Happy New Year, folks!
See you on the other side!
So, we rise from the rubble...
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Musical Interlude: 2002, "Falling Through Time"
Full screen recommended.
2002, "Falling Through Time"
"New Year's Moscow 2025 Right Now, Fabulous Winter Russian Streets!"
Full screen recommended.
Window to Moscow, 12/31/24
"New Year's Moscow 2025 Right Now,
Fabulous Winter Russian Streets!"
Comments below:
I'm speechless, astonished at what a sane, civilized society can achieve...
Happy New Year 2025!
Musical Interlude: Logos, "Cheminement"
Full screen recommended.
Logos, "Cheminement"
For reasons unknown Blogger refuses to load this beautiful video onto the blog.
Please enjoy it here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What will become of these galaxies? Spiral galaxies NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each other, but each is likely to survive this collision. Typically when galaxies collide, a large galaxy eats a much smaller galaxy. In this case, however, the two galaxies are quite similar, each being a sprawling spiral with expansive arms and a compact core. As the galaxies advance over the next tens of millions of years, their component stars are unlikely to collide, although new stars will form in the bunching of gas caused by gravitational tides.
Close inspection of the above image taken by the 8-meter Gemini-South Telescope in Chile shows a bridge of material momentarily connecting the two giants. Known collectively as Arp 271, the interacting pair spans about 130,000 light years and lies about 90 million light-years away toward the constellation of Virgo. Recent predictions hold that our Milky Way Galaxy will undergo a similar collision with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy in a few billion years.”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130825.html
"Tell Yourself..."
“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.”
- Louise Erdrich
"What If..."
"What if when you die they ask, "How was Heaven?"
~ Author Unknown
A truly terrifying thought...
"Look To This Day..."
"Look to this day
for it is life,
the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence,
the joy of growth ,
the splendor of action,
the glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory,
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived
makes every yesterday a memory
of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day..."
- Kalidasa
"Character..."
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be
strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved."
- Helen Keller
"Three Things We All Should Do..."
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special. I just got one last thing... I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have.”
- Jim Valvano
Gerald Celente, "America Fascism 2.0: Rich Get Richer, We The People Get Poorer"
Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, 12/31/24
"America Fascism 2.0:
Rich Get Richer, We The People Get Poorer"
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."
Comments here:
Gerald's in fine form today, lol
"Oklahoma City Bombing Solved! The Shocking Evidence That Changes Everything We Were Told"
Redacted, 12/31/24
"Oklahoma City Bombing Solved!
The Shocking Evidence That Changes Everything We Were Told"
"Wikipedia • The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the end to the Waco siege. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history."
Comments here:
"How It Really Is"
“My own view is that this planet is used as a penal colony, lunatic asylum and dumping ground by a superior civilization, to get rid of the undesirable and unfit. I can't prove it, but you can't disprove it either. It happens to be my view, but it doesn't challenge any of the findings of Darwin or Huxley or Einstein or Hawking.” - Christopher Hitchens
Peak Prosperity, "The Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost"
Full screen recommended.
Peak Prosperity, 12/31/24
"The Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost"
Comments here:
Dan, I Allegedly, "Bank Employees Stealing From Us"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 12/31/24
"Bank Employees Stealing From Us"
"Exposed: Bank employees dealing your personal data! Shocking revelations about TD Bank and Navy Federal Credit Union scandals. Your financial security is at risk! Uncover the dark underbelly of the banking world as I expose how low-level employees are selling YOUR sensitive information on the dark web. Learn how to protect yourself from these scams and why paper statements might be your best defense."
Comments here:
Gregory Mannarino, "Trump's 'Great Depression Warning' Is A Promise"
Gregory Mannarino, AM 12/31/24
"Trump's 'Great Depression Warning' Is A Promise"
Comments here:
o
Gregory Mannarino, PM 12/31/24
"What Is About To Happen To Food Prices Will Shock You -
Be Ready For It"
Comments here:
Adventures With Danno, "Very Shocking Prices At Costco"
Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, 12/31/24
"Very Shocking Prices At Costco"
Comments here:
"The Looming False Flag That Could Ignite World War 3 in 2025"
"The Looming False Flag That Could
Ignite World War 3 in 2025"
by Nick Giambruno
"A false flag is an incident designed to deceive people into believing someone else carried it out. It’s like the scene from the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." There’s a character who plays on the high school football team and owns a fancy sports car. Later, his little brother’s friend accidentally wrecks the car. Terrified of how the big brother might react, they devise a clever plan to shift the blame. They make it look like the rival football team vandalized the car, decorating it with the rival team’s colors and slogans. The plan works. The big brother is tricked into thinking the rival football team trashed his car instead of the little brother.
This is the essence of a false flag. Governments and intelligence services use this same tactic, often with far more sinister motives. Take the Mukden Incident in 1931, for example. The Japanese fabricated an attack to justify their invasion of Manchuria. In 1939, before invading Poland, Nazi Germany staged an attack to make it look like the Poles were the aggressors.
Then there was the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964. North Vietnam was accused of firing torpedoes at a US warship. The torpedoes missed, and there was no damage. But that didn’t matter…Later that evening, President Lyndon Johnson interrupted national television with a fiery speech, rallying the American people against this "attack" on the US military. It became the official pretext for the Vietnam War - one of the biggest disasters in US history. And it all began with the Gulf of Tonkin "attack," which never actually happened. It was a fabricated excuse to enter the war.
Fast forward to 2014, to the sniper attacks in Kiev, Ukraine. These attacks catalyzed the overthrow of the pro-Russian government. Many believe they were a false flag operation. Then there was the 2017 chemical weapons attack in Syria. Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claims it was a false flag designed to draw the US directly into the Syrian war.
So why am I telling you about this now? There are two reasons. First, so you understand this devious tactic and are not fooled by it. False flag attacks are often used as pretexts to launch wars. Second, because the current situation in the Middle East is ripe for a false flag incident - one that could provoke a war with Iran and potentially escalate into a global conflict.
USS Liberty Redux? It was the deadliest attack on an American ship since World War 2…It was a clear, sunny day on June 8, 1967 - during the Six-Day War - and the USS Liberty was 13 miles off the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula in international waters. Israeli aircraft made several low-altitude fly-overs of the ship, which was flying a large US flag from the bridge and was clearly marked "USS Liberty." There was no mistaking it for anything but a US ship.
Then, at around 2 PM, the Israelis attacked with fighter jets, which dropped bombs and napalm and then strafed the Liberty’s deck. The initial attack disabled the ship’s communication system, making it impossible to broadcast a distress signal. After the fighter jets left, Israeli torpedo boats launched their torpedoes at the Liberty, with one delivering a direct and devastating hit. Around the same time, several Israeli helicopters loaded with soldiers in full combat gear hovered over the Liberty. The Israelis then machine-gunned the lifeboats which had been launched to try to save the wounded.
The attack was fast and furious. Many believe the intent was to sink the ship and leave no survivors. That is exactly what would have happened had it not been for the heroic efforts of one sailor, who risked machine gun fire to repair the Liberty’s antenna so they could send a distress signal out. The Israelis intercepted the distress signal and called off the attack.
In the end, the attack killed 34 US sailors and wounded a further 174 - about 67% of the entire crew. Israel claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, and they mistook the USS Liberty for an Egyptian vessel. The US government more or less accepted Israel’s explanation, swept the incident under the rug, and threatened survivors with court martial if they ever spoke about it.
However, as detailed in the authoritative book, "The Attack on the Liberty," many sailors who survived the USS Liberty attack find the official explanation implausible and ridiculous. They believe it was a deliberate attack intended to sink the ship and kill the entire crew. Presuming the survivors are correct, nobody knows Israel’s true motivation in attacking the USS Liberty. Some believe it was a failed false flag attack. The idea was to sink the ship, leaving no survivors, and then pin the blame on Egypt to force the US to enter the Six-Day War on Israel’s side. The reason I am bringing up the story of the USS Liberty is that an eerily similar situation is unfolding right now.
The Middle East Crisis That Could Trigger World War 3: The Middle East is teetering on the edge of its largest war in decades, and the conditions are ripe for a false flag incident that could drag the US into a war with Iran. But this conflict wouldn’t stop at the Middle East. Russia and China firmly back Iran, raising the stakes dramatically. In short, the Middle East is standing on the precipice of a major war - one that has the potential to escalate into a global conflict.
World War 3 is a real possibility. All it would take to ignite this powder keg is a catalyzing event - just like the events that triggered other major wars throughout history. A false flag attack on a US ship near the Middle East could be the spark that sets everything in motion. Unfortunately, most people have no idea just how close we are to a catastrophe of historic proportions. This looming crisis could be far worse, far longer, and completely unlike anything we’ve experienced since World War 2."
Monday, December 30, 2024
"Alert! Russian Red Warning On TVs, Ukraine Blows Oil Pipeline! 24 Hors To Chaos, Society Imploding!"
Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 12/30/24
"Alert! Russian Red Warning On TVs, Ukraine Blows
Oil Pipeline! 24 Hors To Chaos, Society Imploding!"
Comments here:
Jeremiah Babe, "Alert! Trump Warns We Are Close To Another Great Depression
Jeremiah Babe, 12/30/24
"Alert! Trump Warns We Are Close To Another Great Depression,
We Have A Major Debt Crisis"
Comments here:
"We're so freakin' doomed!" - The Mogambo Guru
"A Look to the Heavens"
“M13 is one of the most prominent and best known globular clusters. Visible with binoculars in the constellation of Hercules, M13 is frequently one of the first objects found by curious sky gazers seeking celestials wonders beyond normal human vision.
M13 is a colossal home to over 100,000 stars, spans over 150 light years across, lies over 20,000 light years distant, and is over 12 billion years old. At the 1974 dedication of Arecibo Observatory, a radio message about Earth was sent in the direction of M13. The featured image in HDR, taken through a small telescope, spans an angular size just larger than a full Moon, whereas the inset image, taken by Hubble Space Telescope, zooms in on the central 0.04 degrees.”
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160727.htmlChet Raymo, “We Are Such Stuff...”
“We Are Such Stuff...”
by Chet Raymo
“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again.”
"Caliban is talking to Stephano and Trinculo in Shakespeare's “Tempest”, telling them not to be "afeard" of the mysterious place they find themselves, an island seemingly beset with magic, strangeness, ineffable presences. And you and I, and, yes, all of us, find ourselves inexplicably thrown up on this island that is the world, and we too, if we are attentive, hear the strange music, the sounds and sweet airs, that seems to come from nowhere and everywhere
No, I'm not talking about the usual ubiquitous clamor, the roar of internal combustion, the blare of the television, the beeping of mobile phones. I'm not talking about the Limbaughs and the Becks, the televangelists, the blathering politicians, the twitterers and bloggers (including this one). I'm not even talking about the exquisite music of Mozart, the poetry of Wordsworth, the theories of Einstein.
I'm talking about the sounds we hear in utter silence, in moments of repose, in the heart of darkness, when we are a little bit afraid, disoriented, off kilter. A strange music that comes from beyond our knowing, a felt meaning. You've heard it. I've heard it. You'd have to be deaf not to have heard it.
Where we differ is how we describe it. Mostly, we give its source a name. Angels. Fairies. Gods or demons. Yahweh. Allah. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nixies, E.T.s, shades and shadows. Naiads, dryads, Ariel and Puck. A host of invisible creatures who are, in one way or another, images of ourselves. And, in naming, we are a little less afraid.
And some of us are just content to listen, to take delight. Having woken to the inexplicable mystery of the world- the sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not- we let the music lull us back into a sweet slumber, a kind of dreamless dream, a reverie. Does reverie share a deep root with reverence? I don't know.”
- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/
The Poet: Robert Bly, "Things to Think"
"Things to Think"
"Think in ways you've never thought before.
If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message
Larger than anything you've ever heard,
Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats.
Think that someone may bring a bear to your door,
Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose
Has risen out of the lake, and he's carrying on his antlers
A child of your own whom you've never seen.
When someone knocks on the door,
Think that he's about
To give you something large: tell you you're forgiven,
Or that it's not necessary to work all the time,
Or that it's been decided that if you lie down no one will die."
- Robert Bly, “Morning Poems”
"The Politics of Obedience"
"The Politics of Obedience"
by Brian Maher
“The best slave is the one who thinks he is free.”
- Johann von Goethe
“A people enslaves itself, cuts its own throat, when, having a choice between being vassals and being free men, it deserts its liberties and takes on the yoke, gives consent to its own misery, or, rather, apparently welcomes it.” We believe the 16th-century French political theorist Étienne de La Boétie hooked onto a truth here. We plucked this passage from his masterly work "The Politics of Obedience by" title.
We believe it enjoys high relevance in this, the 21st century. More from which: "It is incredible how as soon as a people becomes subject, it promptly falls into such complete forgetfulness of its freedom that it can hardly be roused to the point of regaining it, obeying so easily and so willingly that one is led to say, on beholding such a situation, that this people has not so much lost its liberty as won its enslavement." Thus the frog goes into its pot of gradually heating water - and never jumps out.
Perfectly Imperfect: We've wondered why so many continued to accept the verdicts of Dr. Fauci... his understrappers within the field of public health… and the elected officials who boss us. In nearly every particular they have proven mistaken - intentionally or unintentionally... Mistaken on masks. Mistaken on lockups. Mistaken on medicines. Mistaken on vaccines. What they claimed one day is proven false the following day. What they denied one day is proven true the following day. If not the following day, then the following week. If not the following week, then the following month.
It is not the erring that flusters us. Sincere men - men of good faith - can botch badly. We are merely confounded and discombobulated that so many continued heeding them… and submitting to their blemished authority. And why do so many have such blistering heat against those who point to holes in official theories, who announce that the emperor is well and truly nude? Would they prefer to be foxed, conned and tricked - to believe the emperor is garmented? These are the questions we tackle today...
No Judgment: We do not hector, we do not preach, we do not badger, we do not hold forth today. Nor do we judge. A man shoots an accusing finger outward and three shoot back at him… as is said. We are merely out to solve a puzzle, the way a detective is out to solve a crime, the way an autopsist is out to solve a death.
For light, we turn to Professor Mattias Desmet. This fellow professes psychology at Belgium’s Ghent University. A people acquire an acute anxiety, he explains. In the case before us, acute anxiety of the virus. Coney-catchers, sharpers and opportunists - that is, political leaders - emerge in response, holding out salvation. The people accept the outstretched hand. It soothes and comforts them. Anyone who slaps away this hand is a hellcat, a hobgoblin, a menace to the public happiness.
“Mass-Formation: Here the professor speaks of “Mass-Formation.” As summarized: "In Mass-Formations people become radically intolerant of dissident voices. This person threatens to wake the people up and they get angry when confronted by the initial anxiety and discontent they experience by challenges to the official doctrine. The crowd directs all their aggression at dissident voices.
At the same time they are radically tolerant of their leaders who pronounce the mainstream narrative. These people can lie and cheat and do everything they want and will always be forgiven by the crowd. All the lying, dishonesty and misbehavior is seen by the crowd as doing it for their own safety."
We suffer the acquaintance of certain individuals who fit this description to a fare-thee-well… as perfectly and precisely as the size 10 foot fits the size 10 shoe. They, like your editor, are reasonably sane. They are reasonably reasonable, they are reasonably tolerant. They are generally pleasant and agreeable.
Jekyll and Hyde: But tell them that Dr. Fauci had been less than fully truthful. Tell them that masks are minimally effective. Tell them that lockups failed to jail the virus. Above all… Tell them that these vaccines are not as safe or as formidable as the drummers claim. Now you have a demon on your hands. They will scourge you as a conspiracy theorist… a delusional… an imbecile… a witless dupe of the bedlamite fringe.
Here we speak with the invincible authority of personal experience. We know such gentlemen and ladies. We had best keep the names dark, lest our attorneys receive a sharp note claiming character defamation.
No matter what you hurl against them, it bounces off unbreachable armor… spitballs off a tank. They simply will not listen. They are sunk in a sort of intoxicating hypnosis. And woe to anyone out to shatter the spell…
Why Facts Don’t Work: More: Similar to hypnosis, people in this hyper-focused state are narrowly focused. In hypnosis, only the hypnotized are focused in this way… In Mass-Formation, leaders emerge which are even more narrowly focused than the followers. When people experience this mental intoxication it no longer matters if the narrative is wrong or even blatantly false. What matters is that it leads up to this mental intoxication. This is why they will continue to go along with the narrative.
The resistance to understanding the narrative is false or wrong is driven by the fear of returning to the state of Free-Floating Anxiety and wanting to continue to experience the mental intoxication. This explains why arguing based on facts will not work. Facts no longer matter to them. Given the facts, they are unable to come to sensible conclusions, even in their own best interests.
Here we believe the author lowers his hammer square upon the nailhead. We believe his thesis holds vast explanatory powers. It is immensely plausible. Again: We do not judge or condemn whom we consider the entranced. They consider us entranced. They are of course correct.
For example: This editor of yours believes he is the reincarnated soul of the Emperor Nero. He believes that he is a masterful lover. He believes that he is nice. He accepts them as fact… though in honest moments he concedes he lacks all confirming evidence. But let it go...
The Real Blame: Our grievance is not with the entranced, but rather with the spellbinders who entrance them. That is, with those who would wreck a society over a virus rate with a survival rate in excess of 99%...
With those who would decry the use of safe and effective drug treatments because they would harpoon the legal justification for experimental, emergency-use vaccines… With those who promised us we could discard our facial masks once we took aboard the vaccines… With those who would torture statistics to declare a false “pandemic of the unvaccinated”...
With those who deny that these vaccines have murdered many thousands of people and mangled hundreds of thousands more… With those who would inform mothers-to-be that these vaccines will not injure their child… With those who would vaccinate young children, young children who face infinitesimal risk of sickness or death and who are far more likely to perish from the vaccine itself… With those who believe they can and should dictate the medical choices of free men and women.
It is they who frost our nose. It is they who wring our gizzard. It is they who rile our customary serenity and our detached indifference to the world’s events.
Time for Inaction: We conclude today’s issue where we commenced - with Monsieur Étienne de La Boétie. Here is how to break the hypnotist’s spell… for those who care to break it. His counterspell requires not action - but inaction: "You can deliver yourselves if you try, not by taking action, but merely by willing to be free. Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces. The time for inaction is now…"
○
Freely download "The Politics of Obedience" by Étienne de La Boétie here:
"Aldi Store Shelves Are Going Empty As Shoppers Rush To Hoard Supplies"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 12/30/24
"Aldi Store Shelves Are Going Empty
As Shoppers Rush To Hoard Supplies"
"Groceries have been hit by another wave of price hikes in the final days of 2024, that's why shoppers are doing everything they can to save on costs and find the best possible deals out there. According to new reports, Aldi store shelves are being wiped clean right now because more people are rushing to stock up on supplies before prices become even higher in 2025. Even upper-income Americans are buying their groceries at the discount retailer’s stores, especially as food inflation continues to worsen all over the country.
In recent weeks, a number of food industry experts came forward to warn the public about rising prices at the supermarket in the year ahead. After dealing with increasingly expensive grocery bills for more than 40 consecutive months, some consumers are fed up, and they're taking action against inflation by stockpiling shelf-stable goods before retailers start marking up their prices again. With food budgets stretched thin, cash-strapped Americans are opting to shop at affordable stores like Aldi to look for deeper discounts.
While Aldi has always been popular amongst low-income consumers due to its wide range of products and cheap prices, middle and upper income Americans are now realizing that there's no point in paying more at big-box stores when they can spend significantly less on food at Aldi. Given that overall food prices rose by almost 30% since 2021, it's easy to understand why everyone is becoming a bargain seeker at this point."
Comments here:
o
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell, 12/30/24
"Russian Typical (German Owned)
Supermarket 1 Day Before New Year"
"What is it like to shop at a Russian typical supermarket 1 day before New Year? Globus is a German-owned supermarket. Join me as we tour the shop and see how Russians shop for New Year. What are the popular food items, and how busy is the store."
Comments here:
Gregory Mannarino, "Trump Issues 'Great Depression' Warning - He Is 100% Right"
Gregory Mannarino, 12/30/24
"Trump Issues 'Great Depression' Warning -
He Is 100% Right"
Comments here:
"It's Not the End of the World"
"It's Not the End of the World"
by Jeff Thomas
"Periodically, I’ll encounter someone who has read one of my essays and has decided not to pursue them further, stating, "You’re one of those ‘End of the world’ guys. I can’t be bothered reading the writings of someone who thinks we’re all doomed. I have a more positive outlook than that." In actual fact, I agree entirely with his latter two comments. I can’t be bothered reading the thoughts of a writer who says we’re all doomed, either. I, too, have a more positive outlook than that.
My one discrepancy with such comments is that I don’t by any means think that the present state of events will lead to the end of the world, as he assumes. But then, neither am I naïve enough to think that if I just hope for the best, the powers that be will cease to be parasitical and predatory out of sympathy for me. They will not.
For any serious student of history, one of the great realizations that occurs at some point is that governments are inherently controlling by nature. The more control they have, the more they desire and the more they pursue. After all, governments actually produce nothing. They exist solely upon what they can extract from the people they rule over. Therefore, their personal success is not measured by how well they serve their people, it’s measured by how much they can extract from the people. And so, it’s a given that all governments will pursue ever-greater levels of power over their minions up to and including the point of total dominance.
It should be said that, on rare occasions, a people will rise up and create a governmental system in which the rights of the individual are paramount. This was true in the creation of the Athenian Republic and the American Constitution, and even the British Magna Carta. However, these events are quite rare in history and, worse, as soon as they take place, those who gain power do their best to diminish the newly-gained freedoms.
Such freedoms can almost never be destroyed quickly, but, over time and "by slow operations," as Thomas Jefferson was fond of saying, governments can be counted on to eventually destroy all freedoms.
We’re passing through a period in history in which the process of removing freedoms is nearing completion in many of the world’s foremost jurisdictions. The EU and US, in particular, are leading the way in this effort. Consequently, it shouldn’t be surprising that some predict "the end of the world." But, they couldn’t be more incorrect.
Surely, in 1789, the more productive people of France may have felt that the developing French Revolution would culminate in Armageddon. Similarly, in 1917, those who created prosperity in Russia may well have wanted to throw up their hands as the Bolsheviks seized power from the Romanovs. Whenever a deterioration in rule is underway, as it is once again now, the observer has three choices:
Declare the End of the World: There are many people, worldwide, but particularly in the centers of the present deterioration – the EU and US – who feel that, since the situation in their home country is nearing collapse, the entire world must also be falling apart. This is not only a very myopic viewpoint, it’s also quite inaccurate. At any point in civilization in the past 2000 years or more, there have always been empires that were collapsing due to intolerable governmental dominance and there have always concurrently been alternative jurisdictions where the level of freedom was greater. In ancient Rome, when Diocletian devalued the currency, raised taxes, increased warfare and set price controls, those people who actually created the economy on a daily basis found themselves in the same boat as Europeans and Americans are finding themselves in, in the 21st century.
It may have seemed like the end of the world, but it was not. Enough producers left Rome and started over again in other locations. Those other locations eventually thrived as a result of the influx of productive people, while Rome atrophied.
Turn a Blind Eye: This is less dreary than the above approach, but it is nevertheless just as fruitless. It is, in fact, the most common of reactions – to just "hope for the best." It’s tempting to imagine that maybe the government will realize that they’re the only ones benefitting from the destruction of freedom and prosperity and they’ll feel bad and reverse the process. But this clearly will not happen. It’s also tempting to imagine that maybe it won’t get a whole lot worse and that life, although not all that good at present, might remain tolerable. Again, this is wishful thinking and the odds of it playing out in a positive way are slim indeed.
Accept the Truth, But Do Something About It: This, of course, is the hard one. Begin by recognizing the truth. If that truth is not palatable, study the situation carefully and, when a reasonably clear understanding has been reached, create an alternative.
When governments enter the final decline stage, an alternative is not always easy to accept. It’s a bit like having a tooth pulled. You want to put it off, but the pain will only get worse if you delay. And so, you trundle off to the dentist unhappily, but, a few weeks after the extraction, you find yourself asking, "Why didn’t I do this sooner?"
To be sure, those who investigate and analyze the present socio-economic-political deterioration do indeed espouse a great deal of gloom, but this should not be confused with doom. In actual fact, the whole point of shining a light into the gloom is to avoid having it end in doom.
It should be said here that remaining in a country that is tumbling downhill socially, economically and politically is also not the end of the world. It is, however, true that the end result will not exactly be a happy one. If history repeats once again, it’s likely to be quite a miserable one.
Those who undertake the study of the present deterioration must, admittedly, address some pretty depressing eventualities and it would be far easier to just curl up on the sofa with a six-pack and watch the game, but the fact remains: unless the coming problems are investigated and an alternative found, those who sit on the sofa will become the victims of their own lethargy.
Sadly, we live in a period in history in which some of the nations that once held the greatest promise for the world are well on their way to becoming the most tyrannical. If by recognizing that fact, we can pursue better alternatives elsewhere on the globe, as people have done in previous eras. We may actually find that the field of daisies in the image above is still very much in existence, it’s just a bit further afield than it was in years gone by. And it is absolutely worthy of pursuit.
"How to Undermine America"
"18 Quotes That Expose
the Dark Side of Modern Society"
o
"How to Undermine America"
By Robert W. Malone
“If you were Satan and/or a long-term strategic enemy of the United States, what approach would you take to undermine the morale of American citizens, destroy their faith in God, and make them question their allegiance to their country?” If I were to take the perspective of Satan or a long-term strategic enemy seeking to undermine American morale, destroy faith in God, and create disillusionment with the country, a subtle and multifaceted approach would likely be most effective. Here’s how that might look:
Sow Division and Tribalism: I would exacerbate existing social, political, and racial divisions, using propaganda to deepen mistrust between different groups. By fostering extreme polarization, I could weaken the national identity, making people see each other as enemies rather than fellow citizens. This could be achieved by manipulating the media, social networks, and public discourse to fuel conflict and outrage.
Erode Trust in Institutions: I would target trust in key institutions like the government, the church, and the justice system. By amplifying scandals, highlighting hypocrisy, and promoting cynicism about leaders, I would encourage people to lose faith in the structures that hold society together, making them feel betrayed or abandoned.
Attack Religious Foundations: To weaken faith in God, I would promote secularism and materialism while mocking traditional religious values. I would work to make belief in God seem antiquated, irrational, or intolerant, and highlight religious conflicts or corruption to turn people away from their faith. Normalizing moral relativism would erode people’s connection to religious principles and community.
Promote Hedonism and Self-Interest: I would encourage a culture of immediate gratification, material wealth, and self-centeredness. By making people prioritize individual desires over communal good or spiritual growth, I could reduce the importance of both faith and national solidarity. People focused on personal success and pleasure are less likely to sacrifice for others or a higher cause.
Undermine Patriotism: I would spread the idea that the U.S. is inherently flawed, and beyond redemption, focusing on historical injustices and failures. While criticism can be healthy, I would make sure it devolves into a form of nihilism, where the country’s ideals are seen as hypocritical or unattainable. This would make people question their allegiance and pride in the nation.
Create a Sense of Hopelessness: I would foster economic, environmental, and existential anxieties, making people feel that the future is bleak and out of their control. This could involve amplifying fears about job loss due to automation, environmental collapse, or global instability. A hopeless, fearful population is much easier to manipulate.
Co-opt Technology for Control: I would use technological advancements, such as social media algorithms and surveillance, to create echo chambers, promote unhealthy comparisons, and foster isolation. People would feel constantly watched, judged, and disconnected, leading to anxiety and despair. Simultaneously, I would push distractions that numb critical thinking and increase apathy.
In sum, a combination of division, demoralization, cynicism, and isolation would gradually unravel the social fabric, making Americans question their faith, their values, and their country’s worth.
As I considered all of this, I was left with two enduring questions: If these trends, which appear to be self-evident, are the consequence of actions by some offshore geopolitical enemy, what is that enemy? Could it be that these trends are the consequence of some flaw in ourselves and our own society, some fundamental aspect of being human?
The pervasive and corrosive nature of the “Seven Deadly Sins” has been weighing heavy on my mind as I look back over all that has happened to our social fabric since the COVIDcrisis began during the fall of 2019. Minds hypnotized and twisted. Families and communities torn apart. Blatant disregard for established moral principles. Small businesses steamrolled. Upwards transfer of wealth on a scale rarely seen in human history.
The culture seemed (seems?) to wallow in all of these central sins. Sins on daily display for all to see and personally experience the consequences. Investing a bit of time in introspection concerning the nature of these sins, which have been recognized as fundamental human flaws since at least the beginning of recorded history.
Quoting from the Wikipedia summary of the deadly sins:
• Lust: Lust or lechery (Latin: luxuria "(sexual) excess/dissipation") is intense longing. It is usually thought of as intense or unbridled sexual desire, which may lead to fornication (including adultery), rape, bestiality, and other sinful and sexual acts. It can also mean other forms of unbridled desire, such as for money, or power.
• Gluttony: Gluttony (Latin: gula) is the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. The word derives from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow. One reason for its condemnation is that the gorging of the prosperous may leave the needy hungry.
• Greed: According to Henry Edward Manning, avarice "plunges a man deep into the mire of this world, so that he makes it to be his god". As defined outside Christian writings, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth. Aquinas considers that, like pride, it can lead to evil.
• Sloth: Sloth (Latin: tristitia, or acedia "without care") refers to many related ideas, dating from antiquity and including mental, spiritual, pathological, and physical states. It may be defined as absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion.
• Wrath: Wrath (ira) can be defined as uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. Wrath often reveals itself in the wish to seek vengeance.
• Envy: Envy (invidia) is characterized by an insatiable desire like greed and lust. It can be described as a sad or resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else. It comes from vainglory and severs a man from his neighbor. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the struggle aroused by envy has three stages: during the first stage, the envious person attempts to lower another's reputation; in the middle stage, the envious person receives either "joy at another's misfortune" (if he succeeds in defaming the other person) or "grief at another's prosperity" (if he fails); and the third stage is hatred because "sorrow causes hatred". Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness, bringing sorrow to committers of envy, while giving them the urge to inflict pain upon others.
• Pride/Hubris: Pride (superbia), also known as hubris (from Ancient Greek ὕβρις) or futility, is considered the original and worst of the seven deadly sins on almost every list, the most demonic. It is also thought to be the source of the other capital sins. Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride has been labeled the worst of all sins and has been deemed the devil's most essential trait. C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that pride is the "anti-God" state, the position in which the ego and the self are directly opposed to God: "Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that Lucifer became wicked: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind." Pride is understood to sever the spirit from God, as well as His life-and-grace-giving Presence."
"Worst Homelessness Crisis Ever! Those On The Low End Of The Economic Spectrum Are Being Absolutely Pulverized By This Economy"
"Worst Homelessness Crisis Ever! Those On The Low End Of
The Economic Spectrum Are Being Absolutely Pulverized By This Economy"
by Michael Snyder
"All over America, our core urban areas are teeming with tent cities, hordes of homeless drug addicts, and vast throngs of newly arrived migrants that don’t have anywhere to go. When I wrote about this topic one year ago, homelessness in the U.S. was at an all-time record high, and it was increasing at the fastest pace ever recorded. It was going to be hard to top that, but somehow we did. Fast forward to today, and homelessness in the U.S. has reached another all-time record high, and it is increasing at an even faster pace. We are literally in the midst of the worst homelessness crisis that our federal government has ever measured, and there is no end in sight.
When the rest of us discuss the economic pain that we are experiencing, many on the high end of the economic spectrum wonder what all the fuss is about because things still seem pretty good to them. But for many of those on the low end of the economic spectrum, it feels like a full-blown economic collapse has already begun.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that the homeless population in the U.S. jumped 18 percent in just one year…"Homelessness in the United States soared to the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday. More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness in 2024, an 18% increase from 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. It was the largest annual increase since HUD began collecting the data in 2007 (excluding the jump from 2021 to 2022, when the agency didn’t conduct a full count due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
If homelessness is at the highest level ever and it is rising at the fastest rate ever, your economy is not okay. Let’s just be real for a moment. I am so sick and tired of the Biden administration and the mainstream media telling us that everything is just fine. More than three-quarters of a million Americans are homeless, and that is just the ones that they are able to find and count. The true number is certainly far higher.
We are being told that the spike in homelessness is happening because we don’t have enough affordable housing and because we are not able to absorb all of the migrants that have been pouring over our borders. In fact, in 13 communities that have been heavily impacted by migration, “family homelessness more than doubled”…"Migration had a particularly notable impact on family homelessness, which rose 39% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report. In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled."
When we think of the homeless, we tend to think of older men with addiction problems. But the truth is that approximately 150,000 children are living in the streets at this point…"Massively concerning is that 150,000 children experienced homelessness, a 33% jump in 2024 when compared to the prior year."
What is wrong with us? Why can’t we get this crisis under control? Our politicians like to give speeches about affordable housing, but housing just continues to become more unaffordable…"Rents have continued climbing since briefly dipping lower during the pandemic, as well. As of 2023, nearly half of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened, according to the US Census Bureau. Every day, more precious people on the low end of the economic spectrum are being evicted from their homes. Every day, the homeless population in this country just gets even bigger.
And now we have entered a time when finding a decent job is going to be quite a bit more difficult…"US private sector full-time jobs have DROPPED by nearly 2 MILLION over the past year." Such a drop has never happened outside of recessions. The only gain in full-time jobs has been in the government sector. We aren’t buying the propaganda any longer. They keep trying to convince us that everything is just fine, but that clearly isn’t the truth.
When Don Lemon tried to convince a random man that he was interviewing that the economy “is actually better under Biden”, the man responded with a “hearty laugh”…“Four years ago it was a lot better. I made a lot more money than I do now,” the man said. Incredibly, rather than try to understand the man’s perspective, Lemon argued with him. “I know you feel that way, but that’s not actually what the record shows,” Lemon said. “The economy is actually better under Biden.” That prompted a hearty laugh from the interviewee.
We can see the tent cities that are popping up like mushrooms all over our major cities. We can see the hordes of people that are sleeping in their vehicles in retail parking lots at night. And we can see that prices at the grocery store are far, far higher than they used to be.
According to a national survey that was just released, approximately 70 percent of U.S. adults believe that the U.S. economy is in poor condition right now…"About 7 in 10 U.S. adults rate the country’s economic state as very or somewhat poor, up slightly from about 6 in 10 in October. Self-identified Democrats are primarily driving the recent negativity. About 6 in 10 Democrats described the U.S. economy as “good” in October. With Republicans on the verge of controlling the executive and legislative branches, only about half of Democrats say that now."
That same survey also discovered that about a third of all U.S. adults are either “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to “afford groceries over the next few months”…"The new AP-NORC poll shows about one-third of Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about their ability to afford groceries over the next few months. About 3 in 10 are highly worried about being able to afford holiday gifts, gas or electricity."
There are tens of millions of Americans that are barely holding on from month to month. Next month, more of them will lose their grip. We really are in the midst of a slow-motion economic collapse, and poverty and hunger really are growing all around us. But for now, those on the high end of the economic spectrum are still living the high life, but it is just a matter of time before they experience severe economic pain too.
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