lewrockwell--2020-06-06--The Shallow Deep-State Goes Deeper as It Moves Toward Martial Law

I am not trying to be cute and play with words .
That title is meant to convey what it says , so let me explain .
The people who own the United States and their allies around the world have a plan .
It is so simple that it is extremely devious .
Their plan has been in operation for many years .
It has most people bamboozled because it is Janus-faced by design , overt one day , covert the next , but both faces operate under one controlling head .
Some call this head the Deep-State .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a double fake .
It is meant to make people schizoid , which it has .
The so called Deep-State has been given many names over the years .
I will not bore you with them , except to say that it was once called the power elite .
They are the upper classes , the super wealthy who control the financial institutions , Wall Street , the intelligence agencies , the corporate media , the internet , the military , and the politicians .
They are multinational .
LifeStraw Personal Wat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 14.99 They are the wealthy nihilists who care not one jot for the rest of the world .
They operate in secret , yet also run above-ground organizations such as the World Bank ( WB ) , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , the U.S. Agency for International Development AID ( USAID ) , etc .
Their bloodstream runs on war , the preparations for war , and economic exploitation of the world .
All wealthy people are not party to their machinations , but they are almost always complicit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are very stupid .
Or play stupid .
Since I am talking about a great confidence game , that is quite common .
Other people , all other classes , the poor , middle-classes , even a portion of the upper middle classes mean nothing to the power elite unless they can serve their interests .
They are always waging class warfare to maintain their domination and control .
Their recent version of this class war is underway in the United States and in many other countries .
As of today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos and outrage to disguise their class warfare that is leading to the imposition of martial law .
Soon they will shift back to the coronavirus fraud .
Back and forth , in and out , now you see it , now you don ’ t .
By shutting down the world ’ s economy , they have destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people and are creating poverty on a vast scale .
Much famine and death will follow .
In the United States alone , 40-45 million people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the greatest since the Great Depression .
The reason : a massive propaganda campaign created around Covid-19 fear porn .
This class war is not new , but it is conducted today at warp speed since these people control the technology that has allowed them vastly increased power .
In the U.S.A. , it is conducted as usual under the guise of Republicans versus Democrats , the two representative political factions that are the faces of the controlled “ opposition , ” who are actually allies in the larger confidence game .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their strategy .
Mind control is what they do .
Speed is their greatest ally .
Race is central to their game plan .
They always say they are protecting us .
It is all a lie .
A show .
Nothing but a spectacle for the gullible .
A shadow play .
The current president , Donald Trump , is the choice of one faction of these psychopaths .
This year , Joseph Biden , is the shaky presumptive choice of the other .
Both are deranged puppets .
Regular people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they are living inside what Jim Garrison , the former District Attorney of New Orleans and the only person to ever bring a trial in the assassination of President Kennedy , long ago called “ the doll ’ s house.
” LAMURO Campsite or Gar ... Buy New $ 17.65 It is a place where illusions and delusions replace reality .
It is 24/7 propaganda .
It keeps people engaged .
It gives them something to argue about , one team to root for .
It ’ s a sport .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fire has been replaced with electronic lighting and screens , but little has changed .
The sick system of exploitation is oiled and greased with the tantalizing bait of hope dangled for the masses .
Shit slogans like “ We are all in this together.
” But there is no hope for this system .
But when the propaganda is so slick that it creates a double-bind , people grasp at any neurotic “ solution ” out of frustration .
As I write , huge angry crowds are out in the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man , George Floyd , by a white cop .
Police infiltrators have started violent looting .
Chaos reigns , as planned .
Such killings are routine , but someone turned a switch for this one when just yesterday operation corona lockdown with its fear and fake statistics had everyone cowering behind masks at home as the economic lives of vast numbers were destroyed in a flash .
For today , the masquerade is in the streets .
Many good people are caught up in it .
In a few days the scene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ bombshell.
” These surprises will keep happening one after another for the foreseeable future .
Shock and Awe for the home crowd .
The war come home .
The controllers know you can ’ t wage war against the rest of the world unless you do so at home as well .
When one group within the deep-state won the internecine battle in 2016 and “ shocked ” the country with the election of the comical Trump , the other deep-state group called the Democrats , immediately set in motion a plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it seem as if they were trying to do so .
The naïve thought this may happen , and their deluded yearning has been stretched until the 2020 presidential election , although some probably think Trump might go before then .
He won ’ t .
So many people have destroyed their minds and relationships because they can ’ t see through the fraud .
Brightech Ambience Pro ... Buy New $ 25.99 Early in 2017 , as the outgoing front man for the CIA/warfare/Wall St. state , Barack Obama , left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pink pussy hats were sent out marching to open the show .
Russia-gate was launched ; eventually impeachment was tried .
The Democrats .
with their media allies , went on a non-stop attack .
It was all so obvious , so shallow in its intent , as it was meant to be .
But millions who were in the doll house were outraged , obsessed , frantic with rage .
They bought the con-game .
Both those who hate Trump and those that love him have spent almost four years foaming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was cast as the personification of evil .
A relentless attack on Trump began and has continued all this time .
It is pure theater .
Trump remains at the helm , as planned , holding the Bible aloft in a style reminiscent of a Bible thumping Klansman from The Birth of a Nation .
Only the ignorant thought it might have been different .
He knows how to perform his role .
He is a fine actor .
He outrages , spews idiocies , as he is supposed to do .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the pout .
Just perfect for an arch-villain .
It ’ s so obvious that it isn ’ t .
Herein lies the trick .
And who profits from his policies ?
The super-rich , of course , the power-elite .
Who just stole 6-10 trillion dollars of public money under the hilariously named Cares Act ?
The super-rich , of course , the deep-state .
It was a bi-partisan bank robbery from the public treasury carried out under the shadow of Covid-19 , whose phony hyped up numbers were used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican and Democratic bank robbers smiled in unison and announced forcefully , “ We care !
” We are here to protect you .
Everdure by Heston Blu ... Buy New $ 349.00 Remember how Barack Obama “ saved ” us by bailing out Wall St. and the big banks to the tune of trillions in early 2009 .
Then waged unending wars .
Left black Americans bereft .
He cared , too , didn ’ t he .
Our leaders always care .
Obama was the black guy in the white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the black hat .
Hollywood on the Potomac , as Gary Wills called it when Ronald Reagan was the acting-president .
Now Obama ’ s war-loving side-kick , the pale-faced , twisted talking Biden is seriously offered as an alternative to the Elvis impersonator in the White House .
This is the false left/right dichotomy that has the residents of the doll ’ s house in its grip .
If you can ’ t see what ’ s coming , you might want to break out of the house , take off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and take some deep breaths .
The walls are closing in .
Knees will be on everyone ’ s necks in the months ahead .
Coleman Gas Camping St ... Best Price : $ 39.45 Buy New $ 42.88 grilljoy BBQ Grill Too ... Buy New $ 32.99 The Best of Edward Curtin

I am not trying to be cute and play with words. That title is meant to convey what it says, so let me explain.
The people who own the United States and their allies around the world have a plan. It is so simple that it is extremely devious. Their plan has been in operation for many years. It has most people bamboozled because it is Janus-faced by design, overt one day, covert the next, but both faces operate under one controlling head. Some call this head the Deep-State. Even the Deep-State calls itself the Deep-State in a double fake. It is meant to make people schizoid, which it has.
The so called Deep-State has been given many names over the years. I will not bore you with them, except to say that it was once called the power elite. They are the upper classes, the super wealthy who control the financial institutions, Wall Street, the intelligence agencies, the corporate media, the internet, the military, and the politicians. They are multinational.
LifeStraw Personal Wat... Buy New $14.99 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details) They are the wealthy nihilists who care not one jot for the rest of the world. They operate in secret, yet also run above-ground organizations such as the World Bank (WB), the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Agency for International Development AID (USAID), etc. Their bloodstream runs on war, the preparations for war, and economic exploitation of the world. All wealthy people are not party to their machinations, but they are almost always complicit in profiting from their crimes, unless they are very stupid. Or play stupid. Since I am talking about a great confidence game, that is quite common.
Other people, all other classes, the poor, middle-classes, even a portion of the upper middle classes mean nothing to the power elite unless they can serve their interests. They are always waging class warfare to maintain their domination and control. Their recent version of this class war is underway in the United States and in many other countries. As of today, they are using race fears to create chaos and outrage to disguise their class warfare that is leading to the imposition of martial law. Soon they will shift back to the coronavirus fraud. Back and forth, in and out, now you see it, now you don’t.
By shutting down the world’s economy, they have destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people and are creating poverty on a vast scale. Much famine and death will follow. In the United States alone, 40-45 million people have applied for unemployment insurance and job loss is the greatest since the Great Depression. The reason: a massive propaganda campaign created around Covid-19 fear porn.
This class war is not new, but it is conducted today at warp speed since these people control the technology that has allowed them vastly increased power. In the U.S.A., it is conducted as usual under the guise of Republicans versus Democrats, the two representative political factions that are the faces of the controlled “opposition,” who are actually allies in the larger confidence game. Keeping “hope” alive is central to their strategy. Mind control is what they do. Speed is their greatest ally. Race is central to their game plan. They always say they are protecting us.
It is all a lie. A show. Nothing but a spectacle for the gullible. A shadow play.
The current president, Donald Trump, is the choice of one faction of these psychopaths. This year, Joseph Biden, is the shaky presumptive choice of the other. Both are deranged puppets. Regular people fight over who is better or worse because they are living inside what Jim Garrison, the former District Attorney of New Orleans and the only person to ever bring a trial in the assassination of President Kennedy, long ago called “the doll’s house.” LAMURO Campsite or Gar... Buy New $17.65 (as of 03:23 UTC - Details)
It is a place where illusions and delusions replace reality. It is 24/7 propaganda. It keeps people engaged. It gives them something to argue about, one team to root for. It’s a sport. It is similar to Plato’s Cave. Fire has been replaced with electronic lighting and screens, but little has changed.
The sick system of exploitation is oiled and greased with the tantalizing bait of hope dangled for the masses. Shit slogans like “We are all in this together.”
But there is no hope for this system.
But when the propaganda is so slick that it creates a double-bind, people grasp at any neurotic “solution” out of frustration. As I write, huge angry crowds are out in the streets protesting the sick murder of a black man, George Floyd, by a white cop. Police infiltrators have started violent looting. Chaos reigns, as planned. Such killings are routine, but someone turned a switch for this one when just yesterday operation corona lockdown with its fear and fake statistics had everyone cowering behind masks at home as the economic lives of vast numbers were destroyed in a flash. For today, the masquerade is in the streets. Many good people are caught up in it. In a few days the scene will shift and we can expect another “bombshell.” These surprises will keep happening one after another for the foreseeable future. Shock and Awe for the home crowd. The war come home. The controllers know you can’t wage war against the rest of the world unless you do so at home as well.
When one group within the deep-state won the internecine battle in 2016 and “shocked” the country with the election of the comical Trump, the other deep-state group called the Democrats, immediately set in motion a plan to try to oust him or to make it seem as if they were trying to do so. The naïve thought this may happen, and their deluded yearning has been stretched until the 2020 presidential election, although some probably think Trump might go before then. He won’t.
So many people have destroyed their minds and relationships because they can’t see through the fraud. Brightech Ambience Pro... Buy New $25.99 (as of 03:23 UTC - Details)
Early in 2017, as the outgoing front man for the CIA/warfare/Wall St. state, Barack Obama, left his time bombs for the future. The pink pussy hats were sent out marching to open the show. Russia-gate was launched; eventually impeachment was tried. The Democrats. with their media allies, went on a non-stop attack. It was all so obvious, so shallow in its intent, as it was meant to be. But millions who were in the doll house were outraged, obsessed, frantic with rage. They bought the con-game. Both those who hate Trump and those that love him have spent almost four years foaming at the mouth, breathless.
Trump was cast as the personification of evil. A relentless attack on Trump began and has continued all this time. It is pure theater. Trump remains at the helm, as planned, holding the Bible aloft in a style reminiscent of a Bible thumping Klansman from The Birth of a Nation. Only the ignorant thought it might have been different. He knows how to perform his role. He is a fine actor. He outrages, spews idiocies, as he is supposed to do. That Mussolini style stance, that absurd hair, the pout. Just perfect for an arch-villain. It’s so obvious that it isn’t. Herein lies the trick.
And who profits from his policies? The super-rich, of course, the power-elite. Who just stole 6-10 trillion dollars of public money under the hilariously named Cares Act? The super-rich, of course, the deep-state. It was a bi-partisan bank robbery from the public treasury carried out under the shadow of Covid-19, whose phony hyped up numbers were used to frighten the populace into lockdown mode as the Republican and Democratic bank robbers smiled in unison and announced forcefully, “We care!” We are here to protect you.
Everdure by Heston Blu... Buy New $349.00 (as of 03:23 UTC - Details) Remember how Barack Obama “saved” us by bailing out Wall St. and the big banks to the tune of trillions in early 2009. Then waged unending wars. Left black Americans bereft. He cared, too, didn’t he. Our leaders always care.
Obama was the black guy in the white hat. Trump is the white guy in the black hat. Hollywood on the Potomac, as Gary Wills called it when Ronald Reagan was the acting-president. Now Obama’s war-loving side-kick, the pale-faced, twisted talking Biden is seriously offered as an alternative to the Elvis impersonator in the White House. This is the false left/right dichotomy that has the residents of the doll’s house in its grip.
If you can’t see what’s coming, you might want to break out of the house, take off your mask, go for a walk, and take some deep breaths. The walls are closing in.
Knees will be on everyone’s necks in the months ahead.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
Coleman Gas Camping St... Best Price: $39.45 Buy New $42.88 (as of 11:34 UTC - Details) grilljoy BBQ Grill Too... Buy New $32.99 (as of 03:23 UTC - Details)
The Best of Edward Curtin


lewrockwell--2020-06-06--They Don’t Care About the Data, and They Never Have

The number of viruses in you , or any other perfectly healthy human , at this moment outnumber your own cells by a factor of 100 , as virologist Dr. John Mokili points out : “ In the human holobiont , the 10^13 human cells are outnumbered 10-fold by bacteria and 100-fold by viruses.
” Is the world really turning upside down over a virus ?
Data Is Readily Available Today Like Never Before We live in the age of the Internet .
That means with a few clicks , viewpoints that used to take hours of library work can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corona bans were put into place , there was vociferous opposition from all manner of perspectives as to why those bans were an awful idea .
Despite extensive datasets against lockdowns already existing , within weeks , the wrongheadedness of the lockdowns were being further demonstrated using the American datasets .
The Shadow Party : How ... David Horowitz , Richar ... Best Price : $ 3.48 Buy New $ 7.69 Belying the easy access to information , the useful demonstration of why the lockdowns were not effective was being censored from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in internet censorship , Medium quickly took down the above-linked piece by the pseudonymous Professor Hinkley .
Its tech brethren from YouTube to Amazon , Google to Duck Duck Go followed suit censoring Covid-19 debate .
The Lockdown Took Place With Widespread Data Against The Lockdown Dozens of others have recounted the same experience with their Covid research , some using publicly available data to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the lockdown and calling for more effective policies .
Among those dozens who made good faith efforts to perform research , provide data , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their informed perspectives were : Plunder and Deceit : Bi ... Levin , Mark R. Best Price : $ 1.30 Buy New $ 6.37 The New England Journal of Medicine ran a piece March 26 , 2020 by Dr. Anthony Fauci , two weeks after the earliest lockdowns and before some lockdowns had been implemented , that claimed in its third paragraph a much lower death rate than was being reported : “ This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of approximately 0.1 % ) … ” The CDC itself has now demonstrated the death rate to be much lower than is being reported in the media , yet some states are increasing restrictions while others drag their feet in loosening them .
Large swaths of the media including Matt Drudge , CNN , the New York Times , and sadly a contributing editor at the Spectator report grossly inaccurate death rates of 5.9 % , using weasel words to get away with continuing to use that scary number .
1 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some of these people may claim good intentions .
Those who seek to control are aided by those who Mises in his 1947 essay “ Planned Chaos , ” described as “ useful innocents , ” who help them do their mischief , or “ useful idiots , ” as some call them .
The time for permissible naïveté in aid of tyrants has passed .
Those Who Want To Control You Don ’ t Care About The Data , They Care About Controlling You There ’ s an important detail about people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t care about the data .
It is the desire for control that is primary .
They will literally say anything that they think will earn your submission .
There ’ s also an important detail about people who seek to make their decisions based on emotion .
They are dedicated to speaking about feelings .
Very few conversations with such people will enter into the realm of evidence and reason .
Those few conversations that do , are not likely to be the conversations that the emotional person is emotionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any remotely political conversation of our day .
The range of those conversations is surprisingly vast : from the wearing of face masks to the policing of speech , down to the very detail of what pronoun is acceptable to use with another .
No one should be surprised if the political comes to encompass ALL human interaction .
What If Their Lies Are Not Mistakes , But Intentional And Malicious ?
For more than a century , groups advocating for the violent overthrow of a system of private property have encouraged the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Going back to Lenin ’ s “ Where to Begin , ” lying to people and agitating them has been described as “ the chief and permanent task ” of a communist .
Though propaganda and agitation are words we are today comfortable around as the new normal , both words represent a great evil that are effectively an attack on the notion of sincerity .
Attacks on sincerity undermine all human interaction .
The Politicization Of ALL Human Interaction For at least five generations those groups have called for the infiltration of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1960s as “ the long march through the institutions.
” Church , state , media , business , academia , charity , and civil society alike are today filled with leadership opposing property rights , opposing the individual , demanding submission to the collective .
Does a single institution remain that will look at the individual as the fundamental building block to society and to demand his protection at all cost ?
By the Ides of March 2020 , it was evident that even the church would play no such role .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Are Awful For Human Happiness The family is a front that has yet to fall .
Siblings have always quarreled , familial relations have always known bitter-sweet periods , generation gaps happen , but there remains a special familial connection .
At the core of the question of debilitating the institution of family is “ How can husband and wife be divided from each other ?
” Liberty and Tyranny : A ... Levin , Mark R. Best Price : $ 1.47 Buy New $ 3.80 For at least three generations , those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the family , seeking to weaponize half the population through the feminist movement with statements such as “ There are no personal solutions at this time .
There is only collective action for a collective solution.
” Politicizing daily life is “ political therapy ” as opposed to “ personal therapy.
” Women should be encouraged to reduce their sense of introspection , or “ self-blame.
” There are also timeless , slogans of deceit such as “ the personal is political , ” or “ the private is political.
” The personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words are practically antonyms .
Conflation of antonyms is an attack on reason .
Conflating antonyms in dismissal of reasonable logic to the contrary requires insincerity .
Cynicism is the willing disposal of sincerity in one ’ s interactions .
The word cynicism is often used , seldom defined , and vitally important .
Cynical actors claim that logic is a tool of the patriarchy and a symbol of western oppression , so not even logic is safe in conversation with the indoctrinated .
“ Self-blame , ” is a conveniently negative sounding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People work their entire lives to be as insightful about themselves and others as possible .
Introspection is one of the pillars of wisdom .
To deny introspection is debilitating to the individual .
Anyone who calls for people to deny themselves introspection debilitates those who would follow that advice .
This is understandable coming from any person who does not recognize individuals as sovereign , and instead sees only collectives .
Collectivism calls on the individual to be a cog in a machine .
At its militant edge , an edge that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March 2020 , these theories seek to turn the individual and all the potential of that person ’ s life into a mere weapon for a specious cause .
Having an agitated person , willing to fill their own head with propaganda , and committed to never blaming themselves is a recipe for individual failure .
However , it is incredibly useful to the organizer seeking to weaponize a person .
Rather than the empowerment claimed by Marxist movements , many have willingly ascribed to an ideology that seeks to disempower and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t Need To Politicize Life Joseph Campbell , a closeted right-leaning intellectual of his day , surrounding by leftists , during the interwar period described that in the realm of politics , one can expect divisiveness and distraction , as is the fundamental nature of politics .
Far more meaningful discussion can take place in the realm of values , where there is considerable overlap and greater importance .
In a present-day example : Two people , who CNN would describe as having drastically different world-views because of their voting pattern once every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they share quite similar world-views if they can discuss their core values .
Seldom is there divisiveness in such a discussion , especially if the two participants are committed to understanding and respecting one another .
That recognition of the other as an individual is fundamental to love and at the roots of the Western notion of individualism .
This level of communication , however , does not serve the purpose of the divisive collectivists .
As Thomas Luongo points out .
“ They want us yelling at each other , not talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their image would have husband and wife shouting slogans mindlessly past one another .
Data is said to be everything in our era of powerful data mining .
We are said to be in a world-shaping Big Data Revolution , a claim that is no more accurate than the notion that the econometric revolution , or the statistical revolution would change the world .
These tools all continue to be used for good and bad with no inherent net benefit in either direction .
A tyrant seeking to be more of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ econometrics or algorithms or artificial intelligence or statistical modeling .
A sycophant seeking to empower the tyrant , will behave no differently with such tools .
A gadfly seeking to light brushfires in the minds of men , will behave no differently with or without these tools .
A free man seeking to live a free life , will behave no differently with or without these tools .
Realizing the futility of learning another tool to advocate for freedom in a world where the most basic tools get the job done , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate for freedom are less likely to trouble themselves with econometrics , statistical models , or algorithms .
The modelers and technologists are largely leftists and seeking to shift the narrative through their specious tools that make for useful headlines .
The useful tools to the free man are reason and evidence , stubbornness , disobedience to authority , avoidance of needless conflict , tending toward the voluntary in interactions with another , and a willingness to physically defend one ’ s boundaries .
Can you fault a person for not wanting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mastered the philosophy to live a good life , and to think clearly on topics of epistemology and praxeology , skills which will provide far more value ?
The Big Data Revolution Requires A Moral Devolution For It To Be Effective In this era of big data that has been cited , data is only useful because it allows control over the individual .
Suddenly those desiring leverage over your personal decisions have it .
This was once considered blackmail to use information from one ’ s personal life in order to influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generally not useful .
It is a lie that data is the oil of our era .
Only through the normalization of the immorality of blackmail and manipulation is such a statement even capable of being entertained .
It is mostly just bluster from the tech sector , often called “ big data , ” and the intelligence apparatus ( both governmental and quasi-governmental ) seeking to bolster their budgets and their perceived importance .
Don ’ t Hurt Peopl ... Kibbe , Matt Best Price : $ 1.63 Buy New $ 16.00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes down to more of the same .
Those who want to make decisions based in emotion don ’ t care about data .
Those who wish to control you , also don ’ t care about data .
All the data needed to have a reasonable conversation about the appropriate way to proceed had been known by the Ides of March 2020 .
The people who wanted to make decisions based in emotion showed little interest in such a conversation .
The people who wanted to control others also showed little interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Expect The Future To Vindicate You , This Debate May Last Decades Nothing has changed since the Ides of March 2020 , other than we now have data sets for the American population , though those datasets provide virtually no new useful data .
This data was not needed .
This harmful experimentation was needless .
Ten years from now ( as in the case of MERS today ) , we will have no more useful data about COVID-19 .
Twenty years from now ( as in the case of SARS today ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data about COVID-19 .
Small groups of people will continue to have debates using that data , coming to barely useful conclusion .
Vast groups of people will selectively use data to come to the emotional outcomes they desire .
Others will selectively use data with an attempt to control others .
“ Not enough data ” will not be the missing portion of this equation .
Long before America ’ s lockdown , sufficient data had been collected .
That did not stop the nonsensical lockdowns from taking place .
They were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are not supported by data now .
To Debate With These Two Groups — The Emotional and The Controlling — Is Futile A vital question for the individual , at a moment like this , is if there is power in the hands of those who would be emotional and those who would control .
Can they hold sway over your life ?
To spend your days in the data , debating those lacking good faith , merely distracts from the most important : caring for you and your loved ones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power hungry , and nurturing yourself and the remnant around you .
The Best of Allan Stevo

The number of viruses in you, or any other perfectly healthy human, at this moment outnumber your own cells by a factor of 100, as virologist Dr. John Mokili points out: “In the human holobiont, the 10^13 human cells are outnumbered 10-fold by bacteria and 100-fold by viruses.” Is the world really turning upside down over a virus?
Data Is Readily Available Today Like Never Before
We live in the age of the Internet. That means with a few clicks, viewpoints that used to take hours of library work can be found in seconds.
Before the corona bans were put into place, there was vociferous opposition from all manner of perspectives as to why those bans were an awful idea.
Despite extensive datasets against lockdowns already existing, within weeks, the wrongheadedness of the lockdowns were being further demonstrated using the American datasets. The Shadow Party: How ... David Horowitz, Richar... Best Price: $3.48 Buy New $7.69 (as of 02:30 UTC - Details)
Belying the easy access to information, the useful demonstration of why the lockdowns were not effective was being censored from the internet. Introducing a new disappointing low in internet censorship, Medium quickly took down the above-linked piece by the pseudonymous Professor Hinkley. Its tech brethren from YouTube to Amazon, Google to Duck Duck Go followed suit censoring Covid-19 debate.
The Lockdown Took Place With Widespread Data Against The Lockdown
Dozens of others have recounted the same experience with their Covid research, some using publicly available data to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the lockdown and calling for more effective policies.
Among those dozens who made good faith efforts to perform research, provide data, and contribute to the discussion through sharing their informed perspectives were:
Dr Sucharit Bhakdi,
Dr Wolfgang Wodarg,
Dr Joel Kettner,
Dr John Ioannidis,
Dr Yoram Lass,
Dr Pietro Vernazza,
Frank Ulrich Montgomery,
Prof. Hendrik Streeck,
Dr Yanis Roussel et. al.,
Dr. David Katz,
Michael T. Osterholm,
Dr Peter Goetzsche,
Dr. Sunetra Gupta et al.,
Dr Karin Mölling,
Dr Anders Tegnell,
Dr Pablo Goldschmidt,
Dr Eran Bendavid and Dr Jay Bhattacharya,
Dr Tom Jefferson,
Dr Michael Levitt,
German Network for Evidence-Based Medicine,
Dr Richard Schabas,
Dr John Lee,
Dr. John Oxford,
Prof Knut Wittkowski,
Dr Klaus Püschel,
Dr Alexander Kekulé,
Dr Claus Köhnlein,
Dr Gérard Krause,
Dr Gerd Gigerenzer.
Plunder and Deceit: Bi... Levin, Mark R. Best Price: $1.30 Buy New $6.37 (as of 06:50 UTC - Details) The New England Journal of Medicine ran a piece March 26, 2020 by Dr. Anthony Fauci, two weeks after the earliest lockdowns and before some lockdowns had been implemented, that claimed in its third paragraph a much lower death rate than was being reported: “This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%)…”
The CDC itself has now demonstrated the death rate to be much lower than is being reported in the media, yet some states are increasing restrictions while others drag their feet in loosening them.
Large swaths of the media including Matt Drudge, CNN, the New York Times, and sadly a contributing editor at the Spectator report grossly inaccurate death rates of 5.9%, using weasel words to get away with continuing to use that scary number.
1 in 20 are not dying of Covid.
Some of these people may claim good intentions. Those who seek to control are aided by those who Mises in his 1947 essay “Planned Chaos,” described as “useful innocents,” who help them do their mischief, or “useful idiots,” as some call them. The time for permissible naïveté in aid of tyrants has passed.
Those Who Want To Control You Don’t Care About The Data, They Care About Controlling You
There’s an important detail about people who seek to control you. They don’t care about the data. It is the desire for control that is primary. They will literally say anything that they think will earn your submission.
There’s also an important detail about people who seek to make their decisions based on emotion. They are dedicated to speaking about feelings. Very few conversations with such people will enter into the realm of evidence and reason.
Those few conversations that do, are not likely to be the conversations that the emotional person is emotionally charged on. That would include virtually any remotely political conversation of our day. The range of those conversations is surprisingly vast: from the wearing of face masks to the policing of speech, down to the very detail of what pronoun is acceptable to use with another. No one should be surprised if the political comes to encompass ALL human interaction.
What If Their Lies Are Not Mistakes, But Intentional And Malicious?
For more than a century, groups advocating for the violent overthrow of a system of private property have encouraged the use of both agitation and propaganda. Going back to Lenin’s “Where to Begin,” lying to people and agitating them has been described as “the chief and permanent task” of a communist.
Though propaganda and agitation are words we are today comfortable around as the new normal, both words represent a great evil that are effectively an attack on the notion of sincerity. Attacks on sincerity undermine all human interaction.
The Politicization Of ALL Human Interaction
For at least five generations those groups have called for the infiltration of civil society, referring to it by the 1960s as “the long march through the institutions.” Church, state, media, business, academia, charity, and civil society alike are today filled with leadership opposing property rights, opposing the individual, demanding submission to the collective.
Does a single institution remain that will look at the individual as the fundamental building block to society and to demand his protection at all cost? By the Ides of March 2020, it was evident that even the church would play no such role.
Those Who Want To Politicize Daily Life Are Awful For Human Happiness
The family is a front that has yet to fall. Siblings have always quarreled, familial relations have always known bitter-sweet periods, generation gaps happen, but there remains a special familial connection. At the core of the question of debilitating the institution of family is “How can husband and wife be divided from each other?” Liberty and Tyranny: A... Levin, Mark R. Best Price: $1.47 Buy New $3.80 (as of 03:24 UTC - Details)
For at least three generations, those groups have said they will come for the family, seeking to weaponize half the population through the feminist movement with statements such as “There are no personal solutions at this time. There is only collective action for a collective solution.” Politicizing daily life is “political therapy” as opposed to “personal therapy.” Women should be encouraged to reduce their sense of introspection, or “self-blame.” There are also timeless, slogans of deceit such as “the personal is political,” or “the private is political.”
The personal is decidedly not political. The two words are practically antonyms.
Conflation of antonyms is an attack on reason. Conflating antonyms in dismissal of reasonable logic to the contrary requires insincerity. Cynicism is the willing disposal of sincerity in one’s interactions. The word cynicism is often used, seldom defined, and vitally important. Cynical actors claim that logic is a tool of the patriarchy and a symbol of western oppression, so not even logic is safe in conversation with the indoctrinated.
“Self-blame,” is a conveniently negative sounding and over-reaching term that includes introspection. People work their entire lives to be as insightful about themselves and others as possible. Introspection is one of the pillars of wisdom. To deny introspection is debilitating to the individual. Anyone who calls for people to deny themselves introspection debilitates those who would follow that advice. This is understandable coming from any person who does not recognize individuals as sovereign, and instead sees only collectives.
Collectivism calls on the individual to be a cog in a machine. At its militant edge, an edge that has become increasingly apparent since the Ides of March 2020, these theories seek to turn the individual and all the potential of that person’s life into a mere weapon for a specious cause.
Having an agitated person, willing to fill their own head with propaganda, and committed to never blaming themselves is a recipe for individual failure. However, it is incredibly useful to the organizer seeking to weaponize a person. Rather than the empowerment claimed by Marxist movements, many have willingly ascribed to an ideology that seeks to disempower and weaponize the individual.
You Don’t Need To Politicize Life
Joseph Campbell, a closeted right-leaning intellectual of his day, surrounding by leftists, during the interwar period described that in the realm of politics, one can expect divisiveness and distraction, as is the fundamental nature of politics.
Far more meaningful discussion can take place in the realm of values, where there is considerable overlap and greater importance.
In a present-day example: Two people, who CNN would describe as having drastically different world-views because of their voting pattern once every four years are likely to identify that they share quite similar world-views if they can discuss their core values. Seldom is there divisiveness in such a discussion, especially if the two participants are committed to understanding and respecting one another. That recognition of the other as an individual is fundamental to love and at the roots of the Western notion of individualism.
This level of communication, however, does not serve the purpose of the divisive collectivists. As Thomas Luongo points out. “They want us yelling at each other, not talking to each other.” A society made in their image would have husband and wife shouting slogans mindlessly past one another.
The Big Data Revolution Is Nonsense
Data is said to be everything in our era of powerful data mining. We are said to be in a world-shaping Big Data Revolution, a claim that is no more accurate than the notion that the econometric revolution, or the statistical revolution would change the world. These tools all continue to be used for good and bad with no inherent net benefit in either direction.
A tyrant seeking to be more of a tyrant, will do the same with econometrics or algorithms or artificial intelligence or statistical modeling. A sycophant seeking to empower the tyrant, will behave no differently with such tools. A gadfly seeking to light brushfires in the minds of men, will behave no differently with or without these tools. A free man seeking to live a free life, will behave no differently with or without these tools.
Realizing the futility of learning another tool to advocate for freedom in a world where the most basic tools get the job done, it can be no surprise that those who advocate for freedom are less likely to trouble themselves with econometrics, statistical models, or algorithms. The modelers and technologists are largely leftists and seeking to shift the narrative through their specious tools that make for useful headlines. The useful tools to the free man are reason and evidence, stubbornness, disobedience to authority, avoidance of needless conflict, tending toward the voluntary in interactions with another, and a willingness to physically defend one’s boundaries.
Can you fault a person for not wanting to learn econometrics when he has not yet mastered the philosophy to live a good life, and to think clearly on topics of epistemology and praxeology, skills which will provide far more value?
The Big Data Revolution Requires A Moral Devolution For It To Be Effective
In this era of big data that has been cited, data is only useful because it allows control over the individual. Suddenly those desiring leverage over your personal decisions have it. This was once considered blackmail to use information from one’s personal life in order to influence behavior. Beyond this, data is generally not useful.
It is a lie that data is the oil of our era. Only through the normalization of the immorality of blackmail and manipulation is such a statement even capable of being entertained. It is mostly just bluster from the tech sector, often called “big data,” and the intelligence apparatus (both governmental and quasi-governmental) seeking to bolster their budgets and their perceived importance. Don’t Hurt Peopl... Kibbe, Matt Best Price: $1.63 Buy New $16.00 (as of 03:24 UTC - Details)
The reason data is generally not useful comes down to more of the same. Those who want to make decisions based in emotion don’t care about data. Those who wish to control you, also don’t care about data.
All the data needed to have a reasonable conversation about the appropriate way to proceed had been known by the Ides of March 2020. The people who wanted to make decisions based in emotion showed little interest in such a conversation. The people who wanted to control others also showed little interest in such a conversation.
Do Not Expect The Future To Vindicate You, This Debate May Last Decades
Nothing has changed since the Ides of March 2020, other than we now have data sets for the American population, though those datasets provide virtually no new useful data. This data was not needed. This harmful experimentation was needless.
Ten years from now (as in the case of MERS today), we will have no more useful data about COVID-19. Twenty years from now (as in the case of SARS today), we will have no more useful data about COVID-19. Small groups of people will continue to have debates using that data, coming to barely useful conclusion. Vast groups of people will selectively use data to come to the emotional outcomes they desire. Others will selectively use data with an attempt to control others. “Not enough data” will not be the missing portion of this equation. Long before America’s lockdown, sufficient data had been collected. That did not stop the nonsensical lockdowns from taking place. They were not supported by data then, and they are not supported by data now.
To Debate With These Two Groups — The Emotional and The Controlling — Is Futile
A vital question for the individual, at a moment like this, is if there is power in the hands of those who would be emotional and those who would control. Can they hold sway over your life?
To spend your days in the data, debating those lacking good faith, merely distracts from the most important: caring for you and your loved ones, protecting yourself from the emotionally triggered and the power hungry, and nurturing yourself and the remnant around you.
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-06-06--The Controlled Demolition of Western Civilization

Please forgive me that I don ’ t talk about the flue called “ Corona ” .
I truly believe it is a deception and will be remembered as the attempt to destroy the private economy as well as the capitalistic system .
What we are witnessing during this “ corona-crisis ” is simply unprecedented .
It is nothing short of a blatant attempt to destroy the private sector , the capitalist system and the financial sovereignty of every citizen .
The state denies the right of every individual to work , to put food on the table , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal responsibility for their own choices .
On a societal level , is nothing less than the transformation into a technocratic , big data “ new normal ” that already exists in China and this Orwellian nightmare is already our new and sad reality .
Ron Paul wrote the following the other day : “ Governments have no right or authority to tell us what business or other activity is “ essential ” .
Only in totalitarian states does the government claim this authority .
We should encourage all those who are standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their elected leaders .
They should not be able to get away with this.
” The Fall of the Roman ... Grant , Michael Best Price : $ 16.08 Buy New $ 132.29 This is what it is all about .
Full control of the ones living off taxes over the ones who have to pay them .
Maybe you remember my latest article in the previous edition of this magazine when I summarized the definition of capitalism from a Marxist perspective : “ the workers spend what they earn and the capitalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is how the original Marxist thinkers defined capitalism .
You might have understood that in their eyes the individual is the worker and when everything is under government control , the politicians and bureaucrats become the real capitalist .
It is important to understand that the term “ capitalism ” has been purposefully misdefined and hijacked from the beginning by Marxist thinkers .
Six weeks ago , this was just a theory , but now it already turned into reality .
The corona scare shows just how fearful certain cultures and civilizations have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal ” Anyone who believes that the world will look the same in a few months ’ time and that we will go back to normal , has not understood what this is all about .
They have also not understood the importance of all the rights and the liberties that we are “ temporarily ” giving away to governments and institutions and the likelihood of ever getting them back .
History clearly shows that “ emergency ” restrictions and concessions have a way of sticking around long after the crisis is over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We already see this process take shape today : The World Economic Forum , among others , has already introduced a proposal about an “ Immunity Passport ” and a “ Digital ID ” , including health monitoring to trace every interaction with other people to assure “ social distancing ” will be part of the new normal .
If concepts like that are implemented , you can be sure that you will end up in a scenario where governments and bureaucrats can at any time shut down your business again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees to self-quarantine until your health rating will switch from red , yellow to green again .
Man becomes nothing more than an algorithm , while data-driven rating systems dominate his life and can at any time lock him away for several days .
How could you possibly run a small business under these circumstances ?
How can you plan anything if you and your employees might be pulled out of work at any moment ?
Another aspect of these measures of course is that people will mistrust each other , as all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical proximity is perceived as a health risk .
This is the end of interpersonal relationships , but also the end of a free society as we know it .
Under such circumstances , only large “ too big to fail-corporations ” and crony-capitalists might survive , but for a small shop owner , it will be the end .
This paves the way for the chronic normalization and mass implementation of “ Universal Basic Income ” , based on the fraudulent and totalitarian principles of “ Modern Monetary Theory ” .
Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Price : $ 6.67 Buy New $ 11.99 The ones who have not realized yet that the world has already changed , only need to think about the idea of boarding a plane in the coming months .
Is normalcy really just around the corner and do you really expect people to be allowed and to be willing to get on a plane as we did a few weeks ago ?
The idiotic worldwide lockdown and the forced restriction of the free movement of people , goods and services have already destroyed huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international division of labor .
On a practical level , all that these catastrophic measures , based on the “ pretense of knowledge ” , will achieve is to drastically limit our living standards , along with our liberties and social cohesion .
How will the coming weeks look like ?
First of all , the global deflation that has been triggered over the past few months will have a devasting impact on an already extremely fragile and hugely indebted financial system .
This global economic freeze is unlike anything we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effects can not yet be estimated .
However , I believe that the majority of the individuals in the current system are going to suffer serious losses over the coming months and many of them will lose everything .
When private business can be shut down on a whim and without any kind of due process , the concept of private property simply does not exist anymore .
Of course , it still has to be seen which countries will be implementing this “ new normal ” as quickly and as harshly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we the people don ’ t oppose this , we will end up in an economic system which will be steered and planned from the top .
This is what awaits at the end of this road , if citizens are incapable of thinking for themselves and instead delegate their decisions and personal responsibility to the state .
Is there an alternative ?
Here is where my outlook turns a little more optimistic : digital technology is highly asymmetrical , and skewed in favor of the individual .
A centralized , hierarchical structure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decentralized , versatile alternative .
Let me give you a list of very simple examples : Are you concerned about censorship ?
Rest assured , restrictions on free speech and other crimes of conscience have become unenforceable .
Their unenforceability is becoming increasingly obvious .
For every platform that decides to collaborate with authorities and stifle free speech , a dozen alternatives pop up that respect and foster it .
The Minimal Self : Psyc ... Lasch , Christopher Best Price : $ 10.00 Buy New $ 18.26 Are you concerned about privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you voluntarily disclose your personal information on Facebook or Twitter , you can protect your personal privacy as well as a head of state , if you want to .
You can choose not to carry a mobile phone , or to modify it .
You can encrypt your private data so well that no government goon will be able to access it .
You can transact with your peers in near 100 % privacy .
Are you concerned about financial repression ?
Rest assured , there is always physical gold , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent a superior medium of exchange .
Those are the two functions of money .
How can capital controls still be a thing , in a world where there are bitcoin and dozens of alternatives that are well beyond the reach of these measures ?
You see , we don ’ t need to decapitate the king if we can simply ignore him .
The true revolution of this age will not be a collective movement , but a sum of individual revolutions .
People opting out .
If there ’ s suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if his proclamations suddenly become unenforceable , why continue living by them ?
In certain professions , one can already produce value from any location , and avoid all parasitic third-party interventions , whether governmental or otherwise .
A producer of intangible goods ( like a software developer , a composer , an author , etc . )
can theatrically be in a quiet valley , transact only in cryptocurrency , have no private data , file , picture or document accessible to anyone but himself , and pay whatever taxes he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical body are de facto disconnected , so he may keep his physical body in the place he prefers .
So what does all this mean ?
The digital age has a philosophy attached to it and there is such a thing as the philosophy of the Internet .
Of course , this philosophy is written by no single individual .
Nobody has the authority to edit or claim his version as the absolute truth unilaterally .
It is instead an amalgamation of ideas and a result of spontaneous and continuous evolution .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mix of classical liberalism and the hacker culture , resulting in what is called crypto-anarchism .
Its core ambition can be summarized as : “ Total transparency for institutions , full privacy to individuals.
” The Culture of Narciss ... Lasch , Christopher Best Price : $ 12.48 Buy New $ 11.87 This philosophy is gaining ground .
Tools are being developed allowing people to opt-out , to ignore the parasitical intermediaries and the tyrants .
A new conscience of individual freedom is growing , fueled by the hacker culture .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position should remember AOL and Myspace , and realize regulation is the enemy , especially if it purports to protect us .
And whenever regulation is enacted , you can count on courageous and anonymous developers to propose the means to ignore it , to make it null and void .
Humanity is winning .
The most beautiful thing is we don ’ t know exactly how this free market of ideas will better civilization , much like we couldn ’ t have predicted the exact impact of the printing press ( or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a dialectical advantage , because they reason as central planners , and they are able to describe an envisioned future , however wrong .
We , the friends of liberty , are philanthropists .
We love that real progress can not be planned .
Even though we can ’ t know what path free individuals will take , and thus can ’ t predict how and when beauty will emerge , we trust in the superiority of unplanned initiative , of distributed intelligence .
We know in the end it produces more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you is to start reducing your exposure to the current system by moving into hard assets stored in sounder jurisdictions such as Switzerland or Liechtenstein , which still respect private property rights .
Focus on private currencies backed up by hard assets ( such as precious metals and base metals ) whereby the property title can be traded independently of the current banking system .
This is not the end of the corona crisis , not even close – the real fight for our individual liberty has only just started !
The Best @ @ @

Please forgive me that I don’t talk about the flue called “Corona”. I truly believe it is a deception and will be remembered as the attempt to destroy the private economy as well as the capitalistic system. What we are witnessing during this “corona-crisis” is simply unprecedented. It is nothing short of a blatant attempt to destroy the private sector, the capitalist system and the financial sovereignty of every citizen. The state denies the right of every individual to work, to put food on the table, to provide for their families and to take personal responsibility for their own choices. On a societal level, is nothing less than the transformation into a technocratic, big data “new normal” that already exists in China and this Orwellian nightmare is already our new and sad reality.
Ron Paul wrote the following the other day: “Governments have no right or authority to tell us what business or other activity is “essential”. Only in totalitarian states does the government claim this authority. We should encourage all those who are standing up peacefully and demanding an accounting from their elected leaders. They should not be able to get away with this.”
The Fall of the Roman ... Grant, Michael Best Price: $16.08 Buy New $132.29 (as of 02:47 UTC - Details) This is what it is all about. Full control of the ones living off taxes over the ones who have to pay them. Maybe you remember my latest article in the previous edition of this magazine when I summarized the definition of capitalism from a Marxist perspective: “the workers spend what they earn and the capitalists earn what they spend”. This is how the original Marxist thinkers defined capitalism. You might have understood that in their eyes the individual is the worker and when everything is under government control, the politicians and bureaucrats become the real capitalist. It is important to understand that the term “capitalism” has been purposefully misdefined and hijacked from the beginning by Marxist thinkers. Six weeks ago, this was just a theory, but now it already turned into reality. The corona scare shows just how fearful certain cultures and civilizations have become.
Welcome to the “new normal”
Anyone who believes that the world will look the same in a few months’ time and that we will go back to normal, has not understood what this is all about. They have also not understood the importance of all the rights and the liberties that we are “temporarily” giving away to governments and institutions and the likelihood of ever getting them back. History clearly shows that “emergency” restrictions and concessions have a way of sticking around long after the crisis is over and becoming a permanent fact of life. We already see this process take shape today: The World Economic Forum, among others, has already introduced a proposal about an “Immunity Passport” and a “Digital ID”, including health monitoring to trace every interaction with other people to assure “social distancing” will be part of the new normal. If concepts like that are implemented, you can be sure that you will end up in a scenario where governments and bureaucrats can at any time shut down your business again, and order you, your colleagues or employees to self-quarantine until your health rating will switch from red, yellow to green again. Man becomes nothing more than an algorithm, while data-driven rating systems dominate his life and can at any time lock him away for several days.
How could you possibly run a small business under these circumstances? How can you plan anything if you and your employees might be pulled out of work at any moment? Another aspect of these measures of course is that people will mistrust each other, as all kinds of interactions are deemed dangerous and physical proximity is perceived as a health risk. This is the end of interpersonal relationships, but also the end of a free society as we know it. Under such circumstances, only large “too big to fail-corporations” and crony-capitalists might survive, but for a small shop owner, it will be the end. This paves the way for the chronic normalization and mass implementation of “Universal Basic Income”, based on the fraudulent and totalitarian principles of “Modern Monetary Theory”.
Black Rednecks and Whi... Thomas Sowell Best Price: $6.67 Buy New $11.99 (as of 12:20 UTC - Details) The ones who have not realized yet that the world has already changed, only need to think about the idea of boarding a plane in the coming months. Is normalcy really just around the corner and do you really expect people to be allowed and to be willing to get on a plane as we did a few weeks ago? The idiotic worldwide lockdown and the forced restriction of the free movement of people, goods and services have already destroyed huge parts of the global economy and the international division of labor. On a practical level, all that these catastrophic measures, based on the “pretense of knowledge”, will achieve is to drastically limit our living standards, along with our liberties and social cohesion.
How will the coming weeks look like?
First of all, the global deflation that has been triggered over the past few months will have a devasting impact on an already extremely fragile and hugely indebted financial system. This global economic freeze is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and therefore its precise effects cannot yet be estimated. However, I believe that the majority of the individuals in the current system are going to suffer serious losses over the coming months and many of them will lose everything. When private business can be shut down on a whim and without any kind of due process, the concept of private property simply does not exist anymore. Of course, it still has to be seen which countries will be implementing this “new normal” as quickly and as harshly as the Chinese model, however, if we the people don’t oppose this, we will end up in an economic system which will be steered and planned from the top. This is what awaits at the end of this road, if citizens are incapable of thinking for themselves and instead delegate their decisions and personal responsibility to the state.
Is there an alternative?
Here is where my outlook turns a little more optimistic: digital technology is highly asymmetrical, and skewed in favor of the individual. A centralized, hierarchical structure is very fragile when compared to a decentralized, versatile alternative.
Let me give you a list of very simple examples:
Are you concerned about censorship? Rest assured, restrictions on free speech and other crimes of conscience have become unenforceable. Their unenforceability is becoming increasingly obvious. For every platform that decides to collaborate with authorities and stifle free speech, a dozen alternatives pop up that respect and foster it. The Minimal Self: Psyc... Lasch, Christopher Best Price: $10.00 Buy New $18.26 (as of 03:25 UTC - Details)
Are you concerned about privacy and surveillance? Rest assured, unless you voluntarily disclose your personal information on Facebook or Twitter, you can protect your personal privacy as well as a head of state, if you want to. You can choose not to carry a mobile phone, or to modify it. You can encrypt your private data so well that no government goon will be able to access it. You can transact with your peers in near 100% privacy.
Are you concerned about financial repression? Rest assured, there is always physical gold, the ultimate store of wealth, and cryptocurrencies represent a superior medium of exchange. Those are the two functions of money. How can capital controls still be a thing, in a world where there are bitcoin and dozens of alternatives that are well beyond the reach of these measures?
You see, we don’t need to decapitate the king if we can simply ignore him. The true revolution of this age will not be a collective movement, but a sum of individual revolutions. People opting out. If there’s suddenly no reason to listen to the tyrant, if his proclamations suddenly become unenforceable, why continue living by them?
In certain professions, one can already produce value from any location, and avoid all parasitic third-party interventions, whether governmental or otherwise. A producer of intangible goods (like a software developer, a composer, an author, etc.) can theatrically be in a quiet valley, transact only in cryptocurrency, have no private data, file, picture or document accessible to anyone but himself, and pay whatever taxes he deems appropriate. His reality and his physical body are de facto disconnected, so he may keep his physical body in the place he prefers.
So what does all this mean?
The digital age has a philosophy attached to it and there is such a thing as the philosophy of the Internet. Of course, this philosophy is written by no single individual. Nobody has the authority to edit or claim his version as the absolute truth unilaterally. It is instead an amalgamation of ideas and a result of spontaneous and continuous evolution.
This new philosophy of liberty, is a mix of classical liberalism and the hacker culture, resulting in what is called crypto-anarchism. Its core ambition can be summarized as: “Total transparency for institutions, full privacy to individuals.”
The Culture of Narciss... Lasch, Christopher Best Price: $12.48 Buy New $11.87 (as of 03:25 UTC - Details) This philosophy is gaining ground. Tools are being developed allowing people to opt-out, to ignore the parasitical intermediaries and the tyrants. A new conscience of individual freedom is growing, fueled by the hacker culture. People worried about Facebook or Google abusing their position should remember AOL and Myspace, and realize regulation is the enemy, especially if it purports to protect us. And whenever regulation is enacted, you can count on courageous and anonymous developers to propose the means to ignore it, to make it null and void.
Humanity is winning. The most beautiful thing is we don’t know exactly how this free market of ideas will better civilization, much like we couldn’t have predicted the exact impact of the printing press (or writing before it). So pessimists have a dialectical advantage, because they reason as central planners, and they are able to describe an envisioned future, however wrong.
We, the friends of liberty, are philanthropists. We love that real progress cannot be planned. Even though we can’t know what path free individuals will take, and thus can’t predict how and when beauty will emerge, we trust in the superiority of unplanned initiative, of distributed intelligence. We know in the end it produces more splendor.
Therefore, my advice to you is to start reducing your exposure to the current system by moving into hard assets stored in sounder jurisdictions such as Switzerland or Liechtenstein, which still respect private property rights. Focus on private currencies backed up by hard assets (such as precious metals and base metals) whereby the property title can be traded independently of the current banking system.
This is not the end of the corona crisis, not even close – the real fight for our individual liberty has only just started!
Stay free!
Originally published under www.executive-global.com
The Best of Claudio Grass


lewrockwell--2020-06-06--Guess What — It’s a Hustle

Guess What — It’s a Hustle

Of course , George Floyd didn ’ t deserve to die with a cop ’ s knee on his neck and his face mashed into the pavement , but after yesterday ’ s first of what will be several funerals for the now revered former armed robber and convict , you ’ d think he was the second coming ( and going ) of George Washington .
Uh , check that… Washington was a slave-owner and , by definition , a racist .
Make that Julius Caesar — based on the way that the Rev .
Al Sharpton was bellowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Say , what ?
Julius Caesar owned slaves too ?
How about Abe Lincoln then ?
Naw , just another white man ?
And a secret racist ( so they say ) .
Racist , racist racist !
America is racist !
Racism is systemic !
Racism flows in the hallowed blood of the American system , going back all the way to 1619 !
All white people are racist .
Get down on your bellies and crawl like a snake and beg forgiveness for your natural-born , inalienable racism !
Anyway , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times , America ’ s premier journal of racism studies .
Post-Democracy After t ... Crouch , Colin Best Price : $ 19.64 Buy New $ 19.68 To prove that America is hopelessly racist , the nation has been treated to , what — ?
— seven , or is it now eight nights of looting and burning by young black people acting out every racist stereotype from the Ku Klux Klan official manual of racism .
The rest of the news media bent over backwards to avoid deploring the mayhem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invert the very looting , burning , and rioting as proof positive that America is racist to the bone .
Look what you made us do !
Steal sneakers and Rolex watches !
Shoot cops , including an old retired black cop ( uh , my bad ) and run over several more cops with cars !
Destroy businesses large and small that have been shut down for three months by corona virus to make sure they won ’ t ever dare to resume their racist trade in things that white people like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past week ’ s dire proceedings ?
Well , how would you define a hustle ?
How about : an attempt to gain advantage by deceitful means .
What !
Are you saying there was something dishonest about the reaction from sea to shining sea to George Floyd ’ s murder in Minneapolis ?
I am .
For example , the massive protest marches .
Who exactly was disputing that the death of George Floyd was a miscarriage of justice ?
Nobody .
Did the cops get away with it ?
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for murder or being accessories to a murder by standing around watching it and doing nothing to stop it .
The Revolt of the Elit ... Christopher Lasch Best Price : $ 5.08 Buy New $ 13.82 No , this is a hustle , all right , perhaps the most obvious hustle in US history .
It ’ s the Democratic Party ’ s last stratagem to get the monster of its own creation , Donald Trump , out of the White House .
RussiaGate didn ’ t do it ( in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now ) , ImpeachmentGate was a dud .
Welcome to GeorgeFloydGate !
I know it ’ s hard to imagine at this moment of maximum televised sanctimony , but this gambit is going to flop , too .
A lot of voters have probably noticed that the wholesale looting and burning of US cities is not in the national interest .
And that the people who do it don ’ t deserve special favors .
Of course , this is also a moment of maximum collective acute psychosis in America .
The nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of corona virus lockdown .
Millions watched their careers , incomes , businesses , and futures wash down the drain .
Upsetting as the killing of George Floyd was , these losses are monumental in comparison .
99 percent of the people in America are scared shitless about where all this economic damage is taking the nation — even as they watch the stock markets go up and up and up .
By the way , the past week of looting , burning , and rioting was especially fruitful for Wall Street .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tick off a few taxpayers who understand that the stock-pumping is being accomplished by the Federal Reserve brokering more national debt in their name ?
Lies , Damn Lies , and S ... Wheeler , Michael Best Price : $ 7.99 Buy New $ 14.87 Joe Biden ’ s campaign has announced that he will headline the next funeral in George Floyd ’ s hometown of Houston , the place where Mr. Floyd accomplished the home invasion and aggravated robbery of a woman in 2009 that sent him to state prison for five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life around in Minneapolis where , ten days ago , he suffered a lapse of judgment while high on fentanyl and passed a counterfeit $ 20 bill in a corner store , leading to his arrest and unjust death . )
I ’ m counting on Joe Biden to raise America ’ s awareness about systemic racism at that event — if he can remember where he is and what ’ s going on .
Also on Thursday this week , the Rev .
Al Sharpton announced plans for a march on Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic convention in Milwaukee for maximum effect .
You may be aware that Joe Biden has obliged himself ( sort of ) to put a woman-of-color on the ticket for vice-president .
Though Stacey Abrams , the real governor of Georgia , seems like the inevitable choice , I have a better idea .
Wouldn ’ t it be perfect to bring back Tawana Brawley for this historic role ?
She figured so decisively in establishing the Rev .
Mr. Sharpton ’ s cred as leader in the long quest for social justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ready to rock !
Tawana Brawley , America turns its lonely eyes to you !
# Tawana Brawley for veep !
Spread the news far and wide !
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

Of course, George Floyd didn’t deserve to die with a cop’s knee on his neck and his face mashed into the pavement, but after yesterday’s first of what will be several funerals for the now revered former armed robber and convict, you’d think he was the second coming (and going) of George Washington. Uh, check that… Washington was a slave-owner and, by definition, a racist. Make that Julius Caesar — based on the way that the Rev. Al Sharpton was bellowing at funeral No.1 Thursday in Minneapolis. Say, what? Julius Caesar owned slaves too? How about Abe Lincoln then? Naw, just another white man? And a secret racist (so they say).
Racist, racist racist! America is racist! Racism is systemic! Racism flows in the hallowed blood of the American system, going back all the way to 1619! All white people are racist. Get down on your bellies and crawl like a snake and beg forgiveness for your natural-born, inalienable racism! Anyway, that’s reality according to The New York Times, America’s premier journal of racism studies.
Post-Democracy After t... Crouch, Colin Best Price: $19.64 Buy New $19.68 (as of 03:25 UTC - Details) To prove that America is hopelessly racist, the nation has been treated to, what — ? — seven, or is it now eight nights of looting and burning by young black people acting out every racist stereotype from the Ku Klux Klan official manual of racism. The rest of the news media bent over backwards to avoid deploring the mayhem in the streets, rather, to invert the very looting, burning, and rioting as proof positive that America is racist to the bone. Look what you made us do! Steal sneakers and Rolex watches! Shoot cops, including an old retired black cop (uh, my bad) and run over several more cops with cars! Destroy businesses large and small that have been shut down for three months by corona virus to make sure they won’t ever dare to resume their racist trade in things that white people like!
Has anyone detected a hustle in the past week’s dire proceedings? Well, how would you define a hustle? How about: an attempt to gain advantage by deceitful means. What! Are you saying there was something dishonest about the reaction from sea to shining sea to George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis? I am. For example, the massive protest marches. Who exactly was disputing that the death of George Floyd was a miscarriage of justice? Nobody. Did the cops get away with it? No, they’re all getting indicted for murder or being accessories to a murder by standing around watching it and doing nothing to stop it.
The Revolt of the Elit... Christopher Lasch Best Price: $5.08 Buy New $13.82 (as of 01:20 UTC - Details) No, this is a hustle, all right, perhaps the most obvious hustle in US history. It’s the Democratic Party’s last stratagem to get the monster of its own creation, Donald Trump, out of the White House. RussiaGate didn’t do it (in fact, it’s backfiring rather horribly now), ImpeachmentGate was a dud. Welcome to GeorgeFloydGate! I know it’s hard to imagine at this moment of maximum televised sanctimony, but this gambit is going to flop, too. A lot of voters have probably noticed that the wholesale looting and burning of US cities is not in the national interest. And that the people who do it don’t deserve special favors.
Of course, this is also a moment of maximum collective acute psychosis in America. The nation is pretty badly shook-up after three months of corona virus lockdown. Millions watched their careers, incomes, businesses, and futures wash down the drain. Upsetting as the killing of George Floyd was, these losses are monumental in comparison. 99 percent of the people in America are scared shitless about where all this economic damage is taking the nation — even as they watch the stock markets go up and up and up. By the way, the past week of looting, burning, and rioting was especially fruitful for Wall Street. D’ya think that might eventually tick off a few taxpayers who understand that the stock-pumping is being accomplished by the Federal Reserve brokering more national debt in their name?
Lies, Damn Lies, and S... Wheeler, Michael Best Price: $7.99 Buy New $14.87 (as of 03:25 UTC - Details) Joe Biden’s campaign has announced that he will headline the next funeral in George Floyd’s hometown of Houston, the place where Mr. Floyd accomplished the home invasion and aggravated robbery of a woman in 2009 that sent him to state prison for five years. (He was turning his life around in Minneapolis where, ten days ago, he suffered a lapse of judgment while high on fentanyl and passed a counterfeit $20 bill in a corner store, leading to his arrest and unjust death.) I’m counting on Joe Biden to raise America’s awareness about systemic racism at that event — if he can remember where he is and what’s going on.
Also on Thursday this week, the Rev. Al Sharpton announced plans for a march on Washington in August, perhaps just before the Democratic convention in Milwaukee for maximum effect. You may be aware that Joe Biden has obliged himself (sort of) to put a woman-of-color on the ticket for vice-president. Though Stacey Abrams, the real governor of Georgia, seems like the inevitable choice, I have a better idea. Wouldn’t it be perfect to bring back Tawana Brawley for this historic role? She figured so decisively in establishing the Rev. Mr. Sharpton’s cred as leader in the long quest for social justice. She’s all growed-up now and ready to rock! Tawana Brawley, America turns its lonely eyes to you! #Tawana Brawley for veep! Spread the news far and wide!
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


People Are Overrated

Solitude is a blissful disengagement from the horrors of modern-day life , even if forced upon us by a government lockdown .
The trouble with the present situation is the idiot box .
The enforced solitude would be a blessing—it tends to breed spirituality—but for the escapism of television .
The absolute rubbish , the vulgarity and violence that the networks put out nowadays and call entertainment , is far more dangerous than the virus we ’ re isolating against .
But this is about solitude , so I ’ ll skip the Hollywood horrors .
We tend to derive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we do from interpersonal relationships .
It can , of course , have terrible effects , as in Conrad ’ s Nostromo , where a character expires after being stranded on a deserted island .
He was said to have died of solitude , something I can understand .
How would you like to be stranded on an island with , say , the Goldberg woman who writes a column for The New York Times and thinks everyone white or Christian is a Nazi ?
( Perish the thought . )
Edward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Katharina Best Price : $ 49.99 Buy New $ 48.23 The Romantic poets praised solitude and lone ramblings , while wounded soldiers during World War I looked forward to the peace that comes when away from noise .
Solitary pursuits such as fishing , reading , even smoking are guaranteed to satisfy because one indulges in them alone .
And solitary confinement in prison surely is preferable to sharing a tiny cell with some ruffian going through his daily libations .
Yet solitary confinement is considered to be a cruel and inhuman punishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since Aristotle that human beings are social animals and that no war , plague , or catastrophe will ever change that .
( Well , Oprah Winfrey ’ s programs could do it in a jiffy , but there I go again . )
Solitary lives are said to damage our physical health as much as smoking , but I don ’ t buy it .
During normal times I go out almost every night of the week ; I drink and smoke and stay up late , pursue women if possible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social life .
The past three months have given me time to think a bit , and I ’ ve come to the conclusion that the last intelligent thing I heard at a party was that the purity of the air in Palm Beach is due to the fact that the people who live there never open their windows .
But the past three months have been eye-openers .
I was stuck in my Swiss chalet high up in the mountains with some of the worst people , as far as manners are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : mostly rich Eurotrash and Persian Gulf lowlife women abusers .
I sent away my staff under full pay and remained alone with my wife and son .
And was never happier .
Mind you , the two of them cooked and cleaned up , but I hit the books while they beavered away .
No hangovers , no regrets about wasted time , no embarrassment at stupidities uttered when under the influence .
A new Taki was born .
Edward Hopper : Portrai ... Schmied , Wieland Best Price : $ 2.55 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Art ... Whitney Museum of Amer ... Best Price : $ 22.00 Buy New $ 28.18 Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 25.00 The Best of Taki Theodoracopulos

Solitude is a blissful disengagement from the horrors of modern-day life, even if forced upon us by a government lockdown. The trouble with the present situation is the idiot box. The enforced solitude would be a blessing—it tends to breed spirituality—but for the escapism of television. The absolute rubbish, the vulgarity and violence that the networks put out nowadays and call entertainment, is far more dangerous than the virus we’re isolating against.
But this is about solitude, so I’ll skip the Hollywood horrors. We tend to derive as much good from time spent alone as we do from interpersonal relationships. It can, of course, have terrible effects, as in Conrad’s Nostromo, where a character expires after being stranded on a deserted island. He was said to have died of solitude, something I can understand. How would you like to be stranded on an island with, say, the Goldberg woman who writes a column for The New York Times and thinks everyone white or Christian is a Nazi? (Perish the thought.)
Edward Hopper: A Fresh... Ru00fcppell, Katharina Best Price: $49.99 Buy New $48.23 (as of 03:26 UTC - Details) The Romantic poets praised solitude and lone ramblings, while wounded soldiers during World War I looked forward to the peace that comes when away from noise. Solitary pursuits such as fishing, reading, even smoking are guaranteed to satisfy because one indulges in them alone. And solitary confinement in prison surely is preferable to sharing a tiny cell with some ruffian going through his daily libations. Yet solitary confinement is considered to be a cruel and inhuman punishment by busybodies.
We’ve known since Aristotle that human beings are social animals and that no war, plague, or catastrophe will ever change that. (Well, Oprah Winfrey’s programs could do it in a jiffy, but there I go again.) Solitary lives are said to damage our physical health as much as smoking, but I don’t buy it. During normal times I go out almost every night of the week; I drink and smoke and stay up late, pursue women if possible, and live what’s called a social life. The past three months have given me time to think a bit, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the last intelligent thing I heard at a party was that the purity of the air in Palm Beach is due to the fact that the people who live there never open their windows. But the past three months have been eye-openers. I was stuck in my Swiss chalet high up in the mountains with some of the worst people, as far as manners are concerned, this side of Noo Yawk: mostly rich Eurotrash and Persian Gulf lowlife women abusers. I sent away my staff under full pay and remained alone with my wife and son. And was never happier. Mind you, the two of them cooked and cleaned up, but I hit the books while they beavered away. No hangovers, no regrets about wasted time, no embarrassment at stupidities uttered when under the influence. A new Taki was born.
Read the Whole Article
Edward Hopper: Portrai... Schmied, Wieland Best Price: $2.55 Buy New $10.95 (as of 03:26 UTC - Details) Edward Hopper: The Art... Whitney Museum of Amer... Best Price: $22.00 Buy New $28.18 (as of 03:26 UTC - Details) Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $25.00 (as of 06:10 UTC - Details)
The Best of Taki Theodoracopulos


lewrockwell--2020-06-06--Hong Kong Is No Longer British, Never Really Was, and It’s Time To Let Go of All Our Hypocritical, N

Hong Kong Is No Longer British, Never Really Was, and It’s Time To Let Go of All Our Hypocritical, Nostalgic Colonial Nonsense

The UK ’ s offer of residency to three million residents of “ Honkers ” is guilt-driven meddling in affairs that are no longer British .
Strangely , there is no international outcry at this display of diplomatic double standards .
Having left Hong Kong in the lurch once already , when it handed the colony over to China following the expiration of its 99-year lease , Britain is seeking to make matters worse with an offer of not-quite citizenship to three million of its people .
These folks are the Hong Kong Chinese who qualified for the booby prize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing them to… well , nothing really .
The status has no tangible benefit .
But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , in an ostentatious show of generosity , has offered those citizens of Hong Kong who might choose now as a good time to leave their homeland the opportunity of coming to live in the UK visa-free for 12-months and then , maybe , follow that up with full citizenship , no promises mind you .
Hong Kong Then and Now ... Grylls , Vaughan Best Price : $ 35.67 Buy New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those adverts for three pairs of elastic-waisted trousers for £29.99 that are often seen in the back pages of the Sunday newspapers .
Others – touched by some strange nostalgia about “ Honkers , ” as we colonials used to call this distant part of the Empire – want to go even further , and give them all full citizenship immediately .
Let ’ s get this straight .
We ’ re offering the industrious , entrepreneurial people of Hong Kong the chance to flee their lifelong home for a new start in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tatters and unemployment sky high .
Don ’ t even ask about the weather .
Er , why didn ’ t we do that back in 1997 as the Union Jack was being folded up by Governor Chris Patten and the island handed back to the Chinese ?
But no , instead we simply honoured the deal , handed over the local population like cattle , and walked away .
Prince Charles and Governor Patten sailed off in the royal yacht Britannia after the handover ceremony convinced they ’ d done the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that China would give scant regard to the “ one nation , two systems ” arrangement that Britain believed it had left in place .
And , really , why should it ?
Where else on earth does this sort of agreement work ?
China was initially happy to let Hong Kong function as a financial centre and entrepreneurial hotbed , but when things began to get out of hand and reform became an issue , then of course the authorities would crack down and crack down hard .
It is , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over Hong Kong : 35th A ... Dodwell , David Best Price : $ 24.23 Buy New $ 28.29 Now , as Beijing moves to impose a supposedly more authoritarian system ( aka bringing seven million people under the same system as 1.3 billion fellow citizens ) , Britain feels new guilt at leaving HK and decides the visa offer will make amends , while at the same time sending a message to the Chinese government that shifting away from the “ one nation , two systems ” model is not acceptable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be puzzled .
It ’ s not as if they haven ’ t made it quite plain since July 1 , 1997 that “ Honkers ” is theirs and – duh !
– exists under their rule and nothing has been said .
More like one rule , two systems .
And where is the rest of the world piling in on Britain for attempting to meddle in another nation ’ s regional affairs ?
Isn ’ t this exactly the sort of issue which stirs diplomats to high dudgeon and prompts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats ?
Imagine if it were Russia !
Ha , that would be fun !
Look at the way the USA launched into them over its offer of Russian citizenship to the people of eastern Ukraine in 2019 .
“ Russia , through this highly provocative action , is intensifying its assault on Ukraine ’ s sovereignty and territorial integrity , ” was how the US State Department ’ s statement saw things back then .
Can you imagine Washington saying something similar over Hong Kong in 2020 ?
“ Britain , through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its assault on China ’ s sovereignty and territorial integrity , ” the State Department doesn ’ t say in a statement .
Lost Hong Kong : A Hist ... Waller , Peter Best Price : $ 16.35 Buy New $ 15.52 For years , Hong Kong has maintained a reputation as a place for new business and entrepreneurs driven by a dynamic population .
The market is vast and active , things happen quickly and it ’ s an exciting place to be .
Then you have Britain , which has , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frankly , if it ’ s a new start they ’ re after they ’ d be far better off heading to Australia or Canada , where the Hong Kong diaspora already exists in large communities rather than take up the offer of maybe having their own low-regulation “ city ” here somewhere nice up north as suggested by one free-thinker , or down on the south coast , as suggested by another .
This is the sort of bonkers thinking that the government here comes up with following a rash reaction to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away of which there is no real grasp of exactly what is going on .
But it ’ s an event that is made for soundbites .
And therefore perfect for big , arms-flung-wide gestures of promises of fellowship and eternal friendship .
In fact , it ’ s made for the showman that is Boris Johnson .
While many people in the UK will already know this , those in Hong Kong who have not yet got the measure of our PM will catch on soon .
There ’ s a particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him , especially given his philandering ways : he ’ s all talk and no trousers .
The statements , views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT .

The UK’s offer of residency to three million residents of “Honkers” is guilt-driven meddling in affairs that are no longer British. Strangely, there is no international outcry at this display of diplomatic double standards.
Having left Hong Kong in the lurch once already, when it handed the colony over to China following the expiration of its 99-year lease, Britain is seeking to make matters worse with an offer of not-quite citizenship to three million of its people.
These folks are the Hong Kong Chinese who qualified for the booby prize of British national (overseas) status allowing them to… well, nothing really. The status has no tangible benefit.
But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in an ostentatious show of generosity, has offered those citizens of Hong Kong who might choose now as a good time to leave their homeland the opportunity of coming to live in the UK visa-free for 12-months and then, maybe, follow that up with full citizenship, no promises mind you. Hong Kong Then and Now... Grylls, Vaughan Best Price: $35.67 Buy New $14.85 (as of 03:29 UTC - Details)
This seems as enticing as those adverts for three pairs of elastic-waisted trousers for £29.99 that are often seen in the back pages of the Sunday newspapers.
Others – touched by some strange nostalgia about “Honkers,” as we colonials used to call this distant part of the Empire – want to go even further, and give them all full citizenship immediately.
Let’s get this straight. We’re offering the industrious, entrepreneurial people of Hong Kong the chance to flee their lifelong home for a new start in post-pandemic Britain where the economy is in tatters and unemployment sky high. Don’t even ask about the weather.
Er, why didn’t we do that back in 1997 as the Union Jack was being folded up by Governor Chris Patten and the island handed back to the Chinese?
But no, instead we simply honoured the deal, handed over the local population like cattle, and walked away. Prince Charles and Governor Patten sailed off in the royal yacht Britannia after the handover ceremony convinced they’d done the right thing.
It was clear all along that China would give scant regard to the “one nation, two systems” arrangement that Britain believed it had left in place. And, really, why should it? Where else on earth does this sort of agreement work?
China was initially happy to let Hong Kong function as a financial centre and entrepreneurial hotbed, but when things began to get out of hand and reform became an issue, then of course the authorities would crack down and crack down hard. It is, after all, their country, their people. Over Hong Kong: 35th A... Dodwell, David Best Price: $24.23 Buy New $28.29 (as of 03:29 UTC - Details)
Now, as Beijing moves to impose a supposedly more authoritarian system (aka bringing seven million people under the same system as 1.3 billion fellow citizens), Britain feels new guilt at leaving HK and decides the visa offer will make amends, while at the same time sending a message to the Chinese government that shifting away from the “one nation, two systems” model is not acceptable.
It is totally understandable that China might be puzzled. It’s not as if they haven’t made it quite plain since July 1, 1997 that “Honkers” is theirs and – duh! – exists under their rule and nothing has been said. More like one rule, two systems.
And where is the rest of the world piling in on Britain for attempting to meddle in another nation’s regional affairs? Isn’t this exactly the sort of issue which stirs diplomats to high dudgeon and prompts them to issue lofty opinions and veiled threats?
Imagine if it were Russia! Ha, that would be fun! Look at the way the USA launched into them over its offer of Russian citizenship to the people of eastern Ukraine in 2019.
“Russia, through this highly provocative action, is intensifying its assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” was how the US State Department’s statement saw things back then.
Can you imagine Washington saying something similar over Hong Kong in 2020? “Britain, through this highly provocative action, is intensifying its assault on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the State Department doesn’t say in a statement.
Lost Hong Kong: A Hist... Waller, Peter Best Price: $16.35 Buy New $15.52 (as of 03:29 UTC - Details) For years, Hong Kong has maintained a reputation as a place for new business and entrepreneurs driven by a dynamic population. The market is vast and active, things happen quickly and it’s an exciting place to be.
Then you have Britain, which has, well, none of those attributes.
Frankly, if it’s a new start they’re after they’d be far better off heading to Australia or Canada, where the Hong Kong diaspora already exists in large communities rather than take up the offer of maybe having their own low-regulation “city” here somewhere nice up north as suggested by one free-thinker, or down on the south coast, as suggested by another.
This is the sort of bonkers thinking that the government here comes up with following a rash reaction to a situation emerging in a place far away of which there is no real grasp of exactly what is going on.
But it’s an event that is made for soundbites. And therefore perfect for big, arms-flung-wide gestures of promises of fellowship and eternal friendship. In fact, it’s made for the showman that is Boris Johnson.
While many people in the UK will already know this, those in Hong Kong who have not yet got the measure of our PM will catch on soon. There’s a particularly apposite English phrase for it, and for him, especially given his philandering ways: he’s all talk and no trousers.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.