lewrockwell--2020-07-31--The Common Cold May Trigger a Positive COVID-19 Antibody Test

Right now , there are three types of COVID-19 tests:1 • Molecular — Also known as a PCR ( polymerase chain reaction ) test , this test detects whether genetic material of the virus is present in the sample collected from your throat or sputum ( the back of your sinuses ) • Antigen — This test , sometimes referred to as “ rapid test , ” detects viral proteins • Antibody — Also known as a serology test , it detects the presence of antibodies in your blood The first two , molecular and antigen , are so-called “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whereas the antibody test will tell you if you ’ ve developed antibodies in response to a previous coronavirus infection .
It typically takes your body one to three weeks after an infection clears to start making antibodies against the virus in question .
Each of these COVID-19 tests have their issues and controversies .
The problem with antibody testing is that there are seven different coronaviruses known to cause respiratory illness in humans.2 Four of them cause symptoms associated with the common cold : In addition to the common cold , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most commonly encountered betacoronaviruses3 — are also known to cause bronchitis , acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia in all age groups.4 The other three human coronaviruses — which are capable of causing more serious respiratory illness — are : The tricky part is that the antibodies created by these different coronaviruses appear very similar , and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admits recovering from the common cold can trigger a positive antibody test for COVID-19 , even if you were never infected with SARS-CoV-2 specifically .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Test for Past Infection ” web page:5 Unclear if Cross-Reactive Antibody Tests Are Still Being Used In a July 10 , 2020 , interview with KTTC news , Mayo Clinic chair of clinical microbiology , Dr. Bobbi Pritt , said:6 While experts at the Mayo Clinic claim these cross-reactive antibody tests were an early problem that has since been corrected and eliminated , the CDC does not confirm or deny the accuracy of this statement on its “ Test for Past Infection ” web page.7 So , it ’ s unclear whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still capable of delivering a positive result if you were recently exposed and recovered from the common cold virus .
Back on April 29 , 2020 , infectious disease specialist and CNN medical analyst Dr. Kent Sepkowitz noted that “ deciphering between the common cold antibody and the COVID-19 antibody is a real challenge scientifically , ” 8 but that doesn ’ t mean it can not or hasn ’ t been done .
On a side note , labs are now reporting a shortage of chemicals and disposable pipette tips required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer wait times — again .
As Scott Shone , director of the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health , told The New York Times,9,10 July 23 , 2020 , “ It ’ s like Groundhog Day .
I feel like I lived this day four or five months ago , ” referring back to the early days of the pandemic when test supplies were in short supply .
Some Coronaviruses May Impart Resilience Against COVID-19 While the CDC warns it ’ s still uncertain whether COVID-19 antibodies prevents reinfection , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , researchers in Singapore have presented evidence11,12,13 suggesting the immunity is likely to be long-lasting .
They discovered common colds caused by the betacoronaviruses OC43 and HKU1 appear to make you more resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection , and that the resulting immunity might last as long as 17 years .
The authors suggest that if you ’ ve beat a common cold caused by a OC43 or HKU1 betacoronavirus in the past , you may have a 50/50 chance of having defensive T-cells that can recognize and help defend against SARS-CoV-2 .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the researchers , their findings demonstrate that:15 Added support for these conclusions were published May 14 , 2020 , in the journal Cell .
This study16 found that not only did 70 % of samples obtained from recovered COVID-19 patients have resistance to SARS-CoV-2 on the T-cell level but so did 40 % to 60 % of people who had not been exposed to the virus .
According to the authors , this suggests there ’ s “ cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating ‘ common cold ’ coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dry , though .
Other research , which looked at antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients in Germany , found they lost their antibodies after two to three months .
However , it is important to realize that loss of the ability to determine antibody levels may not necessarily reflect lack of immune protection , as there may be innate cell mediated immunity that provides protection that is not being measured by the humoral antibody production .
Will COVID-19 Behave Like the Common Cold ?
If reinfection is possible , then COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seasonal influenza , which can strike more than once — if not in a single season , then certainly in any given year .
If that ’ s the case , then “ immunity passports ” and most other COVID-19 interventions , such as school closings and business shutdowns , become even more questionable than they already are .
If SARS-CoV-2 ends up behaving like other human coronaviruses that cause the common cold , immunity may only last six to 12 months , a European study18 says .
Here , they did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather , antibodies against the other four coronaviruses that cause the common cold , none of which were long-lasting .
According to BGR , which reported the findings:19 Is Herd Immunity Against COVID-19 Possible ?
The issue of reinfection also raises questions about whether herd immunity is ever going to be possible .
Studies cited by The Daily Mail20 claim herd immunity against COVID-19 could be achieved if just 10 % to 43 % of people develop lasting immunity .
This is a far cry from the percentages typically required for vaccine-induced “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a misnomer , as vaccine-induced immunity doesn ’ t work like natural immunity , and herd immunity is really only achieved when enough people recover from the illness in question ) .
According to The Daily Mail:21 Optimizing Vitamin D May Be Your Best Bet Considering the many questions surrounding the possibility of reinfection and herd immunity , I believe one of your best bets is to address an underlying weakness that can have a significant impact on your COVID-19 risk , namely vitamin D insufficiency .
Rather than waiting for a likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimizing your vitamin D level .
You can learn more about this in “ The Most Important Paper Dr. Mercola Has Ever Written ” and “ How to Fix the COVID-19 Crisis in 30 Days.
” Also start working on reversing any underlying comorbidities such as insulin resistance and obesity .
When Should You Get Tested ?
As for testing , I do not recommend getting a viral test ( which checks for active infection ) unless you have COVID-19 symptoms and need it to guide your treatment .
Swabbing the back of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and can actually introduce an infection or , some speculate , even some more nefarious agents .
Getting tested just for the heck of it doesn ’ t really make sense .
Even if you test negative , you can get infected at any point after leaving the test site .
If you have to get tested in order to travel or return to work , an antibody test may be more appropriate .
Even if your antibodies wane with time , you ’ re still going to be immune for a while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms .
If you have symptoms suggestive of coronavirus infection , then my best recommendation is to start nebulizing food grade hydrogen peroxide at 0.1 % as suggested in the video below and discussed in my article on the topic .
I would also make sure that your vitamin D levels are adequate , as discussed in my paper on the topic .
If you don ’ t know your vitamin D level and have not been in the sun or taken over 5,000 units of vitamin D a day , it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 100,000 units , and make sure you are taking plenty of magnesium , which helps convert the vitamin D to its active immune modulating form .
Another great option that is less expensive , easier to get and likely more effective than hydroxychloroquine , would be quercetin with zinc as discussed in my recent article on the subject .
The Best of Joseph Mercola

Right now, there are three types of COVID-19 tests:1
Molecular — Also known as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, this test detects whether genetic material of the virus is present in the sample collected from your throat or sputum (the back of your sinuses)
Antigen — This test, sometimes referred to as “rapid test,” detects viral proteins
Antibody — Also known as a serology test, it detects the presence of antibodies in your blood
The first two, molecular and antigen, are so-called “viral tests” that detect active infections, whereas the antibody test will tell you if you’ve developed antibodies in response to a previous coronavirus infection. It typically takes your body one to three weeks after an infection clears to start making antibodies against the virus in question.
Common Cold Can Trigger Positive COVID-19 Antibody Test
Each of these COVID-19 tests have their issues and controversies. The problem with antibody testing is that there are seven different coronaviruses known to cause respiratory illness in humans.2 Four of them cause symptoms associated with the common cold:
229E
NL63
OC43
HKU1
In addition to the common cold, OC43 and HKU1 — two of the most commonly encountered betacoronaviruses3 — are also known to cause bronchitis, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia in all age groups.4 The other three human coronaviruses — which are capable of causing more serious respiratory illness — are:
SARS-CoV
MERS-CoV
SARS-CoV-2
The tricky part is that the antibodies created by these different coronaviruses appear very similar, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admits recovering from the common cold can trigger a positive antibody test for COVID-19, even if you were never infected with SARS-CoV-2 specifically. As explained on the CDC’s “Test for Past Infection” web page:5
“Antibody tests check your blood by looking for antibodies, which may tell you if you had a past infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections and can provide protection against getting that disease again (immunity). Antibodies are disease specific …
A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold.”
Unclear if Cross-Reactive Antibody Tests Are Still Being Used
In a July 10, 2020, interview with KTTC news, Mayo Clinic chair of clinical microbiology, Dr. Bobbi Pritt, said:6
“Early on we had labs using tests that have not received that [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] review and some of those tests … may have given you a false positive and detected the normal coronavirus that circulates and causes the common cold. I would say the vast majority have been extensively tested to show that they do not cross react and give you false positives due to the common cold [anymore].”
While experts at the Mayo Clinic claim these cross-reactive antibody tests were an early problem that has since been corrected and eliminated, the CDC does not confirm or deny the accuracy of this statement on its “Test for Past Infection” web page.7
So, it’s unclear whether the antibody tests manufactured and used today are still capable of delivering a positive result if you were recently exposed and recovered from the common cold virus.
Back on April 29, 2020, infectious disease specialist and CNN medical analyst Dr. Kent Sepkowitz noted that “deciphering between the common cold antibody and the COVID-19 antibody is a real challenge scientifically,”8 but that doesn’t mean it cannot or hasn’t been done.
On a side note, labs are now reporting a shortage of chemicals and disposable pipette tips required to perform COVID-19 tests, which means longer wait times — again. As Scott Shone, director of the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, told The New York Times,9,10 July 23, 2020, “It’s like Groundhog Day. I feel like I lived this day four or five months ago,” referring back to the early days of the pandemic when test supplies were in short supply.
Some Coronaviruses May Impart Resilience Against COVID-19
While the CDC warns it’s still uncertain whether COVID-19 antibodies prevents reinfection, or if it does, for how long, researchers in Singapore have presented evidence11,12,13 suggesting the immunity is likely to be long-lasting.
They discovered common colds caused by the betacoronaviruses OC43 and HKU1 appear to make you more resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and that the resulting immunity might last as long as 17 years.
The authors suggest that if you’ve beat a common cold caused by a OC43 or HKU1 betacoronavirus in the past, you may have a 50/50 chance of having defensive T-cells that can recognize and help defend against SARS-CoV-2. As reported by the Daily Mail:14
“Scientists have found evidence that some immunity may be present for many years due to the body’s ‘memory’ T-cells from attacks by previous viruses with a similar genetic make-up — even among people who have had no known exposure to Covid-19 or SARS …
Blood was taken from 24 patients who had recovered from COVID-19, 23 who had become ill from SARS and 18 who had never been exposed to either SARS or COVID-19 …
Half of patients in the group with no exposure to either Covid-19 or SARS possessed T-cells which showed immune response to the animal betacoronaviruses, COVID-19 and SARS. This suggested patients’ immunity developed after exposure to common colds caused by betacoronavirus or possibly from other as yet unknown pathogens.”
According to the researchers, their findings demonstrate that:15
“Virus-specific memory T-cells induced by betacoronavirus infection are long-lasting, which supports the notion that COVID-19 patients would develop long-term T-cell immunity. Our findings also raise the intriguing possibility that infection with related viruses can also protect from or modify the pathology caused by SARS-Cov-2.”
Added support for these conclusions were published May 14, 2020, in the journal Cell. This study16 found that not only did 70% of samples obtained from recovered COVID-19 patients have resistance to SARS-CoV-2 on the T-cell level but so did 40% to 60% of people who had not been exposed to the virus. According to the authors, this suggests there’s “cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating ‘common cold’ coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.”
Other Researchers Report Low Immunity Post-Recovery
The immunity issue isn’t entirely cut and dry, though. Other research, which looked at antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients in Germany, found they lost their antibodies after two to three months.
“Clemens Wendtner, a chief physician at the hospital, tested COVID-19 patients for immunity after they had been treated for the disease at the end of January 2020. The tests showed a significant decrease in the number of antibodies,” DW reported in a July 14, 2020, article.17
“Wendtner says ‘neutralizing’ antibodies, which stop a viral attack, fell in four out of nine of the patients who were tested, within two to three months. Those findings coincide with a similar investigation done in China.
That study also found that antibodies in COVID-19 patients do not persist in the blood. Further research is still required. But these initial findings suggest that a second infection is possible …”
However, it is important to realize that loss of the ability to determine antibody levels may not necessarily reflect lack of immune protection, as there may be innate cell mediated immunity that provides protection that is not being measured by the humoral antibody production.
Will COVID-19 Behave Like the Common Cold?
If reinfection is possible, then COVID-19 would behave much like the common cold and seasonal influenza, which can strike more than once — if not in a single season, then certainly in any given year. If that’s the case, then “immunity passports” and most other COVID-19 interventions, such as school closings and business shutdowns, become even more questionable than they already are.
If the novel coronavirus behaves like common cold viruses, then talk of “immunity passports” and herd immunization is pointless.
If SARS-CoV-2 ends up behaving like other human coronaviruses that cause the common cold, immunity may only last six to 12 months, a European study18 says. Here, they did not look at SARS-CoV-2 antibodies but, rather, antibodies against the other four coronaviruses that cause the common cold, none of which were long-lasting. According to BGR, which reported the findings:19
“‘Frequent reinfections at 12 months post-infection and substantial reduction in antibody levels as soon as 6 months post-infection’ were observed for those viruses.
If the novel coronavirus behaves the same way, then talk of ‘immunity passports’ and herd immunization is pointless. A person who recovered from COVID-19 could get it again in six to 12 months without another vaccine shot …
The researchers note that the human coronaviruses are ‘biologically dissimilar’ and ‘have little in common, apart from causing the common cold.’ But SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t have to be similar to any of them to follow the same immunity pattern.”
Is Herd Immunity Against COVID-19 Possible?
The issue of reinfection also raises questions about whether herd immunity is ever going to be possible. Studies cited by The Daily Mail20 claim herd immunity against COVID-19 could be achieved if just 10% to 43% of people develop lasting immunity.
This is a far cry from the percentages typically required for vaccine-induced “herd immunity” (which is really a misnomer, as vaccine-induced immunity doesn’t work like natural immunity, and herd immunity is really only achieved when enough people recover from the illness in question). According to The Daily Mail:21
“The concept of herd immunity hinges on people only being affected once, so that when a certain number of people have been infected with the virus already it can’t spread any more.
It remains a mystery as to whether this is the case for COVID-19 but, if it is, then herd immunity could offer some protection during a second wave of the disease …
Researchers now say it could work to some extent if only one or two out of 10 people have been infected naturally and become immune to the disease … Another study has taken a similar line and suggested herd immunity could develop at around 43 percent of the population getting infected … Immunity among the most socially active people, scientists say, could protect those who come into contact with fewer others.”
Optimizing Vitamin D May Be Your Best Bet
Considering the many questions surrounding the possibility of reinfection and herd immunity, I believe one of your best bets is to address an underlying weakness that can have a significant impact on your COVID-19 risk, namely vitamin D insufficiency.
Rather than waiting for a likely harmful vaccine, get proactive and start optimizing your vitamin D level. You can learn more about this in “The Most Important Paper Dr. Mercola Has Ever Written” and “How to Fix the COVID-19 Crisis in 30 Days.” Also start working on reversing any underlying comorbidities such as insulin resistance and obesity.
When Should You Get Tested?
As for testing, I do not recommend getting a viral test (which checks for active infection) unless you have COVID-19 symptoms and need it to guide your treatment. Swabbing the back of your nasal cavity has its risks, and can actually introduce an infection or, some speculate, even some more nefarious agents.
Getting tested just for the heck of it doesn’t really make sense. Even if you test negative, you can get infected at any point after leaving the test site. If you have to get tested in order to travel or return to work, an antibody test may be more appropriate. Even if your antibodies wane with time, you’re still going to be immune for a while.
The best test are your clinical symptoms. If you have symptoms suggestive of coronavirus infection, then my best recommendation is to start nebulizing food grade hydrogen peroxide at 0.1% as suggested in the video below and discussed in my article on the topic.
I would also make sure that your vitamin D levels are adequate, as discussed in my paper on the topic. If you don’t know your vitamin D level and have not been in the sun or taken over 5,000 units of vitamin D a day, it would likely help to take one bolus dose of 100,000 units, and make sure you are taking plenty of magnesium, which helps convert the vitamin D to its active immune modulating form.
Another great option that is less expensive, easier to get and likely more effective than hydroxychloroquine, would be quercetin with zinc as discussed in my recent article on the subject.

Sources and References
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola


lewrockwell--2020-08-01--Lockdown Lunacy: Your Government-Ordered Depression Has Arrived

Well , the Virus Patrol sure has done it .
In a fit of reckless overkill they have managed to vaporize six years of economic growth during the last 90 days .
And that ’ s just by the mechanical reckoning of the GDP accounts , where total output in Q2 weighed in at essentially the same level as Q4 2014 .
The real damage is far deeper , however , and is reflected in millions of small businesses permanently destroyed , tens of millions of households wiped-out financially and the vicious daisy chain of delinquencies , deferrals and defaults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 78 trillion edifice of debt which entombs the US economy .
Of course , most of the Wall Street talking heads were nonplussed by this morning ’ s release because , well , Q2 results are claimed to be ancient history : Reality is purportedly the “ V ” -shaped recovery on their spreadsheets , which really can ’ t fail to happen because it ’ s always two quarters out regardless of conditions at the moment .
The Anti-Demographic C ... Blessings , Joe Buy New $ 5.99 So let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an economic catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen before , even during the Great Depression of the 1930s .
In fact , the worst annual decline back then was a 14.8 % drop in 1932 , while the entire peak-to-trough real GDP decline between 1929 and the 1933 bottom was 30.5 % .
So it would be fair to say that measured at an annualized rate , the idiotic Dr. Fauci and his Virus Patrol have now delivered a 32.9 % GDP plunge , which single-handedly tops the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , the Q2 result also leaves the recessionary drops since 1950 way back in the dust .
Even the auto industry induced plunge of Q1 1958 didn ’ t make the double-digit threshold .
It clocked in at a 9.986 % annualized decline or less than one-third of today ’ s cliff dive .
What was especially notable , however , was the vaporization of personal consumption spending on services , which ordinarily accounts for upwards of 70 percent of total PCE ; and which is also ballyhooed by the paint-by-the-numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps GDP moving ever higher .
Not this time !
The Great Depression David A. Shannon Best Price : $ 4.95 Buy New $ 20.00 Services spending literally fell through the trapdoor , contracting at a 43.4 % annualized rate .
That compares with the 11 recessions since 1950 where real spending on services never went negative , save for the pinprick decline of -1.6 % annualized during the Q1 2009 bottom of the Great Recession .
By every account , the economic plunge in the winter of 2008-2009 was the worst since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department reported a PCE-services drop that was 28X deeper !
Our purpose here is not to marshal scary numbers , even as they surely are .
Rather , our point is that what is coursing through the Q2 numbers is not anything that resembles a normal chain-of-reactions macroeconomic cycle .
For instance , where job losses cascade through to shrinking incomes , thereby causing consumer confidence and spending wherewithal to diminish and household spending to be curtailed .
To the contrary , what is depicted below is essentially economic marshal law .
Agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bars , hair salons , gyms , movies , dentist offices , theme parks , sporting events etc .
to close or operate at drastically reduced capacity , which meant , in turn , that day-in-and-day out commerce and economic output vanished instantly .
Stated differently , this 43 % plunge in services spending didn ’ t happen for the ordinary reason that people were short on cash .
As we show below , personal income during the quarter – thanks to the massive flow of free stuff from Washington ( aka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a record level !
Consequently , there will be no rebound in the plunging red line below no matter how much fiscal and monetary “ stimulus ” Washington pumps into the main street economy .
The services sector accounts for nearly 66 % of total PCE , which , in turn , accounts for 68 % of measured GDP .
So the latter will not recover until the Virus Patrol gets its foot off the neck of what we call the social congregation activities of daily economic life ; and also until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fanning the false claim that the Covid is the equivalent of the Black Plague , thereby causing people to voluntarily quarantine out of misplaced fear .
Of course , you don ’ t have to listen to Dr. Fauci and the Scarf Lady for long – yes , they have not yet been locked up in padded cells where they belong – to realize that the Virus Patrol is on a once-in-a lifetime power trip .
In ultra-busy body/Nanny State fashion they are virtually regimenting the comings and goings of a $ 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US economy on indefinite idle waiting for the vaccines and antivirals from their allies in Big Pharma and the Gates Complex to ride to the ( mandatory ) rescue .
We don ’ t expect the Virus Patrol to be put out of business any time soon because the Donald is too confused and weak to shut them down .
Moreover , if he keeps shooting himself in the kneecaps via tweets like today ’ s “ lets-postpone-the-election ” numbskullery , he will guarantee an even worse scenario : Namely , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propped-up behind the Resolute Desk for daily Oval Office photo ops , the left-wing health Nazis who surround him will really go to town on Lockdown Nation .
Nor is that any kind of unhinged trashing of the camarilla of out-and-out statists who will form the core of the Biden Administration .
The fact is , the Donald ’ s malpacticing doctors , the MSM and the Blue State mayors and governors have now unleashed a full-on public hysteria that is self-fueling .
When Money Dies : The N ... Adam Fergusson Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10.08 It is now transforming ordinary sheeples into obedient and unquestioning brown-shirts .
Even in the purportedly enlightened , socialist republic of Aspen , where we are sheltering for the duration , we see them “ mask-up ” even with no one in sight , while pumping strenuously up the mountain side on a fat-tired bike .
On manifestation of the Covid-Hysteria is the soaring level of “ testing ” going on as people either try to get a hall pass in order to return to work or just plain run to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sends off new alarm bells .
During April , for instance , which was the very worst month of the contagion in terms of serious illnesses and deaths , 5.2 million new tests were reported or 175,000 per day .
By contrast , in July to date ( thru the 29th ) , there have been 21.5 million new tests reported or an average of 745,000 per day .
In a population that has been thoroughly exposed to the virus after five months , it is a given that with the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases will rise proportionately .
But that ’ s a misdirection because the real issue is the true medical severity of the new cases , and that has dropped precipitously .
The death rate has dropped from 1,800 per day in April to 780 in July ; and whereas 15-20 % of new cases were being hospitalized in most states during April , that figure has now fallen to 2-4 % .
That is , after the Grim Reaper ’ s original romp through the most vulnerable populations – especially the nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the preponderant share of the remaining populations being infected and testing positive appear to have stronger immune defenses , and are mainly either asymptomatic or treating and recovering at home in the normal flu-season manner .
So on the facts , the Hysteria should be dying out , but , alas , the facts are of small moment in the context of a runaway public hysteria that is being turbocharged by a severely aggravated anti-Trump partisanship that has no modern precedent , or any at all .
We are constantly reminded that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , but probably of even more salience is that the next flu season will be arriving even sooner in October .
And it won ’ t matter whether the obvious herd immunities building up against the SARS-Cov-2 cause the next flu season to be unusually mild or not .
That ’ s because the Virus Patrol will be at shrill alert for the “ second wave ” in the run-up to October , keeping the suffocated economy evident in today ’ s GDP report on its back foot for the balance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means the ballyhooed V is now surely dead-as-a-door nail .
In this context , it needs be recalled that the services sector of the US economy is bearing the brunt of the Lockdown orders , but that it now counts for fully $ 8.7 trillion or 45 % of GDP .
That compares to a mere 26 % back in the days of America ’ s industrial might in the mid-1950s .
In the big picture context , therefore , national policy – especially at the Eccles Building – caused the off-shoring and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last three decades .
In turn , that has left main street especially vulnerable to a state-orchestrated attack on its new services sector center of gravity such as outpatient surgery clinics , Pilates studios and tapas bars .
Again , an economic marshal law attack on the new epicenter of the US economy means that the issue is not traditional stimulus , but clearing the decks and clearing the air of the Virus Patrol orders and Covid-Hysteria , which was the real culprit behind the Q2 GDP disaster .
Perhaps nowhere is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evident , ironically , than in the health care sub-sector of the services economy .
The former , of course , has been the workhorse of US GDP growth for decades .
However , after peaking at $ 2.50 trillion in Q4 2019 , it weighed in at just $ 1.89 trillion in Q2 2020 .
That ’ s a $ 608 billion decline , reflecting an astounding -24 % contraction .
A Generation of Sociop ... Gibney , Bruce Cannon Best Price : $ 4.19 Buy New $ 13.47 And this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hit America since the Spanish Flu of 1918 !
But , actually , the government ’ s data mill is telling an absolutely opposite , nay crazy , story .
Namely , that the single largest sector of the US economy plunged at a 61.6 % annualized rate in Q2 – meaning that the figure gives the notion of being “ off the charts ” of history an altogether new definition .
Needless to say , health care spending is not now and never has been amenable to Washington ’ s vaunted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending is government funded directly through Medicare/Medicaid et al or through the $ 300 billion per year tax shelter for employer health plans ; and whether public or private , consumer health payments are overwhelming made by third-parties , thereby further limiting the efficacy of the cheap money from the Fed and free money from Uncle Sam .
The plunging red line below , therefore , is the doing of the Virus Patrol and its orders to shutdown most so-called discretionary healthy care services , such as cancer screenings ?
So until it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public Covid-Hysteria is substantially abated , the rebound of the health services sector is likely to the contained and protracted .
In short , what we have is a government-ordered depression , not a macroeconomic recession that is purportedly remediable by a huge dose of monetary and fiscal stimulus .
So the truth is , the Virus Patrol , not the Fed and Washington ’ s everything bailout brigade , is in charge of the recovery from the Q2 disaster , and they are not much interested in letting it happen .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy of the Virus Patrol has been to shutdown large scale public gatherings entirely , but that ’ s obviously the venue of the recreation sector .
So it is not surprising that the PCE spending rate for this sector has given “ cliff-diving ” a run for its money .
Compared to the $ 590 billion annualized rate of spending in Q4 2019 , the current quarter clocked in at just $ 272 trillion .
The amounted to a 53.4 % decline from Q4 and an out-of-this-world contraction of 61 % annualized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , recreation spending in Lockdown Nation during Q2 reverted to the level first crossed in Q2 2002 .
That ’ s 18 year ’ s worth of growth gone in a virtual economic heartbeat .
Of course , there was one thing that was way up in Q2 – transfer payments and personal income .
And every dime of the massive increase in transfer payments shown below was borrowed by Uncle Sam and monetized by the Fed .
Yet the only thing it accomplished was to further balloon the public debt because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want of means or desire to spend : It ’ s the product of economic marshal law ordered up by the Virus Patrol .
Still , it is worth noting that wage and salary income ( brown line ) was down by $ 680 billion at an annual rate in Q2 , while the Washington spending machine boosted transfer payments at a $ 2.4 trillion annual rate , or by nearly four times more !
Once upon a time , that would have been considered insane overkill , and at least caused Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lungs about fiscal profligacy .
Alas , as they put up their $ 1.2 trillion Everything Bailout 5.0 against the House Dems ’ $ 3.3 trillion alternative in the days just ahead , the chart below will be nowhere seen in the porkers ’ lounges of Capitol Hill .
Change From Prior Quarter In Billions : Transfer Payments ( purple line ) Versus Wages and Salaries ( brown line ) The Best of David Stockman

Well, the Virus Patrol sure has done it. In a fit of reckless overkill they have managed to vaporize six years of economic growth during the last 90 days. And that’s just by the mechanical reckoning of the GDP accounts, where total output in Q2 weighed in at essentially the same level as Q4 2014.
The real damage is far deeper, however, and is reflected in millions of small businesses permanently destroyed, tens of millions of households wiped-out financially and the vicious daisy chain of delinquencies, deferrals and defaults just beginning to rip through the $78 trillion edifice of debt which entombs the US economy.
Real GDP Level
Of course, most of the Wall Street talking heads were nonplussed by this morning’s release because, well, Q2 results are claimed to be ancient history: Reality is purportedly the “V”-shaped recovery on their spreadsheets, which really can’t fail to happen because it’s always two quarters out regardless of conditions at the moment. The Anti-Demographic C... Blessings, Joe Buy New $5.99 (as of 04:54 UTC - Details)
So let’s get something straight. What is happening is an economic catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen before, even during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
In fact, the worst annual decline back then was a 14.8% drop in 1932, while the entire peak-to-trough real GDP decline between 1929 and the 1933 bottom was 30.5%.
So it would be fair to say that measured at an annualized rate, the idiotic Dr. Fauci and his Virus Patrol have now delivered a 32.9% GDP plunge, which single-handedly tops the entire contraction of the Great Depression.
Needless to say, the Q2 result also leaves the recessionary drops since 1950 way back in the dust. Even the auto industry induced plunge of Q1 1958 didn’t make the double-digit threshold. It clocked in at a 9.986% annualized decline or less than one-third of today’s cliff dive.
What was especially notable, however, was the vaporization of personal consumption spending on services, which ordinarily accounts for upwards of 70 percent of total PCE; and which is also ballyhooed by the paint-by-the-numbers Wall Street economist as the ballast the keeps GDP moving ever higher.
Not this time! The Great Depression David A. Shannon Best Price: $4.95 Buy New $20.00 (as of 03:15 UTC - Details)
Services spending literally fell through the trapdoor, contracting at a 43.4% annualized rate. That compares with the 11 recessions since 1950 where real spending on services never went negative, save for the pinprick decline of -1.6% annualized during the Q1 2009 bottom of the Great Recession.
By every account, the economic plunge in the winter of 2008-2009 was the worst since the 1930s, but today the Commerce Department reported a PCE-services drop that was 28X deeper!
Our purpose here is not to marshal scary numbers, even as they surely are. Rather, our point is that what is coursing through the Q2 numbers is not anything that resembles a normal chain-of-reactions macroeconomic cycle. For instance, where job losses cascade through to shrinking incomes, thereby causing consumer confidence and spending wherewithal to diminish and household spending to be curtailed.
To the contrary, what is depicted below is essentially economic marshal law. Agencies of the state commanded airports, restaurants, bars, hair salons, gyms, movies, dentist offices, theme parks, sporting events etc. to close or operate at drastically reduced capacity, which meant, in turn, that day-in-and-day out commerce and economic output vanished instantly.
Stated differently, this 43% plunge in services spending didn’t happen for the ordinary reason that people were short on cash. As we show below, personal income during the quarter – thanks to the massive flow of free stuff from Washington (aka government transfer payments) – clocked in at a record level!
Consequently, there will be no rebound in the plunging red line below no matter how much fiscal and monetary “stimulus” Washington pumps into the main street economy.
The services sector accounts for nearly 66% of total PCE, which, in turn, accounts for 68% of measured GDP. So the latter will not recover until the Virus Patrol gets its foot off the neck of what we call the social congregation activities of daily economic life; and also until it and its MSM collaborationist desist from fanning the false claim that the Covid is the equivalent of the Black Plague, thereby causing people to voluntarily quarantine out of misplaced fear.
Of course, you don’t have to listen to Dr. Fauci and the Scarf Lady for long – yes, they have not yet been locked up in padded cells where they belong – to realize that the Virus Patrol is on a once-in-a lifetime power trip.
In ultra-busy body/Nanny State fashion they are virtually regimenting the comings and goings of a $20 trillion economy – even as they keep the US economy on indefinite idle waiting for the vaccines and antivirals from their allies in Big Pharma and the Gates Complex to ride to the (mandatory) rescue.
Annualized Change In Personal Consumption Expenditures, Services, 1950-2020
We don’t expect the Virus Patrol to be put out of business any time soon because the Donald is too confused and weak to shut them down.
Moreover, if he keeps shooting himself in the kneecaps via tweets like today’s “lets-postpone-the-election” numbskullery, he will guarantee an even worse scenario: Namely, that while Sleepy Joe is being oxygenated and propped-up behind the Resolute Desk for daily Oval Office photo ops, the left-wing health Nazis who surround him will really go to town on Lockdown Nation.
Nor is that any kind of unhinged trashing of the camarilla of out-and-out statists who will form the core of the Biden Administration. The fact is, the Donald’s malpacticing doctors, the MSM and the Blue State mayors and governors have now unleashed a full-on public hysteria that is self-fueling. When Money Dies: The N... Adam Fergusson Best Price: $1.97 Buy New $10.08 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details)
It is now transforming ordinary sheeples into obedient and unquestioning brown-shirts. Even in the purportedly enlightened, socialist republic of Aspen, where we are sheltering for the duration, we see them “mask-up” even with no one in sight, while pumping strenuously up the mountain side on a fat-tired bike.
On manifestation of the Covid-Hysteria is the soaring level of “testing” going on as people either try to get a hall pass in order to return to work or just plain run to the nearest testing station every time the media sends off new alarm bells.
During April, for instance, which was the very worst month of the contagion in terms of serious illnesses and deaths, 5.2 million new tests were reported or 175,000 per day.
By contrast, in July to date (thru the 29th), there have been 21.5 million new tests reported or an average of 745,000 per day.
In a population that has been thoroughly exposed to the virus after five months, it is a given that with the number of tests soaring, the number of positive cases will rise proportionately. But that’s a misdirection because the real issue is the true medical severity of the new cases, and that has dropped precipitously.
The death rate has dropped from 1,800 per day in April to 780 in July; and whereas 15-20% of new cases were being hospitalized in most states during April, that figure has now fallen to 2-4%.
That is, after the Grim Reaper’s original romp through the most vulnerable populations – especially the nursing homes and long-term care facilities in March/April – the preponderant share of the remaining populations being infected and testing positive appear to have stronger immune defenses, and are mainly either asymptomatic or treating and recovering at home in the normal flu-season manner.
So on the facts, the Hysteria should be dying out, but, alas, the facts are of small moment in the context of a runaway public hysteria that is being turbocharged by a severely aggravated anti-Trump partisanship that has no modern precedent, or any at all.
We are constantly reminded that there are less than 100 days until the election, but probably of even more salience is that the next flu season will be arriving even sooner in October. And it won’t matter whether the obvious herd immunities building up against the SARS-Cov-2 cause the next flu season to be unusually mild or not.
That’s because the Virus Patrol will be at shrill alert for the “second wave” in the run-up to October, keeping the suffocated economy evident in today’s GDP report on its back foot for the balance of the year, at least. That means the ballyhooed V is now surely dead-as-a-door nail.
In this context, it needs be recalled that the services sector of the US economy is bearing the brunt of the Lockdown orders, but that it now counts for fully $8.7 trillion or 45% of GDP. That compares to a mere 26% back in the days of America’s industrial might in the mid-1950s.
In the big picture context, therefore, national policy – especially at the Eccles Building – caused the off-shoring and hollowing-out of the US industrial economy over the last three decades. In turn, that has left main street especially vulnerable to a state-orchestrated attack on its new services sector center of gravity such as outpatient surgery clinics, Pilates studios and tapas bars.
Again, an economic marshal law attack on the new epicenter of the US economy means that the issue is not traditional stimulus, but clearing the decks and clearing the air of the Virus Patrol orders and Covid-Hysteria, which was the real culprit behind the Q2 GDP disaster.
Nominal GDP (light brown) Versus Service Sector PCE (dark brown), 1955-2020
Perhaps nowhere is the impact of economic marshal law more evident, ironically, than in the health care sub-sector of the services economy.
The former, of course, has been the workhorse of US GDP growth for decades. However, after peaking at $2.50 trillion in Q4 2019, it weighed in at just $1.89 trillion in Q2 2020. That’s a $608 billion decline, reflecting an astounding -24% contraction. A Generation of Sociop... Gibney, Bruce Cannon Best Price: $4.19 Buy New $13.47 (as of 04:54 UTC - Details)
And this is supposed to be the worst medical crisis to hit America since the Spanish Flu of 1918!
But, actually, the government’s data mill is telling an absolutely opposite, nay crazy, story. Namely, that the single largest sector of the US economy plunged at a 61.6% annualized rate in Q2 – meaning that the figure gives the notion of being “off the charts” of history an altogether new definition.
Needless to say, health care spending is not now and never has been amenable to Washington’s vaunted stimulus machines. The overwhelming share of spending is government funded directly through Medicare/Medicaid et al or through the $300 billion per year tax shelter for employer health plans; and whether public or private, consumer health payments are overwhelming made by third-parties, thereby further limiting the efficacy of the cheap money from the Fed and free money from Uncle Sam.
The plunging red line below, therefore, is the doing of the Virus Patrol and its orders to shutdown most so-called discretionary healthy care services, such as cancer screenings? So until it is put out of business and the public Covid-Hysteria is substantially abated, the rebound of the health services sector is likely to the contained and protracted.
In short, what we have is a government-ordered depression, not a macroeconomic recession that is purportedly remediable by a huge dose of monetary and fiscal stimulus. So the truth is, the Virus Patrol, not the Fed and Washington’s everything bailout brigade, is in charge of the recovery from the Q2 disaster, and they are not much interested in letting it happen.
To take another salient example, the go-to strategy of the Virus Patrol has been to shutdown large scale public gatherings entirely, but that’s obviously the venue of the recreation sector.
So it is not surprising that the PCE spending rate for this sector has given “cliff-diving” a run for its money. Compared to the $590 billion annualized rate of spending in Q4 2019, the current quarter clocked in at just $272 trillion.
The amounted to a 53.4% decline from Q4 and an out-of-this-world contraction of 61% annualized in the current quarter. Or alternatively, recreation spending in Lockdown Nation during Q2 reverted to the level first crossed in Q2 2002.
That’s 18 year’s worth of growth gone in a virtual economic heartbeat.
Of course, there was one thing that was way up in Q2 – transfer payments and personal income. And every dime of the massive increase in transfer payments shown below was borrowed by Uncle Sam and monetized by the Fed.
Yet the only thing it accomplished was to further balloon the public debt because the current depression does not flow from the want of means or desire to spend: It’s the product of economic marshal law ordered up by the Virus Patrol.
Still, it is worth noting that wage and salary income (brown line) was down by $680 billion at an annual rate in Q2, while the Washington spending machine boosted transfer payments at a $2.4 trillion annual rate, or by nearly four times more!
Once upon a time, that would have been considered insane overkill, and at least caused Republicans to screech at the top of their lungs about fiscal profligacy.
Alas, as they put up their $1.2 trillion Everything Bailout 5.0 against the House Dems’ $3.3 trillion alternative in the days just ahead, the chart below will be nowhere seen in the porkers’ lounges of Capitol Hill.
Change From Prior Quarter In Billions: Transfer Payments (purple line) Versus Wages and Salaries (brown line)
PEAK TRUMP, IMPENDING CRISES, ESSENTIAL INFO & ACTION
Reprinted with permission from David Stockman’s Contra Corner.
The Best of David Stockman


lewrockwell--2020-08-01--The Coronavirus Response Is Pure State Terrorism Based on Propaganda

“ The true terrorists of our world do not meet at the docks at midnight , or scream “ Allahu Akbar ” before some violent action .
The true terrorists of our world wear 5000 dollar suits and work in the highest positions of finance , government and business.
” So who are the real terrorists today ?
They are those that seek to gain total power and control over all of us , and they are called the State .
Politically speaking , the use of terrorism is a mighty weapon because it instills much fear into the hearts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the masses into panic and hiding , leaving the door open to tyranny .
The ruling class fully understands this concept , and uses it as a psychological tool to control the people , and by doing so the terroristic state claims to be our protector and savior instead of our aggressor .
Only a system controlled by psychopaths would use such a strategy .
Introverted But Willin ... Buy New $ 24.99 Do not mistake anything about what is going on today , and do not underestimate the sinister aspect of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is an act of terror that has been created for the purpose of spreading fear in order to gain more power and complete control over the world population .
This is not only state sponsored terrorism , but is an active terroristic plot being accomplished by the state itself .
The difference this time is that it is not cloaked in mystery or secrecy , there is no threat of bombs , and no group is claiming responsibility for this attack on humanity .
It is terror by stealth alone , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is said to be a virus that has never even been properly or scientifically isolated or identified .
No shot had to be fired in order to panic the masses , and all that was needed was a lie that could be easily sold to a population of pathetic brainwashed sheep awaiting their own slaughter .
This kind of terror relies completely on propaganda , and that propaganda must be constant and unrelenting so that the lower classes do not have any inclination or time for anything except concentrating on the illusion at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of terror is a clever scheme not because it is based on brilliance , but because it is based on the accepted destruction of the intellect of the herd .
Once that has been accomplished , and it has been accomplished , the plan is easier to put into place .
Confusion and fear are all that are necessary in order to complete the scheme .
Recent headlines from a controlled and complicit mainstream media exposes the extent of the constant and overwhelming propaganda coming from the news outlets .
The airwaves are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day in this nightmare plot called “ coronavirus.
’ This constant barrage of doomsday reporting is meant to inundate the minds of the common people to the point of saturation .
That is the essence of successful propaganda , and this tactic is being used masterfully to achieve herd compliance to government orders that are meant to bring about total obedience to the state in order to advance mass behavioral modification .
got addendum ?
- 8oz Hi ... Buy New $ 19.89 The breakdown of the tactics being used by the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are based on China as the model .
By following this blueprint for control , the world , including the U.S. , is becoming China .
This is no accident , and was planned from the beginning .
What happens in China will also happen here , so all those that criticize the draconian Chinese response to this hoax should understand that the U.S. is mirroring that response , as many aspects of total lockdown , surveillance , tracking , masks , economic destruction , and distancing have already happened here and around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. government is playing both sides of this game , first by blaming China for the virus without any supportive evidence , ridiculing their response techniques , and threatening them , while at the same time implementing the same strategy .
This is completely hypocritical of course , but that is all part of the designed disinformation campaign .
First condemn , then commend , and then copy .
Compared to just a few months ago , this country and most of the world have become unrecognizable .
Human society as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decimated and altered beyond recognition .
Beauty and pleasure , and all frivolity in life , including the essence of the human spirit , have been mostly eliminated in favor of isolation , masking , and distancing .
What is left is a cold and dark landscape that is mostly devoid of joy .
The precious nature of life and love , the taste of exquisite flavors , the freedom to explore , to travel , to play , to listen to live music , and to connect with people and cultures has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on us all by the ruling class and the government has cut deeply into our souls .
It is an abomination .
FlimFlam Man : The Trag ... Pelerin , Monty Buy New $ 16.99 During this terrorist attack on the masses by the use of a propagandized ‘ virus ’ scheme , the rich continue to get richer , while all the rest of humanity suffers .
Wealth transfers at this level have never occurred , and with any continuation of this insanity , poverty will become universal in nature .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once and for all , leaving the very few privileged at the top , and all others at the bottom of the heap .
That is the system desired , as any society that sinks into the abysmal state of rulers and serfs is bound to favor those claiming elite status .
Once most of society becomes fully dependent due to the destruction of their lives and work , subordination to authority becomes commonplace , and the doling out of morsels by the state will be viewed as a benevolent act , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a control measure .
The next major phase of this terror plot will be the rollout of a new Covid vaccine and vaccination mandates worldwide .
None will be certain of the total makeup of these vaccines , as what may actually be in it could be hidden and deadly .
There will certainly be multiple virus strains , there will be harmful adjuvants that could include mercury and aluminum , among many others , and there will most likely be unknown ingredients as well .
With today ’ s technology , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and many could be gene altering .
DNA and RNA vaccines can allow for genetic engineering , although the mainstream will go to great lengths to deny this possibility .
Tracking technology could also be implanted , as well as other invasive elements such as foreign nano-particles and RFID chips .
This is not a claim that this has happened , but is a warning that it could happen .
The technology is available .
It is imperative to keep in mind that the U.S. government is in bed with the Gates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and many criminal pharmaceutical companies .
Government contracts for Covid vaccine production , government/pharmaceutical partnerships , additional government funding , and delivery partnerships expose the fascist nature of these projects .
The banking and corporate powerful and the government are the drivers of this fake pandemic , and are also working together to vaccinate the world .
Be very aware of the dangerous nature of such a nefarious consolidation between these corrupt entities that are bound to have ulterior motives that will be deadly .
Fauci : The Bernie Mado ... Ortleb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are heading into even more dangerous waters as this state terror continues .
Hiding behind a mask will not protect you from what is to come .
“ There will be , in the next generation or so , a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude , and producing dictatorship without tears , so to speak , producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies , so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them , but will rather enjoy it.
” Sources : Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Gary D. Barnett

“The true terrorists of our world do not meet at the docks at midnight, or scream “Allahu Akbar” before some violent action. The true terrorists of our world wear 5000 dollar suits and work in the highest positions of finance, government and business.”
~ Peter Joseph, “Zeitgeist: Addendum”. Documentary, History, War, www.imdb.com. 2008.
So who are the real terrorists today? They are those that seek to gain total power and control over all of us, and they are called the State. Politically speaking, the use of terrorism is a mighty weapon because it instills much fear into the hearts of man, and fear can drive the masses into panic and hiding, leaving the door open to tyranny. The ruling class fully understands this concept, and uses it as a psychological tool to control the people, and by doing so the terroristic state claims to be our protector and savior instead of our aggressor. Only a system controlled by psychopaths would use such a strategy.
Introverted But Willin... Buy New $24.99 (as of 04:08 UTC - Details) Do not mistake anything about what is going on today, and do not underestimate the sinister aspect of this long planned and purposely-manufactured false pandemic. This is an act of terror that has been created for the purpose of spreading fear in order to gain more power and complete control over the world population. This is not only state sponsored terrorism, but is an active terroristic plot being accomplished by the state itself. The difference this time is that it is not cloaked in mystery or secrecy, there is no threat of bombs, and no group is claiming responsibility for this attack on humanity. It is terror by stealth alone, as this new claimed killer of the innocent is said to be a virus that has never even been properly or scientifically isolated or identified. No shot had to be fired in order to panic the masses, and all that was needed was a lie that could be easily sold to a population of pathetic brainwashed sheep awaiting their own slaughter.
This kind of terror relies completely on propaganda, and that propaganda must be constant and unrelenting so that the lower classes do not have any inclination or time for anything except concentrating on the illusion at hand. This strategy of the purveyors of terror is a clever scheme not because it is based on brilliance, but because it is based on the accepted destruction of the intellect of the herd. Once that has been accomplished, and it has been accomplished, the plan is easier to put into place. Confusion and fear are all that are necessary in order to complete the scheme.
Recent headlines from a controlled and complicit mainstream media exposes the extent of the constant and overwhelming propaganda coming from the news outlets. The airwaves are inundated with terrifying headlines all day every day in this nightmare plot called “coronavirus.’ This constant barrage of doomsday reporting is meant to inundate the minds of the common people to the point of saturation. That is the essence of successful propaganda, and this tactic is being used masterfully to achieve herd compliance to government orders that are meant to bring about total obedience to the state in order to advance mass behavioral modification. got addendum? - 8oz Hi... Buy New $19.89 (as of 04:08 UTC - Details)
The breakdown of the tactics being used by the state to gain adherence to its claimed authority are based on China as the model. By following this blueprint for control, the world, including the U.S., is becoming China. This is no accident, and was planned from the beginning. What happens in China will also happen here, so all those that criticize the draconian Chinese response to this hoax should understand that the U.S. is mirroring that response, as many aspects of total lockdown, surveillance, tracking, masks, economic destruction, and distancing have already happened here and around the world after China initiated those policies. The U.S. government is playing both sides of this game, first by blaming China for the virus without any supportive evidence, ridiculing their response techniques, and threatening them, while at the same time implementing the same strategy. This is completely hypocritical of course, but that is all part of the designed disinformation campaign. First condemn, then commend, and then copy.
Compared to just a few months ago, this country and most of the world have become unrecognizable. Human society as we have known it, has been decimated and altered beyond recognition. Beauty and pleasure, and all frivolity in life, including the essence of the human spirit, have been mostly eliminated in favor of isolation, masking, and distancing. What is left is a cold and dark landscape that is mostly devoid of joy. The precious nature of life and love, the taste of exquisite flavors, the freedom to explore, to travel, to play, to listen to live music, and to connect with people and cultures has all but disappeared. The terror inflicted on us all by the ruling class and the government has cut deeply into our souls. It is an abomination.
FlimFlam Man: The Trag... Pelerin, Monty Buy New $16.99 (as of 04:54 UTC - Details) During this terrorist attack on the masses by the use of a propagandized ‘virus’ scheme, the rich continue to get richer, while all the rest of humanity suffers. Wealth transfers at this level have never occurred, and with any continuation of this insanity, poverty will become universal in nature. This will necessarily finish off the middle class once and for all, leaving the very few privileged at the top, and all others at the bottom of the heap. That is the system desired, as any society that sinks into the abysmal state of rulers and serfs is bound to favor those claiming elite status. Once most of society becomes fully dependent due to the destruction of their lives and work, subordination to authority becomes commonplace, and the doling out of morsels by the state will be viewed as a benevolent act, when in fact it will only be used as a control measure.
The next major phase of this terror plot will be the rollout of a new Covid vaccine and vaccination mandates worldwide. None will be certain of the total makeup of these vaccines, as what may actually be in it could be hidden and deadly. There will certainly be multiple virus strains, there will be harmful adjuvants that could include mercury and aluminum, among many others, and there will most likely be unknown ingredients as well. With today’s technology, the list of possible components is endless, and many could be gene altering. DNA and RNA vaccines can allow for genetic engineering, although the mainstream will go to great lengths to deny this possibility. Tracking technology could also be implanted, as well as other invasive elements such as foreign nano-particles and RFID chips. This is not a claim that this has happened, but is a warning that it could happen. The technology is available. It is imperative to keep in mind that the U.S. government is in bed with the Gates Foundation, the CDC, the WHO, and many criminal pharmaceutical companies. Government contracts for Covid vaccine production, government/pharmaceutical partnerships, additional government funding, and delivery partnerships expose the fascist nature of these projects. The banking and corporate powerful and the government are the drivers of this fake pandemic, and are also working together to vaccinate the world. Be very aware of the dangerous nature of such a nefarious consolidation between these corrupt entities that are bound to have ulterior motives that will be deadly. Fauci: The Bernie Mado... Ortleb, Charles Buy New $5.99 (as of 02:55 UTC - Details)
We are heading into even more dangerous waters as this state terror continues. Hiding behind a mask will not protect you from what is to come.
“There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it.”
~ “The Ultimate Revolution”. Aldous Huxley’s speech at Berkeley Language Center, www.informationclearinghouse.info. March 20, 1962.
Sources: Here, here, here,
The Best of Gary D. Barnett


lewrockwell--2020-08-01--The Story They Want You to Believe: Why Didn’t More Americans Resist?

an unnecessary war , which killed over 100,000 young Americans ; the income theft tax ; the bank robbers known as the Fed ; the League of Nations which morphed into global crooks known as the UN… The sad part is that there was no push back .
People accepted the theft then and now .
We have been tax slaves for 107 years .
Now we are becoming propaganda-virus slaves.
” So well put .
The Power of Positive ... Peale , Dr. Norman Vincent Best Price : $ 2.72 Buy New $ 5.95 Another writes about the confiscation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1930s until the 1970s : “ I wonder if it was ‘ prosperity ’ that made them obedient .
But that prosperity was gone during the Great Depression and still people didn ’ t really react to Executive Order 6102.
” These two observations share something in common : that people didn ’ t react .
The reaction was massive , but the victor gets to write the history and that ’ s what they want you to believe : that people didn ’ t react .
That ’ s the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high ground of democracy : everyone unanimously loved the idea and went along with it .
That ’ s the foundation of unanimous consent and voice votes in parliamentary procedure : to pretend division does not exist .
It is the method by which thought is silenced and the propagandistic notion of unanimity is forced .
Unanimity doesn ’ t exist , except in the most carefully selected grouping of people .
Unanimity is a grand lie .
When you are hearing someone referencing unanimity , you can be pretty certain you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person who hasn ’ t thought through this powerful method of manipulation .
The neo-con wants you to believe everyone supported World War I .
The globalist wants you to believe everyone supported the League of Nations and the UN .
Virtually the entire economic and financial profession would have you believe everyone supported the formation of the Federal Reserve Bank .
Compromised : How Money ... Bruner , Seamus Best Price : $ 8.28 Buy New $ 16.99 The word “ consensus ” accompanied by the word “ science , ” always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the most unsavory of people .
There is no grand list of all scientists in the world that would even allow someone to claim that a certain percentage of scientists agree on a given opinion .
All claims of unanimity or consensus are dead on arrival to the thinking man , a sign that the speaker can ’ t possibly be serious .
Such claims nonetheless are all around us and are too often allowed to go unquestioned .
Executive Order 6102 was used as the legal basis for confiscating gold from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was around then , if their family owned any coins during the Great Depression , in order to hear how many “ told ” Roosevelt to sit on an egg and held onto their gold .
In reality , no one “ told ” a president anything .
It was all done quietly .
They might not ever put it in such politicized terms , neither to themselves nor others .
They might not say anything pro-Roosevelt or anti-Roosevelt related to gold .
However , anecdote tells the story of many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gold .
This is among the greatest rebukes possible of that president and his policies .
It is an individual stating clearly that they do not trust Roosevelt and his “ brain trust ” to watch out for their individual needs .
Some families have those contraband coins to this day .
Few grandchildren of the gold hoarders are able to square their unexamined love for the popularly lauded Roosevelt alongside the unexamined disobedience of a grandfather having so much contempt for government , press , and experts .
Grandpa had so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of his gold .
The questions required to square that never get asked .
It ’ s a joy to be the one to ask the question that squares that though , and to watch the person in front of your eyes realize the criminality and level of distrust of authority that dear old grandpa exhibited in holding onto the family heirlooms during the depression .
He put the family ’ s long term financial security ahead of the threat of jail and ahead of the false moralizing of the day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ want those questions to be asked , so they really leave the topic alone .
It ’ s far better if everyone just imagines that no era had any conflict except for the present era .
All relics telling any other story must be torn down , melted down , and recast down into a lower and less complete version of history that better serves the contemporary status quo .
The Deep State : How an ... Chaffetz , Jason Best Price : $ 5.03 Buy New $ 17.05 So much work goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people believed the official narrative in the United States in the 1860s .
So few believed the official narrative that hundreds of thousands died .
So much work today goes into the narratives “ Lincoln is a saint ” and “ Confederates were racists.
” To think anything more complex than that makes you a racist .
Heaven help those who don ’ t just hold a more sophisticated view of the topic , but know enough to be able to contradict the narrative .
That ’ s what they want you to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need you to believe .
Sometimes history repeats itself .
Sometimes it “ rhymes.
” They need you to believe a deceitful narrative so that you can ’ t notice the rhymes , so that you continue to believe everything is fine , so that you continue to support the greatest oppression .
Often , the more work goes into the perpetuation of a total lie , the more important that lie is to have people believe .
That Americans didn ’ t resist at any moment in time is a massive lie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Everyone thought everything was okay .
It ’ s the fallacy of unanimity .
There ’ s never been a day since 1776 where thirty Americans randomly chosen had a uniform view on any subject .
That ’ s the truth .
Every moment in human history has been met with resistance .
Don ’ t let them tell you any differently .
Identify your boundaries .
Communicate your boundaries to others .
Defend your boundaries .
That is the role of the honest individual in society .
Stick true to your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to worry about whether history rhymes or repeats .
You can see how clearly your principles are being violated in such moments .
Beware of every fact , tonality , or scope of debate framed on the airwaves .
Facts — So many know the facts are a lie .
So many know experts don ’ t care about data , except data that are useful to manipulate public opinion .
Power Grab : The Libera ... Chaffetz , Jason Best Price : $ 9.54 Buy New $ 18.06 Scope — So many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artificial way of manipulating the debate , to convince an onlooker that their own truth must be extreme as Beltway Insider 1 and Beltway Insider 2 debate total frivolity and irrelevant nonsense with such great passion that anyone watching is brought to conclude that the topic really must matter .
That media trick is a well known one .
So seldom though is the tonality of it all looked at .
Tonality — Even in the very tones the expertly trained mouthpieces use , is there a desire to manipulate your views , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tone has a way of spreading like a social contagion .
Tone is the supreme method of manipulation in this finely constructed mechanism of propaganda .
A great machine exists to break your spirit , to get you to deny your values , to get you to let others traverse your boundaries , and for you to sit idly by saying that everything must be okay .
Stick true to your core philosophies and let them inform your behavior and it will be okay .
Do otherwise and it promises not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pride of standing for what you believe in , nor the joy of coming out of that good fight a victor .
There are millions like you resisting this very moment .
There always has been resistance , on every single issue through recorded history .
There are tens of millions like you that know how wrong the prevailing narratives of this moment are .
The remnant is strong .
It is alive and well .
It will make it through this moment .
And who knows , it might even come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t the narrative they need you to believe , but it is the truth .
This moment calls on you to look as truthfully as possible at reality and to marshal your resources in support of your deepest beliefs .
The Best of Allan Stevo

A brilliant reader points out about American cowardice circa 1913:
“That idiot Wilson gave us:
an unnecessary war, which killed over 100,000 young Americans;
the income theft tax;
the bank robbers known as the Fed;
the League of Nations which morphed into global crooks known as the UN…
The sad part is that there was no push back. People accepted the theft then and now.
We have been tax slaves for 107 years. Now we are becoming propaganda-virus slaves.”
So well put. The Power of Positive ... Peale, Dr. Norman Vincent Best Price: $2.72 Buy New $5.95 (as of 04:30 UTC - Details)
Another writes about the confiscation of gold by the US government from the 1930s until the 1970s:
“I wonder if it was ‘prosperity’ that made them obedient. But that prosperity was gone during the Great Depression and still people didn’t really react to Executive Order 6102.”
These two observations share something in common: that people didn’t react.
The reaction was massive, but the victor gets to write the history and that’s what they want you to believe: that people didn’t react.
That’s the best one can do in terms of moral high ground of democracy: everyone unanimously loved the idea and went along with it. That’s the foundation of unanimous consent and voice votes in parliamentary procedure: to pretend division does not exist. It is the method by which thought is silenced and the propagandistic notion of unanimity is forced. Unanimity doesn’t exist, except in the most carefully selected grouping of people. Unanimity is a grand lie.
When you are hearing someone referencing unanimity, you can be pretty certain you are speaking to either a liar or a person who hasn’t thought through this powerful method of manipulation.
The neo-con wants you to believe everyone supported World War I. The globalist wants you to believe everyone supported the League of Nations and the UN. Virtually the entire economic and financial profession would have you believe everyone supported the formation of the Federal Reserve Bank. Compromised: How Money... Bruner, Seamus Best Price: $8.28 Buy New $16.99 (as of 04:53 UTC - Details)
The word “consensus” accompanied by the word “science,” always seems to indicate a person is speaking to the most unsavory of people. There is no grand list of all scientists in the world that would even allow someone to claim that a certain percentage of scientists agree on a given opinion. All claims of unanimity or consensus are dead on arrival to the thinking man, a sign that the speaker can’t possibly be serious. Such claims nonetheless are all around us and are too often allowed to go unquestioned.
Executive Order 6102 was used as the legal basis for confiscating gold from Americans. You need only ask someone who was around then, if their family owned any coins during the Great Depression, in order to hear how many “told” Roosevelt to sit on an egg and held onto their gold. In reality, no one “told” a president anything. It was all done quietly. They might not ever put it in such politicized terms, neither to themselves nor others. They might not say anything pro-Roosevelt or anti-Roosevelt related to gold. However, anecdote tells the story of many of Americans that refused to turn over their gold. This is among the greatest rebukes possible of that president and his policies. It is an individual stating clearly that they do not trust Roosevelt and his “brain trust” to watch out for their individual needs.
Some families have those contraband coins to this day.
Few grandchildren of the gold hoarders are able to square their unexamined love for the popularly lauded Roosevelt alongside the unexamined disobedience of a grandfather having so much contempt for government, press, and experts. Grandpa had so much contempt that he held onto at least some of his gold. The questions required to square that never get asked. It’s a joy to be the one to ask the question that squares that though, and to watch the person in front of your eyes realize the criminality and level of distrust of authority that dear old grandpa exhibited in holding onto the family heirlooms during the depression.
He put the family’s long term financial security ahead of the threat of jail and ahead of the false moralizing of the day.
No, they really don’t want those questions to be asked, so they really leave the topic alone. It’s far better if everyone just imagines that no era had any conflict except for the present era.
All relics telling any other story must be torn down, melted down, and recast down into a lower and less complete version of history that better serves the contemporary status quo. The Deep State: How an... Chaffetz, Jason Best Price: $5.03 Buy New $17.05 (as of 02:10 UTC - Details)
So much work goes into ignoring the fact that so few people believed the official narrative in the United States in the 1860s. So few believed the official narrative that hundreds of thousands died. So much work today goes into the narratives “Lincoln is a saint” and “Confederates were racists.” To think anything more complex than that makes you a racist. Heaven help those who don’t just hold a more sophisticated view of the topic, but know enough to be able to contradict the narrative.
That’s what they want you to believe. That’s what they need you to believe. Sometimes history repeats itself. Sometimes it “rhymes.” They need you to believe a deceitful narrative so that you can’t notice the rhymes, so that you continue to believe everything is fine, so that you continue to support the greatest oppression.
Often, the more work goes into the perpetuation of a total lie, the more important that lie is to have people believe. That Americans didn’t resist at any moment in time is a massive lie constantly perpetuated on all manner of topics. Everyone thought everything was okay. It’s the fallacy of unanimity.
There’s never been a day since 1776 where thirty Americans randomly chosen had a uniform view on any subject. That’s the truth. Every moment in human history has been met with resistance. Don’t let them tell you any differently.
Identify your boundaries. Communicate your boundaries to others. Defend your boundaries. That is the role of the honest individual in society.
Stick true to your principles and you don’t need to worry about whether history rhymes or repeats. You can see how clearly your principles are being violated in such moments.
Beware of every fact, tonality, or scope of debate framed on the airwaves.
Facts — So many know the facts are a lie. So many know experts don’t care about data, except data that are useful to manipulate public opinion. Power Grab: The Libera... Chaffetz, Jason Best Price: $9.54 Buy New $18.06 (as of 04:27 UTC - Details)
Scope — So many know the frame of debate is an artificial way of manipulating the debate, to convince an onlooker that their own truth must be extreme as Beltway Insider 1 and Beltway Insider 2 debate total frivolity and irrelevant nonsense with such great passion that anyone watching is brought to conclude that the topic really must matter. That media trick is a well known one. So seldom though is the tonality of it all looked at.
Tonality — Even in the very tones the expertly trained mouthpieces use, is there a desire to manipulate your views, a desire to manipulate your own tone. Tone has a way of spreading like a social contagion. Tone is the supreme method of manipulation in this finely constructed mechanism of propaganda.
A great machine exists to break your spirit, to get you to deny your values, to get you to let others traverse your boundaries, and for you to sit idly by saying that everything must be okay.
It’s not okay.
Stick true to your core philosophies and let them inform your behavior and it will be okay. Do otherwise and it promises not to be. You will have neither had the pride of standing for what you believe in, nor the joy of coming out of that good fight a victor.
There are millions like you resisting this very moment. There always has been resistance, on every single issue through recorded history. There are tens of millions like you that know how wrong the prevailing narratives of this moment are. The remnant is strong. It is alive and well. It will make it through this moment. And who knows, it might even come to shape this moment.
That isn’t the narrative they need you to believe, but it is the truth.
This moment calls on you to look as truthfully as possible at reality and to marshal your resources in support of your deepest beliefs.
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-08-01--The Ultimate Divide and Conquer

The Ultimate Divide and Conquer

It has frequently been observed that terror can rule absolutely only over people who are isolated against each other and that therefore one of the primary concerns of tyrannical government is to bring this isolation about .
Isolation may be the beginning of terror ; it certainly is its most fertile ground ; it always is its result .
This isolation is , as it were , pretotalitarian ; its hallmark is impotence insofar as power always comes from people acting together , acting in concert ; isolated people are powerless by definition.
” Western civilization , led by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon a campaign of mass psychological terrorism designed to cover for the collapsing economy , set up a new pretext for Wall Street ’ s ongoing plunder expedition , radically escalate the police state , deeply traumatize people into submission to total social conformity , and radically aggravate the anti-social , anti-human atomization of the people .
The pretext for this abomination is an epidemic which objectively is comparable to the seasonal flu and is caused by the same kind of Coronavirus we ’ ve endured so long without totalitarian rampages and mass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hannah Arendt Best Price : $ 8.49 Buy New $ 12.90 The global evidence is converging on the facts : This flu is somewhat more contagious than the norm and is especially dangerous for those who are aged and already in poor health from pre-existing maladies .
It is not especially dangerous for the rest of the population .
The whole concept of “ lockdowns ” is exactly upside down , exactly the wrong way any sane society would respond to this circumstance .
It ’ s the vulnerable who should be shielded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general population , who should go about life as usual .
Dominionist-technocratic rigidity can ’ t prevent an epidemic from cycling through the population in spite of the delusions of that religion , especially since Western societies began their measures far too late anyway .
So it ’ s best to let herd immunity develop as fast as it naturally will , at which time the virus recedes from lack of hosts ( and is likely to mutate in a milder direction along the way ) .
This is the only way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most vulnerable .
The fact that most societies have rejected the sane , scientific route in favor of doomed-to-fail attempts at a forcible violent segregation and sterilization is proof that governments aren ’ t concerned with the public health ( as if we didn ’ t know that already from a thousand policies of poisoning the environment while gutting the health care system ) , but are very ardent to use this crisis they artificially generated in order radically to escalate their police state power toward totalitarian goals .
Crises of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : $ 11.00 Buy New $ 13.58 The whole concept of self-isolation and anti-social “ distancing ” is radically anti-human .
We evolved over millions of years to be social creatures living in tight-knit groups .
Although modern societies ideologically and socioeconomically work to massify and atomize people , nevertheless almost all of us still seek close human companionship in our lives .
This terror campaign seeks to blast to pieces any remaining human closeness , which means any remaining humanity as such , the better to isolate individual atoms for subjection to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this goal of totalitarian governments , though even she didn ’ t envision a state-driven cult of the literal physical repulsion of every atom from every other atom .
So far the people are submitting completely to a terror campaign dedicated to the total eradication of whatever community was left in the world , and especially whatever community was starting to be rebuilt .
Some dream of this terror campaign somehow bringing about a magical collective transformation .
They don ’ t explain how that is supposed to happen when everyone ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detach physically from their own shadows , let alone physically come together with other people .
But any kind of political or social action , any kind of movement-building , requires close person-to-person contact .
The Human Condition : S ... Allen , Danielle Best Price : $ 15.00 Buy New $ 15.99 It seems that for most erstwhile self-alleged dissidents , the fact that social media is no substitute for face-to-face organizing and group action , a fact hitherto universally acknowledged by these dissidents , is another truth suddenly to be jettisoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the terror campaign is a virus causing those it infects to abdicate all activism and all prospect for all future activism , for as long as they remain insane with the fever of this propaganda terror .
Far more profoundly and evoking despair , the terror campaign is a virus causing those it infects to fear and loathe all human contact , all companionship , all closeness , all things which ever made us human in the first place .
Prior totalitarian regimes sought this lack of contact and trust through networks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today ’ s terror campaign as well , encouraged from above and spontaneously arising from below as a result of the feeling of terror as well as the exercise of prior petty-evil intentions on the part of petty-evil individuals .
But today ’ s totalitarian potential is far worse than this .
Now the regimes aspiring to total domination have terrorized and brainwashed the vast majority of people into an automatic physical distrust of all other people .
One no longer fears that someone is an informer , but fears the very existence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trojan Horse : ... Elder , Alasdair Best Price : $ 14.85 Buy New $ 14.50 Any kind of human relations , from personal friendship and romance to friendly social gatherings and clubs to social and cultural movements become impossible under such circumstances .
This threatens to be the end of the very concept of shared humanity , to be replaced by an anthill of slave atoms with no consciousness beyond fear and the most animal concern for food and shelter , which already is allowed or denied in the same way experimenters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more people fear and loathe the literal physical existence of all other people , the more the situation becomes ripe for every epidemic of murder , from the spiking rate of domestic violence and killings to incipient lynch mobs to pogroms to Nazi-style extermination campaigns .

It has frequently been observed that terror can rule absolutely only over people who are isolated against each other and that therefore one of the primary concerns of tyrannical government is to bring this isolation about. Isolation may be the beginning of terror; it certainly is its most fertile ground; it always is its result. This isolation is, as it were, pretotalitarian; its hallmark is impotence insofar as power always comes from people acting together, acting in concert; isolated people are powerless by definition.”
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Western civilization, led by the US government and media, has embarked upon a campaign of mass psychological terrorism designed to cover for the collapsing economy, set up a new pretext for Wall Street’s ongoing plunder expedition, radically escalate the police state, deeply traumatize people into submission to total social conformity, and radically aggravate the anti-social, anti-human atomization of the people.
The pretext for this abomination is an epidemic which objectively is comparable to the seasonal flu and is caused by the same kind of Coronavirus we’ve endured so long without totalitarian rampages and mass insanity. The Origins of Totalit... Hannah Arendt Best Price: $8.49 Buy New $12.90 (as of 06:35 UTC - Details)
The global evidence is converging on the facts: This flu is somewhat more contagious than the norm and is especially dangerous for those who are aged and already in poor health from pre-existing maladies. It is not especially dangerous for the rest of the population.
The whole concept of “lockdowns” is exactly upside down, exactly the wrong way any sane society would respond to this circumstance.
It’s the vulnerable who should be shielded while nature takes its course among the general population, who should go about life as usual. Dominionist-technocratic rigidity can’t prevent an epidemic from cycling through the population in spite of the delusions of that religion, especially since Western societies began their measures far too late anyway.
So it’s best to let herd immunity develop as fast as it naturally will, at which time the virus recedes from lack of hosts (and is likely to mutate in a milder direction along the way). This is the only way to bring a safer environment for all including the most vulnerable.
The fact that most societies have rejected the sane, scientific route in favor of doomed-to-fail attempts at a forcible violent segregation and sterilization is proof that governments aren’t concerned with the public health (as if we didn’t know that already from a thousand policies of poisoning the environment while gutting the health care system), but are very ardent to use this crisis they artificially generated in order radically to escalate their police state power toward totalitarian goals. Crises of the Republic... Arendt, Hannah Best Price: $11.00 Buy New $13.58 (as of 03:21 UTC - Details)
The whole concept of self-isolation and anti-social “distancing” is radically anti-human. We evolved over millions of years to be social creatures living in tight-knit groups. Although modern societies ideologically and socioeconomically work to massify and atomize people, nevertheless almost all of us still seek close human companionship in our lives.
(I suspect most of the internet police-state-mongers are not only fascists at heart but are confirmed misanthropic loners who couldn’t care less about human closeness.)
This terror campaign seeks to blast to pieces any remaining human closeness, which means any remaining humanity as such, the better to isolate individual atoms for subjection to total domination. Arendt wrote profoundly on this goal of totalitarian governments, though even she didn’t envision a state-driven cult of the literal physical repulsion of every atom from every other atom.
So far the people are submitting completely to a terror campaign dedicated to the total eradication of whatever community was left in the world, and especially whatever community was starting to be rebuilt.
Some dream of this terror campaign somehow bringing about a magical collective transformation. They don’t explain how that is supposed to happen when everyone’s so terrorized they’re desperate to detach physically from their own shadows, let alone physically come together with other people. But any kind of political or social action, any kind of movement-building, requires close person-to-person contact. The Human Condition: S... Allen, Danielle Best Price: $15.00 Buy New $15.99 (as of 02:44 UTC - Details)
It seems that for most erstwhile self-alleged dissidents, the fact that social media is no substitute for face-to-face organizing and group action, a fact hitherto universally acknowledged by these dissidents, is another truth suddenly to be jettisoned replaced by its complete antithesis.
Thus the terror campaign is a virus causing those it infects to abdicate all activism and all prospect for all future activism, for as long as they remain insane with the fever of this propaganda terror.
Far more profoundly and evoking despair, the terror campaign is a virus causing those it infects to fear and loathe all human contact, all companionship, all closeness, all things which ever made us human in the first place. Prior totalitarian regimes sought this lack of contact and trust through networks of informers.
These networks are part of today’s terror campaign as well, encouraged from above and spontaneously arising from below as a result of the feeling of terror as well as the exercise of prior petty-evil intentions on the part of petty-evil individuals.
But today’s totalitarian potential is far worse than this. Now the regimes aspiring to total domination have terrorized and brainwashed the vast majority of people into an automatic physical distrust of all other people. One no longer fears that someone is an informer, but fears the very existence of another human being. The Red Trojan Horse: ... Elder, Alasdair Best Price: $14.85 Buy New $14.50 (as of 03:45 UTC - Details)
Any kind of human relations, from personal friendship and romance to friendly social gatherings and clubs to social and cultural movements become impossible under such circumstances. This threatens to be the end of the very concept of shared humanity, to be replaced by an anthill of slave atoms with no consciousness beyond fear and the most animal concern for food and shelter, which already is allowed or denied in the same way experimenters do with lab rats.
And the more people fear and loathe the literal physical existence of all other people, the more the situation becomes ripe for every epidemic of murder, from the spiking rate of domestic violence and killings to incipient lynch mobs to pogroms to Nazi-style extermination campaigns.
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