lewrockwell--2020-03-09--China’s Coronavirus: Did It Originate in the US?

The Western media quickly took the stage and laid out the official narrative for the outbreak of the new coronavirus which appeared to have begun in China , claiming it to have originated with animals at a wet market in Wuhan .
In fact the origin was for a long time unknown but it appears likely now , according to Chinese and Japanese reports , that the virus originated elsewhere , from multiple locations , but began to spread widely only after being introduced to the market .
More to the point , it appears that the virus did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports in Japanese and other media , may have originated in the US .
Chinese Researchers Conclude the Virus Originated Outside of China After collecting samples of the genome in China , medical researchers first conclusively demonstrated that the virus did not originate at the seafood market but had multiple unidentified sources , after which it was exposed to the seafood market from where it spread everywhere .
( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) According to the Global Times : Reusable Dust Mask wit ... Buy New $ 37.20 ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities – and “ intelligence agencies ” – then conducted a rapid and wide-ranging search for the origin of the virus , collecting nearly 100 samples of the genome from 12 different countries on 4 continents , identifying all the varieties and mutations .
During this research , they determined the virus outbreak had begun much earlier , probably in November , shortly after the Wuhan Military Games .
They then came to the same independent conclusions as the Japanese researchers – that the virus did not begin in China but was introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course raises questions as to the actual location of origin .
If the authorities pursued their analysis through 100 genome samples from 12 countries , they must have had a compelling reason to be searching for the original source outside China .
This would explain why there was such difficulty in locating and identifying a ‘ patient zero ’ .
Japan ’ s Media : The Coronavirus May Have Originated in the US In February of 2020 , the Japanese Asahi news report ( print and TV ) claimed the coronavirus originated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that some ( or many ) of the 14,000 American deaths attributed to influenza may have in fact have resulted from the coronavirus .
( 5 ) On February 14 , the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) said they will begin to test individuals with influenza-like-illness for the novel coronavirus at public health labs in Los Angeles , San Francisco , Seattle , Chicago , and New York City .
The TV Asahi network presented scientific documentation for their claims , raising the issue that no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US either neglected to test or failed to release the results .
Japan avoided the questions of natural vs. man-made and accidental vs. deliberate , simply stating that the virus outbreak may first have occurred in the US .
The Western Internet appears to have been scrubbed of this information , but the Chinese media still reference it .
BASE CAMP Authentic Re ... Buy New $ 39.96 These claims stirred up a hornet ’ s nest not only in Japan but in China , immediately going viral on Chinese social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were held in Wuhan in October , and it had already been widely discussed that the virus could have been transmitted at that time – from a foreign source .
Shen Yi , an international relations professor at Shanghai ’ s Fudan University , stated that global virologists “ including the intelligence agencies ” were tracking the origin of the virus .
Also of interest , the Chinese government did not shut the door on this .
The news report stated : In China , that is meaningful .
If the reports were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , and tell people to not spread false rumors .
Taiwan Virologist Suggests the Coronavirus Originated in the US Then , Taiwan ran a TV news program on February,27 , ( click here to access video ( Chinese ) , that presented diagrams and flow charts suggesting the coronavirus originated in the US .
( 6 ) Below is a rough translation , summary and analysis of selected content of that newscast .
( see map below ) The man in the video is a top virologist and pharmacologist who performed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus .
He spends the first part of the video explaining the various haplotypes ( varieties , if you will ) , and explains how they are related to each other , how one must have come before another , and how one type derived from another .
He explains this is merely elementary science and nothing to do with geopolitical issues , describing how , just as with numbers in order , 3 must always follow 2 .
One of his main points is that the type infecting Taiwan exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , since Taiwan was not infected by Australians , the infection in Taiwan could have come only from the US .
The basic logic is that the geographical location with the greatest diversity of virus strains must be the original source because a single strain can not emerge from nothing .
He demonstrated that only the US has all the five known strains of the virus ( while Wuhan and most of China have only one , as do Taiwan and South Korea , Thailand and Vietnam , Singapore , and England , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thesis that the haplotypes in other nations may have originated in the US .
Korea and Taiwan have a different haplotype of the virus than China , perhaps more infective but much less deadly , which would account for a death rate only 1/3 that of China .
Neither Iran nor Italy were included in the above tests , but both countries have now deciphered the locally prevalent genome and have declared them of different varieties from those in China , which means they did not originate in China but were of necessity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worth noting that the variety in Italy has approximately the same fatality rate as that of China , three times as great as other nations , while the haplotype in Iran appears to be the deadliest with a fatality rate of between 10 % and 25 % .
( 7 ) ( 8 ) ( 9 ) Due to the enormous amount of Western media coverage focused on China , much of the world believes the coronavirus spread to all other nations from China , but this now appears to have been proven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout the world having identified at least one case at the time of writing , it would be very interesting to examine virus samples from each of those nations to determine their location of origin and the worldwide sources and patterns of spread .
Dust Mask with N95 Fil ... Buy New $ 20.99 The Virologist further stated that the US has recently had more than 200 “ pulmonary fibrosis ” cases that resulted in death due to patients ’ inability to breathe , but whose conditions and symptoms could not be explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote articles informing the US health authorities to consider seriously those deaths as resulting from the coronavirus , but they responded by blaming the deaths on e-cigarettes , then silenced further discussion .
… The Taiwanese doctor then stated the virus outbreak began earlier than assumed , saying , “ We must look to September of 2019 ” .
He stated the case in September of 2019 where some Japanese traveled to Hawaii and returned home infected , people who had never been to China .
This was two months prior to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC suddenly and totally shut down the Fort Detrick bio-weapons lab claiming the facilities were insufficient to prevent loss of pathogens .
( 10 ) ( 11 ) He said he personally investigated those cases very carefully ( as did the Japanese virologists who came to the same conclusion ) ..
This might indicate the coronavirus had already spread in the US but where the symptoms were being officially attributed to other diseases , and thus possibly masked .
The prominent Chinese news website Huanqiu related one case in the US where a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physicians he died of the flu , but where the death certificate listed the coronavirus as the cause of death .
On February 26 , ABC News affiliate KJCT8 News Network reported that a woman recently told the media that her sister died on from coronavirus infection .
Montrose , Colorado resident Almeta Stone said , “ They ( the medical staff ) kept us informed that it was the flu , and when I got the death certificate , there was a coronavirus in the cause of death.
” ( 12 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such cases in the US but since the CDC apparently has no reliable test kits and is conducting little or no testing for the virus , there may be others .
In the past two years ( during the trade war ) China has suffered several pandemics : • February 15 , 2018 : H7N4 bird flu .
Sickened at least 1,600 people in China and killed more than 600 .
Many chickens killed .
China needs to purchase US poultry products .
• June , 2018 : H7N9 bird flu .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US poultry products .
• August , 2018 : outbreak of African swine flu .
Same strain as Russia , from Georgia .
Millions of pigs killed .
China needs to purchase US pork products .
• May 24 , 2019 : massive infestation of armyworms in 14 province-level regions in China , which destroy most food crops .
Quickly spread to more than 8,500 hectares of China ’ s grain production .
They produce astonishing numbers of eggs .
China needs to purchase US agricultural products – corn , soybeans .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a “ highly pathogenic ” strain of bird flu in Hunan province .
Many chickens died , many others killed .
China needs to purchase US poultry products .
The standard adage is that bad luck happens in threes , not sixes .
( 9 ) Coronavirus has Mutated , Iran attacked by a Different Strain from Wuhan

The Western media quickly took the stage and laid out the official narrative for the outbreak of the new coronavirus which appeared to have begun in China, claiming it to have originated with animals at a wet market in Wuhan.
In fact the origin was for a long time unknown but it appears likely now, according to Chinese and Japanese reports, that the virus originated elsewhere, from multiple locations, but began to spread widely only after being introduced to the market.
More to the point, it appears that the virus did not originate in China and, according to reports in Japanese and other media, may have originated in the US.
Chinese Researchers Conclude the Virus Originated Outside of China
After collecting samples of the genome in China, medical researchers first conclusively demonstrated that the virus did not originate at the seafood market but had multiple unidentified sources, after which it was exposed to the seafood market from where it spread everywhere. (1) (2) (3)
According to the Global Times:
A new study by Chinese researchers indicates the novel coronavirus may have begun human-to-human transmission in late November from a place other than the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan.
The study published on ChinaXiv, a Chinese open repository for scientific researchers, reveals the new coronavirus was introduced to the seafood market from another location(s), and then spread rapidly from the market due to the large number of close contacts. The findings were the result of analyses of the genome data, sources of infection, and the route of spread of variations of the novel coronavirus collected throughout China.
The study believes that patient(s) zero transmitted the virus to workers or sellers at the Huanan seafood market, the crowded market easily facilitating further transmission of the virus to buyers, which caused a wider spread in early December 2019. (Global Times, February 22, 2020, emphasis added (2)
Reusable Dust Mask wit... Buy New $37.20 ($25.83 / oz) (as of 01:08 UTC - Details) Chinese medical authorities – and “intelligence agencies” – then conducted a rapid and wide-ranging search for the origin of the virus, collecting nearly 100 samples of the genome from 12 different countries on 4 continents, identifying all the varieties and mutations. During this research, they determined the virus outbreak had begun much earlier, probably in November, shortly after the Wuhan Military Games.
They then came to the same independent conclusions as the Japanese researchers – that the virus did not begin in China but was introduced there from the outside.
China’s top respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan said on January 27
“Though the COVID-19 was first discovered in China, it does not mean that it originated from China” “But that is Chinese for “it originated someplace else, in another country”. (4)
This of course raises questions as to the actual location of origin. If the authorities pursued their analysis through 100 genome samples from 12 countries, they must have had a compelling reason to be searching for the original source outside China. This would explain why there was such difficulty in locating and identifying a ‘patient zero’.
Japan’s Media: The Coronavirus May Have Originated in the US
In February of 2020, the Japanese Asahi news report (print and TV) claimed the coronavirus originated in the US, not in China, and that some (or many) of the 14,000 American deaths attributed to influenza may have in fact have resulted from the coronavirus. (5)
A report from a Japanese TV station disclosing a suspicion that some of those Americans may have unknowningly contracted the coronavirus has gone viral on Chinese social media, stoking fears and speculations in China that the novel coronavirus may have originated in the US.
The report, by TV Asahi Corporation of Japan, suggested that the US government may have failed to grasp how rampant the virus has gone on US soil.
However, it is unknown whether Americans who have already died of the influenza had contracted the coronavirus, as reported by TV Asahi. (People’s Daily, English, February 23, 2020, emphasis added)
On February 14, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they will begin to test individuals with influenza-like-illness for the novel coronavirus at public health labs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City.
The TV Asahi network presented scientific documentation for their claims, raising the issue that no one would know the cause of death because the US either neglected to test or failed to release the results. Japan avoided the questions of natural vs. man-made and accidental vs. deliberate, simply stating that the virus outbreak may first have occurred in the US. The Western Internet appears to have been scrubbed of this information, but the Chinese media still reference it. BASE CAMP Authentic Re... Buy New $39.96 (as of 01:08 UTC - Details)
These claims stirred up a hornet’s nest not only in Japan but in China, immediately going viral on Chinese social media, especially since the Military World Games were held in Wuhan in October, and it had already been widely discussed that the virus could have been transmitted at that time – from a foreign source.
“Perhaps the US delegates brought the coronavirus to Wuhan, and some mutation occurred to the virus, making it more deadly and contagious, and causing a widespread outbreak this year.” (People’s Daily, February 23, 2020) (1)
China – Western China Bashing – vs. Western Biowarfare?
Shen Yi, an international relations professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, stated that global virologists “including the intelligence agencies” were tracking the origin of the virus. Also of interest, the Chinese government did not shut the door on this. The news report stated:
“Netizens are encouraged to actively partake in discussions, but preferably in a rational fashion.”
In China, that is meaningful. If the reports were rubbish, the government would clearly state that, and tell people to not spread false rumors.
Taiwan Virologist Suggests the Coronavirus Originated in the US
Then, Taiwan ran a TV news program on February,27,(click here to access video (Chinese), that presented diagrams and flow charts suggesting the coronavirus originated in the US. (6)
Below is a rough translation, summary and analysis of selected content of that newscast. (see map below)
The man in the video is a top virologist and pharmacologist who performed a long and detailed search for the source of the virus. He spends the first part of the video explaining the various haplotypes (varieties, if you will), and explains how they are related to each other, how one must have come before another, and how one type derived from another. He explains this is merely elementary science and nothing to do with geopolitical issues, describing how, just as with numbers in order, 3 must always follow 2.
click map to enlarge
One of his main points is that the type infecting Taiwan exists only in Australia and the US and, since Taiwan was not infected by Australians, the infection in Taiwan could have come only from the US.
The basic logic is that the geographical location with the greatest diversity of virus strains must be the original source because a single strain cannot emerge from nothing. He demonstrated that only the US has all the five known strains of the virus (while Wuhan and most of China have only one, as do Taiwan and South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, Singapore, and England, Belgium and Germany), constituting a thesis that the haplotypes in other nations may have originated in the US.
Korea and Taiwan have a different haplotype of the virus than China, perhaps more infective but much less deadly, which would account for a death rate only 1/3 that of China.
Neither Iran nor Italy were included in the above tests, but both countries have now deciphered the locally prevalent genome and have declared them of different varieties from those in China, which means they did not originate in China but were of necessity introduced from another source. It is worth noting that the variety in Italy has approximately the same fatality rate as that of China, three times as great as other nations, while the haplotype in Iran appears to be the deadliest with a fatality rate of between 10% and 25%. (7) (8) (9)
Due to the enormous amount of Western media coverage focused on China, much of the world believes the coronavirus spread to all other nations from China, but this now appears to have been proven wrong. With about 50 nations scattered throughout the world having identified at least one case at the time of writing, it would be very interesting to examine virus samples from each of those nations to determine their location of origin and the worldwide sources and patterns of spread. Dust Mask with N95 Fil... Buy New $20.99 (as of 01:08 UTC - Details)
The Virologist further stated that the US has recently had more than 200 “pulmonary fibrosis” cases that resulted in death due to patients’ inability to breathe, but whose conditions and symptoms could not be explained by pulmonary fibrosis. He said he wrote articles informing the US health authorities to consider seriously those deaths as resulting from the coronavirus, but they responded by blaming the deaths on e-cigarettes, then silenced further discussion. …
The Taiwanese doctor then stated the virus outbreak began earlier than assumed, saying, “We must look to September of 2019”.
He stated the case in September of 2019 where some Japanese traveled to Hawaii and returned home infected, people who had never been to China. This was two months prior to the infections in China and just after the CDC suddenly and totally shut down the Fort Detrick bio-weapons lab claiming the facilities were insufficient to prevent loss of pathogens. (10) (11)
He said he personally investigated those cases very carefully (as did the Japanese virologists who came to the same conclusion).. This might indicate the coronavirus had already spread in the US but where the symptoms were being officially attributed to other diseases, and thus possibly masked.
The prominent Chinese news website Huanqiu related one case in the US where a woman’s relative was told by physicians he died of the flu, but where the death certificate listed the coronavirus as the cause of death. On February 26, ABC News affiliate KJCT8 News Network reported that a woman recently told the media that her sister died on from coronavirus infection. Montrose, Colorado resident Almeta Stone said, “They (the medical staff) kept us informed that it was the flu, and when I got the death certificate, there was a coronavirus in the cause of death.” (12)
We cannot ascertain the number of such cases in the US but since the CDC apparently has no reliable test kits and is conducting little or no testing for the virus, there may be others.
***
Just for information
In the past two years (during the trade war) China has suffered several pandemics:
February 15, 2018: H7N4 bird flu . Sickened at least 1,600 people in China and killed more than 600. Many chickens killed. China needs to purchase US poultry products.
. Sickened at least 1,600 people in China and killed more than 600. Many chickens killed. China needs to purchase US poultry products. June, 2018: H7N9 bird flu . Many chickens killed. China needs to purchase US poultry products.
. Many chickens killed. China needs to purchase US poultry products. August, 2018: outbreak of African swine flu . Same strain as Russia, from Georgia. Millions of pigs killed. China needs to purchase US pork products.
. Same strain as Russia, from Georgia. Millions of pigs killed. China needs to purchase US pork products. May 24, 2019: massive infestation of armyworms in 14 province-level regions in China, which destroy most food crops. Quickly spread to more than 8,500 hectares of China’s grain production. They produce astonishing numbers of eggs. China needs to purchase US agricultural products – corn, soybeans.
December, 2019: Coronavirus appearance puts China’s economy on hold.
January, 2020: China is hit by a “highly pathogenic” strain of bird flu in Hunan province. Many chickens died, many others killed. China needs to purchase US poultry products.
The standard adage is that bad luck happens in threes, not sixes.
Notes
(1) https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1180429.shtml
(2) https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-23/New-study-shows-Wuhan-seafood-market-not-the-source-of-COVID-19-OjhaHnwdnG/index.html
(3) https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930183-5
(4) http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/27/c_138824145.htm
(5) http://en.people.cn/n3/2020/0223/c90000-9661026.html
(6) https://m.weibo.cn/status/4477008216030027#&video
(7) http://en.people.cn/n3/2020/0301/c90000-9663473.html
(8) http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2020/02/27/coronavirus-italian-strain-isolated-at-sacco-hospital_986ff0c2-7bd6-49fe-bbef-b3a0c1ebd6f4.html
(9) Coronavirus has Mutated, Iran attacked by a Different Strain from Wuhan
(10) https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/health/fort-detrick-lab-shut-down-after-failed-safety-inspection-all/article_767f3459-59c2-510f-9067-bb215db4396d.html
(11) https://www.unz.com/wwebb/bats-gene-editing-and-bioweapons-recent-darpa-experiments-raise-concerns-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
(12) https://www.sohu.com/a/376454525_164026


lewrockwell--2020-03-09--Russia Just Told the World, ‘No’

Russia Just Told the World, ‘No’

There is real power in the word “ No.
” In fact , I ’ d argue that it is the single most powerful word in any language .
In the midst of the worst market meltdown in a dozen years which has at its source problems within global dollar-funding markets , Russia found itself in the position to exercise the Power of No .
Multiple overlapping crises are happening worldwide right now and they all interlock into a fabric of chaos .
Between political instability in Europe , presidential primary shenanigans in the U.S. , coronavirus creating mass hysteria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria , the eastern Mediterranean and Libya , markets are finally calling the bluff of central bankers who have been propping up asset prices for years .
But , at its core , the current crisis stems from the simple truth that those prices around the world are vastly overvalued .
Western government and central bank policies have used the power of the dollar to push the world to this state .
And that state is , at best , meta-stable .
But when this number of shits get this freaking real , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And all it took to push a correction into a full-scale panic was the Russians saying , “ No.
” The reality has been evident in the commodity markets for months .
Copper and other industrial metals have all been in slumps while equity markets zoomed higher .
But it was oil that was the most confounding of all .
Most of 2019 we saw oil prices behaving oddly as events occurred with regularity to push prices higher but ultimately see them fall .
Since peaking after the killing of Iranian General Qassem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade .
Down .
Our inept leaders are trying to blame coronavirus as the proximate cause for all of the market ’ s jitters .
But that masks the truth .
The problems have been there for months , pushed to the back burner by incessant Fed intervention in the dollar-funding markets .
Conceived in Liberty , ... Murray N Rothbard Best Price : $ 9.00 Buy New $ 15.39 The 2008 financial crisis was never dealt with , just papered over .
The repo crisis of last September never ended , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reappeared with ferocity this week as people sold dollars and bought U.S. treasuries pushing U.S. yields on the long end of the curve to absurd levels .
Credit markets are melting down .
Stock markets are the tail , credit markets are the dog .
And this dog was run over by a bus .
The Fed intervenes to keep short term interest rates from rising to preserve the fiction it is still in control .
The market wants higher rates for short-term access to dollars .
The Fed tried to help by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that did was tell people the Fed was as scared as they were .
The selling resumed and gold bounced back to it ’ s recent high near $ 1690 , only to be swatted down on the New York open this morning .
And into this mess OPEC tried to save itself by asking for a historic production cut .
OPEC needs this cut to remain relevant .
The cartel is dying .
It ’ s been dying for years , kept on life support by Russia ’ s willingness to trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve said before that OPEC production cuts are not bullish for oil just like rate cuts are not inflationary during crisis periods .
But finally Russia said No .
And they didn ’ t equivocate .
They told everyone they are prepared for lower oil prices .
The panic was palpable in the reporting on the meeting .
There comes a point where negotiating with your adversaries ends , where someone finally says , “ Enough.
” Russia has been attacked mercilessly by the West for the crime of being Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every twist and turn of how they have skillfully buttressed their position waiting for the right moment to get maximum return to reverse the tables on their tormentors .
And , to me , this was that perfect moment for them to finally say “ No , ” to get maximum effect .
When dealing with a more-powerful enemy you have to target where they are most vulnerable to inflict the most damage .
For the West that place is in the financial markets .
Remember , the first basic fact of economics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The only price that matters is the last one recorded .
That price sets the cost for the next unit of that good , in this case a barrel of oil , up for sale .
In a world of cartelized markets the world over , where prices are set by external actors , it is easy to forget that in the real economy ( regardless of your political persuasion ) the world is an auction and everything is up for bid .
So , the most important geostrategic question is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil ?
” For more than three years now , President Trump has supported his policy of Energy Dominance in a Quixotic quest for the U.S. to become that supplier .
Trillions of dollars have been spent on building up domestic production to their current , unsustainable levels .
This policy pre-dates Trump , certainly , but he has been its most ardent pursuer of it , sanctioning and embargoing everyone he can to keep them off the bid .
What he could never do , however , was push Russia off that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are unsustainable is because their costs are higher per barrel than the marginal price especially when all other prices are deflating .
Simple , straightforward economics .
If they were , on balance , profitable then the industry as a whole would not have burned through a few hundred billion in free cash flow over the past decade .
That ’ s where the Russians ’ power comes from .
Russia is one of the lowest cost producers in the world .
Even after paying their taxes to the government their costs are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per barrel break-even point , than anyone else in the world when one factors in external costs .
When you don ’ t owe anyone anything you are free to tell them , “ No.
” Sure , the Saudis produce at similar cash costs to the Russians but once you factor in its budgetary needs , the numbers aren ’ t even close as they need something closer to $ 85 per barrel .
They can ’ t tell their people , “ No , ” you have to do without .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ride out , if not thrive , in this low price regime because : • the ruble floats to absorb price shocks in dollars .
• A majority of their oil is now sold in non-dollar currencies – rubles , yuan , euros , etc .
– to lessen their exposure to capital outflows • the major oil firms have little dollar-denominated debt • its primary governmental budget ebbs and flows with oil prices .
All of this adds up to Russia holding the whip hand over the global market for oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No.
” And they will have it for years to come as U.S. production implodes .
Because they can and do produce the marginal barrel of oil .
That is why oil prices plunged as much as 10 % into today ’ s close on the news they would not cut production .
There is a cascade lurking beneath this market .
There is a lot of bank and pension fund exposure in the U.S. to what is now soon-to-be non-performing fracking debt .
Liquidations will begin in earnest later this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Official Lies : How Was ... James T. Bennett , Thom ... Best Price : $ 1.90 Buy New $ 38.50 I can not overstate how important and far-reaching this move by Russia is .
If they don ’ t make a deal here they can break OPEC .
If they do make a deal it will come with strings that ensure pressure is lifted in other areas of stress for them .
The knock-on effects of oil plunging from $ 70 per barrel to $ 45 over two months will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it is no shock to me that Russia held their water here .
If they didn ’ t , I would have been surprised .
This was Putin ’ s opportunity to finally strike back at Russia ’ s tormentors and inflict real pain for their unscrupulous behavior in places like Iran , Iraq , Syria , Ukraine , Yemen , Venezuela and Afghanistan .
He is now in a position to extract maximum concessions from the U.S. and the OPEC nations who are supporting U.S. belligerence against Russia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We saw the beginnings of this in his dealings with Turkish President Erdogan in Moscow , extracting a ceasefire agreement that was nothing short of a Turkish surrender .
Erdogan asked to be saved from his own stupidity and Russia said , “ No.
” This condition of producing the marginal barrel of oil in a deflationary world places Russia in the driver ’ s seat to drive U.S. foreign policy behavior in an election year .
Talk about meddling in our elections !
The Achilles ’ heel of the U.S. empire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been its greatest weapon and it is still king .
And it is a weapon with a great deal of power but wielded only against the U.S. ’ s allies , not Russia .
Markets will adjust and calm down in a few days .
The panic will subside .
But it will come back soon enough in a more virulent form .
Today is a replay of 2007-08 but this time Russia is far better prepared to fight back .
And when that happens , I suspect it won ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running to Russia to save them , but the U.S. and Europe .
At which point , I have to wonder if Putin will channel his inner Rorschach .
The Best of Thomas Luongo

There is real power in the word “No.”
In fact, I’d argue that it is the single most powerful word in any language.
In the midst of the worst market meltdown in a dozen years which has at its source problems within global dollar-funding markets, Russia found itself in the position to exercise the Power of No.
Multiple overlapping crises are happening worldwide right now and they all interlock into a fabric of chaos.
Between political instability in Europe, presidential primary shenanigans in the U.S., coronavirus creating mass hysteria and Turkey’s military adventurism in Syria, the eastern Mediterranean and Libya, markets are finally calling the bluff of central bankers who have been propping up asset prices for years.
But, at its core, the current crisis stems from the simple truth that those prices around the world are vastly overvalued.
Western government and central bank policies have used the power of the dollar to push the world to this state.
And that state is, at best, meta-stable.
But when this number of shits get this freaking real, well… meeting the fan was inevitable.
And all it took to push a correction into a full-scale panic was the Russians saying, “No.”
The reality has been evident in the commodity markets for months. Copper and other industrial metals have all been in slumps while equity markets zoomed higher.
But it was oil that was the most confounding of all.
Most of 2019 we saw oil prices behaving oddly as events occurred with regularity to push prices higher but ultimately see them fall.
Since peaking after the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani oil prices have been a one-way trade. Down.
Our inept leaders are trying to blame coronavirus as the proximate cause for all of the market’s jitters.
But that masks the truth. The problems have been there for months, pushed to the back burner by incessant Fed intervention in the dollar-funding markets. Conceived in Liberty, ... Murray N Rothbard Best Price: $9.00 Buy New $15.39 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details)
The 2008 financial crisis was never dealt with, just papered over.
The repo crisis of last September never ended, it’s still there.
And it reappeared with ferocity this week as people sold dollars and bought U.S. treasuries pushing U.S. yields on the long end of the curve to absurd levels.
Credit markets are melting down. Stock markets are the tail, credit markets are the dog. And this dog was run over by a bus.
The Fed intervenes to keep short term interest rates from rising to preserve the fiction it is still in control.
The market wants higher rates for short-term access to dollars.
The Fed tried to help by cutting rates by 0.5% but all that did was tell people the Fed was as scared as they were. The selling resumed and gold bounced back to it’s recent high near $1690, only to be swatted down on the New York open this morning.
That didn’t work either.
OOPS!
And into this mess OPEC tried to save itself by asking for a historic production cut.
OPEC needs this cut to remain relevant. The cartel is dying. It’s been dying for years, kept on life support by Russia’s willingness to trade favors to achieve other geostrategic goals.
I’ve said before that OPEC production cuts are not bullish for oil just like rate cuts are not inflationary during crisis periods.
But finally Russia said No. And they didn’t equivocate. They told everyone they are prepared for lower oil prices.
The panic was palpable in the reporting on the meeting.
“Regarding cuts in production, given today’s decision, from April 1, no one — neither OPEC countries nor OPEC+ countries — are obliged to lower production,” he told reporters after the meeting. OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said the meeting had been adjourned, although consultations would continue. “At the end of the day, it was the general, painful decision of the joint conference to adjourn the meeting,” he told reporters. Earlier, Oanda analyst Edward Moya had suggested that a failure to reach an agreement could spell the end of OPEC+. “No-deal OPEC+ means the three-year experiment is over. OPEC+ is dead. The Saudis are all-in on stabling oil prices and they may need to do something extraordinary,” he said.
There comes a point where negotiating with your adversaries ends, where someone finally says, “Enough.” Russia has been attacked mercilessly by the West for the crime of being Russia.
And I’ve documented nearly every twist and turn of how they have skillfully buttressed their position waiting for the right moment to get maximum return to reverse the tables on their tormentors.
And, to me, this was that perfect moment for them to finally say “No,” to get maximum effect.
When dealing with a more-powerful enemy you have to target where they are most vulnerable to inflict the most damage.
For the West that place is in the financial markets.
Remember, the first basic fact of economics. Prices are set at the margin. The only price that matters is the last one recorded.
That price sets the cost for the next unit of that good, in this case a barrel of oil, up for sale.
In a world of cartelized markets the world over, where prices are set by external actors, it is easy to forget that in the real economy (regardless of your political persuasion) the world is an auction and everything is up for bid.
High bid wins.
So, the most important geostrategic question is, “Who produces the marginal barrel of oil?”
For more than three years now, President Trump has supported his policy of Energy Dominance in a Quixotic quest for the U.S. to become that supplier. Trillions of dollars have been spent on building up domestic production to their current, unsustainable levels.
This policy pre-dates Trump, certainly, but he has been its most ardent pursuer of it, sanctioning and embargoing everyone he can to keep them off the bid.
What he could never do, however, was push Russia off that bid.
The reason U.S. production rates are unsustainable is because their costs are higher per barrel than the marginal price especially when all other prices are deflating. Simple, straightforward economics.
If they were, on balance, profitable then the industry as a whole would not have burned through a few hundred billion in free cash flow over the past decade.
That’s where the Russians’ power comes from. Russia is one of the lowest cost producers in the world. Even after paying their taxes to the government their costs are far lower, close to $20 per barrel break-even point, than anyone else in the world when one factors in external costs.
When you don’t owe anyone anything you are free to tell them, “No.”
Sure, the Saudis produce at similar cash costs to the Russians but once you factor in its budgetary needs, the numbers aren’t even close as they need something closer to $85 per barrel.
They can’t tell their people, “No,” you have to do without. Because the populace will revolt.
Russia can ride out, if not thrive, in this low price regime because :
the ruble floats to absorb price shocks in dollars. A majority of their oil is now sold in non-dollar currencies – rubles, yuan, euros, etc. – to lessen their exposure to capital outflows the major oil firms have little dollar-denominated debt low extraction costs. its primary governmental budget ebbs and flows with oil prices.
All of this adds up to Russia holding the whip hand over the global market for oil.
The ability to say, “No.”
And they will have it for years to come as U.S. production implodes. Because they can and do produce the marginal barrel of oil.
That is why oil prices plunged as much as 10% into today’s close on the news they would not cut production.
There is a cascade lurking beneath this market. There is a lot of bank and pension fund exposure in the U.S. to what is now soon-to-be non-performing fracking debt.
Liquidations will begin in earnest later this year.
But the market is handicapping this now. Official Lies: How Was... James T. Bennett, Thom... Best Price: $1.90 Buy New $38.50 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details)
I cannot overstate how important and far-reaching this move by Russia is. If they don’t make a deal here they can break OPEC. If they do make a deal it will come with strings that ensure pressure is lifted in other areas of stress for them.
The knock-on effects of oil plunging from $70 per barrel to $45 over two months will be felt for months, if not years.
And it is no shock to me that Russia held their water here. If they didn’t, I would have been surprised.
This was Putin’s opportunity to finally strike back at Russia’s tormentors and inflict real pain for their unscrupulous behavior in places like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
He is now in a position to extract maximum concessions from the U.S. and the OPEC nations who are supporting U.S. belligerence against Russia’s allies in China, Iran and Syria.
We saw the beginnings of this in his dealings with Turkish President Erdogan in Moscow, extracting a ceasefire agreement that was nothing short of a Turkish surrender.
Erdogan asked to be saved from his own stupidity and Russia said, “No.”
This condition of producing the marginal barrel of oil in a deflationary world places Russia in the driver’s seat to drive U.S. foreign policy behavior in an election year.
Talk about meddling in our elections!
The Achilles’ heel of the U.S. empire is the debt. The dollar has been its greatest weapon and it is still king. And it is a weapon with a great deal of power but wielded only against the U.S.’s allies, not Russia.
Markets will adjust and calm down in a few days. The panic will subside. But it will come back soon enough in a more virulent form. Today is a replay of 2007-08 but this time Russia is far better prepared to fight back.
And when that happens, I suspect it won’t be the Saudis or the Turks that come running to Russia to save them, but the U.S. and Europe.
At which point, I have to wonder if Putin will channel his inner Rorschach.
Reprinted with permission from Gold Goats ‘n Guns.
The Best of Tom Luongo


lewrockwell--2020-03-09--Karl Marx’s Influence on Abraham Lincoln

These columns don ’ t often cite The Washington Post ; however , last summer I ran across an article that I saved for future reference and use .
And today I will reproduce it .
For the past century and more there has been lively discussion—and debate—over Abraham Lincoln , his life , his views , and the legacy of his presidency left to us .
Writers as diverse as historian David Donald , black writer Lerone Bennett , and Professor Thomas di Lorenzo ( in two significant books ) , have attempted to dissect Lincoln ’ s life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he gave birth to .
Most recently those Neoconservatives—those “ establishment ” conservatives whose “ conservatism ” is actually rooted in a variant of Marxism—have claimed Father Abe for their own , denouncing any and all traditional conservatives or Southern writers who might criticize him or dissent from their virtual canonization of the rail-splitter .
Only consider the watershed “ case ” of the late Dr. Mel Bradford , the distinguished Southern scholar and writer , who was considered back in 1981 by President Reagan as his appointee to head the National Endowment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jesse Helms and John East of North Carolina , and by Democrat Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama , Bradford was viciously attacked by Neocon journalist George Will and other Neocon publicists such as Bill Kristol .
In the end Reagan appointed Neocon-favored Democrat William Bennett .
The Real Lincoln : A Ne ... Dilorenzo , Thomas J .
Best Price : $ 4.25 Buy New $ 7.48 Bradford ’ s major “ crime ” ?
He had engaged in a long-running , scholarly debate with Dr. Harry Jaffa ( Claremont College , California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s deleterious influence on America .
( There is an excellent and full discussion of this extremely significant episode by Scott Trask and Paul Gottfried in the February 2020 issue of CHRONICLES magazine .
I highly recommend subscribing to this journal which is by far the best print magazine of opinion , history and culture published in the United States . )
Like Martin Luther King Jr. , Lincoln has been boosted to ethereal heights in American history and politics .
Despite the ongoing discussion , his virtual triumph as a demi-god and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually implemented the promises of the Declaration of Independence , demonstrate the triumph of one of the most fraudulent and perverse charades in our history .
The article first published in the Post last year raises important questions , but unfortunately those questions will not be seriously considered by Neocon ideologues like historically-challenged Dinesh D ’ Souza or Ben Shapiro or Jonah Goldberg , who remain mired in what is essentially a Leftwing bog contaminated at its very base by a whole series of progressivist positions and assumptions about civil rights and globalism… @

These columns don’t often cite The Washington Post; however, last summer I ran across an article that I saved for future reference and use. And today I will reproduce it.
For the past century and more there has been lively discussion—and debate—over Abraham Lincoln, his life, his views, and the legacy of his presidency left to us. Writers as diverse as historian David Donald, black writer Lerone Bennett, and Professor Thomas di Lorenzo (in two significant books), have attempted to dissect Lincoln’s life and the revolutionary “new” America he gave birth to. Most recently those Neoconservatives—those “establishment” conservatives whose “conservatism” is actually rooted in a variant of Marxism—have claimed Father Abe for their own, denouncing any and all traditional conservatives or Southern writers who might criticize him or dissent from their virtual canonization of the rail-splitter.
Only consider the watershed “case” of the late Dr. Mel Bradford, the distinguished Southern scholar and writer, who was considered back in 1981 by President Reagan as his appointee to head the National Endowment for the Humanities. Backed by Senators Jesse Helms and John East of North Carolina, and by Democrat Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama, Bradford was viciously attacked by Neocon journalist George Will and other Neocon publicists such as Bill Kristol. In the end Reagan appointed Neocon-favored Democrat William Bennett. The Real Lincoln: A Ne... Dilorenzo, Thomas J. Best Price: $4.25 Buy New $7.48 (as of 07:05 UTC - Details)
Bradford’s major “crime”? He had engaged in a long-running, scholarly debate with Dr. Harry Jaffa (Claremont College, California), very critical of Lincoln’s deleterious influence on America. (There is an excellent and full discussion of this extremely significant episode by Scott Trask and Paul Gottfried in the February 2020 issue of CHRONICLES magazine. I highly recommend subscribing to this journal which is by far the best print magazine of opinion, history and culture published in the United States.)
Like Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln has been boosted to ethereal heights in American history and politics. Despite the ongoing discussion, his virtual triumph as a demi-god and the Founder of a New America who actually implemented the promises of the Declaration of Independence, demonstrate the triumph of one of the most fraudulent and perverse charades in our history.
The article first published in the Post last year raises important questions, but unfortunately those questions will not be seriously considered by Neocon ideologues like historically-challenged Dinesh D’Souza or Ben Shapiro or Jonah Goldberg, who remain mired in what is essentially a Leftwing bog contaminated at its very base by a whole series of progressivist positions and assumptions about civil rights and globalism….
Reprinted with the author’s permission.


lewrockwell--2020-03-09--The Myth of National Guilt

The Myth of National Guilt

In my article of February 21 , I discussed Susan Neiman ’ s important book , Learning From the Germans .
She maintains that , owing to the crimes of the Nazis , Germans have a moral obligation to “ work through ” the past .
They must acknowledge their responsibility for these crimes , even if they themselves had nothing to do with them .
In like fashion , white Southerners today must acknowledge responsibility for the crime of slavery and , after the end of legal slavery , the continuing oppression of blacks .
Several readers of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments , ” and I ’ d like to discuss one of these in today ’ s article .
Before doing so , though , I want to bring to the fore some remarks by H.D .
Lewis in his article “ Collective Responsibility.
” This article , published in February 1948 , was the basis of my criticism of Neiman , but Lewis raises other important issues in the article that help answer some of the questions that readers had .
Lewis distinguishes sharply between moral and legal responsibility .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ] suggests that it means ‘ liability to answer , ’ this being , of course , liability to answer to a charge , with the implication that if the answer is not satisfactory a penalty will be incurred .
This is certainly the meaning of responsibility in the legal sense.
” Lewis proceeds to say that , in this sense of responsibility , “ there are some occasions , at any rate , when we share our responsibilities with others and are implicated in their wrongdoing.
” What does Lewis mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Germ ... Neiman , Susan Best Price : $ 15.30 Buy New $ 16.51 Normally , the purpose served by the imposition of penalties requires the penalties to be inflicted on persons presumed to have offended , and on no others….But there are , however , exceptional cases where expediency requires proceedings to be taken against a group as if it were an individual entity .
No account will then be taken of the guilt or innocence of individual members of the group….Suffice it for the present to note that , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we have sometimes to accept collective responsibility .
This is fully acknowledged in law , where a parent may in some respects be held to account for the conduct of children , or where a society or corporation may be proceeded against as a single entity or person .
Lewis goes on to say , “ Extending the canvas still wider , we have the imposition of sanctions against a whole nation in the interest of international order….Reparations and similar measures adopted against an aggressor nation nature may be mentioned here.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon arrives at his key thesis .
These measures may be expedient , even though they lack perfect justice because they penalize the innocent : There will always be some intermingling of justice with injustice in human relations under any conditions we can anticipate .
But what does this prove ?
Does it prove that the innocent share in the wickedness of the guilty , that the former are morally answerable for the ill deeds of the latter ?
Surely not .
The question needs only to be stated plainly for us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our view of moral responsibility to be affected by imperfections in the ways in which members of society must deal with one another .
It is exactly this view of moral responsibility that Neiman challenges , and this was the crux of my disagreement with her in my earlier article .
This leads to one of the issues raised in the comments on that article .
One commenter wondered whether Neiman in fact supports the ascription of individual moral guilt to Germans and white Southerners who themselves committed no crimes .
The commenter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my quotations from her book that Neiman thinks this .
She could be clearer about the matter , but she does hold the position I ascribed to her .
She amalgamates shame and guilt , and it is some combination of these that she thinks Germans and white Southerners ought to have .
She says , for example .
“ Guilt , it ’ s been argued , is directed , inward , and no one need know if you have it .
Shame , by contrast , is what you see feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ eyes and you can not bear to let that image stand .
To overcome shame , you must actually do something to show others you are not inevitably caught in your , or your forebears ’ , worst moments ” ( p. 289 , emphasis added ) .
A Portrait of the Arti ... Joyce , James Best Price : $ 1.19 Buy New $ 5.90 She also says , “ I doubt that guilt can be entirely separated from responsibility .
What makes a young white man from Jackson [ Mississippi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Delta ?
Isn ’ t it at least partly the fact that members of his own family…had been the sort of softly angry racists whose views helped shape the world that would acquit a child ’ s killers ?
” ( p. 233 , the reference is to the acquittal of Emmett Till ’ s murderers ) .
One final citation .
She says , “ Shame hurts .
Guilt hurts….They are not emotions we willingly feel .
We seek admiration from the outside and peace from within , and we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Rather than acknowledging our complicity in something shameful , we forget with remarkable ease .
That is why memory is vital ” ( pp .
380–81 ) .
It is because of her views about guilt and shame that Neiman demands the extraordinary measures I discussed in my earlier article .
Germans have a moral duty to dwell on the sins of their ancestors , and so do white Southerners on what their own ancestors did .
In Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man , Stephen Dedalus says , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am trying to awake.
” For Neiman , history is a nightmare to which she wants others to return .
Note : The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute .
The Best of David Gordon

In my article of February 21, I discussed Susan Neiman’s important book, Learning From the Germans. She maintains that, owing to the crimes of the Nazis, Germans have a moral obligation to “work through” the past. They must acknowledge their responsibility for these crimes, even if they themselves had nothing to do with them. In like fashion, white Southerners today must acknowledge responsibility for the crime of slavery and, after the end of legal slavery, the continuing oppression of blacks.
Several readers of my article raised valuable points in their “comments,” and I’d like to discuss one of these in today’s article. Before doing so, though, I want to bring to the fore some remarks by H.D. Lewis in his article “Collective Responsibility.” This article, published in February 1948, was the basis of my criticism of Neiman, but Lewis raises other important issues in the article that help answer some of the questions that readers had.
Lewis distinguishes sharply between moral and legal responsibility. “The etymology of this word [‘responsibility’] suggests that it means ‘liability to answer,’ this being, of course, liability to answer to a charge, with the implication that if the answer is not satisfactory a penalty will be incurred. This is certainly the meaning of responsibility in the legal sense.” Lewis proceeds to say that, in this sense of responsibility, “there are some occasions, at any rate, when we share our responsibilities with others and are implicated in their wrongdoing.”
What does Lewis mean? He says, Learning from the Germ... Neiman, Susan Best Price: $15.30 Buy New $16.51 (as of 02:06 UTC - Details)
Normally, the purpose served by the imposition of penalties requires the penalties to be inflicted on persons presumed to have offended, and on no others….But there are, however, exceptional cases where expediency requires proceedings to be taken against a group as if it were an individual entity. No account will then be taken of the guilt or innocence of individual members of the group….Suffice it for the present to note that, as a device for the achievement of practical ends, we have sometimes to accept collective responsibility. This is fully acknowledged in law, where a parent may in some respects be held to account for the conduct of children, or where a society or corporation may be proceeded against as a single entity or person.
Lewis goes on to say, “Extending the canvas still wider, we have the imposition of sanctions against a whole nation in the interest of international order….Reparations and similar measures adopted against an aggressor nation nature may be mentioned here.” Lewis has misgivings about these measures but soon arrives at his key thesis. These measures may be expedient, even though they lack perfect justice because they penalize the innocent:
There will always be some intermingling of justice with injustice in human relations under any conditions we can anticipate. But what does this prove? Does it prove that the innocent share in the wickedness of the guilty, that the former are morally answerable for the ill deeds of the latter? Surely not. The question needs only to be stated plainly for us to see how foolish it is to allow our view of moral responsibility to be affected by imperfections in the ways in which members of society must deal with one another.
(In my opinion, Lewis is, as Murray Rothbard would have said, “weak on the reparations question,” but I won’t pursue that here.)
It is exactly this view of moral responsibility that Neiman challenges, and this was the crux of my disagreement with her in my earlier article. This leads to one of the issues raised in the comments on that article. One commenter wondered whether Neiman in fact supports the ascription of individual moral guilt to Germans and white Southerners who themselves committed no crimes. The commenter thought it wasn’t evident from my quotations from her book that Neiman thinks this.
She could be clearer about the matter, but she does hold the position I ascribed to her. She amalgamates shame and guilt, and it is some combination of these that she thinks Germans and white Southerners ought to have. She says, for example. “Guilt, it’s been argued, is directed, inward, and no one need know if you have it. Shame, by contrast, is what you see feel when you see yourself reflected through others’ eyes and you cannot bear to let that image stand. To overcome shame, you must actually do something to show others you are not inevitably caught in your, or your forebears’, worst moments” (p. 289, emphasis added). A Portrait of the Arti... Joyce, James Best Price: $1.19 Buy New $5.90 (as of 02:06 UTC - Details)
She also says, “I doubt that guilt can be entirely separated from responsibility. What makes a young white man from Jackson [Mississippi] feel responsible for this corner of the Delta? Isn’t it at least partly the fact that members of his own family…had been the sort of softly angry racists whose views helped shape the world that would acquit a child’s killers?” (p. 233, the reference is to the acquittal of Emmett Till’s murderers).
One final citation. She says, “Shame hurts. Guilt hurts….They are not emotions we willingly feel. We seek admiration from the outside and peace from within, and we have powerful ways to deflect everything that threatens them. Rather than acknowledging our complicity in something shameful, we forget with remarkable ease. That is why memory is vital” (pp. 380–81).
It is because of her views about guilt and shame that Neiman demands the extraordinary measures I discussed in my earlier article. Germans have a moral duty to dwell on the sins of their ancestors, and so do white Southerners on what their own ancestors did. In Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus says, “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”
For Neiman, history is a nightmare to which she wants others to return.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
The Best of David Gordon


lewrockwell--2020-03-09--CDC Admits in Federal Court It Has No Evidence ‘Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism’

This is truly a bombshell story when you understand the full implications of it , yet major media likely will not touch it .
Headlines could read “ In stunning lawsuit , CDC admits they have no evidence vaccines don ’ t cause autism ” – but instead , crickets .
Independent media organizations like CE are left to have to tell these stories , and at the same time risk more demonetization for telling the truth that the public should know .
Of course , we also know that since independent media ’ s reach has been cut , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard and relies on you , the dear reader , to spread the word .
As of March 2nd , 2020 , the CDC has admitted in federal court that they do not have any evidence proving that vaccines given to babies don ’ t cause autism .
For years they claimed that the studies had been done , the evidence was clear , and that there was a consensus : “ vaccines don ’ t cause autism.
” Yet , this was a lie .
An organization called the Informed Consent Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing forth this admission .
As they stated in their own press release : In summer 2019 , ICAN submitted a Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) request to the CDC requesting “ All studies relied upon by CDC to claim that the DTaP vaccine does not cause autism.
” ICAN also submitted this same request for HepB , Hib , PCV13 and IPV , as well as requesting the CDC provide studies to support the cumulative exposure to these vaccines during the first six months of life do not cause autism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC failed to produce a single specific study in response to these FOIA requests .
ICAN was therefore forced to sue the CDC in federal court , where the CDC finally conceded , in a stipulation signed by a Federal court judge , that that it has no studies to support that any of these vaccines do not cause autism .
Dissolving Illusions : ... Suzanne Humphries MD , ... Best Price : $ 19.24 Buy New $ 17.17 In short , the CDC provided a list of studies that were to claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , none of these studies proved that .
Part of the list was a recent review by the Institute of Medicine ( IOM ) , which was paid for by the CDC .
This study performed a comprehensive review of studies relating to the DTaP vaccine .
It was looking to determine whether or not the vaccine does or does not cause autism .
The IOM was unable to identify a single study to support that DTaP does not cause autism .
What they did find was a single study that did show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So for years , the CDC falsely claimed that “ vaccines don ’ t cause autism.
” This was based on no evidence , no studies , no science , just speculation .
In turn , those that questioned vaccines were called anti-vaxxers , unscientific and extreme about their views , yet were they wrong to claim that vaccines may cause autism and that they don ’ t feel they are safe ?
It doesn ’ t seem to be the case when you consider that a look at the science and evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that vaccinees do play a role in autism .
This , as we know now , has not been debunked nor fully proven .
The detail that hits close to home for us here at CE is that fact-checkers have been handing out false claims about our vaccine content , stating that “ vaccines don ’ t cause autism.
” This has led to a reduction in our reach and the near-complete destruction of our business due to demonetization .
Yet , where did these fact-checkers get their information from ?
The CDC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC never had the evidence to make the claims they made , and the fact-checkers were in fact wrong or truly misinformed .
These false claims from the CDC have also effectively led to creating a culture of blind vaccine acceptance even though there is no evidence they are safe .
This leads to the challenge not many are realizing about fact-checking organizations like Snopes , or the ones that work on Facebook ; what they do , is turn to major organizations and the government to get their ‘ facts.
’ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges those ‘ facts.
’ So essentially fact-checkers are merely purveyors of facts produced by governments and major corporations .
Some also happen to be paid by major corporations .
There is an abundance of science showing that vaccines could be linked to autism , in many different ways .
Take aluminum for example , A study published in 2018 discovered high amounts of aluminum in the brain tissue of people with autism : The fact that aluminum in adjuvant form does not exit the body as aluminum in our own food , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways that scientists have shown how vaccines could be implicated in the aetiology of autism .
You can read more about vaccines and aluminum specifically , here .
Jabbed : How the Vaccin ... Wilcox , Brett Best Price : $ 13.02 Buy New $ 13.05 This is not the first time in history that major health organizations , scientists and doctors claimed that something was safe when it wasn ’ t .
Look at cigarettes , agent orange , and DDT .
These were just a few that became common knowledge after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangers associated with these products .
All the while , the companies who owned them , and their cronies fought to claim these people were unscientific , liars and wrong .
Are we seeing this now with vaccines ?
It sure seems to be following the same pattern .
One thing I always look at is if major organizations can not answer the simple question , and instead turn to ridicule , name-calling and media campaigns to cast doubt , then you know they are hiding something .
In my feeling , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines , and they are buying time to figure out how to keep themselves clean for when the cards fall .
Because they will .
This , of course , is all part of a greater awakening that is taking place amongst humanity right now as we collectively move from a state of childhood into adulthood .
Empowering ourselves as individuals , changing our relationship with the earth , each other , and ourselves .
Shifting the way we idolize and put money above everything else .
Of course , seeing past the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this evolution of consciousness .
I outline all of this in my 4 part video series about these ongoing changes .

This is truly a bombshell story when you understand the full implications of it, yet major media likely will not touch it. Headlines could read “In stunning lawsuit, CDC admits they have no evidence vaccines don’t cause autism” – but instead, crickets. Independent media organizations like CE are left to have to tell these stories, and at the same time risk more demonetization for telling the truth that the public should know. Of course, we also know that since independent media’s reach has been cut, getting stories like this out is very hard and relies on you, the dear reader, to spread the word.
As of March 2nd, 2020, the CDC has admitted in federal court that they do not have any evidence proving that vaccines given to babies don’t cause autism. For years they claimed that the studies had been done, the evidence was clear, and that there was a consensus: “vaccines don’t cause autism.” Yet, this was a lie.
An organization called the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) was instrumental in bringing forth this admission. As they stated in their own press release:
In summer 2019, ICAN submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the CDC requesting “All studies relied upon by CDC to claim that the DTaP vaccine does not cause autism.” ICAN also submitted this same request for HepB, Hib, PCV13 and IPV, as well as requesting the CDC provide studies to support the cumulative exposure to these vaccines during the first six months of life do not cause autism. Despite months of demands, the CDC failed to produce a single specific study in response to these FOIA requests. ICAN was therefore forced to sue the CDC in federal court, where the CDC finally conceded, in a stipulation signed by a Federal court judge, that that it has no studies to support that any of these vaccines do not cause autism.
Dissolving Illusions: ... Bystrianyk, Roman Best Price: $38.50 Buy New $21.60 (as of 11:00 UTC - Details) In short, the CDC provided a list of studies that were to claim vaccines did not cause autism, only, none of these studies proved that. Part of the list was a recent review by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which was paid for by the CDC. This study performed a comprehensive review of studies relating to the DTaP vaccine. It was looking to determine whether or not the vaccine does or does not cause autism. The IOM was unable to identify a single study to support that DTaP does not cause autism. What they did find was a single study that did show an association between DTaP and autism.
So for years, the CDC falsely claimed that “vaccines don’t cause autism.” This was based on no evidence, no studies, no science, just speculation. In turn, those that questioned vaccines were called anti-vaxxers, unscientific and extreme about their views, yet were they wrong to claim that vaccines may cause autism and that they don’t feel they are safe? It doesn’t seem to be the case when you consider that a look at the science and evidence available suggests it’s highly likely that vaccinees do play a role in autism. This, as we know now, has not been debunked nor fully proven.
The detail that hits close to home for us here at CE is that fact-checkers have been handing out false claims about our vaccine content, stating that “vaccines don’t cause autism.” This has led to a reduction in our reach and the near-complete destruction of our business due to demonetization. Yet, where did these fact-checkers get their information from? The CDC. And now we know, the CDC never had the evidence to make the claims they made, and the fact-checkers were in fact wrong or truly misinformed. These false claims from the CDC have also effectively led to creating a culture of blind vaccine acceptance even though there is no evidence they are safe.
This leads to the challenge not many are realizing about fact-checking organizations like Snopes, or the ones that work on Facebook; what they do, is turn to major organizations and the government to get their ‘facts.’ And those facts overrule anything brought forth that challenges those ‘facts.’ So essentially fact-checkers are merely purveyors of facts produced by governments and major corporations. Some also happen to be paid by major corporations.
“The most recent data from CDC shows that 1 in 36 children born this year in the USA will develop autism,[…] This is a true epidemic. If the CDC had spent the same resources studying vaccines and autism, as it did waging a media campaign against parents that claim vaccines caused their child’s autism, the world would be a better place for everyone.”
The CDC complains that those raising concerns about vaccine safety are unscientific and misinformed,” […]“But when we asked the CDC for studies to support its claim that ‘vaccines do not cause autism,’ it is clear that their claim is not grounded in science.” – Del Bigtree, Founder of ICAN
There is an abundance of science showing that vaccines could be linked to autism, in many different ways. Take aluminum for example, A study published in 2018 discovered high amounts of aluminum in the brain tissue of people with autism:
Human exposure to aluminium has been implicated in ASD with conclusions being equivocal [7], [8], [9], [10]. To-date the majority of studies have used hair as their indicator of human exposure to aluminium while aluminium in blood and urine have also been used to a much more limited extent. Paediatric vaccines that include an aluminium adjuvant are an indirect measure of infant exposure to aluminium and their burgeoning use has been directly correlated with increasing prevalence of ASD [11]. Animal models of ASD continue to support a connection with aluminium and to aluminium adjuvants used in human vaccinations in particular [12].
The fact that aluminum in adjuvant form does not exit the body as aluminum in our own food, for example, is one of multiple ways that scientists have shown how vaccines could be implicated in the aetiology of autism. You can read more about vaccines and aluminum specifically, here.
The Takeaway
Jabbed: How the Vaccin... Wilcox, Brett Best Price: $13.02 Buy New $13.05 (as of 03:50 UTC - Details) This is not the first time in history that major health organizations, scientists and doctors claimed that something was safe when it wasn’t. Look at cigarettes, agent orange, and DDT. These were just a few that became common knowledge after many people brought awareness forward about the dangers associated with these products. All the while, the companies who owned them, and their cronies fought to claim these people were unscientific, liars and wrong.
Are we seeing this now with vaccines? It sure seems to be following the same pattern. One thing I always look at is if major organizations cannot answer the simple question, and instead turn to ridicule, name-calling and media campaigns to cast doubt, then you know they are hiding something. In my feeling, the CDC knows full well the dangers of vaccines, and they are buying time to figure out how to keep themselves clean for when the cards fall. Because they will.
This, of course, is all part of a greater awakening that is taking place amongst humanity right now as we collectively move from a state of childhood into adulthood. Empowering ourselves as individuals, changing our relationship with the earth, each other, and ourselves. Shifting the way we idolize and put money above everything else. Of course, seeing past the deceptions of today is an early step in this evolution of consciousness. I outline all of this in my 4 part video series about these ongoing changes.
Reprinted with permission from Collective Evolution.


lewrockwell--2020-03-09--A Not Ludicrous EV

A Not Ludicrous EV

Electric cars can make sense – when they ’ re not made nonsensical by trying to directly compete with non-electric cars , which current technology doesn ’ t permit but which the various mandates and subsidies attempt to force-fit .
The Citroen Ami is an electric car that doesn ’ t try to compete directly with IC cars and so eliminates all of the electric car ’ s functional and economic deficits – while at the same time offering several functional and economic advantages vs. a non-electric car .
That makes it a sensible electric car .
This was once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point of the thing before virtue signaling “ concern ” about the “ climate ” came to be the EV ’ s primary selling point .
Which became the EV ’ s primary selling point precisely crony capitalist rent-seekers like Elon Musk , et al had to sell something other than higher costs and functional deficits .
The Ami – which you can ’ t buy here but goes on sale later this month in France and soon in other European countries – hasn ’ t got a range problem because it isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – or very fast .
About 30 miles per hour , tops – and about 40 miles .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Best Price : null Buy New $ 15.00 It is designed for for the short-range/low-speed driving that electric cars are better at than IC cars and only costs $ 6,600 because it doesn ’ t try to do what insensible electric cars are terrible at ( long distance driving ) as well as very expensive at because it takes 1,000-plus pounds of batteries that cost more than the whole Ami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tesla3 moving at highway speeds for more than 100 miles or so .
In France , you can lease this sensible little EV for $ 22 per month – about the cost of a Hulu or Netflix subscription .
Less than the cost of a tank of gas .
Anyone can afford one – even high school-age kids – unlike a Tesla , et al – which few can afford precisely because they try to do the things electric cars shouldn ’ t even be trying to do until the endlessly promised just-around-the-corner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually delivered .
And wouldn ’ t pretend they can deliver – but can ’ t , until either the laws of physics and change or there a new type of battery/power source is developed that isn ’ t constrained by the laws of physics and chemistry in the way that lithium-ion EV batteries are and probably forever will be – necessitating a shuck-and-jive routine that would make The Kingfish cringe .
As well as a disgusting regime of wealth-transferring subsidization from the working man to the affluent virtue-signaling man .
Absent all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , insensible EVs would not exist at all , except as concept cars .
They would not become production cars – in a free market – until the endlessly-promised-but-yet-to-be-delivered “ breakthrough ” in battery design makes it technically possible to drive an an electric car farther than a non-electric car – so as to make up for the electric car ’ s longer recharging time .
And cost the same to own rather than more .
The Best of Eric Peters

Electric cars can make sense – when they’re not made nonsensical by trying to directly compete with non-electric cars, which current technology doesn’t permit but which the various mandates and subsidies attempt to force-fit.
The Citroen Ami is an electric car that doesn’t try to compete directly with IC cars and so eliminates all of the electric car’s functional and economic deficits – while at the same time offering several functional and economic advantages vs. a non-electric car.
That makes it a sensible electric car.
This was once upon a time supposed to be the point of the thing before virtue signaling “concern” about the “climate”came to be the EV’s primary selling point. Which became the EV’s primary selling point precisely crony capitalist rent-seekers like Elon Musk, et al had to sell something other than higher costs and functional deficits.
The Ami – which you can’t buy here but goes on sale later this month in France and soon in other European countries – hasn’t got a range problem because it isn’t made to go very far – or very fast.
About 30 miles per hour, tops – and about 40 miles. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $15.00 (as of 12:45 UTC - Details)
It is designed for for the short-range/low-speed driving that electric cars are better at than IC cars and only costs $6,600 because it doesn’t try to do what insensible electric cars are terrible at (long distance driving) as well as very expensive at because it takes 1,000-plus pounds of batteries that cost more than the whole Ami to keep an insensible EV like a Tesla3 moving at highway speeds for more than 100 miles or so.
In France, you can lease this sensible little EV for $22 per month – about the cost of a Hulu or Netflix subscription.
Less than the cost of a tank of gas.
Anyone can afford one – even high school-age kids – unlike a Tesla, et al – which few can afford precisely because they try to do the things electric cars shouldn’t even be trying to do until the endlessly promised just-around-the-corner “breakthrough” in battery design is actually delivered.
And wouldn’t pretend they can deliver – but can’t, until either the laws of physics and change or there a new type of battery/power source is developed that isn’t constrained by the laws of physics and chemistry in the way that lithium-ion EV batteries are and probably forever will be – necessitating a shuck-and-jive routine that would make The Kingfish cringe. As well as a disgusting regime of wealth-transferring subsidization from the working man to the affluent virtue-signaling man.
Absent all the government mandates, quotas and subsidies, insensible EVs would not exist at all, except as concept cars. They would not become production cars – in a free market – until the endlessly-promised-but-yet-to-be-delivered “breakthrough” in battery design makes it technically possible to drive an an electric car farther than a non-electric car – so as to make up for the electric car’s longer recharging time.
And cost the same to own rather than more.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters