lewrockwell--2020-09-17--A Constitution of Some Authority

A Constitution of Some Authority

A federal court in Pennsylvania this week has become the first in the nation to rule that the lockdown , social distancing and essential workplace regulations imposed by Gov .
Tom Wolf are unconstitutional .
The judge found that the governor ’ s orders were so inconsistent , so bereft of any rational basis or scientific model , and so ignorant of the Constitution the governor swore to uphold that he invalidated all of them .
Here is the backstory .
The whole purpose of the Constitution has been to establish a federal government and , at the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the limitations are in the body of the Constitution itself .
Most are in the amendments .
A prudent study of the founding era makes it clear that more than half the states ratified the Constitution only upon the promise by the Constitution ’ s drafters of the addition of a Bill of Rights .
Suicide Pact : The Radi ... Napolitano , Andrew P. Best Price : $ 0.25 Buy New $ 2.84 The key figure in the era is James Madison .
Madison had three phases in his public career .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with his neighbor Thomas Jefferson , urging revolution against the British king because he taxed without representation and interfered with commercial activities and personal liberties .
Madison ’ s second phase was as a promoter of a strong central government , along with Jefferson ’ s enemy , Alexander Hamilton .
The Constitution — which he basically drafted — offered both a devastation of state sovereignty and a roadmap for regulatory control over economic activities that would permit the new government to pick winners and losers .
His third phase was as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Jefferson , and to which he went as soon as he saw how the federalists during the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams twisted and abused the words he wrote in the Constitution .
The turning point for Madison was the establishment of a central bank .
Madison ’ s famous Bank Speech shows a radically transformed thinker .
He argued that there was no power in the Constitution for Congress to establish a bank and that the power to do so was intentionally left to the states .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people authorize it to do , subject to their inherent natural rights .
Some of Madison ’ s motivations might have been personal .
But by the time he drafted the Bill of Rights , he was firmly in the Jeffersonian , small government , maximum individual liberty camp .
That camp produced what we now have as the first 10 amendments , the essence of which is that our rights are natural , they come from our humanity , and thus , government may not constitutionally impair them without due process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or perhaps Madison ’ s genius — and the modern judicial reluctance to call a natural right a natural right have produced two due processes : One is procedural , and one is substantive .
Procedural due process mandates that the government may not interfere with anyone ’ s life , liberty or property without a fair hearing before a neutral judge with constitutional protections and based on laws and procedures that preexisted the government ’ s interference .
Substantive due process is another phrase for fundamental , prepolitical or natural rights .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ due process and the government wants to interfere with it , the government must show a compelling state interest in what it wants to do , and that it is addressing that interest by the narrowest possible means — before we even get to the fairness and hearing phase .
Now , back to the case in Pennsylvania .
The court ruled on three issues .
The first addressed the right to assemble peaceably , whether for political , religious or commercial purposes .
Wolf argued that , in the name of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what venues one can assemble and in what venues one can not .
For example , Wolf permitted huge assemblies in Walmart , but no assemblies in small family-owned stores that sell the same products as Walmart .
The court invalidated that distinction as unrelated to any legitimate governmental purpose .
The second and third issues addressed were the right to travel and the right to work .
The court recognized that Wolf ’ s arbitrary designation of occupations as essential or nonessential had no basis in the Constitution .
As well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designations was to keep some folks at home and to allow others to travel to work .
Cu Napolitano 3 in 1 - ... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price : $ 1.50 Buy New $ 14.19 Yet , the right to travel — across the street or across state lines — is a fundamental liberty and thus protected by substantive due process .
Wolf and his team could not meet the high standard needed to interfere with it .
Most importantly , the court found that the right to work in a calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by substantive due process .
Stated differently , this federal court is the first in the modern era to characterize the right to work as fundamental .
Therefore , government may only interfere with it for compelling reasons and using the narrowest means possible .
No governor in America who has persisted in interfering with this right during the pandemic has met this high standard .
The significance of characterizing the right to work as fundamental can not be overstated .
Since 1934 , the federal courts have characterized nearly all expressive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have excluded commercial rights .
Stated differently , since the FDR years , some rights have gotten more protection from government interference than others , making it far easier for the federal government and the states to regulate commercial activities than to regulate the freedom of speech .
If this opinion is upheld , then all these authoritarian gubernatorial orders regulating personal behavior implicating travel , assembly and choice of work will fall .
Beyond that , the right to make personal choices in the marketplace will have acquired an immunity from government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lived to see .
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano

Shop all books by Judge Napolitano
A federal court in Pennsylvania this week has become the first in the nation to rule that the lockdown, social distancing and essential workplace regulations imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf are unconstitutional.
The judge found that the governor’s orders were so inconsistent, so bereft of any rational basis or scientific model, and so ignorant of the Constitution the governor swore to uphold that he invalidated all of them.
Here is the backstory.
The whole purpose of the Constitution has been to establish a federal government and, at the same time, to limit it. Some of the limitations are in the body of the Constitution itself. Most are in the amendments. A prudent study of the founding era makes it clear that more than half the states ratified the Constitution only upon the promise by the Constitution’s drafters of the addition of a Bill of Rights. Suicide Pact: The Radi... Napolitano, Andrew P. Best Price: $0.25 Buy New $2.84 (as of 04:15 UTC - Details)
The key figure in the era is James Madison. Madison had three phases in his public career. The first was as a radical, along with his neighbor Thomas Jefferson, urging revolution against the British king because he taxed without representation and interfered with commercial activities and personal liberties.
Madison’s second phase was as a promoter of a strong central government, along with Jefferson’s enemy, Alexander Hamilton. The Constitution — which he basically drafted — offered both a devastation of state sovereignty and a roadmap for regulatory control over economic activities that would permit the new government to pick winners and losers.
His third phase was as an anti-federalist, or Democratic-Republican, back with Jefferson, and to which he went as soon as he saw how the federalists during the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams twisted and abused the words he wrote in the Constitution.
The turning point for Madison was the establishment of a central bank. Madison’s famous Bank Speech shows a radically transformed thinker. He argued that there was no power in the Constitution for Congress to establish a bank and that the power to do so was intentionally left to the states. He also argued that government can only do what the people authorize it to do, subject to their inherent natural rights.
Some of Madison’s motivations might have been personal. But by the time he drafted the Bill of Rights, he was firmly in the Jeffersonian, small government, maximum individual liberty camp. That camp produced what we now have as the first 10 amendments, the essence of which is that our rights are natural, they come from our humanity, and thus, government may not constitutionally impair them without due process.
The ambiguities of constitutional verbiage — or perhaps Madison’s genius — and the modern judicial reluctance to call a natural right a natural right have produced two due processes: One is procedural, and one is substantive.
Procedural due process mandates that the government may not interfere with anyone’s life, liberty or property without a fair hearing before a neutral judge with constitutional protections and based on laws and procedures that preexisted the government’s interference.
Substantive due process is another phrase for fundamental, prepolitical or natural rights. When a right is protected by substantive due process and the government wants to interfere with it, the government must show a compelling state interest in what it wants to do, and that it is addressing that interest by the narrowest possible means — before we even get to the fairness and hearing phase.
Now, back to the case in Pennsylvania. The court ruled on three issues. The first addressed the right to assemble peaceably, whether for political, religious or commercial purposes.
Wolf argued that, in the name of public safety, he can arbitrarily decide in what venues one can assemble and in what venues one cannot. For example, Wolf permitted huge assemblies in Walmart, but no assemblies in small family-owned stores that sell the same products as Walmart. The court invalidated that distinction as unrelated to any legitimate governmental purpose.
The second and third issues addressed were the right to travel and the right to work. The court recognized that Wolf’s arbitrary designation of occupations as essential or nonessential had no basis in the Constitution. As well, the practical effect of compliance with those designations was to keep some folks at home and to allow others to travel to work. Cu Napolitano 3 in 1 -... Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price: $1.50 Buy New $14.19 (as of 03:35 UTC - Details)
Yet, the right to travel — across the street or across state lines — is a fundamental liberty and thus protected by substantive due process. Wolf and his team could not meet the high standard needed to interfere with it.
Most importantly, the court found that the right to work in a calling of one’s choosing is protected by substantive due process. Stated differently, this federal court is the first in the modern era to characterize the right to work as fundamental. Therefore, government may only interfere with it for compelling reasons and using the narrowest means possible.
No governor in America who has persisted in interfering with this right during the pandemic has met this high standard.
The significance of characterizing the right to work as fundamental cannot be overstated. Since 1934, the federal courts have characterized nearly all expressive and intimate rights as fundamental, but they have excluded commercial rights.
Stated differently, since the FDR years, some rights have gotten more protection from government interference than others, making it far easier for the federal government and the states to regulate commercial activities than to regulate the freedom of speech.
If this opinion is upheld, then all these authoritarian gubernatorial orders regulating personal behavior implicating travel, assembly and choice of work will fall.
Beyond that, the right to make personal choices in the marketplace will have acquired an immunity from government interference that Madison surely intended but never lived to see.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Andrew P. Napolitano


lewrockwell--2020-09-17--The USA Is on the Brink of Civil War

The USA Is on the Brink of Civil War

In this article , the author seeks to draw our attention to a fact that is difficult for Westerners to conceive of : the American people are experiencing a crisis of civilization .
They are so deeply divided that the presidential election is not just about electing a leader , but about determining what the country ( empire or nation ? )
should be .
Neither side is capable of accepting to lose , so much so that each could resort to violence to impose its point of view .
As the U.S. presidential election approaches , the country is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other of preparing a coup d ’ état .
On one side are the Democrats and the non-party Republicans , and on the other are the Jacksonians , who have become the majority in the Republican Party without sharing its ideology .
Remember , already in November 2016 , a media manipulation company headed by the master of Agit-Prop , David Brock , raised more than 100 million dollars to destroy the image of the President-elect before he was invested [ 1 ] .
Since then , before he could do anything about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. president as incapable and an enemy of the people .
Some newspapers have even called for his assassination .
For almost four years , his own administration has constantly denounced him as a traitor paid by Russia and the international press has violently criticized him .
Before Our Very Eyes , ... Meyssan , Thierry Best Price : $ 29.44 Buy New $ 24.97 Currently , another group , the Transition Integrity Project ( TIP ) , is planning scenarios to overthrow him in the 2020 election , whether he loses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become national in scope since TIP founder Professor Rosa Brooks leaked a lengthy article in the Washington Post to which she is a regular contributor [ 2 ] .
The TIP organized four role-playing games last June .
It simulated various results to anticipate the reactions of the two candidates .
All the participants were Democrats and Republicans ( ideologically speaking , not “ Republicans ” in the sense of party membership ) , none of them Jacksonian .
Unsurprisingly , all of these personalities believe that “ the Trump administration has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rule of law .
It has adopted many corrupt and authoritarian practices .
They therefore concluded that President Trump would attempt a coup d ’ état and imagined that it was their duty to pre-emptively devise a “ democratic ” coup d ’ état [ 3 ] .
It is a characteristic of contemporary political thought to stand up for democracy , but to reject decisions that run counter to the interests of the ruling class .
Indeed , TIP members readily admit that the US electoral system they defend is profoundly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not attribute the presidential election to citizens , but to an electoral college of 538 people appointed by the governors .
The participation of citizens , which was not foreseen at independence , has gradually become the norm in practice , but only as a guide for governors .
Thus , in 2000 , when George W. Bush was elected , the Florida Supreme Court recalled that it did not have to know the wishes of the citizens of Florida , but only those of the 27 voters appointed by their Florida governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Constitution does not recognize popular sovereignty , but only the sovereignty of governors .
Moreover , the Electoral College designed by Thomas Jefferson has not functioned properly since 1992 : the elected candidate no longer has the majority of the wishes of the citizens in the states that tilt the election [ 4 ] .
The TIP has highlighted just about everything that could happen in the three months between the election and the nomination .
It acknowledges that it will be very difficult to determine the results given the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The TIP deliberately did not explore the possibility that the Democratic Party would announce Joe Biden ’ s election despite an undercount and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would swear him in before Donald Trump could be declared the loser .
In such a case , there would be two rival presidents , which would mark the beginning of a Second Civil War .
9/11 - the big lie Meyssan , Thierry Best Price : $ 7.89 Buy New $ 54.80 This eventuality encourages some to consider seceding , to unilaterally proclaim the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly true on the West Coast .
To prevent this process of disintegration , some advocate dividing California in order to give more members of the Electoral College to its population .
However , this solution is already a stance in the national conflict because it favours popular representation at the expense of the power of the governors .
In addition , last March I mentioned the temptation of a putschist coup by some military personnel , [ 5 ] to which several high-ranking officers later referred [ 6 ] .
These different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis that the United States is going through .
The “ American empire ” should have disintegrated after the dissolution of the Soviet Union .
This did not happen .
It should have reinvented itself with financial globalization .
It did not .
Each time , a conflict ( the ethnic division of Yugoslavia , the attacks of September 11 ) came to rekindle the dying .
It will no longer be possible to postpone the deadlines for much longer [ 7 ] .
[ 1 ] “ The Clinton system to discredit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Translation Pete Kimberley , Zero Hedge ( USA ) , Voltaire Network , 28 February 2017 .
[ 2 ] “ What ’ s the worst that could happen ?
The election will likely spark violence — and a constitutional crisis ” , The Washington Post , September 3 , 2020 .
[ 5 ] “ Putchists in the Shadow of the Coronavirus ” , by Thierry Meyssan , Translation Roger Lagassé , Voltaire Network , 31 March 2020 .
[ 6 ] “ The Pentagon against President Trump ” , Voltaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we risk a miltary coup ?
, by Colonel Richard H. Black , August 24 , 2020 .
The Best of Thierry Meyssan

In this article, the author seeks to draw our attention to a fact that is difficult for Westerners to conceive of: the American people are experiencing a crisis of civilization. They are so deeply divided that the presidential election is not just about electing a leader, but about determining what the country (empire or nation?) should be. Neither side is capable of accepting to lose, so much so that each could resort to violence to impose its point of view.
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, the country is divided into two camps that suspect each other of preparing a coup d’état. On one side are the Democrats and the non-party Republicans, and on the other are the Jacksonians, who have become the majority in the Republican Party without sharing its ideology.
Remember, already in November 2016, a media manipulation company headed by the master of Agit-Prop, David Brock, raised more than 100 million dollars to destroy the image of the President-elect before he was invested [1]. Since then, before he could do anything about it, the international press has portrayed the U.S. president as incapable and an enemy of the people. Some newspapers have even called for his assassination. For almost four years, his own administration has constantly denounced him as a traitor paid by Russia and the international press has violently criticized him. Before Our Very Eyes,... Meyssan, Thierry Best Price: $29.44 Buy New $24.97 (as of 05:40 UTC - Details)
Currently, another group, the Transition Integrity Project (TIP), is planning scenarios to overthrow him in the 2020 election, whether he loses it or wins it. The case has become national in scope since TIP founder Professor Rosa Brooks leaked a lengthy article in the Washington Post to which she is a regular contributor [2].
The TIP organized four role-playing games last June. It simulated various results to anticipate the reactions of the two candidates. All the participants were Democrats and Republicans (ideologically speaking, not “Republicans” in the sense of party membership), none of them Jacksonian. Unsurprisingly, all of these personalities believe that “the Trump administration has consistently undermined basic standards of democracy and the rule of law. It has adopted many corrupt and authoritarian practices. They therefore concluded that President Trump would attempt a coup d’état and imagined that it was their duty to pre-emptively devise a “democratic” coup d’état [3].
It is a characteristic of contemporary political thought to stand up for democracy, but to reject decisions that run counter to the interests of the ruling class. Indeed, TIP members readily admit that the US electoral system they defend is profoundly “anti-democratic”. The constitution does not attribute the presidential election to citizens, but to an electoral college of 538 people appointed by the governors. The participation of citizens, which was not foreseen at independence, has gradually become the norm in practice, but only as a guide for governors. Thus, in 2000, when George W. Bush was elected, the Florida Supreme Court recalled that it did not have to know the wishes of the citizens of Florida, but only those of the 27 voters appointed by their Florida governor.
Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. Constitution does not recognize popular sovereignty, but only the sovereignty of governors. Moreover, the Electoral College designed by Thomas Jefferson has not functioned properly since 1992: the elected candidate no longer has the majority of the wishes of the citizens in the states that tilt the election [4].
The TIP has highlighted just about everything that could happen in the three months between the election and the nomination. It acknowledges that it will be very difficult to determine the results given the use of absentee voting in times of epidemic. The TIP deliberately did not explore the possibility that the Democratic Party would announce Joe Biden’s election despite an undercount and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would swear him in before Donald Trump could be declared the loser. In such a case, there would be two rival presidents, which would mark the beginning of a Second Civil War. 9/11 - the big lie Meyssan, Thierry Best Price: $7.89 Buy New $54.80 (as of 07:40 UTC - Details)
This eventuality encourages some to consider seceding, to unilaterally proclaim the independence of their state. This is particularly true on the West Coast. To prevent this process of disintegration, some advocate dividing California in order to give more members of the Electoral College to its population. However, this solution is already a stance in the national conflict because it favours popular representation at the expense of the power of the governors.
In addition, last March I mentioned the temptation of a putschist coup by some military personnel, [5] to which several high-ranking officers later referred [6].
These different points of view attest to the deep crisis that the United States is going through. The “American empire” should have disintegrated after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This did not happen. It should have reinvented itself with financial globalization. It did not. Each time, a conflict (the ethnic division of Yugoslavia, the attacks of September 11) came to rekindle the dying. It will no longer be possible to postpone the deadlines for much longer [7].
—
[1] “The Clinton system to discredit Donald Trump”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Zero Hedge (USA) , Voltaire Network, 28 February 2017.
[2] “What’s the worst that could happen? The election will likely spark violence — and a constitutional crisis”, The Washington Post, September 3, 2020.
[3] Preventing a disrupted presidential election and transition, Transition Integrity Project, August 3, 2020.
[4] Presidential elections and majority rule, Edward B. Foley, Oxford University Press, 2020.
[5] “Putchists in the Shadow of the Coronavirus”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Roger Lagassé, Voltaire Network, 31 March 2020.
[6] “The Pentagon against President Trump”, Voltaire Network, 12 June 2020. Do we risk a miltary coup?, by Colonel Richard H. Black, August 24, 2020.
[7] “United States – reformation or fracture?”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 26 October 2016.
The Best of Thierry Meyssan


Convergence of Quandaries

And so , America has a new manufactured crisis , ElectionGate , as if all the other troubles piling up like tropical depressions marching across the September seas were not enough .
Let me remind you what else is going on .
The Wuhan pandemic is still on the scene , the economy is collapsing , a domestic race-war is escalating , the whole west coast is burning , and US oil production is crashing .
Oh… and slow-moving tropical storm Sally is forecast to come ashore as a hurricane on the Gulf Coast today , dumping up to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional crisis like a hole in the head , and that ’ s exactly what ’ s being engineered for the holiday season by the clever folks in the Democratic Party ’ s Lawfare auxiliary .
Here ’ s how it works : the complicit newspapers and cable news channels publish polls showing Joe Biden leading in several swing states , even if it ’ s not true .
Facebook and Twitter amplify expectations of a Biden victory .
This sets the stage for a furor when it turns out that he loses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antifa and BLM commence to riot all around the country .
Meanwhile , a mighty harvest of mail-in votes pours into election districts utterly unequipped to validate them .
Vont 4 Pack LED Campin ... Best Price : $ 19.88 Buy New $ 27.99 Lawfare cadres agitate in the contested states ’ legislatures to send rogue elector slates to the electoral college .
The dispute ends up in congress , which awaits a seating of newly-elected representatives on January 4 , hopefully for Lawfare , mostly Democrats .
Whoops… !
Turns out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fighting in the streets ramps up and overwhelms hamstrung police forces in Democratic-run cities .
January 20 — Inauguration Day — rolls around and the Dems ask the military to drag Trump out of the White House “ with great dispatch !
” as Mr. Biden himself put it so nicely back in the summer .
The US military breaks into two factions .
Voilà : Civil War Two .
You didn ’ t read that here first , of course .
It ’ s been all over the web for weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( cough cough ) ran their summer “ war game , ” intending to demonstrate that any Trump election victory would be evidence of treason and require correction by any means necessary , including sedition , which they ’ d already tried a few times in an organized way since 2016 ( and botched ) .
The Democrats are crazy enough now to want this .
They have driven themselves crazy for years with the death-wish of eradicating western civ ( and themselves with it ) .
There are many exegeses of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of revolution , but my own explanation departs from that .
Don ’ t Die In The ... Buy New $ 19.95 The orgy of political hysteria , insane thinking , and violence is a psychotic reaction to the collapsing techno-industrial economy — a feature of it , actually .
When all familiar social and economic arrangements are threatened , people go nuts .
Interestingly , the craziness actually started in the colleges and universities where ideas ( the products of thinking ) are supposed to be the stock-in-trade .
The more pressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the less intellectuals wanted to face them .
So , they desperately generated a force-field of crazy counter-ideas to repel the threat , a curriculum of wishful thinking , childish utopian nostrums , and exercises in boundary-smashing .
As all this moved out of the campuses ( the graduation function ) , it infected every other corner of American endeavor , institutions , business , news media , sports , Hollywood , etc .
The country is now out of its mind… echoes of France , 1793… a rhyme , not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow and insidious collapse because its petroleum energy base became unaffordable .
The reality of that was obscured by paradoxical appearances : the shale oil miracle goosed up US oil production from under five million barrels-a-day in 2007 to thirteen million barrels-a-day in 2019 .
Pretty awesome .
Seemed like we were awash in oil .
The problem was the companies producing shale oil couldn ’ t make money at it , and the loans that went into staging the shale oil “ miracle ” went bad… and then the companies couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , the crash of US oil production is a self-reinforcing feedback loop that is sure to continue and will make things worse .
Now , less than a year after reaching that majestic 13 million barrels-a-day , production has fallen to around 10 million a day — quite an impressive drop .
Further obscuring the actual dynamic in play , gasoline prices at the pump are quite low — under $ 2.50-a-gallon where I live , compared with $ 4-plus a couple of years ago — and most citizens consider the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how things are going in the oil industry .
The Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated and accelerated the damage from that by shutting down much of small business across America since March .
The businesses and people who owned them have suffered terribly .
That and the public lockdowns have greatly depressed the demand for oil products , driving the price-per-barrel down and reducing the cash flow of the oil companies .
That also aggravated worsening relations with our principal trading partner , China , the net effect of which threatens the supply chain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ products needed to keep our complex systems running .
Viking Open Road 150 D ... Buy New $ 39.34 Whether Mr. Trump or anybody can respond intelligently to this long emergency is a matter of considerable moment .
As far as election politics are concerned , Mr. Trump is only marginally better positioned because he is not in favor of destroying the existing institutions of the republic as his opponents are .
There ’ s less reason to believe he ’ s capable of coping with the nuts-and-bolts of the economic collapse that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For Mr. Trump , much depends on the illusory performance of the implausible financial markets .
This is the season for market crashes , as it is the season for Atlantic cyclones , and those markets have been acting as toppy as a moon-shot lately .
Meanwhile , the BLM mayhem continues overnight , this time in stodgy little old Lancaster , PA , where a knife-wielding Hispanic man was shot by the cops .
Crazy how unjustified that seems .
The incident and the reaction to it ( riot… fires ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County sheriff ’ s deputies in their car Saturday night by what appears to have been a black child or a dwarf .
Afterward , BLM “ protesters ” showed up at the hospital where the deputies were undergoing surgery , shouting “ I hope they die.
” I can ’ t wait to hear Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O ’ Donnell try to explain that to their faithful fans on MSNBC .
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

And so, America has a new manufactured crisis, ElectionGate, as if all the other troubles piling up like tropical depressions marching across the September seas were not enough. Let me remind you what else is going on. The Wuhan pandemic is still on the scene, the economy is collapsing, a domestic race-war is escalating, the whole west coast is burning, and US oil production is crashing. Oh… and slow-moving tropical storm Sally is forecast to come ashore as a hurricane on the Gulf Coast today, dumping up to two feet of rain.
America needs a constitutional crisis like a hole in the head, and that’s exactly what’s being engineered for the holiday season by the clever folks in the Democratic Party’s Lawfare auxiliary. Here’s how it works: the complicit newspapers and cable news channels publish polls showing Joe Biden leading in several swing states, even if it’s not true. Facebook and Twitter amplify expectations of a Biden victory. This sets the stage for a furor when it turns out that he loses on election night. On cue, Antifa and BLM commence to riot all around the country. Meanwhile, a mighty harvest of mail-in votes pours into election districts utterly unequipped to validate them.
Vont 4 Pack LED Campin... Best Price: $19.88 Buy New $27.99 (as of 03:43 UTC - Details) Lawfare cadres agitate in the contested states’ legislatures to send rogue elector slates to the electoral college. The dispute ends up in congress, which awaits a seating of newly-elected representatives on January 4, hopefully for Lawfare, mostly Democrats. Whoops…! Turns out the Dems lost their majority there too. Fighting in the streets ramps up and overwhelms hamstrung police forces in Democratic-run cities. January 20 — Inauguration Day — rolls around and the Dems ask the military to drag Trump out of the White House “with great dispatch!” as Mr. Biden himself put it so nicely back in the summer. The US military breaks into two factions. Voilà: Civil War Two.
You didn’t read that here first, of course. It’s been all over the web for weeks, since the Democratic Party-sponsored Transition Integrity Project (cough cough) ran their summer “war game,” intending to demonstrate that any Trump election victory would be evidence of treason and require correction by any means necessary, including sedition, which they’d already tried a few times in an organized way since 2016 (and botched). The Democrats are crazy enough now to want this. They have driven themselves crazy for years with the death-wish of eradicating western civ (and themselves with it). There are many exegeses of this phenomenon, mostly derived from Marxist theories of revolution, but my own explanation departs from that.
Don’t Die In The... Buy New $19.95 (as of 03:43 UTC - Details) The orgy of political hysteria, insane thinking, and violence is a psychotic reaction to the collapsing techno-industrial economy — a feature of it, actually. When all familiar social and economic arrangements are threatened, people go nuts. Interestingly, the craziness actually started in the colleges and universities where ideas (the products of thinking) are supposed to be the stock-in-trade. The more pressing the practical matters of daily life became, the less intellectuals wanted to face them. So, they desperately generated a force-field of crazy counter-ideas to repel the threat, a curriculum of wishful thinking, childish utopian nostrums, and exercises in boundary-smashing. As all this moved out of the campuses (the graduation function), it infected every other corner of American endeavor, institutions, business, news media, sports, Hollywood, etc. The country is now out of its mind… echoes of France, 1793… a rhyme, not a reprise.
The US economy began a slow and insidious collapse because its petroleum energy base became unaffordable. The reality of that was obscured by paradoxical appearances: the shale oil miracle goosed up US oil production from under five million barrels-a-day in 2007 to thirteen million barrels-a-day in 2019. Pretty awesome. Seemed like we were awash in oil. The problem was the companies producing shale oil couldn’t make money at it, and the loans that went into staging the shale oil “miracle” went bad… and then the companies couldn’t get new loans… and went bankrupt. So, the crash of US oil production is a self-reinforcing feedback loop that is sure to continue and will make things worse. Now, less than a year after reaching that majestic 13 million barrels-a-day, production has fallen to around 10 million a day — quite an impressive drop. Further obscuring the actual dynamic in play, gasoline prices at the pump are quite low — under $2.50-a-gallon where I live, compared with $4-plus a couple of years ago — and most citizens consider the price of gasoline their sole index of how things are going in the oil industry.
The Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated and accelerated the damage from that by shutting down much of small business across America since March. The businesses and people who owned them have suffered terribly. That and the public lockdowns have greatly depressed the demand for oil products, driving the price-per-barrel down and reducing the cash flow of the oil companies. That also aggravated worsening relations with our principal trading partner, China, the net effect of which threatens the supply chain for all sorts of critical parts and products needed to keep our complex systems running. Viking Open Road 150 D... Buy New $39.34 (as of 03:43 UTC - Details)
Whether Mr. Trump or anybody can respond intelligently to this long emergency is a matter of considerable moment. As far as election politics are concerned, Mr. Trump is only marginally better positioned because he is not in favor of destroying the existing institutions of the republic as his opponents are. There’s less reason to believe he’s capable of coping with the nuts-and-bolts of the economic collapse that awaits after the election dramaturgy plays out. For Mr. Trump, much depends on the illusory performance of the implausible financial markets. This is the season for market crashes, as it is the season for Atlantic cyclones, and those markets have been acting as toppy as a moon-shot lately.
Meanwhile, the BLM mayhem continues overnight, this time in stodgy little old Lancaster, PA, where a knife-wielding Hispanic man was shot by the cops. Crazy how unjustified that seems. The incident and the reaction to it (riot… fires) followed the assassination attempt of two LA County sheriff’s deputies in their car Saturday night by what appears to have been a black child or a dwarf. Afterward, BLM “protesters” showed up at the hospital where the deputies were undergoing surgery, shouting “I hope they die.” I can’t wait to hear Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell try to explain that to their faithful fans on MSNBC.
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


White-Counting

Last week , The New York Times complained that whites now make up only three-fifths of the population but still hold four-fifths of the most powerful jobs in America : Faces of Power : 80 % Are White , Even as U.S. Becomes More Diverse These are 922 of the most powerful people in America .
180 of them identify as Black , Hispanic , Asian , Native American , multiracial or otherwise a person of color .
Turnabout is fair play , so please note that the five staffers who undertook this race-counting project number one African-American and four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 22.99 In other words , even in 2020 , whites are overrepresented in important jobs like congressman , media mogul , CEO , and sports-team owner relative to the overall population by a ratio of four to three .
Of course , most of the NYT ’ s 922 powerful positions are held by older people .
Among American residents 40 or older , 69 percent are non-Hispanic white .
And many of the nonwhite residents are not citizens ( in fact , some are illegal aliens , although we aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
So , probably a little under three-fourths of the American citizens in the relevant age range are white , and they hold four-fifths of the powerful jobs .
Judging from that ratio , America in 2020 is remarkably not white supremacist , but you aren ’ t supposed to recognize that .
You may be wondering how accurate is The New York Times ’ list of the powerful .
I ’ d say it ’ s hit-or-miss , but not unusable .
I ’ ve always enjoyed analyzing lists for my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their own purposes , so I can ’ t be accused of cherry-picking data .
The “ Faces of Power ” has its problems , but it ’ s good enough for my needs .
But that plan quickly came a cropper because only 44 percent of the chiefs in charge of the 25 biggest police forces are white .
Another 44 percent are black and 12 percent are Hispanic .
Lejorain 54inch Large ... Buy New $ 26.99 The NYT gripes ( using the hilarious new reverential capitalization of “ Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) : Similarly , only 59 percent of the top district attorneys are white and 28 percent are black , even though the percentage of those who pass the bar exam who are black is much lower .
Almost half of the district attorneys in the cities with the largest police forces are people of color .
Jackie Lacey , Los Angeles ’ s first female and first Black district attorney , has been criticized by the Black Lives Matter movement for resisting efforts to reduce prison populations , which often have disproportionately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Black Lives Matters activists have endorsed Ms. Lacey ’ s challenger in a closely watched race for November .
The Soros candidate George Gascón in Los Angeles looks rather like Steve Martin .

Last week, The New York Times complained that whites now make up only three-fifths of the population but still hold four-fifths of the most powerful jobs in America:
Faces of Power: 80% Are White, Even as U.S. Becomes More Diverse These are 922 of the most powerful people in America. 180 of them identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, multiracial or otherwise a person of color.
Turnabout is fair play, so please note that the five staffers who undertook this race-counting project number one African-American and four Asian-Americans:
By Denise Lu, Jon Huang, Ashwin Seshagiri, Haeyoun Park and Troy Griggs, Sept. 9, 2020 …A review by The New York Times of more than 900 officials and executives in prominent positions found that about 20 percent identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, multiracial or otherwise a person of color. About 40 percent of Americans identify with one of those groups.
Bodyguard Inverted Umb... Buy New $22.99 (as of 03:44 UTC - Details) In other words, even in 2020, whites are overrepresented in important jobs like congressman, media mogul, CEO, and sports-team owner relative to the overall population by a ratio of four to three.
Of course, most of the NYT’s 922 powerful positions are held by older people. Among American residents 40 or older, 69 percent are non-Hispanic white. And many of the nonwhite residents are not citizens (in fact, some are illegal aliens, although we aren’t supposed to care about that).
So, probably a little under three-fourths of the American citizens in the relevant age range are white, and they hold four-fifths of the powerful jobs.
Judging from that ratio, America in 2020 is remarkably not white supremacist, but you aren’t supposed to recognize that.
You may be wondering how accurate is The New York Times’ list of the powerful. I’d say it’s hit-or-miss, but not unusable. I’ve always enjoyed analyzing lists for my purposes that other people have made up for their own purposes, so I can’t be accused of cherry-picking data. The “Faces of Power” has its problems, but it’s good enough for my needs.
Ironically, the NYT project appears to have started off as an attempt in this Summer of George to argue that blacks get themselves in trouble with the police so often because of too much white power. Thus, the first two categories tabulated in the Times are police chiefs and district attorneys.
But that plan quickly came a cropper because only 44 percent of the chiefs in charge of the 25 biggest police forces are white. Another 44 percent are black and 12 percent are Hispanic.
Lejorain 54inch Large ... Buy New $26.99 (as of 03:44 UTC - Details) The NYT gripes (using the hilarious new reverential capitalization of “Black” but not of “white”):
While half of the 25 largest police forces are run by people of color, the shootings and killings of Black people by white officers this year are a painful reminder of systemic bias. The rise of people of color to positions of leadership has not been a guarantee against the targeting of marginalized groups.
Similarly, only 59 percent of the top district attorneys are white and 28 percent are black, even though the percentage of those who pass the bar exam who are black is much lower.
Almost half of the district attorneys in the cities with the largest police forces are people of color. Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles’s first female and first Black district attorney, has been criticized by the Black Lives Matter movement for resisting efforts to reduce prison populations, which often have disproportionately high numbers of Black and Hispanic people. Black Lives Matters activists have endorsed Ms. Lacey’s challenger in a closely watched race for November.
Interestingly, some of the pro-criminal district attorneys recently elected with the help of funding from George Soros, such as Larry Krasner of Philadelphia and Chesa Boudin of San Francisco, are white men, while some of the more successful DAs at fighting crime, such as Los Angeles County’s Jackie Lacey, are black women. The Times kvetches:
The Soros candidate George Gascón in Los Angeles looks rather like Steve Martin.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-17--The Dem Ticket Is Puzzling

The Dem Ticket Is Puzzling

I am puzzled , as I assume my readers are , why the powers-that-be chose the two least electable candidates for the Democrat nominations for president and vice president .
It makes no sense to choose people who have little chance of winning—unless the globalists intend to rig the election and elect them , or install them after a color revolution , in order to make the US a laughing stock throughout the world as a way of removing the US , a hegemonic power , as an obstacle to the global elite .
Really , once you see Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that even white liberals can vote for the Democrat ticket : Imagine the ridicule that would be heaped upon Biden by the presstitute media if he were the Republican candidate .
The Tyranny of Good In ... Paul Craig Roberts , La ... Best Price : $ 6.96 Buy New $ 8.95 Those of you old enough to remember President Reagan will remember all the presstitute insinuations about Reagan being senile and falling asleep at cabinet meetings .
Of course , the presstitutes were never at cabinet meetings .
Reagan successfully confronted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the nuclear armageddon that could result from misunderstood intentions or a warning system error .
Reagan ’ s supply-side policy deep-sixed stagflation—the simultaneous rise of inflation and unemployment—and his negotiations with Soviet President Gorbachev ended the Cold War .
The Establishment has buried both achievements , and today Reagan is understood as the president who made Americans feel good while he cut taxes for the rich and poured money into the Pentagon and defense contractors .
Reagan ’ s “ star wars ” was more illusion than real .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the Cold War .
This was also the purpose of his military interventions against leftish takeovers in the US “ sphere of influence.
” The reason for these interventions was to give the message to Moscow that there would be no further territorial gains for communism .
The Tyranny of Good In ... Paul Craig Roberts , La ... Best Price : $ 6.96 Buy New $ 8.95 Americans today , especially the youth , know nothing about how the Reagan administration gave us two decades of economic growth without having to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they do not know that Reagan ended the Cold War .
Today the rightwing and Russians themselves believe that Reagan won the Cold War .
That was not Reagan ’ s goal .
President Reagan told those of us involved that the purpose was “ to end , not win , the Cold War , ” and that we must never act or speak in any way that implied that we had prevailed over the Soviets .
Wikipedia , a disinformation website , opens its account of Reagan ’ s foreign policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration was the foreign policy of the United States from 1981 to 1989 .
The main goal was winning the Cold War.
” The ignorance of whoever wrote this is extraordinary .
The Soviets never would have agreed to losing the Cold War .
President Reagan understood this , which is why he emphasized that our purpose was to end , not win , the Cold War .
Everything President Reagan accomplished by creating trust between Washington and Moscow has been destroyed by successor US administrations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few others emphasize , the danger of both accidential and intentional nuclear war at the present time is substantially greater than during the Cold War .
It is difficult to reconcile Washington ’ s pursuit of hegemony with the divisiveness that has been created in American society .
The Democrats and the presstitutes have made it clear that the November election will be used to deepen the divisiveness .
For the rest of the world , the silver lining in America ’ s internal conflict is the end of US hegemony .
@ @ @ @ @ @

I am puzzled, as I assume my readers are, why the powers-that-be chose the two least electable candidates for the Democrat nominations for president and vice president. It makes no sense to choose people who have little chance of winning—unless the globalists intend to rig the election and elect them, or install them after a color revolution, in order to make the US a laughing stock throughout the world as a way of removing the US, a hegemonic power, as an obstacle to the global elite.
Really, once you see Biden in action, it is difficult to believe that even white liberals can vote for the Democrat ticket:
Imagine the ridicule that would be heaped upon Biden by the presstitute media if he were the Republican candidate. The Tyranny of Good In... Paul Craig Roberts, La... Best Price: $6.96 Buy New $8.95 (as of 07:10 UTC - Details)
Those of you old enough to remember President Reagan will remember all the presstitute insinuations about Reagan being senile and falling asleep at cabinet meetings. Of course, the presstitutes were never at cabinet meetings.
Reagan successfully confronted the two major problems of his time—stagflation and the nuclear armageddon that could result from misunderstood intentions or a warning system error. Reagan’s supply-side policy deep-sixed stagflation—the simultaneous rise of inflation and unemployment—and his negotiations with Soviet President Gorbachev ended the Cold War.
The Establishment has buried both achievements, and today Reagan is understood as the president who made Americans feel good while he cut taxes for the rich and poured money into the Pentagon and defense contractors. Reagan’s “star wars” was more illusion than real. It’s purpose was to convince the Soviets to end the Cold War. This was also the purpose of his military interventions against leftish takeovers in the US “sphere of influence.” The reason for these interventions was to give the message to Moscow that there would be no further territorial gains for communism.
The Tyranny of Good In... Paul Craig Roberts, La... Best Price: $6.96 Buy New $8.95 (as of 07:10 UTC - Details) Americans today, especially the youth, know nothing about how the Reagan administration gave us two decades of economic growth without having to pay for it with rising inflation, and they do not know that Reagan ended the Cold War.
Today the rightwing and Russians themselves believe that Reagan won the Cold War. That was not Reagan’s goal. President Reagan told those of us involved that the purpose was “to end, not win, the Cold War,” and that we must never act or speak in any way that implied that we had prevailed over the Soviets. Wikipedia, a disinformation website, opens its account of Reagan’s foreign policy with a blatant lie: “The foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration was the foreign policy of the United States from 1981 to 1989. The main goal was winning the Cold War.” The ignorance of whoever wrote this is extraordinary. The Soviets never would have agreed to losing the Cold War. President Reagan understood this, which is why he emphasized that our purpose was to end, not win, the Cold War.
Everything President Reagan accomplished by creating trust between Washington and Moscow has been destroyed by successor US administrations. As Stephen Cohn, myself, and a few others emphasize, the danger of both accidential and intentional nuclear war at the present time is substantially greater than during the Cold War.
It is difficult to reconcile Washington’s pursuit of hegemony with the divisiveness that has been created in American society. The Democrats and the presstitutes have made it clear that the November election will be used to deepen the divisiveness. For the rest of the world, the silver lining in America’s internal conflict is the end of US hegemony.
The Best of Paul Craig Roberts


lewrockwell--2020-09-17--From Ego to Empire, All Our Problems Stem From the Impulse To Control

The human organism arrives in this world squishy , defenseless and easily startled , which it turns out is really starting things off on the wrong foot .
Because of the size of our newly-evolved brains relative to the birth canal , humans have to give birth to what are essentially fetuses , far more helpless for a much longer time than the offspring of our animal cousins .
While we are slowly completing our post-natal gestation and learning to move and walk as most mammals can do right out of the womb , we are in a very frightening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scarred with psychological trauma .
Our formative impressions of the world are that it ’ s an unpredictable land of giants who make unexpected loud noises and sudden movements , where we have to scream our heads off to get what we need and where we ’ re incapable of articulating any desires we might have that are more complex than hunger or changing .
Woke : A Field Guide Fo ... Johnstone , Caitlin Best Price : $ 20.37 Buy New $ 23.02 We ’ re just flung into this scary environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not control .
So it ’ s not surprising that we start forming strategies to exert some degree of control in order to feel safe and secure .
As our little heads get fuller and we begin to use language , we discover that one way we can exert control over this scary world of giants is with a conceptual framework known as “ me ” .
When we were newborns we did not experience a “ me ” , we just experienced raw sensory input and simple being .
As our capacity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it ’ s useful to move thoughts around an imaginary conceptual construct called “ me ” in order to exert control over our environment using thoughts and words like “ Mine !
” , “ I want that , ” “ Stay with me mommy , ” “ Don ’ t do that to me , ” etc .
The ego is your enemy : ... McBride , Maynard Best Price : $ 14.98 Buy New $ 19.99 In reality there is no hard , solid thing that could be called a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experientially .
Scientifically the human organism is a loosely collaborative cellular process with no defining boundaries and no real separation from the ecosystem which forms and sustains it , and experientially there ’ s just thoughts , feelings and sense impressions with no hard “ me ” at the center if you really look closely .
But because it ’ s useful for exerting control , the mental story of “ me ” gets energetically imbued with the power of belief in the organism .
This is what various spiritual traditions are pointing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ ego ” .
Not to any hard , solid thing , but to a behavioral tendency to energetically contract around an imaginary “ me ” construct .
It ’ s where nearly all of our suffering comes from , and it ’ s why the world is messed up in the way it is .
This impulse to control begins with egoic contraction , and depending on how forceful that contraction is it can lead to the impulse to control loved ones , communities , the environment , and every human being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impulse to control spills over onto others can become abusive : beating their children , manipulating their family members , terrorizing their significant others , doing whatever it takes to give themselves the feeling of security they get when the people around them are brought under control .
There ’ s no respect for the self-sovereignty of those people , because granting them self-sovereignty would be placing them out of your control .
The ego is your enemy : ... McBride , Maynard Best Price : $ 14.98 Buy New $ 19.99 Someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into their communities might become a bully at school , a tyrant at the office , a malicious gossip , a domineering preacher or cult leader .
Again it ’ s all about bringing the people around them under control so that they can feel safe and secure , with no regard for the self-sovereignty of others .
Someone whose egoic impulse to control spills out indiscriminately might try to amass as much control over as much wealth as possible so they ’ ll be able to influence vast collectives of people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ladder to gain power in the form of governmental or narrative control .
They ’ ll do anything they can to exert as much control as they can over anything that makes them feel insecure , to force a paradigm that ensures they ’ ll always get everything they want and none of it will ever be taken away from them .
And that ’ s why we ’ ve got these oligarchs now doing everything they can to amass as much wealth for themselves as possible while keeping it out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why vast fortunes are poured into manipulating the political/media class to control what people think , how they act and how they vote .
It ’ s why we ’ ve got wars and regime change operations around the world brutalizing any nation that tries to insist on its own self-sovereignty .
It ’ s why we ’ re destroying the ecosystem in which we evolved by beating it into submission rather than learning to collaborate with it .
It ’ s why we consent to a system of competition against each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one another as comrades .
Mitochondria and the F ... Know , Lee Best Price : $ 12.38 Buy New $ 15.79 It ’ s why egocentric dominators are endangering us all by waving armageddon weapons at anyone who doesn ’ t move exactly the way they like .
All ultimately because of our big heads and their relation to the size of the birth canal .
People whose impulse to control is especially pernicious seem to labor under the delusion that if they could just control every single atom in the universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything that goes wrong is due to the fact that they weren ’ t in control of it .
So they spend their lives doing everything they can to exert control over as much of the world as possible .
This is of course insane , and stems from the early impression they got of the world that bad things happen because the world is out of control .
But the world is always out of control .
Necessarily .
Even if one particularly powerful ego managed to enslave the whole human race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an asteroid could hit the earth and end it all in an instant .
The path toward peace is not toward control , it ’ s toward allowing it to be forever out of control .
The path out of this mess is the path away from domination and control and toward respect for self-sovereignty .
We can begin walking this path ourselves , on our own , away from our own impulse to control and our own egoic contraction .
In the Monterey Bay Aquarium there ’ s a huge circular tank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rooms where sardines swim around in a circle all day .
This creates a whirlpool effect which carries the school with its momentum , but if you watch the linked video you ’ ll notice that there are always a few little fish swimming against the tide .
It would be easier for them to swim in the same direction all the other fish are swimming , but for whatever reason a few of them are saying “ Screw this , I ’ m going the other way.
” If you think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two things with the path they have chosen .
First , they are reducing the momentum of the whirlpool by the energy of one fish , simply by not participating in it .
Secondly , they are actively pushing the energy of the whirlpool in the opposite direction by the energy of one fish , just by swimming the other way .
That ’ s really the best course of action we ourselves can take in a sardine tank that is spinning in the direction of domination and egoic contraction .
We can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world to our will and bring consciousness to the various ways that self-sovereignty is not being respected in our world .
We can do deep inner work and pierce through the illusion of self and separation and see through to the nondual reality which exists already here and now beneath the mirage of the labeling , dividing mind .
We do these things as our part in slowing down the egoic whirlpool that is spinning us toward extinction .
We do this because maybe other sardines will turn around and join us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is right , and because it is true .
Because a life that is devoted to truth is the only kind of life that will truly satisfy .
Let ’ s be the dissenting sardine .
Let ’ s turn around from the egoic momentum of our species and each extricate our unique corner of humanity from the energetic contractions of selfing .
Free the world from our delusions so we can know true peace .
If that does open the door for true peace to pervade our world , then so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack , which will get you an email notification for everything I publish .
My work is entirely reader-supported , so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around , liking me on Facebook , following my antics on Twitter , throwing some money into my tip jar on Patreon or Paypal , purchasing some of my sweet merchandise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone and Woke : A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers .
For more info on who I am , where I stand , and what I ’ m trying to do with this platform , click here .
Everyone , racist platforms excluded , has my permission to republish , use or translate any part of this work ( or anything else I ’ ve written ) in any way they like free of charge .

The human organism arrives in this world squishy, defenseless and easily startled, which it turns out is really starting things off on the wrong foot.
Because of the size of our newly-evolved brains relative to the birth canal, humans have to give birth to what are essentially fetuses, far more helpless for a much longer time than the offspring of our animal cousins. While we are slowly completing our post-natal gestation and learning to move and walk as most mammals can do right out of the womb, we are in a very frightening stage of helplessness which inevitably leaves us scarred with psychological trauma.
Our formative impressions of the world are that it’s an unpredictable land of giants who make unexpected loud noises and sudden movements, where we have to scream our heads off to get what we need and where we’re incapable of articulating any desires we might have that are more complex than hunger or changing. Woke: A Field Guide Fo... Johnstone, Caitlin Best Price: $20.37 Buy New $23.02 (as of 10:35 UTC - Details)
We’re just flung into this scary environment that we do not understand and cannot control. So it’s not surprising that we start forming strategies to exert some degree of control in order to feel safe and secure.
As our little heads get fuller and we begin to use language, we discover that one way we can exert control over this scary world of giants is with a conceptual framework known as “me”.
When we were newborns we did not experience a “me”, we just experienced raw sensory input and simple being. As our capacity for language and thought develops we learn that it’s useful to move thoughts around an imaginary conceptual construct called “me” in order to exert control over our environment using thoughts and words like “Mine!”, “I want that,” “Stay with me mommy,” “Don’t do that to me,” etc. The ego is your enemy:... McBride, Maynard Best Price: $14.98 Buy New $19.99 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details)
In reality there is no hard, solid thing that could be called a “me”, either scientifically or experientially. Scientifically the human organism is a loosely collaborative cellular process with no defining boundaries and no real separation from the ecosystem which forms and sustains it, and experientially there’s just thoughts, feelings and sense impressions with no hard “me” at the center if you really look closely. But because it’s useful for exerting control, the mental story of “me” gets energetically imbued with the power of belief in the organism.
This is what various spiritual traditions are pointing to when they employ the English word “ego”. Not to any hard, solid thing, but to a behavioral tendency to energetically contract around an imaginary “me” construct. It’s where nearly all of our suffering comes from, and it’s why the world is messed up in the way it is.
This impulse to control begins with egoic contraction, and depending on how forceful that contraction is it can lead to the impulse to control loved ones, communities, the environment, and every human being on this planet.
Someone whose egoic impulse to control spills over onto others can become abusive: beating their children, manipulating their family members, terrorizing their significant others, doing whatever it takes to give themselves the feeling of security they get when the people around them are brought under control. There’s no respect for the self-sovereignty of those people, because granting them self-sovereignty would be placing them out of your control. The ego is your enemy:... McBride, Maynard Best Price: $14.98 Buy New $19.99 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details)
Someone whose egoic impulse to control spills over into their communities might become a bully at school, a tyrant at the office, a malicious gossip, a domineering preacher or cult leader. Again it’s all about bringing the people around them under control so that they can feel safe and secure, with no regard for the self-sovereignty of others.
Someone whose egoic impulse to control spills out indiscriminately might try to amass as much control over as much wealth as possible so they’ll be able to influence vast collectives of people. They might climb the political or media ladder to gain power in the form of governmental or narrative control. They’ll do anything they can to exert as much control as they can over anything that makes them feel insecure, to force a paradigm that ensures they’ll always get everything they want and none of it will ever be taken away from them.
And that’s why we’ve got these oligarchs now doing everything they can to amass as much wealth for themselves as possible while keeping it out of the hands of everyone else.
It’s why vast fortunes are poured into manipulating the political/media class to control what people think, how they act and how they vote.
It’s why we’ve got wars and regime change operations around the world brutalizing any nation that tries to insist on its own self-sovereignty.
It’s why we’re destroying the ecosystem in which we evolved by beating it into submission rather than learning to collaborate with it.
It’s why we consent to a system of competition against each other as rivals instead of collaboration with one another as comrades. Mitochondria and the F... Know, Lee Best Price: $12.38 Buy New $15.79 (as of 01:10 UTC - Details)
It’s why egocentric dominators are endangering us all by waving armageddon weapons at anyone who doesn’t move exactly the way they like.
All ultimately because of our big heads and their relation to the size of the birth canal.
People whose impulse to control is especially pernicious seem to labor under the delusion that if they could just control every single atom in the universe, everything would be fine. That anything that goes wrong is due to the fact that they weren’t in control of it. So they spend their lives doing everything they can to exert control over as much of the world as possible. This is of course insane, and stems from the early impression they got of the world that bad things happen because the world is out of control.
But the world is always out of control. Necessarily. Even if one particularly powerful ego managed to enslave the whole human race and bend it to its will, an asteroid could hit the earth and end it all in an instant. The path toward peace is not toward control, it’s toward allowing it to be forever out of control.
The path out of this mess is the path away from domination and control and toward respect for self-sovereignty. We can begin walking this path ourselves, on our own, away from our own impulse to control and our own egoic contraction.
In the Monterey Bay Aquarium there’s a huge circular tank built into the ceiling of one of the rooms where sardines swim around in a circle all day. This creates a whirlpool effect which carries the school with its momentum, but if you watch the linked video you’ll notice that there are always a few little fish swimming against the tide. It would be easier for them to swim in the same direction all the other fish are swimming, but for whatever reason a few of them are saying “Screw this, I’m going the other way.”
If you think about it, those fish are doing two things with the path they have chosen. First, they are reducing the momentum of the whirlpool by the energy of one fish, simply by not participating in it. Secondly, they are actively pushing the energy of the whirlpool in the opposite direction by the energy of one fish, just by swimming the other way.
That’s really the best course of action we ourselves can take in a sardine tank that is spinning in the direction of domination and egoic contraction. We can uproot in ourselves all impulses to bend the world to our will and bring consciousness to the various ways that self-sovereignty is not being respected in our world. We can do deep inner work and pierce through the illusion of self and separation and see through to the nondual reality which exists already here and now beneath the mirage of the labeling, dividing mind.
We do these things as our part in slowing down the egoic whirlpool that is spinning us toward extinction. We do this because maybe other sardines will turn around and join us. But primarily we do this because it is right, and because it is true. Because a life that is devoted to truth is the only kind of life that will truly satisfy.
Let’s be the dissenting sardine. Let’s turn around from the egoic momentum of our species and each extricate our unique corner of humanity from the energetic contractions of selfing. Free the world from our delusions so we can know true peace. If that does open the door for true peace to pervade our world, then so much the better.
______________________
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lewrockwell--2020-09-17--Dem Derangement: Party Games a Possible Coup If Trump Wins in November

The strength of America ’ s elections lies in people ’ s confidence that votes will be fairly tallied , and that the losing party will bow out gracefully and become the loyal opposition .
But what if a loser refuses to acknowledge the results of a free and fair election ?
What if it instead takes to the streets to commit violence and mayhem ?
Or even attempts a coup ?
We ask because there ’ s every sign now that the Democrats , in a panic over candidate Joe Biden ’ s lackluster basement campaign and growing evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , will refuse to acknowledge President Donald Trump for a second term , even if he wins clearly .
The last time we had a party really refuse to accept the results of an election was in 1860 .
Then , Democrats in southern states threatened to secede if Abraham Lincoln , candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party , won .
He did , and southern states began seceding before he even took office .
We fought a civil war .
Today , we might be edging toward another .
# DELETED : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allum Buy New $ 28.00 “ We now seem to be on the cusp of relitigating the question , only instead of slaveholding southerners blackmailing the country with secession , it ’ s anti-Trump Democrats and left-wing radicals threatening to tear the country apart if Trump wins in November , ” writes John Daniel Davidson at the Federalist .
“ For them , the Union is conditional , and Trump ’ s reelection will violate their conditions.
” Of course , in 2000 and 2016 the Democrats also objected to the election outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican winner in neither election had a majority of the popular vote .
( Irrelevant , of course , since thanks to the Founders ’ wisdom we choose our president through the Electoral College , which gives individual states clout in picking the nation ’ s chief executive .
That keeps the U.S. from being dominated by a dictatorship of just four or five heavily populated states . )
Since 2016 , however , Democrats have openly made it a full-time political job to stymie Trump ’ s presidency .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 election , colluding with the Russians , and even killing thousands of Americans due to his supposedly incompetent response to the China virus pandemic .
The Permanent Coup : Ho ... Smith , Lee Best Price : $ 19.95 Buy New $ 20.85 Despite the non-stop rage and obstruction from the Democrats for four years , Trump has still had one of the best first terms of any president in modern times , and perhaps ever .
But recent statements and actions by Democratic officials show they ’ re pushing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it means violently splitting the nation along political lines .
Earlier his summer , Democratic Party bigwigs and Never-Trumpers , working through a newly formed group called the Transition Integrity Project , funded in part by George Soros , held an unusual meeting .
Their goal , as they put it , was to “ game out ” the possible scenarios for the 2020 election “ out of concern that the Trump administration may seek to manipulate , ignore , undermine or disrupt the 2020 presidential election and transition process ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the Democrats have done since 2016 .
The Plot Against the P ... Smith , Lee Best Price : $ 9.06 Buy New $ 12.75 One of the scenarios TIP pondered was a “ clear Trump win , ” which should mean the Democrats fold up their tents and go home .
Right ?
Nope .
Instead , “ ( F ) ormer Bill Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta , playing Biden , refused to concede , pressured states that Trump won to send Democrats to the formal Electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military would take care of the rest , ” according to a widely read essay , “ The Coming Coup ?
” , by Michael Anton at The American Mind .
This is not just game-playing .
The report from the Democratic group , Anton notes , “ darkly concluded that ‘ technocratic solutions , courts , and reliance on elites observing norms are not the answer here , ’ promising that what would follow the November election would be ‘ a street fight , not a legal battle.
’ ” In short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clear Trump victory .
They ’ re voiding the election before it ’ s held .
If Trump wins , more riots .
And a civil war of sorts , over our nation ’ s future as a constitutional republic .
But even that assumes a clean , fair election .
Which now looks doubtful .

The strength of America’s elections lies in people’s confidence that votes will be fairly tallied, and that the losing party will bow out gracefully and become the loyal opposition. But what if a loser refuses to acknowledge the results of a free and fair election? What if it instead takes to the streets to commit violence and mayhem? Or even attempts a coup?
We ask because there’s every sign now that the Democrats, in a panic over candidate Joe Biden’s lackluster basement campaign and growing evidence that he is suffering age-related mental impairment, will refuse to acknowledge President Donald Trump for a second term, even if he wins clearly.
The last time we had a party really refuse to accept the results of an election was in 1860. Then, Democrats in southern states threatened to secede if Abraham Lincoln, candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party, won. He did, and southern states began seceding before he even took office. We fought a civil war.
Today, we might be edging toward another. #DELETED: Big Tech&rsq... Bokhari, Allum Buy New $28.00 (as of 04:48 UTC - Details)
“We now seem to be on the cusp of relitigating the question, only instead of slaveholding southerners blackmailing the country with secession, it’s anti-Trump Democrats and left-wing radicals threatening to tear the country apart if Trump wins in November,” writes John Daniel Davidson at the Federalist. “For them, the Union is conditional, and Trump’s reelection will violate their conditions.”
Of course, in 2000 and 2016 the Democrats also objected to the election outcome, but at least could argue that the Republican winner in neither election had a majority of the popular vote. (Irrelevant, of course, since thanks to the Founders’ wisdom we choose our president through the Electoral College, which gives individual states clout in picking the nation’s chief executive. That keeps the U.S. from being dominated by a dictatorship of just four or five heavily populated states.)
Since 2016, however, Democrats have openly made it a full-time political job to stymie Trump’s presidency. They’ve charged him with cheating in the 2016 election, colluding with the Russians, and even killing thousands of Americans due to his supposedly incompetent response to the China virus pandemic. The Permanent Coup: Ho... Smith, Lee Best Price: $19.95 Buy New $20.85 (as of 03:52 UTC - Details)
Despite the non-stop rage and obstruction from the Democrats for four years, Trump has still had one of the best first terms of any president in modern times, and perhaps ever.
But recent statements and actions by Democratic officials show they’re pushing to do the same thing this time, even if it means violently splitting the nation along political lines.
Earlier his summer, Democratic Party bigwigs and Never-Trumpers, working through a newly formed group called the Transition Integrity Project, funded in part by George Soros, held an unusual meeting. Their goal, as they put it, was to “game out” the possible scenarios for the 2020 election “out of concern that the Trump administration may seek to manipulate, ignore, undermine or disrupt the 2020 presidential election and transition process”.
Funny, since that’s precisely what the Democrats have done since 2016. The Plot Against the P... Smith, Lee Best Price: $9.06 Buy New $12.75 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details)
One of the scenarios TIP pondered was a “clear Trump win,” which should mean the Democrats fold up their tents and go home. Right?
Nope. Instead, “(F)ormer Bill Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, playing Biden, refused to concede, pressured states that Trump won to send Democrats to the formal Electoral College vote, and trusted that the military would take care of the rest,” according to a widely read essay, “The Coming Coup?”, by Michael Anton at The American Mind.
This is not just game-playing. The report from the Democratic group, Anton notes, “darkly concluded that ‘technocratic solutions, courts, and reliance on elites observing norms are not the answer here,’ promising that what would follow the November election would be ‘a street fight, not a legal battle.’ ”
In short, Democrats won’t accept even a clear Trump victory. They’re voiding the election before it’s held. If Trump wins, more riots. And a civil war of sorts, over our nation’s future as a constitutional republic.
But even that assumes a clean, fair election. Which now looks doubtful.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-09-17--Taxi Drivers Know Everything

Taxi Drivers Know Everything

It so happened that yesterday I was coming home in a taxi .
The taxi driver , who looked like Bill Murray , turned out to be very talkative : during the trip , as often happens , we touched on all subjects , from the weather to blondes behind the wheel .
At some point , as background noise , there was some news read out on the radio .
After the segment about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny , NordStream 2 and possible EU sanctions the taxi driver shook his head and said thoughtfully : “ Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... Goodwin , Mark Best Price : $ 7.32 Buy New $ 13.99 “ What mommy ?
” asked the taxi driver .
“ That same one , Angela Merkel .
You know why Navalny was surrendered to Germany ?
Let me explain.
” And then , for a quarter of an hour , the taxi driver presented a coherent theory of what happened , worthy of study at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , which answered all the questions that had been bothering me .
This is how it all came down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was preparing for the elections in Belarus—Belarus itself , as well as Russia and countries in the EU .
It was an exciting game in which everybody placed bets on their own candidate .
But I must immediately warn you that what we were observing was just the visible part of the iceberg , while the underwater currents were known only to a few .
Moscow and Minsk were demonstratively smashing dishes , shouting at each other and pulling each other by the hair , creating the illusion of a complete break in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe , content and relaxed , was rubbing its hands and already seeing how it will very soon kick out “ Europe ’ s last dictator ” and install a Belorussian Juan Guaido clone in Minsk , grabbing this delectable piece for itself .
The elections were held .
Everybody froze .
Not bothering to wait for the election results to come in , on orders from the Polish provocateur [ Telegraph channel ] Nexta the Belorussian white-red-white [ Nazi occupation flag ] opposition marched into battle .
At first everything was going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets and started threatening the police , officials and journalists , starting skirmishes and strikes .
Slovak and Spanish ambassadors in Belarus spoke out in support of the protesters and “ came over to the side of the people.
” This was also as intended .
It looked like just a bit more of this and [ “ Europe ’ s last dictator ” ] Lukashenko would fall .
But then Moscow entered into the game .
It recognized the outcome of the elections [ which Lukashenko won ] and started to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Europe had to ramp up pressure .
But how ?
Nexta was crapping bricks and exhorting the white-red-white activists to get more active , but they just couldn ’ t get any traction in their attempts to seize power .
They turned out to be too weak compared to their own people .
And then , luckily , Navalny was poisoned .
In any case , that ’ s what some people imagined .
American Exit Strategy ... Goodwin , Mark Best Price : $ 7.32 Buy New $ 13.99 Operatives at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who sympathized with Schröder ’ s SPD , got in touch with Yulia Navalny ( his wife ) and offered to hospitalize him in a clinic in Germany .
Yulia agreed , and appealed to Putin .
Then the German minister of foreign affairs walked into Bundeskanzlerin ’ s office and laid his joker on the table : “ We can take away Navalny for treatment .
If Moscow tries to prevent this , we will cause a loud scandal .
We ’ ll get his body and then decide how to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , not thinking too long , agreed .
Moscow did not object to Navalny ’ s transfer .
After Navalny was brought to Germany and delivered to the Charité clinic in a cortège consisting of 12 cars , mommy Angela called Moscow and demanded : Russia must stop supporting Lukashenko , otherwise we will announce that Navalny had been poisoned with “ Novichok.
” Moscow refused and increased support of Lukashenko , declaring that it has created a reserve of special forces to be sent into Belarus and take control—just in case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next day Berlin announced that analysis results showed poisoning with a cholinesterase inhibitor .
This was its last warning shot .
Then there was another phone call , to warn that the next time “ Novichok ” will be found .
Moscow refused , and promised Minsk a billion dollars on that very day .
At that point , Berlin ’ s patience ran out .
Navalny was immediately transferred to a military hospital , where it was immediately “ discovered ” that he had been poisoned with “ Novichok.
” It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while he was at Charité because journalists and officials could demand to see the test results , while at a military hospital such requests would be denied : the information is secret .
But not even “ Novichok ” could force Moscow to stop supporting Minsk .
Russia ’ s prime minister Mikhail Mishustin was dispatched to Minsk with a briefcase bulging with papers to sign .
There followed an attempt by Fritz Merz , Angela Merkel ’ s deputy in the DCU , to lean on Merkel to shut down NordStream 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxed by the business lobby of German companies that invested in this pipeline and , whining and whimpering , crawled back into his hole .
American Reset : Book T ... Goodwin , Mark Best Price : $ 10.89 Buy New $ 13.99 Then Lukashenko , being a tough nut to crack , presented an intentionally amateurish intercept of secret diplomatic communications between Poland and Germany in which they discussed their plans for poisoning Navalny .
Now they are sitting in Warsaw and Berlin and have no idea how to respond to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t notice it .
What a dilemma !
The interim result is thus as follows : Navalny is alive and well , sitting quietly in a German military hospital and inquiring periodically when he will be allowed to go home .
But he won ’ t be allowed to go home any time soon .
Now , a hear ahead of elections , parliamentary electoral campaign is starting in Germany .
Merkel ’ s DCU/CSU coalition doesn ’ t have a lot of popular support as it is .
Some people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reichstag with their bare hands and put their own flag on top of it .
And then we have this toxic story with “ Novichok ” !
If Merkel announces that it is the crime of the century in which a great Russian opposition figure has been fiendishly poisoned with “ Novichok , ” then she would be obligated to sever all relations with the bloody regime and present evidence .
But there won ’ t be any evidence to present .
And nobody will allow her to freeze the completion of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invested in NordStream 2 will take the Reichstag even ahead of the irate German citizens .
In either case , DCU/CSU will face a defeat .
But if she slams the transmission into reverse , apologizes and returns Navalny to Russia , claiming that what happened was an unfortunate series of errors , and punishes everybody who had put her in this situation to the full extent of German law , this won ’ t save the situation either .
German voter ’ s won ’ t forgive Merkel over the loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of influence in Europe and total incompetence in handling foreign affairs , and will still punish her at the polls .
The Five Stages of Col ... Orlov , Dmitry Best Price : $ 4.27 Buy New $ 1.99 Therefore , her only choice is to bide her time , sitting with one buttock on each of two chairs—blaming Russia for deploying “ Novichok ” and simultaneously supporting the completion of NordStream 2 .
But we are about to see a flood of eyewitness reports , photographs and documents from the various hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , knocking out one of the two chairs .
And so the possibility that Merkel ’ s retirement will occur before her term it up should not be dismissed .
In that case , she will have been unable to beat Helmut ’ s Kohl ’ s 16-year record as Bundeskanzler .
But what about Russia ’ s friend Gehrhard Schröder ?
Being the chairman of the board of the NordStream 2 company and head of the SPD , he looks into the future with confidence and optimism .
In any case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reinforce its position in the Bundestag and either independently or in coalition with other parties will install its own leader as Bundeskanzler .
NordStream 2 , which has been in political limbo for a few years , will be completed and enter into service at full rated capacity very quickly .
When we rolled up to my house , the taxi driver asked : “ Do you play chess ?
” In chess , there is a variation called “ poisoned pawn.
” Your opponent , trying to gain material advantage , takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inevitably loses .
As I was getting out of the taxi , somewhat perplexed , I asked the taxi driver where he got all this information .
He smiled a sad Bill Murray smile and answered : “ From my brother .
He lives in Germany and also works as a taxi driver.
” It was at this moment that I realized that taxi drivers know everything .
The Best of Dmitry Orlov

It so happened that yesterday I was coming home in a taxi. The taxi driver, who looked like Bill Murray, turned out to be very talkative: during the trip, as often happens, we touched on all subjects, from the weather to blondes behind the wheel.
At some point, as background noise, there was some news read out on the radio. After the segment about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, NordStream 2 and possible EU sanctions the taxi driver shook his head and said thoughtfully: “Yeah, mommy is stuck…”
“What mommy?” I inquired.
American Exit Strategy... Goodwin, Mark Best Price: $7.32 Buy New $13.99 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details) “What mommy?” asked the taxi driver. “That same one, Angela Merkel. You know why Navalny was surrendered to Germany? Let me explain.” And then, for a quarter of an hour, the taxi driver presented a coherent theory of what happened, worthy of study at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which answered all the questions that had been bothering me.
This is how it all came down.
At the beginning of August everybody was preparing for the elections in Belarus—Belarus itself, as well as Russia and countries in the EU. It was an exciting game in which everybody placed bets on their own candidate. But I must immediately warn you that what we were observing was just the visible part of the iceberg, while the underwater currents were known only to a few.
Moscow and Minsk were demonstratively smashing dishes, shouting at each other and pulling each other by the hair, creating the illusion of a complete break in relations. This was as intended!
Europe, content and relaxed, was rubbing its hands and already seeing how it will very soon kick out “Europe’s last dictator” and install a Belorussian Juan Guaido clone in Minsk, grabbing this delectable piece for itself.
The elections were held. Everybody froze. Not bothering to wait for the election results to come in, on orders from the Polish provocateur [Telegraph channel] Nexta the Belorussian white-red-white [Nazi occupation flag] opposition marched into battle.
At first everything was going to plan. Excited white-red-white crowds flooded the streets and started threatening the police, officials and journalists, starting skirmishes and strikes. Slovak and Spanish ambassadors in Belarus spoke out in support of the protesters and “came over to the side of the people.” This was also as intended. It looked like just a bit more of this and [“Europe’s last dictator”] Lukashenko would fall.
But then Moscow entered into the game. It recognized the outcome of the elections [which Lukashenko won] and started to support him organizationally, informationally and financially. Europe had to ramp up pressure. But how?
Nexta was crapping bricks and exhorting the white-red-white activists to get more active, but they just couldn’t get any traction in their attempts to seize power. They turned out to be too weak compared to their own people.
And then, luckily, Navalny was poisoned. In any case, that’s what some people imagined. American Exit Strategy... Goodwin, Mark Best Price: $7.32 Buy New $13.99 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details)
Operatives at the German Ministry of International Affairs, who sympathized with Schröder’s SPD, got in touch with Yulia Navalny (his wife) and offered to hospitalize him in a clinic in Germany. Yulia agreed, and appealed to Putin.
Then the German minister of foreign affairs walked into Bundeskanzlerin’s office and laid his joker on the table: “We can take away Navalny for treatment. If Moscow tries to prevent this, we will cause a loud scandal. We’ll get his body and then decide how to play this.” Merkel found this proposal attractive and, not thinking too long, agreed. Moscow did not object to Navalny’s transfer.
After Navalny was brought to Germany and delivered to the Charité clinic in a cortège consisting of 12 cars, mommy Angela called Moscow and demanded: Russia must stop supporting Lukashenko, otherwise we will announce that Navalny had been poisoned with “Novichok.” Moscow refused and increased support of Lukashenko, declaring that it has created a reserve of special forces to be sent into Belarus and take control—just in case anyone makes a sudden move.
The next day Berlin announced that analysis results showed poisoning with a cholinesterase inhibitor. This was its last warning shot. Then there was another phone call, to warn that the next time “Novichok” will be found. Moscow refused, and promised Minsk a billion dollars on that very day.
At that point, Berlin’s patience ran out. Navalny was immediately transferred to a military hospital, where it was immediately “discovered” that he had been poisoned with “Novichok.” It was not possible to find “Novichok” while he was at Charité because journalists and officials could demand to see the test results, while at a military hospital such requests would be denied: the information is secret. But not even “Novichok” could force Moscow to stop supporting Minsk. Russia’s prime minister Mikhail Mishustin was dispatched to Minsk with a briefcase bulging with papers to sign.
There followed an attempt by Fritz Merz, Angela Merkel’s deputy in the DCU, to lean on Merkel to shut down NordStream 2, but he swiftly got his ears boxed by the business lobby of German companies that invested in this pipeline and, whining and whimpering, crawled back into his hole. American Reset: Book T... Goodwin, Mark Best Price: $10.89 Buy New $13.99 (as of 03:48 UTC - Details)
Then Lukashenko, being a tough nut to crack, presented an intentionally amateurish intercept of secret diplomatic communications between Poland and Germany in which they discussed their plans for poisoning Navalny. Now they are sitting in Warsaw and Berlin and have no idea how to respond to this movie—to deny or to pretend that they didn’t notice it. What a dilemma!
The interim result is thus as follows: Navalny is alive and well, sitting quietly in a German military hospital and inquiring periodically when he will be allowed to go home. But he won’t be allowed to go home any time soon.
Now, a hear ahead of elections, parliamentary electoral campaign is starting in Germany. Merkel’s DCU/CSU coalition doesn’t have a lot of popular support as it is. Some people are even now ready to take the Reichstag with their bare hands and put their own flag on top of it. And then we have this toxic story with “Novichok”!
If Merkel announces that it is the crime of the century in which a great Russian opposition figure has been fiendishly poisoned with “Novichok,” then she would be obligated to sever all relations with the bloody regime and present evidence. But there won’t be any evidence to present. And nobody will allow her to freeze the completion of the pipeline. Otherwise German companies, which invested in NordStream 2 will take the Reichstag even ahead of the irate German citizens. In either case, DCU/CSU will face a defeat.
But if she slams the transmission into reverse, apologizes and returns Navalny to Russia, claiming that what happened was an unfortunate series of errors, and punishes everybody who had put her in this situation to the full extent of German law, this won’t save the situation either. German voter’s won’t forgive Merkel over the loss of Germany’s international authority, loss of influence in Europe and total incompetence in handling foreign affairs, and will still punish her at the polls.
The Five Stages of Col... Orlov, Dmitry Best Price: $4.27 Buy New $1.99 (as of 03:30 UTC - Details) Therefore, her only choice is to bide her time, sitting with one buttock on each of two chairs—blaming Russia for deploying “Novichok” and simultaneously supporting the completion of NordStream 2. But we are about to see a flood of eyewitness reports, photographs and documents from the various hospitals where the VIP patient has been treated, knocking out one of the two chairs. And so the possibility that Merkel’s retirement will occur before her term it up should not be dismissed. In that case, she will have been unable to beat Helmut’s Kohl’s 16-year record as Bundeskanzler.
But what about Russia’s friend Gehrhard Schröder? Being the chairman of the board of the NordStream 2 company and head of the SPD, he looks into the future with confidence and optimism. In any case, CDU/CSU will be deflated and SPD will reinforce its position in the Bundestag and either independently or in coalition with other parties will install its own leader as Bundeskanzler. NordStream 2, which has been in political limbo for a few years, will be completed and enter into service at full rated capacity very quickly.
When we rolled up to my house, the taxi driver asked: “Do you play chess?”
“Sometimes,” I nodded.
In chess, there is a variation called “poisoned pawn.” Your opponent, trying to gain material advantage, takes this pawn, ends up trapped and inevitably loses.
As I was getting out of the taxi, somewhat perplexed, I asked the taxi driver where he got all this information. He smiled a sad Bill Murray smile and answered: “From my brother. He lives in Germany and also works as a taxi driver.” It was at this moment that I realized that taxi drivers know everything.
Source: SKonst
Reprinted with permission from Dmitry Orlov.
The Best of Dmitry Orlov