Full screen recommended.
Deuter, "Loving Touch"
So, we rise from the rubble...
StatCounter
Thursday, January 15, 2026
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What makes this spiral galaxy so long? Measuring over 700,000 light years across from top to bottom, NGC 6872, also known as the Condor galaxy, is one of the most elongated barred spiral galaxies known.
The galaxy's protracted shape likely results from its continuing collision with the smaller galaxy IC 4970, visible just above center. Of particular interest is NGC 6872's spiral arm on the upper left, as pictured here, which exhibits an unusually high amount of blue star forming regions. The light we see today left these colliding giants before the days of the dinosaurs, about 300 million years ago. NGC 6872 is visible with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Peacock (Pavo).”
"All Is Not Lost... What A Chimera!"
"All Is Not Lost... What A Chimera!"
"If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost;
you can still call him vile names."
- Elbert Hubbard
"What a chimera then is man!
you can still call him vile names."
- Elbert Hubbard
"What a chimera then is man!
What a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos,
what a contradiction, what a prodigy!
Judge of all things, imbecile worm of the earth;
depositary of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error;
the pride and refuse of the universe!
Who will unravel this tangle?"
- Blaise Pascal
what a contradiction, what a prodigy!
Judge of all things, imbecile worm of the earth;
depositary of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error;
the pride and refuse of the universe!
Who will unravel this tangle?"
- Blaise Pascal
"I Am Done"
"I Am Done"
by OHMama
"I was born at the end of Gen X and the beginning of the Millennial Generation, and grew up in a middle class town. Life was good. Our home was modest but birthdays and Christmas were always generous, we went on yearly vacations, had 2 cars, and there was enough money for me to take dance classes and art lessons and be in Girl Scouts.
My 1940s born Dad raised me to be patriotic and proud, to love the war bird airplanes of his era as much as he does, and to respect our flag and our country as a sacred thing. I grew up thinking that being an American was the greatest gift a person could have. I grew up thinking that our country was as strong, and honest and true as my Dad. I grew up thinking I was free.
As an adult, I have witnessed the world I grew up in fall to ruin. I have watched as our currency and our economy have been shamelessly corrupted beyond redemption. Since we’ve been married, my husband and I TWICE had our meager investment savings gutted by the market that we were told to invest in, now that pensions no longer exist and we working stiffs are on our own. We will be working until we die, because the Social Security we’ve been forced to pay into has also been robbed from under us.
I have watched as our elected officials enter Congress as ordinary folks and leaves as multi millionaires. I have watched my blue collar husband get up at an ungodly hour every day and come home with an aching back that we pray will hold out long enough to get him to old age in one piece. Outside of shoes, socks and underwear, almost everything my family wears was bought used. We’ve been on one vacation in 12 years.
We don’t have cell phones, or cable, or any sort of streaming services, just a landline and internet. We hardly ever eat out. Our house is 1400 square feet, no air conditioning. I cook from scratch and I can and I garden and I raise chickens for eggs and meat and I moonlight selling things on Etsy. Still it is barely enough to pay the bills that go up every year while service quality and the longevity of goods goes down. What I just described is the life you can live on 60K a year without going into debt.
At last calculation, when you consider all of the federal, state and local taxes plus registration and user fees, Medicare and SS payroll taxes, almost a third of what my family earns is stolen by the govt each year. What’s left doesn’t go far, just enough to cover the basics and save a little for when the wolf howls at the door.
I watched as my family’s health insurance was gutted and destroyed. Our private market insurance, which we had to have because my husband’s employer is too small to have a group plan, was made illegal. We were left with the option of either buying an Obamacare plan with unaffordable deductibles and insanely ridiculous out of pocket maxes, or paying the very gov’t that destroyed our healthcare a fine for not buying the gov’t mandated plan that we cannot afford. We now have short term insurance that isn’t really insurance at all, and I live in fear of one of us getting injured or sick with anything I can’t fix from the medicine cabinet.
I have watched as education, which was already sketchy when I was a kid, became an all out joke of wholly unmathematical math, gold stars for all, and self-loathing anti-Americanism. My family has taken an enormous financial hit as I stay home to home school our child. At least she’ll be able to do old-fashioned math well enough to see how much they are screwing her. A silver lining to every cloud, I guess.
I’ve sat by and held my tongue as I was called deplorable and a bitter clinger and told that I didn’t build that. I’ve been called a racist and a xenophobe and a chump and even an “ugly folk.” I’ve been told that I have privilege, and that I have inherent bias because of my skin color, and that my beloved husband and father are part of a horrible patriarchy. Not one goddamn bit of that is true, but if I dare say anything about it, it will be used as evidence of my racism and white fragility.
Raised to be a Republican, I held my nose and voted for Bush, the Texas-talking blue blood from Connecticut who lied us into 2 wars and gave us the unpatriotic Patriot Act. I voted for McCain, the sociopathic neocon songbird “hero” that torpedoed the attempt to kill the Obamacare that’s killing my family financially. I held it again and voted for Romney, the vulture capitalist skunk that masquerades as a Republican while slithering over to the Democrat camp as often as they’ll tolerate his oily, loathsome presence.
And I voted for Trump, who, if he did nothing else, at least gave a resounding Bronx cheer to the richly deserving smug hypocrites of DC. Thank you for that Mr. President, on behalf of all of us nobodies. God bless you for it.
And now I have watched as people who hate me and mine and call for our destruction blatantly and openly stole the election and then gaslighted us and told us that it was honest and fair. I am watching as the GOP does NOTHING about it. They were probably relieved that upstart Trump was gone so they could get back to their real jobs of lining their pockets and running interference for their corporate masters. I am watching as the media, in a manner that would make Stalin blush, is silencing anyone who dares question the legitimacy of this farce they call democracy. I know, it’s a republic, but I am so tired of explaining that to people I might as well give in and join them in ignorance.
I will not vote again; they’ve made it abundantly clear that my voice doesn’t matter. Whatever irrational, suicidal lunacy the nanny states thinks is best is what I’ll get. What it decided I need is a geriatric pedophile who shouldn’t be charged with anything more rigorous than choosing between tapioca and rice pudding at the old folks home, and a casting couch skank who rails against racism while being a descendant of slave owners.
I’m free to dismember a baby in my womb and kill it because “my body my choice”, but God help me if I won’t cover my face with a germ laden Linus-worthy security blanket or refuse let them inject genetically altering chemicals into my body or my child’s. I can be doxed, fired, shunned and destroyed for daring to venture that there are only 2 genders as proven by DNA, but a disease with a 99+% survival rate for most humans is a deadly pandemic worth murdering an economy over. Because science. Idiocracy is real, and we are living it. Dr. Lexus would be an improvement over Fauci.
I am done. Don’t ask me to pledge to the flag, or salute the troops, or shoot fireworks on the 4th. It’s a sick, twisted, heartbreaking joke, this bloated, unrecognizable corpse of a republic that once was ours.
I am not alone. Not sure how things continue to function when millions of citizens no longer feel any loyalty to or from the society they live in.
I was raised to be a lady, and ladies don’t curse, but f**k these motherf**kers to hell and back for what they’ve done to me, and mine, and my country. All we Joe Blow Americans ever wanted was a little patch of land to raise a family, a job to pay the bills, and at least some illusion of freedom, and even that was too much for these human parasites. They want it all, mind, body and soul. Damn them. Damn them all."
Judge Napolitano, "Col. Lawrence Wilkerson Warns: An Israel–Iran War Would Be Catastrophic"
Full screen recommended.
Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 1/15/26
"Col. Lawrence Wilkerson Warns:
An Israel–Iran War Would Be Catastrophic"
Comments here:
The Poet: Theodore Roethke, “The Waking”
“The Waking”
“I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.”
- Theodore Roethke
"It's Not So Easy..."
“Over the years you get to see what a struggle life is for most people, how tough it is, how easy it is to be judgmental and criticize and stand outside of situations and impart your wisdom and judgment. But over the decades I've got more tolerant of people's flaws and mistakes. Everybody makes a lot of them. When you're younger you feel: "Hey, this person is evil" or "This person is a jerk" or stupid or "What's wrong with them?" Then you go through life and you think: "Well, it's not so easy." There's a lot of mystery and suffering and complication. Everybody's out there trying to do the best they can. And it's not such an easy business.”
- Woody Allen
"Hanging by a Thread"
"Hanging by a Thread"
by Todd Hayen
"It is quite amazing how close people are to serious mental illness. What is serious mental illness? Suicidal depression, psychosis, anxiety that requires hospitalization, and frankly anything that keeps a person from living a functional life, a life with its share of sadness, trauma and suffering, but also with moments of happiness, fulfillment, love and laughter.
That’s serious mental illness. What about “not so serious” mental illness? Well, we’ve got a lot more of that than one could even imagine. And then twice that many hanging by the thread, just about ready to drop into depression, anxiety, personality disorders of a dizzying variety, sadness, emotional dysfunction, relational wackiness, on and on. It is a pandemic, and yes, a real one that isn’t a hoax.
In my opinion, nearly every human alive suffers from some sort of emotional/mental anomaly. Maybe not everyone but a lot (and if you find one who doesn’t - maybe some young couple dressed in loincloths riding horses on the beach of some idyllic island somewhere in the South Pacific - let me know about them, I would love to meet them).
I see a lot of people in my practice, and I can unequivocally say that they all have issues. Well, that stands to reason, of course. That’s like a dentist saying everyone who comes into his or her office has some issue with his or her teeth. But I also hear about my client’s friends and family, I also interface with people in the grocery store, on the streets, and in my own friend circle, and all of these people have emotional issues, or are hanging by a thread - me included, of course (although my thread broke long ago and I have been swimming in psychological muck for most, if not all, of my life).
Isn’t this the normal “human condition?” Well, I used to think so, but not anymore. There is, of course, a “normal” human condition concerning mental and emotional regulation. Everyone gets depressed and sad once in a while, everyone gets anxious and has emotional flare-ups. We can describe a “normal” mental state which includes a lot of ups and downs. What I am describing is more than that, it is what comes across as abnormal, intense, devoid of much reason, out of regulation, and bordering on crazy. We are all, for the most part, whacked.
Ok, ok, not all of us are whacked. I know I am; you might not be. You may fall into this narrow band of a “normally wiggy” person psychologically, and if you do, congratulations. I am not convinced, however, that there are very many of you who can completely escape the screwed-up environment we all live in (yes, some may be more adept at processing this shite show than others). I would venture to say that you more than likely have been bitten, in some way, by the agenda if you live on this particular planet. Even if only through being around people who are truly crazy - that’s enough to make you fit into this category.
But I am not really commenting on fringe stuff here. I am commenting on those of us who are very close to being certifiably “off” - close to an actual diagnosis. Whether it be run-of-the-mill depression or anxiety, or more exotic personality disorders such as Borderline, Narcissistic, Histrionic, or even any one of the array of psychotic maladies such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar with Psychosis, or Paranoia.
Let’s look at some numbers. Almost 3 million people have been diagnosed with depression in 2020 in the USA, 66 million with anxiety over the past year. In the same year almost 5 million were diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, about 5 million with Narcissist Personality Disorder, and almost 2 million with Schizophrenia.
About 10 million will suffer from some form of psychosis in their lifetime, almost 10 million have been diagnosed with BiPolar disorder over the past year, 15 million adults suffer from ADHD, and nearly 35 million children were diagnosed with this particular malady over the same year.
And these statistics only apply to people who have complained enough about their mental condition to their doctor, psychiatrist, or certified psychologist, to be actually diagnosed and put on the docket as having these mental disorders. No telling how many are suffering from mental illness and have not shared their condition with someone who is qualified to render an official diagnosis (psychotherapists, in Canada, are not allowed to diagnose).
Yep, it’s a big problem. And then there is the medication. It is estimated that approximately 76 million people in the US, of all ages, have been prescribed, and are consuming, some form of psychiatric drug (I would venture to say it is more than this). That’s a lot of folks, folks.
Do I put a lot of weight on official diagnoses and labelling? Not really. But regardless of what you think of diagnosis standards and criteria, people are suffering from something - even if you refrain from putting a name to it. This is easy to see without doing much digging. People seem to have lost a lot of their mental capacity to think, to think critically, and to function within the expected “norms” of society (whatever that is). People, in general, seem to have a very difficult time making any sort of rational decisions about everyday challenges in everyday life.
That’s a big statement, I know. And maybe this has always been true, but my gut tells me this is all due to the social pathology the agenda has brought upon us. And no, it isn’t all due to an intentional agenda to pulverize us into flesh-eating zombies, but by golly most of it is.
If you think about how far away humans are from living a natural life, it isn’t much of a stretch to believe we are all suffering from some sort of mental and emotional dysfunction. Although this has been slowly going on since humans stopped living in caves, we have been relatively skilled at staving off the pandemic of mental illness we now seem to be suffering.
Sure, humans have always been a bit kooky. But wouldn’t you say today it appears to be much worse than it was 100 years ago? 200 hundred years ago? The disintegration of moral values, character development, a misunderstanding of “right and wrong,” the dissolution of family, community, spirituality, gender, and even the sanctity of the human body has all had its toll on healthy emotional and mental processing. When we no longer can process properly, we lose psychic homeostasis, and disease sets in."
o
"Don't wonder why people go crazy. Wonder why they don't.
In the face of what we can lose in a day, in an instant,
wonder what the hell it is that makes us hold it together."
- "Grey's Anatomy"
o
"The worst part is wondering how you'll find the strength tomorrow to go on doing what you did today and have been doing for much too long, where you'll find the strength for all that stupid running around, those projects that come to nothing, those attempts to escape from crushing necessity, which always founder and serve only to convince you one more time that destiny is implacable, that every night will find you down and out, crushed by the dread of more and more sordid and insecure tomorrows. And maybe it's treacherous old age coming on, threatening the worst. Not much music left inside us for life to dance to. Our youth has gone to the ends of the earth to die in the silence of the truth. And where, I ask you, can a man escape to, when he hasn't enough madness left inside him? The truth is an endless death agony. The truth is death. You have to choose: death or lies. I've never been able to kill myself. "
- Louis-Ferdinand Celineo
o
"Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether
it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
"Super Flu Surging In 45 States, Dr. Visits Reach 30-Year High And It's Likely To Get Worse"
"Super Flu Surging In 45 States,
Dr. Visits Reach 30-Year High And It's Likely To Get Worse"
by The Wellness Company
"Trusted medical experts like Dr. Peter McCullough warned months ago that this year’s flu season would be one for the record books, in part because this year’s more virulent flu variant would not respond to the so-called “flu vaccine.” Dr. McCullough told Real America’s Voice: "This year’s dominant H3N2 strain is unlikely to respond well to the current flu vaccine formulation, despite millions of Americans receiving it." Dr. McCullough was, unfortunately, absolutely correct. This year’s flu is more deadly, more virulent and the flu vaccine is doing almost nothing to stop its spread.
And now the mainstream media is catching on. According to NBC News: "Doctors’ visits for flu-like symptoms - fevers, sore throat, extreme fatigue and body aches - have hit the highest level in nearly 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are likely to continue to rise in the coming weeks. At least 5,000 people have died this season, including nine children. For the week ending Dec. 27, the CDC reported that nearly 1 in 10 outpatient visits nationwide - 8.2% - were for flu-like illnesses. That’s the highest logged since the CDC started tracking such visits in 1997. The flu has accounted for more than 11 million illnesses this season and 120,000 hospitalizations."
Forty-five states are experiencing high to very high levels of flu activity. Public health experts are calling it a “perfect storm” strain due to its severity, rapid spread, and the fact that this year’s flu vaccine does not directly match the variant. Symptoms are familiar - fever, chills, fatigue, cough, sore throat - but reports suggest they are more intense and longer-lasting than what many people are used to.
Most frightening is that as bad as it is, it is likely to get worse: Because the latest data is from the week of Christmas, it doesn’t yet reflect illnesses caused by holiday travel and gatherings. “It’s still too soon to know what the impact of the holiday season is going to be on flu activity,” said Krista Kniss, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s influenza division. “We’re not anywhere close to being done.”
"Tyrants"
Execution of Louis XVI (Charles Monnet, 1794)
"Tyrants"
by Lars Moller
"History is replete with revolutionary figures who transformed society through “vision”, “vanity”, and “violence” - a vicious triad covering the strategy of being ideologically uncompromising, outmaneuvering rivals, and eliminating political opposition, respectively.
Maximilien Robespierre and Vladimir Lenin stand out as architects of radical political transformation. Bridging the cultural divide, their leadership styles and psychological profiles show striking similarities. Both men were pedantic ideologues driven by an unshakable belief in their own moral and intellectual superiority.
A comprehensive personality profiling of Robespierre and Lenin requires an analytical framework that transcends ideological taxonomy and historical contingency. While both men operated under conditions of revolutionary crisis, their responses to this strain were neither inevitable nor merely situational. Rather, the extremes of savagery that they authorized, rationalized, and sustained reflect enduring psychological structures that shaped their political conduct. Revolutionary atrocity, in this sense, is best understood, not as an accidental excess of upheaval but as an expressive manifestation of personality under pressure.
At the center of both profiles lies a distinctive form of narcissism, albeit one that diverges from popular caricature. Neither Robespierre nor Lenin cultivated flamboyance or sensual excess. Instead, they embodied a restrained and severe narcissism, grounded in ascetic discipline and intellectual or moral exclusivity. This “austere narcissism” is particularly insidious, as it disguises grandiosity beneath the rhetoric of sacrifice and historical necessity. Both men perceived themselves as uniquely attuned to the demands of history, endowed with a clarity unavailable to others. This conviction constituted the psychological foundation of their authority and simultaneously foreclosed the possibility of self-doubt.
Robespierre’s personality was organized primarily around moral absolutism. His self-conception as l’Incorruptible was not a mere political posture but a deeply internalized identity. Personal frugality, emotional restraint, and rhetorical solemnity served as symbolic reinforcements of moral superiority. From a psychological standpoint, this configuration suggests a rigid superego structure in which ethical norms were internalized as categorical imperatives rather than negotiable principles. Moral conflict could not be accommodated; it had to be eradicated.
This psychic architecture is indispensable for understanding Robespierre’s embrace of terror during 1793–94. The Law of Suspects, enacted on September 17, 1793, dramatically expanded the definition of counter-revolutionary guilt to include vague categories such as “enemies of liberty” and those lacking “civic virtue”. In practice, this legislation enabled the arrest of tens of thousands on the basis of suspicion alone. The resulting mass incarcerations and executions were not only tactical responses to military threats but also expressions of Robespierre’s moralized worldview. Political ambiguity itself became criminal.
The Revolutionary Tribunal exemplified this moral reductionism. Legal safeguards were progressively dismantled, culminating in the Law of the Great Terror, enacted on June 10, 1794, which eliminated defense counsel and limited verdicts to acquittal or death. The acceleration of executions - over 1,300 in Paris alone within six weeks - reflected not panic but moral certainty. Violence functioned as ethical enforcement. The guillotine, with its mechanical regularity, transformed killing into procedure, allowing Robespierre to experience mass death as impersonal justice rather than cruelty. Psychologically, such depersonalization constitutes a dissociative defense: suffering is abstracted, responsibility displaced, and violence reclassified as virtue.
Robespierre’s increasing hostility towards former allies further reveals the fragility underlying his moral absolutism. The executions of Georges Danton and Camille Desmoulins - longstanding revolutionaries accused of “indulgence” - illustrate how moral rigidity devolved into paranoid purification. Dissent was no longer external but internal. The purges thus served not only political consolidation but also psychic stabilization. Each execution reaffirmed Robespierre’s self-image as guardian of revolutionary purity against an ever-expanding field of corruption.
Lenin’s psychological profile, though equally absolutist, was structured along a different axis. His narcissism was intellectual rather than moral. Lenin did not portray himself as virtuous but as scientifically correct. Authority derived from his conviction that he alone grasped the objective laws of historical development. This intellectual narcissism produced profound disdain for spontaneity, pluralism, and moral hesitation.
Lenin’s approach to violence during and after the October Revolution exemplifies this orientation. The establishment of the Cheka in December 1917 marked the institutionalization of terror as a permanent instrument of governance. Unlike the revolutionary tribunals of 1793, the Cheka operated extrajudicially from the outset. Its remit included summary execution, hostage-taking, and mass repression. Lenin explicitly endorsed these measures. In correspondence from 1918, he called for “merciless mass terror” against class enemies, insisting that hesitation would doom the revolution.
The Red Terror of 1918–22 provides stark illustration. Following the attempted assassination of Lenin in August 1918, the regime launched widespread reprisals. Thousands were executed without trial, often selected, not for actions but for social origin. Former nobles, priests, merchants, and officers were targeted as categories rather than individuals. The mass shootings at Petrograd and Moscow, as well as the use of concentration camps - precursors to the Gulag system—demonstrate how violence was bureaucratized and de-personalized. Psychologically, this categorical annihilation reflects cognitive reductionism: human beings were reduced to structural obstacles to be removed.
The suppression of the Tambov peasant uprising (1920–22) further illustrates Lenin’s instrumental rationality. When peasants resisted grain requisitioning, the Red Army deployed poison gas, mass deportations, and hostage executions. Lenin personally authorized these measures, framing them as necessary to break “kulak resistance”. The scale and severity of the repression - tens of thousands killed or interned - underscore his willingness to annihilate entire populations in pursuit of economic and ideological objectives. Emotional detachment was not incidental but functional: empathy would have impeded efficiency.
Similarly revealing was the crushing of the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921. The sailors, once celebrated as heroes of the revolution, demanded free elections and an end to Bolshevik repression. Lenin and Trotsky responded with overwhelming force. Thousands were executed or sent to labor camps. The psychological significance lies in the readiness to destroy former allies once they ceased to serve the ideological script. Dissent, regardless of origin, was pathologized as counter-revolution.
Despite stylistic differences, Robespierre and Lenin shared a fundamental incapacity to recognize others as autonomous moral agents. From a developmental psychology perspective, this suggests impaired “mentalization”. Opposition was interpreted, not as disagreement but as moral corruption or structural deviance. Consequently, violence acquired an air of inevitability.
Both leaders also exhibited marked emotional austerity and social withdrawal. Their reluctance to engage in ordinary social life reinforced authority but deepened isolation. Isolation intensified suspicion. Deprived of corrective feedback, both increasingly relied on internal narratives of betrayal. Terror became self-reinforcing: fear confirmed paranoia, paranoia justified repression, and repression entrenched power.
This dynamic accords with established models of authoritarian personality, which emphasize the interplay between dominance and insecurity. Such leaders are not psychologically secure. Their need for absolute control compensates for internal fragility. Power functions as an external stabilizer, imposing order upon both society and the self.
The handling of failure further illuminates these personalities. Neither Robespierre nor Lenin demonstrated genuine self-criticism. Military setbacks, economic collapse, or popular resistance were invariably attributed to insufficient repression. Violence thus substituted for reflection. Rather than revising assumptions, both escalated coercion.
The persistence of terror beyond immediate necessity underscores its expressive function. Once institutionalized, violence became ritualized, reaffirming alignment with virtue or history. Each execution symbolized inevitability and correctness. Atrocity communicated omnipotence.
The contrast between Robespierre’s “moralized terror” and Lenin’s “instrumental terror” reflects divergent emotional economies within a shared absolutist framework. Robespierre’s violence was theatrical and ethical; Lenin’s procedural and technical. Yet both converged in their effect: the annihilation of individuality and the normalization of death as a political tool.
Ultimately, the personality profiling of Robespierre and Lenin demonstrates how revolutionary leadership magnifies latent psychological traits. Ideology supplied justification; crisis provided opportunity; personality determined execution. Their atrocities were not historical aberrations but behavioral culminations of rigid cognition, narcissistic self-identification, emotional detachment, and intolerance of uncertainty.
The broader implication is sobering. Extreme political violence need not arise from overt sadism. It often emerges from moral certainty, intellectual arrogance, and the refusal to acknowledge human complexity. Robespierre and Lenin exemplify how revolutionary ideals, when filtered through psychologically brittle leadership, can transmute aspirations of emancipation into systems of terror. Their legacies endure as warnings of what occurs when conviction eclipses conscience and abstraction supplants humanity. Without any mitigating self-irony, Robespierre and Lenin embodied an unlimited commitment to ideology, indifferent to the concerns of ordinary people, their lives and freedoms."
"They Promised a Boom - 2026 Just Delivered Mass Layoffs"
Full screen recommended.
Dan, I Allegedly, 1/15/26
"They Promised a Boom -
2026 Just Delivered Mass Layoffs"
"Welcome to 2026, everyone! In today’s video, we’re diving into “The Economic Collapse They Don’t Want You to Know About.” From massive layoffs at major companies like Meta, Citibank, and UPS to skyrocketing silver and gold prices, the warning signs are everywhere. I’m breaking down the truth behind the financial chaos and what it means for you, your job, and your wallet. The metals market is upside down, inflation is relentless, and big names like BlackRock and Angie’s List are restructuring with massive cuts. What’s next for industries across tech, finance, and retail? It’s a tough time, but together, we’ll navigate the storm. And don’t miss my thoughts on gold, silver, and the wild market swings impacting industrial metals and investments."
Comments here:
Full screen recommended.
Michael Bordenaro, 1/15/26
"The Worst Job Market Since 2003 Just Happened"
Comments here:
o
Full screen recommended.
Michael Bordenaro, 1/15/26
"7 Shocking Money Stats of The Average Person"
Comments here:
"Trump Won’t Be Solely Responsible"
"Trump Won’t Be Solely Responsible"
by Todd Hayen
"He might not be responsible in the least, but most people are already convinced he’s deeply involved. They view him as a mere puppet of the agenda - and even if that’s true, and the agenda wins its war against humanity, it won’t be his doing alone. Yet the masses will almost certainly hold him fully accountable.
I have written so many articles that appear to be pro-Trump. They really aren’t. I honestly don’t trust the guy, and I feel he has been on thin ice since he took office. I understand that every “good” thing he has done - such as cracking down on transgender policies in schools and sports, getting a handle on illegal immigration, brokering historic peace deals around the world (from Gaza to other global hotspots), and setting up a savings account for American children - could all be a distraction. He certainly has done a bunch of things that are downright dicey, but even that stuff, you could, if you chose to, put a positive spin on.
Still, he could easily slip from whatever grace Trump supporters have given him. For me, that has not yet happened. I feel there are mongooses in the hen house, and we’ve got to do something about them. Bringing in a big fat cobra will eat the mongooses, but then once the mongooses are gone, you’ve got a big fat cobra sitting around with nothing to do. That’s one way to look at it.
But yet another way is to see Trump as a very conscious puppet placement by the agenda. Considering the agenda seems to be infallible, this is a distinct and very real possibility. But is the agenda infallible? Does it have any weak links that would allow for a maverick president to get voted into office? A man with a different agenda, one who is actually in favor of human beings? A cobra snake ready to eat the mongooses in the hen house and leave the hens alone?
Well, if that is true, and many Trumpsters believe it is, we have nothing to worry about. The dangerous lone snake left to eat hens idea is unlikely, because Trump isn’t going to be there all that long, unless, of course, he figures out a way to squeeze in another few terms, or becomes the first US dictator (which his opponents are definitely seeing as a real possibility).
The point I am trying to make here is that if Trump is no saint, and is indeed the agenda’s Man on the Job, he will not be the only bad apple that spoils the whole bushel. Far from it. Worst-case scenario, he is a key player in the agenda’s game. And eventually, he will play harder and harder, with results that are harder and harder to justify. By then, all of the agenda’s main plays will be in place: CBDCs, Social Credit Scoring, Digital IDs, universal vaccine mandates, pervasive surveillance through AI, and climate-related restrictions on travel and consumption. But it won’t be just Trump who implements all this garbage; there will be many other global players, some more obvious than others, but still more or less hidden from view so the rest of the world doesn’t see what is really going on.
But the left don’t see this. And all of the intense Trump haters will be certain not to see it. Thus, Trump will get all of the blame if and when Rome burns. The left, and anyone else who hates the guy, will say to the rest of us, “See, you idiots, see what your man has done! We have been telling you this since 2016!” But we will know that simply is not true. We may believe he was part of it, but we have known all along that he is not a lone gunman.
Why does this matter? Well, maybe it doesn’t that much. But it does mean that if people cannot see the true rot at the top of the pyramid, with the WEF, the WHO, NATO, the UN, and any of these other globalists (and all of their buddies in the sandbox), then we are just destined to be at their mercy, Trump or no Trump. If Trump is blamed for the fires of Rome, he will just run off to hang with his playmate Jeffie on the island and disappear - or experience a faked assassination or some other convenient way to get him out of the picture. Everyone will hold great celebrations in the street, dancing to the demise of the Great Evil One, while his bosses are still screwing the pooch, us, as the world turns. So, it does matter, in that context, very much.
So, what do we do about it? That I can’t tell ya exactly. But there are a number of things we can try, the most important being to keep our wits about us and to keep an open mind. Watch Trump carefully and try not to fall into any one of these extremist camps. Avoid thinking he is the true saviour destined to save us all from Satan, and avoid thinking he is Satan himself leading the way to the destruction of humanity. Sure, he could lean toward either one of these extremes, but pull back a few notches toward the center to stay grounded in reality - after all, nothing in life is purely extreme, whether good or bad.
I would also avoid falling into the “Shrew-think” trap of assuming the agenda is infallible and all-powerful, leading us to dismiss anything with authority or influence as automatically part of it - while only trusting sources that are obscure, powerless, or ordinary as potential bearers of truth. I know it could be true that the agenda has its fingers in every pie, but try to keep an open mind about it all. Don’t camp out at the bottom of the rabbit hole, and always be aware that the story you have hitched your wagon to may not be as factual as you right now believe it to be.
In the end, vigilance is our best tool. Stay informed from diverse sources, question narratives on both sides, and engage in conversations that challenge your assumptions. Remember, the agenda thrives on division, so building bridges with those who disagree - without compromising your principles - might reveal common ground. Educate others gently about the bigger picture, beyond just Trump, pointing to the global institutions pulling strings. And above all, protect your mental space: avoid doom-scrolling and focus on actionable steps in your local community, like supporting independent media or advocating for transparency. By doing so, we can collectively resist the larger forces at play, ensuring that no single figure, puppet or not, becomes the scapegoat while the real architects escape scrutiny. This balanced approach might just be the key to navigating whatever comes next."
o
Alan Shore, "Closing Argument On America"
"Epic closing argument from ABC's "Boston Legal" that illustrates the erosion of our Constitutional liberties and abusive government. This can no longer be defined as a Republican versus Democrat issue. Both parties are equally responsible, as are we, the electorate, for we continue to vote the same quality of politician(s) into office over and over."
Bill Bonner, "King of the Deal"
Portrait and bust of Louis XIV, ‘The Sun King’ of France
"King of the Deal"
by Bill Bonner
Baltimore, Maryland - "Here’s something from Newsweek: "President Donald Trump has said his plan to impose a temporary cap on credit card interest rates would curb “abuse” by U.S. lenders, but this has faced pushback from the banking industry, and experts question whether his demands, even if enforceable, would provide any relief for the country’s borrowers." Capping credit card rates? By the US president? Where did he get the authority? Where did he get the audacity? Where did he get the idea?
But that is just one of the bold and provocative moves Trump has made lately. He’s also telling the firepower industry what it must do with its money. Business Insider: "Trump signs executive order banning defense firms from stock buybacks and dividends until they ‘produce a superior product’" Can he do that? Does this mean the feds have been spending trillions on inferior products?
And he wants to manipulate mortgage rates for homeowners and lenders. The Hill: "Trump says he’s ordered $200 billion mortgage bond purchase." Whoa...what manner of wild beast is this? Fish or fowl? Warm blooded...or like a lizard...a fish...or a monster?
Cynics claim that Trump is especially active because he wants to divert attention from the Epstein files. But that is just a question of timing. We have no reason to think these actions do not reflect Trump’s real self and his authentic intentions. But it is beyond us to say what the Great Man really is. All we can do is to look what Mr. Trump is not...hoping it helps us see what is not coming. In that regard, we have made progress.
Trump is no Pol Pot, for example. Don’t expect him to march us all out to Indiana so we can hoe the cornfields. He has no vision of an agrarian society. He’s no Thomas Jefferson or Javier Milei either. He has no goal of limiting or shrinking the power of the US government. Instead, he wants to increase it more than ever. No other president ever proposed such power grabs as we’ve seen in just the last few days. And don’t expect a Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan redux either. Both of them were ‘nice guys.’ That does not describe Trump. Niceness is pooh-poohed by serious commentators. But it helps guide and restrain a president.
Louis 14th - the Sun King - may be a better model. He was an absolute monarch with huge appetites - for food, love, war, and architecture. One of his lavish dinners might include deer, boar, swan, pheasant, chicken, goose - and dozens of vegetables. Louis grew such a large stomach, it had to be supported by a special leather girdle. His wars were excessive too. He led dozens of campaigns...“a mix of commerce, revenge, and pique.” They were so expensive they practically bankrupted the country, but they established France with its borders more or less as they are today.
But let’s stick with what Trump is not. He is not an Eisenhower - with his essential conservatism. Nor is he an FDR or a Kennedy, with a strong desire to give Americans a ‘new deal’ or open up a ‘new frontier.’ How about a Hitler? Nah. Not even with a fake mustache. As far as we know, he has no desire to exterminate any particular group. And he has no apparent plan for America. His only goal seems to be his own glory, power, and wealth.
He laid it out for us in his first book, "The Art of the Deal." He didn’t write the book, but the ideas in it were mostly his. They are stories about how Trump tricked and outsmarted his business partners in order to get what he wanted. It’s not about following the rules. It’s not about learning more or working harder...or harnessing new technology...or becoming more productive, or better serving the customer, or operating more efficiently. He’s describing a form of capitalism, but as we will see tomorrow, it is a primitive sort. Red in tooth and claw... Where it leads, we don’t know…but we know where it doesn’t lead. Tune in tomorrow."
"Alert! Iran Nuclear Warning! Minnesota Riots Begin!"
Full screen recommended.
Prepper News 1/14/26
"Alert! Iran Nuclear Warning! Minnesota Riots Begin!"
Comments here:
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
"California Governor Loses Control as Gas Prices Hit $12 Per Gallon"
Full screen recommended.
Silent Empire, 1/14/26
"California Governor Loses Control
as Gas Prices Hit $12 Per Gallon"
"California is in shock as gas prices reportedly soar to $12 per gallon, sparking outrage, confusion, and intense political debate. In this video, we break down how the situation spiraled out of control and why California’s governor is facing mounting criticism from residents, businesses, and analysts alike. From strict energy policies to taxes, regulations, and supply chain pressures, we explore the real reasons behind the fuel price crisis and how it’s impacting everyday Californians. Commuters, truck drivers, and small business owners are feeling the squeeze as the cost of living continues to rise. Laura Whitmore dives deep into the political and economic fallout, questioning leadership decisions and their long-term consequences. Is this crisis avoidable, or is it a warning sign of deeper problems ahead? Watch till the end for a clear, no-nonsense breakdown of what’s really happening in California and why this issue matters nationwide."
Comments here:
"Stockpile These Items Now As An Internal Revolution Erupts In The United States"
Full screen recommended.
Epic Economist, 1/14/26
"Stockpile These Items Now As An
Internal Revolution Erupts In The United States"
"Something is shifting in America right now, and a lot of people can feel it. In this video, we're looking at what folks are saying about the growing division, the unrest in the streets, and why so many Americans are making the difficult decision to leave the country altogether. We'll also talk about what those of us who are staying can do to prepare - practical steps like stocking up on essentials, building a deeper pantry, and learning skills that don't rely on the system running smoothly. These are uncertain times, and no one's coming to save us. But maybe that's exactly why community and preparation matter more than ever. Let me know in the comments what you're seeing where you are, and what you're doing to get ready. Take care, and I'll see you in the next one."
Comments here:
"'It’s Going To Happen': Col. Macgregor’s Terrifying Warning on Iran & Trump"
Col. Douglas Macgregor, 1/14/26
"'It’s Going To Happen':
Col. Macgregor’s Terrifying Warning on Iran & Trump"
Comments here:
"America’s Restaurants Are Empty and Very Overpriced, Nobody Can Afford This"
Full screen recommended.
A Homestead Journey, 1/14/26
"America’s Restaurants Are Empty and
Very Overpriced, Nobody Can Afford This"
"America’s restaurants are empty and very overpriced because everyday Americans simply can’t afford to eat out anymore. Prices are skyrocketing, wages aren’t keeping up, and the cost of living crisis, inflation, and economic instability are hitting families hard. In this video, I break down why restaurants across America are struggling, why tables are empty nationwide, and how the middle class is being squeezed out of dining altogether. We’ll cover restaurant inflation, shrinking portions, higher fees, labor shortages, rising food costs, and the broader economic collapse affecting daily life. If you’re seeing empty dining rooms in your town, you’re not imagining it. This is the new reality in 2026."
Comments here:
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Massive stars, abrasive winds, mountains of dust, and energetic light sculpt one of the largest and most picturesque regions of star formation in the Local Group of Galaxies. Known as N11, the region is visible on the upper right of many images of its home galaxy, the Milky Way neighbor known as the Large Magellanic Clouds (LMC).
The above image was taken for scientific purposes by the Hubble Space Telescope and reprocessed for artistry by an amateur to win the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures competition. Although the section imaged above is known as NGC 1763, the entire N11 emission nebula is second in LMC size only to 30 Doradus. Studying the stars in N11 has shown that it actually houses three successive generations of star formation. Compact globules of dark dust housing emerging young stars are also visible around the image.”
"Are There Any Questions?"
"Are There Any Questions?"
by Robert Fulghum
"Are there any questions?" An offer that comes at the end of college lectures and long meetings. Said when an audience is not only overdosed with information, but when there is no time left anyhow. At times like that you sure do have questions. Like, "Can we leave now?" and "What the hell was this meeting for?" and "Where can I get a drink?"
The gesture is supposed to indicate openness on the part of the speaker, I suppose, but if in fact you do ask a question, both the speaker and the audience will give you drop-dead looks. And some fool - some earnest idiot - always asks. And the speaker always answers. By repeating most of what he has already said. But if there is a little time left and there is a little silence left in response to the invitation, I usually ask the most important question of all: "What is the Meaning of Life?" You never know, somebody may have the answer, and I'd really hate to miss it because I was too socially inhibited to ask. But when I ask, it is usually taken as a kind of absurdist move - people laugh and nod and gather up their stuff and the meeting is dismissed on that ridiculous note. Once, and only once, I asked that question and got a serious answer…
Papaderos rose from his chair at the back of the room and walked to the front, where he stood in the bright Greek sunlight of an open window and looked out… he turned. And made the ritual gesture: "Are there any questions?" Quiet quilted the room. These two weeks had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now there was only silence.
"No questions?" Papaderos swept the room with his eyes.
So. I asked.
"Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"
So. I asked.
"Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"
The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go. Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
"I will answer your question."
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went like this: "When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine - in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light - truth, understanding, knowledge - is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world - into the black places in the hearts of men - and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."
And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk."
- Robert Fulghum, "It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It"
"We All Got Problems..."
"We all got problems. But there's a great book out called "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. " Did you see that? That book says the statute of limitations has expired on all childhood traumas. Get your stuff together and get on with your life, man. Stop whinin' about what's wrong, because everybody's had a rough time, in one way or another. "
- Quincy Jones
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)