lewrockwell--2020-03-18--Coronavirus-19 – What Is Really Going On?

Saturday early afternoon is my regular grocery shopping time : almost every Saturday I dedicate an hour or two to stocking up for the following week .
I ’ ve been going to my local ( Wendell NC ) Food Lion now for twenty-seven years .
The staff there is friendly and helpful , and most of them know me by my first name .
And I almost always find what I am looking for .
Yesterday I went for my usual visit , and the place was like a war zone : long lines , frantic women loaded down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all gone from the shelves ) , hand sanitizer sold out , bread and soup in very short supply , and even store-bought water running low .
As one store assistant—a long-time friend—told me : “ This is worse than Hurricane Matthew or Fran , or maybe the last Winter blizzard we had !
” Such shortages don ’ t affect me , since I live by myself ( except for my handsome Cocker Spaniel ) , and I always keep a stock of necessary items on hand .
( I learned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fran in 1996 when I was without power for eleven days ! )
But the extreme panic struck me .
And I thought to myself : the role of the media in generating this is very significant .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Best Price : null Buy New $ 15.00 Now I am not an assiduous viewer of network television—I much prefer , if I watch the Boob Tube at all , to catch an entertaining old oater ( say , with Randolph Scott or Audie Murphy ) on Encore Westerns or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have noticed , that as much as the media profess to present the “ facts , ” their lurid presentations of the ravages of this latest Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) and its effects have only heightened the edginess and fears of an unwary and spooked public .
Nationally , to take only an example , just this morning the inveterate anti-Trumper , Chris Wallace , interviewed on Fox both Dr. Anthony Fauci of the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin .
And Wallace tried every way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admit that the very fate of the nation was at stake , that we were headed for the direst of dire events—a terrifying recession , if not worse , and that President Trump had been “ too slow ” and confused in reacting .
Their responses to an insistent Wallace were largely reassuring to anyone watching…but Chris seemed not at all deterred .
Worse still has been much of the local media .
A regional television station in this area—NBC-affiliate WRAL—loudly proclaims that its only desire is to give viewers factual information , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and selected horror stories , has been nothing less than scandalous and hysterical .
One doctor the station located predicted millions would become sick , but failed to note that many millions get the flu each year as well .
And thousands die from the flu annually .
The death rate from COVID-19 ( which is a variant strain similar to the flu ) is between 1 % and 2 % in the United States , and the great majority of those , according to the CDC , are the elderly with existent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the effects of influenza .
There is , of course , a definite political twist to all this .
Take for example the early reaction of leading Democrats and in particular of Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders , who have criticized the president for “ lack of action.
” Given President Trump ’ s declaration of a national emergency this week and additional proactive measures by the administration and by Congress , some of this talk may lessen ( but don ’ t bet on it ) .
Recall the phrase of Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis go to waste [ politically ] .
” Expect to see the Democratic candidates and most especially the Internet and Twitter-world continue to ramp up and hype ignorantly this “ crisis ” and continue to “ shout fire !
fire !
” and pretend that we are all contained in a crowded movie theater with the doors locked .
It has become one more stone to throw at the president .
The Russia Hoax , the Kavanaugh caper , Michael Cohen , the Ukraine quid pro quo—they have all been trotted out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ darts which failed to strike the dart board , they ’ ve come up short .
For far too many frenzied anti- and Never Trumpers , this COVID-19 situation presents one more opportunity to strike at the heart of the hated Donald .
And , if you can stomach it , take a peek at the coverage on MSNBC or CNN , and there , voila !
, you will learn that to attribute this latest coronavirus to Chinese ineptitude is “ racist , ” to call it “ Chinese Coronavirus ” is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Maybe it has been in fact a plot hatched by some reactionary old white men huddled in the basement of the White House , intent on devastating brown and black peoples across the globe ?
Think I ’ m kidding ?
At this point and in this perfervid intellectual climate , I wouldn ’ t gainsay it .
After all is said and done , it comes down to these questions : what is the actual situation in the United States , what should I ( and my family ) do to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what are the symptoms of COVID-19 .
And overall how should we react , prudently and rationally…and not like a heard of Gadarene swine plunging off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee .
The surest and most accurate source of up-to-date information is the Federal government ’ s own special Coronvirus-19 Web site , which offers essential details .
As Dr. Fauci and the CDC have stated , the symptoms of COVID-19 are characterized by a very high fever , a deeply-based cough , a noticeable shortness of breath , persistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more serious cases possible mental disorientation .
In fact , these symptoms are similar to those of aggravated influenza or pneumonia , and the need to treat them medically is very much like the treatment of those illnesses : strong antibiotics , constant hydration , and self-isolation until those conditions go away—with a visit to one ’ s doctor or an emergency room only in extreme cases .
Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Best Price : null Buy New $ 25.00 And , just like the flu—and clearly evident in the presently-counted cases—for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracting the infection the illness will not be life-threatening at all .
Again , those most at risk—just like with influenza and pneumonia strains—will be the elderly with persistent health and immunity issues .
Like with the flu most contracting COVID-19 who act reasonably and prudently ( and without the frenzy I witnessed at Food Lion yesterday ! )
will fully recover .
Certainly , there are simple measures to avert infection and they should include frequent handwashing with anti-bacterial products , avoiding close or intimate contact with those with evident coughing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are beset with persistent deep coughing , high fever and sneezing , cover up and depending on the severity , contact your physician ) .
Unfortunately the panic continues .
The stock market has taken a hit ; the airlines and travel businesses have seen a precipitous decline in business ; many schools have let out , and with underage children at home , two-working-parent households are in a quandary .
Perhaps millions will suffer economically in the short term .
The president has taken bold action , and we shall see what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have .
In the meantime , the grocery store shelves—the Walmart specials—the CVS displays remain cleaned out .
Toilet tissue is nowhere to be had .
In such cases , alas , my best advice to you is to invest in one of those foreign-style bidets , or barring that , if you can find some old Sears and Roebuck catalogs still around….snatch them up !

Saturday early afternoon is my regular grocery shopping time: almost every Saturday I dedicate an hour or two to stocking up for the following week. I’ve been going to my local (Wendell NC) Food Lion now for twenty-seven years. The staff there is friendly and helpful, and most of them know me by my first name. And I almost always find what I am looking for.
Yesterday I went for my usual visit, and the place was like a war zone: long lines, frantic women loaded down with toilet tissue (which was almost all gone from the shelves), hand sanitizer sold out, bread and soup in very short supply, and even store-bought water running low. As one store assistant—a long-time friend—told me: “This is worse than Hurricane Matthew or Fran, or maybe the last Winter blizzard we had!”
Such shortages don’t affect me, since I live by myself (except for my handsome Cocker Spaniel), and I always keep a stock of necessary items on hand. (I learned that lesson back during the ravages of Hurricane Fran in 1996 when I was without power for eleven days!) But the extreme panic struck me.
And I thought to myself: the role of the media in generating this is very significant.
Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $15.00 (as of 12:45 UTC - Details) Now I am not an assiduous viewer of network television—I much prefer, if I watch the Boob Tube at all, to catch an entertaining old oater (say, with Randolph Scott or Audie Murphy) on Encore Westerns or a timeless classic on TCM. But I have noticed, that as much as the media profess to present the “facts,” their lurid presentations of the ravages of this latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its effects have only heightened the edginess and fears of an unwary and spooked public.
Nationally, to take only an example, just this morning the inveterate anti-Trumper, Chris Wallace, interviewed on Fox both Dr. Anthony Fauci of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. And Wallace tried every way he could to get them both to admit that the very fate of the nation was at stake, that we were headed for the direst of dire events—a terrifying recession, if not worse, and that President Trump had been “too slow” and confused in reacting. Their responses to an insistent Wallace were largely reassuring to anyone watching…but Chris seemed not at all deterred.
Worse still has been much of the local media. A regional television station in this area—NBC-affiliate WRAL—loudly proclaims that its only desire is to give viewers factual information, yet its coverage, replete with rumors and selected horror stories, has been nothing less than scandalous and hysterical.
One doctor the station located predicted millions would become sick, but failed to note that many millions get the flu each year as well. And thousands die from the flu annually. The death rate from COVID-19 (which is a variant strain similar to the flu) is between 1% and 2% in the United States, and the great majority of those, according to the CDC, are the elderly with existent serious health issues, again similar to the effects of influenza.
There is, of course, a definite political twist to all this. Take for example the early reaction of leading Democrats and in particular of Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, who have criticized the president for “lack of action.” Given President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency this week and additional proactive measures by the administration and by Congress, some of this talk may lessen (but don’t bet on it). Recall the phrase of Mayor Rahm Emmanuel: “Never let a crisis go to waste [politically].” Expect to see the Democratic candidates and most especially the Internet and Twitter-world continue to ramp up and hype ignorantly this “crisis” and continue to “shout fire! fire!” and pretend that we are all contained in a crowded movie theater with the doors locked.
It has become one more stone to throw at the president. The Russia Hoax, the Kavanaugh caper, Michael Cohen, the Ukraine quid pro quo—they have all been trotted out to bring him down, and like darts which failed to strike the dart board, they’ve come up short. For far too many frenzied anti- and Never Trumpers, this COVID-19 situation presents one more opportunity to strike at the heart of the hated Donald.
And, if you can stomach it, take a peek at the coverage on MSNBC or CNN, and there, voila!, you will learn that to attribute this latest coronavirus to Chinese ineptitude is “racist,” to call it “Chinese Coronavirus” is another example of “Western white supremacy.” Maybe it has been in fact a plot hatched by some reactionary old white men huddled in the basement of the White House, intent on devastating brown and black peoples across the globe? Think I’m kidding? At this point and in this perfervid intellectual climate, I wouldn’t gainsay it.
After all is said and done, it comes down to these questions: what is the actual situation in the United States, what should I (and my family) do to avoid infection (practical steps), and what are the symptoms of COVID-19. And overall how should we react, prudently and rationally…and not like a heard of Gadarene swine plunging off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee.
The surest and most accurate source of up-to-date information is the Federal government’s own special Coronvirus-19 Web site, which offers essential details.
As Dr. Fauci and the CDC have stated, the symptoms of COVID-19 are characterized by a very high fever, a deeply-based cough, a noticeable shortness of breath, persistent pain in the chest, and in more serious cases possible mental disorientation. In fact, these symptoms are similar to those of aggravated influenza or pneumonia, and the need to treat them medically is very much like the treatment of those illnesses: strong antibiotics, constant hydration, and self-isolation until those conditions go away—with a visit to one’s doctor or an emergency room only in extreme cases.
Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $25.00 (as of 11:14 UTC - Details) And, just like the flu—and clearly evident in the presently-counted cases—for most people exposed and the great majority contracting the infection the illness will not be life-threatening at all. Again, those most at risk—just like with influenza and pneumonia strains—will be the elderly with persistent health and immunity issues. Like with the flu most contracting COVID-19 who act reasonably and prudently (and without the frenzy I witnessed at Food Lion yesterday!) will fully recover.
Certainly, there are simple measures to avert infection and they should include frequent handwashing with anti-bacterial products, avoiding close or intimate contact with those with evident coughing and sneezing problems (and if you yourself are beset with persistent deep coughing, high fever and sneezing, cover up and depending on the severity, contact your physician).
Unfortunately the panic continues. The stock market has taken a hit; the airlines and travel businesses have seen a precipitous decline in business; many schools have let out, and with underage children at home, two-working-parent households are in a quandary. Perhaps millions will suffer economically in the short term. The president has taken bold action, and we shall see what effect the concerted actions—most likely over-actions—of government have.
In the meantime, the grocery store shelves—the Walmart specials—the CVS displays remain cleaned out. Toilet tissue is nowhere to be had. In such cases, alas, my best advice to you is to invest in one of those foreign-style bidets, or barring that, if you can find some old Sears and Roebuck catalogs still around….snatch them up!
Reprinted with the author’s permission.


lewrockwell--2020-03-18--Should Government Really Have Any Power in a Crisis?

Please forgive what may appear as fatalistic to some .
It is quite the opposite .
Fatalism would be the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable .
No events are predetermined as far as I can tell .
Free will is everywhere .
Humans tend to be imperfect .
To date I ’ ve yet to meet a perfect human .
The better I know a person , the more flawed I realize they are .
Which is okay .
What is not okay , is putting so much power in the hands of someone so flawed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what is not okay is to put so much power into the hands of institutions , like government , that are so predictably net negative utilizers of the power already handed to them .
Marketplaces leave lots of room and lots of methods for competition , alternatives , meritocracy , ways of opting out or opting in , rationing , preparing , providing , predicting , and so much more .
Government has its single tool : fiat .
And the demi-tool : threats .
And the quasi-demi-tool : implications of threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 So , when outcomes matter most , we often seem to turn to government and get the predictably awful outcome that comes when you turn to an inefficient bureaucracy that rules by force and threat of force to do the work best suited for individuals : making decisions for themselves .
And this naturally is not fatalism .
This is a tool ( government ) that is possibly useful for some activities , instead being used for many other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipped to be best at .
You would never use a pair of scissor to tie your shoe laces , or a hacksaw to trim a baby ’ s fingernails .
Those tools aren ’ t well-equipped for that work .
The outcome would be disastrous .
Government is well-equipped to be a make-work program for sociopaths and to provide cover for theft , plunder , and murder .
It is incredibly useful for this .
It is not the best equipped tool to handle an array of other concerns though , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ useful and unbiased information about said outbreak , or ensuring high quality and affordable care for those afflicted .
These matters are best left to individuals cooperating voluntarily in a marketplace .
“ Oh , but their health affects others , ” comments the eager statist , “ How can you possibly suggest they have the right to decide for others ?
” “ Exactly , ” would be my answer .
No one has the right to decide for others .
Decide for yourself .
Leave everyone else alone to decide for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly be worse than whatever government will produce .
If you understand freedom , you don ’ t see a need for government to coordinate coronavirus responses .
If you believe in free markets , you also don ’ t see a need for government to coordinate coronavirus responses .
You are merely grasping at straws when you turn to government .
It isn ’ t a god .
It ’ s powers aren ’ t supernatural .
You ’ ve seen the best and brightest who run the government having a smoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building .
Have some faith in your values .
There can also be utility in following your values .
If one must speak about the collective and utility – time and again , we ’ ve seen that the worse the situation , the better freedom is at managing society ’ s resources .
The more minor the situation , the less government involvement is able to screw things up royally .
The less damage can be done .
And by that , I mean , turning to government to build a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much .
Tammy Faye and Shawanda and Karl having their smoke break outside a government building know better .
They wouldn ’ t trust their colleagues at work to manage a darn thing in their private lives .
They intimately know the limitations of their little segment of government .
Why would we trust the people who can even screw up a dog park so badly , with responsibilities far more significant ?
That ’ s exactly the kind of bad choice that is made when we foolishly pretend there is such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , ” and that there is a collective common interest that can be satisfied by a government .
Needs and wants are individual .
They can be satisfied for individuals .
Talk of “ the greater good , ” merely distracts from this detail with some romanticized lie about an imaginary collective interest that does not exist .
Talking in such fanciful ways brings us no closer to understanding reality .
We must speak concretely about individuals and their needs and the solutions required for each individual .
The response to corona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every political edict on the topic and to go about life as you think appropriate under the circumstances .
The people making the edicts are desperate to feel relevant and are surrounded by handlers who insist to them how important they are to successful resolutions of society ’ s problems .
When in reality , they aren ’ t .
The best they can do for anyone is to say a few encouraging words and to leave everyone alone .
Their moral support alone is likely to do enough damage , but some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government officials to keep busy by offering kind words of moral support is better than letting them screw up dog parks .
For a New Liberty : The ... Murray N. Rothbard Buy New $ 5.95 If you let government mess up a dog park , it will .
If you let government mess up housing , it will .
If you let government mess up education , it will .
If you let government mess up human health and happiness , it will .
In March of 2020 , with the planet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than ever we need to trust in the individual to decide for himself and to remember to let the mayor , governor , and president decide for no one but themselves .
They will , reliably , screw it up if we decide any other way .
That is the nature of government .
To describe a tool and its known limitations is not in any way fatalistic .
In sharp contrast to government , the nature of individuals is uncertain , undetermined , and has gotten us a few million years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nothing new is taking place in society that is any indication that it is time to reform that view , even with the emergence of this latest microbe that has attracted the attention of many .
Everything looks very similar to the way it always has .
Life has challenges .
That is the nature of life .
Humanity arranges itself in useful ways voluntarily and has done pretty well handling those challenges .
Any other way is mired in idealism divorced from reality .
With corona being identified as having reached pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right time to tell government to piss off .
The Best of Allan Stevo

Please forgive what may appear as fatalistic to some. It is quite the opposite. Fatalism would be the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. No events are predetermined as far as I can tell. Free will is everywhere.
Humans tend to be imperfect. To date I’ve yet to meet a perfect human. The better I know a person, the more flawed I realize they are. Which is okay.
What is not okay, is putting so much power in the hands of someone so flawed.
To take it a step further, what is not okay is to put so much power into the hands of institutions, like government, that are so predictably net negative utilizers of the power already handed to them.
Marketplaces leave lots of room and lots of methods for competition, alternatives, meritocracy, ways of opting out or opting in, rationing, preparing, providing, predicting, and so much more.
Government has its single tool: fiat. And the demi-tool: threats. And the quasi-demi-tool: implications of threats. Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details)
So, when outcomes matter most, we often seem to turn to government and get the predictably awful outcome that comes when you turn to an inefficient bureaucracy that rules by force and threat of force to do the work best suited for individuals: making decisions for themselves.
And this naturally is not fatalism. This is a tool (government) that is possibly useful for some activities, instead being used for many other activities that it simply isn’t equipped to be best at. You would never use a pair of scissor to tie your shoe laces, or a hacksaw to trim a baby’s fingernails. Those tools aren’t well-equipped for that work. The outcome would be disastrous.
Government is well-equipped to be a make-work program for sociopaths and to provide cover for theft, plunder, and murder. It is incredibly useful for this.
It is not the best equipped tool to handle an array of other concerns though, such as managing disease outbreaks, or providing useful and unbiased information about said outbreak, or ensuring high quality and affordable care for those afflicted. These matters are best left to individuals cooperating voluntarily in a marketplace.
“Oh, but their health affects others,” comments the eager statist, “How can you possibly suggest they have the right to decide for others?”
“Exactly,” would be my answer.
No one has the right to decide for others. Decide for yourself. Leave everyone else alone to decide for themselves. The outcome can’t possibly be worse than whatever government will produce.
If you understand freedom, you don’t see a need for government to coordinate coronavirus responses. If you believe in free markets, you also don’t see a need for government to coordinate coronavirus responses.
You are merely grasping at straws when you turn to government. It isn’t a god. It’s powers aren’t supernatural.
You’ve seen the best and brightest who run the government having a smoke break every time you pass a government building.
Have some faith in your values. There can also be utility in following your values. If one must speak about the collective and utility – time and again, we’ve seen that the worse the situation, the better freedom is at managing society’s resources.
The more minor the situation, the less government involvement is able to screw things up royally. The less damage can be done. And by that, I mean, turning to government to build a great dog park, is probably asking too much.
Tammy Faye and Shawanda and Karl having their smoke break outside a government building know better. They wouldn’t trust their colleagues at work to manage a darn thing in their private lives. They intimately know the limitations of their little segment of government.
Why would we trust the people who can even screw up a dog park so badly, with responsibilities far more significant?
That’s exactly the kind of bad choice that is made when we foolishly pretend there is such a thing as a collective “we the people,” and that there is a collective common interest that can be satisfied by a government. Needs and wants are individual. They can be satisfied for individuals. Talk of “the greater good,” merely distracts from this detail with some romanticized lie about an imaginary collective interest that does not exist. Talking in such fanciful ways brings us no closer to understanding reality. We must speak concretely about individuals and their needs and the solutions required for each individual.
The response to corona should be to laugh at and ignore every political edict on the topic and to go about life as you think appropriate under the circumstances. The people making the edicts are desperate to feel relevant and are surrounded by handlers who insist to them how important they are to successful resolutions of society’s problems. When in reality, they aren’t. The best they can do for anyone is to say a few encouraging words and to leave everyone alone. Their moral support alone is likely to do enough damage, but some people demand government and at least allowing government officials to keep busy by offering kind words of moral support is better than letting them screw up dog parks. For a New Liberty: The... Murray N. Rothbard Buy New $5.95 (as of 05:02 UTC - Details)
If you let government mess up a dog park, it will. If you let government mess up housing, it will. If you let government mess up education, it will. If you let government mess up human health and happiness, it will.
In March of 2020, with the planet harried by talk of coronavirus, now more than ever we need to trust in the individual to decide for himself and to remember to let the mayor, governor, and president decide for no one but themselves.
They will, reliably, screw it up if we decide any other way.
That is the nature of government. To describe a tool and its known limitations is not in any way fatalistic. In sharp contrast to government, the nature of individuals is uncertain, undetermined, and has gotten us a few million years into the evolutionary process just fine. Nothing new is taking place in society that is any indication that it is time to reform that view, even with the emergence of this latest microbe that has attracted the attention of many.
Everything looks very similar to the way it always has. Life has challenges. That is the nature of life. Humanity arranges itself in useful ways voluntarily and has done pretty well handling those challenges.
Any other way is mired in idealism divorced from reality. With corona being identified as having reached pandemic status, reality suggests now is the right time to tell government to piss off.
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-03-18--The Luxury of Apocalypticism

The Luxury of Apocalypticism

People ’ s refusal to panic has been a great source of frustration for the establishment in recent years .
‘ The planet is burning ’ , they lie , in relation to climate change , and yet we do not weep or wail or even pay very much attention .
‘ I want you to panic ’ , instructs the newest mouthpiece of green apocalypticism , Greta Thunberg , and yet most of us refuse to do so .
A No Deal Brexit would unleash economic mayhem , racist pogroms and even a pandemic of super-gonorrhoea , they squealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the imminent arrival of the lightning bolt of final judgement , and yet we didn ’ t flinch .
We went to work .
We went home .
We still supported Brexit .
Our skittish elites have been so baffled , infuriated in fact , by our calm response to their hysterical warnings that they have invented pathologies to explain our unacceptable behaviour .
The therapeutic language of ‘ denialism ’ is used to explain the masses ’ refusal to fret over climate change .
Environmentalists write articles on ‘ the psychology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the self-deception and mass denial ’ coursing through this society that refuses to flatter or engage with the hysteria of the eco-elites .
Likewise , the refusal of voters to succumb to the dire , hollow warnings of the ferociously anti-Brexit wing of the establishment was interpreted by self-styled experts as a psychological disorder .
‘ [ This is ] people taking action for essentially psychological reasons , irrespective of the economic cost ’ , said one professor .
50 Pcs Disposable Earl ... Buy New $ 26.99 ( $ 0.54 / Count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was hysteria that was seen as a malady of the mind .
Now it is the reluctance to kowtow to hysteria , the preference for calm discussion over panic and dread , that is treated as a malady .
Today , it is those who prefer reason over rashness , whether on climate change or Brexit , who are judged to be disordered .
According to the new elites , their apocalypticism is normal , while our calm democratic commitment to a political project , such as Brexit , or our desire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than as a swirling , cloudy hint of nature ’ s coming fury with man ’ s hubris and destructiveness , is mad , deranged , in need of treatment .
Their End Times nervousness is good ; our faith in moral reason is bad .
This strange , fascinating tension between the apocalypticism of the intellectual and cultural elites and the scepticism of ordinary people is coming into play in the Covid-19 crisis .
Of course , Covid-19 is very different to both No Deal Brexit and climate change .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In contrast , the idea that leaving the EU without a deal would be the greatest crisis to befall Britain since the Luftwaffe dropped its deadly cargo on us was nothing more than political propaganda invented from pure cloth .
And the notion that climate change is an End Times event , rather than a practical problem that can be solved with tech , especially the rollout of nuclear power , is little more than the prejudice of Malthusian elites who view the very project of modernity as an intemperate expression of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the other hand , is a real and pressing crisis .
It poses a profound challenge to humankind .
It requires seriousness and action to limit the number of deaths and to mitigate the economic and social costs of both the disease itself and of our strategies for dealing with it .
But what ties Covid-19 to the other fashionable apocalypses of our nervous elites , including the green apocalypse and the Brexit apocalypse , is the interpretation of it through the language and ideology of the elites ’ pre-existing dread , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Predictably , and depressingly , Covid-19 has been folded into their narrative of horror , into their permanent state of cultural distress , and this is making the task of facing it down even harder .

People’s refusal to panic has been a great source of frustration for the establishment in recent years. ‘The planet is burning’, they lie, in relation to climate change, and yet we do not weep or wail or even pay very much attention. ‘I want you to panic’, instructs the newest mouthpiece of green apocalypticism, Greta Thunberg, and yet most of us refuse to do so. A No Deal Brexit would unleash economic mayhem, racist pogroms and even a pandemic of super-gonorrhoea, they squealed, incessantly, like millenarian preachers balking at the imminent arrival of the lightning bolt of final judgement, and yet we didn’t flinch. We went to work. We went home. We still supported Brexit.
Our skittish elites have been so baffled, infuriated in fact, by our calm response to their hysterical warnings that they have invented pathologies to explain our unacceptable behaviour. The therapeutic language of ‘denialism’ is used to explain the masses’ refusal to fret over climate change. Environmentalists write articles on ‘the psychology of climate-change denial’, on ‘the self-deception and mass denial’ coursing through this society that refuses to flatter or engage with the hysteria of the eco-elites. Likewise, the refusal of voters to succumb to the dire, hollow warnings of the ferociously anti-Brexit wing of the establishment was interpreted by self-styled experts as a psychological disorder. ‘[This is] people taking action for essentially psychological reasons, irrespective of the economic cost’, said one professor.
50 Pcs Disposable Earl... Buy New $26.99 ($0.54 / Count) (as of 04:59 UTC - Details) How curious. In the past it was hysteria that was seen as a malady of the mind. Now it is the reluctance to kowtow to hysteria, the preference for calm discussion over panic and dread, that is treated as a malady. Today, it is those who prefer reason over rashness, whether on climate change or Brexit, who are judged to be disordered. According to the new elites, their apocalypticism is normal, while our calm democratic commitment to a political project, such as Brexit, or our desire to treat pollution as a practical problem rather than as a swirling, cloudy hint of nature’s coming fury with man’s hubris and destructiveness, is mad, deranged, in need of treatment. Their End Times nervousness is good; our faith in moral reason is bad.
This strange, fascinating tension between the apocalypticism of the intellectual and cultural elites and the scepticism of ordinary people is coming into play in the Covid-19 crisis. Of course, Covid-19 is very different to both No Deal Brexit and climate change. It is a serious medical and social crisis. In contrast, the idea that leaving the EU without a deal would be the greatest crisis to befall Britain since the Luftwaffe dropped its deadly cargo on us was nothing more than political propaganda invented from pure cloth. And the notion that climate change is an End Times event, rather than a practical problem that can be solved with tech, especially the rollout of nuclear power, is little more than the prejudice of Malthusian elites who view the very project of modernity as an intemperate expression of speciesist supremacy by mankind.
Covid-19, on the other hand, is a real and pressing crisis. It poses a profound challenge to humankind. It requires seriousness and action to limit the number of deaths and to mitigate the economic and social costs of both the disease itself and of our strategies for dealing with it. But what ties Covid-19 to the other fashionable apocalypses of our nervous elites, including the green apocalypse and the Brexit apocalypse, is the interpretation of it through the language and ideology of the elites’ pre-existing dread, their pre-existing cultural skittishness and moral disarray. Predictably, and depressingly, Covid-19 has been folded into their narrative of horror, into their permanent state of cultural distress, and this is making the task of facing it down even harder.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-03-18--Has Anyone Told the ECB Yet It’s Bankrupt?

For months myself and very few others have been warning about the problems in Europe .
That the real problem isn ’ t in the U.S. , though it ’ s certainly a mess , it is in Europe .
It ’ s why I focused so hard on Brexit .
Would the U.K. actually get out of the EU before it all came crashing down around the deaf and now stunned Brussels technocrats ?
A U.K. outside of the EU meant localizing a major problem on the backs of those that 1 ) engineered it and 2 ) cheered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billions of pounds from them .
But while everyone has been focused on the melting equity markets and what the high priests of monetary wizardry at the central banks were going to do , did anyone notice the complete collapse of European bonds last week ?
I could go on with this but I think you get the point .
Once the real crisis hit and the world ran out of dollars , this is the result .
The ECB can not do anything other than what it ’ s done for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But what happens when the rate of selling overwhelms their buying programs ?
The Real Crash : Americ ... Peter Schiff Best Price : null Buy New $ 23.95 What happens when they expand those programs , like they did last week , and the selling still overwhelmed them ?
More importantly , what happens when short-term spread traders no longer front-run the ECB ’ s buying chasing nickels in front of a freight train ?
For years those momo-monkeys made it easier for the ECB to keep the fiction of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them beyond all recognition .
And now they ’ ve run out of other people ’ s money to bid them higher .
COVID-19 is the flint but the tinder was there , dry and warm just waiting for the spark .
And with Vladimir Putin ’ s impeccable sense of timing and strategic acumen we ’ re in the midst of the worst financial crisis since 1929 .
Forget 2008 folks .
This is a once-in-a-lifetime event .
It will likely be a once-in-five-lifetimes event if Martin Armstrong ’ s cycle projections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at the events of the past few days it ’ s pretty clear everyone who is anyone believes that our institutions are there to save us from our own excesses and mistakes .
But they aren ’ t .
The Fed did what it was supposed to do : lower rates , create liquidity , support falling capital markets and buy up government debt so that the Trump administration can spend it .
And it didn ’ t work .
The Dow crashed , and government bonds are hitting their peaks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for dollars .
Zero-bound and negative interest rates created this mess , they won ’ t get us out of it .
The central banks stand naked along the shore as the tide rolls out .
How An Economy Grows A ... Andrew J Schiff Buy New $ 17.95 And this morning financial analysts of all stripes are whistling past their own graveyards .
They are trying to make sense of it all when it simply comes down to the following… It creates the terrible dynamic we ’ re in now : hyper-inflation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt to fund social engineering .
The money printing obfuscates the lack of real capital and the rest is credit pulled from a future incapable of supporting it .
It doesn ’ t matter the form the spending takes .
It doesn ’ t matter what programs it was used to fund .
The end will always be the same .
Epic deflation as the Ponzi scheme of your government paying off its Visa with its MasterCard runs out of people to sell the debt to .
Socialized banking of any form has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To protect the lower and middle classes from future global bankruptcies we need a free market for money .
Money which is free from the avarice of psychopaths with guns extracting unearned wealth or rent from the people they say they serve .
Money is supposed to measure the profit of a voluntary exchange between two actors with productive advantages in different goods or services .
The hard truth is that until we embrace that conceit again we will be at the mercy of these terrible people .
Today , the ECB is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have the tools nor the expertise .
And they won ’ t even after they get the reforms they believe they need .
It is bankrupt now and it will need external help to survive .
Right on cue , The IMF is now talking a $ 1 trillion loan program .
Next month it ’ ll be $ 5 trillion .
What will the numbers be in 2021 ?
And who will actually be there to pay for it ?
The Best of Thomas Luongo

“The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money.” — Margaret Thatcher
For months myself and very few others have been warning about the problems in Europe. That the real problem isn’t in the U.S., though it’s certainly a mess, it is in Europe.
It’s why I focused so hard on Brexit. Would the U.K. actually get out of the EU before it all came crashing down around the deaf and now stunned Brussels technocrats?
A U.K. outside of the EU meant localizing a major problem on the backs of those that 1) engineered it and 2) cheered it as they literally stole hundreds of billions of pounds from them.
But while everyone has been focused on the melting equity markets and what the high priests of monetary wizardry at the central banks were going to do, did anyone notice the complete collapse of European bonds last week?
I could go on with this but I think you get the point.
Once the real crisis hit and the world ran out of dollars, this is the result. The ECB cannot do anything other than what it’s done for the past ten years, buy sovereign debt.
But what happens when the rate of selling overwhelms their buying programs? The Real Crash: Americ... Peter Schiff Buy New $23.95 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details)
What happens when they expand those programs, like they did last week, and the selling still overwhelmed them?
More importantly, what happens when short-term spread traders no longer front-run the ECB’s buying chasing nickels in front of a freight train?
Scroll up.
For years those momo-monkeys made it easier for the ECB to keep the fiction of a functional bond market alive. This distorted them beyond all recognition.
And now they’ve run out of other people’s money to bid them higher.
COVID-19 is the flint but the tinder was there, dry and warm just waiting for the spark. And with Vladimir Putin’s impeccable sense of timing and strategic acumen we’re in the midst of the worst financial crisis since 1929.
Forget 2008 folks. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It will likely be a once-in-five-lifetimes event if Martin Armstrong’s cycle projections are anything close to accurate.
Armstrong from 2015:
There is interaction also between the different fractal levels. The grand or major level at the 309.6 scale shows that the current major trend is a PUBLIC WAVE. since the late 1700s into 2032.95. This has been the age of big government and the shift from Laissez-faire economics in which transactions between private parties are free from government interference such as regulations, privileges, tariffs, and subsidies. This is the primary difference between a PUBLIC and PRIVATE WAVE.
And looking at the events of the past few days it’s pretty clear everyone who is anyone believes that our institutions are there to save us from our own excesses and mistakes.
But they aren’t. The Fed did what it was supposed to do: lower rates, create liquidity, support falling capital markets and buy up government debt so that the Trump administration can spend it.
And it didn’t work. The Dow crashed, and government bonds are hitting their peaks. And still there is an unquenchable need for dollars.
Zero-bound and negative interest rates created this mess, they won’t get us out of it.
The central banks stand naked along the shore as the tide rolls out. How An Economy Grows A... Andrew J Schiff Buy New $17.95 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details)
And this morning financial analysts of all stripes are whistling past their own graveyards. They are trying to make sense of it all when it simply comes down to the following…
Government-sponsored (or socialist) banking doesn’t work.
It creates the terrible dynamic we’re in now: hyper-inflation of risks which come through the selling debt to fund social engineering.
The money printing obfuscates the lack of real capital and the rest is credit pulled from a future incapable of supporting it.
It doesn’t matter the form the spending takes. It doesn’t matter what programs it was used to fund. The end will always be the same.
Epic deflation as the Ponzi scheme of your government paying off its Visa with its MasterCard runs out of people to sell the debt to.
Socialized banking of any form has never worked and it never will. To protect the lower and middle classes from future global bankruptcies we need a free market for money.
Money which is free from the avarice of psychopaths with guns extracting unearned wealth or rent from the people they say they serve. Money is supposed to measure the profit of a voluntary exchange between two actors with productive advantages in different goods or services.
The hard truth is that until we embrace that conceit again we will be at the mercy of these terrible people.
Today, the ECB is powerless to stop this. They don’t have the tools nor the expertise. And they won’t even after they get the reforms they believe they need. It is bankrupt now and it will need external help to survive.
Right on cue, The IMF is now talking a $1 trillion loan program. Next month it’ll be $5 trillion.
What will the numbers be in 2021? And who will actually be there to pay for it?
Reprinted with permission from Gold Goats ‘n Guns.
The Best of Tom Luongo


The People’s Vaccine

The coronavirus panic has resulted in hordes of people running after toilet paper .
Such actions are the flip side of running with the bulls , except that I suspect those who run with the bulls have some sense of why they do it .
I imagine the thrill is a bit different , even if the goal is similar .
The overriding narratives of every society are composed of myths and symbols .
Societies operate within controlling mythic symbol systems whose primary purpose is to allow people to move through their lives on automatic pilot , believing they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arms of the authorities .
All cultures revolve around death and the need to control people ’ s fears of it through the construction of symbols of reassurance .
People need to be convinced that they are protected .
In “ normal ” times , all this goes relatively smoothly and the symbols of protection – such as the military , the primary institutions , and photos of the political leaders against a backdrop of flags – serve as a comforting security blanket .
In times of extreme stress , however , whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reassurance breaks down and people panic .
Enter the coronavirus and the run on toilet paper .
Many economists and psychologists have commented on the fear that motivates this hoarding behavior .
Most commentaries are true as far as they go .
The problem is they don ’ t go very far and never touch the real issue .
Hoarding is obviously done to quell the fear of running out .
But running out of what ?
Be Ready for Anything : ... Daisy Luther Best Price : $ 10.45 Buy New $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have seen say that toilet paper is an essential household item that is easy to hoard because it has no expiration date and comes in large packages that are light and easy to carry and store .
All true .
Fear induces hoarding , and people have gone insane hoarding all kinds of items , as if the plague to end the world were upon us , which is what the mass media keeps repeating as it whips up lunatic reactions .
The end times are near !
The Grim Reaper is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflamed this fear , as authorities are apt to do , since fear , and the fear of death and disease , is the greatest way to control people .
Remember the aftermath of the attacks of September 11 , 2001 .
Fear went rampant and people ran to religious services for a while as elements within the U.S. government sent anthrax through the mail to heighten the fear .
But anthrax was nothing compared to the coronavirus ’ s spread and panic .
With the 2001 attacks , the terrorist fear soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away for all these years and keep everyone on an emergency fear footing so the government could execute its war and Patriot Act plans with little rebellion .
It worked very well .
Constant fear and anxiety became the norm as people internalized the 9/11 meme and its emergency phone number reminder .
But now the coronavirus panic is running wild and we don ’ t know when it will end .
But why this frantic race to scoop up toilet paper ?
The answer should be quite obvious , but it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
People react to the real biological fear of death by adopting any means that might protect them from it .
Excrement is the fundamental symbol of death .
It suggests we are bodies and nothing more ; that the symbols of transcendence , whether religious or secular , are mirages .
Shit has always been so associated , and always will .
It has also long been associated in the Western imagination with the devil , Satan , the Lord of the underworld , who rules the pit of smelly steaming death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down in the earth to rot away .
That ’ s it .
No heaven , no immortality , just maggots in the dirt where shit descends .
The thought that that is all we are doesn ’ t go over well with many people .
To accept that we are only bodies , and that civilization and cultures have been constructed upon symbols created to tell us this isn ’ t true are pipe dreams , is the fear that runs rampant in days such as these , with the coronavirus allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pumpkin Head ready to pounce .
The fundamental human fear is that we , like excrement , are destined to be buried and forgotten ; that we will be buried in the earth or flushed down a toilet .
The fear is that “ dead ” excrement is what we are and that all the shiny symbols erected by civilization to say we are more are just bullshit .
The Prepperu2019s Blue ... Tess Pennington Best Price : $ 11.98 Buy New $ 18.98 This fear is compounded when science often claims that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pocus .
The religious symbol systems that were the overarching bulwarks of western civilization have been replaced by science and technology .
But these twins have no answer for the fact of death , except to say it is inevitable and maybe we can help you to live a bit longer .
Many people , if only unconsciously , might not be satisfied with that answer .
So when death comes courting in the guise of a so-called plague or pandemic , toilet paper will keep you safe and clean .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mortal and will return to the earth ; that you will rot there unless you somehow believe in the transcendent spirit of days gone by .
Rather than focus on all the death unleashed by government violence – their alleged protectors – people are easily manipulated into fearing the wrong things and unconsciously seeking some innocuous symbol that might do the job .
Running with the bulls gives people the thrill of teasing death while defeating it .
It must be very exciting .
Running after toilet paper is quite dull by comparison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Best of Edward Curtin

The coronavirus panic has resulted in hordes of people running after toilet paper. Such actions are the flip side of running with the bulls, except that I suspect those who run with the bulls have some sense of why they do it. I imagine the thrill is a bit different, even if the goal is similar.
The overriding narratives of every society are composed of myths and symbols. Societies operate within controlling mythic symbol systems whose primary purpose is to allow people to move through their lives on automatic pilot, believing they are safe from death and chaos in the arms of the authorities. All cultures revolve around death and the need to control people’s fears of it through the construction of symbols of reassurance. People need to be convinced that they are protected. In “normal” times, all this goes relatively smoothly and the symbols of protection – such as the military, the primary institutions, and photos of the political leaders against a backdrop of flags – serve as a comforting security blanket. In times of extreme stress, however, whether real or created, the system of reassurance breaks down and people panic.
Enter the coronavirus and the run on toilet paper. Many economists and psychologists have commented on the fear that motivates this hoarding behavior. Most commentaries are true as far as they go. The problem is they don’t go very far and never touch the real issue. Hoarding is obviously done to quell the fear of running out. But running out of what? Be Ready for Anything:... Daisy Luther Best Price: $10.45 Buy New $9.69 (as of 07:15 UTC - Details)
Why toilet paper? The explanations I have seen say that toilet paper is an essential household item that is easy to hoard because it has no expiration date and comes in large packages that are light and easy to carry and store. All true. Fear induces hoarding, and people have gone insane hoarding all kinds of items, as if the plague to end the world were upon us, which is what the mass media keeps repeating as it whips up lunatic reactions. The end times are near! The Grim Reaper is at your door!
The authorities have inflamed this fear, as authorities are apt to do, since fear, and the fear of death and disease, is the greatest way to control people. Remember the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Fear went rampant and people ran to religious services for a while as elements within the U.S. government sent anthrax through the mail to heighten the fear. But anthrax was nothing compared to the coronavirus’s spread and panic. With the 2001 attacks, the terrorist fear soon went onto the back burner to simmer away for all these years and keep everyone on an emergency fear footing so the government could execute its war and Patriot Act plans with little rebellion. It worked very well. Constant fear and anxiety became the norm as people internalized the 9/11 meme and its emergency phone number reminder.
But now the coronavirus panic is running wild and we don’t know when it will end. But why this frantic race to scoop up toilet paper? The answer should be quite obvious, but it is isn’t because it is unconscious. People react to the real biological fear of death by adopting any means that might protect them from it. Excrement is the fundamental symbol of death. It suggests we are bodies and nothing more; that the symbols of transcendence, whether religious or secular, are mirages. Shit has always been so associated, and always will. It has also long been associated in the Western imagination with the devil, Satan, the Lord of the underworld, who rules the pit of smelly steaming death where the bodies of people are deposited down in the earth to rot away. That’s it. No heaven, no immortality, just maggots in the dirt where shit descends. The thought that that is all we are doesn’t go over well with many people.
To accept that we are only bodies, and that civilization and cultures have been constructed upon symbols created to tell us this isn’t true are pipe dreams, is the fear that runs rampant in days such as these, with the coronavirus allegedly stalking everyone as if it were Mister Pumpkin Head ready to pounce. The fundamental human fear is that we, like excrement, are destined to be buried and forgotten; that we will be buried in the earth or flushed down a toilet. The fear is that “dead” excrement is what we are and that all the shiny symbols erected by civilization to say we are more are just bullshit. The Prepperu2019s Blue... Tess Pennington Best Price: $11.98 Buy New $18.98 (as of 02:20 UTC - Details)
This fear is compounded when science often claims that everything religions have ever taught is hocus pocus. The religious symbol systems that were the overarching bulwarks of western civilization have been replaced by science and technology. But these twins have no answer for the fact of death, except to say it is inevitable and maybe we can help you to live a bit longer. Many people, if only unconsciously, might not be satisfied with that answer.
So when death comes courting in the guise of a so-called plague or pandemic, toilet paper will keep you safe and clean. You can wipe away any reminder that you are mortal and will return to the earth; that you will rot there unless you somehow believe in the transcendent spirit of days gone by.
Rather than focus on all the death unleashed by government violence – their alleged protectors – people are easily manipulated into fearing the wrong things and unconsciously seeking some innocuous symbol that might do the job.
Running with the bulls gives people the thrill of teasing death while defeating it. It must be very exciting.
Running after toilet paper is quite dull by comparison, but it serves a similar purpose.
It’s the people’s vaccine against death.
The Best of Edward Curtin


lewrockwell--2020-03-18--What 911 Didn’t …and the ‘Climate Crisis’ Couldn’t

An economic pandemic is spreading that will kill the livelihoods of millions of Americans – who will soon be unemployed , their businesses bankrupt , their savings consumed .
The American way of life itself is in the balance – not just for a few days or weeks or months , but quite possibly forever .
And quite possibly , on purpose .
The end of free travel .
The end of free association .
No more gathering in groups – which would include political gatherings .
A national “ lockdown.
” The strong possibility of forced “ testing ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s in those needles .
Soviet-style food queues .
A Soviet-style police state – to deal with “ unrest.
” For our saaaaaaaaaaaaaafety !
It is all congealing – faster than we ’ ve had time to think it through .
It had better be worth it .
It had better be necessary .
It had better not be deliberate .
It may already be too late .
This virus – the fear about this virus – has done what pile-driving jets into tall buildings didn ’ t come close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flying for a couple of days and the stock market closing for a few days longer , economic life didn ’ t stop after the “ enemies of freedom ” struck almost 20 years ago .
A few thousand people sick – almost all of them not dying – has practically shut down the entire country , with the government intimating it will not re-open for months .
Do people understand what this means ?
What the result of this will be ?
If people stop buying new cars for one week because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has already happened in at least one state – or because instantly unemployed people are no longer shopping for new cars – it will cost the car industry $ 7.3 billion in earnings – and cost 94,400 Americans their jobs .
It would also cost the government some $ 2 billion in taxes .
Aooba 3 Pcs Fashion Pr ... Buy New $ 8.00 ( $ 8.00 / Count ) That ’ s one week .
How about three months ?
Ford was already in precarious financial condition before Corona Fever struck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not buying Fords could mean no more Ford .
And no more GM and the rest of the industry , too .
Including Tesla , Rivian and the rest of the artificially induced electric car industry , which was even more precariously perched – utterly dependent on subsidies to “ sell ” EVs to people who otherwise would never have bought them because most of them could not afford one absent the $ 7,500 per car carrot dangled in front of them .
How will they afford any new car when they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tires becomes an insurmountable expense when you are sweating how to pay for your next meal .
Will Uncle bailout the industry – again ?
The whole country ?
The Best of Eric Peters

An economic pandemic is spreading that will kill the livelihoods of millions of Americans – who will soon be unemployed, their businesses bankrupt, their savings consumed.
The American way of life itself is in the balance – not just for a few days or weeks or months, but quite possibly forever.
And quite possibly, on purpose.
The end of free travel. The end of free association. No more gathering in groups – which would include political gatherings. A national “lockdown.” The strong possibility of forced “testing” and forced vaccination – with who knows what’s in those needles. Soviet-style food queues. A Soviet-style police state – to deal with “unrest.” For our saaaaaaaaaaaaaafety!
Cui bono? MedPride Powder-Free N... Buy New $16.49 ($16.49 / Count) (as of 11:13 UTC - Details)
It is all congealing – faster than we’ve had time to think it through. It had better be worth it. It had better be necessary.
It had better not be deliberate.
It may already be too late.
This virus – the fear about this virus – has done what pile-driving jets into tall buildings didn’t come close to doing. Except for the airplanes not flying for a couple of days and the stock market closing for a few days longer, economic life didn’t stop after the “enemies of freedom” struck almost 20 years ago.
A few thousand people sick – almost all of them not dying – has practically shut down the entire country, with the government intimating it will not re-open for months. Do people understand what this means? What the result of this will be?
Here’s one snapshot:
If people stop buying new cars for one week because dealers are forced to close shop – which has already happened in at least one state – or because instantly unemployed people are no longer shopping for new cars – it will cost the car industry $7.3 billion in earnings – and cost 94,400 Americans their jobs. It would also cost the government some $2 billion in taxes. Aooba 3 Pcs Fashion Pr... Buy New $8.00 ($8.00 / Count) (as of 05:08 UTC - Details)
That’s one week. How about three months?
Ford was already in precarious financial condition before Corona Fever struck. A couple of months of people not buying Fords could mean no more Ford. And no more GM and the rest of the industry, too. Including Tesla, Rivian and the rest of the artificially induced electric car industry, which was even more precariously perched – utterly dependent on subsidies to “sell” EVs to people who otherwise would never have bought them because most of them could not afford one absent the $7,500 per car carrot dangled in front of them.
How will they afford any new car when they’re no longer working? A set of tires becomes an insurmountable expense when you are sweating how to pay for your next meal.
Will Uncle bailout the industry – again? The whole country?
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters


lewrockwell--2020-03-18--Disease X Just Arrived

Disease X Just Arrived

In 2018 I wrote about DISEASE X that the World Health Organization claimed was a priority .
An infectious disease expert said the world must prepared for the next deadly flu pandemic that is predicted to kill 200 million and the infectious disease industry needed $ 7.5 billion to prevent it .
Well , they never got paid off , so in mafia fashion , DISEASE X just arrived .
What just happened to America ?
I ’ m writing for many Americans who want someone to cogently put into words to what Americans are experiencing and seeing with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young man peering at photos in Life Magazine of Russian people standing in a long line for food , and there was little or no meat beneath the refrigerated glass case .
I read that by scarcity of food , the people were controlled , kept from rebelling against their government .
I woke up today , Monday , March 16 , to the same scarcity scenes I recalled from my youth .
I wondered what America had just become .
MedPride Powder-Free N ... Buy New $ 16.49 ( $ 16.49 / @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing a coronavirus that is not as virulent or deadly than the seasonal influenza virus this flu season , yet the nation is being placed in quarantine and the national guard is said to be readying for “ urban lockdown.
” All this onerous social and economic control over a worst-case scenario that predicts millions of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. , which is not likely to ever happen , that is , unless the sun doesn ’ t shine come spring .
Placement of sun lamps in elder-care facilities would remedy a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just coronavirus .
The idea of allowing disease to infectious disease to occur , albeit only to result in mortal consequences in a small segment of the population , and then enforce quarantines to halt the spread of what amounts to “ sun deprivation disease ” is a total misdirection in health care .
No need to hoard The government cop-out is that there is no need to hoard necessities .
But tell that to people who have lived through similar scenarios overseas .
Order them to stay indoors for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough necessities to survive without stocking up for what initially was said was going to be an 8-week quarantine .
Going through the motions of a contrived viral epidemic just for the sake of political posturing is the current state of our polarized country .
What will get a political party elected come November reigns over what is the best course health-wise .
Refuse to lockdown the country in quarantine and every death will be blamed on political inaction .
But there will be a steep price to pay .
Recall the swine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politically charged atmosphere where Gerald Ford was seeking election to the Presidency , the swine flu suddenly appeared at a military base .
A vaccine was produced and millions of Americans were vaccinated .
But the vaccine was worse than the disease , causing hundreds of cases of Guillain Barre syndrome and a few deaths .
In a replay of the past , the White House is directly involved in promoting the H1N1 2009 swine flu vaccine .
The federal government will use federal funds to pay off schools to administer vaccines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advertisements , and conduct military-style mass inoculations in such rapid fashion that if side effects occur , it will be too late .
The masses will have been vaccinated already .
Over $ 9 billion has been allotted by the federal government to develop and deliver an unproven and experimental flu vaccine .
Don ’ t be a guinea pig for the government .
And when the federal government needs to hide a flu epidemic linked to a “ hot lot ” vaccine , they can do that too .
The fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be sun-phobic to avoid skin cancers comes at the price of weakened immunity .
Will the real America ever return ?
America just may never revert back to the country it was just a few days ago .
…And all the king ’ s horses and all the king ’ s men couldn ’ t put humpty together again .
People are not going to just snap out of their fear of person-to-person contact after a coerced 15-day quarantine and go right back to dining out , sending their kids back to public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church on Sunday , with no regard for what just happened .
Aooba 3 Pcs Fashion Pr ... Buy New $ 8.00 ( $ 8.00 / Count ) We will see if the 75+ year-olds even decide to go back to church… and many housewives may just opt to have groceries delivered and out of necessity , cook food at home in an effort to try and catch up financially after a 15-day quarantine .
And why not keep the kids at home to school them ?
School administrators are thinking of cancelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prolong the life of octogenarians by a few months At the moment political leaders around the world are willing to destroy whole economies to prolong the life of 80-year-olds by a few months .
In Italy where hundreds of deaths are being reported daily , of 105 patients who were said to have died of the virus , the average age was 81 and there were only 2 deaths under age 50 .
Two-thirds had pre-existing conditions .
According to a long-term study of Italians ( 2006-2014 ) , 29.9 % were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavy drinkers also smoke tobacco .
About 1 in 4 Italians over age 65 already have some form of lung disease .
All the quarantines in an effort to prolong the life of winos and tobacco smokers over age 80 for a short time .
In China , deaths attributed to the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic were largely among 80+ year-olds .
In China , 68 % of men are smokers and 46 % drink alcohol .
And you thought the real threat to American liberty would come from China , or left-wing progressives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court , or even the military-industrial complex , but you would have never guessed a government bureaucracy called the Centers for Disease Control .
By issuance of “ worst case scenarios , ” the “ wool could be pulled ” over our leaders eyes .
And of course , what does a bored nation do with no sporting events for diversion ?
Why it watches television , a propagandist politician ’ s dream .
Keep the stage lights on .
This is political theatre with the gravest of consequences .
FAKE INFLUENZA DATA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be over-inflated numbers issued by the Centers for Disease Control In reality , less than 1000 Americans die of the flu each year .

In 2018 I wrote about DISEASE X that the World Health Organization claimed was a priority. An infectious disease expert said the world must prepared for the next deadly flu pandemic that is predicted to kill 200 million and the infectious disease industry needed $7.5 billion to prevent it. Well, they never got paid off, so in mafia fashion, DISEASE X just arrived.
What just happened to America?
I’m writing for many Americans who want someone to cogently put into words to what Americans are experiencing and seeing with their own eyes.
I recall as a young man peering at photos in Life Magazine of Russian people standing in a long line for food, and there was little or no meat beneath the refrigerated glass case. I read that by scarcity of food, the people were controlled, kept from rebelling against their government.
I woke up today, Monday, March 16, to the same scarcity scenes I recalled from my youth. I wondered what America had just become.
MedPride Powder-Free N... Buy New $16.49 ($16.49 / Count) (as of 11:13 UTC - Details) America is said to be facing a coronavirus that is not as virulent or deadly than the seasonal influenza virus this flu season, yet the nation is being placed in quarantine and the national guard is said to be readying for “urban lockdown.” All this onerous social and economic control over a worst-case scenario that predicts millions of coronavirus deaths in the U.S., which is not likely to ever happen, that is, unless the sun doesn’t shine come spring.
Placement of sun lamps in elder-care facilities would remedy a lot of excess disease in winter months, not just coronavirus. The idea of allowing disease to infectious disease to occur, albeit only to result in mortal consequences in a small segment of the population, and then enforce quarantines to halt the spread of what amounts to “sun deprivation disease” is a total misdirection in health care.
No need to hoard
The government cop-out is that there is no need to hoard necessities. But tell that to people who have lived through similar scenarios overseas. Order them to stay indoors for two weeks and just how would they have enough necessities to survive without stocking up for what initially was said was going to be an 8-week quarantine.
Going through the motions of a contrived viral epidemic just for the sake of political posturing is the current state of our polarized country. What will get a political party elected come November reigns over what is the best course health-wise. Refuse to lockdown the country in quarantine and every death will be blamed on political inaction. But there will be a steep price to pay.
In 2009 I wrote:
Recall the swine flu scare of 1976. In a politically charged atmosphere where Gerald Ford was seeking election to the Presidency, the swine flu suddenly appeared at a military base. A vaccine was produced and millions of Americans were vaccinated. But the vaccine was worse than the disease, causing hundreds of cases of Guillain Barre syndrome and a few deaths. In a replay of the past, the White House is directly involved in promoting the H1N1 2009 swine flu vaccine. The federal government will use federal funds to pay off schools to administer vaccines, promote vaccination via highway billboards and TV advertisements, and conduct military-style mass inoculations in such rapid fashion that if side effects occur, it will be too late. The masses will have been vaccinated already. Over $9 billion has been allotted by the federal government to develop and deliver an unproven and experimental flu vaccine. Don’t be a guinea pig for the government.
And when the federal government needs to hide a flu epidemic linked to a “hot lot” vaccine, they can do that too.
The fact that modern medicine has induced the public to be sun-phobic to avoid skin cancers comes at the price of weakened immunity.
Will the real America ever return?
America just may never revert back to the country it was just a few days ago.
…And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men
couldn’t put humpty together again.
People are not going to just snap out of their fear of person-to-person contact after a coerced 15-day quarantine and go right back to dining out, sending their kids back to public school, and going with grandma to church on Sunday, with no regard for what just happened. Aooba 3 Pcs Fashion Pr... Buy New $8.00 ($8.00 / Count) (as of 05:08 UTC - Details)
We will see if the 75+ year-olds even decide to go back to church… and many housewives may just opt to have groceries delivered and out of necessity, cook food at home in an effort to try and catch up financially after a 15-day quarantine. And why not keep the kids at home to school them? School administrators are thinking of cancelling the remaining school year.
The battle to prolong the life of octogenarians by a few months
At the moment political leaders around the world are willing to destroy whole economies to prolong the life of 80-year-olds by a few months.
In Italy where hundreds of deaths are being reported daily, of 105 patients who were said to have died of the virus, the average age was 81 and there were only 2 deaths under age 50. Two-thirds had pre-existing conditions. According to a long-term study of Italians (2006-2014), 29.9% were heavy drinkers and 26% of these heavy drinkers also smoke tobacco. About 1 in 4 Italians over age 65 already have some form of lung disease. All the quarantines in an effort to prolong the life of winos and tobacco smokers over age 80 for a short time.
In China, deaths attributed to the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic were largely among 80+ year-olds. In China, 68% of men are smokers and 46% drink alcohol.
Unexpected threat
And you thought the real threat to American liberty would come from China, or left-wing progressives, or socialists, or the Supreme Court, or even the military-industrial complex, but you would have never guessed a government bureaucracy called the Centers for Disease Control. By issuance of “worst case scenarios,” the “wool could be pulled” over our leaders eyes.
Boredom predicted
And of course, what does a bored nation do with no sporting events for diversion? Why it watches television, a propagandist politician’s dream. Keep the stage lights on. This is political theatre with the gravest of consequences.
FAKE INFLUENZA DATA BY YEAR U.S.
These are known to be over-inflated numbers issued by the Centers for Disease Control
In reality, less than 1000 Americans die of the flu each year.


Will Quarantines Backfire?

The mistaken presumption that a person “ catches a cold ” from someone else , or a flu virus , or a coronavirus , is the basis for calling a quarantine .
The fallacy of person-to-person transmission is ingrained in the population as news reports of vacationers trapped in China during a coronavirus are flown back to the US and are found to have COVID-19 corona virus that may spread to their family members .
But COVID-19 is not spreading into the community .
Online maps showing the almost stagnant number of coronavirus-confirmed cases in each State are rapidly vanishing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is person-to-person transmission of the virus , but not necessarily person-to-person transmission of the disease .
To better explain this , we have to dig back into the annals of epidemiology ( the study of disease ) .
A couple of decades ago it was epidemiologist Edgar Hope Simpson who asked some questions about the incongruities between published dogma about the spread of flu viruses and current epidemics that caused him to ask these questions : • Where is the flu virus in between epidemics ?
• Why do flu epidemics end so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincidental timing of flu epidemics in countries located at a similar north-south latitude ?
• Why , in previous ages , did epidemics spread so rapidly despite the lack of modern transportation ?
• Why do volunteers who have flu virus instilled into their nasal passages fail to produce symptoms of the flu in all cases ?
• Why do hospitalization and mortality rates fail to decline when vaccination rates dramatically increase ?
• Why does the flu strike in concert with the earth tilting on its axis away from the sun during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. John Cannell cites an experiment conducted among six volunteers who were inoculated with a flu virus similar to the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish flu that reportedly killed millions .
Of the six volunteers , just one experienced moderate symptoms ; three had mild symptoms , one very mild , and one no illness at all .
In another similar experiment , 46 of 55 inoculated volunteers failed to develop symptoms .
A consistent fact is , immunization rates have risen in recent times among the elderly , without a decrease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question : What is the seasonal stimulus for influenza ?
If it comes and goes , where does it go when it doesn ’ t come ?
The answer is that the humans are exposed to viruses throughout the year but they remain dormant when sunshine vitamin D blood levels are within a normal range .
Viral disease erupts as vitamin D blood levels decline .
Which is why wintertime infectious disease travels faster than people travel .
Some viruses , like herpes , remain dormant within the body , hiding in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ type of herpes that caused chicken pox in youth remained hidden deep in nerves , only to erupt later in life as immunity declined .
You end up with a case of the shingles .
Or consumption of arginine-rich foods ( chocolate , nuts ) triggers eruption of herpes on the lip ( herpes labialis ) , a so called cold sore .
The amino acid lysine ( in high doses ) is its countermeasure .
Supplemental vitamin D is of course , another antidote .
Ninety-three million miles away is another complicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low ( zero ) , reducing intensity of solar ultraviolet radiation that produces vitamin D in human skin .
This year the problem is acute .
Predictably , the coronavirus epidemic will worsen with quarantine , which is precisely what happened on a cruise boat off the coast of Japan and what happened in Italy .
People deprived of sunshine vitamin D , particularly the elderly , may succumb to any pathogenic bacterium or virus .
The aftermath of a quarantine on an ocean liner After about a month of quarantine on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of 3711 people quarantined on the boat who became infected rose from 174 to 712 over a 1-month period of time ( 334 of the 712 had no symptoms ) .
But governments have a different understanding .
The idea of social distancing is in vogue at the moment and its effectiveness appears to be complete but would never head off the onset of a viral epidemic when people are not aware of a need to maintain social distance .
It appears there is no foolproof way to halt the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in circulation in the U.S. prior to the initial outbreak in Wuhan , China .
For every known case of coronavirus there are another 5 to 10 cases undetected .
But the masses in the U.S. aren ’ t getting sick or dying in large numbers .
It appears the federal government in an effort to prolong the life of less than ~1000 unhealthy 80 year-olds in the U.S. for a short while , particularly seniors who smoke tobacco and over-consume alcohol , they are willing to crash the economy , kill businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely to have the resources to re-open their establishments , and coerce people to stay indoors , a practice that will further lower vitamin D levels and result in widespread infection and death among retirees .
The cost per life saved is estimated to be in the range of $ 100-300 billion .
Gericare Vitamin C Sup ... Buy New $ 11.94 ( $ 11.94 / Count ) The cost per life saved appears to be in the range of $ 100-300 billion .
We are talking about 2-6 million people losing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period of time , to extend the lives of a few unhealthy people by maybe as little as a few months .
Researchers note that COVID-19 coronavirus favors cool and dry climate and therefore , looking forward on the calendar to April and May , “ a worst-case scenario of synchronous global pandemic is improbable .
“ Yes , with the onset of Spring , the intensity of sun rays reaching the surface of the earth increases and the epidemic is expected to vanish .
Yes , the President of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 that : “ It ’ s going to disappear .
One day — it ’ s like a miracle — it will disappear.
” Fortunately , someone figured out how to take sunshine vitamin D and bottle it .
Click on this link to see how a little bit ( 50 micrograms/2000 units ) of vitamin D can quell viruses .
Adults ought to be taking 8000 units of vitamin D per day ; 2000 units per day for young children .

The mistaken presumption that a person “catches a cold” from someone else, or a flu virus, or a coronavirus, is the basis for calling a quarantine.
The fallacy of person-to-person transmission is ingrained in the population as news reports of vacationers trapped in China during a coronavirus are flown back to the US and are found to have COVID-19 corona virus that may spread to their family members. But COVID-19 is not spreading into the community. Online maps showing the almost stagnant number of coronavirus-confirmed cases in each State are rapidly vanishing from view on the internet.
There is person-to-person transmission of the virus, but not necessarily person-to-person transmission of the disease. To better explain this, we have to dig back into the annals of epidemiology (the study of disease).
A couple of decades ago it was epidemiologist Edgar Hope Simpson who asked some questions about the incongruities between published dogma about the spread of flu viruses and current epidemics that caused him to ask these questions:
Where is the flu virus in between epidemics? Amazon Brand - Revly V... Buy New $10.99 ($0.14 / Count) (as of 11:43 UTC - Details )
Why do flu epidemics end so abruptly?
What explains the frequent coincidental timing of flu epidemics in countries located at a similar north-south latitude?
Why, in previous ages, did epidemics spread so rapidly despite the lack of modern transportation?
Why do volunteers who have flu virus instilled into their nasal passages fail to produce symptoms of the flu in all cases?
Why do hospitalization and mortality rates fail to decline when vaccination rates dramatically increase?
Why does the flu strike in concert with the earth tilting on its axis away from the sun during the Winter solstice in northern latitudes.
Dr. John Cannell cites an experiment conducted among six volunteers who were inoculated with a flu virus similar to the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish flu that reportedly killed millions. Of the six volunteers, just one experienced moderate symptoms; three had mild symptoms, one very mild, and one no illness at all.
In another similar experiment, 46 of 55 inoculated volunteers failed to develop symptoms.
A consistent fact is, immunization rates have risen in recent times among the elderly, without a decrease in mortality.
Hope-Simpson had an over-arching question: What is the seasonal stimulus for influenza? If it comes and goes, where does it go when it doesn’t come?
The answer is that the humans are exposed to viruses throughout the year but they remain dormant when sunshine vitamin D blood levels are within a normal range.
Viral disease erupts as vitamin D blood levels decline. Which is why wintertime infectious disease travels faster than people travel.
Viruses hidden within
Some viruses, like herpes, remain dormant within the body, hiding in an inactive state in nerve sheaths.
The type of herpes that caused chicken pox in youth remained hidden deep in nerves, only to erupt later in life as immunity declined. You end up with a case of the shingles. Or consumption of arginine-rich foods (chocolate, nuts) triggers eruption of herpes on the lip (herpes labialis), a so called cold sore. The amino acid lysine (in high doses) is its countermeasure. Supplemental vitamin D is of course, another antidote.
A problem 93-million miles away
Ninety-three million miles away is another complicating problem. Sun spot activity is unusually low (zero), reducing intensity of solar ultraviolet radiation that produces vitamin D in human skin. This year the problem is acute.
Quarantines may backfire
Predictably, the coronavirus epidemic will worsen with quarantine, which is precisely what happened on a cruise boat off the coast of Japan and what happened in Italy. People deprived of sunshine vitamin D, particularly the elderly, may succumb to any pathogenic bacterium or virus.
The aftermath of a quarantine on an ocean liner
After about a month of quarantine on the Diamond Princess the number of confirmed cases out of 3711 people quarantined on the boat who became infected rose from 174 to 712 over a 1-month period of time (334 of the 712 had no symptoms).
Governments have a different play book
But governments have a different understanding. The idea of social distancing is in vogue at the moment and its effectiveness appears to be complete but would never head off the onset of a viral epidemic when people are not aware of a need to maintain social distance.
It appears there is no foolproof way to halt the spread of infection. The COVID-19 coronavirus was reported in circulation in the U.S. prior to the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China. For every known case of coronavirus there are another 5 to 10 cases undetected. But the masses in the U.S. aren’t getting sick or dying in large numbers.
It appears the federal government in an effort to prolong the life of less than ~1000 unhealthy 80 year-olds in the U.S. for a short while, particularly seniors who smoke tobacco and over-consume alcohol, they are willing to crash the economy, kill businesses, particularly churches and restaurants that are unlikely to have the resources to re-open their establishments, and coerce people to stay indoors, a practice that will further lower vitamin D levels and result in widespread infection and death among retirees.
The cost per life saved is estimated to be
in the range of $100-300 billion.
Gericare Vitamin C Sup... Buy New $11.94 ($11.94 / Count) (as of 11:43 UTC - Details) The cost per life saved appears to be in the range of $100-300 billion. We are talking about 2-6 million people losing their income, at least for a significant period of time, to extend the lives of a few unhealthy people by maybe as little as a few months.
Pray for an early spring
Researchers note that COVID-19 coronavirus favors cool and dry climate and therefore, looking forward on the calendar to April and May, “a worst-case scenario of synchronous global pandemic is improbable. “
Yes, with the onset of Spring, the intensity of sun rays reaching the surface of the earth increases and the epidemic is expected to vanish. Yes, the President of the United States was predictably correct in saying on February 27 that: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”
Fortunately, someone figured out how to take sunshine vitamin D and bottle it.
Click on this link to see how a little bit (50 micrograms/2000 units) of vitamin D can quell viruses.
Adults ought to be taking 8000 units of vitamin D per day; 2000 units per day for young children.