"Crabs in a Bucket"

"Crabs in a Bucket"

by Sarah Robinson

"When I was a little girl, I lived very close (an hour and fifteen minutes) to the Florida panhandle beaches. Which meant we spent a TON of time there. Early evening was one of my favorite times to walk the beach with my mom and my older brothers. We were all clean and fed and slightly sun weary but still desperate to be outside. So, we would grab flashlights, dip nets and a bucket and search the ocean’s edge for crabs. We would catch a bucket full in an evening and drag them back home where my mom or my grandmother would cook them up into something delicious. (Yes, I was traumatized by the crabs being put into boiling water, but that story is for another day.)

The problem was that as we made that long walk home carrying crabs, there were always one or two who figured out how to climb up to the edge of the bucket in an attempt to escape. Every now and then we would have to tap the edge of the bucket to knock them back down. Because I was too little to carry the bucket very far, I got the job of watching for potential escapees. And I noticed something... well… odd. More often than not, as a crab would begin to inch its way higher to the edge of the bucket, the other crabs would latch on to him and pull him back down. I watched this scenario play out again and again, year after year.

Fast forward to this morning. As I was drinking my coffee and perusing my twitter stream, and up pops this gem from @paulocoelho (He wrote "The Alchemist", one of my all time favorite books): “Only mediocrity is safe. Get ready to be attacked, and be the best.” Maybe it was the early hour. Maybe it was my post-event mushy brain. I don’t know. But the minute I read Paulo’s tweet, I thought of those crabs in a bucket. So I sent him this tweet: “I’m thinking of crabs in a bucket. They always try to pull down the one who’s figured out how to escape.”

Paulo liked my analogy so much that he retweeted it and I’ve spent my morning connecting with people all over the world who liked it, too. It resonated deeply for a lot of people. I did a quick Google search and discovered that “Crab Mentality” is actually an official phrase that roughly means “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” And it is talked about. A lot.

There will always be people who will subtly or not so subtly try to keep us from escaping. Why? Because our escape threatens their mediocre existence. Pulling us down, sabotaging our efforts, picking apart our brilliant ideas – all of that keeps them feeling safe. And living undisturbed mediocre lives.

So what if we added a new piece to the crab mentality picture? Imagine a crab, or a group of crabs on the other side of the bucket building a ladder to aid your escape. They managed to crawl out of the bucket in spite of all the energetic attempts to pull them backwards. Because they’ve tasted freedom and they know your struggle, they are putting energy into aiding and abetting your escape.

I believe that for those of us determined to get out of the bucket, such a group exists. It may take some time to find them, but they are there, ready to throw a safety rope over the edge and pull us out. Start listening for them. Start looking for them. They are there. Reach just a little further and they’ll meet you at the edge of the bucket."

- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Unraveling"

"The Unraveling"

by John Wilder

"The unraveling continues. In one sense, what’s happening is predictable. Looking back in history, while not everything happens in the same way, things very much rhyme. That’s why certain aspects of the current financial collapse are very, very familiar.

The Fed® still has enough influence that it can stop a snowball. Can the Fed® stop an avalanche? Not so much. They may have some tricks to push the day of reckoning down the line if it isn’t off the rails. Again, like a presidential election, it’s a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

If it were merely a financial problem, the actions might be enough. But it’s not just financial. Other problems include extreme societal decadence. Decadence is a strong word. When I was a kid, it was applied to places like the late Roman Empire, or Willy Wonka’s® Chocolate Factory™ where those Umpa-Loompas wore those scanty tight outfits.

But when people take kids – elementary-age kids – to Pride®©™ parades that contain actual nudity and sex acts between adults, and then suggest putting hormones into five-year-olds because they pretended to cook in a pretend kitchen one day, you know that this is the point where God told Noah, “Get the boat,” and told Lot, “Tell everyone to wear sunglasses – I don’t care if it’s night.”

Whatever fetish sex act that any individual wants to do “because it’s Thursday” now seems to take the place of virtue. Replacing actual virtue with temporary individual passions is exactly what every single functioning society in history has avoided to in order to remain functioning. When people follow passions that are productive, like building rockets, they add to society. When people act on passions counter to virtue? Those passions consume and destroy society. Period.

We don’t live in a world where “if it feels good, do it” can ever be a policy that lead to a productive society. At some point, we must be guided by virtue, we have to have a shared vision for a future, and a shared desire to build. Can you imagine a single event that would bring us all together again? I can’t. We have to have that shared vision – if nothing else, to survive. Do we have it?

We do not. We are divided. The idea of a selfless devotion to duty seems to have (in many places) evaporated. Cops are supposed to put themselves into danger to save the innocent – that’s the only reason we put up with the rest of the nonsense that they get up to. If they have changed their motto from “Protect and Serve” to “Hide Until We Can and Give Traffic Tickets to People That Don’t Scare Us” then they’re not much use.

Globalism is likewise something that sounds good, but isn’t. I can understand the need for some places like, say, deserts to import grain and Alaska to import medicine and export oil and good vibes. But can someone tell me that we’re in a better and safer position as a country now that we depend on far-flung nations for things. When I talked to The Boy about careers, the advice I gave him was simple – don’t do anything that someone can do over the Internet. If you do, you’re competing with a job with millions or billions of people.

We have reached the stage of cultural collapse. I’m in favor of capitalism – but amoral capitalism is different. When capitalism is allowed to meet any need, the result isn’t good. Like any system, it needs boundaries. As John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Freedom needs boundaries. Freedom needs responsibility. Liberty, real liberty, requires obligation for stability. Otherwise? It descends into chaos.

So, we’ve established that we’re in a difficult place. The things that we depended upon are slowly slipping away. The economy is in a very precarious place, culturally we’re shattered to the point that not even another 9-11 would bring us together. The difficulties that we see from here on out won’t serve to bring us together, they will bring us apart. How about the economic difficulties related to just high fuel prices alone?

The Lefties love it, even as it destroys our economy. Heck destruction of the economy might even be the point. But stresses have consequences. If I drop an orange, it will fall. If we destroy an economy, it will fail. Some parts of it will be predictable: interest rates going up will make housing prices go down. Simple.

The one thing that I can tell you, is what comes next won’t be like what came before. The problems that we have rhyme with the problems of the past, but they’re not the same. During the Great Depression, we were at least (mostly) homogeneous as a country. Now, not so much. The end state is tied to the initial conditions. And the initial conditions of the Great Depression were greatly different than they are today, so there’s no way that we’ll see the same results. And things will never go back to “normal” because we simply cannot go back in time, and there isn’t any such thing as “normal” nor any time period which is “normal”. They will be different.

What we have, though, is the rhyme. It won’t allow us to predict perfectly. But it will allow us to see, dimly."

- https://wilderwealthywise.com/

○

Related:

"America’s Social Fabric Is Fraying Severely… If Not Unravelling"

"We're Gonna Need Bigger Body Bags"

"We're Gonna Need Bigger Body Bags"

by Mike Adams

"A 2023 report by the American Security Project found that 68% of active-duty U.S. service members are classified as either overweight or obese. That means nearly 7 out of 10 U.S. soldiers are too fat to fight. Iran’s soldiers, who vastly outnumber the U.S. troops set to invade Iran, do not have an obesity problem. They don’t live on Burger King and McDonald’s fast food.

Obese U.S. soldiers are the perfect reflection of the failed U.S. empire: A culture of excess calories but malnutrition. A culture that favors artificially-flavored fast food over authentic food that’s slow and intentional. The U.S. military sending fat soldiers to die in Iran is the perfect end cap to a failed empire that treats its own citizens like cattle, and its enemies like sub-human animals.

When dead U.S. soldiers come home in body bags (by the thousands), those body bags will have to be XXL just to fit the corpses of the soldiers who were raised on artificial food and sent to die in a foreign war that was started for artificial reasons by a delusional artificial president who funds his military by printing artificial currency."

"New analysis video: U.S. Troops Are Incapable of 

Defeating Iranian Soldiers in a Ground War" 

- https://t.co/rNwXMSYZ3G

- HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) March 27, 2026

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

"Gerald Celente, "Alert! The Most Dangerous Time, The "Greatest Depression" is Coming"

Full screen recommended.

Prepper News, 3/28/26

"Gerald Celente, "Alert! The Most Dangerous Time, 

The "Greatest Depression" is Coming"

"Farmers across the country are being pushed to the edge - and many are losing everything. Costs are rising, conditions are getting tougher, and for some… it’s becoming impossible to keep going. What’s happening right now isn’t just a bad season - it’s part of a bigger shift that’s starting to impact farms nationwide. But what’s really causing it? In this video, we break down what’s happening behind the scenes, why farmers are struggling more than ever, and what this could mean for food prices, supply, and the economy."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"US-Israel-Iran War, 3/28/26"

"US-Israel-Iran War, 3/28/26"

Full screen recommended.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, 3/28/26

"Israel Just Activated Nukes! 

The War’s Most Horrifying Phase Begins"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Col. Douglas Macgregor, 3/28/26

"Trump's Last Gamble - One Move From Disaster"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Daniel Davis/Deep Dive, 3/28/26

"Deep Dive Intel Briefing: 

What We Learned This Week 3/28/2026"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Glenn Diesen, 3/28/26

"Lawrence Wilkerson:

 Israel May Cease to Exist & Launch Nuclear Strike"

"Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired Colonel in the US Army and the former Chief of Staff to the US Secretary of State. Colonel Wilkerson discusses why the war against Iran could destroy Israel, and also the consequences if Iran develops a nuclear deterrent."

Comments here:

-https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

Dan, I Allegedly, "I Need Help with My Mortgage!"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 3/28/26

"I Need Help with My Mortgage!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Michael Bordenaro, 3/28/26

"2 Main Reasons Boomers Can't Sell Their House"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Adventures With Danno, "Shocking Prices at Meijer"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 3/28/26

"Shocking Prices at Meijer"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Jay Reed, 3/28/26

"Farmers Are Losing Everything 

And It’s Getting Worse - Here’s Why"

"Farmers across the country are being pushed to the edge - and many are losing everything. Costs are rising, conditions are getting tougher, and for some… it’s becoming impossible to keep going. What’s happening right now isn’t just a bad season - it’s part of a bigger shift that’s starting to impact farms nationwide. But what’s really causing it? In this video, we break down what’s happening behind the scenes, why farmers are struggling more than ever, and what this could mean for food prices, supply, and the economy."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"12 Grocery Items Leaving Grocery Chains in 2026 (Final March Shipments!)"

Full screen recommended.

The State Explorer, 3/28/26

"12 Grocery Items Leaving Grocery Chains

 in 2026 (Final March Shipments!)"

"Grocery chains are quietly pulling these items from shelves right now - and most families won't notice until the space is already gone.What's happening isn't a shortage headline. It's margin math. Corporate buyers are making distribution cuts based on profit percentages, and twelve specific products are already in that process as of March 2026. Some cost under a dollar. One of them is something most people have actively avoided their whole life - and by the end of this video, that'll make a lot more sense.Here's what most prep content gets wrong. Everyone focuses on calories and protein. But the first systems that break down during any extended disruption are micronutrient-dependent ones - mood, immunity, cognitive clarity. Several items on this list cover exactly that gap.These aren't predictions. These are distribution decisions already made. You're finding out before the shelf space disappears."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Collapse of Everyday Life in America Is Worse Than It Looks"

Full screen recommended.

The Unfolded States, 3/27/26

"The Collapse of Everyday 

Life in America Is Worse Than It Looks"

"Everyday life in America has not suddenly collapsed, but the cost structure behind it has changed in a way that is harder to ignore. Even as inflation slows, housing, healthcare, insurance, and basic living expenses remain elevated, reshaping what it actually takes to maintain a middle-class lifestyle. This video breaks down the real gap between income and cost of living in America, showing how fixed expenses, rising debt, and reduced financial flexibility are creating a system that looks stable on the surface but is becoming more constrained underneath. If you’ve noticed that your income doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, this is not just a personal issue. It reflects a broader shift in the US middle class and the way everyday life is being reshaped in 2026."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Alert! Multiple Nuclear Plants Hit! Another Aircraft Carrier! Russia Halts All Exports!"

Full screen recommended.

Prepper News, 3/27/26

"Alert! Multiple Nuclear Plants Hit! 

Another Aircraft Carrier! Russia Halts All Exports!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"People Can Sense What's Coming Will Be Worse Than A Financial Crisis"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 3/27/26

"People Can Sense What's Coming 

Will Be Worse Than A Financial Crisis"

Something is shifting beneath the surface of the American economy, and more people are starting to feel it even if they can't quite put it into words. In this video, we're walking through some of the most telling signs that a major financial disruption may be closer than most people think, and why this one could look very different from anything we've seen before.

Michael Burry, the investor who famously predicted the 2008 crash, is raising the alarm again. His concern this time centers on the structural vulnerability of passive investing, the reversal of baby boomer capital flows, and the collapse of corporate buybacks that have been quietly propping up stock valuations for years. When someone with that track record starts talking about crashes becoming more violent and longer in duration, it's worth paying attention.

But the warning signs don't stop with the stock market. The U.S. Treasury has now acknowledged that the federal government holds roughly $6 trillion in assets against nearly $48 trillion in liabilities, and that figure doesn't even account for the long-term obligations tied to Medicare and Social Security. At the same time, over 111 million Americans are carrying credit card balances every month, with more than 27 million only able to afford minimum payments. Personal and commercial bankruptcies are climbing, and many households are already choosing between paying bills and buying groceries.

What makes this moment particularly fragile is how interconnected all of these pressures are. As the 2008 crisis showed us, it doesn't take a total collapse to trigger a chain reaction. It just takes enough stress in the right places. And right now, the stress is spreading across multiple fronts simultaneously, from a weakening job market and rising entry-level unemployment to an oil crisis that is driving up the cost of nearly everything Americans buy on a daily basis.

The situation in global energy markets is adding another layer of complexity that the economy is poorly positioned to absorb. With oil above $110 a barrel and diesel crossing five dollars a gallon, the stagflation pressure on households and the Federal Reserve is intensifying in ways that leave very little room to maneuver. Higher energy costs mean higher prices across the entire supply chain, and a Fed that cannot cut rates without risking more inflation is a Fed with its hands tied.

Perhaps most concerning is what is happening in the banking sector away from the headlines. Hundreds of banks are reporting unrealized losses that exceed half their total capital. Shadow banking funds are locking redemption gates, trapping investor money inside. The Federal Reserve has been injecting billions into the system through overnight repos at a scale not seen since the early days of COVID. These are not the kinds of signals that show up in a healthy system.

If any of this resonates with you, drop a comment below and share your perspective. And if you want to keep following along as we track where all of this is heading, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: Vangelis, “Hymn”

Vangelis, “Hymn”

"A Look to the Heavens"

"In silhouette against a crowded star field along the tail of the arachnalogical constellation Scorpius, this dusty cosmic cloud evokes for some the image of an ominous dark tower.

In fact, clumps of dust and molecular gas collapsing to form stars may well lurk within the dark nebula, a structure that spans almost 40 light-years across this gorgeous telescopic portrait. Known as a cometary globule, the swept-back cloud, is shaped by intense ultraviolet radiation from the OB association of very hot stars in NGC 6231, off the upper edge of the scene. That energetic ultraviolet light also powers the globule's bordering reddish glow of hydrogen gas. Hot stars embedded in the dust can be seen as bluish reflection nebulae. This dark tower, NGC 6231, and associated nebulae are about 5,000 light-years away."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210715.html

Chet Raymo, “Cosmic View”

“Cosmic View”

by Chet Raymo

“When writing about Philip and Phylis Morrison’s “Powers of Ten” the other day I found I had made the following notation in the flyleaf, perhaps a dozen or more years ago:

Britannica
 32 volumes
 1000 pages per vol
 1200 words per page
 5 letters/wd
 = 200 million letters. So, 200 million letters in the 32 volume set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Why was I making that estimate? I can think of several possibilities. Perhaps…

1. I was making a comparison with the number of nucleotide pairs in the human DNA; that is, the number of steps- ATTGCCCTAA, etc.- on the double-helix. If the information on the human genome- an arm’s length of DNA in every human cell- were written out in ordinary type, it would fill 15 sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Nearly 500 thick volumes of information labeled YOU. Think of that for a moment. Fifteen 32-volume sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica in every invisibly-small cell of your body. And every time a cell reproduces, all of that information has to be transcribed correctly. Did I say the other day that it took a semester to stretch the imagination to grasp the universe of the galaxies? It could take another semester to stretch the imagination to grasp the scale of the molecular machinery that makes our bodies work.

Or maybe…

2. I was trying to give an insight into the complexity of the human brain. There are something like 100 billion nerve cells in the brain. That’s equivalent to the number of letters in 500 sets of the Britannica! Each many-fingered neuron connects to hundreds of other neurons, and each synaptic connection might be in one of many levels of excitation. I’ll let you calculate the number of potential states of the human brain. We’ve left behind the realm of Britannica. Even talking of libraries would be insufficient. I was marveling here recently about the amount of digital memory Google must command to store all of those 360-degree Street View images from all over the planet, all of it instantly retrievable by anyone with access to a computer and the internet. I imagined banks and banks of electronics in some cavernous building in California. Big deal! I’m sitting here right now in the college Commons and I can bring to mind street views of every place I’ve lived since I was three or four years old.

By the way…

3. The number of letters in 500 sets of the Britannica is about the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

And…”

- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/

"We Are Doomed And Challenged..."

"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; 

once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged

 to seek the strength to see more, not less."

- Arthur Miller

Joel Bowman, "Everyday Apocalypse"

"Everyday Apocalypse"

by Joel Bowman

“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”

~ A reminder from Chicken Little

Buenos Aires, Argentina - "Everyday, we learn a little more about the End of the World... War in the Holy Lands... the rise and rise of the machines... the imminent collapse of global stock markets... another Seth Rogan movie…

Newspapers, in their predictable, hyperventilating manner, kvetch and moan about mankind’s imminent demise... that the ‘climate crisis’ is about to boil (or freeze!) us to death... how the (latest) government shutdown is going to drive the economy into a ditch... that the country (any country!) has never been this divided... Here’s a smattering of the latest, from the popular presses...

"Dow falls 400 points, briefly enters correction territory as Trump’s Iran extension fails to soothe markets" – wails CNBC.

"Welcome to a Multidimensional Economic Disaster - The AI boom wasn’t built for the polycrisis" – cries The Atlantic.

"Iran war energy crisis equal to 70s twin oil shocks and fallout from Ukraine war, says IEA chief" – bleats The Guardian.

Whoa! We can hardly imagine what might happen when the situation escalates to a multidimensional amber alert polycrisis times 10x Ukraine plus Vietnam to the power of Climate Armageddon, LGBTQIA++… Perusing the headlines, one could be forgiven for thinking life on planet earth had never been so fraught, we humans never so imperiled.

Go Touch Grass: To be sure, our congressional overlords are indeed working tirelessly to ensure no problem goes left un-exacerbated. Whether it’s spending too much of other people’s money, bombing vital energy infrastructure on the other side of the planet or generally throwing their toys out of the crib whenever they don’t get their own way... And yet, despite their worst efforts, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west... a rose by any other name still smells as sweet... and the barista who crafts our morning espresso still goes about her business with a pretty smile and a cheerful nod.

In our go-go world of incessant doomscrolling, gluttonous newsfeeding and performative alarmism, it pays every now and then to disconnect, to step back from the screen, to “go touch grass,” as the kids say. Ah, but what about our own Notes From the End of the World, we hear you ask? Does the title itself (cheekily conceived) not portend an ominous apocalypse? A fiery armageddon? A hellish End of Days?

After all, the End of the World is not only a convenient geographic location from which to pen these riotous Notes... it also implies a long-prophesied Day of Reckoning. But this, too, can be interpreted in many ways. Looking back over history, we are delighted to discover that there’s nothing new about the End of the World. In fact, doomsday cults are as old as the days are long. Herewith, a little perspective, heading into the weekend...

The Beginnings of the Ends - From the Essene order of Jewish ascetics, who saw their rising up against the Romans in 66-70 AD as a prelude to the coming of the Messiah... to Hilary of Poitiers, the French bishop who predicted the end of the world in 365 AD... to the trembling triumvirate of Hippolytus of Rome, Sextus Julius Africanus and Irenaeus, who foretold the second coming of Christ (based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark) in 500 AD... history is full of end time predictions. (Sextus later reset his cataclysm clock from 500 to 800 AD, presumably due to a cubit rounding error made while measuring the Ark’s upper deck.)

Over the centuries, brigades of bed-wetting panic artists came forth to wail and gnash their teeth over this or that Date of Decimation (DoD). Popes and priests, astrologers and kabbalists, false prophets, TV evangelists, Malthusians, pyramidologists and hucksters of every stripe stepped up, each with their own crackpot explanation and, usually, a collection plate in hand.

Even allegedly sane individuals fell prey to what Freud called “the death wish.” Mathematician John Napier, artist Sandro Botticelli, navigator Christopher Columbus and gadfly reformer Martin Luther all predicted fire and brimstone of varying descriptions. And yet... here we are, still among what the British author Virginia Woolf called the “army of the upright.” And ready to chart a new journey in our history...

A Precipice, of Sorts: Of course, mankind’s tendency to fear the worst is understandable. In a very real sense, we are always standing at the “End of the World”... carried by the tide of time to the farthest reaches of human achievement and knowledge (such as it is). We exist at the bleeding edge of all that has come before us, dwelling on the precipice of all human experience, standing on the shoulders of giants.

We peruse the pages of history, until and including this morning’s newspaper, then we look out ahead... into an unlived abyss, fraught with all manner of possibilities, tantalizing and terrifying alike. Any wonder we occasionally get a case of the wobbles! Happily, those dusty tomes, when carefully studied, reveal great and continuous cycles. The rise and fall of empires, of cultures and currencies, and of grand political movements, the likes of which may be just beginning again.

Down here at our little End of the World, for instance, things are looking up. From the Ministro de Economía: "The Economy Grew 0.4% Monthly in January and Reached a New Historic High. In January, the Monthly Economic Activity Estimate (EMAE) reached a new historical high, both in the seasonally adjusted series and in the trend-cycle indicator The EMAE recorded a 0.4% monthly growth without seasonality in January 2026.

In year-over-year terms, the indicator recorded an expansion of 1.9% and stood 8.3% above the level of January 2024. Excluding Public Administration and Defense, 10 of the 14 remaining EMAE sectors recorded growth in the year-over-year comparison. Among them, Fishing (+50.8%), Agriculture, Livestock, Hunting and Forestry (+25.1%), and Mining and Quarrying (+9.6%) stood out."

Two-and-a-bit years ago, this place was not only hopelessly politically divided, but also economically bankrupt and on the very brink of hyperinflation. Today, against the dire warnings of PhDs and the sour lamentations of public intellectuals, it stands at the edge of a brand new dawn, apocalypse be damned! The way is not always easy... or even apparent... but as the great Roman statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero once wrote: “The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.” Now kindly excuse us, dear reader, while we go touch some grass. Stay tuned for more Notes From the End of the World..."

- https://joelbowman.substack.com/

Judge Napolitano, "INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern - Weekly Wrap March 27"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 3/27/26

"INTEL Roundtable w/Johnson & McGovern - 

Weekly Wrap March 27"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Dialogue Works, 3/27/26

"Larry Johnson & Col. Wilkerson:

 US–Iran Ground Conflict Could Devastate Israel & UAE"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Bill Bonner, "Lions Led By Donkeys"

The Anzac cove on the Gallipoli peninsula, in Turkey.

"Lions Led By Donkeys"

by Bill Bonner

‘Not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with...’

 - Donald Trump, referring to UK prime minister Keir Starmer

Baltimore, Maryland - "History is a long tale of woe and witless wonders. The public record is full of them. From the Crusades to the Great Leap Forward to Epic Fury. Each one is absurd in its own way...but also much like the ones that came before it. And now, what is the best reference for what we are seeing in the Middle East?

Certainly, the War Against Iraq is a precedent. Very similar. The attack was launched on trumped up charges. It vilified Iraq’s strongman as a monster. And it brought overwhelming force to bear on a relatively minor and unprepared opponent. George W. Bush was able to announce a ‘mission accomplished.’ But what was the mission? Whatever it was, the War on Terror ended up costing the US as much as $5 trillion, leaving plenty of terrorists still on the ground and political power both in Iraq and Afghanistan now largely back in the hands of people who hate us.

But at least the invasion of Iraq respected the trappings of international law - even in breach - and was careful not to alienate the rest of the world. The Trump Team and its Israeli sidekicks didn’t seem to care about allies. They invited them only after the war took a nasty turn. Every invitation was refused, leaving the two attackers on their own. This time, it’s the Iranians who have globalized the conflict by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

And while the Iraqis were clearly whupped, the Iranians are still defiant. For them, this is a struggle for survival. America’s leaders see it only as a diversion...a ‘war of choice’ that they can walk away from whenever POTUS ‘feels’ it’s time to go. Trouble is, after having somewhat destroyed Iran’s conventional defenses, the empire now faces unconventional or a guerrilla war, where its advantages are less clear. “It’s not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with,” said Trump, after Britain showed its reluctance to join the fight. And thank God.

WWI was one of the biggest disasters in world history. Nobody stood to gain much. Almost all parties were losers. And today, if you decided to visit the WWI graveyards of Europe...and spend a minute at each grave, 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year...it would take you 83 years to view them all.

The war was already six months old when the soldiers - mostly ‘colonials’ from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and India - landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. At that stage, the shrewd thing for Britain to do would have been to withdraw. It had everything to lose and nothing to gain. And had it pulled out then, it might have saved the empire and the pound sterling. But that’s not the way History works. Once in the war, Britain felt it had to win. Its soldiers are described today as ‘lions led by donkeys.’ The lions died, and the donkeys brayed for victory.

Churchill, foremost among the hinds, was First Lord of the Admiralty. He was adamant that the key to victory lay in control of the Dardanelles. The problem was similar to that which now faces Trump. Britain had gotten itself into a war in which it had no real business. And when Germany’s ally - the Ottoman Empire - closed the vital strait from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, Churchill thought it would be a cakewalk to re-open it. The problem was not the shipments of oil, but the transit of food, that concerned him. Britain imported much of its wheat, meat and sugar. Consumer prices were rising. But it was not just the importers who suffered; the Russian Tsar - allied to Britain and France - relied on export revenues from selling food and raw materials, much of it shipped through the Dardanelles.

The campaign was an abject failure. The Ottoman Turks held the high ground. And they could not be dislodged. They may have been poor marksmen and poorly trained soldiers, but they were able to inflict about 250,000 casualties on British and French forces.

Russian finances were severely weakened, contributing to the eventual overthrow of the Tsarist regime. As for Britain, the losses were similarly profound. The Turks had been viewed as a backward people who posed no real threat to European powers. It turned out, they weren’t so primitive after all. It was obvious that the British Empire was in decline. And the Gallipoli campaign helped bring down all three empires - Tsarist Russia, the Ottoman Turks, and the UK.

It had been sold to Parliament, by Churchill, as a clean, surgical mostly-naval operation that would be over quickly with few casualties and minor costs. It didn’t work out that way. It rarely does. Stay tuned."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

o

“History doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes,”

- Mark Twain

Lions led by donkees...

Full screen recommended.

Battle Guide, 4/24/25

"The Impossible Landing at Gallipoli: 25, April 1915 "

"Just after dawn on 25th April 1915, under the cover of a formidable naval bombardment, thousands of British troops made their way towards land. In front of them, entrenched along these cliffs, Ottoman riflemen waited, poised to defend their homeland at all costs. It was the beginning of a brutal fight which would last for 8 months and cost tens of thousands of lives."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Glenn Diesen, 3/27/26

"John Mearsheimer: "Iran Holds All the Cards" - 

The Strategic Defeat of the U.S."

"Prof. John Mearsheimer explains why Iran holds all the cards and could devastate the US and the global economy by going up the escalation ladder. A U.S. defeat in Iran, which appears inevitably, will also result in a much wider strategic defeat of the US position in the international system. John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982."

Comments here:

-  https://www.youtube.com/

o

"Pentagon Weighs Sending Another 10,000 Ground 

Troops To Middle East, Suggests Seizing Iran-Controlled Islands"

And 10,000 body bags will come home...

Ask her if it was worth it...

The Poet: W.H. Auden, "September 1, 1939"

"September 1, 1939"

"Defenseless

under the night

Our world in stupor lies;

Yet, dotted everywhere,

Ironic points of light

Flash out

wherever the Just

Exchange their messages:

May I, composed like them

Of Eros and of dust,

Beleaguered by the same

Negation and despair,

Show an affirming flame."

- W.H. Auden

○

"On September 1, 1939, the German army under Adolf Hitler launched an invasion of Poland that triggered the start of World War II (though by 1939 Japan and China were already at war). The battle for Poland only lasted about a month before a Nazi victory. But the invasion plunged the world into a war that would continue for almost six years and claim the lives of tens of millions of people."

- https://www.vox.com/

○

And here we are, badly losing a war with Iran, and on

 the brink of a nuclear World War III, having learned... nothing...

The Daily "Near You?"

Pearland, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Robin Williams, "Greatest Speech in Movie History"

Full screen recommended.

Robin Williams, 

"Greatest Speech in Movie History"

"Just For One Day"

"Just For One Day"

by Paul Rosenberg

'Most people fail to appreciate the fresh opportunity that each day brings them. Their programming requires them to snort derisively at any positive description of humanity. After all, the systems of this world are built upon the assumption that mankind is weak, stupid, and generally inadequate to a moral existence. As a result, most people have become addicted to bad news.

Nonetheless every day is a fresh start, a situation created by nature itself. So, please consider this: What if, just once, you got out of bed and imagined that you were a fresh being in the universe? And more than that, a good, creative, potent being. What if you imagined yourself free of obligations and intimidations, charting a fresh course? What if you looked at your life as if it were beginning anew?

Is it an intolerable thought that you should put aside your well-groomed fears, wake up to a blank slate, and hold that position for just one day? And if we can’t allow ourselves this one productive entertainment, what has happened to us?

You Don’t Actually Suck: Our opinions of ourselves are usually out of touch with reality. To prove that, you need only to slow down, clear your mind, and answer a few questions:

Can you remember a moment from your childhood when someone was notably kind or loving toward you? You have at least one, yes? So, in detail, what was it like and how did you feel?

Can you remember a time you stood up for someone who was being unfairly insulted or abused? What exactly did you do, and how did it make you feel?

Can you remember a time when you did something because it was right, even though you knew you’d suffer for it? How did it feel to push through the fear and do it?

Have you ever done something out of nothing but simple, honest benevolence? How did that feel?

Did you answer these questions? Did you relive the experiences a little? You see, you don’t actually suck. You’ve merely been made to believe so… by people and systems who profit from your bad opinion of yourself.

What’s Life For? You are alive, and this life you possess doesn’t have a preset direction; it’s you who choose where to direct it. Our lives have the meaning we give them, and we give them meaning through exercises of will.

You have immense capabilities, but only you can choose to use them. If you spend your entire life reacting to darkness and threat, you’ll never learn to be a potent being. Instead, you’ll stay in a tight little shell, talking about everything bad that happens in the world and seeking more and more bad news because it justifies your shell. Does that sound like a good way to spend a life?

When? Ever? So, when do we pull away from the carnival of bad news? When do we lift up our eyes and consider the radical possibility that we have good things in us? When do we consider our virtues and abilities… and start using them as a first choice?

For most people the answer is “never.” Not once in a complete human lifetime. And that’s tragic. In fact, it’s premature death. Most people aren’t specifically choosing this of course – it’s a choice thrust upon them – but it ends with them never living by their own light. Instead, they find a “doesn’t hurt too badly” groove and plod along until they tip into a grave.

But what if we picked a day and chose to live as if we were wonderful? If you’re so deeply terrified that that will lead to doom, make it your day off or a vacation day. Get up and spend that day as if you were a luminous being. Flatly pretend if you must, but do it for a day. Is that really so evil a concept that you can’t allow it to exist? So, when is it that we choose to wake up and be wonderful, just for one day?

Pick One: Every tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to be wonderful. So pick a day and wake up to a blank slate. Turn away from the knee-jerk objections that ram their way into your mind; they can have the other 364 days. Try being wonderful. Pull out your calendar, pick a month and day, circle it, and then do it. You might like it."

- freemansperspective.com

Dan, I Allegedly, "Cash Is Back! For a Reason"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 3/27/26

"Cash Is Back! For a Reason"

"Cash is making a major comeback - and it’s not by accident. In this episode of I Allegedly, we break down why states are now forcing businesses to accept cash and what this means for your financial freedom, privacy, and the future of digital control. As talks of a cashless society and central bank digital currencies grow louder, this sudden shift raises serious questions: is this about helping the poor and elderly - or is something bigger happening behind the scenes? At the same time, we’re seeing rising crime, collapsing commercial real estate, failing infrastructure, and a mass exodus from high-tax states like California and New York. Businesses are shutting down, train systems are deteriorating, and even wealthy investors are walking away. This is a critical moment for the economy, and the consequences of political decisions are finally hitting hard. Stay informed, protect your money, and understand what’s coming next."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Adventures With Danno, "Massive Sales At Kroger!"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, 3/27/26

"Massive Sales At Kroger!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"Iran Just Struck IDF Base Filled With Soldiers As Netanyahu Sends Appeal For Ceasefire"

Full screen recommended.

OPTM, 3/27/26

"Iran Just Struck IDF Base Filled With Soldiers 

As Netanyahu Sends Appeal For Ceasefire"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"March, 22-26: Invisible Wounds" (Excerpt)

"March, 22-26: Invisible Wounds"

by NO1

Excerpt: "A ceasefire fixes nothing.There’s this meme going around. You’ve probably seen it:

It’s so absurd because it’s basically true…Trump gave Iran 48 hours to open Hormuz or he’d obliterate their power plants, starting with the biggest one first.Within that window, Israel struck Natanz – Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility.

Iran’s response was immediate and precisely calibrated: 7 separate missile strikes on Dimona and surroundings. Not the reactor itself. Not the research centre. Close enough that 47 high-level personnel had to be evacuated by helicopter, close enough that THAAD failed to intercept, but deliberately not close enough to cause a radiation event. That’s a warning shot.

Official death toll before Arad, before Dimona: 19. In total. For 3 weeks of shelling. That last attack was the single worst “difficult event” of this war. 20 died in Arad, over 100 injured. Tasnim’s Hebrew desk has a slightly different number: 1,281 excess deaths. 61 additional deaths per day, sourced from cemetery records and 703 ZAKA movements [ZAKA transports the dead].

92% of Israelis want the war to end. The schools are closed. Airport is shut. Daily life has been reduced to sheltering and praying that the next siren is a false alarm. They want it to stop. God, do they want it to stop.

3 weeks in and the country is on its knees. Gaza did 65 weeks. But who’s counting. Funny how empathy works. The ICJ called it a plausible genocide. Next door. Nobody surveyed the rubble in Gaza. Nobody checked if the 2 million people drinking sewage water wanted it to stop too. They did, by the way. In case anyone was wondering. And nobody cared enough to stop it.

Karma’s a bitch."

Full, most highly recommended article is here:

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

"The Cycles Warn The US Cannot Defeat Iran"

"The Cycles Warn The US Cannot Defeat Iran"

by Martin Armstrong

"Will the United States be defeated by Iran? Based on my cyclical analysis, historical precedent, and current trajectory, let me give you the answer that will make the neocons furious: YES. The United States will be defeated in Iran—not necessarily not just on the battlefield, but STRATEGICALLY, ECONOMICALLY, and POLITICALLY.

Sending in troops that end up with thousands in returning home in body-bags will show the entire world that Iran can defeat the mighty USA. That will send a smoke signal to Russia and China that the US cannot possible defend both Europe and Taiwan while also tied up defending Netanyahu.

Sending in troops will be a suicide mission. This is not going to be D-Day. We do not have the troops to conquer Iran, and Netanyahu does not care how many Americans will die for his personal vendetta. Iran has a major army, and this is NOT going to be a cakewalk. The advice being given to Trump is such a bald-faced lie that it is putting the entire world at risk, all for the defense of the sadistic character of Netanyahu. Sending in troops will be a suicide mission. We do NOT have the personnel to wage this war, and my sources are screaming that even the Marines are not renewing all because this is NOT a war that is in the American interest, but is a religious war for Netanyahu.

The military strength of Iran is far superior and Trump may claim we have already won by taking out their Navy and bombing their above ground operations, but Iran has dozens of deep underground facilities that nothing should of a nuke would possible reach. Aside from that, I would be very concerned that Iran is now pushing for a nuclear weapon ASAP and they have the missile capability. Once they announce that they now have the nukes, this changes everything.

Israel is effectively out of defense. Trump is now taking resources from Ukraine and sending them to Israel, which will not change the outcome. Iran has strategically planned for the end game and has the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles perhaps in the world, but certainly in the region.

Now even Saudi Arabia is demanding the US wipe out Iran for now Epic Fury has risen the Epic Persian Lion. They have seriously underestimated Iran and Trump did not listen to American intelligence and took Netanyahu’s word instead.

I warned that the war cycle turned up in 2014 and that would begin in Ukraine. But I also warned that WWIII will NOT be a single front, but we are looking at wars around the globe. The computer is showing this is going to extend into 2028 and that it should have turned higher exponentially here in 2026.

The half-cycle turning point was here in 2026. At the last WEC I also warned that 2026 would be a Panic Cycle Year when it came to war, markets, and the economy. It pains me deeply to see how the Neocons have infiltrated the Trump Administration and that this insane arrogance will lead to the defeat of the United States for the stated goals of regime change, causing a revolution, destroying their ballistic missiles, and ending their nuclear program have all failed. At this point, if I were Iran, I would be working night and day to finish that nuke for that is the only way at this point to discredit Netanyahu. This was a stupid move sold to Trump that just killing the Ayatolla would bring down the government which was totally fictional. Now Trump risks the entire stability of the world as a whole all for Netanyahu. Instead of securing the future for Israel, Netanyahu may undermine its future as it can no longer defend against Iranian missiles and Russia is now sending drones to Iran."

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/