lewrockwell--2020-06-17--Lord of the Orwellian Flies

Lord of the Orwellian Flies

Up until recently , the unprecedented events of 2020 have conjured up visions of George Orwell ’ s 1984 .
As the madness spreads , with no responsible leadership in sight , I am reminded more of a Lord of the Flies scenario .
Protesters- almost certainly organized and funded by someone or something nefarious- have taken over six blocks in Seattle , Washington .
There was no opposition to them doing so .
In fact , police there quickly abandoned their precinct .
Could anyone imagine this happening even a decade ago ?
A Black “ warlord , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrived instantly on the scene , as if transported there by Hollywood central casting .
They first named their new “ Republic ” CHAZ , or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone , but are now calling themselves CHOP , for Capitol Hill Occupied Protest .
The “ racist ” White establishment is as respectfully recognizing this as they did years ago , when absurd Black celebrities started sporting childish nicknames like Snoop Dog , ‘ Lil Romeo , Ice-T , etc .
Lord of the Flies William Golding Best Price : $ 0.25 Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scoggins exemplified what I call the Stupid White Response to this armed takeover , by stating , “ We ’ re trying to work through different plans .
There have been incidents inside the area , and we ’ ve been in communication with the teams and working at handoff points and , so that ’ s been our plan up to this point .
But what we know is that ’ s a limited plan.
” This is the kind of leadership America has suffered under for far too long .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we still see scattered incidents of police officers acting irresponsibly and abusing their authority in their customary manner , as a whole our police forces have figuratively ( and sometimes literally ) taken a knee for the protesters .
They might as well be waving white flags of surrender .
They haven ’ t even attempted to stop most of the looting , burning of buildings , and destruction of property .
In one case , police officers washed the feet of some black clergymen .
We are witnessing a monumental breakdown of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ order , ” by whatever definition , and who are paid by taxpayers to do so , are failing miserably at their jobs .
Well , failure isn ’ t really even the right word- refusal to even try to restore “ order ” is probably a better way to put it .
Mayors are in lockstep solidarity with the protesters .
So are many police chiefs .
The few arrests that have been made have been quickly dismissed , and those detained released .
The most astounding part of this burgeoning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion , on the part of politicians , business leaders , and the state-controlled media .
They all support the protesters , who are seemingly marching against them– you know , the “ racist ” establishment .
All those “ racist ” run corporations have issued statement after statement , expressing their support for the protests .
And they ’ ve fired many hapless Whites who even mildly dissented .
Crimes and Cover-ups i ... Donald Jeffries Best Price : $ 17.17 Buy New $ 17.19 MTV fired a “ teen mom ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite the fact she was dating a multi-racial man at the time .
A nurse was fired for referring to looters as “ thugs ” on Facebook .
Grant Napea , who served as the announcer for the NBA ’ s Sacramento Kings for 32 years , was fired for saying “ All Lives Matter.
” Social Justice Warriors have informed us , over and over again , that saying all lives matter is “ racist.
” A Black character on The Walking Dead was fond of saying , “ all life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the same thing .
I imagine he ’ s “ racist ” now , too .
A teacher at a Catholic high school was terminated for criticizing Black Lives Matter .
That is expressly forbidden now , in this “ racist ” land ruled by “ White Supremacy.
” A southern Baptist woman was fired for making a video countering left-wing extremists from a Biblical perspective .
The father of a two year old battling cancer was fired by his presumably “ racist ” employer for posting a video critical of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is gone from HBO , thanks to it being labeled “ racist.
” An objectionable episode of the classic British comedy Fawlty Towers has been banned as well .
Virtually any piece of literature with the world ’ s most forbidden word in it- all of them great works like Huckleberry Finn , whose authors were clearly opposing , and not supporting racism , are being banned as well .
And now , a veteran editor at the Los Angeles Times has declared that the word looting itself is “ racist.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , Amazon/Washington Post honcho Jeff Bezos , recently funneled $ 10 million into Black Lives Matter and similar groups .
If the richest White guy in the world isn ’ t a “ White Supremacist , ” who is ?
Kind of a strange thing for a “ racist ” to do , isn ’ t it- contribute to Black Lives Matter ?
Printed Kicks Trump 20 ... Buy New $ 18.99 Several universities have instituted new grading policies , which force teachers to grade Blacks on a much more lenient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the final exams all other students have to take .
One very liberal UCLA professor naturally objected to this , and was threatened and then suspended .
This amounts to academic Affirmation Action on steroids , but I don ’ t suspect you ’ ll hear much criticism about it , from the powerful teachers ’ unions , or any of our public officials .
The “ conservatives ” have been predictably and conspicuously silent here .
Breitbart laughably blamed the death of George Floyd not on the monstrous actions of a psychopath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but on police officers still having a viable union , giving them the right to collectively bargain .
Mitt Romney marched proudly alongside the protesters .
Undefinable terms like “ White Supremacy ” and “ White Privilege ” are accepted by conservatives as well .
They are considered as proven and undeniable by anyone with a public voice , despite all evidence to the contrary .
Tucker Carlson stands alone in the mainstream media , and has in fact seemed to become more hard-core in his commentary recently .
For his troubles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several advertisers , all of them companies run by extremely wealthy Whites .
In other words , those with both “ privilege ” and an entitled sense of “ supremacy.
” So why would these “ racists ” want to disassociate themselves from the only strong voice condemning Black Lives Matter and Antifa ?
Why do they keep , instead , issuing public statements that proclaim “ We stand with the Black community ?
” Drew Brees , one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history , tweeted out some naive patriotic comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WWII , and how he didn ’ t like to see the flag disrespected .
He was met with a litany of hate , including from his wildly overrated possession receiver Michael Thomas , whose success is due solely to his “ racist ” quarterback peppering him with countless targets every game .
Thomas responded in gloriously ungrammatical ignorance , but that seemed to escape those who “ lol ” at such gaffes , and no one questioned how an alleged student at Ohio State could possess the writing skills of your average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pressure , and has issued so many apologies I ’ ve lost track of them .
This is what Whites have done for many years now ; apologize for any “ insensitive ” remarks .
But only if they are made about Black people .
And that is the crux of the problem here ; these public acts of contrition never work .
In most cases , the hapless “ racist ” is still fired .
They are still considered “ racist.
” So why do they continue to apologize for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
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That was one of Donald Trump ’ s most appealing qualities ; he appeared to be the first high-profile White in a very long time , who didn ’ t automatically back down and apologize .
He remains combative , primarily from his headquarters on Twitter , but as usual does nothing substantial in terms of actions .
Scour all of Trump ’ s endless tweets .
You won ’ t find a single mention of Black Lives Matter or its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ Whites.
” And yet , he has been branded as the foremost “ racist ” in the world .
He did rescue a Black rapper in Sweden , however , and used to talk continuously about the alleged record low African-American unemployment rate .
And this supremely flawed man remains virtually our last hope .
Statues of Confederates , Christopher Columbus , and now Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson , have been torn down .
Without any police attempting to stop it .
And now , Mahatma Gandhi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( White ) colonial rule , and who inspired Martin Luther King ’ s own civil disobedience protests during the Civil Rights movement , has been declared “ racist ” and there are calls to tear down his statues , too .
I am a classical liberal , a populist , and a civil libertarian .
In other words , I am unwelcome on today ’ s Left .
I stand with JFK , who said , “ race has no place in American life or law.
” Martin Luther King , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own government , had a dream that his children would grow up to be judged “ not by the color of their skin , but by the content of their character.
” Many comments by the father of the Civil Rights movement would be considered “ racist ” by today ’ s standards .
Like Gandhi , perhaps King was a secret “ White supremacist.
” And so we stand , divided and rudderless .
A country that was already largely Third World before all this started .
No effective leadership , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ridiculous masks on .
Obeying tyrants that have retreated into the shadows .
Ready to welcome Orwellian “ contact tracers ” with open arms .
Solemnly chastising those who want to end the senseless , draconian shutdown of society .
There is still no end game in sight to all this .
And no easy solutions .
We are defenseless , with no public officials , corporate leaders , or “ journalists ” on the side of reason and common sense .
The Best of Donald Jeffries

Up until recently, the unprecedented events of 2020 have conjured up visions of George Orwell’s 1984. As the madness spreads, with no responsible leadership in sight, I am reminded more of a Lord of the Flies scenario.
Protesters- almost certainly organized and funded by someone or something nefarious- have taken over six blocks in Seattle, Washington. There was no opposition to them doing so. In fact, police there quickly abandoned their precinct. Could anyone imagine this happening even a decade ago?
A Black “warlord,” dubbing himself as “Raz,” arrived instantly on the scene, as if transported there by Hollywood central casting. They first named their new “Republic” CHAZ, or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, but are now calling themselves CHOP, for Capitol Hill Occupied Protest. The “racist” White establishment is as respectfully recognizing this as they did years ago, when absurd Black celebrities started sporting childish nicknames like Snoop Dog, ‘Lil Romeo, Ice-T, etc.
Lord of the Flies William Golding Best Price: $0.25 Buy New $5.30 (as of 09:56 UTC - Details) Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins exemplified what I call the Stupid White Response to this armed takeover, by stating, “We’re trying to work through different plans. There have been incidents inside the area, and we’ve been in communication with the teams and working at handoff points and, so that’s been our plan up to this point. But what we know is that’s a limited plan.” This is the kind of leadership America has suffered under for far too long. And now it’s showing.
While we still see scattered incidents of police officers acting irresponsibly and abusing their authority in their customary manner, as a whole our police forces have figuratively (and sometimes literally) taken a knee for the protesters. They might as well be waving white flags of surrender. They haven’t even attempted to stop most of the looting, burning of buildings, and destruction of property. In one case, police officers washed the feet of some black clergymen.
We are witnessing a monumental breakdown of all authority. Those tasked with keeping “order,” by whatever definition, and who are paid by taxpayers to do so, are failing miserably at their jobs. Well, failure isn’t really even the right word- refusal to even try to restore “order” is probably a better way to put it. Mayors are in lockstep solidarity with the protesters. So are many police chiefs. The few arrests that have been made have been quickly dismissed, and those detained released.
The most astounding part of this burgeoning dystopia/Idiocracy is the near unanimous uniformity of opinion, on the part of politicians, business leaders, and the state-controlled media. They all support the protesters, who are seemingly marching against them– you know, the “racist” establishment. All those “racist” run corporations have issued statement after statement, expressing their support for the protests. And they’ve fired many hapless Whites who even mildly dissented. Crimes and Cover-ups i... Donald Jeffries Best Price: $17.17 Buy New $17.19 (as of 06:20 UTC - Details)
MTV fired a “teen mom” for some past “racist” tweets, despite the fact she was dating a multi-racial man at the time. A nurse was fired for referring to looters as “thugs” on Facebook. Grant Napea, who served as the announcer for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for 32 years, was fired for saying “All Lives Matter.” Social Justice Warriors have informed us, over and over again, that saying all lives matter is “racist.” A Black character on The Walking Dead was fond of saying, “all life if precious.” I think that’s the same thing. I imagine he’s “racist” now, too.
A teacher at a Catholic high school was terminated for criticizing Black Lives Matter. That is expressly forbidden now, in this “racist” land ruled by “White Supremacy.” A southern Baptist woman was fired for making a video countering left-wing extremists from a Biblical perspective. The father of a two year old battling cancer was fired by his presumably “racist” employer for posting a video critical of those burning buildings.
Gone with the Wind is gone from HBO, thanks to it being labeled “racist.” An objectionable episode of the classic British comedy Fawlty Towers has been banned as well. Virtually any piece of literature with the world’s most forbidden word in it- all of them great works like Huckleberry Finn, whose authors were clearly opposing, and not supporting racism, are being banned as well. And now, a veteran editor at the Los Angeles Times has declared that the word looting itself is “racist.”
The world’s allegedly wealthiest man in the world, Amazon/Washington Post honcho Jeff Bezos, recently funneled $10 million into Black Lives Matter and similar groups. If the richest White guy in the world isn’t a “White Supremacist,” who is? Kind of a strange thing for a “racist” to do, isn’t it- contribute to Black Lives Matter?
Printed Kicks Trump 20... Buy New $18.99 (as of 05:20 UTC - Details) Several universities have instituted new grading policies, which force teachers to grade Blacks on a much more lenient scale, and to exempt them from the final exams all other students have to take. One very liberal UCLA professor naturally objected to this, and was threatened and then suspended. This amounts to academic Affirmation Action on steroids, but I don’t suspect you’ll hear much criticism about it, from the powerful teachers’ unions, or any of our public officials.
The “conservatives” have been predictably and conspicuously silent here. Breitbart laughably blamed the death of George Floyd not on the monstrous actions of a psychopath who should never have been a cop, but on police officers still having a viable union, giving them the right to collectively bargain. Mitt Romney marched proudly alongside the protesters. Undefinable terms like “White Supremacy” and “White Privilege” are accepted by conservatives as well. They are considered as proven and undeniable by anyone with a public voice, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Tucker Carlson stands alone in the mainstream media, and has in fact seemed to become more hard-core in his commentary recently. For his troubles, Carlson’s show has lost several advertisers, all of them companies run by extremely wealthy Whites. In other words, those with both “privilege” and an entitled sense of “supremacy.” So why would these “racists” want to disassociate themselves from the only strong voice condemning Black Lives Matter and Antifa? Why do they keep, instead, issuing public statements that proclaim “We stand with the Black community?”
Drew Brees, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, tweeted out some naive patriotic comments recently, citing his grandfathers fighting in WWII, and how he didn’t like to see the flag disrespected. He was met with a litany of hate, including from his wildly overrated possession receiver Michael Thomas, whose success is due solely to his “racist” quarterback peppering him with countless targets every game. Thomas responded in gloriously ungrammatical ignorance, but that seemed to escape those who “lol” at such gaffes, and no one questioned how an alleged student at Ohio State could possess the writing skills of your average third grader.
Brees caved in instantly to the pressure, and has issued so many apologies I’ve lost track of them. This is what Whites have done for many years now; apologize for any “insensitive” remarks. But only if they are made about Black people. And that is the crux of the problem here; these public acts of contrition never work. In most cases, the hapless “racist” is still fired. They are still considered “racist.” So why do they continue to apologize for expressing their constitutional right to free speech? 2020 1 oz Gold America... Check Amazon for Pricing.
That was one of Donald Trump’s most appealing qualities; he appeared to be the first high-profile White in a very long time, who didn’t automatically back down and apologize. He remains combative, primarily from his headquarters on Twitter, but as usual does nothing substantial in terms of actions. Scour all of Trump’s endless tweets. You won’t find a single mention of Black Lives Matter or its acronym BLM. Trump never even refers to “Whites.” And yet, he has been branded as the foremost “racist” in the world. He did rescue a Black rapper in Sweden, however, and used to talk continuously about the alleged record low African-American unemployment rate. And this supremely flawed man remains virtually our last hope.
Statues of Confederates, Christopher Columbus, and now Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, have been torn down. Without any police attempting to stop it. And now, Mahatma Gandhi, a Brown man who fought British (White) colonial rule, and who inspired Martin Luther King’s own civil disobedience protests during the Civil Rights movement, has been declared “racist” and there are calls to tear down his statues, too.
I am a classical liberal, a populist, and a civil libertarian. In other words, I am unwelcome on today’s Left. I stand with JFK, who said, “race has no place in American life or law.” Martin Luther King, who like JFK was killed by forces within his own government, had a dream that his children would grow up to be judged “not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Many comments by the father of the Civil Rights movement would be considered “racist” by today’s standards. Like Gandhi, perhaps King was a secret “White supremacist.”
And so we stand, divided and rudderless. A country that was already largely Third World before all this started. No effective leadership, but citizens scurrying around in fear with their ridiculous masks on. Obeying tyrants that have retreated into the shadows. Ready to welcome Orwellian “contact tracers” with open arms. Solemnly chastising those who want to end the senseless, draconian shutdown of society.
There is still no end game in sight to all this. And no easy solutions. We are defenseless, with no public officials, corporate leaders, or “journalists” on the side of reason and common sense.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Donald Jeffries


Our Decadent Society

Ross Douthat ’ s Decadent Society , a discussion with Peter Robinson .
This discussion is around Douthat ’ s recent book , The Decadent Society : How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success .
I will only spend a moment on how I understand the thrust of Douthat ’ s view .
Ever since the moon landing , it has been all downhill .
No direction , no real advancement .
Yes , an uptick during the Reagan years in terms of the economy and the ( soon thereafter ) fall of the Soviet Union .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Decadent Society : ... Douthat , Ross Best Price : $ 25.37 Buy New $ 14.32 Suffice it to say , the decadent society was birthed much earlier .
If the suicide of the West was to be found in the Great War , when did the decadence begin ?
I will agree with Solzhenitsyn here : the roots are in the Renaissance , with the political fulfillment in the Enlightenment : the individual with nothing above him .
To the discussion .
Douthat comments on the “ punctuated periods of deceleration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of growth we had in the post-war period ” that began in the 1970s .
But no meaningful discussion of how or why .
I will give my “ why.
” The end of the ( not free market ) gold exchange plan from Bretton Woods .
After this , nothing stood in the way of the central bank-induced wealth transfers from the middle class to the wealthy .
The two discuss innovation – it hasn ’ t stopped but it has been concentrated in narrow sectors – call it personal technological devices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efficiencies ) .
These have largely now been demonstrated and played out .
It is technology that allows us to stay in shells instead of seeing the planet – automobiles , trains , airplanes , even rocket ships .
Following this , a discussion on fertility – with births below sustaining rates .
Other than Israel , there is not a rich country in the world that is giving birth at a rate high enough to sustain its population .
We understand : with wealth , better health care , women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ / or desire for more children is reduced .
But this doesn ’ t fully explain it , per Douthat .
No further explanation is offered .
I will speculate that it is the loss of future , the loss of meaning .
But I am just speculating – and obviously doing so based on my biases .
But this still leaves Israel .
What ’ s going on there ?
Douthat suggests that what they will tell you is “ Having kids is more likely if you live inside history.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli woman a similar question , she replied “ my country is still a cause.
” Freedom ’ s Detect ... Lane , Charles Best Price : $ 6.00 Buy New $ 11.00 Which corresponds , in many ways with my speculation above – maybe my biases have grounding in human nature .
Having a history implies caring for a future , and holding to such a worldview contributes to meaning .
Having a cause means you have purpose and meaning .
With no future and no meaning , why have children .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How does this decadence end ?
It might not .
It might roll on as either keeping us comfortably numb or with some form of kindly despotism .
Comfortably numb tranquilizes us – our virtual realities , whether on the screen or in real life : we scream at each other on twitter , but we don ’ t do anything .
Further , the world of drugs , where we have moved from heroin to opioids .
Instead of bread and circuses as the numbing agents , it ’ s pot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t discuss what is meant by kindly despotism , but in my view , we are seeing it now .
Universal basic income with nothing to do .
Automation is now sufficient to keep the masses satisfied in stuff .
The last few months of lockdown offers a small example of the possibilities .
Or , they discuss , it could all end in catastrophe .
What does this mean ?
No real comment is offered .
Douthat doesn ’ t see this ( the corona lockdowns ) as the end .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riots .
I wonder what Douthat says today . )
How might it end well ?
Renaissance .
Douthat sees that we had two mini-renaissances in the recent past : the neo-liberal successes of the Reagan-Thatcher economy and the victory in the Cold War , and earlier , the invention of the transistor , on which all of our technological growth was built .
But neither sustained .
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Robinson takes hope in something written by George Kennan in the 1950s at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kennan wrote thank God for the Soviets : “ …a certain gratitude to a Providence , ” in case you don ’ t believe me .
Because of the Soviets , the American people pulled together .
Robinson sees this in the context of China today .
“ Can a new Cold War rally the American society ?
” Robinson asks .
Did I mention that Robinson is with the Hoover Institute ?
Talk about bastardizing a former president ’ s name ( at this page you will find perhaps twenty posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Freedom Betrayed , if you want to understand my meaning ) .
Douthat is hesitant about this new Cold War strategy .
China quickly dealt with the virus ( ruthlessly , yes , but quickly ) .
Now China is flexing its muscles in Hong Kong and elsewhere , and in the US , twitter is deciding how to deal with Trump ’ s tweets .
Douthat suggests that the US is not as well prepared to meet the threat from China today as it was to meet the Soviet threat sixty or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is quite true .
In fact , I think we are pretty close to saying that the US as leader of the globalization project might be dead .
And I am not sure that there is anything on the horizon that will replace it .
Robinson asks Douthat ( a practicing Catholic ) : where is the obvious answer ?
A religious revival ?
Douthat barely touches on this in this book , but he reminds Robinson that he said such things in his last book .
Robinson cites something from the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its entirety : Complete 50 Uncirculat ... Buy New $ 59.95 Culture , tradition .
Something transcendent .
Not an ideology – not liberalism , communism , socialism , libertarianism .
None of these .
Douthat suggests that a religious revival – here or anywhere else in the world – will be an inevitable ( therefore , necessary ) part of any Renaissance .
Douthat reads the final passage from the book : Oh yes .
Ask Edmund Burke , G.K. Chesterton , or C. S. Lewis .
Among others .
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option .
We are living in a meaning crisis .
Those who are alert enough to themselves and their surroundings are turning to religion – to Christianity , and usually to its most traditional forms .
As Douthat suggests , it shouldn ’ t surprise anyone .
The Best of Bionic Mosquito

All that is meant by Decadence is “falling off.” It implies in those who live in such a time no loss of energy or talent or moral sense. On the contrary, it is a very active time, full of deep concerns, but peculiarly restless, for it sees no clear line of advance. The loss it faces is that of Possibility. – Jacques Barzun
Ross Douthat’s Decadent Society, a discussion with Peter Robinson. This discussion is around Douthat’s recent book, The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success.
I will only spend a moment on how I understand the thrust of Douthat’s view. Ever since the moon landing, it has been all downhill. No direction, no real advancement. Yes, an uptick during the Reagan years in terms of the economy and the (soon thereafter) fall of the Soviet Union. But this was just a blip. The Decadent Society: ... Douthat, Ross Best Price: $25.37 Buy New $14.32 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details)
Suffice it to say, the decadent society was birthed much earlier. If the suicide of the West was to be found in the Great War, when did the decadence begin? I will agree with Solzhenitsyn here: the roots are in the Renaissance, with the political fulfillment in the Enlightenment: the individual with nothing above him.
To the discussion. Douthat comments on the “punctuated periods of deceleration and stagnation with occasional returns with the kind of growth we had in the post-war period” that began in the 1970s. But no meaningful discussion of how or why.
I will give my “why.” The end of the (not free market) gold exchange plan from Bretton Woods. After this, nothing stood in the way of the central bank-induced wealth transfers from the middle class to the wealthy.
The two discuss innovation – it hasn’t stopped but it has been concentrated in narrow sectors – call it personal technological devices (along with many production and distribution efficiencies). These have largely now been demonstrated and played out. It is technology that allows us to stay in shells instead of seeing the planet – automobiles, trains, airplanes, even rocket ships.
Following this, a discussion on fertility – with births below sustaining rates. Other than Israel, there is not a rich country in the world that is giving birth at a rate high enough to sustain its population. We understand: with wealth, better health care, women’s empowerment, etc., the need and / or desire for more children is reduced. But this doesn’t fully explain it, per Douthat. No further explanation is offered.
I will speculate that it is the loss of future, the loss of meaning. But I am just speculating – and obviously doing so based on my biases. But this still leaves Israel. What’s going on there? Douthat suggests that what they will tell you is “Having kids is more likely if you live inside history.” The host says that when he asked an Israeli woman a similar question, she replied “my country is still a cause.” Freedom’s Detect... Lane, Charles Best Price: $6.00 Buy New $11.00 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details)
Which corresponds, in many ways with my speculation above – maybe my biases have grounding in human nature. Having a history implies caring for a future, and holding to such a worldview contributes to meaning. Having a cause means you have purpose and meaning. With no future and no meaning, why have children. Live your best life now –no strings.
How does this decadence end? It might not. It might roll on as either keeping us comfortably numb or with some form of kindly despotism. Comfortably numb tranquilizes us – our virtual realities, whether on the screen or in real life: we scream at each other on twitter, but we don’t do anything. Further, the world of drugs, where we have moved from heroin to opioids. Instead of bread and circuses as the numbing agents, it’s pot and virtual reality.
They don’t discuss what is meant by kindly despotism, but in my view, we are seeing it now. Universal basic income with nothing to do. Automation is now sufficient to keep the masses satisfied in stuff. The last few months of lockdown offers a small example of the possibilities.
Or, they discuss, it could all end in catastrophe. What does this mean? No real comment is offered. Douthat doesn’t see this (the corona lockdowns) as the end. (I think this discussion happened before the riots. I wonder what Douthat says today.)
How might it end well? Renaissance. Douthat sees that we had two mini-renaissances in the recent past: the neo-liberal successes of the Reagan-Thatcher economy and the victory in the Cold War, and earlier, the invention of the transistor, on which all of our technological growth was built. But neither sustained. 2020 1/2 oz Gold Ameri... Check Amazon for Pricing.
Robinson takes hope in something written by George Kennan in the 1950s at the height of the Cold War. Basically, Kennan wrote thank God for the Soviets: “…a certain gratitude to a Providence,” in case you don’t believe me. Because of the Soviets, the American people pulled together. Robinson sees this in the context of China today. “Can a new Cold War rally the American society?” Robinson asks. Did I mention that Robinson is with the Hoover Institute? Talk about bastardizing a former president’s name (at this page you will find perhaps twenty posts I have written on his book, Freedom Betrayed, if you want to understand my meaning).
Douthat is hesitant about this new Cold War strategy. China quickly dealt with the virus (ruthlessly, yes, but quickly). Now China is flexing its muscles in Hong Kong and elsewhere, and in the US, twitter is deciding how to deal with Trump’s tweets. Douthat suggests that the US is not as well prepared to meet the threat from China today as it was to meet the Soviet threat sixty or seventy years ago.
I think this is quite true. In fact, I think we are pretty close to saying that the US as leader of the globalization project might be dead. And I am not sure that there is anything on the horizon that will replace it.
Robinson asks Douthat (a practicing Catholic): where is the obvious answer? A religious revival? Douthat barely touches on this in this book, but he reminds Robinson that he said such things in his last book. Robinson cites something from the last chapter, and I offer it here in its entirety:
I would be a poor Christian if I did not conclude by noting that no civilization – not ours, not any – has thrived without a confidence that there was more to the human story than just the material world as we understand it. If we have lost that confidence in our own age, then perhaps it is because we have reached the end of our own capacities and we need something else, something extra, that really can come only from outside our present frame of reference.
Complete 50 Uncirculat... Buy New $59.95 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details) Culture, tradition. Something transcendent. Not an ideology – not liberalism, communism, socialism, libertarianism. None of these. Douthat suggests that a religious revival – here or anywhere else in the world – will be an inevitable (therefore, necessary) part of any Renaissance.
Conclusion
Douthat reads the final passage from the book:
To be clear, I am not predicting the end of the world or the arrival of the millennium here. I am just saying that if this were the age where some major divine intervention happened, whether long prophesied or completely unforeseen, there would be, in hindsight, a case that we should have seen it coming.
Oh yes. Ask Edmund Burke, G.K. Chesterton, or C. S. Lewis. Among others.
And it shouldn’t surprise anyone that decadence ends with people looking heavenward, toward God, toward the stars, or both. So, down on your knees and start working on that warp drive.
Or don’t. Here is another option.
We are living in a meaning crisis. Those who are alert enough to themselves and their surroundings are turning to religion – to Christianity, and usually to its most traditional forms.
As Douthat suggests, it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
The Best of Bionic Mosquito


Trust No One

The title of today ’ s post is not meant to be taken literally .
I trust plenty of people .
I trust friends who ’ ve demonstrated their trustworthiness over the years .
I trust my family .
Having people in my life I love and trust makes everything far more meaningful and pleasant .
I hope people reading this likewise have a circle of trust they ’ ve built over the years .
On the other hand , you should never trust anyone or anything that hasn ’ t given you good reason to do so , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason not to trust them , you should never forget that .
The more power a person or institution has in society , the less trustworthy they tend to be .
I don ’ t say this because it ’ s fun to be cynical , I say this because my life experience has demonstrated its accuracy .
Go All Out Adjustable ... Buy New $ 20.95 In the 21st century alone , I ’ ve been given good reason to distrust all sorts of things around me , including the U.S. government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies , politicians , mass media , Wall Street and Silicon Valley , to name a few .
These power centers make up “ society ” as we know it in 2020 , which is really just massive concentrations of lawless financial and political power obfuscating rampant criminality behind the cover of various ostensibly venerable institutions .
What ’ s most remarkable is how many people still maintain trust in so many of these provably untrustworthy organizations and industries , which speaks to the power of propaganda as well as the comfort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly beginning to shift on this front .
As more and more people recognize that the system ’ s designed to work against them , increased numbers will reject conventional wisdom and search for an alternative framework .
Unfortunately , this next step can be equally treacherous and it ’ s important not to jump from the frying pan into the fire .
This is where social media comes into play .
It offers an endless array of opinions and analysis that you don ’ t get from mass media , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actors , professional propagandists and con artists .
At this point , everyone knows that social media is the new information battleground , so every character or institution with malicious intent is aggressively playing in this arena and often with boatloads of money .
The charlatans at MSNBC will have you believe it ’ s just the Russians or Chinese , but every government and every single special interest on the planet is now involved .
They ’ re all on social media in one form or another , trying to push you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually not in your best interests .
Donald Trump for Presi ... Buy New $ 8.58 It took me a while , but I ’ ve finally recognized how unthoughtful and treacherous social media is whenever some big news event hits .
Important arguments quickly lose all nuance and devolve into binary talking points and agendas .
People split into teams in a way that feels very much akin to the traditional , and now largely discredited , red/blue political theater .
For covid-19 , it felt like half of Twitter thought it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other half was convinced the whole thing was a hoax .
In the aftermath of George Floyd , you were either cheering on the civil unrest , or wanted to send in the military .
Increasingly , if you aren ’ t in one of two manufactured camps on any issue you ’ ll be shouted down and ostracized .
That ’ s not the kind of discussion I ’ m here for .

The title of today’s post is not meant to be taken literally. I trust plenty of people. I trust friends who’ve demonstrated their trustworthiness over the years. I trust my family. Having people in my life I love and trust makes everything far more meaningful and pleasant. I hope people reading this likewise have a circle of trust they’ve built over the years.
On the other hand, you should never trust anyone or anything that hasn’t given you good reason to do so, and if someone or something gives you good reason not to trust them, you should never forget that. The more power a person or institution has in society, the less trustworthy they tend to be. I don’t say this because it’s fun to be cynical, I say this because my life experience has demonstrated its accuracy.
Go All Out Adjustable ... Buy New $20.95 (as of 05:24 UTC - Details) In the 21st century alone, I’ve been given good reason to distrust all sorts of things around me, including the U.S. government (all governments really), intelligence agencies, politicians, mass media, Wall Street and Silicon Valley, to name a few. These power centers make up “society” as we know it in 2020, which is really just massive concentrations of lawless financial and political power obfuscating rampant criminality behind the cover of various ostensibly venerable institutions. What’s most remarkable is how many people still maintain trust in so many of these provably untrustworthy organizations and industries, which speaks to the power of propaganda as well as the comfort of denial.
That said, the ground is clearly beginning to shift on this front. As more and more people recognize that the system’s designed to work against them, increased numbers will reject conventional wisdom and search for an alternative framework. Unfortunately, this next step can be equally treacherous and it’s important not to jump from the frying pan into the fire.
This is where social media comes into play. It offers an endless array of opinions and analysis that you don’t get from mass media, but it’s also filled with bad actors, professional propagandists and con artists. At this point, everyone knows that social media is the new information battleground, so every character or institution with malicious intent is aggressively playing in this arena and often with boatloads of money. The charlatans at MSNBC will have you believe it’s just the Russians or Chinese, but every government and every single special interest on the planet is now involved. They’re all on social media in one form or another, trying to push you in a specific direction that’s usually not in your best interests. Donald Trump for Presi... Buy New $8.58 (as of 05:24 UTC - Details)
It took me a while, but I’ve finally recognized how unthoughtful and treacherous social media is whenever some big news event hits. Important arguments quickly lose all nuance and devolve into binary talking points and agendas. People split into teams in a way that feels very much akin to the traditional, and now largely discredited, red/blue political theater. For covid-19, it felt like half of Twitter thought it was an extinction-level event, while the other half was convinced the whole thing was a hoax. In the aftermath of George Floyd, you were either cheering on the civil unrest, or wanted to send in the military. Increasingly, if you aren’t in one of two manufactured camps on any issue you’ll be shouted down and ostracized. That’s not the kind of discussion I’m here for.
Read the Whole Article


America’s Supernational Sovereignty

One of the most disturbing aspects of American foreign policy since 9/11 has been the assumption that decisions made by the United States are binding on the rest of the world , best exemplified by President George W. Bush ’ s warning that “ there was a new sheriff in town.
” Apart from time of war , no other nation has ever sought to prevent other nations from trading with each other , nor has any government sought to punish foreigners using sanctions with the cynical arrogance demonstrated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
The United States uniquely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged crimes that did not occur in the U.S. and that did not involve American citizens , while also insisting that all nations must comply with whatever penalties are meted out by Washington .
At the same time , it demonstrates its own hypocrisy by claiming sovereign immunity whenever foreigners or even American citizens seek to use the courts to hold it accountable for its many crimes .
The conceit by the United States that it is the acknowledged judge , jury and executioner in policing the international community began in the post-World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidents began referring to themselves as “ leaders of the free world.
” This pretense received legislative and judicial backing with passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 ( ATA ) as amended in 1992 plus subsequent related legislation , to include the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act of 2016 ( JASTA ) .
The body of legislation can be used to obtain civil judgments against alleged terrorists for attacks carried out anywhere in the world and can be employed to punish governments , international organizations and even corporations that are perceived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indirectly or unknowingly .
Plaintiffs are able to sue for injuries to their “ person , property , or business ” and have ten years to bring a claim .
Poisoner in Chief : Sid ... Kinzer , Stephen Buy New $ 14.79 Sometimes the connections and level of proof required by a U.S. court to take action are tenuous , and that is being polite .
Suits currently can claim secondary liability for third parties , including banks and large corporations , under “ material support ” of terrorism statutes .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as providing “ services ” to any group that the United States considers to be terrorist , even if the terrorist label is dubious and/or if that support is inadvertent .
The ability to sue in American courts for redress of either real or imaginary crimes has led to the creation of a lawfare culture in which lawyers representing a particular cause seek to bankrupt an opponent through both legal expenses and damages .
To no one ’ s surprise , Israel is a major litigator against entities that it disapproves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created and supports an organization called Shurat HaDin , which describes on its website how it uses the law to bankrupt opponents .
The Federal Court for the Southern District of Manhattan has become the clearing house for suing the pants off of any number of foreign governments and individuals with virtually no requirement that the suit have any merit beyond claims of “ terrorism.
” In February 2015 , a lawsuit initiated by Shurat HaDin led to the conviction of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization of liability for terrorist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The New York Federal jury awarded damages of $ 218.5 million , but under a special feature of the Anti-Terrorism Act the award was automatically tripled to $ 655.5 million .
Shurat HaDin claimed sanctimoniously that it was “ bankrupting terror.
” The most recent legal victory for Israel and its friends occurred in a federal district court in the District of Columbia on June 1st , where Syria and Iran were held to be liable for the killing of American citizens in Palestinian terrorist attacks that have taken place in Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans wounded and killed in seven attacks carried out by Palestinians inside the Jewish state were eligible for damages from Iran and Syria because they provided “ material support ” to militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad .
The court will at a future date determine the amount of the actual damages .
Blood in the Water : Ho ... Mellen , Joan Best Price : $ 14.30 Buy New $ 17.57 It should be observed that the alleged crime took place in a foreign country , Israel , and the attribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also , there was no actual evidence that Syria and Iran were in any way actively involved in planning or directly enabling the claimed attacks , which is why the expression “ material support , ” which is extremely elastic , was used .
In this case , both Damascus and Tehran are definitely guilty as charged in recognizing and having contact with the Palestinian resistance organizations though it has never been credibly asserted that they have any influence over their actions .
Syria and Iran were , in fact , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice as neither country has diplomatic representation in the U.S. and the chances of a fair hearing given the existing legislation have proven to be remote .
And one might well ask if the legislation can be used against Israel , with American citizens killed by the Israelis ( Rachel Corrie , Furkan Dogan ) being able to sue the Jewish state ’ s government for compensation and damages .
Nope .
U.S. courts have ruled in similar cases that Israel ’ s army and police are not terrorist organizations , nor do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States ’ judicial system has no jurisdiction to try them .
That result should surprise no one as the legislation was designed to specifically target Muslims and Muslim groups .
In any event , the current court ruling which might total hundreds of millions of dollars could prove to be difficult to collect due to the fact that both Syria and Iran have little in the way of remaining assets in the U.S .
In previous similar suits , most notably in June 2017 , a jury deliberated for one day before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foundations for violation of U.S. sanctions , allowing a federal court to authorize the U.S. government seizure of a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan .
It was the largest terrorism-related civil forfeiture in United States history .
The presiding judge decided to distribute proceeds from the building ’ s sale , nearly $ 1 billion , to the families of victims of terrorism , including the September 11th attacks .
The court ruled that Iran had some culpability for the 9/11 attacks solely based on its status as a State Department listed state sponsor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not demonstrate that Iran was in any way directly involved .
United States of Socia ... D'Souza , Dinesh Buy New $ 25.93 A second court case involved Syria , ruling that Damascus was liable for the targeting and killing of an American journalist who was in an active war zone covering the shelling of a rebel held area of Homs in 2012 .
The court awarded $ 302.5 million to the family of the journalist , Marie Colvin .
In her ruling , Judge Amy Berman Jackson cited “ Syria ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ to intimidate journalists ” and “ suppress dissent.
” A so-called human rights group funded by the U.S. and other governments called the Center for Justice and Accountability based its argument , as in the case of Iran , on relying on the designation of Damascus as a state sponsor of terrorism .
The judge believed that the evidence presented was “ credible and convincing.
” Another American gift to international jurisprudence has been the Magnitsky Act of 2012 , a product of the feel-good enthusiasm of the Barack Obama Administration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what went on in Russia under the clueless Boris Yeltsin and his nationalist successor Vladimir Putin that was peddled by one Bill Browder , who many believe to have been a major player in the looting of the former Soviet Union .
It was claimed by Browder and his accomplices in the media that the Russian government had been complicit in the arrest , torture and killing of one Sergei Magnitsky , an accountant turned whistleblower working for Browder .
Almost every aspect of the story has been challenged , but it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House and led to sanctions on the Russians who were allegedly involved despite Moscow ’ s complaints that the U.S. had no legal right to interfere in its internal affairs relating to a Russian citizen .
Worse still , the Magnitsky Act has been broadened and is now the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2017 .
It is being used to sanction and otherwise punish alleged “ human rights abusers ” in other countries and has a very low bar for establishing credibility .
It was most recently used in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. sanctioned the alleged killers of the Saudi dissident journalist even though no one had actually been arrested or convicted of any crime .
America : The Farewell ... Hedges , Chris Best Price : $ 7.29 Buy New $ 13.29 The long-established principle that Washington should respect the sovereignty of other states even when it disagrees with their internal or foreign policies has effectively been abandoned .
And , as if things were not bad enough , some recent legislation virtually guarantees that in the near future the United States will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and destabilize much of the world .
Congress passed and President Trump has signed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act , which seeks to improve Washington ’ s response to mass killings .
The prevention of genocide and mass murder is now a part of American national security agenda .
There will be a Mass Atrocity Task Force and State Department officers will receive training to sensitize them to impending genocide , though presumably the new program will not apply to the Palestinians as the law ’ s namesake never was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state of Israel .
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review .
The Best of Philip Giraldi

One of the most disturbing aspects of American foreign policy since 9/11 has been the assumption that decisions made by the United States are binding on the rest of the world, best exemplified by President George W. Bush’s warning that “there was a new sheriff in town.” Apart from time of war, no other nation has ever sought to prevent other nations from trading with each other, nor has any government sought to punish foreigners using sanctions with the cynical arrogance demonstrated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The United States uniquely seeks to penalize other sovereign countries for alleged crimes that did not occur in the U.S. and that did not involve American citizens, while also insisting that all nations must comply with whatever penalties are meted out by Washington. At the same time, it demonstrates its own hypocrisy by claiming sovereign immunity whenever foreigners or even American citizens seek to use the courts to hold it accountable for its many crimes.
The conceit by the United States that it is the acknowledged judge, jury and executioner in policing the international community began in the post-World War 2 environment, when hubristic American presidents began referring to themselves as “leaders of the free world.” This pretense received legislative and judicial backing with passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 (ATA) as amended in 1992 plus subsequent related legislation, to include the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act of 2016 (JASTA). The body of legislation can be used to obtain civil judgments against alleged terrorists for attacks carried out anywhere in the world and can be employed to punish governments, international organizations and even corporations that are perceived to be supportive of terrorists, even indirectly or unknowingly. Plaintiffs are able to sue for injuries to their “person, property, or business” and have ten years to bring a claim. Poisoner in Chief: Sid... Kinzer, Stephen Buy New $14.79 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
Sometimes the connections and level of proof required by a U.S. court to take action are tenuous, and that is being polite. Suits currently can claim secondary liability for third parties, including banks and large corporations, under “material support” of terrorism statutes. This includes “aiding and abetting” liability as well as providing “services” to any group that the United States considers to be terrorist, even if the terrorist label is dubious and/or if that support is inadvertent.
The ability to sue in American courts for redress of either real or imaginary crimes has led to the creation of a lawfare culture in which lawyers representing a particular cause seek to bankrupt an opponent through both legal expenses and damages. To no one’s surprise, Israel is a major litigator against entities that it disapproves of. The Israeli government has even created and supports an organization called Shurat HaDin, which describes on its website how it uses the law to bankrupt opponents.
The Federal Court for the Southern District of Manhattan has become the clearing house for suing the pants off of any number of foreign governments and individuals with virtually no requirement that the suit have any merit beyond claims of “terrorism.” In February 2015, a lawsuit initiated by Shurat HaDin led to the conviction of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization of liability for terrorist attacks in Israel between 2000 and 2004. The New York Federal jury awarded damages of $218.5 million, but under a special feature of the Anti-Terrorism Act the award was automatically tripled to $655.5 million. Shurat HaDin claimed sanctimoniously that it was “bankrupting terror.”
The most recent legal victory for Israel and its friends occurred in a federal district court in the District of Columbia on June 1st, where Syria and Iran were held to be liable for the killing of American citizens in Palestinian terrorist attacks that have taken place in Israel. Judge Randolph D. Moss ruled that Americans wounded and killed in seven attacks carried out by Palestinians inside the Jewish state were eligible for damages from Iran and Syria because they provided “material support” to militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The court will at a future date determine the amount of the actual damages. Blood in the Water: Ho... Mellen, Joan Best Price: $14.30 Buy New $17.57 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
It should be observed that the alleged crime took place in a foreign country, Israel, and the attribution of blame came from Israeli official sources. Also, there was no actual evidence that Syria and Iran were in any way actively involved in planning or directly enabling the claimed attacks, which is why the expression “material support,” which is extremely elastic, was used. In this case, both Damascus and Tehran are definitely guilty as charged in recognizing and having contact with the Palestinian resistance organizations though it has never been credibly asserted that they have any influence over their actions. Syria and Iran were, in fact, not represented in the proceedings, a normal practice as neither country has diplomatic representation in the U.S. and the chances of a fair hearing given the existing legislation have proven to be remote.
And one might well ask if the legislation can be used against Israel, with American citizens killed by the Israelis (Rachel Corrie, Furkan Dogan) being able to sue the Jewish state’s government for compensation and damages. Nope. U.S. courts have ruled in similar cases that Israel’s army and police are not terrorist organizations, nor do they materially support terrorists, so the United States’ judicial system has no jurisdiction to try them. That result should surprise no one as the legislation was designed to specifically target Muslims and Muslim groups.
In any event, the current court ruling which might total hundreds of millions of dollars could prove to be difficult to collect due to the fact that both Syria and Iran have little in the way of remaining assets in the U.S. In previous similar suits, most notably in June 2017, a jury deliberated for one day before delivering a guilty verdict against two Iranian foundations for violation of U.S. sanctions, allowing a federal court to authorize the U.S. government seizure of a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. It was the largest terrorism-related civil forfeiture in United States history. The presiding judge decided to distribute proceeds from the building’s sale, nearly $1 billion, to the families of victims of terrorism, including the September 11th attacks. The court ruled that Iran had some culpability for the 9/11 attacks solely based on its status as a State Department listed state sponsor of terrorism, even though the court could not demonstrate that Iran was in any way directly involved.
United States of Socia... D'Souza, Dinesh Buy New $25.93 (as of 11:38 UTC - Details) A second court case involved Syria, ruling that Damascus was liable for the targeting and killing of an American journalist who was in an active war zone covering the shelling of a rebel held area of Homs in 2012. The court awarded $302.5 million to the family of the journalist, Marie Colvin. In her ruling, Judge Amy Berman Jackson cited “Syria’s longstanding policy of violence” seeking “to intimidate journalists” and “suppress dissent.” A so-called human rights group funded by the U.S. and other governments called the Center for Justice and Accountability based its argument, as in the case of Iran, on relying on the designation of Damascus as a state sponsor of terrorism. The judge believed that the evidence presented was “credible and convincing.”
Another American gift to international jurisprudence has been the Magnitsky Act of 2012, a product of the feel-good enthusiasm of the Barack Obama Administration. It was based on a narrative regarding what went on in Russia under the clueless Boris Yeltsin and his nationalist successor Vladimir Putin that was peddled by one Bill Browder, who many believe to have been a major player in the looting of the former Soviet Union. It was claimed by Browder and his accomplices in the media that the Russian government had been complicit in the arrest, torture and killing of one Sergei Magnitsky, an accountant turned whistleblower working for Browder. Almost every aspect of the story has been challenged, but it was completely bought into by the Congress and White House and led to sanctions on the Russians who were allegedly involved despite Moscow’s complaints that the U.S. had no legal right to interfere in its internal affairs relating to a Russian citizen.
Worse still, the Magnitsky Act has been broadened and is now the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2017. It is being used to sanction and otherwise punish alleged “human rights abusers” in other countries and has a very low bar for establishing credibility. It was most recently used in the Jamal Khashoggi case, in which the U.S. sanctioned the alleged killers of the Saudi dissident journalist even though no one had actually been arrested or convicted of any crime.
America: The Farewell ... Hedges, Chris Best Price: $7.29 Buy New $13.29 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details) The long-established principle that Washington should respect the sovereignty of other states even when it disagrees with their internal or foreign policies has effectively been abandoned. And, as if things were not bad enough, some recent legislation virtually guarantees that in the near future the United States will be doing still more to interfere in and destabilize much of the world. Congress passed and President Trump has signed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, which seeks to improve Washington’s response to mass killings. The prevention of genocide and mass murder is now a part of American national security agenda. There will be a Mass Atrocity Task Force and State Department officers will receive training to sensitize them to impending genocide, though presumably the new program will not apply to the Palestinians as the law’s namesake never was troubled by their suppression and killing by the state of Israel.
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review.
The Best of Philip Giraldi


lewrockwell--2020-06-17--Dear Government: This Is Not Helpful

Dear Government: This Is Not Helpful

After the stock market tanked last week , the Trump administration tried to do damage control and talk the economy back up .
In his podcast , Peter Schiff said the damage control fell flat .
In fact , everything the government is doing claiming to help isn ’ t helping at all .
After what seemed like weeks of optimism , the bottom fell out of the markets on Thursday .
The Dow Jones had its worst day since March , plunging over 1800 points .
Some of the pessimism stemmed from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a recovery “ it is a long road .
It is going to take some time.
” 2017 1/2oz American Go ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
The Dow was back in correction territory .
Meanwhile , the Russell 2000 is still in bear territory .
The only market not negative on the year was the NASDAQ .
It was a bad omen when the markets didn ’ t rally after the Fed meeting when the central bank indicated that it planned to keep rates at zero until at least 2022 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been pretty giddy , with a lot of people saying “ you can ’ t lose in the stock market.
” Peter said it was another sign of a bubble .
Peter said it looks like it ’ s going to be the latter .
In effect , Powell dropped a bucket of cold water on the markets when he brushed aside optimism about the mythical “ v-shaped ” recovery .
President Trump immediately went into damage control mode .
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin went on CNBC and tried to pump up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He specifically noted all of the money the government is pumping into the economy .
2018 American Silver E ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
You know , when you see somebody like Mnuchin talking about all the money that the government is pumping into the economy , you need to , in your mind , substitute the word inflation for money .
Any time they say , ‘ We ’ re pumping in money , we ’ re pumping in liquidity , ’ just say to yourself , ‘ They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what they ’ re doing .
And when you use that word , does it sound like its a good thing ?
‘ Yes , we ’ re pumping inflation into the economy.
’ Why would you want to do that ?
I don ’ t want more inflation .
That ’ s the last thing we need is higher prices , right ?
Pumping inflation into the economy is not a good thing .
But that ’ s what pumping money into the economy is.
” It ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the economy .
It ’ s not creating wealth .
It ’ s not adding resources .
It ’ s not creating anything of value .
In effect , money derives its value from the production of goods and services .
Everything that ’ s produced gets divided up based on the amount of money in the system .
Well , if you just increase the supply of money , it doesn ’ t do anything to change the supply of goods and services .
So now , when you divvy those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to assign a higher price to all of those goods and services so that the market clears .
But nothing of real value is actually added.
” 2020 1 oz Silver Ameri ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
Inflation is a giant shell game .
It takes purchasing power away from those who already had it in order to bestow it on the recipients of government benefits .
So , when they ’ re pumping money into the economy , what you need to be thinking of is that you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not getting that money in your hands that ’ s being pumped in , then somebody is getting your purchasing power .
Somebody is going to be buying things that you ’ re not going to be able to buy , because they bought it , because the supply of goods is not being increased .
So this is not helpful.
” Peter said what we really need are cuts in government spending .
Instead , what we ’ re getting is more and more government spending .
In fact , the national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter also talked politics on this podcast , speculating about the possibility and ramification of a Trump loss and the Democrats controlling the Senate .

After the stock market tanked last week, the Trump administration tried to do damage control and talk the economy back up. In his podcast, Peter Schiff said the damage control fell flat. In fact, everything the government is doing claiming to help isn’t helping at all.

After what seemed like weeks of optimism, the bottom fell out of the markets on Thursday. The Dow Jones had its worst day since March, plunging over 1800 points. Some of the pessimism stemmed from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments on Wednesday when he said he of a recovery “it is a long road. It is going to take some time.” 2017 1/2oz American Go... Check Amazon for Pricing.
The Dow was back in correction territory. Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 is still in bear territory. The only market not negative on the year was the NASDAQ.
It was a bad omen when the markets didn’t rally after the Fed meeting when the central bank indicated that it planned to keep rates at zero until at least 2022.
Before the big plunge, the mainstream has been pretty giddy, with a lot of people saying “you can’t lose in the stock market.” Peter said it was another sign of a bubble.
People were complacent. They thought they couldn’t lose. Either they got a strong recovery, in which case the market went up, or we didn’t have a recovery, we sunk back into recession, in which case the Fed came to the rescue with more money printing and then the market went up that way.”
Peter said it looks like it’s going to be the latter.
If anybody thinks they’re going to make money in the market, it’s not because of a strong recovery. It’s going to be because the Fed continues to print money.”
In effect, Powell dropped a bucket of cold water on the markets when he brushed aside optimism about the mythical “v-shaped” recovery. President Trump immediately went into damage control mode. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin went on CNBC and tried to pump up the markets by talking up the economy. He specifically noted all of the money the government is pumping into the economy. 2018 American Silver E... Check Amazon for Pricing.
You know, when you see somebody like Mnuchin talking about all the money that the government is pumping into the economy, you need to, in your mind, substitute the word inflation for money. Any time they say, ‘We’re pumping in money, we’re pumping in liquidity,’ just say to yourself, ‘They’re pumping in inflation.’ Because that’s what they’re doing. And when you use that word, does it sound like its a good thing? ‘Yes, we’re pumping inflation into the economy.’ Why would you want to do that? I don’t want more inflation. That’s the last thing we need is higher prices, right? Pumping inflation into the economy is not a good thing. But that’s what pumping money into the economy is.”
It’s not like the government is putting real products into the economy. It’s not creating wealth. It’s not adding resources. It’s not creating anything of value.
They’re just putting numbers on a computer. It’s not even paper — printed money. They’re just electronically creating digits and that’s not going to help the economy.”
In effect, money derives its value from the production of goods and services. Everything that’s produced gets divided up based on the amount of money in the system.
Well, if you just increase the supply of money, it doesn’t do anything to change the supply of goods and services. So now, when you divvy those goods and services up, you just have to assign a higher price to all of those goods and services so that the market clears. But nothing of real value is actually added.” 2020 1 oz Silver Ameri... Check Amazon for Pricing.
Inflation is a giant shell game. It takes purchasing power away from those who already had it in order to bestow it on the recipients of government benefits.
So, when they’re pumping money into the economy, what you need to be thinking of is that you’re losing something. If you’re not getting that money in your hands that’s being pumped in, then somebody is getting your purchasing power. Somebody is going to be buying things that you’re not going to be able to buy, because they bought it, because the supply of goods is not being increased. So this is not helpful.”
Peter said what we really need are cuts in government spending. Instead, what we’re getting is more and more government spending. In fact, the national debt just cleared $26 trillion.
Peter also talked politics on this podcast, speculating about the possibility and ramification of a Trump loss and the Democrats controlling the Senate.
Reprinted from SchiffGold.com.