lewrockwell--2020-02-12--Climate Change is Not a Problem

Climate Change is Not a Problem

As long as humans have been on Earth , they have been adapting to changes in regional climates .
A regional climate is the average of the weather for a relatively long period of time , usually 30+ years , at a particular location on the planet .
The natural periodicity of prolonged regional weather variations has been documented in various ways by humans for eons .
For a comparison of human civilization in the northern hemisphere to Greenland ice core temperatures for the last 18,000 years see here .
Some of the means of documenting changes in long term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , include crude prehistoric cave drawings of the animals and plants , paintings of frozen rivers ( see Figure 1 of ice skating on the River Thames in 1684 ) , and archaeological digs .
There are also written records of climatic conditions as early as 5,000 years ago , perhaps even earlier .
Ice , subsea , peat and lake bed cores are also used , for a more detailed discussion of the methods used see here and the links therein .
Most geologists agree that we are currently in an extended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ icehouse ” condition ( see here ) .
When ice caps exist on one or more poles year-round for an extended period of time , the Earth is said to be in an icehouse .
Global temperature may decrease further if the solar activity remains at its current low level ( see here ) .
But geologists deal in massive time increments of thousands , millions even billions of years .
The general public makes its observations in decades , perhaps a generation and maybe even in a century , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a myopic view of the Earth ’ s climate can be misleading .
Human Caused Global Wa ... Tim Ball PhD Check Amazon for Pricing .
Climate science is a combination of many scientific specialties such as geology , geophysics , astrophysics , meteorology , and ecology just to name a few of the larger branches .
Some of these scientists are working to develop computer models of the climate using atmospheric physics , chemistry , actual data , proxy data , empirical variables and assumed constants .
The models include statistical tools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of projections of measurable parameters , one of these is the global mean temperature .
These projections are presented in time increments that mean something to the public .
Dr. Judith Curry has written a good overview of computer climate modeling that can be downloaded here .
To gain an understanding of the regional climate that preceded humankind , we have to get creative .
That means using proxies to determine the average temperature and perhaps life conditions in earlier years .
The two most cited proxies are ice cores and tree rings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proxies .
In addition , we can also make reasonable assumptions about the prehistorical past with observations of regional geology .
For example , glacier movements are revealed by the scars and strange debris fields that are left with each glacial expansion and retreat .
Great boulders are left in the middle of grassy plains as glaciers melt .
Gravel placed by high velocity melt water rivers can even reveal the dynamics involved , perhaps even provide a timetable for the events .
These points are made just to illustrate the importance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate changes .
It is , after all , the physical record .
Many scientists , across many disciplines , have made their career goals the understanding of these worldly and sometimes outer-worldly events .
Some of these scientists have developed hypotheses that they defend with great vigor which is , of course , understandable .
There is peer admiration , public recognition and research funding available when one ’ s hypotheses prove to be correct .
But there is a danger in pushing any hypothesis beyond its limits .
And that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the singular CO driven global warming hypothesis .
The Deliberate Corrupt ... Tim Ball Best Price : $ 13.89 Buy New $ 16.67 Instead of following more traditional methods of analyzing data acquired through research , noting some phenomenon , developing an hypothesis that might explain the phenomenon , then publishing the research and the scientific conclusions to get the scrutiny of peers in that particular field of research , the CO warming proponents appear to have started with an hypothesis .
The hypothesis was that “ humankind ’ s accelerated use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in average global temperature by adding more CO to the atmosphere and enhancing the Green House Gas effect.
” This is easily seen in the stated objective of the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) : In other words , they assumed that stabilizing the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration would prevent climate change , they did not prove this assertion first .
The previous hypothesis had been that aerosols would cause a cooling of the average global temperature and lead to a new massive glacial advance or “ Ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major glacial advance an “ ice age , ” but we are already in an ice age and have been for millions of years .
Some say the new ice age predictions in the 1970s were in the minority and erroneous .
They claim there was no consensus on global cooling ( link ) .
Others say there was a consensus ( link ) .
Then the impact of chlorofluorohydrocarbons ( CFCs ) on the ozone layer became the new major focus .
A damaged ozone layer could increase solar radiation and lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plant withering ( link ) .
Consensus among scientists means nothing .
Proposing that a consensus exists by distilling published papers means absolutely nothing .
Getting scientists together for an open discussion , presenting one ’ s hypothesis , showing the proof , then having a robust debate followed by an open show of hands may be a better way to define a scientific consensus , but even that could be biased by the quality of the presentations and the presenters involved .

INTRODUCTION
As long as humans have been on Earth, they have been adapting to changes in regional climates. A regional climate is the average of the weather for a relatively long period of time, usually 30+ years, at a particular location on the planet. The natural periodicity of prolonged regional weather variations has been documented in various ways by humans for eons. For a comparison of human civilization in the northern hemisphere to Greenland ice core temperatures for the last 18,000 years see here. Some of the means of documenting changes in long term weather patterns, i.e. climate change, include crude prehistoric cave drawings of the animals and plants, paintings of frozen rivers (see Figure 1 of ice skating on the River Thames in 1684), and archaeological digs. There are also written records of climatic conditions as early as 5,000 years ago, perhaps even earlier. Ice, subsea, peat and lake bed cores are also used, for a more detailed discussion of the methods used see here and the links therein.
Figure 1. Ice skating on the River Thames in London in January 1684, during the Little Ice Age. Museum of London, link.
Most geologists agree that we are currently in an extended ice age. Technically we are in an “icehouse” condition (see here). When ice caps exist on one or more poles year-round for an extended period of time, the Earth is said to be in an icehouse. Global temperature may decrease further if the solar activity remains at its current low level (see here). But geologists deal in massive time increments of thousands, millions even billions of years. The general public makes its observations in decades, perhaps a generation and maybe even in a century, but not much more than that. Such a myopic view of the Earth’s climate can be misleading.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Climate science is a combination of many scientific specialties such as geology, geophysics, astrophysics, meteorology, and ecology just to name a few of the larger branches. Some of these scientists are working to develop computer models of the climate using atmospheric physics, chemistry, actual data, proxy data, empirical variables and assumed constants. The models include statistical tools to present the results in the form of projections of measurable parameters, one of these is the global mean temperature. These projections are presented in time increments that mean something to the public. Dr. Judith Curry has written a good overview of computer climate modeling that can be downloaded here.
To gain an understanding of the regional climate that preceded humankind, we have to get creative. That means using proxies to determine the average temperature and perhaps life conditions in earlier years. The two most cited proxies are ice cores and tree rings, but there are other lesser known proxies. In addition, we can also make reasonable assumptions about the prehistorical past with observations of regional geology. For example, glacier movements are revealed by the scars and strange debris fields that are left with each glacial expansion and retreat. Great boulders are left in the middle of grassy plains as glaciers melt. Gravel placed by high velocity melt water rivers can even reveal the dynamics involved, perhaps even provide a timetable for the events. These points are made just to illustrate the importance of the geological perspective in understanding why the climate changes. It is, after all, the physical record.
Many scientists, across many disciplines, have made their career goals the understanding of these worldly and sometimes outer-worldly events. Some of these scientists have developed hypotheses that they defend with great vigor which is, of course, understandable. There is peer admiration, public recognition and research funding available when one’s hypotheses prove to be correct. But there is a danger in pushing any hypothesis beyond its limits. And that may be the case of the proponents of the singular CO 2 driven global warming hypothesis.
THE DISAGREEMENT
The Deliberate Corrupt... Tim Ball Best Price: $13.74 Buy New $16.64 (as of 11:20 UTC - Details) Instead of following more traditional methods of analyzing data acquired through research, noting some phenomenon, developing an hypothesis that might explain the phenomenon, then publishing the research and the scientific conclusions to get the scrutiny of peers in that particular field of research, the CO 2 warming proponents appear to have started with an hypothesis. The hypothesis was that “humankind’s accelerated use of fossil fuels had led to an increase in average global temperature by adding more CO 2 to the atmosphere and enhancing the Green House Gas effect.” This is easily seen in the stated objective of the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):
“UNFCCC’s ultimate objective is to achieve the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system.” (link)
In other words, they assumed that stabilizing the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration would prevent climate change, they did not prove this assertion first. The previous hypothesis had been that aerosols would cause a cooling of the average global temperature and lead to a new massive glacial advance or “Ice Age.” The media sometimes calls a major glacial advance an “ice age,” but we are already in an ice age and have been for millions of years. Some say the new ice age predictions in the 1970s were in the minority and erroneous. They claim there was no consensus on global cooling (link). Others say there was a consensus (link). Then the impact of chlorofluorohydrocarbons (CFCs) on the ozone layer became the new major focus. A damaged ozone layer could increase solar radiation and lead to more cancer, animal blindness and plant withering (link).
Consensus among scientists means nothing. Proposing that a consensus exists by distilling published papers means absolutely nothing. Getting scientists together for an open discussion, presenting one’s hypothesis, showing the proof, then having a robust debate followed by an open show of hands may be a better way to define a scientific consensus, but even that could be biased by the quality of the presentations and the presenters involved.
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lewrockwell--2020-02-12--We’re All in This Together: A Case for Not Giving Up on the American Dream

Listen : we don ’ t have to agree about everything .
We don ’ t even have to agree about most things .
We don ’ t have to love each other .
We don ’ t even have to like each other .
And we certainly don ’ t need to think alike or dress alike or worship alike or vote alike or love alike .
But if this experiment in freedom is to succeed—and there are some days the outlook is decidedly grim—then we ’ ve got to find some way of relating to one another that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or so self-righteous that we ’ re doomed to failure before we even start .
America has been a warring nation—a military empire intent on occupation and conquest—for so long that perhaps we , the citizens of this warring nation , have forgotten what it means to live in peace , with the world and one another .
We ’ d better get back to the fundamentals of what it means to be human beings who can get along if we want to have any hope of restoring some semblance of sanity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being turned into a foul-mouthed , hot-headed free-for-all bar fight by politicians for whom this is all one big , elaborate game designed to increase their powers and fatten their bank accounts .
Maybe Robert Fulghum , author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten , was right : maybe all we really need to know about “ how to live and what to do and how to be ” is as simple as remembering the basic life lessons we were taught as children .
What were those lessons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Play fair .
Don ’ t hit people .
Put things back where you found them .
Clean up your own mess .
Don ’ t take things that aren ’ t yours .
Say you ’ re sorry when you hurt somebody… .
When you go out into the world , watch out for traffic , hold hands , and stick together… .
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die .
So do we .
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word of all—LOOK .
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere .
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation .
Ecology and politics and equality and sane living .
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm .
Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o ’ clock every afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a nap .
Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess .
And it is still true , no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world , it is best to hold hands and stick together .
The powers-that-be want us to forget these basic lessons in how to get along .
They want us to fume and rage and be so consumed with fighting the so-called enemies in our midst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing in around us .
No matter what happens in the next presidential election , no matter how many ways the powers-that-be attempt to sow division and distrust among the populace , no matter how many shouting commentators perpetuate the belief that there is only one “ right ” view and one “ wrong ” view in politics , the only “ us vs. them ” that will matter is whether “ we the people ” care enough to stand united in our commitment to the principles on which this nation was founded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all .
The rest is just noise intended to distract us from the fact that life in America has become a gut-wrenching , soul-sucking , misery-drenched , demoralizing existence , and it ’ s the government that is responsible .
Even so , here ’ s why I ’ m not giving up on the American dream of freedom , and—despite all the reasons to the contrary—why you shouldn ’ t either : because this is still our country .
I ’ m outraged at what has been done to our freedoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too .
We have been subjected to crackdowns , clampdowns , shutdowns , showdowns , shootdowns , standdowns , knockdowns , putdowns , breakdowns , lockdowns , takedowns , slowdowns , meltdowns , and never-ending letdowns .
We ’ ve been held up , stripped down , faked out , photographed , frisked , fracked , hacked , tracked , cracked , intercepted , accessed , spied on , zapped , mapped , searched , shot at , tasered , tortured , tackled , trussed up , tricked , lied to , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shoved aside , saddled with debt not of our own making , sold a bill of goods about national security , tuned out by those representing us , tossed aside , and taken to the cleaners .
We ’ ve had our freedoms turned inside out , our democratic structure flipped upside down , and our house of cards left in a shambles .
We ’ ve had our children burned by flashbang grenades , our dogs shot , and our old folks hospitalized after “ accidental ” encounters with marauding SWAT teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as citizens we have no rights within 100 miles of our own border , now considered “ Constitution-free zones.
” We ’ ve had our faces filed in government databases , our biometrics crosschecked against criminal databanks , and our consumerist tendencies catalogued for future marketing overtures .
We ’ ve seen the police transformed from community peacekeepers to point guards for the militarized corporate state .
The police continue to push , prod , poke , probe , scan , shoot and intimidate the very individuals—we the taxpayers—whose rights they were hired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centers , police have surreptitiously spied on our activities and snooped on our communications , using hi-tech devices provided by the Department of Homeland Security .
We ’ ve been deemed suspicious for engaging in such dubious activities as talking too long on a cell phone and stretching too long before jogging , dubbed extremists and terrorists for criticizing the government and suggesting it is tyrannical or oppressive , and subjected to forced colonoscopies and anal probes for allegedly rolling through a stop sign .
We ’ ve been arrested for all manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be considered criminal , let alone uncommon or unlawful , behavior : letting our kids walk to the playground alone giving loose change to a homeless man , feeding the hungry , and living off the grid .
We ’ ve been sodomized , victimized , jeopardized , demoralized , traumatized , stigmatized , vandalized , demonized , polarized and terrorized , often without having done anything to justify such treatment .
Blame it on a government mindset that renders us guilty before we ’ ve even been charged , let alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this way , law-abiding individuals have had their homes mistakenly raided by SWAT teams that got the address wrong .
One accountant found himself at the center of a misguided ( armed ) police standoff after surveillance devices confused his license plate with that of a drug felon .
We ’ ve been railroaded into believing that our votes count , that we live in a republic or a democracy , that elections make a difference , that it matters whether we vote Republican or Democrat , and that our elected officials are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Truth be told , we live in an oligarchy , politicians represent only the profit motives of the corporate state , whose leaders know all too well that there is no discernible difference between red and blue politics , because there is only one color that matters in politics : green .
We ’ ve gone from having privacy in our inner sanctums to having nowhere to hide , with smart pills that monitor the conditions of our bodies , homes that spy on us ( with smart meters that monitor our electric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be controlled remotely ) and cars that listen to our conversations , track our whereabouts and report them to the police .
Even our cities have become wall-to-wall electronic concentration camps , with police now able to record hi-def video of everything that takes place within city limits .
We ’ ve had our schools locked down and turned into prisons , our students handcuffed , shackled and arrested for engaging in childish behavior such as food fights , our children ’ s biometrics stored , their school IDs chipped , their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sold and bartered for profit by government contractors , all the while they are treated like criminals and taught to march in lockstep with the police state .
We ’ ve been rendered enemy combatants in our own country , denied basic due process rights , held against our will without access to an attorney or being charged with a crime , and left to waste away in jail until such a time as the government is willing to let us go or allow us to defend ourselves .
We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with our hard-earned tax dollars used against us , from unpiloted , weaponized drones tracking our movements on the nation ’ s highways and byways and armored vehicles , assault rifles , sound cannons and grenade launchers in towns with little to no crime to an arsenal of military-grade weapons and equipment given free of charge to schools and universities .
We ’ ve been silenced , censored and forced to conform , shut up in free speech zones , gagged by hate crime laws , stifled by political correctness , muzzled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for taking part in peaceful protests .
We ’ ve been shot by police for reaching for a license during a traffic stop , reaching for a baby during a drug bust , carrying a toy sword down a public street , and wearing headphones that hamper our ability to hear .
We ’ ve had our tax dollars spent on $ 30,000 worth of Starbucks for Department of Homeland Security employees , $ 630,000 in advertising to increase Facebook “ likes ” for the State Department , and close to $ 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silly to the unnecessary , such as laughing classes for college students and programs teaching monkeys to play video games and gamble .
We ’ ve been treated like guinea pigs , targeted by the government and social media for psychological experiments on how to manipulate the masses .
We ’ ve been tasered for talking back to police , tackled for taking pictures of police abuses , and threatened with jail time for invoking our rights .
We ’ ve even been arrested by undercover cops stationed in public bathrooms who interpret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motions after urinating to be acts of lewdness .
We ’ ve had our possessions seized and stolen by law enforcement agencies looking to cash in on asset forfeiture schemes , our jails privatized and used as a source of cheap labor for megacorporations , our gardens smashed by police seeking out suspicious-looking plants that could be marijuana , and our buying habits turned into suspicious behavior by a government readily inclined to view its citizens as terrorists .
We ’ ve had our cities used for military training drills , with Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shield exercises overtaking our streets , and active shooter drills wreaking havoc on unsuspecting bystanders in our schools , shopping malls and other “ soft target ” locations .
Battlefield America : T ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 10.95 Buy New $ 18.80 We ’ ve been told that national security is more important than civil liberties , that police dogs ’ noses are sufficient cause to carry out warrantless searches , that the best way not to get raped by police is to “ follow the law , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court will be given preference over what video footage shows , that an upright posture and acne are sufficient reasons for a cop to suspect you of wrongdoing , that police can stop and search a driver based solely on an anonymous tip , and that police officers have every right to shoot first and ask questions later if they feel threatened .
Are you outraged yet ?
You should be .
So what are you waiting for ?
Get out there and right these wrongs .
Stop waiting patiently for change to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rescue you , and take responsibility for your freedoms : start by fixing what ’ s broken in your lives , in your communities , and in this country .
Get mad , get outraged , get off your duff and get out of your house , get in the streets , get in people ’ s faces , get down to your local city council , get over to your local school board , get your thoughts down on paper , get your objections plastered on protest signs , get your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their voices to yours , get your representatives to pay attention to your grievances , get your kids to know their rights , get your local police to march in lockstep with the Constitution , get your media to act as watchdogs for the people and not lapdogs for the corporate state , get your act together , and get your house in order .
Appearances to the contrary , this country does not belong exclusively to the corporations or the special interest groups or the oligarchs or the war profiteers or any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This country belongs to all of us : each and every one of us— “ we the people ” —but most especially , this country belongs to those of us who love freedom enough to stand and fight for it .
As I point out in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , we are fast approaching the point at which we will have nothing left to lose .
Don ’ t wait for things to get that bad before you find your voice and your conscience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too late .
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ’ s character reflects in The Gulag Archipelago : Take your stand now—using every nonviolent means at your disposal—while you still can .
Don ’ t wait to reflect back on missed opportunities to push back against tyranny .
Don ’ t wait until you ’ re the last one standing .
The Best of John W. Whitehead

“We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”—Benjamin Franklin
Listen: we don’t have to agree about everything.
We don’t even have to agree about most things.
We don’t have to love each other. We don’t even have to like each other. And we certainly don’t need to think alike or dress alike or worship alike or vote alike or love alike. But if this experiment in freedom is to succeed—and there are some days the outlook is decidedly grim—then we’ve got to find some way of relating to one another that is not toxic or partisan or hateful or so self-righteous that we’re doomed to failure before we even start.
America has been a warring nation—a military empire intent on occupation and conquest—for so long that perhaps we, the citizens of this warring nation, have forgotten what it means to live in peace, with the world and one another.
We’d better get back to the fundamentals of what it means to be human beings who can get along if we want to have any hope of restoring some semblance of sanity, civility and decency to what is progressively being turned into a foul-mouthed, hot-headed free-for-all bar fight by politicians for whom this is all one big, elaborate game designed to increase their powers and fatten their bank accounts.
Maybe Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, was right: maybe all we really need to know about “how to live and what to do and how to be” is as simple as remembering the basic life lessons we were taught as children.
What were those lessons? Fulghum reminds us:
Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody…. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together…. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
The powers-that-be want us to forget these basic lessons in how to get along. They want us to fume and rage and be so consumed with fighting the so-called enemies in our midst that we never notice the prison walls closing in around us.
Don’t be distracted.
No matter what happens in the next presidential election, no matter how many ways the powers-that-be attempt to sow division and distrust among the populace, no matter how many shouting commentators perpetuate the belief that there is only one “right” view and one “wrong” view in politics, the only “us vs. them” that will matter is whether “we the people” care enough to stand united in our commitment to the principles on which this nation was founded: freedom, justice, and equality for all.
The rest is just noise intended to distract us from the fact that life in America has become a gut-wrenching, soul-sucking, misery-drenched, demoralizing existence, and it’s the government that is responsible.
Even so, here’s why I’m not giving up on the American dream of freedom, and—despite all the reasons to the contrary—why you shouldn’t either: because this is still our country.
I’m outraged at what has been done to our freedoms and our country. You should be, too.
We have been subjected to crackdowns, clampdowns, shutdowns, showdowns, shootdowns, standdowns, knockdowns, putdowns, breakdowns, lockdowns, takedowns, slowdowns, meltdowns, and never-ending letdowns.
We’ve been held up, stripped down, faked out, photographed, frisked, fracked, hacked, tracked, cracked, intercepted, accessed, spied on, zapped, mapped, searched, shot at, tasered, tortured, tackled, trussed up, tricked, lied to, labeled, libeled, leered at, shoved aside, saddled with debt not of our own making, sold a bill of goods about national security, tuned out by those representing us, tossed aside, and taken to the cleaners.
We’ve had our freedoms turned inside out, our democratic structure flipped upside down, and our house of cards left in a shambles.
We’ve had our children burned by flashbang grenades, our dogs shot, and our old folks hospitalized after “accidental” encounters with marauding SWAT teams.
We’ve been told that as citizens we have no rights within 100 miles of our own border, now considered “Constitution-free zones.”
We’ve had our faces filed in government databases, our biometrics crosschecked against criminal databanks, and our consumerist tendencies catalogued for future marketing overtures.
We’ve seen the police transformed from community peacekeepers to point guards for the militarized corporate state. The police continue to push, prod, poke, probe, scan, shoot and intimidate the very individuals—we the taxpayers—whose rights they were hired to safeguard. Networked together through fusion centers, police have surreptitiously spied on our activities and snooped on our communications, using hi-tech devices provided by the Department of Homeland Security.
We’ve been deemed suspicious for engaging in such dubious activities as talking too long on a cell phone and stretching too long before jogging, dubbed extremists and terrorists for criticizing the government and suggesting it is tyrannical or oppressive, and subjected to forced colonoscopies and anal probes for allegedly rolling through a stop sign.
We’ve been arrested for all manner of “crimes” that never used to be considered criminal, let alone uncommon or unlawful, behavior: letting our kids walk to the playground alone , giving loose change to a homeless man, feeding the hungry, and living off the grid.
We’ve been sodomized, victimized, jeopardized, demoralized, traumatized, stigmatized, vandalized, demonized, polarized and terrorized, often without having done anything to justify such treatment. Blame it on a government mindset that renders us guilty before we’ve even been charged, let alone convicted, of any wrongdoing. In this way, law-abiding individuals have had their homes mistakenly raided by SWAT teams that got the address wrong. One accountant found himself at the center of a misguided (armed) police standoff after surveillance devices confused his license plate with that of a drug felon.
We’ve been railroaded into believing that our votes count, that we live in a republic or a democracy, that elections make a difference, that it matters whether we vote Republican or Democrat, and that our elected officials are looking out for our best interests. Truth be told, we live in an oligarchy, politicians represent only the profit motives of the corporate state, whose leaders know all too well that there is no discernible difference between red and blue politics, because there is only one color that matters in politics: green.
We’ve gone from having privacy in our inner sanctums to having nowhere to hide, with smart pills that monitor the conditions of our bodies, homes that spy on us (with smart meters that monitor our electric usage and thermostats and light switches that can be controlled remotely) and cars that listen to our conversations, track our whereabouts and report them to the police. Even our cities have become wall-to-wall electronic concentration camps, with police now able to record hi-def video of everything that takes place within city limits.
We’ve had our schools locked down and turned into prisons, our students handcuffed, shackled and arrested for engaging in childish behavior such as food fights, our children’s biometrics stored, their school IDs chipped, their movements tracked, and their data bought, sold and bartered for profit by government contractors, all the while they are treated like criminals and taught to march in lockstep with the police state.
We’ve been rendered enemy combatants in our own country, denied basic due process rights, held against our will without access to an attorney or being charged with a crime, and left to waste away in jail until such a time as the government is willing to let us go or allow us to defend ourselves.
We’ve had the very military weapons we funded with our hard-earned tax dollars used against us, from unpiloted, weaponized drones tracking our movements on the nation’s highways and byways and armored vehicles, assault rifles, sound cannons and grenade launchers in towns with little to no crime to an arsenal of military-grade weapons and equipment given free of charge to schools and universities.
We’ve been silenced, censored and forced to conform, shut up in free speech zones, gagged by hate crime laws, stifled by political correctness, muzzled by misguided anti-bullying statutes, and pepper sprayed for taking part in peaceful protests.
We’ve been shot by police for reaching for a license during a traffic stop, reaching for a baby during a drug bust, carrying a toy sword down a public street, and wearing headphones that hamper our ability to hear.
We’ve had our tax dollars spent on $30,000 worth of Starbucks for Department of Homeland Security employees, $630,000 in advertising to increase Facebook “likes” for the State Department, and close to $25 billion to fund projects ranging from the silly to the unnecessary, such as laughing classes for college students and programs teaching monkeys to play video games and gamble.
We’ve been treated like guinea pigs, targeted by the government and social media for psychological experiments on how to manipulate the masses. We’ve been tasered for talking back to police, tackled for taking pictures of police abuses, and threatened with jail time for invoking our rights. We’ve even been arrested by undercover cops stationed in public bathrooms who interpret men’s “shaking off” motions after urinating to be acts of lewdness.
We’ve had our possessions seized and stolen by law enforcement agencies looking to cash in on asset forfeiture schemes, our jails privatized and used as a source of cheap labor for megacorporations, our gardens smashed by police seeking out suspicious-looking plants that could be marijuana, and our buying habits turned into suspicious behavior by a government readily inclined to view its citizens as terrorists.
We’ve had our cities used for military training drills, with Black Hawk helicopters buzzing the skies, Urban Shield exercises overtaking our streets, and active shooter drills wreaking havoc on unsuspecting bystanders in our schools, shopping malls and other “soft target” locations. Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
We’ve been told that national security is more important than civil liberties, that police dogs’ noses are sufficient cause to carry out warrantless searches, that the best way not to get raped by police is to “follow the law,” that what a police officer says in court will be given preference over what video footage shows, that an upright posture and acne are sufficient reasons for a cop to suspect you of wrongdoing, that police can stop and search a driver based solely on an anonymous tip, and that police officers have every right to shoot first and ask questions later if they feel threatened.
Are you outraged yet?
You should be. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and right these wrongs.
Stop waiting patiently for change to happen, stop waiting for some politician to rescue you, and take responsibility for your freedoms: start by fixing what’s broken in your lives, in your communities, and in this country.
Get mad, get outraged, get off your duff and get out of your house, get in the streets, get in people’s faces, get down to your local city council, get over to your local school board, get your thoughts down on paper, get your objections plastered on protest signs, get your neighbors, friends and family to join their voices to yours, get your representatives to pay attention to your grievances, get your kids to know their rights, get your local police to march in lockstep with the Constitution, get your media to act as watchdogs for the people and not lapdogs for the corporate state, get your act together, and get your house in order.
Appearances to the contrary, this country does not belong exclusively to the corporations or the special interest groups or the oligarchs or the war profiteers or any particular religious, racial or economic demographic.
This country belongs to all of us: each and every one of us—“we the people”—but most especially, this country belongs to those of us who love freedom enough to stand and fight for it.
As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, we are fast approaching the point at which we will have nothing left to lose.
Don’t wait for things to get that bad before you find your voice and your conscience. By then, it will be too late.
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s character reflects in The Gulag Archipelago:
How we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if … during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?… The cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If…if…We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.
Take your stand now—using every nonviolent means at your disposal—while you still can.
Don’t wait to reflect back on missed opportunities to push back against tyranny.
Don’t wait until you’re the last one standing.
Time is running out.
The Best of John W. Whitehead


lewrockwell--2020-02-12--The Earthquake in Eastern Germany

The Earthquake in Eastern Germany

Events in Thuringia last week have had political consequences that reach far beyond the borders of this small state in eastern Germany .
Five days after the surprise election of Thomas Kemmerich as the state ’ s new premier , the party leader of the ruling CDU , Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ( or AKK , as she is often called ) , has announced her resignation .
The problems began with last autumn ’ s state elections .
Last week , it looked as if a state government could finally be formed .
Kemmerich was chosen as premier despite his party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FDP ) , winning just five per cent of the vote .
He was elected with the support of local centre-right CDU politicians , alongside the controversial right-wing populist party , the AfD ( Alternative for Germany ) , which pulled its own candidate for premier to throw its weight behind Kemmerich .
It was the CDU politicians ’ decision to join ranks with the AfD which has provoked a political earthquake powerful enough to reach the top of the party .
‘ Unforgivable ’ was how chancellor Angela Merkel described her party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership demanded a reversal of the vote which appointed Kemmerich .
Left of Bang : How the ... Patrick Van Horne , Jas ... Best Price : $ 12.13 Buy New $ 14.63 All of the mainstream parties had , until now , maintained a cordon sanitaire against the AfD .
But last week , a ‘ crack in the establishment ’ s defences against the far-right ’ had formed , in the words of Bloomberg ’ s Germany correspondent .
Before AKK ’ s shock resignation , other heads had rolled , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself – only hours after his appointment .
He was under pressure to do so from the CDU and his own party .
The CDU ’ s minister for east Germany , Christian Hirte , was forced to stand down because he had congratulated Kemmerich for his election on Twitter .
The affair in Thuringia shows the difficulty the German establishment is having in dealing not only with the AfD but also with voters more broadly .
Kemmerich ’ s contested election was , in many ways , the consequence of the establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties , particularly the Social Democrats ( SPD ) , suffered massive losses in the state elections .
In Thuringia , neither the incumbent coalition government – made up of the Left Party ( Die Linke ) , the SPD , and Greens – nor any other grouping was able to form a stable government .
The CDU , which also lost votes , was faced with the choice of either tolerating the Left Party ’ s Bodo Ramelow or supporting Kemmerich alongside the AfD .

Events in Thuringia last week have had political consequences that reach far beyond the borders of this small state in eastern Germany. Five days after the surprise election of Thomas Kemmerich as the state’s new premier, the party leader of the ruling CDU, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (or AKK, as she is often called), has announced her resignation.
The problems began with last autumn’s state elections. Last week, it looked as if a state government could finally be formed. Kemmerich was chosen as premier despite his party, the centrist Free Democratic Party (FDP), winning just five per cent of the vote. He was elected with the support of local centre-right CDU politicians, alongside the controversial right-wing populist party, the AfD (Alternative for Germany), which pulled its own candidate for premier to throw its weight behind Kemmerich. It was the CDU politicians’ decision to join ranks with the AfD which has provoked a political earthquake powerful enough to reach the top of the party.
‘Unforgivable’ was how chancellor Angela Merkel described her party working with the AfD. The CDU leadership demanded a reversal of the vote which appointed Kemmerich. Left of Bang: How the ... Patrick Van Horne, Jas... Best Price: $12.13 Buy New $14.63 (as of 08:15 UTC - Details)
All of the mainstream parties had, until now, maintained a cordon sanitaire against the AfD. But last week, a ‘crack in the establishment’s defences against the far-right’ had formed, in the words of Bloomberg’s Germany correspondent.
Before AKK’s shock resignation, other heads had rolled, too. First to resign was Kemmerich himself – only hours after his appointment. He was under pressure to do so from the CDU and his own party. The CDU’s minister for east Germany, Christian Hirte, was forced to stand down because he had congratulated Kemmerich for his election on Twitter.
The affair in Thuringia shows the difficulty the German establishment is having in dealing not only with the AfD but also with voters more broadly. Kemmerich’s contested election was, in many ways, the consequence of the establishment parties’ failures. The old established parties, particularly the Social Democrats (SPD), suffered massive losses in the state elections.
In Thuringia, neither the incumbent coalition government – made up of the Left Party (Die Linke), the SPD, and Greens – nor any other grouping was able to form a stable government. The CDU, which also lost votes, was faced with the choice of either tolerating the Left Party’s Bodo Ramelow or supporting Kemmerich alongside the AfD.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-02-12--A More or Less Perfect Union

A More or Less Perfect Union

“ A More or Less Perfect Union ” is a three-part series , produced by Free to Choose Network , that will air on various PBS stations across the nation starting in February .
The documentary is a personal exploration of the U.S. Constitution by Justice Douglas Ginsburg , who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C .
Circuit and is now a senior justice on the court .
Ginsburg explores the U.S. Constitution and features interviews with and gains the perspectives from constitutional experts of all political views — liberal , conservative and libertarian .
He examines the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both from a historical and contemporary perspective .
Among those issues are freedom of the press and religion , slavery and civil rights , the Second Amendment , separation of powers and the number of ways that the Constitution ’ s framers sought to limit the power of the federal government .
The first episode is titled “ A Constitution in Writing.
” It examines the contentious atmosphere that arose among the delegates in that hot , humid Philadelphia summer of 1787 .
State delegates were sent to Philadelphia to work out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which served as the first Constitution of the 13 original states .
This part of the documentary examines some of the efforts to deal with the problems of the Articles of Confederation while maintaining its guiding principle to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states .
It also examines the compromises and struggles that led to the document we know as the U.S. Constitution .
Some of the framers , particularly the Anti-Federalists , led by Patrick Henry , saw the Constitution as defective and demanded amendments be added that contained specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear limitations on the federal government ’ s power .
They swore that they would never ratify the Constitution unless it contained a Bill of Rights .
American Contempt for ... Walter E. Williams Best Price : $ 5.90 Buy New $ 13.13 The second episode is titled “ A Constitution for All.
” One major emphasis of this episode is the examination of the Supreme Court decisions that undermined racial justice both for slaves and later ex-slaves for a century after the Civil War .
Several constitutional scholars discuss how the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 14th , and 15th Amendments , known collectively as the Civil War Amendments , which were designed to ensure equality for recently emancipated slaves .
There is also discussion of Bill of Rights guarantees to people accused of a crime .
There is more exploration into the Bill of Rights guarantees of free speech , religious freedom and the notion that “ due process of law ” be part of any proceeding that denies a citizen “ life , liberty or property.
” This forced the government to compensate citizens when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Episode three , “ Our Constitution at Risk , ” examines the many ways that our Constitution is under assault today .
It points out that the framers would be shocked by how all three branches of government have grown as a result of what we the people demand from our elected representatives .
There ’ s a discussion about how some of our Bill of Rights guarantees mean absolutely nothing today , namely the 9th and 10th Amendments , which reaffirm personal liberty by specifically limiting the federal government to its “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Less Perfect Union ” is not just a bunch of academics and constitutional experts preaching .
It features interviews with everyday Americans weighing in with their visions on the rule of law , the branches of government and the debate over originalism .
There ’ s a companion book titled “ Voices of Our Republic , ” edited by Ginsburg .
It is a collection of thoughts about the Constitution from judges , journalists , and academics .
It includes the thoughts of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Neil Gorsuch and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arthur Sulzberger , professor Alan Dershowitz , Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger , and historians Joseph Ellis and Ron Chernow , along with Jack Nicklaus , Gene Simmons and many others .
The most important audience for “ A More or Less Perfect Union ” is high school and college students .
For it is they who stand a good chance of losing the liberties that made our nation the greatest and freest on earth .
The Best of Walter E. Williams

“A More or Less Perfect Union” is a three-part series, produced by Free to Choose Network, that will air on various PBS stations across the nation starting in February. The documentary is a personal exploration of the U.S. Constitution by Justice Douglas Ginsburg, who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit and is now a senior justice on the court. Ginsburg explores the U.S. Constitution and features interviews with and gains the perspectives from constitutional experts of all political views — liberal, conservative and libertarian. He examines the key issues of liberty in the U.S. both from a historical and contemporary perspective. Among those issues are freedom of the press and religion, slavery and civil rights, the Second Amendment, separation of powers and the number of ways that the Constitution’s framers sought to limit the power of the federal government.
The first episode is titled “A Constitution in Writing.” It examines the contentious atmosphere that arose among the delegates in that hot, humid Philadelphia summer of 1787. State delegates were sent to Philadelphia to work out the problems of the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first Constitution of the 13 original states. This part of the documentary examines some of the efforts to deal with the problems of the Articles of Confederation while maintaining its guiding principle to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. It also examines the compromises and struggles that led to the document we know as the U.S. Constitution. Some of the framers, particularly the Anti-Federalists, led by Patrick Henry, saw the Constitution as defective and demanded amendments be added that contained specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights and clear limitations on the federal government’s power. They swore that they would never ratify the Constitution unless it contained a Bill of Rights. American Contempt for ... Williams, Walter E. Best Price: $14.29 Buy New $11.75 (as of 02:30 UTC - Details)
The second episode is titled “A Constitution for All.” One major emphasis of this episode is the examination of the Supreme Court decisions that undermined racial justice both for slaves and later ex-slaves for a century after the Civil War. Several constitutional scholars discuss how the courts and states ignored and weakened the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, known collectively as the Civil War Amendments, which were designed to ensure equality for recently emancipated slaves. There is also discussion of Bill of Rights guarantees to people accused of a crime. There is more exploration into the Bill of Rights guarantees of free speech, religious freedom and the notion that “due process of law” be part of any proceeding that denies a citizen “life, liberty or property.” This forced the government to compensate citizens when it takes private property for public use.
Episode three, “Our Constitution at Risk,” examines the many ways that our Constitution is under assault today. It points out that the framers would be shocked by how all three branches of government have grown as a result of what we the people demand from our elected representatives. There’s a discussion about how some of our Bill of Rights guarantees mean absolutely nothing today, namely the 9th and 10th Amendments, which reaffirm personal liberty by specifically limiting the federal government to its “enumerated powers.”
“A More or Less Perfect Union” is not just a bunch of academics and constitutional experts preaching. It features interviews with everyday Americans weighing in with their visions on the rule of law, the branches of government and the debate over originalism. There’s a companion book titled “Voices of Our Republic,” edited by Ginsburg. It is a collection of thoughts about the Constitution from judges, journalists, and academics. It includes the thoughts of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil Gorsuch and Sandra Day O’Connor, publisher Arthur Sulzberger, professor Alan Dershowitz, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and historians Joseph Ellis and Ron Chernow, along with Jack Nicklaus, Gene Simmons and many others.
The most important audience for “A More or Less Perfect Union” is high school and college students. For it is they who stand a good chance of losing the liberties that made our nation the greatest and freest on earth.
The Best of Walter E. Williams


National Fire Sale

Like waves on the ocean , countries tend to go through economic cycles .
First , we have the micro cycles , which tend to rise and fall every few years , but may last a decade or more .
Then we have the macro cycles , which tend to take hundreds of years .
In a macro cycle , a nation begins to thrive economically , when the people of that country adhere to a strong work ethic .
They invest their money and toil into the economy , make a profit , then either save , purchase goods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the three .
When the great majority of the people do this , the country thrives economically .
The greater the economic freedom ( i.e.
, the less governmental oversight and regulation ) , the more the country thrives .
But this never lasts forever .
The eternal fly in the ointment is that governments seek continually to increase their control over others .
Left of Bang : How the ... Patrick Van Horne , Jas ... Best Price : $ 12.13 Buy New $ 14.63 First , they focus on the increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but invariably , they see the opportunity for broader control , through the domination of other nations .
They then invade those nations .
Warfare is the costliest venture that nations enter into , and as such , it ’ s almost always a mistake .
But the zeal to have greater power often brushes that fact aside , and leaders choose to invade other nations .
In almost every instance , they fail to underestimate the resistance from the invaded nation , and very quickly , the cost of the warfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
Invariably , the leaders then borrow money to keep the war going .
Sometimes , they achieve victory in this manner , but more often than not , they fail .
They find that the day comes when they must either sell off major assets to pay their debt , or face economic collapse .
Case in point : In 1800 , Spain was the dominant empire of the world , having successfully colonized South and Central America and stripped them of a fortune in gold and silver over the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1800 .
But despite this , decades of war with other European powers left Spain broke .
Charles III did what leaders always do – he borrowed heavily and debased the currency .
He issued fiat currency in the form of paper pesos and used this currency to fund the Spanish colony of Louisiana .
This was meant to be a temporary measure , but as time dragged on , the peso steadily lost value , then became utterly worthless .
Charles , with no economic wiggle-room left , sent the ship El @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off debts .
Unfortunately , El Cazador sank in 1784 in a storm , taking 450,000 pesos in silver coins down with her .
When Carlos IV became king of Spain , there were few good options .
Rather than give up his throne , he offered to sell Louisiana to France ’ s Napoleon .
Napoleon took advantage of Spain ’ s national fire sale and bought Louisiana for a song .
But as stated above , countries tend to rise and fall in cycles .
In 1803 , Napoleon found himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warfare/debt condition was also reaching a desperate level .
Napoleon offered Louisiana to US President Thomas Jefferson , and like Napoleon , Mister Jefferson was able to pick up the one million square miles of prime real estate for a song – about three cents an acre .
So , to re-cap , the last-straw event that cost Carlos IV his empire was a simple shipwreck .
The final event was minor .
What really condemned Spain was warfare and debt .
The last-straw event that cost Napoleon his empire was the Battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the largest of battles .
What really condemned France was warfare and debt .
Mister Jefferson was a far wiser man .
Since the founding of the United States , he had continually warned against both warfare and debt .
Although he twice dealt with war with Britain , he avoided military adventures – the invasion of other countries .
Similarly , he borrowed , but always judiciously and only with the ability for repayment .
Under his leadership , the US thrived and the American people reaped the benefits .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycles ago .
The US is now at the end of its macro cycle , which can be evidenced by its involvement in what has become continual warfare .
The US now invades several other countries in each presidential cycle , ensuring that , if any war winds down , there are others still steaming ahead .
In recent years , the US has invaded Libya , Syria , Iraq , Afghanistan , Kuwait and Somalia and has “ assisted ” , or invaded by proxy , in a host of other invasions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued to North Korea , Turkey , Iran , Venezuela and others that , “ Military action is not off the table , ” as regards future military adventures .
Political Class Dismis ... Mr. James Ostrowski Best Price : $ 2.00 Buy New $ 10.00 Along the way , warfare ’ s ugly twin – debt – has joined in .
The US , once the world ’ s foremost creditor nation , is now both the world ’ s foremost aggressor nation and the world ’ s foremost debtor nation at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a problem that neither Spain nor France had in the nineteenth century .
It has no colonies to peddle .
The US certainly can ’ t offer up the Louisiana territory to other nations , to pay its unmanageable debt .
In one sense , the American people can rest easy that the US will not be selling off bits of real estate in a fire sale , when the notes come due .
But unfortunately , that very fact means that the only other possible outcome – economic collapse – will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near future , America Inc. will almost certainly go bust .
But as always , the world will not come to an end .
The assets and wealth of the world will simply change hands , as they have done since time immemorial .
The grand experiment that began in 1776 will come to an end , as all once-great nations do .
The US will continue to exist , but as a shadow of its former self , in the manner of the failed empires before it .
When we look back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event that triggers collapse was in fact minor , but was the perennial “ last straw .
”

Like waves on the ocean, countries tend to go through economic cycles.
First, we have the micro cycles, which tend to rise and fall every few years, but may last a decade or more. Then we have the macro cycles, which tend to take hundreds of years.
In a macro cycle, a nation begins to thrive economically, when the people of that country adhere to a strong work ethic. They invest their money and toil into the economy, make a profit, then either save, purchase goods, reinvest, or a combination of the three.
When the great majority of the people do this, the country thrives economically. The greater the economic freedom (i.e., the less governmental oversight and regulation), the more the country thrives.
But this never lasts forever. The eternal fly in the ointment is that governments seek continually to increase their control over others. Left of Bang: How the ... Patrick Van Horne, Jas... Best Price: $12.13 Buy New $14.63 (as of 08:15 UTC - Details)
First, they focus on the increased control of their own people through regulations, but invariably, they see the opportunity for broader control, through the domination of other nations. They then invade those nations.
Warfare is the costliest venture that nations enter into, and as such, it’s almost always a mistake. But the zeal to have greater power often brushes that fact aside, and leaders choose to invade other nations.
In almost every instance, they fail to underestimate the resistance from the invaded nation, and very quickly, the cost of the warfare doubles and redoubles, over and over again.
Invariably, the leaders then borrow money to keep the war going. Sometimes, they achieve victory in this manner, but more often than not, they fail. They find that the day comes when they must either sell off major assets to pay their debt, or face economic collapse.
Case in point: In 1800, Spain was the dominant empire of the world, having successfully colonized South and Central America and stripped them of a fortune in gold and silver over the course of three centuries – from 1500 to 1800.
But despite this, decades of war with other European powers left Spain broke. Charles III did what leaders always do – he borrowed heavily and debased the currency. He issued fiat currency in the form of paper pesos and used this currency to fund the Spanish colony of Louisiana.
This was meant to be a temporary measure, but as time dragged on, the peso steadily lost value, then became utterly worthless.
Charles, with no economic wiggle-room left, sent the ship El Cazador to the Louisiana colony to pay off debts. Unfortunately, El Cazador sank in 1784 in a storm, taking 450,000 pesos in silver coins down with her.
When Carlos IV became king of Spain, there were few good options. Rather than give up his throne, he offered to sell Louisiana to France’s Napoleon.
Napoleon took advantage of Spain’s national fire sale and bought Louisiana for a song.
But as stated above, countries tend to rise and fall in cycles. In 1803, Napoleon found himself in similar straights, as his own warfare/debt condition was also reaching a desperate level.
Napoleon offered Louisiana to US President Thomas Jefferson, and like Napoleon, Mister Jefferson was able to pick up the one million square miles of prime real estate for a song – about three cents an acre.
So, to re-cap, the last-straw event that cost Carlos IV his empire was a simple shipwreck. The final event was minor. What really condemned Spain was warfare and debt.
The last-straw event that cost Napoleon his empire was the Battle of Waterloo. The final event was not the largest of battles. What really condemned France was warfare and debt.
Mister Jefferson was a far wiser man. Since the founding of the United States, he had continually warned against both warfare and debt. Although he twice dealt with war with Britain, he avoided military adventures – the invasion of other countries.
Similarly, he borrowed, but always judiciously and only with the ability for repayment.
Under his leadership, the US thrived and the American people reaped the benefits.
But of course, that was many micro cycles ago. The US is now at the end of its macro cycle, which can be evidenced by its involvement in what has become continual warfare. The US now invades several other countries in each presidential cycle, ensuring that, if any war winds down, there are others still steaming ahead. In recent years, the US has invaded Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Somalia and has “assisted”, or invaded by proxy, in a host of other invasions.
In addition, threats have been issued to North Korea, Turkey, Iran, Venezuela and others that, “Military action is not off the table,” as regards future military adventures. Political Class Dismis... Ostrowski, Mr. James Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $9.50 (as of 09:20 UTC - Details)
Along the way, warfare’s ugly twin – debt – has joined in. The US, once the world’s foremost creditor nation, is now both the world’s foremost aggressor nation and the world’s foremost debtor nation at the same time.
But the US has a problem that neither Spain nor France had in the nineteenth century. It has no colonies to peddle. The US certainly can’t offer up the Louisiana territory to other nations, to pay its unmanageable debt.
In one sense, the American people can rest easy that the US will not be selling off bits of real estate in a fire sale, when the notes come due. But unfortunately, that very fact means that the only other possible outcome – economic collapse – will occur.
At some point in the near future, America Inc. will almost certainly go bust.
But as always, the world will not come to an end. The assets and wealth of the world will simply change hands, as they have done since time immemorial.
The grand experiment that began in 1776 will come to an end, as all once-great nations do. The US will continue to exist, but as a shadow of its former self, in the manner of the failed empires before it.
When we look back, we may find that the final event that triggers collapse was in fact minor, but was the perennial “last straw.”
Reprinted with permission from International Man.


lewrockwell--2020-02-12--Is Pete Buttigieg the Israel Lobby Dem Choice?

Many Americans might consider it decidedly odd that the recent impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump also featured constant vilification of President Vladimir Putin , to such an extent that one might have though that the Russian leader was also in the dock awaiting sentencing .
The irony is , of course , that while “ Russian interference ” has virtually become a cliché , its actual impact on the 2016 election outcome was less than negligible .
Russia was cited seemingly incessantly by House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff , to include the always useful assertion that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over there [ in Ukraine ] we ’ ll have to fight them over here.
” Even more ridiculous , Schiff suggested that if Trump were to lose the presidential election later this year , he might well refuse to accept the result and could be supported by an invading Russian army .
Senator Charles Schumer of New York delivered one of the more astonishing pre-impeachment vote diatribes , tying Trump to foreign interests .
He said “ No greater subversion of our democracy than for foreign powers to determine or elections… My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our elections is a high crime .
Our Nation was founded on the idea of truth.
” Yet the same Schumer brazenly claimsthat he is the “ protector ” of Israel in the U.S. Senate , that his surname is derived from the Hebrew “ shomer ” which means “ guardian.
” Strangely , the country that , acting directly and through proxies like Schumer , does regularly and openly interfere in American politics and elections is Israel , but it was not mentioned at all in the hours of testimony in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s partiality towards the Jewish state has done more actual damage to genuine U.S. interests than the Kremlin was ever able to do .
One would have thought Israel and its kleptocratic leader Benjamin Netanyahu would have deserved at least a nod from Congress .
Political Class Dismis ... Mr. James Ostrowski Best Price : $ 2.00 Buy New $ 10.00 Indeed , Israel has been involved in American politics before , even if it is predictably never held accountable , and it has been suggested that Russiagate was really Israelgate based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2016 election , when Trump National Security Adviser designate Michael Flynn called Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak .
The call was made at the direction of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner , who , in turn , had been approached by Netanyahu , who not coincidentally is a family friend of the Kushners .
Netanyahu had learned that the Obama Administration was going to abstain on a United Nations vote condemning the Israeli settlements policy , meaning that for the first time in years a U.N. resolution critical of Israel would pass without drawing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Netanyahu , asked Flynn to contact each delegate from the various countries on the Security Council to delay or kill the resolution .
Flynn agreed to do so , which included the call to the Russians .
Kislyak took the call but did not agree to veto Security Council Resolution 2334 , which passed unanimously on December 23rd .
What exactly did Kushner seek from Flynn ?
He asked the soon-to-be National Security Adviser to get the Russians to undermine and subvert what was being done by the still-in-power American government in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In legal terms this does not quite equate to the Constitution ’ s definition of treason since Israel is not technically an enemy , but it most certainly could be construed as covered by the “ conspiracy against the United States ” statute that Special Counsel Robert Mueller exploited in his investigations .
Currently , Israel may just turn out to be part of last week ’ s story of the astonishingly inept Democratic Party caucus in the state of Iowa .
Award winning investigative journalist Max Blumenthal has provided the back story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expedite Iowa ’ s voting but which instead delayed the reporting of the results for nearly a week .
It now appears that the app might be part of an operation being funded by Jewish billionaires with close ties to right wing Israeli settler groups who are opposed to Senator Bernie Sanders and supporting Mayor Peter Buttigieg .
The failed app that caused the problem was developed by a company called Shadow Inc. , which was staffed by former Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters and funded by billionaire Seth Klarman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pete Buttigieg ’ s campaign and also has been linked to former and current senior members of the intelligence community .
The Iowa Democratic Committee reported that the software that included the app was paid for by the Buttigieg campaign , “ Pete for America Inc. ” Klarman is a deeply committed hard line Zionist .
Blumenthal described in a separate article how “ Klarman has been a top funder for major Israel lobby outfits , including those that support the expansion of illegal settlements and Islamophobic campaigns .
Klarman was the principal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently disbanded Israeli government-linked propaganda organization that lobbied against the Iran nuclear deal and backed the Israeli settlement enterprise .
Klarman has heaped hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Middle East Media Research Institute ( MEMRI ) and the American Jewish Committee .
And he funded The David Project , which was established to suppress Palestine solidarity organizing on college campuses across the U.S. and battled to block the establishment of a Muslim community center in Boston.
” Klarman also financially supports major Israeli lobbying and disinformation organizations to include AIPAC-founded Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and the anti-Iranian neocon think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies ( FDD .
Blumenthal also reports that Klarman owns the Times of Israel , which once called for Palestinian genocide .
The delay in the Iowa results just might have been deliberate , possibly caused by the Shadow app .
The New York Times review of the caucus results concluded that they were “ riddled with errors and inconsistencies , ” with tallies that are “ internally inconsistent , that were missing data or that were not possible under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In some cases , vote tallies do not add up .
In others , precincts are shown allotting the wrong number of delegates to certain candidates .
And in at least a few cases , the Iowa Democratic Party ’ s reported results do not match those reported by the precincts.
” Apart from possible fraud or even a hack , Senator Bernie Sanders , who appeared to be heading for a win , found that the inconclusive and even disputed result denied him momentum and a victory speech heading towards this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It also allowed Buttigieg to preemptively declare a predicted win on twitter even before any votes had been counted : “ By all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious .
# IowaCaucuses.
” And it is possible that worse is to come as the Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) head Tom Perez is tweeting his intention to “ recanvass , ” which would mean a complete review of all work sheets and might even require new voting .
It could conceivably cost Bernie a win .
Sounds a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t it ?
It is , in fact , remarkable the extent to which Buttigieg has hardened his line supporting Israel .
He has abandoned his commitment made last June that he would withhold aid from Israel if it were to seek to annex more of the West Bank , saying then that “ If Prime Minister Netanyahu makes good on his threat to annex West Bank settlements , he should know that a President Buttigieg would take steps to ensure that American taxpayers won ’ t help foot the bill.
” Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October “ I think that the aid is leverage to guide Israel in the right direction…that our policy goal will be to do what you do when a friend is moving in a way that you ’ re worried about , which is to put your arm around them and guide them somewhere better.
” Presidential aspirant Pete Buttigieg is not saying that any more .
Mondoweissreports an exchange he had in a speaking engagement in Iowa on January 29th with IfNotNow organizer Elias Newman : Newman : …recently I was happy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happens that you ’ ll make sure the U.S. doesn ’ t foot the bill .
So , I wanted to know…now that annexation is happening in full force , are you ready to commit ?
Are you ready to commit , to make sure the U.S. doesn ’ t send a blank check to Israel ?
Buttigieg : The U.S. can not be promoting annexation , like it is under this president .
By the way , I am not talking about withdrawing aid or withdrawing our support from Israel– Newman : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good on your commitment– Buttigieg : Well , if you ’ re asking me to commit to withdrawing American support for Israel , the answer is no .
Newman : I asked you a ‘ yes ’ or ‘ no ’ question….are you committed ‘ yes ’ or ‘ no ’ , to withdrawing aid for the occupation Buttigieg : I stand by what I said about this .
Newman : What , just now or a couple months ago ?
Buttigieg : So , if you ’ re asking me in light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would withdraw aid from Israel ?
The answer is no .
Swords Into Plowshares ... Ron Paul Best Price : $ 2.70 Buy New $ 9.27 In short , Buttigieg is a manufactured corporate candidate who is little more than an empty suit , having no core values whatsoever apart from seeking to become the first gay president .
The Establishment is comfortable with him and he is good-looking , seemingly affable and articulate , though he suffers from an unpronounceable surname .
He has now checked the box making him acceptable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestic lobby , which have always been suspicious of Trump even as he gives them gift after gift .
Being Israel-friendly is also a must with the mainstream media .
But perhaps the more important question must be related to the actual extent of Buttigieg ’ s possible involvement in another DNC/Clinton inspired and Israel-supporter financed scheme to stop Bernie Sanders .
There are indications that Zionist attack ads directed against Sanders have already been and will continue to be surfacing .
No one is seemingly asking , for example , whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hacking , might have actually been able to change the vote totals without leaving an electronic footprint ?
Or was it designed to fail , casting doubts on the caucus result , which would most hurt a surging Sanders ?
Someone should ask Pete if we “ have seen the last of anything like the app that he and his apparent paymasters unleashed in Iowa to subvert the electoral process ?
” Stay tuned .
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review .
The Best of Philip Giraldi

Many Americans might consider it decidedly odd that the recent impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump also featured constant vilification of President Vladimir Putin, to such an extent that one might have though that the Russian leader was also in the dock awaiting sentencing. The irony is, of course, that while “Russian interference” has virtually become a cliché, its actual impact on the 2016 election outcome was less than negligible.
Russia was cited seemingly incessantly by House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, to include the always useful assertion that “if we don’t fight them over there [in Ukraine] we’ll have to fight them over here.” Even more ridiculous, Schiff suggested that if Trump were to lose the presidential election later this year, he might well refuse to accept the result and could be supported by an invading Russian army.
Senator Charles Schumer of New York delivered one of the more astonishing pre-impeachment vote diatribes, tying Trump to foreign interests. He said “No greater subversion of our democracy than for foreign powers to determine or elections… My fellow Americans, asking for foreign interference in our elections is a high crime. Our Nation was founded on the idea of truth.” Yet the same Schumer brazenly claimsthat he is the “protector” of Israel in the U.S. Senate, that his surname is derived from the Hebrew “shomer” which means “guardian.”
Strangely, the country that, acting directly and through proxies like Schumer, does regularly and openly interfere in American politics and elections is Israel, but it was not mentioned at all in the hours of testimony in spite of the fact that Trump’s partiality towards the Jewish state has done more actual damage to genuine U.S. interests than the Kremlin was ever able to do. One would have thought Israel and its kleptocratic leader Benjamin Netanyahu would have deserved at least a nod from Congress. Political Class Dismis... Ostrowski, Mr. James Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $9.50 (as of 09:20 UTC - Details)
Indeed, Israel has been involved in American politics before, even if it is predictably never held accountable, and it has been suggested that Russiagate was really Israelgate based on what actually took place when shortly after the 2016 election, when Trump National Security Adviser designate Michael Flynn called Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The call was made at the direction of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, who, in turn, had been approached by Netanyahu, who not coincidentally is a family friend of the Kushners.
Netanyahu had learned that the Obama Administration was going to abstain on a United Nations vote condemning the Israeli settlements policy, meaning that for the first time in years a U.N. resolution critical of Israel would pass without drawing a U.S. veto. Kushner, acting for Netanyahu, asked Flynn to contact each delegate from the various countries on the Security Council to delay or kill the resolution. Flynn agreed to do so, which included the call to the Russians. Kislyak took the call but did not agree to veto Security Council Resolution 2334, which passed unanimously on December 23rd.
What exactly did Kushner seek from Flynn? He asked the soon-to-be National Security Adviser to get the Russians to undermine and subvert what was being done by the still-in-power American government in Washington headed by President Barack Obama. In legal terms this does not quite equate to the Constitution’s definition of treason since Israel is not technically an enemy, but it most certainly could be construed as covered by the “conspiracy against the United States” statute that Special Counsel Robert Mueller exploited in his investigations.
Currently, Israel may just turn out to be part of last week’s story of the astonishingly inept Democratic Party caucus in the state of Iowa. Award winning investigative journalist Max Blumenthal has provided the back story relating to the app that was developed to expedite Iowa’s voting but which instead delayed the reporting of the results for nearly a week. It now appears that the app might be part of an operation being funded by Jewish billionaires with close ties to right wing Israeli settler groups who are opposed to Senator Bernie Sanders and supporting Mayor Peter Buttigieg. The failed app that caused the problem was developed by a company called Shadow Inc., which was staffed by former Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters and funded by billionaire Seth Klarman, who also is a major contributor to Pete Buttigieg’s campaign and also has been linked to former and current senior members of the intelligence community. The Iowa Democratic Committee reported that the software that included the app was paid for by the Buttigieg campaign, “Pete for America Inc.”
Klarman is a deeply committed hard line Zionist. Blumenthal described in a separate article how “Klarman has been a top funder for major Israel lobby outfits, including those that support the expansion of illegal settlements and Islamophobic campaigns. Klarman was the principal financier of The Israel Project, the recently disbanded Israeli government-linked propaganda organization that lobbied against the Iran nuclear deal and backed the Israeli settlement enterprise. Klarman has heaped hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and the American Jewish Committee. And he funded The David Project, which was established to suppress Palestine solidarity organizing on college campuses across the U.S. and battled to block the establishment of a Muslim community center in Boston.”
Klarman also financially supports major Israeli lobbying and disinformation organizations to include AIPAC-founded Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) and the anti-Iranian neocon think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD. Blumenthal also reports that Klarman owns the Times of Israel, which once called for Palestinian genocide.
The delay in the Iowa results just might have been deliberate, possibly caused by the Shadow app. The New York Times review of the caucus results concluded that they were “riddled with errors and inconsistencies,” with tallies that are “internally inconsistent, that were missing data or that were not possible under the complex rules of the Iowa caucuses. In some cases, vote tallies do not add up. In others, precincts are shown allotting the wrong number of delegates to certain candidates. And in at least a few cases, the Iowa Democratic Party’s reported results do not match those reported by the precincts.”
Apart from possible fraud or even a hack, Senator Bernie Sanders, who appeared to be heading for a win, found that the inconclusive and even disputed result denied him momentum and a victory speech heading towards this week’s primary in New Hampshire. It also allowed Buttigieg to preemptively declare a predicted win on twitter even before any votes had been counted: “By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious. #IowaCaucuses.” And it is possible that worse is to come as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) head Tom Perez is tweeting his intention to “recanvass,” which would mean a complete review of all work sheets and might even require new voting. It could conceivably cost Bernie a win. Sounds a bit like a conspiracy, doesn’t it?
It is, in fact, remarkable the extent to which Buttigieg has hardened his line supporting Israel. He has abandoned his commitment made last June that he would withhold aid from Israel if it were to seek to annex more of the West Bank, saying then that “If Prime Minister Netanyahu makes good on his threat to annex West Bank settlements, he should know that a President Buttigieg would take steps to ensure that American taxpayers won’t help foot the bill.”
Buttigieg also is on record as having said in October “I think that the aid is leverage to guide Israel in the right direction…that our policy goal will be to do what you do when a friend is moving in a way that you’re worried about, which is to put your arm around them and guide them somewhere better.”
Presidential aspirant Pete Buttigieg is not saying that any more. Mondoweissreports an exchange he had in a speaking engagement in Iowa on January 29th with IfNotNow organizer Elias Newman:
Newman: …recently I was happy to see that you said if annexation happens that you’ll make sure the U.S. doesn’t foot the bill. So, I wanted to know…now that annexation is happening in full force, are you ready to commit? Are you ready to commit, to make sure the U.S. doesn’t send a blank check to Israel? Buttigieg: The U.S. cannot be promoting annexation, like it is under this president. By the way, I am not talking about withdrawing aid or withdrawing our support from Israel– Newman: You’re not willing to make good on your commitment– Buttigieg: Well, if you’re asking me to commit to withdrawing American support for Israel, the answer is no. Newman: I asked you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question….are you committed ‘yes’ or ‘no’, to withdrawing aid for the occupation Buttigieg: I stand by what I said about this. Newman: What, just now or a couple months ago? Buttigieg: So, if you’re asking me in light of the president’s proposal, I would withdraw aid from Israel? The answer is no.
Swords Into Plowshares... Paul, Ron Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $15.99 (as of 11:36 UTC - Details) In short, Buttigieg is a manufactured corporate candidate who is little more than an empty suit, having no core values whatsoever apart from seeking to become the first gay president. The Establishment is comfortable with him and he is good-looking, seemingly affable and articulate, though he suffers from an unpronounceable surname. He has now checked the box making him acceptable to the Israeli government and its powerful domestic lobby, which have always been suspicious of Trump even as he gives them gift after gift. Being Israel-friendly is also a must with the mainstream media.
But perhaps the more important question must be related to the actual extent of Buttigieg’s possible involvement in another DNC/Clinton inspired and Israel-supporter financed scheme to stop Bernie Sanders. There are indications that Zionist attack ads directed against Sanders have already been and will continue to be surfacing. No one is seemingly asking, for example, whether the Shadow Inc. app, which was vulnerable to hacking, might have actually been able to change the vote totals without leaving an electronic footprint? Or was it designed to fail, casting doubts on the caucus result, which would most hurt a surging Sanders? Someone should ask Pete if we “have seen the last of anything like the app that he and his apparent paymasters unleashed in Iowa to subvert the electoral process?” Stay tuned.
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review.
The Best of Philip Giraldi


lewrockwell--2020-02-12--‘I Live On a Different Planet’

‘I Live On a Different Planet’

This is how Egon started his keynote presentation at the Gold Symposium in Sydney .
He said this in reply to the CEO of the Perth Mint who in his opening speech had declared that anyone who recommends more than 5-10 % in gold lives on a different planet .
In this interview with Shae Russell of Rock Stock Insider , Egon explains why he already back in 2002 considered that to hold up to 50 % of financial assets in physical gold was motivated .
“ I have never been a believer in conventional wisdom declares Egon .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” It is all about protecting against risk .
“ You must protect the downside .
The upside takes care of itself.
” Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 10.00 Debt has doubled since 2006 and risk has gone up exponentially since 2002 , Egon now considers that a 50 % allocation is low .
Egon explains how Global Debt and liabilities have now reached over $ 2 quadrillion including the derivative market which is likely to blow up .
This will necessitate massive money printing , leading to hyperinflation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fake asset values wich will one day implode as the debt implodes .
Property and stocks are likely to go down 90-95 % against gold .
The Best of Egon von Greyerz

This is how Egon started his keynote presentation at the Gold Symposium in Sydney. He said this in reply to the CEO of the Perth Mint who in his opening speech had declared that anyone who recommends more than 5-10% in gold lives on a different planet.
In this interview with Shae Russell of Rock Stock Insider, Egon explains why he already back in 2002 considered that to hold up to 50% of financial assets in physical gold was motivated.
“I have never been a believer in conventional wisdom declares Egon. Because it is only conventional without any wisdom.”
It is all about protecting against risk. “You must protect the downside. The upside takes care of itself.”
Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details) Debt has doubled since 2006 and risk has gone up exponentially since 2002, Egon now considers that a 50% allocation is low.
Egon explains how Global Debt and liabilities have now reached over $2 quadrillion including the derivative market which is likely to blow up.
This will necessitate massive money printing, leading to hyperinflation.
Printing fake and worthless money will lead to fake asset values wich will one day implode as the debt implodes.
Property and stocks are likely to go down 90-95% against gold.

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The Best of Egon von Greyerz