Crisis-O-Rama

All of a sudden , events are looking a bit fluxy out there , as though the world is shuddering through some spooky ch-ch-ch-changes , like a monster waiting to be born , with strange convergences of ecology , politics and economy , and there ’ s only so much you can do to prepare , really .
Criticality is in the air !
The horses are out of the barn on the Wuhan Coronavirus .
Air travel was curtailed too late in the game — and still only partially — with asymptomatic-but-infectious human carriers winging to every corner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along the way .
There ’ s plenty of thought and counter-thought on what exactly is going on behind the scenes in China .
The ruling party has knocked itself out demonstrating its earnestness in the crisis , performing great feats like the construction of a one-thousand-bed hospital in ten days , shutting down the lunar new year festivities ( like cancelling Christmas here ) , and locking down a hundred million citizens in quarantine .
Pretty impressive .
But there ’ s also a theory that the Coronavirus affords a cover for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shifty banking system .
The country had already stepped across some frontiers in demographics , energy consumption , and industrial growth that were shoving it toward contraction for the first time in two generations .
Coronavirus has shut down a lot of production in big things like cars and big-little things like cell phones , and supply lines are shutting down to world markets .
This amounts to the first big test of the integrated global economy , as well as the world ’ s debt-saturated business model .
Living in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 24.95 When a lot of parties and counterparties can ’ t pay each other because their revenue flows are cut off , the securities , currencies , equities , and other abstract representations of wealth go south .
The US and Europe are no better positioned for a crisis in their banking arrangements , and confidence is starting to crack .
Both economic mega-regions have relied on central banking hocus-pocus to prop up stock markets and maintain the illusion that the logic of bonds still applies .
The first thing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the magic of compound interest .
The US Federal Reserve has been massively gaming the Repo markets — overnight lending that uses bonds as collateral — since September , raising suspicions that more than one of its “ primary dealer ” banks are insolvent .
Juicing them with “ liquidity ” is like painting over sheetrock infested with black mold .
Looks good for a week or so , and then you ’ re in intensive care .
Nobody knows yet what the effect of Britain ’ s escape from the EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remainers , but Europe ’ s bonded debt arrangements are even dodgier than America ’ s , since there is absolutely no EU central control of each member ’ s fiscal affairs .
Anyway , the meta-trend now is the devolution of governance from giant-and-central to smaller-and-local , so the real question is how much disorder and damage do these nations endure as that happens .
It ’ s been manifesting vividly in France for a year in the yellow vest protests .
Here in the USA , the knock-on effects of converging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of four-dimensional eight-ball .
The oil markets are getting slammed around the $ 51 hashmark , making it more difficult for the shale oil producers to meet their onerous debt repayments ( in an industry that just doesn ’ t make a profit ) .
Lower gasoline prices may seem like a boon for US motorists , but it comes at the expense of bankrupting more oil companies and punishing lenders like pension funds that invested in shale securities in the desperate search for “ yield.
” Shale never was a rational business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very short span of years .
Don ’ t be surprised if there ’ s an attempt to nationalize it , which will induce new problems of capital allocation and sheer incompetence in a world where central planning of anything is more and more a bad bet .
Looming and converging multiple crises are also behind the gross disorder in US politics , though the connections may not be so discernably visible .
President Trump foolishly took credit for financial markets that he had correctly described as being “ one big , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the febrile days of the last election .
Now it threatens to leave him holding a big fat ugly bag of trouble .
That booby trap is surely more hazardous to his reelection chances than the frenetic efforts of pissants like Adam Schiff running Wile E. Coyote ambuscades in the DC Swamp .
Mr. Trump spent three years working , jawboning , and bluffing over global trade arrangements that are now suddenly falling apart .
How much of that will turn out to be a temporary effect of the Coronavirus , nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an inflection point in the workings of our over-hyper-complexified human ecosystem .
Too Much Magic : Wishfu ... James Howard Kunstler Best Price : $ 4.53 Buy New $ 8.06 These shifting quandaries leave the Democratic Party between that ol ’ rock and a hard place .
All of their bad faith ploys against Mr. Trump have failed so far .
I speak to supposedly educated people every day upon whom the failure of the Mueller Investigation , the fiasco of impeachment , and the revelations of IG Michael Horowitz have made no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Greatness is still Putin ’ s Puppet to them .
It ’ s a wonder of the age that they can ’ t cut their losses .
And now Bernie Sanders suddenly looks poised to win the Iowa caucus and inflame the not-quite-so-socialist factions of the party , who appear to be ratcheting up some Wile E. Coyote traps against him .
If that works , it ’ ll blow the party apart , 1860 style , into rump factions .
But if Bernie somehow perseveres and gets the nomination… and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to be a very big deal for upsetting global trade… then , America may get its first zealous socialist president .
Yes , history repeats and rhymes and all that , but I don ’ t see Bernie replicating the triumphs of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Great Depression 2.0 .
Rather , by attempting to overlay command-and-control policies on a zeitgeist that wants to take us smaller and local , Bernie Sanders will only be bucking reality .
The net effect of Bernie Sanders in the White House will be to finish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will take us .
The Best of James Howard Kunstler

All of a sudden, events are looking a bit fluxy out there, as though the world is shuddering through some spooky ch-ch-ch-changes, like a monster waiting to be born, with strange convergences of ecology, politics and economy, and there’s only so much you can do to prepare, really. Criticality is in the air!
The horses are out of the barn on the Wuhan Coronavirus. Air travel was curtailed too late in the game — and still only partially — with asymptomatic-but-infectious human carriers winging to every corner of the world and probably contaminating airports all along the way. There’s plenty of thought and counter-thought on what exactly is going on behind the scenes in China. The ruling party has knocked itself out demonstrating its earnestness in the crisis, performing great feats like the construction of a one-thousand-bed hospital in ten days, shutting down the lunar new year festivities (like cancelling Christmas here), and locking down a hundred million citizens in quarantine. Pretty impressive.
But there’s also a theory that the Coronavirus affords a cover for cascading failures in China’s corrupt and shifty banking system. The country had already stepped across some frontiers in demographics, energy consumption, and industrial growth that were shoving it toward contraction for the first time in two generations. Coronavirus has shut down a lot of production in big things like cars and big-little things like cell phones, and supply lines are shutting down to world markets. This amounts to the first big test of the integrated global economy, as well as the world’s debt-saturated business model. Living in the Long Eme... James Howard Kunstler Buy New $24.95 (as of 10:56 UTC - Details)
When a lot of parties and counterparties can’t pay each other because their revenue flows are cut off, the securities, currencies, equities, and other abstract representations of wealth go south. The US and Europe are no better positioned for a crisis in their banking arrangements, and confidence is starting to crack. Both economic mega-regions have relied on central banking hocus-pocus to prop up stock markets and maintain the illusion that the logic of bonds still applies. The first thing to go moneywise in a contracting financial system is the magic of compound interest.
The US Federal Reserve has been massively gaming the Repo markets — overnight lending that uses bonds as collateral — since September, raising suspicions that more than one of its “primary dealer” banks are insolvent. Juicing them with “liquidity” is like painting over sheetrock infested with black mold. Looks good for a week or so, and then you’re in intensive care. Nobody knows yet what the effect of Britain’s escape from the EU will do to the Union’s remainers, but Europe’s bonded debt arrangements are even dodgier than America’s, since there is absolutely no EU central control of each member’s fiscal affairs. Anyway, the meta-trend now is the devolution of governance from giant-and-central to smaller-and-local, so the real question is how much disorder and damage do these nations endure as that happens. It’s been manifesting vividly in France for a year in the yellow vest protests.
Here in the USA, the knock-on effects of converging crises begin to look like a game of four-dimensional eight-ball. The oil markets are getting slammed around the $51 hashmark, making it more difficult for the shale oil producers to meet their onerous debt repayments (in an industry that just doesn’t make a profit). Lower gasoline prices may seem like a boon for US motorists, but it comes at the expense of bankrupting more oil companies and punishing lenders like pension funds that invested in shale securities in the desperate search for “yield.” Shale never was a rational business model despite its fabulous production surge in a very short span of years. Don’t be surprised if there’s an attempt to nationalize it, which will induce new problems of capital allocation and sheer incompetence in a world where central planning of anything is more and more a bad bet.
Looming and converging multiple crises are also behind the gross disorder in US politics, though the connections may not be so discernably visible. President Trump foolishly took credit for financial markets that he had correctly described as being “one big, fat, ugly bubble,” back in the febrile days of the last election. Now it threatens to leave him holding a big fat ugly bag of trouble. That booby trap is surely more hazardous to his reelection chances than the frenetic efforts of pissants like Adam Schiff running Wile E. Coyote ambuscades in the DC Swamp. Mr. Trump spent three years working, jawboning, and bluffing over global trade arrangements that are now suddenly falling apart. How much of that will turn out to be a temporary effect of the Coronavirus, nobody knows. Or maybe it’s an inflection point in the workings of our over-hyper-complexified human ecosystem. Too Much Magic: Wishfu... James Howard Kunstler Best Price: $4.53 Buy New $8.06 (as of 10:05 UTC - Details)
These shifting quandaries leave the Democratic Party between that ol’ rock and a hard place. All of their bad faith ploys against Mr. Trump have failed so far. I speak to supposedly educated people every day upon whom the failure of the Mueller Investigation, the fiasco of impeachment, and the revelations of IG Michael Horowitz have made no impression at all. The Golden Golem of Greatness is still Putin’s Puppet to them. It’s a wonder of the age that they can’t cut their losses. And now Bernie Sanders suddenly looks poised to win the Iowa caucus and inflame the not-quite-so-socialist factions of the party, who appear to be ratcheting up some Wile E. Coyote traps against him. If that works, it’ll blow the party apart, 1860 style, into rump factions. But if Bernie somehow perseveres and gets the nomination… and the Potemkin financial markets tank… and Coronavirus turns out to be a very big deal for upsetting global trade… then, America may get its first zealous socialist president.
Yes, history repeats and rhymes and all that, but I don’t see Bernie replicating the triumphs of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Great Depression 2.0. Rather, by attempting to overlay command-and-control policies on a zeitgeist that wants to take us smaller and local, Bernie Sanders will only be bucking reality. The net effect of Bernie Sanders in the White House will be to finish off the economy… and imagine where that will take us.
Reprinted with permission from Kunstler.com.
The Best of James Howard Kunstler


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--The Economic Education of Joe Scarborough

I really don ’ t think it ’ s possible to believe that Joe Scarborough is stupid .
The man has a law degree .
Scarborough served four terms with distinction in the U.S. House of Representatives as a “ New Federalist ” Congressman from Florida , earning a 95 percent conservative lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and received a “ Friend of the Taxpayer ” award from Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform , and signed the Contract with America .
Scarborough was also one of the 228 Republicans who voted to impeach Bill Clinton .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Morning Joe with his third wife , Mika Brzezinski .
However , this man of many talents also authored three published books and played with his band Dixon Mills on their album Calling on Robert E. Lee ( nice race-baiting title , right ? )
.
More recently Scarborough produced what might be the worst music video available on YouTube , New Age garbage titled Mystified .
Be forewarned before clicking the link : it ’ s five minutes and twenty-three seconds of your life you can never get back .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so you wouldn ’ t have to watch it yourself .
While watching it myself I was reminded of Opus the penguin ’ s classic review of Benji Saves the Universe in the comic strip Bloom County , a movie he described as “ simply bad beyond all dimensions of possible badness.
” For whatever reason , the words “ We are not men .
We are Devo ” ran through my brain .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worth of approximately $ 25 million dollars and makes $ 8 million dollars a year , in spite of having two ex-wives and six children to support .
It ’ s really surprising to think that Scarborough might be economically illiterate , but the alternative would be that this former conservative Republican congressman sold his soul for the almighty dollar when he transitioned from serving our nation to servicing his personal bank account .
Yet that seems to be the most reasonable explanation for him to make such a stupid claim as to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse than Jimmy Carter ’ s infamous “ year of malaise ” in 1979 or Bill Clinton ’ s GDP of 2.7 percent in 1995 .
Of course the numbers are accurate ( Scarborough isn ’ t that stupid ) but anyone who has taken an introductory course to economics ( that would be me ) can tell you that a snapshot in time is useless , and cherrypicked numbers can be very misleading , especially if that is the intention of the analyst .
Seriously , only a low-information voter or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by such sophomoric thinking .
All it takes is digging into the numbers just a little deeper and noting the trends .
Plus , it doesn ’ t hurt to remember events from a historical perspective .
Shall we ?
Okay , let ’ s start with Jimmy Carter .
Yes , it is absolutely true that U.S. GDP in Carter ’ s final year was 3.2 percent with total annual revenues of around $ 2.6 trillion dollars .
However , GDP per capita ( Gross Domestic Product divided by total population ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Radical Iranian terrorists invaded the U.S. embassy and had been holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days causing gas shortages and rationing .
Carter gave a speech imploring Americans to adjust their thermostats to endure hotter homes during the summer and to wear sweaters during the winter .
America was in a funk because Jimmy Carter was a weak president , and that ’ s why he lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980 .
For a complete and accurate picture of the economy as a whole , employment numbers should be looked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reticent to bombard the reader with too many numbers and statistics at once… when it happens to me and the numbers start to bore me , my eyes tend to glaze over and I get sleepy .
But I encourage the reader to evaluate the employment trends over these same periods that are being discussed in regard to GDP .

I really don’t think it’s possible to believe that Joe Scarborough is stupid. The man has a law degree. Scarborough served four terms with distinction in the U.S. House of Representatives as a “New Federalist” Congressman from Florida, earning a 95 percent conservative lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and received a “Friend of the Taxpayer” award from Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform, and signed the Contract with America. Scarborough was also one of the 228 Republicans who voted to impeach Bill Clinton.
Today Scarborough is co-host of MS-NBC’s Morning Joe with his third wife, Mika Brzezinski. However, this man of many talents also authored three published books and played with his band Dixon Mills on their album Calling on Robert E. Lee (nice race-baiting title, right?). More recently Scarborough produced what might be the worst music video available on YouTube, New Age garbage titled Mystified. Be forewarned before clicking the link: it’s five minutes and twenty-three seconds of your life you can never get back. I took one for the team, just so you wouldn’t have to watch it yourself. While watching it myself I was reminded of Opus the penguin’s classic review of Benji Saves the Universe in the comic strip Bloom County, a movie he described as “simply bad beyond all dimensions of possible badness.” For whatever reason, the words “We are not men. We are Devo” ran through my brain.
Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details) Joe Scarborough has an estimated net worth of approximately $25 million dollars and makes $8 million dollars a year, in spite of having two ex-wives and six children to support. It’s really surprising to think that Scarborough might be economically illiterate, but the alternative would be that this former conservative Republican congressman sold his soul for the almighty dollar when he transitioned from serving our nation to servicing his personal bank account. Yet that seems to be the most reasonable explanation for him to make such a stupid claim as to say that Trump’s economy is worse than Jimmy Carter’s infamous “year of malaise” in 1979 or Bill Clinton’s GDP of 2.7 percent in 1995. Of course the numbers are accurate (Scarborough isn’t that stupid) but anyone who has taken an introductory course to economics (that would be me) can tell you that a snapshot in time is useless, and cherrypicked numbers can be very misleading, especially if that is the intention of the analyst.
Seriously, only a low-information voter or a fan of Morning Joe might get fooled by such sophomoric thinking. All it takes is digging into the numbers just a little deeper and noting the trends. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to remember events from a historical perspective. Shall we?
Okay, let’s start with Jimmy Carter. Yes, it is absolutely true that U.S. GDP in Carter’s final year was 3.2 percent with total annual revenues of around $2.6 trillion dollars. However, GDP per capita (Gross Domestic Product divided by total population) was only $11,700 per person. Radical Iranian terrorists invaded the U.S. embassy and had been holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days causing gas shortages and rationing. Carter gave a speech imploring Americans to adjust their thermostats to endure hotter homes during the summer and to wear sweaters during the winter. America was in a funk because Jimmy Carter was a weak president, and that’s why he lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980. For a complete and accurate picture of the economy as a whole, employment numbers should be looked at as well, but I’m reticent to bombard the reader with too many numbers and statistics at once… when it happens to me and the numbers start to bore me, my eyes tend to glaze over and I get sleepy. But I encourage the reader to evaluate the employment trends over these same periods that are being discussed in regard to GDP.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--The Dignity of Risk

The Dignity of Risk

A reader took issue with me over my recent column about papier mache cars .
He argued that : “ Cars and bumpers and hoods can be replaced .
You can not .
Sure you can be repaired but given the large number of traffic fatalities , this can ’ t be ignored .
Future generations will wonder at how we as a society/planet tolerated such huge dangers .
Thousands dead each year.
” I am not suggesting people drive cars that are less – or more – crashworthy .
I merely suggest that they be free to choose for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” thousands , too .
Should the government be empowered to fine people who eat too much candy ?
Or to threaten everyone with fines who doesn ’ t exercise regularly ?
Some people ( e.g.
, the loathsome Michael Bloomberg ) think so !
And they think so because it empowers them to control others .
To control everyone .
I think a free man has the right to assume the dignity of risk ; to weigh for himself the pros and cons – and to accept whatever consequences ( good and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To not be controlled – and to control no one else .
This is freedom .
This is liberty .
No one else is harmed thereby – unless the idea that someone else ’ s poor choices impose an obligation enforceable at gunpoint upon others who had nothing to do with those choices is accepted as morally legitimate .
I can think of almost no doctrine more vicious or evil .
To be held responsible for harms caused by others ; to be restricted – and punished – without having caused any harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harm by driving a ’ 74 Beetle for several years after college ?
The car was incredibly flimsy in terms of its ability to protect me in a crash .
But I never did crash the VW – and so its crashworthiness was irrelevant .
A hypothetical benefit I chose to forgo in return for the actual and tangible benefit of a very light ( just 1,600 pounds ) and very simple and very inexpensive car .
Those attributes mattered to me , as a young man with not much money , much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ crashworthiness.
” Nowadays , young people without much money are denied that choice .
What gives anyone the right to tell another adult that they may not drive a certain type of car – or that a car must meet their standards ?
The Best of Eric Peters

A reader took issue with me over my recent column about papier mache cars. He argued that:
“Cars and bumpers and hoods can be replaced. You cannot. Sure you can be repaired but given the large number of traffic fatalities, this can’t be ignored. Future generations will wonder at how we as a society/planet tolerated such huge dangers. Thousands dead each year.”
I am not suggesting people drive cars that are less – or more – crashworthy. I merely suggest that they be free to choose for themselves.
Obesity and diabetes “kill” thousands, too. Should the government be empowered to fine people who eat too much candy? Or to threaten everyone with fines who doesn’t exercise regularly? Some people (e.g., the loathsome Michael Bloomberg) think so! And they think so because it empowers them to control others. To control everyone.
I think differently. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
I think a free man has the right to assume the dignity of risk; to weigh for himself the pros and cons – and to accept whatever consequences (good and bad) flow from his choices. To not be controlled – and to control no one else.
This is freedom. This is liberty.
No one else is harmed thereby – unless the idea that someone else’s poor choices impose an obligation enforceable at gunpoint upon others who had nothing to do with those choices is accepted as morally legitimate.
I can think of almost no doctrine more vicious or evil. To be held responsible for harms caused by others; to be restricted – and punished – without having caused any harm to anyone else.
Whom did I harm by driving a ’74 Beetle for several years after college? The car was incredibly flimsy in terms of its ability to protect me in a crash. But I never did crash the VW – and so its crashworthiness was irrelevant. A hypothetical benefit I chose to forgo in return for the actual and tangible benefit of a very light (just 1,600 pounds) and very simple and very inexpensive car. Those attributes mattered to me, as a young man with not much money, much more than the car’s hypothetical “crashworthiness.”
Nowadays, young people without much money are denied that choice.
What gives anyone the right to tell another adult that they may not drive a certain type of car – or that a car must meet their standards?
Are we children? Property?
Are you?
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--Tweets of Mass Destruction

Tweets of Mass Destruction

World diplomacy is , at present , on rather shaky ground .
Throughout history , whenever major economies are approaching a state of crisis , heads of state typically become chronically irritable .
If we step back a bit , we see that the present state of affairs was long in coming .
After World War II , the US led a veritable extravaganza of productivity .
Other nations got into the slipstream of this economic advance if they were able to do so and , by the mid- to late-1950s , Canada , Europe , the UK , Japan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coattails of the US boom in order to advance their own economies .
But in 1971 , the US , finding that their trading partners were solidifying their positions and beginning to demand payment in gold for their exports to the US , decided to take the US dollar off the gold standard , making the dollar a fiat currency .
Conceived in Liberty , ... Murray N Rothbard Best Price : $ 9.00 Buy New $ 15.39 Unfortunately , once a country ’ s currency has no basis for real value , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from firing up the printing presses and creating more of the stuff… then more… then more again .
And those countries that rode the coattails of the US through the years of prosperity remained on the bandwagon , except that now , they had committed themselves , like the US , to unpayable levels of debt – a trajectory that would take them irretrievably downhill .
It ’ s been a wild ride , but it ’ s nearing its end , as the US and its trading partners are soon to hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not surprising then , that nerves are beginning to fray and former allies are beginning to chafe at each other ’ s acts of desperation to buy a bit more time prior to the inevitable collapse .
But added to this is a host of other countries that were previously considered “ second world ” – unimportant other entities that weren ’ t part of the post-1945 prosperity .
As anyone who spends time in these countries can attest , their leaders and indeed their peoples are highly conscious of the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a crisis .
They see this less from the point of view of comeuppance than the point of view that they themselves have the opportunity to become the main event in years to come .
And indeed , everywhere in the second world , if we choose to spend time there , we witness entire countries preparing themselves for the next age of prosperity – their age .
Meantime , back in the first world , the political sphere has become a pressure cooker and leaders are losing patience with one another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace.
” This same mood was in existence in early twentieth-century Europe .
Everyone was fed up with everyone else .
Alliances were formed only to fray , with new alliances taking their places .
Then , on 28 June 1914 , in Sarajevo , a Bosnian teenager walked out of a café and shot the visiting Franz Ferdinand , Archduke of Austria , as he sat in a car .
That was all that was necessary to light the fuse to set off World War I .
Within a month , those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ultimatum – a series of ten demands that were made intentionally unacceptable , in an effort to provoke a war .
Those on the other side mobilised for a fight and World War I was on .
Little wonder then , that the first rule of diplomacy is to never shame your opponent into a corner , where his only option is to come out swinging .
It will end badly .
And so , today , in spite of world tensions , most all countries are attempting to keep the pressure cooker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But into this mix we have one Donald Trump .
To say that he ’ s rather inept at diplomacy would be to give him far too much credit .
Whilst sixteen years ago , George Bush made the people of the US fearful of “ weapons of mass destruction , ” Mister Trump has introduced “ tweets of mass destruction.
” A veritable textbook narcissist , he wakes up each morning , eager to send out tweets that describe himself and his country as being above all others and , when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increases the vitriol through further tweets .
By afternoon , it would appear that the retinue of Deep State operatives who have been assigned to his Cabinet have once again upbraided him for overstepping his bounds , and he often makes a statement to the press that either soft-soaps his morning ’ s tweets , or ( incredibly ) backs entirely away from his morning ’ s position , taking an entirely new and sometimes opposite position .
But unfortunately , as his behaviour is not based upon isolated indiscretion , but pathology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily basis .
And it should be said that this behaviour has not been limited to his tweets , but has been reflected in his speeches and his meetings with the press .
Further , we should remind ourselves that Mister Trump ’ s comments are not what might be called , “ suggestive.
” They are , in fact , quite direct and highly inflammatory .
To wit : In September 2017 , Mr. Trump stated , “ We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.
” In October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will totally obliterate the economy of Turkey.
” In January 2020 , he stated , “ We will charge them [ Iraq ] sanctions like they ’ ve never seen before ever .
It ’ ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.
” Of course , these comments are not isolated , nor are they directed only at the three countries above .
All those who fail to recognize that Mister Trump wears the king ’ s crown are subject to his attacks .
And so the world finds itself in 1914 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all the components have been brought together .
They ’ ve been assembled and the tension has been building to the point that warfare is being threatened , with each side demanding that the other comply .
Killing History : The F ... Mr. L.K .
Samuels Best Price : $ 15.95 Buy New $ 19.95 All that ’ s needed is for one political leader or another to decide that his vanity has been insulted beyond his level of tolerance .
Or for a legacy-seeking general to decide that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ button , ensuring his place in history .
Or indeed , for a teenager in a café to stumble upon a random opportunity to pull the trigger of a gun .
With all wars ( including world wars ) , a lead-up is necessary before the war itself is fomented .
This takes months and sometimes even years to build up .
But once the pressure has reached the point that the vanity of leaders , both military and political , can not permit them to reverse without appearing to be weak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the war is a small event .
We are on the cusp of the most dramatic period of change that we will see in our lifetimes .
This will be a period of the greatest relocation of geo-economic power history has yet witnessed , but before that transformation can be completed , the declining powers will attempt to retain their economic power through warfare .
As that is the case , we should be very surprised indeed if all the declining powers and advancing powers are not involved in some way before the @ @ @ @

World diplomacy is, at present, on rather shaky ground.
Throughout history, whenever major economies are approaching a state of crisis, heads of state typically become chronically irritable.
If we step back a bit, we see that the present state of affairs was long in coming. After World War II, the US led a veritable extravaganza of productivity. Other nations got into the slipstream of this economic advance if they were able to do so and, by the mid- to late-1950s, Canada, Europe, the UK, Japan and others were hanging tightly onto the coattails of the US boom in order to advance their own economies.
But in 1971, the US, finding that their trading partners were solidifying their positions and beginning to demand payment in gold for their exports to the US, decided to take the US dollar off the gold standard, making the dollar a fiat currency. Conceived in Liberty, ... Murray N Rothbard Best Price: $9.00 Buy New $15.39 (as of 08:05 UTC - Details)
The trading partners followed suit.
Unfortunately, once a country’s currency has no basis for real value, there’s nothing stopping that country from firing up the printing presses and creating more of the stuff… then more… then more again.
And those countries that rode the coattails of the US through the years of prosperity remained on the bandwagon, except that now, they had committed themselves, like the US, to unpayable levels of debt – a trajectory that would take them irretrievably downhill.
It’s been a wild ride, but it’s nearing its end, as the US and its trading partners are soon to hit bottom all at roughly the same time.
Not surprising then, that nerves are beginning to fray and former allies are beginning to chafe at each other’s acts of desperation to buy a bit more time prior to the inevitable collapse.
But added to this is a host of other countries that were previously considered “second world” – unimportant other entities that weren’t part of the post-1945 prosperity.
As anyone who spends time in these countries can attest, their leaders and indeed their peoples are highly conscious of the fact that the first world countries are heading for a crisis. They see this less from the point of view of comeuppance than the point of view that they themselves have the opportunity to become the main event in years to come.
And indeed, everywhere in the second world, if we choose to spend time there, we witness entire countries preparing themselves for the next age of prosperity – their age.
Meantime, back in the first world, the political sphere has become a pressure cooker and leaders are losing patience with one another, but attempting to “keep the peace.”
This same mood was in existence in early twentieth-century Europe. Everyone was fed up with everyone else. Alliances were formed only to fray, with new alliances taking their places.
Then, on 28 June 1914, in Sarajevo, a Bosnian teenager walked out of a café and shot the visiting Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, as he sat in a car.
That was all that was necessary to light the fuse to set off World War I. Within a month, those on the Austrian side issued the July Ultimatum – a series of ten demands that were made intentionally unacceptable, in an effort to provoke a war.
Those on the other side mobilised for a fight and World War I was on.
Little wonder then, that the first rule of diplomacy is to never shame your opponent into a corner, where his only option is to come out swinging. It will end badly.
And so, today, in spite of world tensions, most all countries are attempting to keep the pressure cooker from building up too much steam.
But into this mix we have one Donald Trump. To say that he’s rather inept at diplomacy would be to give him far too much credit. Whilst sixteen years ago, George Bush made the people of the US fearful of “weapons of mass destruction,” Mister Trump has introduced “tweets of mass destruction.”
A veritable textbook narcissist, he wakes up each morning, eager to send out tweets that describe himself and his country as being above all others and, when he does not receive obeisance in return, increases the vitriol through further tweets.
By afternoon, it would appear that the retinue of Deep State operatives who have been assigned to his Cabinet have once again upbraided him for overstepping his bounds, and he often makes a statement to the press that either soft-soaps his morning’s tweets, or (incredibly) backs entirely away from his morning’s position, taking an entirely new and sometimes opposite position.
But unfortunately, as his behaviour is not based upon isolated indiscretion, but pathology, the pattern repeats on an almost daily basis. And it should be said that this behaviour has not been limited to his tweets, but has been reflected in his speeches and his meetings with the press.
Further, we should remind ourselves that Mister Trump’s comments are not what might be called, “suggestive.” They are, in fact, quite direct and highly inflammatory. To wit:
In September 2017, Mr. Trump stated, “We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”
In October 2019, he stated, “I will totally obliterate the economy of Turkey.”
In January 2020, he stated, “We will charge them [Iraq] sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
Of course, these comments are not isolated, nor are they directed only at the three countries above. All those who fail to recognize that Mister Trump wears the king’s crown are subject to his attacks.
And so the world finds itself in 1914. Much like the construction of a bomb, all the components have been brought together. They’ve been assembled and the tension has been building to the point that warfare is being threatened, with each side demanding that the other comply. Killing History: The F... Mr. L.K. Samuels Best Price: $15.95 Buy New $19.95 (as of 12:00 UTC - Details)
All that’s needed is for one political leader or another to decide that his vanity has been insulted beyond his level of tolerance. Or for a legacy-seeking general to decide that he’s been sufficiently provoked to press the button, ensuring his place in history.
Or indeed, for a teenager in a café to stumble upon a random opportunity to pull the trigger of a gun.
With all wars (including world wars), a lead-up is necessary before the war itself is fomented. This takes months and sometimes even years to build up. But once the pressure has reached the point that the vanity of leaders, both military and political, cannot permit them to reverse without appearing to be weak, all that’s necessary to begin the war is a small event.
We are on the cusp of the most dramatic period of change that we will see in our lifetimes. This will be a period of the greatest relocation of geo-economic power history has yet witnessed, but before that transformation can be completed, the declining powers will attempt to retain their economic power through warfare.
As that is the case, we should be very surprised indeed if all the declining powers and advancing powers are not involved in some way before the conflict is over.
Reprinted with permission from International Man.


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--Christopher Steele: MI5’s Very Own Walter Mitty

British spy Christopher Steele is in hot water over the lies he told to undermine Donald Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign – and rightly so .
I met Christopher Steele once back in 2006 when he was investigating the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko .
Litvinenko had been an officer in the Russian FSB .
He was tasked with infiltrating Chechen gangs in Moscow , and then later with interrogating Chechen separatists in their attempted independence movement .
I interviewed Litvinenko about his days in the FSB .
After he fell out with his bosses at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he dedicated himself to retailing stories – some true , some not – about his former employees .
It seems more than likely that Litvinenko was poisoned by Russian agent Andrei Lugovoy who met him shortly before he fell ill and died .
That was the determination of the British government who sought Lugovoy ’ s extradition , though this was refused by the Russians .
Elizabeth Teague at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office invited me in to talk about my interview with Litvinenko and the circumstances surrounding it .
Teague introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew more about Russia than anyone else .
Steele seemed to be an unremarkable man and , as the conversation carried on , I thought perhaps he was a bit of an idiot .
He was convinced that the Putin regime in Russia was amateurish in comparison to his predecessor Boris Yeltsin .
It is not a judgment many Russians would share – whatever they think of Putin .
Yeltsin is best known for selling off Russian state assets to overseas investors ( who ripped off the government ) .
What Steele probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain and the West , whereas Putin was reluctant to bend Russia ’ s interests to the West .
Against the Left : A Ro ... Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr Best Price : $ 13.57 Buy New $ 8.00 Maybe my initial judgement of Steele was unfair .
He could have been playing his cards close to his chest .
His main purpose in talking to me seemed to be to find out about any Russians I knew .
But the strange turn his career took in 2016 does not do much to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US elections , the Democratic National Committee commissioned research on the then Republican nominee , now president , Donald Trump .
They employed a US-based intelligence firm , Fusion GPS , who in turn subcontracted the work to a British-based firm , Orbis Business Intelligence .
Orbis ’ s co-founder was Christopher Steele .
Apparently Steele was now working as a private individual .
It is commonplace for Britain ’ s MI5 to use private companies as front organisations , so how seriously we should take Orbis ’ s independence is hard to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly sweated his old Russia contacts for tittle-tattle to plump out the hit piece on Trump .
And clearly , his status as a ‘ former ’ British intelligence officer lent the report gravitas .
The report was dressed up as a ‘ dossier ’ and shown as a briefing document to a number of media outlets in an attempt to influence their reporting on Trump .
You might have thought that there was enough of a case to be made against Trump ’ s right-wing policies , but the DNC and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to digging up personal dirt on Trump .
Steele ’ s crazy ‘ dossier ’ did just that .
It told absurd and extravagant stories – all pointing to the unfounded claim that Trump was in fact a Russian asset and had been for decades .
The dossier made wild claims about Russian interference in the US elections .
Most eye-catching was the claim that Trump , on a visit to Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe contest , had booked himself into the same Ritz-Carlton Hotel room that the Obamas had once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have procured some prostitutes to urinate on the bed .
More outlandish still , Steele alleges the incident was filmed by Russian spies and that the Russian state was using the ‘ pee tape ’ as kompromat against Trump .
Steele ’ s sources were mostly fantasists from the hinterland of espionage or disgruntled Russians and Americans who had tried to do business in Russia .
Pointedly , many of these sources hedged their claims with qualifications that the stories were third-hand and that they could not verify them .
Steele briefed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Post , Yahoo !
News , the New Yorker and CNN .
No proper newspaper ought to have published these claims .
Indeed , they were not meant to be published verbatim – they were only meant to create rumours which would seep into reporting , and therefore blacken the Republican candidate in the election campaign .

British spy Christopher Steele is in hot water over the lies he told to undermine Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign – and rightly so.
I met Christopher Steele once back in 2006 when he was investigating the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko had been an officer in the Russian FSB. He was tasked with infiltrating Chechen gangs in Moscow, and then later with interrogating Chechen separatists in their attempted independence movement. I interviewed Litvinenko about his days in the FSB. After he fell out with his bosses at the FSB, Litvinenko moved to London, where he dedicated himself to retailing stories – some true, some not – about his former employees.
It seems more than likely that Litvinenko was poisoned by Russian agent Andrei Lugovoy who met him shortly before he fell ill and died. That was the determination of the British government who sought Lugovoy’s extradition, though this was refused by the Russians. Elizabeth Teague at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office invited me in to talk about my interview with Litvinenko and the circumstances surrounding it. Teague introduced me to Steele. She said he knew more about Russia than anyone else.
Steele seemed to be an unremarkable man and, as the conversation carried on, I thought perhaps he was a bit of an idiot. He was convinced that the Putin regime in Russia was amateurish in comparison to his predecessor Boris Yeltsin. It is not a judgment many Russians would share – whatever they think of Putin. Yeltsin is best known for selling off Russian state assets to overseas investors (who ripped off the government). What Steele probably meant was that Yeltsin was better for Britain and the West, whereas Putin was reluctant to bend Russia’s interests to the West. Against the Left: A Ro... Rockwell Jr, Llewellyn H Best Price: $2.85 Buy New $8.00 (as of 07:59 UTC - Details)
Maybe my initial judgement of Steele was unfair. He could have been playing his cards close to his chest. His main purpose in talking to me seemed to be to find out about any Russians I knew. But the strange turn his career took in 2016 does not do much to improve his reputation.
During the 2016 US elections, the Democratic National Committee commissioned research on the then Republican nominee, now president, Donald Trump. They employed a US-based intelligence firm, Fusion GPS, who in turn subcontracted the work to a British-based firm, Orbis Business Intelligence. Orbis’s co-founder was Christopher Steele. Apparently Steele was now working as a private individual. It is commonplace for Britain’s MI5 to use private companies as front organisations, so how seriously we should take Orbis’s independence is hard to tell.
In any event, Steele clearly sweated his old Russia contacts for tittle-tattle to plump out the hit piece on Trump. And clearly, his status as a ‘former’ British intelligence officer lent the report gravitas. The report was dressed up as a ‘dossier’ and shown as a briefing document to a number of media outlets in an attempt to influence their reporting on Trump. You might have thought that there was enough of a case to be made against Trump’s right-wing policies, but the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign seemed much more drawn to digging up personal dirt on Trump.
Steele’s crazy ‘dossier’ did just that. It told absurd and extravagant stories – all pointing to the unfounded claim that Trump was in fact a Russian asset and had been for decades. The dossier made wild claims about Russian interference in the US elections. Most eye-catching was the claim that Trump, on a visit to Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe contest, had booked himself into the same Ritz-Carlton Hotel room that the Obamas had once stayed in. Trump is then alleged to have procured some prostitutes to urinate on the bed. More outlandish still, Steele alleges the incident was filmed by Russian spies and that the Russian state was using the ‘pee tape’ as kompromat against Trump.
Steele’s sources were mostly fantasists from the hinterland of espionage or disgruntled Russians and Americans who had tried to do business in Russia. Pointedly, many of these sources hedged their claims with qualifications that the stories were third-hand and that they could not verify them. Steele briefed journalists from the New York Times, the Washington Post, Yahoo! News, the New Yorker and CNN. No proper newspaper ought to have published these claims. Indeed, they were not meant to be published verbatim – they were only meant to create rumours which would seep into reporting, and therefore blacken the Republican candidate in the election campaign.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--Health Lawyer Gains Temporary Restraining Order in Forced Vaccine Case

Counsel Patricia Finn , The Good Health Lawyer [ 1 ] has saved a medically fragile child from what his pediatrician says is “ certain damage ” following vaccination , by arguing successfully that New York State does not have the power to substitute a bureaucrat ’ s decision for a patient ’ s physician .
Arguing that a physician , as a “ learned intermediary , ” has the right to issue a medical exemption for a patient and the State has the obligation to honor that exemption , Counsel Finn has scored a major health freedom victory for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law firms have not been able to achieve what Counsel Finn succeeded in establishing in this case .
Dissolving Illusions : ... Suzanne Humphries MD , ... Best Price : $ 19.24 Buy New $ 17.17 This victory is the first to validate the important principle of the physician as “ Learned Intermediary ” and to achieve a Temporary Restraining Order overturning the State ’ s attempt to force vaccination on this child .
In both California and New York , the largest forced-vaccine states , vaccine freedom of choice has been attacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state legislatures have abolished long-standing religious and/or conscientious exemptions and second , the bureaucracies in both states have made obtaining a formal Medical Excuse virtually impossible .
We believe they have intentionally tried to make it so difficult that they have undercut the protected relationship between doctor and patient .
This violates the universal right of Informed Consent by preventing physicians , as Learned Intermediaries , from uttering their true opinions regarding the safety of vaccines for their patients .
The child in this case was certified vaccine-fragile since his doctor said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccination .
It is important to note that the child ’ s doctor believes in vaccination for the general populace , and vaccinates his own children , yet , exercising his best medical judgment , affirmed that this child should not be vaccinated .
Under New York ’ s new rule the physician ’ s learned opinion was disregarded and the school system , despite the damage that was likely to result for the child , rejected the exemption .
In other words , the state wanted a school bureaucrat to overturn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This flies in the face of settled United States law .
For over a century US courts have held they have the power to intervene against forced vaccination “ …if it be apparent or can be shown with reasonable certainty that he is not at the time a fit subject of vaccination or that vaccination , by reason of his then condition , would seriously impair his health or probably cause his death.
” Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts , 197 U.S. 11 ( 1905 ) Counsel Finn ’ s successful attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Restraining Order ( TRO ) assures this child access to the free public education guaranteed to him by the laws of New York , without surrendering his right to protection from what US and international courts have repeatedly called “ unavoidably unsafe ” vaccines .
The efforts of States like New York and California to illegally force parents to choose between their objections to vaccination — their universal right of Informed Consent — or the public education guaranteed to their children is an imposition of what the Federal Courts call an “ unconstitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition a public benefit on the surrender of a right .
In this case New York is learning that important lesson thanks to Counsel Finn and the determined parents willing to protect their child .
All of us have the right of Informed Consent , if and only if we assert it properly .
If you do not assert that right , it will be “ deemed waived.
” To learn more about how to assert that right for yourself and your loved ones , click here .
Use this link to share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save some lives .
If any recipient of this message prefers to not receive future emailings from this address , please reply to this email with “ unsubscribe ” and your name in the subject line .

Counsel Patricia Finn, The Good Health Lawyer [1] has saved a medically fragile child from what his pediatrician says is “certain damage” following vaccination, by arguing successfully that New York State does not have the power to substitute a bureaucrat’s decision for a patient’s physician.
Arguing that a physician, as a “learned intermediary,” has the right to issue a medical exemption for a patient and the State has the obligation to honor that exemption, Counsel Finn has scored a major health freedom victory for the moment.
Several well-known and well-funded law firms have not been able to achieve what Counsel Finn succeeded in establishing in this case.
Dissolving Illusions: ... Bystrianyk, Roman Best Price: $38.50 Buy New $21.60 (as of 11:00 UTC - Details) This victory is the first to validate the important principle of the physician as “Learned Intermediary” and to achieve a Temporary Restraining Order overturning the State’s attempt to force vaccination on this child.
In both California and New York, the largest forced-vaccine states, vaccine freedom of choice has been attacked in two ways. First, the state legislatures have abolished long-standing religious and/or conscientious exemptions and second, the bureaucracies in both states have made obtaining a formal Medical Excuse virtually impossible. We believe they have intentionally tried to make it so difficult that they have undercut the protected relationship between doctor and patient. This violates the universal right of Informed Consent by preventing physicians, as Learned Intermediaries, from uttering their true opinions regarding the safety of vaccines for their patients.
The child in this case was certified vaccine-fragile since his doctor said he could expect serious adverse reactions to further vaccination. It is important to note that the child’s doctor believes in vaccination for the general populace, and vaccinates his own children, yet, exercising his best medical judgment, affirmed that this child should not be vaccinated. Under New York’s new rule the physician’s learned opinion was disregarded and the school system, despite the damage that was likely to result for the child, rejected the exemption. In other words, the state wanted a school bureaucrat to overturn the physician’s protection of his patient.
This flies in the face of settled United States law. For over a century US courts have held they have the power to intervene against forced vaccination “…if it be apparent or can be shown with reasonable certainty that he is not at the time a fit subject of vaccination or that vaccination, by reason of his then condition, would seriously impair his health or probably cause his death.” Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)
Counsel Finn’s successful attempt to protect this child with a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) assures this child access to the free public education guaranteed to him by the laws of New York, without surrendering his right to protection from what US and international courts have repeatedly called “unavoidably unsafe” vaccines.
The efforts of States like New York and California to illegally force parents to choose between their objections to vaccination — their universal right of Informed Consent — or the public education guaranteed to their children is an imposition of what the Federal Courts call an “unconstitutional condition.” No state has power to condition a public benefit on the surrender of a right.
In this case New York is learning that important lesson thanks to Counsel Finn and the determined parents willing to protect their child.
All of us have the right of Informed Consent, if and only if we assert it properly. If you do not assert that right, it will be “deemed waived.”
To learn more about how to assert that right for yourself and your loved ones, click here.
Use this link to share this article widely.
You just might save some lives.
If any recipient of this message prefers to not receive future emailings from this address, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” and your name in the subject line.
—
[1] https://www.patriciafinnattorney.com/
This originally appeared on Open Source Truth.


lewrockwell--2020-02-04--‘To Meghan Markle’ Is Now a Verb, and for Some Reason It Doesn’t Mean To Play the Victim Despite Sit

‘To Meghan Markle’ Is Now a Verb, and for Some Reason It Doesn’t Mean To Play the Victim Despite Sitting Pretty

In the trend of modern-day idolatrous word-building , attempts have been made to turn the name of not-quite-princess Meghan Markle , of recent fame for quitting the Royal Family and taking her husband with her , into a verb .
So , has anyone ‘ Meghan Markled ’ today ?
Does that mean : ‘ to be a victim , despite prince charming , a baby and endless wealth ’ ?
Or perhaps it ’ s short for : ‘ martyring someone who acts like a Hollywood princess who voluntarily entered into a life of duty and tradition , only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t go her way ’ ?
No , the verb ‘ to Meghan Markle , ’ which was created on Twitter , then was picked up and shared by British Radio One DJ Jameela Jamil , means : “ To value yourself and your mental health enough to up and leave a room/ situation/ environment in which your authentic self is not welcomed or wanted.
” When such groundbreaking urban speak is being thrust upon us , where else to turn if not the Guardian for further enlightenment .
The author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Markle ’ is now a verb – here ’ s how to use it ’ , Poppy Noor , says Meghan Markle could be referred to in some circles as “ the patron saint of good mental health , ” due to her “ putting up with racism and vilification by certain ‘ right-wing ’ media.
” Amazon.com Gift Card i ... Buy New $ 10.00 She asks , “ Why shouldn ’ t a word be made for a person who not only realises when love is not returned , but when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then suggests using phrases like : “ Man , when I go out tonight , I am so going to Meghan Markle it , ” at a party , before “ going home early , getting eight hours of sleep and not texting your ex.
” There are a few takeaways from this – firstly , reading the Guardian is bad for your mental health .
Secondly , do men ever write or read this kind of stuff ?
No .
It ’ s undoing stellar work from previous generations of women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us .
Thirdly , a “ patron saint of good mental health ” ?
What happened to the holy grail of sanity – the combination of not being affected by other people ’ s insecurities or peccadillos and not letting your emotions trick you ?
Has anyone noticed how the Dalai Lama doesn ’ t fall out with people ?
Some of his musings have included : “ Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace , ” and : “ I defeat my enemies when I make them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only aspire to achieve this level of inner calm , and clearly so can Meghan – just look at how none of her inconvenient-for-public-image family members appeared at her wedding in Windsor in May 2018 – except her mother , Doria Loyce Ragland , grandmother of Archie , who is seventh in line for the throne .
Ms. Markle has had her fair share of tumult from her side of the family , but after a relatively brief run of giving the gilded life a go , she ‘ freed ’ her prince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institution refused to change for her at the drop of a hat .
Not to worry though , she got an enormous boost to her publicity for her trouble .
Despite being lauded by some , not everyone seems to admire the “ the modern princess for our time , ” often referred to as a true ‘ breath of fresh air ’ for the double standards she lives by .
Lecturing us plebs on climate change , while taking four private jet flights in a handful of days , telling us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her ‘ Sussex Royal ’ brand didn ’ t go down too well with everyone .
Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes , once reprimanded for calling her “ uppity , ” in a recent interview expanded the description to include “ awful , woke , weak , manipulative , spoilt and irritating.
” It ’ s certainly a far cry from the ‘ to Meghan Markle ’ peddled by the faux dictionary of Twitter and the Guardian .
But wait , we already have an online dictionary for neologisms like that : the collectively-edited Urban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its thousands-strong community shares in the adoration .
It turns out the Urban Dictionary has had ‘ to Meghan Markle ’ as a verb there since 2018 – and the top definition is “ Verb for ghosting or disposing people once you have no use or benefit from them anymore without any regard to genuine human relationships , ” with examples like : “ She did a Meghan Markle on her friends as soon as she became famous.
” The new one has been entered there as well , but is struggling with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile , also on Twitter , ‘ to Meghansplain ’ has appeared .
It means , “ to come up with a rationale and/or justification for Meghan Markle to convince the Royals to allow her to destroy the Royal Family while at the same time disrespect the throne.
” Perhaps , before you start ‘ Meghan Markling ’ , why not move away from idolising people you don ’ t know at all , and who don ’ t know or care about you ?
Who needs ‘ to Meghan Markle ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a pedestal ?
Why not just have the confidence to do your own thing ?
Is that not what empowered feminism is all about ?

In the trend of modern-day idolatrous word-building, attempts have been made to turn the name of not-quite-princess Meghan Markle, of recent fame for quitting the Royal Family and taking her husband with her, into a verb.
So, has anyone ‘Meghan Markled’ today?
Does that mean: ‘to be a victim, despite prince charming, a baby and endless wealth’? Or perhaps it’s short for: ‘martyring someone who acts like a Hollywood princess who voluntarily entered into a life of duty and tradition, only to withdraw 20 months later because things didn’t go her way’?
No, the verb ‘to Meghan Markle,’ which was created on Twitter, then was picked up and shared by British Radio One DJ Jameela Jamil, means: “To value yourself and your mental health enough to up and leave a room/ situation/ environment in which your authentic self is not welcomed or wanted.”
When such groundbreaking urban speak is being thrust upon us, where else to turn if not the Guardian for further enlightenment.
The author of a piece entitled ‘To Meghan Markle’ is now a verb – here’s how to use it’, Poppy Noor, says Meghan Markle could be referred to in some circles as “the patron saint of good mental health,” due to her “putting up with racism and vilification by certain ‘right-wing’ media.” Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
She asks, “Why shouldn’t a word be made for a person who not only realises when love is not returned, but when to get the hell out?” and then suggests using phrases like: “Man, when I go out tonight, I am so going to Meghan Markle it,” at a party, before “going home early, getting eight hours of sleep and not texting your ex.”
There are a few takeaways from this – firstly, reading the Guardian is bad for your mental health. Secondly, do men ever write or read this kind of stuff? No. It’s undoing stellar work from previous generations of women, and it’s making fools of us.
Thirdly, a “patron saint of good mental health”? What happened to the holy grail of sanity – the combination of not being affected by other people’s insecurities or peccadillos and not letting your emotions trick you? Has anyone noticed how the Dalai Lama doesn’t fall out with people? Some of his musings have included: “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace,” and: “I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.”
Most of us can only aspire to achieve this level of inner calm, and clearly so can Meghan – just look at how none of her inconvenient-for-public-image family members appeared at her wedding in Windsor in May 2018 – except her mother, Doria Loyce Ragland, grandmother of Archie, who is seventh in line for the throne.
Ms. Markle has had her fair share of tumult from her side of the family, but after a relatively brief run of giving the gilded life a go, she ‘freed’ her prince from his family, because the thousand-year-old institution refused to change for her at the drop of a hat. Not to worry though, she got an enormous boost to her publicity for her trouble.
Despite being lauded by some, not everyone seems to admire the “the modern princess for our time,” often referred to as a true ‘breath of fresh air’ for the double standards she lives by. Lecturing us plebs on climate change, while taking four private jet flights in a handful of days, telling us to give her privacy, while globally trademarking her ‘Sussex Royal’ brand didn’t go down too well with everyone. Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, once reprimanded for calling her “uppity,” in a recent interview expanded the description to include “awful, woke, weak, manipulative, spoilt and irritating.”
It’s certainly a far cry from the ‘to Meghan Markle’ peddled by the faux dictionary of Twitter and the Guardian.
But wait, we already have an online dictionary for neologisms like that: the collectively-edited Urban Dictionary. Let’s see if its thousands-strong community shares in the adoration.
It turns out the Urban Dictionary has had ‘to Meghan Markle’ as a verb there since 2018 – and the top definition is “Verb for ghosting or disposing people once you have no use or benefit from them anymore without any regard to genuine human relationships,” with examples like: “She did a Meghan Markle on her friends as soon as she became famous.” The new one has been entered there as well, but is struggling with only a couple dozen upvotes so far.
Meanwhile, also on Twitter, ‘to Meghansplain’ has appeared. It means, “to come up with a rationale and/or justification for Meghan Markle to convince the Royals to allow her to destroy the Royal Family while at the same time disrespect the throne.”
Oh dear.
What about the word that I created: Meghansplain – verb
To Meghansplain – to come up with a rationale and/or justification for Meghan Markle to convince the Royals to allow her to destroy the Royal Family while at the same time disrespect the throne.@guardian @TheSun @Telegraph https://t.co/MoRS5IiFri — Manny Alicandro (@Manny_Alicandro) January 26, 2020
Perhaps, before you start ‘Meghan Markling’, why not move away from idolising people you don’t know at all, and who don’t know or care about you? Who needs ‘to Meghan Markle?’ What’s with putting celebrities on a pedestal? Why not just have the confidence to do your own thing? Is that not what empowered feminism is all about?
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


lewrockwell--2020-03-30--Emergency Room Doctor Doesn’t Realize Major Signs & Symptoms of COVID-19 Coronavirus Cases Match Evi

Emergency Room Doctor Doesn’t Realize Major Signs & Symptoms of COVID-19 Coronavirus Cases Match Evidences of Zinc Deficiency

Physicians who diagnose cases of COVID-19 coronavirus illness get a quick sense of whether the patient is on track to develop the deadly form of coronavirus pneumonia .
The most common symptoms are fever , dry cough , shortness of breath and flu-like symptoms .
But modern medicine is so steeped in its pharmacy of prescription drugs , with its blinders toward nutritional medicine , that it can ’ t see the obvious evidences of a trace mineral deficiency that results in the same signs and symptoms produced by COVID-19 coronavirus .
An emergency room physician in New Orleans shares @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dreaded pathogenic virus .
He writes : “ You can literally watch it happen in a matter of hours.
” Some 70-90 % of hospitalized patients who have to be placed on a ventilator die .
As I read through this doctor ’ s account of how he goes about making a quick assessment of the severity of the patient ’ s lung disease , all of its common signs and symptoms I quickly realized are signs of zinc deficiency .
A chart provided below makes the comparison .
All 18 coronavirus symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zinc inhibits coronavirus RNA polymerase enzyme activity , the very methodology by which coronavirus infection is confirmed in the laboratory .
The published medical literature indicates zinc supplementation “ seems beneficial ” for diarrhea , tuberculosis ( a lung infection ) , acute lower respiratory tract infection .
Dr. James Robb , a pathologist who performed early experiments with coronaviruses back in the 1970s , claims that zinc lozenges are the “ silver bullet against coronavirus.
” Zinc is required to maintain thymus gland function to produce life-long antibodies from T-memory cells .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-risk group of coronavirus Infections , lowers illness markedly .
Modern medicine needs to emphasize zinc therapy , especially during epidemics .
Between 15-30 milligrams of zinc in dietary supplements can be safely consumed by adults .
Zinc oxide is poorly absorbed .
Other forms ( acetate , gluconate , acetate , picolinate ) are preferred .
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Physicians who diagnose cases of COVID-19 coronavirus illness get a quick sense of whether the patient is on track to develop the deadly form of coronavirus pneumonia. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and flu-like symptoms.
But modern medicine is so steeped in its pharmacy of prescription drugs, with its blinders toward nutritional medicine, that it can’t see the obvious evidences of a trace mineral deficiency that results in the same signs and symptoms produced by COVID-19 coronavirus.
An emergency room physician in New Orleans shares an account of his experience with this dreaded pathogenic virus. He writes: “You can literally watch it happen in a matter of hours.” Some 70-90% of hospitalized patients who have to be placed on a ventilator die.
As I read through this doctor’s account of how he goes about making a quick assessment of the severity of the patient’s lung disease, all of its common signs and symptoms I quickly realized are signs of zinc deficiency. A chart provided below makes the comparison. All 18 coronavirus symptoms and signs point to zinc deficiency.
Zinc inhibits coronavirus RNA polymerase enzyme activity, the very methodology by which coronavirus infection is confirmed in the laboratory.
The published medical literature indicates zinc supplementation “seems beneficial” for diarrhea, tuberculosis (a lung infection), acute lower respiratory tract infection.
Dr. James Robb, a pathologist who performed early experiments with coronaviruses back in the 1970s, claims that zinc lozenges are the “silver bullet against coronavirus.”
Zinc is required to maintain thymus gland function to produce life-long antibodies from T-memory cells.
Zinc supplementation in the elderly, the high-risk group of coronavirus Infections, lowers illness markedly. Modern medicine needs to emphasize zinc therapy, especially during epidemics.
Between 15-30 milligrams of zinc in dietary supplements can be safely consumed by adults. Zinc oxide is poorly absorbed. Other forms (acetate, gluconate, acetate, picolinate) are preferred.
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lewrockwell--2020-03-30--The Age of Entitlement

The Age of Entitlement

As some cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds , so have minorities nested & hatched their eggs in The Civil Rights Act of 1964 .
“ The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 was … a legislative repeal of the First Amend-ment ’ s implied right to freedom of association .
Over decades it polarized the political parties and turned them into something like secret societies , each of them loyal to a different constitutional understanding .
Democrats , loyal to the post-1964 constitution , could not acknowledge ( or even see ) that they owed their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional freedoms Americans cherished most .
Republicans , loyal to the pre-1964 constitution , could not acknowledge ( or even see ) that the only way back to the free country of their ideals was through the repeal of the civil rights laws .
The combination was a terrible one – rising tensions along with a society-wide inability to talk or think straight about anything.
” ( p.278 ) Narrowing his summary ’ s focus , Caldwell continues : The Age of Entitlement ... Caldwell , Christopher Best Price : $ 20.10 Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all the prosperity Americans enjoyed under his presidency , never found anything like the resources to carry out the projects Lyndon Johnson devised in the 1960s .
He merely averted the social confrontation to which events had been building in the 1970s by devising a new system for financing those projects .
That is what today ’ s national debt is .
( Italics added ) The financial collapse of 2008 was a sign that the government had exhausted the resources of the not-yet-born and would now tap the resources of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are divided into two sections .
Section I – The Revolutions of the 1960s – contains four chapters : 1 .
1963 2 .
Race 3 .
Sex 4 .
War Section II – The New Constitution – contains four chapters : 5 .
Debt 6 .
Diversity 7 .
Winners 8 .
Losers Following the Ferguson shooting and riots of August 2014 , the Black Lives Matter movement was born .
The movement posed a problem .
Caldwell writes , “ If Black Lives Matter was civil rights … civil rights had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various extensions that black and white progressives had successfully fought to attach to civil rights – above all affirmative action and political correctness – had ceased to be temporary expedients .
They were essential parts of this new constitutional structure … ” ( 268 ) Slouching toward election 2016 , a “ rough beast , ” as in Yeats ’ s “ The Second Coming , ” was a “ self-promoting New York real estate developer … appearing in a Manhattan office building he pretended to own … ” who became 45th President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ … the moral narrative of civil rights required that ( Whites ) be cast as the villains of their country ’ s history.
” ( 276 ) A “ … massive accumulated power to shame ” fell to Obama and the Democrats .
However , “ shame as a means of governing ” creates “ great problems.
” ( 277 ) “ … opposition does not disappear but only becomes unspeakable , making the public even less knowable to its rulers .
… shame as a government weapon works only on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus purges high-minded people from the opposition and ensures that , when the now-mysterious public does throw up an opposition , it will be led by shameless people and take a shameless form.
” ( 277 ) Reflections on the Rev ... Caldwell , Christopher Best Price : $ 6.99 Buy New $ 12.00 The heart of Caldwell ’ s thesis appears in the Debt chapter under the heading What did the debt buy ?
A few quotations , indicting the Baby Boom Generation , answer it arrestingly , if repeatedly .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generation was invested in avoiding the choices that the confrontation of the 1960s had placed before the country .
What the debt paid for was social peace , which had come to be understood as synonymous with the various Great Society programs … ” ( 108-109 ) “ A government that was going to make an overwhelming majority of voters pay the cost of affirmative action had to keep unemployment low , home values rising , and living standards high .
Reaganomics was just a name for governing under a merciless contradiction that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Civil rights was important enough that people could not be asked to wait for it , but unpopular enough that people could not be asked to pay for it.
” ( 111 ) “ Failing to win a consensus for the revolutions of the 1960s , Washington instead bought off through tax cuts those who stood to lose from them .
Americans would delude themselves for decades that there was something natural about this arrangement .
It was an age of entitlement.
” ( 111 ) Busy Reader : Your reviewer/butcher has displayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest is study , reflection , discussion , silence .
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As some cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, so have minorities nested & hatched their eggs in The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Put more amply is Christopher Caldwell’s thesis:
“The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 was … a legislative repeal of the First Amend-ment’s implied right to freedom of association. Over decades it polarized the political parties and turned them into something like secret societies, each of them loyal to a different constitutional understanding. Democrats, loyal to the post-1964 constitution, could not acknowledge (or even see) that they owed their ascendancy to a rollback of the basic constitutional freedoms Americans cherished most. Republicans, loyal to the pre-1964 constitution, could not acknowledge (or even see) that the only way back to the free country of their ideals was through the repeal of the civil rights laws. The combination was a terrible one – rising tensions along with a society-wide inability to talk or think straight about anything.” (p.278)
Narrowing his summary’s focus, Caldwell continues: The Age of Entitlement... Caldwell, Christopher Best Price: $20.10 Buy New $17.39 (as of 08:49 UTC - Details)
“Ronald Reagan, for all the prosperity Americans enjoyed under his presidency, never found anything like the resources to carry out the projects Lyndon Johnson devised in the 1960s. He merely averted the social confrontation to which events had been building in the 1970s by devising a new system for financing those projects. That is what today’s national debt is. (Italics added) The financial collapse of 2008 was a sign that the government had exhausted the resources of the not-yet-born and would now tap the resources of the living. (p. 279)
(Reviewer’s Note: The financial collapse of 2020 and Congress’s $2 trillion spending response will further burden taxpayers of all ages.)
Contents are divided into two sections. Section I – The Revolutions of the 1960s – contains four chapters: 1. 1963 2. Race 3. Sex 4. War
Section II – The New Constitution – contains four chapters: 5. Debt 6. Diversity 7. Winners 8. Losers
(Simon & Schuster, 2020: Text: 279 pages Notes: 39 pages Bibliography: 5 pages)
Following the Ferguson shooting and riots of August 2014, the Black Lives Matter movement was born. The movement posed a problem.
Caldwell writes, “If Black Lives Matter was civil rights … civil rights had become a de facto constitution. The various extensions that black and white progressives had successfully fought to attach to civil rights – above all affirmative action and political correctness – had ceased to be temporary expedients. They were essential parts of this new constitutional structure …” (268)
Slouching toward election 2016, a “rough beast,” as in Yeats’s “The Second Coming,” was a “self-promoting New York real estate developer … appearing in a Manhattan office building he pretended to own …” who became 45th President.
To explain this, Caldwell says, “… the moral narrative of civil rights required that (Whites) be cast as the villains of their country’s history.” (276)
A “… massive accumulated power to shame ” fell to Obama and the Democrats. However, “shame as a means of governing” creates “great problems.” (277) “ … opposition does not disappear but only becomes unspeakable, making the public even less knowable to its rulers. … shame as a government weapon works only on people capable of feeling shame. It thus purges high-minded people from the opposition and ensures that, when the now-mysterious public does throw up an opposition, it will be led by shameless people and take a shameless form.” (277) Reflections on the Rev... Caldwell, Christopher Best Price: $6.99 Buy New $12.00 (as of 08:49 UTC - Details)
The heart of Caldwell’s thesis appears in the Debt chapter under the heading What did the debt buy? A few quotations, indicting the Baby Boom Generation, answer it arrestingly, if repeatedly.
“The borrowing power of the Baby Boom generation was invested in avoiding the choices that the confrontation of the 1960s had placed before the country. What the debt paid for was social peace, which had come to be understood as synonymous with the various Great Society programs …” (108-109)
“A government that was going to make an overwhelming majority of voters pay the cost of affirmative action had to keep unemployment low, home values rising, and living standards high. Reaganomics was just a name for governing under a merciless contradiction that no one could admit was there: Civil rights was important enough that people could not be asked to wait for it, but unpopular enough that people could not be asked to pay for it.” (111)
“Failing to win a consensus for the revolutions of the 1960s, Washington instead bought off through tax cuts those who stood to lose from them. Americans would delude themselves for decades that there was something natural about this arrangement. It was an age of entitlement.” (111)
Busy Reader: Your reviewer/butcher has displayed Caldwell’s choice cuts. The rest is study, reflection, discussion, silence.
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lewrockwell--2020-03-30--We Have a Choice To Make

We Have a Choice To Make

As I write this , I am no longer “ allowed ” to frequent businesses the state has deemed to be “ nonessential.
” Doing so has been prohibited by a man who has the power to shut down an entire economy with the stroke of a pen .
Meanwhile , the mayor of a neighboring city has said that water and power will be turned off for any of these “ nonessential ” businesses that do not comply with the order ( while his own office , the only purpose of which seems to be getting in everyone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) We now have to stand in line to get into the grocery store , are only able to purchase limited quantities of food and other supplies , and the California National Guard has been activated in my state to help “ distribute… food and medical supplies… ” among other tasks .
There has been plenty of debate as to whether these draconian measures are necessary to halt the spread of Covid-19 ; about what the socio– economic costs will be ( devastating ) ; and about whether the virus is even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost in all of this is a much bigger question : The question as to the kind of world we want to live in .
Dissolving Illusions : ... Suzanne Humphries MD , ... Best Price : $ 19.24 Buy New $ 17.17 In a crisis like this one , words like “ personal liberty ” are brought up and almost immediately tossed aside by politicians and commentators , as if they are mere luxuries–and selfish ones at that .
Because “ saving lives is more important.
” But even if that false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century of human history screams to us that it is not ) , the question that remains hanging in the air is : What kind of lives ?
Do we want to live lives in which we get to make our own choices and decisions , or do we want to live the kind of lives where our choices are made for us , by some centralized authority ?
Because that is what we are talking about .
When a few politicians can order entire economies to grind to a halt , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and services are “ essential ” ( a category that always includes themselves ) and which are not , then there is very little they can not do .
I would argue that there is nothing at all they can not do .
And now they and their mad-scientist cohorts are talking about “ digital certificates ” to indicate everyone ’ s infection and vaccination status .
Bill Gates , in a recent Reddit forum , said : Would Gates ’ “ certificates ” be required in order to board an airplane ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
To shop in a store ?
Gates did not say .
But already , vaccination records are required in Argentina , in order to get a passport or driver ’ s license .
So the idea is not far-fetched .
Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has said that a vaccine could be available for widespread use within 12-18 months .
And then what ?
Will everyone be required to be tested for Covid-19 ?
And to have this vaccine ?
Regardless of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how quickly it has been developed and tested ?
regardless of the waiving of product liability for those who make the vaccines ?
How about : No .
Herbal Antivirals : Nat ... Buhner , Stephen Harrod Best Price : $ 19.95 Buy New $ 22.46 The most critical issue in all of this is not , and never was , determining the most effective way to deal with crises like this one ( and if it were , there is more than enough evidence from this outbreak alone to entirely disqualify state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not about whether government-ordered lockdowns “ work ” to stem the spread of a deadly virus .
Nor is it even about how deadly that virus is or is not .
The much more important issue is : What kind of world are we creating when we allow a government to have this kind of power ?
Fortunately–or perhaps not so fortunately–we don ’ t have to use our imaginations to come up with an answer .
The 20th Century ’ s tragic experiments with all-powerful authoritarian regimes give us plenty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of dreams of perfect societies , crafted by “ experts ” and directed from above .
It ’ s a shame that nearly everyone in the US has learned entirely the wrong lessons from these tragedies .
We say “ never again , ” we visit Holocaust memorials , we condemn the internment of Japanese Americans , and we vow to treat all people as equals , never to hate an entire group of people because of their race or ethnicity or sexual preference .
And all of that is beautiful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The atrocities of the century before ours did not take place because a lot of people hated a lot of other people .
Those atrocities were the product of all-powerful states that could do whatever they wanted to the people living under them .
Not a single one of the living nightmares of the Nazis or the Soviets , of Pol Pot or Mao or any of the others could ever have happened without total state power .
And once a state has that kind of power , there is very little that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop it .
And here we are .
Meanwhile , as the state grabs more and more power for itself , everywhere there are examples of private individuals and businesses rising to the occasion to help solve the problem : Individuals sewing masks to donate to hospitals ; businesses repurposing their manufacturing to make needed items like hand sanitizer ; open-source 3D printing of scarce ventilator parts and other medical supplies ; a hackathon to create an open-source ventilator ; open-source real-time tracking of the genetic evolution of Covid-19 ; and of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the outset but were prohibited from doing so by the CDC .
And as always , there are the neighbors ( and non-neighbors ) helping each other everywhere , however they can .
Jabbed : How the Vaccin ... Wilcox , Brett Best Price : $ 13.02 Buy New $ 13.05 Likewise , there are examples of jurisdictions that have not implemented such heavy-handed state restrictions and are so far dealing well with the outbreak .
Human beings are in fact pretty amazing , especially in a crisis .
And they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force against each other .
But again , that is not the point .
The point is that , quite apart from what will surely be the devastating costs of an unprecedented economic shutdown , there is a tremendous human cost incurred by allowing any state to have this much power over us .
It is a cost that very few are even talking about .
But it is the one we most urgently need to be talking about .
Each one of us needs to ask ourselves this question .
Each one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this they are on , which side they will stand up for .
And yes , there really are only two sides : Choosing to go in the direction of a more free society , or choosing to go in the direction of a more authoritarian one .
For myself , I would much rather take my chances with the sum of the people around me making their own decisions about this virus ( and me and my family making ours ) .
Not because I think they are better people than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to hold individuals accountable for their actions and for harm they inflict on others .
The same can never be said for the state .
We should all be far more frightened by the consequences of letting a government have this much power over our lives , than we should be of any pathogen .
Why ?
Because human beings have the tools and the capacity to deal with viruses .
But after all this time , after all the man-made famines , the endless wars , the gulags , the killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this , we still have not yet found the tools to effectively deal with the problem of an all-powerful state .
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As I write this, I am no longer “allowed” to frequent businesses the state has deemed to be “nonessential.” Doing so has been prohibited by a man who has the power to shut down an entire economy with the stroke of a pen. Meanwhile, the mayor of a neighboring city has said that water and power will be turned off for any of these “nonessential” businesses that do not comply with the order (while his own office, the only purpose of which seems to be getting in everyone else’s way, remains open.) We now have to stand in line to get into the grocery store, are only able to purchase limited quantities of food and other supplies, and the California National Guard has been activated in my state to help “distribute… food and medical supplies…” among other tasks.
There has been plenty of debate as to whether these draconian measures are necessary to halt the spread of Covid-19; about what the socio– economic costs will be (devastating); and about whether the virus is even as deadly as was originally projected.
But lost in all of this is a much bigger question: The question as to the kind of world we want to live in. Dissolving Illusions: ... Bystrianyk, Roman Best Price: $38.50 Buy New $21.60 (as of 11:00 UTC - Details)
In a crisis like this one, words like “personal liberty” are brought up and almost immediately tossed aside by politicians and commentators, as if they are mere luxuries–and selfish ones at that. Because “saving lives is more important.”
But even if that false dichotomy were true (and the past century of human history screams to us that it is not), the question that remains hanging in the air is: What kind of lives? Do we want to live lives in which we get to make our own choices and decisions, or do we want to live the kind of lives where our choices are made for us, by some centralized authority?
Because that is what we are talking about. When a few politicians can order entire economies to grind to a halt, when they can dictate to us what goods and services are “essential” (a category that always includes themselves) and which are not, then there is very little they cannot do. I would argue that there is nothing at all they cannot do.
And now they and their mad-scientist cohorts are talking about “digital certificates” to indicate everyone’s infection and vaccination status. Bill Gates, in a recent Reddit forum, said:
“Eventually we will have some digital certificates to show who has recovered or been tested recently or when we have a vaccine who has received it.”
Would Gates’ “certificates” be required in order to board an airplane? To get a driver’s license? To shop in a store? Gates did not say. But already, vaccination records are required in Argentina, in order to get a passport or driver’s license. So the idea is not far-fetched.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said that a vaccine could be available for widespread use within 12-18 months. And then what? Will everyone be required to be tested for Covid-19? And to have this vaccine? Regardless of any possibly dangerous side effects, regardless of how quickly it has been developed and tested? regardless of the waiving of product liability for those who make the vaccines?
How about: No. Herbal Antivirals: Nat... Buhner, Stephen Harrod Best Price: $19.95 Buy New $22.46 (as of 08:50 UTC - Details)
The most critical issue in all of this is not, and never was, determining the most effective way to deal with crises like this one (and if it were, there is more than enough evidence from this outbreak alone to entirely disqualify state action from that competition.) This is not about whether government-ordered lockdowns “work” to stem the spread of a deadly virus. Nor is it even about how deadly that virus is or is not.
The much more important issue is: What kind of world are we creating when we allow a government to have this kind of power?
Fortunately–or perhaps not so fortunately–we don’t have to use our imaginations to come up with an answer. The 20th Century’s tragic experiments with all-powerful authoritarian regimes give us plenty of real-life examples. Those regimes were born out of dreams of perfect societies, crafted by “experts” and directed from above.
It’s a shame that nearly everyone in the US has learned entirely the wrong lessons from these tragedies. We say “never again,” we visit Holocaust memorials, we condemn the internment of Japanese Americans, and we vow to treat all people as equals, never to hate an entire group of people because of their race or ethnicity or sexual preference.
And all of that is beautiful. But it completely misses the point. The atrocities of the century before ours did not take place because a lot of people hated a lot of other people. Those atrocities were the product of all-powerful states that could do whatever they wanted to the people living under them. Not a single one of the living nightmares of the Nazis or the Soviets, of Pol Pot or Mao or any of the others could ever have happened without total state power. And once a state has that kind of power, there is very little that anyone living under it can do to stop it.
And here we are.
Meanwhile, as the state grabs more and more power for itself, everywhere there are examples of private individuals and businesses rising to the occasion to help solve the problem:
Individuals sewing masks to donate to hospitals; businesses repurposing their manufacturing to make needed items like hand sanitizer; open-source 3D printing of scarce ventilator parts and other medical supplies; a hackathon to create an open-source ventilator; open-source real-time tracking of the genetic evolution of Covid-19; and of course the labs who tried to create tests at the outset but were prohibited from doing so by the CDC. And as always, there are the neighbors (and non-neighbors) helping each other everywhere, however they can. Jabbed: How the Vaccin... Wilcox, Brett Best Price: $13.02 Buy New $13.05 (as of 03:50 UTC - Details)
Likewise, there are examples of jurisdictions that have not implemented such heavy-handed state restrictions and are so far dealing well with the outbreak. Human beings are in fact pretty amazing, especially in a crisis. And they are perfectly capable of handling crises without using force against each other.
But again, that is not the point.
The point is that, quite apart from what will surely be the devastating costs of an unprecedented economic shutdown, there is a tremendous human cost incurred by allowing any state to have this much power over us. It is a cost that very few are even talking about. But it is the one we most urgently need to be talking about.
Each one of us needs to ask ourselves this question. Each one of us needs to decide which side of this they are on, which side they will stand up for. And yes, there really are only two sides: Choosing to go in the direction of a more free society, or choosing to go in the direction of a more authoritarian one.
For myself, I would much rather take my chances with the sum of the people around me making their own decisions about this virus (and me and my family making ours). Not because I think they are better people than our rulers, but because there are ways to hold individuals accountable for their actions and for harm they inflict on others. The same can never be said for the state.
We should all be far more frightened by the consequences of letting a government have this much power over our lives, than we should be of any pathogen. Why? Because human beings have the tools and the capacity to deal with viruses.
But after all this time, after all the man-made famines, the endless wars, the gulags, the killing fields, the death camps… after all of this, we still have not yet found the tools to effectively deal with the problem of an all-powerful state.
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The Best of Bretigne Shaffer