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Tue, 26 Oct 2021
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Magic Wand

Do you believe in magic?

James Howard Kunstler
kunstler.com
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:00 UTC
four horsemen wagon
© unknown
Financial Apocalypse
The people pretending to run the world's financial affairs do. The more layers of abstract game-playing they add to the existing armatures of unreality they've already constructed, the more certain it becomes that they will blow up all the support systems of a sunsetting hyper-tech economy that now has no safe lane to continue running in.

Virtually all the big nations are doing this now in desperation because they don't understand that the hyper-tech economy is hostage to the deteriorating economics of energy, basically fossil fuels, and oil especially. The macro mega-system can't grow anymore. We're now in the de-growth phase of a dynamic that pulsates through history, as everything in the universe pulsates. We attempted to compensate for de-growth with debt, borrowing from the future.

But debt only works in the youthful growth phases of economic pulsation, when the prospect of being paid back is statistically favorable. Now in the elder de-growth phase, the prospect of paying back debts, or even servicing the interest, is statistically dismal. The amount of racked-up debt worldwide has entered the realm of the laughable. So, the roughly twenty-year experiment in Central Bank credit magic, as a replacement for true capital formation, has come to its grievous end.

Hence, America under the pretend leadership of Joe Biden ventures into the final act of this melodrama, which will end badly and probably pretty quickly. They are about to call in the financial four horsemen of apocalypse:
1) Modern Monetary Theory (MMT),
2) a command economy,
3) Universal Basic Income (UBI, "helicopter" money for the people), and
4) the "Build Back Better" infrastructure scheme.

Comment: Kunstler offers a concise set of observations on the rapidly encroaching financial disaster and our inevitable return to local economics.

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X

Biden earns 'Four Pinocchios' from Washington Post for false claim about Georgia voting law

Brian Flood
Fox News
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:00 UTC
Biden five
© Drew Angerer/Getty Images/KJN
The Washington Post Fact Checker knocked President Biden on Tuesday for falsely claiming a new Georgia law "ends voting hours early," giving him its harshest rating of Four Pinocchios for spreading the misinformation.

Biden repeatedly claimed last week a law signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, R., would make it harder for working-class people to vote. He said:
"What I'm worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. It's sick. It's sick. Deciding that you're going to end voting at five o'clock when working people are just getting off work."
Biden doubled down the following day in a written statement:
"Among the outrageous parts of this new state law, it ends voting hours early so working people can't cast their vote after their shift is over."
Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler wrote Biden's claim couldn't be substantiated.
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Star of David

Israeli politics and the metaphysics of the shtetl

Gilad Atzmon
gilad.online
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:00 UTC
Yair Lapid /Netanyahu
© Unknown
The Shtetl: Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu
The ongoing political stalemate in Israel brings to mind an old recycled Jewish joke that reads as follows:

Q: How many synagogues are needed in a village with one Jew?

A: Two, one to go to and one to boycott!

Self-identified Jews, and especially non-religious one, are hardly defined by what they are but mostly by that which they oppose. They are basically defined by means of negation: the list of ideas, thoughts, philosophies and people whom they reject, contest and boycott.

This unique state of being describes accurately the political paralysis in Israel. Roughly two-thirds of Knesset members are hard-core right wingers. They agree with PM Benjamin Netanyahu on pretty much every crucial political matter including the most radical chauvinist interpretations of Jewish nationalism. In a normal civilized democracy this would be enough to form the strongest possible government. But in Israel they are already preparing for their fifth consecutive election, as they have failed to form a stable government in the last three years.

Comment: We might see how the Shtetl dynamics fit with psychopathy - another prominent factor determining Israel's political future.

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Target

World leaders call for pandemic treaty

Lucy Fisher
Yahoo News
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 12:03 UTC
Boris Johnson
© Holly Adams/AFP
British PM Boris Johnson
The world needs a global settlement like that forged after the Second World War to protect countries in the wake of Covid, Boris Johnson and other world leaders have said.

Writing for The Telegraph on Tuesday, Mr Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said the virus pandemic had been "a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe".


Comment: Perhaps the dumbest statement ever.


Amid growing international tension over vaccine supplies, they called for an end to isolationism and nationalism in favour of a new era of solidarity.

Comment: Encased in 'feel good rhetoric' to get the public onboard for more (or worse) of the same, the upshot is: There will be no independent actions, protocols, statistical analysis nor treatment that is not rubber-stamped by the WHO. Its aim? Control via global consensus without deviation. Covid-19 revealed the anomalies.

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Bad Guys

Biden Admin announces new actions and funding to combat 'anti-Asian violence, xenophobia and bias'

Jeffrey Cawood
The Dailywire
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:34 UTC
Asian Lives Matter
© Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced new actions in response to "anti-Asian violence, xenophobia and bias" in the wake of recent attacks against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people across the country. The moves come after a man was captured on video physically assaulting a 65-year-old Asian woman outside a New York City apartment building on Monday, and six Asian women were shot and killed at three massage parlors in Atlanta two weeks ago.

"We can't be silent in the face of rising violence against Asian Americans," President Joe Biden tweeted on Tuesday. "That's why today I'm taking additional steps to respond - including establishing an initiative at the Department of Justice to address anti-Asian crimes. These attacks are wrong, un-American, and must stop."

Comment: These initiatives aren't coming close to even identifying the reality of attacks on Asians, and we'll likely just see an attempt at integrating critical race theory into the mix.

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Black Cat

Her Majesty's useful idiot? Integrity Initiative-linked Scots Nats MP demands London spy agencies probe Russian 'disinformation'

Kit Klarenberg
RT
Thu, 01 Apr 2021 17:30 UTC
fireworks red square moscow Stewart McDonald britain
© Sputnik; Wikipedia
Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Red Square during the New Year celebration, in Moscow, Russia. (inset) Stewart Malcolm McDonald
The British Parliament's most enthusiastic Russia-basher wants UK intelligence services to formally instruct MPs on alleged "foreign propaganda." His odd biography for an SNP representative and deep state links make it notable.

Stewart McDonald's interest in Russia is quite remarkable. Until 2018, he showed little or no interest in the country at all, but then, following an opaquely funded and organized jolly to Ukraine, he suddenly transformed into an ardent opponent of Moscow. He also became a passionate supporter of the British establishment position on foreign policy. Perhaps it was the chicken Kiev that turned the lawmaker's head, or maybe something more organized.

During a House of Commons debate on March 25, he demanded UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove "arrange a briefing for MPs and political parties, on appropriate terms, with the security services, so we can all better understand the threat [of disinformation] and ensure the integrity of our political discourse and democracy."

Comment: More background on the shadowy Integrity Initiative project:

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Bizarro Earth

French air strike on wedding in Mali killed 19 civilians, violated international law - UN


France 24
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 14:50 UTC
france mali

French military in Mali
A French air strike killed at least 19 civilians in central Mali in January, according to a UN report released Tuesday, which added that the victims were protected under international law. The French defence ministry issued a statement refuting the findings in the report.

On January 3, French warplanes struck near the remote village of Bounti in circumstances that sparked controversy in the war-torn Sahel state.

Residents of the village said the strike hit a wedding party and killed civilians.

Comment: See also: Macron feigns friendship with Africa, issues warnings about China

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Control Panel

Pentagon unveils policies reversing Trump's transgender ban

Ellen Mitchell
The Hill
Wed, 31 Mar 2021 18:27 UTC
non-binary flag
The Pentagon on Wednesday unveiled rules reversing Trump administration policies that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military, following through on an executive order President Biden signed shortly after taking office.

The new Defense Department policies, released on the International Transgender Day of Visibility, will allow transgender people who meet military standards to enlist and serve in their preferred gender. The regulations will also give wider access to health care and assistance with gender transition and aim to prevent discrimination against transgender military members, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters.

"Secretary of Defense [Lloyd Austin] strongly believes that the all-volunteer force thrives when it is composed of diverse Americans who can meet the high standards for military service, and an inclusive force that strengthens our national security posture," Kirby said.

The new rules, which will be effective in 30 days, follow a two-month review at the Pentagon in the wake of Biden's order, which "sets the policy that all Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should be able to serve."

Comment: These "pro-trans" policies are an attempt on the part of the Pentagon to seem "progressive" and "woke"; a clever sleight of hand that belies its true aims - via NATO - towards aggression, chaos and destruction around the planet. As the old expression goes, its like "putting lipstick on a pig". See also:

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Blackbox

Joe Biden most definitely ISN'T in charge - so who is?

Charlie Kirk
Human Events
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:00 UTC
Biden
The Biden press conference generated obvious concerns and one big question.

Everyone is familiar with the scenario wherein you are at a retail store and find yourself frustrated by a junior-level customer service employee who is giving you the runaround over some matter of store policy. Once you've finally become fully exasperated by the exchange, you finally utter the words, "I want to speak to the manager!" After some attempts to deflect, and an interminable wait, someone eventually comes to the front desk and says, "I'm the manager. How can I help you?"

After Joe Biden's performance last Thursday, every American should be demanding to talk to the manager. That's because while President Joe Biden's pathetic display during his "matinee" presser showed clearly that he is not in charge of our country, it also begged the obvious follow-up question not being asked by the 25 reporters in the room: If Joe Biden isn't in charge of running our government, who is?

Comment: Rounding out some of the picture of influence and control over Biden:

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Attention

Twice as many children are in Border Patrol custody under Biden than Trump peak in 2019

Anna Giaritelli
Washington Examiner
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 16:45 UTC
migrant children minors
© Ed JONES / AFP
March 27, 2021 two unaccompanied seven year-old child immigrants who arrived illegally across the Rio Grande river from Mexico stand at a makeshift processing checkpoint before being detained at a holding facility by border patrol agents in the border city of Roma.
The number of migrant children being held in Border Patrol facilities is more than double the record that was set in June 2019 during the Trump administration, the Washington Examiner has learned.

As of Sunday, 5,767 unaccompanied minors were being detained inside cells at Border Patrol facilities near the U.S.-Mexico border. In comparison, only 2,600 children were documented in custody at the height of the 2019 border crisis, according to federal data exclusively obtained Monday evening.

The figures underscore the magnitude of the situation on the border, which President Joe Biden and Democrats have refused to recognize as a "crisis." The number of children in Border Patrol facilities is also far higher than the number of children separated from their parents under President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" initiative that mandated children be taken from their parents so that the adults could be prosecuted. In other words, Biden is presiding over more unaccompanied children in government custody than when Trump intentionally separated migrant children from their families. Federal data for the end of Trump's tenure were not available.

Comment: Hannity reports on footage released by a Forbes reporter about Border Patrol rapid processing centers:
A reporter from Forbes Magazine published stunning new footage from the US-Mexico border this week; showing migrants, children, and adults walking into the United States and being released into Texas "within hours."

"I'm at the Texas-Mexico border. This is one of the underground processing areas that has been setup under a bridge. This is where families are actually coming and unaccompanied minors will just show-up here during the night," said journalist James Langford.

"They go through a basic screening. If they have a child that's six or younger then all these folks will be released into Texas within a couple hours," he added. "All these folks will be released into the United States with a 'Notice to Appear' at court. Some of those hearings are three years later."

Gateway Pundit reports on a brazen industrial-scale smuggling operation. The coyote in this particular run was caught, but not all the illegals:
In the video, what appears to be 100 illegal aliens are being unloaded in the small Texas town 100 miles from the Mexican border. Pearsall had a population of 9,240 up until this semi-trailer was unloaded. The small city prides itself on being safe.


This is insane and unAmerican - the Instagram post reads:

latinoswithtrump

🆘They're still coming 🆘PEARSALL, Texas — Video sent to KENS 5 NEWS shows dozens of migrants pouring out of a trailer in Frio County. The Frio County Sheriff's Office told KENS 5 the incident caught on video took place around noon Monday in Pearsall, near the intersection of Oak and Nueces streets.

According to the Pearsall Police Department, a person driving behind the truck saw arms and then someone's head sticking outside of the truck's small door. That witness called police.

Authorities said the driver fled along with the migrants and tried to blend in with group once authorities got there, but they were able to identify him as the driver and arrest him. They described the migrants as dehydrated and "soaked in sweat."

In total, 65 migrants were apprehended. The driver of the truck was arrested and placed in federal custody; it is unclear what charges the driver will face at this time. Authorities did not elaborate on the whereabouts of the migrants.

Pearsall PD said they were getting 911 calls from local residents saying they were spotting migrants running through their yards well into the night.

This comes as Republican lawmakers blame the Biden administration's border policy for a surge in migrants at the Texas-Mexico border. In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott demanded answers to what he called a "humanitarian crisis at the southern border."

Officials in south Texas also say they're observing an increase in human-smuggling operations at the U.S.-Mexico border, which they say endangers those being transported.

This is a catastrophic disaster. Joe Biden told them to come and now they're coming by the truck Load, literally.

Call @governorabbott@govabbott Governor of Texas and demand he deploy additional resources to the border to stop the invasion. (512) 463-2000
Smugglers are not particular about how they go about their activities. Border Patrol is woefully understaffed and underfunded to deal with these situations. The children were fortunate to be rescued:

Biden's administration was given clear, repeated warnings about the consequences of their changes to Trump's policies:
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) said Tuesday that the Biden administration was warned by Border Patrol officials about a large surge of illegal immigrants if Trump-era immigration policies were dismantled.
....
Van Duyne said that there are Customs and Border Protection officials "who are at the end of their rope" in dealing with the surge.

"They're doing what they can but they're also very frustrated, realizing that they had actually warned this administration what would happen if they decided to push back on policies that were put in place by the previous administration that were working," she told Fox News.

She added that Border Patrol officials under Trump "were keeping children with their families. They were keeping people over the border. They were keeping them in the first safe country that they came to and what we're seeing is a massive surge now at the borders and the response from the administration, instead of actually reversing policies that have caused this surge.

The Biden administration said that it was Trump's migration policies that triggered the surge, while President Joe Biden during a news conference last week suggested that the number of people crossing the border is routine and occurs every year.

Some NGO groups who spoke to the Wall Street Journal also suggested that the messaging from the administration is encouraging women and children to try and illegally migrate to the United States.

"It's great that the U.S. is welcoming women and children," Pastor Abraham Barberi told the paper at a shelter in Matamoros, Mexico. "But they're also sending the message to families: 'Let's leave everything behind because our children will make it across the border.'"

"We're basically encouraging moms and babies to cross the river, which is not right. And they're willing to do it," Andrea Morris Rudnik of Team Brownsville.

The Department of Homeland Security was contacted for comment.


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