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In the past few days I have listen to John Helmer say on Nima’s show that President Trump’s latest irresponsible outburst signals Putin that Russia is facing war.  Scott Ritter also on Nima’s show said the same.  I share the concern.

My position since the “Maidan Revolution” in Kiev in 2014, that is, since Washington’s overthrow of the democratically elected Ukrainian government and installed  a Russiaphobic puppet, has been that Putin’s unwillingness to deal decisively with the situation, first by permitting the overthrow, second by refusing the Donbas Russians’ 2014 request to be reincorporated into Russia like Crimea, and third by foolishly trusting to the Minsk Agreement and giving Washington and NATO eight years to build a Ukrainian army, guaranteed a conflict that would widen into a catastrophic event.

Hemer and Ritter say that is what we now face with Trump’s latest recklessness being the icing on the cake that Putin’s toleration of endless provocations has baked.

Here is the URL to the 32 minute interview Nima has with Ritter:

Scott Ridder is worth listening to.  Ridder was the chief arms inspector sent to Iraq to confirm that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction justifying Washington’s invasion.  But Ritter was too honest for the job and reported back that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  

The Zionist George W. Bush Regime simply ignored the report, sent US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the UN to lie through his teeth, and invaded and destroyed an Arab country for Israel.  George W., the son of a former US president and CIA Director, sent American soldiers to die for Israel and asserted he was fighting a “war on terror.”  He was fighting with American lives and money a war for Greater Israel.

Fighting wars for Israel has been US policy for the entirety of the 21st century. American parents, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, uncles, cousins, and friends have been fighting and dying for Israel and paying for their own deaths by financing the war with their own pocket books for three presidencies during which Washington has sacrificed Americans for Israel.

All of this has to be kept hidden from Americans and is by lies, censorship, charges of anti-semitism, and criminalization of  criticism of Israel.  If truth be known, Israel rules the West.  There are only two members in the US house of Representatives with the courage to stand up to Israel.  In the US Senate I think there is only one.  The bully Trump is afraid of the Israel Lobby and illegally bombed Iran–an act of war–on orders from Netanyahu.  Trump is building Greater Israel, not America. When MAGA-Americans elected Trump, they elected Netanyahu. 

To move on to the wider point.  Everywhere we look no government can face reality, not the Trump and predecessor regimes, not Putin and Lavrov, not the UK, France, Germany, China, Iran.  Not even those threatened can face the reality.  

I am currently rereading A.J.P. Taylor’s The Origins of the Second World War. World War II happened because everyone refused to recognize reality, except Hitler who recognized it about half the time.  The rest created the conditions for war that Hitler did not need or want.  Hitler did not conquer Austria.  The dumbshit Austrian government handed the country to him.  Hitler did not invade Czechoslovakia, the dumbshit Czech President Benes handed it to him.  The British and French, like Putin today, wanted peace and thus created the conditions for war.  The British government’s intense determination to avoid war caused it.  The foolish British government issued a military guarantee to the Polish military dictatorship just as it was about to sign an agreement for Germany to reincorporate German territory assigned to Poland by the Treaty of Versailles.  Consequently, the Poles walked away from settling the issue of Germans ruled by Poland.  The result was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact  portioning Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union.  

It was the British and French, neither capable of fighting, who recklessly declared war on Germany.  France was instantly conquered, and the British escaped at Dunkirk with Hitler’s permission.  Hitler misread Churchill.  Hitler thought that if he let the defeated British army escape, it wouldn’t wound the British pride, and they would accept his extraordinarily peace terms that committed Germany to the defense of the British Empire.  

In his day A.J.P. Taylor was hated because he told the truth, whereas the court historians insured their success by regurgitating war propaganda.  Most historians you read are court historians insuring their own success.

Tell the truth and the universities dismiss you from your position, as happened to A.J.P. Taylor. 

The inability or unwillingness to recognize reality today is worst than in the late 1930s.  Today every country’s  myths blind it to reality and compel it toward war.  When leaders, if that is what they are, are incapable of acknowledging reality, only luck can save us.

The post Reality Rules Whether of Not It Is Acknowledged appeared first on LewRockwell.

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The post John Mearsheimer: The Palestinian Genocide and How the West Has Been Deceived Into Supporting It appeared first on LewRockwell.

On July 28, one Shane Tamura double parked in front of a Manhattan high-rise, sauntered in carrying a weapon appearing to be modeled on the AR platform, and killed four people before taking his own life. The first to be taken out was an off-duty police officer working a security side job; second was a female Blackstone executive who had the misfortune of being down in the lobby instead of up in her office; and the third was an unarmed security guard. The killer then took the elevator up to the 33rd floor where he killed a woman who worked on that floor before turning the gun on himself.

Because the killer had a note on his person requesting that his brain be examined for evidence of CTE, it was thought that NFL offices on the 5th floor might have been his intended target; CTE is most associated with football injuries, and Tamura had played high school ball. But conspiracy theorists posited that his real intended target was the Blackstone offices on the 44th floor, Tamura unknowingly exiting the elevator on the wrong floor.

Although close-up photos of the killer’s weapon appeared in the media, reporters as usual fumbled the ball in their attempts to describe it. Some described it as an “AR-15 assault rifle,” some as an “M4 rifle.” Others were more tentative, describing it as an “AR-15-style rifle” or an “M4 assault-style rifle.” According to Kathy Hochul, it was an “AR-15-style assault rifle,” a “weapon of war.”

An assault rifle is a relatively compact military weapon capable of fully automatic fire that takes a cartridge smaller than that used in a typical battle rifle; the less powerful cartridge makes it easier to control the weapon during fully automatic operation. The original AR-15 fell into this category, later becoming the M16 and its variants; the current military incarnation of this weapon platform is the M4 carbine. Civilian versions of these weapon are semiautomatic only; in the case of the M4, however, the civilian version also had to have its barrel lengthened from 14.5 in. to a civilian-legal 16 in. Referring to any of these semiautomatic civilian versions as an “assault rifle” is a definite misnomer.

The killer’s weapon has a barrel that appears to be shorter than 16 in., probably accounting for its mistakenly being specifically identified as an M4. In reality, the damned thing is what is known as an “AR pistol.” What looks like a shoulder stock is actually a “stabilizing brace” that can be opened like a clam shell to fit around the sides of the shooter’s forearm, cinched tight with a strap that goes all the way around the forearm. (Check out pictures of the killer’s weapon and then do a Google image search for “stabilizing brace,” and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.) Because the weapon is technically a pistol, its barrel can legally be shorter than 16 in. So Hochul’s “weapon of war” actually turns out to be a semiautomatic pistol designed to be strapped to the forearm of someone with impaired motor skills.

The post Hochul’s Bugaboo appeared first on LewRockwell.

Over the last year, I’ve worked to bring the public’s attention to dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) a forgotten natural therapy which rapidly treats a wide range of conditions and that many studies have shown is very safe (provided it’s used correctly), and, most importantly (thanks to the 1994 DSHEA act which legalized all natural therapies) is now readily available.

Since I believe DMSO has immense potential to offer the medical community and individual patients, I’ve diligently worked to compile evidence that best supports its rediscovery. As such, throughout this series, I’ve presented over a thousand studies that DMSO effectively treats:

Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia), and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids), which I discussed here.

A wide range of tissue injuries, such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).

Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which I discussed here.

A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders, such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).

A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).

A wide range of internal organ diseases, such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).

A wide range of skin conditions, such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).

Many challenging infectious conditions, including chronic bacterial infections, herpes, and shingles (discussed here).

Many aspects of cancer (e.g., many of cancer’s debilitating symptoms, making cancer treatments more potent, greatly reducing the toxicity of conventional therapies, and turning cancer cells back into normal cells), which I discussed here.

Many lung disorders, including asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis (discussed here).

Sadly, most of us have never heard about it because the FDA spent decades fighting an unconscionable battle to outlaw and erase DMSO from history.

DMSO Combination Therapies

DMSO’s ability to treat a wide range of illnesses results from its having a variety of highly unusual properties that appear to address the root causes of disease. At the same time however, since DMSO has so many different therapeutic mechanisms (e.g., increasing parasympathetic activity, increasing circulation, regenerating senescent cells, being highly anti-inflammatory, blocking pain conduction etc.), despite having now reviewed thousands of studies on it, there is still a great deal I do not understand about the substance.

This is particularly true for one of DMSO’s most noteworthy properties, its ability to enhance the effects of other substances, which in many cases makes it possible to surmount major dilemmas traditionally seen with those therapies. This is particularly important, as while DMSO helps the majority of recipients (e.g., around 85-90% of readers reported relief from chronic pain), in many instances where DMSO alone will not suffice to address an ailment (e.g., pain), a combination therapy will.

Note: in some cases, the lack of efficacy comes from an incorrect method of administration of DMSO (as some applications are more potent for certain types of issues) or using poor quality DMSO.

DMSO’s unique ability to function as a vehicle is due to the fact that it can pass through biological membranes without damaging them, so once it contacts the skin, it rapidly spreads throughout the body, while simultaneously it readily dissolves most substances and is able to bring them with it into the body.
Note: DMSO also significantly increases fluid circulation throughout the body (including in and out of cells), further enhancing its ability to spread what it carries throughout the body.

This is very useful as:

• Be able to apply a medication topically or orally that would typically require an IV or injection.

• Making drugs become much more potent and able to treat conditions that the illnesses otherwise will not respond to (e.g., these mixtures can penetrate and treat antibiotic resistant bacteria or chemotherapy resistant cancers).

• Allowing lower doses of a drug to be used, which are often much less toxic (as you no longer need to flood the body with it to ensure a high enough concentration is reached in the target area—especially if that area has chronically poor blood flow).

• In many cases, counteract the toxicity of the blended medication (as DMSO protects tissue from injury).

• In some cases, there is a potent synergy between two substances that creates a medical breakthrough (e.g., when DMSO is combined with the pathology dye hematoxylin, it becomes a highly potent cancer therapy which does not affect normal cells).

Note: while DMSO cannot be patented, combinations can. As such, while DMSO alone is “unsafe” “ineffective” and “unproven” many “safe and effective” DMSO pharmaceutical combinations exist, including many approved by the FDA.

In turn, virtually all the previous applies to natural therapies as well, and in many cases DMSO is able to solve major challenges with the treatment or dramatically increase its potency and efficacy. Unfortunately, in many cases, it’s hard to say how much of the benefit comes from DMSO vs. what’s added to it, as many of the benefits I see from combination therapies are similar to what DMSO alone could do. Likewise, at this point, we’ve only barely touched the surface of what can be combined with DMSO, and I am relatively certain many more combinations like DMSO and hematoxylin are waiting to be discovered, which have paradigm shifting therapeutic synergies.

Given all of this, there are a few critical points to understand about natural DMSO combination therapies:

• In many cases where DMSO alone does not work for a condition (which DMSO is known to improve), a combination therapy will. For example, yesterday I learned someone I had been suffering from a severe migraine where DMSO didn’t work for her (which for others, it often does), so shortly before going to the ER, she decided to mix DMSO with two botanicals, responded immediately, and within an hour, her three-day migraine was over (which was life-changing for her).

• Many have found that combining DMSO with their favorite natural therapies has allowed them to take medical care into their own hands and “be their own doctor.”

• While DMSO combination therapies are generally safe, there are a variety of risks and safety considerations that need to be taken into consideration, particularly once one begins experimenting with them. It is for this reason that in the previous article, I listed a variety of critical rules to understand when creating your own combination therapies. As such, if you decide to explore creating therapeutic DMSO combinations, you need to read the previous article first (available here).

• While DMSO has a variety of positive pharmaceutical synergies, it appears to work best when combined with natural therapies. Additionally, as natural substances tend to be less toxic than pharmaceuticals, you are much less likely to run into a complication from potentiating a medication (but nonetheless, you should still read the previous article). That said, it is still essential to make sure you use high-quality products to avoid the risk of low-quality ones, which have toxic additives or contaminants in them, and likewise to avoid substances that are known to be toxic or (once filtered and sterile) never appropriate to infuse.

• Much like conventional therapies, many DMSO combinations remain undiscovered, and simultaneously, some of the combinations I’ve seen promoted are likely unnecessary (as DMSO alone would have the same effect).

Additionally, in many cases, natural alternatives to cosmetics can be made by combining pure fats, oils, or herbal extracts with DMSO, which is often quite advantageous, as beyond being quite effective, they avoid the toxicity, reactions, and dehydration of the skin or mucus membranes commonly seen with standard cosmetics.

Natural Combination Studies

Since DMSO has so much value as a pharmaceutical vehicle, a large volume of scientific literature exists on DMSO being used in combination with pharmaceutical drugs, and many different approved formulations exist (highlighting the absurdity of our medical bureaucracy, as alone, DMSO is “dangerous and unproven” but when combined with other patentable agents “safe and effective”).

As such, I covered that body of literature in the previous article, both to show, contrary to popular belief, that DMSO is widely used in medicine (provided money can be made), and so readers considering combination therapies could gain critical insights into how DMSO combinations interact with the body.

Beyond pharmaceuticals, many approved DMSO products also incorporate natural agents such as dexpanthenol (a form of B5 used for wound healing), menthol, camphor, lavandin, lavender oil, coriander oil, arnica, potassium iodide, or capsicum. In turn, a significant number of studies exist throughout the literature on using natural DMSO combination therapies, which I will now cover (excluding ones where heparin was used, as they are covered in the previous article, which details the majority of the DMSO combination studies).

Note: unless otherwise specified, all DMSO treatments were done topically (frequently with a DMSO containing ointment).

Chinese Herbs

A significant amount of DMSO research has been done in China, which has naturally led to studying it in combination with traditional Chinese Herbs, where together, they have been found to help a wide range of conditions:

• In rats with Alzheimer’s disease, DMSO and Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), administered for 14 days, improved learning and memory by reducing escape latency and searching distance in a water maze test.

• In 33 patients with severe psoriasis (25 with psoriasis vulgaris 7 with psoriasis guttate 1 with psoriasis pustulosa) found that an extract of camptotheca nuts dissolved in 70% DMSO was a “quick, effective and convenient treatment,” as a year later, 21 had a complete resolution of the disease, while the remaining 12 had greatly improved (but a few eruptions still could be found along with discolored patches of skin, especially on the lower legs where lesions had previously been reported).

• In 31 patients with postherpetic neuralgia, DMSO and a Chinese herbal medicine reduced pain scores and improved symptoms more effectively than standard medical therapy.

• A hospital dermatology department reported that DMSO and 0.05% lithospermum (purple gromwell) effectively treated viral warts.

• In mice with cervical carcinoma, treatment with 50 mg/kg DMSO combined with 20 mg/kg Zhenhuang injection extended survival by 65.81%–69.83% in ascitic tumors and inhibited solid tumor growth by 60.83%–68.33%, significantly outperforming DMSO alone (21.37%–25.86% survival, 22.50%–25.83% inhibition) or Zhenhuang alone (41.38%–43.59% survival, 37.50%–41.67% inhibition).

• A 15% DMSO, 1% mefenamic acid, and 10% knotweed herb extract ointment, demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects in rats by reducing experimentally induced paw edema and having a more prolonged effect over 24 hours than standard care.

• Many studies have shown DMSO enhances the absorption of plant extracts (e.g., for ginseng1,2). In this report, DMSO was found to increase the penetration of traditional ointment (distilled from honeysuckle, dandelion, forsythia, Chinese violet, and salvia miltiorrhiza).

Note: some Chinese formulations combine steroids, DMSO, and borneol (a traditional medicine found in herbs like camphor, rosemary, thyme, ginger, and cannabis).

Read the Whole Article

The post DMSO Mixtures Transform Natural Medicine appeared first on LewRockwell.

Ginny Garner wrote:

Lew,

What has happened to The Kate Dalley Show? Kate absolutely loves you, the Mises Institute, Ron Paul, Mises President Tom DiLorenzo and Tom Woods, and all of you have been guests on her podcast. 

Kate’s last show was July 3rd and I miss it. For the last few months, her analysis of the spiritual battle embroiling us, world events, the threat of global government and the emerging technocracy, and Trump the Trojan Horse were becoming so astute I looked forward to each and every one of her podcasts. 

On July 3rd in a three minute “Where’s My Show?” segment, she announced to her audience her show was ending, hinted at the reasons why, while promising she was trying to figure out how to return to the airwaves. Link:

https://www.katedalleyshow.com/podcast/

The resonance, clarity and acoustic patterns of her voice made her very listenable. She has the rare gift to deliver serious and at times dire information without losing her sense of humor. Her courage, strong Christian faith and delight in being a wife, mother and grandmother make her someone I greatly admire.

While Kate has no updates on the return of her show, she is still posting on X and Instagram. Her X posts are promoting a 13-page report she did based on 35,000 hours of research on holistic ways to fight cancer, and I find it very useful. Link: 

https://x.com/KateDalleyRadio/status/1951411130343236099

I listened to one terrific interview she did with you, Lew, again today. I regularly read your writings and have witnessed your public speeches which are always carefully prepared, but today I am reminded of what a powerful, informative and delightful impromptu verbal communicator you are. Link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNuV7u6kAT8

Here is a wonderful interview she did with Tom DiLorenzo:

https://rumble.com/v5a8fwd-080824-interview-with-president-of-mises-institute-thomas-dilorenzo.html

https://rumble.com/v5a8gat-080824-seg-3-thomas-dilorenzo-will-they-end-the-federal-reserve.html

https://rumble.com/v5a8gn5-080824-seg-4-thomas-dilorenzo-free-book-giveaway-and-what-happens-next.html

If any LRC readers would like to reach Kate, ask when her show might return, and show her your support, here is how to contact her. Link: 

https://www.katedalleyshow.com/contact-kate/

Kate, we hope your radio show returns soon! 

The post The Kate Dalley Show? appeared first on LewRockwell.

Click Here:

John Leake

The post The Left’s Stupid Obsession with Race appeared first on LewRockwell.

David Krall wrote:

You need to watch the video very closely.

The post Epstein’s Killer Caught on Camera? appeared first on LewRockwell.

Tim McGraw wrote:

Hi Lew,

Paul Singer, who contributed mightily to the campaign to defeat Thomas Massie, is a hedge fund manager, a corporate pirate, and I believe, the heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune. He’s an asshole in my opinion. Tucker Carlson did an episode on his 

Fox TV show about how Singer forced the Sale of Cabela’s.

Tim

Paul Singer Cabela’s

• Paul Singer: Billionaire founder of Elliott Management, an activist hedge fund that acquired an 11% stake in Cabela’s in 2015 and pressured the company to explore a sale, stating it should be sold through a public auction process and indicating it was prepared to take further steps if the company did not engage in a sales process.

Following the announcement of Cabela’s sale to Bass Pro Shops in 2016, Elliott Management sold its shares, reportedly making at least $90 million. The sale followed pressure from Elliott Management, which began after it disclosed its stake in 2015. The transaction provided Cabela’s shareholders with a 19.2% premium over the closing price on September 30, 2016, and a 40% premium over the December 1, 2015 closing price. Prior to the sale, Cabela’s was profitable, generating over $1 billion annually.

Cabela’s: Nebraska-based outdoor equipment retailer headquartered in Sidney, which was acquired by Bass Pro Shops in a $5.5 billion cash deal finalized in 2017.

The post Paul Singer & Cabela’s appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Vicki Marzullo:

Shows the health properties of nicotine, which is why it’s demonized, citing studies.

The post Nicotine Is Not the Villain appeared first on LewRockwell.

Ginny Garner wrote:

Lew,

There’s never a dull moment in Tucker Carlson’s two hour interview with Candace Owens. For starters: “Israel controls our government. I don’t think we’ve been a sovereign country since JFK.

The post Tucker’s Interview With Candace Owens appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Brian Dunaway:

There are many elements that converged which led to the astonishing Jaguar marketing decisions, resulting in what can only be described as annihilation. (That is, a 97% drop in sales.) Among the sane, this spectacle leaves the observer’s mouth agape for minutes at a time. You want to look away but you can’t. But as astonishing a disaster as this is, “wokeism” is just one element of it – the root cause being Western corporate incompetence in general, often driven by cowardice.

I spent my entire career employed (sorry, I was a “team member”) by a very, very large legacy aerospace company. In an observation so true it has become trite, with few exceptions, legacy companies are saturated with management whose members are galactically ordinary and spectacularly stupid, but above all, weak. This lack of leadership leads not just to inane decisions, but even criminal ones. (The legacy corporate environment also promotes sociopaths, which appear to provide the mitochondrial energy required for mindless activity, often misinterpreted as efficiency.)

During a temporary assignment to a new program, I befriended a pair of engineers whom I learned were more or less worldview fellow-travelers. (Incidentally, I quickly discovered they both read lewrockwell.com.) After having known me only a week, I think they already had my number: A radical (the way K-L described it), but having an extreme sense of propriety. At this time, they told me a little recent history of the group. I could just feel their anticipation of my response.

The story: In their engineering group, there existed two females in a “romantic” relationship. One of them, the designated butch. The other one – who was quite attractive, and apparently had not read the official operating manual for lesbianism – was attracting the attention of a male in an adjacent group. Catching wind of this, the butch informed the potential male suitor, via company instant messaging, that if he didn’t knock it off (pun intended), she would “cut his balls off.”

Management discovered this, and panicked. Because that’s the defining ontological feature of legacy corporate management. Not for least because they were dealing with two “team members” who had double legal and social protection. Fortunately for management, all members of this love triangle were Caucasian, so no protection trifecta.

All methodologies of cowardice were followed flawlessly, including Rule No. 1, which is: No Confrontation.

So, what happened? Ask anyone who has worked in these environments the answer – I have many times. I tell them the story, and I always receive the same answer. They always get it right. Always.

That’s right. The butch was promoted.

How can the punchline be the answer that exists in reality, with near-perfect consistency?

It is deep sickness.

The post Sick Corporate Culture appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, David Martin.

The post They are trying to distract us from the Epstein files. appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, Saleh Abdullah.

Hal Turner Show

The post Vaccine Czar Dead At 54 — Suddenly, And Without Explanation appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks Saleh Abdullah.

The post Douglas Macgregor – Trump Has Developed a Better Relationship God Complex appeared first on LewRockwell.

Click here:

Ulrich Fromy

The post Christine Lagarde and the Privatization of Currency appeared first on LewRockwell.

Chris Sullivan wrote:

This was as predictable as night following day. As long as some agent has a pecuniary interest in “health decisions” it’s going to decide for itself. Back around 1982 I told a friend of mine that when we got old they would just kill people when they got old because Social Security was going to have more people in the cart than pulling the cart. He told me “You’re crazy, that will never happen.”  When government or an insurance company is making life and death decisions about what to do, this situation is guaranteed to be the result.

—

Canada Plans to Euthanize 15 Million People in the Next 20 Years

LOTS ABOUT HOSPITAL POLICIES IN THE U.S.

“While doctor-assisted suicide in the U.S. has not yet reached the alarming extremes observed in Canada, the “death with dignity” movement is actively attempting to change that. Pending Governor Hochul’s signature on New York’s recently passed bill, 11 states and Washington, D.C., will permit this abhorrent and immoral practice.” 

“What often goes unnoticed, however, is that existing U.S. healthcare policies are already enabling the quiet killing of vulnerable Americans – not through legalized suicide, but through hospital protocols and policies that deny care, withdraw treatment, or subtly hasten death.” 

https://www.lifenews.com/2025/07/21/canada-plans-to-euthanize-15-million-people-in-the-next-20-years/

The post Stay Out of the Hospital appeared first on LewRockwell.

My homily last Sunday was entitled The False Doctrine Of Christian Zionism Is Starting To Fall Apart. In this message, I said:

It is the Epstein case that is creating the cracks in the lie of Christian Zionism. Make no mistake about it: The Epstein pedophile network and the Israeli genocidal wars in the Middle East are indissolubly linked.

The reason the ruling class in Washington, D.C., and New York City are so determined to support Israel no matter how demonic its actions might be is directly due to Epstein’s (the Mossad’s) blackmail campaigns. And the members of Congress that are not blackmailed into submission by the Mossad are bribed into submission by AIPAC.

Americans put Trump in office because they saw the filth and corruption of Washington, and they thought Trump was truly different. Now, they are awakening to the truth that Trump has been neck-deep in Israel’s corrupting clutches all along. And they are also now seeing Israel for the vile, demonic state that it always has been.

The truth about Epstein, the truth about Israel, the truth about the Mossad, the truth about Netanyahu, the truth about Congress, the truth about Trump and the truth about Scofieldism-Dispensationalism is now beginning to shine through the cracks of Christian Zionism.

From Candace Owens to Clayton Morris to Tucker Carlson to Piers Morgan to Joe Rogan to Larry Johnson to Max Blumenthal to Phil Giraldi to Judge Andrew Napolitano to Pepe Escobar to Scott Ritter, and on and on, they are all courageously shining the light of truth on the deception of Christian Zionism.

Short videos from my podium at Liberty Fellowship are circulating around the world. One person wrote to us this week and said that one of my clips has been posted on TikTok and viewed by over 500,000 people—and that was several days ago. 

Since Sunday, an online follower wrote and told me that one of my short videos on TikTok has over 2 million views.

Here are a couple of my short videos that are being circulated around the Net:

People by the thousands are leaving evangelical churches due to their support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza 

“If you’re still supporting Israel in the year 2025, there’s something seriously wrong with you as a person.”

I said all of that to say this: It came as a pleasant surprise (and shock) when on Monday I received a video clip, from which I will quote in this column.

The video clip is attributed to the famous actor Denzel Washington. My office attempted to confirm this speech and could not. We know that people are using AI to fabricate all kinds of videos (good and bad). And some people are saying this is what Denzel’s speech is. However, my office could not invalidate the speech either. We found no statements by Denzel denouncing or disassociating himself from the speech. Obviously, someone spoke or wrote the words contained in this clip.

With that disclaimer, I am going to provide readers with a transcript of “Denzel’s” speech. If the speech was indeed delivered by Denzel or one of his associates on his behalf, it further strengthens my regard for the actor.

Regardless, the content of this speech is AWESOME! And I believe the content to be TRUTH.

This speech mirrors what I said last Sunday, even though my approach came from a different direction. After you read it, you’ll understand why I was so pleasantly shocked when I saw it.

The speech is entitled The Fall of the Israel Lobby Has Begun — And This Is Just the Start.

Here are excerpts:

Ladies and gentlemen, what you’re about to hear is not just a speech; it’s a wake-up call. This is a message for the thinkers, the truth seekers, the ones who refuse to be told what to believe and dare to ask why.

For too long, a powerful lobby has shaped our politics, our media and our silence.

But the ground is shifting, and the mask is coming off.

This isn’t about hate; this isn’t about sides. This is about truth, about humanity, about seeing what’s really been happening behind the curtain of power and propaganda.

So, I ask you: Don’t blink, don’t scroll, don’t tune out. Because by the time we reach the end, you won’t just understand the fall of the Israel lobby, you’ll understand why it had to begin. Stay with me, because history doesn’t belong to the loudest voices; it belongs to the bravest hearts.

The Israel lobby has long been considered one of the most powerful and influential political forces in the United States. It has maintained a decades-long grip on foreign policy, campaign contributions, media narratives and congressional loyalties.

But today, that seemingly invincible image is beginning to crack.

What was once untouchable is now being questioned, criticized and, in many cases, outright opposed. These cracks are not just cosmetic; they reveal deep structural weaknesses in a machine that relied for too long on intimidation, loyalty buying and narrative control.

More politicians are beginning to resist the pressure to blindly support Israeli policies, and more voices in mainstream political discourse are daring to speak truths that were once considered career-ending.

The unwavering bipartisan support the lobby once enjoyed is faltering, even within institutions that were once tightly aligned with its goals: universities, media outlets and religious communities. A new courage is rising, and the silence is being shattered.

From the bombardment of Gaza to the expansion of illegal settlements, from the displacement of families to the killing of journalists, the world has watched in real time. And the lobby’s usual defense tactics—labeling all criticism as antisemitic or anti-American—are losing their power.

People are distinguishing between a religion and a regime, between a people and a policy. And that distinction is shaking the foundations of the lobby’s traditional talking points.

The aura of invincibility that the lobby enjoyed for decades is eroding. The taboo of questioning its influence is no longer as paralyzing as it once was. And this change is not coming from top-down political maneuvering; it’s coming from the ground up. Ordinary citizens, students, activists, veterans, scholars and even former insiders are refusing to stay silent. They are pushing forward, pulling back the curtain and showing the world that the emperor has no clothes.

The cracks are not just forming, they are spreading. Social media and independent journalism have become the most potent weapons against the once ironclad grip of the Israel lobby.

For decades, the narrative surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was carefully curated, filtered and sanitized by mainstream media outlets that rarely questioned the lobby’s influence or Israel’s military actions.

But that monopoly on information has collapsed in real time. Platforms like X, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have become battlegrounds where truth meets propaganda.

And increasingly, the truth is winning.

Ordinary people on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and across the diaspora are broadcasting unfiltered stories, videos and testimonies that pierce through the corporate news silence. These first-hand accounts are raw, emotional and impossible to ignore. They have become the front line of resistance, where the camera lens becomes mightier than the pen of paid pundits.

Independent journalists, many of whom operate without the backing of powerful media institutions, are leading a new era of fearless reporting. They are naming names, following the money and exposing the lies. While traditional outlets often hide behind neutrality, independent voices are stating facts with clarity and urgency. They are covering stories that used to be buried: massacres, illegal occupations, media manipulation and war crimes.

The lobby can no longer suppress these stories by influencing editorial boards or blacklisting dissenting voices, because the gatekeepers are no longer in control. Decentralized platforms have shattered the information bottleneck. Algorithms may still suppress some content, and smear campaigns still target truth-tellers, but the reach of alternative media has already broken through.

Viral videos of bombings, testimonies of survivors and reports by credible yet unaffiliated journalists now trend globally within minutes. These visuals and voices do not ask for permission, they demand attention. And with every image that contradicts official statements, with every testimony that challenges the lobby’s script, public opinion shifts further.

This digital awakening is not confined to the fringes. Influencers, artists, athletes and even celebrities are amplifying these voices despite the risks. In doing so, they are dismantling decades of narrative control, brick by brick. What was once hidden is now center stage.

The truth doesn’t whisper anymore. It roars across screens and hearts around the globe. The Israel lobby’s long-standing dominance over information is no longer guaranteed, because a new generation is writing its own script and broadcasting its own truth. Public opinion is undergoing a profound shift, and that shift is striking at the very heart of the Israel lobby’s power.

For decades, the average citizen, especially in the West, viewed the Israel-Palestinian conflict through a narrow lens crafted by political elites, lobby-funded think tanks and mainstream media. Israel was framed as the sole democracy in a hostile region, constantly under threat and acting in self-defense.

But that narrative has begun to collapse under the weight of real-time evidence, global outrage and growing awareness. Younger generations in particular are no longer buying into the binary story of good versus evil. They are asking deeper questions, researching independently and, most importantly, listening to the voices that were long silenced or ignored.

Polls now show that public sympathy for Palestinians is rising, while support for unconditional aid to Israel is declining. This isn’t a temporary spike in concern. It’s a long-term generational realignment.

The shift is visible not only among the public but also within religious communities, labor unions and even within segments of the Jewish diaspora itself. Many Jewish Americans, especially younger ones, are increasingly vocal in their opposition to the Israeli government’s policies, distinguishing their faith from the political state and challenging the weaponization of Antisemitism to silence legitimate criticism.

In a world where empathy is spreading faster than propaganda, the ground is shifting beneath the lobby’s feet. People are seeing, thinking and feeling differently. The tide is turning, not because someone told them to care, but because they can no longer look away.

There is a powerful moral awakening sweeping across communities, nations and platforms that can no longer ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people. For years, the narrative was shrouded in diplomatic language, conflict, security, peace process. But now the vocabulary has changed.

People are calling it what it is: apartheid, ethnic cleansing, settler colonialism, occupation. This shift in language reflects a shift in conscience.

The cries of children under rubble, the grief of mothers burying their sons and the desperation of entire families driven from their homes are being felt in the hearts of people who once saw this struggle as distant or too complex to understand.

This awakening is not driven by ideology but by human decency. It’s not a matter of left or right religion or race. It’s about the simple undeniable truth that no people should live under siege, under occupation, under constant fear.

The stories of Palestinians are no longer being dismissed as propaganda or buried beneath the headlines. Their voices are being heard and honored.

From refugee camps to social media timelines, their pain is resonating in ways that transcend borders. And with that comes a deeper understanding of the systemic injustice that has been normalized for decades.

People are no longer swayed by terms like “security operation” or “collateral damage,” because they’ve seen the faces behind the statistics. They’ve watched journalists targeted, ambulances bombed, hospitals turned to rubble. The moral cost is now visible and is too high to ignore.

Faith communities are speaking up. Artists are using their platforms. Educators are refusing to stay quiet. Even those who were once hesitant are finding the courage to call out oppression when they see it.

This awakening is not about sides. It’s about right and wrong, about justice, about finally listening to the voices that have been crying out for generations.

The political breakdowns that are unfolding today are exposing the weakening influence of the Israel lobby in a way that would have been unthinkable just a decade ago.

For generations, politicians in the United States and many Western countries were expected to offer unconditional support to Israel or risk severe political consequence. The lobby ensured compliance through financial backing, coordinated smear campaigns and immense pressure from allied institutions.

But now that grip is slipping. More and more lawmakers are refusing to toe the line, openly questioning the billions of dollars in military aid sent to Israel every year, especially in light of mounting evidence of human rights abuses and war crimes.

These moves are not just symbolic. They’re structural and substantial. They represent cracks in the bipartisan consensus that the Israel lobby worked tirelessly to maintain.

Even international bodies, long held back by the political muscle of pro-Israel lobbying networks, are pushing forward with investigations, sanctions and legal frameworks that hold Israeli officials accountable.

What we’re witnessing today is not just the weakening of the Israel lobby’s grip. It’s the start of something far bigger, a foundational shift that signals this fall is only the beginning.

The movement for Palestinian rights is no longer confined to protests or hashtags. It’s becoming a global moral reckoning that transcends politics, geography and identity.

The structures that propped up the lobby’s power, political intimidation, media control and financial pressure are all beginning to crumble, and in their place, grassroots movements are rising, fueled by conviction, clarity and courage.

This is just the start, because the systems that enabled decades of silence are finally being confronted. Schools, churches, unions and art communities are no longer afraid to speak out.

Even within Israel itself, there are voices challenging the occupation, the violence, the status quo.

People have learned that questioning power does not make them disloyal, and standing with the oppressed does not make them radical. It makes them human.

And what makes this even more unstoppable is the interconnection of causes. This fight is no longer viewed in isolation. It is tied to struggles for racial justice, indigenous sovereignty, anti-colonial resistance and the broader fight against systems that dehumanize for profit and power.

The same systems that justified silence on Palestine are being called out in every corner of the world. That’s why this isn’t just a moment of political change. It’s a cultural, emotional and spiritual shift.

The fall of the Israel lobby doesn’t mean the end of something old. It means the rise of something new: A future shaped by people who believe in truth over fear, justice over convenience and humanity over politics.

This is no longer about one lobby or one policy. It’s about reclaiming our shared humanity.

The fall of the Israel lobby has begun, and with it comes the rise of truth, justice and a future built not on dominance, but on dignity.

This is just the beginning. History is watching. And this time the people are writing it.

Thank you for standing, for listening, for questioning what others feared to question.

Stay awake. Stay courageous. Speak when others go quiet. And never underestimate the power of your voice, because the world doesn’t change when the powerful decide. It changes when the people refuse to be silent.

This speech is not only eloquent in expression but also exceptional in exegesis.

Compromised pastors and politicians will be the last ones to recognize the collapse of the Israel lobby and the false doctrine of Christian Zionism. Seldom do men have the character and courage to forsake a malevolent benefactor or faulty opinion having been long held. We cannot look to them for guidance.

But the words of Denzel Washington (or whoever wrote them) are truth without a doubt.

Of course, that does not mean that the void will not be filled with something else just as sinister. But the collapse of the Israel lobby (and perhaps the Zionist state as well) and the monstrous false teaching of Scofield Rapturism will provide an opportunity for men of truth in the pulpits to reacquaint the American people with the New Covenant Gospel, the same New Covenant Gospel that influenced America’s founders and forged the American nation.

To the nation, it is the message of peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14) It is the message of unity over division, goodness over greed, compassion over prejudice and freedom over bondage. In other words, our pulpits and churches can stop living under the Old Covenant law of Moses and start living in the New Covenant love of Christ.

Reprinted with permission from Chuck Baldwin Live.

The post The Fall Of The Israel Lobby—And Christian Zionism—Has Begun appeared first on LewRockwell.

Last week, the popular rapper Zuby, who has amassed a significant following on social media as a self-described “epitome of toxic positivity,” posted an article titled “My Honest Advice For Gen Z Men.” He includes 12 life tips for young men from his perspective as a “successful Millennial.” The article is actually quite good and I recommend young men read it. But as Catholics, we can go deeper. So here’s my advice specifically for young Catholic men, based on my own experiences as a GenX man as well as observation of what works in men I admire. Of course, these are general tips that should be (must be) adapted to each person’s particular situation and state of life.

1) Make Catholicism the Center of Your Life

This one should be obvious, but it bears placing at the top of the list. In literally everything you do, your Catholic Faith must take precedence. This applies to decisions large and small. In deciding what college or field of work to pursue, in choosing a wife, in deciding where to live—Catholicism must come first. It should also be the basis for your weekly and daily routine, as we’ll see in some of the upcoming bits of advice.

Over the years I’ve seen too many Catholic men who sincerely believe, but they slide into a pattern of life in which Catholicism is not prioritized. When they reach their forties, they then realize that their life choices have made it more difficult to pass on the faith to their children, or even to practice it themselves. Perhaps they took a job that undermined their practice of the faith, and now they feel as if they can’t escape the grind to be more serious about Catholicism. Or they chose a wife that didn’t prioritize being Catholic and now the children are being led astray. Or they sent their children to a Catholic school which normalized a “beige” Catholicism.

Above all, put Catholicism first.

2) Rise Early and Be Disciplined

There’s something magical about the early hours of the day, when it’s still dark and most people are still sleeping. Monks have always known this: they rise extremely early, and the longest prayers of the Divine Office are the first ones of the day. Get in a habit of rising early (before 6 a.m.) and don’t hit that snooze alarm. Rising right when your alarm clock goes off is an excellent first penance of the day (see Tip #4).

After rising early, continue with a disciplined routine throughout the day. Don’t check your phone when you wake up; instead, spend the first hour of your day in prayer (see Tip #3). Only after that time of prayer should you allow yourself to look at a screen. Create a regular daily routine (as much as your state of life allows): eat at the same times, and most importantly, sleep at the same times. Discipline in the time of retiring for the night is the necessary corollary of early rising.

If you don’t have a disciplined routine, it will be almost impossible to follow much of the rest of this advice.

3) Pray Regularly

A saint is a man of prayer, and if you want to be a saint (hint: you should), you must pray. This means, first and foremost, that you start each day with an hour of prayer, as I’ve already mentioned. What if you only pray 5-10 minutes a day right now? Then increase the amount of time you spend praying by 5 minutes each week until you reach one hour a day. This is the time allotment that’s been recommended by spiritual advisors and saints for centuries.

What do you do during this hour? There are a lot of options, but I would recommend including the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours), Scriptural reading, mental prayer, and the Rosary. Experiment with what works for you until you have made it a good and fruitful habit.

And, that first hour of the day should not be the only time you pray. Insert short times of prayer throughout the day; perhaps say the Angelus every day at noon, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m. Your state of life will help determine the exact practices you follow. Be sure also to end your day in prayer, making an examination of conscience before your head hits the pillow.

4) Do Penance Regularly

Nothing is more neglected in modern Catholicism than penance. In fact, we tend to look with horror on stories of ancient saints using the discipline or engaging in vigorous fasts. The problem is not with them, but with us. Our Faith revolves around a man who was brutally tortured and killed for our salvation and who asked us to take up our own crosses to follow Him; surely, penance should be central to our practice of discipleship.

Young men in particular are called to penance, since in general young men are the most physically healthy people in society and so can handle severe penances. They are also the most willing to do physically demanding tasks for a greater good. So while all Catholics should do penance, young men should be leaders on this front.

What type of penances should one undertake? Again, a person’s state of life must be taken into account. And as St. Josemaría Escrivá advised, “Choose mortifications that don’t mortify others.” In other words, if your penance makes you uncharitable to others or generally unpleasant to be around, you need to rethink what you are doing.

But don’t be a wimp or make excuses: penances are supposed to be hard. A few examples of penances: fasting for at least 24 hours at a time, cold showers, a pebble in your shoe, and giving up coffee and/or sugar. Fasting is the most common form of penance for good reason: it’s easy to incorporate into almost any state of life since it primarily involves not doing something rather than doing something (and of course it imitates Our Lord in the desert).

Finally, we’re not stoics simply enduring hardships; our penances should be united in prayer to Christ for our salvation and the salvation of others.

5) Take Care of Your Body

Although the Catholic Faith is incarnational, it took me far too long to realize the deep connection between body and soul. For years I didn’t understand that one’s physical health can directly impact one’s spiritual health. I’m not talking about illness or injury, which can be an opportunity for spiritual growth, but the malaise and fog that accompanies a modern lifestyle of sitting in front of a screen all day and engaging in almost no physical activity. That way of living leads to both physical and spiritual death.

Young men need to be as physically active as possible. I don’t mean you should be a gym rat who stares in the mirror all day flexing. But it’s not healthy to be sitting at a desk all day, every day (I realize this is much harder in some jobs than others, but consider that when choosing a career). At the very minimum walk at least 20 minutes a day and do some basic strength training at least three times a week. Even better, run and/or ruck a few times a week, which has the added benefit of getting you outside, which is good for both your mind and your body.

Taking care of your body also means you are disciplined about what goes into your bodies. We’re surrounded by things that weaken the body: energy drinks, cigarettes, zin, junk food, et. al. Not only do they enfeeble the body, many of them also pacify the mind, making it more submissive to the spirit of the age.

You don’t need a gym membership to take care of your body, just the discipline to be consistent with exercise and what you eat (see Tip #2).

6) Attend the TLM If You Can

This is likely to be my most controversial bit of advice, but I think it’s so important I can’t leave it out. Anyone who attends a traditional Latin Mass regularly can speak of a particular phenomenon: it usually is filled with many more young men than attend regular Novus Ordo parish Masses. This is no coincidence. The reality is that the TLM is far more attractive to young men because it’s frankly just more masculine. It allows a man to worship God without the effeminate energy that too often dominates the typical celebration of the Novus Ordo. By being more demanding, the TLM speaks to the soul of young men in a way not found anywhere else in today’s culture (or today’s Church). It more clearly calls him to become a soldier for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I realize not every young man has regular access to a TLM nearby. If you don’t, at least make an effort to attend a TLM a few times a year, or even consider moving closer to a regular TLM. It’s worth it.

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I wear seasonal clothes, eat seasonal foods and like to write about seasonal topics. During the past few weeks, I’ve written about summer experiences. This week, I’ll continue to celebrate this season of daylight and warmth.

Though some days are warmer than we like.

I’ve done much outdoor work in the summer, including as a food and flower grower, garbageman, roofer, landscaper and camp counselor/swim teacher. I’ve also often played sports outdoors. Being out in so much sun has beaten up my skin. Mistakes were made.

So were memories.

—

I still love immersing in either fresh or salt water. Depending on their ages, human bodies are between 60-75% water. It’s unsurprising that people are drawn to it.

I learned to swim in a river a block from my childhood home. As was that river, much freshwater is surrounded by trees. Some such settings have rocks from which you can dive or jump. Some are streams you can sit in. Some you go to with friends. Some you go to with your girlfriend. Immersing in these places is a slice of paradise.

I’ve stepped into liquid in such places as Bear Creek Lake in Southern Indiana, with its rope swing. Copake Falls on the New York/Massachusetts border are beautiful and user-friendly. Ithaca, NY has several nice spots for swimming, diving and jumping off cliffs of various heights. I’ve swum in a farm pond and an abandoned strip coal mine in Central Pennsylvania as well as in the broad Hudson River near Beacon, NY. I’ve slid down and leaped and dived from rocks in Western North Carolina and outside Chattanooga and into Northern California’s Rainbow Pool, just outside of Yosemite. I’ve submerged in the Delaware River and in New York State’s Catskills and Adirondacks, as well as in Washington State’s ice-cold Cascade lakes. I’ve bathed beneath waterfalls in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, in Puerto Rico, on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula and the Pacific Coasts of Choco, Colombia and Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Among other places. If you tell me about a good swimming hole, maybe we can meet there.

When I see other people in these off-the-books swim settings, they’re smiling, shouting and laughing. The setting induces that reaction. For example, Richmond, Virginia’s James River has several places where one can slide, seated, dozens of yards, riding the current atop and between rocks.

One August 2012 day, a burly, forty-something guy rolled up alongside the James on his Harley.He stepped down the small riverbank and began snorkeling in shallow water. I asked him what he was looking for. He said he often found rings that had slipped from the wet, shrunken fingers of those whose hands scraped the rocks as the water swept them, blissfully distracted, through these gaps.

This treasure hunter told me that he struggled in school because he had a learning disability. He dropped out as soon as he could and started a window-washing business. His work paid all his bills and enabled him to buy a house and his Hog. He said his flexible work schedule allowed him to drop into the river often during the summer. I was impressed that despite adversity he had built a life he loved.

He said that, based on engraved initials and embossed dates and schools on the rings, he had located some of these rings’ owners and returned their rings to them. He told me that he found and saved so many unmarked wedding bands that he eventually filled a bread bag with them. When the price of gold crested, he sold the bag for $43,000 in pre-Scamdemic dollars.

—

I like the way natural water looks, feels, sounds, tastes and smells. Some people consider lake or river water spooky and yicky because you can’t see through it and it often has a rocky, slimy or weedy bottom. I’ve put my feet into plenty of river and lake bottom muck and vegetation. Nothing bad ever happened. Some also fear that a fish will bite them. They’ve taken too seriously Jaws and documentaries about Amazonian piranhas. Lake fish, which are mostly sunnies, can’t even break the skin. In El Salvador, dozens of small fish harmlessly nibbled on our feet for a half hour as we sat on rocks in a hillside stream.

Besides swimming in rivers and lakes, I’ve also often swum in the ocean, typically at the Jersey Shore. I like to swim during the twilight hours after the lifeguards have left, and sometimes in the dark. One evening 35 years ago, near sunset, I got pulled out by a rip tide. Based on that experience—five others drowned nearby on that same day—I can understand how some who get caught in such a current drown, as Malcolm Jamal Warner just did. Ocean swimmers should have decent skills, remain calm, avoid taking a big gulp, resolve to stay afloat when swimming parallel to shore doesn’t immediately yield progress and reassure themselves that salt water exerts extra buoyant force.

—

At some lakes, rivers and streams, immersion is allowed. But other places have “No Swimming” signs. Police or ranger efforts to prevent plunges into these places vary, depending on the location and the day.

My wife, Ellen, is a rule follower. In contrast, I think some rules should be broken. Not in a way that endangers or annoys others. And not for its own sake. Instead, just to do something that you enjoy. Swimming during hot weather, for example.

Inverting Adam and Eve, I’ve often talked Ellen into entering forbidden water. I convinced her that we wouldn’t get caught. And that if we did, we wouldn’t get arrested. And that we wouldn’t get fined. And that if we did, paying the fine would be worth the fun we would have had.

As were those who said “two weeks to stop the spread” and “vaccines are safe and effective,” I was making all this up. It was Salesmanship 101: you convince other people to go along and leave them to deal with any unfavorable consequences.

While this is plainly unethical, much of the world operates in this way, including in much higher-stakes matters than the misdemeanor I proposed. Back in the day, many human lives were created via such short-sighted persuasion. It’s part of my heritage.

Ellen hates the heat. When it was above 95 degrees, she was more amenable to suggestion. She put on a bathing suit under summer clothes, grabbed a towel and came along with me, never agreeing aloud that we should do this. Accomplices often exhibit silent, tentative affirmation.

I told her that if something went wrong, she could blame me. Ellen is nicer than I am. I could imagine a municipal court judge fining and scolding me and letting her go. When we want to, we can imagine many implausible things. During Coronamania, many adults imagined that healthy people would die from a respiratory virus. It was as if they thought there was a monster under their bed.

After my sales pitch, I drove Ellen 20 miles to the vicinity of swimming spots I knew near the edge of the New York City Metro area. During droughts, officials locked the gates to the gravel parking lots in these water-containing, semi-wild areas. We parked a half-mile away and walked to the gate, wiggled past it and, in order to avoid being seen, ran down and/or up paths where, once around a bend and behind trees and boulders, we became invisible to the police or rangers.

Having sneaked in, we soaked for hours, some afternoons in a lake and others in a river with water in the mid-70s. On one of these occasions, as we sat in the river wedged between boulders, we saw a boy and a girl in their late teens also defying the park closure. Each gripped a towel as they sprinted across a bridge 75 yards away, toward the lake atop a long hill that Ellen and I went to on days when the park was open. Their mischief was a beautiful sight. In the same way that one roots for a movie hero to avoid capture, we silently rooted, from our river niche hideaway, for the sprinting teens to evade detection, as we had. As in REM’s Nightswimming, the fear of getting caught was part of the fun for them and us.

Because I had been there many times, I knew there was an un-treed area up ahead of the scofflaws and that a ranger might have been waiting there to nab them. That’s why we opted for the river that day, instead of the lake, which I calculated was A Bridge Too Far.

Nowadays, security cameras would capture all of our furtive movings about.

—

Some days we brought along my parents’ golden retriever. He swam well and followed me into the water after I dove off a ten-foot boulder and into the lake, in which swimming was prohibited, even when the park was open. As many times as I dove in and swam out and back again, he leaped in and chased me. Because he tried to climb on me in the water, when he got near, I soon learned to dive below the surface and swim underwater, beneath him and back toward the lake’s edge. When I surfaced, I saw the confused, paddling dog wondering where I had gone. I called for him and he turned around and chased me. By then, I had a big enough lead that I could get back to the lakeshore, unscathed by his paws. When he got near the shore, I again dove off the rock and over his head and swam back out toward the lake’s center as he resumed his chase. Rinse. Repeat. Multiple times. He went home tired but happy.

So did we. After each of these long water sessions, Ellen and I remained cool for hours. On hot days, we still talk about how we used to chillax in water surrounded by trees and the delightfully refreshed aftermath. Since we’ve moved away from North Jersey, we go the Shore instead. It’s good. But I miss the woodsy water.

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As I have long maintained, the systems that modern-day Americans have embraced have served to produce a very dysfunctional society. The best manifestation of this dysfunction are the suicides of young people. When youngsters are checking out of life early, that’s a powerful sign that something fundamental is wrong.

There is also the fact that America is a drug-addled society, which is reflected by the fact that the U.S. government still has to maintain a vicious, nationwide drug-war police state. The government’s drug war is designed to prevent an estimated 70 million Americans from getting their hands on drugs and ingesting them. When around 25% of a society are checking out of reality in favor of drug fantasies, that’s a fairly good sign of a highly dysfunctional society.

But I have also long contended that another demonstration of the dysfunctional nature of American society are the irrational mass killings that periodically take place in our society. Yesterday, people in New York City experienced another one of these irrational killings. A guy entered a NYC high-rise with a high-powered rifle and killed four people and then killed himself.

It’s not just guns. Last week, a guy at a Walmart in Michigan went on a knife-stabbing spree in which he injured 11 people. Seven are in fair condition and four are in serious condition. There was no apparent motive for the attack.

Here is what I have long contended:

In every society, there are off-kilter people. In a healthy, functional society those off-kilter people don’t bother anyone. Everyone can see that they are off-kilter but most everyone displays tolerance, kindness, and consideration for them. “There but for the grace of God go I.”

But a healthy, functional society is obviously not the type of society in which we live. We live in a society where the government tightly controls, manages, regulates, and directs people’s lives and the use of their resources. In the process of doing that, the state, decade after decade, has engaged in a continuous process of tightening its screws on the American people.

It is my contention that this tightening of the screws causes something to go haywire within the off-kilter people. That’s when they go off and engage in their irrational killing sprees.

I’ve already mentioned the drug war, a vicious government program that has involved decades of screw-tightening on the American people with things like no-knock raids, asset forfeiture, mandatory minimum sentences, violent arrests, and humiliating pat-down searches.

There is also the U.S. national-security establishment’s own killing sprees in overseas countries, ones that have resulted in the deaths and injuries of millions of foreigners. The official attitude has always been that Americans need not fret about the fact that their government is killing so many people. So long as large numbers of U.S. soldiers aren’t dying, Americans are expected to focus their attention on their families, work, and vacation. I contend that those killing sprees — invasions, sanctions, embargoes, wars of aggressions, coups, provoking wars — trigger something in the off-kilter people that causes them to engage in copycat killing sprees here at home.

There is also the welfare state, where large numbers of Americans use the IRS to seize as much as possible of the income of other people, including their children, while, at the same time, everyone is using deductions and other tax devices to protect their income from being plundered. It is a system in which Americans are waging war against each other while acting normal and friendly to each other, especially in church on Sunday.

There is also the regulated society, which consists of an ever-growing array of rules, regulations, licenses, controls, orders, and directions, all of which add to the tightening of the government’s screws.

There is also the decades-old immigration police state that is now expanding beyond the borderlands into cities and towns across the country. With its brutal, vicious, and frightening arrests, kidnappings, incarcerations, and deportations, the government is now tightening the screws even more on both foreigners and the Americans who are hiring them, selling to them, and renting to them. Is it just a coincidence that the two irrational killings sprees in New York and Michigan have occurred in the midst of the reign of terror that Homeland Security, ICE, and the Border Patrol are inflicting across the country?

The worst part of America’s dysfunctional society is that so many Americans have been taught that the systems they have adopted are normal and healthy and, in fact, that they constitute “freedom.” I’d be willing to bet that if a survey were taken, at least 90 percent of Americans would respond, “Well, of course we live in a free society. We are Americans.” They have no idea that they embody perfectly the words of Johann Goethe: “None are more hopelessly enslaved that those who falsely believe they are free.”

One problem is that Americans acquired this false mindset of “freedom” in the public (i.e., government) schools to which their parents were forced to send them. The state’s educational system, of course, constitutes more tightening of the screws. Another problem is that that when people deny reality, it compounds the problem because a denial of reality leads to psychosis.

In our public (i.e., government) schools, students are inculcated with the notion that Americans who lived in the Gilded Age were bad people because of the systems they adopted. Americans in the late 1800s hated and rejected everything Americans today stand for and favor. That’s why there was no income taxation, IRS, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, welfare state, economic regulations, minimum wage laws, drug laws, war on immigrants, paper money, Federal Reserve, occupational licensure, national-security state, Pentagon, CIA, NSA, FBI, coups, state-sponsored assassinations, torture, and other such things that today’s Americans love and adore.

Ironically, those Americans also believed they lived in a free society, just as Americans today do who live under completely opposite systems. It’s probably worth mentioning that Gilded Age Americans lived in the most prosperous, most charitable, healthiest, end most educated society in history up to that time.

Interestingly enough, Gilded Age Americans did not live in a society that was besieged by irrational mass killings. Maybe that’s just a coincidence. Or maybe it’s because they refused to adopt systems that would permit the state to tighten its screws on them.

Reprinted with permission from The Future of Freedom Foundation.

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