"Permanent Adolescence: The Epidemic That Will Destroy America"

"Permanent Adolescence:

The Epidemic That Will Destroy America"

by Dr. Paul Kindlon

"As a Humanities professor I have had the opportunity to teach psychology and social psychology for more than 25 years. Occasionally the knowledge obtained in these areas allows me to analyze and understand social behavior and certain cultural trends. This is one those occasions.

If one is able to observe American society in an objective manner (granted no easy task) it becomes clear that the country is suffering from an epidemic of arrested emotional development (AED). This particular illness is characterized by some combination of: addiction, greed, immaturity, fear, blame, shame, resentments, anger, confusion and suffering. What it means is that the vast majority of Americans are stuck in adolescence exhibiting behavior like lying, negative attitudes, disobedience and disrespect, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and issues of sexuality.

One has only to watch American movies or television shows to get a snapshot of juvenile, puerile, and base comedy characteristic of adolescent humor. It’s no accident that 48 year old Jimmy Fallon is essentially the “eternal teenager” performing comedy that mostly includes bathroom humor and gags that are based on and appeal to a silly sense of immaturity. The other darling of late-night shows in America is Stephen Colbert, age 58, who specializes in insulting public figues in an overtly adolescent display of negative attitude and disrespect.

Another hallmark of AED is to evade responsibility and blame others for failure. One had only to observe the millions of Hillary supporters to understand this phenomenon. Also common for AED sufferers is to show disrespect in sophomoric ways usually by damaging property as we see with monuments being defaced and destroyed.

Teenagers, of course, tend to have identity issues often involving sexuality which is another phenomenon all too apparent in contemporary America. It’s almost uncool not to be LGBT or confused about your gender nowadays. Soon there will be as many genders as ice-cream flavors for it’s all just a matter of taste!

In terms of cognitive activity AED is characterized by exaggeration and over-simplification. If you are angry with one of your parents you might refer to them as a Nazi or Fascist.

This negative attitude now is extended to anyone who disagrees with you and can be seen in slogans such as “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA”. Adults are an endangered species. The cognitive effect of exaggeration and over-simplification leads to irrationality and confusion. Witness the millions of people who think they are being anti-racist by opposing “White Supremacy”. No anthropologist on earth would claim that “White” is a race (although a Neo- Nazi would) It’s not even a primary color. The Irish were discriminated against for more than a hundred years in America due to Anglo-Saxon racism yet the Irish are considered “white”. There are millions of Americans of German, Polish, and Scandinavian extraction who have been working-class and lower for a very long time. Are these “white people” guilty of supremacy? Against whom? Themselves?

Of course, what the protestors should be focusing on is class and not race which is really an arbitrary term. Unfortunately. the progressive movement in America has gone from “Occupy Wall street” to “occupy the public bathroom”. Lenin would be turning over in his grave – if he had one. With regard to alcohol and drug addiction in America, the statistics are startling. Opiod addiction alone is becoming a national health issue as is depression. Alcohol abuse, of course, is also quite high. Lying is also becoming commonplace. It used to be just politicians and lawyers who were known to “play with the truth”. Nowadays the mainstream media is widely seen as a mainstream of lies with CNN now wearing the title of FAKE NEWS.

The teenage attempt to rebel and show disobedience is often manifested through the use of profanity intended to shock the older generation. Gratuitous profanity is pervasive in American culture and has replaced the imagination as a form of creativity. It is not an accident that Pussy Riot – a group of “performance artists” using profanity in a Cathedral considered sacred to “shock” the Russian public and “disobey” authorities – has found a home in the United States and been befriended by Madonna, another symbol of eternal adolescence. Her AED was on full display when she publicly offered all men fellatio if they voted for Hillary Clinton. And as any rebellious teenager attempting to shock the “older generation” she had to announce that she “swallows”. Stay classy, Madonna. Keep in mind we’re talking about a 63 year old mother of six.

You see…if everyone is a teenager there is no adult supervision. That is the problem. After an autopsy is conducted years from now to ascertain how and why the American Empire expired, the obituary will include multiple causes of death and AED will be listed prominently. Perhaps a precocious teenager will be allowed to write the epitaph that will read…”When extended, the bridge between adolescence and adulthood can take a heavy toll”.

- https://www.lewrockwell.com/

○

“Most people don’t grow up. It’s too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That’s the truth of it. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don’t grow up. Not really. They get older. But to grow up costs the earth, the earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy. It’s serious business. And you find out what it costs us to love and to lose, to dare and to fail. And maybe even more, to succeed."

- Maya Angelou

"Why Not Despair? "

"Why Not Despair?"

"To view our times as decadent and dangerous, to mistrust the government, to imagine that those in power as not concerned with our best interests is not paranoid but perceptive; to be depressed, angry or confused about such things is not delusional but a sign of consciousness. Yet our culture suggests otherwise. But if all this is true, then why not despair? The simple answer is this: despair is the suicide of imagination. Whatever reality presses upon us, there still remains the possibility of imagining something better, and in this dream remains the frontier of our humanity and its possibilities To despair is to voluntarily close a door that has not yet shut. The task is to bear knowledge without it destroying ourselves, to challenge the wrong without ending up on its casualty list. You don't have to change the world, the writer Colman McCarthy has argued. Just keep the world from changing you.

Oddly, those who instinctively understand this best are often those who seem to have the least reason to do so, survivors of abuse, oppression, and isolation who somehow discover not so much how to beat the odds, but how to wriggle around them. They have, without formal instruction, learned two of the most fundamental lessons of psychiatry, philosophy, and religion:

You are not responsible for that into which you were born..

You are responsible for doing something about it.

These individuals move through life like a skilled mariner in a storm rather than as a victim at a sacrifice. Relatively unburdened by pointless and debilitating guilt about the past, uninterested in the endless regurgitation of the unalterable, they free themselves to concentrate upon the present and the future. They face the gale as a sturdy combatant rather than as cowering supplicant."

- Sam Smith

The Daily "Near You?"

Burnley, Lancashire, United Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by!

"If..."

“If Man were relieved of all superstition, and all prejudice, and had replaced these with a keen sensitivity to his real environment, and moreover had achieved a level of communication so simplified that one syllable could express his every thought, then he would have achieved the level of intelligence already achieved by his dog.”

~ Robert Brault

Epic Economist, "15 Signs China Is Economically Devastating America"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 6/18/24

"15 Signs China Is Economically Devastating America"

"China's meteoric rise over the past few decades has positioned it as a formidable competitor to the United States in various sectors. From economic growth and technological innovation to infrastructure development and international influence, China's strategic investments and policy initiatives have enabled it to grow faster than the U.S. in several critical areas.

Though America is still the leading superpower of the world when it comes to geopolitics, and economic development, the eastern nation is a close second, and it has been surpassing the U.S. in many aspects. Today, we explore 15 ways in which China is outpacing America, highlighting the implications for global dynamics and future trends. Without any further ado, let's check out this list!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Gregory Mannarino, "This Is The Endgame, Be Ready for World-Wide Pandemonium!"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 6/18/24

"This Is The Endgame, Be Ready for 

World-Wide Pandemonium! Are You Ready?"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"The Sane Who Know..."

“Human beings are, necessarily, actors who cannot become something before they have first pretended to be it; and they can be divided, not into the hypocritical and the sincere, but into the sane who know they are acting and the mad who do not.”

- W.H Auden

"A dog might feel as majestic as a lion, might bark as loud as a roar, might have a heart as mighty and brave as a Lion's heart, but at the end of the day, a dog is a dog and a lion is a lion."

 - Charlyn Khatero

"The Psychology of Manipulation: 6 Lessons from the Master of Propaganda"

"The Psychology of Manipulation: 

6 Lessons from the Master of Propaganda"

by Ryan Matters

"Edward L. Bernays was an American business consultant who is widely recognized as the father of public relations. Bernays was one of the men responsible for “selling” World War 1 to the American public by branding it as a war that was necessary to “make the world safe for democracy”. During the 1920s, Bernays consulted for a number of major corporations, helping to boost their business through expertly crafted marketing campaigns aimed at influencing public opinion.

In 1928, Edward Bernays published his famous book, "Propaganda", in which he outlined the theories behind his successful “public relations” endeavours. The book provides insights into the phenomenon of crowd psychology and outlines effective methods for manipulating people’s habits and opinions. For a book that’s almost 100 years old, "Propaganda" could not be more relevant today. In fact, its relevance is a testament to the unchanging nature of human psychology.

One of the key takeaways of the book is that mind control is an important aspect of any democratic society. Indeed, Bernays maintains that without the “conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses”, democracy simply would not “work”.

We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. According to Bernays, those doing the “governing” constitute an invisible ruling class that “understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses”.

In "Propaganda", Bernays draws on the work of Gustave Le Bon, Wilfred Trotter, Walter Lippmann, and Sigmund Freud (his uncle!), outlining the power of mass psychology and how it may be used to manipulate the “group mind”. If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?

I recently explored this topic in an essay about how occult rituals and predictive programming are used to manipulate the collective consciousness, influencing the thoughts, beliefs and actions of large groups of people, resulting in the creation of what occultists call “egregores”. Here I have extracted some key insights from Bernays in an attempt to show how his book "Propaganda" is, in many ways, the playbook used by the globalist cryptocracy to process the group mind of the masses.

1. If You Manipulate The Leader Of A Group, The People Will Follow: Bernays tells us that one of the easiest ways to influence the thoughts and actions of large numbers of people is to first influence their leader. If you can influence the leaders, either with or without their conscious cooperation, you automatically influence the group which they sway.

In fact, one of the most firmly established principles of mass psychology is that the “group mind” does not “think”, rather, it acts according to impulses, habits and emotions. And when deciding on a certain course of action, its first impulse is to follow the example of a trusted leader.

Humans are, by nature a group species. Even when we are alone, we have a deep sense of group belonging. Whether they consciously know it or not, much of what people do is an effort to conform to the ideals of their chosen group so as to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging.

This exact method of influencing the leader and watching the people follow has been used extensively throughout the last few years. One notable instance that comes to mind is the horrendously inaccurate epidemiological models created by Neil Ferguson, which formed the basis for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown policies. Once Johnson was convinced of the need to lockdown and mask up, the people gladly followed.

2. Words Are Powerful: The Key To Influencing A Group Is The Clever Use Of Language: Certain words and phrases are associated with certain emotions, symbols and reactions. Bernays tell us that through the clever and careful use of language, one can manipulate the emotions of a group and thereby influence their perceptions and actions. By playing upon an old cliché, or manipulating a new one, the propagandist can sometimes swing a whole mass of group emotions.

The clever use of language has been employed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to great effect. An obvious example of this was when the definition of “vaccine” was changed to include injections utilizing experimental mRNA technology. You see, the word “vaccine” is associated in the public mind with a certain picture – that of a safe, proven medical intervention that is not only life-saving but absolutely necessary.

If governments had told people to go get their “gene therapies”, the vast majority of the public would likely question the motives behind such a campaign; they would feel extremely skeptical because the phrase “gene therapy” is not associated with the same images, emotions and feelings as “vaccine”.

The same goes for the word “pandemic”, the definition of which was also changed. The word “pandemic” is generally associated in the collective consciousness with fear, death, chaos and emergency (largely thanks to Hollywood and the myriad virus films it has released over the years).

3. Any Medium Of Communication Is Also A Medium For Propaganda: Any system of communication, whether phone, radio, print, or social media, is nothing more than a means of transmitting information. Bernays reminds us that any such means of communication is also a channel for propaganda. There is no means of human communication which may not also be a means of deliberate propaganda.

Bernays goes on to stress that a good propagandist must always keep abreast of new forms of communication, so that they may co-opt them as means of deliberate propaganda. Indeed, systems that most people would associate with freedom of speech and democracy are none other than means of circulating propaganda. Facebook fact-checkers, Big Tech censorship and YouTube’s Covid banners certainly fall into this category.

Other examples of this include the recent algorithm updates made by various search engines (including Google and DuckDuckGo) to penalize Russian websites, although this should come as no surprise (Google has been engaging in this type of “shadow propaganda” for many years).

4. Reiterating The Same Idea Over And Over Creates Habits And Convictions: Although Bernays terms this a technique used by the “old propagandists”, he, nonetheless, recognizes its usefulness. It was one of the doctrines of the reaction psychology that a certain stimulus often repeated would create a habit, or that the mere reiteration of an idea would create a conviction.

Repeating the same idea or the same “mantra” again and again is a form of neuro-linguistic programming aimed at instilling certain concepts or emotions into the subconscious mind. Indeed, people who are feeling sad or depressed are often advised to repeat to themselves an uplifting saying or affirmation.

There are many examples of this simple, yet effective, technique being used to great effect over the last few years. Think Q’s “trust the plan”, the globalist favourite, “build back better” or the incessant repetition of that twisted phrase, “trust the science”. Included in this category are the 24/7-in-your-face death statistics and case numbers, aimed at promoting the illusion of a pandemic.

There are more obvious examples of this as well, such as news anchors in different areas all reading from the exact same script.

5. Things Are Not Desired For Their Intrinsic Worth, But Rather For The Symbols That They Represent: After studying why people make certain purchasing decisions, Bernays observed that people often don’t desire something for its usefulness or value, but rather because it represents something else which they unconsciously crave. A thing may be desired not for its intrinsic worth or usefulness, but because he has unconsciously come to see in it a symbol of something else, the desire for which he is ashamed to admit to himself.

Bernays gives the example of a man buying a car. From the outside, it may appear as if the man is buying the car because he needs a means of transport, but in actuality, he is buying it because he craves the elevated social status that comes with owning a motor vehicle.

This idea, too, applies to the events over the last few years. For example, masks are a symbol of compliance. Everyone knows they don’t work but they wear them because of their desire to “fit in”, and to be seen as an upstanding citizen who follows the rules. Covid-19 injections are also a symbol and many people choose to get them because they have a desire to avoid being called an “anti-vaxxer” or a “conspiracy theorist”.

6. One Can Manipulate Individual Actions By Creating Circumstances That Modify Group Customs: Lastly, Bernays tells us that if one wishes to manipulate the actions of an individual, the most effective way to do so is to create circumstances that engender the desired behavior. What are the true reasons why the purchaser is planning to spend his money on a new car instead of on a new piano? […] He buys a car, because it is at the moment the group custom to buy cars. The modern propagandist therefore sets to work to create circumstances which will modify that custom.

For example, why all of a sudden does everyone “stand with Ukraine”? According to Bernays, it’s not because there is a war going on and innocent people need our love and support, but rather because it is the new “group custom” to do so. The process of altering group customs begins from the top down. In every nation or social clique, there are leaders, public figures and influencers. Manipulating those with the most sway eventually filters down into the public mind. That is why when a celebrity decides to wear something extravagant on the red carpet, a whole new trend can arise overnight.

Similarly, at the beginning of the Covid saga and then the Russia-Ukraine war, the media were quick to circulate stories of celebs “catching Covid” and urging people to stay home, or public figures condemning Russian actions and calling for stricter sanctions (which just so happened to hurt the West more than they hurt Russia).

The Propaganda Playbook: The world is a volatile place right now. Things seem to change quickly and no one knows what might happen next. However, amid all this chaos there is one thing that has not changed and is unlikely to change any time soon, and that is human psychology. Because of this, the tactics used to manipulate people’s thoughts, beliefs and actions have not changed either. In fact, most of them were outlined in detail 100 years ago by Edward Bernays in his 1928 book, "Propaganda."

That’s right, the Puppet Master’s playbook isn’t a secret. It’s right there, freely available to anyone who cares to understand how the powers that be seek to influence them on a daily basis."

- https://off-guardian.org/

○

Freely download "Propaganda", by Edward L. Bernays, here:

- https://www.newbraveworld.org/

"It's Not US... It's Russia!"

"It's Not US... It's Russia!"

“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”

by Joel Bowman

“We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed,

our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.”

~ Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995), author of "Propaganda"

Bangkok, Thailand - "Tell a lie often enough... and people will learn to fill in the rest of the quote. (But that doesn’t mean they’ll understand the point of it.) By now gentle readers will have suffered the cringe-worthy video of the world’s Somnambulist in Chief, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., sleepwalking aimlessly around the grounds at last week’s G-7 summit in Puglia, Italy. In case you haven’t yet seen the footage, here’s a clip...

[Special Note: As we go to press, White House Propagandist in Chief, Karin Jean-Pierre, has falsely claimed the above video is a “deep fake” (meaning A.I. altered), a statement she had subsequently to retract… hey, props to KJP for preempting the exact point we were about to make further in this very article! Read on…]

Hostess with the Leastess: Poor ol’ Giorgia Meloni. Not only was the popular Italian prime minister and host of the revolving gabfest charged with shepherding Sleepy Joe back to the group...she had to stage a fête for what must surely be the slimiest bunch of political losers, lame ducks and lunatics disgracing the world stage today.

Right to Left: President of European Council Charles Michel (unelected eurocrat, fetid swamp creature)... German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (just lost EU parliamentary election)... Canadian President Justin Trudeau-Castro (lowest poll numbers in Canada in half a century)...French President Emmanuel Macron (just lost EU parliamentary election)... Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (host, member of the “hard-right,” highest approval rating for any EU leader)... United States President Sleepy Joe Biden (“Biden...?” “Biden...?” “Is there a President Biden here...?”)... Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (cabinet approval rating at 16%, calls to step down as PM)... British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (about to get a well-deserved trouncing in upcoming UK elections, candidate for worst Tory PM in modern history in a very, very tough field)...European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (unelected EU henchwoman, threatened Italian voters before Meloni’s election, “We have tools...”)

Pssh! No wonder Meloni extended a special, personal invitation to Argentina’s Javier Milei, who arrived a few days late after getting business done in his own backyard, down at the end of the world, first. (As to why El Señor would be seen cavorting with such a rabid cesspool of managerial collectivists, we’ll have to leave for another day...) But back to ol’ Sleepy Joe...

For concerned citizens... and even those unconcerned, who simply don’t like seeing doddering human mannequins drifting off into open, unsupervised spaces...the man’s behavior has become something of a problem. Whether it’s the sneggerlegerlainerwhachamadunnit gaffes... the aimless ambulatory misadventures... the pathological commitment to untruth... the weaponization of federal agencies... or the steely determination to avert the imminent onset of peace... even moderate Democrat voters are starting to realize...Obama’s third term has been his worst!

Here is the former/shadow president, coaxing “Weekend at Joey’s” off the stage at a celebrity fundraiser in Hollywood on Saturday night.

“Here we go, Joey. Let’s get a cup of 

warm milk into that ouchie belly, eh?”

On cue, the mainstream media lauded the event, crammed to the hilt with people who literally pretend to be other people for a living, as “the most successful fundraising event in the history of the Democratic Party.” With countless red carpet groomers behind him and zero felonies to his name, Team Obiden raked in a cool $28 million for the night. Taking a somewhat different tack, The Donald held a similar event a few weekends back... which involved 34 felony counts, zero celebrities... and $200 million raised. The media’s response: Yawn.

At this point, polls for the 2024 presidential race have Orange Man Bad ahead on both the national stage and in every single one of the battleground states. But moderates and sensible centrists needn’t start looking for short ropes and long drops just yet. The Democrats have an ace up their sleeve when it comes to combating inconvenient public perception...especially when it’s accurate. Which brings us to our latest installment of everyone’s nobody’s favorite game of mass delusion, cognitive dissonance and cerebral contortionism:

It’s not US... it’s Russia! Dear readers will recall favorite episodes from the recent past, including “The one where Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election... to Russia!” and “The one where it wasn’t the Fed’s money printing that caused inflation... it was Putin’s Price Hikes!” and “The one where we flat-out told you we were going to blow up the Nord Stream Pipeline... then Russia did it!”

Not to mention the popular, oft re-run classic, “The one where 51 top intelligence officials told American voters right before the election that Hunter Biden’s highly incriminating and totally legit laptop was really... ‘textbook Russian disinformation!’”

Having reliably sold the catchy “It’s not US... it’s Russia” slogan to the American public more times than we have room for in these pithy Notes, we were hardly surprised to learn that questions regarding Biden’s mental acuity would receive the same mass managerial treatment.

After last week’s unscheduled walkabout at the G7... and his increasing tendency for onstage rigor mortis... calls have come for the White House to publicly release the tape of the president’s conversations with special counsel Robert Hur, so voters can get a take on his mental fitness. Readers will recall it was special counsel Hur who recommended Biden not be prosecuted on classified document charges (remarkably similar to those Mr. Trump currently faces) on grounds that the president is merely “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Unfit for prosecution, in other words... but totally fit for another four years with his shaky Skeletor fingers on the nuclear button.

Already The New York Times has obliged, running a standard form article titled: “Russian Disinformation Videos Smear Biden Ahead of U.S. Election.” And now, from one of the interchangeable bobbleheads on MSNBC: “A huge part of the Mueller report [which found no evidence of Trump’s collusion with Russia] is Russian disinformation tactics, and one of the themes this election cycle is that Joe Biden is too old to lead. And so everyone is seizing upon this. And it is a classic disinformation tactic. And I think the best thing we can do is to prepare the American people for this false narrative.”

Did you get that, dear reader? Prepare to “be prepared.” On that note, we leave the final word today to The Father of Propaganda himself, Edward Bernays, who literally wrote the book Propaganda and who sure knew a thing or two about manipulating We, the Public:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”

“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”

~ Edward L. Bernays, "Propaganda"

Bill Bonner, "Decline of the West"

"Decline of the West"

In 1999, the US owed $5.6 trillion. A lot of money. But still manageable. Now it owes $35 trillion. Much of this debt – a total of nearly $100 trillion, public and private – cannot be repaid.

by Bill Bonner

‘Look at China, with 1.5 billion people. India probably has more than that.

 And there are other nations in Southeast Asia... Indonesia... Pakistan... Bangladesh. 

It seems that the trends in development are gradually shifting in that direction.’

- Vladimir Putin

Paris, France - "America stands like a colossus on an increasingly slippery world. Last week, more grease was added. America’s landmark deal with Saudi Arabia expired. It was the deal made in the 1970s by Wall Street bond dealer extraordinaire, William Simon. In essence, it solved two problems at once - one for the US, the other for the Saudis. The US needed to export dollars. The Saudis needed to export oil. The agreement said that henceforth, if you wanted to buy Saudi oil, you had to pay in dollars. Then, the Saudis could immediately exchange them for US Treasury bonds.

But there was one other important point. The US would provide ‘security’ for the Saudi government. Presto! A ‘foreign entanglement’ of the sort the founding fathers warned against. TipRanks: "The petrodollar agreement, formalized after the 1973 oil crisis, stipulated that Saudi Arabia would price its oil exports exclusively in U.S. dollars and invest its surplus oil revenues in U.S. Treasury bonds. In return, the U.S. provided military support and protection to the kingdom. This arrangement was a win-win situation for both; the U.S. gained a stable source of oil and a  captive market for its debt, while Saudi Arabia secured its economic and overall security." 

The ‘deal’ was secret. The Saudis did not want the rest of the Arab world to know how closely they were working with Israel’s ally, the US. And even today, the ‘fact checkers’ say the deal was ‘fake news,’ that nothing formal ever existed which mandated the Saudis would sell oil only in dollar.

Formal or informal, the actual terms of the relationship have been away from the public for more than 40 years. But the sweetheart deal was part of the reason the US attacked Iraq rather than Saudi Arabia, following 9/11. The perps were almost all Saudis, not Iraqis. But Saudi Arabia was a major holder of US debt with a special status. That deal expired on June 9th, according to reports.

Decline of the West: Yesterday, we gave our opinion. The two leading candidates for the White House are equally unqualified for the job... but perfect for the mega-political challenge ahead. That is, we believe the ‘decline of the West’ began around the end of the 1990s. In 1999, you could have sold the 30 stocks in the Dow index and gotten enough money to buy 41 ounces of gold. Today, you’ll get only 17 ounces. In other words, the real value (measured in the gold) of America’s leading businesses has been more than cut in half. That’s a sign of decline. Not definitive... but suggestive.

In 1999, the US and its allies were on top of the world. The richest country in the world. The most admired. With the best technology. Coolest culture. The US had a balanced budget. And except for bombing the hell out of Serbia, it was more or less at peace. The Soviet Union had recently given up... leaving the West without a rival.

It was at that unlikely moment that America lost its footing. Elite firepower lobbyists took control of Congress. Balanced budgets and peace were soon things of the past... In 1999, the US owed $5.6 trillion. A lot of money. But still manageable. Now it owes $35 trillion. Much of this debt – a total of nearly $100 trillion, public and private – cannot be repaid. Instead, it and the fictitious wealth it represents will disappear as the credit cycle runs its course.

Nature is full of patterns. Once astride the world, a hegemon must find the hapless, hopeless leaders who will help it slide off. The US has found them. Neither Biden nor Trump will cut spending. Neither will withdraw from the role of global Alpha Nation. Neither wants to restrain the firepower industry or break the war mongers' grip on Congress.

How significant the end of the Saudi deal will be, in the near term, we don’t know. As a practical matter, the world's oil markets function in dollars. Both buyers and sellers have dollars and know that dollars are easily converted to any other asset they want. But the slippage is underway. Here’s this from Responsible Statecraft: "Global opinion of US goes down the toilet." "Dragged down in important part by disapproval over the U.S. position on the Gaza war, the popular image of the United States abroad has declined over the past year, according to a new poll of public opinion in 34 countries released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

The survey, the latest in an annual series that dates back more than two decades, also found that international confidence in U.S. democracy has fallen. A median of four in ten of the more than 40,000 respondents said U.S. democracy used to be a good model for other countries to follow but no longer is. That view was most pronounced in the ten European countries covered by the poll."

When you’ve got the gun in your hand, you don’t necessarily care what others think of you. But if the Top Gun, butt-kicking nation could remain in charge forever, we might be part of the Roman Empire, not the US empire. More to come..."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

Freely download "The Decline Of The West", by Oswald Spengler, here:

- https://dn790006.ca.archive.org

Dan, I Allegedly, "Are We Headed to World War 3?"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, AM 6/18/24

"Are We Headed to World War 3?"

"Are we on the brink of World War III? In today's video, we dive deep into the alarming news that has slipped under the radar. The National Defense Authorization Act has introduced a mandatory Selective Service registration for adults aged 18-26, including women, for the first time in over 50 years! What does this mean for our future? Are we headed towards a nuclear conflict? Join me as we unravel the chaos our politicians are leading us into and the potential consequences on our lives and our children's lives."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Scott Ritter: Israel is Losing this War and Iran will Destroy the IDF on All Fronts"

Dany Haiphong, 6/18/24

"Scott Ritter: Israel is Losing this War 

and Iran will Destroy the IDF on All Fronts" 

"Former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer and UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter analyzes Israel's grim future as regional forces begin to mount more pressure on the IDF to cease its gruesome war. What happens next may surprise you."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

OpenmindedThinker Show, 6/18/24

"Scott Ritter: 150,000 Lebanese Troops 

Prepares Biggest Surprise for Israel In July!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Adventures With Danno, "A Very Frustrating Trip To Meijer!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 6/18/24

"A Very Frustrating Trip To Meijer!"

"In today's vlog, we are at Meijer and are 

noticing some frustrating prices on groceries."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Travelling with Russell, 6/18/24

"Russian Typical (Dutch Owned) 

Supermarket: EUROSPAR"

"Join me on a tour of the Dutch owned Spar Supermarket in Moscow, Russia. 

Spar currently owns and operates 466 locations throughout the Russian Federation."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Alert! 'NATO Will Fly F-16s'; N. Korea Exploding! Israel Amassing Nukes; Iran Sending Troops"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 6/17/24

"Alert! 'NATO Will Fly F-16s'; N. Korea Exploding! 

Israel Amassing Nukes; Iran Sending Troops"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence"

Full screen recommended.

Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence"

1 Billion views, official release.

I've listened to this song 100 times, there's "something" here, 

you feel it, and if there are words for it I don't know them...

o

Full screen recommended.

Disturbed "The Sound Of Silence"

Singer David Draiman

147 Million views

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Is our Milky Way Galaxy this thin? Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the spiral galaxy's boxy, bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. 

An assortment of other background galaxies is included in the pretty field of view. Thought similar in shape to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 4565 lies about 40 million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.”

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210517.html

The Poet: David Whyte, "One Day"

"One Day"

"One day I will say

the gift I once had has been taken.

The place I have made for myself

belongs to another.

The words I have sung

are being sung by the ones

I would want.

Then I will be ready

for that voice

and the still silence in which it arrives.

And if my faith is good

then we'll meet again

on the road,

and we'll be thirsty,

and stop

and laugh

and drink together again

from the deep well of things as they are."

- David Whyte,

"Where Many Rivers Meet"

"The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful.

And in the end, the poem is not a thing we see -

it is, rather, a light by which we may see - and what we see is life."

- Robert Penn Warren

"A Time Capsule From The 1930s: What's Different Now"

"A Time Capsule From The 1930s: 

What's Different Now"

"If we compare health and endurance, well-being, security, general attitudes, family 

and community ties and values, we would conclude that it is we who are impoverished."

by Charles Hugh Smith

"We're taking care of my 92-year old mother-in-law here at home. She has the usual aches and pains and infirmities of advanced age but her mind and memory are still sharp. Her memories of her childhood are like a time capsule from the 1930s.

My mom-in-law has always lived in the same general community here in Hawaii. She's never lived more than about 10 miles from the house where she was born (long since torn down) in 1931. Listening to her memories (and asking for more details) is to be transported back to the 1930s, an era of widespread poverty unrelated to the Great Depression. Many people were poor before the Depression. They were working hard but their incomes were low.

Prior to the tourist boom initiated by statehood and affordable airfare, Hawaii's economy was classically colonial: large plantations owned by a handful of wealthy families and/or corporations (known as The Big Five) employed thousands of laborers to raise and harvest sugar cane and pineapple. Pearl Harbor, Hickam air base and Schofield Barracks were large military bases on Oahu. Travel between islands was expensive (ferries) and each island was largely self-sufficient. Even taking a bus for the 12-mile ride to the island's sole city was a rare luxury, an excursion that occurred a few times a year.

Plantation workers were not yet unionized in the 1930s, and wages were around $20 a month for backbreaking field labor - work performed by both men and women. Typical of first and second-generation immigrant communities of the time, families were generally large. Six or seven children was common and nine or ten children per family was not uncommon. Many families lived in modest plantation-provided camps of two bedroom houses.

Gardens were not a hobby, they were an essential source of food to feed a table of hungry kids and adults. Candy, snacks, sodas, etc. were treats rserved for special occasions and holidays. Kids usually went barefoot because shoes were outside the household's limited budget.

Staples were bought at the company store (or one of the few privately owned groceries) on credit and paid off when the plantation paid wages.

Credit issued by banks was unknown. Neighborhoods (kumiai) might pool a few dollars from each family every year and offer the sum to the highest secret bidder or by lottery. Those households that scraped up enough to open a small business often worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week (or equivalent: 14 hours 6 days a week).

Neighbors helped with births and deaths.

Since no one could even dream of owning a car, transport was limited. Children and adults walked or biked miles to school or work. Many sole proprietors made a living delivering vegetables, meat and fish around the neighborhoods. (This distribution system is still present in rural France where my brother and sister-in-law lived for many years). Each vendor would arrive on a set day / time and housewives could gather to buy from the proprietor's jitney or truck. Children could eye the few candies longingly, and if they were lucky, a few pennies would be given to them to buy a candy.

Locally baked bread was delivered by boys. Milk was delivered by small local dairies.

Nostalgia is a powerful force, but I don't think we can dismiss the general happiness of my Mom-in-law's childhood as airbrushed impoverishment. The poverty seems obvious to us now, but at the time it was normal life. Everyone was in the same general socio-economic class. The plantation manager lived in a mansion with servants, but those with wealth were few and far between. In other words, wealth and income inequality was extreme but the class structure was flat: the 99% had very similar incomes and opportunities - both were limited.

Employment was stable, community ties and values were strong without anyone even noticing, and everyone had enough to eat (though not as much as they might have wanted, of course).

This secure plantation structure of work and community was still firmly in place in 1969-1970 when I lived on the pineapple plantation of Lanai (and picked pineapple with my high school classmates in the summer), and so I was fortunate to experience it first-hand. My Lanai classmates speak fondly and with a sense of loss when they recall their youth. Life was secure and protected, and with unionization of the workforce, the wages sufficient enough for frugal households to save enough to send their children to college off-island.

I can personally attest that fond memories of 1970s plantation life are not distorted by nostalgia. These memories are accurate recollections of a far more secure, safe and nourishing place and time.

Compared to today, the typical 1930s diet was locally grown/raised and therefore rich in micro-nutrients. Grains such as rice and flour came from afar, but other than canned fish and similar goods, food was local and fresh. Little if any was wasted. People typically worked physically demanding jobs that burned a lot of calories.

There are many people 90+ years of age in our neighborhood. My Mom-in-law's brother - like many of the men in this age bracket, he was a World War II veteran of the famed 442nd unit -died last year at 96, despite smoking a half-pack of cigarettes daily until the end. A neighbor/friend just passed away at 99 (he was also a 442nd veteran). Our neighbor (cared for by her daughter and son-in-law, just like us) just turned 100. These people are generally healthy and active until the end of their lives.

If we look for causal factors in their advanced age and generally good health, we cannot ignore the high-quality, near-zero-processed foods diets of their youth and their strong foundations in community ties and values.

If we compare the financial and material wealth most enjoy today with the limited income and assets of the pre-war era, we would conclude they lived in extreme poverty and their lives must have been wretched as a consequence.

But if we compare health and endurance, well-being, security, general attitudes, family and community ties and values, we would conclude that it is we who are impoverished and it was their lives that were rich in these essentials of human life.

The world has changed since the 1930s, of course. Materially, our wealth and options of what to do with our lives are off the charts compared to the 1930s. But if we look at health, security, well-being, community ties, social cohesion and civic virtue, our era seems insecure, disordered and deranging.

The irony is that those who have grown weary of our divisive, rage-inducing socio-economic system yearn for all that's been lost in the rise to material wealth and opportunities to spend that wealth. Those who grasp the emptiness of spectacle and material wealth and who have the means to do so are seeking the few enclaves that still have a few shreds of community and social cohesion left.

These enclaves then get listed on "best small towns in America" or "best places in the world to retire" and the resulting influx of wealthy outsiders destroys the last remaining shreds of what everyone came for.

I recently harvested some of our homegrown green tomatoes, and my Mom-in-law gave me a handwritten recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes from her collection. The first ingredient was "two tablespoons of bacon drippings." Um, okay, if we were all working 10-hour days hauling 80-pound loads of sugar cane on our backs, no problem, but we're a household of three seniors, 69, 70 and 92. I think we'll substitute two teaspoons of olive oil for the bacon drippings..."

- http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/

- https://www.zerohedge.com

o

Full screen recommended.

"1930s USA - Fascinating Street Scenes of Vintage America"

"Step back in time with us as we unveil a mesmerizing journey through 1930s America like you've never seen before! While the Dustbowl was heating up in the southwest, the country as a whole was fighting through the Great Depression. All the while, Americans were living their day-to-day lives, and getting on as best as they could. 

In this captivating video, we've meticulously colorized a collection of stunning photographs that capture the essence of a tumultuous yet resilient period in American history. From bustling cityscapes to serene countryside vistas, witness the contrast between hardship and hope that defined an entire generation. Discover the intricate details of everyday life as we explore the highways and byways of the past, complete with corner gas stations, storefronts, and bustling city streets. Journey through snapshots of the stunning architecture that emerged during this era, from Art Deco skyscrapers to quaint suburban homes. Each frame is a window into a world where innovation and creativity thrived despite adversity. 

Join us on this mesmerizing visual journey, as we honor the legacy of the past and celebrate the indomitable spirit of the American people. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the 1930s in an entirely new light. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a lover of vintage aesthetics, or simply curious about the past, this video offers an immersive visual experience that will evoke a sense of nostalgia and leave you with a renewed appreciation for the beauty of the human experience."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "Car Payments Are Killing The Middle Class"

Jeremiah Babe, 6/17/24

"Car Payments Are Killing The Middle Class; 

Another Restaurant Is Done; US Faces Serious Threat"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"We're All Mad Here,,,"

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. 

"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."

- Lewis Carroll,

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Oh, I know, I know, some days...lol

The Daily "Near You?"

Cleburne, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

- Steve Jobs,

Commencement Speech, Stanford University, 2005

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true...

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called "The Whole Earth Catalog", which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of "The Whole Earth Catalog", and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

○

"Listen to me. We're here to make a dent in the universe.

Otherwise why even be here?"

- Steve Jobs