Running 'Cause I Can't Fly 2

Friday, December 11, 2020

"Market Fantasy Updates PM 12/11/20"

"Market Fantasy Updates PM 12/11/20"

Down the rabbit hole of psychopathic greed and insanity...

Only the consequences are real - to you!

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Gregory Mannarino, PM 12/11/20:

"Situation Critical!

Central Banks Are Literally Buying It All"

- https://traderschoice.net/

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"48% Of U.S. Small Businesses Fear That They

May Be Forced To 'Shut Down Permanently' Soon"

Excerpt: "What would the United States look like if we lost half of our small businesses? The reason I ask that question is because approximately half of all small business owners in the entire country believe that they may soon be forced to close down for good. Not even during the Great Depression of the 1930s did we see anything like this. The big corporate giants with extremely deep pockets will be able to easily weather another round of lockdowns, but for countless small businesses this is literally a matter of life and death. Every day we are seeing new restrictions being implemented somewhere in the nation, and the politicians that are doing this are killing the hopes and dreams of countless small business owners. According to a recent Alignable survey, 48 percent of U.S. small business owners fear that they could be forced to “shut down permanently” in the very near future: "Based on this week’s Alignable Q4 Revenue Poll of 9,201 small business owners, 48% could shut down permanently before year’s end."

Please view this complete article here:

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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"The more I see of the monied classes,

the better I understand the guillotine."

- George Bernard Shaw

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Updated live.

- https://www.marketwatch.com/tools/marketsummary

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- https://markets.businessinsider.com/

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

FRIDAY, DEC 11, 2020 - 17:00: "An Ominous Sign: Americans Have Begun Stealing Food To Survive"

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- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

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Daily Update (Dec. 10th to 11th)

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

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Insanity...

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And now... The End Game...

"If It’s Bread and Circuses the People Want…"

"If It’s Bread and Circuses the People Want…"

By Bill Bonner

"Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt."

- Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, in English "Juvenal"

WEST RIVER, MARYLAND – "This week, we’ve seen that real science… with its doubts and limitations… is easily brushed aside in favor of fake science. “The science” allows people to “know” things they can’t possibly know… or believe things that aren’t true… And – much like religion before it lost favor – it’s used by the elite to bludgeon the masses and keep them in their place.

Fantasyland: Nowhere is this more in evidence than in “economic science,” where, ex cathedra, smart people give themselves up to fantasies that even a child can see are nonsense. One of those fantasies took center stage in the news cycle this week – another bailout. It is the idea that you can help a starving man by giving him Styrofoam cookies.

The feds have no real money. All they have is fake money, which, even in the best of times, distorts crucial price signals, lowers real savings rates, reduces long-term investment, and undermines the health of the economy. There’s never been a case in history where an economy has been helped by it. But, heck, the Federal Reserve has more than 400 Ph.D. economists on staff. Those guys must know what they’re doing, right?

In Agreement: Alas, this week, the bailout bosses flubbed their lines. The Democrats wanted more money. The Republicans wanted less. This was bad news for the voters. If there’s anything Democrat and Republican voters can agree on, it’s this: They all want a bailout. Here’s Newsweek: "The vast majority of Republican and Democrat voters want a second stimulus bill to be approved by the end of this year, with millions of Americans facing unemployment and the threat of deep rent arrears.

A new poll from Data for Progress and Vox found that 81 percent of all voters either strongly or “somewhat” agreed that Congress needed to pass another COVID-19 relief bill before the end of the year. By comparison, 11 percent of polled voters said they disagreed that a fresh stimulus bill needed to be passed in the coming weeks. A further 9 percent told pollsters they didn’t know how they felt."

Yes, if there’s one thing that now unites left and right, blue and red, it’s that they all want more of each other’s money. What other possible source is there? Every dollar is now in someone’s hands. If it goes to Paul, it must have come from Peter. Which just goes to show how low the Great Republic has sunk… to the point where four out of five voters are craven mooches, ready to live at someone else’s expense.

But the quacks tell us that they have some magic… some knowledge that surpasseth human understanding… that makes it possible to conjure up wealth – out of nowhere. “Don’t worry about Peter,” they say. “Paul neither. This money is free!”

Free-Money Habit: Many of the feds’ giveaway programs are scheduled to come to an end at the end of the month. People will have to begin paying their rent, for example. But they’ve gotten used to the free money. They think the feds have their backs. Like stock market investors, they expect a “bailout” when it is needed. What a mess it would be if the bailouts didn’t come! Stock prices would fall – probably by half – and not come back. And the proletariat – some of whose members are still enjoying more money from unemployment than they were getting when they were on the job – would have to go back to work fast.

Damaging Rescue: This week, too, we saw what happened when the feds didn’t come to the rescue. In the 1921 depression, they more or less let people figure it out themselves. So the U.S. economy quickly shucked its weak businesses, its obsolete industries, and its bad investments. Within 24 months, it was thriving again.

By comparison, the feds’ rescue after the 2008-2009 mortgage finance crisis boosted stock prices and made the rich richer. But manufacturing – the backbone of the working class economy – never recovered. And the bailouts added some $20 trillion in new debt – to households, businesses, and the government – which now makes a vigorous recovery almost impossible.

Hard at Work: Over the last 11 years, those Ph.D.s at the Fed have been hard at work. Using tools that had never been fully operational – such as quantitative easing (QE) – they were able to do more stimulating than ever before. They quintupled the nation’s monetary foundation – the Fed balance sheet.

They took their key interest rate – which they charge member banks when they lend them money – down to zero. In real terms, it stayed there for more than a decade.

They bailed out Wall Street so well that the Dow went from a low of 6,547 in March 2009 to over 30,000 this year.

And yet, in terms of what it did for Main Street and the typical working family – measured by GDP growth – the bailout was a flop. All that stimulus produced the weakest recovery since World War II.

Bread and Circus: What is clear to us from this experience is that “stimulus” measures are a fraud. The “science” behind them is quackery. The theory is preposterous. In practice, stimulus never works. And, in the end, both Peter and Paul are going to be robbed by inflation. But no matter… if it’s bread and circuses the people want… bread and circuses they will get. They have been trained to expect a clownish – but bountiful – government. Now, they depend on it. If the political impasse continues, we will most likely see a panic – either on Main Street or Wall Street. Maybe both. Then… bring out the Styrofoam cookies!"

"Regards,"

- www.rogueeconomics.com

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"Covid-19 Pandemic Updates 12/11/20"

"Covid-19 Pandemic Updates 12/11/20"

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

DEC 11, 2020 - 14:36: "Cuomo Closes Indoor Dining In NYC; US Covid Deaths Top 300K: Live Updates"

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Dec. 11, 2020

Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Global Outbreak
Dec. 11, 2020 2:10 PM ET:

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 69,995,000

people, according to official counts, including 15,815,949 Americans.

At least 1,589,400 have died.

Dec. 11, 2020 2:10 PM ET:

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

- www.nytimes.com

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"The COVID Tracking Project"

Every day, our volunteers compile the latest numbers on tests, cases,

hospitalizations, and patient outcomes from every US state and territory.

- https://covidtracking.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, “Deep Still Blue”

2002, “Deep Still Blue”

"A Look to the Heavens"

"A gorgeous spiral galaxy some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core.

Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's recent supernova and Cepheid variable stars contribute to the calibration of the expansion of the Universe. Still, after you get over this beautiful galaxy's grand design, check out the array of more distant background galaxies also recorded in this sharp, reprocessed, Hubble Space Telescope view.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130116.html

"The Future..."

"Understanding Texas vs. Pennsylvania:

Who's Involved? What's At Stake? How Might It Play Out?"

"The Dead Man Who Wore Pajamas "

"The Dead Man Who Wore Pajamas"

by Paulo Coelho

"I remember reading a piece of news on the Internet that a man was found dead in Tokyo on 10 June 2004, dressed in his pajamas. So what? I imagine that most people who die wearing their pajamas either a) died in their sleep, which is a blessing, or b) were in the company of their relatives or on a hospital bed, death did not come quickly, so they all had time to grow used to the undesirable one, as Brazilian poet Manuel Bandeira called it. The news goes on: when he died, he was in his room. So, the hospital hypothesis is out and we are left with just the possibility that he died in his sleep, without suffering any, without even realizing that he would not see the light of day. But there is still another possibility: assault followed by death.

Those who have visited Tokyo know that the gigantic city is at the same time one of the safest places in the world. I remember once stopping to eat with my editors before taking a trip to the interior of Japan all our suitcases were in sight on the rear seat of the car. Immediately I said that it was very dangerous, someone was sure to come along, see all those bags and make off with our clothes, documents and so on. My editor just smiled and told me not to worry, he knew of no such incident in all his long years of life (in fact, nothing happened to our suitcases, although I kept tense all through dinner).

But to return to our dead man in pajamas: there was no sign of struggle, violence or anything of the sort. In an interview, a Metropolitan Police officer stated that it was almost certainly a case of a sudden heart attack. So the hypothesis of homicide was also eliminated. The body had been found by workers of a construction company on the second floor of a building in a housing complex that was about to be torn down. Everything led to the idea that the dead man in the pajamas, unable to find anywhere to live in one of the most densely and expensive cities in the world, had simply decided to settle where he did not have to pay any rent.

And now for the tragic part of the story: our dead man was only a skeleton dressed in pajamas. At his side was an open newspaper dated 20 February 1984; a calendar on the table nearby gave the same date. In other words, he had been there for twenty years. And nobody had noticed his absence.The man was identified as a former employee of the company that had built the housing complex, where he had moved to in the early 80s soon after his divorce. He was just over fifty years on the day that all of a sudden, reading the newspaper, he left this world.

His ex-wife never sought for him. It was discovered that the company where he worked had gone bankrupt right after the building had been finished, since no apartment was sold, and so they did not find it odd that the man never turned up for his daily activities. His friends were looked up, and they put his disappearance down to the fact that he had borrowed some money and could not pay it back.

The news ends informing us that the mortal remains were delivered to the ex-wife. I finished reading the article and wondered at the last sentence: the ex-wife was still alive, and for twenty years had not even looked up her husband. What must have gone through her head? That he no longer loved her, that he had decided to remove her for ever from his life? That he had met another woman and disappeared without a trace? That life is like that, once the divorce procedures are over there is no point in carrying on a relationship that has been legally terminated. I imagine what she must have felt upon finding out the fate of the man with whom she had shared a good part of her life.

Then I thought of the dead man in his pajamas, of solitude so utter and abysmal that for twenty years nobody in this whole wide world had realized that he had simply disappeared without leaving a trace. And my conclusion is that worse than feeling hunger and thirst, worse than being jobless, suffering for love, in despair over some defeat, worse than all this is to feel that nobody, absolutely nobody in this world, cares for us. Let us at this moment say a quiet prayer for this man and let us offer him our thanks for making us reflect on how important our friends are."

- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/

The Poet: Henry Austin Dobson, "The Paradox Of Time"

“The Paradox Of Time”

“Time goes, you say? Ah no!

Alas, Time stays, we go;

Or else, were this not so,

What need to chain the hours,

For Youth were always ours?

Time goes, you say? – ah no!

Ours is the eyes’ deceit

Of men whose flying feet

Lead through some landscape low;

We pass, and think we see

The earth’s fixed surface flee -

Alas, Time stays, – we go!

Once in the days of old,

Your locks were curling gold,

And mine had shamed the crow.

Now, in the self-same stage,

We’ve reached the silver age;

Time goes, you say? – ah no!

Once, when my voice was strong,

I filled the woods with song

To praise your ‘rose’ and ‘snow’;

My bird, that sang, is dead;

Where are your roses fled?

Alas, Time stays, – we go!

See, in what traversed ways,

What backward Fate delays

The hopes we used to know;

Where are our old desires?

Ah, where those vanished fires?

Time goes, you say? – ah no!

How far, how far, O Sweet,

The past behind our feet

Lies in the even-glow!

Now, on the forward way,

Let us fold hands, and pray;

Alas, Time stays, – we go!”

- Henry Austin Dobson

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“Time passes in moments. Moments which, rushing past, define the path of a life, just as surely as they lead towards its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen? To consider whether the path we take in life is our own making, or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed? But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path?”

- Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, “The X-Files”

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The Alan Parsons Project, "Time"

"Do You Believe..."

“Do you believe,’ said Candide, ‘that men have always massacred each other as they do today, that they have always been liars, cheats, traitors, ingrates, brigands, idiots, thieves, scoundrels, gluttons, drunkards, misers, envious, ambitious, bloody-minded, calumniators, debauchees, fanatics, hypocrites, and fools?”

“Do you believe,” said Martin, “that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them?”

- Voltaire

The Daily "Near You?"

Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"I Know..."

“I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs. Never let hatred, fear, and ignorance get the best of you. Keep bettering yourself so you can make the world around you better, for nothing can improve without the brightest, bravest, kindest, and most imaginative individuals rising above the chaos.”

- Cat Winters

Timely Repost: "Trump at the Rubicon: The Insurrection Act"

"Trump at the Rubicon: The Insurrection Act"

by Alexander Macris

"In the closing days of 50 BC, the Roman Senate declared that Julius Caesar’s term as a provincial governor was finished. Roman law afforded its magistrates immunity to prosecution, but this immunity would end with Caesar’s term. As the leader of the populares faction, Caesar had many enemies among the elite optimates, and as soon as he left office, these enemies planned to bury him in litigation. Caesar knew he would lose everything: property, liberty, even his life.

Caesar decided it was better to fight for victory than accept certain defeat. In January 49 BC, he crossed the Rubicon River with his army, in violation of sacred Roman law, and began a civil war. “Alea iacta est,” said Caesar: The die is cast.

In the closing days of 2020 AD, the American media has declared that Donald Trump’s term as president is finished. As the leader of the deplorables faction, Trump has many enemies among the elite irates, and as soon as he leaves office, these enemies plan to bury him in litigation. Bill Pascrell, the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Oversight, has officially called for the prosecution of President Trump for “government crimes” following his term in office. In his thirst for vengeance, Pascrell has made it clear there will be no Nixonian escape by pardon: "Donald Trump, along with his worst enablers, must be tried for their crimes against our nation and Constitution. Any further abuse of the sacred pardon power to shield criminals would itself be obstruction of justice, and any self-pardons would be illegal."

Like Caesar, Trump now must fight for victory or lose everything. Come January 2021, will Donald Trump decide to cast the die and cross the Rubicon? He might. The same people who warned us that Trump is worse than Hitler will now scoff: “Donald Trump is no Caesar!” That’s true. Trump is in a much better position than Caesar was. Unlike Caesar, Trump can cross the Rubicon legally. He need violate no sacred law. He has all of the legal power he needs to act and win. Congress has given it to him. All he needs to do is invoke the Insurrection Act.

Invoking the Insurrection Act: During the 2020 summer protests and riots, commentators on both the Left and Right argued about whether Trump would use the so-called Insurrection Act against the crowds. Strangely, no one seems to be considering the fact that Trump could use it now.

The history of the Insurrection Act dates back all the way to 1797, and the legislative record is so long and tortured that it’s woeful to contemplate. Suffice to say that in the 21st century, the Insurrection Act has been pleasantly re-titled “The Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act” and codified in four sections of the US Code:

• 10 USC § 251 Federal Aid for State Governments

• 10 USC § 252 Use of Militia and Armed Forces to Enforce Federal Authority

• 10 USC § 253 Interference with State and Federal Law

• 10 USC § 254 Proclamation to Disperse

Of the four provisions, the most recent and the most powerful is 10 USC § 253, which was written in 2006. This is the one that liberal pundits always forget to mention when they blab about Posse Comitatus and governors. It reads: "The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.

That’s powerful language! Consider: The authority is vested solely in the President. He does not need the invitation of state governors to intervene, nor does he need the approval of the Supreme Court. Older provisions of the Insurrection Act required either a governor or a judicial proceeding to authorize its use, but these limits were purposefully removed by Congress in § 253.

There is no time limit on the President’s activities. Older versions of the Insurrection Act limited the use of force to brief periods of time and then required legislative approval. Those limits, too, are also gone.

The President is allowed to use any means that he (and again, he needs no one else) considers necessary. This includes using the armed forces (which enables him to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act) and using the militia (which we’ll discuss in more detail below).

The President’s ability to use force isn’t restricted to actual rebellion or insurgency. He can act against merely unlawful combinations and conspiracies. To be clear: If the President decides that a conspiracy has deprived people of a right and believes that authorities fail or refuse to protect the right, he can send in the troops.

In blunt terms, Congress has given the power to President Trump to proclaim: “I, President Trump, have determined that a conspiracy has deprived 70 million Americans of their right to vote and that the other authorities are refusing to protect this right. I therefore order the suppression of this conspiracy by any means necessary.” And with that, Trump will cross the Rubicon.

Horror and Denial: He Shouldn’t! He Wouldn’t! If you are of libertarian leanings, you are likely to feel horror: “Why on Earth did a free republic vest so much power into one man?” You should feel horror. The Romans required a Senate vote to appoint a Dictator with emergency powers, and that Dictator served a strict six-month term limit. In America, we’ve given the President the right to decide when he should become a Dictator and for how long he can retain his emergency powers.

This was certainly unwise; but it is done. “Game over, man.” The power has been given. The power can be used. And it probably will be used if the Democrats continue on their foolish campaign to seek vengeance on Trump.

If you are in the grip of normalcy bias, you are likely to be in denial: “Trump wouldn’t dare! The US Armed Forces would remove him from office! The troops wouldn’t respond to his call!” Pompey said the same about the Roman legions. He was wrong. He was so wrong, in fact, that his decapitated head ended up in a stylish gift box presented to Caesar as a present when he landed in Egypt. Don’t be Pompey.

Now, I don’t expect beheadings (just helicopters) but I do expect that the US Armed Forces would obey Trump’s orders. Although he is not popular with the Pentagon, Trump remains popular with actual soldiers, especially with white middle-class men who make up a disproportionate number of the infantry, armor, pilots, special forces, and other combat arms. (His support among law enforcement personnel is even higher. The men with guns love Trump.)

But let’s assume the Armed Forces are paralyzed, split, or neutral. If so, Trump still has millions of troops available: The militia.

Calling Up the Militia: The militia is defined by 10 U.S. Code § 246:

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and… under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

(b) The classes of the militia are -

(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and

(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

This is, again, an incredibly powerful piece of legislation. Put into plain English, and ignoring a few minor exemptions (postal workers, etc), Trump commands an unorganized militia consisting of every able-bodied man between the ages of 17 and 45. The men don’t need to be in the National Guard. They don’t need to be veterans. They don’t need to be anything except 17 to 45 and able-bodied.

Remember that 10 USC § 253 grants the President the power to use the militia to take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress conspiracy. The militia is statutorily defined to include the unorganized militia. Therefore, when you combine 10 USC § 253 with 10 USC § 246, the President can call on every able-bodied male age 17 to 45 to take any means he deems necessary to suppress the conspiracy to deny Americans their voting rights.

How many men is that? With 328M Americans, 50% of them male, and 40% of them between 18 and 45, that’s 65M militia members.

Organizing the Unorganized: When Trump calls up the unorganized militia, how does it get organized? What Federal statutes, regulations, and case law govern what happens next? The answer… Well, there isn’t one.

“The Citizen-Soldier under Federal and State Law”, a lengthy law review article published in 94 W. Va. L. Rev (1992), reviewed all of the available statutes, regulations, and case law relating to the use of citizen-soldiers. Turns out, there’s not much about the unorganized militia. In fact, in the entirety of the 20th century, there has only been one case: In 1946 Virginia Governor William Mumford Tuck issued a call to the state's unorganized militia to come to the aid of the state and to quell a labor dispute.

Let’s quickly look at what happened. According to the Encyclopedia Virginia, the crisis began when the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union announced that its members would strike against the Virginia Electric and Power Company unless its demands were met by a deadline of April 1, 1946.

At the time, “Virginia law divided its militia into four classes: the National Guard, the Virginia Defense Force, the naval militia, and the unorganized militia. This latter unit hypothetically consisted of all able-bodied males between the ages of sixteen and fifty-five who could be summoned by the governor if needed.” (Virginia law thus mirrored 10 U.S. Code § 246.)

Two days before the strike deadline, Governor Tuck “unilaterally decreed that all IBEW employees were summarily drafted into the unorganized militia and ordered, on pain of court-martial, to continue at their jobs.” Shortly thereafter, the dispute was resolved and questions as to the constitutionality of Tuck's actions were left unresolved. However, the next month, US President Harry S. Truman “used a similar tactic in threatening to draft into the U.S. Army railway workers whose union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, was calling for a nationwide strike; as in the VEPCO affair, the two sides reached a settlement at the eleventh hour.”

So in the only recorded instance in the last 100 years, an unorganized militia was called up, drafted, and ordered to perform particular duties on pain of court-martial, unilaterally by a governor, without any other legislative action, new statute, or court order. And rather than condemn the governor, the US President thought this idea was so awesome he used it himself the next month on the federal militia.

With no apparent limits whatsoever, the Insurrection Act combined with the Militia Act isn’t just a blank check; it’s a blank check book. Apparently our government can call on its citizens to do whatever it wants! I would protest this, but I’m currently on lockdown.

The Balance of Forces: Let’s return to our earlier assumption that Trump has invoked the Insurrection Act and then used it to call up the militia. Let’s continue to assume that the US Armed Forces are either paralyzed with indecision, split in their loyalties, or opting to stay neutral, and just look at the militia. So who is going to fight?

Now, no matter what the law says, not every eligible militia man would respond to Trump’s call. But it seems likely there’d be a large number who did respond, and an even larger number of noncombatant supporters. Right now, 70% of Republicans don’t think the election was free and fair. If Trump calls on the unorganized militia to save the Republic from voter fraud, a militia will come.

So too would an anti-militia or resistance. In fact, lots of people who are willing to fight are fighting on the streets already. It seems likely that if Trump crosses the Rubicon, he will trigger a civil war, just like Caesar triggered a civil war.

When Caesar crossed the Rubicon, he had only one legion against the might of Rome. What would Trump and his opponents be able to muster? Let’s assess the balance of forces. Trump’ voters consisted of 58% of 98M white men; 55% of 98M white women; 36% of 30M Hispanic men, 28% of 30M Hispanic women, 20% of 22M black men, and 9% of 22M black women.

Meanwhile, the demographics of gun ownership in the US are as follows: 48% of white men own a gun, while only 24% of white women own a gun, 24% of non white men, and 16% of non-white women. Assuming that women largely don’t fight (which is the historical norm), the balance of forces looks like this:

• 98 million white men x 58% Trump voters x 48% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 11 million white gun-owning Trump militia

• 36 million Hispanic men x 30% Trump voters x 24% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 1 million Hispanic gun-owning Trump militia

• 22 million black men x 20% Trump voters x 24% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 0.4 million black gun-owning Trump militia

• 98 million white men x 42% Biden voters x 48% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 8 million white gun-owning anti-Trump resisters

• 36 million Hispanic men x 70% Biden voters x 24% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 2.4 million Hispanic gun-owning anti-Trump resisters

• 22 million black men x 80% Biden voters x 24% gun owners x 40% 18-45 = 1.7 million black gun-owning anti-Trump resisters

This basic math suggests 12.4 million potential Trump gun owners and 12.1 million potential anti-Trump gun owners. However, it’s likely the odds would stack more favorably to Trump. Although only 39% of Americans are Republicans, gun owners are actually 64% Republican. In other words, those who own guns are disproportionately Republican by a factor of 1.64! If we replace the percentage of Trump voters with the percentage of Republican gun-owners, then the balance of forces changes to 17.6M pro-Trump and 6.9M anti-Trump.

3% of Americans fought in the Continental Army during the Revolution. If 3% respond to the call for the militia, that would mean between 450,000 to 700,000 militia and 210,000 to 450,000 resisters. To put that in context, there’s only 60,000 soldiers in the Infantry Branch of the US Army.

Of the militia who do respond, those on Trump’s side will be much better trained. As noted earlier, the military’s combat arms are disproportionately white, with the infantry being 79% white and only 9% black. Since the United States has now been at war for 20 years, there are millions of combat veterans, and the vast majority of those who fought as infantry are likely to be on Trump’s side. Likewise, the vast majority of LEO veterans seem likely to fight on Trump’s side, if they chose a side.

The Oathkeepers, a hundred-thousand-strong organization made up of military and law enforcement veterans and personnel, has already stated that it will refuse to recognize a Biden presidency. “We’ll be very much like the founding fathers. We’ll end up nullifying and resisting,” said founder Stewart Rhodes. The founding fathers resisted, of course, with guns.

This Is Not a Drill: Meanwhile, those in the grip of normalcy bias still think that the ‘nuclear option’ is for Trump to ask the state legislatures to appoint some electors to the college. Using legislative ballots isn’t the nuclear option. It’s barely a grenade. The nuclear option is Insurrection Act and the Militia.

Left-wing media is a parade of ostriches marching heads down in the sand. “Trump will lose in a landslide!” Wrong. “Trump has already lost!” Wrong. “There is no evidence of fraud!” Wrong. “Civil War could never happen!” Wrong. Maybe it won’t happen. The future is unpredictable. But it really, really could happen.

If I had told you last November that in the next 12 months the US would endure the worst pandemic since Spanish Flu, AND the worst depression since the Great Depression, AND the worst Constitutional crisis since the Civil War, AND the worst civil unrest since the summer of 1968, AND an unprecedented nation-wide lockdowns that led to the end of sports, bars, restaurants, movies, in-class attendance at school, and commuting to work, AND that it would culminate in the World Economic Forum announcing a Great Reset to the global economy to lock in this new normal, would you have believed me? No, you’d have laughed me off as a tinfoil nutjob. Yet here we are.

To repeat a statistic from earlier: 70% of Republicans think that the most recent election is illegitimate. In a functioning democracy, if 70% of the second-largest political party in the country thinks an election has been stolen, the elites come together to cooperate to investigate and restore legitimacy in the eyes of the voters.

In the US, that’s not happening. Instead, an enormous machine, consisting of tech oligopolies, liberal media, watchdog groups, and partisan activists, is doing everything it can to silence and suppress the dissenters. Simultaneously, this same machine is making enemy lists and actively declaring that when it wins, it will be taking vengeance, against Trump, against everyone who helped him, and against everyone who voted for him.

This is not a drill. This is where we are. If Trump is standing on the banks of the Rubicon, it’s because the leftist machine has purposefully widened the Rubicon River until it reaches his feet.

Clear-headed left-wingers - if there are any left - need to step in and deescalate the threats against Trump and his supporters, and listen to 70 million Americans clamoring for fair and fraud-free voting. There is still time. Otherwise, as another great military leader put it, “when on death ground, you must fight.”

- https://macris.substack.com/

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This caught my attention...

SO scary! lol, lol, lol...

12/10/20, 17:00: "SETTING UP A SIEGE? ANTIFA HAS ARMED GUARDS,

STOCKPILED WEAPONS AT PORTLAND AUTONOMOUS ZONE"

A word of advice, ANTIFA, if I may. I understand living in your parent's basement causes your desperate need to feel of some importance, to act out any delusion that denies your actual worthlessness and insignificance, right? Big, bold "social justice warriors", huh? LOL! And what fun! All giggles and grabass, burning down stores and rioting, roughing up old ladies, while the police are constrained from dealing with you as they so easily could. As you may have noticed, you've never been forcibly confronted... yet. You'd better re-read this article, because you have NO clue what's coming if the Insurrection Act is invoked, and even if it's not. All your big mouthed bullshit aside, you wouldn't last 3 minutes in a "battle" with these folks. So take your "armed guards" and "stockpiled weapons" back to your basements, while you can. Mommy will have dinner ready... Frankly, I don't care what happens to you traitors, and don't give a damn what you think...

- CP

"The Stage Has Been Set For An Epic Battle Between Red States And Blue States At The Supreme Court"

"The Stage Has Been Set For An Epic Battle Between

Red States And Blue States At The Supreme Court"

by Michael Snyder

"We have never seen anything like Texas v. Pennsylvania in the history of the Supreme Court. A very large group of red states has lined up behind Texas, and a very large group of blue states is backing the other side. I cannot recall another Supreme Court case in which so many states have sought to be involved on some level, and so to me it would be unthinkable for the Supreme Court to try to slap this suit away as if it was insignificant. The U.S. Constitution gives the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over controversies between states, and so if the Supreme Court is not willing to properly deal with the grievances that the red states have there is no other place for them to go.

I believe that the Supreme Court is going to handle this case with the seriousness that it deserves, and that means that we are about to witness an absolutely epic legal battle between red states and blue states.

In an article that I published yesterday, I explained that the Court had required the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia to file their responses by Thursday at 3 PM, and that is precisely what happened. But a whole bunch of other parties decided to get involved in this case as well. The following are all of the updates that were posted on the Supreme Court website on Thursday alone:

• Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief not accepted for filing. (December 10, 2020) (corrected motion electronically filed)

• Response to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order or stay from defendant Wisconsin filed.

• Opposition to Texas’s motion for leave to file bill of complaint and its motion for preliminary relief from defendant Georgia filed.

• Opposition to motions for leave to file bill of complaint and for injunctive relief from defendant Michigan filed.

• Opposition to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction, temporary restraining order, or stay from defendant Pennsylvania filed.

• Motion for leave to file amicus brief from the District of Columbia on behalf of 22 States and Territories filed.

• Motion to Intervene and Proposed Bill of Complaint in Intervention of State of Missouri submitted.

• Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae and Brief for Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiff/Defendants of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly submitted.

• Motion of Certain Select Pennsylvania State Senators for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Motion of Christian Family Coalition for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Amicus brief of Bryan Cutler Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Kerry Benninghoff Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives submitted.

• For Leave to File Complaint-in-Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.

• Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Motion of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, Senator Lora Reinbold, Representative David Eastment, et al. (Elected State Officials) for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Amicus brief of City of Detroit submitted.

• Motion for Leave to File and Amicus Curiae Brief of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff submitted.

• Complaint in Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.

• Amicus brief of Ga. state Sen. William Ligon et al. submitted.

• Motion of L. Lin Wood for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

• Motion of Steve Bullock, in his official capacity as Governor of Montana for leave to file amicus brief submitted.

I have never seen a flurry of activity like this for any other Supreme Court case. As you look over that list, you will see that there are all sorts of big names on there and nearly all states are represented in at least some capacity. But there is one huge name that is completely missing. For some reason, Joe Biden has decided not to be involved in this case at all. I think that Joe Biden’s lawyers are telling him that it would give the case credibility if they got involved and they don’t want to do that.

But to me, this is a major tactical mistake on their part. If Texas wins this case, Joe Biden will probably not be the one sitting in the Oval Office for the next four years. With so much on the line, if I was a presidential candidate I would want to make sure that my interests were being represented properly in this case.

In any event, this case is moving forward, and the outcome will make history no matter which way it goes.

Needless to say, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia are very upset about the suit that Texas has filed. In fact, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro went so far as to call the suit a “seditious abuse of the judicial process”: "The Pennsylvania AG’s office described the Texas suit as a crass political maneuver to extend Trump’s term. ‘Texas’s effort to get this Court to pick the next President has no basis in law or fact. The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated,’ they urged."

Of course that is a bunch of nonsense. As I detailed yesterday, Texas is alleging very serious violations of the Electors Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in all four states, and the evidence clearly shows that those constitutional violations did indeed take place.

Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia would have us believe that Texas and other red states were not harmed by these constitutional violations, and they would have us believe that the Supreme Court could not possibly take any action even if there were constitutional violations because that would “disenfranchise” millions of voters. But it wouldn’t disenfranchise those voters if the Court ordered new elections in those four states, and that is what I believe is the appropriate remedy in this case. I know that is a minority viewpoint, but I am sticking with it.

On Thursday, the District of Columbia, 20 blue states, the Virgin Islands and Guam filed an amicus brief in support of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia.

An amicus brief had already been filed by a coalition of red states on Wednesday, and on Thursday six of them actually asked the court to allow them to become co-plaintiffs: "Missouri on Wednesday led a group of 17 states in filing a brief that supported the Texas lawsuit, which alleges that the four key swing states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden violated the Constitution by having their judicial and executive branches make changes to their presidential elections rather than their legislatures."

But the Thursday filing led by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, which also includes Arkansas, Utah, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, would make those states parties before the court in the case rather than just outside voices weighing in. President Trump’s campaign did the same on Wednesday. Subsequently, 106 Republican members of the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in support of Texas. That has got to carry a lot of weight with the Court.

At this point, the Court is essentially boxed into a corner. If they throw this case aside very quickly, that will cause a massive uproar on the right. But if they actually allow oral arguments and give this case the attention that it deserves, that will cause a massive uproar on the left. Whatever they do, about half the country is going to be exceedingly angry. And if Texas v. Pennsylvania ultimately results in Trump winning the election, we will witness a national temper tantrum that will shake our nation to the core.

We have reached one of the most critical moments in American history, and the future of our Republic hangs in the balance. Historically, the Supreme Court likes to try to find an easy way out, and they may be very tempted to try to dispose of this case very quickly. But that wouldn’t solve anything. I think that it is a very ominous sign that there is so much open animosity between red states and blue states now. Just like we witnessed prior to the Civil War, states are picking one side or the other, and talk of secession is starting to pick up steam. In fact, it was the top headline on the Drudge Report on Thursday morning.

And if the Supreme Court ignores the clear constitutional violations that occurred during this election, that will only make things a lot worse. As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated in his complaint, either we have a Constitution or we don’t. That is what Texas v. Pennsylvania is really all about, and in a few days we will have a clear answer to that question."

- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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READ: "If the Supreme Court sides with Trump and his allies in Texas v. Pennsylvania, what happens next?"