Are Americans Rational?

I ’ ve been holding back on commenting on current events because they are far too silly .
At this point it is safe to say that the elections in the US have been thoroughly botched and that , no matter who is ultimately chosen as president for the next for years , enough questions will remain in the minds of enough people to thoroughly delegitimize the national leadership in the eyes of at least half the country .
Just this morning I got a missive from Paul Craig Roberts containing the following bullet points : • Joe Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump ’ s Facebook account has 34.72 million followers .
How likely is it that a person with four to five times the following of his rival lost the election ?
Donald Trump 2020 Coll ... Buy New $ 37.94 • Joe Biden , declared by the biased presstitutes to be president by landslide , gave a Thanksgiving Day message and only 1,000 people watched his live statement .
Where is the enthusiasm ?
• Trump ’ s campaign appearances were heavily attended and that Biden ’ s were avoided .
Somehow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his campaign appearances won the presidency .
• Despite Biden ’ s total failure to animate voters during the presidential campaign , he received 15 million more votes than Barack Obama did in his 2012 re-election .
• Biden won despite underperforming Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 vote in every urban US county , but outperformed Clinton in Democrat-controlled Detroit , Milwaukee , Atlanta , and Philadelphia , the precise cities where the most obvious and most blatant electoral fraud was committed .
• Biden won despite receiving a record low share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s share of the Republican primary vote .
• Biden won despite Trump bettering his 2016 vote by ten million votes and Trump ’ s record support from minority voters .
• Biden won despite losing the bellwether counties that have always predicted the election outcome and the bellwether states of Ohio and Florida .
• Biden won in Georgia , a completely red state with a red governor and legislature both House and Senate .
Somehow a red state voted for a blue president .
• Biden won despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • In Pennsylvania 47 memory cards containing more than 50,000 votes are missing .
Migi Trump Socks Make ... Buy New $ 12.99 • Pennsylvania 1.8 million ballots were mailed out to voters , but 2.5 million mail-in ballots were counted .
Roberts is a Republican and therefore believes that the Democrats stole the election .
A Democrat , once it turns out that Trump won after all , would believe the opposite .
But that makes no difference because , as I keep repeating , the US is not a democracy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its president .
It is not a democracy because the vast majority of votes—all Democratic votes in Republican states and all Republican votes in Democratic states—are simply thrown away .
That ’ s roughly half the electorate who have no chance of making their vote count in the state where they live .
Of course , they could move to a different state , in which case their vote would be thrown away for the opposite reason—lost as part of a superfluously large majority .
This is easy enough to explain to any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans , for whom such logic goes in one ear and comes out the other .
In short , they are not rational .
Worse than that , their leaders are not rational either .
This brings us to the second point—that it doesn ’ t matter who is president .
Trump keeps talking about making America great—by bringing manufacturing back from China .
Except that the opposite has happened over the past four years : China ’ s industrial production has continued to grow ( although more slowly than before ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to decline .
Nor is is there any reason at all to think that this is going to change over the next four years .
Biden keeps talking about America continuing as the leader of the free world—except that America is no longer the leader of much of anything and there is no reason to think that anything can be done to reverse this slide .
Thus , no matter who becomes ( or remains ) president , the US administration will continue to wallow in nostalgia while steadfastly refusing to admit defeat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 29.99 This defeat has multiple elements .
First , the shale oil gamble is over .
Drilling rates have collapsed , many shale oil companies are bankrupt , and US oil production is set to plummet from over 12 million barrels per day at its peak to around 5 million by next June ( according to Art Berman , whose opinion I trust ) .
After that point the US will once again become a major oil importer , and since no other swing producers are available this will drive up oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record of $ 150/barrel , resulting in a US oil import bill of half a trillion dollars a year .
But it is doubtful whether that much extra oil can be produced at almost any price .
Second , national bankruptcy is looming ever closer .
The federal government now overspends its revenues by a factor of two or more , meaning that for every dollar of federal revenue it borrows and spends at least two .
Previously , despite its already ridiculous size and exponential growth rate , US federal debt could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough foreign buyers could be found for it ; but this is no longer the case .
And so this debt is looking less and less legitimate because it is being monetized—simply printed into existence—as the Federal Reserve degenerates into a pure pyramid scheme .
Third , the US dollar ( along with some other currencies to which it is tied ) is poised on the edge of a hyperinflationary wipe-out .
In an effort to shore up the economy a great deal of money has been unleashed into the economy and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from triggering hyperinflation .
Thus we have the truly bizarre combination of a record-high stock market along with record-high bankruptcies , foreclosures and evictions .
At some point confidence in the stock market will evaporate and all of this notional money will go chasing after anything that isn ’ t made of paper ( with the possible exception of toilet paper ) .
Much of this notional money will evaporate as people liquidate their stock holdings , but enough will remain to result in hoarding and hyperinflation .
The US dollar will devalue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to imports .
Fourth , the US has lost its lead militarily , definitely to Russia and possibly to China and Iran .
Its major military asset is its aircraft carrier fleet , which is by now completely useless because it can be destroyed using conventional weapons from a safe stand-off distance which is greater than the reach of its aircraft .
Consequently , it can not be deployed close enough to an enemy shore to make its aircraft useful .
US military bases , hundreds of which are scattered all over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s and China ’ s borders , are also useless militarily , as demonstrated by Iran ’ s rocket attacks against two of them in Iraq .
In short , the entire US military is by now more of a liability than an asset—likely to draw the US into a military confrontation which it can not win .
Official President Don ... Buy New $ 29.99 Now , do you hear these points discussed in the national media , in the course of the election campaign or otherwise ?
Do these points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues , neighbors , friends and family ?
Are these topics of discussion in high school civics classes ?
( Wait , what high school civics classes ? )
No ?
And yet they are real , and their consequences are at this point unavoidable , and refusing to acknowledge them will only exacerbate their effects .
Collapse is bad enough when you and everyone around you can acknowledge it .
But if everyone from the president ( pick either one ) to the lowliest convenience store clerk is incapable of accepting it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immediate consequences , that makes it much , much worse .
I refuse to accept any of the responsibility for this dreadful state of affairs ; I ’ ve been doing all I can to warn people for a decade and a half now .
It is now pointless for me to issue any more warnings .
All I can do now is watch the inevitable unfold .
The Best of Dmitry Orlov

I’ve been holding back on commenting on current events because they are far too silly. At this point it is safe to say that the elections in the US have been thoroughly botched and that, no matter who is ultimately chosen as president for the next for years, enough questions will remain in the minds of enough people to thoroughly delegitimize the national leadership in the eyes of at least half the country.
Just this morning I got a missive from Paul Craig Roberts containing the following bullet points:
• Joe Biden’s Twitter account has 20 million followers. Trump’s Twitter account has 88.8 million followers.
• Joe Biden’s Facebook account has 7.78 million followers. Trump’s Facebook account has 34.72 million followers. How likely is it that a person with four to five times the following of his rival lost the election? Donald Trump 2020 Coll... Buy New $37.94 (as of 05:17 UTC - Details)
• Joe Biden, declared by the biased presstitutes to be president by landslide, gave a Thanksgiving Day message and only 1,000 people watched his live statement. Where is the enthusiasm?
• Trump’s campaign appearances were heavily attended and that Biden’s were avoided. Somehow a candidate who could not draw supporters to his campaign appearances won the presidency.
• Despite Biden’s total failure to animate voters during the presidential campaign, he received 15 million more votes than Barack Obama did in his 2012 re-election.
• Biden won despite underperforming Hillary Clinton’s 2016 vote in every urban US county, but outperformed Clinton in Democrat-controlled Detroit, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, the precise cities where the most obvious and most blatant electoral fraud was committed.
• Biden won despite receiving a record low share of the Democrat primary vote compared to Trump’s share of the Republican primary vote.
• Biden won despite Trump bettering his 2016 vote by ten million votes and Trump’s record support from minority voters.
• Biden won despite losing the bellwether counties that have always predicted the election outcome and the bellwether states of Ohio and Florida.
• Biden won in Georgia, a completely red state with a red governor and legislature both House and Senate. Somehow a red state voted for a blue president.
• Biden won despite the Democrats losing representation in the House.
• In Pennsylvania 47 memory cards containing more than 50,000 votes are missing. Migi Trump Socks Make ... Buy New $12.99 (as of 02:26 UTC - Details)
• Pennsylvania 1.8 million ballots were mailed out to voters, but 2.5 million mail-in ballots were counted.
Roberts is a Republican and therefore believes that the Democrats stole the election. A Democrat, once it turns out that Trump won after all, would believe the opposite. But that makes no difference because, as I keep repeating, the US is not a democracy and it doesn’t matter who is its president.
It is not a democracy because the vast majority of votes—all Democratic votes in Republican states and all Republican votes in Democratic states—are simply thrown away. That’s roughly half the electorate who have no chance of making their vote count in the state where they live. Of course, they could move to a different state, in which case their vote would be thrown away for the opposite reason—lost as part of a superfluously large majority.
This is easy enough to explain to any rational person—but not to the vast majority of Americans, for whom such logic goes in one ear and comes out the other. In short, they are not rational. Worse than that, their leaders are not rational either. This brings us to the second point—that it doesn’t matter who is president.
Trump keeps talking about making America great—by bringing manufacturing back from China. Except that the opposite has happened over the past four years: China’s industrial production has continued to grow (although more slowly than before) while in the US it has continued to decline. Nor is is there any reason at all to think that this is going to change over the next four years.
Biden keeps talking about America continuing as the leader of the free world—except that America is no longer the leader of much of anything and there is no reason to think that anything can be done to reverse this slide. Thus, no matter who becomes (or remains) president, the US administration will continue to wallow in nostalgia while steadfastly refusing to admit defeat. President Donald Trump... Buy New $29.99 (as of 05:50 UTC - Details)
This defeat has multiple elements. First, the shale oil gamble is over. Drilling rates have collapsed, many shale oil companies are bankrupt, and US oil production is set to plummet from over 12 million barrels per day at its peak to around 5 million by next June (according to Art Berman, whose opinion I trust). After that point the US will once again become a major oil importer, and since no other swing producers are available this will drive up oil prices, perhaps beyond the previous all-time record of $150/barrel, resulting in a US oil import bill of half a trillion dollars a year. But it is doubtful whether that much extra oil can be produced at almost any price.
Second, national bankruptcy is looming ever closer. The federal government now overspends its revenues by a factor of two or more, meaning that for every dollar of federal revenue it borrows and spends at least two. Previously, despite its already ridiculous size and exponential growth rate, US federal debt could be given an appearance of legitimacy because enough foreign buyers could be found for it; but this is no longer the case. And so this debt is looking less and less legitimate because it is being monetized—simply printed into existence—as the Federal Reserve degenerates into a pure pyramid scheme.
Third, the US dollar (along with some other currencies to which it is tied) is poised on the edge of a hyperinflationary wipe-out. In an effort to shore up the economy a great deal of money has been unleashed into the economy and it went chasing after stocks, keeping it from triggering hyperinflation. Thus we have the truly bizarre combination of a record-high stock market along with record-high bankruptcies, foreclosures and evictions. At some point confidence in the stock market will evaporate and all of this notional money will go chasing after anything that isn’t made of paper (with the possible exception of toilet paper). Much of this notional money will evaporate as people liquidate their stock holdings, but enough will remain to result in hoarding and hyperinflation. The US dollar will devalue internationally and the US will lose access to imports.
Fourth, the US has lost its lead militarily, definitely to Russia and possibly to China and Iran. Its major military asset is its aircraft carrier fleet, which is by now completely useless because it can be destroyed using conventional weapons from a safe stand-off distance which is greater than the reach of its aircraft. Consequently, it cannot be deployed close enough to an enemy shore to make its aircraft useful. US military bases, hundreds of which are scattered all over the globe, but mostly clustered along Russia’s and China’s borders, are also useless militarily, as demonstrated by Iran’s rocket attacks against two of them in Iraq. In short, the entire US military is by now more of a liability than an asset—likely to draw the US into a military confrontation which it cannot win.
Official President Don... Check Amazon for Pricing. Now, do you hear these points discussed in the national media, in the course of the election campaign or otherwise? Do these points come up at all in conversations with colleagues, neighbors, friends and family? Are these topics of discussion in high school civics classes? (Wait, what high school civics classes?) No? And yet they are real, and their consequences are at this point unavoidable, and refusing to acknowledge them will only exacerbate their effects.
Collapse is bad enough when you and everyone around you can acknowledge it. But if everyone from the president (pick either one) to the lowliest convenience store clerk is incapable of accepting it as real and thinking through some of the immediate consequences, that makes it much, much worse. I refuse to accept any of the responsibility for this dreadful state of affairs; I’ve been doing all I can to warn people for a decade and a half now. It is now pointless for me to issue any more warnings. All I can do now is watch the inevitable unfold.
Reprinted with permission from Dmitry Orlov.
The Best of Dmitry Orlov


lewrockwell--2020-12-04--Landmark Study Finds Masks Are Ineffective

The first randomized controlled trial1,2 to assess the effectiveness of surgical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection specifically — which journals initially refused to publish — is finally seeing the light of day .
The so-called “ Danmask-19 Trial , ” published November 18 , 2020 , in the Annals of Internal Medicine,3 included 3,030 individuals assigned to wear a surgical face mask and 2,994 unmasked controls .
Of them , 80.7 % completed the study .
To qualify , participants had to spend at least three hours per day outside the home and not be required to wear a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the study , participants reported having spent a median of 4.5 hours per day outside the home .
For one month , participants in the mask group were instructed to wear a mask whenever they were outside their home .
Surgical face masks with a filtration rate of 98 % were supplied .
In accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organization , participants were instructed to change their mask after eight hours .
The Vitamin D Revoluti ... Soram Khalsa Best Price : $ 1.25 Buy New $ 10.69 Antibody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of the study period .
At the end of the month , they also submitted a nasal swab sample for PCR testing .
The primary outcome was a positive PCR test , a positive antibody test result ( IgM or IgG ) during the study period , or a hospital-based diagnosis of COVID-19 .
Secondary end points included PCR evidence of infection with other respiratory viruses .
Based on the adherence scores reported , 46 % of participants always wore the mask as recommended , 47 % predominantly as recommended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , what did they find ?
As you might expect , there ’ s a reason why the researchers had such a hard time getting this study published : • Among mask wearers , 1.8 % ( 42 participants ) ended up testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 , compared to 2.1 % ( 53 ) among controls .
When they removed the people who reported not adhering to the recommendations for use , the results remained the same — 1.8 % ( 40 people ) , which suggests adherence makes no significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participants ) tested positive for antibodies compared to 1.8 % ( 44 ) of controls .
• Among those who reported wearing their face mask “ exactly as instructed , ” 2 % ( 22 participants ) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to 2.1 % ( 53 ) of the controls .
• 52 participants in the mask group and 39 in the control group reported COVID-19 in their household .
Of these , two participants in the mask group and one in the control group developed SARS-CoV-2 infection — a finding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections was outside the home.
” • 0.5 % ( nine participants ) in the mask group and 0.6 % ( 11 individuals ) tested positive for one or more respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 ( secondary outcome ) .
All in all , this landmark COVID-19-specific study failed to deliver good news to those who insist face masks are a crucial component of the pandemic response .
Masks may reduce your risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by as much as 46 % , or it may increase your risk by 23 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence still shows that masks have virtually no impact on viral transmission .
Another take-home point that you get from this study , which Del Bigtree points out in The Highwire video report above , is that the vast majority — 97.9 % of those who didn ’ t wear masks , and 98.2 % of those who did — remained infection free .
So , we are destroying economies and lives around the world , for what , exactly ?
To protect a small minority from getting a positive PCR test result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Casedemic ’ Is a Perpetuation of Needless Fear , ” means little to nothing .
As reported by the authors:4 The researchers point out that results could potentially turn out differently if everyone were wearing a mask .
At the time of the study , Danish authorities did not recommend universal mask use and most Danes did not wear them .
Hence “ participants ’ exposure was overwhelmingly to persons not wearing masks.
” That possibility , however , is a big “ if , ” and not sufficient to mandate universal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect is nothing but a wholly unscientific guess .
Despite that , many local leaders are now doubling down on mask mandates , some even requiring them to be worn inside your own home when anyone outside the family is present and even if physical distancing can be maintained.5 As an example of extremes , a June 2020 Harvard University paper6,7 even suggested couples should wear face masks during sex .
Others are tripling down on masks , recommending you wear two or even three at the same time.8 Former Food and Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans to wear N95 surgical masks whenever possible.9 Missing entirely from most recommendations is common-sense health guidance known to improve your immune function and lower your infection risk naturally , such as supplementing with vitamin D , NAC , melatonin , quercetin and zinc .
As noted by Angela Rasmussen , a virologist and affiliate of the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security , in a November 15 , 2020 , op-ed in The Guardian,10 our immune systems know how to handle the virus ; it ’ s our politicians who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She writes:11 As noted by Rasmussen , the data collected on the responses of T-cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection “ underscore that SARS-CoV-2 is not an anomalous virus capable of miraculous feats of immune evasion.
” In other words , provided your immune function is normal , the virus is as vulnerable as any other virus and you ’ re not destined to die just because you develop symptoms .
So , the reason we ’ re in the situation we ’ re now in , Rasmussen says , is not because SARS-CoV-2 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has come before .
We ’ re in this situation due to political failures .
Mask Mandates Have Had No Impact on Infection Trends Other data analyses that add support to the Danish study ’ s results include Yinon Weiss ’ work presented in his article12 “ These 12 Graphs Show Mask Mandates Do Nothing to Stop COVID.
” In it , he shows that states ’ mask rules appear to have had nothing to do with infection rates , which is what you ’ d expect if masks don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No matter how strictly mask laws are enforced nor the level of mask compliance the population follows , cases all fall and rise around the same time.
” To see all of the graphs , check out Weiss ’ article13 or Twitter thread.14 Here are just a select few to bring home the point : What everyone needs to come to terms with is that we have a new respiratory virus in town — one that may stay with us indefinitely .
The question then becomes , just how long do we lock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social relationships ?
Vitamin C : The Real St ... Steve Hickey , Andrew W ... Best Price : $ 8.91 Buy New $ 12.47 How long do we neglect our children ’ s education and social development by keeping schools closed ?
How long do we leave our elderly family members to languish in isolation ?
A better part of the global population has essentially stopped living altogether , and for what ?
For fear of an illness that 99.7 % of people recover from15 — an illness that is as likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you ’ re under 60.16 Data clearly show that COVID-19 has not resulted in excess mortality , meaning the same number of people who die in any given year , on average , have died in this year of the pandemic.17,18 Several studies19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26 also suggest immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection is far more widespread than anyone imagined .
In an October 28 , 2020 , Wall Street Journal opinion piece,27 Joseph Ladapo , an associate professor at UCLA ’ s David Geffen School of Medicine , points out that we really must accept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpredictable as it may be .
He writes : There ’ s Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself Organic Zinc Sulfate L ... Buy New $ 18.95 ( $ 4.74 / Fl Oz ) Hopefully , if you ’ ve been reading this newsletter , you ’ re no longer incapacitated with fear and are capable of making more level-headed decisions based on the data at hand rather than the fear porn published in the daily papers .
For the latest news and top tips for combating COVID-19 , check out my Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this pandemic being overblown and prolonged for purposes that have nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with “ resetting ” the global financial and power structures — none of which will benefit us .
The lockdowns are essentially just conditioning you to accept a radically new way of life — one in which we have limited ability to travel or work , one in which we ’ re conditioned to being partially or wholly dependent on a government handout , one in which we must submit to being tracked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to privacy , one in which the government dictates how you can spend your time , where you can go , who you can spend time with and for how long .
Eventually , once the global economies are in irreparable shambles , the central banks will roll out a debt erasure program to solve all our problems .
The price will be your humanity , your freedom .
Will you pay it ?
Or will you resist the whole deviled scheme while you still can ?
The Best of Joseph Mercola

The first randomized controlled trial1,2 to assess the effectiveness of surgical face masks against SARS-CoV-2 infection specifically — which journals initially refused to publish — is finally seeing the light of day.
The so-called “Danmask-19 Trial,” published November 18, 2020, in the Annals of Internal Medicine,3 included 3,030 individuals assigned to wear a surgical face mask and 2,994 unmasked controls. Of them, 80.7% completed the study.
To qualify, participants had to spend at least three hours per day outside the home and not be required to wear a mask during their daily work. At the end of the study, participants reported having spent a median of 4.5 hours per day outside the home.
For one month, participants in the mask group were instructed to wear a mask whenever they were outside their home. Surgical face masks with a filtration rate of 98% were supplied. In accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organization, participants were instructed to change their mask after eight hours. The Vitamin D Revoluti... Soram Khalsa Best Price: $1.25 Buy New $10.69 (as of 08:00 UTC - Details)
Antibody testing was performed before the outset and at the end of the study period. At the end of the month, they also submitted a nasal swab sample for PCR testing.
What the Danmask-19 Trial Found
The primary outcome was a positive PCR test, a positive antibody test result (IgM or IgG) during the study period, or a hospital-based diagnosis of COVID-19. Secondary end points included PCR evidence of infection with other respiratory viruses.
Based on the adherence scores reported, 46% of participants always wore the mask as recommended, 47% predominantly as recommended and 7% failed to follow recommendations. So, what did they find? As you might expect, there’s a reason why the researchers had such a hard time getting this study published:
Among mask wearers, 1.8% (42 participants) ended up testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to 2.1% (53) among controls. When they removed the people who reported not adhering to the recommendations for use, the results remained the same — 1.8% (40 people), which suggests adherence makes no significant difference.
1.4% (33 participants) tested positive for antibodies compared to 1.8% (44) of controls.
Among those who reported wearing their face mask “exactly as instructed,” 2% (22 participants) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to 2.1% (53) of the controls.
52 participants in the mask group and 39 in the control group reported COVID-19 in their household. Of these, two participants in the mask group and one in the control group developed SARS-CoV-2 infection — a finding that suggests “the source of most observed infections was outside the home.”
0.5% (nine participants) in the mask group and 0.6% (11 individuals) tested positive for one or more respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 (secondary outcome). High Potency Vitamin D... Buy New $19.97 ($0.06 / Count) (as of 11:23 UTC - Details )
Masks May Lower, or Raise, Infection Risk
All in all, this landmark COVID-19-specific study failed to deliver good news to those who insist face masks are a crucial component of the pandemic response. Masks may reduce your risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by as much as 46%, or it may increase your risk by 23%. In other words, the preponderance of evidence still shows that masks have virtually no impact on viral transmission.
Another take-home point that you get from this study, which Del Bigtree points out in The Highwire video report above, is that the vast majority — 97.9% of those who didn’t wear masks, and 98.2% of those who did — remained infection free.
So, we are destroying economies and lives around the world, for what, exactly? To protect a small minority from getting a positive PCR test result which, as detailed in “Asymptomatic ‘Casedemic’ Is a Perpetuation of Needless Fear,” means little to nothing. As reported by the authors:4
“Although no statistically significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 incidence was observed, the 95% CIs are compatible with a possible 46% reduction to 23% increase in infection among mask wearers.
These findings do offer evidence about the degree of protection mask wearers can anticipate in a setting where others are not wearing masks and where other public health measures, including social distancing, are in effect …
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 may take place through multiple routes. It has been argued that for the primary route of SARS-CoV-2 spread — that is, via droplets — face masks would be considered effective, whereas masks would not be effective against spread via aerosols, which might penetrate or circumnavigate a face mask. Thus, spread of SARS-CoV-2 via aerosols would at least partially explain the present findings …
The present findings are compatible with the findings of a review of randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of face masks for prevention (as personal protective equipment) against influenza virus … Solgar Vitamin D3 (Cho... Buy New $15.00 ($0.12 / Count) (as of 11:23 UTC - Details)
Our results suggest that the recommendation to wear a surgical mask when outside the home among others did not reduce, at conventional levels of statistical significance, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mask wearers in a setting where social distancing and other public health measures were in effect, mask recommendations were not among those measures, and community use of masks was uncommon.”
Government Tyrants Double Down on Mask Mandates
The researchers point out that results could potentially turn out differently if everyone were wearing a mask. At the time of the study, Danish authorities did not recommend universal mask use and most Danes did not wear them. Hence “participants’ exposure was overwhelmingly to persons not wearing masks.”
That possibility, however, is a big “if,” and not sufficient to mandate universal mask wearing. Any claim to such effect is nothing but a wholly unscientific guess. Despite that, many local leaders are now doubling down on mask mandates, some even requiring them to be worn inside your own home when anyone outside the family is present and even if physical distancing can be maintained.5
As an example of extremes, a June 2020 Harvard University paper6,7 even suggested couples should wear face masks during sex. Others are tripling down on masks, recommending you wear two or even three at the same time.8 Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb is urging Americans to wear N95 surgical masks whenever possible.9
Epidemic of Spineless Leadership
Missing entirely from most recommendations is common-sense health guidance known to improve your immune function and lower your infection risk naturally, such as supplementing with vitamin D, NAC, melatonin, quercetin and zinc.
As noted by Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and affiliate of the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, in a November 15, 2020, op-ed in The Guardian,10 our immune systems know how to handle the virus; it’s our politicians who have failed to cope with it. She writes:11
“Most of the evidence in both COVID-19 patients and animal models shows that the immune response to this is quite typical for an acute viral infection. Initially, the body ramps up high levels of IgG antibodies, but after the infection is cleared, those antibodies drop to a baseline level, which may be below the limit of detection of some serological tests. NatureBell Quercetin 1... Buy New $28.95 ($0.12 / Count) (as of 04:29 UTC - Details)
Antibodies are produced by B-cells, a specialized type of immune cell that recognizes a specific antigen, or viral target. When an infection is cleared, B-cells producing antibodies convert from being plasma cells, which are specialized to pump out massive quantities of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, to being memory B-cells.
These cells produce lower levels of IgG antibody; but, importantly they persist in the body for years. If they are re-exposed to SARS-CoV-2, they rapidly convert to plasma cells and begin producing high levels of antibody again.
There is no indication that most COVID-19 patients are not developing immune memory, and animals experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2 are protected against rechallenge with high doses of virus …
Furthermore, antibodies are not the only important part of the immune system. T-cells are also a key component to the immune response. They come in two flavors: helper T-cells, which coordinate immune responses and facilitate immunological memory, and killer T-cells, which kill infected cells. Previous studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces robust T-cell responses.”
As noted by Rasmussen, the data collected on the responses of T-cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection “underscore that SARS-CoV-2 is not an anomalous virus capable of miraculous feats of immune evasion.”
No matter how strictly mask laws are enforced nor the level of mask compliance the population follows, cases all fall and rise around the same time. ~ Yinon Weiss
In other words, provided your immune function is normal, the virus is as vulnerable as any other virus and you’re not destined to die just because you develop symptoms. So, the reason we’re in the situation we’re now in, Rasmussen says, is not because SARS-CoV-2 is somehow different or more lethal than anything that has come before. We’re in this situation due to political failures.
Mask Mandates Have Had No Impact on Infection Trends
Other data analyses that add support to the Danish study’s results include Yinon Weiss’ work presented in his article12 “These 12 Graphs Show Mask Mandates Do Nothing to Stop COVID.” In it, he shows that states’ mask rules appear to have had nothing to do with infection rates, which is what you’d expect if masks don’t work.
Weiss points out that “No matter how strictly mask laws are enforced nor the level of mask compliance the population follows, cases all fall and rise around the same time.” To see all of the graphs, check out Weiss’ article13 or Twitter thread.14 Here are just a select few to bring home the point:
Masks Delay Inevitable Acceptance of COVID-19 Reality
What everyone needs to come to terms with is that we have a new respiratory virus in town — one that may stay with us indefinitely. The question then becomes, just how long do we lock ourselves in our homes and shun all social relationships? Vitamin C: The Real St... Steve Hickey, Andrew W... Best Price: $8.91 Buy New $12.47 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details)
How long do we neglect our children’s education and social development by keeping schools closed? How long do we leave our elderly family members to languish in isolation? A better part of the global population has essentially stopped living altogether, and for what? For fear of an illness that 99.7% of people recover from15 — an illness that is as likely to kill you as the seasonal influenza if you’re under 60.16
Data clearly show that COVID-19 has not resulted in excess mortality, meaning the same number of people who die in any given year, on average, have died in this year of the pandemic.17,18 Several studies19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26 also suggest immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection is far more widespread than anyone imagined.
In an October 28, 2020, Wall Street Journal opinion piece,27 Joseph Ladapo, an associate professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, points out that we really must accept reality and move on with life, unpredictable as it may be. He writes:
“By paying outsize and scientifically unjustified attention to masking, mask mandates have the unintended consequence of delaying public acceptance of the unavoidable truth.
In countries with active community transmission and no herd immunity, nothing short of inhumane lockdowns can stop the spread of COVID-19, so the most sensible and sustainable path forward is to learn to live with the virus.
Shifting focus away from mask mandates and toward the reality of respiratory viral spread will free up time and resources to protect the most vulnerable Americans …
Until the reality of viral spread in the U.S. … is accepted, political leaders will continue to feel justified in keeping schools and businesses closed, robbing young people of the opportunity to invest in their futures, and restricting activities that make life worthwhile.”
There’s Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
Organic Zinc Sulfate L... Buy New $18.95 ($4.74 / Fl Oz) (as of 02:28 UTC - Details) Hopefully, if you’ve been reading this newsletter, you’re no longer incapacitated with fear and are capable of making more level-headed decisions based on the data at hand rather than the fear porn published in the daily papers. For the latest news and top tips for combating COVID-19, check out my Coronavirus Resource Page.
Everything really points to this pandemic being overblown and prolonged for purposes that have nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with “resetting” the global financial and power structures — none of which will benefit us.
The lockdowns are essentially just conditioning you to accept a radically new way of life — one in which we have limited ability to travel or work, one in which we’re conditioned to being partially or wholly dependent on a government handout, one in which we must submit to being tracked and surveilled with little or no right to privacy, one in which the government dictates how you can spend your time, where you can go, who you can spend time with and for how long.
Eventually, once the global economies are in irreparable shambles, the central banks will roll out a debt erasure program to solve all our problems. The price will be your humanity, your freedom. Will you pay it? Or will you resist the whole deviled scheme while you still can?
Sources and References
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola


lewrockwell--2020-12-05--Does the Covid-19 Coronavirus Really Exist?

In early 2020 when an outbreak of pneumonia of “ unknown etiology ” was reported in Wuhan , China , a report was published in the journal EUROSURVEILLANCE on the detection of a novel coronavirus which later came to be identified as COVID-19 .
Since viruses can not be grown in a lab dish ( that is because viruses can only replicate inside a living cell ) , they can not be cultured and multiplied like a bacteria sample .
So , the polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) test was utilized and is the standard test to confirm COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rapidly produce millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample sufficient enough for analysis , given that coronaviruses are only 80-220 nanometers in size .
COVID-19 is reported to be 120 nanometers in diameter .
( A nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter ) Here is an electron micrograph image of a coronavirus .
A viral genome sequence was released to laboratories for analysis and the conclusion was it was “ very closely related to members of a viral species termed severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ PCR test using “ virus isolates , ” the PCR test became the standard test for COVID-19 .
BRI Resveratrol - 1200 ... Buy New $ 16.99 The PCR test was initially validated by real viral isolates from the prior SARS ( severe acute respiratory syndrome ) outbreak of 2003 .
However , researchers concede : “ In the present case of 2019-nCoV ( COVID-19 ) , virus isolates or samples from infected patients have so far not become available to the international public health community.
” In other words , the scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use to confirm COVID-19 , only a “ viral genome sequence , ” a snippet of genetic material “ very closely related ” to COVID-19 .
That was January 2020 .
Fast forward to December 2020 .
The FDA published a guidebook for PCR testing of COVID-19 , marked “ for emergency use only.
” The title of the publication is : CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel , and was initially published in February , 2020 , and then re-published in July .
On page 42 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no quantified virus isolates of the 2019-nCoV were available for CDC use at the time the test was developed and this study conducted , assays designed for detection of the 2019-nCoV RNA were tested with characterized stocks of in vitro transcribed full-length RNA of known titer spiked into a diluent consisting of a suspension of human A549 cells and viral transport medium ( VTM ) to mimic clinical specimen .
There was still no isolate of the virus months after a pandemic was announced .
All laboratories are relying on a provided snippet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” or “ is very closely related ” to COVID-19 .
That ’ s like telling someone that you met a man who says he has an identical twin and we presume the other sibling must look like his twin , but we have never seen the other twin brother .
So do we even know he exists ?
How Not To Die With Tr ... Henriques , Tiago Best Price : $ 18.23 Buy New $ 17.97 On page 40 of that FDA publication it says this : Results are for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
SARS-CoV-2 RNA is generally detectable in upper and lower respiratory specimens during infection .
Positive results are indicative of active infection with SARS-CoV-2 but do not rule out bacterial infection or co-infection with other viruses .
The agent detected may not be the definite cause of disease .
Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms .
We only have some genetic material to confirm COVID-19 exists .
And it may or may not be the “ definitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they call this science ?
And we are testing everyone in the world to see if they have a virus that resembles a coronavirus that caused an outbreak in 2003 !
And we must vaccinate every human on the earth .
Credit to David K. Lifschultz for the above citations .

In early 2020 when an outbreak of pneumonia of “unknown etiology” was reported in Wuhan, China, a report was published in the journal EUROSURVEILLANCE on the detection of a novel coronavirus which later came to be identified as COVID-19.
Since viruses cannot be grown in a lab dish (that is because viruses can only replicate inside a living cell), they cannot be cultured and multiplied like a bacteria sample. So, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was utilized and is the standard test to confirm COVID-19 infection today.
PCR involves a method to rapidly produce millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample sufficient enough for analysis, given that coronaviruses are only 80-220 nanometers in size. COVID-19 is reported to be 120 nanometers in diameter. (A nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter) Here is an electron micrograph image of a coronavirus.
A viral genome sequence was released to laboratories for analysis and the conclusion was it was “very closely related to members of a viral species termed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).” Based upon reliable confirmation of the PCR test using “virus isolates,” the PCR test became the standard test for COVID-19. BRI Resveratrol - 1200... Buy New $16.99 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
The PCR test was initially validated by real viral isolates from the prior SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak of 2003.
However, researchers concede: “In the present case of 2019-nCoV (COVID-19), virus isolates or samples from infected patients have so far not become available to the international public health community.”
In other words, the scientific community did not have a complete virus to use to confirm COVID-19, only a “viral genome sequence,” a snippet of genetic material “very closely related” to COVID-19.
That was January 2020. Fast forward to December 2020. The FDA published a guidebook for PCR testing of COVID-19, marked “for emergency use only.” The title of the publication is: CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel, and was initially published in February, 2020, and then re-published in July.
On page 42 of that document it says this:
Since no quantified virus isolates of the 2019-nCoV were available for CDC use at the time the test was developed and this study conducted, assays designed for detection of the 2019-nCoV RNA were tested with characterized stocks of in vitro transcribed full-length RNA of known titer spiked into a diluent consisting of a suspension of human A549 cells and viral transport medium (VTM) to mimic clinical specimen.
There was still no isolate of the virus months after a pandemic was announced. All laboratories are relying on a provided snippet of RNA genetic material that “mimics” or “is very closely related” to COVID-19.
That’s like telling someone that you met a man who says he has an identical twin and we presume the other sibling must look like his twin, but we have never seen the other twin brother. So do we even know he exists? How Not To Die With Tr... Henriques, Tiago Best Price: $18.23 Buy New $17.97 (as of 08:00 UTC - Details)
On page 40 of that FDA publication it says this:
Results are for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 RNA is generally detectable in upper and lower respiratory specimens during infection. Positive results are indicative of active infection with SARS-CoV-2 but do not rule out bacterial infection or co-infection with other viruses. The agent detected may not be the definite cause of disease. Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms.
We only have some genetic material to confirm COVID-19 exists. And it may or may not be the “definitive cause” of the disease. And they call this science? And we are testing everyone in the world to see if they have a virus that resembles a coronavirus that caused an outbreak in 2003! And we must vaccinate every human on the earth.
Credit to David K. Lifschultz for the above citations.


lewrockwell--2020-12-05--The Left’s Final Objective Is Subversion of Western Civilization

In the previous piece we showed that ending ( non-existent ) racism could not have been the real goal of the riots that convulsed the United States this year .
Rather we argued that the riots represented a dramatic eruption of the left ’ s anti-western animus which is the psychological disposition that frames the left ’ s mindset and actions .
We will see what the riots ’ real purpose was when we consider what the so-called anti-racist “ protestors ” targeted for destruction .
In the weeks following the death of George Floyd hundreds of attacks against Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may seem strange , given that America ’ s woke commissars of social justice never really charged the Catholic Church with complicity in this country ’ s current “ racist ” regime or the death of George Floyd .
If anything , in recent years the Church has been a notable abettor of the progressive movement , having incorporated parts of the woke agenda into its own teachings .
This has been especially true during the pontificate of Francis who in many ways sounds like a secular progressive clad in papal robes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 149.00 The protestors ’ raids on Catholic churches , therefore , bewildered many people .
But if you remember what the left ’ s driving impulse is , these acts will make perfect sense .
Despite its recent dabbling in wokeness , the Catholic Church – along with our classical Greco-Roman heritage – has been a foundational pillar of Western civilization .
This is the real reason why the churches became a target of the left ’ s destructive urge .
To make their motivation completely clear , in some instances the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the walls of the sacred structures they vandalized .
Sickle and hammer stand , of course , for the Soviet Union and its communist revolution which condemned the western model and established a new system based on ideas that were antithetical to occidental tradition .
The attacks on churches , however , were not the only clue exposing the hidden agenda behind the faux anti-racist protests .
The war on statues was just as revealing .
They initially began with monuments of those who had at least some connection – however remote or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , no statue was safe from the mob ’ s wrath .
So much so that they targeted even those who had done much for the advancement and liberation of black people .
Abraham Lincoln would be one of them .
This despite the fact that Lincoln is generally considered to be the man who effectually ended slavery in the United States .
The widely-held view of Lincoln as the emancipator of black people was well expressed by the journalist Edward Achorn who wrote recently that in most Americans ’ eyes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wisdom , decency , sacrifice , and perseverance in defeating slavery and liberating millions of black Americans.
” And yet the allegedly “ anti-racism ” protesters repeatedly attacked Lincoln ’ s statues across America .
The attacks were so flagrant that even CNN had to take note .
In its October 12 dispatch , CNN reported that “ protesters in Portland , Oregon , pulled down statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt… ” The protesters did not stop there , however .
As part of their statue rampage , they also attacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a piece headlined “ The Mob Goes After Abraham Lincoln , ” the Daily Signal reported that they “ trashed the Oregon Historical Society , which preserves treasures of the past so that people of succeeding generations may understand their culture and history.
” Handmade in Hawaii , Wi ... Buy New $ 61.98 The next morning CNN quoted Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell who made this observation : “ These events late at night , they purport to have a racial justice nexus .
But they ’ re not that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction.
” Chuck Lovell is absolutely correct .
The rioters ’ actions had nothing to do with race – they were all about destruction .
As was the case with the churches , their behavior may seem irrational , but only until we remind ourselves of the left ’ s ideological purpose .
The structures and statues they vandalized commemorated the efforts of people who in one way or another advanced the cause of western civilization .
It is the protestors ’ deep-seated antipathy toward the west that explains why they acted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mindset is transnational in nature , we could expect that a powerful eruption of its anti-western animus in one country would trigger corresponding disruptions in other countries belonging to the western stream .
And this was , in fact , what happened .
Within two weeks of the start of the George Floyd riots in the United States , similar events began taking place in other western nations .
The protests waxed especially strong in leading European countries such as the United Kingdom , France and Germany where hundreds of thousands took part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ran a report which opened as follows : “ Furious Europeans have taken to the street this week to protest against police brutality and racism , following the death of George Floyd in the US , as major capitals across the EU were shut down by the protesters .
Europeans have defied official bans against mass gatherings across the continent , as protests continue to erupt across major capitals from Paris to Berlin.
” The piece continued by listing some of the European nations where the “ protests ” took place .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe to protest racism and police brutality , following the tragic US police killing of George Floyd , which has first triggered a wave of protests in America .
Thousands poured in the streets in countries including France , Germany , Spain , Belgium , the Netherlands , Austria , Finland , Slovakia , Greece , Ireland , Poland , Sweden and others.
” Handmade in Hawaii , Wi ... Buy New $ 81.98 It is deeply significant that the protests in Europe were organized by chapters of BLM .
This should make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an American organization which came into existence in 2013 in response to a shooting death of a black American teenager in Florida .
Why , then , is this outfit organizing mass demonstrations across Europe ?
And even more importantly , why is Black Lives Matter trying to incite protests in countries that have virtually no black populations ?
In nations such Finland , Poland , Ireland or Slovakia – which are for the most part ethnically homogenous – racism has never been a significant problem .
So , again , the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests in countries that do not really have racial issues ?
Whatever these protests were about , they could definitely not have been about racism .
This contradiction reveals what BLM is truly after : Black Lives Matter is a revolutionary outfit whose real agenda is the destabilization of western societies through upheaval and violence that invariably accompany its so-called “ protests , ” which it disingenuously portrays as events aimed at combating racial injustice .
Founded by militant revolutionaries , BLM is a seditious operation whose ultimate objective is the overthrow of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 video , BLM co-founder and Board president Patrisse Cullors admitted that she and her colleagues in the leadership are “ trained Marxists.
” And these Marxists are clearly determined to implement their ideology in America and throughout the western world .
This is what Cullors wrote in the conclusion of her recent missive to members of her organization : “ I know I can speak for most of us .
We have fought like hell for our freedom and we will continue to fight like hell.
” Given the ideological disposition and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was completely predictable that , as had happened in America , the BLM demonstrations in Europe would quickly take a violent turn .
“ Black Lives Matter Protests Turn Violent Across Europe ” announced a headline from VOA News June 13 , barely two weeks after the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis .
The article opened as follows : “ Riot police fired tear gas and charged at violent protesters at an anti-racism rally in Paris on Saturday… ” The piece then lists various European hotspots where violence took place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in normally calm Switzerland adherents of a “ leftist group threw objects at police , as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd.
” Simple Real Black Onyx ... Buy New $ 94.99 In the meantime , things were heating up in London , as conveyed by this headline from Express Online : “ London Protests Turn Violent As Police And Demonstrators Clash Outside Downing Street.
” The first line of the article read : “ A BLACK LIVES MATTER protest in London @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and demonstrators clashed outside Downing Street.
” “ While Boris Johnson was inside No .
10 , leading the Government ’ s daily coronavirus press briefing , anger was mounting just hundreds of metres away .
Officers and a number of demonstrators protesting against police violence following the death of George Floyd in the US have become engulfed in an angry confrontation with a number of objects being thrown.
” As is invariably the case anywhere BLM gets involved , the police came under attack .
This is part and parcel of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take over societies if there is a breakdown of law and order .
It is then that they can unleash their reign of terror and intimidate the terrified populations into submission .
This is why BLM is such an enthusiastic supporter of the “ defund the police ” movement .
“ We call for a national defunding of police , ” asserts a May 30th post on the BLM website .
The title of the declaration which features this onerous demand is “ # DefundThePolice.
” Here is another UK report from this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matter ) protests were attended by thousands across the UK over the weekend , sparking some violent confrontations with police officers , branded “ disgusting ” by the Metropolitan Police Federation chairman , Ken Marsh.
” The article goes on to speak about Ken Marsh , who is one of Britain ’ s highest-ranking law enforcement officials , and who has apparently not yet completely succumbed to the virus of political correctness that has infected most of western institutions .
“ Ken Marsh said he was ‘ disgusted , sickened , and appalled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at BLM protests across the country .
He told Talk Radio : ‘ I ’ m not sure what my colleagues have done to warrant this abuse .
It ’ s absolutely absurd and wholly unfair.
’ ” Once again , the protesters ’ actions and statements were rife with contradictions .
The most glaring among them was the fact that much of the violence and upheaval was unleashed in the name of George Floyd .
Everywhere you looked you could see “ protestors ” carrying placards and banners with Floyd ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an incipient riot in London : “ Crowds then moved towards No 10 after gathering this afternoon where they chanted Mr Floyd ’ s name.
” Why would Europeans want to attack their own law enforcement for the death of a man that took place in a country thousands of miles away in an American state they could not even locate on the map ?
What did the Swiss police have to do with Floyd ’ s demise and why did a leftist group shower Swiss cops with projectiles ?
Why would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an incident that occurred on the other side of the Atlantic ?
Why did they direct their anger at their own government officials ?
What exactly was Boris Johnson ’ s connection the demise of George Floyd in Minnesota ?
How was the British prime minister responsible for the conduct of the officers from the Minneapolis police department ?
And yet the rioters demanded his resignation and the police had to reinforce security at his residence to shield him from physical danger .
On the face of it , this does not make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , we understand that what we saw was a manifestation of the left ’ s anti-western animus .
What the left was attempting to do was to unsettle and destabilize western nations , and it used the cover of George Floyd to carry out its work of subversion .
The parallels on both sides of the Atlantic were striking and show that the behavior of the revolutionists on both sides of the Atlantic was not only coordinated but sprang from the same psychological root .
As happened in the US , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a statue-slaying rampage .
They first began with those for whom at least a tenuous connection could be made with slavery , but the pretense of racism quickly receded into the background , and soon no statue remained safe .
Perhaps most notably , statues of Winston Churchill , the legendary prime minister who led Britain during World War II , came under assault .
The situation became so critical that a deeply symbolic Churchill sculpture in the heart of London had to be boarded up to protect it from the BLM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delight of the Washington Post as it reported this development : “ LONDON — In the predawn hours Friday , workers boarded up an iconic Winston Churchill statue outside the Palace of Westminster to protect the public art work from further vandalism… Encased now in a large wooden box , painted a dull gray , the monument resembles a shipping crate , or an upright coffin — or the mysterious monolith from Stanley Kubrick ’ s science fiction masterpiece , ‘ 2001 : A Space Odyssey.
’ ” For his part , Boris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ absurd and shameful ” that Churchill ’ s monument was in danger of being wrecked .
Johnson was , of course , correct , but it is also indicative of the west ’ s malaise that rather than taking tough measures against the perpetrators of these crimes leading politicians limit their actions to expressions of indignation on social media platforms .
But what so enraged the protestors about Winston Churchill ?
After all , Churchill was neither a slave owner nor did he advocate racial discrimination in Britain .
Considered one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stands as one of the most beloved British politicians of all time .
And deservedly so , since it was his exemplary courage and determination that pulled Britain through the dark days of the Second World War .
Yet it is precisely there , at the point of his greatest achievement , that we find the explanation for the seemingly senseless attacks again him .
Even though most normal people were genuinely shocked and perplexed by this , from the vantage point of the west-hating left the attacks made complete sense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Churchill was instrumental in helping to save Western civilization : first in the face of the evil Nazis and then by taking a strong stand against the equally depraved Soviets .
That ’ s why the left hates him so .
The riots that began in the spring of 2020 gave us a unique opportunity to observe the left acting out its true nature .
The protests that we witnessed in America and other western countries had nothing to do with racism , because the racism they claimed to oppose simply does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , racism merely served as a cover under which to destabilize and hopefully – from the left ’ s point of view – topple western societies .
Dramatic and destabilizing eruptions such as we have seen this year across the western world usually occur in weakened civilizations that are nearing the end of their lifecycle .
The end , however , is not inevitable .
There have been cases in history where crisis-ridden , foundering civilizations reversed course to save themselves and continued to flourish for a long time yet .
Rome , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilizational crisis in the second half of the first century AD .
At that difficult time a selfless , patriotic man by the name of Vespasian , a commoner by birth , rose to the top and by his wisdom and courage extended the lease on life of that great civilization from whose achievements we still benefit today .
It is imperative that we fully grasp the meaning of this year ’ s dramatic events and summon the wisdom to do what needs to be done to save ourselves .
The question is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push back against the west-hating left or will we stand by as it continues to ply its work of destruction ?
Our destiny and the fate of our civilization is in our hands .
It is truly for such a time as this that we have been born .
Which way will we go ?
The Best of Vasko Kohlmayer

In the previous piece we showed that ending (non-existent) racism could not have been the real goal of the riots that convulsed the United States this year. Rather we argued that the riots represented a dramatic eruption of the left’s anti-western animus which is the psychological disposition that frames the left’s mindset and actions.
We will see what the riots’ real purpose was when we consider what the so-called anti-racist “protestors” targeted for destruction. In the weeks following the death of George Floyd hundreds of attacks against Catholic churches were reported across America. This may seem strange, given that America’s woke commissars of social justice never really charged the Catholic Church with complicity in this country’s current “racist” regime or the death of George Floyd. If anything, in recent years the Church has been a notable abettor of the progressive movement, having incorporated parts of the woke agenda into its own teachings. This has been especially true during the pontificate of Francis who in many ways sounds like a secular progressive clad in papal robes. Sivalya AMALFI Raw Eme... Buy New $149.00 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details)
The protestors’ raids on Catholic churches, therefore, bewildered many people. But if you remember what the left’s driving impulse is, these acts will make perfect sense. Despite its recent dabbling in wokeness, the Catholic Church – along with our classical Greco-Roman heritage – has been a foundational pillar of Western civilization. This is the real reason why the churches became a target of the left’s destructive urge. To make their motivation completely clear, in some instances the protestors even inscribed sickle and hammer on the walls of the sacred structures they vandalized. Sickle and hammer stand, of course, for the Soviet Union and its communist revolution which condemned the western model and established a new system based on ideas that were antithetical to occidental tradition.
The attacks on churches, however, were not the only clue exposing the hidden agenda behind the faux anti-racist protests. The war on statues was just as revealing. They initially began with monuments of those who had at least some connection – however remote or tenuous – to slavery. Very quickly, however, no statue was safe from the mob’s wrath. So much so that they targeted even those who had done much for the advancement and liberation of black people. Abraham Lincoln would be one of them. This despite the fact that Lincoln is generally considered to be the man who effectually ended slavery in the United States. The widely-held view of Lincoln as the emancipator of black people was well expressed by the journalist Edward Achorn who wrote recently that in most Americans’ eyes Lincoln stands as “a symbol of wisdom, decency, sacrifice, and perseverance in defeating slavery and liberating millions of black Americans.”
And yet the allegedly “anti-racism” protesters repeatedly attacked Lincoln’s statues across America. The attacks were so flagrant that even CNN had to take note. In its October 12 dispatch, CNN reported that “protesters in Portland, Oregon, pulled down statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt…”
The protesters did not stop there, however. As part of their statue rampage, they also attacked edifices associated with our national heritage. In a piece headlined “The Mob Goes After Abraham Lincoln,” the Daily Signal reported that they “trashed the Oregon Historical Society, which preserves treasures of the past so that people of succeeding generations may understand their culture and history.” Handmade in Hawaii, Wi... Buy New $61.98 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details)
The next morning CNN quoted Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell who made this observation:
“These events late at night, they purport to have a racial justice nexus. But they’re not that. They’re about violence and criminal destruction.”
Chuck Lovell is absolutely correct. The rioters’ actions had nothing to do with race – they were all about destruction. As was the case with the churches, their behavior may seem irrational, but only until we remind ourselves of the left’s ideological purpose. The structures and statues they vandalized commemorated the efforts of people who in one way or another advanced the cause of western civilization. It is the protestors’ deep-seated antipathy toward the west that explains why they acted the way they did.
Since the leftist mindset is transnational in nature, we could expect that a powerful eruption of its anti-western animus in one country would trigger corresponding disruptions in other countries belonging to the western stream. And this was, in fact, what happened. Within two weeks of the start of the George Floyd riots in the United States, similar events began taking place in other western nations. The protests waxed especially strong in leading European countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany where hundreds of thousands took part. On June 6th a British newspaper ran a report which opened as follows:
“Furious Europeans have taken to the street this week to protest against police brutality and racism, following the death of George Floyd in the US, as major capitals across the EU were shut down by the protesters. Europeans have defied official bans against mass gatherings across the continent, as protests continue to erupt across major capitals from Paris to Berlin.”
The piece continued by listing some of the European nations where the “protests” took place.
“Thousands have taken to the streets in Europe to protest racism and police brutality, following the tragic US police killing of George Floyd, which has first triggered a wave of protests in America. Thousands poured in the streets in countries including France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Slovakia, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and others.”
Handmade in Hawaii, Wi... Buy New $81.98 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details) It is deeply significant that the protests in Europe were organized by chapters of BLM. This should make us pause, given that BLM is an American organization which came into existence in 2013 in response to a shooting death of a black American teenager in Florida. Why, then, is this outfit organizing mass demonstrations across Europe? And even more importantly, why is Black Lives Matter trying to incite protests in countries that have virtually no black populations? In nations such Finland, Poland, Ireland or Slovakia – which are for the most part ethnically homogenous – racism has never been a significant problem.
So, again, the question forces itself: Why would BLM instigate protests in countries that do not really have racial issues? Whatever these protests were about, they could definitely not have been about racism.
This contradiction reveals what BLM is truly after: Black Lives Matter is a revolutionary outfit whose real agenda is the destabilization of western societies through upheaval and violence that invariably accompany its so-called “protests,” which it disingenuously portrays as events aimed at combating racial injustice.
Founded by militant revolutionaries, BLM is a seditious operation whose ultimate objective is the overthrow of the western socio-economic system. In a 2015 video, BLM co-founder and Board president Patrisse Cullors admitted that she and her colleagues in the leadership are “trained Marxists.” And these Marxists are clearly determined to implement their ideology in America and throughout the western world. This is what Cullors wrote in the conclusion of her recent missive to members of her organization:
“I know I can speak for most of us. We have fought like hell for our freedom and we will continue to fight like hell.”
Given the ideological disposition and attitude of the Black Lives Matter leadership, it was completely predictable that, as had happened in America, the BLM demonstrations in Europe would quickly take a violent turn.
“Black Lives Matter Protests Turn Violent Across Europe” announced a headline from VOA News June 13, barely two weeks after the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis. The article opened as follows:
“Riot police fired tear gas and charged at violent protesters at an anti-racism rally in Paris on Saturday…”
The piece then lists various European hotspots where violence took place. In the process we learn that even in normally calm Switzerland adherents of a “leftist group threw objects at police, as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd.” Simple Real Black Onyx... Buy New $94.99 (as of 04:50 UTC - Details)
In the meantime, things were heating up in London, as conveyed by this headline from Express Online:
“London Protests Turn Violent As Police And Demonstrators
Clash Outside Downing Street.”
The first line of the article read:
“A BLACK LIVES MATTER protest in London has turned violent this afternoon after police and demonstrators clashed outside Downing Street.”
It then continued:
“While Boris Johnson was inside No. 10, leading the Government’s daily coronavirus press briefing, anger was mounting just hundreds of metres away. Officers and a number of demonstrators protesting against police violence following the death of George Floyd in the US have become engulfed in an angry confrontation with a number of objects being thrown.”
As is invariably the case anywhere BLM gets involved, the police came under attack. This is part and parcel of a deliberate strategy. Radical leftists can only take over societies if there is a breakdown of law and order. It is then that they can unleash their reign of terror and intimidate the terrified populations into submission. This is why BLM is such an enthusiastic supporter of the “defund the police” movement. “We call for a national defunding of police,” asserts a May 30th post on the BLM website. The title of the declaration which features this onerous demand is “#DefundThePolice.”
Here is another UK report from this summer:
“BLM (Black Lives Matter) protests were attended by thousands across the UK over the weekend, sparking some violent confrontations with police officers, branded “disgusting” by the Metropolitan Police Federation chairman, Ken Marsh.”
The article goes on to speak about Ken Marsh, who is one of Britain’s highest-ranking law enforcement officials, and who has apparently not yet completely succumbed to the virus of political correctness that has infected most of western institutions.
“Ken Marsh said he was ‘disgusted, sickened, and appalled’ by protester violence towards the police at BLM protests across the country. He told Talk Radio: ‘I’m not sure what my colleagues have done to warrant this abuse. It’s absolutely absurd and wholly unfair.’”
Once again, the protesters’ actions and statements were rife with contradictions. The most glaring among them was the fact that much of the violence and upheaval was unleashed in the name of George Floyd. Everywhere you looked you could see “protestors” carrying placards and banners with Floyd’s name and image. Consider this description of an incipient riot in London: “Crowds then moved towards No 10 after gathering this afternoon where they chanted Mr Floyd’s name.”
This prompts a series of questions:
Why would Europeans want to attack their own law enforcement for the death of a man that took place in a country thousands of miles away in an American state they could not even locate on the map? What did the Swiss police have to do with Floyd’s demise and why did a leftist group shower Swiss cops with projectiles?
Why would Europeans blame their own national institutions for an incident that occurred on the other side of the Atlantic? Why did they direct their anger at their own government officials? What exactly was Boris Johnson’s connection the demise of George Floyd in Minnesota? How was the British prime minister responsible for the conduct of the officers from the Minneapolis police department? And yet the rioters demanded his resignation and the police had to reinforce security at his residence to shield him from physical danger.
On the face of it, this does not make logical sense. Not until, that is, we understand that what we saw was a manifestation of the left’s anti-western animus. What the left was attempting to do was to unsettle and destabilize western nations, and it used the cover of George Floyd to carry out its work of subversion.
The parallels on both sides of the Atlantic were striking and show that the behavior of the revolutionists on both sides of the Atlantic was not only coordinated but sprang from the same psychological root. As happened in the US, the “protestors” in Europe also embarked on a statue-slaying rampage. They first began with those for whom at least a tenuous connection could be made with slavery, but the pretense of racism quickly receded into the background, and soon no statue remained safe. Perhaps most notably, statues of Winston Churchill, the legendary prime minister who led Britain during World War II, came under assault. The situation became so critical that a deeply symbolic Churchill sculpture in the heart of London had to be boarded up to protect it from the BLM mob. One can clearly sense the delight of the Washington Post as it reported this development:
“LONDON — In the predawn hours Friday, workers boarded up an iconic Winston Churchill statue outside the Palace of Westminster to protect the public art work from further vandalism… Encased now in a large wooden box, painted a dull gray, the monument resembles a shipping crate, or an upright coffin — or the mysterious monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction masterpiece, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’”
For his part, Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that it was “absurd and shameful” that Churchill’s monument was in danger of being wrecked. Johnson was, of course, correct, but it is also indicative of the west’s malaise that rather than taking tough measures against the perpetrators of these crimes leading politicians limit their actions to expressions of indignation on social media platforms.
But what so enraged the protestors about Winston Churchill? After all, Churchill was neither a slave owner nor did he advocate racial discrimination in Britain. Considered one of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived, he stands as one of the most beloved British politicians of all time. And deservedly so, since it was his exemplary courage and determination that pulled Britain through the dark days of the Second World War. Yet it is precisely there, at the point of his greatest achievement, that we find the explanation for the seemingly senseless attacks again him. Even though most normal people were genuinely shocked and perplexed by this, from the vantage point of the west-hating left the attacks made complete sense. By his fortitude and will, Winston Churchill was instrumental in helping to save Western civilization: first in the face of the evil Nazis and then by taking a strong stand against the equally depraved Soviets. That’s why the left hates him so.
The riots that began in the spring of 2020 gave us a unique opportunity to observe the left acting out its true nature. The protests that we witnessed in America and other western countries had nothing to do with racism, because the racism they claimed to oppose simply does not exist. A false cause par excellence, racism merely served as a cover under which to destabilize and hopefully – from the left’s point of view – topple western societies.
Dramatic and destabilizing eruptions such as we have seen this year across the western world usually occur in weakened civilizations that are nearing the end of their lifecycle. The end, however, is not inevitable. There have been cases in history where crisis-ridden, foundering civilizations reversed course to save themselves and continued to flourish for a long time yet. Rome, for example, went through a deep civilizational crisis in the second half of the first century AD. At that difficult time a selfless, patriotic man by the name of Vespasian, a commoner by birth, rose to the top and by his wisdom and courage extended the lease on life of that great civilization from whose achievements we still benefit today.
It is imperative that we fully grasp the meaning of this year’s dramatic events and summon the wisdom to do what needs to be done to save ourselves. The question is: Will we find the courage to push back against the west-hating left or will we stand by as it continues to ply its work of destruction?
Our destiny and the fate of our civilization is in our hands. It is truly for such a time as this that we have been born. Which way will we go?
The Best of Vasko Kohlmayer


lewrockwell--2020-12-05--Open Letter to Libertarians in Georgia

Open Letter to Libertarians in Georgia

From a libertarian point of view , it is imperative that the Republicans hold the senate .
If Donald remains president for four more years , he can appoint even more judges and justices who take our Constitution seriously ( Stephen Breyer is now 82 years old ) .
If Sleepy Joe ( aka Kamala Harris , Bernie , the Squad ) wins , this is if anything even more important , since with Democrats in the White House and a majority in the House of Representatives , only a Republican Senate can put the kibosh on the filibuster , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. and Puerto Rico , getting rid of all fracking , indeed , all oil etc.
, bloody etc .
The Venezuelans are coming here to escape that sort of thing ; we certainly don ’ t want our country to follow that path .
Right now , the Democrats have 48 senators , and the Republicans , 50 .
The other two slots will be determined in the state of Georgia on January 5 , 2021 .
One race pits David Perdue ( R ) against Jon Ossof ( D ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) versus Raphael Warnock ( D ) .
What does all this have to do with libertarians , pray tell ?
Simply this : Brunello ’ s Leath ... Buy New $ 84.99 Mr. Hazel , a fine fellow I am sure , and much more politically aligned with me than either of the other two I have no doubt whatsoever , bagged more votes than the difference between the two major candidates .
More to the point , had he not entered the race the very strong presumption is that the overwhelming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Republican candidate .
If so , there would not now be any need at all for a runoff , since Mr. Perdue would have been elected with more than fifty percent of the vote .
He would now be the fifty-first senator with a ceiling placed on the Democrats at forty-nine .
However , in the event , thanks to Hazel ’ s participation , there is now a danger of a fifty – fifty tie , with radical left Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote ( ugh ) .
San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 24.99 I take it that there is no question that the Republican philosophy ( the cynic in me says , “ to the extent it exists at all ” ) is now far more compatible with that of the Libertarian Party than is that of the Democrats .
We libertarians agree with the party of the elephant far more than that of the donkey on lower taxes , less regulation , not strangling the tradition energy industry , worrying about the ever-increasing deficit , gun rights , free speech , opposition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” riots , to Marxism , to the Green New Deal , to socialized medicine and on and on .
Also , apart from Mr. Trump himself , the Republicans , at least in the modern era are far more open to free trade than are the Democrats .
Yes , it can not be denied , we are with the Democrats vis a vis the Republicans on legalizing all drugs , as in Oregon , and also prostitution , as in most of Nevada .
As for abortion and immigration , libertarians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so they can not enter into our deliberations .
Is Shane Hazel therefore obligated to recommend to all those who voted for him that they now support David Perdue ?
Are all libertarians in Georgia now required to vote for this Republican candidate ?
Are libertarians the world over obliged to donate funds to him ?
Of course not .
In our view , the only commitments we have are to support the non-aggression principle , private property rights , and , in the felicitous phrase of Robert Nozick , the legalization of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” UwantC Mens Faux Felt ... Buy New $ 19.88 On the other hand , we do live in a country in which freedom of all kinds is at the tipping point .
The Republicans , with all their flaws and there are many , are significantly more oriented in our direction than are the Democrats .
One final point .
In 2016 , Ralph Raico , Dr. Don Miller and I set up an organization called Libertarians for Trump .
The idea was that our present president was vastly preferable to Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gary Johnson in heavily red states where Trump didn ’ t need our ballots , and also in blue ones , since our small but significant vote wouldn ’ t push him over the top there .
But in purple states , such as hint , hint , Georgia !
, the pragmatic libertarian recommendation was to throw our weight in the direction of the Donald .
Shane Hazel , and all the Georgia libertarians who voted for him , blatantly violated this precept .
They owe us all not a legal debt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support David Perdue .
And while they are at it , Kelly Loeffler too .
The Best of Walter E. Block

From a libertarian point of view, it is imperative that the Republicans hold the senate. If Donald remains president for four more years, he can appoint even more judges and justices who take our Constitution seriously (Stephen Breyer is now 82 years old). If Sleepy Joe (aka Kamala Harris, Bernie, the Squad) wins, this is if anything even more important, since with Democrats in the White House and a majority in the House of Representatives, only a Republican Senate can put the kibosh on the filibuster, packing the Supreme Court, statizing Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, getting rid of all fracking, indeed, all oil etc., bloody etc. The Venezuelans are coming here to escape that sort of thing; we certainly don’t want our country to follow that path.
Right now, the Democrats have 48 senators, and the Republicans, 50. The other two slots will be determined in the state of Georgia on January 5, 2021. One race pits David Perdue (R) against Jon Ossof (D), the other, Kelly Loeffler (R) versus Raphael Warnock (D).
What does all this have to do with libertarians, pray tell? Simply this: Brunello’s Leath... Buy New $84.99 (as of 04:51 UTC - Details)
David Perdue
Republican Party
49.7%
2,456,709
Jon Ossoff
Democratic Party
47.9%
2,366,847
Shane Hazel
Libertarian Party
2.3%
114,625
Mr. Hazel, a fine fellow I am sure, and much more politically aligned with me than either of the other two I have no doubt whatsoever, bagged more votes than the difference between the two major candidates. More to the point, had he not entered the race the very strong presumption is that the overwhelming majority of his votes would have gone to the Republican candidate. If so, there would not now be any need at all for a runoff, since Mr. Perdue would have been elected with more than fifty percent of the vote. He would now be the fifty-first senator with a ceiling placed on the Democrats at forty-nine. However, in the event, thanks to Hazel’s participation, there is now a danger of a fifty – fifty tie, with radical left Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote (ugh).
San Andreas Exports, W... Buy New $24.99 (as of 04:51 UTC - Details) I take it that there is no question that the Republican philosophy (the cynic in me says, “to the extent it exists at all”) is now far more compatible with that of the Libertarian Party than is that of the Democrats. We libertarians agree with the party of the elephant far more than that of the donkey on lower taxes, less regulation, not strangling the tradition energy industry, worrying about the ever-increasing deficit, gun rights, free speech, opposition to the cancel culture, to “peaceful” riots, to Marxism, to the Green New Deal, to socialized medicine and on and on. Also, apart from Mr. Trump himself, the Republicans, at least in the modern era are far more open to free trade than are the Democrats. Yes, it cannot be denied, we are with the Democrats vis a vis the Republicans on legalizing all drugs, as in Oregon, and also prostitution, as in most of Nevada. As for abortion and immigration, libertarians are strongly divided on these issues, so they cannot enter into our deliberations.
Is Shane Hazel therefore obligated to recommend to all those who voted for him that they now support David Perdue? Are all libertarians in Georgia now required to vote for this Republican candidate? Are libertarians the world over obliged to donate funds to him? Of course not. In our view, the only commitments we have are to support the non-aggression principle, private property rights, and, in the felicitous phrase of Robert Nozick, the legalization of all “capitalist acts between consenting adults.”
UwantC Mens Faux Felt ... Buy New $19.88 (as of 04:51 UTC - Details) On the other hand, we do live in a country in which freedom of all kinds is at the tipping point. The Republicans, with all their flaws and there are many, are significantly more oriented in our direction than are the Democrats.
One final point. In 2016, Ralph Raico, Dr. Don Miller and I set up an organization called Libertarians for Trump. The idea was that our present president was vastly preferable to Hillary Clinton. We advocated that libertarians support Gary Johnson in heavily red states where Trump didn’t need our ballots, and also in blue ones, since our small but significant vote wouldn’t push him over the top there. But in purple states, such as hint, hint, Georgia!, the pragmatic libertarian recommendation was to throw our weight in the direction of the Donald.
Shane Hazel, and all the Georgia libertarians who voted for him, blatantly violated this precept. They owe us all not a legal debt, but a moral one, to support David Perdue. And while they are at it, Kelly Loeffler too.
The Best of Walter E. Block