lewrockwell--2020-05-01--Will Depression II Dictate Trump’s Fate?

As of April 30 , the coronavirus pandemic has killed 61,500 Americans in two months and induced the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression .
And if history is our guide , the economic crisis , which has produced 30 million unemployed Americans in six weeks , may prove more enduring , ruinous and historic than the still-rising and tragic death toll .
The Spanish flu of 1918-1919 , the deadliest pandemic in modern history , infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide , a third of the planet ’ s population , and killed an estimated 20 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans .
“ Adjusting for the difference in the size of the American population then and now , ” writes Chronicles columnist Roger McGrath , “ that number will be equivalent to two million deaths today.
” Battlefield America : T ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 10.95 Buy New $ 18.80 Yet , the Spanish flu did not shut America down .
As the Spanish flu hit and spread in 1918 , the U.S. raised , trained and equipped an army of 4 million men , sent 2 million soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s army , and turned the tide in favor of the Allies .
By December 1918 , Doughboys were arriving in New York harbor — having sailed home from Europe ’ s battlefields on flu-infested transports .
As the scourge continued to take its toll , Woodrow Wilson sailed to Europe , participated for months in the Paris Peace Conference , returned , went on a national train tour to sell his Paris treaty and League of Nations , and suffered a stroke .
In September 1919 , Gen. Pershing led his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City and Washington .
This writer ’ s father , a teenager then , was in the D.C. crowd .
In the history books of the 1950s , World War I , Wilson and the Senate battle over the treaty he brought home and U.S. membership in the League of Nations loomed far larger than the Spanish flu that had killed as many U.S. soldiers as the Kaiser ’ s armies .
America ’ s Great ... Best Price : $ 14.73 Buy New $ 14.73 But the Great Depression , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared , did not last for just a year like the Spanish flu .
The Depression lasted from the stock market crash in October 1929 to the eve of World War II .
Economically , it was devastating .
Unemployment during the 1930s never fell below 14 % .
In 1937 , it was back up to 17 % .
At the bottom of the Depression , the stock market had lost 90 % of its value , and the GDP had fallen 50 % .
Not until the end of FDR ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the U.S. began to gear up for the war , did America really begin to pull out of it .
FDR ’ s New Deal , however , while it did not cure the Depression , was a historic political triumph for both the president and his party .
From 1930 through 1946 , Democrats controlled both houses of the Congress every year , elected and reelected FDR four times and gave him a 46-state landslide in 1936 , losing only Maine and Vermont .
What this suggests is that the economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battle the pandemic may prove more lasting and historic in its impact than the terrible losses of human life to COVID-19 .
When Money Dies : The N ... Adam Fergusson Best Price : $ 1.97 Buy New $ 10.08 Politically , the Depression worked for the Democratic Party like no other event in history .
After the Crash of 1929 under Herbert Hoover , the GOP held the House and Senate for only four of the next 50 years .
From 1932 to 1968 , the GOP lost the presidency in seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s two terms in the 1950s interrupted a 36-year reign of the Democratic Party in the White House .
Richard Nixon broke the Democratic dominance and took back the White House for the Republicans in 1968 .
But it would still take another dozen years before the GOP won control of either house of Congress .
President Trump predicts a V-shaped recovery , the greatest boom in U.S. history .
But it is well to recall what happened to the GOP when it failed to deliver in the last Depression .
Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event of the 19th century , giving us 13 Republican presidents from Lincoln to Hoover and only two Democrats — Grover Cleveland and Wilson — how and when we emerge from this new Depression may tell us which party not only wins 2020 but also dominates the new era .
And as one sees the growing divisions along political lines , with conservatives and populists calling for the country to be opened up , and liberals and Democrats calling for continued sheltering in place , both seem to realize the stakes .
Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see the pandemic come to a swift and early end and the economy to return quickly to the robust state it was in last February .
But the cold political interests of the Democratic Party today are what they were in Hoover ’ s time , to pray that the president fails , and fails badly , so that they inherit the estate .
The Best of Patrick J. Buchanan

Shop all books by Pat Buchanan
As of April 30, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 61,500 Americans in two months and induced the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.
And if history is our guide, the economic crisis, which has produced 30 million unemployed Americans in six weeks, may prove more enduring, ruinous and historic than the still-rising and tragic death toll.
The Spanish flu of 1918-1919, the deadliest pandemic in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide, a third of the planet’s population, and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including 675,000 Americans.
“Adjusting for the difference in the size of the American population then and now,” writes Chronicles columnist Roger McGrath, “that number will be equivalent to two million deaths today.” Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
Yet, the Spanish flu did not shut America down.
As the Spanish flu hit and spread in 1918, the U.S. raised, trained and equipped an army of 4 million men, sent 2 million soldiers to France, broke Gen. Erich Ludendorff’s army, and turned the tide in favor of the Allies.
By December 1918, Doughboys were arriving in New York harbor — having sailed home from Europe’s battlefields on flu-infested transports.
As the scourge continued to take its toll, Woodrow Wilson sailed to Europe, participated for months in the Paris Peace Conference, returned, went on a national train tour to sell his Paris treaty and League of Nations, and suffered a stroke.
In September 1919, Gen. Pershing led his victorious troops in victory parades in New York City and Washington. This writer’s father, a teenager then, was in the D.C. crowd.
In the history books of the 1950s, World War I, Wilson and the Senate battle over the treaty he brought home and U.S. membership in the League of Nations loomed far larger than the Spanish flu that had killed as many U.S. soldiers as the Kaiser’s armies. America’s Great ... Best Price: $14.73 Buy New $14.73 (as of 08:09 UTC - Details)
But the Great Depression, to which our current crash is now being compared, did not last for just a year like the Spanish flu. The Depression lasted from the stock market crash in October 1929 to the eve of World War II.
Economically, it was devastating. Unemployment during the 1930s never fell below 14%. In 1937, it was back up to 17%.
At the bottom of the Depression, the stock market had lost 90% of its value, and the GDP had fallen 50%. Not until the end of FDR’s second term, in 1940, when the U.S. began to gear up for the war, did America really begin to pull out of it.
FDR’s New Deal, however, while it did not cure the Depression, was a historic political triumph for both the president and his party.
From 1930 through 1946, Democrats controlled both houses of the Congress every year, elected and reelected FDR four times and gave him a 46-state landslide in 1936, losing only Maine and Vermont.
What this suggests is that the economic devastation we have brought upon ourselves to battle the pandemic may prove more lasting and historic in its impact than the terrible losses of human life to COVID-19. When Money Dies: The N... Adam Fergusson Best Price: $1.97 Buy New $10.08 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details)
Politically, the Depression worked for the Democratic Party like no other event in history. After the Crash of 1929 under Herbert Hoover, the GOP held the House and Senate for only four of the next 50 years.
From 1932 to 1968, the GOP lost the presidency in seven of nine elections. Only Dwight Eisenhower’s two terms in the 1950s interrupted a 36-year reign of the Democratic Party in the White House.
Richard Nixon broke the Democratic dominance and took back the White House for the Republicans in 1968. But it would still take another dozen years before the GOP won control of either house of Congress.
President Trump predicts a V-shaped recovery, the greatest boom in U.S. history. But it is well to recall what happened to the GOP when it failed to deliver in the last Depression.
Just as the Civil War was the defining event of the 19th century, giving us 13 Republican presidents from Lincoln to Hoover and only two Democrats — Grover Cleveland and Wilson — how and when we emerge from this new Depression may tell us which party not only wins 2020 but also dominates the new era.
And as one sees the growing divisions along political lines, with conservatives and populists calling for the country to be opened up, and liberals and Democrats calling for continued sheltering in place, both seem to realize the stakes.
Democrats may proclaim that they are eager to see the pandemic come to a swift and early end and the economy to return quickly to the robust state it was in last February.
But the cold political interests of the Democratic Party today are what they were in Hoover’s time, to pray that the president fails, and fails badly, so that they inherit the estate.
The Best of Patrick J. Buchanan


lewrockwell--2020-05-01--There Is No Such Thing as ‘The Science’

There Is No Such Thing as ‘The Science’

According to David Blunkett , a former senior cabinet minister in Tony Blair ’ s governments , attempts to have a blanket lockdown on the over-70s are discriminatory .
He believes that the current ‘ shielding ’ rules are too crude and need to be more nuanced .
Whatever the merits of his ideas , his comments on the scientific advice that the government is receiving are interesting .
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 ’ s The World at One on 28 April , Blunkett argued that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ( SAGE ) has a problem .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rebel Ideas , he said that ‘ major mistakes in the recent past have been made by people of similar ilk , similar ideas , similar background , similar thinking being considered the only experts that you could draw down on .
And I ’ d like RAGE – a Recovery Advisory Group – that had a very much broader swathe of advice and expertise to draw down on.
’ Rebel Ideas : The Power ... Syed , Matthew Buy New $ 21.69 The dangers of listening to a small pool of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to by a former chief scientific adviser , Sir David King .
Reacting to reports that Boris Johnson ’ s senior adviser , Dominic Cummings , may have pushed SAGE to back the current lockdown , King told Bloomberg : ‘ There is a herd instinct in all of us – we call it groupthink .
It is possible that a group is influenced by a particularly influential person.
’ Other leading scientific figures have criticised the idea that the government ’ s policies are based on science .
Professor Devi Sridhar , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Edinburgh , told the Guardian : ‘ As a scientist , I hope I never again hear the phrase “ based on the best science and evidence ” spoken by a politician .
This phrase has become basically meaningless and used to explain anything and everything.
’ The same article quotes Professor Mark Woolhouse , an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh : ‘ I do think scientific advice is driven far too much by epidemiology – and I ’ m an epidemiologist .
What we ’ re not talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way are the economic costs , the social costs , the psychological costs of being under lockdown .
I understand that the government is being advised by economists , psychiatrists and others , but we ’ re not seeing what that science is telling them .
I find that very puzzling.
’ Governing Global Healt ... Sridhar , Devi Best Price : $ 16.80 Buy New $ 15.95 All these comments and more point to one of the most striking aspects of the Covid-19 crisis .
For many years now , politicians – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ philosophical principle – have claimed that they are pursuing ‘ evidence-based policy ’ and being ‘ led by The Science ’ .
In reality , science is a process of trying to draw together tentative conclusions driven by experiment and observation .
Claiming authority from The Science – as if there were a grand tome you could simply open up to find the correct answer – is just wrong .
As Professor Brian Cox told Andrew Marr this week : ‘ There ’ s no such thing as The Science , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a politician say “ we ’ re following The Science ” , then what that means is they don ’ t really understand what science is .
There isn ’ t such a thing as The Science .
Science is a mindset .
’

According to David Blunkett, a former senior cabinet minister in Tony Blair’s governments, attempts to have a blanket lockdown on the over-70s are discriminatory. He believes that the current ‘shielding’ rules are too crude and need to be more nuanced. Whatever the merits of his ideas, his comments on the scientific advice that the government is receiving are interesting.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One on 28 April, Blunkett argued that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has a problem. Drawing on Matthew Syed’s book, Rebel Ideas, he said that ‘major mistakes in the recent past have been made by people of similar ilk, similar ideas, similar background, similar thinking being considered the only experts that you could draw down on. And I’d like RAGE – a Recovery Advisory Group – that had a very much broader swathe of advice and expertise to draw down on.’
Rebel Ideas: The Power... Syed, Matthew Buy New $21.69 (as of 04:12 UTC - Details) The dangers of listening to a small pool of experts with orthodox thinking was also pointed to by a former chief scientific adviser, Sir David King. Reacting to reports that Boris Johnson’s senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, may have pushed SAGE to back the current lockdown, King told Bloomberg: ‘There is a herd instinct in all of us – we call it groupthink. It is possible that a group is influenced by a particularly influential person.’
Other leading scientific figures have criticised the idea that the government’s policies are based on science. Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, told the Guardian: ‘As a scientist, I hope I never again hear the phrase “based on the best science and evidence” spoken by a politician. This phrase has become basically meaningless and used to explain anything and everything.’
The same article quotes Professor Mark Woolhouse, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh: ‘I do think scientific advice is driven far too much by epidemiology – and I’m an epidemiologist. What we’re not talking about in the same formal, quantitative way are the economic costs, the social costs, the psychological costs of being under lockdown. I understand that the government is being advised by economists, psychiatrists and others, but we’re not seeing what that science is telling them. I find that very puzzling.’ Governing Global Healt... Sridhar, Devi Best Price: $16.80 Buy New $15.95 (as of 04:12 UTC - Details)
All these comments and more point to one of the most striking aspects of the Covid-19 crisis. For many years now, politicians – largely bereft of any wider purpose or philosophical principle – have claimed that they are pursuing ‘evidence-based policy’ and being ‘led by The Science’. In reality, science is a process of trying to draw together tentative conclusions driven by experiment and observation. Claiming authority from The Science – as if there were a grand tome you could simply open up to find the correct answer – is just wrong.
As Professor Brian Cox told Andrew Marr this week: ‘There’s no such thing as The Science, which is a key lesson. If you hear a politician say “we’re following The Science”, then what that means is they don’t really understand what science is. There isn’t such a thing as The Science. Science is a mindset.’
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Doctor Nicotine

In the midst of so much social hysteria and propaganda of fear , it is a pleasure to find some serenity and common sense in the statements of some doctors about the benefits of tobacco .
According to recent studies , smokers may be more resistant to the new plague .
This is a wonderful discovery for tobacco lovers , who have suffered decades of jihadist prosecution for their virtuous vices .
Many doctors recoil in shock when checking the statistics of those infected , whether the patients are smokers or not .
We are already with the mathematical strip-tease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What they reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.
” In the New World , a paradise without a mania for overdressing , the pantheistic Indians already knew about the healing powers of tobacco and considered their holy smoke a communion of man with the divine .
The art of smoking soon spread throughout Spain , thanks to Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres , who had accompanied Christopher Columbus .
In England the smoking ambassador was Sir Walter Raleigh , gallant pirate and man of letters who lost his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was James I .
In France Catherine de ’ Medici ( always curious about poisons and elixirs ) was tobacco ’ s great supporter , thanks to the wise advice of doctor Jean Nicot , who considered the new plant a panacea and patented alkaloid nicotine with his name .
The Health Benefits of ... Douglass , William Camp ... Best Price : $ 31.58 Buy New $ 33.99 Since its American export to the rest of the planet , most artists , priests , and doctors have been great fans of tobacco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it go from love to hate .
During Victoria ’ s long reign , tobacco was so frowned upon that the French ambassador had to lie down on the floor and stick his head into the fireplace in order to take a drag .
Then came her son Edward , who fortunately was a bon vivant , a lover of peace and the joys of life .
His first order was a generous “ Gentlemen , you may smoke.
” Recent studies by La Pitié-Salpêtrière French hospital refer to the fact that cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the coronavirus .
If only Donald Trump would have recommended a good smoke or a powerful whiskey instead of disinfectant to his compatriots , he would have proved to be up to date with science and would have gained popularity as well as a bonus for the next elections .
Perhaps the American president should surround himself with more smokers and fewer housewives .

In the midst of so much social hysteria and propaganda of fear, it is a pleasure to find some serenity and common sense in the statements of some doctors about the benefits of tobacco. According to recent studies, smokers may be more resistant to the new plague. This is a wonderful discovery for tobacco lovers, who have suffered decades of jihadist prosecution for their virtuous vices.
Many doctors recoil in shock when checking the statistics of those infected, whether the patients are smokers or not. We are already with the mathematical strip-tease: “Statistics are like bikinis: What they reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.”
In the New World, a paradise without a mania for overdressing, the pantheistic Indians already knew about the healing powers of tobacco and considered their holy smoke a communion of man with the divine. The art of smoking soon spread throughout Spain, thanks to Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, who had accompanied Christopher Columbus. In England the smoking ambassador was Sir Walter Raleigh, gallant pirate and man of letters who lost his head with that first anti-tobacco Taliban that was James I. In France Catherine de’ Medici (always curious about poisons and elixirs) was tobacco’s great supporter, thanks to the wise advice of doctor Jean Nicot, who considered the new plant a panacea and patented alkaloid nicotine with his name. The Health Benefits of... Douglass, William Camp... Best Price: $31.58 Buy New $33.99 (as of 04:13 UTC - Details)
Since its American export to the rest of the planet, most artists, priests, and doctors have been great fans of tobacco. Only in the Anglo-Saxon world did it go from love to hate. During Victoria’s long reign, tobacco was so frowned upon that the French ambassador had to lie down on the floor and stick his head into the fireplace in order to take a drag. Then came her son Edward, who fortunately was a bon vivant, a lover of peace and the joys of life. His first order was a generous “Gentlemen, you may smoke.”
Recent studies by La Pitié-Salpêtrière French hospital refer to the fact that cells impregnated with nicotine can fight more effectively against the coronavirus. If only Donald Trump would have recommended a good smoke or a powerful whiskey instead of disinfectant to his compatriots, he would have proved to be up to date with science and would have gained popularity as well as a bonus for the next elections. Perhaps the American president should surround himself with more smokers and fewer housewives.
Of course, the international medical community has screamed bloody murder for studies favorable to tobacco. It is a revolution! (But it may be a gentle one for once.) Anti-smoking campaigns have invested billions on hysterical slogans. Progressive governments (which often have little to do with progress) have violated the private ownership of bars and restaurants, placed the most aberrant advertising in tobacco packages, and demonized smokers as creatures without rights for their bad habits.
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lewrockwell--2020-05-01--The West Point Junta

The West Point Junta

Every West Point class votes on an official motto .
Most are then inscribed on their class rings .
Hence , the pejorative West Point label “ ring knocker.
” ( As legend has it , at military meetings a West Pointer “ need only knock his large ring on the table and all Pointers present are obliged to rally to his point of view.
” ) Last August , the class of 2023 announced theirs : “ Freedom Is Not Free.
” Mine from the class of 2005 was “ Keeping Freedom Alive.
” Each class takes pride in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , aspires to live according to its sentiments , while championing the accomplishments of fellow graduates .
But some cohorts do stand out .
Take the class of 1986 ( “ Courage Never Quits “ ) .
As it happens , both Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are members of that very class , as are a surprisingly wide range of influential leaders in Congress , corporate America , the Pentagon , the defense industry , lobbying firms , Big Pharma , high-end financial services , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their striking hawkishness on the subject of American war-making , Esper and Pompeo rise above the rest .
Even in a pandemic , they are as good as their class motto .
When it comes to this country ’ s wars , neither of them ever quits .
Waterpik Water Flosser ... Best Price : null Buy New $ 69.49 Once upon a time , retired Lieutenant General Douglas Lute ( Class of ’ 75 ) , a former U.S .
Ambassador to NATO and a senior commander in Iraq and Afghanistan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Point social sciences class .
However , it was Pompeo , the class of ’ 86 valedictorian , whom Lute singled out for praise , remembering him as “ a very strong student — fastidious , deliberate.
” Of course , as the Afghanistan Papers , released by the Washington Post late last year , so starkly revealed , Lute told an interviewer that , like so many U.S. officials , he “ didn ’ t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking in Afghanistan.
” Though at one point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ Afghan war czar , ” the general never expressed such doubts publicly and his record of dissent is hardly an impressive one .
Still , on one point at least , Lute was on target : Esper and Pompeo are smart and that ’ s what worries me ( as in the phrase “ too smart for their own good ” ) .
Esper , a former Raytheon lobbyist , had particularly hawkish views on Russia and China before he ever took over at the Pentagon and he wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue America ’ s wars .
Pompeo , then a congressman , exhibited a striking pre-Trump-era foreign policy pugnacity , particularly vis-à-vis the Islamic world .
It has since solidified into a veritable obsession with toppling the Iranian regime .
Their militarized obsessions have recently taken striking form in two ways : the secretary of defense instructed U.S. commanders to prepare plans to escalate combat against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq , an order the mission ’ s senior leader there , Lieutenant General Robert “ Pat ” White , reportedly resisted ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is eager to convince President Trump to use the Covid-19 pandemic , now devastating Iran , to bomb that country and further strangle it with sanctions .
Worse yet , Pompeo might be just cunning enough to convince his ill-informed , insecure boss ( so open to clever flattery ) that war is the answer .
The militarism of both men matters greatly , but they hardly pilot the ship of state alone , any more than Trump does ( whatever he thinks ) .
Would that it were the case .
Sadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , the disease runs much deeper than them .
Enter the rest of the illustrative class of ’ 86 .
Vibit Portable Persona ... Buy New $ 59.99 As it happens , Pompeo ’ s and Esper ’ s classmates permeate the deeper structure of imperial America .
And let ’ s admit it , they are , by the numbers , an impressive crew .
As another ’ 86 alumnus , Congressman Mark Green ( R-TN ) , bragged on the House floor in 2019 , “ My class [ has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and CEOs of major corporations… two state legislators… [ and ] three judges , ” as well as “ at least four deans and chancellors of universities.
” He closed his remarks by exclaiming , “ Courage never quits , ’ 86 !
” However , for all his gushing , Green ’ s list conceals much .
It illuminates neither the mechanics nor the motives of his illustrious classmates ; that is , what they ’ re actually doing and why .
Many are key players in a corporate-military machine bent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for profit and professional advancement .
A brief look at key ‘ 86ers offers insight into President Dwight D. Eisenhower ’ s military-industrial complex in 2020 — and it should take your breath away .
The core group of ’ 86 grads cheekily refer to themselves as “ the West Point mafia.
” And for some , that ’ s an uplifting thought .
Take Joe DePinto , CEO of 7-Eleven .
He says that he ’ s “ someone who sleeps better at night knowing that those guys are in the positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s an ’ 86 grad , too .
Back when I called the academy home , we branded such self-important cadets “ toolbags.
” More than a decade later , when I taught there , I found my students still using the term .
Face facts , however : those “ toolbags , ” thick as thieves today , now run the show in Washington ( and despite their busy schedules , they still find time to socialize as a group ) .
Given Donald Trump ’ s shady past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic City casino-and-hotel empire without “ mobbing-it-up ” — that mafia moniker is actually fitting .
So perhaps it ’ s worth thinking of Mike Pompeo as the president ’ s latest consigliere .
And since gangsters rarely countenance a challenge without striking back , Lieutenant General White should watch his back after his prudent attempt to stop the further escalation of America ’ s wars in Iraq and Iran in the midst of a deadly global pandemic .
Worse yet for him , he ’ s not a West Pointer ( though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Army commission on the very day that class of ’ 86 graduated ) .
White ’ s once promising career is unlikely to be long for this world .
SLARR Premium Aluminum ... Buy New $ 69.99 In addition to Esper and Pompeo , other Class of ’ 86 alums serve in key executive branch roles .
They include the vice chief of staff of the Army General Joseph Martin , the director of the Army National Guard , the commander of NATO ’ s Allied Land Command , the deputy commanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deputy commanding general of Army Cyber Command .
Civilian-side classmates in the Pentagon serve as : deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations , energy , and environment ; a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army ; and the director of stabilization and peace operations policy for the secretary of defense .
These Pentagon career civil servants aren ’ t , strictly speaking , part of the “ mafia ” itself , but two Pompeo loyalists are indeed charter members .
Pompeo brought Ulrich Brechbuhl and Brian Butalao , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in from the corporate world .
The three of them had , at one point , served as CEO , CFO , and COO of Thayer Aerospace , named for the “ father ” of West Point , Colonel Sylvanus Thayer , and started with Koch Industries seed money .
Among other things , that corporation sold the Pentagon military aircraft components .
Brechbuhl and Butalao were given senior positions at the CIA when Pompeo was its director .
Currently , Brechbuhl is the State Department ’ s counselor ( and reportedly Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , while Butalao serves as under secretary for management .
According to his official bio , Butalao is responsible “ for managing the State Department on a day-to-day basis and [ serving as its ] Chief Operating Officer.
” Funny , that was his exact position under Pompeo at that aerospace company .
Still , this mafia trio can ’ t run the show by themselves .
The national security structure ’ s tentacles are so much longer than that .
They reach all the way to K Street and Capitol Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Enablers Flexzilla Garden Hose , ... Buy New $ 62.29 Before Trump tapped Pompeo to head the CIA and then the State Department , he represented Wichita , Kansas , home to Koch Industries , in the House of Representatives .
In fact , Pompeo rode his ample funding from the political action committee of the billionaire Koch brothers straight to the Hill .
So linked was he to those fraternal right-wing energy tycoons and so protective of their interests that he was dubbed “ the congressman from Koch.
” The relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selection as secretary of state solidified the previously strained relationship of the brothers with President Trump .
The ’ 86 mafia ’ s current congressional heavyweight , however , is Mark Green .
An early Trump supporter , he regularly tried to shield the president from impeachment as a minority member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee .
The Tennessee congressman nearly became Trump ’ s secretary of the Army , but ultimately withdrew his nomination because of controversies that included sponsoring gender-discriminatory bills and commenting that “ transgender is a disease.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , take their foreign-policy marching orders from the military ’ s corporate suppliers .
Among those , Esper , of course , represents the gold standard when it comes to “ revolving-door ” defense lobbying .
Just before ascending the Pentagon summit , pressed by Senator Elizabeth Warren during his confirmation hearings , he patently refused to “ recuse himself from all matters related to ” Raytheon , his former employer and the nation ’ s third-largest defense contractor .
( And that was even before its recent merger with United Technologies Corporation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a senior vice president . )
Incidentally , one of Raytheon ’ s “ biggest franchises ” is the Patriot missile defense system , the very weapon being rushed to Iraq as I write , ostensibly as a check on Pompeo ’ s favored villain , Iran .
Less well known is the handiwork of another ’ 86 grad , longtime lobbyist and CNN paid contributor David Urban , who first met the president in 2012 and still recalls how “ we clicked immediately.
” The consummate Washington insider , he backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood a chance ” and in 2016 was his senior campaign adviser in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania .
Esper and Urban have been close for more than 30 years .
As cadets , they served in the same unit during the Persian Gulf War .
It was Urban who introduced Esper to his wife .
Both later graced the Hill ’ s list of Washington ’ s top lobbyists .
Since 2002 , Urban has been a partner and is now president of a consulting giant , the American Continental Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7-Eleven .
PetSafe Wireless Dog a ... Best Price : $ 226.26 Buy New $ 247.13 It ’ s hard to overstate Urban ’ s role .
He seems to have landed Pompeo and Esper their jobs in the Trump administration and was a key go-between in marrying class of ’ 86 backbenchers and moneymen to that bridegroom of our moment , The Donald .
Another ’ 86er also passed through that famed military-industrial revolving door .
Retired Colonel Dan Sauter left his position as chief of staff of the 32nd Army Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant weapons maker Lockheed Martin as business developer for the very systems his old unit employed .
Since May 2019 , he ’ s directed Lockheed ’ s $ 1.5 billion Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD ) program in Saudi Arabia .
Lockheed ’ s THAAD systems have streamed into that country to protect the Kingdom , even as Pompeo continually threatens Iran .
If such corporate figures are doing the selling , it ’ s the Pentagon , naturally , that ’ s doing the buying .
Luckily , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the purchasing end as well , including a retired brigadier general who now serves as the Pentagon ’ s principal adviser to the under secretary for acquisition , technology , and logistics .
Finally , there are other key consultants linked to the military-industrial complex who are also graduates of the class of ’ 86 .
They include a senior vice president of Hillwood — a massive domestic and international real estate development company , chaired by Ross Perot , Jr. — formerly a consultant to the government of the United Arab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the fight against Pompeo ’ s Iranian nemesis and , in 2019 , awarded Raytheon a $ 1.5 billion contract to supply key components for its air force missile launchers .
Another classmate is a managing partner for Patriot Strategies , which consults for corporations and the government but also separately lands hefty defense contracts itself .
His previous “ ventures ” included “ work in telecommunications in the Middle East… and technical security upgrades at U.S. embassies worldwide.
” 3 Pack POLICE MAGNUM O ... Buy New $ 19.99 Yet another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founder and CEO of Thayer Leader Development Group ( TLDG ) , which prides itself on “ building ” corporate leaders .
TLDG clients include : 7-Eleven , Cardinal Glass , EMCOR , and Mercedes-Benz .
All either have or had ’ 86ers at the helm .
The company ’ s CEO also owns the Thayer Hotel located right on West Point ’ s grounds , which hosts many of the company ’ s lectures and other events .
Then there ’ s the retired colonel who , like me , taught on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s now the CEO of Battlefield Leadership , which helps corporate leaders “ learn from the past ” in order to “ prepare for an ever-changing business landscape.
” Don ’ t for a moment think these are all “ bad ” people .
That ’ s not faintly my point .
One prominent ’ 86 grad , for instance , is Lieutenant General Eric Wesley , the deputy of Army Futures Command .
He was my brigade commander at Fort Riley , Kansas , in 2009 and I found him competent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decent man , which is probably true of plenty of ‘ 86ers .
So what exactly is my point here ?
I ’ m not for a second charging conspiracy or even criminal corruption .
The lion ’ s share of what all these figures do is perfectly legal .
In reality , the way the class of ’ 86 has permeated the power structure only reflects the nature of the carefully crafted , distinctly undemocratic systems through which the military-industrial complex and our political world operate by design .
Most of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , be more legal in a world of never-ending American wars and national security budgets that eternally go through the roof .
After all , if any of these figures had acted in anything but a perfectly legal fashion , they might have run into a classmate of theirs who recently led the FBI ’ s corruption unit in New Jersey — before , that is , he retired and became CEO of a global security consulting firm .
( Sound familiar ? )
And that ’ s my point , really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that couldn ’ t be more lawful and yet , by any definition , the class of ’ 86 represents one giant conflict of interest ( and they don ’ t stand alone ) .
Alums from that year are now ensconced in every level of the national security state : from the White House to the Pentagon to Congress to K Street to corporate boardrooms .
And they have both power and a deep stake , financial or otherwise , in maintaining or expanding the ( forever ) warfare state .
Laptop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 97.99 They benefit from America ’ s permanent military mobilization , its never-ending economic war-footing , and all that comes with it .
Ironically , this will inevitably include the blood of future West Point graduates , doomed to serve in their hopeless crusades .
Think of it all as a macabre inversion of their class motto in which it ’ s not their courage but that of younger graduates sent off to this country ’ s hopeless wars that they will never allow to “ quit.
” Speaking of true courage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve had of it in those wars is General “ Pat ” White .
It seems that he , at least , refused to kiss the proverbial rings of those mafia men of ’ 86 .
But of course , he ’ s not part of their “ family , ” is he ?

Every West Point class votes on an official motto. Most are then inscribed on their class rings. Hence, the pejorative West Point label “ring knocker.” (As legend has it, at military meetings a West Pointer “need only knock his large ring on the table and all Pointers present are obliged to rally to his point of view.”) Last August, the class of 2023 announced theirs: “Freedom Is Not Free.” Mine from the class of 2005 was “Keeping Freedom Alive.” Each class takes pride in its motto and, at least theoretically, aspires to live according to its sentiments, while championing the accomplishments of fellow graduates.
But some cohorts do stand out. Take the class of 1986 (“Courage Never Quits“). As it happens, both Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are members of that very class, as are a surprisingly wide range of influential leaders in Congress, corporate America, the Pentagon, the defense industry, lobbying firms, Big Pharma, high-end financial services, and even security-consulting firms. Still, given their striking hawkishness on the subject of American war-making, Esper and Pompeo rise above the rest. Even in a pandemic, they are as good as their class motto. When it comes to this country’s wars, neither of them ever quits.
Waterpik Water Flosser... Buy New $69.49 (as of 09:00 UTC - Details) Once upon a time, retired Lieutenant General Douglas Lute (Class of ’75), a former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and a senior commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, taught both Esper and Pompeo in his West Point social sciences class. However, it was Pompeo, the class of ’86 valedictorian, whom Lute singled out for praise, remembering him as “a very strong student — fastidious, deliberate.” Of course, as the Afghanistan Papers, released by the Washington Post late last year, so starkly revealed, Lute told an interviewer that, like so many U.S. officials, he “didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking in Afghanistan.” Though at one point he was President George W. Bush’s “Afghan war czar,” the general never expressed such doubts publicly and his record of dissent is hardly an impressive one. Still, on one point at least, Lute was on target: Esper and Pompeo are smart and that’s what worries me (as in the phrase “too smart for their own good”).
Esper, a former Raytheon lobbyist, had particularly hawkish views on Russia and China before he ever took over at the Pentagon and he wasn’t alone when it came to the urge to continue America’s wars. Pompeo, then a congressman, exhibited a striking pre-Trump-era foreign policy pugnacity, particularly vis-à-vis the Islamic world. It has since solidified into a veritable obsession with toppling the Iranian regime.
Their militarized obsessions have recently taken striking form in two ways: the secretary of defense instructed U.S. commanders to prepare plans to escalate combat against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, an order the mission’s senior leader there, Lieutenant General Robert “Pat” White, reportedly resisted; meanwhile, the secretary of state evidently is eager to convince President Trump to use the Covid-19 pandemic, now devastating Iran, to bomb that country and further strangle it with sanctions. Worse yet, Pompeo might be just cunning enough to convince his ill-informed, insecure boss (so open to clever flattery) that war is the answer.
The militarism of both men matters greatly, but they hardly pilot the ship of state alone, any more than Trump does (whatever he thinks). Would that it were the case. Sadly, even if voters threw them all out, the disease runs much deeper than them. Enter the rest of the illustrative class of ’86.
Vibit Portable Persona... Buy New $59.99 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details) As it happens, Pompeo’s and Esper’s classmates permeate the deeper structure of imperial America. And let’s admit it, they are, by the numbers, an impressive crew. As another ’86 alumnus, Congressman Mark Green (R-TN), bragged on the House floor in 2019, “My class [has] produced 18 general officers… 22-plus presidents and CEOs of major corporations… two state legislators… [and] three judges,” as well as “at least four deans and chancellors of universities.” He closed his remarks by exclaiming, “Courage never quits, ’86!”
However, for all his gushing, Green’s list conceals much. It illuminates neither the mechanics nor the motives of his illustrious classmates; that is, what they’re actually doing and why. Many are key players in a corporate-military machine bent on, and reliant on, endless war for profit and professional advancement. A brief look at key ‘86ers offers insight into President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s military-industrial complex in 2020 — and it should take your breath away.
The West Point Mafia
The core group of ’86 grads cheekily refer to themselves as “the West Point mafia.” And for some, that’s an uplifting thought. Take Joe DePinto, CEO of 7-Eleven. He says that he’s “someone who sleeps better at night knowing that those guys are in the positions they’re in.” Of course, he’s an ’86 grad, too.
Back when I called the academy home, we branded such self-important cadets “toolbags.” More than a decade later, when I taught there, I found my students still using the term. Face facts, however: those “toolbags,” thick as thieves today, now run the show in Washington (and despite their busy schedules, they still find time to socialize as a group).
Given Donald Trump’s shady past — one doesn’t build an Atlantic City casino-and-hotel empire without “mobbing-it-up” — that mafia moniker is actually fitting. So perhaps it’s worth thinking of Mike Pompeo as the president’s latest consigliere. And since gangsters rarely countenance a challenge without striking back, Lieutenant General White should watch his back after his prudent attempt to stop the further escalation of America’s wars in Iraq and Iran in the midst of a deadly global pandemic. Worse yet for him, he’s not a West Pointer (though he did, oddly enough, earn his Army commission on the very day that class of ’86 graduated). White’s once promising career is unlikely to be long for this world. SLARR Premium Aluminum... Buy New $69.99 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details)
In addition to Esper and Pompeo, other Class of ’86 alums serve in key executive branch roles. They include the vice chief of staff of the Army General Joseph Martin, the director of the Army National Guard, the commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command, the deputy commanding general of Army Forces Command, and the deputy commanding general of Army Cyber Command. Civilian-side classmates in the Pentagon serve as: deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment; a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army; and the director of stabilization and peace operations policy for the secretary of defense. These Pentagon career civil servants aren’t, strictly speaking, part of the “mafia” itself, but two Pompeo loyalists are indeed charter members.
Pompeo brought Ulrich Brechbuhl and Brian Butalao, two of his closest cadet friends, in from the corporate world. The three of them had, at one point, served as CEO, CFO, and COO of Thayer Aerospace, named for the “father” of West Point, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, and started with Koch Industries seed money. Among other things, that corporation sold the Pentagon military aircraft components.
Brechbuhl and Butalao were given senior positions at the CIA when Pompeo was its director. Currently, Brechbuhl is the State Department’s counselor (and reportedly Pompeo’s de facto chief of staff), while Butalao serves as under secretary for management. According to his official bio, Butalao is responsible “for managing the State Department on a day-to-day basis and [serving as its] Chief Operating Officer.” Funny, that was his exact position under Pompeo at that aerospace company.
Still, this mafia trio can’t run the show by themselves. The national security structure’s tentacles are so much longer than that. They reach all the way to K Street and Capitol Hill.
From Congress to K Street: The Enablers
Flexzilla Garden Hose,... Buy New $62.29 (as of 04:15 UTC - Details) Before Trump tapped Pompeo to head the CIA and then the State Department, he represented Wichita, Kansas, home to Koch Industries, in the House of Representatives. In fact, Pompeo rode his ample funding from the political action committee of the billionaire Koch brothers straight to the Hill. So linked was he to those fraternal right-wing energy tycoons and so protective of their interests that he was dubbed “the congressman from Koch.” The relationship was mutually beneficial. Pompeo’s selection as secretary of state solidified the previously strained relationship of the brothers with President Trump.
The ’86 mafia’s current congressional heavyweight, however, is Mark Green. An early Trump supporter, he regularly tried to shield the president from impeachment as a minority member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The Tennessee congressman nearly became Trump’s secretary of the Army, but ultimately withdrew his nomination because of controversies that included sponsoring gender-discriminatory bills and commenting that “transgender is a disease.”
Legislators like Green, in turn, take their foreign-policy marching orders from the military’s corporate suppliers. Among those, Esper, of course, represents the gold standard when it comes to “revolving-door” defense lobbying. Just before ascending the Pentagon summit, pressed by Senator Elizabeth Warren during his confirmation hearings, he patently refused to “recuse himself from all matters related to” Raytheon, his former employer and the nation’s third-largest defense contractor. (And that was even before its recent merger with United Technologies Corporation, which once employed another Esper classmate as a senior vice president.) Incidentally, one of Raytheon’s “biggest franchises” is the Patriot missile defense system, the very weapon being rushed to Iraq as I write, ostensibly as a check on Pompeo’s favored villain, Iran.
Less well known is the handiwork of another ’86 grad, longtime lobbyist and CNN paid contributor David Urban, who first met the president in 2012 and still recalls how “we clicked immediately.” The consummate Washington insider, he backed Trump “when nobody else thought he stood a chance” and in 2016 was his senior campaign adviser in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania.
Esper and Urban have been close for more than 30 years. As cadets, they served in the same unit during the Persian Gulf War. It was Urban who introduced Esper to his wife. Both later graced the Hill’s list of Washington’s top lobbyists. Since 2002, Urban has been a partner and is now president of a consulting giant, the American Continental Group. Among its clients: Raytheon and 7-Eleven.
PetSafe Wireless Dog a... Best Price: $226.26 Buy New $247.13 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details) It’s hard to overstate Urban’s role. He seems to have landed Pompeo and Esper their jobs in the Trump administration and was a key go-between in marrying class of ’86 backbenchers and moneymen to that bridegroom of our moment, The Donald.
Greasing the Machine: The Moneymen
Another ’86er also passed through that famed military-industrial revolving door. Retired Colonel Dan Sauter left his position as chief of staff of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command for one at giant weapons maker Lockheed Martin as business developer for the very systems his old unit employed. Since May 2019, he’s directed Lockheed’s $1.5 billion Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program in Saudi Arabia. Lockheed’s THAAD systems have streamed into that country to protect the Kingdom, even as Pompeo continually threatens Iran.
If such corporate figures are doing the selling, it’s the Pentagon, naturally, that’s doing the buying. Luckily, there are ’86 alumni in key positions on the purchasing end as well, including a retired brigadier general who now serves as the Pentagon’s principal adviser to the under secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics.
Finally, there are other key consultants linked to the military-industrial complex who are also graduates of the class of ’86. They include a senior vice president of Hillwood — a massive domestic and international real estate development company, chaired by Ross Perot, Jr. — formerly a consultant to the government of the United Arab Emirates. The Emiratis are U.S. allies in the fight against Pompeo’s Iranian nemesis and, in 2019, awarded Raytheon a $1.5 billion contract to supply key components for its air force missile launchers.
Another classmate is a managing partner for Patriot Strategies, which consults for corporations and the government but also separately lands hefty defense contracts itself. His previous “ventures” included “work in telecommunications in the Middle East… and technical security upgrades at U.S. embassies worldwide.”
3 Pack POLICE MAGNUM O... Buy New $19.99 (as of 02:24 UTC - Details) Yet another grad, Rick Minicozzi, is the founder and CEO of Thayer Leader Development Group (TLDG), which prides itself on “building” corporate leaders. TLDG clients include: 7-Eleven, Cardinal Glass, EMCOR, and Mercedes-Benz. All either have or had ’86ers at the helm. The company’s CEO also owns the Thayer Hotel located right on West Point’s grounds, which hosts many of the company’s lectures and other events. Then there’s the retired colonel who, like me, taught on the West Point history faculty. He’s now the CEO of Battlefield Leadership, which helps corporate leaders “learn from the past” in order to “prepare for an ever-changing business landscape.”
A Class-wide Conflict of Interest
Don’t for a moment think these are all “bad” people. That’s not faintly my point. One prominent ’86 grad, for instance, is Lieutenant General Eric Wesley, the deputy of Army Futures Command. He was my brigade commander at Fort Riley, Kansas, in 2009 and I found him competent, exceptionally empathetic, and a decidedly decent man, which is probably true of plenty of ‘86ers.
So what exactly is my point here? I’m not for a second charging conspiracy or even criminal corruption. The lion’s share of what all these figures do is perfectly legal. In reality, the way the class of ’86 has permeated the power structure only reflects the nature of the carefully crafted, distinctly undemocratic systems through which the military-industrial complex and our political world operate by design. Most of what they do couldn’t, in fact, be more legal in a world of never-ending American wars and national security budgets that eternally go through the roof. After all, if any of these figures had acted in anything but a perfectly legal fashion, they might have run into a classmate of theirs who recently led the FBI’s corruption unit in New Jersey — before, that is, he retired and became CEO of a global security consulting firm. (Sound familiar?)
And that’s my point, really. We have a system in Washington that couldn’t be more lawful and yet, by any definition, the class of ’86 represents one giant conflict of interest (and they don’t stand alone). Alums from that year are now ensconced in every level of the national security state: from the White House to the Pentagon to Congress to K Street to corporate boardrooms. And they have both power and a deep stake, financial or otherwise, in maintaining or expanding the (forever) warfare state. Laptop Bed Tray Desk, ... Buy New $97.99 (as of 02:51 UTC - Details)
They benefit from America’s permanent military mobilization, its never-ending economic war-footing, and all that comes with it. Ironically, this will inevitably include the blood of future West Point graduates, doomed to serve in their hopeless crusades. Think of it all as a macabre inversion of their class motto in which it’s not their courage but that of younger graduates sent off to this country’s hopeless wars that they will never allow to “quit.”
Speaking of true courage, lately the only exemplar we’ve had of it in those wars is General “Pat” White. It seems that he, at least, refused to kiss the proverbial rings of those mafia men of ’86.
But of course, he’s not part of their “family,” is he?
Reprinted with permission from TomDispatch.com.


lewrockwell--2020-05-01--The Pandemic Is Deepening America’s Many Divides

And so we ’ ve reached the precarious state of disunion in which the only thing the warring elites can agree upon is that the Federal Reserve should rescue their private wealth , regardless of cost or consequences .
America ’ s divides are proliferating and deepening by the day .
The key political and economic divides predate the pandemic , but the pandemic is acting as a catalyst , creating new divides and exacerbating existing ones .
Let ’ s start with the politicization and subsequent polarization of re-opening the economy .
In a reasonably sane , coherent society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common sense debates about risks , trade-offs , policies , responses to new data , etc .
But American society is neither sane nor coherent , so what should be a non-partisan debate was immediately politicized , to the absurd extreme that “ progressives ” must favor continuing strict lockdowns lest they be accused of being “ conservative.
” Get a Job , Build a Rea ... Charles Hugh Smith Best Price : $ 7.99 Buy New $ 13.99 The erosion of middle ground and the disappearance of de-politicized policy debates is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disintegration not just of the social order but the political and economic orders .
Author Peter Turchin has described the disintegrative stage in his book Ages of Discord , in which he modeled a Political Stress Index comprised in part of these three dynamics : The pandemic has catalyzed the oversupply of labor and the deterioration of central state finances , and illuminated America ’ s vast overproduction of parasitic elites , most of whom feed off various cartels and monopolies or the financial system , which has been saved yet again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important protector , the Federal Reserve .
The pandemic has created new divides that highlight existing extremes of inequality .
Those Americans in poor health and in jobs that can not be performed at home are at greater risk than healthy Americans who can work at home .
Will You Be Richer or ... Smith , Charles Hugh Best Price : $ 10.99 Buy New $ 11.55 Those Americans whose regular pay was considerably less than unemployment plus the federal bonus have zero financial motivation to return to work , while overpaid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re performing little or no work .
The top 10 % who own 90 % of all assets are breathing a sigh of relief that the Federal Reserve printed up a couple of trillion dollars to save the stock market from a well-deserved collapse , while the bottom 80 % who own a tiny slice of America ’ s wealth are not directly impacted by the market ’ s swoon or recovery .
The top 10 % has financial reserves to smooth out any disruptions arising from the pandemic and policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bottom 80 % have few if any reserves or resources to tap .
Resistance , Revolution ... Smith , Charles Hugh Best Price : $ 4.00 Buy New $ 11.01 Money and Work Unchained Charles Hugh Smith Best Price : $ 11.00 Buy New $ 1.99 The Best of Charles Hugh Smith

And so we’ve reached the precarious state of disunion in which the only thing the warring elites can agree upon is that the Federal Reserve should rescue their private wealth, regardless of cost or consequences.
America’s divides are proliferating and deepening by the day. The key political and economic divides predate the pandemic, but the pandemic is acting as a catalyst, creating new divides and exacerbating existing ones.
Let’s start with the politicization and subsequent polarization of re-opening the economy. In a reasonably sane, coherent society, this issue would be subject to common sense debates about risks, trade-offs, policies, responses to new data, etc.
But American society is neither sane nor coherent, so what should be a non-partisan debate was immediately politicized, to the absurd extreme that “progressives” must favor continuing strict lockdowns lest they be accused of being “conservative.” Get a Job, Build a Rea... Charles Hugh Smith Best Price: $7.99 Buy New $13.99 (as of 02:30 UTC - Details)
The erosion of middle ground and the disappearance of de-politicized policy debates is a clear sign that a society is doomed to disintegration not just of the social order but the political and economic orders.
Author Peter Turchin has described the disintegrative stage in his book Ages of Discord, in which he modeled a Political Stress Index comprised in part of these three dynamics:
1. Stagnating real wages due to oversupply of labor.
2. Overproduction of parasitic elites.
3.Deterioration of central state finances.
The pandemic has catalyzed the oversupply of labor and the deterioration of central state finances, and illuminated America’s vast overproduction of parasitic elites, most of whom feed off various cartels and monopolies or the financial system, which has been saved yet again from gravity by the super-wealthy’s most important protector, the Federal Reserve.
The pandemic has created new divides that highlight existing extremes of inequality. Those Americans in poor health and in jobs that cannot be performed at home are at greater risk than healthy Americans who can work at home. Will You Be Richer or ... Smith, Charles Hugh Best Price: $10.99 Buy New $11.55 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details)
Those Americans whose regular pay was considerably less than unemployment plus the federal bonus have zero financial motivation to return to work, while overpaid parasitic elites are getting paychecks even if they’re performing little or no work.
The top 10% who own 90% of all assets are breathing a sigh of relief that the Federal Reserve printed up a couple of trillion dollars to save the stock market from a well-deserved collapse, while the bottom 80% who own a tiny slice of America’s wealth are not directly impacted by the market’s swoon or recovery.
The top 10% has financial reserves to smooth out any disruptions arising from the pandemic and policy responses, while the majority of the bottom 80% have few if any reserves or resources to tap.
Read the Whole Article
Resistance, Revolution... Smith, Charles Hugh Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $11.01 (as of 01:10 UTC - Details) Money and Work Unchained Charles Hugh Smith Best Price: $11.00 Buy New $1.99 (as of 10:55 UTC - Details)
The Best of Charles Hugh Smith


lewrockwell--2020-05-01--Will COVID-19 Bring Full Totalitarianism to America?

It all came together last night .
In less than ten minutes all the major points were sculpted and fit , and the massive tomes of explanation and interpretation were summed up in a few chilling words : it was the opening monologue of April 28 offered by Tucker Carlson in his primetime program , the one figure left on Fox News who occasionally gets it right ( as most of the others featured on that channel have at least made peace with the Deep State , if not been co-opted by it ) .
Carlson ’ s monologue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fools , pulled no punches : this present COVID-19 epidemic is being consciously used by our major tech media—Facebook , Youtube—and government to greatly increase power and control over us and stanch and suppress any dissent , even the most mild and cautious .
Hugely increased censorship , executive orders ( many of dubious legality ) spewing out the wahzoo , newly enforced speech codes , and open calls by so-called respected academics to , in fact , suppress free speech—that is , speech which doesn ’ t fit the Establishment ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( which are assuredly not those of traditional Americans ) : these exist increasingly all around us and threaten to engulf and submerge us .
Ship of Fools : How a S ... Carlson , Tucker Check Amazon for Pricing .
Finally , then , is it not the full appearance of the sullen face of rank totalitarianism , something that has lurked very near the surface for years , for centuries , but always kept at bay by law , by common sense , by our constitution and its protections…and by our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now it bids fair to emerge from its fetid cave and ask , as English writer Thomas Carlyle ’ s “ many-headed , fire-breathing monster ” in his volume , The French Revolution : “ What think ye of me ?
” Once again Hilaire Belloc ’ s quote about the “ modern barbarian ” from a century ago comes to mind : “ We sit by and watch the Barbarian , we tolerate him ; in the long stretches of peace we are not afraid .
We are tickled by his irreverence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certitudes and our fixed creeds refreshes us : we laugh .
But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond : and on these faces there is no smile.
” [ This and That and the Other , 1912 , 282 ] Those large and awful , unsmiling faces are the faces of Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg , of the media personalities at CNN , at The New York Times , in academia , and in our Federal government and in our statehouses across the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has hit his target when apparatchik card-carrying Deep Staters like MSNBC ’ s Chris Hayes come out and slam him and avoid almost totally Carlson ’ s point about censorship and totalitarian control .
For they can not contest that , so they must dissemble and target something else : instead Hayes attacks Carlson on his views on re-opening the economy , certainly a major point but not at all the overall emphasis of the monologue .
The French Revolution : ... Carlyle , Thomas Best Price : $ 3.80 Buy New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth dies in the darkness…and so do our liberties .
Our enemies—for that is what they are—are trying desperately to keep the lid on while they vastly increase their power .
This present pestilence for them presents a capital opportunity , and they are utilizing it up to the hilt , in every way .
It is up to us to stop them .
Here is the Youtube of the Tucker Carlson program for Tuesday night , April 28 ; please watch at least the first nine minutes—before the censors take it down @

It all came together last night. In less than ten minutes all the major points were sculpted and fit, and the massive tomes of explanation and interpretation were summed up in a few chilling words: it was the opening monologue of April 28 offered by Tucker Carlson in his primetime program, the one figure left on Fox News who occasionally gets it right (as most of the others featured on that channel have at least made peace with the Deep State, if not been co-opted by it).
Carlson’s monologue, like his riveting book, Ship of Fools, pulled no punches: this present COVID-19 epidemic is being consciously used by our major tech media—Facebook, Youtube—and government to greatly increase power and control over us and stanch and suppress any dissent, even the most mild and cautious. Hugely increased censorship, executive orders (many of dubious legality) spewing out the wahzoo, newly enforced speech codes, and open calls by so-called respected academics to, in fact, suppress free speech—that is, speech which doesn’t fit the Establishment’s idea of “norms and standards” (which are assuredly not those of traditional Americans): these exist increasingly all around us and threaten to engulf and submerge us.
Ship of Fools: How a S... Carlson, Tucker Check Amazon for Pricing. Finally, then, is it not the full appearance of the sullen face of rank totalitarianism, something that has lurked very near the surface for years, for centuries, but always kept at bay by law, by common sense, by our constitution and its protections…and by our civilization’s faith in God? Now it bids fair to emerge from its fetid cave and ask, as English writer Thomas Carlyle’s “many-headed, fire-breathing monster” in his volume, The French Revolution: “What think ye of me?”
Once again Hilaire Belloc’s quote about the “modern barbarian” from a century ago comes to mind:
“We sit by and watch the Barbarian, we tolerate him; in the long stretches of peace we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence, his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creeds refreshes us: we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond: and on these faces there is no smile.” [This and That and the Other, 1912, 282]
Those large and awful, unsmiling faces are the faces of Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, of the media personalities at CNN, at The New York Times, in academia, and in our Federal government and in our statehouses across the United States.
You know Carlson has hit a nerve, has hit his target when apparatchik card-carrying Deep Staters like MSNBC’s Chris Hayes come out and slam him and avoid almost totally Carlson’s point about censorship and totalitarian control. For they cannot contest that, so they must dissemble and target something else: instead Hayes attacks Carlson on his views on re-opening the economy, certainly a major point but not at all the overall emphasis of the monologue. The French Revolution:... Carlyle, Thomas Best Price: $3.80 Buy New $13.59 (as of 04:17 UTC - Details)
As I wrote recently, truth dies in the darkness…and so do our liberties. Our enemies—for that is what they are—are trying desperately to keep the lid on while they vastly increase their power. This present pestilence for them presents a capital opportunity, and they are utilizing it up to the hilt, in every way.
It is up to us to stop them.
*****
Here is the Youtube of the Tucker Carlson program for Tuesday night, April 28; please watch at least the first nine minutes—before the censors take it down.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.


lewrockwell--2020-05-01--Your Freedoms Don’t Have To Be Muzzled Just Because You’re Wearing a Mask

Despite all appearances to the contrary , martial law has not been declared in America .
We still have rights .
The government may act as if its police state powers suppress individual liberties during this COVID-19 pandemic , but for all intents and purposes , the Constitution—especially the battered , besieged Bill of Rights—still stands in theory , if not in practice .
The Second American Re ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 2.43 Buy New $ 14.95 Indeed , while federal and state governments have adopted specific restrictive measures in an effort to lockdown the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , the current public health situation has not resulted in the suspension of fundamental constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and the right of assembly .
Mind you , that ’ s not to say that the government has not tried its best to weaponize this crisis as it has weaponized so many other crises in order to expand its powers and silence its critics .
All over the country , government officials are using COVID-19 restrictions to muzzle protesters .
It doesn ’ t matter what the protest is about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , the timing for re-opening the country , discontent over police brutality , etc . )
: this is activity the First Amendment protects vociferously with only one qualification—that it be peaceful .
Yet even peaceful protesters mindful of the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines because of this COVID-19 are being muzzled , arrested and fined .
For example , a Maryland family was reportedly threatened with up to a year in jail and a $ 5000 fine if they dared to publicly protest the injustice of their son ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If anyone had a legitimate reason to get out in the streets and protest , it ’ s the Lemp family , whose 21-year-old son Duncan was gunned down in his bedroom during an early morning , no-knock SWAT team raid on his family ’ s home .
It was 4:30 a.m. on March 12 , 2020 , in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that has most of the country under a partial lockdown and sheltering at home , when this masked SWAT team—deployed to execute a “ high risk ” search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where 21-year-old Duncan , a software engineer and Second Amendment advocate , lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother .
A Government of Wolves ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 2.06 Buy New $ 10.42 The entire household , including Lemp and his girlfriend , was reportedly asleep when the SWAT team directed flash bang grenades and gunfire through Lemp ’ s bedroom window .
Lemp was killed and his girlfriend injured .
No one in the house that morning , including Lemp , had a criminal record .
No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lemp , was considered an “ imminent threat ” to law enforcement or the public , at least not according to the search warrant .
Now what was so urgent that militarized police felt compelled to employ battlefield tactics in the pre-dawn hours of a day when most people are asleep in bed , not to mention stuck at home as part of a nationwide lockdown ?
According to police , they were tipped off that Lemp was in possession of “ firearms.
” So instead of approaching the house by the front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to investigate this complaint—which is what the Fourth Amendment requires—police instead strapped on their guns , loaded up their flash bang grenades and acted like battle-crazed warriors .
This is the blowback from all that military weaponry flowing to domestic police departments .
This is what happens when you use SWAT teams to carry out routine search warrants .
This is what happens when you adopt red flag gun laws , which Maryland did in 2018 , painting anyone who might be in possession of a gun—legal or otherwise—as a threat that must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats .
The End Of Man John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 2.06 Buy New $ 9.95 While in theory it appears perfectly reasonable to want to “ stop dangerous people before they act , ” where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies , the courts and the police .
Remember , this is the same government that uses the words “ anti-government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrorist ” interchangeably .
This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments , behavioral sensing warnings , flagged “ words , ” and “ suspicious ” activity reports using automated eyes and ears , social media , behavior sensing software , and citizen spies to identify potential threats .
This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act ( NDAA ) , which allows the military to arrest and detain American citizens with no access to friends , family or the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a threat .
This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies , behaviors , affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state .
Let that sink in a moment .
If you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution ( namely , your right to speak freely , worship freely , associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views , criticize the government , own a weapon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or searched , or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government , racist , bigoted , anarchic or sovereign ) , you are most likely at the top of the government ’ s terrorism watch list .
Moreover , as a New York Times editorial warns , you may be an anti-government extremist ( a.k.a .
domestic terrorist ) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms , if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car .
The Freedom Wars-What ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 4.00 Buy New $ 9.95 Needless to say , if you happen to be passionate about the Constitution and a vocal critic of government corruption , you ’ ve already been flagged in a government database somewhere .
Likely , Lemp was , too .
Now Lemp is dead and his family is devastated , outraged and desperate to make sense of what appears to be an insensible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss of life .
As usual in these kinds of shootings , government officials have not been forthcoming with details about the shooting : police have refused to meet with family members , the contents of the warrant supporting the raid have not been revealed , and bodycam footage of the raid has not been disclosed .
So in order to voice their objections to police violence and demand answers about the shooting , Lemp ’ s family and friends planned to conduct an outdoor public demonstration—adhering to social distancing guidelines—only to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail and a $ 5000 fine for violating Maryland ’ s stay at home orders .
Yet here ’ s the thing : we don ’ t have to be muzzled and remain silent about government corruption , violence and misconduct just because we ’ re wearing masks and social distancing .
That ’ s not the point of this whole COVID-19 exercise , or is it ?
While there is a moral responsibility to not endanger other lives with our actions , that does not mean relinquishing all of our freedoms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedoms , but don ’ t allow yourselves to be muzzled or your individual freedoms to be undermined .
Understandably , no one wants to talk about individual freedoms when tens of thousands of people the world over are dying , and yet we must .
Battlefield America : T ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 10.95 Buy New $ 18.80 The decisions we make right now—about freedom , commerce , free will , how we care for the least of these in our communities , what it means to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , how far we allow the government to go in “ protecting ” us against this virus , etc.—will haunt us for a long time to come .
At times like these , when emotions are heightened , fear dominates , common sense is in short supply , liberty takes a backseat to public safety , and democratic societies approach the tipping point towards mob rule , there is a tendency to cast those who exercise their individual freedoms ( to freely speak , associate , assemble , protest , pursue a living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) as foolishly reckless , criminally selfish , or outright villains .
Sometimes that is true , but not always .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , there is always a balancing test between individual freedoms and the communal good .
What we must figure out is how to strike a balance that allows us to protect those who need protecting without leaving us chained and in bondage to the police state .
We must find ways to mitigate against this contagion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any more communities , but let ’ s not lose our heads : blindly following the path of least resistance—acquiescing without question to whatever the government dictates—can only lead to more misery , suffering and the erection of a totalitarian regime in which there is no balance .
The Best of John W. Whitehead

“If 2019 was the year of the street protest, of tear gas and rubber bullets, 2020 might be the year the street protest died, or perhaps fell into a deep sleep, and went online.”—Journalist Christopher Miller
Despite all appearances to the contrary, martial law has not been declared in America.
We still have rights.
Technically, at least.
The government may act as if its police state powers suppress individual liberties during this COVID-19 pandemic, but for all intents and purposes, the Constitution—especially the battered, besieged Bill of Rights—still stands in theory, if not in practice. The Second American Re... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $2.43 Buy New $14.95 (as of 09:05 UTC - Details)
Indeed, while federal and state governments have adopted specific restrictive measures in an effort to lockdown the nation and decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the current public health situation has not resulted in the suspension of fundamental constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and the right of assembly.
Mind you, that’s not to say that the government has not tried its best to weaponize this crisis as it has weaponized so many other crises in order to expand its powers and silence its critics.
All over the country, government officials are using COVID-19 restrictions to muzzle protesters.
It doesn’t matter what the protest is about (church assemblies, the right to work, the timing for re-opening the country, discontent over police brutality, etc.): this is activity the First Amendment protects vociferously with only one qualification—that it be peaceful.
Yet even peaceful protesters mindful of the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines because of this COVID-19 are being muzzled, arrested and fined.
For example, a Maryland family was reportedly threatened with up to a year in jail and a $5000 fine if they dared to publicly protest the injustice of their son’s execution by a SWAT team.
If anyone had a legitimate reason to get out in the streets and protest, it’s the Lemp family, whose 21-year-old son Duncan was gunned down in his bedroom during an early morning, no-knock SWAT team raid on his family’s home.
Imagine it.
It was 4:30 a.m. on March 12, 2020, in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that has most of the country under a partial lockdown and sheltering at home, when this masked SWAT team—deployed to execute a “high risk” search warrant for unauthorized firearms—stormed the suburban house where 21-year-old Duncan, a software engineer and Second Amendment advocate, lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother. A Government of Wolves... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $2.06 Buy New $10.42 (as of 01:25 UTC - Details)
The entire household, including Lemp and his girlfriend, was reportedly asleep when the SWAT team directed flash bang grenades and gunfire through Lemp’s bedroom window.
Lemp was killed and his girlfriend injured.
No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, had a criminal record.
No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, was considered an “imminent threat” to law enforcement or the public, at least not according to the search warrant.
Now what was so urgent that militarized police felt compelled to employ battlefield tactics in the pre-dawn hours of a day when most people are asleep in bed, not to mention stuck at home as part of a nationwide lockdown?
According to police, they were tipped off that Lemp was in possession of “firearms.”
So instead of approaching the house by the front door at a reasonable hour in order to investigate this complaint—which is what the Fourth Amendment requires—police instead strapped on their guns, loaded up their flash bang grenades and acted like battle-crazed warriors.
This is the blowback from all that military weaponry flowing to domestic police departments.
This is what happens when you use SWAT teams to carry out routine search warrants.
This is what happens when you adopt red flag gun laws, which Maryland did in 2018, painting anyone who might be in possession of a gun—legal or otherwise—as a threat that must be neutralized.
These red flag gun laws allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats.
The End Of Man John W. Whitehead Best Price: $2.06 Buy New $9.95 (as of 04:18 UTC - Details) While in theory it appears perfectly reasonable to want to “stop dangerous people before they act,” where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police.
Remember, this is the same government that uses the words “anti-government,” “extremist” and “terrorist” interchangeably.
This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, flagged “words,” and “suspicious” activity reports using automated eyes and ears, social media, behavior sensing software, and citizen spies to identify potential threats.
This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows the military to arrest and detain American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a threat.
This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies, behaviors, affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state.
Let that sink in a moment.
If you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign), you are most likely at the top of the government’s terrorism watch list.
Moreover, as a New York Times editorial warns, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms, if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law, or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car. The Freedom Wars-What ... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $9.95 (as of 08:35 UTC - Details)
Needless to say, if you happen to be passionate about the Constitution and a vocal critic of government corruption, you’ve already been flagged in a government database somewhere.
Likely, Lemp was, too.
Now Lemp is dead and his family is devastated, outraged and desperate to make sense of what appears to be an insensible act of violence resulting in an inexcusable loss of life.
As usual in these kinds of shootings, government officials have not been forthcoming with details about the shooting: police have refused to meet with family members, the contents of the warrant supporting the raid have not been revealed, and bodycam footage of the raid has not been disclosed.
So in order to voice their objections to police violence and demand answers about the shooting, Lemp’s family and friends planned to conduct an outdoor public demonstration—adhering to social distancing guidelines—only to be threatened with arrest, a year in jail and a $5000 fine for violating Maryland’s stay at home orders.
Yet here’s the thing: we don’t have to be muzzled and remain silent about government corruption, violence and misconduct just because we’re wearing masks and social distancing.
That’s not the point of this whole COVID-19 exercise, or is it?
While there is a moral responsibility to not endanger other lives with our actions, that does not mean relinquishing all of our freedoms.
Be responsible in how you exercise your freedoms, but don’t allow yourselves to be muzzled or your individual freedoms to be undermined.
Understandably, no one wants to talk about individual freedoms when tens of thousands of people the world over are dying, and yet we must. Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
The decisions we make right now—about freedom, commerce, free will, how we care for the least of these in our communities, what it means to provide individuals and businesses with a safety net, how far we allow the government to go in “protecting” us against this virus, etc.—will haunt us for a long time to come.
At times like these, when emotions are heightened, fear dominates, common sense is in short supply, liberty takes a backseat to public safety, and democratic societies approach the tipping point towards mob rule, there is a tendency to cast those who exercise their individual freedoms (to freely speak, associate, assemble, protest, pursue a living, engage in commerce, etc.) as foolishly reckless, criminally selfish, or outright villains.
Sometimes that is true, but not always.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, there is always a balancing test between individual freedoms and the communal good.
What we must figure out is how to strike a balance that allows us to protect those who need protecting without leaving us chained and in bondage to the police state.
We must find ways to mitigate against this contagion needlessly claiming any more lives and crippling any more communities, but let’s not lose our heads: blindly following the path of least resistance—acquiescing without question to whatever the government dictates—can only lead to more misery, suffering and the erection of a totalitarian regime in which there is no balance.
The Best of John W. Whitehead