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Thanks, John Frahm.

The American Conservative

The post Trump Breaks Washington’s Secrecy Addiction appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Tim McGraw:

This is a good video explaining the current water situation in California and the complicated system of dams, pumps, and canals that move water from NoCal to SoCal. It’s nice to use an airplane vs. a drone for these videos.

The post Oroville Dam Update appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, Daniel McAdams.

KHOU 11

The post Who is Ron Paul? Former Texas politician’s name floated for Fed role’ appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, Rick Rozoff.

It was Poland last time. 

The post Scholz calls for state of emergency in Germany over Ukraine appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks,, Bruce McLane.

The post Smokey’s new slogan appeared first on LewRockwell.

by Rod Dreher

J.D. Vance In Munich: A Lesson To Elites

The post J.D. Vance In Munich: A Lesson To Elites appeared first on LewRockwell.

There have been two superb film presentations of this epic story based upon the 1854 narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson about the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War.

They are remarkably very different cinematic accounts. Their contrasting depictions of this classic story demonstrate more than anything how much showing the staging and framing of crucial historic events dramatically changed in the decades between their two creations.

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
https://m.ok.ru/video/275239864995

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
https://m.ok.ru/video/2482076060270

The 1936 version, made in the relative peaceful time before the Second World War, was a Hollywood Warner Brothers romanticized, heroic celebration and tribute to the glory and benevolent legacy of the British Empire.

The 1968 British version, produced during the chaotic, contentious time of the Vietnam War, was a critical, more lurid depiction of the barbaric inanities and aristocratic follies and blunders of the belligerent British imperium at war.

“With expert cinematography and authentic production design, every frame of ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ is a visual masterpiece. The director’s attention to detail in recreating the era is commendable, transporting us back in time and heightening the sense of realism.”

The Charge of the Light Brigade

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.

IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

The post The Charge of the Light Brigade appeared first on LewRockwell.

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1. Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine
2. The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of Gaza and the Occupied Territories
3. Hubris: The American Origins of Russia’s War against Ukraine 
4. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States 
5. Dark Calories: How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back 
6. The Russian Peace Threat: Pentagon on Alert
7. The Deeper State: Inside the War on Trump by Corrupt Elites, Secret Societies, and the Builders of An Imminent Final Empire
8. Chair Yoga for Weight Loss & Toning: Complete Guide to Look and Feel Better in Just 10 Minutes a Day
9. The Capitalist and The Entrepreneur: Essays on Organizations and Markets
10. Built from Broken: A Science-Based Guide to Healing Painful Joints, Preventing Injuries, and Rebuilding Your Body 
11. Churchill, Hitler, and “The Unnecessary War”: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
12. Archaic Words and the Authorized Version 
13. Tyranny of Merit 
14. Saboteurs: How Secret, Deep State Occultists Are Manipulating American Society Through A Washington-Based Shadow Government In Quest Of The Final World Order!
15. Why Do We Say That? 101 Idioms, Phrases, Sayings & Facts! A Brief History On Where They Come From! 
16. Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World
17. Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History
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19. Israelis’ Five Trillion Dollar Secret 
20. Are We Listening to the Angels?: Edgar Cayce on Angels, Archangels and the Unseen Forces 

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Not to be outdone by his predecessor, G.W. Bush, in his enthusiasm to mollify Christian Zionist supporters, Donald Trump has created the first-ever White House Faith Office. To lead this new government bureaucracy, designed specifically to target religion in America, Trump appointed his spiritual advisor Paula White.

As you may recall, the younger Bush created the Faith-Based Initiative, in which he doled out hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that created a mechanism of using money from the federal government to fund various and sundry church programs—thus directly buying support for the politicians providing this support (as if government tax exemption is not enough) and providing a vehicle by which government can control religion to its liking. Thousands of churches have reached out their unholy hands to receive these funds from the American taxpayers.

I am reminded of a quote from Founding Father Thomas Jefferson on this subject:

That to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.

Amen!

Any mixture of church and state by the state is anathema to God’s Holy Word, the U.S. Constitution and every Natural principle of Liberty upon which our country was founded. I urge readers to watch my message last Sunday (only 38 minutes long, if you can believe it) in which I address this salient subject.

Sadly, most evangelicals have lost all appreciation and respect for the Biblical teaching of a free and independent pulpit, constitutional government and the principles of Liberty. In this regard, they are as bad as the radical Left. Both groups want the federal and State governments to finance and legislate their agendas irrespective of the Natural rights and constitutional protections of those rights for all people.

Now, Trump has upped the ante on Bush’s government intrusion into the sanctuary by creating a White House Faith Office. No doubt, the churches that play ball with the Faith Office will be rewarded with all kinds of benefits from Uncle Sam. But what will happen to the churches that refuse to surrender their sanctuaries to the authority of the king?

I’m afraid those religious institutions not willing to parrot the narrative coming out of the Faith Office will face all kinds of threats, intimidation and, perhaps, even possible legal retaliation—especially regarding Trump’s narrative on Israel.

Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem are uber Christian Zionists who are on record as supporting the censorship of protests or speech of anyone who criticizes Israel—even to the point of assessing penalties of deportation and/or criminal charges by the FBI.

As with every other key administrative appointment by Donald Trump, Paula White is a radical “Christian” Zionist.

I quote from an article that appeared in an Israeli media outlet called y net news, which is giddy about Trump’s appointment of White to this key position in the U.S. government.

U.S. President Donald Trump has placed the role of religion in American governance and most likely in the shaping of foreign policy – especially when it comes to Israel – with the creation of the first-ever White House Faith Office.

Oh, wow! So, now we can expect John Hagee, Kenneth Copeland and Robert Jeffress to be running America’s foreign policy?

Rev. Paula White, a longtime spiritual adviser to Trump and one of the most influential religious figures in his previous administration, is leading the initiative.

White played a key role in strengthening ties between the president and Israel and was instrumental in pushing for the U.S. embassy’s relocation from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, among other faith-driven policies.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that now, more than ever, Israel will welcome Christian political, biblical, and diplomatic support. While he did not meet with Jewish leaders—apart from a group of Jewish student leaders—Netanyahu held a 90-minute meeting with over a dozen American Evangelical leaders the Monday before his meeting with Trump, according to All Israel News.

In a recent conversation in Washington, White described Trump as a spiritual person.

That’s why Trump blasphemously uses God’s name in vain so often.

White was instrumental in crafting Trump’s policies on Israel and the Middle East, working closely with the president’s former Orthodox Jewish advisers, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

For several consecutive years, the Israel Allies Foundation has recognized White as one of the Top 50 Christian Allies, highlighting her deep commitment to strengthening ties between Christians and Israel.

During a visit to Israel in June 2023, White made a bold statement in an interview with this reporter, emphasizing that Christians should seek to learn from Jews rather than convert them.

She referenced the teachings of the apostle Paul, saying, “Paul made very clear that God extended his love to the Gentiles, but he did not take something from the Jews and tell us to go back and course correct or convert them. I do not want to convert Jews or send them to [live in] Israel for the rapture. The plan for salvation for the Jews is God’s.”

In addition to her humanitarian efforts, White serves as a senior leader in Israel365 Action’s Keep God’s Land program, which advocates for Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria [the West Bank].

The creation of this office is yet another indication that Trump is prioritizing the interests of his Evangelical supporters—a key voting bloc that has consistently backed him.

It also marks a significant victory for Israel’s right-wing factions, who advocate for a stronger alignment between Israeli policy and conservative, faith-driven and biblical values.

It could also signal that these values will form the foundation of a policy reinforcing the deep, historical connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel—including Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, and even Gaza.

If you are a Christian who knows your Bible, you immediately picked up on White’s heresy:

White made a bold statement in an interview with this reporter, emphasizing that Christians should seek to learn from Jews rather than convert them.

She referenced the teachings of the apostle Paul, saying, “Paul made very clear that God extended his love to the Gentiles, but he did not take something from the Jews and tell us to go back and . . . convert them. I do not want to convert Jews. The plan for salvation for the Jews is God’s.”

This is quintessential Prosperity Theology/Christian Zionist blasphemy touted by the likes of John Hagee that Jews have a special plan of salvation with God that does not include salvation through Christ.

Hagee and White ignore what Jesus said in John 14:6:

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Again, the Israeli media publication took pride in the fact that Paula White is a close ally of the Kabbalist/Chabadist/Zionist Jew (and Trump’s son-in-law) Jared Kushner, who is one of the largest financiers of Israeli “resettlement” programs in the West Bank, aka “land theft and occupation.” Also noteworthy is that Israel considers White to be one of the top 50 Christian allies in America.

But White’s blasphemy goes well beyond her Israel heresy. Listen to any of her sermons; they are filled with blasphemy. These quotes are taken from one such sermon which was posted on the Rank Heresy X page.

Paula White:

Wherever I go, God rules.

When I walk on White House grounds, God walks on White House grounds. I had every right and authority to declare the White House as holy ground, because I was standing there, and where I stand is holy.

White conveniently ignores Exodus 3:4, 5: “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

The ground was not holy because Moses was there; the ground was holy because God was there. And Moses was not God.

News flash to Paula White: There is a God; and you are not Him.

Paula White is the high priestess of false prophets.

Listen to what White says about Donald Trump:

To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God.

News flash to Paula White: There is a God and Donald Trump is not Him.

White on Trump again:

Let every demonic network that has aligned itself against the calling of President Trump, let it be broken, let it be torn down in the name of Jesus.

Such blasphemy!

So, anyone who opposes Donald Trump—no matter how unconstitutional or evil his actions and policies might be—must be demonic and broken and torn down—in the name of Jesus, of course.

Trump has surrounded himself with Zionist cultists, including Paula White, who want to destroy the freedom of speech to criticize Zionism or Israel.

As I was writing this column, a report was released with President Trump announcing that Hamas has until noon Saturday to release all of the Israeli prisoners of war or “let hell break out.”

This is clearly Trump’s greenlighting Israel’s breaking the ceasefire and allowing it to use those 1,800 2,000-pound bombs that he just sent to Israel on the Palestinians in Gaza. This is obvious, as shortly after making his announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump’s threat almost verbatim.

And please remember that the release of the Israeli prisoners of war by Hamas was specifically defined in the three-phase ceasefire agreement negotiated by Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy and signed by the U.S. and Israel. In other words, when Trump announced that Hamas must release all of its prisoners of war by Saturday noon, he was breaking his own peace plan—the peace plan that he was so braggadocious about creating when he first took office.

In committing this treachery, Trump has proven to the world (friends and enemies) that his word means absolutely NOTHING. The ramifications of Trump’s sycophantic endorsement of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people will haunt him (and America) in the attitudes and actions of the international community for the rest of his presidency.

Colonel Douglas Macgregor predicts that Trump’s greenlighting the continuation of Israel’s genocide of Gaza will result in the unification of the Arab states against the U.S. and Israel and lead to an all-out regional or even global war. He’s probably right.

Trump is using Israel’s military (with America’s bombs and missiles) to clean out that whole thing [Gaza]. That means finish the job of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Gazan people so Trump and his billionaire buddies can build their Riviera of the Middle East and turn the Gazan coastline into another Atlantic City.

The cold-blooded inhumanity of governmental leaders (including a host of U.S. presidents and congressmen) who are eagerly willing to inflict such massive bloodshed upon mankind—for their own political and financial gain—and who exhibit such utter indifference to their victims never ceases to amaze me.

So, according to what Trump said, by this weekend, he will join Joe Biden as a War Criminal and mass murderer. How long has he been in office? Three weeks? It didn’t take long. And false prophet Paula White will be the one auctioning Trump’s genocide as a righteous cause to America’s evangelicals.

I wonder how much longer the freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right to redress Trump’s Zionist government will last with Paula White leading the White House Faith Office.

Reprinted with permission from Chuck Baldwin Live.

The post Trump’s White House Faith Office Head Paula White: The High Priestess of False Prophets appeared first on LewRockwell.

International Man: Before the income tax, tariffs funded the US federal government.

Was the country better off then?

If tariffs were to replace the income tax today, would it be a net positive?

Doug Casey: Most people have forgotten that the income tax was only imposed in 1913. Before then, the US government was funded almost entirely from tariffs and excise taxes. So, it’s possible to run the government solely on tariffs. But only if the size of the government is drastically cut. It would have to be at least 80% or 90% smaller. Relative to the economy, that’s about what it was before World War I.

It would be a net positive if tariffs replaced the income tax—if that’s all there was to it. For one thing, tariffs are non-invasive. They don’t require agents rifling through your life.

It’s highly unlikely that the government will give up that much power. The best case is that high tariffs might allow a decrease in the income tax. But if it’s adjusted down, it can be adjusted back up. That’s why these things must be pulled out by the roots, with Agent Orange sewn where they grew. Reductions are nice but delusional and counterproductive in the long run.

The chances are we’ll just wind up with an additional layer of tax by virtue of tariffs.

International Man: Suppose Trump sincerely intends to replace the income tax with tariffs.

Is such a plan realistic, and what would it take to succeed?

Doug Casey: Looking at the numbers, the US government spends about $6.75 trillion per year but only collects about $4.9 trillion in revenue. The difference is covered by printing money, which is to say by inflating the currency.

Can tariffs solve that problem? That’s most unlikely. The US imports about $4 trillion of goods per year. Tariffs currently yield about $80 billion on that or less than 2% of government revenue. Could tariffs be increased by 50 times? No. Anyway, the higher import tariffs go, the less imports there will be. At some point, higher tariffs will actually result in less, not more, government revenue.

Don’t get me wrong on this. I want to see the State get less revenue. But not by destroying international trade. And don’t forget—foreigners don’t pay tariffs. US consumers do. Tariffs only cost foreign producers lost sales and lost profits.

Trump’s proposed tariffs could destroy international trade. They’ll destroy foreign businesses that are selling to the US and destroy American businesses which export abroad. That’s what happened with the Smoot–Hawley tariffs in 1929, which made the Great Depression much worse. Foreigners were unable to buy from the US because it became uneconomic for them to sell to us.

Trump seems to think that tariffs will fuel a boom. That’s ridiculous. They’ll only result in a huge reduction in our standard of living. Tariffs amount to placing your own country under embargo. It’s like shooting yourself in the foot.

If the government is cut back to its only three essential and moral functions—defending citizens from foreign attack, protecting residents from domestic criminals, and providing a court system to adjudicate disputes—yes, Trump’s tariffs could work as long as government spending was cut radically.

The trillion dollars of military spending, an epicenter of grift, acts as a provocation to other countries. It’s an insane amount which could be cut massively. Social Security, which has always been a Ponzi scheme, should be replaced by individual retirement accounts with real assets, not government debt. Medicare and Medicaid should be phased out. These things equal 75% of spending.

A lot of income could be generated by selling BLM and Forest Service land, which is now dead capital.

In the meantime, DOGE should continue on its current path. There’s a huge amount of fraud and waste throughout the government, not just USAID and the Dept of Education. Eliminating most regulations and taxes would enable a genuine boom.

Trump is basically planning on using tariffs for two objectives. To generate revenue, which we’ve just discussed. And to force manufacturing back into the US.

The reason businesses have left the US is because of high taxes and regulations. Trying to coerce where manufacturing goes without changing the basic fundamentals is counterproductive. Coercion can’t build a strong economy.

I can imagine Trump saying, “We have a huge trade deficit with Guatemala on bananas. This is a national security risk, and they’re ripping us off on bananas. I’ll tariff Guatemalan bananas, and we’ll build a beautiful and great banana industry in Detroit.”

With the same logic, Guatemalan politicians might respond, “We don’t have an auto industry here. Let’s put 200% tariffs on US cars. We’ll make our own Cadillacs.”

This is a comical example, but it illustrates the foolishness of tariffs. Nobody wins, and everybody’s standard of living drops—except for Detroit banana growers and Guatemalan Cadillac makers, until they both go bankrupt.

However, if Trump deregulates quickly and radically enough, that may compensate for a good part of the damage his tariffs cause. Although, if things come unglued, the Democrats are likely to win the next election and make things worse than ever by rehiring fired bureaucrats and reinstating old regulations.

Much of what Trump is doing now—deregulating and closing agencies—is wonderful. But it could all be reversed with the next election, while the damage he does by starting a tariff war will linger.

International Man: Many are overlooking the potential delayed and indirect effects of tariffs.

Could they lead to capital controls, a shakeup in the monetary system, and disruptions in global trade?

Doug Casey: Definitely. Remember that since about 1980, the main export of the US hasn’t been Boeings or soybeans. It’s been dollars. Which has artificially raised the US standard of living. Foreigners have been trading real goods for fiat dollars for over 40 years. Now, there are $30 or $40 trillion in US dollars owned by foreigners outside of the US. They’re a time bomb.

At some point, the world will want to dump them on the US in exchange for real wealth. The value of the dollar is strictly a matter of confidence, backed by the faith and credit of the US government and its ability to extract resources from American citizens. However, confidence in the stability and reliability of the US Government is low. If it’s run by Executive Orders, on the whim of the President, confidence could collapse.

If a currency panic occurs, Trump is likely to put on controls in a futile and counterproductive effort to support the dollar. Tinkering the way he is, Trump reminds me of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Things that seem like a good idea to start with can easily get out of control.

Constructive things, like massive deregulation and lower government spending, will result in a stronger country and a stronger dollar. Destructive things, like massive tariffs and arbitrary actions, will do the opposite.

Significant tariffs will result in less trade. And if there’s less trade internationally, there will be less demand for the US dollar, which is the medium of almost all trade in the world. Less demand for the US dollar will weaken it.

It’s sad that Trump’s economic thinking is so full of flaws and contradictions because this is America’s last chance to straighten up and fly right. He’s in the position of Louis XV, who observed: “Apres moi, le deluge”. Unfortunately, Louis did nothing to prevent the tidal wave that was coming.

International Man: Recently, gold prices have risen amid rumors of surging demand for physical deliveries as investors worry about the effects of tariffs.

What’s your take on the current gold market trends? What do you think could happen next?

Doug Casey: Assuming you can believe what we’re told, a lot of gold is being transferred from London to New York, and people are taking delivery of gold on the COMEX, not just closing out contracts for a profit. It could be that a lot of shorts are being squeezed. Remember, the financial world hates gold. They believe it’s a pet rock, as Warren Buffett said. And they’re being punished as gold crowds $3000.

It’s possible that the US government, under Trump, is buying gold through intermediaries. It’s possible that the sovereign wealth fund that Trump wants to put together is being stocked with gold separate from the gold owned by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve.

Perhaps gold is leaving London for New York because the current British government is even crazier than the Biden regime was. Britain and its government are in much worse shape than the US and its government, as hard to believe as that might be. It’s logical for people to take delivery of their gold. You don’t want to entrust assets to an unreliable custodian. The recent experience of the Russians should be instructive in that regard.

It’s notable that the public is not involved in any of this. One proof of that is that gold coin premiums are close to historic lows. What’s going on now is strictly among the big boys—governments, central banks, and large institutions.

International Man: Do you think tariffs and their ripple effects will create distortions in the market?

How can speculators capitalize on these opportunities?

Doug Casey: Any government action—any additional law or tax—automatically creates a distortion, which eventually must be unwound to the profit of some and the loss of others.

While Trump is adding new distortions with his tariffs, he’s unwinding old distortions by deregulating. For example, the abolition of USAID. It was a veritable criminal organization spending $50 or $60 billion a year of taxpayer’s money on destructive grifts. Many entities and individuals who were expecting funding from USAID will default on their obligations, and have to liquidate. The same thing will happen when the Department of Education bites the dust. And FEMA. And hopefully hundreds more agencies, offices, departments, bureaus, and NGOs. With any luck, thousands of grifters will be jailed or wind up living under bridges.

We’re in a situation of real chaos now. It’s going to become even more chaotic as Trump’s numerous enemies reorient and counterattack. We don’t really know what Trump is planning next. Just yesterday, he announced 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. That’s a big deal. Many foreign suppliers and domestic buyers will probably be forced into bankruptcy, their margins destroyed by this new tax. With more to come.

Foreign countries will retaliate with similar tariffs. Stupid governments everywhere (including the US, which started all of this) will place their own countries under embargo to show how tough they are.

The best way for speculators capitalize on this is to stay liquid for the moment and wait for the dust to settle. You don’t want to try to catch a falling knife. The one thing that’s for sure is that you want to have as many real assets in your own physical possession as possible. Like gold and silver coins.

This is not a good time to trust paper or conventional institutions, including banks. Build your holdings of gold and silver coins, either in your own possession or stored by some non-governmental entity you trust. Preferably in a stable second country.

Reprinted with permission from International Man.

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Dimitri Lascaris says Trump’s chaotic second presidency is hastening the demise of U.S. global power.

Dimitri Lascaris says Trump’s chaotic second presidency is hastening the demise of U.S. global power.

“Trump could turn out to be a godsend for the rest of us if we can avoid a catastrophic war,” says Lascaris.

Dimitri Lascaris is a lawyer, journalist and activist. He worked for many years as a lawyer for some of the biggest corporations on Wall Street. To say he knows a lot about deal-making is an understatement.

Lascaris says Trump’s acclaimed business prowess and “art of the deal” are wildly overrated. He is a failed real estate magnate who has been bankrupted and bailed out numerous times.

His 1987 bestselling book, The Art of the Deal, should have been titled The Art of the Con.

Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” is typical of his unscrupulous and brutish style. It is ethnic cleansing – a blatant war crime on a massive scale – dressed up by Trump as a wonder deal.

The 47th U.S. president’s stupidity, arrogance and criminality are fully on display.

As Lascaris points out, this does not bode well for Trump’s other big ambition – to produce a peace deal in Ukraine with Russia.

Trump and all recent American leaders have no credibility. They are seen as “agreement incapable”. During his first presidency (2016-2020), Trump broke the Iran nuclear deal and Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia.

It is doubtful that Trump possesses the depth of historical and political understanding to cut a deal over Ukraine. Especially since, as Lascaris notes, Russia has won the war and Trump has no leverage. He will be forced to accept Russia’s exacting terms, which means a humiliating defeat for the U.S. and its NATO proxies.

However, Lascaris warns that denouement could make for an extremely dangerous situation because Trump’s megalomania will find it impossible to accept such a debacle and contradiction to his boasts about “Making America Great Again.”

Lascaris says that Trump’s MAGA slogan will turn out to be MAWA – make America weak again.

His chaotic, irrational, impetuous and unscrupulous mode of business and foreign policy is alienating America’s postwar alliances and client-state relations. Trump is accelerating the demise of the American empire.

As Lascaris points out, Trump’s brutish and bullying behavior is a con to distract from not addressing the deep economic and social problems of the United States.

In Trump’s case, it’s not so much the Art of the Deal as the Art of the Con.

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

The post Trump’s Art of the Con is accelerating the collapse of American Empire appeared first on LewRockwell.

Every day I am seeing numerous signs that a true apocalypse is upon us. Because the “Apocalypse of John” was his vision of the end of the world, we often think of an apocalypse as something catastrophic or cataclysmic. In fact, the word comes from the Greek apokalupsis, from apokaluptein ‘uncover, reveal’, from apo– ‘un-’ + kaluptein ‘to cover’.

John had his Revelation after the Roman Emperor Domitian exiled him from his native Ephesus (now Izmir) to a small penal colony on the island of Patmos. John perceived the Roman Emperor and his empire to be godless and corrupt, so it’s logical that his Revelation was imbued with images of the widespread destruction of the existing order.

I believe John’s revelation of the end of something is apt for our current era because many U.S. government agencies are in for a major reckoning if the disclosures set in motion by the Trump administration are not blocked or obfuscated by swamp creatures and their corrupt judges.

Mainstream media dodo birds like Andersen Cooper—accustomed to having privileged relationships with the cabals they protect—still haven’t fully grasped this, though there are clear signs that Cooper is suffering from extreme cognitive dissonance that is causing him to feel very stressed. This was evidence by his stunning lack of self control when he told former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu “Don’t be a dick,” on a live broadcast in which they were discussing the revelations issuing from Elon Musk’s DOGE operation.

At the time he told me this, I shared his conviction, though I sensed that perfidy on such a vast and official scale would be very hard to prove. However, the final proof was President Biden’s awarding George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

To anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, Soros is obviously determined to act as an agent of chaos. Why else would he support district attorneys who don’t prosecute crime? Anyone who is even superficially acquainted with the literature on criminal behavior knows that the vast majority of it is committed by a relatively small number of hyper-aggressive young males. Unless this cohort is subjected to swift penal justice, it will run wild and cause chaos and unremitting sorrow.

As we enter this golden age of investigative scholarship and reporting, we are working on converting our Substack newsletter into a publication that better reflects our core mission as investigative scholars and reporters.

Courageous Discourse was initially conceived in December 2021, when Dr. McCullough and were feeling under heavy censorship fire. Back then, speaking the truth—as best as one could ascertain—was a courageous act in that doing so often resulted in suffering severe penalties.

Dr. McCullough learned this when he was fired from his senior hospital position, sued, stripped of all of his professorships and editorships, and branded by Medscape as one of the “Worst Physicians of 2021,” along with a rogues gallery of doctors convicted of performing fraudulent, unnecessary surgery, mass murder, making false diagnoses while under the influence of drugs, sexual harassment, and assault. Dr. McCullough’s crime was to treat his patients to prevent them from suffering hospitalization and death.

Needless to say, the picture has completely changed since those dark days three years ago, when we were feeling like shellshocked dissidents. To reflect this new era, we have decided not only to build a publication with the look and feel of an online investigative magazine, we are also going to change our name from Courageous Discourse to FOCAL POINTS. In our current cascade of disclosures—our Apocalypse Now—one of biggest tasks is deciding what to focus on.

This originally appeared on Courageous Discourse.

The post Apocalypse Now: A Cascade of Disclosures appeared first on LewRockwell.

President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the Make American Health Again Commission and appointing newly-elected Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., its chair.

Following the signing, in a brief ceremony hosted by Trump from the Oval Office, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch did the swearing in honors, with Kennedy, his wife Cheryl Hines, and other family members on hand.

After thanking his family, Kennedy reflected on his first time in the Oval Office, in 1962, when he had a meeting with his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, about the environment and the importance of restoring physical fitness to Americans. Kennedy also reflected on the past 20 years — during which, he said, he prayed, every morning, that God would put him in a position to end America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic.

Turning to President Trump, Kennedy continued, “On August 23 of last year, God sent me President Trump . . . He’s kept every promise that he’s made to me, he’s kept his word in every account and gone way beyond it. I’m so grateful to you, Mr. President.” Kennedy went on to call Trump “a pivotal historical figure” who will transform America.

Kennedy’s former presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, will serve as an advisor to Kennedy in his new role leading HHS.

According to the White House’s fact sheet, the MAHA Commission will address “the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases.” It is tasked with issuing its first report within 100 days producing an “assessment that summarizes what is known and what questions remain regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis…”

Moreover, a strategy document, on ways to improve the health of America’s children, will be produced within 180 days To reverse chronic disease, the MAHA Commission has four main policy directives:

1. Empower Americans through transparency and open-source data and avoid conflicts of interest in all federally funded health research.

2. Prioritize gold-standard research on why Americans are getting sick in all health-related research funded by the federal government.

3. Work with farmers to ensure that U.S. food is healthy, abundant and affordable.

4. Ensure expanded treatment options and health coverage flexibility for beneficial lifestyle changes and disease prevention.

The commission hopes to restore trust in medical and scientific institutions and hold public hearings, meetings, roundtables, and other events to garner expert input from leaders in public health.

In its fact sheet, the White House cited statistics delineating the seriousness of the health crisis:

• In the United States, six in 10 adults have at least one chronic condition, and four in 10 have two or more.
• Prior to COVID, American life expectancy averaged 78.8 years, while comparable countries averaged 82.6 years, creating a gap that equates to 1.25 billion fewer life years for Americans.
• The United States has the highest age-standardized cancer incidence rate across 204 countries, nearly double the next-highest rate. From 1990 to 2021, the United States saw an 88% increase in cancer.
• Asthma is far more common in the United States than in other parts of the world, including most of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The White House also noted that the U.S. spends almost twice per capita what other wealthy countries spend on healthcare and and that the rise in chronic conditions is not limited to adults.

The fact sheet also included:

• Childhood is usually the healthiest period of life, yet as of 2022, 30 million (40.7%) United States children had at least one health condition like allergies, asthma, or autoimmune diseases.
• Autism now affects one in 36 children, a staggering increase from rates of one to four out of 10,000 children identified with the condition during the 1980s.
• 18% of teens suffer from fatty liver disease, nearly 30% are prediabetic, and more than 40% are overweight or obese – these conditions were virtually unheard of in prior generations.
• The incidence of childhood cancer, while still rare, has increased 0.8% per year since 1975—an over 40% increase over 45 years.
• Over medication, particularly among children, is a growing concern. More than 3.4 million children are currently taking medication for ADD/ADHD and diagnoses continue to rise.

Finally, the White House cited statistics that have far reaching national impacts:

• 77% of young adults do not qualify for military service without a waiver, primary due to being overweight, drug use, or mental and physical health issues.
• 90% of America’s $4.5 trillion healthcare expenditure is directed at managing chronic and mental health conditions.

This originally appeared on The Kennedy Beacon.

The post President Trump Establishes MAHA Commission as Kennedy Is Sworn in To Lead HHS appeared first on LewRockwell.

This week, President Donald Trump took proactive steps to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, actions that give me cautious optimism. Of course, his bold initiative has led the warmongers and TDS-sufferers to scream, “He’s a Russian agent!” However, Trump’s moves break through decades of neocon-inspired anti-Russian propaganda to strive for a lasting peace in the region. Essentially, Trump is arguing that Russia is more beneficial as an ally than an adversary and that America’s historical decision to promise NATO membership to Ukraine was a significant strategic error. Both these things should be simple common sense.

The geopolitical landscape post-Cold War presented the United States with a unique chance to redefine its relationship with Russia. But instead of fostering an alliance that could bring about long-term peace, the neocons in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations—supported by the military-industrial complex—wanted to keep the NATO bureaucracy alive. So they treated 1990’s Russia as a weakened enemy to be exploited. It was like kicking a dog that’s already seriously injured. Once the dog heals, however, it’s going to remember who kicked it.

Why did the U.S. continue to treat Russia like an enemy after the fall of the Soviet Union? Every defense I’ve seen for this catastrophic policy usually boils down to soft racism against the Russian people—you can’t trust them; they will always be aggressive; it’s in the Russian blood to try to take over the world, etc. But our bellicose policy is self-fulfilling: by marching up to their borders, we make Russia more likely to be aggressive toward the outside world. Then the neocons can just say, “See? We told you so!”

At that time, the U.S. should have begun the process of dismantling NATO, whose very reason for existence had disappeared, but instead it went in the opposite direction, beginning the push to expand NATO right to Russia’s borders. This policy continued in the 21st century, and George W. Bush even indicated that Ukraine would eventually be included, a decision that everyone in Russia—from the most hardline to the most liberal—viewed as a direct security threat.

This is not just my opinion ex post facto, it was the view of high-ranking U.S. government officials at the time. In 2008, William Burns—then the U.S. Ambassador to Russia and now the Director of the CIA—wrote a document titled, “Nyet Means Nyet: Russia’s NATO Enlargement Redlines,” in which he argued that the entire Russian political class (not just Putin) saw NATO’s expansion into Ukraine (and Georgia) as a direct challenge to Russian interests. This was the brightest of red lines, but Washington ignored it.

This decision to expand NATO to Ukraine was not just a strategic blunder; it was the prime catalyst for the tensions we see today. For all the fevered talk of Putin wanting to recreate the Soviet Empire, the reality is that we are the ones who greatly expanded our sphere of influence, not them. The end of the Cold War could have marked the beginning of a new era where Russia and the U.S. worked in tandem on international challenges; instead it escalated into a new rivalry.

Trump is the first U.S. leader to recognize the idiocy of this antagonistic and disastrous policy, and to ask the obvious question: Wouldn’t it be better to have Russia as an ally rather than an enemy? If you haven’t been influenced by decades of neocon anti-Russian propaganda, the answer to this question is obvious.

Trump’s recent diplomatic efforts, therefore, are an attempt to mend this historical rift. His push for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is a recognition that peace benefits all parties involved, reducing the human and economic toll of conflict. Diplomacy, in this case, serves not only the interests of the involved nations but also global stability. By advocating for peace and a new relationship with Russia, Trump is attempting to rectify the mistakes of past U.S. policy. We need to stop asking Ukrainians to die for these mistakes.

Critics of Trump’s approach will argue that it rewards Russian aggression. However, this perspective ignores our past provocation and it overlooks the reality of international relations where peace requires concessions from all sides. Peace talks de-escalate tensions, potentially leading to a more stable Eastern Europe. The promise of NATO expansion into Ukraine was a direct challenge to Russian security interests, and while that does not justify Russia’s actions, it’s vital to understand the provocations that led to the current standoff.

Read the Whole Article

The post Trump Looks to Correct a Disastrous 1990’s Mistake appeared first on LewRockwell.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday the Justice Department has taken legal action against Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder over New York issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

The actions are in step with President Donald Trump’s pledge to restore law and order throughout the nation.

These NY officials should be charged with murder as they aided and abetted Illegal-immigrant murder of US citizens.  

Here is Pam Bondi reading the riot act to the blue state government criminals who thought they could get away with any and every thing:

Bondi said during a brief press conference that the lawsuits target a “green light law” that permits illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses in New York.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today. We’re here today because we have filed charges against this,” she said. “Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people.”

Bondi previously sued Illinois and Chicago to invalidate the state and city’s sanctuary city policies.

“As you know, we see Illinois and New York didn’t listen. So now you’re next,” she said.

“We did it to Illinois. Strike one. Strike two is New York, and if you’re a state not complying with federal law? You’re next,” Bondi said.

“This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens, and Angel moms, like the mom standing right behind me, who you’re going to hear from in a moment,” she added.

Bondi’s reference to “Angel moms” was in relation to Angel Mom Tammy Nobles, who says an illegal MS-13 gang member murdered her daughter, 20-year-old Kayla Marie Hamilton, last year in Aberdeen, Maryland.

AG Bondi can apply the same accountability to the corrupt Democrat judges, many of whom could be charged with murder. See this.

The post Hang Them High, Bondi appeared first on LewRockwell.

I feel one of the most significant issues in healthcare is that things are so rushed that patients don’t get the opportunity to establish a genuine relationship with their physician, and hence, they often lack the critical voice that is necessary for a doctor-patient relationship to be therapeutic. Because of this, I initially had the goal to correspond with everyone who reached out to me, but now, due to how many correspondences I receive, that’s no longer possible.

I eventually decided that the best option I had was to post monthly open threads where anyone could ask what they wanted to, as that way I could efficiently get through the pressing questions I was not able to answer throughout my articles. Then pair those threads with a topic that didn’t quite merit its own article.

For this month’s open thread, I wanted to answer some of the general questions readers have about this newsletter and discuss how it fits into the much broader cycle we are all rapidly being pulled into.

Dismantling Medical Propaganda

Throughout my life, I’ve watched many remarkable medical innovators be crushed and erased by a system that does not tolerate dissent, and in tandem, I’ve watched disastrous drug after drug (or vaccine) be given free rein to harm so many people.

In most cases, the same things perpetuate this (e.g., a rigid unwillingness within the medical profession to challenge any existing medical dogmas and an absolute trust in the medical orthodoxy by both the media and our other institutions). For instance, consider this 2006 CBS news segment (and NIH study), which showed that flu shots increased flu deaths but had no effect on the CDC’s vaccine recommendations.

Likewise, I’ve lost count of how many specious arguments I’ve seen be reused again and again to defend the medical industry.

For example, the most recent NTY hit piece on RFK Jr. showcased one of these ridiculous arguments. For decades, the medical community has circularly argued that vaccines are so “safe and effective” that it is unethical to test them against controls as this would deny those controls access to “life saving vaccines” (despite vaccine preventable fatal infectious illnesses being very rare in the United States).

As such, the only acceptable way to test vaccines is to compare them to an existing vaccine (which in turn hides most of the harm since all vaccines cause similar issues) and only briefly monitor for side effects (when most of the major issues are chronic illnesses that take time to develop). In contrast, whenever long-term studies are conducted evaluating vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children (which consistently show vaccines increase most of the common chronic illnesses children suffer from by 1.5-10 times), they are always attacked for being invalid since the trial was not blinded with a placebo.

Likewise, we are all told to “believe in science,” but for one reason or another are never given the raw data behind it. For instance, we are never given access to the raw trial data for vaccines. Numerous datasets exist that could answer many of the safety questions about vaccines the government has kept hidden for decades despite many lawsuits trying to access them. Instead, we are only given carefully cured presentations of their data that consistently reinforce the “safe and effective” narrative—yet whenever a lawsuit makes it possible to obtain the actual raw data, it always shows the presentation we received was a lie. This includes:

•The SSRI antidepressant trials covering up the fact they killed people.

•The published paper on the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring system covering up the harms shown in the actual data.

•The COVID-19 vaccine trials not reporting many of the severe injuries that occurred and falsely inflating the vaccine’s efficacy.

•Many large papers produced during the pandemic (used to discredit off-patent COVID-19 therapies) using obviously fake data sets but were nonetheless published in major journals.

Note: a recent article discussed many of the other nonsensical arguments commonly used to promote vaccines (e.g., pushing people who aren’t vaccinated to vaccinate to protect those who are already vaccinated constitutes a tacit admission the vaccine does not work while saying it’s unacceptable we put the national vaccine program at risk by allowing lawsuits to be filed for vaccine injuries is a tactic admission vaccines aren’t safe).

What I find so frustrating about arguments like this is that for decades, the weight behind them has made them almost impossible to challenge regardless of how absurd they are (e.g., one of the primary attacks against RFK Jr. appointment was to say that since’s he’s been involved in vaccine injury litigation, that’s an immense disqualifying conflict of interest and he must recuse himself from any decisions relating to vaccines as H.H.S. Secretary, but right before RFK’s senate vote, the leading Democrat said that since RFK had not served as a pharmaceutical CEO, he was not qualified to run H.H.S.).

In turn, the key thing that motivated me to invest myself in speaking out on all of this was that when COVID happened, I realized everything was becoming malleable, and that for the first time in my life, these dogmas could be overturned because so many people were seeking out the truth and could open their eyes to see past the endless lies we are bombarded with.

Note: while many recent events could be tied to it, I believe this window ultimately exists because we are in a spiritual epoch characterized by things rapidly changing, and the rate of change continually accelerating (e.g., consider what the internet has done to society and how rapidly it is evolving). When this happens, societies typically become more and more unstable, so it is critical to both come to terms with this rapid pace of change and to do what you can to be a point of stability, which can help to guide everything that unfolds in a positive direction.

Once I saw this window, I realized the most useful thing I could do would be to gradually expose and dissect the mythologies that had been propped up to support vaccine program—which before long also required diving into their connections with the other predatory practices of the pharmaceutical industry, systemic government corruption (e.g., at the FDA) and the vast public relations (propaganda) apparatus around us. Since then, I’ve noticed people are starting to see through many of these lies, and more and more influencers are discussing them. I feel increasingly hopeful the longstanding propaganda system is no longer viable (e.g., I’ve corresponded with longtime News Anchors who’ve shared it’s an immense relief that the public relations industry they dealt with throughout their media careers is finally starting to be exposed).

At the same time however, I also felt that exposing the failings of the medical system (especially many of the more egregious pharmaceutical drugs) was not enough. Instead, it was also necessary to provide a better path forward, as without that, no matter how much you fight against it, it’s almost impossible to overturn the current paradigm. To that end, I’ve tried to provide useful resources on the Forgotten Sides of Medicine that:

• Applies to a significant number of people and is relatively easy to implement.

•Had a high likelihood of improving people’s health and was very unlikely to harm people.

•Provided a direct experience demonstrating a better way forward for medicine and how we understand health (as this is much more powerful than just being an intellectual idea).

Finally, since I’ve been involved in the health freedom area for decades (and that community provided the initial support that created the audience here), I’ve tried to focus on specific political issues periodically that I feel are important and within the scope of this publication. Especially if I feel there is an opportunity to shift things. For example, I recently dedicated the last two months to helping secure RFK’s nomination—and due to an immense stroke of luck, one of the campaigns I put into motion caught a societal wave and overnight reframed the national discussion around RFK’s confirmation to focus on the financial conflicts of interest motivating many of his detractors.

Read the Whole Article

The post The Year In Review and the Incredible Opportunities Before Us appeared first on LewRockwell.

President Trump has ordered the U.S. Mint to stop producing pennies. The reason is that it’s too costly to produce them. It costs the Mint nearly four cents to produce one penny.

The penny phenomenon is good example of what the federal government — and, specifically, the Federal Reserve — has done to our money. Ever since the Fed and a paper-money system were established in 1913 and the 1930s, the Fed has destroyed the value and stability of American money.

For more than 100 years, the official money of the United States was gold coins and silver coins. That’s because the U.S. Constitution established a gold-coin/silver-coin monetary system. We know that because the Constitution gave the federal government the power to “coin” money. At the risk of belaboring the obvious, one does not “coin” paper money. One “coins” money out of metals. We also know that the Constitution expressly prohibited the state governments from making anything but gold and silver legal tender.

The Framers wanted nothing to do with paper money. They knew what government officials throughout history have done with paper money. They have printed it to their heart’s content to pay for their ever-increasing expenditures. At the risk of further belaboring the obvious, one cannot print ever-increasing amounts of gold coins and silver coins.

America’s official, constitutional gold-coin/silver-coin system contributed to the phenomenal increase in the standard of living of the American people in the late 1800s. That’s because the value of people’s money was stable and predictable.

In the 1930s, however, this constitutional monetary system came to a screeching halt. Without even the semblance of the required constitutional amendment, the Franklin Roosevelt regime decreed the end of America’s constitutional monetary system, in favor of a paper-money system that the Framers had rejected. In one of the most infamous acts in U.S. history, FDR ordered every American to deliver his gold to the U.S. government in return for irredeemable paper money. If a person refused to do so, he would be prosecuted for a federal felony offense for owning what had been the official money under the Constitution for more than a century.

Interestingly, FDR didn’t make it a felony to own silver coins. For a while, silver coins continued to circulate. But over time, Gresham’s Law in economics came into play. Gresham’s Law holds that bad money will drive good money out of circulation. That’s what happened with silver coins. Given that the cost of producing silver coins was increasing, the U.S. Mint began resorting to cheap alloyed coins to lower its cost of producing the coins. Given a choice between using silver coins and alloyed coins, people resorted to hoarding the silver coins and using only the alloyed coins in their daily transactions. Thus, the good coins — the silver ones — ended up disappearing from circulation. That’s how Gresham’s Law operates.

For example, suppose you have four silver quarters in your pocket that were minted long ago. You also have four cheap alloyed quarters that were just minted just recently. You walk up to a vending machine to purchase a soft drink that costs one dollar. Which coins are you going to use — the silver ones or the cheap alloyed ones?

Why does this phenomenon occur? Because of the paper-money system and the Federal Reserve System that statists brought into existence and that the Framers strived to avoid. As the U.S. government, decade after decade, printed ever-increasing amounts of paper money, the value of gold coins and silver coins, nickels, and pennies increased in relation to the ever-increasing amounts of paper money.

It’s simply the basic economic principle of supply and demand. Increase the supply of something and its value goes down compared to other items. Here that something is paper money. Increase its supply and its value goes down compared to everything else, including gold coins, silver coins, nickels, and, yes, also pennies.

That also explains the increasing cost of producing such coins. For example while it costs the U.S. Mint $.37 today to produce a penny, it cost “only” $.17 in 2020. That’s what inflating the paper money supply has done and continues to do to our money.

How bad has paper-money inflation been? According to this website, the value of the paper dollar has decreased 97 percent since 1913, when the Federal Reserve was called into existence. That’s what government has done to our money.

Trump’s order to stop producing the penny is a far cry from what needs to be done to restore sound money to the American people. We need to either restore America’s constitutional system of gold coins and silver coins as our nation’s official money or, even better, get the federal government entirely out of the money business and adopt a free-market monetary system for our nation, one in which the market, not government, determines the medium of exchange.

Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation.

The post Paper Money and the Fed Have Destroyed the Penny and the Rest of Our Money appeared first on LewRockwell.

As an educator, I am particularly intrigued by AI’s potential as an educational tool rather than its functional applications in the workplace. To explore this, I conducted an in-depth interview with AI on over 25 topics, aiming to uncover its perspectives on a wide range of issues. This exploration feels especially relevant as more people turn to AI as a credible source of information. The key question, then, is: What does AI think? Among the many insights I gathered, one of the most compelling was AI’s approach to handling conflicts between nations

I posed a hypothetical situation for exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) interprets ethical and legal principles in international relations. The hypothetical scenario provides an opportunity to observe the values it prioritizes. Unlike real-world scenarios, hypothetical situations are devoid of the nuances and biases present in historical precedent or media influence. This makes them ideal for analyzing the ethical frameworks AI employs. To this end, a scenario was presented to AI involving a dispute between two nations, and its response revealed an adherence to principles of self-determination and the illegitimacy of territorial acquisitions obtained by force.

The Hypothetical Conflict

The scenario imagined a world where Spain, after winning the Spanish-American War, claimed the state of Florida as a war prize. Twenty years later, the United States, having regained its strength, sought to reclaim Florida, arguing that it historically belonged to them and that the majority of the population were American citizens. The central question was whether the United States’ attempt to retake Florida would constitute an invasion or a righteous repatriation of territory.

AI’s Analytical Framework

AI approached the hypothetical conflict by breaking it down into key components:

1. Historical Claims: The United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821 through the Adams-Onís Treaty. If Spain reclaimed Florida after the Spanish-American War and retained control for two decades, the historical claim of the United States to the territory would still exist but would be complicated by the intervening Spanish governance.
2. International Law: AI emphasized that international law typically respects sovereignty established through treaties, provided they are made voluntarily. If Spain’s acquisition of Florida resulted from a peace treaty ending the war, the legitimacy of their control would hinge on whether the treaty was signed under duress or coercion. Treaties obtained through force are generally considered invalid under international law.
3. Repatriation vs. Invasion:
   • Righteous Repatriation: The United States could frame its actions as restoring rightful ownership of a historically American territory. This argument would be bolstered if the majority of Florida’s inhabitants were American citizens who supported reintegration with the U.S.
   • Invasion: Conversely, Spain could argue that the U.S. was violating its sovereignty by attempting to reclaim territory it had legally governed for 20 years, especially if the population had integrated into Spanish governance.
4. Self-Determination: AI highlighted the critical role of the population’s preferences. If most Floridians were American citizens desiring reintegration, their voices would support the U.S. claim. Conversely, if the population favored Spanish governance, the U.S. action would lack justification.  (ChatGPT January 2024)

Core Ethical Principles Affirmed by AI

The scenario brought AI’s ethical framework into sharp focus, particularly its reliance on two key principles:

1. Self-Determination: The principle of self-determination, enshrined in the United Nations Charter, supports the right of peoples to choose their sovereignty and political status. AI proposed that a democratic referendum could serve as a fair mechanism to determine Florida’s future. Such a process would align with international norms and respect the will of the population.
2. Invalidity of Treaties Signed Under Duress: AI drew upon the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which asserts that treaties obtained through coercion or force are void. If Spain’s acquisition of Florida involved coercion, its control would lack legitimacy under international law. The United States, therefore, could argue for a moral and legal right to reclaim the territory.

See below for direct quotes of the above principles:

Voice of the People:

• • Self-Determination: The principle of self-determination holds that people have the right to choose their own sovereignty and political status without external compulsion. This principle is enshrined in the United Nations Charter and various international agreements.
  • Referendum: A referendum can serve as a democratic tool to determine the will of the people. In situations of disputed sovereignty or territorial changes, a referendum with a clear majority vote can provide a legitimate basis for determining which nation the people wish to belong to. Historical examples include the referendums held in Quebec, Scotland, and Crimea, though the legitimacy and fairness of each are subject to international scrutiny.

Illegitimacy of Territorial Acquisition by Force:

• • Prohibition of Force: Modern international law, particularly the UN Charter, prohibits the use of force to acquire territory. This principle aims to maintain international peace and security by discouraging aggressive actions.
  • Invalid Treaties: Treaties or agreements signed under duress or as a result of military conquest are generally considered invalid. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties outlines that any treaty obtained through the threat or use of force is void.
  • Restitution: For a nation to be considered just, it should not retain territory acquired through illegitimate means. Restitution or the return of such territory would be necessary to align with international law and ethical standards. Historical precedents include the return of territories occupied during wars, such as the return of territories by Germany after World War II. (ChatGpt  January 2025)

Historical Comparisons and Lessons

To contextualize the principles at play, AI referenced historical examples:

• The Falklands War (1982): The United Kingdom reclaimed the Falklands after an Argentine invasion. The overwhelming support of the Falklands’ inhabitants for British governance underscored the importance of self-determination.
• Crimean Annexation (2014): Russia’s annexation of Crimea highlighted the contested nature of referendums held under military occupation. Despite claims of self-determination, the international community largely condemned the annexation.
• Alaska Statehood (1959): Alaskan citizens’ push for integration with the United States culminated in statehood, demonstrating the significance of respecting the will of the people.

These examples illustrate the complexity of territorial disputes and the importance of adhering to principles of self-determination and international law.

Implications for Modern International Relations

AI’s analysis reveals a clear commitment to justice, fairness, and adherence to international norms in resolving territorial disputes. Two essential principles stand out:

1. The Voice of the People: Territorial disputes should prioritize the preferences of the inhabitants. A democratic referendum provides a transparent means of determining their desired affiliation, ensuring that their voices are heard and respected.
2. Rejection of Forceful Acquisitions: Modern international law prohibits territorial acquisition through force, and treaties signed under duress are invalid. By respecting these principles, nations can promote stability and justice in global affairs.

Conclusion

The hypothetical scenario underscores AI’s capacity to navigate complex ethical dilemmas with a framework rooted in international law and human rights. AI could have referenced Machiavellian principles of right makes right, however, by whatever algorithm it was programmed, it affirmed more humane and just principles. Maybe AI does have a conscience after all! By affirming the principles of self-determination and rejecting the legitimacy of coercive treaties, AI demonstrates an ability to prioritize fairness over might. This approach provides valuable insights into how nations can resolve disputes while upholding the values of justice, autonomy, and peace.

The post AI’s Perspective on Global Conflicts: Self-Determination a Key Criteria for Fairness. appeared first on LewRockwell.

This article was written by Brandon Smith and originally published at Birch Gold Group

With the death of the woke movement well underway and most mainstream discussion focused on DEI, it might be prudent to remind people where all the this Cultural Marxism came from. What was the original source? Well, these programs have been spreading like a plague into modern academia for decades, but the impetus for near-total takeover of the majority of our social institutions was the launch of ESG programs under the UN and an army of NGOs.

The majority of ESG related entities were, as we now know, funded by western governments using taxpayer dollars to fuel an astroturfed leftist revolution. As I noted in my article ‘Rothschild Admits ESG Failure As Globalists Shift To “Inclusive Capitalism” Agenda’, published in September of 2023:

“ESG was intended to be the tool that globalists and governments would use to force companies into the stakeholder capitalism model…

The goal was to incentivize corporations into bombarding the public with woke messaging 24/7. Every movie, every TV show, every book, every comic, every children’s cartoon, every commercial, every product, every major social media site, every employee handbook, every social interaction would be tainted with the poison of woke propaganda. There would be nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape the messaging. And it worked, for a little while…”

A couple years ago I argued that ESG was dying after the Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates. There was an observable decline in financing for woke programs and propaganda across the board. In other words, there were a lot of NGOs and other entities that were receiving government funds and they were recycling those funds into far-left ESG, DEI, and CRT projects. When the central bank started hiking interest rates, the lending cost more and the money started to dry up.

The exposure of ESG by the alternative media and the strangled flow of cheap cash signaled the death knell of a decade long agenda to “wokify” the west. It was so exposed, in fact, that Lynn de Rothschild, a leader in ESG and the head of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, admitted the idea was sullied and needed to be changed or “re-branded”.

I don’t think many Americans realize just how pervasive the ESG agenda truly was. The recent exposure of USAID by Elon Musk and his DOGE team is shining a light on just a portion of it. For example, the USAID spending millions to prop up leftist propaganda machines like Politico (through ultra expensive “subscriptions”) is quite the eye opener, but what about the billions of dollars that went into ESG venture capital projects to fund dozens if not hundreds of liberal online media outlets, movies, TV shows, video games, woke advertising, etc. The extent of the influence was massive.

And, it is likely that most of the cash supporting this enormous social engineering project came from the Federal Reserve and the pockets of US taxpayers. We were paying for our own indoctrination and economic demise, and I’m sure the people behind USAID and other rogue institutions had a good laugh about that.

Of course, they aren’t laughing now. Now they’re out of a job. But is the damage already done? Is there no going back?

The excessive spending through ESG was not only designed to change western culture, it was also designed to hide glaring weaknesses in the current system. Since before the elections I have continued to warn that Trump’s greatest adversary is not the Democrats or the “deep state” or leftist activists; rather, his greatest adversary is the US economy. Trump has inherited a system in stark decline, but much of this data is unknown to the public at large.

The Biden Administration used creative accounting to hide much of the damage. They were unable to obscure the greater effects of stagflation on retail prices and the housing market, but the inherent weaknesses in the labor market, wages, GDP, energy markets, national debt and the US dollar are all less understood by the public.

The Biden Admin is gone but they have left a ticking time bomb behind; the data they were suppressing is about to be unleashed and Trump’s first year is going to look like a financial disaster unless he addresses the problem immediately.

I outlined this problem in detail in my article ‘Smoke And Mirrors: What Happens After Biden’s Economic Manipulations Disappear?”, published in September of 2024. In that essay I predicted Trump’s election win, but I also explained why the presidency could be booby trapped with an economic crash that is ultimately blamed on conservatives.

It’s important to keep in mind that as the truth is revealed there is always a chance the public (and the investment world) will panic. A lot of alternative economists, myself included, have discussed the possibility that if the truth about our economy was ever made widely known, the entire global edifice might come crashing down from the weight of the revelation. If people knew how much corruption and fraud was a part of our daily lives, our economy and our national framework, what would happen?

It’s not enough to simply draw the curtain and unveil the ugliness underneath, a solution must also be offered. The answer might actually come from the very ESG projects that were designed to destroy the US in the first place.

ESG was drawing its money from unprecedented debt spending and taxpayer dollars. That’s not going to work for obvious reasons. However, Trump’s tariff measures may hold the key. In other words, make corporations and importers pay for the rejuvenation of domestic production and perhaps even breath new life into an America-based cultural renaissance.

The original NAFTA agreement (and similar policies) removing most trade barriers between the US, Mexico and Canada was an incredible betrayal of the US economy by a coalition of Neo-Cons and Democrats, facilitated in 1992 by George H.W. Bush who was obsessed with globalization.

Bush (and others in government) wanted a European Union-like arrangement in North America, a supranational body that would eventually dissolve borders and operate as a single economic and social entity. NAFTA didn’t go into effect until 1994, but then President Bill Clinton certainly ran with it. Within six years US manufacturing jobs and industry collapsed.

Any return of tariffs is consistently demonized as a trigger for financial catastrophe (much like any attempt to freeze the debt ceiling is portrayed as the end of the world by Democrats). The example of Herbert Hoover and the Smoot-Hawley tariffs is always brought up in comparison to Donald Trump’s policies.

The establishment has already tried to blame Trump for the existing stagflation problem. Even though the crisis broke out under Joe Biden’s presidency, they still tried to scapegoat Trump and conservatives for the event. Luckily it didn’t stick, but it might this time if Trump isn’t careful.

For now it appears that Trump is using tariffs as short term leverage to force countries to correct geopolitical imbalances (like the illegal immigration issue). This is the best use of tariffs under the current conditions, and so far Mexico and Canada have folded quickly. That said, lesser long term tariffs will be needed to correct longer term trade imbalances and the US just doesn’t have the industrial base anymore to do that effectively.

If the president hopes to stop the avalanche of national debt and money printing while also freeing the common American worker from the tyranny of the income tax, he’s going to need an expertly established tariff system in place along with revamped manufacturing to prevent high inflation.

Tariffs will ultimately require the US to become a producer nation again. But how can this be accomplished quickly? I would suggest, as mentioned above, that Trump implement an ESG-like program which is designed to partially subsidize businesses that establish new manufacturing on US soil. I think this program could also be used to offer grants or low cost funding to cultural projects with a pro-western stance. And, it could all be funded through a percentage of revenues from the Trump tariffs instead of through income taxes.

In other words, make corporations and importers pay for the rebuilding of the US economy and the American culture that they tried to destroy over the past ten years.

Would this action represent government interference in the free market? Well, yes and no. Let’s not pretend like there’s a market for anti-western propaganda and woke corporations. The past several years have proven that consumers don’t want what the woke movement is selling. The government would simply be subsidizing the parts of the economy that US consumers actually WANT to survive.

In the end, if we’re going to reverse the damage done to America by the ESG coup and corrupt institutions like USAID, we need to follow the laws of physics – Every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. They used ESG for evil, and we’ll use ESG (or something similar) for good. I can’t imagine a better way to incentivize a manufacturing boom and a cultural boom in the US and avoid a stagflationary death spiral all at the same time.

Reprinted with permission from Alt-Market.us.

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Ron DeSantis is proposing a constitutional amendment to abolish property taxation in Florida.  There’s no state income tax in Florida but the state has one of the highest property taxes, 2% of the assessed value of a house each year.  This would save the owner of a $500,000 house $10,000/year and increase the capital value of the house as well.  No word yet on what kinds of taxes Florida politicians would propose to “make up” for the loss of revenue because, as everyone knows, no government in the world should ever, ever, reduce the total amount of theft it engages in from all sources.

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