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Saturday, October 26, 2024

"Have We Ever Seen A Time When 4 Major Global Wars Are All Percolating Simultaneously?"

"Have We Ever Seen A Time When 4 Major Global Wars 
Are All Percolating Simultaneously?"
by Michael Snyder

"We have reached a moment in history that none of us will forget. We are literally standing on the precipice of the unthinkable, and most people don’t even realize it. Of course horrific wars have a way of erupting when most people are not expecting them. Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1914, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next four years. Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1939, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next six years. This time around, what is happening should be glaringly obvious to everyone. Personally, I have been specifically warning about what is taking place right now for more than a decade. If we do not change course, billions of precious souls could die during the nightmarish global wars that are rapidly approaching.

At this moment, most Americans have no idea that a war between the United States and China is coming. Just a few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping boldly talked about “preparation for war” as he was dressed in military fatigues…

"On Thursday Chinese Communist Dictator Xi Jinping commanded troops to strengthen their preparedness for war while visiting his People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force following last week’s drills of surrounding the sovereign country of Taiwan. “Xi said the military should ‘comprehensively strengthen training and preparation for war, (and) ensure troops have solid combat capabilities,’ CCTV reported,” according to the AFP and reported on Barrons Saturday."

Why would China need to prepare for war? Needless to say, nobody is planning to attack China. The truth is that the only reason that China would need to prepare for war is if it was planning to invade Taiwan. Because the moment that China invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will be at war.

In recent days, the Chinese have been getting very aggressive with Taiwan…"On Monday, Beijing had deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan - its fourth round of large-scale war games around the democratic island in just over two years. China’s communist leaders have insisted they will not rule out using force to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control."

Meanwhile, western leaders continue to publicly discuss sending NATO troops to Ukraine. The latest example of this came from the foreign minister of Lithuania…"The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement to Politico on Monday that European Union countries should return to the idea of putting boots-on-the-ground in Ukraine to fight Russia.

The idea comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that sending Western troops to Ukraine is not ‘ruled out’ for the future plans in war against Russia, according to the AP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shut down that plan for the time being however. “If information about Russia’s killing squads being equipped with North Korean ammunition and military personnel is confirmed, we have to get back to ‘boots on the ground’ and other ideas proposed by [French President] Emmanuel Macron,” he said in written comments, Politico reported on Monday."

One of the reasons why this has came up again is because there are reports that soldiers from North Korea are being equipped and sent to fight for Russia on the front lines of eastern Ukraine…"North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been shipped over for military training to be deployed in Ukraine. The North Korean troops are thought to be receiving training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, in what is thought to be a clear sign of the ever-warming relations between Moscow and Pyongyang." Both sides just continue to escalate matters.

It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a direct conflict with the Russians, and that is a really, really bad idea. North Korea has been making all sorts of noise lately. In addition to sending troops to fight in Ukraine, the North Koreans are also threatening to invade South Korea…"North Korea has said it had found the remnants of a South Korean military drone and that any further “violation” of its territory would result in a “declaration of war.” Tensions between the two sides of the peninsula have escalated since May when the North began flying balloons carrying garbage across the border to the South, prompting Seoul to respond by restarting loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.

This week, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang on three occasions this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. The North Korean military is vastly superior to the South Korean military. If North Korea invades, the only way that South Korea will survive is if we intervene."

But right now the U.S. military is focused on the Middle East, because that conflict could spiral completely out of control at any moment. On Sunday night, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that Israel would soon begin targeting any financial institutions that aid Hezbollah… “In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel,” he began. “In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activities. I emphasize here: Anyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately.

We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night. In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism.”

And it certainly did not take long for that to start happening. Last night, branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank were hit by Israeli airstrikes…"Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah. The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank."

Most people in the western world have absolutely no idea how chaotic things have become over there. It is being reported that there is “widespread panic” in Beirut at this moment…"Jeanine Hennis, the United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut. “A brief window to escape to safety. Intense blasts reverberate across the night sky. With each day, Lebanon suffers more. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be seized,” she said."

Could the U.S. soon find itself involved in 4 major global wars? Let’s hope not, because we are not even prepared to fight one… The US Army’s outgoing top commander in the Pacific region has warned that the US can “ill afford” another war because its military is vastly overstretched.

According to Defense One, Gen. Charles Flynn said that the US’ authoritarian rivals - Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea - had been placing increasing pressure on American military resources. Speaking at the AUSA conference in Washington DC last week, Flynn described the technology and military alliances between the authoritarian states as a “very dangerous combination.” The U.S. military is not the overwhelming global force that it once was. While other major powers have been feverishly preparing to fight World War III, our military has been rapidly becoming a politically correct joke. Now a day of reckoning is upon us, and we are not ready."

Dan, I Allegedly, "You Are About To Go To Jail"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 10/26/24
"You Are About To Go To Jail"
"Are you ready for a bombshell revelation? In today's video on IAllegedly, we're diving deep into the world of PPP fraud and why you're REALLY going to jail for it. The feds are cracking down, and those who lied about their payroll numbers are in for a rude awakening. From high-flying fraudsters to unsuspecting small business owners, nobody's safe if they played fast and loose with the rules."
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Canadian Prepper, "Alert! Israel's 100 Planes Attack Iran! China Conducts Doomsday EMP Test"

Canadian Prepper, 10/25/24
"Alert! Israel's 100 Planes Attack Iran! 
China Conducts Doomsday EMP Test"
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Full screen recommended.
Times of India, 10/26/24
"Israel In Panic, Sends Secret Message To Iran, 
Tel Aviv Braces For Tehran Retaliation"
"Israel sent a message to Iran prior to strikes on Tehran attack warning Islamic Republic against any retaliation to the IDF attack, Axios reported, citing sources. The message was sent through third parties and sought to prevent escalation after the attack. The U.S. believes Iran may hit Israel once again to avenge the weekend attack, Axios reported."
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Full screen recommended.
Times Of India, 10/26/24
"'What Attack?': Iran Mocks Israel For 'Weak Strike'; 
Calls Out IDF's '100 IDF Aircraft' Claim As Lie"
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Friday, October 25, 2024

"Larry C. Johnson & Andrei Martyanov: Israel Attacks Iran!"

Dialogue Works, 10/25/24
"Larry C. Johnson & Andrei Martyanov:
 Israel Attacks Iran!"
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"Ben Norton: Israel Attacks Iran, Putin Warns of WW3 as BRICS Crushes Dollar"

Danny Haiphong, 10/25/24
"Ben Norton: Israel Attacks Iran, 
Putin Warns of WW3 as BRICS Crushes Dollar"
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Redacted, "Col. Douglas Macgregor: Israel Is Destroying Itself And Millions Will Die"

Redacted, 10/25/24
"Col. Douglas Macgregor:
 Israel Is Destroying Itself And Millions Will Die"
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Jeremiah Babe, "Escaping California For The Deep South - The US Housing Market Is Extremely Overvalued"

Full screen recommended.
Jeremiah Babe, 10/25/24
"Escaping California For The Deep South - 
 The US Housing Market Is Extremely Overvalued"
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Musical Interlude: Disturbed "The Sound Of Silence"

Full screen recommended.
Official release.
Disturbed "The Sound Of Silence"
Singer: David Draiman
1,042,094,300  views.
Full screen recommended.
Conan O'Brian Show live performance.
Disturbed, "The Sound Of Silence" (Live)


Folks, there's "something" here, it touches your soul, what it is I can't say,
 but if there are words for it I don't know them, and can only stand in speechless awe...

"A Look to the Heavens"

“Point your telescope toward the high flying constellation Pegasus and you can find this expanse of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies. Centered on NGC 7814, the pretty field of view would almost be covered by a full moon. NGC 7814 is sometimes called the Little Sombrero for its resemblance to the brighter more famous M104, the Sombrero Galaxy.
Both Sombrero and Little Sombrero are spiral galaxies seen edge-on, and both have extensive central bulges cut by a thinner disk with dust lanes in silhouette. In fact, NGC 7814 is some 40 million light-years away and an estimated 60,000 light-years across. That actually makes the Little Sombrero about the same physical size as its better known namesake, appearing to be smaller and fainter only because it is farther away. A very faint dwarf galaxy, potentially a satellite of NGC 7814, is revealed in the deep exposure just below the Little Sombrero.”

"The Heaviest Burdens..."

 

The Poet: James Baldwin, "Amen"

"Amen"

 "No, I don't feel death coming.
I feel death going:
having thrown up his hands,
for the moment.
I feel like I know him
better than I did.
Those arms held me,
for a while,
and, when we meet again,
there will be that secret knowledge
between us." 

- James Baldwin

“Why Albert Einstein Thought We Were All Insane”

“Why Albert Einstein Thought We Were All Insane”
by Simon Black

“In the early summer of 1914, Albert Einstein was about to start a prestigious new job as Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. The position was a big deal for the 35-year old Einstein – confirmation that he was one of the leading scientific minds in the world. And he was excited about what he would be able to achieve there. But within weeks of Einstein’s arrival, the German government canceled plans for the Institute; World War I had broken out, and all of Europe was gearing up for one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history.

The impact of the Great War was immeasurable. It cost the lives of 20 million people. It bankrupted entire nations. The war ripped two major European powers off the map – the Austro Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire – and deposited them in the garbage can of history. Austria-Hungary in particular boasted the second largest land mass in Europe, the third highest population, and one of the biggest economies. Plus it was a leading manufacturer of high-tech machinery. Yet by the end of the war it would no longer exist.

World War I also played a major role in the emergence of communism in Russia through the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. Plus it was also a critical factor in the astonishing rise of the Nazi party in Germany. Without the Great War, Adolf Hitler would have been an obscure Austrian vagabond, and our world would be an entirely different place.

One of the most bizarre things about World War I was how predictable it was. Tensions had been building in Europe for years, and the threat of war was deemed so likely that most major governments invested heavily in detailed war plans. The most famous was Germany’s “Schlieffen Plan”, a military offensive strategy named after its architect, Count Alfred von Schlieffen. To describe the Schlieffen Plan as “comprehensive” is a massive understatement.

As AJP describes in his book "War by Timetable", the Schlieffen Plan called for rapidly moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the front lines, plus food, equipment, horses, munitions, and other critical supplies, all in a matter of DAYS. Tens of thousands of trains were criss-crossing Europe during the mobilization, and as you can imagine, all the trains had to run precisely on time. A train that was even a minute early or a minute late would cause a chain reaction to the rest of the plan, affecting the time tables of other trains and other troop movements. In short, there was no room for error.

In many respects the Schlieffen Plan is still with us to this day – not with regards to war, but for monetary policy. Like the German General Staff more than a century ago, modern central bankers concoct the most complicated, elaborate plans to engineer economic victory. Their success depends on being able to precisely control the [sometimes irrational] behavior of hundreds of millions of consumers, millions of businesses, dozens of foreign nations, and trillions of dollars of capital. And just like the obtusely complex war plans from 1914, central bank policy requires that all the trains run on time. There is no room for error.

This is nuts. Economies are comprised of billions of moving pieces that are beyond anyone’s control and often have competing interests. A government that’s $30 trillion in debt requires cheap money (i.e. low interest rates) to stay afloat. Yet low interest rates are severely punishing for savers, retirees, and pension funds (including Social Security) because they’re unable to generate a sufficient rate of return to meet their needs.

Low interest rates are great for capital intensive businesses that need to borrow money. But they also create dangerous asset bubbles and can eventually cause a painful rise in inflation. Raise interest rates too high, however, and it could bankrupt debtors and throw the economy into a tailspin. Like I said, there’s no room for error – they have to find the perfect balance between growth and inflation.

Several years ago hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio summed it up perfectly when he said, “It becomes more and more difficult to balance those things as time goes on. It may not be a problem in the next year or two, but the risk of not getting it right increases with time. The risk of them getting it wrong is clearly growing. I truly hope they don’t get it wrong. But if they ever do, people may finally look back and wonder how we could have been so foolish to hand total control of our economy over to an unelected committee of bureaucrats with a mediocre track record… and then expect them to get it right forever. It’s pretty insane when you think about it."

As Einstein quipped at the height of World War I in 1917, “What a pity we don’t live on Mars so that we could observe the futile activities of human beings only through a telescope…”
"It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone - that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows more than any man of, say, the Eighteenth Century, and is far more civilized. This assumption is quite erroneous. The great masses of men, even in this inspired republic, are precisely where the mob was at the dawn of history. They are ignorant, they are dishonest, they are cowardly, they are ignoble. They know little if anything that is worth knowing, and there is not the slightest sign of a natural desire among them to increase their knowledge."
- H. L. Mencken, 1929
Freely download "Ideas And Opinions", by Albert Einstein, here:

"How Easy It Seems..."

“A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of honor. Yet soon or late in every man’s life comes a day when it is not easy, a day when he must choose.”
- George R.R. Martin
o
“Life has no victims. There are no victims in this life. No one has the right to point fingers at his/her past and blame it for what he/she is today. We do not have the right to point our finger at someone else and blame that person for how we treat others, today. Don’t hide in the corner, pointing fingers at your past. Don’t sit under the table, talking about someone who has hurt you. Instead, stand up and face your past! Face your fears! Face your pain! And stomach it all! You may have to do so kicking and screaming and throwing fits and crying – but by all means – face it! This life makes no room for cowards.”
- C. Joybell C.

"Protect Your Money Now Because Banks Are Falling Apart All Around Us"

Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 10/25/24
"Protect Your Money Now Because Banks
 Are Falling Apart All Around Us"

"What if I told you that the banks you trust with your life savings are on the brink of collapse? Yes, right now, all around us, hundreds of big U.S. banks are falling apart, and your money is at risk. But there's a solution for those who want to safeguard their finances before the inevitable failure of these institutions. Today, I’m going to explain to you what's happening to the American banking system and show you how to protect your money before it’s too late.

We’ve all heard the whispers: another bank collapse, another bailout, another financial crisis looming. And with everything happening in the world right now - from inflation, to higher interest rates, to recession - it’s hard not to wonder: is my money safe in the bank? In the past year alone, we’ve seen many established financial institutions collapsing in the U.S. But what does this mean for you, and how can you take steps to secure your savings before things get worse? Stick with me, because by the end of this video, you’ll understand the depth of this crisis and know how to keep your money safe.
Comments here:
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Full screen recommended.
Michael Bordenaro, 10/25/24
Housing Market in Total Collapse! 
Inventory Up, Interest Rates Up!"
"The US housing market is in complete free fall as inventory continues to rise, mortgage rates continue to rise, buyer demand hit a 30 year low and inflation is roaring back to life.  This is literally the recipe for a housing crash brewing right before our eyes."
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"Trapping Wild Pigs"

"Trapping Wild Pigs"
by Jeff Thomas

"Most of us would like to assume that we’re smarter than pigs, but are we? Let’s have a look. Pigs are pretty intelligent mammals, and forest-dwelling wild pigs are known to be especially wily. However, there’s a traditional method for trapping them. First, find a small clearing in the forest and put some corn on the ground. After you leave, the pigs will find it. They’ll also return the next day to see if there’s more.

Replace the corn every day. Once they’ve become dependent on the free food, erect a section of fence down one side of the clearing. When they get used to the fence, they’ll begin to eat the corn again. Then you erect another side of the fence.Continue until you have all four sides of the fence up, with a gate in the final side. Then, when the pigs enter the pen to feed, you close the gate.

At first, the pigs will run around, trying to escape. But if you toss in more corn, they’ll eventually calm down and go back to eating. You can then smile at the herd of pigs you’ve caught and say to yourself that this is why humans are smarter than pigs. But unfortunately, that’s not always so. In fact, the description above is the essence of trapping humans into collectivism.

Collectivism begins when a government starts offering free stuff to the population. At first, it’s something simple like free education or food stamps for the poor. But soon, political leaders talk increasingly of "entitlements" – a wonderful concept that by its very name suggests that this is something that’s owed to you, and if other politicians don’t support the idea, then they’re denying you your rights.

Once the idea of free stuff has become the norm and, more importantly, when the populace has come to depend upon it as a significant part of their "diet," more free stuff is offered. It matters little whether the new entitlements are welfare, healthcare, free college, or a guaranteed basic wage. What’s important is that the herd come to rely on the entitlements. Then, it’s time to erect the fence.

Naturally, in order to expand the volume of free stuff, greater taxation will be required. And of course, some rights will have to be sacrificed. And just like the pigs, all that’s really necessary to get humans to comply is to make the increase in fencing gradual. People focus more on the corn than the fence. Once they’re substantially dependent, it’s time to shut the gate.

What this looks like in collectivism is that new restrictions come into play that restrict freedoms. You may be told that you cannot expatriate without paying a large penalty. You may be told that your bank deposit may be confiscated in an emergency situation. You may even be told that the government has the right to deny you the freedom to congregate, or even to go to work, for whatever trumped-up reason.

And of course, that’s the point at which the pigs run around, hoping to escape the new restrictions. But more entitlements are offered, and in the end, the entitlements are accepted as being more valuable than the freedom of self-determination.

Even at this point, most people will remain compliant. But there’s a final stage: The corn ration is "temporarily" cut due to fiscal problems. Then it’s cut again… and again. The freedoms are gone for good and the entitlements are then slowly removed. This is how it’s possible to begin with a very prosperous country, such as Argentina, Venezuela or the US, and convert it into an impoverished collectivist state. It’s a gradual process and the pattern plays out the same way time and again. It succeeds because human nature remains the same. Collectivism eventually degrades into uniform poverty for 95% of the population, with a small elite who live like kings.

After World War II, the Western world was flying high. There was tremendous prosperity and opportunity for everyone. The system was not totally free market, but enough so that anyone who wished to work hard and take responsibility for himself had the opportunity to prosper. But very early – in the 1960s – The Great Society became the byword for government-provided largesse for all those who were in need – free stuff for those who were disadvantaged in one way or another.

Most Americans, who were then flush with prosperity, were only too happy to share with those who were less fortunate. Unfortunately, they got suckered into the idea that, rather than give voluntarily on an individual basis, they’d entrust their government to become the distributor of largesse, and to pay for it through taxation. Big mistake. From that point on, all that was necessary was to keep redefining who was disadvantaged and to then provide more free stuff.

Few people were aware that the first sections of fence were being erected. But today, it may be easier to understand that the fence has been completed and the gate is closing. It may still be possible to make a hasty exit, but we shall find very few people dashing for the gate. After all, to expatriate to another country would mean leaving all that free stuff – all that security.

At this point, the idea of foraging in the forest looks doubtful. Those who have forgotten how to rely on themselves will understandably fear making an exit. They’ll not only have to change their dependency habits; they’ll have to think for themselves in future. But make no mistake about it – what we’re witnessing today in what was formerly the Free World is a transition into collectivism. It will be a combination of corporatism and socialism, with the remnants of capitalism. The overall will be collectivism.

The gate is closing, and as stated above, some members of the herd will cause a fuss as they watch the gate closing. There will be some confusion and civil unrest, but in the end, the great majority will settle down once again to their corn. Only a few will have both the insight and temerity necessary to make a dash for the gate as it’s now closing.

This was true in Argentina when the government was still generous with the largesse, and it was true in Venezuela when the entitlements were at their peak. It is now true of the US as the final transition into collectivism begins. Rather than make the dash for the gate, the great majority will instead look down at their feed and say, "This is still the best country in the world," and continue eating the corn."

The Daily "Near You?"

Padua, Veneto, Italy. Thanks for stopping by!

Judge Napolitano, "INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern: Weekly Wrap-Up"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/25/24
"INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern: 
Weekly Wrap-Up"
Comments here:

Dan, I Allegedly, "You Will Live On Less"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, AM 10/25/24
"You Will Live On Less"
"Today we're diving into the scary reality of paycheck to paycheck living, even among those earning over $150K a year. I'm Dan, and it's a wild ride as we explore how the economy is impacting our wallets. From Bank of America’s revealing study to the downfall of Denny’s, we're uncovering the harsh truths that many are facing. Please join our email list for more insights and updates! With businesses cutting back, like a coffee company leaning on AI to slash employee hours, everyone’s feeling the pinch. Even Denny's isn't safe, closing numerous locations due to skyrocketing costs. Can you believe a BLT now costs $18?"
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Travelling with Russell, "I Visited the World Famous Russian Children's Railway"

Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell, 10/25/24
"I Visited the World Famous Russian Children's Railway"
"The Moscow Children's Railway is an education organization of the Moscow Railway. It is designed to teach children ages 12-17 all aspects of railway operation. The railway is operated solely by children, with every job fulfilled independently to run the railway."
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Travelling with Russell, "60 Seconds In Russia"

"The Endless Pursuit of Truth"

 "The Endless Pursuit of Truth"
 by Mark Manson

"Each week, I send you three potentially life-changing ideas to help you be a slightly less awful human being. This week, we’re talking about: 1) why we need philosophy today more than ever, 2) the civilizational struggle of fact versus fiction, and 3) setting thresholds of certainty. Let’s get into it. 

1. Why we all need philosophy – My dear intrepid reader, I have a confession to make. Last week… I got triggered by something I read on the internet. I know, I know… it’s shocking. You would think the opinions of strangers on the internet would be delightful to read. But alas, I was accosted by stupidity and malice on a scale previously unimagined by my virgin mind.

What did this hideous brute say? What did I find so upsetting that I now find it necessary to seek solace and comfort in you, my dear reader? Some nitwit wrote a thing saying that philosophy is stupid and a complete waste of time. HOW DARE HE?!?!

I threw my headphones off in a rage. This lout! This brute! I will have my vengeance… I began to pace in my room, stroking my neckbeard. This wrong must be righted, I thought, and not just for me and my precious sensibilities, but for the good of the downtrodden and vulnerable, for the benefit of humanity - for the world! Yes, this malignant force shall be excised from the minds of feeble men. I alone shall be the stalwart savior. I alone shall be the beacon of all that is good. And I will do it… by posting a comment on Facebook. 

Well, you and I know both how Facebook comments go. They reside somewhere between the eighth and ninth circles of hell - a form of masochism reserved for only the truly loathsome. As I wrote, my arguments bled into more points, and then more points. Soon, I found myself spending hours reviewing books I hadn’t read in years, looking for quotes, passages, and citations - any evidence of this pernicious being’s moral failings. 

Eventually, the Comments to End All Comments grew to such a staggering size, it began to teeter under its own weight (that and Facebook has a character limit). I quickly decided to move my treatise to a Word document and continued my crusade. Days passed. Sources piled up. Inappropriate jokes about birthday cakes and sticks of butter magically appeared. And when the dust settled, I was staring down more than 35 pages of linguistic thicket and bramble.  “Nobody’s going to read all of this sh*t,” I said to myself. Yes, friends, I had gone overboard.

Over more days of effort, I chopped about 10 pages and consolidated my ideas into a more easily digestible, multi-part article. And today I proudly present to you the fruit of my labors, the result of my epic struggle against Some Guy On Facebook Who Is Really Wrong But Doesn’t Know It Yet—a most complete summation of all the reasons philosophy is awesome and you should totally read it and stuff… Behold, I give you… "Read: Why We All Need Philosophy"

The main thrust of the article is that the goal of philosophy is to develop tools that can help discern truth and reality. In many ways it has become more difficult to decipher fact from fiction today than ever before. Which brings me to a theory/idea I’ve been playing around with in my head for a while… 

2. The new polarization of fact and fiction – In 1789, at the onset of the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly was called where leaders from all across France would meet with King Louis XVI to determine the fate of the country. 

As the assemblymen streamed in, the monarchists who supported the king congregated on the right side of the chamber, where the nobility had traditionally sat in previous eras, to signal their loyalty to the king. Those who desired revolution, wanting to separate themselves as much as possible and make their dissent known, all sat on the left side of the chamber. The two sides soon began referring to each other simply as “the right” and “the left.” The names stuck. 

It’s shifted over the centuries, but typically people “on the right” value structure, order, and tradition, while people “on the left” value equality, personal expression, and change. Most people see this political spectrum as linear and one-dimensional - you’re either on one side or the other (e.g., “you’re with us or against us.”) 

But there is a lesser-known “horseshoe theory” in political science, where the political spectrum actually curves so that the extreme-right and extreme-left end up closer to each other than they do to moderates or centrists in the middle. 

The argument goes that the extremes of each side of the political spectrum generally support more authoritarian states if it means accomplishing their goals. They are both willing to suppress civil liberties, especially of their enemies. They’re both likely to see the world in stark (and often similar) us/them dichotomies. And historically, the extreme right and left have found themselves cooperating for short periods of time to overthrow the status quo. 

In the 1970s, the psychologist Hans Eysenck proposed a similar theory that the political spectrum is not uni-dimensional, but rather two dimensional. People exist on the typical right vs left spectrum, but also an authoritarian vs libertarian spectrum. (You can take a version of this test online to see where you are.) 

Historically, the difference between extremism and centrism has been people’s openness to compromise. Radical Bob and Moderate Jane would both watch the same news channel and get the same information, but Radical Bob refuses to consider other viewpoints whereas Moderate Jane understands that she is biased by her own interests and other people have legitimate views as well. 

But today, something else is going on, this second polarity seems to have shifted… I attended a talk (on Zoom) a few months ago given by a former official from the US State Department and he said something that kind of blew my mind and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since:  “The strategic challenge for every nation in the 21st century is the ability of its people to determine fact from fiction.”

He went on to explain that much of the “cold war” style tactics used by the US, Russia, China, and others, is not about overt displays of military power. It’s more about introducing information that disrupts the cultural status quo in each others’ societies. This is done to generate internal instability and political parties within each country have begun to do this as a means for power as well. 

As a result, I think the 21st-century version of the horseshoe theory could become slightly different from previous eras. Whereas in generations past, the difference between extremists and moderates was the willingness to compromise, today there is a new polarization between those who doggedly pursue facts over fiction regardless of the political implications of those facts and those who only adhere to narratives that fit their political interests, regardless of whether they are true or not. 

To put it another way, in the 20th century, Radical Bob and Moderate Jane were exposed to the same information - they watched the same news channels, read the same articles, and believed the same facts. Radical Bob was simply unwilling to compromise on his interpretation of the facts whereas Moderate Jane was. 

Today, Radical Bob and Moderate Jane don’t even consume the same information. Radical Bob has limited himself to a steady diet of narratives that reinforce his prior convictions and bolster his political aims. Moderate Jane spends most of her time wading through piles of bullshit to hopefully find something that seems reliable and true. 

Each exists in their own world, oblivious to the narratives that define the others’ world. Compromise becomes impossible not just because of Radical Bob’s entrenchment, but because there is no common ground on which to disagree on in the first place. 

3. Thresholds of certainty – If I had to nominate one historical figure who would absolutely dominate Twitter, it would be Nietzsche. In researching the philosophy article, I got to revisit a lot of his work and it’s always a joy. That dude could pack more meaning into fewer words than almost anyone else I’ve ever come across. For example, check this one out: 

“It is not doubt but certainty that drives you mad.”

Goddamn. You could just sit and let that one marinate in your head for hours.  Anyway, given the article and email and crazy times we live in, I have been doing a lot of thinking about doubt and certainty and truth the past week. 

We traditionally see truth as a binary thing. Either it is or it isn’t. True or false.  But given the flood of epistemic uncertainty introduced by the information age, I think that maybe we should think about truth in terms of thresholds of certainty. It’s like a spectrum of how likely a thing is to be true and the further an idea gets up the spectrum the more committed you become to it. The further it slides down the spectrum, the more willing you are to let go and allow it to be wrong. 

For example, my little theory about politics above, I’d file that under “theoretically plausible” - it’s a fun thing to think about and loosely reflects reality but you probably wouldn’t want to bet your life on it. 

Other ideas that have a lot of research behind them but remain theories, you’d move them up to “probably true,” and things that have been around for generations and have a lot of rock-solid evidence, you’d categorize as, “almost certainly true.” 

Then, at the tippy top of the spectrum, you get stuff like gravity and the laws of thermodynamics, the fact that your mom had sex with your dad at some point, and all the other stuff that it’s inconceivable as to how they could not be true. 

Generally, we’re good at moving up the scale of certainty, we’re good at taking something we think might be true and then accepting that it’s probably true. But we’re really bad at coming down the scale of certainty. We suck at taking things that we’re sure are true and admitting that they might not be. In fact, we often do the opposite: we double down on them as if to prove to ourselves we were right all along. And that’s when the trouble starts. 

Nietzsche is right that it’s not flexibility of thought but rigidity of thought that causes irrationality and stupidity. Therefore, changing your mind should be something admirable, not embarrassing. It should be seen as a success and not a failure. It should be celebrated, not ridiculed. 

This is something I’d like to institute into the newsletter at some point soon: once or twice a year, I share things that I’ve recently changed my mind about, and why. Maybe I’ll crowdsource things that you guys have changed your minds about and share those as well. Then we’ll all drink some cheap tequila and eat birthday cake and celebrate the necessary-yet-impossible pursuit of truth. It’ll be fun. Until next week..."

"How It Really Is"

 

"I Believe..."

Mark Twain, "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."

Gregory Mannarino, "Time Is Running Out Before The Selection, And This Is What You Need To Know"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 10/25/24
"Time Is Running Out Before The Selection, 
And This Is What You Need To Know"
Comments here:

"The Middle East: War"

Dialogue Works, 10/25/24
Larry C. Johnson, "Israel Facing Total Collapse: 
Crushed by Iran/Hezbollah's Unstoppable Force!"
Comments here:
o
Dialogue Works, 10/25/24
Dmitry Orlov, "Israel is Falling Fast - China, Russia, 
and Iran Gear Up for a Showdown with the US!"
Comments here:

Jim Kunstler, "Fever Dream"

"Fever Dream"

by Jim Kunstler

“The American 'Left' is fully exposed now as a demented,

 vicious, abusive animal of traumatizing narcissism.” 

- Celia Farber


"Do you hear that lonesome whistle blow? Wooooo-wooooo! It’s the last train to Palookaville pulling into the station. At this late hour, two passengers get on: Kamala Harris, mom jeans and blazer, rheumy red eyes, half-gone on chardonnay...and an elderly gentleman with a goatee in a colorful but shabby red-white-and-blue suit, famous long ago as “Uncle Sam.”

There’s an election on, in case you haven’t noticed, imminent even. Kamala, everyone seems to agree, has blown it. Can’t answer simple questions pitched by friendly ringers in the “news” business. Hiding somebody else’s agenda is a tough assignment, you see. All she can really do is cackle or simper and, let’s face it, that gets humiliating fast. Joy has turned to despair. Her punched ticket says “one way.”

Whose idea was it, anyway, over at party HQ, to put her up to this contest? She wishes she knew, as she gazes out the window at the sad lights of the little towns streaking by - East Chugwater, Erehwon, Tanktown, Loserville, onward into the night to the end of the line. How’d they manage to yank her out of the comfort of the Naval Observatory, where she was comfy and cozy watching Netflix rom-coms with Doug, chardonnay refills on-demand, all the Doritos a gal could munch. She was a lover, not a fighter, she repeats to herself, but the self-consolation doesn’t quite avail.

Uncle Sam sits stoically five seats behind her. He is resigned, knowing very well why he is on that train, too. His own country is sending him into exile after swindling him out of his history and his posterity. He doesn’t even recognize the place anymore. What happened to Sandberg’s city of big shoulders? Who turned the fruited plain into a hellscape of muffler shops? How did the heroes of Iwo Jima transition into a legion of TikTok influencers with pierced faces and scrambled brains? When the train gets in, he has no place to go. Perhaps he’ll sleep in a ditch.

You entertain these drear hallucinatory conceits despite the giddiness about Donald Trump’s seeming triumph over adversity - botched assassinations, court cases hatched by malice-crazed ninnies, blob-generated calumnies, conspiracies, ops, and hoaxes galore. And for Halloween, they painted a Hitler mustache on him, just for fun. It remains to be seen what marvels of ballot legerdemain have been concocted by Marc Elias, Esq, lawfare artist supreme, destroyer of the nation’s faith in itself.

But say Mr. Trump overcomes even the planned epic voter fraud to capture the prize. What then? You’re entitled to feel nervous. The army, under Department of Defense directive 5240.01 has just been licensed to gun you down. This is a new thing. Now isn’t is it a queer moment in history for a move like that? What are they expecting, anyway? And, by the way, who exactly is the varlet in the chain-of-command who issued that directive? (Or did it just bubble-up out of the ruling blob like some sulfurous gas from a Yellowstone fumarole?)

People of good faith have reason to believe that the country is about to be blown apart. By another odd coincidence, an outfit called the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA) has scheduled an “exercise simulating a cyber-attack on critical infrastructure” for November 5 in Atlanta, Georgia. That’s election day. In a big swing state. Whose idea was that? Is there already not enough that might go wrong that some treasonous moron had to kick the risk of fiasco up another notch? Or might it be cover for another Three Card Monte caper with the Georgia votes? This is the sort of thing that will dog poor old Uncle Sam’s mind as he tries to fall asleep in that drainage ditch on the ragged edge of Palookaville.

Or perhaps what we’re witnessing is a fabulous bit of what George W. Bush once called “strategery” by the Party of Chaos. Five minutes after Mr. Trump gets elected, a certain unseen hand flips a little toggle somewhere in the banking system that tanks the economy so hard and fast that 2025 will make the Great Depression of the 1930s look like a Hamptons clam bake...for the next four years we become a land with no money and no way to generate money...and MAGA/MAHA is left to suck eggs in the cold and dark until 2028 when the Democratic Party returns in full Maoist mode, riding in on a unicorn cavalry to rescue us... Nah...They just blew it.

So, more likely, we’re seeing the suicide of the Democratic Party. Even CNN is starting to back away from them, as from a convocation of lepers. They can smell the odor of necrosis. Plus, their own instinct for survival has kicked in. They have a business to run. They want to be around to cover the treason trial of Alejandro Mayorkas - a sure thing to jack those sagging ratings back up. Maybe even Kamala Harris will be called out of retirement to testify and we’ll find out just what was going on in the White House in the summer of 2024, when “Joe Biden” - remember him? - was rattling around the joint like a BB in a packing crate, howling for his ice cream, and no one was around anymore to hear him."