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That this level of incendiary outrage has seeped into the mainstream media tells us that the bill for America’s gluttony of inequality is long overdue.

Two primary trends may be reversing: wage earners–labor–may be finally starting to regain some of the share of Gross Domestic Income (GDI) lost to capital over the past 54 years, and economic class identity that collapsed in favor of individual identity–enabling the siphoning of $149 trillion in GDI from labor to capital since 1970–may be reviving.

The two trends are intertwined: the cultural dominance of identity politics came at the expense of economic class identity, which effectively blinded us as a nation to the multi-decade transfer of wealth from wage earners to owners / managers of capital.

If we are wondering how the bottom 90% have lost ground, we can start with the social-cultural blindness to the collapse of class identity which enabled the dominance of capital politically, economically and socially, as manifested in the rise of globalization and financialization, the tools used to transfer income from labor to capital.

Capital’s increasing share of domestic income was not pre-ordained; it was the result of specific policy decisions, starting with globalization’s downward pressure on domestic wages. The fancy term for forcing American workers to compete with other workers around the world whose cost of living is a fraction of ours is global wage arbitrage: capital shifted jobs to low-wage regions at will to increase profits at the expense of domestic wages.

This is the fundamental advantage capital has over labor: capital is globally mobile, labor is grounded in a particular place. Yes, workers can move around the world, too, but there are restrictions, both legal and in cost / sacrifice, as the effort and expense required to move from one country to another are significant.

Capital doesn’t care about a place or community; that’s up to the residents. If capital shifts overseas to lower costs / increase profits, well folks, make do with what’s left.

Financialization amplified capital’s dominance of the economy, for capital gained tremendous power as credit and leverage expanded capital’s scale and reach at the expense of domestic workers and communities.

It’s equally important to note that the corporate dominance generated by globalization and financialization also gutted small business and the local enterprises that provide the bulk of the jobs and cohesion in communities.

Read the Whole Article

The post Labor Rising: Will Class Identity Finally Matter Again? appeared first on LewRockwell.

Moe, Larry, and Curly are planning to rob a bank.

They are careful and exhaustive in their deliberations.  They determine which of them will drive the getaway car.  They discuss, intensively, the best access and egress routes before and after their crime.  They study, over and over again, the electronic and other defensive measures employed by their target so that their gang can obviate them.  They find out at which dates and times there will be the fewest customers at this bank so as to ensure not only their own safety, but that there will be the least collateral harm; they are bank robbers, not murderers.  How many and how well motivated the bank guards will be is an issue over which they have pored for hours.   They are not at all a bunch of nerds, such as those depicted by the television show The Big Bang Theory.  They are indeed sophisticated in electronics, as are the aforementioned, but they were not bullied when they were kids; they were the macho bullies themselves.  They are seriously planning to rob a bank and take rational steps toward this end.  They plan for all contingencies.  They agree that at 11 A.M. next Tuesday, they will engage in their heist.

Why rob a bank?  Willie Sutton, famous bank robber, is their mentor.  He explained: “That’s where they keep the money.”

Have they yet committed a crime?  (Tuesday is now several days away.)  Certainly, they have, at least in the eyes of extant law.  Here is one definition thereof: “Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to commit an illegal act, along with an intent to achieve the agreement’s goal. Most U.S. jurisdictions also require an overt act toward furthering the agreement.”

So far, does the Three Stooges Gang qualify?  It is difficult to see why its members do not.  There has certainly been “an agreement between two or more people to commit an illegal act, along with an intent to achieve the agreement’s goal.”  Thus, in those states that do not also “require an overt act toward furthering the agreement,” it is a matter of case closed.  Lock ’em up, and throw away the key.

But what about an “overt act”?  Well, if that requires an actual robbery, the TSG is innocent, at least for now.  However, they have indeed committed numerous “overt acts.”  They have committed pen to paper in their planning.  They have cleared their calendars for next Tuesday.  After careful search, they have identified which car they will steal and then ditch after the robbery.  So they may well be guilty of conspiracy in all fifty states.  (I assume away all Soros-inspired attorneys general.)

In sharp contrast, on the basis of libertarian theory, the three miscreants are not yet guilty of any rights violation whatsoever.  Whom have they, at least so far, victimized?  No one.  If what they have so far done is a crime, it is a victimless crime.

They might have aborted their plan ten minutes before they were scheduled to implement it.  If so, what crime did they commit?  If bad intentions, of which they are certainly guilty, are criminalized, then all of us — except, perhaps, for a few saints, and I am not even sure of them in this regard — would be in jail when caught.

I am now thinking of punching you in the nose, gentle reader.  I can anticipate, in loving detail in my mind’s eye, how your proboscis will feel when impacted by my fist.  I can just see the blood flowing.  I have plotted my escape route.  Ha, the cops will never catch me, since I am now wearing a COVID mask.

But good sense and morality prevails, and I do not follow through on this dastardly deed.  Am I a criminal nevertheless?  Yes, according to the laws now on the books.  No, on the basis of libertarian law and common sense.

This originally appeared on American Thinker and was reprinted with the author’s permission.

The post The Libertarian Case Against Punishing a ‘Conspiracy’ appeared first on LewRockwell.

A few days ago, I thumbed through the latest issue of the Uline catalog, an inch-thick treasury of industrial solutions for every imaginable warehouse scenario. It occupies a niche in the catalog market, with most of its products impervious to muddy feet, chemical waste and general abuse. I receive this hulking volume because I ordered a wooden dolly a few years ago during a move, making me a valued customer to the Wisconsin-based company.

Most catalogs land in the kitchen garbage can before they can clutter my counter. Clothing, home decor, and sports gear are among the regular offerings. Keeping the counter clean takes vigilance, because every couple days, there’s a must-have seasonal “collection” to whet my appetite for more spending. If you take the bait and buy something from any of these retailers, you’ll immediately receive the next new catalog; it’s important to keep stoking the flames of discontent, without delay.

A couple of the publications are particularly egregious offenders, measuring at least a half-inch thick and delivered rather presumptuously given their hefty size and my lack of purchase history. The worst is Restoration Hardware’s ponderous, multi-volume furniture series, which would look handsome in any library; Atlanta’s snooty quarter-inch real estate folios take second place by weight, but first in pretentious copywriting. A quick flip through any of these fat glossies promises prestige and importance on a scale not afforded by the thinner and less venerable competitors.

Here is where the humble Uline catalog stole my heart. On the surface, its utilitarian looks would appear a disadvantage; it lacks the cool elegance and haute aesthetic of its fancier print brethren. Every issue looks the same, full of heavy-duty products and bright colors that suit the tastes of OSHA inspectors and warehouse managers, not style mavens and influencers. Nonetheless, I adore these very distinctions, which imbue its pages with an unembellished, midwestern warmth that welcomes every boot and heel to its oil-absorbing and water-proof world.

Let’s start our trip through this sensible catalog at the front door. No need for the fine Persian rugs and light colors that stir feminine ire when muddy visitors breach the threshold; at Uline, you can step in straight from the chemical spill or baseball field, without so much as removing your shoes. Yes, their entry mat colors are limited, but if burgundy is too wild, you can go with black. One even resembles a fancy berber carpet; if you need something a little more refined, they offer a resort version, which is modeled with a pair of high heels on it. (Still worried about dirty feet? Try their shoe-covering booties, located on the protective clothing aisle.)

Talk of industrial supply summons ideas of spartan factory and warehouse implements like safety vests and mops; be prepared for surprises here, though, because Uline also sells comfortable furniture. So long as you like steel, plastic and polywood, you’ll be pleased with the seating selections—some are upholstered, and all repel liquids and preclude pillow-fluffing. Too bad I didn’t know this years ago when I patrolled our cushioned sectional for misplaced pillows and unreported juice-box spills. Why buy pillows anyways, since they only end up on the floor? Every parent needs to receive a Uline catalog early in the childrearing process, heading off pointless gruntwork before it steals one’s zest for life.

I love one-stop shops, and with the exception of groceries, this retailer fits the bill. You can find a Uline answer for almost every need in your home. Need storage solutions? They sell everything from 40-drawer rolling carts to forklift-ready bins. Need kitchen supplies? They’ve got food packaging containers, and there are whole sections of jugs, cups and utensils. Need cleaning supplies? This is near and dear to my heart, and apparently to Uline’s too; I’m currently eyeing their backpack commercial vacuum. For medical needs, you can outfit your own urgent care with first aid kits, eyewash stations and protective gear. Somebody threw up? Try a spill kit or a roll of “sorbent”, which promises to soak up acids, oils and other gross liquids.

Read the Whole Article

The post From Cradle to Grave in the Uline Catalog appeared first on LewRockwell.

“Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, Boom!”
— R.E.M.

The world we’ve known is over. The US Congress finally pushed the big red button. When the West froze around $300 billion of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves in March 2022 it was the first step in breaking down the system of foreign exchange reserves that makes up the global economy.

Freezing assets of countries they are mad at isn’t new behavior from the locusts that run the G-7 countries. We still have to listen to conservatards whine about Obama giving Iran back “pallets of cash” for signing the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal) in 2015, when all he did was unfreeze assets we’d frozen in 1979…

… 1979, folks. Seriously. Get a grip on reality. Obama gave Iran back their money. I’m no Obama fan, far from it, but as payments go, it was really nothing.

Freezing assets, however, isn’t really theft, it’s just the tip.

The money frozen in 2022 was supposed to operate the same way. It was supposed to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending the war in Ukraine. The theory being that the oligarchs whose money that represented would push Putin out of power to get that money back.

Theories, by the way, speaking as a scientist, mostly suck.

Putin used this to his advantage, rallying the world around him and to the burgeoning BRICS Alliance. It worked a treat and here we are with $90 per barrel oil, raging inflation and a shattered Ukraine.

Typically, the British call this, “money well spent.”

Overall, it was a statement by the G-7 that no one’s money is safe. Look, no offense to Iran (or Venezuela or anyone else who previously ran into this problem), but cutting them out of the global economy was an effective piece of intimidation of everyone else.

It had it’s limits, however. And the increasingly common usage of sanctions while possibly effective in enforcing the rules based order demanded by the G-7, only decreased the cost/benefit analysis of playing by those rules in the future. Eventually someone would turn what was supposed to be a weakness into a strength.

No self-proclaimed ‘serious person’ in DC, London and/or Brussels thought that doing something so arrogant (and stupid) to one of the most important commodity-producing countries in the world would backfire on them. When you stop to think about it we’re talking about a country, Russia, that in 2023 exported more wheat than the 3rd largest producer (the US) harvested — approx. 60 million tonnes exported (RUS) vs. 47 million tonnes produced (US).

So, like the hubristic morons they are, our leadership thought this would work. It didn’t.

Or was their plan even dumber?

Because the recent actions by the US vis a vis Russia and China is so dumb it defies description. Congress has authorized President Joah Bii-DEN! to seize Russia’s foreign exchange reserves as they have threatened to do for the past six months and hand the money to Ukraine.

This isn’t the tip anymore, this is just outright theft.

And they call this #winning.

Leaving aside the inconsolable butthurt this move implies, it really signifies that this may have actually been the plan all along.

In their April 26th livestream, the Alexes at The Duran brought up the brilliant point that the real target of this move to seize Russia’s forex reserves wasn’t Russia, but China. (START AT the 3:00)

By all accounts the US has frozen a small portion of the $300 billion of Russia’s money sitting around now collecting interest because of Jerome Powell. But in the Age of Bii-Den! no foreign policy blunder is too small, no shakedown attempt to brazen, and no act of diplomatic vandalism too destructive.

Sec. of State Antony Blinken’s ‘performance’ in Beijing was nothing short of a declaration of war, as Alex Mercouris put it, and he’s absolutely right. It’s good to see both of them come to the same conclusion I reached during the first days of the Bii-Denn! Junta…

… that they are trying to destroy the United States.

So, all in all, the threat hangs out there that the G-7 stands ready to seize Russia’s forex reserves, which is an implicit threat to China that the US will cancel all outstanding debts owed to China because we are at war with them.

Because this is exactly where this leads.

Russia famously sold all of their US Treasury reserves in 2021 in preparation for war with NATO over Ukraine. There were no CUSIPs to cancel unilaterally by the US. As always, Vlad is one step ahead of the predictably brutish neocons at the US Dept. of State.

Even though Vicky the Hutt is gone and the US is offering a few fig leaves to Russia here and there to simulate attempts at opening up a diplomatic end to Ukraine, Russia is looking at Blinken, David Cameron (UK), Josep Borrell (EU) and the rest of the Gang that Can’t Sanction Straight and calmly saying, “Nyet. Fuck you, pay me.”

And, by all accounts, the EU is paying Russia while Bii-Denn! tries to open up global oil markets in a desperate bid to bring oil prices down because “Our Money, Your Problem” is now “Our Commodities, Your Political Unrest” or something like that.

This speaks to the heart of this matter, there is no trust left between these ‘combatants’ and, by extension, the rest of the world. Global trade rests on trust. Trust that if you do business in one country, what you’ve personally earned is considered your property. If that trust is broken it’s not likely not coming back anytime soon.

Seizing those assets is simply spitting in the eye of the very ideas on which Pax Americana was built. You can say it was always a lie and that’s your prerogative, but the key to continuing any good racket is not to shake down the mark to the point where he sees the grift.

I guess they no longer teach that at Globalist Central.

The saddest part about this is that, truly, the target of this insanity isn’t even China or Russia or Iran… the real target is us, the people who are responsible for the debt their inanity represents. The real problem is that they are broke, are about to break all of the promises of the past two generations, and want you to believe it was Russia and China’s fault.

But these people are simple, garden variety narcissistic abusers, who sit there in their ivory towers nursing the holes where their hearts are supposed to be, screaming, “Why are you making me beat you like this!”

Why indeed?

BOOM!

I was contacted by Sputnik News for comments on this issue which were far more professional than those I just typed. As always, in the interests of transparency, I publish the full comments for your confirmation of whatever you think of me.

The US House passed legislation that would give Biden the legal authority to confiscate frozen Russian financial assets and transfer to them to Ukraine.

1. If the US really does pull the trigger and confiscates Russia’s financial assets, what are some of the potential consequences for the hegemony of the US dollar and financial system? 

I could write a book on this issue, to be honest. But, in short, nothing good.  What this would do is ensure the US is no longer a place where trade and business are protected by law.  Congress is literally throwing the entire concept of foreign exchange into the trash can and lighting it on fire by giving President Biden this power, which no one should have.

This isn’t about Russia or anyone’s opinion about what they are doing in Ukraine.  This is about the US as a bastion for the rule of law as it pertains to business and banking.  Now, we’ve been trending towards this moment for the past two decades, but this would be a move from which the current US government cannot and will not recover from.

It will signal to the rest of the world that their money is no longer safe from confiscation if it is held in US banks.  That at any time if someone in Congress has a grudge against you, they can just seize it and move on.  We Americans have lived under the spectre of ‘asset forfeiture’ laws for years as a consequence of our “War on Drugs” during the Reagan administration.  The corruption it created is legendary.

Every country looking to do business with the US in the future now lives with that.  This one act is what signals the end of the modern era of finance and trade.  From here the world will fracture and the US will lose trillions in future trade.  This confirms my argument that US leadership are vandals intent on the collapse of the US rather than having any allegiance whatsoever to the people or what’s left of the ideals on which the country was founded.

2. How are other countries likely to react to such a move? Are there any other alternatives to the US dollar and financial system that they could turn to?

This move will not have immediate effects that we’ll see play out in capital markets beyond accelerating trends already in place.  As of right now there is no alternative to the US dollar because of its primacy in settling global trade.  The euro gave up that potential role when they went to negative interest rates last decade.

The Chinese yuan is not ready for this role either.  But with this move by the US, it will now gain momentum towards fulfilling that role. And, believe me, the Chinese government is fully aware of this.

In the short run, paradoxically, it will cause a run into the US dollar, as people who need them to service debt will hoard them, but with the intention of paying those debts off.  This will put upward pressure on the dollar making our sovereign debt that much harder to service.  The vandals of the Biden administration are fully aware of this, and if anything, are cheering it on.

But once trust is broken it is nearly impossible to regain it.  Capital flows to where it is treated best.  This was the US’s real super-power for all of these years.  We treated capital well.  It’s what drove our banking dominance.  That dominance will fade and the world, in the short term, will turn to gold until a new system emerges.

3. US lawmakers are constantly saying that giving more money to the US military industrial complex via Ukraine spending is great for the economy, creates jobs. Is that actually the case?

Yes, most of the money isn’t actually going to Ukraine.  I suspect that most of it is going to replace what we’ve already stripped from ours and the rest of NATO’s stores.  This money is just ensuring that the war wanted so desperately by the people who stand behind our politicians is fully funded.

War is not good for the economy, it diverts precious capital from productive innovation into weapons and bombs.  As always, all they sell us on is the stuff that is seen, the jobs for making bombs.  What they ignore are the costs to that, the unseen things we didn’t build with that same money that would alleviate future needs.  It’s just pathetic grandstanding and it’s why representative Republics always fail the same way.

Creating jobs is a politician’s priority, but it isn’t in the people’s priority.  What the people want is to not be looted and create their own opportunities. But that implies we don’t need the politicians, which we don’t, and we can’t have that gaining traction, now can we?

Reprinted with permission from Gold Goats ‘n Guns.

The post It’s the End of the Foreign Exchange Reserves as We Know It appeared first on LewRockwell.

A 19th century plantation slave suffered less abuse than an American today and was less likely to have his head cracked open by a police baton than a Columbia University Student. Here are the lost rights of Americans from A to Z.

Republican US senators are no better friends of the US Constitution than the administrators at Columbia University, Netanyahu and the Israel Lobby, the NYPD, and the whore media. For example, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R, TN) labeled as “terrorists” students who protest against Israel’s destruction of Palestine. In order to protect Israel from students protesting genocide, Blackburn wants the students added to the terrorist watch list and prohibited from flying:

“Any student who has promoted terrorism or engaged in terrorists[sic] acts on behalf of Hamas should be immediately be [sic] added to the terrorist watch list and placed on the [Transportation Security Administration] No Fly List,” Blackburn wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The stupid US senator sees the students as acting “on behalf of Hamas” and not on the basis of their moral conscience.

Senator Rick Scott (R, FL) accuses protesting students of violating Israel’s right to commit genocide and wants the US Justice (sic) Department to investigate the students for “conspiring to violate the civil rights of a religious minority.” US senators are falling all over themselves pimping for Netanyahu’s final solution to the “Palestinian Problem.”

One can see American conservatives supporting these demands, not realizing that their own Constitutional rights are in the crosshairs.

Today in America there is no thought. There is only manipulated emotion and the sale of Americans’ honor for campaign contributions. So what does voting fix?

The 21st century began with the George W. Bush’s suspension of habeas corpus on suspicion alone, and American liberty has gone downhill continuously at increasing speed. Only a simulacrum of the country into which I was born remains.

Americans are not permitted to speak freely about Israel. Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs points out the incongruity of a university, whose existence is based on freedom of speech, repressing freedom of speech.

Closing down voices is today the primary function of the Israel Lobby, media, universities and “education” in general. It applies to faculty as well as to students. The Israel Lobby was able to reach into a Catholic university and cancel the tenure awarded to Norman Finkelstein and into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and cancel the tenured appointment of a recruit from the University of Virginia. One wonders If the Israel Lobby will order Columbia to fire Professor Sachs.

The post The US Constitution Is Another Victim of Genocide appeared first on LewRockwell.

Here’s what everyone needs to understand about Ukraine:

The United States has already moved on to Plan B. No, the Biden administration has not issued an official statement on the matter, but the shift has already begun. The Washington Brain-trust has abandoned any hope of winning the war outright (Plan A) and has, thus, adopted a different strategy altogether. (Plan B)

Plan B is a combination of two main elements:

• A—A Strategy of Denial, which is ‘a defensive approach designed to stop an adversary’ from achieving its goals. In this case, the objective is to prolong the conflict for as long as possible to prevent Russian from achieving a clear victory. That is the top priority.
• B—To continue to increase and intensify asymmetrical attacks on vital infrastructure and civilian areas in Russia proper in order to inflict as much damage on Russia as possible.

This, in essence, is Plan B. Any concern for the Ukrainian people or the future viability of the Ukrainian state, have not been factored in to Washington’s cynical calculation. What matters is preventing a Russian victory and inflicting as much pain on Russia as possible. Those are the primary objectives. In practical terms, that means that more Ukrainian soldiers will be slaughtered wholesale in order to continue using Ukraine as a launching pad for attacks on Russia. In fact, UK warlords have already confirmed what we are saying here. Check out this excerpt from an article at Zero Hedge:

… UK defense chief, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, telling Financial Times that the West’s new infusion of military aid will help Ukraine increase its long-range strikes on Russian territory:

Ukraine is set to increase long-range attacks inside Russia as an influx of western military aid aims to help Kyiv shape the war “in much stronger ways”, the head of the UK military has said….

Adm. Radakin continued, “As Ukraine gains more capabilities for the long-range fight . . . its ability to continue deep operations will [increasingly] become a feature” of the war…… More of Radakin’s words point to escalation (and not negotiations) in the following… UK Defense Chief Says Ukraine To Increase Long-Range Strikes In Russia, Zero Hedge

See what I mean? This is Plan B spelled out in black and white. There is no longer any expectation that Ukraine will win the war. None. The country will merely be used as a platform for hectoring, harassing and terrorizing the Russian people. That’s Plan B in a nutshell.

But how can we be certain that Plan B has already begun?

First, consider the allocation of resources provided under the new “National Security Supplemental” that Biden signed into law earlier this week. The bill provides $61 billion for Ukraine, of which a mere $13 billion will be spent on weapons and weapons systems. How is that paltry sum going to help defeat the Russian Army?

Keep in mind, the US and NATO allies have already spent more than $200 billion funding the war in Ukraine, and the Ukrainians are losing. How is another $13 billion supposed to make a difference?

It won’t, nor is it intended to. As we said earlier, the real purpose of the money is to prevent a clear Russian victory by launching random attacks on critical infrastructure and civilian areas in Russia. Once you understand that the basic operational plan has changed, developments on the ground begin to make sense. The goal is to antagonize a geopolitical rival not to win a war. Capisce?

Here’s what the $61 billion aid package will not do: (According to political analyst Ted Snider)

It will not provide enough money. It will not provide the badly needed weapons, nor deliver them on time. It will not provide the even more badly needed troops. And it will not provide victory…..Though $61 billion is a massive amount of money, it is not massive enough to defeat Russia. What $61 Billion for Ukraine Won’t Do, The American Conservative

It’s worth noting, that most of Ukraine’s best-trained combat units have already been obliterated. They’re gone. That has forced the Zelensky regime to abduct men off the streets of Kiev and send them into battle with just two-weeks training, which is why casualties are so high. No one believes that these “green recruits” are going to rout the Russian Army or even slow its inexorable advance. No one. These men are simply being sacrificed so Washington can continue to launch its drone attacks on Russian oil facilities near Moscow or bomb civilian villages on the Russian border or conduct airstrikes on the Kerch Bridge . In other words, this ongoing orgy of carnage is being perpetuated so that deranged western elites can continue to deliver glancing blows that the Russian bear brushes off like a pesky mosquito. That is the value these billionaire elites place on human life. It means nothing to them. Check out this clip from an article by Scott Ritter:

US President Joe Biden recently signed a long-delayed $95 billion package, including $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, into law. At least $13.8 billion of this sum will be used to deliver weaponry, such as long-range ATACMS missiles and F-16 fighter jets….

“The $13.8 billion in military assistance that will be provided to Ukraine will be insufficient to basically halt the ongoing Russian advance,” and “to change the outcome on the battlefield,” he stated….

Russia currently enjoys “military superiority, if not outright supremacy, along the entire line of contact, not just on the front lines, but extending well into the rear areas of the Ukrainian defense areas.”… Scott Ritter: Hefty US Military Aid for Ukraine Won’t Hamper Russia’s Strategic Advantage, Sputnik

The American people who foolishly believe that the new supplemental aid package will help to expel the “evil” Russians from Ukraine are living in La la land. Nothing could be further from the truth. No one who follows events on the ground thinks Ukraine has any chance of beating a well-equipped and highly-motivated Russian Army that boasts nearly unlimited reserves, unlimited industrial capacity, unlimited resources and a firm conviction that the West is using Ukraine to break up their country and install its own puppet in Moscow. That’s what they are fighting for, and that’s why they’re going to win. Here’s more from Snider:

“$61 billion will not change the outcome of this war,” Nicolai Petro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhodes and the author of The Tragedy of Ukraine, (According to) Valery Zaluzhny…..That… would require five to seven times that amount, or $350-400 billion.” (But) Even if the money was sufficient, it would not provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs because the weapons are not available for purchase. (According to) Retired U.S. Army Colonel Daniel Davis, Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities: “even if you get the money, you’re not going to have the number of artillery shells, interceptor missiles for air defense. You can’t make the artillery shells any faster than we are right now. It’s a matter of physical capacity: we can’t do it.”…

Even if the West could provide Ukraine with the weapons on time, the “big problem for Ukraine,” Davis says, is not the provision of weapons, but the “manpower issue.” Ukraine’s losses on the battlefield, to death and injury, have left Ukraine with a bigger manpower problem than artillery problem…. even if the U.S. gave Ukraine all the weapons it needed, they “don’t have the men to use them.” What $61 Billion for Ukraine Won’t Do, The American Conservative

This is all pretty basic stuff. Obviously, if you don’t have the men or the money or the weapons, you’re going to lose. And, the maniacal stewards of this failed anti-Russia crusade KNOW that Ukraine is going to lose, but they’ve chosen to continue the war anyway. Why?

Because the lives, and the destruction, and the dissolution of the Ukrainian state don’t matter to them. All that matters is inflicting pain on Russia, whatever the cost. That is the ‘noble cause’ for which 500,000 Ukrainians have given their lives. And that is why this bloody debacle continues to drag on endlessly even though the outcome has never been in doubt.

Reprinted with permission from  The Unz Review.

The post Washington Moves On to Plan B appeared first on LewRockwell.

 

 

di Jimmy Song

Nelle prime tre parti di questa serie ho esaminato i diversi modi in cui il denaro fiat ha portato a terribili incentivi a livello individuale, aziendale e nazionale. Siamo più isolati che mai, siamo meno soddisfatti del nostro lavoro e lavoriamo sotto la scure di stati tirannici e autoritari. In questo articolo analizzerò i modi in cui il mondo intero reagisce agli incentivi del denaro fiat.

Gli articoli precedenti parlavano più in generale di come gli individui, le aziende e le nazioni sono influenzati dal denaro fiat; quello di oggi sarà molto più specifico poiché esiste un solo mondo in cui viviamo e non c'è bisogno di parlare in generale. Inizierò questo articolo con un contesto storico, in quanto ciò ci darà una migliore comprensione del motivo per cui gli incentivi finanziari nel mondo sono come sono.

BRETTON WOODS

Iniziamo l'analisi degli incentivi monetari fiat a livello mondiale con uno dei principali eventi storici che hanno plasmato il mondo in cui viviamo oggi: gli Accordi di Bretton Woods del 1944.

Bretton Woods è una piccola città del New Hampshire dove i burocrati di tutto il mondo si riunirono per stabilire quello che chiamarono “un nuovo ordine monetario mondiale”. Se sembra inquietante e sinistro, è perché lo è.

L’idea della conferenza era quella di risolvere i problemi della Prima Guerra Mondiale, dove i pagamenti di riparazione e le lacune attorno al gold standard allora ristabilito causarono il caos in tante economie e alla fine portarono alla Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Ritornare al gold standard pre-Prima guerra mondiale era troppo difficile da conciliare con il controllo monetario delle banche centrali a cui ogni Paese si era abituato, quindi la conferenza era un modo per capire come stabilire un altro ordine monetario.

I problemi principali erano che ogni Paese voleva la legittimità dell’oro, ma anche la tassazione nascosta del denaro fiat grazie al sistema bancario centrale. La soluzione fu quella di aggiungere un livello indiretto al rimborso dell’oro.

Prima della Prima Guerra Mondiale l’oro era convertibile direttamente presso le banche commerciali. Negli Stati Uniti si potevano scambiare $20,67 con un'oncia d'oro; nel Regno Unito si potevano scambiare £4,25 con un'oncia d'oro. La valuta era coperta dall’oro e la convertibilità la manteneva scarsa. La maggior parte delle valute era coperta dall'oro e per esse il cambio estero era facile e non fluttuava perché l'oro era lo standard.

L’avvento del sistema bancario centrale ha cambiato la situazione, poiché alcune banche centrali spendevano molto più delle loro riserve e dovevano sospendere la convertibilità. Durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale le banche centrali stamparono denaro che aveva una parvenza di legittimità con la promessa di futura convertibilità, ma in realtà erano in bancarotta. Il risultato era prevedibile: quelle valute che erano coperte da meno oro avevano un prezzo più basso. Alla fine arrivò l’iperinflazione, come il divorzio tra le celebrità.

Che tutti rimanessero in un gold standard era auspicabile poiché l’età dell’oro, La Belle Époque, aveva portato grande prosperità. La ragione principale è che l’oro rende molto più semplice il cambio estero e la sua scarsità rende difficile l'imbroglio.

Ma ecco il problema nel momento storico in cui ebbe luogo Bretton Woods: circa tre quarti di tutto l’oro del mondo si trovava negli Stati Uniti. Questo perché questi ultimi avevano grandi surplus commerciali rispetto ad altri Paesi ed essi spedivano oro negli Stati Uniti per bilanciare i cambi, anche se alla fine, quando finirono l’oro, gli Stati Uniti prestarono loro denaro. I Paesi in guerra in Europa erano spendaccioni poiché impegnati a combattere la Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Gli Stati Uniti avevano l’oro e, come il tizio con un enorme vantaggio in una partita di poker, avevano un’enorme influenza sul suo spostamento.

Ciò che i delegati a Bretton Woods decisero fu di aggiungere un livello indiretto: invece di tornare a un rigido gold standard, gli Stati Uniti avrebbero imposto a tutti gli altri un gold-exchange standard con il dollaro come sostituto dell’oro. Invece di utilizzare il metallo giallo per i saldi commerciali internazionali, il dollaro sarebbe diventata la valuta di riferimento. Gli Stati Uniti garantivano il cambio del dollaro con l’oro a $35 l’oncia, ma solo alle altre banche centrali. Undici anni prima degli Accordi di Bretton Woods ai cittadini statunitensi era già stato impedito di convertire dollari in oro attraverso l’Ordine esecutivo 6102 di Franklin D. Roosevelt.

L’accordo di Bretton Woods mise il dollaro al posto dell’oro come valuta per il commercio internazionale e successivamente conferì agli Stati Uniti un potere egemonico.

EGEMONIA DEL DOLLARO

Il motivo per cui il gold standard funzionava bene era perché nessuno stato poteva imbrogliare. La bilancia commerciale internazionale richiedeva una consegna reale di oro e ciò significava che qualsiasi stampa di denaro in eccesso avrebbe causato il deflusso dell’oro fuori dal Paese, provocandone infine la bancarotta.

Si supponeva che il gold-exchange standard avesse vantaggi simili, con la convertibilità dei dollari in oro che fungeva da protezione per qualsiasi eccesso di stampa di denaro da parte degli Stati Uniti. Eppure questo vincolo non fu realmente tale. Il gold-exchange standard diede agli Stati Uniti la capacità unica di stampare dollari e chiunque altro li doveva accettare, anche se non erano coperti dall'oro fisico. Non era più il metallo giallo a essere inviato per i pagamenti della bilancia commerciale internazionale, bensì i dollari.

La capacità di stampare denaro con cui ogni altro Paese regolava i propri scambi commerciali diede agli Stati Uniti più potere sul resto del mondo. Avevano il dominio monetario sugli altri grazie allo standard del dollaro. Erano sia un giocatore in campo che un arbitro. In un certo senso le due superpotenze del secondo dopoguerra adottarono strategie diverse per controllare le rispettive sfere d'influenza.

L’URSS usò la guerra, lo spionaggio e gli intrighi, mentre gli Stati Uniti usarono l’imperialismo monetario. Il soft power di questi ultimi tramite il dollaro si rivelò molto più efficace delle tattiche di guerra e di spionaggio dell’URSS. Infatti il dominio monetario degli Stati Uniti era così profondo che l’URSS dovette ricorrere all’eurodollaro per regolare i commerci internazionali.

L’EURODOLLARO

L’eurodollaro prende il nome dal fatto che le banche europee iniziarono a prestare dollari nonostante non fossero membri del sistema Federal Reserve. Attualmente molte più banche rispetto a quelle europee emettono prestiti in dollari sulla base della riserva frazionaria.

Dato che all’epoca c'era la Guerra Fredda, l’URSS non poteva ottenere prestiti in dollari dalle banche statunitensi, ma riuscì a ottenere prestiti dalle banche europee per saldare i commerci internazionali. Perché queste banche collaborarono? Ricordate che a quel tempo c’erano partiti comunisti in tutta Europa e rispondevano tutti a Mosca. Alcuni di questi membri fondarono banche che i sovietici finirono per utilizzare, ma il potere del dollaro era così grande che perfino l’Unione Sovietica dovette sottomettersi!

L’egemonia del dollaro aveva favorito gli Stati Uniti nel commercio internazionale, poiché divennero la banca centrale di tutte le altre banche centrali. Il sistema dell’eurodollaro esiste ancora oggi, in cui le banche non statunitensi prestano dollari e non solo in Europa, ma in molte altre parti del mondo. Di conseguenza le altre banche centrali manterranno i dollari in riserva e potranno poi essere utilizzati, attraverso la riserva frazionaria, per crearne di più. C’è un limite, però, perché tali dollari sono necessari per combattere una qualsiasi debolezza delle loro divise e prestare troppi dollari può rapidamente esaurire le loro riserve, lasciandoli vulnerabili all’iperinflazione.

IL PETRODOLLARO

Gli Stati Uniti abusarono del proprio potere di stampare denaro e diffondere inflazione dei prezzi nel resto del mondo, impegnandosi in molte spese dissolute. Programmi di assistenza sociale come Medicare e Medicaid furono avviati negli anni ’60 e altri come la previdenza sociale furono ampliati. Anche varie operazioni della Guerra Fredda furono finanziate con denaro fiat, la più costosa delle quali fu la guerra del Vietnam. Gli Stati Uniti pagarono tutti questi programmi stampando dollari che non erano coperti dall’oro e questa spesa innervosì le altre banche centrali.

Gran parte dell’oro era già stato riscattato all’inizio degli anni ’70 e l’offerta di dollari rispetto alle riserve significava che la FED era probabilmente in bancarotta. Quando sempre più Paesi iniziarono a minacciare di convertire i loro dollari in oro, Richard Nixon ne sospese la convertibilità nell’agosto 1971. La sospensione avrebbe dovuto essere temporanea, ma alla fine si rivelò permanente.

Senza dubbio Nixon pensava che tale sospensione avrebbe potuto essere abrogata una volta che il dollaro fosse tornato forte. Infatti lo stesso percorso era quello che aveva intrapreso molte volte la Banca d’Inghilterra nei suoi oltre 300 anni di storia, ma per rafforzare di nuovo il dollaro era necessaria una disciplina fiscale maggiore e la sospensione temporanea divenne rapidamente permanente dato che l’inflazione dei prezzi degli anni ’70 portò un notevole malessere nell’economia statunitense.

La sospensione della convertibilità dell’oro minacciò la supremazia del dollaro, così Nixon fece passare gli Stati Uniti al petrolio. La transizione fu un po’ dura e provocò una forte inflazione del dollaro negli anni ’70. In un certo senso l’inflazione dei prezzi degli anni ’70 era lo scotto per gli eccessi degli anni ’60, ma con il sostegno dell’Arabia Saudita gli Stati Uniti riuscirono a far diventare il dollaro la valuta mondiale di riferimento per il petrolio.

L’egemonia del dollaro ebbe quindi un intoppo negli anni ’70, ma continuò il suo dominio una volta che si affermò il petrodollaro.

EFFETTO CANTILLON MONDIALE

Gli Stati Uniti continuano ad avere questo privilegio esorbitante di poter stampare il denaro che il mondo usa per i saldi internazionali e ciò significa, tra le altre cose, scambiare dollari per beni e servizi provenienti da altri Paesi. Gli effetti sono sottili ma profondi.

Innanzitutto il denaro stampato viene generalmente speso prima negli Stati Uniti, pertanto tutti coloro che ci vivono traggono vantaggio dell’Effetto Cantillon. I cinesi, d’altro canto, devono aspettare di essere pagati per i loro beni che vendono negli Stati Uniti prima di mettere le mani sui dollari, pertanto le persone che vengono pagate negli Stati Uniti generalmente vengono pagate di più.

Questo può sembrare positivo, ma dato che la produzione manifatturiera può essere spostata l’Effetto Cantillon mondiale l'ha spinta all’estero. La manodopera è più economica nei Paesi che ci perdono da suddetto Effetto, quindi è naturalmente lì che si sposta la produzione manifatturiera. A partire dagli anni ’70 i posti di lavoro nel settore manifatturiero si sono spostati dagli Stati Uniti verso Paesi con manodopera molto più economica e ciò non solo ha significato la scomparsa di molti buoni posti di lavoro della classe media, ma anche che gli Stati Uniti sono diventati sempre più dipendenti dal settore manifatturiero estero che, in qualsiasi tipo di conflitto, li rende vulnerabili.

In secondo luogo le opportunità migliori e più redditizie si trovano negli Stati Uniti. Molte persone credono in una sorta di eccezionalismo americano, ma questo è solo narcisismo. Il motivo per cui ci sono tante persone ricche negli Stati Uniti è perché essi hanno la valuta di riserva mondiale. Il successo aziendale negli Stati Uniti si traduce in una ricompensa monetaria maggiore rispetto ad altri Paesi a causa dell’Effetto Cantillon. Più soldi circolano negli Stati Uniti e quindi il successo dà più ricompense. Di conseguenza sempre più persone vogliono trasferirsi negli Stati Uniti ed essi possono scegliere chi far entrare, il che porta all’effetto successivo.

In terzo luogo c’è una gigantesca fuga di talenti negli Stati Uniti. Le persone più ambiziose di altri Paesi vengono negli Stati Uniti e vivono molto meglio che nei loro luoghi d’origine. La fuga di cervelli significa che altri Paesi ne soffrono: i migliori e i più brillanti tra i Paesi in via di sviluppo votano con i piedi e non sono solo gli Stati Uniti a trarne vantaggio, ma anche quei Paesi generalmente più in alto nella scala dell'Effetto Cantillon. I Paesi ricchi diventano più ricchi in termini di capitale umano, mentre quelli poveri diventano più poveri. Gran parte della devastazione nei Paesi più poveri è sostanzialmente dovuta al fatto che sono tra le fila dei perdenti nell'Effetto Cantillon.

ORGANIZZAZIONE A TRE LETTERE

Ciò che è ancora peggio per questi Paesi più poveri è il governo autoritario dei Paesi più ricchi. Il colonialismo è in gran parte scomparso dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale, ma ora abbiamo il dominio economico attraverso l’egemonia del dollaro. Questo è ciò che comunemente viene chiamato imperialismo monetario.

Il metodo dell’imperialismo monetario degli Stati Uniti è attraverso l’uso di organizzazioni a tre lettere: FMI, BRI, WEF e Banca Mondiale sono alcune delle istituzioni utilizzate per questo dominio. Il funzionamento interno di queste organizzazioni va oltre lo scopo di questo articolo, ma essenzialmente concedono prestiti ai Paesi che sono tra le fila dei perdenti nell'Effetto Cantillon in modo da dominarli.

Il modo in cui funziona tale dominio è questo: le banche dei Paesi che sono tra le fila dei vincitori nell'Effetto Cantillon concedono prestiti ai Paesi che ci perdono; poi quando questi prestiti non vengono ripagati le organizzazioni a tre lettere intervengono per “salvare” le banche che hanno prestato questi fondi. Essenzialmente si fanno carico del prestito e ne prolungano la durata in cambio del controllo organizzativo sul bilancio del Paese. Tali restrizioni possono includere voci come una percentuale sul bilancio nazionale che può essere spesa per le infrastrutture. Spesso a questi governi indebitati viene richiesto di istituire una banca centrale indipendente, la quale può essere utilizzata per ovviare alla necessità di qualsiasi approvazione governativa. Tra le altre cose i Paesi sottomessi sono tenuti a vendere alcuni dei loro beni nazionali, come i diritti minerari o la terra, a società straniere, completando il processo di dominio.

In questo modo il denaro fiat viene usato per ottenere le risorse di un Paese in via di sviluppo.

Ciò che è interessante ora è che la Cina sta facendo qualcosa di molto simile con la sua Nuova via della seta: concede prestiti e si impossessa delle risorse di un Paese dopo che il denaro è stato mal gestito. La Cina sta entrando nel gioco dell’imperialismo monetario a cui gli Stati Uniti hanno sempre giocato.

OBBLIGO MORALE MONDIALE

Nell’ultimo articolo ho scritto che il potere della stampa di denaro a livello nazionale crea l’obbligo morale affinché gli stati risolvano ogni problema che un Paese potrebbe avere. Questo perché per chi non lo sapesse, il denaro fiat sembra gratuito e se si può usare il denaro per risolvere un problema e non lo si fa, allora uno può apparire come un grande idiota.

La stessa dinamica è estremamente accentuata sulla scena mondiale, tranne che, invece di individui o aziende che ottengono i benefici di vari programmi di welfare e di salvataggio, ci sono i Paesi. Ma chi è il garante? Beh, chi stampa i soldi ovviamente. E questo obbligo morale a livello mondiale spetta agli Stati Uniti in quanto controllori della valuta di riserva mondiale.

Il primo e più ovvio modo in cui gli Stati Uniti sono moralmente obbligati è il salvataggio delle altre banche centrali. Stabilire linee di swap o strutture temporanee di liquidità sono in realtà solo eufemismi per stampare grandi quantità di denaro per conto di un altro Paese. Abbiamo visto che la FED lo ha fatto per molte banche centrali durante la crisi sanitaria, pertanto se un Paese sta esaurendo i dollari per stabilizzare i tassi di cambio, gli Stati Uniti danno a queste banche centrali più munizioni.

Quei Paesi che non godono del favore degli Stati Uniti non dispongono di tale ancora di salvezza monetaria, come dimostrano le iperinflazioni di Venezuela, Zimbabwe e Libano. Il messaggio che arriva alle orecchie della comunità mondiale è chiaro: non fare arrabbiare gli Stati Uniti altrimenti non otterrete un piano di salvataggio quando ne avrete davvero bisogno. Pertanto ogni Paese è incentivato a seguire la linea di politica statunitense.

Gli Stati Uniti si assumono anche molte responsabilità a livello internazionale, soprattutto in materia militare e vengono coinvolti in molte guerre. Lo stesso vale per il precedente Paese con valuta di riserva mondiale, il Regno Unito. Se studite la storia, la marina e l’esercito del Regno Unito furono schierati in luoghi lontani come il Sud Africa, l’India e il Medio Oriente come parte del loro obbligo morale di mantenere la pace. Gli Stati Uniti fanno lo stesso oggi, inviando le proprie truppe in molti conflitti in tutto il mondo. La principale differenza tra il Regno Unito e gli Stati Uniti è che il primo aveva il possesso fisico delle colonie, mentre i secondi hanno il dominio monetario.

Gli Stati Uniti spendono tonnellate di denaro in diverse parti del mondo. I programmi per assistere altri Paesi iniziarono con il Piano Marshall e, subito dopo, con la guerra di Corea. A quel tempo gli Stati Uniti erano alla ricerca di alleati nella Guerra Fredda ed entrambe le azioni erano modi affinché potessero servire i propri alleati. Stamparono denaro per finanziare questi Paesi, ma chi furono i perdenti? In sostanza ogni altro Paese che non ricevette il denaro “gratuito”. Il dollaro, essendo la valuta di riserva, ha dato agli Stati Uniti il diritto di scegliere vincitori e vinti a livello mondiale.

Non sorprende se i maggiori alleati degli Stati Uniti si siano comportati straordinariamente bene durante l’egemonia del dollaro. Corea del Sud, Giappone, Europa occidentale, Singapore e Taiwan hanno tutti prosperato, in parte grazie alla posizione in alto nella scala dell'Effetto Cantillon. I pagamenti nei confronti degli alleati sono stati venduti come obblighi morali per la pace mondiale.

Il risultato è che gli Stati Uniti sono implicitamente una terza parte in ogni conflitto e poiché il dollaro è la valuta di riserva del mondo, tutto è nell’interesse degli Stati Uniti e finiscono per dominare qualsiasi discorso di pace, qualunque sia il conflitto.

STANDARDIZZAZIONE MONDIALE

A livello nazionale c’è una tendenza alla standardizzazione a causa del denaro fiat: le grandi aziende hanno bisogno di molti ingranaggi e la fornitura di questi diventa una responsabilità che le nazioni si assumono sotto forma di istruzione e licenze.

C'è un livello ancora più ampio di standardizzazione a livello mondiale e non sorprende che questa standardizzazione sia dominata dagli Stati Uniti. L'istruzione universitaria statunitense, soprattutto da parte delle scuole prestigiose, è ambita in tutto il mondo proprio perché una laurea conseguita in quei luoghi dà accesso a lavori ben retribuiti negli Stati Uniti e le richieste delle grandi aziende fanno sì che sistemi simili vengano istituiti ovunque. Anche le licenze tendono a essere molto simili, dominate da ciò che fanno gli Stati Uniti.

Ma più di questi standard “duri” ci sono gli standard “morbidi” della cultura. Gli Stati Uniti hanno stabilito un’egemonia culturale negli stessi luoghi in cui hanno l’egemonia del dollaro. Ciò è dovuto ai posti di lavoro desiderabili negli Stati Uniti a causa dell’Effetto Cantillon. Le persone di maggior successo in ogni Paese immigrano negli Stati Uniti e, avendo successo, vengono imitati. Queste persone saranno più americanizzate rispetto alla persona tipica e quindi i valori americani, in particolare quelli delle università e delle aziende, verranno esportati in ogni altro Paese.

Inoltre i film più costosi, la musica e i programmi TV più popolari proverranno tutti dagli Stati Uniti o avranno una forte influenza statunitense. Il motivo è che essi hanno più denaro e possono permettersi di sovvenzionare queste industrie. In pratica questo significa che ogni Paese usa l’inglese come seconda lingua e la maggior parte delle persone si standardizza verso i modi americani negli affari internazionali.

TENDENZA ALLA TIRANNIA

La tendenza alla tirannia a livello nazionale deriva dal fatto che chi stampa denaro si assume molte responsabilità e genera molta dipendenza. A livello mondiale questa dipendenza si manifesta in alleanze e la corrispondente tirannia si manifesta in quanto gli Stati Uniti dominano politicamente altri Paesi.

Possiamo vederlo molto chiaramente nella guerra in Ucraina, dove gli Stati Uniti hanno sostanzialmente coinvolto la maggior parte dei loro alleati nel conflitto chiedendo loro di contribuire con armi e denaro. Ma non è tutto. Comportamenti socialmente inaccettabili negli Stati Uniti diventano rapidamente socialmente inaccettabili ovunque. Infatti questo è lo scopo di molti incontri del WEF, in cui le élite si riuniscono per definire l’agenda per il futuro.

C'è una ragione per cui l'energia “verde” è universalmente popolare e perché l'energia nucleare è andata riducendosi ovunque negli ultimi 30 anni: le élite creano la cultura negli Stati Uniti e questa viene esportata altrove. C'è una ragione per cui le questioni transgender sono diventate improvvisamente un importante motivo di protesta in molti luoghi in tutto il mondo e perché BLM è diventato improvvisamente un problema in molti luoghi in tutto il mondo solo dopo esserlo diventato negli Stati Uniti. La visione elitaria viene scaricata sul popolo da coloro che controllano il denaro e il mondo intero è stato soggetto a essi.

FRAGILITÀ MONDIALE

Non tutto ciò che riguarda l’egemonia del dollaro è negativo. Uno dei vantaggi è che per la maggior parte del mondo alleato con gli Stati Uniti esiste la Pax Americana, o una pace basata sulla protezione dell’America. Tuttavia questa pace ha un costo: dipende dal commercio altamente interconnesso tra le grandi aziende sovvenzionate da ciascun governo, pertanto i prodotti che comprate contengono componenti provenienti da tutte le parti del mondo.

Inoltre il denaro fiat ha essenzialmente creato una o due aziende gigantesche che producono un singolo bene piuttosto che avere molti concorrenti. I chip per computer di un determinato processo di litografia, ad esempio, vengono creati solo da tre o quattro società, e TSMC è l'unica in grado di produrre in modo affidabile determinati tipi.

Questo è il risultato dell’ossessione per la scala prodotta dal denaro fiat, di cui ho parlato nei saggi precedenti: essa rende le merci più economiche ovunque e combatte l’ovvia inflazione dei prezzi, ma il compromesso è una fragile catena di approvvigionamento.

Abbiamo visto cosa significasse durante la crisi sanitaria, quando si è verificata un’enorme interruzione delle supply chain. La produzione non è molto robusta. Nel 2012 i produttori automobilistici hanno subito notevoli sconvolgimenti quando un unico fornitore di una resina speciale in Germania ha fatto esplodere un impianto.

La fragilità non riguarda solo le catene di approvvigionamento, c’è anche una fragilità economica mondiale e lo abbiamo visto nel 2008 con la Grande Crisi Finanziaria. Se ci pensate l’evento scatenante è stato un mucchio di titoli garantiti da ipoteca che non stavano dando più i loro frutti. Ciò a sua volta ha causato il caos nell’intera economia mondiale ed essa è talmente indebitata che qualsiasi flessione può innescare fallimenti a catena.

E non si tratta solo di aziende, ma di interi Paesi. Quelli che vengono salvati vengono sottoposti a una maggiore oppressione da parte dell’ordine monetario internazionale.

Interi Paesi vengono zombificati, diventano servitori dell'FMI o della Banca Mondiale e smettono di prendere decisioni per sé stessi. Il loro destino tende a essere molto cupo, poiché di solito sono gestiti da una piccola cabala di élite che controlla tutto e limita la libertà individuale. I Paesi zombi diventano un guscio vuoto e il sostegno delle organizzazioni a tre lettere consente a questa esistenza zombificata di protrarsi artificialmente nel tempo.

BITCOIN RISOLVE QUESTO PROBLEMA

L’egemonia del dollaro è una sorta di serendipità storica per gli Stati Uniti e ne hanno approfittato usando questo vantaggio per dominare il mondo. Il risultato è stato un mondo ingiusto ordinato secondo la gerarchia dell'Effetto Cantillon. Il miglior capitale umano è stato catturato dagli Stati Uniti anche se i dollari vengono esportati; i Paesi impoveriti diventano zombi al servizio di organizzazioni a tre lettere mentre vengono sfruttati per le loro risorse.

Bitcoin aggiusta l’egemonia del dollaro, perché elimina tale esorbitante privilegio. A differenza del denaro fiat, Bitcoin non è controllato a livello centrale e questa mancanza di controllo centrale significa che avremo condizioni di parità su scala mondiale. I Paesi zombificati verranno rianimati e avranno la possibilità di svilupparsi invece di essere sotto il controllo dei loro padroni. Risolveranno le proprie divergenze e otterremo più diversità invece del dominio degli Stati Uniti.

Il capitale umano sarà utilizzato meglio, perché le persone non dovranno trasferirsi negli Stati Uniti per sfruttare al massimo il proprio talento. Le giurisdizioni che garantiscono la massima libertà avranno più successo, non quella che riuscirà a stampare più denaro per il resto del mondo.

Mi piacerebbe concludere dicendovi che il dominio di Bitcoin è a portata di mano e che tutti questi cambiamenti sono proprio dietro l'angolo. Purtroppo penso che ci sia ancora molta strada da fare. Il dollaro continua a essere il punto di riferimento per ogni Paese, specialmente quelli che stanno attraversando un’iperinflazione, e ci vorrà del tempo prima che l’inflazione del dollaro sia sufficientemente evidente. Per le persone che soffrono di iperinflazione, il tasso storico di espansione del dollaro pari a circa il 7% annuo è un piccolo prezzo da pagare per avere qualcosa di minimamente stabile.

I veri cambiamenti avverranno quando il dollaro si sarà espanso così tanto da andare incontro a un’iperinflazione. Ciò, purtroppo, richiederà molto tempo. Forse questo potrebbe accadere più rapidamente in un mondo che ha due valute di riserva, diciamo un mondo con i BRICS da una parte e gli alleati degli Stati Uniti dall’altra. Ma state tranquilli, quando avverrà la transizione dal dollaro, sarà rapida. L’iperinflazione richiede molto tempo per avviarsi, ma una volta avviata, non è possibile fermarla perché non è possibile riconquistare la fiducia persa.

Fino ad allora è nostro compito come bitcoiner prepararci e non si tratta solo di accumulare sat, anche se questo è certamente necessario, ma costruire le infrastrutture per gestire l'ondata di domanda che sta arrivando.

Resistete e costruite perché un futuro migliore è alle porte.

[*] traduzione di Francesco Simoncelli: https://www.francescosimoncelli.com/

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“The science of mine and thine—the science of justice—is the science of all human rights; of all a man’s rights of person and property; of all his rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the science which alone can tell any man what he can, and cannot, do; what he can, and cannot, have; what he can, and cannot say, without infringing the rights of any other person. It is the science of peace; and the only science of peace; since it is the science which alone can tell us on what conditions mankind can live in peace, or ought to live in peace, with each other.”

Lysander Spooner: “Natural Law or the Science of Justice“

The beauty, simplicity, and justice, of natural law is a thing to behold. It harms no one, and protects everyone; this the essence of freedom. Nothing else is necessary concerning man’s interactions with man, as natural law is based upon the premise of doing no harm to another, no use of force against another, and no infringement upon another or his property. Natural laws alone are the only laws necessary, as any laws prescribed and legislated by one man, or any group of men, over another, is not only immoral, it is immediately destructive of all natural law. Man’s laws are an abomination, and by design are meant to regulate, restrict, harm, or control others, which is a violent afront to the actual rights of all men. No manmade laws that stray in any way from natural law should be tolerated or followed.

The foundation and justification of natural law is centered on truth, honesty, and exacting justice, without any bias or undue force in the process. Each individual has to be responsible for upholding natural law. This can be done independently or with a collective of individuals working together, so long as any and all seeking and protecting justice, do so voluntarily, and without any evidence of coercion. There cannot be any shifting of blame in order to avoid guilt, dishonesty, or power-seeking in any legitimate free society, but of course, a society of this nature is simply peaceful anarchy, strictly based only on natural law. In my days as a child, these lessons were learned very early, as children were taught not to steal, never to harm others or their property and possessions, that what is theirs, is theirs, and what is not, is not, and to protect the natural rights of other children. If only adults could live by the rules of children, what a different world this would be.

The laws of nature, natural laws, do not need to be written down, or commanded by the State, as simply understanding that one cannot do any harm to another, or infringe on another’s life, property, and freedom, is a sufficient understanding of right and wrong. With this knowledge in hand, why then are hundreds of thousands (or more) ‘laws’ made arbitrarily by this heinous government? There is a ‘law’ for seemingly every single aspect of life? As I wrote earlier this year:

“No one, no statisticians, and not even this government itself, has any clue as to how many federal laws exist. No one knows how many rules, restrictions, and regulations there are, and it is impossible to find an answer to this question. The Federal Register alone, the daily repository of all proposed and final federal rules and regulations, has well over 85,000 pages. The Code of Federal Regulations through 2019,  has 186,000 pages, and the Federal Register Pages for the past decade eclipsed 800,000 pages. This alone is unimaginable. But of course, there are more. There is a law for every aspect of our lives in this country, and there are a completely separate set of international laws, State laws, county laws, city laws, and licensing laws for every activity or thought. This is total insanity, and why every single ‘citizen’ can be deemed a criminal at any given moment. Even as far back as in the times of Roman historian Tacitus, he stated that, “The more corrupt the State, the more numerous the laws.” The U.S. has more laws by far than any other nation on earth in history, and therefore is the most corrupt and criminal of all time.”

There are only a few legitimate natural laws to live by in order to respect the rights of man, but with governments, there are no limits to bogus ‘laws.’ In fact, all government laws are against peaceful people, so this government is using the force of arms to compel the masses to obey or else. The State breaks every natural law, while at the same time enforcing its illegal mandates on the entire population. The State lies, cheats, steals, rapes, tortures, commits murder by war, both domestically and internationally, ignoring every natural right, but demands its enslaved population to obey without question its fraudulent legislation. This is the reverse of all sanity and justice.

The real crimes committed by man against man are easily understood, as logic, reason, and common sense will uncover. All one has to understand are the simple tenets of natural law. All real crimes come down to harm by one or more against another or against the many, all driven by aggression. In any society based only on natural law, these crimes can be addressed immediately, and severely if necessary, so long as the initial force is only acted upon due to self-defense. This protective posture, whether by one or many, is completely legitimate, and can not only stop the felonious behavior by the few without resort to any interfering State, but will serve as a major deterrent to those who choose to live by criminal means. In other words, the State is completely unnecessary if honest freedom is sought.

The entirety of this line of thinking breaks down immediately once the State has assumed power, due to the fact that the people at large have acquiesced to rule by the few most powerful. The very idea of government has been promoted since the beginning of time, as a way for the few to control the many; all based on the unnatural concept of extreme fear, which exists in the minds of the irresponsible masses due to anxious trepidation of monsters from afar and within. This unwarranted fear and need for protection is planted in the minds of the people from birth, and throughout their lives, and this is of course done by design in order to subdue the natural traits of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Without the chains of government, and its massive propaganda campaigns meant to brainwash all, there would be no need to fear, and therefore, a harmonious and peaceful existence would be not only common, but also demanded by each individual.

This brings to mind a very prescient quote by Etienne de la Boetie that describes the psychological breakdown that occurs once rule in in place and voluntarily accepted:

“It is incredible how as soon as a people become subject, it
promptly falls into such complete forgetfulness of its freedom
that it can hardly be roused to the point of regaining it,
obeying so easily and willingly that one is led to say that this
people has not so much lost its liberty as won its enslavement.”

Natural law is the only road to freedom, and the only sane governing system, as it is self-governing, and without contradiction. Moral behavior and any ‘obligatory’ responsibility for others, on the other hand, cannot be mandated or ordered, it must be voluntary, and dependent on each individual’s want, need, or penchant for charity. It never can be forced or mandatory, made legal or illegal, as moral behavior is only up to each and every individual acting from a position of willing consent.

Governments and those who control governments, are evil to the core, and this cannot be questioned by any individual capable of thinking critically. The only mission of rule is rule, which decimates any idea of freedom and the natural law of mankind. The abolishment of government can only lead to a better place, eliminating the chains that not only bind us, but destroy our very consciousness.

“A man’s natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equally a crime; whether committed by one man, or by millions; whether committed by one man, calling himself a robber, or by millions calling themselves a government.”

~ Lysander Spooner, No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority

The post All Rule and All Government Are Evil to the Core, and the Abandonment of Natural Law appeared first on LewRockwell.

American universities are besieged by students protesting their schools’ investments in U.S. suppliers of weaponry to the Israeli government, which Israeli officials are using to carry out their military campaign in Gaza. Some universities are now calling in riot police to break up the protests as well as suspending or expelling the protestors. Some university officials and their supporters in the mainstream press are accusing the protestors of being antisemitic.

The accusation of being antisemitism from supporters of the Israeli government is a longstanding one. The supporters are saying that when one opposes the polices and practices of the Israeli government — or the Israeli state itself — that shows that one is antisemitic — that is, that one not only opposes the Israeli government but also that he hates Jews in general. That response has always been a very successful strategical way to suppress dissent against the Israeli government. Since many people do not wish to be perceived as antisemitic, they decide to keep their criticisms of the Israeli government to themselves rather than being labeled as antisemitic.

However, in conflating the Israeli government with Judaism, the proponents of the Israeli government end up actually encouraging antisemitism. That’s because critics of the Israeli government who don’t know much about Judaism are induced to believe that the Israeli government and the Jewish faith are one and the same thing. Therefore, if one concludes that the Israeli state is doing something immoral or bad, the notion is that the immoral and bad act is also part of the Jewish religion. Therefore, conflating the Israeli state and the Jewish religion as a strategic device to suppress dissent against the Israeli government actually serves to encourage the very antisemitism that defenders of the Israeli government lament.

During the child-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, there were people who criticized the Vatican for what they perceived was indifference to child abuse on the part of the Catholic state. As far as I know, the Vatican never made it a policy to respond to the criticisms by accusing critics of being anti-Catholic. Such being the case, people were able to discern that while indifference to child abuse might well have been part of the Catholic state, it was not part of the Catholic religion. Thus, people could separate out the two concepts by criticizing the Vatican while not being perceived as being anti-Catholic.

Let’s assume, however, that the Vatican or its supporters had responded in the same way that defenders of the Israeli state respond. Let’s assume that they said that the criticisms of the Vatican reflected the religious prejudice of the critics. That is, the defenders of the Vatican would be saying that if you criticize the Vatican, it shows that you are prejudiced against Catholics. In that case, one could easily imagine people who didn’t know much about Catholicism would conclude that Catholicism and the Vatican were one and the same thing. Therefore, given that they opposed what they perceived to be the Vatican’s indifference to child abuse, the conflation of the Vatican and Catholicism would encourage them to oppose Catholicism as much as they opposed the Vatican.

Therefore, to diminish antisemitism, the defenders of the Israeli government would be wise to discard their strategy of conflating the Israeli state and the Jewish faith as a way to suppress dissent against the Israeli state. They should instead be emphasizing that the Israeli state and the Jewish religion are two separate and distinct things and that the policies and practices of the Israeli state are not necessarily the tenets of the Jewish religion. In that way, students and others would feel free to criticize the Israeli state while, at the same time, support and embrace the Jewish religion.

Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation.

The post Defenders of the Israeli Government Encourage Antisemitism appeared first on LewRockwell.

Southern Baptist “leaders”—along with Yaroslav Pyzh, president of Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, and Valerii Antoniu, president of the Baptist Union of Ukraine—urged U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member and former official of their denomination, to get the votes needed to send more U.S. taxpayer dollars to Ukraine.

Not all Baptist Christians support U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine. I certainly don’t. In fact, I don’t support foreign aid to any country. And many conservative Christians would agree with me.

However, when it comes to U.S. foreign aid to Israel, most conservative Christians—Baptist or otherwise—suddenly lose their aversion to foreign aid.

The $61 billion in foreign aid that Speaker Johnson was able to get passed included $26 billion in aid for Israel. In the House, 21 Republicans joined 37 Democrats in voting against the aid bill. In the Senate, 15 voted with 2 Democrats and an independent against the bill.

Sandra Hagee Parker, chair of the Christians United for Israel Action Fund, praised Johnson for his “fortitude” in pushing for the “vital issue” of Israel aid. “The enemies of America are watching and waiting to see what America does, and we should do everything in our power to have Israel’s back,” she said.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations:

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding, receiving about $300 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance.

The United States has provisionally agreed (via a memorandum of understanding) to provide Israel with nearly $4 billion a year through 2028.

Israel has been using American-made weapons against its foes, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, for decades.

Christians who support foreign aid to Israel seek to justify the looting of their fellow Americans by saying a number of things, many of them biblical, and many of them true.

But regardless of what they say, I have just one question for those Christians who support foreign aid to Israel: How much are you willing to give?

In what follows, I give what they say followed by my question, and I think it is a legitimate one.

Jews are God’s chosen people. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

God will restore Israel during the Millennium. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

The Bible says that God will bless them that bless the Jews. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Unto the Jews were committed the oracles of God. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Israel is an ally of the United States. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Antisemitism is on the rise. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Islam is a false religion. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Hamas started the war. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Israel has the right to defend itself. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Hamas rejects Israel’s right to exist and is committed to its destruction. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Jesus was a Jew. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Jews and Christians worship the same God. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Jesus Christ was the king of the Jews. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Jesus Christ is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

God gave Israel the Ten Commandments. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Jews and Christians are both children of Abraham. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

The writers of the Bible were Jews. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

God gave the Jews the land of Israel. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Okay, so how much are you willing to give?

Hey Christians who support foreign aid to Israel—put your money where your mouth is. Write out a check to the government of Israel or the IDF. Buy a bomb, bullet, or missile from a U.S. defense contractor and send it to Israel. Reach into your wallet and pull out some cash for Israel. Go door to door in your neighborhood and collect money for Israel.

Hey Christians who support foreign aid to Israel—you aren’t going to do any of these things, are you? In fact, the thought of actually doing something yourself never crossed your mind. Shame on you for wanting the broke and bankrupt Uncle Sam to go further into debt and send money that he doesn’t have to a foreign government.

The post A Question for Christians Who Support Foreign Aid to Israel appeared first on LewRockwell.

Gaza is not the only genocide. Genocide is taking place all over Europe and in the US. See this.

All over Europe and the US governments prefer immigrant-invaders over their own citizens.

“The migrants are eligible for free accommodation, free social welfare, free medical care, food, clothes, and various other perks. Whilst at the same time that the Irish government is facilitating mass immigration there are 14,000 Irish homeless people on the streets.” And many more homeless Irish citizens are on the way. Migrants are given free accommodation in hotels and country estates throughout the land, while the Irish people are seriously struggling to make ends meet in a rigged inflationary system, with a never-ending story of sky-high rents, high taxes, inflation, and an ongoing extremely serious accommodation crisis. Many young Irish citizens are left with little option but to live with their parents or emigrate to countries such as Australia as they cannot afford to live in their own country.

This is an extremely important article. It shows that the West is being intentionally destroyed by its own governments. The threat that all citizens in the West face comes not from Russia, China, Iran, but from their own government.

Irish citizens who peacefully protest their replacement by immigrant-invaders are brutally beaten–even mothers and children–by police, which emphasizes the second class status of Irish ethnicity. “Many of the Irish police in balaclavas that are enforcing these tactics against the Irish people are not Irish at all, but are more akin to non-Irish hired mercenaries, or more like an EU army.”

“The stark reality is the Irish government is not really the Irish government it is just a puppet of the EU bureaucracy. Ireland has been a fully controlled vassal state of the banker-controlled EU, in particular since the controversial (and rerun) Lisbon referendum 14 years ago, which hammered a nail in the coffin of Irish sovereignty.”

The post The Death of Ireland and Replacement of the Irish People appeared first on LewRockwell.

Theodore Postol, Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy at MIT, has provided a forensic analysis of the videos and evidence emerging from Iran’s 13th April swarm drone and missile ‘demonstation’ attack into Israel: A ‘message’, rather than an ‘assault’.

The leading Israeli daily, Yediot Ahoronot, has estimated the cost of attempting to down this Iranian flotilla at between $2-3 billion dollars. The implications of this single number are substantial.

Professor Postol writes:

“This indicates that the cost of defending against waves of attacks of this type is very likely to be unsustainable against an adequately armed and determined adversary”.
“The videos show an extremely important fact: All of the targets, whether drones or not, are shot down by air-to-air missiles”, [fired from mostly U.S. aircraft. Some 154 aircraft reportedly were aloft at the time] likely firing AIM-9x Sidewinder air to air missiles. The cost of a single Sidewinder air-to-air missile is about $500,000”.

Furthermore:

“The fact that a very large number of unengaged ballistic missiles could be seen glowing as they reenter the atmosphere to lower altitudes [an indication of hyper-speed], indicates that whatever the effects of [Israel’s] David’s Sling and the Arrow missile defenses, they were not especially effective. Thus, the evidence at this point shows that essentially all or most of the arriving long-range ballistic missiles were not intercepted by any of the Israeli air and missile-defense systems”.

Postel adds, “I have analyzed the situation, and have concluded that commercially available optical and computational technology is more than capable of being adapted to a cruise missile guidance system to give it very high precision homing capability … it is my conclusion that the Iranians have already developed precision guided cruise missiles and drones”.

“The implications of this are clear. The cost of shooting down cruise missiles and drones will be very high and might well be unsustainable unless extremely inexpensive and effective anti-air systems can be implemented. At this time, no one has demonstrated a cost-effective defense system that can intercept ballistic missiles with any reliability”.

Just to be clear, Postol is saying that neither the U.S. nor Israel has more than a partial defence to a potential attack of this nature – especially as Iran has dispersed and buried its ballistic missile silos across the entire terrain of Iran under the control of autonomous units which are capable of continuing a war, even were central command and communications to be completely lost.

This amounts to paradigm change – clearly for Israel, for one. The huge physical expenditure on air defence ordinance – 2-3 billion dollars worth – will not be repeated willy-nilly by the U.S. Netanyahu will not easily persuade the U.S. to engage with Israel in any joint venture against Iran, given these unsustainable air-defence costs.

But also, as a second important implication, these Air Defence assets are not just expensive in dollar terms, they simply are not there: i.e. the store cupboard is near empty! And the U.S. lacks the manufacturing capacity to replace these not particularly effective, high cost platforms speedily.

‘Yes, Ukraine’ … the Middle East paradigm interlinks directly with the Ukraine paradigm where Russia has succeeded in destroying so much of the western supplied, air-defence capabilities in Ukraine, giving Russia near complete air dominance over the skies.

Positioning scarce air defence ‘to save Israel’ therefore, exposes Ukraine (and slows the U.S. pivot to China, too). And given the recent passage of the funding Bill for Ukraine in Congress, clearly air defence assets are a priority for sending to Kiev – where the West looks increasingly trapped and rummaging for a way out that does not lead to humiliation.

But before leaving the Middle East paradigm shift, the implications for Netanyahu are already evident: He must therefore focus back to the ‘near enemy’ – the Palestinian sphere or to Lebanon – to provide Israel with the ‘Great Victory’ that his government craves.

In short, the ‘cost’ for Biden of saving Israel from the Iranian flotilla which had been pre-announced by Iran to be demonstrative and not destructive nor lethal is that the White House must put-up with the corollary – an attack on Rafah. But this implies a different form of cost – an electoral erosion through exacerbating domestic tensions arising from the on-going blatant slaughter of Palestinians.

It is not just Israel that bears the weight of the Iranian paradigm shift. Consider the Sunni Arab States that have been working in various forms of collaboration (normalisation) with Israel.

In the event of wider conflict embracing Iran, clearly Israel cannot protect them – as Professor Postol so clearly shows. And can they count on the U.S.? The U.S. faces competing demands for its scarce Air Defences and (for now) Ukraine, and the pivot to China, are higher on the White House priority ladder.

In September 2019, the Saudi Abqaiq oil facility was hit by cruise missiles, which Postol notes, “had an effective accuracy of perhaps a few feet, much more precise than could be achieved with GPS guidance (suggesting an optical and computational guidance system, giving a very precise homing capability)”.

So, after the Iranian active deterrence paradigm shift, and the subsequent Air Defence depletion paradigm shock, the putative coming western paradigm shift (the Third Paradigm) is similarly interlinked with Ukraine.

For the western proxy war with Russia centred on Ukraine has made one thing abundantly clear: this is that the West’s off-shoring of its manufacturing base has left it uncompetitive, both in simple trade terms, and secondly, in limiting western defence manufacturing capacity. It finds (post-13 April) that it does not have the Air Defence assets to go round: ‘saving Israel’; ‘saving Ukraine’ and preparing for war with China.

The western maximalisation of shareholder returns model has not adapted readily to the logistical needs of the present ‘limited’ Ukraine/Russia war, let alone provided positioning for future wars – with Iran and China.

Put plainly, this ‘late stage’ global imperialism has been living a ‘false dawn’: With the economy shifting from manufacturing ‘things’, to the more lucrative sphere of imagining new financial products (such as derivatives) that make a lot of money quickly, but which destabilise society (through increasing disparities of wealth); and which ultimately, de-stabilise the global system itself (as the World Majority states recoil from the loss of sovereignty and autonomy that financialism entails).

More broadly, the global system is close to massive structural change. As the Financial Times warns,

“the U.S. and EU cannot embrace national-security “infant industry” arguments, seize key value chains to narrow inequality, and break the fiscal and monetary ‘rules’, while also using the IMF and World Bank – and the economics profession– to preach free-market best practice to EM ex-China. And China can’t expect others not to copy what it does”. As the FT concludes, “the shift to a new economic paradigm has begun. Where it will end is very much up for grabs.”

‘Up for grabs’: Well, for the FT the answer may be opaque, but for the Global Majority is plain enough – “We’re going back to basics”: A simpler, largely national economy, protected from foreign competition by customs barriers. Call it ‘old- fashioned’ (the concepts have been written about for the last 200 years); yet it is nothing extreme. The notions simply reflect the flip side of the coin to Adam Smith’s doctrines, and that which Friedrich List advanced in his critique of the laissez-faire individualist approach of the Anglo-Americans.

‘European leaders’, however, see the economic paradigm solution differently:

“The ECB’s Panetta gave a speech echoing Mario Draghi’s call for “radical change”: He stated for the EU to thrive it needs a de facto national-security focused POLITICAL economy centered around: reducing dependence on foreign demand; enhancing energy security (green protectionism); advancing production of technology (industrial policy); rethinking participation in global value chains (tariffs/subsidies); governing migration flows (so higher labour costs); enhancing external security (huge funds for defence); and joint investments in European public goods (via Eurobonds … to be bought by ECB QE)”.

The ‘false dawn’ boom in U.S. financial services began as its industrial base was rotting away, and as new wars began to be promoted.

It is easy to see that the U.S. economy now needs structural change. Its real economy has become globally uncompetitive – hence Yellen’s call on China to curb its over-capacity which is hurting western economies.

But is it realistic to think that Europe can manage a relaunch as a ‘defence and national security-led political economy’, as Draghi and Panetta advocate as a continuation of war with Russia? Launched from near ground zero?

Is it realistic to think that the American Security State will allow Europe to do this, having deliberately reduced Europe to economic vassalage through causing it to abandon its prior business model based on cheap energy and selling high-end engineering products to China?

This Draghi-ECB plan represents a huge structural change; one that would take a decade or two to implement and would cost trillions. It would occur too, at a time of inevitable European fiscal austerity. Is there evidence that ordinary Europeans support such radical structural change?

Why then is Europe pursuing a path that embraces huge risks – one that potentially could drag Europe into a whirlpool of tensions ending in war with Russia?

For one main reason: The EU leadership held hubristic ambitions to turn the EU into a ‘geo-political’ empire – a global actor with the heft to join the U.S. at Top Table. To this end, the EU unreservedly offered itself as the auxiliary of the White House Team for their Ukraine project, and acquiesced to the entry price of emptying their armouries and sanctioning the cheap energy on which the economy depended.

It was this decision that has been de-industrialising Europe; that has made what remains of a real economy uncompetitive and triggered the inflation that is undermining living standards. Falling into line with Washington’s failing Ukraine project has released a cascade of disastrous decisions by the EU.

Were this policy line to change, Europe could revert to what it was: a trading association formed of diverse sovereign states. Many Europeans would settle for that: Placing the focus on making Europe competitive again; making Europe a diplomatic actor, rather than as a military actor.

Do Europeans even want to be at the American ‘top table’?

The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.

The post The Interlocking of Strategic Paradigms appeared first on LewRockwell.

It is so depressing to listen and read people calling for the death of protesting students in America and 2 million Palestinians – in Gaza and Rafah.  These people are pro-Maga.   They are Zionist.  They are Democrat.  They cross the spectrum and join the Uniparty.  It is the Collective Concept wherein if one person disobeys, all his people are guilty.  The guilt by association includes entire races.  There were supposedly 15,000 to 20,000 at the start of the annihilation.  EU Human Rights Monitor suggests that of the nearly 40,000 dead, roughly 2500 were actually Hamas. 

Israel has been involved in 18 wars/conflicts since they effected a coup in 1948 – five involved Hamas.  Prior to “Hamas” over 200,000 Palestinians had been killed and 3 million sent to refuge camps.  Yet somehow Hamas is to blame for the dissent – and Israel is defending itself by murdering unarmed civilians

Every protestor across the US, every sympathizer with human life are HAMAS!  Israelis in America are calling for the deportation of Americans who criticize Israel.  And somehow all the awakened are asleep again.   Israel says jump …  and Americans ask, ‘how high?’.

What happened to ‘tolerance’?  Bow down on your knees and lick the feet of black people.  Only black people allowed.  Only black owned businesses get money.  Suddenly, the flip side is Zion against everyone not Zion.  And tolerance means jail or death.  The illegals suddenly don’t exist.  And the focus is on ‘protesters’ – kids!

The ‘awakened’ have forgotten the protests of the 50’s – civil rights movement, 60’s – anti Vietnam War,  and 70’s women’s rights.  They have forgotten how FBI agents and SOROS paid agitators incite protests into radical violence. Should all of these protesters been jailed and/or deported?  Fomenting rage is the means to distract.

Thought Leaders:   “CSIS has drawn from original research and a series of high-level discussions with global thought leaders to explore the evolving contours of this order, its future dynamics, and the most effective pathways for U.S. engagement.”   What is a ‘thought leader’?

According to CSIS, likemindedness was the goal of the Global Rules Based Order.  Everyone must share one ideology.  Everyone must have one opinion that is fed into their mindbox.  Everyone must comply or be punished.  And suddenly – this democratic theory is upended because people don’t want to become automatons.  And that qualifies as racist, discriminatory, and terrorist.  Guantanamo –

As a result, CSIS declares that dealing with the Global South, particularly Russia and China, they are at a loss because these bulwark nations refuse to pander to the one thought project and instead support their political, economic, and social diversity from the Zionist Cartel.

CSIS Solution:  “appreciating these differences, and what these states share in their aspirations for the global order, will help Washington craft a more effective strategy for international engagement in the years ahead.”

In other words, the Zionist Cartel is going to use ‘thought leaders’ to craft a better means of disposing of these opposition countries in order to effectuate The Global Rules Based Order.

In solving this crisis of rebel children, CSIS has developed a schematic of partners and stakeholders who will work toward the exclusion of China and Russia in trade and technology.

I2U2:  Developed in 2021 encompassing the UAE, US, Israel and India, The Quad, is intent on replacing The BRICS.  Claiming to be a private/public project, I2U2 is actually a subsidiary of the Department of State under the Israeli banner.    Funding is exclusively American Taxpayers.  They appear to be the global partnership expansion of NED – National Endowment for Democracy.

Stakeholders:  Gavi Vax, Bezos Earth, Rockefeller Foundation, Ikea Foundation, World Bank, Unicef, and The Global Energy Alliance.  The Green Energy Alliance is a plethora of banks and  solar solutions to energy.  Attempting to bring onboard Middle East countries into the fray of the Green Solutions will never come to much fruition given their economies depend on oil – the entire strategy seems rather weak and pointless.  Israel too is drilling for oil off the Gaza coastline.  The future of energy is NOT solar and wind no matter how they frame this massive adventure into land degradation!

Bezos Earth Fund claims its creation is to ‘solve climate impacts’.  As a part of that initiative they are researching ‘alternative proteins’ – in line with Gates failed fake foods.  Apparently, FOOD is the second largest cause of climate change.   While pledging a $10 billion giveaway, so far the fund has given to ineffective stalwarts such as The World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense fund, etc… and has received hefty criticism from both the left and right as a result.  According to Guide Star, the Fund has failed to provide a Form 990 nonprofit return to the IRS since its inception in 2020.

It appears CSIS is overly confident in its future with these partners and peers revealing their lack of future global strategies.  The current state of the world is on a precipice – tilting between reality and fakery – an agenda the Zionist Regime is unwilling to relent.   Replacing the Rules Based Order with a new and improved rules based order is like selling Americans regurgitated stale zucchini – which becomes a toxic poison.  Been there…

This CSIS report also reveals – they really have no plan other than hamster spinning the airwaves hoping that Netanyahu will just be done with his death wish and in time the world will simply forget and move along.  Too many generations are witnessing this in graphic detail.   Their prized ‘youth market’ has defected.  The millennials are pissed.   And the Boomers are split down the middle – war hawks vs peacemakers.  America’s White House Handlers are NOT gaining traction and have seemingly lost the race to Agenda 2030 via endless wars, medical deaths, vaccine deaths, and a fraught and flailing economy.   NONE of which had to happen…

Reprinted with permission from Helena-The Nationalist Voice.

The post Global Rules Based Order of Collective Thought appeared first on LewRockwell.

I’ve been watching a lot of videos recently on the Civil Rights Lawyer YouTube channel. It’s a less sensationalized version of Cops Gone Wild. It is absolutely astonishing to see just what kind of “public servants,” all of them armed and dangerous, the taxpayers are footing the bill for.

Just in recent days, there was a roided out cop tearing a grandmother out of her car and throwing her roughly to the ground. Her “crime?” Driving fast in an effort to rush her three year old grandchild to the hospital. This police officer, like virtually all of them, was instantly aggressive, barking orders like a stereotypical drill sergeant, and never paused when she told him the situation. There have been other cases over the years of our beloved “public servants” stopping people who were rushing to the hospital. Citizens have died because these out of control tyrants couldn’t recognize a medical emergency. More importantly, they didn’t care. In one case, a then NFL player was detained while his mother in law died without him being able to say goodbye to her. So, sometimes even an athlete’s status doesn’t help.

In another case, a Black guy was checking his mail when a police car rolled up, and started questioning him. He pointed across the street and told them, “they called you.” A normal person would have said, “thank you,” and gone to that house. But not this guy. He became belligerent and confrontational. Which is the tactic every police officer uses in these very illuminating videos. They are never reasonable. They bark orders, and they expect the citizens who pay their salaries to obey them without question. At any rate, the cop ended up tasering this Black guy. Now, like almost all the Black non-suspects we see in these videos, he was combative and called the cop out on his behavior. Police don’t like that. The many Whites they harass and abuse aren’t as quick to defend themselves. They think of the cops as the “good guys.”

In another recent video, a White guy in West Virginia was stopped for having no inspection sticker. This is a serious crime in America 2.0, the kind that called for four police officers to arrive at the scene. These bullies always call for “backup,” even if they’re throwing an elderly invalid out of a wheelchair. “Officer safety” and all that. No one seems to care about citizen safety. The Civil Rights Lawyer showed, as he often does, just how thoroughly these cops lie in their reports. In this case, the cop claimed the guy “refused” to get out of the car, when all he did was very reasonably ask him, “what crime am I suspected of?” They hate when you do that. Police think they have the right to order you to do anything, and if you even hesitate, they begin yelling, and at best will throw you to the ground. At worst, they will shoot you.

That guy in West Virginia was charged with two counts of drug possession, even though the substances they found (after violating his Fourth Amendment rights by searching his car) were proven to be legal. And yet, they still charged him. Well, I guess that’s better than just planting the drugs in his car, which cops have been caught on tape doing many times. It’s a police state thing, you wouldn’t understand. It takes a special breed to be able to frame someone like that, and live with it on your conscience. In other cases, these “public servants” have been caught on tape threatening to make up charges on “uncooperative” citizens (in other words, citizens who know their rights under the Constitution).

In yet another startling video, a high school girl was stopped by a cop after pulling into a gas station. Her “crime?” Going 37 in a 30 mph zone. Wow- very scary stuff. The video showed the young girl to be understandably nervous, fumbling while trying to find her license and registration. The cop quickly lost patience, as they often do. Our brave hero pulled her from the car and body slammed her to the pavement. Her father showed up and acted far more reasonably than I would have if it was my daughter being assaulted like that. This bold officer was actually going to take this poor, frightened kid to jail. The charges in that case were subsequently dropped. The lawless bullies with badges in these cases almost always continue on in their positions, free to abuse other unsuspecting citizens.

In another case, an older guy riding his bicycle at some fair was stopped for unclear reasons by several officers. Now, these were bicycle officers, but they showed the same fighting spirit as regular patrol officers. They “suspected” this poor soul of being intoxicated. As might be predicted, they got physical with this harmless old guy, and slammed his head into the concrete. After spending a year in the hospital with severe brain injuries, he died. So they murdered someone who, at worst, might have had too much to drink before he got on his bicycle. Another elderly bicyclist, who’d been hit by a truck, was thrown onto the concrete as well by another courageous “public servant,” and he would die as well. There are no adequate words here.

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We’ve said from the beginning that far from the science dictating the agenda, we have the reverse: the agenda dictating the science, or at least what is passed off as science.

The globalist front group that has hijacked our government and is now waging a War on Democracy has an agenda that includes, for example, the imposition of lockdowns and the social and economic destruction they were intended to inflict.

“Science” was and still is invented or made up on the fly to justify that agenda.

But lockdowns run contrary to the mores and customs of the people, human instinct, actual science, evidence and, indeed, common ruddy sense and are thus very hard to enforce without provoking a revolt.

This particular attack on the people was intended, among other things, to cause so much destruction and dismay that by the time some reckless maniacs came along with experimental and possibly genocidal pseudo vaccines, people would submit to them without a fight if it meant all this disruption, inconvenience and upset would be over.

But the subversives occupying offices of state had a problem: how do you get people to comply with anything so manifestly stupid?

The answer of course was that you had to ramp up the terror and frighten a  bewildered and misinformed public into compliance with their own suppression.

Enter SAGE’s SPI-B committee top-heavy with an inordinate number the expert behavioral psychologists, among these a leading Communist Party member, whose expertise in psychological warfare could be used to create in  the public mind the fear required.

And to a degree, it worked. But not well enough and now as the operation starts to unravel and the truth of what has been done permeates relentlessly through the force screens of censorship into public consciousness, justice and retribution loom for their crimes against the nation and against humanity.

Seeing the writing on the wall and knowing the “just following orders” excuse will not let them off the hook, some of the cynical manipulators of  SAGE have begun to distance themselves from Suppression Central and develop a conscience . . .

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The post Ramping Up the Threat appeared first on LewRockwell.

“The whole world thinks that Gaza is occupied by Israel. The truth is that the whole world is occupied by Israel except Gaza.” (Anonymous)

This makes sense as the whole world – or its Western “leaders” (sic) – is cheering for Zionist-Israel. But Gaza and Palestine are defending their turf. Not to be occupied by Israel. 

They will succeed. At a high cost. Yes. But Palestine will prevail. They will not be defeated, and the Zionist atrocities, the endless horrifying torture, the indiscriminate killing, bombing, shooting, destruction of vital infrastructure, hospitals, schools – more than 40,000 Palestinians killed, most of them in Gaza, of whom more than 70% women and children – MUST not go unpunished.

The Nuremberg Code on War Crimes and Human Rights MUST be revived.

In the last few days, mainstream and non-mainstream media reported of massive student encampments, protesting for Gaza, for Palestine against Zionist-Israel. It is almost reminiscent of anti-Vietnam War movements of the late 60s and early 70s.

According to Resistance News Network (@RNN_Messaging_Bot), this appears to be happening at more than 45 top universities around the world, including dozens in the US. Many of them Ivy League learning institutes, such as MIT, Harvard, Yale, Berkley, UCLA, Brown, Columbia, Emery, City University NYC, and many more.

They are joined by universities in Australia and France.

How real is this? A unilateral defense cry for Palestine, not only by Palestinian and Arab students but by students of all colors and creeds in solidarity.

Knowing that these largely Zionist-funded universities are likely going to crack down on these encampments – what has already started – students may be suspended.

Then, all of a sudden appears a more sobering set of news – namely that Soros’s Open Society Foundation is funding most of the student anti-Israel protests, as reported three days ago by RT.

Why would Soros, the Woke Master, suddenly fund anti-Israel cum Zionist protests around the globe, of course, with focus on the US?

“Divide to conquer”?

Creating “false flags”?

Making believe that there is a huge pro-Palestine movement taking place at US universities?

It may give universities’ administrators the opportunity to officially – with much fanfare – crack down on student camps on university grounds, demonstrating concerned universities pro-Zionist-Israel stand (naturally, supporting their funders), letting future students know what they may be up to, in case they decide to apply to these universities.

The emerging bigger picture might be that student protests can be wiped out by the Powers-that-be, easily supported by the system’s forces of order, police, and military, if needed.

In which case Soros’s agenda is pro-Israel, pro-WEF, similarly as the Woke Movement supports the objectives of the WEF’s Great Reset and the UN Agenda 2030 – massive population reduction and control of every corner of human existence.

Almost simultaneously appear new speculations. RT reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top officials with war crimes and issue warrants for their arrest as early as this week. This is based on an NBC News report of 29 April 2024. Also included in warrants issued may be Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, army chief Herzl Halevi, and other unnamed senior military officers.

However, another sobering note, in NBC’s own words,

“Israel is working through diplomatic channels to try to stop the warrants being issued.”

Does anybody believe Israel may fail in her attempt to stop the warrants?

Who controls the ICC? Or asked differently, who dares going against the Zionist’s and Zionist-Washington’s “wishes”?

The ICC simply told NBC that it “has an ongoing independent investigation in relation to the situation in the State of Palestine” and has “no further comment to make at this stage.” See this.

*

What if the so-called student movement, the ICC “attempt” to arrest top Israeli officials including the Prime Minister, other apparently increasing protests around the globe against Israel, is but a new propaganda sting, demonstrating that despite all opposition to Zionist-Israel wiping Palestine off the map – stopping Zionism is not going to happen.

In the words of an “anonymous” above:

“The truth is that the whole world is occupied by Israel except Gaza.”

Once this lesson sinks in, the world may wake up and have a chance to free itself from Zionism’s evil claws.

The original source of this article is Global Research.

The post Students Trigger To Stop Wars? appeared first on LewRockwell.

I strongly recommend getting sensible sun exposure each day, and one of the reasons why is because it helps naturally optimize your vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D levels are linked to an increased risk of cancers,1 while vitamin D can attach to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in your cells, setting off a series of signals that may affect how they grow, develop and survive.2

In this way, vitamin D acts like a brake on the process of cell growth in many tissues of the body, helping to control the speed at which cells multiply. This is particularly important when it comes to cancer because one of the key features of this disease is cells growing out of control. Moreover, vitamin D has been observed in animal studies to help delay some age-related changes by activating another important pathway via the vitamin D receptor.

This pathway involves a molecule called Nrf2, which plays a crucial role in protecting your body from oxidative stress and DNA damage — two factors that are commonly linked to the development of cancer.3 Overall, evidence continues to accumulate showing that vitamin D is a strong ally to combat cancer.4

Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Mortality

Worldwide, cancer is the No. 2 cause of death, behind only cardiovascular disease.5 Meanwhile, the global prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (defined as a level of less than 20 ng/mL) and insufficiency (defined as a level of 20 to less than 30 ng/mL) is 40% to 100%.6 Although increasing vitamin D levels may help to reduce cancer deaths, health officials rarely recommend optimizing levels for this purpose.

For example, research has shown that once you reach a minimum serum vitamin D level of 40 ng/mL, your risk for cancer diminishes by 67%, compared to having a level of 20 ng/mL or less.7

A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Ageing Research Reviews also found vitamin D3 supplementation reduced cancer mortality by 6%. This wasn’t considered statistically significant, but when only studies involving daily vitamin D intake were analyzed, cancer mortality dropped by a significant 12%.8 According to the researchers:9

“From a biological perspective, it is plausible that a sufficient vitamin D status has an impact on cancer prognosis: by binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), the active hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) influences signaling pathways that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell survival, and thus acts as an anti-proliferative agent in many tissues and can slow the growth of malignant cells.”

Other research also supports vitamin D’s role in protecting against cancer death. In one study of 25,871 patients, vitamin D supplementation was found to reduce the risk for metastatic cancer and death by 17%. The risk was reduced by as much as 38% among those who also maintained a healthy weight.10,11

What’s particularly noteworthy is this study only gave participants 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily and didn’t measure their blood levels. Despite these research flaws, a significant benefit was still found. However, other research has found even more striking benefits, including a GrassrootsHealth analysis published in PLOS ONE.

It showed women with a vitamin D level at or above 60 ng/mL (150 nmol/L) had an 82% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those with levels below 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L).12 Meanwhile, risks of lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer and lymphoma are higher in people with low vitamin D levels, while having higher levels is associated with a better prognosis in cases of breast and colorectal cancers.13

The Ageing Research Reviews study further revealed that daily vitamin D supplementation was particularly beneficial for people aged 70 and over, as well as those who took vitamin D daily and were later diagnosed with cancer. Study author Ben Schöttker, Ph.D., with the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, further explained:14

“This does imply that basically everyone aged 50 and older, including people who have never had cancer, might profit from vitamin D supplementation if they are vitamin D insufficient … Doctors cannot know who might develop cancer at a later time.”

Vitamin D Has Anticancer Effects Against Many Types of Cancer

A mini review on the impact of vitamin D on cancer, published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, pointed out that while vitamin D is widely recognized for its essential role in regulating the balance of minerals in the body, a deficiency has been linked to the onset and progression of various cancers.15 Vitamin D targets cancer in multiple ways, including:16

• Anticancer effects, which means it targets different stages of cancer development and progression, including the initiation, growth and spread of cancer cells.
• Antimetastatic effects, which refers to the ability to stop cancer cells from spreading from the original tumor site to other parts of the body. Since metastasis is often responsible for the fatal outcomes of cancers, preventing the spread can significantly improve survival rates.
• Anti-tumorigenic, meaning vitamin D helps prevent tumor formation or the growth of tumors. This can involve mechanisms like inducing cell death in cancer cells, blocking cell cycle progression, or inhibiting pathways that fuel tumor growth.

The review highlighted vitamin D’s role against the following cancers:17

In terms of breast cancer, the leading cause of death for women globally, vitamin D deficiency is common among patients, and those who are deficient are more likely to have more aggressive and harder-to-treat subtypes of breast cancer, such as higher grade and estrogen receptor-negative tumors.

The study also highlighted the role of genetic differences in the VDR that could influence breast cancer risk. In particular, in certain populations like North Indian women from New Delhi, variations in the VDR gene were identified as potential risk factors.18

In prostate cancer — the most common cancer in men — low levels of vitamin D were linked to high levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the prostate which is associated with the progression of prostate cancer.19 In addition, vitamin D may influence the activity of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), which is known as a longevity protein. Optimizing your vitamin D levels may help boost your body’s natural cancer defenses, in part, via mechanisms involving SIRT1.20

Additional research suggests there may be considerable variation in how different individuals’ genes respond to vitamin D supplementation, which might explain why not everyone benefits equally from extra vitamin D.

For best results, the scientists suggest vitamin D supplementation should be personalized and “advocate for options tailored to individual vitamin D needs, combined with a comprehensive intervention that favors prevention through a healthy environment and responsible health behaviors.”21

Why Sun Exposure Is the Best Source of Vitamin D

On a typical sunny day, your body may produce up to 25,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D,22 although many people aren’t in the sun enough to optimize their vitamin D levels. However, I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure, if possible, as it provides benefits beyond vitamin D optimization.

Higher levels of vitamin D may even serve as a marker for healthy sun exposure, which in turn may be responsible for many of the health benefits, which include reduced risk of cancer and increased longevity, attributed to vitamin D. Regular sun exposure, for instance, enhances production of melatonin — a potent anticancer agent.23

Near-infrared rays from the sun penetrate deep into your body and activate cytochrome c oxidase, which in turn stimulates the production of melatonin inside your mitochondria. Your mitochondria produce ATP, the energy currency of your body. A byproduct of this ATP production is reactive oxidative species (ROS), which are responsible for oxidative stress.

Excessive amounts of ROS will damage the mitochondria, contributing to suboptimal health, inflammation and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and thrombosis (blood clots). But melatonin essentially mops up ROS that damage your mitochondria. So, by getting plenty of sun exposure during the day, your mitochondria will be bathed in melatonin, thereby reducing oxidative stress.24,25

If you’re unable to get adequate sun exposure each day, vitamin D supplementation may be necessary. Keep in mind that 20 ng/mL, which is often used as the cutoff for vitamin D deficiency, has repeatedly been shown to be grossly insufficient for good health and disease prevention, which means the true prevalence of people without optimal levels of vitamin D is even greater.

The only way to determine how much sun exposure is enough and/or how much vitamin D3 you need to take is to measure your vitamin D level, ideally twice a year. Once you’ve confirmed your vitamin D levels via testing, adjust your sun exposure and/or vitamin D3 supplementation accordingly. Then, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you’ve reached your target level.

The Optimal Vitamin D Level for Cancer Prevention

The optimal level for health and disease prevention, including cancer prevention, is between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL (150-200 nmol/L), while the cutoff for sufficiency appears to be around 40 ng/mL. In Europe, the measurements you’re looking for are 150 to 200 nmol/L and 100 nmol/L respectively.

It’s important to remember that calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium and vitamin K2 must be properly balanced for optimal overall health. Your best and safest bet is to simply eat more calcium-, magnesium- and vitamin K2-rich foods, along with sensible sun exposure.

However, if you find supplementation is necessary after a serum vitamin D test, also supplement with magnesium and vitamin K2 (MK-7) to ensure proper balance. You’ll also want to ensure you’re following an overall healthy lifestyle to reduce your cancer risk as much as possible. As researchers explained in Nutrients:26

“Vitamin D supplementation is not the magic pill that miraculously solves the cancer burden or that can replace a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary to foster a good environment and invigorate a healthy lifestyle, including a high-quality diet and physical activity. Both have been proven to confer health benefits in many diseases, including cancer, and are the best preventive measures available.”

Sources and References

• 1, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology July 2023, Volume 231, 106308
• 2, 3 Ageing Research Reviews June 2023, Volume 87, 101923, Introduction
• 4 Substack, Dr. William Makis, April 18, 2024
• 5 J Thorac Dis. 2017 Mar; 9(3): 448–451
• 6 Endocr Pract. 2021 May; 27(5): 484–493., Introduction
• 7 PLOS ONE 2016; 11 (4): e0152441
• 8, 9, 13 Ageing Research Reviews June 2023, Volume 87, 101923
• 10 JAMA Network Open 2020;3(11):e2025850
• 11 The Sentinel November 22, 2020
• 12 PLOS ONE June 15, 2015 (PDF)
• 14 Medical News Today May 17, 2023
• 20 Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6154; doi: 10.3390/ijms24076154
• 21, 26 Nutrients 2022, 14(21), 4512; doi: 10.3390/nu14214512
• 22 J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2019 May;189:228-239. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.12.010. Epub 2019 Jan 4., Abstract
• 23 Youtube, The Joe Cohen Show, Episode 1, October 25, 2022, 4:00
• 24 Physiology February 5, 2020 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00034.2019
• 25 YouTube, MedCram, Sunlight: Optimize Health and Immunity January 21, 2022

The post More Evidence Showing Vitamin D Combats Cancer appeared first on LewRockwell.

“As I look at America today, I am not afraid to say that I am afraid.”—Former presidential advisor Bertram Gross

The American governmental scheme is sliding ever closer towards a pervasive authoritarianism.

The American people, the permanent underclass in America, have allowed themselves to be so distracted and divided that they have failed to notice the building blocks of tyranny being laid down right under their noses by the architects of the Deep State.

This steady slide towards tyranny, meted out by militarized local and federal police and legalistic bureaucrats, has been carried forward by each successive president over the past fifty years regardless of their political affiliation.

Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton: they have all been complicit in carrying out the Deep State’s agenda.

Frankly, it really doesn’t matter who occupies the White House, because it is a profit-driven, unelected bureaucracy—call it whatever you will: the Deep State, the Controllers, the masterminds, the shadow government, the corporate elite, the police state, the surveillance state, the military industrial complex—that is actually calling the shots.

In the interest of liberty and truth, here’s an A-to-Z primer that spells out the grim realities of life in the American Police State that no one seems to be talking about anymore.

A is for the AMERICAN POLICE STATE. A police state “is characterized by bureaucracy, secrecy, perpetual wars, a nation of suspects, militarization, surveillance, widespread police presence, and a citizenry with little recourse against police actions.”

B is for our battered BILL OF RIGHTS. In the militarized police culture that is America today, where you can be kicked, punched, tasered, shot, intimidated, harassed, stripped, searched, brutalized, terrorized, wrongfully arrested, and even killed by a police officer, and that officer is rarely held accountable for violating your rights, the Bill of Rights doesn’t amount to much.

C is for CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE. This governmental scheme to deprive Americans of their liberties—namely, the right to property—is being carried out under the guise of civil asset forfeiture, a government practice wherein government agents (usually the police and now TSA agents) seize private property they “suspect” may be connected to criminal activity. Then, whether or not any crime is actually proven to have taken place, the government keeps the citizen’s property and it’s virtually impossible to get it back.

D is for DRONES. Nearly 1500 police departments across the U.S. include drones as part of their technological arsenal, and that number is growing. Although drones may be used for benevolent purposes, they have increasingly become extensions of the surveillance state, carrying out warrantless and constant mass aerial surveillance in violation of the Fourth Amendment. New autonomous police drones can “read a license plate from 800 feet away and follow a vehicle from a distance of 3 miles.”

E is for EMERGENCY STATE. From 9/11 to COVID-19 and beyond, we have been the subjected to an “emergency state” that justifies all manner of government tyranny and power grabs in the so-called name of national security. The government’s ongoing attempts to declare so-called national emergencies in order to circumvent the Constitution’s system of checks and balances constitutes yet another expansion of presidential power that exposes the nation to further constitutional peril.

F is for FASCISM. A study conducted by Princeton and Northwestern University concluded that the U.S. government does not represent the majority of American citizens. Instead, the study found that the government is ruled by the rich and powerful, or the so-called “economic elite.” Moreover, the researchers concluded that policies enacted by this governmental elite nearly always favor special interests and lobbying groups. In other words, we are being ruled by an oligarchy disguised as a democracy, and arguably on our way towards fascism—a form of government where private corporate interests rule, money calls the shots, and the people are seen as mere economic units or databits.

G is for GLOBAL POLICE. The federal government has distributed more than $18 billion worth of battlefield-appropriate military weapons, vehicles and equipment such as drones, tanks, and grenade launchers to domestic police departments across the country. As a result, most small-town police forces now have enough firepower to render any citizen resistance futile. By the time you take those small-town police forces, train them to look and act like the military, and then enlist them to be part of the United Nations’ Strong Cities Network program, you not only have a standing army that operates beyond the reach of the Constitution but one that is part of a global police force.

H is for HOLLOW-POINT BULLETS. The government’s efforts to militarize and weaponize its agencies and employees is reaching epic proportions, with federal agencies as varied as the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration stockpiling millions of lethal hollow-point bullets, which violate international law. Ironically, while the government continues to push for stricter gun laws for the general populace, the U.S. military’s arsenal of weapons makes the average American’s handgun look like a Tinker Toy.

I is for the INTERNET OF THINGS, in which internet-connected “things” monitor your home, your health and your habits in order to keep your pantry stocked, your utilities regulated and your life under control and relatively worry-free. The key word here, however, is control. This “connected” industry propels us closer to a future where police agencies apprehend virtually anyone if the government “thinks” they may commit a crime, driverless cars populate the highways, and a person’s biometrics are constantly scanned and used to track their movements, target them for advertising, and keep them under perpetual surveillance.

J is for JAILING FOR PROFIT. Having outsourced their inmate population to private prisons run by private corporations, this profit-driven form of mass punishment has given rise to a $70 billion private prison industry that relies on the complicity of state governments to keep their privately run prisons full by jailing large numbers of Americans for petty crimes.

K is for KENTUCKY V. KING. In an 8-1 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that police officers can break into homes, without a warrant, even if it’s the wrong home as long as they think they may have a reason to do so. Despite the fact that the police in question ended up pursuing the wrong suspect, invaded the wrong apartment and violated just about every tenet that stands between the citizenry and a police state, the Court sanctioned the warrantless raid, leaving Americans with little real protection in the face of all manner of abuses by law enforcement officials.

L is for LICENSE PLATE READERS, which enable law enforcement and private agencies to track the whereabouts of vehicles, and their occupants, all across the country. This data collected on tens of thousands of innocent people is also being shared between police agencies, as well as with government fusion centers and private companies. This puts Big Brother in the driver’s seat.

M is for MAIN CORE. Since the 1980s, the U.S. government has acquired and maintained, without warrant or court order, a database of names and information on Americans considered to be threats to the nation. As Salon reports, this database, reportedly dubbed “Main Core,” is to be used by the Army and FEMA in times of national emergency or under martial law to locate and round up Americans seen as threats to national security. There are at least 8 million Americans in the Main Core database.

N is for NO-KNOCK RAIDS. Owing to the militarization of the nation’s police forces, SWAT teams are now increasingly being deployed for routine police matters. In fact, more than 80,000 of these paramilitary raids are carried out every year. That translates to more than 200 SWAT team raids every day in which police crash through doors, damage private property, terrorize adults and children alike, kill family pets, assault or shoot anyone that is perceived as threatening—and all in the pursuit of someone merely suspected of a crime, usually possession of some small amount of drugs.

O is for OVERCRIMINALIZATION and OVERREGULATION. Thanks to an overabundance of 4500-plus federal crimes and 400,000 plus rules and regulations, it’s estimated that the average American actually commits three felonies a day without knowing it. As a result of this overcriminalization, we’re seeing an uptick in Americans being arrested and jailed for such absurd “violations” as letting their kids play at a park unsupervised, collecting rainwater and snow runoff on their own property, growing vegetables in their yard, and holding Bible studies in their living room.

P is for PATHOCRACY and PRECRIME. When our own government treats us as things to be manipulated, maneuvered, mined for data, manhandled by police and other government agents, mistreated, and then jailed in profit-driven private prisons if we dare step out of line, we are no longer operating under a constitutional republic. Instead, what we are experiencing is a pathocracy: tyranny at the hands of a psychopathic government, which “operates against the interests of its own people except for favoring certain groups.” Couple that with the government’s burgeoning precrime programs, which will use fusion centers, data collection agencies, behavioral scientists, corporations, social media, and community organizers and by relying on cutting-edge technology for surveillance, facial recognition, predictive policing, biometrics, and behavioral epigenetics in order to identify and deter so-called potential “extremists,” dissidents or rabble-rousers. Bear in mind that anyone seen as opposing the government—whether they’re Left, Right or somewhere in between—is now viewed as an extremist.

Q is for QUALIFIED IMMUNITY. Qualified immunity allows police officers to walk away without paying a dime for their wrongdoing. Conveniently, those deciding whether a cop should be immune from having to personally pay for misbehavior on the job all belong to the same system, all cronies with a vested interest in protecting the police and their infamous code of silence: city and county attorneys, police commissioners, city councils and judges.

R is for ROADSIDE STRIP SEARCHES and BLOOD DRAWS. The courts have increasingly erred on the side of giving government officials—especially the police—vast discretion in carrying out strip searches, blood draws and even anal and vaginal probes for a broad range of violations, no matter how minor the offense. In the past, strip searches were resorted to only in exceptional circumstances where police were confident that a serious crime was in progress. In recent years, however, strip searches have become routine operating procedures in which everyone is rendered a suspect and, as such, is subjected to treatment once reserved for only the most serious of criminals.

S is for the SURVEILLANCE STATE. On any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears. A byproduct of the electronic concentration camp in which we live, whether you’re walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the corporate trackers that monitor your purchases, web browsing, Facebook posts and other activities taking place in the cyber sphere.

T is for TASERS. Nonlethal weapons such as tasers, stun guns, rubber pellets and the like have been used by police as weapons of compliance more often and with less restraint—even against women and children—and in some instances, even causing death. These “nonlethal” weapons also enable police to aggress with the push of a button, making the potential for overblown confrontations over minor incidents that much more likely. A Taser Shockwave, for instance, can electrocute a crowd of people at the touch of a button.

U is for UNARMED CITIZENS SHOT BY POLICE. No longer is it unusual to hear about incidents in which police shoot unarmed individuals first and ask questions later, often attributed to a fear for their safety. Yet the fatality rate of on-duty patrol officers is reportedly far lower than many other professions, including construction, logging, fishing, truck driving, and even trash collection.

V is for OPERATION VIGILANT EAGLE. One of several government initiatives dating back to 2009 that call for heightened scrutiny of those who challenge the government’s authority, this particular program calls for surveillance of military veterans, characterizing them as extremists and potential domestic terrorist threats because they may be “disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war.” Coupled with a report that defines extremists as individuals and groups “that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely,” these tactics bode ill for anyone seen as opposing the government.

W is for WHOLE-BODY SCANNERS. Using either x-ray radiation or radio waves, scanning devices and government mobile units are being used not only to “see” through your clothes but to spy on you within the privacy of your home. While these mobile scanners are being sold to the American public as necessary security and safety measures, we can ill afford to forget that such systems are rife with the potential for abuse, not only by government bureaucrats but by the technicians employed to operate them.

X is for X-KEYSCORE, one of the many spying programs carried out by the National Security Agency that targets every person in the United States who uses a computer or phone. This top-secret program “allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals.”

Y is for YOU-NESS. Using your face, mannerisms, social media and “you-ness” against you, you are now be tracked based on what you buy, where you go, what you do in public, and how you do what you do. Facial recognition software promises to create a society in which every individual who steps out into public is tracked and recorded as they go about their daily business. The goal is for government agents to be able to scan a crowd of people and instantaneously identify all of the individuals present. Facial recognition programs are being rolled out in states all across the country.

Z is for ZERO TOLERANCE. We have moved into a new paradigm in which young people are increasingly viewed as suspects and treated as criminals by school officials and law enforcement alike, often for engaging in little more than childish behavior or for saying the “wrong” word. In some jurisdictions, students have also been penalized under school zero tolerance policies for such inane “crimes” as carrying cough drops, wearing black lipstick, bringing nail clippers to school, using Listerine or Scope, and carrying fold-out combs that resemble switchblades. The lesson being taught to our youngest—and most impressionable—citizens is this: in the American police state, you’re either a prisoner (shackled, controlled, monitored, ordered about, limited in what you can do and say, your life not your own) or a prison bureaucrat (politician, police officer, judge, jailer, spy, profiteer, etc.).

None of these dangers have dissipated in any way, and yet suddenly, no one seems to be talking about any of the egregious governmental abuses that are still wreaking havoc on our freedoms: police shootings of unarmed individuals, invasive surveillance, roadside blood draws, roadside strip searches, SWAT team raids gone awry, the military industrial complex’s costly wars, pork barrel spending, pre-crime laws, civil asset forfeiture, fusion centers, militarization, armed drones, smart policing carried out by AI robots, courts that march in lockstep with the police state, schools that function as indoctrination centers, bureaucrats that keep the Deep State in power.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, this is how freedom dies.

If there is any means left to us for thwarting the government in its relentless march towards outright dictatorship, it may rest with the Tenth Amendment, which affirms that “we the people” (in the form of juries and local governments) have the power to invalidate governmental laws, tactics and policies that are illegitimate, egregious or blatantly unconstitutional.

Nullify everything.

Nullify the court cases. Nullify the laws. Nullify everything the government does that flies in the face of the Constitution.

It’s time to rein in our runaway government, reclaim our freedoms, and restore justice in America.

This originally appeared on The Rutherford Institute.

The post The Steady Slide Towards Tyranny: How Freedom Dies from A to Z appeared first on LewRockwell.

In this time of widespread protests at American universities, it would be wise for the academic world as a whole to reconsider what these universities have become and why they are so vulnerable to student disruptions.  And then it will discover that instead of being places for quiet contemplation and study and discourse, universities have become another fundamental institution taken over by a do-gooding liberalism (or often wokeism) that is supposed to have “diverse” leaders treating its students as mollycoddled babies deserving protection from life’s realities and nurtured in simplistic views of a complicated world.

It is time for an end to that.

Time for universities to say that protests are not allowed.  We are not an open space for any group to gather and voice discontent for any cause and thus disrupt the essential purpose for which we exist, to foster learning and encourage research in a peaceful atmosphere where scholars in traditional disciplines open up to respectful students the world of thought and study so that they may be useful citizens in useful careers in a complex life.

There is no “right” to protest here, the constitution does not apply to academic institutions but to governments only—go look at the First Amendment, “to assemble and to petition Government”—and we have determined that they would interfere with our obligation to give you a place where you are free to study and learn.  As to other points of that amendment, you have no “right” to free speech, either, and we allow dissent and disagreement within the classroom only lest it similarly disrupt

You are paying us money so that we may provide faculty and administrators to provide convenient classes to teach you the essentials of a Western education, not so that you can speak abut anything at all or protest whatever displeases you.  Final.

If universities would understand themselves this way, they would warn students from the start that disruptive protest will not be allowed and if you engage in one you will be arrested, fined, and disciplined, including expulsion from the university,  forfeiting whatever fees and tuition you have paid.  You had better rethink what rights you have here and what you gave up when you agreed to be a member of this community.

Not that I think that this will happen at most places.  The kind of administrations fostered these days believe in the tenets liberalism has given them, including free speech and willful assembly. The fact that also so many of them are led by women does not encourage the idea that strong discipline for protest on campus is likely, since it is a simple truism that women are less likely to be disciplinarians within a family than men. (“Wait till your father comes home!”)  This has proved true so far this spring.

It is worth trying to get our universities to start thinking along these lines, nonetheless.  No point in not trying to return the academy to what it was supposed to be all along.

Kirkpatrick Sale is the author of 19 books over 60 years, including SDS, a history of a student activist movement in the 1960’s.

The post There’s No ‘Right’ to Protest on Campus appeared first on LewRockwell.

 

 

di Weimin Chen

All'inizio di quest'anno l'Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ha nominato Island in Between nella categoria Miglior cortometraggio documentario al novantaseiesimo Academy Awards. Anche se alla fine non è riuscito a portare a casa l'Oscar, il documentario ha attirato l'attenzione sulla poco conosciuta isola Kinmen e sulla sua precaria posizione come punto di svolta nelle relazioni tra Taiwan, la Cina continentale e il continuo coinvolgimento degli Stati Uniti. Il regista taiwanese/americano, S. Leo Chiang, racconta scene di vita della gente del posto contrapposte alla temuta possibilità di guerra che incombe sulle loro teste, poiché le coste della terraferma si trovano a distanza visibile.

Nel documentario un enorme altoparlante puntato sulla baia di Xiamen diffonde la voce della cantante pop taiwanese Teresa Teng, mentre canta dolcemente i suoi successi e lancia provocazioni politiche alla città continentale più vicina: “Spero solo che tutti voi sulla terraferma godrete della stessa democrazia e libertà di cui godiamo noi”. Chiang lo ha ribadito anche in un'intervista:

da qui si possono vedere, sentire e percepire cose che non si vedono, sentono e percepiscono da Taipei o dal resto dell'isola di Taiwan. Molti di loro [che vivono a Taiwan] credono che siamo sempre stati amichevoli con la gente in Cina e sosteniamo relazioni più strette [con la Cina].

La sfumatura del popolo taiwanese nella gestione delle relazioni con la Cina sembra del tutto sfuggita agli americani e si vede nella politica di Washington.

Confermati i Berretti verdi di stanza a poche miglia dalle coste della Cina

L'isola principale di Kinmen si trova a sole sei miglia dalla città cinese continentale di Xiamen e alcune parti dell suo arcipelago sono a sole 2,5 miglia di distanza. Mentre Taiwan e il suo ruolo chiave nelle tensioni tra Stati Uniti e Cina stanno guadagnando attenzione, molte meno persone hanno sentito parlare di Kinmen. Ciò potrebbe cambiare man mano che gli Stati Uniti aumentano il loro livello di impegno, inviando lì consiglieri militari e forze speciali dell’esercito americano, meglio conosciute come Berretti Verdi.

Solo un paio di settimane dopo la nomination all'Oscar per Island in Between è stato annunciato che i consiglieri militari statunitensi avrebbero iniziato dispiegamenti a lungo termine sull'isola per assistere nell'addestramento nei campi anfibi dell'esercito taiwanese e migliorare le loro capacità nel contrastare le incursioni nemiche. Gli schieramenti sono stati pianificati insieme a vari altri tipi di supporto per l’esercito di Taiwan ai sensi della legge sull’autorizzazione della difesa nazionale del 2023 e includono anche i Berretti verdi del 1° Gruppo delle Forze Speciali, che sono permanentemente di stanza in due basi del 101° Battaglione di Ricognizione Anfibia. La presenza di Berretti verdi a Kinmen e in un altro gruppo di isole periferiche chiamato Penghu è stata confermata dal ministro della Difesa taiwanese, Chiu Kuo-cheng.

Un altro aspetto della cooperazione ai sensi del National Defense Authorization Act include l'addestramento da parte dei Berretti verdi delle loro controparti a Taiwan sull'uso del Black Hornet Nano, un piccolo veicolo aereo senza pilota che assiste nella sorveglianza e nella raccolta di informazioni. Il comando dell’aviazione e delle forze speciali taiwanesi ha mostrato interesse per l’acquisto di questi microdroni e probabilmente gli Stati Uniti accetteranno. Nessuno crede veramente che un gruppo di forze speciali dell’esercito americano di stanza a Kinmen con piccoli droni di osservazione farebbe alcuna differenza se la Cina avviasse un’invasione. Sembra che questa mossa serva come presa di posizione contro la Cina, soprattutto come segnale che l’America stanzierà sfacciatamente e apertamente forze speciali a poche miglia dalla terraferma. È a dir poco provocatorio, soprattutto perché anche un piccolo errore di calcolo potrebbe portare al conflitto aperto.

Fiammate su Taiwan

Poche settimane dopo il sopraccitato stanziamento di forze speciali, la tensione è divampata a Kinmen quando due pescatori cinesi sono annegati in seguito a un inseguimento da parte della guardia costiera taiwanese la quale è stata accusata di aver oltrepassato la sua giurisdizione; a questo fatto la guardia costiera cinese ha risposto salendo su una barca turistica e scortandola di nuovo a Kinmen. Il giorno successivo i taiwanesi hanno affermato di aver allontanato le navi della guardia costiera cinese che erano entrate nelle acque vicino all'isola. Anche se questi incidenti non hanno comportato conseguenze più gravi, la crescente attenzione su Kinmen sta sollevando segnali d’allarme sul fatto che l’isola sta diventando un punto caldo per le tensioni tra le due sponde dello Stretto.

Taiwan è stata proclamata parte integrante della Cina dalla Repubblica popolare con rivendicazioni che risalgono a prima della fine della guerra civile cinese. Xi Jinping ha messo in gioco la sua reputazione e la sua eredità nella riunificazione dell’isola con la terraferma. Alti funzionari dell’intelligence americana affermano che Xi ha ordinato ai suoi militari di essere pronti a invadere l’isola entro il 2027. In questo contesto l’esercito cinese ha aumentato il dispiegamento di forze aeree che attraversano le zone di identificazione aerea di Taiwan, ha eseguito esercitazioni marittime e ha fatto sentire il suo peso nel Mar Cinese Meridionale.

Parlando al Washington Post, Tom Shugart, membro senior aggiunto del Center for a New American Security, ha affermato che “queste esercitazioni diventano sempre più grandi. Poiché il numero e la frequenza continuano a crescere, diventa molto più difficile sapere se la prossima volta sarà quella vera”. Le posizioni e le linee di politica del governo americano che lo pongono apertamente in opposizione alla Cina in una rivalità geopolitica hanno spinto le relazioni a livelli molto bassi.

Alle porte di chi?

Chiang conclude il suo documentario chiedendosi: “Quando questi giovani arriveranno a Kinmen, saranno meravigliati, come me, dei tramonti pacifici? Gli stessi che mio padre deve aver visto quando prestava servizio qui tanti anni fa? E dalla gentilezza delle persone di qui che sono intrappolate nel fuoco incrociato?” Le sue parole suonano vere sia per i giovani taiwanesi che si recano a Kinmen per il servizio militare obbligatorio, sia per le truppe americane che ora sono di stanza lì. A livello generale, Kinmen, Taiwan e tutti i loro abitanti sono tragicamente nel mirino della rivalità tra Stati Uniti e Cina.

Come nel caso della narrativa sull’Ucraina e l’invasione russa, la narrativa americana riguardo Taiwan punta alle azioni provocatorie della Cina nei confronti di quest’ultima, respingendo al tempo stesso la possibilità che le consegne di armi e il rafforzamento militare di Washington in quella parte della regione indo-pacifica vengano percepiti come provocazioni dal punto di vista di Pechino. In un  discorso elettorale del 2016, Hillary Clinton affermò che “Mosca ha intrapreso un’azione militare aggressiva in Ucraina, proprio alle porte della NATO”. Chi è alle porte di chi adesso? Un rapido sguardo alla mappa dell’Ucraina orientale e di Taiwan rispetto a Stati Uniti, Russia e Cina dovrebbe rappresentare una risposta esaustiva.

È un brillante esempio che riporta alla memoria il pezzo “Imagine” di Ron Paul, dove l'ex-membro del Congresso predicava quel tipo di empatia strategica che richiede di mettersi nei panni dell'altro, in modo da vedere come stanno le cose anche dall'altra parte. Che effetto ha sulla Cina quando una superpotenza che si trova a quasi settemila miglia dall'altra parte del Pacifico schiera apertamente le sue forze speciali a distanza ravvicinata dalle coste cinesi, su un'isola tra la terraferma e Taiwan? Chi è alle porte di chi?

[*] traduzione di Francesco Simoncelli: https://www.francescosimoncelli.com/

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