of a human factor that is in some way unlike all existing factors. The progress of civilization, then…must be an increasing diversification of the individuals that compose society….There must be articulation of each new invention and art, of fresh knowledge, and of broader application of moral principles.
Education: Free & Comp... Rothbard, Murray N. Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $19.95 (as of 07:55 UTC - Details) With the development of civilization and individual diversity, there is less and less area of identical uniformity, and therefore less “equality.” Only robots on the assembly line or blades of grass can be considered as completely equal, as being identical with respect to all of their attributes. The fewer attributes that two organisms have in common, the less they are “equal” and the more they are unequal. Civilized human beings, therefore, are unequal in most of their personalities. This fact of inequality, in tastes, and in ability and character, is not necessarily an invidious distinction. It simply reflects the scope of human diversity.
It is evident that the common enthusiasm for equality is, in the fundamental sense, anti-human. It tends to repress the flowering of individual personality and diversity, and civilization itself; it is a drive toward savage uniformity. Since abilities and interests are naturally diverse, a drive toward making people equal in all or most respects is necessarily a leveling downward. It is a drive against development of talent, genius, variety, and reasoning power. Since it negates the very principles of human life and human growth, the creed of equality and uniformity is a creed of death and destruction.
There is a sense, however, in which equality among men is sensible and beneficial. Each individual should have the freest possible scope for the development of his faculties and his personality. In order to have this scope, he must have freedom from violence against himself. Violence can only repress and destroy human growth and endeavor, and neither can reason and creativity function under an atmosphere of coercion. If each person has equal defense against violence, this “equality before the law” will permit him to maximize his potentialities.
Since each person is a unique individual, it is clear that the best type of formal instruction is that type which is suited to his own particular individuality. Each child has different intelligence, aptitudes, and interests. Therefore, the best choice of pace, timing, variety, and manner, and of the courses of instruction will differ widely from one child to another. One child is best suited, in interests and ability, for an intensive course in arithmetic three times a week, followed six months later by a similar course in reading; another may require a brief period of several courses; a third may need a lengthy period of instruction in reading, etc. Given the formal, systematic courses of instruction, there is an infinite variety of pace and combination which may be most suitable for each particular child. Free and Unequal: An i... WILLIAMS, ROGER J. Best Price: $14.95 Buy New $985.00 (as of 05:58 UTC - Details)
It is obvious, therefore, that the best type of instruction is individual instruction. A course where one teacher instructs one pupil is clearly by far the best type of course. It is only under such conditions that human potentialities can develop to their greatest degree. It is clear that the formal school, characterized by classes in which one teacher instructs many children, is an immensely inferior system. Since each child differs from the other in interest and ability, and the teacher can only teach one thing at a time, it is evident that every school class must cast all the instruction into one uniform mold. Regardless how the teacher instructs, at what pace, timing, or variety, he is doing violence to each and every one of the children. Any schooling involves misfitting each child into a Procrustean bed of unsuitable uniformity.
What then shall we say of laws imposing compulsory schooling on every child? These laws are endemic in the Western world. In those places where private schools are allowed, they must all meet standards of instruction imposed by the government. Yet the injustice of imposing any standards of instruction should be clear. Some children are duller and should be instructed at a slower pace; the bright children require a rapid pace to develop their faculties. Furthermore, many children are very apt in one subject and very dull in another. They should certainly be permitted to develop themselves in their best subjects and to drop the poor ones. Whatever the standards that the government imposes for instruction, injustice is done to all—to the dullards who cannot absorb any instruction, to those with different sets of aptitudes in different subjects, to the bright children whose minds would like to be off and winging in more advanced courses but who must wait until the dullards are hounded once again. Similarly, any pace that the teacher sets in class wreaks an injustice on almost all; on the dull who cannot keep up, and on the bright who lose interest and precious chances to develop their great potential.
Obviously, the worst injustice is the prevention of parental teaching of their own children. Parental instruction conforms to the ideal arrangement. It is, first of all, individualized instruction, the teacher dealing directly with the unique child, and addressing himself to his capabilities and interests. Second, what people can know the aptitudes and personality of the child better than his own parents? The parents’ daily familiarity with, and love for, their children, renders them uniquely qualified to give the child the formal instruction necessary. Here the child receives individual attention for his own personality. No one is as qualified as the parent to know how much or at what pace he should teach the child, what the child’s requirements are for freedom or guidance, etc. Biochemical Individuality Williams, Roger Best Price: $5.38 Buy New $12.00 (as of 05:58 UTC - Details)
Almost all parents are qualified to teach their children, particularly in the elementary subjects. Those who are not so qualified in the subjects can hire individual tutors for their children. Tutors may also be hired where the parents do not have the time to devote to the formal instruction of their children. Whether or not they themselves should do the teaching, or which tutor is the best for their child, is best determined under the overall supervision of the parents directly. The parents can determine the progress of the child, the daily effect of the tutor on the child, etc.
In addition to parental instruction and tutorial instruction, the parents can send the children to private schools. This alternative, however, is not as satisfactory because of the necessary lack of individual instruction and individual pacing. There are classes with many children, set times for courses, set grades, etc. The only reason for schools instead of individual instruction is the economic one: that the price of individual tutoring is prohibitive for most parents. Consequently, they must adopt the only practical alternative of mass tutoring, where the teacher instructs many children at the same time. It is clear that such private schools are an inferior solution to individual instruction. Whichever pace the teacher sets, an injustice is done to many of the children. If the State enforces certain “standards” on the private schools, a far worse crime against the children is committed. For if the parents’ selection of instruction is completely free and unhampered by State coercion, they, knowing and loving the child best, will be able to select the best type of instruction that they can afford. If they hire tutors, they will choose the most competent for their child. If they can select any type of private school, they will select that type which is best suited for their child. The advantage of unlimited development of private schools is that there will tend to be developed on the free market a different type of school for each type of demand. Schools will tend to be developed especially for bright children, for average children, and for dull ones, for those with broad aptitudes, and for those for whom it would be best to specialize, etc. But if the State decrees that there may be no schools which do not, for example, teach arithmetic, it would mean that those children who may be bright in other subjects but have little or no aptitude for arithmetic will have to be subjected to needless suffering. The State’s imposition of uniform standards does grave violation to the diversity of human tastes and abilities.
Toward a Psychology of... Maslow, Abraham H. Best Price: $6.89 Buy New $7.49 (as of 05:58 UTC - Details) The effect of the State’s compulsory schooling laws is not only to repress the growth of specialized, partly individualized, private schools for the needs of various types of children. It also prevents the education of the child by the people who, in many respects, are best qualified—his parents. The effect is also to force into schools children who have little or no aptitude for instruction at all. It so happens that among the variety of human ability there is a large number of subnormal children, children who are not receptive to instruction, whose reasoning capacity is not too great. To force these children to be exposed to schooling, as the State does almost everywhere, is a criminal offense to their natures. Without the ability to learn systematic subjects, they must either sit and suffer while others learn, or the bright and average students must be held back greatly in their development while these children are pressured to learn. In any case, the instruction has almost no effect on these children, many of whose hours of life are simply wasted because of the State’s decree. If these hours were spent in simple, direct experience which they were better able to absorb, there is no question that they would be healthier children and adults as a result. But to dragoon them into a school for a formative decade of their lives, to force them to attend classes in which they have no interest or ability, is to warp their entire personalities.
—
For further writings on the topics of biological individuality and psychology see Roger J. Williams, Free and Unequal (1953), and Biochemical Individuality (1956); Gordon W. Allport, Becoming (1955); and Abraham H. Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being (1962).
George Harris, Inequality and Progress (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1898), pp. 74–75, 88 and passim.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
The Best of Murray N. Rothbard


lewrockwell--2020-09-08--Neocons Levy False Attacks on Trump To Distract From Hideous Waste of Blood and Treasure Overseas

For the past two days , the press and the entire political establishment have crawled out of the fetid swamp to launch one of their most deranged attacks yet on President Trump .
They ’ ve accused him of the grave offense of ridiculing America ’ s fallen soldiers .
This attack has only one goal .
They do not want you , dear reader , to actually think deeply about who has really used and abused American ’ s bravest soldiers .
The answer , unambiguously , is our utterly failed ruling class .
America ’ s corrupt ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our brave warriors not for the betterment of America , but for the enrichment of Washington .
The claim , as reported by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic , is this : When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 , he blamed rain for the last-minute decision , saying that “ the helicopter couldn ’ t fly ” and that the Secret Service wouldn ’ t drive him there .
Neither claim was true .
The True Story of Fake ...
Dice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 17.94 Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain , and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead , according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day .
In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit , Trump said , “ Why should I go to that cemetery ?
It ’ s filled with losers.
” In a separate conversation on the same trip , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “ suckers ” for getting killed .
On Memorial Day 2017 , Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery , a short drive from the White House .
He was accompanied on this visit by John Kelly , who was then the secretary of homeland security , and who would , a short time later , be named the White House chief of staff .
The two men were set to visit Section 60 , the 14-acre area of the cemetery that is the burial ground for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent wars .
Kelly ’ s son Robert is buried in Section 60 .
A first lieutenant in the Marine Corps , Robert Kelly was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan .
He was 29 .
Trump was meant , on this visit , to join John Kelly in paying respects at his son ’ s grave , and to comfort the families of other fallen service members .
But according to sources with knowledge of this visit , Trump , while standing by Robert Kelly ’ s grave , turned directly to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t get it .
What was in it for them ?
” [ The Atlantic ] There is , of course , no evidence that this ever happened .
Goldberg cites only unnamed sources who have refused to go on the record .
Plenty of on-the-record people deny it .
Even Donald Trump ’ s mortal enemy , John Bolton , denied the charge .

For the past two days, the press and the entire political establishment have crawled out of the fetid swamp to launch one of their most deranged attacks yet on President Trump. They’ve accused him of the grave offense of ridiculing America’s fallen soldiers. This attack has only one goal. They do not want you, dear reader, to actually think deeply about who has really used and abused American’s bravest soldiers. The answer, unambiguously, is our utterly failed ruling class. America’s corrupt ruling class has recklessly sacrificed the precious blood of our brave warriors not for the betterment of America, but for the enrichment of Washington.
The claim, as reported by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic, is this:
When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true. The True Story of Fake... Dice, Mark Best Price: $13.06 Buy New $17.94 (as of 04:52 UTC - Details) Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed. … On Memorial Day 2017, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery, a short drive from the White House. He was accompanied on this visit by John Kelly, who was then the secretary of homeland security, and who would, a short time later, be named the White House chief of staff. The two men were set to visit Section 60, the 14-acre area of the cemetery that is the burial ground for those killed in America’s most recent wars. Kelly’s son Robert is buried in Section 60. A first lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Robert Kelly was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan. He was 29. Trump was meant, on this visit, to join John Kelly in paying respects at his son’s grave, and to comfort the families of other fallen service members. But according to sources with knowledge of this visit, Trump, while standing by Robert Kelly’s grave, turned directly to his father and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” [The Atlantic]
There is, of course, no evidence that this ever happened. Goldberg cites only unnamed sources who have refused to go on the record. Plenty of on-the-record people deny it. Even Donald Trump’s mortal enemy, John Bolton, denied the charge.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-08--The Ghost in the Machine

The Ghost in the Machine

The abiding mystery of the 2020 election is how come the Democratic Party , wishing so zealously to win back power , took pains to nominate a candidate weaker than the ghost of Millard Fillmore .
Resorting to Occam ’ s Razor , one might have to conclude that Joe Biden was simply the best they had — a surefire case for the party ’ s necessary extinction .
The Labor Day starting-gun kicks off the high campaign season and Ol ’ White Joe wobbles forth from his lair under a rock somewhere to dazzle audiences of six or eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” formation while the party ’ s Antifa and BLM shock troops soften up voters elsewhere across the land with vote-winning riots , arson , and looting .
There ’ s a recipe for political success !
You have to wonder how the claque of DC deep state players behind this fiasco could come up with a game-plan so stupidly inept… but there it is !
Apparently , they ’ re laying further plans now to bum-rush Ol ’ Joe into the White House by main force with a “ color revolution ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popular revolt as in the Ukraine Maidan regime change operation of 2014 .
In fact , as Revolver News reports , the same wrecking crew of US State Department officials , intel spooks , contract insurrectionists , and George Soros-sponsored NGO intriguers is behind the US 2020 “ Transition Integrity Project ” aimed at launching a US post-election coup against Mr. Trump , no matter how the election actually goes .
Fallout : Nuclear Bribe ... Bruner , Seamus Buy New $ 25.20 The plan was all over the web wires this holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect now : a November 3 Trump election victory followed by a king-tide of post-election write-in votes for Ol ’ Joe… a long , drawn-out , and surely inconclusive battle trying to validate scores of millions of postmarks and signatures… and a skein of Lawfare-managed shenanigans conducted in battleground state legislatures to change-out electoral college slates .
And any objections by Mr. Trump and his party will be labeled as Putin-backed fascist treason .
Will that result in Mr. Biden actually gliding into the oval office ?
No , it will bring on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure to finish off the institutions of a federal republic and also whatever remains of the US economy .
Is that what y ’ all really want , Nancy Pelosi , Hillary & Bill Clinton , Barack Obama , Adam Schiff , Bill Kristol , David Frum , Dean Baquet , and five hundred other seditious political degenerates out there ?
A centerpiece of the operation is the planned 50-day protest beginning mid-month in Lafayette Square , across the way from the White House .
We ’ re supposed to expect the usual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antics : fireworks , bullhorns , lasers , flying water bottles , tranny dances , toppled statues , smashed fences .
That ragtag mob and their Democratic Party “ allies ” have been trying their goshdarndest for half a year to produce a crop of Kent State style martyrs at the hands of police to horrify the conscience of the nation…but so far , no luck .
Yesterday ’ s Man : ... Marcetic , Branko Best Price : $ 12.00 Buy New $ 13.46 Instead they have to settle for a succession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting themselves shot or killed in the process .
The latest ringer , one Daniel Prude of Rochester , New York , is actually a catch-up case from last March , sort of a bench player for “ the Resistance , ” put into the game to counter the bad publicity from the Sept. 3 murder in Portland , OR , of Aaron Danielson by “ 100-percent Antifa ” Michael Forest Reinoehl .
In the Rochester case , the police were initially contacted by the victim ’ s brother after Mr. Prude “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flight of stairs head-first .
After an evaluation in a Rochester hospital , Mr. Prude came home , freaked out again , and took off his clothing in the street .
Police returned to the scene .
During his arrest , Mr. Prude raved , “ Give me that gun , ” and spat at the officers .
Since the Covid-19 outbreak had started weeks earlier , the cops put a hood on Mr. Prude to avoid his projected body fluids and physically subdued him .
In the process , he went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead .
Of course , his death was declared “ a homicide , ” with “ excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine , or PCP ( aka “ angel dust ” ) listed as “ a contributing factor.
” Now , months later , BLM and Antifa forces are mobilized and procede to riot , trashing another Democratic Party-governed city .
Quite a clever election strategy : to wreak as much destruction as possible in cities they control so that voters naturally will blame it on the other party , led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Is it possible that plan is not working ?
That voters are perhaps drawing different conclusions — like maybe they ’ re getting wise to the seditious hustle being run on them , and maybe a little sick and tired of it ?
Liberal Privilege : Joe ... Trump Jr , Donald Buy New $ 9.99 The upcoming Lafayette Square “ protest ” will be interesting .
The US government transferred management of Washington DC to a chartered city council and mayor with the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safeguarding federal buildings , monuments , and other installations .
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser demonstrated a lack of initiative for controlling mob violence during the June riots .
Will she let it happen again during the election season ?
So far this year , Mr. Trump has allowed the Democratic Party to disgrace itself in acquiescing to mobs and riots around the country .
In DC , they ’ ll be daring him to draw the line , perhaps hoping for federal peace officers to step in and finally produce that crop of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for .
Personally , I don ’ t think the voters are liable to blame the president for taking action against additional violent anarchy in the nation ’ s capital .
Do you remember those words from the oath of office , by any chance : preserve , protect and defend ?
Meanwhile , Ol ’ White Joe will be standing by , doing as much for his country as the ghost of Millard Fillmore .
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

The abiding mystery of the 2020 election is how come the Democratic Party, wishing so zealously to win back power, took pains to nominate a candidate weaker than the ghost of Millard Fillmore. Resorting to Occam’s Razor, one might have to conclude that Joe Biden was simply the best they had — a surefire case for the party’s necessary extinction.
The Labor Day starting-gun kicks off the high campaign season and Ol’ White Joe wobbles forth from his lair under a rock somewhere to dazzle audiences of six or eight sympathetic journos posed in “social distancing” formation while the party’s Antifa and BLM shock troops soften up voters elsewhere across the land with vote-winning riots, arson, and looting. There’s a recipe for political success!
You have to wonder how the claque of DC deep state players behind this fiasco could come up with a game-plan so stupidly inept… but there it is! Apparently, they’re laying further plans now to bum-rush Ol’ Joe into the White House by main force with a “color revolution” — that is, an orchestrated fake popular revolt as in the Ukraine Maidan regime change operation of 2014. In fact, as Revolver News reports, the same wrecking crew of US State Department officials, intel spooks, contract insurrectionists, and George Soros-sponsored NGO intriguers is behind the US 2020 “Transition Integrity Project” aimed at launching a US post-election coup against Mr. Trump, no matter how the election actually goes. Fallout: Nuclear Bribe... Bruner, Seamus Buy New $25.20 (as of 04:53 UTC - Details)
The plan was all over the web wires this holiday weekend. Everybody knows exactly what to expect now: a November 3 Trump election victory followed by a king-tide of post-election write-in votes for Ol’ Joe… a long, drawn-out, and surely inconclusive battle trying to validate scores of millions of postmarks and signatures… and a skein of Lawfare-managed shenanigans conducted in battleground state legislatures to change-out electoral college slates. And any objections by Mr. Trump and his party will be labeled as Putin-backed fascist treason.
Will that result in Mr. Biden actually gliding into the oval office? No, it will bring on a years’ long quasi civil war sure to finish off the institutions of a federal republic and also whatever remains of the US economy. Is that what y’all really want, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary & Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Adam Schiff, Bill Kristol, David Frum, Dean Baquet, and five hundred other seditious political degenerates out there?
A centerpiece of the operation is the planned 50-day protest beginning mid-month in Lafayette Square, across the way from the White House. We’re supposed to expect the usual Hieronymus Bosch spectacle of Antifa / BLM antics: fireworks, bullhorns, lasers, flying water bottles, tranny dances, toppled statues, smashed fences. That ragtag mob and their Democratic Party “allies” have been trying their goshdarndest for half a year to produce a crop of Kent State style martyrs at the hands of police to horrify the conscience of the nation…but so far, no luck.
Yesterday’s Man:... Marcetic, Branko Best Price: $12.00 Buy New $13.46 (as of 03:45 UTC - Details) Instead they have to settle for a succession of thugs-on-drugs resisting arrest violently, and getting themselves shot or killed in the process. The latest ringer, one Daniel Prude of Rochester, New York, is actually a catch-up case from last March, sort of a bench player for “the Resistance,” put into the game to counter the bad publicity from the Sept. 3 murder in Portland, OR, of Aaron Danielson by “100-percent Antifa” Michael Forest Reinoehl.
In the Rochester case, the police were initially contacted by the victim’s brother after Mr. Prude “acted erratically,” including diving down a flight of stairs head-first. After an evaluation in a Rochester hospital, Mr. Prude came home, freaked out again, and took off his clothing in the street. Police returned to the scene. During his arrest, Mr. Prude raved, “Give me that gun,” and spat at the officers. Since the Covid-19 outbreak had started weeks earlier, the cops put a hood on Mr. Prude to avoid his projected body fluids and physically subdued him. In the process, he went unconscious and eight days later was pronounced dead. Of course, his death was declared “a homicide,” with “excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP (aka “angel dust”) listed as “a contributing factor.” Now, months later, BLM and Antifa forces are mobilized and procede to riot, trashing another Democratic Party-governed city.
Quite a clever election strategy: to wreak as much destruction as possible in cities they control so that voters naturally will blame it on the other party, led by its candidate, the wicked president Trump. Is it possible that plan is not working? That voters are perhaps drawing different conclusions — like maybe they’re getting wise to the seditious hustle being run on them, and maybe a little sick and tired of it?
Liberal Privilege: Joe... Trump Jr, Donald Buy New $9.99 (as of 05:18 UTC - Details) The upcoming Lafayette Square “protest” will be interesting. The US government transferred management of Washington DC to a chartered city council and mayor with the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. The US retains certain prerogatives for safeguarding federal buildings, monuments, and other installations. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser demonstrated a lack of initiative for controlling mob violence during the June riots. Will she let it happen again during the election season?
So far this year, Mr. Trump has allowed the Democratic Party to disgrace itself in acquiescing to mobs and riots around the country. In DC, they’ll be daring him to draw the line, perhaps hoping for federal peace officers to step in and finally produce that crop of useful martyrs “the Resistance” longs for. Personally, I don’t think the voters are liable to blame the president for taking action against additional violent anarchy in the nation’s capital. Do you remember those words from the oath of office, by any chance: preserve, protect and defend? Meanwhile, Ol’ White Joe will be standing by, doing as much for his country as the ghost of Millard Fillmore.
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


lewrockwell--2020-09-08--Another Opinion Columnist Pushing War With Iran Who Doesn’t Actually Exist

There is at least one more foreign policy opinion writer from the Mujahideen-eKhalq ( MEK ) whose existence is dubious , based on a study by a social media analyst and statements from a defector from the group .
Amir Basiri , who contributed to Forbes 9 times , the Washington Examiner 52 times , OpenDemocracy , Algemeiner , and The Hill once also appears to be a fabrication .
The MEK is an Iranian exile group for which John Bolton , Rudy Giuliani , and other foreign policy luminaries have given paid speeches .
Dems like Joe Lieberman and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf .
But the group has American blood on its hands , has been accused of practicing forced sterilization , and their belief system has been described as a mixture of Marxism and Islamism .
Its supporters claim they , and their front group the National Council of Resistance of Iran , are a sort of government-in-exile , despite nearly nonexistent support for the group within Iran .
They also have waged a substantial disinformation campaign in the Western press , in particular targeting conservative media .
LikeWar : The Weaponiza ... Brooking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.01 Buy New $ 10.89 “ Amir Basiri and Heshmat Alavi are two fake accounts , ” Hassan Heyrani , an MEK defector told TAC .
“ At Camp Liberty , near the BIAP airport in Iraq , I was in the political unit of the organization with some of the persons who grew up in America and Canada .
We worked as a team to write the articles analyzing the Iranian regime .
The MEK put them in The Washington Post and all the newspapers in Western countries.
” Basiri ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change in Iran which he claimed is “ within reach.
” The thrust of Basiri ’ s writing – last placed at the Examiner in October of 2018 – is to encourage American readers to take an interest and sympathize with the plight of Iranian protesters and dissidents .
Basiri consistently argued against the Iran nuclear deal , downplayed terrorism against Iran , called for tougher sanctions as a method of regime change and highlighted the necessity of Trump working with the Iranian opposition .
“ We are currently looking into the matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on this specific byline , ” Philip Klein , Executive Editor and Commentary Editor of the Washington Examiner told TAC .
“ But I will say that we have recently instituted more rigorous vetting of outside contributors , including but not limited to asking for photo identification if necessary .
We are especially on guard when it comes to unsolicited foreign policy commentary.
” Active Measures : The S ...
Rid , Thomas Best Price : $ 18.48 Buy New $ 19.86 A request for comment from OpenDemocracy , a site greatly concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returned as of press time .
Basiri ’ s articles on Forbes are no longer online .
( Update : Julian Richards , managing editor of OpenDemocracy , writes , “ This article was submitted to us through our normal process and our editor corresponded with Amir Basiri about the text .
In light of the allegations you have made , we have removed the article text from our site for the time being and I have written to the email address that Amir Basiri used to ask for confirmation of his identity.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tactics also includes fake online since-deleted sites such as PersiaNow and ArabEye and questionable sites such as Iran Focus whose domain was formerly registered under the name of an NCRI spokesperson and is now anonymously held .
MEK ’ s recent influence campaign on Facebook spearheaded by the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ) was recently reported on last year by Lachlan Markey at the Daily Beast .
Markey explained how NCRI lobbyist Soheila Aligholi Mayelzadeh has helped place paid ads on Facebook reaching between 500,000 to 1.4 million users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US public opinion in favor of MEK and intervention in Iran .

There is at least one more foreign policy opinion writer from the Mujahideen-eKhalq (MEK) whose existence is dubious, based on a study by a social media analyst and statements from a defector from the group. Amir Basiri, who contributed to Forbes 9 times, the Washington Examiner 52 times, OpenDemocracy, Algemeiner, and The Hill once also appears to be a fabrication.
The MEK is an Iranian exile group for which John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, and other foreign policy luminaries have given paid speeches. Dems like Joe Lieberman and Howard Dean have also spoken on their behalf. But the group has American blood on its hands, has been accused of practicing forced sterilization, and their belief system has been described as a mixture of Marxism and Islamism. Its supporters claim they, and their front group the National Council of Resistance of Iran, are a sort of government-in-exile, despite nearly nonexistent support for the group within Iran. They also have waged a substantial disinformation campaign in the Western press, in particular targeting conservative media. LikeWar: The Weaponiza... Brooking, Emerson T. Best Price: $7.01 Buy New $10.89 (as of 06:42 UTC - Details)
“Amir Basiri and Heshmat Alavi are two fake accounts,” Hassan Heyrani, an MEK defector told TAC. “At Camp Liberty, near the BIAP airport in Iraq, I was in the political unit of the organization with some of the persons who grew up in America and Canada. We worked as a team to write the articles analyzing the Iranian regime. The MEK put them in The Washington Post and all the newspapers in Western countries.”
Basiri’s op-eds focus on the need for regime change in Iran which he claimed is “within reach.” The thrust of Basiri’s writing – last placed at the Examiner in October of 2018 – is to encourage American readers to take an interest and sympathize with the plight of Iranian protesters and dissidents. Basiri consistently argued against the Iran nuclear deal, downplayed terrorism against Iran, called for tougher sanctions as a method of regime change and highlighted the necessity of Trump working with the Iranian opposition.
“We are currently looking into the matter, so I won’t comment on this specific byline,” Philip Klein, Executive Editor and Commentary Editor of the Washington Examiner told TAC. “But I will say that we have recently instituted more rigorous vetting of outside contributors, including but not limited to asking for photo identification if necessary. We are especially on guard when it comes to unsolicited foreign policy commentary.”
Active Measures: The S... Rid, Thomas Best Price: $18.48 Buy New $19.86 (as of 03:43 UTC - Details) A request for comment from OpenDemocracy, a site greatly concerned about disinformation campaigns, has not been returned as of press time. Basiri’s articles on Forbes are no longer online. (Update: Julian Richards, managing editor of OpenDemocracy, writes, “This article was submitted to us through our normal process and our editor corresponded with Amir Basiri about the text. In light of the allegations you have made, we have removed the article text from our site for the time being and I have written to the email address that Amir Basiri used to ask for confirmation of his identity.”)
The list of MEK disinformation tactics also includes fake online since-deleted sites such as PersiaNow and ArabEye and questionable sites such as Iran Focus whose domain was formerly registered under the name of an NCRI spokesperson and is now anonymously held.
MEK’s recent influence campaign on Facebook spearheaded by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) was recently reported on last year by Lachlan Markey at the Daily Beast. Markey explained how NCRI lobbyist Soheila Aligholi Mayelzadeh has helped place paid ads on Facebook reaching between 500,000 to 1.4 million users as part of the campaign to sway US public opinion in favor of MEK and intervention in Iran.
Read the Whole Article


Lockdown 2.0

Of course , because I ’ m a dreamer , I start off an essay like this with the idea that I should do an all-encompassing idea of COVID19 , all around the world no less , for the rest of 2020 , and beyond .
Only to find that nobody , including me , even if I have a few advantages over most , could possibly do such a thing .
So of necessity there ’ ll be this essay and many more to come .
As the US elections set the world on fire .
I did make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every society and community should be ordering by now ( and that would be already very late ) Here they are : A billion rapid tests , a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , a billion doses of zinc , a billion doses of Vitamin D , and a zillion N95 facemasks .
( I am not a doctor , but we do have doctors on this platform . )
Rapid tests : these things have been available for months , but have been obstructed by guidelines that say every test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long time to produce results , which test positive on dead virus etc .
etc .
Whereas rapid tests ( there are several options ) detect a virus load when it ’ s most likely to infect a third person ( the no .
1 thing you want to find !
, and moreover show a result in minutes and cost a few pennies each ( don ’ t fall for the $ 5 a test thing ! )
.
You can do a paper test for everyone every single day .
Unreported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 5.99 We have this , we got this , but we ’ re not doing it .
The answer from the politicians who have failed to grasp this reality will be : another lockdown !
But there won ’ t be another lockdown .
Or , there will be in some locations , but what good is that if neighbors don ’ t lock down ?
More on that in a bit .
Hydroxychloroquine ( or ivermectin ) and zinc -combined if you will with an antibiotic- for those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a substantial increase in everyone ’ s vitamin D levels in your population -right now , you already lost half a year !
- will bring down death and suffering enormously .
Don ’ t listen to your doctor , listen to us .
A bit of -potential- harsh reality came to us today through a report from Washington University ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation .
They predict total deaths to triple globally , and double in the US , in less than four months from today .
Total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Triple in World By Jan. 1 U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will reach 410,000 by the end of the year , more than double the current death toll , and deaths could soar to 3,000 per day in December , the University of Washington ’ s health institute forecast on Friday .
Deaths could be reduced by 30 % if more Americans wore face masks as epidemiologists have advised , but mask-wearing is declining , the university ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said .
The U.S. death rate projected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been cited by the White House Coronavirus Task Force , would more than triple the current death rate of some 850 per day .
“ We expect the daily death rate in the United States , because of seasonality and declining vigilance of the public , to reach nearly 3,000 a day in December , ” the institute , which bills itself as an independent research center , said in an update of its periodic forecasts .
“ Cumulative deaths expected by January 1 are 410,000 ; this is 225,000 deaths from now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the institute said .
It previously projected 317,697 deaths by Dec. 1 .
The model ’ s outlook for the world was even more dire , with deaths projected to triple to 2.8 million by Jan. 1 , 2021 .
No , I won ’ t take back one word of what I ’ ve been saying about the best ways to tackle COVD19 over the past 8 months , for instance in April 15 ’ s The Only Man Who Has A Clue about Nassim Taleb .
He was still right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change .
But that doesn ’ t mean nothing has changed .
Actually , a lot has .
Unreported Truths abou ... Berenson , Alex Buy New $ 5.71 Taleb ’ s approach , and that of his “ co-conspirators ” Yaneer Bar-Yam and Joe Norman , is as valid as it ever was , but that validity doesn ’ t last forever if it is not applied by those in charge of policy .
It hasn ’ t been and today we ’ re way past the best-before date .
Which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is highly unfortunate , because all the alternatives are -much- worse .
We ’ ve seen an entire world , and tons of governments in that world , caught with no blueprints and no playbooks for a coronavirus pandemic , despite having been warned about such a pandemic coming , for decades .
And so they all went into “ make it up as you go along ” mode .
With very little knowledge of what was going on , and what to expect .
With predictable failures as a result .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on a national level , not international , they manage to keep their failures hidden behind a facade of “ we listened to the best science ” , “ nobody could have seen this coming ” , and “ if only people had listened to ( obeyed ) ” what we said all along .
As I explained in the Taleb piece , the first , the initial , scientists to refer to in a case like SARS-CoV-2 are not epidemiologists , because they are backward looking ; they compare the little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they know about earlier ones .
Even if it ’ s all essentially a mismatch .
Instead , the first people you consult are risk specialists ; yes , like Taleb .
To know what the -necessarily basic- steps are to take against something you know very little about , other than it is contagious and potentially lethal .
One of the obvious steps is close your borders.Another is a lockdown .
But a lockdown is not a lockdown is not a lockdown .
If you don ’ t get it right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even harmfully counterproductive .
That ’ s why blueprints and playbooks , written well before a pandemic happens , are so important .
You should never leave those things up to politicians , who don ’ t understand the matter at hand , who will always have other interests in mind ( the economy ) , and will therefore assemble a bunch of local epidemiologists in order to declare : we ’ re listening to science !
Most of these people mean well , but that ’ s not enough .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the summer time and into , what ?
, COVID 2.0 ?
With Lockdowns 2.0 ?
There is no need .
Here ’ s what you do : Order a billion rapid tests , a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , a billion doses of zinc , a billion doses of Vitamin D , and a zillion N95 facemasks .
Not the crappy bluish masks everyone ’ s wearing today , that ’ s just a symbolic thing , but get the real thing , for everyone .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date , while spending billions of trillions on the effects of the virus ?
Really , politicians are always useless when it comes to emergencies , because that ’ s not what they get elected for .
COVID-19 : Lockdowns on ... Betrus , Michael Buy New $ 16.99 And no , face masks are not useless , but they certainly are outside .
The risk of you getting infected -or infecting someone- are infinitesimal on the street .
Unless someone spits or coughs in your face , but if that happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do much good anyway .
So when I see a photo like this , of Japanese girls en masse wearing almost useless masks ( only because the others do it too ) , I can only think : why don ’ t we teach people what works and what doesn ’ t ?
( I see the same thing here in Athens a lot too ) But so , yeah if your government won ’ t protect you with a billion rapid tests , a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion doses of Vitamin D , and a zillion N95 facemasks.
, they ’ re going to be thinking Lockdown 2.0 .
And that is going to be a huge problem in many places .
There are very big problems in Melbourne as we speak : 2nd lockdowns are going to be hell to pay , for governments , for their citizens , for their economies .
And they don ’ t have to be .
If just everyone gets out the Fauci , “ experts ” , mood.
, and their potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and zinc and HCS look very promising .
So does the Russian vaccine , but we don ’ t want it because , well , it ’ s Russian , and even more because it would deprive Gilead et al of huge potential profits furnished by western governments .
No , not all lockdowns are terrible .
But a lock down should last maximum 2 months , or you will needlessly destroy your economy .
Thing is , you must make sure it ’ s real , effective and short , not some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the half-assed US ones .
A lockdown is either a lockdown or it ’ s not .
But we ’ ve already passed that fase .
Lockdowns in most locations will simply no longer be accepted .
Fauci versus Duesberg : ... Ortleb , Charles Buy New $ 7.99 Facemasks can have a real potential , but just as with lockdowns , only when applied appropriately , at the right time and under the right circumstances .
I don ’ t subscribe to the right wing US idea that it is all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to oppress people .
But if you order people to wear masks outside , where the infection risk borders on zero , and you order churches closed but not demonstrations or Target , you just show you understand neither the virus not your people .
And then try and claw that one back .
Once again : tell your government to order – and have available ASAP : a billion rapid tests , a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , a billion doses of zinc , a billion doses of Vitamin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You may not be perfect , but your prospects are going to be a lot better than they are now .
Reprinted with permission from The Automatic Earth .

Of course, because I’m a dreamer, I start off an essay like this with the idea that I should do an all-encompassing idea of COVID19, all around the world no less, for the rest of 2020, and beyond. Only to find that nobody, including me, even if I have a few advantages over most, could possibly do such a thing. So of necessity there’ll be this essay and many more to come. As the US elections set the world on fire.
I did make a list of what every government, every society and community should be ordering by now (and that would be already very late) Here they are: A billion rapid tests, a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a billion doses of zinc, a billion doses of Vitamin D, and a zillion N95 facemasks. (I am not a doctor, but we do have doctors on this platform.)
Rapid tests: these things have been available for months, but have been obstructed by guidelines that say every test must be PCR, which take a long time to produce results, which test positive on dead virus etc. etc. Whereas rapid tests (there are several options) detect a virus load when it’s most likely to infect a third person (the no. 1 thing you want to find!, and moreover show a result in minutes and cost a few pennies each (don’t fall for the $5 a test thing!). You can do a paper test for everyone every single day. Unreported Truths abou... Berenson, Alex Buy New $5.99 (as of 03:17 UTC - Details)
We have this, we got this, but we’re not doing it. The answer from the politicians who have failed to grasp this reality will be: another lockdown! But there won’t be another lockdown. Or, there will be in some locations, but what good is that if neighbors don’t lock down? More on that in a bit.
Hydroxychloroquine (or ivermectin) and zinc -combined if you will with an antibiotic- for those who are infected or close to it, combined with a substantial increase in everyone’s vitamin D levels in your population -right now, you already lost half a year!- will bring down death and suffering enormously. Don’t listen to your doctor, listen to us.
A bit of -potential- harsh reality came to us today through a report from Washington University’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. They predict total deaths to triple globally, and double in the US, in less than four months from today.
Total COVID19 Deaths Projected To Double In US, Triple in World By Jan. 1
U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will reach 410,000 by the end of the year, more than double the current death toll, and deaths could soar to 3,000 per day in December, the University of Washington’s health institute forecast on Friday. Deaths could be reduced by 30% if more Americans wore face masks as epidemiologists have advised, but mask-wearing is declining, the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said. The U.S. death rate projected by the IHME model, which has been cited by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, would more than triple the current death rate of some 850 per day.
“We expect the daily death rate in the United States, because of seasonality and declining vigilance of the public, to reach nearly 3,000 a day in December,” the institute, which bills itself as an independent research center, said in an update of its periodic forecasts. “Cumulative deaths expected by January 1 are 410,000; this is 225,000 deaths from now until the end of the year,” the institute said. It previously projected 317,697 deaths by Dec. 1. The model’s outlook for the world was even more dire, with deaths projected to triple to 2.8 million by Jan. 1, 2021.
No, I won’t take back one word of what I’ve been saying about the best ways to tackle COVD19 over the past 8 months, for instance in April 15’s The Only Man Who Has A Clue about Nassim Taleb. He was still right, and that’s not going to change. But that doesn’t mean nothing has changed. Actually, a lot has. Unreported Truths abou... Berenson, Alex Buy New $5.71 (as of 07:13 UTC - Details)
Taleb’s approach, and that of his “co-conspirators” Yaneer Bar-Yam and Joe Norman, is as valid as it ever was, but that validity doesn’t last forever if it is not applied by those in charge of policy. It hasn’t been and today we’re way past the best-before date. Which, as we will see going forward, is highly unfortunate, because all the alternatives are -much- worse.
We’ve seen an entire world, and tons of governments in that world, caught with no blueprints and no playbooks for a coronavirus pandemic, despite having been warned about such a pandemic coming, for decades. And so they all went into “make it up as you go along” mode. With very little knowledge of what was going on, and what to expect.
With predictable failures as a result. But because the pandemic has largely played out on a national level, not international, they manage to keep their failures hidden behind a facade of “we listened to the best science”, “nobody could have seen this coming”, and “if only people had listened to (obeyed)” what we said all along.
As I explained in the Taleb piece, the first, the initial, scientists to refer to in a case like SARS-CoV-2 are not epidemiologists, because they are backward looking; they compare the little they know about a new virus with what they know about earlier ones. Even if it’s all essentially a mismatch.
Instead, the first people you consult are risk specialists; yes, like Taleb. To know what the -necessarily basic- steps are to take against something you know very little about, other than it is contagious and potentially lethal. One of the obvious steps is close your borders.Another is a lockdown. But a lockdown is not a lockdown is not a lockdown. If you don’t get it right, it’s useless, oppressive and even harmfully counterproductive.
That’s why blueprints and playbooks, written well before a pandemic happens, are so important. You should never leave those things up to politicians, who don’t understand the matter at hand, who will always have other interests in mind (the economy), and will therefore assemble a bunch of local epidemiologists in order to declare: we’re listening to science!
Most of these people mean well, but that’s not enough. And with that, we’re moving out of the summer time and into, what?, COVID 2.0? With Lockdowns 2.0? There is no need. Here’s what you do: Order a billion rapid tests, a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a billion doses of zinc, a billion doses of Vitamin D, and a zillion N95 facemasks.
Not the crappy bluish masks everyone’s wearing today, that’s just a symbolic thing, but get the real thing, for everyone. How many has your government offered to you to date, while spending billions of trillions on the effects of the virus? Really, politicians are always useless when it comes to emergencies, because that’s not what they get elected for. COVID-19: Lockdowns on... Betrus, Michael Buy New $16.99 (as of 03:38 UTC - Details)
And no, face masks are not useless, but they certainly are outside. The risk of you getting infected -or infecting someone- are infinitesimal on the street. Unless someone spits or coughs in your face, but if that happens, that bluish mask won’t do much good anyway. So when I see a photo like this, of Japanese girls en masse wearing almost useless masks (only because the others do it too), I can only think: why don’t we teach people what works and what doesn’t? (I see the same thing here in Athens a lot too)
But so, yeah if your government won’t protect you with a billion rapid tests, a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a billion doses of zinc, a billion doses of Vitamin D, and a zillion N95 facemasks., they’re going to be thinking Lockdown 2.0. And that is going to be a huge problem in many places. There are very big problems in Melbourne as we speak:
Melbourne Lockdown Extended By Two Weeks
A strict lockdown in the Australian city of Melbourne has been extended by two weeks, with officials saying new Covid-19 cases had not dropped enough. Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said the restrictions would be in place until 28 September, with a slight relaxation. A gradual easing of the measures will be implemented from October. The state has been the epicentre of the country’s second wave, accounting for 90% of Australia’s 753 deaths. Australia has recorded a total of 26,000 cases in a population of 25 million. The greater Melbourne area entered a second lockdown on 9 July after a rise in cases. A 5km (3 mile) travel limit and night time curfew was imposed while shops and businesses were closed. The current stage four lockdown was originally set to end on 13 September.
2nd lockdowns are going to be hell to pay, for governments, for their citizens, for their economies. And they don’t have to be. If just everyone gets out the Fauci, “experts”, mood., and their potential connections to Big Pharma. Vitamin D and zinc and HCS look very promising. So does the Russian vaccine, but we don’t want it because, well, it’s Russian, and even more because it would deprive Gilead et al of huge potential profits furnished by western governments.
No, not all lockdowns are terrible. But a lock down should last maximum 2 months, or you will needlessly destroy your economy. Thing is, you must make sure it’s real, effective and short, not some Swedish or Dutch half-lockdown, or any of the half-assed US ones. A lockdown is either a lockdown or it’s not. But we’ve already passed that fase. Lockdowns in most locations will simply no longer be accepted. Fauci versus Duesberg:... Ortleb, Charles Buy New $7.99 (as of 05:03 UTC - Details)
Facemasks can have a real potential, but just as with lockdowns, only when applied appropriately, at the right time and under the right circumstances. I don’t subscribe to the right wing US idea that it is all just a bad joke and a means to oppress people. But if you order people to wear masks outside, where the infection risk borders on zero, and you order churches closed but not demonstrations or Target, you just show you understand neither the virus not your people. And then try and claw that one back.
Once again: tell your government to order – and have available ASAP: a billion rapid tests, a billion doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a billion doses of zinc, a billion doses of Vitamin D, and a zillion N95 facemasks. You may not be perfect, but your prospects are going to be a lot better than they are now.
Reprinted with permission from The Automatic Earth.


lewrockwell--2020-09-08--We’re at Peak Insanity

We’re at Peak Insanity

During my 40-year Wall St career , I ’ ve never seen a mania like this .
The problem is that central banks are rogue hedge funds with printing presses who are not elected or accountable and make policies that are consistently wrong .
US stock markets were rocked last week by massive volatility that saw the most significant declines since the March correction .
The US Congress and Federal Reserve policy of endless bailouts , moral hazard and exponential money printing are extreme fiscal profligacy that will sink capitalism faster than the Titanic on its maiden voyage .
Stock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highs .
The NASDAQ traded up at 12,050.46 , and the Standard & Poor ’ s 500 index traded at 3,588.11 , achieving another benchmark .
Stock valuations are the highest they ’ ve ever been , exceeding the crash of 1929 and the 2000 technology bubble .
Just six stocks have driven this rally : Apple , Amazon , Microsoft , Facebook , Google and Tesla .
Irrational Exuberance : ... Shiller , Robert J .
Best Price : $ 8.20 Buy New $ 2.99 Should you worry that the world has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen valuations skyrocket during the worst economic depression the world has ever experienced ?
Yes , indeed , you should step back from the cliff ’ s edge immediately .
The billionaire oligarchs of Silicon Valley , whose stocks are at all-time highs during an economic depression , will utilize censorship to manipulate the outcome of the 2020 election .
These oligarchs demand one rule for thee and another for me .
They demand equality of outcome and will implement laws that prevent equality of opportunity .
The US is in a class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Google , Facebook , Amazon and Twitter are “ all in ” on ensuring their power base is protected with the election of Biden and Harris .
Financial media ’ s illiteracy is compounded by the army of analysts repeating nauseatingly insane sound bites such as : “ Don ’ t fight the Fed and Central Bank Policies , ” “ You don ’ t understand , you ’ re a dinosaur , ” and their power punch , “ It ’ s different this time.
” Most sincere apologies , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time ” , next time or anytime – ever !
Mean reversion is a “ thing ” and to quote the head of the Bank of Japan , who based his country ’ s failed monetary policy on Peter Pan , “ You can fly if you believe you can ; the problems begin when you stop believing you can fly.
” Are we at that point in markets now ?
Insane Mode : How Elon ... McKenzie , Hamish Best Price : $ 3.54 Buy New $ 11.15 No one can pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period of extreme , irrational exuberance .
However , during my 40-year career , I have never seen a mania like this before .
The Problem : Central banks are rogue hedge funds with printing presses who are not elected or accountable , and make policies that are consistently wrong .
A few weeks back , I wrote an article analyzing Apple ’ s revenues , product pipeline , share buyback scheme , upcoming stock split and Apple ’ s extraordinary two-trillion-dollar valuation .
I warned that post 4-1 stock split buyers would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Apple .
I suggested Elon Musk ’ s Tesla as the poster child for a Harvard Business School case study in irrational exuberance and stock manias .
Tesla is a profitless maker of electric vehicles , with a stock price that has surged 1,000 percent in a year and seen its market capitalization rocket to $ 450 billion before a 5-1 split that was declared by the geniuses in the financial media as a Tesla “ dividend ” making shares available at a price for every investor .
The dividend comment is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as asking a five-year-old : Would you rather have this entire bag filled with 50 one pound coins or one wrinkled old 50 pound note ?
After achieving its record valuation , Tesla ’ s most prominent institutional shareholder , Baillie Gifford , has dumped nearly 20 million of its Tesla shares since the end of June .
Baillie was not alone in selling ; almost every Tesla executive sold some of their shares at or right near the top and before the further dilution of value by Tesla ’ s issuance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what did they all know and when did they know it ?
Elon ’ s brother Kimbal Musk , a Tesla board member since 2014 who also sits on Tesla ’ s compensation , corporate governance and disclosures controls committees , made over $ 8 million by selling his shares for $ 498.32 , the top .
It ’ s okay because , after all , the laws and rules do not apply to oligarchs – just shut-up and obey .
Elon Musk : Tesla , Spac ... Vance , Ashlee Best Price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During last Thursday and Friday ’ s trading sessions , Tesla ’ s stock lost nearly $ 100 billion in its market capitalization .
That loss is more than Boeing ’ s entire market cap , which was $ 93 billion on Friday and more than every automaker combined .
Why is Tesla ’ s share price a mania ?
For Tesla to be worth $ 450 billion , Musk ’ s EV auto-maker would need to capture far more than a 50 percent share of all automobiles sold in the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands below one percent .
Media hype and Musk ’ s daily fantastic claims and unfulfilled promises have helped propel these shares into the stratosphere .
After Friday ’ s close , the S & P 500 rebalanced .
Tesla was not included in the index and dropped eight percent ; guess something scared the index away from Tesla , but it probably had nothing to do with valuations , accounting gimmicks or some other reason .
There is more trouble on the immediate horizon for Tesla , based upon Musk ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s sale of an $ 8,000 “ Full Self Driving ” ( FSD ) option that Musk claims will be “ fully autonomous ” soon .
In addition to Tesla ’ s FSD causing numerous deaths , as a result of Tesla ’ s smashing into stationary objects that include parked police cars , Consumer Reports ( CR ) said “ The $ 8,000 FSD doesn ’ t make the car self-driving.
” CR ’ s manager went even further in his rebuke , saying : “ Tesla has repeatedly rolled out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can put peoples ’ safety at risk and shouldn ’ t be used anywhere but on a private test track or proving ground.
” It has been reported that a Tesla crashed in China on September 5 , killing two and injuring six .
Considering Tesla has manufactured only around a million automobiles , the incidents reported involving their cars are extraordinary .
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been aware of many deaths associated with Tesla crashes , yet has done nothing .
People keep dying , when will action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rule !
Ludicrous : The Unvarni ... Niedermeyer , Edward Buy New $ 16.95 At one point during Friday ’ s trading session , we saw the NASDAQ down nearly 11 percent in two days , and a 2,000-point reversal in the Dow Jones Industrial Average .
What does this mean for you ?
Some of the moves were exaggerated by many plays in the derivative product options markets .
But when you see extreme volatility when markets are in a “ mania , ” it ’ s time to take your chips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if something seems too good to be true , it usually is .
The economic , political and social culture has drastically shifted in the past few years to embrace “ woke ” socialism , anarchy and lawlessness .
We have reached an incredibly dangerous flashpoint that must be addressed , countered and resolved by strong leadership .
Do we have anyone available ?
Fasten your seatbelts : it may be time to go short and severe turbulence is on its way because it is different this time – you ain ’ @ @ @ @ @

During my 40-year Wall St career, I’ve never seen a mania like this. The problem is that central banks are rogue hedge funds with printing presses who are not elected or accountable and make policies that are consistently wrong.
US stock markets were rocked last week by massive volatility that saw the most significant declines since the March correction. The US Congress and Federal Reserve policy of endless bailouts, moral hazard and exponential money printing are extreme fiscal profligacy that will sink capitalism faster than the Titanic on its maiden voyage.
Stock market indexes have recently rocketed to record highs. The NASDAQ traded up at 12,050.46, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index traded at 3,588.11, achieving another benchmark. Stock valuations are the highest they’ve ever been, exceeding the crash of 1929 and the 2000 technology bubble. Just six stocks have driven this rally: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Tesla. Irrational Exuberance:... Shiller, Robert J. Best Price: $8.20 Buy New $2.99 (as of 06:04 UTC - Details)
Should you worry that the world has never witnessed a stock mania that has seen valuations skyrocket during the worst economic depression the world has ever experienced? Yes, indeed, you should step back from the cliff’s edge immediately.
The billionaire oligarchs of Silicon Valley, whose stocks are at all-time highs during an economic depression, will utilize censorship to manipulate the outcome of the 2020 election. These oligarchs demand one rule for thee and another for me. They demand equality of outcome and will implement laws that prevent equality of opportunity. The US is in a class war dressed up as a race war. Google, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter are “all in” on ensuring their power base is protected with the election of Biden and Harris.
#NASDAQ Is NOT a Bubble, it’s A MANIA!
New High of 12,050.46
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/Ooh5nJhDBC — Planet Ponzi (@PlanetPonzi) September 2, 2020
Financial media’s illiteracy is compounded by the army of analysts repeating nauseatingly insane sound bites such as: “Don’t fight the Fed and Central Bank Policies,”“You don’t understand, you’re a dinosaur,” and their power punch, “It’s different this time.”
Most sincere apologies, but it’s “not different this time”, next time or anytime – ever! Mean reversion is a “thing” and to quote the head of the Bank of Japan, who based his country’s failed monetary policy on Peter Pan, “You can fly if you believe you can; the problems begin when you stop believing you can fly.” Are we at that point in markets now? Insane Mode: How Elon ... McKenzie, Hamish Best Price: $3.54 Buy New $11.15 (as of 06:04 UTC - Details)
No one can pick the moment of peak insanity during a period of extreme, irrational exuberance. However, during my 40-year career, I have never seen a mania like this before. The Problem: Central banks are rogue hedge funds with printing presses who are not elected or accountable, and make policies that are consistently wrong.
A few weeks back, I wrote an article analyzing Apple’s revenues, product pipeline, share buyback scheme, upcoming stock split and Apple’s extraordinary two-trillion-dollar valuation. I warned that post 4-1 stock split buyers would likely lose money in the long run on Apple.
I suggested Elon Musk’s Tesla as the poster child for a Harvard Business School case study in irrational exuberance and stock manias. Tesla is a profitless maker of electric vehicles, with a stock price that has surged 1,000 percent in a year and seen its market capitalization rocket to $450 billion before a 5-1 split that was declared by the geniuses in the financial media as a Tesla “dividend” making shares available at a price for every investor. The dividend comment is idiocy. It’s the same as asking a five-year-old: Would you rather have this entire bag filled with 50 one pound coins or one wrinkled old 50 pound note?
After achieving its record valuation, Tesla’s most prominent institutional shareholder, Baillie Gifford, has dumped nearly 20 million of its Tesla shares since the end of June. Baillie was not alone in selling; almost every Tesla executive sold some of their shares at or right near the top and before the further dilution of value by Tesla’s issuance of $5 billion in new shares – what did they all know and when did they know it? Elon’s brother Kimbal Musk, a Tesla board member since 2014 who also sits on Tesla’s compensation, corporate governance and disclosures controls committees, made over $8 million by selling his shares for $498.32, the top. It’s okay because, after all, the laws and rules do not apply to oligarchs – just shut-up and obey. Elon Musk: Tesla, Spac... Vance, Ashlee Best Price: $6.36 Buy New $13.45 (as of 06:04 UTC - Details)
During last Thursday and Friday’s trading sessions, Tesla’s stock lost nearly $100 billion in its market capitalization. That loss is more than Boeing’s entire market cap, which was $93 billion on Friday and more than every automaker combined.
Why is Tesla’s share price a mania? For Tesla to be worth $450 billion, Musk’s EV auto-maker would need to capture far more than a 50 percent share of all automobiles sold in the world, and Tesla’s current market share stands below one percent. Media hype and Musk’s daily fantastic claims and unfulfilled promises have helped propel these shares into the stratosphere. After Friday’s close, the S&P 500 rebalanced. Tesla was not included in the index and dropped eight percent; guess something scared the index away from Tesla, but it probably had nothing to do with valuations, accounting gimmicks or some other reason.
There is more trouble on the immediate horizon for Tesla, based upon Musk’s fantastical claims and material misrepresentations regarding Tesla’s sale of an $8,000 “Full Self Driving” (FSD) option that Musk claims will be “fully autonomous” soon. In addition to Tesla’s FSD causing numerous deaths, as a result of Tesla’s smashing into stationary objects that include parked police cars, Consumer Reports (CR) said “The $8,000 FSD doesn’t make the car self-driving.”
CR’s manager went even further in his rebuke, saying: “Tesla has repeatedly rolled out crude beta features, some of which can put peoples’ safety at risk and shouldn’t be used anywhere but on a private test track or proving ground.”
It has been reported that a Tesla crashed in China on September 5, killing two and injuring six. Considering Tesla has manufactured only around a million automobiles, the incidents reported involving their cars are extraordinary. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been aware of many deaths associated with Tesla crashes, yet has done nothing. People keep dying, when will action be taken? Perhaps never. Oligarchs Rule! Ludicrous: The Unvarni... Niedermeyer, Edward Buy New $16.95 (as of 06:04 UTC - Details)
At one point during Friday’s trading session, we saw the NASDAQ down nearly 11 percent in two days, and a 2,000-point reversal in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. What does this mean for you?
Some of the moves were exaggerated by many plays in the derivative product options markets. But when you see extreme volatility when markets are in a “mania,” it’s time to take your chips off the table and re-assess.
Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. The economic, political and social culture has drastically shifted in the past few years to embrace “woke” socialism, anarchy and lawlessness. We have reached an incredibly dangerous flashpoint that must be addressed, countered and resolved by strong leadership. Do we have anyone available?
Fasten your seatbelts: it may be time to go short and severe turbulence is on its way because it is different this time – you ain’t seen nothing yet!
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


lewrockwell--2020-09-08--Australia’s Covid Police State

Australia’s Covid Police State

Last week ’ s arrest of Zoe Buhler by Australian police , the video of which swept the world , should terrify every person who believes in liberal democracy .
Buhler , a 28-year-old pregnant mother , was arrested at her home near Ballarat , Victoria , on Wednesday .
She was handcuffed in front of her family , had her computer and phones confiscated , and was led out of her house by the police .
What had she done that was deserving of such heavy-handed treatment ?
What had she done that made it worth subjecting her family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handcuffs ?
Very little .
She had attempted , through a posting on Facebook , to organise a peaceful anti-lockdown gathering in Ballarat – a town with just four active cases of coronavirus .
Look at the exact words of Buhler ’ s Facebook post , and ask yourself whether it warrants police intervention : COVID-19 vs BLACK LIVE ... HUNTLEY , NICK Buy New $ 4.99 ‘ PEACEFUL PROTEST .
All social-distancing measures are to be followed so we don ’ t get arrested please .
Please wear a mask unless you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 5th is FREEDOM DAY !
’ Victoria police see those words as criminal activity – ‘ the planning and encouragement of protest activity ’ .
As a result , Buhler is due to appear in court in January next year .
She could be jailed for up to 15 years .
The reaction of Australian politicians to Buhler ’ s arrest is even more worrying .
Assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius , one of Victoria ’ s most senior police officers , said he was ‘ absolutely satisfied ’ with the arrest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ video , and the ‘ optics ’ of the arrest of a pregnant woman , which he said were ‘ terrible ’ .
So there you have it : the only thing Cornelius regrets about the arrest was that the public saw it .
This is an astonishing change of attitude from Cornelius .
Victorians remember in June when he said of the then imminent Black Lives Matter protests that he and the police ‘ absolutely understand the sentiment and the anger that lies behind that and we are very keen to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their concerns ’ .
The authorities promptly allowed over 10,000 Victorians to march in Melbourne without being fined .

Last week’s arrest of Zoe Buhler by Australian police, the video of which swept the world, should terrify every person who believes in liberal democracy.
Buhler, a 28-year-old pregnant mother, was arrested at her home near Ballarat, Victoria, on Wednesday. She was handcuffed in front of her family, had her computer and phones confiscated, and was led out of her house by the police.
What had she done that was deserving of such heavy-handed treatment? What had she done that made it worth subjecting her family to the sight of seeing her in handcuffs?
Very little. She had attempted, through a posting on Facebook, to organise a peaceful anti-lockdown gathering in Ballarat – a town with just four active cases of coronavirus.
Look at the exact words of Buhler’s Facebook post, and ask yourself whether it warrants police intervention: COVID-19 vs BLACK LIVE... HUNTLEY, NICK Buy New $4.99 (as of 06:06 UTC - Details)
‘PEACEFUL PROTEST. All social-distancing measures are to be followed so we don’t get arrested please. Please wear a mask unless you have a medical reason not to. September 5th is FREEDOM DAY!’
Victoria police see those words as criminal activity – ‘the planning and encouragement of protest activity’. As a result, Buhler is due to appear in court in January next year. She could be jailed for up to 15 years.
All for a Facebook post.
The reaction of Australian politicians to Buhler’s arrest is even more worrying. Assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius, one of Victoria’s most senior police officers, said he was ‘absolutely satisfied’ with the arrest. The only thing he regretted was the video, and the ‘optics’ of the arrest of a pregnant woman, which he said were ‘terrible’. So there you have it: the only thing Cornelius regrets about the arrest was that the public saw it.
This is an astonishing change of attitude from Cornelius. Victorians remember in June when he said of the then imminent Black Lives Matter protests that he and the police ‘absolutely understand the sentiment and the anger that lies behind that and we are very keen to support the community in giving a voice to their concerns’. The authorities promptly allowed over 10,000 Victorians to march in Melbourne without being fined.
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