"The Story Behind the Iconic Photo of the Man Who Defied Hitler And the Nazis by Refusing to Salute"

"The Story Behind the Iconic Photo of the Man

Who Defied Hitler And the Nazis by Refusing to Salute"

by Jay Syrmopoulos

"Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency ask the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But, conscience ask the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right."  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In what can only be described as one of the most iconic photos of World War II, a lone man, August Landmesser, is seen refusing to be caught up in the nationalistic Nazi fervor, as he stands with his arms crossed, stone faced, as the rest of the crowd engages in the mandatory “seig heil” salute. The salute, meaning hail victory, was an exhibition of loyalty to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, and was mandatory for all German citizens.

The photo was taken in Hamburg, Germany on June 13, 1936 at the launch of a naval training vessel. Landmesser can be seen as the lone man pictured refusing to demonstrate his loyalty by saluting. Although the photo itself has become an internet sensation, as it represents those very few people who are willing to think outside of the box into which they have been indoctrinated, few people are aware of the story behind the iconic picture.

Landmesser joined the ranks of the Nazi party in 1931 with anticipation of it creating employment opportunities for him, as the climate in Germany was such that if one wanted to find gainful employment being a party member could be very advantageous. Eventually he was expelled from the party in 1935, after becoming engaged to a Jewish woman, Irma Eckler. The couple was engaged to marry, but enactment of the Nuremberg Laws would prevent that from taking place. The couple’s first daughter was born on October 29, 1935. This series of events fully explains the lack of respect shown by Landmesser, to the Nazi regime, as displayed by his refusal to salute in the iconic photo. But what happened after the picture was taken?

With Eckler pregnant again, the couple decided to flee Nazi Germany for Denmark in 1937, but were caught by the Nazis. Landmesser was subsequently charged with”dishonoring the race” under Nazi race laws. The couple claimed that neither of them were aware that Eckler was fully Jewish, with the couple being acquitted for lack of evidence, but with a warning that any subsequent violations would result in prison time. Even under threat of prison Landmesser and Eckler’s love reigned supreme, with the couple publicly continuing their relationship.

In July of 1938, Landmesser was arrested again, this time being sentenced to two and a half years in the Börgermoor concentration camp. Eckler was taken by the Gestapo to Fuhlsbüttel prison, where she gave birth to her and Landmesser’s second child. Eckler was sent to numerous different concentration camps, with a few letters being received from Irma Eckler until roughly January 1942. It’s believed that she was taken to the Bernburg Euthanasia Centre in February 1942, where she was among the more than 14,000 killed. Landmesser was released from custody in January 1941, working as a foreman. He was eventually drafted into a penal battalion in February of 1944 and was reportedly killed while fighting in Croatia in October of that year."

- http://thefreethoughtproject.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"The Most Beautiful Lies..."

"Memories and feelings of nostalgia are nothing more than cruelties; they are the most beautiful lies we will ever convince ourselves to believe. We chase the false hope so fiercely that we nearly push ourselves past the edges of our sanity, longing for that which can never be in our possession again. These edges are blurred by our regrets and desperation all throughout the darkest hours of the night, until finally we are set free from the illusions and the ghosts of our past with the rising of the sun... and we are changed in some small, yet permanent way."

- Margaret E. Rise

"It May Be Then..."

"Passion doesn't count the cost. Pascal said that the heart has its reasons that reason takes no account of. If he meant what I think, he meant that when passion seizes the heart it invents reasons that seem not only plausible but conclusive to prove that the world is well lost for love. It convinces you that honor is well sacrificed and that shame is a cheap price to pay. Passion is destructive. It destroyed Antony and Cleopatra, Tristan and Isolde, Parnell and Kitty O'Shea. And if it doesn't destroy it dies. It may be then that one is faced with the desolation of knowing that one has wasted the years of one's life, that one's brought disgrace upon oneself, endured the frightful pang of jealousy, swallowed every bitter mortification, that one's expended all one's tenderness, poured out all the riches of one's soul on a poor drab, a fool, a peg on which one hung one's dreams, who wasn't worth a stick of chewing gum."

- W. Somerset Maugham

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;

it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

- Sydney J. Harris

"The Cargo Ship Backlog is Far From Over - Supply Chain Nightmare"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly, 12/11/21:

"The Cargo Ship Backlog is Far From Over - Supply Chain Nightmare"

"The Supply Chain Nightmare is far from over. There are so many cargo ships out there waiting to enter the Port of Los Angeles. This is an update to show you that this problem has not been solved and it’s only getting worse."

Musical Interlude: Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up" (ft. Kate Bush)

Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up" (ft. Kate Bush)

"Chaos Sweeps Across US Supply Chains As 75,000 Container Ships Line Up Until The Mexico Coast"

Full screen recommended.

"Chaos Sweeps Across US Supply Chains As 

75,000 Container Ships Line Up Until The Mexico Coast"

by Epic Economist

"America is facing a neverending supply chain nightmare that only seems to aggravate with each passing week. A couple of days ago, associations representing supply chain workers warned that the whole system is about to fall apart, as its backbone, road transport operators, have massively started to leave the market due to poor work conditions. Months ago, industry insiders warned this could happen, but our leaders didn't take any preventive action, and now things are going from bad to worse. The International Transport Union (IRU) is calling on the U.S. government for support to avoid bankruptcies and to stabilize the entire transport system before it collapses.

The industry association for road transport represents 3.5 million transport companies and 19 million transport workers around the world. In the United States, at least 8 million truck drivers are represented by IRU, and according to the association's Secretary General Umberto de Pretto, rapid increases in demand, ongoing movement restrictions, driver shortages and acute fuel price hikes have created a “perfect storm” that can further aggravate supply chain disruptions in the short and longer term.

This week, the IRU issued an emergency call to the U.S. government to urgently address the labor crisis within the supply chain crisis. “We need the government to act now to avoid delays and shortages of products through to the end of the year and into 2022,” said IRU. From September up until now, at least 4.4 million supply chain workers, half of them in the transport sector, have already quit their jobs. And millions are threatening to do the same given that they occupy low-pay positions that require in-person service and exceedingly long work hours.

Such an event would have the potential to completely halt this country, warned Ioana Marinescu, an associate professor of economics in the School of Social Policy & Practice who studies the labor market. The persistent volatility of the labor market can also compromise our economic growth this quarter, as goods remain stuck at ports and retail sales sharply decline, she says. This, combined with the emergence of a new virus variant has added to the uncertainty since movement restrictions are being reintroduced, she added.

Now that overly restrictive travel rules have been put in place once again, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is also alerting that 400,000 seafarers currently stranded at sea are likely to leave their jobs once they get back on shore. In an open letter also issued this week, the association pointed out that 56 countries have already imposed fresh restrictions on travel. And seafarers who had been waiting for months to finally come back home during the holidays to reunite with their families are being prohibited to enter their home countries for a crew change.

On the other side of this situation, this means trouble for millions of U.S. businesses that rely on supply chain operations. With the holiday shopping season at full-speed, delayed shipments and empty shelves can put the final nail in the coffin of several businesses. So far, for many of them, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales were disastrous.

The outcome could be even bleaker for companies that were counting on this season's sales to help them recover from last year's closures and even stave off bankruptcy. Meanwhile, 75,000 container ships are still stuck outside the U.S. coast, according to numbers released by the White House. An alarming record and a worrying situation as temperatures drop. At this point, on-the-shelf availability has fallen by 90% compared to 2019 levels, according to market research company IRI.

Since last month, all boats crossing the Pacific have been asked to sit 150 miles offshore as they wait for a slot to unload their cargo. So even though there were only 46 ships outside San Pedro Bay this week, hundreds of container ships that embarked after the change are now wandering in the horizon, which could push the total backlog to a record high. Thousands of small container ships and hundreds of giant cargo ships are now queuing until the coast of Mexico not to get fined as they wait to dock at U.S. ports.

The container fleet may be out of sight, but it’s not out of mind. And our supply chains will continue to struggle to process all the imports entering the country for months to come. Americans are getting increasingly frustrated with our leaders' inability to tackle this crisis. But what is coming ahead is likely to be even more chaotic than what we're facing right now. A dark winter has begun and the perfect storm supply chains are facing right now will undoubtedly result in many more disasters."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com​

"It's Time To Worry; Economic Catastrophe On Horizon"

Jeremiah Babe, PM 12/10/21

"It's Time To Worry; Economic Catastrophe On Horizon"

"A Look to the Heavens"

“This shock wave plows through space at over 500,000 kilometers per hour. Moving toward to bottom of this beautifully detailed color composite, the thin, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a sheet of glowing gas seen almost edge on. Cataloged as NGC 2736, its narrow appearance suggests its popular name, the Pencil Nebula.

About 5 light-years long and a mere 800 light-years away, the Pencil Nebula is only a small part of the Vela supernova remnant. The Vela remnant itself is around 100 light-years in diameter and is the expanding debris cloud of a star that was seen to explode about 11,000 years ago. Initially, the shock wave was moving at millions of kilometers per hour but has slowed considerably, sweeping up surrounding interstellar gas.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120924.html

The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Book of Hours II, 16"

"Book of Hours II, 16"

"How surely gravity's law,

strong as an ocean current,

takes hold of even the strongest thing

and pulls it toward the heart of the world.

Each thing-

each stone, blossom, child-

is held in place.

Only we, in our arrogance,

push out beyond what we belong to

for some empty freedom.

If we surrendered

to earth's intelligence

we could rise up rooted, like trees.

Instead we entangle ourselves

in knots of our own making

and struggle, lonely and confused.

So, like children, we begin again

to learn from the things,

because they are in God's heart;

they have never left him.

This is what the things can teach us:

to fall,

patiently to trust our heaviness.

Even a bird has to do that

before he can fly."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

"For Nothing Is Fixed..."

"For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

- James Baldwin

"Life Is Inconvenient..."

"One of life's best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire – then you’ve got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference."

- Robert Fulghum

"Economic Market Snapshot PM 12/10/21"

"Economic Market Snapshot PM 12/10/21"

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"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will

do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

- John Maynard Keynes

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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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MarketWatch Market Summary, Live Updates

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

CNN Market Data:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

CNN Fear And Greed Index:

- https://money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed/

○

A comprehensive, essential daily read.

- http://www.shadowstats.com/

Dec 10th to 13th, Updated Daily

○

Financial Stress Index

"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI) is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding, safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."

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Daily Job Cuts

- https://www.dailyjobcuts.com/

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- https://www.zerohedge.com/

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- https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/

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- https://wallstreetonparade.com/

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- https://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

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- https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

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Commentary, highly recommended:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

○

And now, the End Game...

○

Oh yeah...

The Daily "Near You?"

Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg City, Russian Federation.

Thanks for stopping by!

"They Are Saying..."

"When people pile up debts they will find difficult and perhaps even impossible to repay, they are saying several things at once. They are obviously saying that they want more than they can immediately afford. They are saying, less obviously, that their present wants are so important that, to satisfy them, it is worth some future difficulty. But in making that bargain they are implying that when the future difficulty arrives, they'll figure it out. They don't always do that."

- Michael Lewis, "Boomerang"

"Betting on an Unborn Racehorse"

"Betting on an Unborn Racehorse"

by Bill Bonner

"Tell me, friend, when did Saruman The Wise abandon reason for madness?

– Gandalf, "Lord of the Rings"

YOUGHAL, IRELAND – "The Federal Reserve keeps “printing” money – at the rate of about $3 billion per day – and lending it to member banks at a real (inflation-adjusted) rate of MINUS 6%. Not surprisingly, the hustlers are out in force, figuring out new ways to get their hands on it. Bloomberg reported in November:

"[Solar-powered vehicle maker] Sono has racked up about 108.8 million euros ($123 million) in losses since its inception in 2016. When key investors balked at putting in more money roughly two years ago, co-CEOs and co-founders Laurin Hahn and Jona Christians turned to crowdfunding. There was a hitch in that strategy: since March of last year, Sono has been unable to access about 5 million euros from PayPal. The online payment company froze its account, citing risks related to unexpectedly high transaction volume. Sono says it started the process of fighting this as of mid-August."

Without any proceeds from this week’s IPO, Sono estimates it would have been insolvent by next month or shortly thereafter. It expects to lose money for the foreseeable future and continue relying on external financing to stay in business. But the IPO went forward on November 17 at $15 per share and Sono (SEV) briefly got a market value of $1.8 billion…

And it’s not the only company in FantasyLand drawing in big bucks. Last month, Bloomberg reported that companies have taken in a record $600 billion in IPOs so far this year. That’s up from $235 billion in 2019 and $370 billion in 2020. Prior to this, the record stood at about $420 billion… in 2007.

Trump’s Non-runner: And yesterday, we showed how the Trump SPAC deal is likely to be a flop. The general rule is that when someone buys a business he doesn’t know from a person who does know it, the buyer exchanges money for wisdom. If he pays a low enough price, and if he has enough capital and tenacity, he may survive long enough for his newfound wisdom to pay off. Otherwise, he might just as well bet on a racehorse that hasn’t even been born yet.

In the Trump deal, investors – with no knowledge of the business – are paying the Trump team, which has no knowledge of the business, either. The new business comes out like a newborn colt, all wet and wobbly. And when Team Trump put a political hack in charge of his training, the odds of his winning the Kentucky Derby went to near zero. The fates looked on and smiled. “This is politics… not business,” they said to themselves.

Pie in the Sky: What we figure is that, in this market, the pie in the sky is now much more valuable than the meat and potatoes on the table. Yes, when liquidity flows… even the wise abandon reason for madness…and the lightest objects – like empty heads and dead bodies – float to the surface.

Here’s LRT Capital Management: "Through December 1, the S&P 500 index is down only -4.07% from it’s all-time high, while the small-cap index, Russell 2000, is down -12.08%. However, these numbers do not give the full picture of the market decline that has occurred over the past several weeks. A small group of stocks, primarily mega-cap tech shares, have supported the market, while most stocks have been declining for several weeks now. The disproportionately large impact that mega-cap companies can have on market capitalization-weighted indexes has effectively hidden this fact, so while the S&P500 has only declined by approximately 4%, the average stock in the index is down -15.5% through December 1."

Amazon sells for 68 times earnings. Tesla sells for 328 times earnings. And DWAC (Trump’s SPAC) sells for an infinite multiple of earnings… because it has no earnings. At those prices, it is almost impossible for an investor to come out ahead."

- www.rogueeconomics.com

"How It Really Is"

 

"We are Getting Mixed Messages on the Economy - You Decide"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly, AM 12/10/21:

"We are Getting Mixed Messages on the Economy - You Decide"

"If you listen to the Experts it’s either all good or all bad. We get continual conflicting stories on the health of our economy. I think that people need to realize exactly where we’re at right now."

"Shopping For Deals At Family Dollar! What's Going On Here?"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, AM 12/10/21:

"Shopping For Deals At Family Dollar! What's Going On Here?"

"In today's vlog we are shopping at Family Dollar only to find lots of empty shelves, and very high prices! From frozen goods, to meat and dairy. Items are missing everywhere! It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products."

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/10/21"

"Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/10/21"

by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"I cannot believe people are this stupid. The vax injections have clearly failed to stop CV19 or stop the spread of CV19, and yet people are lining up to get more of what does not work. Granted, the continuing MSM propaganda blitz is very powerful and convincing. Still, people already double vaxed can’t wait to get a so-called booster because they are no longer “fully vaccinated,” according to the CDC. Now, the CEO of Pfizer is telling them the third shot will not work because he is already saying, “I Think We Will Need a Fourth Dose.” This is screaming scam and showing the death vax has failed bigtime. What the injections are good at is causing blood clots, heart problems, miscarriages auto immune disease and a host of other ailments along with way more deaths and permanent injuries than all other vaccines combined in the more than 30 year history of VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). Get that booster!!!

It’s not easy getting information on the ongoing sex predator trial of Jeffery Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. Twitter has shut off one account right in time for embarrassing information about how the FBI knew about the sex pedo operations with young girls and did nothing. We do know lots of elites were on Pedophile Island, but the flight logs are being redacted from public view. Was this really a state sanctioned pedo operation for blackmail or just one creepy guy and girlfriend who sexually abused children?

The Fed is freaking out over the inflation numbers that keep growing. Looks like we have almost 7% year over year inflation, and the big question is will the Fed raise rates and stop the easy money policies? If they keep printing, the economy blows up, and it they pull back, the economy blows up. So, what flavor of collapse would you like? That is the choice, and the choice is coming sooner than you think."

- https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he talks about these stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up for 12/10/21. (There is much more in the video presentation.)

- https://rumble.com/

The Poet: J.R.R. Tolkien, "I Sit And Think"

"I Sit And Think"

“I sit beside the fire and think

Of all that I have seen,

Of meadow flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been.

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall never see.

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen,

In every wood, in every spring,

There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago,

And people that will see a world

That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Musical Interlude: "O Holy Night, Looped Album Instrumental Christmas Music"

Full screen recommended.

"O Holy Night, Looped Album Instrumental Christmas Music"

by Nhạc Thư Giãn

A comment: I stumbled upon this video by accident, and want to share it with you. Yes, it's a little early, but this is so incredibly beautiful it made me cry, thinking what could have been, should have been... - CP

Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, “Primavera”

Ludovico Einaudi, “Primavera”

"A Look to the Heavens"

"A star cluster around 2 million years young surrounded by natal clouds of dust and glowing gas, M16 is also known as The Eagle Nebula. This beautifully detailed image of the region adopts the colorful Hubble palette and includes cosmic sculptures made famous in Hubble Space Telescope close-ups of the starforming complex. 

Described as elephant trunks or Pillars of Creation, dense, dusty columns rising near the center are light-years in length but are gravitationally contracting to form stars. Energetic radiation from the cluster stars erodes material near the tips, eventually exposing the embedded new stars. Extending from the ridge of bright emission left of center is another dusty starforming column known as the Fairy of Eagle Nebula. M16 lies about 7,000 light-years away, an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes in a nebula rich part of the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake)."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210909.html

Gerald Celente, "Omicron Virus Up, Bitcoin, Oil, Equities Down. What's Next?"

Strong language alert!

Gerald Celente, 12/9/21:

"Omicron Virus Up, Bitcoin, Oil, Equities Down. What's Next?"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."

- https://trendsresearch.com/

"Insiders Are Struggling To Hide The Incoming Economic Collapse"

Full screen recommended.

"Insiders Are Struggling To Hide The Incoming Economic Collapse"

by Epic Economist

"For several decades, so-called "experts" and economists who worked closely with the mainstream media have helped to push forward narratives controlled by the elites, which disregarded our true problems and redirected people's attention to other issues that served as a smokescreen. They have effectively helped to keep millions of Americans in the dark when it comes to our our true economic conditions. But thanks to some dissonant voices who have been brave enough to speak up, many of us started to see things how they really are.

That's why we always report alternative opinions of experts, economists, industry leaders, executives and workers who expose the reality the mainstream media doesn't. These are the ones actually helping to combat disinformation. They incite people to become critical thinkers and question what is truly going on behind the covers. Writer and economic analyst Brandon Smith is one of them. In a recent brilliantly written article, Smith highlights why now more than ever is time to wake up and prepare for the economic collapse no one thinks possible.

The mainstream media always portrayed the Fed as the "savior" of the U.S. economy, and policymakers as "heroes", arguing that the bank's measures allegedly helped to prevent an economic collapse. But instead of using real economic indicators as a measure of economic health, they pointed to the stock market as proof the economy was booming. Of course, stock markets are largely benefited by Quantitative Easing policies, which push stocks to skyrocket, especially in times of crisis, like what happened during the 2008 credit crash. But as Smith notes, "reality isn’t a mainstream media story. The U.S. economy isn’t the stock market."

Ultimately, all the Federal Reserve managed to acomplish was to forge a devil's bargain: "Trading one manageable deflationary crisis for at least one or more highly unmanageable inflationary crises down the road. Central banks kicked the can on the collapse, making it far worse in the process," he explained. Right now, the U.S. economy is in a very fragile state. Everything is gradually falling apart because these policies are starting to falter. In essence, without the Fed's easy money, the stock market boom rapidly transforms into a burst. The last time the Fed flirted with tapering in 2018, we all seen how fast markets overreacted.

For a long time, the writer has been warning that bankers would use a cover event to hide their calculated economic attack, in that eay. they wouldn't be held accountable for the resulting disaster. Needless to say, the health crisis, strict lockdowns and supply chain bottlenecks have effectively provided that cover event. After the health crisis started, the Fed expanded the U.S. money supply exponentially. In two years, it injected more than $6 trillion in the economy through stimulus checks and helicopter money. To make things worse, the new administration is planning to issue another $1 trillion spending plan even though it just passed a very expensive infrastructure bill.

When inflation becomes rampant, the Federal Reserve may be forced to aggressively raise interest rates in a short span of time. Consequently, that will cause "an immediate slowdown in the flow of overnight loans to major banks, an immediate slowdown in loans to large and small businesses, an immediate crash in credit options for consumers, and an overall crash in consumer spending". According to official consumer price index (CPI) calculations and data released by the Fed, we're experiencing the fastest inflationary surge in over 30 years. But the story behind the data is much more alarming.

What we're witnessing today is the culmination of several years of central bank stimulus sabotage and multiple administrations coming in and out and supporting multiple dollar devaluation measures. The new administration is just the one that will put the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. economy. Painful price spikes in essential goods and services are accelerating poverty, food insecurity and homelessness. It's simply impossible for wages to keep up with such skyrocketing costs. At this stage, the mainstream media can't hide the fact that stagflation is already happening and it poses a major threat to the economy and our lives.

The truth us that those in a vulnerable position, stricken by homelessness and food insecurity, are more likely to accept the establishment's draconian solutions. That's why the government is letting so many people fall straight into poverty. That's how they break us to rule us. It's urgent that we spread this message, because each prepared person is an obstacle to authoritarianism. Now, more than ever it's time to decide which side you're on."

- https://www.epiceconomist.com​

Gregory Mannarino, "Moronic Hits Crude, The IMF Warns On Inflation, More Calls For A Stock Market Drop"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 12/9/21:

"Moronic Hits Crude, The IMF Warns On Inflation, 

More Calls For A Stock Market Drop"

- https://traderschoice.net/

"The Swamp Wins Again"

"The Swamp Wins Again"

by Brian Maher

“For the second time this fall, the Senate’s proud king of obstruction is caving to the Democrats.” This we learn from The Atlantic magazine. Who precisely is the Senate’s “proud king of obstruction”... who has twice caved to Democrats this fall?

He is none other than Senate Minority “Leader” Mitchell McConnell - senior senator from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky. The Atlantic: "Two months ago [yesterday], Mitch McConnell sent President Joe Biden a letter containing a warning so important that he repeated it three times in five paragraphs. The Senate Republican leader vowed that he would “not be a party to any future effort” to help Democrats lift the debt ceiling - a necessary step that Congress must take to avoid an economically damaging default. Yet two months on, the same Senate Minority Leader McConnell is party to an effort to help Democrats lift the debt ceiling: “I think this is in the best interest of the country, and I think it is in the best interest of Republicans.”

In the Best Interest of Republicans: We are far from convinced it is in the best interest of the country. Yet we agree, it is in the best interest of Republicans. If they cannot spend they can scratch no backs. They can grease no palms. They cannot sugar their corporate donors.

Of course we care not one whit about Republicans. Nor do we care one whit about Democrats. As an American patriot in whose veins course the reddest blood, our sole concern is the nation’s welfare - general and otherwise. And we believe the nation is sunk far too deeply in debt as the situation stands. We would empty out red ink rather than pump in more. Sen. McConnell and his brethren and sistren… with their backbones of goosh and their bellies of jelly… are pumping more in.

The Swamp Strikes a Deal: The “deal” is a masterwork of parliamentary wizardry, a wonder of procedural gimmickry. That is, it is humbug, it is bafflegab, it is brummagem. It is eyewash, it is bosh, it is tosh. It is bamboozling, it is duping, it is hoodwinking, it is wool-pulling. In one word… it is politics.

Here the Washington Examiner gives the slime-drenched, swamp-stenched details: "Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have agreed to a classic, albeit craven, "uniparty" scheme. As part of a larger bill to stave off scheduled cuts to Medicare spending, the House and Senate will agree to a provision that sets up a special, one-time, filibuster-exempt, 51-vote resolution to raise the debt ceiling.

To put it more specifically, at least 10 Republicans will vote with Democrats to provide the 60 votes necessary to pass the Medicare legislation, which provides for a privileged resolution that circumvents the filibuster and allows Democrats to raise the debt ceiling with just 51 votes.

More: For a time, Senate Republicans demanded Democrats use reconciliation procedures to pass the debt ceiling - a strategy they would stick to if they were serious about making Democrats go it alone. But in establishing a one-off exception for the debt ceiling, McConnell will not only have made it far easier for the debt ceiling to be raised with Republican support, but he will also have given Democrats a politically preferential precedent to demand similar filibuster carveouts in the future - for climate change, gun control, amnesty, take your pick. All of this, remember, is simply to create the illusion that Senate Republicans are opposed to raising the debt ceiling, to cloak their true motivation behind layers of Senate procedure they’ll deem too complicated for you to understand.

What a Shock!!! We are only surprised that any can be surprised. Sen. McConnell first blinked his bespectacled blue eyes in October. That is when he stamped an agreement to fund the federal government through Dec. 3. The first eye-blink was merely prelude to this, the second eye-blink.

With the pleasure of repeating ourself… here is an excerpt from Oct. 7’s reckoning: "Of course, Congress would never permit an authentic government shutdown. One fellow attempts to seize concessions from the other… to make him blink first. The other pursues an identical strategy. But they come to terms by the fatal hour. The political combat before us is thus reduced to spectacle, a professional wrestling bout with its false feuds, artificial blows and imitation blood. The outcome is pre-decided."

And so today the soda can goes rolling down the roadway, kicked plenty hard. You will be treated to the identical show in December, when the present arrangement terminates - depend on it… We expect additional eye-blinking… and from the identical Senate minority leader.

The Triumph of the Uniparty: And so it has come to pass. Sen. McConnell has blinked his eyes - and he has closed his eyes to the staggering debts he is helping place upon the nation’s straining back. But as things pertain to borrowing and spending, Republicans and Democrats are as united as any lovers could ever be. Threaten to choke them off. Then watch the warfare immediately halt. Then watch the hands of peace come extending from both sides.

This we have just witnessed. The late Joseph Sobran labeled Democrats “the evil party.” Republicans were “the stupid party.” Thus he concluded that “bipartisanship” yields outcomes both evil and stupid. We believe his conclusion has juice in it.

The Purpose of Republicans: We expect Democrats to spend grandly and gorgeously. Since Roosevelt - the second Roosevelt - they have read the identical electoral blueprint. But Republicans traditionally existed for two purposes: to lower taxes and to square the ledgers. You wished to spend money you did not have? And throw open the Treasury to the public? “No!” was the thunderous answer you could expect. Like a sour, scowling schoolmarm with steel in her eye and a rattan in her hand… they might not have been popular. But you knew where they were. And you could trust them with the checkbook. They kept good order.

Long Gone: But these Republicans are no more. They are gone as fedoras, monocles, bowties and spats are gone. They turned away from their old-time fiscal religion, made their peace with Big Government… and got elected. The reformationists labelled the old religion “root canal economics.” They sat down beside Mr. Arthur Laffer and his famous curve. They discovered they could spend like Democrats without taxing like Democrats. They could get elected on credit. Deficits did not matter in the new catechism. Only a few Republican holdouts remain to keep the tablets.

Sold Down a River: Thus fiscal responsibility lies dead beneath several feet of earth, dead beyond all hope of recall. And so today we drop another tear upon its lonesome, desolate and unvisited grave. As we have noted before, Republicans once defended the approaches to the United States Treasury. But they have since sold the pass. And both parties have sold us all down a river…"

- dailyreckoning.com

"The Economy is Running on Fumes - Middle Class is Getting Destroyed"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, iAllegedly, PM 12/9/21:

"The Economy is Running on Fumes - 

Middle Class is Getting Destroyed"

"How do people afford the increases that are happening all around them? Every day there’s a new major expense getting reported. Health insurance is the latest major increase. This includes housing, food, clothing and everything else in our lives."

The Daily "Near You?"

Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.

Thanks for stopping by!

"In All Seriousness..."

"Thomas Edison said in all seriousness: "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the labor of thinking"- if we bother with facts at all, we hunt like bird dogs after the facts that bolster up what we already think- and ignore all the others! We want only the facts that justify our acts- the facts that fit in conveniently with our wishful thinking and justify our preconceived prejudices. As Andre Maurois put it: "Everything that is in agreement with our personal desires seems true. Everything that is not puts us into a rage." Is it any wonder, then, that we find it so hard to get at the answers to our problems? Wouldn't we have the same trouble trying to solve a second-grade arithmetic problem, if we went ahead on the assumption that two plus two equals five? Yet there are a lot of people in this world who make life a hell for themselves and others by insisting that two plus two equals five- or maybe five hundred!"

- Dale Carnegie

"Life, eh?"

"We said together, wistfully, 'Life, eh?' It says everything without having to say anything: that we all experience moments of joyful or painful reflection, sometimes alone, sometimes sharing laughs and tears with others; that we all know and appreciate that however wonderful and precious life is, it can equally be a terribly confusing and mysterious beast. 'Life, eh?'"

- Miranda Hart

The Poet: Langston Hughes, "Dreams"

"Dreams"

"Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow."

- Langston Hughes

"How It Really Is"

 

"Hint of Truth"

"Hint of Truth"

by Bill Bonner

YOUGHAL, IRELAND – "In the news yesterday came a report from FantasyLand that a nonexistent social media company had chosen a non-tech, non-media executive to head up its nonexistent operations. CNET reports: "GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to leave Congress to run Trump's media company. The California Republican has been one of the former president's most ardent supporters."

Our premise here at the Diary is that it is real money that keeps our shoulders to the wheel and our feet on the ground. We want it. And we get it by providing goods and services to others. That is why a “capitalist” economy is so much more productive, prosperous, and polite than a “socialist” economy. The “hidden hand,” as 18th-century economist Adam Smith called it, guides people to increase the wealth of others as well as themselves. But substitute fake money for real money… and even a capitalist system soon goes giddy with corruption, malinvestment, and waste. And substitute an “ardent supporter” for a real entrepreneur or businessman… and… well… investors are probably better off keeping their money in their pockets.

Midas Touch: Axiomatic in a fake-money economy is that real capital is squandered on projects that never produce a profit (an increase to the world’s wealth). This is the story of one of them. Behind it is a remarkable story of a remarkable man with a remarkable career… and a remarkable new plan for separating investors from their money. Yes, we speak of Donald J. Trump, impresario, former president, entertainer, developer… and who knows what else.

Mr. Trump (and a few Wall Street whizzes in cahoots with him) set up a SPAC (special-purpose acquisition company), Digital World Acquisition Company (DWAC). The sole aim of this company was to purchase a media company, Trump Media and Technology Group, that they also set up.

There is nothing particularly notable about a SPAC. People with name recognition set them up. Other people invest in them. Then, the SPAC is supposed to go out into the real world and buy a real company… thus putting the acquired company on the public stock market – without all the usual IPO rigamarole – and making SPAC investors a lot of money. At least, that’s how investors think it works.

In this case, the DWAC stock soared when the deal to purchase Trump Media and Technology Group was announced – leading to a nearly 850% gain for investors in a couple of days. And this is not the first time money has been made and lost by attaching the Trump name to a long-shot deal. Set up by Trump himself, there was Trump Shuttle… and Trump University. And now, others have gotten in on the act, with a Trump crypto… and a Baby Trump crypto… and another token with the same initials as Trump’s new “media and technology” company, TMTG (interestingly named The Midas Touch Gold).

Clear and Present Danger: Your editor admits to some first-hand knowledge of the SPAC world. One of the companies with which he is associated recently completed a SPAC deal. In our experience… and by our cynical reckoning of the way the world works… it is unlikely that most SPAC deals will lead to any real-world business success. Businesses are complex. SPAC promoters generally lack the experience or the determination to fully grasp them. What SPAC organizers have is a pot of money from investors… and a keen motivation to spend it.

If they buy nothing, they have to return the money. But if they buy something, they get a part of the deal and come out ahead – whether it works for investors, or not. From the investors’ standpoint, this is not a good setup; it is a FantasyLand innovation, encouraging the SPAC organizers to pay too much for businesses they don’t really understand. And in the case of DWAC, there was nothing they could understand. The business didn’t exist.

Yes, Dear Reader, the odds that the Trump SPAC would lead to a successful business fell dramatically when the SPAC targeted Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), another Trump company that is more wishful thinking than reality.

It’s hard enough to find a good business at a good price, especially with so many SPACs looking for them. A nonexistent business (one that has no sales, no managers, no patents, no offices, no profits, no coffee machine, no market niche, no brand, etc.) may be easy to propose… but it is much less likely to ever be profitable.

Buying a nonexistent business founded by the same people who started up the SPAC in the first place is also a clear and present danger. Typically, at least the seller knows his business. In this case, neither buyer nor seller has any idea how to build a successful social media company. And then, yesterday’s announcement – turning to a political hack with no experience either in technology or media, nor anything other than dairy farming (perhaps) and political chicanery (surely) – dooms the project altogether.

Fast Money: We might add, too, that “Truth Social,” Trump’s proposed social media platform, invites ridicule as well as losses. We humans only get a faint whiff of truth, rarely, when the wind is blowing in the right direction, and we have just suffered some crushing and humiliating loss. Truth 24/7 is much more than we can handle. And now… adding to the odds against investors… the pros are circling like vultures, ready to pick the carcass clean.

Over the weekend, the new Trump group announced that it had struck a deal to raise $1 billion from hedge funds and other large players. The deal gives these insiders the right to buy shares for 40% below the retail price. These are not patient, long-term investors, with faith in the new business or its new CEO. These are the fast-money mavens of FantasyLand, preying on ideologically driven, naive “investors,” who think they can make the world a better place… and make money, too. Apparently, the insiders think the stock is way overpriced. Apparently, too, they expect to make money in the old-fashioned way… buying at wholesale… and selling to the rubes at retail.

This is okay with us. It’s fun to watch. And however it goes, we’ll claim it proves our Diary maxim – that “investors don’t get what they want or what they expect; they get what they deserve.” And in this case, as the new project inevitably heads to the finance morgue, they are likely to get a hint of Truth as a bonus."

- www.rogueeconomics.com

"Rising Prices And More Empty Shelves At Kroger!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures with Danno, 12/9/21:

"Rising Prices And More Empty Shelves At Kroger!"

"In today's vlog we are at Kroger with a lot of empty shelves. We are here to check out skyrocketing prices, and to get a few items of course they don't have. It's getting rough out here as stores seem to be struggling with getting products! Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you in the next video!"

Gregory Mannarino, "Is A Stock Market Drop Imminent? This Is What You Need To Know Now"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 12/9/21:

"Is A Stock Market Drop Imminent? 

This Is What You Need To Know Now"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Musical Interlude: 2002, "River Of Stars"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "River Of Stars"

"Your Money Is Not Safe On A Computer Screen; Don't Buy A New Car; Everyone Is Quitting Their Jobs"

Full screen recommended.

Jeremiah Babe, PM 12/8/21:

"Your Money Is Not Safe On A Computer Screen; Don't Buy A New Car;

Everyone Is Quitting Their Jobs"

Gerald Celente & The Judge: "We've Lost Our Freedom; New Omicron Mandates"

Gerald Celente & The Judge:

 "We've Lost Our Freedom; New Omicron Mandates"

"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What’s Next in these increasingly turbulent times."

- https://trendsresearch.com/