lewrockwell--2020-03-04--Drag Queen Story Time Is Not Okay

Drag Queen Story Time Is Not Okay

I ’ m sure many of us have often thought that what ’ s missing from the early-years curriculum are men with plastic tits and spangly dresses reading books .
But fear not , SNP MP Mhairi Black is on a mission to right this crushing injustice , championing the rights of queer-identifying five-year-olds across Scotland .
Last month , Black accompanied Nathan Mullen , a drag queen who performs under the name ‘ FlowJob ’ , to Glencoats primary school to mark LGBT History Month .
Mullen does work for an initiative for kids called ‘ Drag Queen Story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in addition to reading to reception classes at Glencoats , the pair educated the children about Section 28 , a law introduced in 1988 ( now repealed ) that banned the ‘ promotion of homosexuality ’ .
Shortly after the visit , it became apparent that Mullen ’ s social media was full of adult content .
A gale-force Twitterstorm erupted , with the Glencoats ’ headteacher , Mullen and Black accused of failing in their duty to protect children .
Predictably , those who questioned the rationale behind inviting an adult entertainer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bigots .
Black tweeted that the criticisms were homophobic , and that a visit from a gay MP and drag queen when she was at school ‘ would have made an immeasurable difference ’ to the ‘ difficult childhoods ’ endured by her and her ‘ LGBT classmates ’ .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 10.00 Unlike Black and Mullen , I came of age under Section 28 , and I never want to see people hidden away or made to feel ashamed of who they love .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from DQST – because , arguably , it isn ’ t children .
Pioneered by ‘ queer activist ’ Michelle Tea , DQST events were first trialled in 2015 at a public library in San Francisco .
Now it has migrated over to Britain , too .
Last month the British Library promoted an event with children ’ s drag entertainer Alyssa Van Delle , calling Van Delle a ‘ hot ’ performer who will ‘ have you on the edge of your seat and gagging for more ’ .
DQST claims to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children .
But despite the popularity of its events , it remains unclear how a man in a lurid frock will make kids with two mums feel supported , or how DQST serves to stop the bullying of kids who don ’ t conform .
Britain is a remarkably tolerant country and many children will have a same-sex couple somewhere in their family ; aunties Clare and Kate are likely to be better role models than adult entertainers with X-rated social-media feeds .
DQST has been widely praised as ‘ teaching tolerance ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about young children is that they don ’ t really have any preconceptions to challenge .
DQST seems just to be an opportunity for straight middle-class parents to feel worthy and to bond over a post-performance soy macchiato .

I’m sure many of us have often thought that what’s missing from the early-years curriculum are men with plastic tits and spangly dresses reading books. But fear not, SNP MP Mhairi Black is on a mission to right this crushing injustice, championing the rights of queer-identifying five-year-olds across Scotland.
Last month, Black accompanied Nathan Mullen, a drag queen who performs under the name ‘FlowJob’, to Glencoats primary school to mark LGBT History Month. Mullen does work for an initiative for kids called ‘Drag Queen Story Time’ (DQST). And in addition to reading to reception classes at Glencoats, the pair educated the children about Section 28, a law introduced in 1988 (now repealed) that banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’.
Shortly after the visit, it became apparent that Mullen’s social media was full of adult content. A gale-force Twitterstorm erupted, with the Glencoats’ headteacher, Mullen and Black accused of failing in their duty to protect children. Predictably, those who questioned the rationale behind inviting an adult entertainer into a primary school were smeared as bigots. Black tweeted that the criticisms were homophobic, and that a visit from a gay MP and drag queen when she was at school ‘would have made an immeasurable difference’ to the ‘difficult childhoods’ endured by her and her ‘LGBT classmates’.
Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details) Unlike Black and Mullen, I came of age under Section 28, and I never want to see people hidden away or made to feel ashamed of who they love. But it is fair to ask who exactly benefits from DQST – because, arguably, it isn’t children.
Pioneered by ‘queer activist’ Michelle Tea, DQST events were first trialled in 2015 at a public library in San Francisco. Now it has migrated over to Britain, too. Last month the British Library promoted an event with children’s drag entertainer Alyssa Van Delle, calling Van Delle a ‘hot’ performer who will ‘have you on the edge of your seat and gagging for more’.
DQST claims to offer ‘queer role models’ to children. But despite the popularity of its events, it remains unclear how a man in a lurid frock will make kids with two mums feel supported, or how DQST serves to stop the bullying of kids who don’t conform. Britain is a remarkably tolerant country and many children will have a same-sex couple somewhere in their family; aunties Clare and Kate are likely to be better role models than adult entertainers with X-rated social-media feeds.
DQST has been widely praised as ‘teaching tolerance’, but one of the great things about young children is that they don’t really have any preconceptions to challenge. DQST seems just to be an opportunity for straight middle-class parents to feel worthy and to bond over a post-performance soy macchiato.
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lewrockwell--2020-03-04--An Easy To Follow Guide for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Food choices can fight or promote inflammation .
And although reaching for a pill may help quell a headache or arthritic flare-up , they won ’ t do the job in preventing heart disease , type-2 diabetes , or future flare-ups .
To get those anti-inflammatory benefits , your best bet might be an anti-inflammatory diet .
Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with a host of chronic medical conditions including heart disease , type-2 diabetes , rheumatoid arthritis , and dementia .
Plenty of research has shown diet contributes to these illnesses and food is a leading source of inflammation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely aware of the culprits : processed foods , refined grains , sugary beverages , trans-fat , processed meat , fast food , and certain cooking oils and margarine .
On the other hand , you probably know that minimally or unprocessed nutrients and antioxidant-rich foods can limit inflammation and reduce the risk of chronic illness .
What You Must Know Abo ... Jeffrey Anshel OD Best Price : $ 10.78 Buy New $ 11.84 But how do you translate that information into your life ?
By keeping these things in mind : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and simple ingredients .
• Make colorful fruits and vegetables prominent in meals and as snacks ( leafy greens , tomato , berries , apples , etc. )
.
• Try including fatty fish like salmon or ahi tuna into your meal plan at least two nights per week .
• Select whole-grain versions of bread and pasta over refined “ white ” options .
• Avoid sugary beverages like soda , sweet tea , “ specialty ” coffee drinks , etc .
Supplement them with sparkling water , carbonated water , unsweetened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to supplement beans and legumes into meals , on occasion .
Legumes like these can be used in burgers , chili , and more .
• Avoid cooking with butter , margarine , soybean , vegetables , or coconut oil .
Instead , use olive oil .
Using olive oil as salad dressing is also recommended .
• Try to eat as many colors of food ( naturally ) as possible .
Berries , cherries , apples , broccoli , kale , oranges , etc .
• Read ingredient labels carefully and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ingredient lists , and those featuring words like “ high fructose corn syrup , sugar , hydrogenated , or any word ending in -ose ” Healthy fats , fruits and vegetables , nuts , seeds , legumes , whole grains , and unprocessed meat should be the centerpieces of the anti-inflammatory diet .
These items can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of a host of common chronic illnesses .
This practical guide can help protect your health by silencing systemic inflammation .

Food choices can fight or promote inflammation. And although reaching for a pill may help quell a headache or arthritic flare-up, they won’t do the job in preventing heart disease, type-2 diabetes, or future flare-ups.
To get those anti-inflammatory benefits, your best bet might be an anti-inflammatory diet.
Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with a host of chronic medical conditions including heart disease, type-2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and dementia. Plenty of research has shown diet contributes to these illnesses and food is a leading source of inflammation.
By now, you’re likely aware of the culprits: processed foods, refined grains, sugary beverages, trans-fat, processed meat, fast food, and certain cooking oils and margarine.
On the other hand, you probably know that minimally or unprocessed nutrients and antioxidant-rich foods can limit inflammation and reduce the risk of chronic illness. What You Must Know Abo... Anshel OD, Jeffrey Best Price: $3.56 Buy New $11.75 (as of 10:45 UTC - Details)
But how do you translate that information into your life? By keeping these things in mind:
Focus on building meals using fresh and simple ingredients.
Make colorful fruits and vegetables prominent in meals and as snacks (leafy greens, tomato, berries, apples, etc.).
Replace refined “snack foods” with nuts, fruits, seeds, and vegetables.
Try including fatty fish like salmon or ahi tuna into your meal plan at least two nights per week.
Select whole-grain versions of bread and pasta over refined “white” options.
Avoid sugary beverages like soda, sweet tea, “specialty” coffee drinks, etc. Supplement them with sparkling water, carbonated water, unsweetened tea, and coffee.
Find ways to supplement beans and legumes into meals, on occasion. Legumes like these can be used in burgers, chili, and more.
Avoid cooking with butter, margarine, soybean, vegetables, or coconut oil. Instead, use olive oil. Using olive oil as salad dressing is also recommended.
Try to eat as many colors of food (naturally) as possible. Berries, cherries, apples, broccoli, kale, oranges, etc.
Read ingredient labels carefully and minimize the intake of food with long ingredient lists, and those featuring words like “high fructose corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated, or any word ending in -ose”
Healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, and unprocessed meat should be the centerpieces of the anti-inflammatory diet. These items can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of a host of common chronic illnesses.
This practical guide can help protect your health by silencing systemic inflammation.
Reprinted with permission from Bel Marra Health.


lewrockwell--2020-03-05--Repeal the Patriot Act

Repeal the Patriot Act

I have been writing for years about the dangers to human freedom that come from government mass surveillance .
The United States was born in a defiant reaction to government surveillance .
In the decade preceding the signing of the Declaration of Independence , the villains were the Stamp Act and the Writs of Assistance Act .
Today , the villain is the Patriot Act .
Here is the backstory .
In 1765 , when the British government was looking for creative ways to tax the colonists , Parliament enacted the Stamp Act .
That law required all persons in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British government vendor and to affix them to all documents in one ’ s possession .
These were not stamps as we use today , rather they bore the seal of the British government .
The vendor would apply ink to the seal and for a fee — a tax — impress an image of the seal onto documents .
All documents in one ’ s possession — financial , legal , letters , books , newspapers , pamphlets , even posters destined to be nailed to trees — required the government stamps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ P. Napolitano Best Price : $ 0.25 Buy New $ 4.46 How did the British government , 3,000 miles away , know if one had its stamps on one ’ s documents ?
Answer : The Writs of Assistance Act .
A writ of assistance was a general warrant issued by a secret court in London .
A general warrant does not specifically describe the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized .
It merely authorized the bearer — a civilian or military government official — to search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found .
The use of writs of assistance ostensibly to search colonial homes for stamps produced an avalanche of opposition that often turned to violence against the stamp vendors .
The sheer cost of invading private homes fueled fears that the true purpose of the tax was not to generate revenue — though the king always needed cash — rather , it was to remind the colonists that the king was sovereign and his agents and soldiers could enter colonial homes on a whim .
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the king .
Harvard Professor Bernard Bailyn has estimated that by the late 1760s , one-third of the colonists favored secession from Great Britain , either peaceful or violent .
In 1789 , six years after the American Revolution was won , the 13 colonies that had seceded combined into the United States of America under the Constitution .
Two years later , the Bill of Rights was ratified , the Fourth Amendment of which was expressly written to prohibit general warrants — to assure that the new government would not and could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government had done to the colonists .
That assurance was manifested in the amendment ’ s requirements that only judges can issue search warrants , which must be based on probable cause of crime and which must specifically describe the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized .
The history of the United States is the history of the growth of government and the loss of personal liberty .
Thankfully , we eradicated slavery and recognized the equality of all people , irrespective of race or gender .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have supinely permitted the federal government to invade our privacy on a scale never approached by the folks who brought the Stamp Act to our ancestors .
After 9/11 , the George W. Bush administration offered the Patriot Act to Congress .
It was crafted in secrecy and enacted in infidelity to the Constitution .
Members of the House of Representatives had 15 minutes to read is 300+ pages and no time for serious floor debate .
The one senator who spoke out against it was driven from office .
Section 505 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bypass the requirements of the Fourth Amendment and to issue their own search warrants .
Those agent-written warrants are not based on probable cause of crime but rather on a representation by one agent to another of governmental needs — the same lame standard used by the secret London courts that issued writs of assistance .
Since 2001 , federal agents have issued more than 300,000 of these search warrants — which they call National Security Letters — to custodians of financial records .
In 2004 alone , 56,507 agent-written search warrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions , telecom providers , computer service providers , supermarkets , credit card issuers , health care insurers and providers , legal service providers , local and state governments , and even the Post Office .
It Is Dangerous to Be ... Napolitano , Andrew P. Best Price : null Buy New $ 9.99 The very concept of one federal agent authorizing another to seize records is antithetical to the Fourth Amendment and repugnant to the American Revolution .
I am writing about this now because a section of the Patriot Act will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congressional liberals and libertarians — even a few conservatives still bruised at the governmental surveillance of candidate Donald Trump in 2016 — have been contemplating structural changes to this pernicious law .
Section 215 — which is about to expire — is as fatal to freedom as is section 505 .
It permits designated federal judges to issue general warrants based on the old writs of assistance standard of governmental need .
One of those judges signed a search warrant for the telephone records of all Verizon customers in the U.S. — at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Both 215 and 505 are weapons of mass surveillance and should be repealed .
They are instruments of a totalitarian government , not of free people .
They defy the Constitution .
They presume that our rights are not natural but come from a government that can take them back .
Mass surveillance produces a state that knows more about us than we do about it — one that will slowly consume our freedoms in the name of governmental needs .
It already has .
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano

Shop all books by Judge Napolitano
I have been writing for years about the dangers to human freedom that come from government mass surveillance. The United States was born in a defiant reaction to government surveillance. In the decade preceding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the villains were the Stamp Act and the Writs of Assistance Act. Today, the villain is the Patriot Act.
Here is the backstory.
In 1765, when the British government was looking for creative ways to tax the colonists, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act. That law required all persons in the colonies to purchase stamps from a British government vendor and to affix them to all documents in one’s possession. These were not stamps as we use today, rather they bore the seal of the British government. The vendor would apply ink to the seal and for a fee — a tax — impress an image of the seal onto documents.
All documents in one’s possession — financial, legal, letters, books, newspapers, pamphlets, even posters destined to be nailed to trees — required the government stamps.
Lies the Government To... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price: $0.25 Buy New $4.46 (as of 12:15 UTC - Details) How did the British government, 3,000 miles away, know if one had its stamps on one’s documents? Answer: The Writs of Assistance Act. A writ of assistance was a general warrant issued by a secret court in London. A general warrant does not specifically describe the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized. It merely authorized the bearer — a civilian or military government official — to search where he wished and seize whatever he found.
The use of writs of assistance ostensibly to search colonial homes for stamps produced an avalanche of opposition that often turned to violence against the stamp vendors. The sheer cost of invading private homes fueled fears that the true purpose of the tax was not to generate revenue — though the king always needed cash — rather, it was to remind the colonists that the king was sovereign and his agents and soldiers could enter colonial homes on a whim.
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but it had caused lasting harm to the king. Harvard Professor Bernard Bailyn has estimated that by the late 1760s, one-third of the colonists favored secession from Great Britain, either peaceful or violent.
In 1789, six years after the American Revolution was won, the 13 colonies that had seceded combined into the United States of America under the Constitution. Two years later, the Bill of Rights was ratified, the Fourth Amendment of which was expressly written to prohibit general warrants — to assure that the new government would not and could not do to Americans what the British government had done to the colonists.
That assurance was manifested in the amendment’s requirements that only judges can issue search warrants, which must be based on probable cause of crime and which must specifically describe the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized.
The history of the United States is the history of the growth of government and the loss of personal liberty. Thankfully, we eradicated slavery and recognized the equality of all people, irrespective of race or gender. Yet, in times of crisis, we have supinely permitted the federal government to invade our privacy on a scale never approached by the folks who brought the Stamp Act to our ancestors.
After 9/11, the George W. Bush administration offered the Patriot Act to Congress. It was crafted in secrecy and enacted in infidelity to the Constitution. Members of the House of Representatives had 15 minutes to read is 300+ pages and no time for serious floor debate. The one senator who spoke out against it was driven from office.
Section 505 of the Patriot Act permits federal agents to bypass the requirements of the Fourth Amendment and to issue their own search warrants. Those agent-written warrants are not based on probable cause of crime but rather on a representation by one agent to another of governmental needs — the same lame standard used by the secret London courts that issued writs of assistance.
Since 2001, federal agents have issued more than 300,000 of these search warrants — which they call National Security Letters — to custodians of financial records. In 2004 alone, 56,507 agent-written search warrants were issued. Those custodians include financial institutions, telecom providers, computer service providers, supermarkets, credit card issuers, health care insurers and providers, legal service providers, local and state governments, and even the Post Office. It Is Dangerous to Be ... Napolitano, Andrew P. Buy New $9.99 (as of 08:00 UTC - Details)
The very concept of one federal agent authorizing another to seize records is antithetical to the Fourth Amendment and repugnant to the American Revolution.
I am writing about this now because a section of the Patriot Act will expire on March 15, and many congressional liberals and libertarians — even a few conservatives still bruised at the governmental surveillance of candidate Donald Trump in 2016 — have been contemplating structural changes to this pernicious law.
Section 215 — which is about to expire — is as fatal to freedom as is section 505. It permits designated federal judges to issue general warrants based on the old writs of assistance standard of governmental need. One of those judges signed a search warrant for the telephone records of all Verizon customers in the U.S. — at the time, 115 million of them.
Both 215 and 505 are weapons of mass surveillance and should be repealed. They are instruments of a totalitarian government, not of free people. They defy the Constitution. They presume that our rights are not natural but come from a government that can take them back. Mass surveillance produces a state that knows more about us than we do about it — one that will slowly consume our freedoms in the name of governmental needs. It already has.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano


lewrockwell--2020-03-05--Hey, Jay, Enough of Your Stinkin’ Easy Money!

It doesn ’ t get any more pathetic than this .
The Fed cuts the absurdly low money market rate by another 50 basis points at 10AM and before noon the Donald is banging the podium for more .
So if you ever needed a final warning to get out of the casino , today ’ s back-to-back eruption of financial insanity from the two most powerful economic actors on the planet should be it .
Even then , we might be inclined to give the Donald a tad bit of slack .
After all , he ’ s an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifetime as a leveraged real estate speculator , where , in fact , lower rates are always , but always , to be welcomed when you ’ re rolling the dice with other people ’ s money .
Still , it doesn ’ t get any more primitive or dangerous than the Donald ’ s current conviction that the price of money should be graduated lower based on the current year international league tables of GDP growth or the level of presidential braggadocio , as the case may be .
Effectively , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the ECB and the BOJ are burning down the financial foundations of their own economies .
So the Donald insists we burn down ours , too .
Folks , that ’ s the sum , substance and full extent of his “ thinking ” : “ As usual , Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve are slow to act .
Germany and others are pumping money into their economies .
Other Central Banks are much more aggressive , ” Trump said , referring to the Fed chairman .
“ The Federal Reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most importantly , come into line with other countries/competitors .
We are not playing on a level field .
Not fair to USA .
It is finally time for the Federal Reserve to LEAD .
More easing and cutting !
” By contrast , the empty suite and sniveling coward who announced today ’ s emergency 50 basis point cut deserves no quarter whatsoever .
The man is so petrified of a hissy fit by the boys , girls and robo-machines in the trading pits that he has just plain abandoned any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , you could dismiss his meandering comments at the post-announcement presser as risible drivel and be done with it .
Except , except….Powell and his merry band are so drunk with financial power that they now believe any ragged , threadbare , illogical excuse to display their muscle and placate the crybabies and bullies of Wall Street is all that ’ s required .
That is , there are no tradeoffs , no risks – just cut and print , rinse and repeat .
Thus , spake Pusillanimous Powell , averring that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide – “ ….a meaningful boost to the economy ” by loosening financial conditions and shoring up business and household confidence .
“ We saw a risk to the outlook for the economy and chose to act , ” Powell said , noting the impact on tourism and travel and on company supply chains .
“ I do know that the U.S. economy is strong…I fully expect that we will return to solid growth and a solid labor market as well.
” “ We do recognize that a rate cut will not reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t fix a broken supply chain ; we get that , we don ’ t think we have all the answers , ” Powell said .
Still , he said , it will help support “ overall economic activity.
” Needless to say , this is group think run amuck .
There is apparently no longer a single Fed head who understands that interest rates are not merely one-way control dials , which exist solely to enable the FOMC to fine-tune the path of the nation ’ s $ 22 trillion GDP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keynesian central banking , the truth that savers are being harmed every time the Fed pleasures Wall Street speculators with another rate cut has been lost completely .
So has the notion that rate signals intended to encourage homeowners to buy a house or businesses to build a plant also foster ever more carry trade speculation on Wall Street and reward C-suites for investing in Wall Street pleasing buybacks and M & A deals , not productive investment in plant , equipment , technology , intellectual capital and human resources .
Accordingly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed is no longer even in the business of safeguarding sound money and financial system efficiency and stability .
Instead , it ’ s morphed into a grand macroeconomic underwriter , purporting to insure the US economy against any and all bumps in the road , regardless of their origin .
We already had them insuring against the Donald ’ s Trade War madness with 3 rate cuts last summer .
Then with their repo facility madness in the fall , they were essentially insuring against the adverse rate and growth impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And now they are throwing the untoward impacts of plagues and flood onto their underwriter ’ s table .
So presumably anything could be next – even a mass outbreak of hangnails and toe fungus .
In fact , the true nature of central bank intervention in financial markets is just the opposite .
To wit , tampering with asset prices is the most dangerous and potentially destructive thing any agency of the state could undertake because it fuels greed , recklessness , speculation , malinvestment and economic errors throughout the length and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to paraphrase Keynes ’ famous observation about inflation , in ways that not one in a million central bankers could possibly comprehend .
In other words , what was announced this morning had nothing to do with central banking by any even loose historical definition of the term .
It was actually another , even more over-the-top exercise in monetary central planning of the GDP and all that is subsumed under its $ 22 trillion girth .
But why in the world would anyone – even arrogant , self-regarding Fed heads – believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feedback loops of the GDP ?
That is , the $ 22 trillion here and the $ 85 trillion worldwide economy in which it is intricately and intimately intermeshed .
Yet if you presume to know that a 1.05 % money market rate rather than a 1.55 % rate will produce optimum economic outcomes under the shadow of Covid-19 uncertainty and disruption , then you positively do need to comprehend all the highways and bi-ways weaving through $ 22 trillion of input/output tables that only crudely comprehend the blooming , buzzing mass of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Self-evidently , the Fed heads no longer even try to explain the macroeconomics of rate-cutting when they are cheek-by-jowl with the zero bound .
They just assert ex cathedra that it will do some good – and not even from the actual quantitative flow economics that the Fed historically avowed .
That is , back in the day , if credit was not flowing to homeowners because high rates made borrowing prohibitive , it turned the rate dials lower in order to reduce bank disintermediation and thereby give S & Ls the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to borrow and home-builders a boost to their order books .
And , by contrast , if rates got so low as to cause building activity to skyrocket , thereby fueling rampant wage , lumber and building lot inflation , they proceeded to dial up rates to cool things down .
We think the powers of the free market were always up to the task of credit flow regulation on their own : Freely mobilized interest rates always clear markets and bring forth more savings if needed , and more credit demand where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of credit flows was never really necessary , but here ’ s the thing : In the present regime of massively subsidized and mispriced capital which the world ’ s central banks have fostered , there simply isn ’ t any credit flow channel to regulate .
Debt capital has become virtually unlimited and tantamount to free so there simply are no interest rate or credit supply barriers to spending and investment .
Likewise , the world economy has become so over-invested and malinvested in physical production capacity that the old-fashioned “ demand-pull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen .
Or at least until now it hasn ’ t because the subsistence rice paddies and villages of the developing world had not yet been drained of cheap labor .
That ’ s why today ’ s monetary central planners don ’ t even talk about credit flows to the main street economy any more .
There is no problem there for their ministrations to solve .
Instead , they talk about “ easing financial conditions ” and “ supporting financial confidence ” .
That is to say , monetary policy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; it ’ s an exercise in state-directed psy-ops .
And when you look into the real purpose of Fed psy-ops , which was the explicitly acknowledged purpose of today ’ s emergency rate cut , you quickly come to understand why Wall Street has morphed into a casino and the Fed its dutiful handmaid .
To wit , “ easier ” financial conditions mean low credit spreads and high stock prices or “ risk on ” .
By contrast , ” tighter ” financial conditions are defined by widening credit spreads and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ risk off ” .
Needless to say , in today ’ s debt-entombed main street economy , the Fed ’ s psy-ops with respect to “ financial conditions ” are neither here nor there .
No wannabe homebuyer is influenced by the Fed ’ s psy-ops and no businessman stocks or destocks inventories or adds or subtracts from CapEx budgets based on whether the casino has been coaxed into a temporary risk-on or risk off mood by the Fed heads .
Stated differently , Fed policy is now almost exclusively about keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nipping any even half-assed effort at correction in the bud , and violently so .
Self-evidently , today ’ s grand exercise in psy-ops failed spectacularly and like never before .
The casino shifted by 1200 Dow Points between the post-cut announcement high and the intra-day low .
And in the wrong direction !
Moreover , that bust comes on top of the 4800 Dow point plunge from the February 19th high to the February 28th intra-day low , which was followed by a 2000 point rise from last Friday ’ s low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In other words , the Fed long ago exited the sound money business .
After the great financial crisis and its balance sheet pumping spree thereafter it also existed the credit flow control business .
And with today ’ s monumental error , it has now , apparently , euthanized its psy-ops tool , as well .
In the days ahead we will elaborate on the truly dangerous new financial world that now exists in the wake of the Fed ’ s self-defenestration .
But in the meanwhile , Gary Kaltbaum captured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his trenchant commentary issued immediately after the Fed ’ s announcement : Powell lowered rates in the past few minutes because the market was heading lower today .
He wasn ’ t going to make the move today until he saw the DOW down 300 early .
This is not about a virus .
This is not about an economy .
This is about the markets…AGAIN !
This is about the Bernanke , Yellen , Powell , Kuroda , Carney , Draghi , LaGarde markets that have made markets addicted to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limitless amount of conjured up money .
Do you not think he sees what we have reported to you ?
That like a well-trained dog , markets react to his every whim ?
So what did Powell just do…or at least try to do : He screwed Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob…AGAIN !
Yes…how dare you want risk-less income investments !
How dare you want a decent money market rate !
Screw you Mr. and Mrs .
Saver .
The continuation of the asset bubble .
( SEE A CHART OF ANY INDEX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wealth gap .
Yes…all these politicians complaining about the wealth gap ?
Look no further .
The continuation of the distorting or price and yield in bond markets .
BOTTOM LINE : Another in a long line of moves to stanch any bleeding in the markets .
Mr. Powell is easily Mr .
Obvious .
By the way , do you know how pundits and futures markets give percentage chances of rate cuts in the future ?
Since we have nailed these rate cuts all the way down , here is our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % CHANCE THAT WE WILL NOT ONLY EVENTUALLY BE BACK AT 0 % BUT WE WILL EVENTUALLY DO THE NEGATIVE RATE DANCE .
BOOK IT NOW !
LASTLY : If we ever get to the day where markets do indeed shoot the middle finger back at these market interlopers…head for the hills .
If we ever get to the day where the markets see these moves as desperation…head for the hills .
Initial reaction…rally 700 points in minutes…drop 600 points in minutes…rally back 300 points in minutes .
Welcome to your central bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right .
It may well have happened within minutes after he hit the send button .
The Best of David Stockman

It doesn’t get any more pathetic than this. The Fed cuts the absurdly
low money market rate by another 50 basis points at 10AM and before noon the
Donald is banging the podium for more.
So if you ever needed a final warning to get out of the casino, today’s
back-to-back eruption of financial insanity from the two most powerful economic
actors on the planet should be it.
Even then, we might be inclined to give the Donald a tad bit of slack. After
all, he’s an absolute dunderhead on economics and spent a lifetime as a
leveraged real estate speculator, where, in fact, lower rates are always, but
always, to be welcomed when you’re rolling the dice with other people’s
money.
Still, it doesn’t get any more primitive or dangerous than the Donald’s
current conviction that the price of money should be graduated lower based on
the current year international league tables of GDP growth or the level of presidential
braggadocio, as the case may be.
Effectively, however, the tiny posse of fools who run the ECB and the BOJ are
burning down the financial foundations of their own economies. So the Donald
insists we burn down ours, too.
Folks, that’s the sum, substance and full extent of his “thinking”:
“As usual, Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve are slow to act. Germany
and others are pumping money into their economies. Other Central Banks are much
more aggressive,” Trump said, referring to the Fed chairman.
“The Federal Reserve is cutting but must further ease and, most importantly,
come into line with other countries/competitors. We are not playing on a
level field. Not fair to USA. It is finally time for the Federal Reserve
to LEAD. More easing and cutting!”
By contrast, the empty suite and sniveling coward who announced today’s
emergency 50 basis point cut deserves no quarter whatsoever. The man is so petrified
of a hissy fit by the boys, girls and robo-machines in the trading pits that
he has just plain abandoned any pretense of rational financial thought.
In fact, you could dismiss his meandering comments at the post-announcement
presser as risible drivel and be done with it.
Except, except….Powell and his merry band are so drunk with financial
power that they now believe any ragged, threadbare, illogical excuse to display
their muscle and placate the crybabies and bullies of Wall Street is all that’s
required. That is, there are no tradeoffs, no risks – just cut and print,
rinse and repeat.
Thus, spake Pusillanimous Powell, averring that the central bank’s action
would provide –
“….a meaningful boost to the economy” by loosening financial
conditions and shoring up business and household confidence.
“We saw a risk to the outlook for the economy and chose to act,”
Powell said, noting the impact on tourism and travel and on company supply chains.
“I do know that the U.S. economy is strong…I fully expect that we
will return to solid growth and a solid labor market as well.”
“We do recognize that a rate cut will not reduce the rate of
infection, it won’t fix a broken supply chain; we get that, we don’t
think we have all the answers,” Powell said. Still, he said, it
will help support “overall economic activity.”
Needless to say, this is group think run amuck. There is apparently no longer
a single Fed head who understands that interest rates are not merely one-way
control dials, which exist solely to enable the FOMC to fine-tune the path of
the nation’s $22 trillion GDP.
Somewhere over the last decades of Keynesian central banking, the truth that
savers are being harmed every time the Fed pleasures Wall Street speculators
with another rate cut has been lost completely. So has the notion that rate
signals intended to encourage homeowners to buy a house or businesses to build
a plant also foster ever more carry trade speculation on Wall Street and reward
C-suites for investing in Wall Street pleasing buybacks and M&A deals, not
productive investment in plant, equipment, technology, intellectual capital
and human resources.
Accordingly, we have now reached the point were the Fed is no longer even in
the business of safeguarding sound money and financial system efficiency and
stability. Instead, it’s morphed into a grand macroeconomic underwriter,
purporting to insure the US economy against any and all bumps in the road, regardless
of their origin.
We already had them insuring against the Donald’s Trade War madness with
3 rate cuts last summer. Then with their repo facility madness in the fall,
they were essentially insuring against the adverse rate and growth impacts of
Washington’s borrowing binge.
And now they are throwing the untoward impacts of plagues and flood onto their
underwriter’s table. So presumably anything could be next – even a mass
outbreak of hangnails and toe fungus.
In fact, the true nature of central bank intervention in financial markets
is just the opposite. To wit, tampering with asset prices is the most dangerous
and potentially destructive thing any agency of the state could undertake because
it fuels greed, recklessness, speculation, malinvestment and economic errors
throughout the length and breadth of the system; and, to paraphrase Keynes’
famous observation about inflation, in ways that not one in a million central
bankers could possibly comprehend.
In other words, what was announced this morning had nothing to do with central
banking by any even loose historical definition of the term. It was actually
another, even more over-the-top exercise in monetary central planning of the
GDP and all that is subsumed under its $22 trillion girth.
But why in the world would anyone – even arrogant, self-regarding Fed heads –
believe they can comprehend the infinite complexities and feedback loops of
the GDP? That is, the $22 trillion here and the $85 trillion worldwide economy
in which it is intricately and intimately intermeshed.
Yet if you presume to know that a 1.05% money market rate rather than a 1.55%
rate will produce optimum economic outcomes under the shadow of Covid-19 uncertainty
and disruption, then you positively do need to comprehend all the highways and
bi-ways weaving through $22 trillion of input/output tables that only crudely
comprehend the blooming, buzzing mass of activity which is actually the US economy.
Self-evidently, the Fed heads no longer even try to explain the macroeconomics
of rate-cutting when they are cheek-by-jowl with the zero bound. They just assert
ex cathedra that it will do some good – and not even from the actual quantitative
flow economics that the Fed historically avowed.
That is, back in the day, if credit was not flowing to homeowners because high
rates made borrowing prohibitive, it turned the rate dials lower in order to
reduce bank disintermediation and thereby give S&Ls the means to lend, home-buyers
the incentive to borrow and home-builders a boost to their order books.
And, by contrast, if rates got so low as to cause building activity to skyrocket,
thereby fueling rampant wage, lumber and building lot inflation, they proceeded
to dial up rates to cool things down.
We think the powers of the free market were always up to the task of credit
flow regulation on their own: Freely mobilized interest rates always clear markets
and bring forth more savings if needed, and more credit demand where economics
require.
So central bank regulation of credit flows was never really necessary, but
here’s the thing: In the present regime of massively subsidized and mispriced
capital which the world’s central banks have fostered, there simply isn’t
any credit flow channel to regulate.
Debt capital has become virtually unlimited and tantamount to free so there
simply are no interest rate or credit supply barriers to spending and investment.
Likewise, the world economy has become so over-invested and malinvested in
physical production capacity that the old-fashioned “demand-pull’”
inflation just doesn’t happen. Or at least until now it hasn’t because
the subsistence rice paddies and villages of the developing world had not yet
been drained of cheap labor.
That’s why today’s monetary central planners don’t even talk
about credit flows to the main street economy any more. There is no problem
there for their ministrations to solve.
Instead, they talk about “easing financial conditions” and “supporting
financial confidence”. That is to say, monetary policy is no longer even
about money or credit; it’s an exercise in state-directed psy-ops.
And when you look into the real purpose of Fed psy-ops, which was the explicitly
acknowledged purpose of today’s emergency rate cut, you quickly come to
understand why Wall Street has morphed into a casino and the Fed its dutiful
handmaid.
To wit, “easier” financial conditions mean low credit spreads and
high stock prices or “risk on”. By contrast,”tighter” financial
conditions are defined by widening credit spreads and falling stock prices and
PE multiples and “risk off”.
Needless to say, in today’s debt-entombed main street economy, the Fed’s
psy-ops with respect to “financial conditions” are neither here nor
there. No wannabe homebuyer is influenced by the Fed’s psy-ops and no businessman
stocks or destocks inventories or adds or subtracts from CapEx budgets based
on whether the casino has been coaxed into a temporary risk-on or risk off mood
by the Fed heads.
Stated differently, Fed policy is now almost exclusively about keeping stock
prices high and rising, and nipping any even half-assed effort at correction
in the bud, and violently so.
Self-evidently, today’s grand exercise in psy-ops failed spectacularly
and like never before. The casino shifted by 1200 Dow Points between the post-cut
announcement high and the intra-day low. And in the wrong direction!
Moreover, that bust comes on top of the 4800 Dow point plunge from the February
19th high to the February 28th intra-day low, which was followed by a 2000 point
rise from last Friday’s low to Monday’s insane closing high.
In other words, the Fed long ago exited the sound money business. After the
great financial crisis and its balance sheet pumping spree thereafter it also
existed the credit flow control business.
And with today’s monumental error, it has now, apparently, euthanized
its psy-ops tool, as well.
In the days ahead we will elaborate on the truly dangerous new financial world
that now exists in the wake of the Fed’s self-defenestration. But in the
meanwhile, Gary Kaltbaum captured the madness now loose in the land in his trenchant
commentary issued immediately after the Fed’s announcement:
Powell lowered rates in the past few minutes because the market was heading
lower today. He wasn’t going to make the move today until he saw the DOW
down 300 early. This is not about a virus. This is not about an economy. This
is about the markets…AGAIN! This is about the Bernanke, Yellen, Powell,
Kuroda, Carney, Draghi, LaGarde markets that have made markets addicted to their
easier money moves with an unaccountable and limitless amount of conjured up
money. Do you not think he sees what we have reported to you? That like a well-trained
dog, markets react to his every whim?
So what did Powell just do…or at least try to do:
He screwed Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob…AGAIN! Yes…how dare you want risk-less
income investments! How dare you want a decent money market rate! Screw you
Mr. and Mrs. Saver.
The continuation of the asset bubble. (SEE A CHART OF ANY INDEX PAST 11 YEARS)
A widening of the wealth gap. Yes…all these politicians complaining
about the wealth gap? Look no further.
The continuation of the distorting or price and yield in bond markets.
BOTTOM LINE:
Another in a long line of moves to stanch any bleeding in the markets. Mr. Powell
is easily Mr. Obvious. By the way, do you know how pundits and futures markets
give percentage chances of rate cuts in the future? Since we have nailed these
rate cuts all the way down, here is our latest.
WE GIVE IT A 100% CHANCE THAT WE WILL NOT ONLY EVENTUALLY BE BACK AT 0% BUT
WE WILL EVENTUALLY DO THE NEGATIVE RATE DANCE. BOOK IT NOW!
LASTLY:
If we ever get to the day where markets do indeed shoot the middle finger back
at these market interlopers…head for the hills. If we ever get to the day
where the markets see these moves as desperation…head for the hills. Initial
reaction…rally 700 points in minutes…drop 600 points in minutes…rally
back 300 points in minutes. Welcome to your central bank markets.
He got that last bit right. It may well have happened within minutes after
he hit the send button.
PEAK
TRUMP, IMPENDING CRISES, ESSENTIAL INFO & ACTION
Reprinted with permission from David Stockman’s Contra Corner.
The Best of David Stockman


lewrockwell--2020-03-05--The Useless Ban the Useful

The Useless Ban the Useful

Politicians share more traits with plastic shopping bags than we might assume at first glance .
Both are almost always opaque ; the big mouths of each flap in the breeze ; and plastic shopping bags enjoy a useful life of about 12 minutes before becoming trash , while politicians—-hmmm… .
OK , forget that last : politicians are worthless from the get-go .
So perhaps they envy plastic bags , which Americans find so very valuable that they consume somewhere between 14 billion to 100 billion of them per year .
Ergo , officials in the People ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastic shopping bags as have those in the PDRs of California and Hawaii .
( Before you gloat that at least your locale isn ’ t that crazy , check to see what your legislators are hatching . )
New York State decreed last year that its serfs must forego the convenience of “ free ” plastic shopping bags with their purchases—or such bags at any price ; their diktat went into effect this past Sunday .
Certainly , this is among the minor annoyances we suffer under Amerika ’ s totalitarian regimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the TSA will now infest supermarkets , groping customers , or cops will haunt Aldi ’ s liquor aisles , demanding ID before infiltrating the dairy section to slaughter the completely innocent “ by mistake.
” Halestorm Akers , Becky Best Price : null Buy New $ 8.57 But the difficulties of shopping sans plastic bags dramatically increase in New York City .
Most folks there lug purchases home by hand rather than merely stowing them in their car ; they walk , sacks in hand , sometimes only a few blocks but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes , apartments are notoriously small in the Big Apple , space is tight , and many people spontaneously dart into bodegas for some sushi and a serving of aloo gobi rather than cooking dinner in a cramped kitchen .
Their Rulers ’ latest decree turns that easy task onerous : as of March 1 , “ Shoppers can carry their own reusable bags , buy one at the store , or cough up an extra 5 cents for a paper bag… ” As always , potentates pooh-pooh the problems they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman for the state ’ s Department of Environmental Conservation , ” enthuses , “ You leave the house , you say , ‘ I got my keys , I got my phone , I got my sunglasses , I got my bag… ’ ” But Erica lives in Albany , where she no doubt drives to stores .
Breathtaking , isn ’ t it , her disregard for the elderly , arthritic widow in Coney Island who , having forgotten her bag , painfully grasps her tub of margarine for the three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartment .
You may be marveling as I was at that “ extra 5 cents for a paper bag… ” That is not an optional expense from entrepreneurs struggling as they typically do to ease their customers ’ pain at the State ’ s diktats ; no , that petty larceny is mandatory .
Politicians aren ’ t ordering stores to sell bags—yet .
But they are commanding those who offer paper to charge a nickel per bag .
Which reveals the actual purpose of forbidding plastic : the law hands more power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of our money into the state ’ s coffers : “ Three [ of the five ] cents will be given to the state ’ s Environmental Protection Fund , while the remaining 2 cents is handed to local agencies.
” New York City is heavily Marxist , so worry over the State ’ s newest intrusion into daily life arises not over its totalitarianism but over its “ impact ” on the “ disadvantaged.
” One Stalinist at Whole Foods opined to the New York Times , “ I know this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bourgeoisie than it is for the working class… ” I nominate that quote for this year ’ s “ Moronically Regurgitating the Communist Manifesto ” Award .
Predictably , Our Rulers exempt welfare-queens from their ban : “ If you pay using SNAP or WIC , you will not be charged any paper bag fees .
Stores must provide SNAP and WIC users with free carryout bags .
No other customers are exempt from this fee.
” It ’ s always a blessing when the State foregoes taxes , given the horrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money .
But it ’ s also a bit much to rob us on behalf of these sponges while excusing them from the ban .
Not surprisingly , politics rather than facts has driven the hatred for plastic bags .
For starters , “ Plastic bags are less than 1 % of all litter … EPA data … [ show ] that the entire category of plastic sacks , wraps , and bags — including trash bags as well as grocery bags — together account for only a little over one percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small fraction of overall plastics.
” I don ’ t have stats , but I ’ d wager politicians and bureaucrats comprise at least another 49 % of “ municipal solid waste , ” while the Thousands Standing Around at airports account for the remainder .
Those hoping to save the planet should go after that garbage first .
Abducting Arnold -- A No ... Akers , Becky Best Price : null Buy New $ 2.99 Second , “ In 2011 , the UK ’ s Environment Agency … looked at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be reused in order to have the same environmental impact as the conventional … [ plastic ] bag that people are used to .
They reach [ sic ] the following conclusion : ‘ In round numbers these are : paper bag – 4 times , LDPE bag – 5 times , non-woven PP bag – 14 times and the cotton bag – 173 times.
’ ” Other studies have delivered similar findings .
But reality doesn ’ t matter when politics decides an issue : only publicity for politicians does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s bigwigs are squandering our taxes on “ free ” “ reusable bags ” that the Department of Sanitation will dispense to subjects , regardless of the “ environmental impact.
” That ’ s after they wasted our money on a “ NEW YORK STATE PLASTIC BAG TASK FORCE ” and its “ REPORT , ” which alleged , “ Single-use plastic bags are a detriment to the health of communities and the environment alike .
… their negative impacts can be seen daily .
These problems … are not only a statewide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international issue of concern.
” The Best of Becky Akers

Politicians share more traits with plastic shopping bags than we might assume at first glance. Both are almost always opaque; the big mouths of each flap in the breeze; and plastic shopping bags enjoy a useful life of about 12 minutes before becoming trash, while politicians—-hmmm….
OK, forget that last: politicians are worthless from the get-go. So perhaps they envy plastic bags, which Americans find so very valuable that they consume somewhere between 14 billion to 100 billion of them per year. Ergo, officials in the People’s Democratic Republic of New York have banned plastic shopping bags as have those in the PDRs of California and Hawaii. (Before you gloat that at least your locale isn’t that crazy, check to see what your legislators are hatching.)
New York State decreed last year that its serfs must forego the convenience of “free” plastic shopping bags with their purchases—or such bags at any price; their diktat went into effect this past Sunday. Certainly, this is among the minor annoyances we suffer under Amerika’s totalitarian regimes: it’s not as though the TSA will now infest supermarkets, groping customers, or cops will haunt Aldi’s liquor aisles, demanding ID before infiltrating the dairy section to slaughter the completely innocent “by mistake.”
Halestorm Akers, Becky Buy New $8.57 (as of 10:30 UTC - Details) But the difficulties of shopping sans plastic bags dramatically increase in New York City. Most folks there lug purchases home by hand rather than merely stowing them in their car; they walk, sacks in hand, sometimes only a few blocks but often more. Thanks to exorbitant property taxes, apartments are notoriously small in the Big Apple, space is tight, and many people spontaneously dart into bodegas for some sushi and a serving of aloo gobi rather than cooking dinner in a cramped kitchen.
Their Rulers’ latest decree turns that easy task onerous: as of March 1, “Shoppers can carry their own reusable bags, buy one at the store, or cough up an extra 5 cents for a paper bag…”
As always, potentates pooh-pooh the problems they’ve produced. “Erica Ringewald, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation,” enthuses,“You leave the house, you say, ‘I got my keys, I got my phone, I got my sunglasses, I got my bag…’” But Erica lives in Albany, where she no doubt drives to stores. Breathtaking, isn’t it, her disregard for the elderly, arthritic widow in Coney Island who, having forgotten her bag, painfully grasps her tub of margarine for the three blocks she’ll hobble to her apartment.
You may be marveling as I was at that “extra 5 cents for a paper bag…” That is not an optional expense from entrepreneurs struggling as they typically do to ease their customers’ pain at the State’s diktats; no, that petty larceny is mandatory. Politicians aren’t ordering stores to sell bags—yet. But they are commanding those who offer paper to charge a nickel per bag. Which reveals the actual purpose of forbidding plastic: the law hands more power to politicians and bureaucrats and shovels yet more of our money into the state’s coffers: “Three [of the five] cents will be given to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, while the remaining 2 cents is handed to local agencies.”
New York City is heavily Marxist, so worry over the State’s newest intrusion into daily life arises not over its totalitarianism but over its “impact” on the “disadvantaged.” One Stalinist at Whole Foods opined to the New York Times, “I know this [ban] is much easier for the bourgeoisie than it is for the working class…” I nominate that quote for this year’s “Moronically Regurgitating the Communist Manifesto” Award. Predictably, Our Rulers exempt welfare-queens from their ban: “If you pay using SNAP or WIC, you will not be charged any paper bag fees. Stores must provide SNAP and WIC users with free carryout bags. No other customers are exempt from this fee.” It’s always a blessing when the State foregoes taxes, given the horrific harm it buys us with our own money. But it’s also a bit much to rob us on behalf of these sponges while excusing them from the ban.
Not surprisingly, politics rather than facts has driven the hatred for plastic bags. For starters, “Plastic bags are less than 1% of all litter … EPA data …[show] that the entire category of plastic sacks, wraps, and bags — including trash bags as well as grocery bags — together account for only a little over one percent of all municipal solid waste, and only a small fraction of overall plastics.” I don’t have stats, but I’d wager politicians and bureaucrats comprise at least another 49% of “municipal solid waste,” while the Thousands Standing Around at airports account for the remainder. Those hoping to save the planet should go after that garbage first. Abducting Arnold--A No... Akers, Becky Buy New $2.99 (as of 10:30 UTC - Details)
Second, “In 2011, the UK’s Environment Agency … looked at the number of times that a bag would need to be reused in order to have the same environmental impact as the conventional … [plastic] bag that people are used to. They reach [sic] the following conclusion: ‘In round numbers these are: paper bag – 4 times, LDPE bag – 5 times, non-woven PP bag – 14 times and the cotton bag – 173 times.’”
Other studies have delivered similar findings. But reality doesn’t matter when politics decides an issue: only publicity for politicians does. Accordingly, New York City’s bigwigs are squandering our taxes on “free” “reusable bags” that the Department of Sanitation will dispense to subjects, regardless of the “environmental impact.”
That’s after they wasted our money on a “NEW YORK STATE PLASTIC BAG TASK FORCE” and its “REPORT,” which alleged, “Single-use plastic bags are a detriment to the health of communities and the environment alike. … their negative impacts can be seen daily. These problems … are not only a statewide problem but a national as well as international issue of concern.”
Hey, more parallels with politicians!
The Best of Becky Akers


lewrockwell--2020-03-05--Coronavirus vs. the Mass Surveillance State: Which Poses the Greater Threat?

Emboldened by the citizenry ’ s inattention and willingness to tolerate its abuses , the government has weaponized one national crisis after another in order to expands its powers .
The war on terror , the war on drugs , the war on illegal immigration , asset forfeiture schemes , road safety schemes , school safety schemes , eminent domain : all of these programs started out as legitimate responses to pressing concerns and have since become weapons of compliance and control in the police state ’ s hands .
It doesn ’ t even matter what the nature of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national emergencies , “ unforeseen economic collapse , loss of functioning political and legal order , purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency , pervasive public health emergencies , and catastrophic natural and human disasters ” —as long as it allows the government to justify all manner of government tyranny in the so-called name of national security .
Now we find ourselves on the brink of a possible coronavirus contagion .
Battlefield America : T ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 10.95 Buy New $ 18.80 I ’ ll leave the media and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact the coronavirus will have on the nation ’ s health , but how will the government ’ s War on the Coronavirus impact our freedoms ?
For a hint of what ’ s in store , you can look to China—our role model for all things dystopian—where the contagion started .
In an attempt to fight the epidemic , the government has given its surveillance state apparatus—which boasts the most expansive and sophisticated surveillance system in the world—free rein .
Thermal scanners using artificial intelligence ( AI ) have been installed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body temperatures and identify anyone with a fever .
Facial recognition cameras and cell phone carriers track people ’ s movements constantly , reporting in real time to data centers that can be accessed by government agents and employers alike .
And coded color alerts ( red , yellow and green ) sort people into health categories that correspond to the amount of freedom of movement they ’ re allowed : “ Green code , travel freely .
Red or yellow , report immediately.
” Mind you , prior to the coronavirus outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been hard at work tracking its citizens through the use of some 200 million security cameras installed nationwide .
Equipped with facial recognition technology , the cameras allow authorities to track so-called criminal acts , such as jaywalking , which factor into a person ’ s social credit score .
Social media credit scores assigned to Chinese individuals and businesses categorize them on whether or not they are “ good ” citizens .
A real-name system—which requires people to use government-issued ID cards to buy mobile sims , obtain social media accounts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or even buy groceries—coupled with social media credit scores ensures that those blacklisted as “ unworthy ” are banned from accessing financial markets , buying real estate or travelling by air or train .
Among the activities that can get you labeled unworthy are taking reserved seats on trains or causing trouble in hospitals .
That same social credit score technology used to identify , track and segregate citizens is now one of China ’ s chief weapons in its fight to contain the coronavirus from spreading .
However , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the difficulties involved in navigating an autonomous system where disembodied AI systems call the shots .
For instance , one woman , who has no symptoms of the virus but was assigned a red code based on a visit to her hometown , has been blocked from returning to her home and job until her color code changes .
She has been stuck in this state of limbo for weeks with no means of challenging the color code or knowing exactly why she ’ s been assigned a red code .
Fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfect excuse for unleashing the full force of its surveillance and data collection powers .
The problem , as Eamon Barrett acknowledges in Fortune magazine , is what happens after : “ Once the outbreak is controlled , it ’ s unclear whether the government will retract its new powers.
” The lesson for the ages : once any government is allowed to expand its powers , it ’ s almost impossible to pull back .
Meanwhile , here in the U.S. , the government thus far has limited its coronavirus preparations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wash their hands , and cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze .
Don ’ t go underestimating the government ’ s ability to lock the nation down if the coronavirus turns into a pandemic , however .
After all , the government has been planning and preparing for such a crisis for years now .
The building blocks are already in place for such an eventuality : the surveillance networks , fusion centers and government contractors that already share information in real time ; the government ’ s massive biometric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genetic and biological markers ; the militarized police , working in conjunction with federal agencies , ready and able to coordinate with the federal government when it ’ s time to round up the targeted individuals ; the courts that will sanction the government ’ s methods , no matter how unlawful , as long as it ’ s done in the name of national security ; and the detention facilities , whether private prisons or FEMA internment camps , that have been built and are waiting to be filled .
Now all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , but we ’ ve already arrived at the dystopian futures prophesied by George Orwell ’ s 1984 , Aldous Huxley ’ s Brave New World , and Philip K. Dick ’ s Minority Report .
It won ’ t take much more to push us over the edge into Neill Blomkamp ’ s Elysium , in which the majority of humanity is relegated to an overpopulated , diseased , warring planet where the government employs technologies such as drones , tasers and biometric scanners to track , target and control the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technologies are already in use today and being hailed for their potentially life-saving , cost-saving , time-saving benefits , it won ’ t be long before the drawbacks to having a government equipped with technology that makes it all-seeing , all-knowing , and all-powerful——helped along by the citizenry—far outdistance the benefits .
On a daily basis , Americans are relinquishing ( in many cases , voluntarily ) the most intimate details of who we are—their biological makeup , our genetic blueprints , and our biometrics ( facial characteristics and structure , fingerprints , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world .
Consider all the ways you continue to be tracked , hunted , hounded , and stalked by the government and its dubious agents : By tapping into your phone lines and cell phone communications , the government knows what you say .
By uploading all of your emails , opening your mail , and reading your Facebook posts and text messages , the government knows what you write .
By monitoring your movements with the use of license plate readers , surveillance cameras and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you go .
By churning through all of the detritus of your life—what you read , where you go , what you say—the government can predict what you will do .
By mapping the synapses in your brain , scientists—and in turn , the government—will soon know what you remember .
By mapping your biometrics—your “ face-print ” —and storing the information in a massive , shared government database available to bureaucratic agencies , police and the military , the government ’ s goal is to use facial recognition software to identify you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country ) and track your movements , wherever you go .
And by accessing your DNA , the government will soon know everything else about you that they don ’ t already know : your family chart , your ancestry , what you look like , your health history , your inclination to follow orders or chart your own course , etc .
Of course , none of these technologies are foolproof .
Nor are they immune from tampering , hacking or user bias .
Nevertheless , they have become a convenient tool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ render null and void the Constitution ’ s requirements of privacy and its prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures .
The ramifications of a government—any government—having this much unregulated , unaccountable power to target , track , round up and detain its citizens is beyond chilling .
Imagine what a totalitarian regime such as Nazi Germany could have done with this kind of unadulterated power .
Imagine what the next police state to follow in Germany ’ s footsteps will do with this kind of power .
Society is rapidly moving in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so easy for the government to watch us .
Government eyes see your every move : what you read , how much you spend , where you go , with whom you interact , when you wake up in the morning , what you ’ re watching on television and reading on the internet .
Every move you make is being monitored , mined for data , crunched , and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are , what makes you tick , and how best to control you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring you in line .
Chances are , as the Washington Post has reported , you have already been assigned a color-coded threat assessment score—green , yellow or red—so police are forewarned about your potential inclination to be a troublemaker depending on whether you ’ ve had a career in the military , posted a comment perceived as threatening on Facebook , suffer from a particular medical condition , or know someone who knows someone who might have committed a crime .
In other words , you ’ re most likely already flagged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government has the know-how .
Indeed , for years now , the FBI and Justice Department have conspired to acquire near-limitless power and control over biometric information collected on law-abiding individuals , millions of whom have never been accused of a crime .
Going far beyond the scope of those with criminal backgrounds , the FBI ’ s Next Generation Identification database ( NGID ) , a billion dollar boondoggle that is aimed at dramatically expanding the government ’ s ID database from a fingerprint system to a vast data storehouse of iris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology , palm prints , and measures of gait and voice recordings alongside records of fingerprints , scars , and tattoos .
Launched in 2008 , the NGID is a massive biometric database that contains more than 100 million fingerprints and 45 million facial photos gathered from a variety of sources ranging from criminal suspects and convicts to daycare workers and visa applicants , including millions of people who have never committed or even been accused of a crime .
In other words , innocent American citizens are now automatically placed in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the government was required to at least observe some basic restrictions on when , where and how it could access someone ’ s biometrics and DNA and use it against them .
That is no longer the case .
The information is being amassed through a variety of routine procedures , with the police leading the way as prime collectors of biometrics for something as non-threatening as a simple moving violation .
The nation ’ s courts are also doing their part to “ build ” the database , requiring biometric information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And of course Corporate America ( including Google , Facebook , Amazon , etc . )
has made it so easy to use one ’ s biometrics to access everything from bank accounts to cell phones .
We ’ ve made it so easy for the government to target , identify and track us .
A Government of Wolves ... John W. Whitehead Best Price : $ 1.16 Buy New $ 2.99 Add pre-crime programs into the mix with government agencies and corporations working in tandem to determine who is a potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat assessments , behavioral sensing warnings , flagged “ words , ” and “ suspicious ” activity reports using automated eyes and ears , social media , behavior sensing software , and citizen spies , and you having the makings for a perfect dystopian nightmare .
This is the kind of oppressive pre-crime and pre-thought crime package foreshadowed by George Orwell , Aldous Huxley and Phillip K. Dick .
Remember , even the most well-intentioned government law or program can be—and has been—perverted , corrupted and used to advance illegitimate purposes once profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the right ( or wrong ) hands , benevolent plans can easily be put to malevolent purposes .
Surveillance , digital stalking and the data mining of the American people add up to a society in which there ’ s little room for indiscretions , imperfections , or acts of independence .
This is the creepy , calculating yet diabolical genius of the American police state : the very technology we hailed as revolutionary and liberating has become our prison , jailer , probation officer , Big Brother and Father Knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns out that we are Soylent Green .
The 1973 film of the same name , starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson , is set in 2022 in an overpopulated , polluted , starving New York City whose inhabitants depend on synthetic foods manufactured by the Soylent Corporation for survival .
Heston plays a policeman investigating a murder , who discovers the grisly truth about the primary ingredient in the wafer , soylent green , which is the principal source of nourishment for a starved population .
“ It ’ s people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , ” declares Heston ’ s character .
“ They ’ re making our food out of people .
Next thing they ’ ll be breeding us like cattle for food.
” Oh , how right he was .
Soylent Green is indeed people or , in our case , Soylent Green is our own personal data , repossessed , repackaged and used by corporations and the government to entrap us .
Without constitutional protections in place to guard against encroachments on our rights when power , technology and militaristic governance converge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before we find ourselves , much like Edward G. Robinson ’ s character in Soylent Green , looking back on the past with longing , back to an age where we could speak to whom we wanted , buy what we wanted , think what we wanted , and go where we wanted without those thoughts , words and movements being tracked , processed and stored by corporate giants such as Google , sold to government agencies such as the NSA and CIA , and used against us by militarized police with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not quite there yet .
But that moment of reckoning is getting closer by the minute .
In the meantime , we ’ ve got an epidemic to survive , so go ahead and wash your hands .
Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze .
And stock up on whatever you might need to survive this virus if it spreads to your community .
We are indeed at our most vulnerable right now , but as I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Surveillance State—not the coronavirus—that poses the greatest threat to our freedoms .
The Best of John W. Whitehead

“If, as it seems, we are in the process of becoming a totalitarian society in which the state apparatus is all-powerful, the ethics most important for the survival of the true, free, human individual would be: cheat, lie, evade, fake it, be elsewhere, forge documents, build improved electronic gadgets in your garage that’ll outwit the gadgets used by the authorities.”—Philip K. Dick
Emboldened by the citizenry’s inattention and willingness to tolerate its abuses, the government has weaponized one national crisis after another in order to expands its powers.
The war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on illegal immigration, asset forfeiture schemes, road safety schemes, school safety schemes, eminent domain: all of these programs started out as legitimate responses to pressing concerns and have since become weapons of compliance and control in the police state’s hands.
It doesn’t even matter what the nature of the crisis might be—civil unrest, the national emergencies, “unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters”—as long as it allows the government to justify all manner of government tyranny in the so-called name of national security.
Now we find ourselves on the brink of a possible coronavirus contagion. Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
I’ll leave the media and the medical community to speculate about the impact the coronavirus will have on the nation’s health, but how will the government’s War on the Coronavirus impact our freedoms?
For a hint of what’s in store, you can look to China—our role model for all things dystopian—where the contagion started.
In an attempt to fight the epidemic, the government has given its surveillance state apparatus—which boasts the most expansive and sophisticated surveillance system in the world—free rein. Thermal scanners using artificial intelligence (AI) have been installed at train stations in major cities to assess body temperatures and identify anyone with a fever. Facial recognition cameras and cell phone carriers track people’s movements constantly, reporting in real time to data centers that can be accessed by government agents and employers alike. And coded color alerts (red, yellow and green) sort people into health categories that correspond to the amount of freedom of movement they’re allowed: “Green code, travel freely. Red or yellow, report immediately.”
Mind you, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese surveillance state had already been hard at work tracking its citizens through the use of some 200 million security cameras installed nationwide. Equipped with facial recognition technology, the cameras allow authorities to track so-called criminal acts, such as jaywalking, which factor into a person’s social credit score.
Social media credit scores assigned to Chinese individuals and businesses categorize them on whether or not they are “good” citizens. A real-name system—which requires people to use government-issued ID cards to buy mobile sims, obtain social media accounts, take a train, board a plane, or even buy groceries—coupled with social media credit scores ensures that those blacklisted as “unworthy” are banned from accessing financial markets, buying real estate or travelling by air or train. Among the activities that can get you labeled unworthy are taking reserved seats on trains or causing trouble in hospitals.
That same social credit score technology used to identify, track and segregate citizens is now one of China’s chief weapons in its fight to contain the coronavirus from spreading. However, it is far from infallible and a prime example of the difficulties involved in navigating an autonomous system where disembodied AI systems call the shots. For instance, one woman, who has no symptoms of the virus but was assigned a red code based on a visit to her hometown, has been blocked from returning to her home and job until her color code changes. She has been stuck in this state of limbo for weeks with no means of challenging the color code or knowing exactly why she’s been assigned a red code.
Fighting the coronavirus epidemic has given China the perfect excuse for unleashing the full force of its surveillance and data collection powers. The problem, as Eamon Barrett acknowledges in Fortune magazine, is what happens after: “Once the outbreak is controlled, it’s unclear whether the government will retract its new powers.”
The lesson for the ages: once any government is allowed to expand its powers, it’s almost impossible to pull back.
Meanwhile, here in the U.S., the government thus far has limited its coronavirus preparations to missives advising the public to stay calm, wash their hands, and cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze.
Don’t go underestimating the government’s ability to lock the nation down if the coronavirus turns into a pandemic, however. After all, the government has been planning and preparing for such a crisis for years now.
The building blocks are already in place for such an eventuality: the surveillance networks, fusion centers and government contractors that already share information in real time; the government’s massive biometric databases that can identify individuals based on genetic and biological markers; the militarized police, working in conjunction with federal agencies, ready and able to coordinate with the federal government when it’s time to round up the targeted individuals; the courts that will sanction the government’s methods, no matter how unlawful, as long as it’s done in the name of national security; and the detention facilities, whether private prisons or FEMA internment camps, that have been built and are waiting to be filled.
Now all of this may sound far-fetched to you now, but we’ve already arrived at the dystopian futures prophesied by George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report.
It won’t take much more to push us over the edge into Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, in which the majority of humanity is relegated to an overpopulated, diseased, warring planet where the government employs technologies such as drones, tasers and biometric scanners to track, target and control the populace.
Mind you, while these technologies are already in use today and being hailed for their potentially life-saving, cost-saving, time-saving benefits, it won’t be long before the drawbacks to having a government equipped with technology that makes it all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful——helped along by the citizenry—far outdistance the benefits.
On a daily basis, Americans are relinquishing (in many cases, voluntarily) the most intimate details of who we are—their biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.)—in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world.
Consider all the ways you continue to be tracked, hunted, hounded, and stalked by the government and its dubious agents:
By tapping into your phone lines and cell phone communications, the government knows what you say. By uploading all of your emails, opening your mail, and reading your Facebook posts and text messages, the government knows what you write. By monitoring your movements with the use of license plate readers, surveillance cameras and other tracking devices, the government knows where you go. By churning through all of the detritus of your life—what you read, where you go, what you say—the government can predict what you will do.
By mapping the synapses in your brain, scientists—and in turn, the government—will soon know what you remember. By mapping your biometrics—your “face-print”—and storing the information in a massive, shared government database available to bureaucratic agencies, police and the military, the government’s goal is to use facial recognition software to identify you (and every other person in the country) and track your movements, wherever you go. And by accessing your DNA, the government will soon know everything else about you that they don’t already know: your family chart, your ancestry, what you look like, your health history, your inclination to follow orders or chart your own course, etc.
Of course, none of these technologies are foolproof.
Nor are they immune from tampering, hacking or user bias.
Nevertheless, they have become a convenient tool in the hands of government agents to render null and void the Constitution’s requirements of privacy and its prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The ramifications of a government—any government—having this much unregulated, unaccountable power to target, track, round up and detain its citizens is beyond chilling.
Imagine what a totalitarian regime such as Nazi Germany could have done with this kind of unadulterated power.
Imagine what the next police state to follow in Germany’s footsteps will do with this kind of power. Society is rapidly moving in that direction.
We’ve made it so easy for the government to watch us.
Government eyes see your every move: what you read, how much you spend, where you go, with whom you interact, when you wake up in the morning, what you’re watching on television and reading on the internet.
Every move you make is being monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line.
Chances are, as the Washington Post has reported, you have already been assigned a color-coded threat assessment score—green, yellow or red—so police are forewarned about your potential inclination to be a troublemaker depending on whether you’ve had a career in the military, posted a comment perceived as threatening on Facebook, suffer from a particular medical condition, or know someone who knows someone who might have committed a crime.
In other words, you’re most likely already flagged in a government database somewhere.
The government has the know-how.
Indeed, for years now, the FBI and Justice Department have conspired to acquire near-limitless power and control over biometric information collected on law-abiding individuals, millions of whom have never been accused of a crime.
Going far beyond the scope of those with criminal backgrounds, the FBI’s Next Generation Identification database (NGID), a billion dollar boondoggle that is aimed at dramatically expanding the government’s ID database from a fingerprint system to a vast data storehouse of iris scans, photos searchable with face recognition technology, palm prints, and measures of gait and voice recordings alongside records of fingerprints, scars, and tattoos.
Launched in 2008, the NGID is a massive biometric database that contains more than 100 million fingerprints and 45 million facial photos gathered from a variety of sources ranging from criminal suspects and convicts to daycare workers and visa applicants, including millions of people who have never committed or even been accused of a crime.
In other words, innocent American citizens are now automatically placed in a suspect database.
For a long time, the government was required to at least observe some basic restrictions on when, where and how it could access someone’s biometrics and DNA and use it against them.
That is no longer the case.
The information is being amassed through a variety of routine procedures, with the police leading the way as prime collectors of biometrics for something as non-threatening as a simple moving violation. The nation’s courts are also doing their part to “build” the database, requiring biometric information as a precursor to more lenient sentences. And of course Corporate America (including Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.) has made it so easy to use one’s biometrics to access everything from bank accounts to cell phones.
We’ve made it so easy for the government to target, identify and track us. A Government of Wolves... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $1.16 Buy New $2.99 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details)
Add pre-crime programs into the mix with government agencies and corporations working in tandem to determine who is a potential danger and spin 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, and you having the makings for a perfect dystopian nightmare.
This is the kind of oppressive pre-crime and pre-thought crime package foreshadowed by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Phillip K. Dick.
Remember, even the most well-intentioned government law or program can be—and has been—perverted, corrupted and used to advance illegitimate purposes once profit and power are added to the equation.
In the right (or wrong) hands, benevolent plans can easily be put to malevolent purposes.
Surveillance, digital stalking and the data mining of the American people add up to a society in which there’s little room for indiscretions, imperfections, or acts of independence.
This is the creepy, calculating yet diabolical genius of the American police state: the very technology we hailed as revolutionary and liberating has become our prison, jailer, probation officer, Big Brother and Father Knows Best all rolled into one.
It turns out that we are Soylent Green.
The 1973 film of the same name, starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson, is set in 2022 in an overpopulated, polluted, starving New York City whose inhabitants depend on synthetic foods manufactured by the Soylent Corporation for survival.
Heston plays a policeman investigating a murder, who discovers the grisly truth about the primary ingredient in the wafer, soylent green, which is the principal source of nourishment for a starved population. “It’s people. Soylent Green is made out of people,” declares Heston’s character. “They’re making our food out of people. Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food.”
Oh, how right he was.
Soylent Green is indeed people or, in our case, Soylent Green is our own personal data, repossessed, repackaged and used by corporations and the government to entrap us.
Without constitutional protections in place to guard against encroachments on our rights when power, technology and militaristic governance converge, it won’t be long before we find ourselves, much like Edward G. Robinson’s character in Soylent Green, looking back on the past with longing, back to an age where we could speak to whom we wanted, buy what we wanted, think what we wanted, and go where we wanted without those thoughts, words and movements being tracked, processed and stored by corporate giants such as Google, sold to government agencies such as the NSA and CIA, and used against us by militarized police with their army of futuristic technologies.
We’re not quite there yet. But that moment of reckoning is getting closer by the minute.
In the meantime, we’ve got an epidemic to survive, so go ahead and wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. And stock up on whatever you might need to survive this virus if it spreads to your community.
We are indeed at our most vulnerable right now, but as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, it’s the American Surveillance State—not the coronavirus—that poses the greatest threat to our freedoms.
The Best of John W. Whitehead