Wednesday, February 21, 2024

"Doug Casey on the Migrant Crisis and the States Increasingly Defying the Feds"

"Doug Casey on the Migrant Crisis and 
the States Increasingly Defying the Feds"
by International Man

"International Man: "During his presidency, Joe Biden implemented an open border policy with thousands of migrants entering the US daily. The number of migrants that have entered the US illegally since Biden took office is easily in the millions. The invasion has put immense pressure on frontline states. Where do you think this trend is headed?

Doug Casey: In December 2023 alone, at least 300,000 of these people crossed the border. The numbers are going up. And I wonder, where are you going to put them? They arrive with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, but need a place to sleep and something to eat.

What is the purpose of welcoming these people in to become wards of the State? There is already no place to put them, other than schools, airports, or public buildings. But millions more are on the way. Many hotels, like the Roosevelt in New York, have been rented for them. For the next step, people may be asked, or ordered, to make their second homes or guest houses available to the migrants. Or perhaps spare bedrooms in their homes. You might think that’s absurd. And it is. But something will be done to accommodate millions of aliens who are encouraged to enter the US. They’re immediately made into welfare recipients.

The number of migrants is certain to grow. Government-funded NGOs give most of them debit cards and cellphones. They come from the world’s poorest places. You can be certain that one of the first calls that they make is to friends back home, saying "Come to America." They all, understandably, want to leave their shithole countries. They walk across Mexico, and pile up at the border. They’re welcomed into the US, drawn by the certainty of food, lodging, medical care, and cash. They then become America’s problem.

Why is this happening? We can conjecture. Maybe the Dems see new voters for the coming election. Maybe it’s a desire to replace white people. Maybe altruists think it’s just the right thing to do. Maybe it’s a visceral hatred of America, and what it stands for. But the result will be utter chaos in the US over the next few years. Even if the border is closed after the elections, many millions more will still pile up in Mexico. Most migrants are young males. They (justifiably, at this point) hold Americans in complete contempt for being weak, soft, and lacking self-respect. Many will form up into criminal gangs. The situation hasn’t even started to get out of control yet. But it will as millions and millions more of these people enter in 2024.

International Man: Border states like Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico are at the forefront and dealing with large numbers of people. In response, Texas began sending migrants by bus and train to "sanctuary cities" like New York, Washington DC, and Chicago. The Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, has complained about the influx of migrants and the city’s inability to handle and house them. What do you think about this?

Doug Casey: I’m not a fan of local or state government officials. They’re mostly petty hacks trying to leverage themselves into the big time, which is to say, Washington DC. Don’t count on them to solve the problem. But it’s understandable why Texas doesn’t want the migrants hanging around. If the migrants were Americans, they might be called vagrants. That’s the traditional term for people who are homeless, penniless, and unemployed. Of course they want to ship them to "sanctuary" cities.

Among other problems, the local poor, especially blacks in northern ghettos, resent the newcomers being put up in hotels, with free debit cards, food, and cellphones. Of course, a lot of the blacks on welfare get these things anyway, but they resent incoming migrants getting them immediately. Earlier waves of Hispanics, who were mostly opportunity seekers, resent the newcomers getting a free ride. It’s a formula for discontent.

Meanwhile, although the US federal government can print any amount of money to import and support migrants, local governments have to tax the money from local residents. The wealthy will gather in gated communities, or just move out. Millions of penniless migrants from Mogadishu, Caracas, Port-au-Prince, and Lagos will degrade the quality of life wherever they land.

The situation will probably resolve itself over time. Fifty years from now things will have stabilized. But the future America will be quite different, and it’s likely to be an unpleasant trip as we find out how bad things have to get before they resolve.

Let’s say we have 20 million totally illegal recent migrants wandering around the US by the end of 2024. Can they be exported back to where they came from? That’s unlikely. Many of them (understandably and intelligently) burn their passports once they arrive. They can’t even get on a plane, barring special dispensation. If they do, when they arrive back in China, or Senegal, or wherever, the airlines are fined big bucks for letting somebody board without a legal document. And will be forced to carry them back to the US.

The question is: How do you get rid of these people once they’re in the US? Rounding them up would take a police state. I suspect they’re here to stay. Furthermore, these migrants are quite unlike those from the early 20th century. Then the migrants were culturally similar to Americans. That’s important. But more important, those people had to fend for themselves immediately. These people don’t. They’re being actively drawn to the US by massive welfare benefits, which encourage the wrong kind of immigrant, and corrupt all concerned. What’s now a flood will turn into a tidal wave in the months to come. Many will compete with native American derelicts for space on sidewalks in places like San Francisco.

As an AnCap, I’m for the free flow of people across borders. But that’s only reasonably possible when you have a true free market and strict property rights. If you enter a country without money, where are you going to stay? If all property was privately owned, nobody would tolerate squatters. Which, incidentally, is becoming a big problem. Migrants are starting to use real estate listings to find empty houses. They then use local laws (especially in blue states) to squat. In many locales, someone who gets into a house can’t be evicted, practically as well as legally, for months.

Why, we might ask, does the government even bother having immigration and customs formalities in places like New York or LA anymore? The people that fly in have visas, credit cards, suitcases with clothes, and homes. We trouble these people, but not the migrants, who are paid to enter, and become wards of the state.

Furthermore, consider the whole idea of work visas. A law-abiding foreigner typically has to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to get a US work visa. Meanwhile, migrants are paid to just pile in. Even if an employer wants to hire someone who doesn’t speak English, have an address, or transportation, he can’t legally give them a job, since they don’t have Social Security numbers.

All of this is resulting in massive disrespect for laws. It’s true that many or most of the laws we have in the US are stupid and counterproductive. But when the whole idea of obeying the law is subverted, the result will be chaos.

International Man: Recently, the US border crisis escalated when the US Supreme Court approved the decision for federal agents to cut the razor wire which Texas put up to prevent the entrance of migrants. It led to a standoff between Texas and the federal government, which is still ongoing. Could the situation between Texas and the federal government escalate 
What moves do you see each side taking, and how do you see it playing out?

Doug Casey: What’s going on between Texas and Washington DC is mostly Kabuki theater. Abbott, a second-class political hack, is using it to grandstand and make himself better-known among Republicans. Anyway, the barbed wire dispute is centered on a four-mile stretch at the Eagle Pass entrance. The migrants have thousands of miles of border they can use freely. All they have to do is ask for asylum, and they’re home free, and on the gravy train.

Speaking of the Federal/Texas dispute, it’s important to note the antagonism that’s been building up for years between the Red people and the Blue people in the US. It’s increasingly serious. They can no longer even have a civil conversation. It’s the type of thing that presages a civil war, and it’s greatly aggravated by migrants being invited in at public expense.

I’ve said for years that a civil war was in the cards. The coming US civil war won’t, however, be along geographical lines, as was the War of Southern Secession from 1861 to 1865. The Blue people are concentrated on the coasts and big cities, the Red people are in flyover country and small towns. But they’re intermingled everywhere.

This civil war is likely to be quite localized, and personalized, if you will. No armies lined up against each other, but lots of fistfights, with a fair number of homicides and disappeared persons. You probably won’t want to voice controversial views among people you don’t know well. Shocking thoughts? America is no longer the land of "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it to Beaver." It’s transformed into a multicultural domestic empire.

It’s important to remember that, dysfunctional as it is, the government in Washington DC is vastly more powerful than the state governments. It’s very much controlled by modern day Jacobins, the same kind of people who controlled the French Revolution. Little Robespierres, the types who guillotined about 30,000 of their countrymen in the early 1790’s.

When push comes to shove, most Americans will tend to do what the national government tells them to do. If the Jacobins - the Democrats - retain control of the apparatus of the State for another four years, when we’re experiencing financial, economic, political, and social chaos all at once… keep your head down.

International Man: During the Covid hysteria, some state governors acted independently from the federal government’s dictates. States like Texas, Florida, and South Dakota chose to open schools, end lockdowns, and ignore vaccine mandates. The border crisis has created another situation in which the federal and state governments are at odds. Where do you think this trend is headed?

Doug Casey: I think it’s not so much a question of various states being at odds with the federal government. It’s a question of the people being at odds with governments everywhere.

The average American, who’s under increasing financial stress, is increasingly disinclined to pay taxes, because he sees that he’s getting little in return but aggravation. In fact, with millions of aliens being imported at his expense, he sees that his taxes are being used against his own interests. It would be nice if they did, but I wouldn’t count on state governments to counter orders from DC. However, individual Americans are talking to each other and getting fed up. 

Simultaneously, people within the DC Beltway are viewing Red Americans and MAGA people as threats. More gun regulations are in the works, including a bill recently proposed to make it a violation for more than three armed people to be together.

Don’t rely on your state government. Local law enforcement always rolls over when confronted by the FBI, or any of a score of similar Federal agencies. Were Provincial governments of any help to the truckers in Canada recently, when they confronted the federal government? No.

This relates to what we’re seeing in France, Germany and Holland, where common people, starting with farmers and truckers, are rising up against their national governments. They increasingly see their rulers as alien beings.

Speaking of aliens in the countries I just mentioned, as well as Britain, the migrant problem is actually much worse than in the US. That’s because their migrants are mostly Muhammadans. They’ve formed their own communities with their own laws, making it dangerous for Brits, Swedes, Frenchmen, or Hollanders to enter their enclaves.

That could also evolve into a type of civil war in Europe. The migrants hate the locals, hate Western civilization, and want to replace it. Their numbers are growing rapidly, and many want to enforce Sharia law on everyone. At some point these alien people, most of them perpetually unemployed and living off the massive European welfare benefits, will no longer be tolerated.

Mass migration is going to change the nature of America, as it has Europe. You can’t fight the tide of history. The West has lost faith in itself. It’s natural for demographics of any place in the world to change. But it’s a pity if you value things like free minds and free markets. The West in general and America in particular were not just unique, but hugely better than the rest of the world in many ways. But they’re being overturned. It’s not change itself that’s the problem. It’s that these changes are destructive and degrading.

Part of the change is because Wokeism has become a new religion. The migrants are accelerating the change because they’re not drawn to America out of love for the idea of America and freedom. They’re being drawn here because they love freebies, not freedom.

International Man: How does the trend of the states increasingly defying the feds play into your big-picture outlook? What are the investment and other implications?

Doug Casey: Well, for one thing, if you are in a Blue state or a sanctuary city, I would bail out now. The pot is likely to boil over, and things could get violent. Even if violence is avoided, taxes are necessarily going up to support welfare receiving migrants. More important, you might want to establish a second residency outside of the US. Current trends are likely to continue accelerating. If the Dems can round up the many millions of recent migrants, and get them voting in the 2024 election, it’s likely game over.

We’re just at the early stages of a major cultural change. Higher taxes, more crime, and general chaos are part of it. It’s not going to be any fun to watch anywhere, but absolutely not out of your front window in the US."

"Can't You See..."

"Can't you see that the courage to risk, to dare, to toss that gold coin up in the air over and over again, win or lose, is what makes humans human? They are fragile, doomed creatures, blinder than worms yet braver than the gods."
- Jennifer Donnelly, "Stepsister"
o
Steve Cutts, "MAN"
“What a chimera then is man, what a novelty, what a monster, what chaos, what a subject of contradiction, what a prodigy! Judge of all things, yet an imbecile earthworm; depository of truth, yet a sewer of uncertainty and error; pride and refuse of the universe. Who shall resolve this tangle?”
- Blaise Pascal

Fred Reed, "It Cometh from the Pit, and It Hath a Knout"

"It Cometh from the Pit, and It Hath a Knout"
By Fred Reed

"Once upon a time there was a fairy kingdom that lived inside a place called The Beltway, and was surrounded on all four sides by a land called America. The Beltway was aligned with another kingdom called Manhattan, inhabited by disembodied heads that spoke from the walls of bars, and with yet another closed kingdom called Hollywood, the abode of half-educated narcissists. These kingdoms were in eternal political syzygy, and spoke not with the people of the surrounding lands, of whom they knew nothing. The following is a chronicle of what befell them, and why.

After years of peace, the Kingdoms were taken greatly aback by the rise of the Trump Monster, their surprise being proof that they knew nothing of the surrounding lands. They knew nothing for good reasons, of which there were two. The first was that they passed their lives with each other and among each other and talking to each other and writing about each other and reading about each other behind the high walls of their kingdoms. In organs like National Review and The Weekly Standard they endlessly wrote stories of the form “A soothsayer in Manhattan replies to what some other sayer of sooths said about yet another’s attack on someone else.”

They had all dwelt in monasteries called Harvard and Princeton, where they learned that they were the wisest of men, and inerrant. They had no idea that they were hated in the strange lands without the walls, which on their maps were drawn as fog with notations such as “Here dwelleth dragons.” They did not know that there were people who agreed not with them. For were they not right about all things?

The other reason for their puzzlement was a powerful spell called “Political Correctness.” This strong magic prevented the outlanders from saying anything that the Three Kingdoms did not want to hear. Anyone who engaged in incantations called “slurs,” which were truthful thoughts about sacred tribes, or who said Inappropriate Things about a certain little country whose only importance was being that little country, was thrown into durance vile. Thus the Three Kingdoms never heard anything they didn’t like, and so believed that almost everyone without the walls loved them. They had scarce an idea what furies were roiling and boiling and stirring under the surface of the Outer Realms.

Now, until the Trump Monster appeared, America was ruled by a pseudo-democracy of one bicephalous party with two names. The Only Party consisted of blackguards and Quislings and pickpockets bought and paid for by the plutocratic oligarchy of large corporations, AIPAC, and the. very rich. These told the two halves of the One Party what to do. Every four years there was played a great tournament in which candidates of the Two Names of the One Party engaged in the most savage combat imaginable. This was to distract the people outside the walls. Afterwards nothing changed and all went on as before, though the division of the spoils shifted a bit.

And in their ignorance and pride the Three Kingdoms engendered a monster called Trump, and it bit them.

The Only Party had always controlled the villeins because it controlled the choice of pretenders to the throne. A pretender gained the Presidency by buying it, and the rich who provided that money controlled as vassals those who accepted it. The pretenders were as straw and melons sold in a market.

Furthermore, the scribes and oracles of the Kingdoms said aloud only those things that were meet for the surrounding peasantry to hear. The puissant spell of Political Correctness amounted to a societal mute button and prevented the Holy Orders within the Three Kingdoms from noticing what stirred without.

Until the Trump Monster came raging, slouching toward Bethlehem, with which the Kingdoms confused themselves.

And there was afright and desperation and rending of teeth and gnashing of hair for many were the rice bowls threatened.

The darkest of horrors was that the serfs might come to choose the manner of their government. For long years the Bicephalous Party had presided over that most desirable form of democracy in which the people had no power. This laudable state they had maintained by never talking about anything of substance, such as unending wars in remote lands beyond the edges of the maps, or the importation of slaves from curious and unwholesome countries or the manufacture of all things by foreign dwarves.

A great broil ensued. The people saw for the first time a chance to manage their destinies and rose up for the Trump Monster. Inside the Beltway, the Wise and Good–for did they not so denominate themselves?–were greatly astonished. “What manner of wight can this be?” they asked in wonder. They said that the Trump Monster was beguiling fools, the cracked, and those who represented the worst in America. And the scribes and oracles were sore afraid, for most of the outlying populace appeared to belong to these tribes.

One of the Two Names of the One Party, the Democrats, sent forth a dreadful creature called Hillary to fight in single combat with the Trump Monster. Her very visage turned men to stone, it was said. She was held to be of one blood with Boadicea, Jeanne d’Arc, Lucretia Borgia, and Bonnie Parker.

The Three Kingdoms were at one with her, as she was corrupt, mendacious, criminal, and ugly, as well as suffering coughing fits and dizzy spells. Surely, said the scribes and oracles, any monster must fly screaming from her mere presence.

Yet it seemed that the Trump was no common monster. Every time he was beset by the scribes and oracles of the Beltway, he grew stronger, and a sulfurous smoke breathed from his mouth. With drawn swords the Trump Monster and the crumbling ruin clept Hillary circled each other.

And beyond the parapets and crenelations of the Three Kingdoms the sky grew darker. Inside the Beltway and in Manhattan, the disembodied heads railed and raged, but with every blast the helots joined the Trump Monster in larger numbers, for they hated the Insiders. In Hollywood the Half-Educated Narcissists said ever stupider things, but these had not their usual effect.

In their pride the Three Kingdoms had engendered Nemesis, and they watched in terror behind the ramparts as the sky grew darker and strange shapes twisted in the looming clouds and the Trump Monster strode ever nearer, breathing fire." (This reposted from before Trump’s victory as being of current relevance."

The Daily "Near You?"

Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Adventures With Danno, "Shopping At Dollar General For Cheap Food Items!"

Full screen recommended.
Adventures With Danno, AM 2/21/24
"Shopping At Dollar General For Cheap Food Items!"
"In today's vlog, we are at Dollar General and are searching around for some cheaper grocery options. With prices on food at an all-time high, we are trying to find options that are more budget friendly!"
Comments here:
o
Meanwhile, elsewhere, in a sane civilized society...
Full screen recommended.
Travelling with Russell. 2/21/24
"Where Did Tucker Carlson Go Shopping in Russia?"
"Where did Tucker Carlson go shopping in Moscow. Discover with me the place he visited, and see if it was exactly like he showed in his videos. Walk with me inside a Russian typical Supermarket, Auchan with me."
Comments here:

Just like where you live, right Good Citizen? Right?

Bill Bonner, "US Military Rule"

"US Military Rule"
The real political power Congress dare not oppose.
by Bill Bonner

"What I’m describing is military rule…
It’s the inversion of democracy."
~ Mike Benz

Youghal, Ireland - "As you’ll recall from our episodes on Monday and Tuesday…John Hussman predicts, with 99.9% certainty, a big drop in stock prices…particularly the Magnificent 7. His figures suggest an average decline of only 12%. But he bases this on an analysis of the period 1972-2023. This period, however, included the biggest stock market boom in history, boosted by the most successful ‘fake’ (not backed by anything) money system ever invented.

We expect he is right about the likelihood of a stock decline. But he may be wrong about the damage it will cause. In 1990, the Japanese market collapsed by 80%. It still hasn’t recovered – nearly a quarter of a century later. In the US, the Dow peaked out in 1929, dropped 88% and didn’t really recover until 1961. And if you keep track in terms of gold, you could have traded 18 ounces of gold for all the 30 Dow stocks of 1929. By 1980, it only took 2 ounces of gold. And twenty years later, it was at over 40.

All of which is to say that stocks swing up and down dramatically, sometimes a lot more than 12%. This is why, academic researchers believe, the rate of return from stocks should be higher than from bonds. There is a ‘risk premium’ that you get from stocks, theoretically, to compensate you for the big, episodic drawdowns in stock prices. NB: today, you can take 18 ounces of gold and buy all 30 Dow stocks again, just as you could in 1929. So, the real value of the best stocks on the market has not increased over the last 95 years.
Clusterf*ck of Woe

Yesterday, we looked more closely at why the next 40 years will probably not be as felicitous as the last 40…that is to say, the Dow/gold ratio is probably more likely headed to 2 rather than to 40. It may not be the ‘cluster of woe’ Hussman predicts, in other words, but a real ‘clusterf*ck of woe.’

After the funny money was introduced in 1971, the unfaithful dollar seemed to introduce an insidious, infectious disease…faithlessness crept into America’s vital organs. We saw how the elites of both parties try to limit voters’ choices, for example…in order to ‘protect democracy.’ The media has been captured by them too, and used to promote policies that serve their interests, but not those of ‘The People’ they are supposed to serve.

After 1971, marriage rates declined. Young people moved in with their parents. In 1971, you could buy an average house for $25,000. Now, The New York Times reports on a new trend: shrinkflation in housing, with tiny houses of only 600 sq. ft. selling for almost $300,000. Single income families have become rare. More children are born out-of-wedlock…and then, childbearing has declined to the point where, without immigration, the population would decline and Social Security would go broke.

Drug use increased. (Legal and illegal.) The prison population grew. Wages gains ceased. Americans got fatter. Federal debt rose 100 times. And the rich and poor parted company; by 2010, the top 5% earned more than the entire 90% of the population beneath them.

Americans have no dog in the Ukraine-Russia fight. But hundreds of billions of their dollars are used to keep it going. So too are billions of US dollars sent to Israel so it can buy weapons from the US firepower industry. All of which leads us, and Mike Benz, to believe that Congress, the administration, and the press are so deep in the pocket of the firepower industry, they can’t get out.

Gov Spooks and Jackboots: Dwight Eisenhower warned about it in 1961. Today, the danger he foresaw has not only arrived…it has taken a shape even he did not foresee – a silent military coup d’etat. Joe Biden doesn’t appear on TV as ‘Generalissimo Biden,’ bespeckled with medals and ribbons. Tanks do not patrol Pennsylvania Ave. Nor are dissidents rounded up, tortured and killed.

But, says Mike Benz: the military and the spooks rule. Few members of Congress dare to oppose them. Few mainstream media outlets dare to present their situation reports without the opinion of some retired, often disgraced, general officer. And, says Forbes, the firepower industry has become a ‘defining feature of the US economy.’ Forbes: "Congress in December belatedly passed an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2023 including $858 billion for national defense, roughly half of which will be dispersed in the form of contracts to the private sector."

That is, by any measure, big business. In fact, at over $400 billion annually, defense contracts awarded to the private sector are worth an amount equivalent to a quarter of the entire Russian economy.

The Congressional Research Service estimates the U.S. defense industrial base currently includes over 200,000 companies... the bottom line is that the defense industry has become a permanent, in fact defining feature of the U.S. economy.

The US defense budget when Eisenhower issued his famous warning was $47 billion. It’s now over $850 billion – 18 times higher. Even adjusted for inflation, it’s three times what it was during the Cold War. Why? Do we have thrice as many enemies now as then? We send billions to ‘protect’ Europe and Israel. Why? Both are rich and fully capable of protecting themselves.

The explanation is given to us by the aforementioned Mike Benz. The firepower industry has become expert, he says, in using the media to promote its own agenda. We’ll hear from Mr. Benz more tomorrow…and you’ll get more of our Spenglerian view: this time, the West really is in decline."

Greg Hunter, "Fed Will Be Forced to Raise Rates to Defend the Dollar"

"It's a Big Club, and you ain't in it. 
You and I are not in the Big Club."
- George Carlin
o
"Fed Will Be Forced to Raise Rates to Defend the Dollar"
by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

"Precious metals expert and financial writer Bill Holter says the market is exuberant with the idea the Federal Reserve is going to be forced to cut interest rates as the economy sinks. Holter has warned about the US dollar turning into confetti because of massive dollar printing and more and more bank bailouts. Holter is taking the other side of the rate cutting bet, and he thinks the Fed will do just the opposite. Holter says, “If you look at the amount of debt service the federal government is paying, it’s over $1 trillion a year. That’s going to go to $1.5 trillion, and then it will go to $2 trillion in interest a year. There is no reflection of deterioration of credit in the rates themselves. I foresee the day, and it may be within the next year, that the Fed is forced to raise interest rates to defend the dollar. That’s the problem. You have bad credit with the country who issues the world’s reserve currency. If all of a sudden the dollar falls apart, how does evil get paid to perform? How do we fight wars?”

Holter goes on to say, “The US Treasury, this year alone, has more than $6 trillion plus the $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in deficit that they will run. They are going to have to borrow this money this year. Where are they going to borrow that from? Who are they going to borrow it from? Is the Fed just going to conjure the money up and buy the bonds? The Fed lost $114 billion last year, and they are technically insolvent, as is the European Central Bank, as is the Bank of Japan, as is the Bank of England. These central banks are technically insolvent because their assets have dropped in value because interest rates have gone higher. The bond prices have dropped by more than what their equity was worth. The whole system is running on nothing. There is nothing holding it up.”

Several years ago, Bill Holter envisioned a Mad Max type of scenario unfolding because of all the exploding and unpayable debt. Holter heard snickers, but nobody is laughing at his prediction now. Holter says, “Once the credit spigots stop, you are going to see everything stop. You’ll see no goods in stores. You may or may not have water. You may or may not have electricity. Who knows what is not going to work. Everything runs on credit. Without credit I think you could see a 60% to 70% drop in actual GDP, and there is your Mad Max scenario. Commerce is not going to happen if there is no credit available.”

On the election coming up in November, Holter sees a 50/50 chance of it not happening. Holter says, “If Trump wins, they will be jailing people left and right.”

On gold, Holter says, “Gold never defaults, and it will act as a risk barometer. Gold will be going much higher in price. We live in the most indebted time in history.” There is much more in the 51-minute interview."
https://usawatchdog.com/

Join Greg Hunter on Rumble as he goes One-on-One with 
financial writer and precious metals expert Bill Holter. 
https://rumble.com/

"War...; Scott Ritter"

"War does not determine who's right... only who's left."
- Bertrand Russell

"The tragedy of modern war is that the young men die fighting
 each other - instead of their real enemies back home in the capitals."
- Edward Abbey
o
Scott Ritter: "Geopolitics 2/21/24"
Comments here:

"Israel is the personification of Evil,
 Israel is the embodiment of the Devil..."
In video above.

"The Most Precious Gift I Have..."

"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."
- Walter Anderson

"How It Really Is"

Gregory Mannarino, "We Are Being Slaughtered, And The MIC Is Winning!"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 2/21/24
"We Are Being Slaughtered, And The MIC Is Winning!"
Comments here:

Dan, I Allegedly, "NYC Exodus - Why Titans like Cardone & O'Leary Bailed"

Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly AM 2/21/24
"NYC Exodus - 
Why Titans like Cardone & O'Leary Bailed"
Comments here:

Canadian Prepper, "'False Flag Alert'; Belarus Prepares For World War; Iran's '3 Nukes'"

Full screen recommended.
Canadian Prepper, 2/21/24
"'False Flag Alert'; 
Belarus Prepares For World War; Iran's '3 Nukes'"
Comments here:

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Musical Interlude: 2002, "We Meet Again"

Full screen recommended.
2002, "We Meet Again"

"A Look to the Heavens"

"These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years away, in the fertile starfields of the constellation Cepheus. Called the Iris Nebula, NGC 7023 is not the only nebula to evoke the imagery of flowers. Still, this deep telescopic image shows off the Iris Nebula's range of colors and symmetries, embedded in surrounding fields of interstellar dust. 
Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Central filaments of the reflection nebula glow with a faint reddish photoluminesence as some dust grains effectively convert the star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Infrared observations indicate that this nebula contains complex carbon molecules known as PAHs. The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years."

Jeremiah Babe, "Escape From New York ASAP, You Are Not Safe"

Jeremiah Babe, 2/20/24
"Escape From New York ASAP, You Are Not Safe
Corporate America Has A Message For You"
Comments here:

Gerald Celente, "America: No Ceasefire! We Supply The Weapons..."

Strong language alert!
Gerald Celente, 2/20/24
"America: No Ceasefire! We Supply The Weapons..."
"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."
Comments here:

"2023: The Year Humanity Died"

"2023: The Year Humanity Died"
By Seraj Assi

"As a Palestinian who was born two generations apart from the Nakba, I have never imagined that one day I would witness the genocide of my people unfold before my eyes in broad daylight. While I always feared the prospect of a Second Nakba, as many Palestinians do, I have never dreamed, not even in my worst nightmares, that I would live it, witness it, and write about it.

In my happy Palestinian innocence, I believed that even if Israel was keen on repeating the Nakba, or attempting to “finish the job of 1948,” as many Israeli officials have threatened over the years, the Free World would not allow it to happen. In my wishful thinking, I believed that the world had learned its lesson since the Nakba. Yes, the world failed the Palestinian people in 1948. Yes, it allowed Israel to carry out its ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion of Palestinians. Yes, it abandoned the Palestinian refugees, and rewarded Israel with a United Nations recognition and membership. But that was 75 years ago, the age of genocides and holocausts. A lot of progress had been made since, I told myself. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. The U.N. evolved. Human rights groups mushroomed. Mandela won the Nobel Peace. True, genocide would occur so often and so uncontested in the decades since, but after the horrific genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, the leaders of the Free World seemed to have had enough! They seemed adamant not to allow another genocide to happen - Never Again! Not in Palestine, not again!

Summit after summit, they vowed that such atrocities had no place in the new century. Even when the new century in Palestine ushered in the Second Intifada and the collapse of the Oslo Accords, I still believed that the horrors of the past were in check. Even when Israel mushroomed in size, and the settlements tripled, and the apartheid system was closing in on the Palestinians in the West Bank, and the merciless siege suffocating those in Gaza, where one million children were born and raised in captivity, I still believed that that was the peak of our suffering and nothing remotely close the terrors of Rwanda or Bosnia, or indeed the First Nakba, would happen to us, because the world was watching, and it was ready to dispatch its postwar moral arsenal to stop it!

As a Palestinian, as a human being, I feel that part of me has died in this war.

I was dead wrong. For four bloody months since the Gaza Genocide first unfolded, the Free World has sat there watching, and cheering, and mocking us to death. During the first weeks, I still held onto my naïve optimism. True, the Free World betrayed Palestinians in Gaza; it allowed Israel to act with impunity; it tolerated its war crimes and mass atrocities; it denied the children of Gaza even the pretense of humanity. But ultimately it was bound to come to its senses and unleash its moral diplomacy to end this horror. So I persisted in my optimism. Perhaps the world needed more time to fathom what was happening. Perhaps it was waiting for a few more thousands of Palestinians to be killed before making its drastic move. Yet week after week, the world remained silent, blind to our deaths, deaf to our sufferings.

One month into the bloodshed, after Israel had killed 1,000 children, I said that’s it; the world would make its move now, if only to save the children! But the U.S. responded by vetoing a humanitarian cease-fire that could have saved thousands of innocent lives! A month after, when the death toll of children reached 10,000, I said enough is enough; it’s high time the world acted NOW, because humanity itself is at stake! U.N. officials had already sounded the alarm that Gaza was becoming a “graveyard for children,” so no one could pretend they did not know. The time to act was now or never! Yet there was another U.S. veto; another cold hand was raised to issue a new death sentence for Palestinians. Another spit in the face of humanity!

Now I’m lost for words. I have lost faith in humanity. The staggering death toll in Gaza is humanly impossible to fathom or accept without losing our sense of shared humanity. As a Palestinian, as a human being, I feel that part of me has died in this war. I know for certain that I will not emerge from this tragedy the same person I was before. None of us will.

Gaza may be annihilated, but it’s not going anywhere. When the dust of war settles, it will sit on our global conscience for generations to come. It will be a permanent stain on our humanity. The children of Gaza will not forget, if they survive. The living will remember, and the dead will haunt us forever. Gaza will be remembered not only as the crime of the century, but also as the site of our greatest shame, where humanity failed. 2023 will go down in history as the darkest in Palestine - the year humanity died."
o
"Gaza Health Ministry: 29,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,243
wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7."

Now 29,000 innocent men, old people, women and 14,000 children killed, another 8,000 missing and buried under the rubble by US supplied 2,000 lb bombs, which WE to our eternal shame and disgrace allow and support! These creatures, monsters, doing this are NOT human beings! They are pure Evil incarnate. They're a bloodthirsty, psychopathically genocidal sub-species of humanity! And, except for the Houthis and Hezbollah somewhat, the world sits silently watching this horror and does nothing! Shakespeare wrote, "Hell is empty and all the devils are here." Sartre said, "This is Hell, cleverly disguised just enough to keep us from escaping." I believe them... - CP
o

"War With Hezbollah To Be 'Israel's' Deadliest: 130-page Israeli Report"

"War With Hezbollah To Be
 'Israel's' Deadliest: 130-page Israeli Report"
An Israeli report underlines that the Israeli occupation has no 
chance in the face of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon 
as the latter's capabilities would rapidly overwhelm "Tel Aviv".
By Al Mayadeen

"The potential war between the Israeli occupation and Lebanon's Hezbollah holds a grim reality for the Israeli occupation, as it would be the most devastating war it has gone through since its inception, as per a three-year study conducted by hundreds of experts at the Counter-Terrorism Policy Institute at Reichman University. Israeli news outlet Calcalist shed light on the grim analysis of the potential war, which warns of unprecedented destruction and bloodshed in a conflict that could surpass the Israeli occupation's worst fears.

The exhaustive 130-page report was a collaborative effort of six think tank teams, consisting of 100 experts, former military and security officials, academics, and government officials. Notably, the team was led by Professor Boaz Ganor, a globally recognized pioneer in so-called "terrorism research" and the current president of Reichman University.

The report delves into critical aspects, including the readiness of the Israeli forces and the home front for a multi-front war. Key contributors to the study include Reserve Major General Aharon Ze'evi Farkash, Reserve Major General Isaac Ben-Israel, Reserve Brigadier Generals Zeev Zuk Ram and Betzalel Treiber, Reserve Colonel Eran Makov, Haim Tomer, and former Justice Minister Dan Meridor.

Despite the gravity of the findings, Calcalist suggests that doubts surround the timing of the report's release, hinting at possible concealment or manipulation. Ganor reportedly presented the report to various Israeli military and political leaders in the months leading up to the Palestinian Resistance's October 7 operation. However, the attempts to alert security agencies and decision-makers were allegedly unsuccessful, according to the Israeli media outlet.

The report was presented to senior Israeli officials over the span of 40 meetings with figures as high-ranking as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Security Minister Moshe Ya'alon, and former Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, among others. Professor Ganor expressed his disappointment in failing to secure meetings with more high-profile figures like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, despite multiple requests.

Of particular concern is the claim that only the findings of five think tank teams were made public, with the section prepared by the sixth team, focusing on aspects related to a potential Israeli preemptive attack, remaining strictly confidential.

Hellfire to rain down on 'Israel': Ganor's report suggests that the war, anticipated to erupt from the north, will be overwhelmingly intense for the Israeli occupation, with Hezbollah launching a whopping 2,500 to 3,000 missiles per day. This barrage includes both statistically inaccurate rocket artillery and high-precision long-range missiles.

Periodically, Hezbollah is expected to unleash massive salvos targeting specific areas, such as crucial Israeli military bases or cities in the key "Gush Dan" region, where hundreds of rockets could rain down in a single day. The relentless assault is projected to persist day after day, extending over three weeks from the outbreak of hostilities. The report warns that the resulting destruction will be unprecedented, accompanied by thousands of casualties on both the front lines and among Israeli settlers within occupied Palestine, sparking a state of panic and disarray.

One of the primary objectives of Hezbollah's prospective operations, as highlighted by Ganor, is to undermine the Israeli forces' air defense system. Precision ammunition and low-flying aerial devices, including drones, gliders, and cruise missiles, are expected to inflict material damage and target Iron Dome batteries.

The pace of the barrage will present unprecedented challenges to Israeli capabilities, depleting reserves of interception missiles for the Iron Dome and David's Sling within the early days of the conflict. The Israeli occupation could be left exposed to thousands of rocket and missile attacks without an effective and reliable defensive mechanism.

Simultaneously, Hezbollah aims to sabotage the activities of the Israeli Air Force and limit its operational capabilities as heavy precision missiles will be directed at takeoff runways within specific timeframes to hinder repair efforts and aerial offensives. Intensive fire will target hangars storing military aircraft and precision missiles with explosive warheads will strike sensitive infrastructure, including power stations, electricity-related facilities, desalination plants, and transportation facilities in Haifa and "Ashdod", the report underlined.

The report's research team also issued a dire warning that a swarm of dozens of suicide drones flying at very low altitudes would target critical assets within occupied Palestine. These include weapons facilities, emergency storage facilities for the Israeli occupation forces, and hospitals that would be needed for the unprecedented casualties that would be incurred.

The assault won't be limited to physical attacks; critical transportation infrastructure, communication channels, and sites related to government ministries and local authorities are expected to face widespread cyberattacks, posing a serious risk of disrupting the economy.

Hezbollah, allies to overwhelm 'Israel': The report highlights that chaos is expected to escalate within the Israeli occupation as Hezbollah prepares to send hundreds of fighters from the Radwan force into Israeli territories. Their primary objective would be to gain control of settlements along the border area with Lebanon and strategic military sites in the northern region. This would force the Israeli army to divert its efforts from immediate operations in Lebanon, engaging in ground maneuvers to counter the imminent threat.

Internally, the Israeli public is anticipated to face challenges in receiving updated and reliable information about the unfolding situation, leading to a loss of trust in messages relayed by official sources. The potential for panic and fear is expected to intensify due to the significant number of casualties, extensive damage, disruptions in power and water supply, delays in the arrival of rescue and relief forces, and difficulties in obtaining essential services such as food and medicine.

Hezbollah plans to exacerbate panic and confusion through continuous psychological warfare, flooding the media and social networks with threats and information that deepen internal divisions. Additionally, those seeking to escape from occupied Palestine may discover that the country's air links with the world have been severed.

Ganor, a prominent figure in the region, pointed out that the Israeli public's expectations of the Air Force and intelligence formations preventing the majority of guided missile strikes on the Israeli occupation are likely to be disproven. The assumption that an intensive Israeli attack on strategically important properties in Lebanon will force Hezbollah to cease fire is also expected to be proven wrong.

Hezbollah will not be alone in this battle, as the report warns of involvement from organizations across the region. Resistance factions in Syria and Iraq, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, as well as Ansar Allah in Yemen, are expected to contribute to what the report describes as a "violent and extensive upheaval." The upheaval in question will include disruptions in the West Bank and among Palestinians of '48, with rioting in mixed cities, challenges in war perception for the public, and the lowering of expectations from the army and rescue forces.

The report concludes by outlining vulnerabilities and pinpointing weaknesses in the Israeli forces and society. It challenges the expectations of the public and a significant portion of the leadership, stating that the effective Israeli Air Force and intelligence formations might not prevent the majority of missile strikes from reaching occupied Palestinian territories. Similarly, the assumption that extensive attacks on strategically important properties in Lebanon would force Hezbollah to cease fire is expected to be inaccurate.

In a related context, a former Shin Bet official Dvir Karev told Israeli Channel 13 that "Israel" is currently in its third war with Lebanon and that Hezbollah has much more power than Hamas, both in weapons and in force. He questioned whether the IOF's power could be sufficient against Hezbollah and expressed hope that the confrontations would remain at a low level, acknowledging the many Israeli casualties."

Stipendium peccati mors est, Israel...

Judge Napolitano, IDF Slaughters Innocents in Rafah"

Full screen recommended.
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 2/20/24
"Scott Ritter: IDF Slaughters Innocents in Rafah"
Comments here:
o
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 2/20/24
Must Watch! 
"Scott Ritter: Brought To Tears As He 
Recounts A Story Of A Lost Child"
"Judge presented a deeply moving video featuring the speech given by the Palestinian envoy to the UN at the ICJ. Ritter acknowledges the sincerity and emotional depth of the speech. He proceeds to narrate a heart-wrenching incident involving a child pleading for assistance before facing devastating actions by the IDF. Ritter, visibly affected, speaks passionately, drawing on his roles as a father, husband, and fellow human being."
Comments here:

Gregory Mannarino, "Alert! Every Single Economic Indicator Is Crashing, With No End In Sight"

Gregory Mannarino, PM 2/20/24
"Alert! Every Single Economic Indicator Is Crashing, 
With No End In Sight"
Comments here:

"Millions Of Americans Prepare For The Apocalypse As Global Food Crisis Reaches Unprecedented Levels"

Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 2/20/24
"Millions Of Americans Prepare For The Apocalypse 
As Global Food Crisis Reaches Unprecedented Levels"
"The world is facing a food crisis like never before, and millions of Americans are preparing for the apocalypse. The elite are trying to control the food supply and the climate, and they suggest absurd and harmful solutions, such as blocking the sun with a giant umbrella, drinking sewage water, and eating insects and soy. Some people are getting ready for the end of the world with various ways, such as hoarding food, water, weapons and building underground bunkers. But what are the risks and benefits of these solutions and methods? Are you ready for what’s coming? Let’s explore the horrors that await in 2024."
Comments here:

"World War 3 and the New World Order"

"World War 3 and the New World Order"
by Nick Giambruno

"The only winning move is not to play." That’s a famous line from "WarGames," a movie about a young computer whiz named David who hacks into a US military supercomputer designed to simulate nuclear war scenarios. David initially believes he’s playing a computer game, but his actions inadvertently prompt the supercomputer to prepare for a real nuclear war. As the situation escalates, with the world on the brink of a nuclear apocalypse, it becomes clear that there is no strategic advantage in nuclear war; any exchange of nuclear weapons would lead to mutual destruction, known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

MAD is not just something out of Hollywood; it’s a real concept that is relevant today. Consider this. Several credible studies and simulations have shown that a nuclear war between Russia and the US could kill more than 90 million people in the first couple of hours of conflict. Over 5 billion people could starve to death in the following months.Historically, the incomprehensible destruction nuclear war would bring to all sides has prevented direct military conflict between the world’s largest powers since World War 2. MAD is why World War 3 will probably not be like the previous world wars.

Total war between the world’s largest powers that reshuffled the international order defined the previous world wars. However, with the advent of nuclear weapons, total war between the largest powers today - Russia, China, and the US - means a nuclear Armageddon where there are no winners and only losers. That could still happen despite nobody wanting it, but it’s not the most likely outcome.

World War 3 is unlikely to be a direct kinetic war between the US, Russia, and China. Instead, the conflict will play out on different levels - proxy wars, economic wars, financial wars, cyber wars, biological wars, deniable sabotage, and information wars. In that sense, World War 3 is already well underway, even though most don’t recognize it.

Here’s the bottom line. Russia, China, and their allies want to change the US-led world order that has been in place since the end of World War 2. The conflict is playing out on a level that is below the threshold of direct kinetic warfare because that could invite a nuclear Armageddon. Nonetheless, it is a conflict between the biggest global powers to determine the world order - like the previous World Wars.

It’s important to remember that world orders are nothing new. World orders are how the big global powers have set the rules of the game for centuries. They are simply the architecture for international political relations between countries. On a smaller scale, it’s similar to when the most powerful criminal groups in a given city - like mafias and street gangs - come together and agree on how to divide their activities and neighborhoods among themselves.

Sooner or later, though, these agreements always break down. Then, there is a violent power struggle until the criminal groups reach a new agreement reflecting the new power balance. A similar dynamic is at play with the most powerful countries and world orders. Conflicts among the most powerful countries typically lead to a breakdown and restructuring in the world order.

Here is a brief overview of some of the most recent world orders. You can think of them as epochs or distinctive historical periods reflecting the shifting power balance among global players.

Peace of Westphalia (1648 to 1803): This agreement ended the Thirty Years’ War and set the framework for international relations in Europe for over two centuries by preserving the balance of power among major European powers. It brought together the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, Sweden, the Dutch Republic, and various German territories. This world order largely lasted until the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, which led to the need for a new international arrangement among the big powers.

Congress of Vienna (1814 to 1914): The military defeat of French Emperor Napoleon I led to this world order. It enshrined the British as the dominant global power. The Congress of Vienna formed the basis for European international politics until the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914.

Treaty of Versailles (1919 to 1939): The victors of World War 1 created this world order, which featured institutions like the League of Nations. It broke down after Germany, Italy, and Japan tried to overturn it and make their own world order during World War 2.

The Current US-Led World Order (1945 to Today): The Allies crafted the current world order in the aftermath of World War 2 with the US as the leader. It features institutions like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund - all located in the US. The current world order has been largely unipolar, with the US exercising significant influence over international policies and decision making. Today, it’s evident global power is shifting as the current US-led world order is breaking down at an accelerating pace as World War 3 unfolds.

Changes to the world order are historical events with enormous implications. That’s why it’s crucial to sift through the noise and propaganda to put the pieces together correctly to see the true geopolitical Big Picture."

The Daily "Near You?"

Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Free Download: "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds"

"Extraordinary Popular Delusions
 and the Madness of Crowds"

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back." - Carl Sagan

"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" is an early study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay, first published in 1841. The book chronicles its subjects in three parts: "National Delusions", "Peculiar Follies", and "Philosophical Delusions". MacKay was an accomplished teller of stories, though he wrote in a journalistic and somewhat sensational style.

The subjects of Mackay's debunking include alchemy, crusades, duels, economic bubbles, fortune-telling, haunted houses, the Drummer of Tedworth, the influence of politics and religion on the shapes of beards and hair, magnetizers (influence of imagination in curing disease), murder through poisoning, prophecies, popular admiration of great thieves, popular follies of great cities, and relics. Present-day writers on economics, such as Michael Lewis and Andrew Tobias, laud the three chapters on economic bubbles. Scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan mentioned the book in his own discussion about pseudoscience, popular delusions, and hoaxes.

In later editions, Mackay added a footnote referencing the Railway Mania of the 1840s as another "popular delusion" which was at least as important as the South Sea Bubble. Mathematician Andrew Odlyzko has pointed out, in a published lecture, that Mackay himself played a role in this economic bubble; as leader writer in the Glasgow Argus, Mackay wrote on 2 October 1845: "There is no reason whatever to fear a crash."

Freely download "Extraordinary Popular Delusions
 and the Madness of Crowds" by Charles Mackay, here: