"Is A Financial Crisis Already Here? US Banks Are Closing 100s Of Branches And Laying Off 1000s Of Workers"

"Is A Financial Crisis Already Here? US Banks Are 

Closing 100s Of Branches And Laying Off 1000s Of Workers"

by Michael Snyder

"I know that there is a lot going on in the world right now, but I just had to write about what is happening to our banks. High interest rates and chaos in the real estate industry are combining to put an enormous amount of pressure on our largest financial institutions. As a result, banks are getting very tight with their money, they are closing down hundreds of branches, and they are laying off thousands of workers. We are in the early stages of the worst financial crisis since 2008 and 2009, and I fully expect conditions to get even worse in the months ahead.

During the first week of October alone, U.S. banks closed a whopping 54 local branches…"Major US banks are continuing to close branches across the US, leaving an increasing number of Americans without access to basic financial services. Bank of America axed 21 branches in the first week of October, according to a bulletin published by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday. Wells Fargo shuttered 15, while US Bank and Chase reported closing nine and three respectively." In total, some 54 locations had either closed or were scheduled to close between October 1 and October 7. That is just one week!

Of course bank branches have been closing at a frightening pace for quite some time now. Last year, U.S. banks shut down about 2,000 more branches than they opened…"Banks are closing branches faster than they’re opening new ones. U.S. banks closed over 3,000 branches last year while opening just 1,000. JPMorgan Chase led in branch closures last year, shuttering 144 branches, while opening 133. The trend will likely continue as banks face staunch competition for deposits and younger customers from online banks, fintech firms and Big Tech."

Unless you live under a rock, I am sure that you have noticed this happening in your own local area. For many Americans, a “trip to the bank” is no longer just a few minutes away. And our banks are also laying off staggering numbers of workers here in 2023…"The largest American banks have been quietly laying off workers all year - and some of the deepest cuts are yet to come.

Even as the economy has surprised forecasters with its resilience, lenders have cut headcount or announced plans to do so, with the key exception being JPMorgan Chase, the biggest and most profitable U.S. bank. Pressured by the impact of higher interest rates on the mortgage business, Wall Street deal-making and funding costs, the next five largest U.S. banks have cut a combined 20,000 positions so far this year, according to company filings."

The banking industry is in trouble. Big trouble. And this is happening at a time when economic conditions are steadily deteriorating. In fact, we just learned that the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators has now fallen for 18 months in a row…"The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. declined by 0.7 percent in September 2023 to 104.6 (2016=100), following a decline of 0.5 percent in August. The LEI is down 3.4 percent over the six-month period between March and September 2023, an improvement from its 4.6 percent contraction over the previous six months (September 2022 to March 2023).

“The LEI for the US fell again in September, marking a year and a half of consecutive monthly declines since April 2022,” said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board. “In September, negative or flat contributions from nine of the index’s ten components more than offset fewer initial claims for unemployment insurance. Although the six-month growth rate in the LEI is somewhat less negative, and the recession signal did not sound, it still signals risk of economic weakness ahead. So far, the US economy has shown considerable resilience despite pressures from rising interest rates and high inflation. Nonetheless, The Conference Board forecasts that this trend will not be sustained for much longer, and a shallow recession is likely in the first half of 2024.”

If things are this bad now, what is going to happen if the hot phase of World War III suddenly erupts in the Middle East? At this point, nobody can claim that the economy is headed in the right direction. During the first nine months of this year, the number of commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies was 61 percent higher than it was during the same period a year ago…"A wide array of U.S. businesses have struggled this year. In the first nine months of 2023, commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies have soared 61% year over year to 4,553, according to Epiq Bankruptcy, which provides U.S. bankruptcy filing data."

61 percent! Let that number sink in for a moment. And we have just learned that sales of previously owned homes have dropped to a level not seen since 2010 when the U.S. “was in the midst of a foreclosure crisis”…"Sales of previously owned homes dropped 2% in September from August to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 3.96 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 15.4% lower compared with September 2022.

This is the slowest sales pace since October 2010, during the Great Recession, when the market was in the midst of a foreclosure crisis. As a comparison, just two years ago, when mortgage rates hovered around 3%, home sales were running at a 6.6 million pace. The average rate on the 30-year fixed today is right around 8%, according to Mortgage News Daily."

Speaking of home foreclosures, they are up 34 percent compared to the same time in 2022…"Home foreclosures are on the rise as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that foreclosure filings – which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – surged 28% in the third quarter to 124,539. Foreclosures are up 34% from the same time one year ago."

A new economic crisis is here. And the truth is that it is going to get a whole lot worse. So even though things are not great now, enjoy these last few days of relative stability while you still can, because war in the Middle East will soon plunge the entire global economy into a state of great turmoil."

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

"How It Really Is"

”Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.” 

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

”I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”

- James Baldwin

"The War Prayer"

"The War Prayer"

By TDB

"My curmudgeonly grandpappy, who reveres Mark Twain and George Carlin and H.L. Mencken and people of that lovable cynic variety – or however you would characterize their philosophical disposition – put me onto "The War Prayer" back in the day. This was in the days of innocence before 9/11 and the subsequent War of Terror, and so whatever lack of an impression it made on me at the time was remedied shortly thereafter by apropos events in the real world.

Twain, in his later years when his family had died and the cynicism became more malignant, would often write fiction in which a cynical protagonist would serve as a proxy for himself. This is one such story; the “aged stranger” is Twain. Via Virginia Commonwealth University:

"It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism… on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun… nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. 

Sunday morning came - next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams - visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said …

Then came the “long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work…

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness… he ascended to the preacher’s side and stood there waiting. 

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside - which the startled minister did - and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said: “I come from the Throne - bearing a message from Almighty God! 

God’s servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two - one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this - keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

You have heard your servant’s prayer - the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it - that part which the pastor - and also you in your hearts - fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: ‘Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!’ When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory – must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle - be Thou near them! With them - in spirit - we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it - for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

(After a pause.) “Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!” It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said."

- Mark Twain, "The War Prayer"

Twain reportedly caved to pressure not to publish the short story, as it was regarded by his family and publisher as too inflammatory for public consumption. Asked if he had plans to publish it, Twain answered: "No, I have told the whole truth in that, and only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after I am dead." At any rate, for whatever reason, it remained unpublished until after his death.

War is an ugly business, fraught with moral pitfalls – not to mention existential implications in the nuclear age. It might be necessary at times, but so are limb amputations. Both should be undertaken with all due discretion. I’ll choose my own wars, not the ones the government or MSNBC or the ADL tells me to."

- https://www.zerohedge.com/

Colonel Douglas Macgregor, "This Is The End Of NATO"

Colonel Douglas Macgregor, Straight Calls 10/21/23

"This Is The End Of NATO"

Analysis of breaking news and in-depth discussion of current 

geopolitical events in the United States of America and the world.

Comments here:

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"Inflation Will Cause Millions To Run Out Of Money By The End Of 2023"

Full screen recommended.

The Atlantis Report 10/21/23

"Inflation Will Cause Millions To

 Run Out Of Money By The End Of 2023"

"The United States Department Of Treasury is sounding the alarm, warning that the country will run out of money and default on its debt by the end of 2023. Secretary Janet Yallen urged that the state does not have sufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations. Recent information from a survey revealed that 80 percent of the population has run out of savings, while credit card debt just hit the billion dollar mark. Excess savings have steadily declined from peak levels early last year. There are also signs of rising delinquencies in credit cards and auto loans. All things considered, we are presented by a haunting image of desolation and depression hitting the United States as the year comes to an end."

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Dan, I Allegedly, "It Costs Too Much To Have Fun"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly AM 10/21/23

"It Costs Too Much To Have Fun"

"This is definitely not the summer of love. This is the summer of costing way too much. Life and having fun has gotten way too expensive. It doesn’t matter if it’s a night out at a restaurant or a concert. People cannot afford this."

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Adventures With Danno, "Massive Price Increases At Kroger!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 10/21/23

"Massive Price Increases At Kroger! This Is Not Good!"

"In today's vlog, we are at Kroger and are noticing some massive price increases on groceries, and over the counter medicines. This is ridiculous as we continue to see groceries soar in price. It's getting rough out here as many families continue to struggle to put food on the table!"

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Canadian Prepper, "Breaking! Major Event Coming; Israel's Nuclear Plan; Mass Distribution Nuclear Meds"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 10/20/23

"Breaking! Major Event Coming; Israel's Nuclear Plan; 

Mass Distribution Nuclear Meds"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com

Jeremiah Babe, "All Hell Breaking Loose While You Live In A Bubble"

Jeremiah Babe, 10/20/23

"All Hell Breaking Loose While You Live In A Bubble, 

Desperate People Will Knock On Your Door"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Judge Napolitano, "Judging Freedom, 10/20/23"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/20/23

"Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, How To Avoid All-out War"

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Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/20/23

"Intel Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern:

 Will Biden’s plans lead to WWIII?"

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Musical Interlude: 2002, "Children In Time"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "Children In Time"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"The beautiful Trifid Nebula is a cosmic study in contrasts. Also known as M20, it lies about "5,000 light-years away toward the nebula rich constellation Sagittarius. A star forming region in the plane of our galaxy, the Trifid does illustrate three different types of astronomical nebulae; red emission nebulae dominated by light from hydrogen atoms, blue reflection nebulae produced by dust reflecting starlight, and dark nebulae where dense dust clouds appear in silhouette. But the red emission region roughly separated into three parts by obscuring dust lanes is what lends the Trifid its popular name.

Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, below and left of the emission nebula's center, appear in famous Hubble Space Telescope close-up images of the region. The Trifid Nebula is about 40 light-years across. Just too faint to be seen by the unaided eye, it almost covers the area of a full moon in planet Earth's sky."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Chet Raymo, “Telling Stories”

“Telling Stories”

by Chet Raymo

"When the pulse of the first day carried it to the rim of night, First Woman said to First Man, "The people need to know the laws. To help them we must write the laws for all to see"... And so she began, slowly, first one and then the next, placing her jewels across the dome of night, carefully designing her pattern so all could read it. But Coyote grew bored watching First Woman carefully arranging the stars in the sky: Impatiently he gathered two corners of First Woman's blanket, and before she could stop him he flung the remaining stars out into the night, spilling them in wild disarray, shattering First Woman's careful patterns."

This episode from the Navajo creation story of is from "How the Stars Fell Into the Sky", a children's book by Jerrie Oughton. It is a lovely story, full of ancient wisdom. For centuries, Navajo children heard the story at an elder's knee. The story was taken literally, or at least accepted with a willing suspension of disbelief. I heard a similar creation story in my youth - of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Serpent. I accepted the story with a willing suspension of disbelief.

All cultures, everywhere on Earth, have stories, passed down in scriptures, traditions or tribal myths, that answer the questions: Where did the world come from? What is our place in it? What is the source of order and disorder? What will be the fate of the world? Of ourselves? No people can live without a community story. The problem comes when the community story becomes so disconnected from empirical experience that it no longer commands a suspension of disbelief. For many of us in the West, that is the case with the creation stories that have undergirded Western civilization.

Today, a New Story exists for those who choose to accept it. It is the product of thousands of years of human curiosity, observation, experimentation, and creativity. It is an evolving story, not yet finished. Perhaps it will never be finished. It is a story that begins with an explosion from a seed of infinite energy. The seed expands and cools. Particles form, then atoms of hydrogen and helium. Stars and galaxies coalesce from swirling gas. Stars burn and explode, forging heavy elements - carbon, nitrogen, oxygen - and hurling them into space. New stars are born, with planets made of heavy elements.

On one planet near a typical star in a typical galaxy life appears in the form of microscopic self-replicating, carbon-based ensembles of atoms. Life evolves, over billions of years, resulting in ever more complex organisms. Continents move. Seas rise and fall. The atmosphere changes. Millions of species of life appear and become extinct. Others adapt, survive, and spill out progeny. At last, consciousness appears. One of the millions of species on the planet looks into the night sky and wonders what it means. Feels the spark of love, tenderness, responsibility. Makes up stories - of First Woman and Coyote, of Adam, Eve and the Serpent - eventually making up the New Story. The New Story places us squarely in a cosmic unfolding of space and time, and teaches our biological affinity to all humanity. We are inextricably related to all of life, to the planet itself, and even to the lives of stars.

It has been the task of many of us gathered here on this cyber porch to help wed the New Story to the spiritual quest, to create what Thomas Berry calls an "integral story." In his introduction to Kathleen Deignan's collection of Thomas Merton's nature writing, Berry writes: "Today, in the opening years of the twenty-first century, we find ourselves in a critical moment when the religious traditions need to awaken again to the natural world as the primary manifestation of the divine to human intelligence. The very nature and purpose of the human is to experience this intimate presence that comes to us through natural phenomena. Such is the purpose of having eyes and ears and feeling sensitivity, and all our other senses. We have no inner spiritual development without outer experience. Immediately, when we see or experience any natural phenomenon, when we see a flower, a butterfly, a tree, when we feel the evening breeze flow over us or wade in a stream of clear water, our natural response is immediate, intuitive, transforming, ecstatic. Everywhere we find ourselves invaded by the world of the sacred."

Berry reminds us that we will neither love nor save what we do not experience as sacred. The older creation stories locate the source of the sacred outside of the creation. The New Story, the scientific story of creation, provides unique opportunities to experience the creation itself as holy and good.

We should treasure the ancient stories for the wisdom and values they teach us. We can praise the creation in whatever poetic languages and rituals our traditional cultures have taught us. But only the New Story has the global authority to help us navigate the future. Of all the stories, it is certainly the truest. It is the only story whose feet have been held to the fire of exacting empirical experience.”

- http://www.sciencemusings.com/

"Never Regret Anything..."

 

"15 Cheap Survival Items That Will Become Priceless In The Months Ahead"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 10/20/23

"15 Cheap Survival Items That Will 

Become Priceless In The Months Ahead"

"These are scary times. Geopolitical tensions are rising all around the globe, and no one knows for sure what can happen next. The United States is in a very tough spot as other nations pressure our elected officials to take action to solve problems that are erupting in many parts of the planet. From exporting more food, oil, and energy supplies to providing humanitarian aid to countries in need, America is at the center of many situations that are unfolding right now, and it seems like the entire world is watching us. We've been sending our agricultural supplies, fuels, and other resources to our allies abroad to prevent current crises from escalating further. But that has been draining our domestic reserves and leaving us in a very dangerous position. Farmers have lost millions of acres of crops this year, and stores will have fewer supplies than they did a year ago to sell to American consumers in the months ahead. Retailers have also canceled the purchase of several products after sales started to collapse, and their inventories are leaner than ever before. Meanwhile, inflation isn't cooling as fast as it was supposed to, and we're feeling the pain in our wallets. This difficult scenario can be rapidly aggravated if any sort of extreme weather event disrupts the distribution of power to our homes and food to supermarkets. But if you're a regular on our channel, you probably know that there are plenty of other things that can go wrong in the next few months as well. And it won't take much to throw our supply chains in disarray again.

On top of that, our domestic power grid is vulnerable to cyberattacks, extreme weather, and energy supply shortages, and the risks become even higher during the winter. Blackouts and power outages can surprise us at any moment, that's why it is important to keep extra batteries around to power up our devices in such a scenario. Every winter, some regions across the U.S. experience power outages that can last for days, and every year people who didn't have the chance to prepare in advance get frustrated not to find this cheap product at the stores right when they need it the most. But you don't have to be one of them. Check which types of batteries your devices require, get some extras, and keep them at hand. Now you can still find great deals at dollar stores and sales at big-box retailers but things could be dramatically different in a few months.

Similarly, with flu season getting closer, more people will be looking for sanitary wipes, a product that never goes out of demand. We can use it for personal hygiene, household cleaning, sterilizing surfaces, and also for first aid purposes, that's why it's so popular. This cheap item will be even more in demand in the months ahead, and we can expect some bare shelves at grocery and retail stores. An important thing to know if you're going to stock up on sanitary wipes for the longer term is that if they dry out, you can add a little water and some rubbing alcohol to refresh them almost like new again. Like so, you don't lose your money in case the cleaning liquid evaporates, and you also don't have to rush to the store in crippling winter weather to purchase some more. For that reason, we decided to list some inexpensive emergency supplies you should get before the next crisis hits."

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The Daily "Near You?"

Troy, Virginia, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"You May Think..."

"To show mercy is not naive. To hold out against the end of hope is not stupidity or madness. It is fundamentally human. Of course... we are all doomed; we are all poisoned from our birth by the rot of stars. That does not mean we should succumb to the seductive fallacy of despair, the dark tide that would drown us. You may think I'm stupid, you may call me a madman and a fool, but at least I stand upright in a fallen world."

- Rick Yancey

The Poet: William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

"The Second Coming"

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

- William Butler Yeats, January 1919

"Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," indeed...

"Great News: Everything’s Going Wrong!"

"Great News: Everything’s Going Wrong!"

by John Wilder

"Many times we look at a mess, and think, “Well, that’s just so broken that nothing, nothing will ever be okay again.” That would describe my first marriage. I don’t write more about that bad marriages because bad marriages aren’t all that interesting unless it’s in Florida and involves an alligator, meth, and a Clinton. Besides, it’s over.

So, did it really matter? In my case, yes. When I sat back after it was all concluded, one of the things that I did was really think about it, and try to figure out what (if anything) that I had done wrong in the marriage. On hindsight, there was plenty that I did wrong. Though I’d love to blame it all on her since , I certainly played my part. In the end, I knew I’d never find anyone like my ex-wife again. Of course, that was my goal.

There I was, recently divorced, in debt, underwater on my house, and with a stack of bills that were immediately due. It was the worst place I’d ever been in my life, with the exception of being married to my ex. Why are divorces expensive? They’re worth it.

I realize now that this wasn’t as bad as I thought it was then, but back then it looked like a jet had crashed into my life. What did I do? I put one foot in front of the other, met The Mrs., paid off my bills (that took four years), had first one kid and then another, and sold the house right as the housing boom was taking off. None of this was predictable to me at the time of the divorce. But this isn’t about me.

When you look at, say, Japan in 1945, it was almost worse than my divorce. Almost. The land had been nuked, bombed, and about 4%, nearly one out of twenty, of the Japanese population had been killed in the war. Their industry had been devastated; their army dismantled, their anime undrawn. So, they gave up.

No, just kidding. They didn’t give up. They buckled down and became the economic growth story, leading the world in the production of quality cars and electronics by the early 1970s, just a little over a generation after the end of the war and the devastation.

You could not have predicted that Japan would have been so successful that by the late 1980s people were expecting it to have an economy that many felt would soon be larger than the economy of the United States. Luckily, the Japanese discovered mascot suits, and have settled back into being one of the largest, most functional, highest standard of living places in the world who is also a bit crazy.

The point remains – you cannot guess the end by the beginning. As I look around the world now, I see a world that is filled with conflict, some of which is horrifying. Some of the conflict threatens to change the entire world balance of power. Some of the cataclysmic changes we’ve seen in society have ripped apart the basis for stability of the atom of society – the family and have created new structures that are actively against every virtue and celebrate their opposites.

All of that is true. And yet, I still am optimistic. Why? Because, when I look back through history, we’ve driven to the cliff, again and again and even tried to jump off. When the Roman Empire fell because of many of the same things ailing Western Civilization today, the game wasn’t over. Europe rebounded and eventually (after a lot of struggle) reached heights that had never been seen before in the history of mankind. The setback of the fall of the Roman Empire had been the catalyst for the rebirth of Europe.

Was everything the same? No. But the foundations for a stable society that can create wealth, freedom, and exemplify virtue haven’t changed since civilization itself was formed. These things are necessary. Humans have changed since civilization started, but the basic things that motivate us and keep us going when it’s cold and dark out haven’t: the things that give us hope are family, religion, and the will to create – something far more than just the will to survive – amoeba and Leftists can do that.

These things don’t include so much of what we see being indoctrinated into the culture today, things that are anti-child, anti-family, and anti-life. These are now being celebrated as virtues, and it’s devastating and causes civilization to unravel. This unravelling, however, will end up being the basis of something new and wonderful: although all great civilizations rhyme, they don’t have to look exactly the same. I really believe that, perhaps, the greatest and most golden age of humanity may be before us, rather than behind us.

You really can’t see it now in a world that’s falling apart because of the absolute inversion of values, but I assure you, it’s there. We will win. Deep down, Kipling knew it over 100 years ago when he penned "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" (which I’ll trot out once more, full poem below).

We cannot lose because those values that make civilization worth living have nothing to do with the cultural change being forced down our throats. The irony is that, by weakening our culture they bring their defeat closer to them, faster. Hormone treatment of children has not, is not, and will never be a way to create a stable society. It is, in fact, a way to create a crushed number of people that are so broken and confused inside that there is no way that they can create any sort of civilization.

No, everything is breaking apart, and it will lead, inevitably, to the next stage, which is going to be wonderful, though the route won’t be easy. Be of good cheer. I’ll put it in better hands than mine to point out what’s coming:

"The Gods of the Copybook Headings"

by Rudyard Kipling

"As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,

I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.

Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn

That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:

But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,

So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,

Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,

But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come

That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,

They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;

They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;

So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.

They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.

But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life

(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)

Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,

By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;

But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew

And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true

That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man

There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.

That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,

And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins

When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,

As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,

The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!"

- https://wilderwealthywise.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"You Think..."

“You think you will never forget any of this, you will remember it always just the way it was. But you can’t remember it the way it was. To know it, you have to be living in the presence of it right as it is happening. It can return only by surprise. Speaking of these things tells you that there are no words for them that are equal to them or that can restore them to your mind. And so you have a life that you are living only now, now and now and now, gone before you can speak of it, and you must be thankful for living day by day, moment by moment, in this presence. But you have a life too that you remember. It stays with you. You have lived a life in the breath and pulse and living light of the present, and your memories of it, remember now, are of a different life in a different world and time. When you remember the past, you are not remembering it as it was. You are remembering it as it is. It is a vision or a dream, present with you in the present, alive with you in the only time you are alive.”

~ Wendell Berry

"World War III Update 10/20/23"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/20/23

"Col. Douglas Macgregor: Biden Bringing The US To War"

"It’s worse than the axis of evil speech that led to 20 years of wasteful, inconclusive war. This time it will be different. The war will destroy Israel and spread to the United States."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Firstpost, 10/20/23

"As Biden Backs Netanyahu, 

US Navy Intercepts Missiles Near Israel"

"It's day 14 of the Israel - Hamas war. Israeli allies are now joining the frontline - especially the United States. US warships stationed in the Red Sea shot down three missiles and several Houthi drones. These missiles and drones were fired from Yemen, possibly heading towards Israel."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Gregory Mannarino, AM 10/20/23

"Alert! Worldwide Terror Alert Issued, 

Expect Another Major False Flag Event To Occur"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Bill Bonner, "Sinners and Saints"

"Sinners and Saints"

Plus Zelensky's fall from grace, Epstein's many connections,

 a tale of two crusades and plenty more...

by Bill Bonner

"The Lord said to him: ‘Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over the abominations that are being committed in their midst.

‘But to the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maiden, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.’

So, they started with the elders who were before the temple…"

- Ezekiel 9:4-6

Youghal, Ireland - "Poor Zelensky! So recently the Winston Churchill of the Ukrainian Steppe…now, he has been moved to second fiddle. He calls Biden…Macron…Sunak – and they don’t call him back. Yes, western leaders have other fish to fry. A massacre of the unjust…the ungodly…and the unprotected.

We do not get involved in politics. It is all scams and lies, given out by second rate grifters. But behind the politics that you see on TV – left vs. right, Republican vs. Democrat, Hamas vs. the Israeli Defense Forces – is megapolitics. That is where the more important dots lie. And our mission is to connect them…and to understand how they affect our finances and our lives.

Hangin’ with Epstein: One of the things we notice: success can be a hard cross to bear. In the world of ‘politics,’ we are all subject to the same rules. We all fear the disfavor of others and the retribution of the gods. Fear keeps us modest…and honest. But in the megapolitical world…deeper, stronger currents run. And there, when you are favored by success…when you have nothing to fear from others…and the gods, you know in your heart, are on your side – you can do what you want.

It was a great coincidence that, inexplicably, they had turned off the video surveillance camera in Jeffrey Epstein’s cell on the very moment he chose to hang himself. Coincidentally also, the guards chose that same moment to go out and have a smoke, even though Mr. Epstein – probably the most high-value prisoner they had ever seen – was supposed to be under constant watch.

Epstein was the protégé of Les Wexner who was in the news this week. Mr. Wexner, in addition to being the most likely source of Epstein’s mysterious fortune, said he’d had it with Harvard; there were students there who didn’t agree with him! CNN: "A nonprofit founded by former Victoria’s Secret billionaire Leslie Wexner and his wife Abigail is breaking off ties with Harvard University, alleging the school has been “tiptoeing” over Hamas’ terror attacks against Israel.

The Wexner Foundation’s decision to end its relationship and financial support for Harvard is the latest fallout amid criticism from donors who were alarmed by the university’s initial response to the attacks and to an anti-Israel statement issued by student groups.

Floating Face Down: Mr. Epstein’s accomplice was Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving 20 years for ‘sex trafficking’ – and keeping her mouth closed. It was an open and shut case, said the toady media. She introduced young women to Mr. Epstein, on his ‘Lolita Express’ jet, who then generously shared them with his friends. Apparently, prosecutors were not curious to know why they would do such a thing…or what Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and other notables were doing on the plane with them.

Ms. Maxwell’s father was UK publisher Robert Maxwell, who died mysteriously, falling off of his yacht, in 1991. [A statistically improbable number of people – with much to tell – commit suicide…or end up floating face down. [In 1996, our own inside source, former CIA director Bill Colby, apparently drowned in the Chesapeake Bay.] Maxwell was rumored to be a spy and was given a state funeral in Israel. Both the president of the country, and its prime minister, along with six current or past heads of Israeli intelligence services were there. The traditional kaddish farewell was read by his longtime attorney, Samuel Pisar, who – another coincidence! – happens to be Anthony Blinken’s stepfather.

No need to go further. The point is…there’s always more to the story. And the US has a deep and abiding connection to Israel’s public policies. It may even be said to be complicit in them. As in the Ukraine, they have little to do with truth or justice. On American campuses, students are voicing their displeasure. They think the US is wrong to support Israel in its hour of revenge. The US elite, however, is four-square behind the Israelites. Let the young babble about right and wrong, they say, it is time to ‘mow the lawn.’ That is the risk of success. When you are powerful enough, you don’t have to follow the rules; you have lawnmowers.

Wading in Blood: In June of 1099, Christian crusaders, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, laid siege to Jerusalem. A month later, they attacked and took the city. Unrestrained…with the power of life or death over the city’s inhabitants, they chose death: The Gesta Francorum records the battle: “…our men were killing and slaying even to the Temple of Solomon, where the slaughter was so great that our men waded in blood up to their ankles.” Raymond of Aguilers said the blood was “up to their knees.” Fulcher of Chartres adds that “none of them were left alive; neither women nor children were spared.”

Massacres were common in the ancient world. But there were exceptions. In 1187, Saladin, the great Muslim leader, reconquered Jerusalem. As was his custom, there were no murders…no bloodshed…no looting. “Everywhere,” writes John Julius Norwich, “order was preserved.”

One might hope that nine centuries later, some progress in human affairs might cause leaders to emulate Saladin, rather than Godfrey. But day after day, the women and children of Gaza – not to mention the men – pay for someone else’s sin…with their own lives. Now on display is an Old Testament killing spree. In the West, those who groan with indignation at the abominations of Hamas are spared rebuke. But in the East, the Palestinians have no marks on their heads."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

"All The Money You Make..."

Full screen recommended.

Steve Cutts, "Happiness"

“All the money you make will never buy back your soul. ”

- Bob Dylan

Paul Rosenberg, "You’ve Been Robbed"

"You’ve Been Robbed"

by Paul Rosenberg

"You work long, hard days, but you never have enough to be secure. Your husband or wife probably works too, and yet you still never get ahead. Now think about this: Your great-grandparents worked hard, and they did get ahead. You work just as hard, but you don’t make the same progress.

Was great-grandpa really that much better than you? Not likely. So, how was it that he could get ahead on one income, but you can’t? Take a good look at this graph:

The top line shows how many years of living expenses your great-grandfather would have accumulated as a hard-working young man. The bottom line shows what you can save. After working for five years, great-gramps had seven years of living expenses in the bank. Doing the same things, you’d have less than two. You’ve probably avoided this comparison because it makes you feel bad. If so, that was your big mistake, because it was never your fault.

When great-gramps worked hard, he kept the money. There was no income tax and no sales tax. (The government survived anyway.) There was no Social Security tax either, and the streets weren’t full of starving old people. Families were able to take care of their own.

In your great-grandparents’ day, it was very common for mechanics, carpenters, and shop-owners to make private business loans. Now you shuffle into banks with piles of the most personal documents and beg for loans. (As the banks create your loan money with a keystroke.)

You’ve Not Only Been Robbed, You’ve Been Demoralized: Why did this happen? Because Westerners accepted a lie: that they were bad people. Think this through: Your money is taken from you before it can accumulate (“payroll deductions”), leaving you with barely enough to live a reasonable life. You have nothing left to help those who suffer unjustly – not because you don’t work, but because your surplus is skimmed away to Capital City. Then, those same politicians have the audacity to call you a bad person for not wanting to help the poor. They make it almost impossible for you to give, then insult you for it.

Your great-grandparents were proud to help their friends and neighbors. They felt good about themselves and were proud to make the world a better place. Being robbed of this heritage is the worst crime of all.

So…? This is the point where people ask, “What do we do about this?” And the answer is simple: Stop playing their game! The system is rigged and the abusers make the rules. More or less everything big is in on the game. People have been trying to reform this thing for a long time, and have accomplished next to nothing. The only sensible choice is to withdraw from the game and to start building something better.

** The graph was generated as follows: $725 per year is the income in about 1903, based upon discussions with hard-working men who lived through the time. A figure of $325 per year for living expenses is taken from a New York Times article, dated September 29, 1907. Assets were presumed to appreciate at 10% per year. For 2008 {the year the graph was generated} the annual income was $45,000 and monthly expenses were $2,000. This young man pays 30% income taxes and investment return is calculated at a reduced rate of 8.5% because of taxes upon interest. The young man of 1905 is investing $400/year after living expenses of $325. His modern descendant is investing $7500/year after living expenses of $24,000."

- https://freemansperspective.com/

Jim Kunstler, "Step It Up and Go"

"Step It Up and Go"

by Jim Kunstler

“Like it or not, Republicans have the law in their favor, to put this point another way. Democrats are left with subterfuge and media manipulation. The latter present Americans with the greater danger.” - Patrick Lawrence, Consortium News

"Things are going a little sideways now, wouldn’t you agree? The world is not coming to an end, exactly, but our arrangements in it are breaking up all at once, threatening to wreck everyday life for a whole lot more people than just the poor mutts on the margins. The endless insults to common decency and common sense by the vicious governing blob that runs things don’t help, either. The main question du jour: when things break really badly, will they break against that vicious blob hard enough to make it stop?

This blob - a weird cabal alien to our heritage - is composed of people with names and duties, and institutions too. They have already lost their credibility, their authority, and their legitimacy. The problem is that they haven’t lost their power to wreck our country. Exposed and disgraced as they are, they still occupy the seats of command, still twiddle the dials on the control console, still enjoy a foolish illusion of invulnerability.

I’m in favor of wholesale impeachment of these top people as the best way to go, first, to pry their hands off the levers of power, and second, use the process of impeachment to move public sentiment to a firmly anti-blob position. When you read of “Joe Biden’s” 37 percent favorable rating in some poll, do you wonder how it can be that high? Hard evidence of his high crimes of bribery has been plain to see for many months. We await a brisk House inquiry to put all that evidence in order, in a simple bill that even The New York Times won’t be able to ignore. Let Mr. Schumer’s tiny Senate majority try to decline an impeachment trial. Between that and “Joe Biden’s obvious incapacity, he’ll have to resign. And then let the Party of Chaos try to pretend that Kamala Harris can be in charge of anything. We’ll see soon enough who’s pulling the strings in the White House.

The House should simultaneously form committees to impeach the faithless and incompetent agency heads below “JB” starting with Merrick Garland, specifically for criminally violating the rights of the many J-6 defendants falsely charged, denied speedy trials, and abused in the federal jails while awaiting those unjustly delayed trials. Also, tack on multiple counts of perjury for the many times he lied under oath before Congress.

Next, Alejandro Mayorkas, for allowing a virtual invasion of our country and his gross, willful failure to enforce the laws that regulate entry across our borders. As with Mr. Garland, include counts of perjury, lying to Congress. After him, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Service, for presiding over the vaccination debacle and all the lying about it perpetrated under his supervision by the CDC, the FDA, and many other public health agencies. FBI Director Christopher Wray is not subject to impeachment, so the House should defund the agency until he and the rest of the seventh floor C-suite gang, led by Deputy AG Lisa Monaco, resign.

That would be good start for breaking up the blob so that the public does not have to wait for a 2024 election that shows no signs of being cleaned up procedurally to ensure fair and truthful results — though momentous impeachment moves against the figures truly responsible for wrecking the country might prompt some states to take action to get rid of the Covid-era mail-in ballot trickery that the blob cooked up to keep itself in power.

All of the blob’s projects are coming to grief now in the worst way possible. Ukraine was a foolish venture starting in 2014 when the US tried to shanghai it into NATO over a red line explicitly declared by Russia. We didn’t believe they meant it, apparently. What part of sphere of influence don’t we understand? How did the CIA do sizing that up? Or sussing out the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel? Do they have no assets in Gaza? How’s America’s prestige in the world doing, and the dollar that represents it, vis-à-vis the new BRIC alliance that was allowed to come together largely because of the “Joe Biden” regime’s foreign policy blunders scaring so many previously neutral nations?

How are the blob’s domestic projects doing? It’s managed to destroy the credibility of medicine, the honor of higher education, and the authority of the news media - with plenty of help from the blobistas embedded in all those institutions. How is possible that the majority of doctors still don’t know that Covid vaccines are unsafe and ineffective, and that they have been systematically lied to by the CDC from the get-go on this? How is it possible that presidents of the most distinguished universities go along with the suppression of free inquiry and speech, as if these were not the foundation of learning? How is possible that the editors of The New York Times and The Washington Post lie continually and knowingly about events and persons, unless they are getting paid by, and have become defacto arms of, the blob itself, to cover-up the discovery of its crimes?

How’s the blob’s campaign to sow gender confusion and race hatred going? Resistance has formed to the first hustle, most visibly against the local school boards by parents rightfully disturbed over not just sexualizing little children, but egging them into mental illness over it. You might have also noticed that the policy for decriminalizing crime has the interesting effect of collapsing the social contract, especially in cities. Thus, wholesale car-jacking, armed robbery, flash-mob looting, and murder. Want more of that? Think it works in favor of the brotherhood of man?

Don’t you suppose some kind of effective opposition is required to contend with all this? One might expect, at this turn in history, for the Republican Party to become a righteous and effective antipode to the epic malign ineptitude of the Democrat’s Party of Chaos and Death. The only venue for this to opposition to function in at the moment is the US House of Representatives. It’s either that or something harsh, bloody, and awful lies ahead for us."

- https://kunstler.com/

Yeah, the full title of Kunstler's blog really does say it all...

o

Blind Boy Fuller, "Step It Up And Go"

"Blind Boy Fuller (Fulton Allen b.1907 d.1941) Played & sang in the Piedmont style associated with the southeast. Beginning in 1935 Fuller recorded 127 sides. He died in 1941 at the young age of 33. Step It Up And Go is from 1940."

Dan, I Allegedly, "This is What is Wrong with the World "

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly AM 10/20/23

"This is What is Wrong with the World -

 Legal Participation Trophies"

"Could you imagine a world with Legal Participation Trophies. This is what is wrong with the world. The state of California is thinking about getting rid of the bar exam. This is something I know a tremendous amount about. It is outrageous to think that we will not have a minimum qualification for people to practice law."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"12 Major Retailers Are In Big Trouble As Bankruptcies Skyrocket"

Full screen recommended.

The Atlantis Report, 10/20/23

"12 Major Retailers Are In 

Big Trouble As Bankruptcies Skyrocket"

"The retail landscape is undergoing a massive transformation, with a staggering 61 percent increase in bankruptcies and a 77 percent surge in United States store closures over the past year, as revealed by recent data. A collaborative report from Retail Dive and Credit Risk Monitor highlights the impending risk of liquidation for several retailers, as some have already initiated Chapter 11 filings and confront the prospect of permanent closures. As we approach the end of 2023, dark storefronts and product shortages cast a shadow over the holiday season, intensifying a trend where prominent brands shutdown locations leaving a lasting impact on the retail industry. In this video, we'll uncover the 12 major retail stores which are set to cease operations in 2023."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Adventures With Danno, "Food Shortage Reports, This Is A Complete Mess!"

Adventures With Danno, 10/20/23

"Food Shortage Reports, This Is A Complete Mess!"

"These are the food shortage reports for October 2023, and it is not good. We discuss many different parts of the world that are dealing with these shortages and what we need to do to prepare!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 10/20/23"

"Weekly News Wrap-Up 10/20/23"

Middle East Headed for War, Economy Headed for Total Collapse

by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"Everywhere you look in the Middle East, you see signs of a brewing war. The world is divided over the Hamas and Israel fighting. It is the most violent division in the world that has not been seen for a very long time. The U.S. Navy has aircraft carriers off the cost of Israel, and Russia is threatening to sink them with hypersonic missiles. Now, the terror looks like it is coming to America with it’s wide-open Southern border. FBI Director Chris Wray is warning a terror attack could likely happen in America in the not-so-distant future. I guess the FBI is not going to go after Catholics and Trump supporters and focus on real terrorists for a change.

The economy is going to collapse, and that is a mathematical certainty according to financial writer Bill Holter. Debt is off-the-charts at record levels, interest rates have doubled and then some, big banks are losing money by the billions of dollars and there is no way to stop the inevitable fall. Meanwhile, people are ignoring the red flashing warning signs and are all in on risky stock investments. The only way this ends–is badly. Today we have a 5% 10-year Treasury which was below 1% in 2020. What could go wrong with 4-fold increase in interest rates? I think plenty, and what’s coming can wipe your family out financially for a generation. The coming war in the Middle East is only going to make things much worse, much faster. There is much more in the 37-minute newscast."

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he talks about these 

stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up for 10/20/23:

- https://rumble.com/

Canadian Prepper, "Red Alert! He Just Admitted it! This Is The Big One, WW3, Prepare Immediately!"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper,10/19/23

"Red Alert! He Just Admitted it! 

This Is The Big One, WW3, Prepare Immediately!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "Warning! More Ominous Signs Of A Dying Economy"

Jeremiah Babe, 10/19/23

"Warning! More Ominous Signs Of A Dying Economy"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"So, You’ve Been Made Superfluous…"

"So, You’ve Been Made Superfluous…"

by Paul Rosenberg

"In the US, something like 100 million people have “dropped out of the workforce,” and the situation is often worse in Europe. The ruling systems of the West have made these people superfluous. If you’re one of them, I’m sorry. It’s a horrible thing. But if you think this is your fault, you’re wrong. You are willing and capable of productive work, but the system has its own needs, and they no longer involve you. So, please be clear on this: The system doesn’t care about you for anything but voting.

“I’m Not a Charity Case”: Here are a few lines from the song "Blue Collar Man", by Styx. See if any of them resonate with you.

"Give me a job, give me security,

Give me a chance to survive.

I’m just a poor soul in the unemployment line,

My God, I’m hardly alive.

My mother and father, my wife and my friends,

You see them laugh in my face.

But I’ve got the power and I’ve got the will,

I’m not a charity case."

My message to you is this: You do have the power, and you do have the will. But the system has no place for you; if you want more than that, you’ll have to make it yourself. Read on and I’ll explain how that’s done.

The Will and the Power: We’ve all been seduced into discounting our own will. We’ve been trained to abandon it to the system. And so long as that pattern holds, the only hope you have is that the system will reform itself to suit you… and that almost never happens. How many times do we play the sucker before we stop believing political promises?

Let’s make this clear: Your government has no idea what to do with you, aside from keeping you permanently distracted and giving you just enough handouts to survive. So, if you want things to get better, you’ll have to exercise your own will.

Yes, I know you’ve been taught never to hold your own thoughts supreme. And being taught that repetitively, you did what everyone else did: You demoted your own mind and obeyed Teacher. But once you reclaim your will – once you start to act on your own judgment – you will have power.

Words Are Impotent: Please understand that changing your situation requires action, not words. You can play with words forever to no effect. And that’s just what the system wants. Write letters to your congressman, support one of the talking faces presented to you, and so on, without end. But when you get up and act, not only does the world change, you change.

The Usual Problem: The fear of acting is a lot like the fear of public speaking; it can be debilitating. Nonetheless, we have to do it. And please understand that I’m talking about acting on your own will. Acting on someone else’s very fine plan squeezes your will out of the equation. Below are some suggestions. But I’m only listing them to give you initial ideas. Do not misconstrue this as a plan. You must choose, and you must act. You must accept responsibility.

• Start using Bitcoin. Teach your friends how to use it.
• Start building mesh networks and private internet systems.
• Start teaching cryptography.
• Start using other distributed technologies.
• Start homeschooling your children or tutoring others.
• Start growing and trading your own food.
• Turn off the TV and start reading books.
• Turn off political radio and start listening to lectures and audio books.

The other option is to do what the system expects of superfluous people: Watch TV, adopt the narratives it promotes, maintain your Facebook addiction, and die young. Please choose something better."

- https://freemansperspective.com/

o

Styx, "Blue Collar Man"