lewrockwell--2020-09-30--Covid-19 Coronavirus & Testosterone

Covid-19 Coronavirus & Testosterone

Doctors are calling on men to who are hospitalized with lung showing low testosterone levels in males predispose them to severe COVID-19 coronavirus symptoms if they should become ill with a respiratory infection .
A study published in THE AGING MALE says men with low testosterone levels are also more prone to die from influenza as well .
The critical situation posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus among high-risk individuals and the vulnerability of the earth ’ s 7.9 billion human population to a newly mutated COVID-19 coronavirus without a proven vaccine has prompted Moshe Shifrine PhD to pose a revolutionary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the field of olfactory ( smell ) therapy .
Dr. Shifrine holds two patents on the use of odors to tickle the olfactory bulb in the nose to produce hormones like testosterone and insulin .
Dr. Shifrine writes : “ Just a small number of molecules ( in a concentration in billionths of a gram ) in the nasal passages are needed to carry scent to the 20,000 nerve receptors in the olfactory bulb that is located on both hemispheres of the forebrain .
When the molecules attach to these receptors their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hypothalamus in the brain that results in the production of the smelled substance .
For example , the scent of testosterone or insulin stimulates the body ’ s production of these hormones.
” Dr. Shifrine instructs : The olfactory system is able to distinguish 12,000 different aromas .
Dr. Shifrine holds a patent ( US 8,679,507 B2 ) for the use of truffle extract that contains a very small amount of natural testosterone .
A whiff of same has been demonstrated to double testosterone levels in men in all ten subjects tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also elevates testosterone levels in females and was demonstrated to alleviate common symptoms of menopause .
Use of a patient ’ s own antibodies Shifrine , who has spent 15 years investigating olfactory science , suggests , via a natural mechanism he calls HARMONIC OLFACTORY IMMUNITY .
Instead of using truffle extract it may even be possible to use a patient ’ s own natural antibodies obtained from saliva via a mouth swab and expose the olfactory bulb to them in the nasal passages .
This in turn would make direct contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase antibody response throughout the body .
The thymus gland , where T-memory cells are made to produce life-long immunity , is under control of the hypothalamus in the brain , so this is not a far-fetched idea .
Surgical removal of the pituitary gland , which is under control of the hypothalamus , results in thymus gland atrophy ( shrinkage ) .
While this specific effect hasn ’ t been put to the test yet , says Dr. Shifrine , given the present desperate circumstances with no antibody provoking vaccine in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus infected patients to begin exposing the olfactory system to COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies when they obtain mouth swabs for antibody testing .
Then conduct before-and-after tests to see if there is an antibody-boosting effect .
The presumption is that infected patients are already producing antibodies , but maybe just not enough .
It ’ s kind of like a vaccine booster shot .
More convincingly , Dr. Shifrine ’ s truffle extract has direct application for COVID-19-infected men with severely low testosterone levels who are now reported to be at grave elevated mortal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Almost 70 % of hospitalized males had a strikingly low testosterone levels that is correlated with a severe and fatal outcome .
More males than females are stricken with COVID-19 infection .
COVID-19 coronavirus infected males exhibit very low testosterone levels , meaning the virus may be the cause for the deficiency .
Dr. Shifrine ’ s olfactory technology is also a proposed remedy for diabetes .
Injected testosterone can result in a significant reduction in the amount of insulin medication required to bring blood sugar levels to normal .
In some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results in complete remission of all symptoms of diabetes , reports Dr. Shifrine .
Smelling insulin itself can also cause the body to produce insulin , he adds .
Diabetics can determine if truffle/odor therapy works by measuring their blood pressure , says Dr. Shifrine .
If blood sugar is under control , blood pressure should normalize , he says .
Pharmacologists immediately recognize the distinct advantage of direct stimulation of the hypothalamus via olfactory stimulation because it does not need to pass through the blood-brain barrier like drugs must do .
Declining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of normal aging .
In one study only obese men who were former smokers experienced a significant decline in testosterone levels .
Also men with greater body mass experience a two-fold decline in testosterone compared to men of normal weight .
Unmarried men also experience greater reductions in testosterone than married men .
So low T is not governed by advancing age so much as it is a reflection of our health habits and diet .
Testosterone levels in males have been troublesomely in decline over recent decades .
There is considerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testosterone levels .
In an article written at Forbes.com entitled “ You ’ re Not The Man Your Father Was ” it was noted in a 2016 study that young men age 20-34 years of age could apply only 98 pounds of force with right-handed grip , down from 117 pounds by a man of the same age in 1985 .
Natural decline in hand grip strength usually begins at about age 55 .
Men with stronger hand grip strength have better quality erections .
And it ’ s not just virility and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortage of testosterone .
It ’ s also a strong predictor of future mortality .
Men with low T levels also lose bone and muscle mass and they become frail by the 8th decade of life .
And yes , predictably , men with low T levels also begin to lose their minds .
Truffle extract is available in a spray bottle and is used much like perfume .
This writer finds it makes a man feel younger .
My grip strength is 160+ .
It is commercially available under the trade name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how men can raise their testosterone levels via truffle olfactory therapy written by this author is available online .

Doctors are calling on men to who are hospitalized with lung showing low testosterone levels in males predispose them to severe COVID-19 coronavirus symptoms if they should become ill with a respiratory infection. A study published in THE AGING MALE says men with low testosterone levels are also more prone to die from influenza as well.
The critical situation posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus among high-risk individuals and the vulnerability of the earth’s 7.9 billion human population to a newly mutated COVID-19 coronavirus without a proven vaccine has prompted Moshe Shifrine PhD to pose a revolutionary therapy based upon his decades of research in the field of olfactory (smell) therapy.
Dr. Shifrine holds two patents on the use of odors to tickle the olfactory bulb in the nose to produce hormones like testosterone and insulin. Dr. Shifrine writes:
“Just a small number of molecules (in a concentration in billionths of a gram) in the nasal passages are needed to carry scent to the 20,000 nerve receptors in the olfactory bulb that is located on both hemispheres of the forebrain. When the molecules attach to these receptors their vibratory signature sends an electric signal to the hypothalamus in the brain that results in the production of the smelled substance. For example, the scent of testosterone or insulin stimulates the body’s production of these hormones.”
Dr. Shifrine instructs: The olfactory system is able to distinguish 12,000 different aromas.
Dr. Shifrine holds a patent (US 8,679,507 B2) for the use of truffle extract that contains a very small amount of natural testosterone. A whiff of same has been demonstrated to double testosterone levels in men in all ten subjects tested. The truffle extract, available commercially, also elevates testosterone levels in females and was demonstrated to alleviate common symptoms of menopause.
Use of a patient’s own antibodies
Shifrine, who has spent 15 years investigating olfactory science, suggests, via a natural mechanism he calls HARMONIC OLFACTORY IMMUNITY. Instead of using truffle extract it may even be possible to use a patient’s own natural antibodies obtained from saliva via a mouth swab and expose the olfactory bulb to them in the nasal passages. This in turn would make direct contact with the brain and therefore would purportedly increase antibody response throughout the body. The United States of T... O'Reilly, Bill Best Price: $1.99 Buy New $8.95 (as of 08:38 UTC - Details)
The thymus gland, where T-memory cells are made to produce life-long immunity, is under control of the hypothalamus in the brain, so this is not a far-fetched idea. Surgical removal of the pituitary gland, which is under control of the hypothalamus, results in thymus gland atrophy (shrinkage).
While this specific effect hasn’t been put to the test yet, says Dr. Shifrine, given the present desperate circumstances with no antibody provoking vaccine in place, he asks health practitioners treating COVID-19 coronavirus infected patients to begin exposing the olfactory system to COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies when they obtain mouth swabs for antibody testing. Then conduct before-and-after tests to see if there is an antibody-boosting effect. The presumption is that infected patients are already producing antibodies, but maybe just not enough. It’s kind of like a vaccine booster shot.
Truffle therapy potentially helpful for COVID-19-treated men
More convincingly, Dr. Shifrine’s truffle extract has direct application for COVID-19-infected men with severely low testosterone levels who are now reported to be at grave elevated mortal risk in the hospital intensive care unit. Almost 70% of hospitalized males had a strikingly low testosterone levels that is correlated with a severe and fatal outcome. More males than females are stricken with COVID-19 infection.
COVID-19 coronavirus infected males exhibit very low testosterone levels, meaning the virus may be the cause for the deficiency.
Diabetes too
Dr. Shifrine’s olfactory technology is also a proposed remedy for diabetes. Injected testosterone can result in a significant reduction in the amount of insulin medication required to bring blood sugar levels to normal. In some cases, the truffle/ testosterone therapy alone results in complete remission of all symptoms of diabetes, reports Dr. Shifrine. Smelling insulin itself can also cause the body to produce insulin, he adds.
Diabetics can determine if truffle/odor therapy works by measuring their blood pressure, says Dr. Shifrine. If blood sugar is under control, blood pressure should normalize, he says.
For reference, young men produce ~6 milligrams of testosterone a day; healthy women produce 0.3 milligrams/day.
Direct molecular therapy
Pharmacologists immediately recognize the distinct advantage of direct stimulation of the hypothalamus via olfactory stimulation because it does not need to pass through the blood-brain barrier like drugs must do.
Declining testosterone levels in men are not a part of normal aging. In one study only obese men who were former smokers experienced a significant decline in testosterone levels. Also men with greater body mass experience a two-fold decline in testosterone compared to men of normal weight.
Unmarried men also experience greater reductions in testosterone than married men. So low T is not governed by advancing age so much as it is a reflection of our health habits and diet.
Testosterone levels in males have been troublesomely in decline over recent decades.
Hand grip strength is a measure of testosterone
There is considerable evidence that hand grip strength correlates with testosterone levels.
In an article written at Forbes.com entitled “You’re Not The Man Your Father Was” it was noted in a 2016 study that young men age 20-34 years of age could apply only 98 pounds of force with right-handed grip, down from 117 pounds by a man of the same age in 1985.
Natural decline in hand grip strength usually begins at about age 55. Men with stronger hand grip strength have better quality erections.
And it’s not just virility and sex drive that goes wanting with a shortage of testosterone. It’s also a strong predictor of future mortality. Men with low T levels also lose bone and muscle mass and they become frail by the 8th decade of life. And yes, predictably, men with low T levels also begin to lose their minds.
Truffle extract is available in a spray bottle and is used much like perfume. This writer finds it makes a man feel younger. My grip strength is 160+. It is commercially available under the trade name VITALI-T-BOOST.
A more comprehensive report on how men can raise their testosterone levels via truffle olfactory therapy written by this author is available online.


lewrockwell--2020-09-30--Ron Paul Remains Unstoppable

Ron Paul Remains Unstoppable

When Dr. Ron Paul suffered a health scare during his live Liberty Report show last Friday , I was perhaps less worried than most of his friends , family , and fans .
His remarkable vitality , vigor , and energy are well known to those around him , along with his penchant for exercise , clean living , and light eating .
Having known him thirty years , I simply had no recollection of him ever being sick or out of commission .
This is a man who had never missed a day of work or an event , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mind he was simply always there , a fixed feature of life .
So my immediate reaction was to think he would be fine .
As it turns out , he is fine .
Even unstoppable .
In Dr. Paul ’ s congressional office during the early 2000s , his mostly Generation X staff joked about how Ron would bury us someday despite being several decades older .
Now that we ’ re in our fifties , the joke hits a bit closer to home !
But we were all familiar with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legendary : waking early , printing articles to read , gathering newspapers , putting together his busy schedule for the day , and preparing for votes .
It was always tough to keep up with him , literally , legging around Capitol Hill to hearings , media hits , or finalizing details for one of his infamous “ special order ” speeches at the end of the congressional day .
Ron bid for our office in the Cannon House building primarily for its proximity to the Capitol building itself , so he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ commuting.
” When he needed knee replacements there was no question about doing both the same day , over the congressional Christmas break .
Always true to form , he was up and about almost immediately and eschewed even over-the-counter pain medication .
He was always moving , and absolutely hated to wait .
His years as a busy obstetrician , with babies arriving at all hours of the night in far-flung rural Texas hospitals , certainly served him well when it came to the less serious job of Congress—with its late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unlike medicine , however , the work of Congress is defined by motion rather than action .
And unlike many of his colleagues , when the votes ended Ron headed back to his nondescript condo in Alexandria .
There were no DC steakhouse dinners with lobbyists , no Capitol Hill bars and nightlife , and certainly none of the fleshy graft which ensnared so many pols over the years .
Dr. Paul ’ s energy spills over into his life at home , where he is always busy walking , biking , swimming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hosting a steady stream of family and guests .
His “ retirement ” from Congress at the end of 2012 finds him producing five live Liberty Report episodes with his cohost , Daniel McAdams , every week , along with writing , public speaking , and media appearances .
But he is much happier without the dreadful weekly slog back and forth to Bush Intercontinental Airport on the far side of Houston , along with the infuriating kabuki theater known as TSA .
His family life is no doubt much improved .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife , Carol ( née Wells ) , stand atop a pyramid of children ( five , with three MDs ) , nineteen grandchildren , and ten ( for now ) great-grandchildren .
The Pauls have been married sixty-three years ; their children have been married 167 years combined !
Family , more than anything he has done in medicine or politics , will be Dr. Paul ’ s lasting legacy .
But there were a lot of nights and weekends away from that family over the years , starting all the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bit of history is in order .
Today happens to be the birthday of Ludwig von Mises , who played a brief but important role in the Ron Paul story .
Nixon cut off gold convertibility by foreign central banks in 1971 , and the alarmed young obstetrician began reading everything he could on money and inflation—including Mises .
A year later , Dr. Paul managed to get away from his busy medical practice for a day to hear the great man speak at the nearby University of Houston .
That talk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( listen here ! )
, made a deep impression on Ron .
He knew he had to do something .
That “ something ” took form in his decision to run for Congress in 1974 .
And in a very real sense Dr. Paul is the only Misesian ever to serve in Congress .
His first stint in the US House only deepened his concerns about the monetary system , and in 1984 he took the gambit of giving up his seat to run against Phil Gramm for US Senate .
Gramm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his medical practice determined to remain active .
He became involved in the precious metals community , began building contacts , and ultimately became the Libertarian Party candidate for president in 1988 .
Those involved with that presidential campaign , including Lew Rockwell and the late Kent Snyder , can tell you it was no luxurious affair .
With no internet , mobile phones , email , or social media , campaign events were hit or miss .
Local newsletters and bulletin boards were the only source of information , and media appearances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
Often a supporter in a beat-up car was the only campaign contact in any city , after long flights on cheap Southwest .
Small groups of twenty or thirty people would meet at someone ’ s home or a local diner , hear Ron speak , and pass the hat for travel funds .
It was a shoestring of a campaign , and hardly energizing or optimistic .
But Ron persevered , knowing his efforts would bear fruit someday .
So the “ famous ” Ron Paul of 2012—who spoke to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 30 million , and appeared in CNN debates—first spent years away from his family and his medical practice .
He return to the House of Representatives in the 1990s was both helped and hindered by his identification as a libertarian .
His extensive contacts and earlier time in Congress gave him a fundraising base and name recognition , but also earned him the ire of the GOP .
Upon informing Republican leaders of his intention to run for Congress again , and suggesting he could win the south Texas seat from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action against him .
His by then well-known antiwar and anti-Fed views alarmed them , and his departure from the party in 1988 angered them .
So Newt Gingrich , the powerful speaker of the House , convinced that Democrat ( Greg Laughlin ) to switch parties by promising him a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee .
Dr. Paul thus found himself in a primary race against the sitting Congressman he intended to face in the general election .
But Ron knew the district , and campaigned effectively against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the seat—especially Newt Gingrich , who blundered by flying to Texas for a Laughlin event .
Meanwhile , then governor George W. Bush and his chief of staff Karl Rove were working behind the scenes to help Laughlin as well , but to no avail .
When Ron won the primary , they called him over to the statehouse in Austin to offer both their surprise and their congratulations .
His Democratic opponent in the general election , a trial lawyer named Charles “ Lefty ” Morris , attempted to paint Ron ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irresponsible and crazy .
But Ron ’ s campaign responded with an ad showing the mild-mannered doctor in his medical coat , the down-to-earth trusted physician who had delivered thousands of babies across the congressional district .
His personal reputation for sobriety , as a family man deeply involved in his community , blunted the political hits—which is of course an important lesson in itself .
But even winning the general election in 1996 did not endear the GOP to Dr. Paul .
Congressional leaders took the almost unprecedented step of disregarding his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seniority .
Undaunted , Ron requested and received a seat on the Banking committee , considered a boring backwater .
Little did they know that the Enron scandal and the Arthur Andersen collapse a few years later would make the newly christened “ Financial Services ” Committee one of the most sought after .
( Why ?
Remember the Sarbanes-Oxley bill regulating public companies , and all the lobbying surrounding it ?
Imagine the postcongressional career riches ! )
And little did they know that the Greenspan-Bernanke economy would implode about a decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue and presenting Dr Paul with numerous chances to grill both men at committee hearings .
Ultimately , he was awarded his delayed but rightful chairmanship of an important monetary policy subcommittee in 2010 .
Not surprisingly , Ron immediately turned the opportunity into a teachable moment—inviting Austrian economists as witnesses and luncheon speakers , and creating a truly intellectual atmosphere for interested members and staffers who had started to question the status quo .
It was a brief but glorious time , where Mises finally had a voice in Congress .
Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs , dovetailed perfectly with his warnings about monetary policy .
Ron was able to make the connection between central banking and war finance , and also press Congress for a full-fledged declaration of war before invading Iraq in 2003 .
Here he built the foundation for a crossover antiwar coalition , and gave his most impassioned arguments against war , the ultimate form of expansionary state power .
It was here he opposed American quagmires in the Middle East , setting the stage for his 2008 and 2012 campaigns .
And it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he cemented his reputation as the greatest peace advocate in Congress for decades .
Despite his troubles with congressional leaders , Dr. Paul had many personal friends in Congress .
He was well-liked and respected by most .
His great friend , the late Walter Jones , stands out as someone who took Ron ’ s antiwar message to heart .
Jones ’ s district contained the huge Army base Ft. Bragg , and in part due to Ron ’ s influence , he came out strongly against the war in Iraq .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ many spouses , in some part thanks to the humility he saw in Ron .
The great Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee also was a close friend , talking to Ron about reading antiwar.com articles by “ Jus-tin Ray-mon-duh ” in his distinct Southern drawl .
Spencer Bachus of Alabama , chair of the Financial Services Committee during the crash of ’ 07 , told the entire House Republican caucus that “ Ron Paul was right ” in his predictions of housing and equity bubbles .
Barney Franks of Massachusetts was always cordial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great peace advocate Dennis Kucinich of Ohio .
The outpouring of love and affection shown to Dr. Paul last week after his incident shows the degree to which his revolution lives on .
Ideas matter , but they are worthless without good people to advance and personify them .
Dr. Paul is loved because he is genuine , a quality in short supply today .
A quality which can not be bought , borrowed , summoned , or faked .
It ’ s a quality our dangerously politicized country needs , in spades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course no one is .
He gave us , and continues to give us , a genuine alternative vision for a nonpolitical world .
But who will take his place ?
Perversely , some libertarians of various stripes would turn on Dr. Paul later in his career .
The Libertarian Party itself is today hostile to the Ron Paul revolution ; its members seek to drive his influence and memory from party ranks .
During Paul ’ s 2008 presidential campaign , DC-based Reason magazine published a bizarre article based on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Paul ’ s noninterventionist foreign policy views .
This article attempted to portray the doctor as “ racist ” based on decades-old newletters which contained untoward statements about blacks in Los Angeles following the Rodney King riots—despite members of Reason ‘ s staff knowing Paul personally as anything but a racist .
Other DC organizations like the Cato Institute also pursued this puzzling line of inquiry .
The Best of Jeff Deist

When Dr. Ron Paul suffered a health scare during his live Liberty Report show last Friday, I was perhaps less worried than most of his friends, family, and fans. His remarkable vitality, vigor, and energy are well known to those around him, along with his penchant for exercise, clean living, and light eating. Having known him thirty years, I simply had no recollection of him ever being sick or out of commission. This is a man who had never missed a day of work or an event, at least in my memory. In my mind he was simply always there, a fixed feature of life. So my immediate reaction was to think he would be fine.
As it turns out, he is fine. Even unstoppable.
In Dr. Paul’s congressional office during the early 2000s, his mostly Generation X staff joked about how Ron would bury us someday despite being several decades older. Now that we’re in our fifties, the joke hits a bit closer to home! But we were all familiar with his relentless nature. His pace was legendary: waking early, printing articles to read, gathering newspapers, putting together his busy schedule for the day, and preparing for votes.
It was always tough to keep up with him, literally, legging around Capitol Hill to hearings, media hits, or finalizing details for one of his infamous “special order” speeches at the end of the congressional day. Ron bid for our office in the Cannon House building primarily for its proximity to the Capitol building itself, so he’d spend the least amount of time “commuting.” When he needed knee replacements there was no question about doing both the same day, over the congressional Christmas break. Always true to form, he was up and about almost immediately and eschewed even over-the-counter pain medication. Clinton Bush and CIA C... Attwood, Shaun Best Price: $9.00 Buy New $10.89 (as of 08:39 UTC - Details)
He was always moving, and absolutely hated to wait. His years as a busy obstetrician, with babies arriving at all hours of the night in far-flung rural Texas hospitals, certainly served him well when it came to the less serious job of Congress—with its late night votes and sudden schedule changes. Unlike medicine, however, the work of Congress is defined by motion rather than action. And unlike many of his colleagues, when the votes ended Ron headed back to his nondescript condo in Alexandria. There were no DC steakhouse dinners with lobbyists, no Capitol Hill bars and nightlife, and certainly none of the fleshy graft which ensnared so many pols over the years.
Dr. Paul’s energy spills over into his life at home, where he is always busy walking, biking, swimming, tending to his prized tomatoes, and hosting a steady stream of family and guests. His “retirement” from Congress at the end of 2012 finds him producing five live Liberty Report episodes with his cohost, Daniel McAdams, every week, along with writing, public speaking, and media appearances. But he is much happier without the dreadful weekly slog back and forth to Bush Intercontinental Airport on the far side of Houston, along with the infuriating kabuki theater known as TSA. His family life is no doubt much improved.
Speaking of family, Ron and his wife, Carol (née Wells), stand atop a pyramid of children (five, with three MDs), nineteen grandchildren, and ten (for now) great-grandchildren. The Pauls have been married sixty-three years; their children have been married 167 years combined! Family, more than anything he has done in medicine or politics, will be Dr. Paul’s lasting legacy.
But there were a lot of nights and weekends away from that family over the years, starting all the way back in the 1970s. So a bit of history is in order. Today happens to be the birthday of Ludwig von Mises, who played a brief but important role in the Ron Paul story. Nixon cut off gold convertibility by foreign central banks in 1971, and the alarmed young obstetrician began reading everything he could on money and inflation—including Mises. A year later, Dr. Paul managed to get away from his busy medical practice for a day to hear the great man speak at the nearby University of Houston. That talk, titled “Why Socialism Always Fails” (listen here!), made a deep impression on Ron. He knew he had to do something.
That “something” took form in his decision to run for Congress in 1974. And in a very real sense Dr. Paul is the only Misesian ever to serve in Congress.
His first stint in the US House only deepened his concerns about the monetary system, and in 1984 he took the gambit of giving up his seat to run against Phil Gramm for US Senate. Gramm prevailed, but Ron returned home to his medical practice determined to remain active. He became involved in the precious metals community, began building contacts, and ultimately became the Libertarian Party candidate for president in 1988.
Those involved with that presidential campaign, including Lew Rockwell and the late Kent Snyder, can tell you it was no luxurious affair. With no internet, mobile phones, email, or social media, campaign events were hit or miss. Local newsletters and bulletin boards were the only source of information, and media appearances were distinctly “earned” in those days. Often a supporter in a beat-up car was the only campaign contact in any city, after long flights on cheap Southwest. Small groups of twenty or thirty people would meet at someone’s home or a local diner, hear Ron speak, and pass the hat for travel funds. It was a shoestring of a campaign, and hardly energizing or optimistic. But Ron persevered, knowing his efforts would bear fruit someday.
So the “famous” Ron Paul of 2012—who spoke to five thousand students at Berkeley, raised $30 million, and appeared in CNN debates—first spent years away from his family and his medical practice.
He return to the House of Representatives in the 1990s was both helped and hindered by his identification as a libertarian. His extensive contacts and earlier time in Congress gave him a fundraising base and name recognition, but also earned him the ire of the GOP. Upon informing Republican leaders of his intention to run for Congress again, and suggesting he could win the south Texas seat from a sitting Democrat, the party swung into action against him. His by then well-known antiwar and anti-Fed views alarmed them, and his departure from the party in 1988 angered them. So Newt Gingrich, the powerful speaker of the House, convinced that Democrat (Greg Laughlin) to switch parties by promising him a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Dr. Paul thus found himself in a primary race against the sitting Congressman he intended to face in the general election. But Ron knew the district, and campaigned effectively against the outsiders trying to dictate who would hold the seat—especially Newt Gingrich, who blundered by flying to Texas for a Laughlin event. Meanwhile, then governor George W. Bush and his chief of staff Karl Rove were working behind the scenes to help Laughlin as well, but to no avail. When Ron won the primary, they called him over to the statehouse in Austin to offer both their surprise and their congratulations.
His Democratic opponent in the general election, a trial lawyer named Charles “Lefty” Morris, attempted to paint Ron’s position on the drug war as irresponsible and crazy. But Ron’s campaign responded with an ad showing the mild-mannered doctor in his medical coat, the down-to-earth trusted physician who had delivered thousands of babies across the congressional district. His personal reputation for sobriety, as a family man deeply involved in his community, blunted the political hits—which is of course an important lesson in itself.
But even winning the general election in 1996 did not endear the GOP to Dr. Paul. Congressional leaders took the almost unprecedented step of disregarding his earlier time in Congress for purposes of seniority. Undaunted, Ron requested and received a seat on the Banking committee, considered a boring backwater. Little did they know that the Enron scandal and the Arthur Andersen collapse a few years later would make the newly christened “Financial Services” Committee one of the most sought after. (Why? Remember the Sarbanes-Oxley bill regulating public companies, and all the lobbying surrounding it? Imagine the postcongressional career riches!) And little did they know that the Greenspan-Bernanke economy would implode about a decade later, making monetary policy a hot issue and presenting Dr Paul with numerous chances to grill both men at committee hearings.
Ultimately, he was awarded his delayed but rightful chairmanship of an important monetary policy subcommittee in 2010. Not surprisingly, Ron immediately turned the opportunity into a teachable moment—inviting Austrian economists as witnesses and luncheon speakers, and creating a truly intellectual atmosphere for interested members and staffers who had started to question the status quo.
It was a brief but glorious time, where Mises finally had a voice in Congress.
Dr. Paul’s other committee, Foreign Affairs, dovetailed perfectly with his warnings about monetary policy. Ron was able to make the connection between central banking and war finance, and also press Congress for a full-fledged declaration of war before invading Iraq in 2003. Here he built the foundation for a crossover antiwar coalition, and gave his most impassioned arguments against war, the ultimate form of expansionary state power. It was here he opposed American quagmires in the Middle East, setting the stage for his 2008 and 2012 campaigns. And it was in the Foreign Affairs Committee that he cemented his reputation as the greatest peace advocate in Congress for decades.
Despite his troubles with congressional leaders, Dr. Paul had many personal friends in Congress. He was well-liked and respected by most. His great friend, the late Walter Jones, stands out as someone who took Ron’s antiwar message to heart. Jones’s district contained the huge Army base Ft. Bragg, and in part due to Ron’s influence, he came out strongly against the war in Iraq. He attended many military funerals and comforted many spouses, in some part thanks to the humility he saw in Ron. The great Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee also was a close friend, talking to Ron about reading antiwar.com articles by “Jus-tin Ray-mon-duh” in his distinct Southern drawl. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, chair of the Financial Services Committee during the crash of ’07, told the entire House Republican caucus that “Ron Paul was right” in his predictions of housing and equity bubbles. Barney Franks of Massachusetts was always cordial and ready to collaborate, as was the great peace advocate Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
The outpouring of love and affection shown to Dr. Paul last week after his incident shows the degree to which his revolution lives on. Ideas matter, but they are worthless without good people to advance and personify them. Dr. Paul is loved because he is genuine, a quality in short supply today. A quality which cannot be bought, borrowed, summoned, or faked. It’s a quality our dangerously politicized country needs, in spades.
Ron Paul seems unstoppable, but of course no one is. He gave us, and continues to give us, a genuine alternative vision for a nonpolitical world.
But who will take his place?
—
Perversely, some libertarians of various stripes would turn on Dr. Paul later in his career. The Libertarian Party itself is today hostile to the Ron Paul revolution; its members seek to drive his influence and memory from party ranks. During Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign, DC-based Reason magazine published a bizarre article based on a smear job from a discredited neoconservative hostile to Paul’s noninterventionist foreign policy views. This article attempted to portray the doctor as “racist” based on decades-old newletters which contained untoward statements about blacks in Los Angeles following the Rodney King riots—despite members of Reason‘s staff knowing Paul personally as anything but a racist. Other DC organizations like the Cato Institute also pursued this puzzling line of inquiry.
The Best of Jeff Deist


The Catholic Position

[ Publisher ’ s Note : Joe Sobran ’ s depiction of the perpetual rage of anti-Catholicism is as apt today as it was when he penned this column in 2002 .
Today marks the 10th anniversary of his passing .
May he rest in peace . ]
Subtracting Christianity : Essays on American Culture and Society — A few weeks ago I tried , in my feeble way , to express why I fell in love with the Catholic Church .
I received many gracious and grateful responses from others who felt the same way , some of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were also a few jeers , directed not so much against me as against the Church .
Some dredged up old scandals of wicked popes , or supposedly shocking utterances of Catholic saints , or mere clichés of traditional anti-Catholic polemics .
Most of these were meant to embarrass , not to persuade ; the usual ahistorical nuggets .
What is startling is the perpetual passion of anti-Catholicism .
You ’ d think that by now people who reject Catholicism would calmly ignore its teachings as old and irrelevant superstitions .
After all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old political power , adherence is now totally voluntary , and she has enough trouble getting her own children to listen to her .
But Catholicism still has a strange moral authority , and many people are unable to achieve a calm and assured disbelief .
They are still driven to discredit the Church — perhaps for the same reason so many of us believe in her .
Catholicism offers a complete and comprehensive morality , one which most of us still recognize as the faith of our fathers .
Bit by bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has abandoned much of this morality ; the Church continues to teach it , even when some of her own priests scandalously violate it .
A few generations ago , nearly all Christians shared the same sexual morality .
They abhorred artificial birth control , for example .
Many state laws banning the sale of contraceptive devices in this country were passed by Protestant majorities while Catholics were politically weak .
Gradually , however , Protestants ceased to oppose contraception , and Catholicism almost alone continued to condemn it .
What had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ Catholic position.
” We now see the same process well under way with abortion and homosexuality .
If cannibalism ever becomes popular , and the rest of the world , led by its progressive-minded intellectuals , decides that anthropophagy is a basic Constitutional right , opposing cannibalism will become a “ Catholic position ” too .
Catholics will once more be accused of wanting to “ impose ” their “ views ” on everyone else ( even when they are far too weak to do so ) , and the reformers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep government out of the kitchen !
” I don ’ t defend the Church ’ s morality because I am a Catholic .
I became and remain a Catholic because the Church maintains a consistent morality — while the rest of the world keeps veering off into moral fads .
My conviction that she is right is only strengthened by the world ’ s strident demand that she change along with it , as if it were a sort of moral duty to change one ’ s principles , like underwear , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” includes many nominal Catholics who side with the secular world against their own Church .
These are the Catholics you are most likely to see in the major media .
They deny the Church ’ s authority to keep teaching what she has always taught , yet they can ’ t rest until she approves their pet vices — contraception , sodomy , same-sex marriage , and all the rest .
Notice that the proposed reforms usually have to do with sex .
When the Church refuses to change , she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex , when it ’ s really her critics who are obsessed with it .
Catholic morality recognizes seven deadly sins , of which lust is only one ; but this happens to be the one the modern world can ’ t stop thinking about .
Nobody demands that the Church “ change its outdated teachings against sloth.
” At any rate , the Church can ’ t change .
She can no more change her teaching about lust than her equally emphatic teachings about pride , gluttony , and sloth , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is and no human will can repeal its moral order .
These aren ’ t the Pope ’ s personal opinions ; they are objective truths .
Powerless , hardly able to keep her own flock in line , and betrayed by many of her shepherds , the Church is still treated as a threat .
All she really threatens is the false comfort of the dormant conscience ; but this is enough to make bitter enemies .
After all , her Founder warned her not to expect gratitude from men for trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mother of Western civilization , and to this day , all too often , she is blamed for everything and thanked for nothing .
“ The Catholic Position ” was published originally by Griffin Internet Syndicate on April 4 , 2002 .
It is one of the 117 columns in the anthology of Mr. Sobran ’ s writings : Subtracting Christianity : Essays on American Culture and Society ( FGF Books , 2015 ) .
You may link to this article at websites and social media .
The Best of Joseph Sobran

[Publisher’s Note: Joe Sobran’s depiction of the perpetual rage of anti-Catholicism is as apt today as it was when he penned this column in 2002. Today marks the 10th anniversary of his passing. May he rest in peace.]
Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society — A few weeks ago I tried, in my feeble way, to express why I fell in love with the Catholic Church. I received many gracious and grateful responses from others who felt the same way, some of them converts like me.
Inevitably, there were also a few jeers, directed not so much against me as against the Church. Some dredged up old scandals of wicked popes, or supposedly shocking utterances of Catholic saints, or mere clichés of traditional anti-Catholic polemics. Most of these were meant to embarrass, not to persuade; the usual ahistorical nuggets.
What is startling is the perpetual passion of anti-Catholicism. You’d think that by now people who reject Catholicism would calmly ignore its teachings as old and irrelevant superstitions. After all, the Church has none of her old political power, adherence is now totally voluntary, and she has enough trouble getting her own children to listen to her. Adam Schiff’s Wo... Webb, George Buy New $6.99 (as of 05:16 UTC - Details)
But Catholicism still has a strange moral authority, and many people are unable to achieve a calm and assured disbelief. They are still driven to discredit the Church — perhaps for the same reason so many of us believe in her.
Catholicism offers a complete and comprehensive morality, one which most of us still recognize as the faith of our fathers. Bit by bit, the world, including other churches, has abandoned much of this morality; the Church continues to teach it, even when some of her own priests scandalously violate it.
A few generations ago, nearly all Christians shared the same sexual morality. They abhorred artificial birth control, for example. Many state laws banning the sale of contraceptive devices in this country were passed by Protestant majorities while Catholics were politically weak.
Gradually, however, Protestants ceased to oppose contraception, and Catholicism almost alone continued to condemn it. What had long been a consensus became censured as a “Catholic position.” We now see the same process well under way with abortion and homosexuality.
If cannibalism ever becomes popular, and the rest of the world, led by its progressive-minded intellectuals, decides that anthropophagy is a basic Constitutional right, opposing cannibalism will become a “Catholic position” too. Catholics will once more be accused of wanting to “impose” their “views” on everyone else (even when they are far too weak to do so), and the reformers will cry, “Let’s keep government out of the kitchen!”
I don’t defend the Church’s morality because I am a Catholic. I became and remain a Catholic because the Church maintains a consistent morality — while the rest of the world keeps veering off into moral fads. My conviction that she is right is only strengthened by the world’s strident demand that she change along with it, as if it were a sort of moral duty to change one’s principles, like underwear, with reasonable frequency.
“The world” includes many nominal Catholics who side with the secular world against their own Church. These are the Catholics you are most likely to see in the major media. They deny the Church’s authority to keep teaching what she has always taught, yet they can’t rest until she approves their pet vices — contraception, sodomy, same-sex marriage, and all the rest.
Notice that the proposed reforms usually have to do with sex. When the Church refuses to change, she is accused of being “obsessed” with sex, when it’s really her critics who are obsessed with it. Catholic morality recognizes seven deadly sins, of which lust is only one; but this happens to be the one the modern world can’t stop thinking about. Nobody demands that the Church “change its outdated teachings against sloth.”
At any rate, the Church can’t change. She can no more change her teaching about lust than her equally emphatic teachings about pride, gluttony, and sloth, because God has made the world as it is and no human will can repeal its moral order. These aren’t the Pope’s personal opinions; they are objective truths.
Powerless, hardly able to keep her own flock in line, and betrayed by many of her shepherds, the Church is still treated as a threat. All she really threatens is the false comfort of the dormant conscience; but this is enough to make bitter enemies.
After all, her Founder warned her not to expect gratitude from men for trying to save their souls. She is the mother of Western civilization, and to this day, all too often, she is blamed for everything and thanked for nothing.
###
“The Catholic Position” was published originally by Griffin Internet Syndicate on April 4, 2002. It is one of the 117 columns in the anthology of Mr. Sobran’s writings: Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society (FGF Books, 2015). You may link to this article at websites and social media.
The Best of Joseph Sobran


lewrockwell--2020-09-30--Could the Covid Vaccine Be Canceled Before the First Injection?

I analyzed a startling piece in the NY Times that torpedoed the major clinical trials now underway , headed up by Pfizer , AstraZeneca , and Moderna .
My readers , who know the devil is in the details , saw how absurd these trials are .
Now I want to go back and fill in a few new facts that round out the picture .
As a result of increased scrutiny and pressure , the vaccine companies couldn ’ t just say their experimental COVID vaccine produced antibodies , meaning there was a “ proper immune response ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be enough to win FDA approval .
No , they would have to create two huge groups of human volunteers , give one group the vaccine , and the other group a saltwater placebo shot .
Then wait .
Since these companies believe the coronavirus is everywhere , descending from the clouds and infecting millions of people , they would wait for some volunteers to “ catch COVID-19.
” How many volunteers ?
150 .
That ’ s the magic number .
At that point , the clinical trial would stop .
Everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take place .
Of these 150 cases of COVID-19 , how many occurred in volunteers who got the vaccine , and how many COVID-19 cases occurred in the volunteers who got the placebo saltwater shot ?
Get it ?
In other words , this information would show how successful the vaccine was in protecting the volunteers from COVID-19 .
What would the vaccine companies be hoping and praying for ?
A breakdown like this : only 50 COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group , and 100 cases in the placebo group .
Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 50 % effective in preventing COVID-19 .
And that percentage is all the FDA requires to issue an authorization for the vaccine—an authorization to shoot up all Americans .
Absurd .
Preposterous .
150 volunteers determine whether 350 million Americans will be targeted for a vaccine .
But that ’ s not the bottom line in this story .
Let ’ s return to the beginning again .
The vaccine companies , forced to enroll tens of thousands of live humans in their clinical trials , need to decide : who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elderly , most of whom are already ill with prior conditions , their immune systems already very weak—who could—as even public health agencies warn—keel over from any vaccine injection ?
Of course not .
The volunteers will have to be healthy adults .
Yes .
But that presents a huge and fateful problem .
Remember , these volunteers , after they receive either the vaccine or the placebo , will be sent back to live their lives while everyone waits .
Waits to see who “ catches COVID-19.
” What sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious ?
The answer is obvious .
It can ’ t be “ quite serious.
” That would mean pneumonia .
The vaccine companies could wait around for 10 years and still not record 150 cases of real pneumonia among these HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS .
No , the vaccine companies would wait for 150 mild cases of COVID-19 .
Meaning , nothing more than a simple cough , or chills and fever , and a positive PCR test .
Can you see it yet ?
The vaccine companies are in a box .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial is DESIGNED to prove the vaccine can protect against MILD CASES of COVID-19 .
That ’ s all .
AND NOBODY CARES ABOUT THAT .
MILD CASES CURE THEMSELVES .
NO VACCINE IS NECESSARY .
A SUCCESSFUL VACCINE SHOULD BE PROTECTING PEOPLE AGAINST THE SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING COVID-19 CASES .
BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE DESIGNED TO PROVE .
Verdict : the three major ongoing clinical trials of a COVID vaccine are useless .
Regardless of outcome , regardless of what kind of vaccine is being tested , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes the trials irrelevant , useless , and pointless .
Will scientists and doctors and civilians wake up and flood the FDA with objections , and force the agency to reject these clinical trials and these vaccine companies ?
Can we spread the truth about these clinical trials far and wide ?
“ Let ’ s wait and see what happens ” isn ’ t good enough .
The Best of Jon Rappoport

I covered this breaking story last week.
I analyzed a startling piece in the NY Times that torpedoed the major clinical trials now underway, headed up by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna.
My readers, who know the devil is in the details, saw how absurd these trials are.
Now I want to go back and fill in a few new facts that round out the picture.
As a result of increased scrutiny and pressure, the vaccine companies couldn’t just say their experimental COVID vaccine produced antibodies, meaning there was a “proper immune response” to the vaccine. That wouldn’t be enough to win FDA approval.
No, they would have to create two huge groups of human volunteers, give one group the vaccine, and the other group a saltwater placebo shot.
Then what? Victim Of The Swamp: H... Bergy, Mr Patrick Bruce Best Price: $7.39 Buy New $15.00 (as of 08:40 UTC - Details)
Then wait. Since these companies believe the coronavirus is everywhere, descending from the clouds and infecting millions of people, they would wait for some volunteers to “catch COVID-19.”
How many volunteers? 150. That’s the magic number.
At that point, the clinical trial would stop. Everything would stop.
The big reveal would take place. Of these 150 cases of COVID-19, how many occurred in volunteers who got the vaccine, and how many COVID-19 cases occurred in the volunteers who got the placebo saltwater shot?
Get it? In other words, this information would show how successful the vaccine was in protecting the volunteers from COVID-19.
What would the vaccine companies be hoping and praying for? A breakdown like this: only 50 COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group, and 100 cases in the placebo group.
Why? Because this would prove the vaccine was 50% effective in preventing COVID-19. And that percentage is all the FDA requires to issue an authorization for the vaccine—an authorization to shoot up all Americans.
Absurd. Preposterous. 150 volunteers determine whether 350 million Americans will be targeted for a vaccine. But that’s not the bottom line in this story.
Let’s return to the beginning again. The vaccine companies, forced to enroll tens of thousands of live humans in their clinical trials, need to decide: who will these volunteers be?
Will they be the elderly, most of whom are already ill with prior conditions, their immune systems already very weak—who could—as even public health agencies warn—keel over from any vaccine injection? Of course not.
The volunteers will have to be healthy adults. Yes. But that presents a huge and fateful problem.
Remember, these volunteers, after they receive either the vaccine or the placebo, will be sent back to live their lives while everyone waits. Waits to see who “catches COVID-19.”
What sort of COVID-19 illness? Very mild? Quite serious?
The answer is obvious. It can’t be “quite serious.” That would mean pneumonia. The vaccine companies could wait around for 10 years and still not record 150 cases of real pneumonia among these HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS.
No, the vaccine companies would wait for 150 mild cases of COVID-19. Meaning, nothing more than a simple cough, or chills and fever, and a positive PCR test.
(In this article, I won’t describe the MANY problems with the worthless and deceptive PCR test.)
Can you see it yet? The vaccine companies are in a box. They’re trapped.
Their whole clinical trial is DESIGNED to prove the vaccine can protect against MILD CASES of COVID-19. That’s all.
AND NOBODY CARES ABOUT THAT. MILD CASES CURE THEMSELVES. NO VACCINE IS NECESSARY.
A SUCCESSFUL VACCINE SHOULD BE PROTECTING PEOPLE AGAINST THE SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING COVID-19 CASES.
BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE DESIGNED TO PROVE.
Verdict: the three major ongoing clinical trials of a COVID vaccine are useless. Regardless of outcome, regardless of what kind of vaccine is being tested, the designed protocol for the clinical trials makes the trials irrelevant, useless, and pointless.
Will scientists and doctors and civilians wake up and flood the FDA with objections, and force the agency to reject these clinical trials and these vaccine companies?
Can we spread the truth about these clinical trials far and wide?
“Let’s wait and see what happens” isn’t good enough.
Not by a long shot.
Reprinted with permission from Jon Rappoport’s blog.
The Best of Jon Rappoport


lewrockwell--2020-09-30--Time To End Ridiculous Prostitution Laws

I neither follow nor watch football , and have not for decades , but I don ’ t have my head in the sand .
Even though I live in Florida , I know that Tom Brady was New England Patriots ’ star quarterback for about twenty years , Bill Belichick is the team ’ s head coach , and Robert Kraft is the team ’ s owner .
It was in Florida about a year ago that part-time Palm Beach resident Kraft was arrested , along with about sixty other men , on misdemeanor charges of prostitution solicitation after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside massage parlors in an attempt to uncover an alleged prostitution ring .
Detectives obtained the video showing the alleged crimes via a “ sneak-and-peek ” warrant—a warrant authorizing secret video surveillance that involves police physically entering a private premises without the permission or knowledge of the owner or occupant .
Sick , perverted cops then sat around computer screens sipping coffee , passing around a box of donuts , and watching licensed , adult masseuses giving client ’ s massages that usually included nudity and happy endings—all in the name of fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which no business owner was ever charged with .
Hey , at least these cops didn ’ t use taxpayer money to go undercover and have sex with masseuses like federal agents have done .
The defendants moved to suppress the videos , on many grounds , and a county court agreed .
County Judge Leonard Hanser wrote in his ruling , “ The fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ written guidelines.
” Circuit Judge Joseph Marx agreed with Hanser ’ s ruling and suppressed the videos .
The state of Florida appealed , and the case , State of Florida v. Robert Kraft , was heard by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach , which issued its ruling on August 19 , 2020 : On appeal , the state argues that the trial courts erred in suppressing the video evidence because ( 1 ) the defendants lack standing to raise a Fourth Amendment challenge , ( 2 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a requirement under the Fourth Amendment , and ( 3 ) even if the warrants were deficient , the “ good faith ” exception to the exclusionary rule should apply .
As we explain below in addressing each of these three arguments , we disagree .
In the absence of any binding Florida law concerning silent video surveillance like that conducted in this case , the trial courts properly applied well-settled and persuasive federal law on the issue .
We agree with the trial courts that this is unacceptable .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcing the minimum constitutional standards for secret video surveillance , and the state has not overcome the presumption of correctness in the trial courts ’ ruling that the minimization requirement was not satisfied .
We can not conclude here that the law enforcement agencies acted in good faith with respect to minimization due to the lack of Florida law on point .
We further reject the state ’ s argument that only recordings of innocent conduct should be excluded The type of law enforcement surveillance utilized in these cases is extreme .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ warrant the use of the techniques at issue , the strict Fourth Amendment safeguards developed over the past few decades must be observed .
If they are not , any evidence obtained could very well be declared inadmissible as a matter of constitutional law .
To permit otherwise would yield unbridled discretion to agents of law enforcement and the government , the antithesis of the constitutional liberty of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures .
The federal case law cited herein pertaining to silent video surveillance is well reasoned and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold—as every federal circuit court and state court to consider the question has—that this type of intrusive , covert video surveillance is subject to heightened standards and procedures designed to implement Fourth Amendment protections , particularly in the face of the constantly expanding use of electronic surveillance techniques by law enforcement .
And where the government fails to faithfully follow these standards and procedures , it will be held to account by the exclusion of the evidence obtained .
The Fourth Amendment demands no less under these circumstances .
The trial courts did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the appropriate remedy under the circumstances of this case .
In light of this decision , the Florida attorney general Ashley Moody said that she won ’ t appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and dropped the prostitution solicitation charges against Kraft .
Local prosecutors then dropped charges in their cases against about 60 men , even though 55 already completed diversion programs .
It is time to end these ridiculous prostitution laws .
Who cares if Robert Kraft paid a masseuse for sex before , during , or after a massage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the same ?
What business is it of the state of Florida if a legal adult pays another legal adult for sexual services ?
Why does the introduction of money turn fornication and adultery into criminal offenses ?
Why is paying directly for sex a crime , but paying for dinner and a movie for sex is not a crime ?
Why is it legal for a woman to provide free sexual services as often as she wants and to as many people as she wants , but illegal for her to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something that is legal to give away be illegal if one charges for it ?
Why is it legal for people to be paid to have sex to produce a pornographic movie , but illegal for people to pay to have sex in the privacy of their home , hotel room , or massage parlor ?
Why is prostitution a crime but other immoral activities are not crimes ?
Why are brothels legal in some Nevada counties but illegal everywhere else in the United States ?
What business is it of any person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undertaken by two willing adults ?
The Best of Laurence M. Vance

I neither follow nor watch football, and have not for decades, but I don’t have my head in the sand. Even though I live in Florida, I know that Tom Brady was New England Patriots’ star quarterback for about twenty years, Bill Belichick is the team’s head coach, and Robert Kraft is the team’s owner.
It was in Florida about a year ago that part-time Palm Beach resident Kraft was arrested, along with about sixty other men, on misdemeanor charges of prostitution solicitation after several law-enforcement agencies secretly installed hidden cameras inside massage parlors in an attempt to uncover an alleged prostitution ring.
Detectives obtained the video showing the alleged crimes via a “sneak-and-peek” warrant—a warrant authorizing secret video surveillance that involves police physically entering a private premises without the permission or knowledge of the owner or occupant.
Sick, perverted cops then sat around computer screens sipping coffee, passing around a box of donuts, and watching licensed, adult masseuses giving client’s massages that usually included nudity and happy endings—all in the name of fighting “human trafficking” of course, which no business owner was ever charged with. THE HAMMER is the Key ... Jones, Alan Buy New $4.99 (as of 08:40 UTC - Details)
Hey, at least these cops didn’t use taxpayer money to go undercover and have sex with masseuses like federal agents have done.
The defendants moved to suppress the videos, on many grounds, and a county court agreed. County Judge Leonard Hanser wrote in his ruling, “The fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable and results from the lack of sufficient pre-monitoring written guidelines.” Circuit Judge Joseph Marx agreed with Hanser’s ruling and suppressed the videos.
The state of Florida appealed, and the case, State of Florida v. Robert Kraft, was heard by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, which issued its ruling on August 19, 2020:
On appeal, the state argues that the trial courts erred in suppressing the video evidence because (1) the defendants lack standing to raise a Fourth Amendment challenge, (2) the warrants were not deficient because minimization is not a requirement under the Fourth Amendment, and (3) even if the warrants were deficient, the “good faith” exception to the exclusionary rule should apply. As we explain below in addressing each of these three arguments, we disagree. In the absence of any binding Florida law concerning silent video surveillance like that conducted in this case, the trial courts properly applied well-settled and persuasive federal law on the issue.
We agree with the trial courts that this is unacceptable. The trial courts properly applied the federal case law enforcing the minimum constitutional standards for secret video surveillance, and the state has not overcome the presumption of correctness in the trial courts’ ruling that the minimization requirement was not satisfied.
We cannot conclude here that the law enforcement agencies acted in good faith with respect to minimization due to the lack of Florida law on point.
We further reject the state’s argument that only recordings of innocent conduct should be excluded
The type of law enforcement surveillance utilized in these cases is extreme. While there will be situations which may warrant the use of the techniques at issue, the strict Fourth Amendment safeguards developed over the past few decades must be observed. If they are not, any evidence obtained could very well be declared inadmissible as a matter of constitutional law. To permit otherwise would yield unbridled discretion to agents of law enforcement and the government, the antithesis of the constitutional liberty of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. The federal case law cited herein pertaining to silent video surveillance is well reasoned and widely accepted. Consequently, we must hold—as every federal circuit court and state court to consider the question has—that this type of intrusive, covert video surveillance is subject to heightened standards and procedures designed to implement Fourth Amendment protections, particularly in the face of the constantly expanding use of electronic surveillance techniques by law enforcement. And where the government fails to faithfully follow these standards and procedures, it will be held to account by the exclusion of the evidence obtained. The Fourth Amendment demands no less under these circumstances.
The trial courts did not err in concluding that total suppression was the appropriate remedy under the circumstances of this case.
In light of this decision, the Florida attorney general Ashley Moody said that she won’t appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and dropped the prostitution solicitation charges against Kraft. Local prosecutors then dropped charges in their cases against about 60 men, even though 55 already completed diversion programs.
It is time to end these ridiculous prostitution laws.
Who cares if Robert Kraft paid a masseuse for sex before, during, or after a massage?
Who cares if sixty other men did the same?
What business is it of the state of Florida if a legal adult pays another legal adult for sexual services?
Why does the introduction of money turn fornication and adultery into criminal offenses?
Why is paying directly for sex a crime, but paying for dinner and a movie for sex is not a crime?
Why is it legal for a woman to provide free sexual services as often as she wants and to as many people as she wants, but illegal for her to charge for her services?
How can something that is legal to give away be illegal if one charges for it?
Why is it legal for people to be paid to have sex to produce a pornographic movie, but illegal for people to pay to have sex in the privacy of their home, hotel room, or massage parlor?
Why is prostitution a crime but other immoral activities are not crimes?
Why are brothels legal in some Nevada counties but illegal everywhere else in the United States?
What business is it of any person or any government what consensual acts are undertaken by two willing adults?
The Best of Laurence M. Vance


lewrockwell--2020-09-30--‘Science’ Proves You’re a Racist!

‘Science’ Proves You’re a Racist!

With summer 2020 finally in the rearview mirror , and after seven months of “ two weeks to flatten the curve , ” I ’ m getting a little sick of “ the science.
” Not science , mind you , but theee science , the thing that leftists keep assuring us exists—a singular , canonical truth we all must obey .
Mind you , it sure seems like there ’ s not a great deal of agreement about “ the science ” regarding COVID : You don ’ t need masks/You do need masks .
Hydroxychloroquine doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t help/Sunlight helps .
COVID doesn ’ t linger in the air/COVID totally lingers in the air/COVID doesn ’ t linger after all .
Theee science is whatever today ’ s CNN home page says it is .
If that happens to contradict yesterday ’ s home page , well , that ’ s your fault for having a memory .
The corruption of science by the “ don ’ t ask questions , just accept today ’ s headline ” crowd started long before COVID ( like , when cancel-conscious scientists began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about there being only two genders ) .
But COVID has conditioned millions of Americans to unquestioningly accept that corruption as a permanent fixture .
In such an environment , is it any surprise that leftists are using junk science to promote their most sacred of tenets : the inborn racism of white Americans ?
Phillip Levine and Robin McKnight are two tenured mouthbreathers at Wellesley .
Levine is a former Clinton administration senior economist who churns out liberal pap for the National Bureau of Economic Research ( NBER ) and the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and McKnight is a “ health economist ” who does health-care-related research also for NBER and NASI .
These two “ top researchers ” recently authored a paper for the Brookings Institution about the summer spike in U.S. firearms sales .
In the study , Levine and McKnight claim that the spike in gun purchases was not due to legitimate security fears in response to riots and looting .
Rather , they claim the spike was the result of…can you guess ?
Evil white racism !
Now , the obvious question that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how did these “ scientists ” arrive at their conclusion ?
The gun purchase spike was real , and easily explained as a reaction to BLM/Antifa violence and anarchy .
So how did Levine and McKnight “ prove ” that “ racist beliefs and attitudes among whites ” were the actual prime motivating factor behind the spike ?

With summer 2020 finally in the rearview mirror, and after seven months of “two weeks to flatten the curve,” I’m getting a little sick of “the science.” Not science, mind you, but theee science, the thing that leftists keep assuring us exists—a singular, canonical truth we all must obey. Mind you, it sure seems like there’s not a great deal of agreement about “the science” regarding COVID: You don’t need masks/You do need masks. Hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work/Hydroxychloroquine totally works. Sunlight doesn’t help/Sunlight helps. COVID doesn’t linger in the air/COVID totally lingers in the air/COVID doesn’t linger after all.
Large crowds spread COVID/Large crowds don’t spread COVID (if it’s a BLM crowd).
Theee science is whatever today’s CNN home page says it is. If that happens to contradict yesterday’s home page, well, that’s your fault for having a memory.
The corruption of science by the “don’t ask questions, just accept today’s headline” crowd started long before COVID (like, when cancel-conscious scientists began redacting everything they’d previously said about there being only two genders). But COVID has conditioned millions of Americans to unquestioningly accept that corruption as a permanent fixture. In such an environment, is it any surprise that leftists are using junk science to promote their most sacred of tenets: the inborn racism of white Americans? La Jolla, Carter Page:... Webb, George Buy New $2.99 (as of 05:18 UTC - Details)
Phillip Levine and Robin McKnight are two tenured mouthbreathers at Wellesley. Levine is a former Clinton administration senior economist who churns out liberal pap for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), and McKnight is a “health economist” who does health-care-related research also for NBER and NASI. These two “top researchers” recently authored a paper for the Brookings Institution about the summer spike in U.S. firearms sales. In the study, Levine and McKnight claim that the spike in gun purchases was not due to legitimate security fears in response to riots and looting. Rather, they claim the spike was the result of…can you guess? Evil white racism!
Whites motivated by “racial animus” were mass-purchasing guns because they hate black people. Because that’s whites for ya. They don’t want to protect their businesses, homes, or families. Nope, they just wanna kill blacks. As The Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham summarized in his coverage of this “bombshell” report, “The research suggests that at least some of the spike in gun purchases is driven by racist beliefs and attitudes among white Americans.”
Now, the obvious question that any rational person would ask is, how did these “scientists” arrive at their conclusion? The gun purchase spike was real, and easily explained as a reaction to BLM/Antifa violence and anarchy. So how did Levine and McKnight “prove” that “racist beliefs and attitudes among whites” were the actual prime motivating factor behind the spike?
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Philosophers and Ploughmen

Each must know his part When I see something from Ira Katz posted at Lew Rockwell ’ s site , I will almost always read it first .
Recently , he asked the question , “ What is to be done ?
” He asked it regarding the issues of our time , quoting Jonathan Pageau who describes these times as the end of our civilization .
Readers here do not require a further explanation of Pageau ’ s sentiment .
Katz offers : But to understand the problems does not necessarily give us the direction for action .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being done by Bret Weinstein , an evolutionary biologist from Evergreen University fame and who has further ridden the wave caused by the rise of Jordan Peterson .
Given Peterson ’ s poor health for an extended period resulting in his disappearing from the conversation , it is probably Bret and his brother Eric who have come most to the fore in this discussion of the current situation .
In the earlier post , Katz made favorable comments regarding a project of Bret ’ s , a system for unity .
I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having heard enough to suggest to me that it is a project that lacks – as much of the current dialogue lacks – a willingness to grasp at the necessary foundations for resolution to the malaise and self-destruction that plagues Western society .
So , now , when answering the question of what is to be done , Katz has offered some comments from a reader – comments in response to his post on Weinstein : The problem with Weinstein and Co. is they are part of the industrial state .
And here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only have they been ‘ educated ’ in our Prussian style universities , where the teleological educational aim always pushes the graduate to reinforcing the state ’ s aims , they ’ re physically deficient as well .
The land will temper intellectual abstractions quicker than Bret can recount a genome sequence .
The vast majority of any population is made up of real people – by real people I mean not those presumably brilliant intellectuals , those full of book smarts .
Real people know something of the land – some in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broad sense .
They know something of it because they know something of themselves and their neighbors .
The Progressive Era is marked with brilliant technocrats devising and implementing actions to scientifically perfect man , with little foundation other than the intellectual abstractions learned in the self-reinforcing higher-education institutions .
Those in this current discussion , despite their goodwill , are merely continuing this trend – devising a religion that is not a religion ( John Vervaeke ) , or something to take the place of religion but that isn ’ t a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the one who really brought this conversation to the fore .
He certainly understood that western society has stripped western man of any meaning .
Without meaning , life is…well…meaningless .
And this meaninglessness leads to the malaise as seen in depressions and suicide .
And worse : no desire , interest , or even awareness , in preserving and developing the cultural foundations that have given meaning to Western man for something like 2,000 years , plus or minus a few centuries .
It should be no surprise that Jesus came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not come as a product of higher learning as a Pharisee or some such , although He certainly understood as much as and more than any of these .
Jesus , the carpenter and the friend of fishermen , knew something of the land – the real people .
Just one example : Matthew 12 : 1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath .
His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them .
2 When the Pharisees saw this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.
” After offering a couple of examples to demonstrate His point , the passage continues with Jesus citing from Hosea : 7 If you had known what these words mean , ‘ I desire mercy , not sacrifice , ’ you would not have condemned the innocent .
The Pharisees – despite being experts in the book – didn ’ t learn this from the book .
They didn ’ t learn it because they didn ’ t know something of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They had book-smarts , but without the knowledge of real people they had no comprehension of proper application .
This current conversation – the Weinstein ’ s , etc .
– are missing the same thing .
They can not even offer an answer to the question : “ what is good ?
” The best they can suggest is that they know “ bad ” when they see it – virtually useless information with knowledge of the good to temper it .
Western man has lost any idea of the good that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , given its current boundaries , is incapable of delivering an answer regarding the good to Western man .
Jesus was obviously so much more , but one thing He certainly was for the world was the archetype for man , man ’ s purpose , and for what is “ good.
” He put into action the words , “ I desire mercy , not sacrifice.
” Here , we find the good .
In this video , Paul VanderKlay was discussing related points , including the search for a healthy hierarchy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ We don ’ t live for happiness ; we live for meaning.
” To which I offered the comment : No behavior can be considered “ better ” or “ worse ” unless it is taken that man is created with a purpose , end , telos .
Accept this , and the first step toward understanding the necessity of natural law is taken .
Unless this is accepted unquestionably , there is no end to this conversation .
The Latin word used to explain man ’ s purpose was beatitudo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it wasn ’ t the superficial happiness as we understand it today .
It is better understood as fulfillment through other-regarding action .
In other words : meaning .
We live for happiness ; we live for meaning .
The first is found through the second .
The conversation being held regarding this loss of meaning and the malaise leading to the slow ( but rapidly approaching ) end of our civilization has no end without offering a target at which to aim .
The target can ’ t merely be “ don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have seen , such a target is useless as it provides no anchor for the good , and without such an anchor it gives no stability to what is evil .
To hit a target , we need something more than that which we should avoid – to hit the intruder requires knowledge of something more than not hitting my dog .
The target is the good , identified by understanding man ’ s purpose ; man ’ s purpose is beatitudo : fulfillment through other-regarding action .
This gives life meaning .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Christian ( or Catholic ) sound of this , rest assured : natural law is discoverable by all men ; just ask many of the Christian natural law philosophers .
But I do believe it requires a belief in something above and outside man ’ s reach and man ’ s control .
In this developing conversation , VanderKlay has parsed out what different people see as different aspects of God – or in some cases , two different definitions of God .
He labels these as God # 1 and God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these are two different gods , just two different views of what we call God .
God # 1 is always present ; this is the immanent God .
The spiritual God who permeates the world and permeates nature .
We sometimes use the word “ metaphysical ” to describe this aspect of God .
Two examples might help illustrate : Acts 17 : 28 ‘ For in him we live and move and have our being.
’ The Apostle Paul is citing a Greek philosopher ; Paul is making known the God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greeks only knew as the unknown god .
This is the immanent God .
A second example of God # 1 ( really an analogy ) , offered by VanderKlay : Frodo can ’ t find Tolkien , yet Tolkien is everywhere in Middle Earth .
This is the immanent God .
God # 2 is the transcendent God – separate from the material universe ; an agent who acts in history and governs the objects of the world ; we are subject to and dependent on His will .
Modern Western Christianity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # 1 and sees only God # 2 in its sights .
Many modern intellectuals dismiss both dimensions of God .
But without a belief in something like the first dimension – God # 1 , who permeates the world – there is no hope for natural law or any type of order that can remain outside of human control .
And we know the disaster that always comes from order imposed via human control .
When we say that all men are below the law , it is only possible through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # 1 – don ’ t call it “ God ” if that word bothers you too much .
In a previous LRC post I wrote “ In these desperate times , I feel the two actions that are essential are to take courage and to pray.
” I offered something similar , here , taken from Jesus : prayer and fasting .
Katz continues : Clearly , I should also add “ and to garden.
” Returning to the broader conversation today : the participants , knowingly or not , are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to this , the conversation will only get dragged into the circling drain that the participants are attempting to avoid .
Today ’ s philosophers need to learn something from the ploughman .
The ploughman understands that every being has a purpose , a purpose that gives it meaning .
The horse has a purpose , as does the cow , the plow , and the seed .
Each must fulfill its purpose if it is to have any meaning .
It is just as true for man .
Natural Law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ search for liberty .
Murray Rothbard has concluded the same thing , well before I did…as I find always the case on every topic I that explore As mentioned , natural law is available to and discoverable even by those who cringe at the word “ Christian ” or “ Catholic.
” It is also discoverable solely through Scripture , for those who believe it to be contrary to anything Biblical or who believe that the only place one should look for such truths is the Bible .
For those who can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , Hans Hoppe has offered his Argumentation Ethics .
As Hoppe puts it , his purpose is not to replace natural law , but is specifically aimed at those who can ’ t stand the idea of a higher authority .
Personally , I don ’ t believe natural law and liberty are sustainable without such an idea of this higher authority held by a large portion of the population in any given polity .
I also find the idea of liberty through an adherence to natural law is possible only with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history has proven this so , as the idea exists only in fragments in other cultures and traditions but nowhere else in whole .
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Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart
– Closer to the Heart, Rush
When I see something from Ira Katz posted at Lew Rockwell’s site, I will almost always read it first. Recently, he asked the question, “What is to be done?” He asked it regarding the issues of our time, quoting Jonathan Pageau who describes these times as the end of our civilization. Readers here do not require a further explanation of Pageau’s sentiment. Katz offers:
But to understand the problems does not necessarily give us the direction for action.
In an earlier post, Katz referenced work being done by Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist from Evergreen University fame and who has further ridden the wave caused by the rise of Jordan Peterson. Given Peterson’s poor health for an extended period resulting in his disappearing from the conversation, it is probably Bret and his brother Eric who have come most to the fore in this discussion of the current situation. From the Company of Sh... Kevin Michael Shipp Best Price: $17.00 Buy New $21.89 (as of 07:05 UTC - Details)
In the earlier post, Katz made favorable comments regarding a project of Bret’s, a system for unity. I am not terribly familiar with it, only having heard enough to suggest to me that it is a project that lacks – as much of the current dialogue lacks – a willingness to grasp at the necessary foundations for resolution to the malaise and self-destruction that plagues Western society.
So, now, when answering the question of what is to be done, Katz has offered some comments from a reader – comments in response to his post on Weinstein:
The problem with Weinstein and Co. is they are part of the industrial state. And here’s what I mean. Not only have they been ‘educated’ in our Prussian style universities, where the teleological educational aim always pushes the graduate to reinforcing the state’s aims, they’re physically deficient as well.
They haven’t worked the land.
The land will temper intellectual abstractions quicker than Bret can recount a genome sequence.
The vast majority of any population is made up of real people – by real people I mean not those presumably brilliant intellectuals, those full of book smarts. Real people know something of the land – some in a narrow sense, many in a broad sense. They know something of it because they know something of themselves and their neighbors.
The Progressive Era is marked with brilliant technocrats devising and implementing actions to scientifically perfect man, with little foundation other than the intellectual abstractions learned in the self-reinforcing higher-education institutions. Those in this current discussion, despite their goodwill, are merely continuing this trend – devising a religion that is not a religion (John Vervaeke), or something to take the place of religion but that isn’t a religion (Bret Weinstein).
Peterson is the one who really brought this conversation to the fore. He certainly understood that western society has stripped western man of any meaning. Without meaning, life is…well…meaningless. And this meaninglessness leads to the malaise as seen in depressions and suicide. And worse: no desire, interest, or even awareness, in preserving and developing the cultural foundations that have given meaning to Western man for something like 2,000 years, plus or minus a few centuries.
It should be no surprise that Jesus came to us as a carpenter. He did not come as a product of higher learning as a Pharisee or some such, although He certainly understood as much as and more than any of these. Jesus, the carpenter and the friend of fishermen, knew something of the land – the real people. Just one example:
Matthew 12: 1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
After offering a couple of examples to demonstrate His point, the passage continues with Jesus citing from Hosea:
7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
The Pharisees – despite being experts in the book – didn’t learn this from the book. They didn’t learn it because they didn’t know something of the land – of the real people. They had book-smarts, but without the knowledge of real people they had no comprehension of proper application.
This current conversation – the Weinstein’s, etc. – are missing the same thing. They cannot even offer an answer to the question: “what is good?” The best they can suggest is that they know “bad” when they see it – virtually useless information with knowledge of the good to temper it.
Western man has lost any idea of the good that gives life meaning, and this conversation, given its current boundaries, is incapable of delivering an answer regarding the good to Western man.
Jesus was obviously so much more, but one thing He certainly was for the world was the archetype for man, man’s purpose, and for what is “good.” He put into action the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Here, we find the good.
In this video, Paul VanderKlay was discussing related points, including the search for a healthy hierarchy of values. He made the statement: “We don’t live for happiness; we live for meaning.” To which I offered the comment:
No behavior can be considered “better” or “worse” unless it is taken that man is created with a purpose, end, telos. Accept this, and the first step toward understanding the necessity of natural law is taken. Unless this is accepted unquestionably, there is no end to this conversation.
The Latin word used to explain man’s purpose was beatitudo, commonly translated as happiness. But it wasn’t the superficial happiness as we understand it today. It is better understood as fulfillment through other-regarding action. In other words: meaning.
We live for happiness; we live for meaning. The first is found through the second. The conversation being held regarding this loss of meaning and the malaise leading to the slow (but rapidly approaching) end of our civilization has no end without offering a target at which to aim. The target can’t merely be “don’t do evil.” As we have seen, such a target is useless as it provides no anchor for the good, and without such an anchor it gives no stability to what is evil.
To hit a target, we need something more than that which we should avoid – to hit the intruder requires knowledge of something more than not hitting my dog. The target is the good, identified by understanding man’s purpose; man’s purpose is beatitudo: fulfillment through other-regarding action. This gives life meaning.
For those who don’t like the Christian (or Catholic) sound of this, rest assured: natural law is discoverable by all men; just ask many of the Christian natural law philosophers. But I do believe it requires a belief in something above and outside man’s reach and man’s control.
In this developing conversation, VanderKlay has parsed out what different people see as different aspects of God – or in some cases, two different definitions of God. He labels these as God #1 and God #2 – not that he believes these are two different gods, just two different views of what we call God.
God #1 is always present; this is the immanent God. The spiritual God who permeates the world and permeates nature. We sometimes use the word “metaphysical” to describe this aspect of God. Two examples might help illustrate:
Acts 17: 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’
The Apostle Paul is citing a Greek philosopher; Paul is making known the God that is the object of what the Greeks only knew as the unknown god. This is the immanent God.
A second example of God #1 (really an analogy), offered by VanderKlay: Frodo can’t find Tolkien, yet Tolkien is everywhere in Middle Earth. This is the immanent God.
God #2 is the transcendent God – separate from the material universe; an agent who acts in history and governs the objects of the world; we are subject to and dependent on His will.
Modern Western Christianity has virtually dismissed the idea of God #1 and sees only God #2 in its sights. Many modern intellectuals dismiss both dimensions of God. But without a belief in something like the first dimension – God #1, who permeates the world – there is no hope for natural law or any type of order that can remain outside of human control. And we know the disaster that always comes from order imposed via human control.
When we say that all men are below the law, it is only possible through a firm belief in something that represents God #1 – don’t call it “God” if that word bothers you too much.
In concluding his post, Katz writes:
In a previous LRC post I wrote “In these desperate times, I feel the two actions that are essential are to take courage and to pray.”
I offered something similar, here, taken from Jesus: prayer and fasting. Katz continues:
Clearly, I should also add “and to garden.”
Returning to the broader conversation today: the participants, knowingly or not, are in search of natural law. Until they get to this, the conversation will only get dragged into the circling drain that the participants are attempting to avoid.
Today’s philosophers need to learn something from the ploughman. The ploughman understands that every being has a purpose, a purpose that gives it meaning. The horse has a purpose, as does the cow, the plow, and the seed. Each must fulfill its purpose if it is to have any meaning.
It is just as true for man.
Conclusion
Natural Law. This is where I ended in my search for liberty. Murray Rothbard has concluded the same thing, well before I did…as I find always the case on every topic I that explore
As mentioned, natural law is available to and discoverable even by those who cringe at the word “Christian” or “Catholic.” It is also discoverable solely through Scripture, for those who believe it to be contrary to anything Biblical or who believe that the only place one should look for such truths is the Bible.
For those who cannot stand even the idea of God #1, Hans Hoppe has offered his Argumentation Ethics. As Hoppe puts it, his purpose is not to replace natural law, but is specifically aimed at those who can’t stand the idea of a higher authority.
Personally, I don’t believe natural law and liberty are sustainable without such an idea of this higher authority held by a large portion of the population in any given polity. I also find the idea of liberty through an adherence to natural law is possible only with the grounding offered through Christianity. Certainly history has proven this so, as the idea exists only in fragments in other cultures and traditions but nowhere else in whole.
This isn’t just dumb luck.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
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