lewrockwell--2020-12-30--2020: The Year the Tree of Liberty Was Torched

No doubt about it : 2020—a terrible , horrible , no good , very bad year for freedom—was the culmination of a terrible , horrible , no good , very bad decade for freedom .
Government corruption , tyranny , and abuse coupled with a Big Brother-knows-best mindset and the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us at warp speed towards a full-blown police state in which nationwide lockdowns , egregious surveillance , roadside strip searches , police shootings of unarmed citizens , censorship , retaliatory arrests , the criminalization of lawful activities , warmongering , indefinite detentions , SWAT team raids , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisons , and pay-to-play politicians were accepted as the norm .
Here ’ s just a small sampling of the laundry list of abuses—cruel , brutal , immoral , unconstitutional and unacceptable—that have been heaped upon us by the government over the past two decades and in the past year , in particular .
Battlefield America : T ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 10.95 Buy New $ 18.80 The government failed to protect our lives , liberty and happiness .
The predators of the police state wreaked havoc on our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
The government didn ’ t listen to the citizenry , refused to abide by the Constitution , and treated the citizenry as a source of funding and little else .
Police officers shot unarmed citizens and their household pets .
Government agents—including local police—were armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield .
Bloated government agencies were allowed to fleece taxpayers .
Government technicians spied on our emails and phone calls .
And government contractors made a killing by waging endless wars abroad .
The American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Constitution invests the President with very specific , limited powers , in recent years , American presidents ( Trump , Obama , Bush , Clinton , etc . )
claimed the power to completely and almost unilaterally alter the landscape of this country for good or for ill .
The powers that have been amassed by each successive president through the negligence of Congress and the courts—powers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial ruler—empower whoever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator , above the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency itself has become an imperial one with permanent powers .
Militarized police became a power unto themselves , 911 calls turned deadly , and traffic stops took a turn for the worse .
Lacking in transparency and accountability , protected by the courts and legislators , and rife with misconduct , America ’ s police forces continued to be a menace to the citizenry and the rule of law .
Despite concerns about the government ’ s steady transformation of local police into a standing military army , local police agencies acquired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suited for the battlefield .
Police officers were also given free range to pull anyone over for a variety of reasons and subject them to forced cavity searches , forced colonoscopies , forced blood draws , forced breath-alcohol tests , forced DNA extractions , forced eye scans , forced inclusion in biometric databases .
The courts failed to uphold justice .
With every ruling handed down , it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice , with government courts more concerned with protecting government agents than upholding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is true at all levels of the judiciary , but especially so in the highest court of the land , the U.S. Supreme Court , which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution .
A review of critical court rulings over the past two decades , including some ominous ones by the U.S. Supreme Court , reveals a startling and steady trend towards pro-police state rulings by an institution concerned more with establishing order and protecting the ruling class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights enshrined in the Constitution .
COVID-19 allowed the Emergency State to expand its powers .
What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation ( and the world ) became yet another means by which world governments ( including our own ) could expand their powers , abuse their authority , and further oppress their constituents .
While COVID-19 took a significant toll on the nation emotionally , physically , and economically , it also allowed the government to trample our rights in the so-called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mass testing for COVID-19 antibodies , screening checkpoints , contact tracing , immunity passports , forced vaccinations , snitch tip lines and onerous lockdowns .
A Government of Wolves ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 1.16 Buy New $ 2.99 The Surveillance State rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies , police , hackers and power failures .
Thanks to the government ’ s ongoing efforts to build massive databases using emerging surveillance , DNA and biometrics technologies , Americans have become sitting ducks for hackers and government spies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected by data breaches and cyberattacks .
On a daily basis , Americans have been made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we are—our biological makeup , our genetic blueprints , and our biometrics ( facial characteristics and structure , fingerprints , iris scans , etc . )
—in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world .
America became a red flag nation .
Red flag laws , specifically , and pre-crime laws generally push us that much closer towards a suspect society where everyone is potentially guilty of some crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harmless .
Where many Americans go wrong is in naively assuming that you have to be doing something illegal or harmful in order to be flagged and targeted for some form of intervention or detention .
In fact , all you need to do these days to end up on a government watch list or be subjected to heightened scrutiny is use certain trigger words ( like cloud , pork and pirates ) , surf the internet , communicate using a cell phone , limp or stutter , drive a car , stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally , express yourself on social media , appear mentally ill , serve in the military , disagree with a law enforcement official , call in sick to work , purchase materials at a hardware store , take flying or boating lessons , appear suspicious , appear confused or nervous , fidget or whistle or smell bad , be seen in public waving a toy gun or anything remotely resembling a gun ( such as a water nozzle or a remote control or a walking cane ) , stare at a police officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be pro-gun or pro-freedom , or generally live in the United States .
Be warned : once you get on such a government watch list—whether it ’ s a terrorist watch list , a mental health watch list , a dissident watch list , or a red flag gun watch list—there ’ s no clear-cut way to get off , whether or not you should actually be on there .
The cost of policing the globe drove the nation deeper into debt .
America ’ s war spending has already bankrupted the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 trillion dollars .
Policing the globe and waging endless wars abroad hasn ’ t made America—or the rest of the world—any safer , but it has made the military industrial complex rich at taxpayer expense .
The U.S. military reportedly has more than 1.3 million men and women on active duty , with more than 200,000 of them stationed overseas in nearly every country in the world .
Yet America ’ s military forces aren ’ t being deployed abroad to protect our freedoms here at home .
Rather , they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , build foreign infrastructure and protect the financial interests of the corporate elite .
In fact , the United States military spends about $ 81 billion a year just to protect oil supplies around the world .
This is how a military empire occupies the globe .
Meanwhile , America ’ s infrastructure is falling apart .
Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another .
Protest laws , free speech zones , bubble zones , trespass zones , anti-bullying legislation , zero tolerance policies , hate crime laws , shadow banning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other legalistic maladies dreamed up by politicians and prosecutors ( and championed by those who want to suppress speech with which they might disagree ) conspired to corrode our core freedoms , purportedly for our own good .
On paper—at least according to the U.S. Constitution—we are technically free to speak .
In reality , however , we are only as free to speak as a government official—or corporate entities such as Facebook , Google or YouTube—may allow .
The reasons for such censorship varied widely from political correctness , so-called safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate crimes but the end result remained the same : the complete eradication of free speech .
The Freedom Wars-What ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 4.00 Buy New $ 9.95 The Deep State took over .
The American system of representative government has been overthrown by the Deep State—a.k.a .
the police state a.k.a .
the military/corporate industrial complex—a profit-driven , militaristic corporate state bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad .
The “ government of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the people ” has perished .
In its place is a shadow government , a corporatized , militarized , entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are , in essence , running the country and calling the shots in Washington DC , no matter who sits in the White House .
Mind you , by “ government , ” I ’ m not referring to the highly partisan , two-party bureaucracy of the Republicans and Democrats .
Rather , I ’ m referring to “ government ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entrenched Deep State that is unaffected by elections , unaltered by populist movements , and has set itself beyond the reach of the law .
This is the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry .
This shadow government , which “ operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power , ” makes a mockery of elections and the entire concept of a representative government .
The takeaway : Everything the founders of this country feared has come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We the people ” have been saddled with a government that is no longer friendly to freedom and is working overtime to trample the Constitution underfoot and render the citizenry powerless in the face of the government ’ s power grabs , corruption and abusive tactics .
So how do you balance the scales of justice at a time when Americans are being tasered , tear-gassed , pepper-sprayed , hit with batons , shot with rubber bullets and real bullets , blasted with sound cannons , detained in cages and kennels , sicced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for challenging the government ’ s excesses , abuses and power-grabs , and then locked down and stripped of any semblance of personal freedom ?
No matter who sits in the White House , politics won ’ t fix a system that is broken beyond repair .
For that matter , protests and populist movements also haven ’ t done much to push back against an authoritarian regime that is deaf to our cries , dumb to our troubles , blind to our needs , and accountable to no one .
So how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government ’ s bureaucracy , corruption and cruelty but also launch a counterrevolution aimed at reclaiming control over the government using nonviolent means ?
You start by changing the rules and engaging in some ( nonviolent ) guerilla tactics .
Take your cue from the Tenth Amendment and nullify everything the government does that flies in the face of the principles on which this nation was founded .
If there is any means left to us for thwarting the government in its relentless march towards outright dictatorship , it may rest with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to invalidate governmental laws , tactics and policies that are illegitimate , egregious or blatantly unconstitutional .
In an age in which government officials accused of wrongdoing—police officers , elected officials , etc.—are treated with general leniency , while the average citizen is prosecuted to the full extent of the law , nullification is a powerful reminder that , as the Constitution tells us , “ we the people ” are the government .
For too long we ’ ve allowed our so-called “ representatives ” to call the shots .
Now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their rightful place in the republic : as the masters , not the servants .
The End Of Man John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 2.06 Buy New $ 9.95 Nullification is one way of doing so .
America was meant to be primarily a system of local governments , which is a far cry from the colossal federal bureaucracy we have today .
Yet if our freedoms are to be restored , understanding what is transpiring practically in your own backyard—in one ’ s home , neighborhood , school district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local level must be the starting point .
Responding to unmet local needs and reacting to injustices is what grassroots activism is all about .
Attend local city council meetings , speak up at town hall meetings , organize protests and letter-writing campaigns , employ “ militant nonviolent resistance ” and civil disobedience , which Martin Luther King Jr. used to great effect through the use of sit-ins , boycotts and marches .
The power to change things for the better rests with us , not the politicians .
As long as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meanness , immorality , ignorance , hatred , intolerance , racism , militarism , materialism , meanness and injustice—magnified by an echo chamber of nasty tweets and government-sanctioned brutality—to trump justice , fairness and equality , there can be no hope of prevailing against the police state .
We could transform this nation if only Americans would work together to harness the power of their discontent and push back against the government ’ s overreach , excesses and abuse .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is marching forward , more powerful than ever .
If there is to be any hope for freedom in 2021 , it rests with “ we the people.
” The Best of John W. Whitehead

“The people are unaware. They’re not educated to realize that they have power. The system is so geared that everyone believes the government will fix everything. We are the government.”—John Lennon
No doubt about it: 2020—a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for freedom—was the culmination of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad decade for freedom.
Government corruption, tyranny, and abuse coupled with a Big Brother-knows-best mindset and the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us at warp speed towards a full-blown police state in which nationwide lockdowns, egregious surveillance, roadside strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, censorship, retaliatory arrests, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, indefinite detentions, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, police brutality, profit-driven prisons, and pay-to-play politicians were accepted as the norm.
Here’s just a small sampling of the laundry list of abuses—cruel, brutal, immoral, unconstitutional and unacceptable—that have been heaped upon us by the government over the past two decades and in the past year, in particular. Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
The government failed to protect our lives, liberty and happiness. The predators of the police state wreaked havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government didn’t listen to the citizenry, refused to abide by the Constitution, and treated the citizenry as a source of funding and little else. Police officers shot unarmed citizens and their household pets. Government agents—including local police—were armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield. Bloated government agencies were allowed to fleece taxpayers. Government technicians spied on our emails and phone calls. And government contractors made a killing by waging endless wars abroad.
The American President became more imperial. Although the Constitution invests the President with very specific, limited powers, in recent years, American presidents (Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc.) claimed the power to completely and almost unilaterally alter the landscape of this country for good or for ill. The powers that have been amassed by each successive president through the negligence of Congress and the courts—powers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial ruler—empower whoever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator, above the law and beyond any real accountability. The presidency itself has become an imperial one with permanent powers.
Militarized police became a power unto themselves, 911 calls turned deadly, and traffic stops took a turn for the worse. Lacking in transparency and accountability, protected by the courts and legislators, and rife with misconduct, America’s police forces continued to be a menace to the citizenry and the rule of law. Despite concerns about the government’s steady transformation of local police into a standing military army, local police agencies acquired even more weaponry, training and equipment suited for the battlefield. Police officers were also given free range to pull anyone over for a variety of reasons and subject them to forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases.
The courts failed to uphold justice. With every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts more concerned with protecting government agents than upholding the rights of “we the people.” This is true at all levels of the judiciary, but especially so in the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution. A review of critical court rulings over the past two decades, including some ominous ones by the U.S. Supreme Court, reveals a startling and steady trend towards pro-police state rulings by an institution concerned more with establishing order and protecting the ruling class and government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
COVID-19 allowed the Emergency State to expand its powers. What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) could expand their powers, abuse their authority, and further oppress their constituents. While COVID-19 took a significant toll on the nation emotionally, physically, and economically, it also allowed the government to trample our rights in the so-called name of national security, with talk of mass testing for COVID-19 antibodies, screening checkpoints, contact tracing, immunity passports, forced vaccinations, snitch tip lines and onerous lockdowns. A Government of Wolves... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $1.16 Buy New $2.99 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
The Surveillance State rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies, police, hackers and power failures. Thanks to the government’s ongoing efforts to build massive databases using emerging surveillance, DNA and biometrics technologies, Americans have become sitting ducks for hackers and government spies alike. Billions of people have been affected by data breaches and cyberattacks. On a daily basis, Americans have been made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we are—our biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.)—in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world.
America became a red flag nation. Red flag laws, specifically, and pre-crime laws generally push us that much closer towards a suspect society where everyone is potentially guilty of some crime or another and must be preemptively rendered harmless. Where many Americans go wrong is in naively assuming that you have to be doing something illegal or harmful in order to be flagged and targeted for some form of intervention or detention. In fact, all you need to do these days to end up on a government watch list or be subjected to heightened scrutiny is use certain trigger words (like cloud, pork and pirates), surf the internet, communicate using a cell phone, limp or stutter, drive a car, stay at a hotel, attend a political rally, express yourself on social media, appear mentally ill, serve in the military, disagree with a law enforcement official, call in sick to work, purchase materials at a hardware store, take flying or boating lessons, appear suspicious, appear confused or nervous, fidget or whistle or smell bad, be seen in public waving a toy gun or anything remotely resembling a gun (such as a water nozzle or a remote control or a walking cane), stare at a police officer, question government authority, appear to be pro-gun or pro-freedom, or generally live in the United States. Be warned: once you get on such a government watch list—whether it’s a terrorist watch list, a mental health watch list, a dissident watch list, or a red flag gun watch list—there’s no clear-cut way to get off, whether or not you should actually be on there.
The cost of policing the globe drove the nation deeper into debt. America’s war spending has already bankrupted the nation to the tune of more than $20 trillion dollars. Policing the globe and waging endless wars abroad hasn’t made America—or the rest of the world—any safer, but it has made the military industrial complex rich at taxpayer expense. The U.S. military reportedly has more than 1.3 million men and women on active duty, with more than 200,000 of them stationed overseas in nearly every country in the world. Yet America’s military forces aren’t being deployed abroad to protect our freedoms here at home. Rather, they’re being used to guard oil fields, build foreign infrastructure and protect the financial interests of the corporate elite. In fact, the United States military spends about $81 billion a year just to protect oil supplies around the world. This is how a military empire occupies the globe. Meanwhile, America’s infrastructure is falling apart.
Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another. Protest laws, free speech zones, bubble zones, trespass zones, anti-bullying legislation, zero tolerance policies, hate crime laws, shadow banning on the Internet, and a host of other legalistic maladies dreamed up by politicians and prosecutors (and championed by those who want to suppress speech with which they might disagree) conspired to corrode our core freedoms, purportedly for our own good. On paper—at least according to the U.S. Constitution—we are technically free to speak. In reality, however, we are only as free to speak as a government official—or corporate entities such as Facebook, Google or YouTube—may allow. The reasons for such censorship varied widely from political correctness, so-called safety concerns and bullying to national security and hate crimes but the end result remained the same: the complete eradication of free speech. The Freedom Wars-What ... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $9.95 (as of 08:35 UTC - Details)
The Deep State took over. The American system of representative government has been overthrown by the Deep State—a.k.a. the police state a.k.a. the military/corporate industrial complex—a profit-driven, militaristic corporate state bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad. The “government of the people, by the people, for the people” has perished. In its place is a shadow government, a corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country and calling the shots in Washington DC, no matter who sits in the White House. Mind you, by “government,” I’m not referring to the highly partisan, two-party bureaucracy of the Republicans and Democrats. Rather, I’m referring to “government” with a capital “G,” the entrenched Deep State that is unaffected by elections, unaltered by populist movements, and has set itself beyond the reach of the law. This is the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry. This shadow government, which “operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power,” makes a mockery of elections and the entire concept of a representative government.
The takeaway: Everything the founders of this country feared has come to dominate in modern America. “We the people” have been saddled with a government that is no longer friendly to freedom and is working overtime to trample the Constitution underfoot and render the citizenry powerless in the face of the government’s power grabs, corruption and abusive tactics.
So how do you balance the scales of justice at a time when Americans are being tasered, tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, hit with batons, shot with rubber bullets and real bullets, blasted with sound cannons, detained in cages and kennels, sicced by police dogs, arrested and jailed for challenging the government’s excesses, abuses and power-grabs, and then locked down and stripped of any semblance of personal freedom?
No matter who sits in the White House, politics won’t fix a system that is broken beyond repair.
For that matter, protests and populist movements also haven’t done much to push back against an authoritarian regime that is deaf to our cries, dumb to our troubles, blind to our needs, and accountable to no one.
So how do you not only push back against the government’s bureaucracy, corruption and cruelty but also launch a counterrevolution aimed at reclaiming control over the government using nonviolent means?
You start by changing the rules and engaging in some (nonviolent) guerilla tactics.
Take your cue from the Tenth Amendment and nullify everything the government does that flies in the face of the principles on which this nation was founded. If there is any means left to us for thwarting the government in its relentless march towards outright dictatorship, it may rest with the power of juries and local governments to invalidate governmental laws, tactics and policies that are illegitimate, egregious or blatantly unconstitutional.
In an age in which government officials accused of wrongdoing—police officers, elected officials, etc.—are treated with general leniency, while the average citizen is prosecuted to the full extent of the law, nullification is a powerful reminder that, as the Constitution tells us, “we the people” are the government.
For too long we’ve allowed our so-called “representatives” to call the shots. Now it’s time to restore the citizenry to their rightful place in the republic: as the masters, not the servants. The End Of Man John W. Whitehead Best Price: $2.06 Buy New $9.95 (as of 04:18 UTC - Details)
Nullification is one way of doing so.
America was meant to be primarily a system of local governments, which is a far cry from the colossal federal bureaucracy we have today. Yet if our freedoms are to be restored, understanding what is transpiring practically in your own backyard—in one’s home, neighborhood, school district, town council—and taking action at that local level must be the starting point.
Responding to unmet local needs and reacting to injustices is what grassroots activism is all about. Attend local city council meetings, speak up at town hall meetings, organize protests and letter-writing campaigns, employ “militant nonviolent resistance” and civil disobedience, which Martin Luther King Jr. used to great effect through the use of sit-ins, boycotts and marches.
The power to change things for the better rests with us, not the politicians.
As long as we continue to allow callousness, cruelty, meanness, immorality, ignorance, hatred, intolerance, racism, militarism, materialism, meanness and injustice—magnified by an echo chamber of nasty tweets and government-sanctioned brutality—to trump justice, fairness and equality, there can be no hope of prevailing against the police state.
We could transform this nation if only Americans would work together to harness the power of their discontent and push back against the government’s overreach, excesses and abuse.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the police state is marching forward, more powerful than ever.
If there is to be any hope for freedom in 2021, it rests with “we the people.”
The Best of John W. Whitehead


lewrockwell--2020-12-30--It’s Interesting How the Violent Riots of 2020 Ended Right After the Election

Lest people think that 2020 was only about Covid-19 , lockdowns , and economic disaster , don ’ t forget about the protests , riots , and escalating exhibits of rage .
The triggering event was the death of George Floyd .
He was killed during an arrest on May 25th in Minneapolis , Minnesota .
The entire thing was caught on video .
It had all the potential to be a turning point with regard to police brutality and race – the nation was riveted and outraged .
But then , as often occurs , the protests were co-opted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other side took umbrage , and Mr. Floyd became a footnote .
2020 devolved into ongoing violence in American streets that most of us haven ’ t seen in our lifetimes .
Distinct sides were chosen , lines were drawn , and those who saw the middle ground were quickly shouted down while America burned .
Within a week of Mr. Floyd ’ s death , demonstrations had spread to 30 cities across the United States , many turning from peaceful protests to riots .
Seattle was the site of particularly destructive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protestors took over a six-block area in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle , driving out police and maintaining their presence there for months .
They even strategically changed the name of the area to make it part of a bigger movement .
The National Guard was deployed to cities across the country in an attempt to quell the violence .
In this article , a National Guardsman shared a personal account of what was really going on during the Seattle riots .
In July , police and rioters in cities across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal police squared off with rioters in Portland .
On August 23 , fuel was added to the raging inferno when Jacob Blake was shot and killed by police in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
At this point , the facts of the shootings were no longer relevant – any police violence against a black suspect was going to result in riots .
By that evening , Kenosha was on fire .
The destruction of Kenosha , a moderate-sized town , was shocking .
We ran the first-person account of a Kenosha resident who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was getting ready for a war.
” Looting and rioting broke out in Chicago after another police shooting and the “ Magnificent Mile ” was trashed by angry mobs .
It got so bad that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the drawbridges raised .
Interestingly , activists attempted to justify the looting as “ reparations.
” By September 1st , riots occurred for the 95th consecutive day in Portland .
Violence also erupted in Louisville , Kentucky when the Grand Jury declined to charge the officers accused of killing Breonna Taylor , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests also spread across the nation .
Some of those arrested in the New York City riots were entitled kids from wealthy families who were “ enacting their revolutionary strategy.
” .
In October , Walter Wallace was shot sixteen times by Philadelphia police during a mental health call after he refused to drop a knife .
Looting soon followed the rioting .
The War on Cops : How t ... Mac Donald , Heather Best Price : $ 16.73 Buy New $ 16.61 While America braced itself for riots based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , these fears did not come to fruition .
In fact , the violence has slowed down since the outcome ( which is still being argued by attorneys for President Trump . )
Did police shootings suddenly cease ?
Did racially-motivated violence end ?
Did the justice system radically evolve ?
Did everyone finally agree and settle their differences amicably ?
It ’ s almost enough to make a person ask questions about the widespread violence from May through October .
Reprinted with permission from The Organic Prepper .
The Best of @ @

Lest people think that 2020 was only about Covid-19, lockdowns, and economic disaster, don’t forget about the protests, riots, and escalating exhibits of rage.
The triggering event was the death of George Floyd. He was killed during an arrest on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The entire thing was caught on video. It had all the potential to be a turning point with regard to police brutality and race – the nation was riveted and outraged.
But then, as often occurs, the protests were co-opted. Extremists took over, extremists on the other side took umbrage, and Mr. Floyd became a footnote.
2020 devolved into ongoing violence in American streets that most of us haven’t seen in our lifetimes. Distinct sides were chosen, lines were drawn, and those who saw the middle ground were quickly shouted down while America burned.
May
Minneapolis immediately erupted into violent riots that turned deadly.
Rioters set the police station on fire.
Within a week of Mr. Floyd’s death, demonstrations had spread to 30 cities across the United States, many turning from peaceful protests to riots.
Riots in Denver:
Seattle was the site of particularly destructive and violent riots.
In fact, protestors took over a six-block area in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, driving out police and maintaining their presence there for months. They even strategically changed the name of the area to make it part of a bigger movement.
June
The National Guard was deployed to cities across the country in an attempt to quell the violence.
Seattle:
Atlanta:
Los Angeles and Hollywood:
In this article, a National Guardsman shared a personal account of what was really going on during the Seattle riots.
July
In July, police and rioters in cities across the country were engaged in violent clashes.
Federal police squared off with rioters in Portland.
August
On August 23, fuel was added to the raging inferno when Jacob Blake was shot and killed by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At this point, the facts of the shootings were no longer relevant – any police violence against a black suspect was going to result in riots.
By that evening, Kenosha was on fire.
The destruction of Kenosha, a moderate-sized town, was shocking.
We ran the first-person account of a Kenosha resident who said, “Everyone in the city was getting ready for a war.”
Looting and rioting broke out in Chicago after another police shooting and the “Magnificent Mile” was trashed by angry mobs.
It got so bad that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the drawbridges raised.
Interestingly, activists attempted to justify the looting as “reparations.”
September
By September 1st, riots occurred for the 95th consecutive day in Portland.
Violence also erupted in Louisville, Kentucky when the Grand Jury declined to charge the officers accused of killing Breonna Taylor, a local paramedic, with homicide.
These protests also spread across the nation.
Some of those arrested in the New York City riots were entitled kids from wealthy families who were “enacting their revolutionary strategy.”.
October
In October, Walter Wallace was shot sixteen times by Philadelphia police during a mental health call after he refused to drop a knife.
Looting soon followed the rioting.
November
The War on Cops: How t... Mac Donald, Heather Best Price: $16.73 Buy New $16.61 (as of 05:30 UTC - Details) While America braced itself for riots based on the outcome of the hotly contested US presidential election, these fears did not come to fruition. In fact, the violence has slowed down since the outcome (which is still being argued by attorneys for President Trump.)
Did police shootings suddenly cease? Did racially-motivated violence end? Did the justice system radically evolve? Did everyone finally agree and settle their differences amicably?
It’s almost enough to make a person ask questions about the widespread violence from May through October.
Reprinted with permission from The Organic Prepper.
The Best of Daisy Luther


lewrockwell--2020-12-30--The American System Is One Big Grift

The American System Is One Big Grift

Ilearned the facts of life from a drunk uncle .
He was not an American , and worked in international construction in Asia .
His main job was to bribe people .
Over the course of many tiny glasses of some awful , clear Asian liquor I learned every yard of concrete poured required money to gangsters who controlled unions and to politicians who controlled permits .
A fact of life , he said .
You get used to it .
He even had a joke—my hands are dirtier than the guys who dig the foundations .
You come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything and it usually isn ’ t you , he said .
The odd official just doing his job for his salary is a rube .
You feel embarrassed for him , saying no for moral reasons .
You learn , uncle slurred , to trust nothing .
That politician on TV ?
The company just dropped off a nice check to his “ charity.
” Play by the rules ?
Those were the rules .
The Red Thread : A Sear ... West , Diana Buy New $ 9.47 The first bribe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration officer , who noticed some small defect on my passport .
Of course , he said , it could be resolved .
Between us .
With a fine ( so many euphemisms ) .
Off to the side .
In cash .
It was all of $ 20 to save a vacation but I felt filthy , cheated , a chump .
But I learned the rules .
In New York we use the euphemism “ tip , ” and it is as required as oxygen to get through the day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ minute anything .
A friendlier handling by a doorman .
Timely attention to fix-it requests .
My , um , friend , used to pay a lot of money for better hotel rooms until he learned $ 20 at check in with a friendly “ anything you can do ” often got him upgraded to the same thing at a fraction of the price .
What , you still paying retail , bro ?
I used to think it was all small stuff , maybe with the odd mafia king bribing a judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In America we were ultimately… fair , right ?
But things started to add up .
We have our petty corruption like anywhere , but our souls are filthy on a much larger scale .
America goes big or it goes home .
American Betrayal DIANA WEST Best Price : $ 10.77 Buy New $ 12.75 Things like the Clinton Foundation accepting donations from the Saudis to help with women ’ s empowerment , an issue of course dear to the heart of the Kingdom .
When it looked like his wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made six-figure speeches to businesses seeking influence within the U.S. government , earning $ 50 million during his wife ’ s term as secretary of pay-for-play state .
The Foundation , now mostly out of business , was at its peak a two-billion-dollar financial dangle .
It spent in 2013 the same on travel expenses for Hillary and her family as it did on charitable grants .
The media , forever big Clinton fans , told us we should be used to it .
Hey , Nixon was so much worse .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his charity donated to .
We know its offshoot , the Eric Trump charity , donated to a wine industry association , a plastic surgeon supposedly gifting nose jobs to kids , and an artist who painted a portrait of Donald .
Trump-owned resorts received $ 880,000 for hosting Trump-sponsored charity events .
Trump donated money from his foundation to conservative influencers ahead of his presidential bid .

Ilearned the facts of life from a drunk uncle. He was not an American, and worked in international construction in Asia. His main job was to bribe people. Over the course of many tiny glasses of some awful, clear Asian liquor I learned every yard of concrete poured required money to gangsters who controlled unions and to politicians who controlled permits. A fact of life, he said. You get used to it. He even had a joke—my hands are dirtier than the guys who dig the foundations.
You come to realize someone is pulling the strings behind everything and it usually isn’t you, he said. The odd official just doing his job for his salary is a rube. You feel embarrassed for him, saying no for moral reasons. You learn, uncle slurred, to trust nothing. That politician on TV? The company just dropped off a nice check to his “charity.” Play by the rules? Those were the rules.
The Red Thread: A Sear... West, Diana Buy New $9.47 (as of 04:36 UTC - Details) The first bribe I ever paid was to an Indonesian immigration officer, who noticed some small defect on my passport. Of course, he said, it could be resolved. Between us. With a fine (so many euphemisms). Off to the side. In cash. It was all of $20 to save a vacation but I felt filthy, cheated, a chump. But I learned the rules.
In New York we use the euphemism “tip,” and it is as required as oxygen to get through the day. A restaurant table pre-COVID. A last minute anything. A friendlier handling by a doorman. Timely attention to fix-it requests. My, um, friend, used to pay a lot of money for better hotel rooms until he learned $20 at check in with a friendly “anything you can do” often got him upgraded to the same thing at a fraction of the price. What, you still paying retail, bro?
I used to think it was all small stuff, maybe with the odd mafia king bribing a judge with real money or something else Netflix-worthy. In America we were ultimately… fair, right? But things started to add up. We have our petty corruption like anywhere, but our souls are filthy on a much larger scale. America goes big or it goes home.
American Betrayal DIANA WEST Best Price: $10.77 Buy New $12.75 (as of 06:30 UTC - Details) Things like the Clinton Foundation accepting donations from the Saudis to help with women’s empowerment, an issue of course dear to the heart of the Kingdom. When it looked like his wife was going to be president, Bill made six-figure speeches to businesses seeking influence within the U.S. government, earning $50 million during his wife’s term as secretary of pay-for-play state. The Foundation, now mostly out of business, was at its peak a two-billion-dollar financial dangle. It spent in 2013 the same on travel expenses for Hillary and her family as it did on charitable grants. The media, forever big Clinton fans, told us we should be used to it. Hey, Nixon was so much worse.
Trump refused to be very specific about who his charity donated to. We know its offshoot, the Eric Trump charity, donated to a wine industry association, a plastic surgeon supposedly gifting nose jobs to kids, and an artist who painted a portrait of Donald. Trump-owned resorts received $880,000 for hosting Trump-sponsored charity events. Trump donated money from his foundation to conservative influencers ahead of his presidential bid.
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lewrockwell--2020-12-30--2020: The Year We Lost Our Common Sense, Courage, and Civil Liberties

Once it became clear to the Western elite that their subjects would readily accept draconian anti-Covid measures , it encouraged them to usher in a code-red lifestyle where there will be no ‘ return to normal ’ in the foreseeable future and , possibly , never .
If nothing else , nobody can say we were not warned about the madness that would descend upon leap year 2020 , making it one of the worst 366 days ever recorded on the Gregorian calendar .
On October 18 , 2019 , the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , together with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted the incredibly visionary Event 201 , an exercise that simulated the outbreak of a pandemic “ transmitted from bats to people that eventually becomes…transmissible from person to person.
” The simulation proved to be so uncannily similar to the real thing that started just three months later – from imagining a dramatic drop in air travel and business , to breaks in the global supply chain – that Johns Hopkins eventually felt compelled to release a statement saying their exercise was not intended to be a prophecy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Center for Health Security and partners did not make a prediction during our tabletop exercise , ” the statement read , in what just might be the creepiest caveat ever .
“ For the scenario , we modeled a fictional coronavirus pandemic , but we explicitly stated that it was not a prediction… We are not now predicting that the nCoV-2019 outbreak will kill 65 million people.
” Above the Law : The Ins ... Whitaker , Matthew Buy New $ 26.09 Shortly after the global elite played Nostradamus , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very same day , incidentally , that the Democrats presented articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the Senate ) , the first Covid-positive person arrived in Seattle from Wuhan , the Chinese city where the disease is said to have sprung to life .
From there it has been a non-stop roller-coaster ride of government-sponsored insanity .
Before continuing , it is important to remember the context with which the pandemic has been happening , that is , in the most consequential U.S. presidential election in recent memory .
It should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats and Republicans would use the scourge to achieve some sort of advantage , demonstrating Machiavellian opportunism at its very best .
Indeed , such is the nature of the political beast .
For example , although Trump shut down the U.S. border on January 31 to Chinese nationals , the Democrats and leftist media pounced , saying the U.S. leader responded too late to make a difference .
Even Trump ’ s use of the term ‘ Chinese virus ’ was slammed by his opponents as ‘ racist.
’ Meanwhile , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pioneers in taking the first draconian steps of locking down society to stop the contagion .
On March 16 , 2020 , six counties in northern California and the city of Berkley ordered an unprecedented stay-at-home order for some 7 million Bay Area residents .
This was all part of “ flattening the curve ” logic that would “ buy time for hospitals to gear up for the onslaught… ” Well , 233 days later political leaders are not only still flattening the curve , but flattening their economies as well .
Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected with Covid-19 is reported to be in the neighborhood of 99.85 percent , harsh lockdowns continue to wreak havoc , not least of all for small businesses .
Consider the situation in California , where Governor Gavin Newsom has mandated yet another ‘ shelter-in-place ’ order , which has shuttered , among other businesses , hair salons , barbershops , personal care services , movie theaters , wineries , bars , breweries , family entertainment centers and amusement parks .
What is hard to fathom , however , is how the corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” apparently immune to the scourge , while the small business owner is trashed as expendable .
Full Spectrum Dominanc ... Engdahl , F. William Best Price : $ 8.50 Buy New $ 17.21 By way of example , consider the tragic plight of Angela Marsden , the owner of Pineapple Hill Saloon and Grill in Los Angeles .
In an effort to comply with the ever-changing anti-Covid rules , Marsden spent over $ 80,000 to build an outdoor patio so she could stay in business during the pandemic .
With Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , city officials denied her permission to serve clients on location , even in the parking lot .
To add insult to injury , the authorities granted permission for a film company to set up a large outdoor eating area for its staff just across the road from where Marsden had built her patio .
“ I ’ m losing everything , ” she exclaimed in a video posted to Twitter that has been watched almost 10 million times .
“ Everything I own is being taken away from me .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut us down .
We can not survive ; my staff can not survive… ” For the Fortune 500 companies , however , the pandemic has translated into a windfall .
Between April and September , at a time when thousands of small business were quietly getting crushed underfoot , 45 of the 50 most valuable publicly traded American companies turned a profit , according to the Washington Post .
The Origins of Totalit ... Hannah Arendt Best Price : $ 8.49 Buy New $ 12.90 At the same time , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their workforce this year , collectively cutting more than 100,000 workers , while at the same time distributing billions of dollars to shareholders .
As just one example , Walmart distributed more than $ 10 billion to its investors during the pandemic while terminating 1,200 office staff .
To put these figures another way , since mid-March – when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency – America ’ s 614 billionaires saw their net worth explode by $ 931 billion in total .
Jeff Bezos , for example , the founder and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private wealth go from $ 73.2bn since the start of the crisis to a record $ 186.2bn .
It would probably come as no surprise that the very individuals who helped pave the way for astronomic wealth generation among the 1 percent , are the same ones breaking their own rules .
Governor Newsom and his wife , for example , attended a birthday party with a dozen friends at the French Laundry restaurant in San Francisco .
Equally maddening is that Dustin Corcoran , the CEO of the California Medical Association , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could forget the photo of Nancy Pelosi walking through a California hair salon when such businesses were deemed ‘ super spreaders ’ ?
Above the Law : The Ins ... Whitaker , Matthew Buy New $ 26.09 Such incidences only served to reinforce the idea that the draconian lockdowns , the worst of which are centered on Democratic-controlled states , were specifically designed not to contain a contagion , but to foster as much anger and frustration among the general population in the most consequential presidential election in many decades .
After all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote out their leaders whom they believe are responsible for such dire circumstances .
And with the mainstream media almost totally in the Democratic anti-Trump camp , placing the blame on the president has proven no difficult task .
So where do we go from here ?
Now that we have reached the end of 2020 , will the situation begin to improve ?
Will political leaders begin to loosen the screws and let some semblance of normality return once again ?
Or will people be forced to rise up and demand the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this great loggerhead in human history , there has been much talk about creating ‘ freedom passes ’ that will be demanded from people before they are allowed to travel or visit any sort of entertainment again .
“ People who test negative for coronavirus could get a five-day freedom pass to attend big events or access public buildings , under plans being considered by public health experts running a trial program in England , ” reported Bloomberg in November .
Already , five global airlines – United Airlines , Lufthansa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and JetBlue – have announced they will observe the so-called CommonPass to passengers on some flights from December .
“ The project , developed by non-profit group The Commons Project and backed by the World Economic Forum , uses a digital certificate downloaded to a mobile phone to show a passenger has tested negative for Covid-19 , ” according to the Financial Times .
Here is the kicker : “ The airlines are not making the CommonPass mandatory , but in time it will also be used to provide proof of vaccination.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Best Price : $ 5.75 Buy New $ 10.51 It seems rather obvious where all of this is heading : mandatory vaccination for anyone who ever wishes to board an aircraft or visit another entertainment venue again .
Over time , it is not difficult to imagine a vaccine regimen extending to all human activities , including shopping and even getting a job .
Yet what about the millions of people who have expressed extreme skepticism in being administered a vaccine that has been developed so quickly ?
Whatever the case may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become mandatory , peoples ’ lives will be entirely dominated by fears over a virus , together with an endless bureaucratic process of being tested and approved to move about .
Vaccines will become a regular requirement since viruses are in a state of constant mutation , which makes them the authoritarians dream instrument of domination .
Such a system of totalitarian control , should it ever come into fruition , will have achieved in mere months what fascism could not in years : the pacification and unification of a great swath of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bayonet , but by syringe .
In fact , today the people of London are fleeing their fair city not out of fear of the virus per se , but out of fear of the lockdown restrictions put in place by the authorities .
To put it otherwise , the world gave an inch and the globalists took a mile , and a person would have to be a fool to believe it could have turned out any other way .
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the @ @ @ @

Once it became clear to the Western elite that their subjects would readily accept draconian anti-Covid measures, it encouraged them to usher in a code-red lifestyle where there will be no ‘return to normal’ in the foreseeable future and, possibly, never.
If nothing else, nobody can say we were not warned about the madness that would descend upon leap year 2020, making it one of the worst 366 days ever recorded on the Gregorian calendar.
On October 18, 2019, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, together with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted the incredibly visionary Event 201, an exercise that simulated the outbreak of a pandemic “transmitted from bats to people that eventually becomes…transmissible from person to person.”
The simulation proved to be so uncannily similar to the real thing that started just three months later – from imagining a dramatic drop in air travel and business, to breaks in the global supply chain – that Johns Hopkins eventually felt compelled to release a statement saying their exercise was not intended to be a prophecy of future events.
Isn’t it crazy how “social distance for two weeks so our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed” evolved into “social distance til 2022 until a vaccine is developed…” — Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) April 26, 2020
“To be clear, the Center for Health Security and partners did not make a prediction during our tabletop exercise,” the statement read, in what just might be the creepiest caveat ever. “For the scenario, we modeled a fictional coronavirus pandemic, but we explicitly stated that it was not a prediction… We are not now predicting that the nCoV-2019 outbreak will kill 65 million people.” Above the Law: The Ins... Whitaker, Matthew Buy New $26.09 (as of 05:57 UTC - Details)
Shortly after the global elite played Nostradamus, on January 15th to be exact (the very same day, incidentally, that the Democrats presented articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the Senate), the first Covid-positive person arrived in Seattle from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the disease is said to have sprung to life. From there it has been a non-stop roller-coaster ride of government-sponsored insanity.
Before continuing, it is important to remember the context with which the pandemic has been happening, that is, in the most consequential U.S. presidential election in recent memory. It should thus come as no surprise that the Democrats and Republicans would use the scourge to achieve some sort of advantage, demonstrating Machiavellian opportunism at its very best. Indeed, such is the nature of the political beast.
For example, although Trump shut down the U.S. border on January 31 to Chinese nationals, the Democrats and leftist media pounced, saying the U.S. leader responded too late to make a difference. Even Trump’s use of the term ‘Chinese virus’ was slammed by his opponents as ‘racist.’ Meanwhile, it was the Democrats themselves who were the pioneers in taking the first draconian steps of locking down society to stop the contagion.
On March 16, 2020, six counties in northern California and the city of Berkley ordered an unprecedented stay-at-home order for some 7 million Bay Area residents. This was all part of “flattening the curve” logic that would “buy time for hospitals to gear up for the onslaught…” Well, 233 days later political leaders are not only still flattening the curve, but flattening their economies as well. Today, although the survival rate for those infected with Covid-19 is reported to be in the neighborhood of 99.85 percent, harsh lockdowns continue to wreak havoc, not least of all for small businesses.
Over 100,000 restaurants have closed this year due to lockdowns, but not a penny for them in the “Covid Relief” bill? — Cari Kelemen (@KelemenCari) December 22, 2020
Consider the situation in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom has mandated yet another ‘shelter-in-place’ order, which has shuttered, among other businesses, hair salons, barbershops, personal care services, movie theaters, wineries, bars, breweries, family entertainment centers and amusement parks. What is hard to fathom, however, is how the corporate big-box stores are considered “essential businesses,” apparently immune to the scourge, while the small business owner is trashed as expendable. Full Spectrum Dominanc... Engdahl, F. William Best Price: $8.50 Buy New $17.21 (as of 10:50 UTC - Details)
By way of example, consider the tragic plight of Angela Marsden, the owner of Pineapple Hill Saloon and Grill in Los Angeles. In an effort to comply with the ever-changing anti-Covid rules, Marsden spent over $80,000 to build an outdoor patio so she could stay in business during the pandemic. With Newsom’s latest lockdown restrictions, however, city officials denied her permission to serve clients on location, even in the parking lot.
To add insult to injury, the authorities granted permission for a film company to set up a large outdoor eating area for its staff just across the road from where Marsden had built her patio.
“I’m losing everything,” she exclaimed in a video posted to Twitter that has been watched almost 10 million times. “Everything I own is being taken away from me. They have not given us money and they have shut us down. We cannot survive; my staff cannot survive…”
This is criminal. Complete BS!!! I guess this is “science”! RT @ClayTravis: Watch this video of an LA bar owner that perfectly crystallizes the absurdity of California’s absurd and ridiculous shutdown rules. pic.twitter.com/XVLmAVyy70 — Larry The Cable Guy (@GitRDoneLarry) December 5, 2020
For the Fortune 500 companies, however, the pandemic has translated into a windfall. Between April and September, at a time when thousands of small business were quietly getting crushed underfoot, 45 of the 50 most valuable publicly traded American companies turned a profit, according to the Washington Post. The Origins of Totalit... Hannah Arendt Best Price: $8.49 Buy New $12.90 (as of 06:35 UTC - Details)
At the same time, at least 27 of the 50 largest firms slashed their workforce this year, collectively cutting more than 100,000 workers, while at the same time distributing billions of dollars to shareholders. As just one example, Walmart distributed more than $10 billion to its investors during the pandemic while terminating 1,200 office staff.
To put these figures another way, since mid-March – when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency – America’s 614 billionaires saw their net worth explode by $931 billion in total. Jeff Bezos, for example, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, saw his private wealth go from $73.2bn since the start of the crisis to a record $186.2bn.
What’s Good For Thee Is Not Good For Me A thread ⬇ https://t.co/42p9Yc2xY7 — Patriotic Candor (@PatrioticCandor) December 3, 2020
It would probably come as no surprise that the very individuals who helped pave the way for astronomic wealth generation among the 1 percent, are the same ones breaking their own rules. Governor Newsom and his wife, for example, attended a birthday party with a dozen friends at the French Laundry restaurant in San Francisco. Equally maddening is that Dustin Corcoran, the CEO of the California Medical Association, was also in attendance. And who could forget the photo of Nancy Pelosi walking through a California hair salon when such businesses were deemed ‘super spreaders’? Above the Law: The Ins... Whitaker, Matthew Buy New $26.09 (as of 05:57 UTC - Details)
Such incidences only served to reinforce the idea that the draconian lockdowns, the worst of which are centered on Democratic-controlled states, were specifically designed not to contain a contagion, but to foster as much anger and frustration among the general population in the most consequential presidential election in many decades. After all, unhappy people have a tendency to vote out their leaders whom they believe are responsible for such dire circumstances. And with the mainstream media almost totally in the Democratic anti-Trump camp, placing the blame on the president has proven no difficult task.
So where do we go from here? Now that we have reached the end of 2020, will the situation begin to improve? Will political leaders begin to loosen the screws and let some semblance of normality return once again? Or will people be forced to rise up and demand the return of their freedom and liberty?
At this great loggerhead in human history, there has been much talk about creating ‘freedom passes’ that will be demanded from people before they are allowed to travel or visit any sort of entertainment again.
“People who test negative for coronavirus could get a five-day freedom pass to attend big events or access public buildings, under plans being considered by public health experts running a trial program in England,” reported Bloomberg in November.
Already, five global airlines – United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and JetBlue – have announced they will observe the so-called CommonPass to passengers on some flights from December.
“The project, developed by non-profit group The Commons Project and backed by the World Economic Forum, uses a digital certificate downloaded to a mobile phone to show a passenger has tested negative for Covid-19,” according to the Financial Times. Here is the kicker: “The airlines are not making the CommonPass mandatory, but in time it will also be used to provide proof of vaccination.” Obstruction of Justice... Rosiak, Luke Best Price: $5.75 Buy New $10.51 (as of 12:15 UTC - Details)
It seems rather obvious where all of this is heading: mandatory vaccination for anyone who ever wishes to board an aircraft or visit another entertainment venue again. Over time, it is not difficult to imagine a vaccine regimen extending to all human activities, including shopping and even getting a job. Yet what about the millions of people who have expressed extreme skepticism in being administered a vaccine that has been developed so quickly?
Whatever the case may be, should such a plan of action become mandatory, peoples’ lives will be entirely dominated by fears over a virus, together with an endless bureaucratic process of being tested and approved to move about. Vaccines will become a regular requirement since viruses are in a state of constant mutation, which makes them the authoritarians dream instrument of domination.
Such a system of totalitarian control, should it ever come into fruition, will have achieved in mere months what fascism could not in years: the pacification and unification of a great swath of the world’s population not by bayonet, but by syringe. In fact, today the people of London are fleeing their fair city not out of fear of the virus per se, but out of fear of the lockdown restrictions put in place by the authorities. To put it otherwise, the world gave an inch and the globalists took a mile, and a person would have to be a fool to believe it could have turned out any other way.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.


lewrockwell--2020-12-30--A Pardoning Time of Year

A Pardoning Time of Year

The resistance to the apparent election of Joe Biden as President of the United States is continuing to play out .
Current President Donald Trump is continuing to fight against the presumed results of the November national election with his final card appearing to be a vote in Congress when it reconvenes on January 6th to throw out the results due to fraud in certain key states .
Many have noted how the registration and electoral processes in the United States , varying as they do from state to state , were and are vulnerable to fraud .
That , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , suggests that possibly systematic fraud did take place but it is far from clear whether it was decisive .
This is particularly true of the vote by mail option , which was promoted by leading Democrats and which empowered literally millions of new voters with only limited attempts made to validate whether citizens or even real people were voting .
Vote by mail is now one of several options that are appearing to be weaponized by the cash-rich Democrats in the state of Georgia , where two Senate races will be up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5th .
If the Democrats obtain both , they will control the Senate through the Vice President ’ s role in presiding over the upper chamber where she has the tie breaking vote .
That will mean that we the voters can expect some dramatic changes as the Democrats respond to their various constituencies with their well enunciated grievances .
Julian Assange : The Un ... Julian Assange Best Price : $ 7.46 Buy New $ 21.99 In what may be its last weeks in office , the Trump Administration is also exploiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perceived injustices and to protect remaining allies , to include some family members .
Trump is already on track to pardon more individuals than any preceding president with 90 pardons issued as of Christmas Eve and many more expected .
One of his initial pardons was a notable example of a miscarriage of justice in the case of presidential national security advisor designate Michael Flynn , who was wrongly accused of collaborating with Russia .
If anything , he was actually cooperating with a request that came from Israel , which Congress and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrongdoing .
Trump ’ s pardon of his daughter Ivanka ’ s father-in-law Charles Kushner is particularly controversial , as Kushner was a multimillionaire real estate developer and a leading Democratic Party donor when he was convicted in 2005 to two years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to 18 counts , which included both tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions .
The tale of Charles Kushner is particularly unsavory because he reportedly sought revenge after he learned that his brother-in-law and former business partner was aiding federal authorities .
Charles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a New Jersey motel room , making a recording of the encounter using a hidden camera that he then showed to his brother-in-law ’ s wife , who was , of course , Kushner ’ s own sister .
Kushner ’ s prosecution was directed by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie , who afterwards became a prominent Trump supporter and head of his transition team before being fired in 2016 , apparently per orders originating with Jared Kushner .
In a 2019 interview Christie explained “ Mr .
Kushner pled guilty .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am I supposed to do as a prosecutor ?
I mean , if a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law , and videotapes it , and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury , do I really need any more justification than that ?
I mean , it ’ s one of the most loathsome , disgusting crimes that I prosecuted .
And I was U.S. attorney in New Jersey , so we had some loathsome and disgusting crime going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a close friend and supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , which might also be relevant to his pardon and I will leave any assessment of the ethics of the Kushner clan up to the reader .
Nevertheless , the consequence of Jared ’ s ability to influence the president could be politically damaging as he reportedly has been responsible for many of the pardons that have already taken place and is now the conduit for new petitioners .
Cypherpunks : Freedom a ... Julian Assange Best Price : $ 3.45 Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pardon has involved the four Blackwater mercenaries who massacred 19 Iraqis including 2 children firing from a helicopter into a crowded Nisour Square Baghdad in 2007 .
The president is reportedly very friendly with Blackwater founder and former president Erik Prince , whose sister Betsy DeVos is Education Secretary and also close to the president .
But in any event Trump ’ s pardon record is different only in terms of magnitude from those of some of his predecessors as there have been some highly questionable pardons in the past , to include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abrams under George W. Bush .
There remains a long list of possible candidates for Trump to sign off on , to include a possible self-pardon , and more pardons for family members Ivanka , Jared and two of his sons as well as his lawyer Rudy Giuliani .
Other current and impending pardon recipients have been individuals who were involved in the Trump campaigns , to include Paul Manafort and Roger Stone .
Pardons are a particularly attractive pre-emptive option currently as a number of leading Democrats have been calling for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ punishment of Trump supporters and officials .
The process of issuing presidential pardons will undoubtedly continue up until Inauguration Day on January 20th , but sources are uncertain whether Trump will be courageous enough to pardon the two individuals whose freedom would most definitely be sending a powerful message for integrity in government .
They are Julian Assange and Edward Snowden .
Both men ’ s names have been coming up frequently in the alternative media , together with the development of active lobbying groups that are seeking their freedom .
Assange , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is currently languishing in a British prison , where he has been for twenty-one months , awaiting a decision on whether he will be extradited to the United States or not which will reportedly be decided on January 4th .
The Department of Justice has claimed that he violated the Espionage Act of 1917 by receiving classified information from Chelsea Manning .
Reportedly , Assange ’ s mental and physical health have deteriorated sharply as he is being held in solitary confinement with only short periods of exercise and without access to reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The British judge appears to be completely unsympathetic to Assange and it is generally believed that she will order his extradition if he does not fortuitously die in prison before that could take place .
Snowden , meanwhile , is living in Russia and has been granted citizenship , a country to which he fled by way of Hong Kong in 2013 , after revealing to journalists details of a vast and illegal surveillance program run by the National Security Agency ( NSA ) against American citizens , something he discovered while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He had attempted to raise his concerns with supervisors but was rebuffed and he eventually became a self-declared whistleblower and fled the country .
He has repeatedly offered to return to the United States to face trial , but has also insisted that a fair hearing would be impossible under the current circumstances .
The WikiLeaks Files : T ... WikiLeaks Best Price : $ 4.18 Buy New $ 6.95 It should be observed that Snowden is absolutely correct to assume that he would be convicted both on grounds of espionage and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal court in Alexandria , where national security cases are usually tried , always finds for the government even if evidence is questionable or even non-existent .
A recent conviction involved ex-CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling , who was sent to prison for 42 months even though it could not be demonstrated that he had actually done anything .
The court concluded that “ it had to be him.
” To be sure , revealing classified information is a serious matter , even though many former government employees would agree that much material that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security if it is revealed .
Frequently , classification is used to keep the government from being embarrassed or to shut down any revelation that it has acted illegally .
Both Assange and Snowden would argue that they had acted appropriately in revealing war crimes , illegal acts and even violations of the Constitution as consequences of the so-called “ global war on terror.
” Assange , who regards himself as a journalist , published details of the Blackwater massacre of civilians committed by the crew of a helicopter gunship in Iraq and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hillary Clinton emails .
Snowden , as noted above , claims to be a whistle-blower and has sought protection under relevant laws in the United States , so far to no avail .
The illegal and otherwise unconscionable acts by various elements in the U.S. government that were exposed by Assange and Snowden include war crimes , so they are not trivial .
Trump , having already done a “ favor ” to Blackwater , might be disinclined to pardon someone who exposed its mercenaries ’ crimes .
But there is nevertheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interesting aspect to the story that is worth paying attention to .
Trump , as is widely conceded even by some Democrats , was targeted by the Deep State even before he was nominated , an effort to destroy his presidency that persisted for years through the completely contrived mechanism of Russiagate .
Given that , it would behoove Trump to strike back in his waning days in office .
Both Assange and Snowden exposed illegal activities and cover-ups by the Deep State , almost certainly to include the active participation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought to bring the president down .
And they both may have more to say .
If Donald Trump seriously seeks to strike a blow against his enemies , it would be both fitting and just to pardon both men on that basis alone .
Let us hope that President Trump has both the wisdom and fortitude to take that step in his last days in office .
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review .
The Best of Philip Giraldi

The resistance to the apparent election of Joe Biden as President of the United States is continuing to play out. Current President Donald Trump is continuing to fight against the presumed results of the November national election with his final card appearing to be a vote in Congress when it reconvenes on January 6th to throw out the results due to fraud in certain key states. Many have noted how the registration and electoral processes in the United States, varying as they do from state to state, were and are vulnerable to fraud. That, plus some eyewitness testimony and technical analysis, suggests that possibly systematic fraud did take place but it is far from clear whether it was decisive. This is particularly true of the vote by mail option, which was promoted by leading Democrats and which empowered literally millions of new voters with only limited attempts made to validate whether citizens or even real people were voting.
Vote by mail is now one of several options that are appearing to be weaponized by the cash-rich Democrats in the state of Georgia, where two Senate races will be up for grabs in runoff elections on January 5th. If the Democrats obtain both, they will control the Senate through the Vice President’s role in presiding over the upper chamber where she has the tie breaking vote. That will mean that we the voters can expect some dramatic changes as the Democrats respond to their various constituencies with their well enunciated grievances. Julian Assange: The Un... Julian Assange Best Price: $7.46 Buy New $21.99 (as of 09:15 UTC - Details)
In what may be its last weeks in office, the Trump Administration is also exploiting its executive power to pardon to reverse perceived injustices and to protect remaining allies, to include some family members. Trump is already on track to pardon more individuals than any preceding president with 90 pardons issued as of Christmas Eve and many more expected. One of his initial pardons was a notable example of a miscarriage of justice in the case of presidential national security advisor designate Michael Flynn, who was wrongly accused of collaborating with Russia. If anything, he was actually cooperating with a request that came from Israel, which Congress and the media apparently do not regard as wrongdoing.
Trump’s pardon of his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law Charles Kushner is particularly controversial, as Kushner was a multimillionaire real estate developer and a leading Democratic Party donor when he was convicted in 2005 to two years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to 18 counts, which included both tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions. The tale of Charles Kushner is particularly unsavory because he reportedly sought revenge after he learned that his brother-in-law and former business partner was aiding federal authorities. Charles hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law in a New Jersey motel room, making a recording of the encounter using a hidden camera that he then showed to his brother-in-law’s wife, who was, of course, Kushner’s own sister.
Kushner’s prosecution was directed by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who afterwards became a prominent Trump supporter and head of his transition team before being fired in 2016, apparently per orders originating with Jared Kushner. In a 2019 interview Christie explained “Mr. Kushner pled guilty. He admitted the crimes. And so what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor? I mean, if a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and videotapes it, and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that? I mean, it’s one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted. And I was U.S. attorney in New Jersey, so we had some loathsome and disgusting crime going on there.”
Charles Kushner is also a close friend and supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which might also be relevant to his pardon and I will leave any assessment of the ethics of the Kushner clan up to the reader. Nevertheless, the consequence of Jared’s ability to influence the president could be politically damaging as he reportedly has been responsible for many of the pardons that have already taken place and is now the conduit for new petitioners. Cypherpunks: Freedom a... Julian Assange Best Price: $3.45 Buy New $8.99 (as of 08:30 UTC - Details)
Another highly criticized Trump pardon has involved the four Blackwater mercenaries who massacred 19 Iraqis including 2 children firing from a helicopter into a crowded Nisour Square Baghdad in 2007. The president is reportedly very friendly with Blackwater founder and former president Erik Prince, whose sister Betsy DeVos is Education Secretary and also close to the president. But in any event Trump’s pardon record is different only in terms of magnitude from those of some of his predecessors as there have been some highly questionable pardons in the past, to include Marc Rich under Bill Clinton and Elliot Abrams under George W. Bush.
There remains a long list of possible candidates for Trump to sign off on, to include a possible self-pardon, and more pardons for family members Ivanka, Jared and two of his sons as well as his lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Other current and impending pardon recipients have been individuals who were involved in the Trump campaigns, to include Paul Manafort and Roger Stone. Pardons are a particularly attractive pre-emptive option currently as a number of leading Democrats have been calling for “truth commissions” and other forms of punishment of Trump supporters and officials.
The process of issuing presidential pardons will undoubtedly continue up until Inauguration Day on January 20th, but sources are uncertain whether Trump will be courageous enough to pardon the two individuals whose freedom would most definitely be sending a powerful message for integrity in government. They are Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. Both men’s names have been coming up frequently in the alternative media, together with the development of active lobbying groups that are seeking their freedom.
Assange, a journalist and founder of WikiLeaks, is currently languishing in a British prison, where he has been for twenty-one months, awaiting a decision on whether he will be extradited to the United States or not which will reportedly be decided on January 4th. The Department of Justice has claimed that he violated the Espionage Act of 1917 by receiving classified information from Chelsea Manning. Reportedly, Assange’s mental and physical health have deteriorated sharply as he is being held in solitary confinement with only short periods of exercise and without access to reading or writing material to occupy his time. The British judge appears to be completely unsympathetic to Assange and it is generally believed that she will order his extradition if he does not fortuitously die in prison before that could take place.
Snowden, meanwhile, is living in Russia and has been granted citizenship, a country to which he fled by way of Hong Kong in 2013, after revealing to journalists details of a vast and illegal surveillance program run by the National Security Agency (NSA) against American citizens, something he discovered while he was employed as a NSA contractor. He had attempted to raise his concerns with supervisors but was rebuffed and he eventually became a self-declared whistleblower and fled the country. He has repeatedly offered to return to the United States to face trial, but has also insisted that a fair hearing would be impossible under the current circumstances. The WikiLeaks Files: T... WikiLeaks Best Price: $4.18 Buy New $6.95 (as of 06:20 UTC - Details)
It should be observed that Snowden is absolutely correct to assume that he would be convicted both on grounds of espionage and of compromise of classified information. The federal court in Alexandria, where national security cases are usually tried, always finds for the government even if evidence is questionable or even non-existent. A recent conviction involved ex-CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who was sent to prison for 42 months even though it could not be demonstrated that he had actually done anything. The court concluded that “it had to be him.”
To be sure, revealing classified information is a serious matter, even though many former government employees would agree that much material that is classified does not actually damage national security if it is revealed. Frequently, classification is used to keep the government from being embarrassed or to shut down any revelation that it has acted illegally. Both Assange and Snowden would argue that they had acted appropriately in revealing war crimes, illegal acts and even violations of the Constitution as consequences of the so-called “global war on terror.” Assange, who regards himself as a journalist, published details of the Blackwater massacre of civilians committed by the crew of a helicopter gunship in Iraq and also was involved in the exposure of the Hillary Clinton emails. Snowden, as noted above, claims to be a whistle-blower and has sought protection under relevant laws in the United States, so far to no avail.
The illegal and otherwise unconscionable acts by various elements in the U.S. government that were exposed by Assange and Snowden include war crimes, so they are not trivial. Trump, having already done a “favor” to Blackwater, might be disinclined to pardon someone who exposed its mercenaries’ crimes. But there is nevertheless, as is often the case, an interesting aspect to the story that is worth paying attention to. Trump, as is widely conceded even by some Democrats, was targeted by the Deep State even before he was nominated, an effort to destroy his presidency that persisted for years through the completely contrived mechanism of Russiagate. Given that, it would behoove Trump to strike back in his waning days in office. Both Assange and Snowden exposed illegal activities and cover-ups by the Deep State, almost certainly to include the active participation of some of the very people who have sought to bring the president down. And they both may have more to say. If Donald Trump seriously seeks to strike a blow against his enemies, it would be both fitting and just to pardon both men on that basis alone. Let us hope that President Trump has both the wisdom and fortitude to take that step in his last days in office.
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review.
The Best of Philip Giraldi