All Eyes On Jerusalem

Here is some opinion and analysis from the MintPress News website:

Zionism is founded on the idea that Jews today have rights to a land they had not inhabited for thousands of years. These rights supersede the rights of the Palestinians, even though they have been living on that land for thousands of years. Zionists have been so successful in selling this absurd idea, that for over one hundred years, they have been able to destroy Palestine, erase its history, kill and forcibly exile its indigenous population and bring to ruin ancient, iconic monuments that were a vital part of the landscape. The poster child of this idea today is a man by the name of Bezalel Smotrich, the man who is slated to become the new Minister for Jerusalem Affairs.

Smotrich is part of a group that was once considered on the fringe of Israeli politics and which calls for building a Jewish Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock. No longer fringe, now this group has people like Smotrich in positions of power that threaten the very existence of Jerusalem’s most important religious and historical space, the Holy Sanctuary.

You can read the rest @
https://www.mintpressnews.com/bezalel-smotrich-apocalyptic-vision-israel-new-minister-jerusalem-affairs/267104/

And if you would like to know what will happen from a Christian perspective, read the Book of Revelation. The entire book is pertinent, but you may want to glance at Chapter 11 first:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+11&version=KJV

The Israelis now are asking for an even bigger handout than we normally give them, and they want it earlier, allegedly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But ... they're in far better shape than we are, they intend to steal annex even more of the West Bank, and clearly they'll soon be starting World War III by remodeling the Temple Mount. I say don't give them a penny.

If you disagree, please tell me a single thing Israel has done which benefits the American people. I can't think of any.

By the way, Smotrich's biblical namesake, Bezaleel, was the person who built the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. It comes to me as no surprise, therefore, that he may be the one to build the Third Temple and restore the Ark to its former place on the Temple Mount. Should we therefore let him have a free hand? Only if you're ready for the End Times.

Only if you're ready.

Whatever the case, keep in mind that many Jews believe that much of what Zionism stands for runs counter to what the Torah teaches. Is Smotrich's plan what G-d wants, or is it merely what man wants? That is a tough question to answer, but here's an easier one:

The seals of the Book of Revelation get opened BEFORE the turmoil on the Temple Mount. Have you seen any indication they HAVE been opened?

I haven't. And if they're still sealed, then either Saint John was deceived, or the entire world is being deceived by the Zionists. Which do you think is more likely?

Don't Nuke The Russians

The Russians have given us a warning:

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/04/29/russia-warns-us-against-using-low-yield-nukes-threatens-full-nuclear-retaliation/

It's unquestionable the US wants to use nuclear weapons again. Doing so would be really dumb, especially since the Russians may decide to obliterate us in response.

DON'T DO IT.

In a former life I was part of a team whose purpose was to authenticate orders for the use of nuclear weapons. I would have done it then, but I'm certain I would not now. But it wouldn't really matter, since they'd just push me out of the way and get someone else to do it.

Why I Don't Blame Trump

Many people are blaming President Trump for the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm not one of them. Here are my reasons why:

The World Economic Forum meets every year and votes on the top 5 global risks in terms of likelihood and impact. Note that "pandemics" were not considered likely over the decade 2007-2017 and were only considered to have a low to moderate impact for the 2007 and 2008 assessments. These people are supposed to be the world's "geniuses". If they didn't see a problem coming, why blame Trump for not seeing it either?

And if COVID-19's severity COULD have been predicted, what might Trump have done differently?

(1) Done more research? The research already was being done, at the Wuhan lab with partial funding from the USA.

(2) Kept it from escaping from the lab? That was up to the Chinese, who apparently failed.

(3) Kept it from spreading out of China? That was up to the Chinese and/or the WHO, who failed spectacularly.

(4) Closed our borders? Everyone, including the US courts, have been sabotaging and/or blocking his attempts to do so from Day One of his administration. They, not he, are to blame for that failure.

(5) Locked us down sooner? Everyone, including the US courts, has fought against the lockdowns. Americans lack the discipline necessary to make such a thing work, anyway. That's not Trump's fault; it's OUR collective fault.

(6) Stockpiled more PPE? The global supply and distribution system created by the Davos Mafia and which is out of the control of Trump or ANY president doesn't have any stockpiles. It's an on-demand system with long, easily broken global supply chains.

(7) Stockpiled more food? He might have been able to make a difference here, but apparently his advisers were slow in bringing this to his attention.

You can whine about his self-serving press conferences, but Obama ad-Dajjal's pressers were the same as Trump's: a litany of me-me-me amid a torrent of lies. The biggest difference between the two is that Obama's mainly concerned the killing of foreigners, while Trump's strike closer to home.

This mess is a total systemic failure, people.

And it's an almost inevitable failure brought about by the self-serving greed and ignorance of our ruling class.

It's not going to go away when Trump leaves office, either. If we don't take control of our nation back from the bank gangsters, corporate CEOs, oligarchs, and their accomplices in the one percent, this is just going to get worse. THEIR agenda is not the people's agenda, and don't you forget it.

A Marine Corps Without Tanks ???

This report about the restructuring of the US Marine Corps suggests it will no longer use tanks in battle. The report also says this:

What they probably mean, when stating Beijing as the real target, is that they want to counter China in some proxy conflicts in fights with small numbers where tanks are weak to today’s long range weaponry. This logic makes much more sense.

* * * * * * * *

The Corps instead is looking for mobile systems and units that can survive within the reach of precision fires to “attrit adversary forces,” create dilemmas for the enemy and “consume adversary ISR resources,” according to the report.

You can read the rest @
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/04/28/no-tanks-for-old-marines-why-americas-most-powerful-fighting-force-restructuring/

I have some questions for you to consider:

(1) Why are we making China our enemy, when they appear to produce most of the stuff we consume in the US?

(2) If we're successful in "defeating" China, does that mean US manufacturers would take up the slack and make all that stuff for us?

(3) If the answer to No. 2 is "no", does that mean we just won't have access to that stuff any more?

An underlying concern is WTF are we doing? We seem to be cutting off our nose to spite our face. The only thing we're doing well is squandering our lives and national treasure in a failing attempt to maintain our undeserved hegemony. What's the point of THAT?

What Prisons Should Be Telling Us

Here is another report about COVID-19 in our prisons:

Over 70% of tested inmates in federal prisons have COVID-19.

You can read the rest @
https://apnews.com/fb43e3ebc447355a4f71e3563dbdca4f

Prisons should be a good example of whether or not quarantines can make a difference.

What they seem to be telling us is that once the virus is introduced into a semi-closed system without internal social distancing, the majority of the population will become infected with the virus.

But they also tell us the resultant death rate seems to be low. THAT's the aspect we need to investigate. Should it turn out that only a susceptible subgroup of the population is at risk, then THEY are the ones who should be protected and/or isolated. The rest of us should be able to go about our business.

Update 5/1/2020

It finally dawned on me:

What prisons are telling us is that a semi-closed system without internal social distancing CAN achieve herd immunity, and achieve it fairly quickly.

Now all we have to do is determine why their death rate is so low.

Katie's Confusion

If you have a minute or two to waste, take a look at this nonsense from Katie Couric:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/katie-couric-2004-interview-denzel-washington-uncomfortable-shaken-175011171.html

If Katie STILL doesn't know what she did wrong, she should find another line of work.

COVID-19 Vs. 9/11

And speaking of distortions, have you noticed this similarity between the COVID-19 "crisis" and the 9/11 "attacks"?

(1) The official versions of how WTC 1 and WTC 2 disintegrated and how WTC 7 collapsed were based on seriously flawed and manipulated "models" of what happened which ignored the physical evidence we all saw with our own eyes.

(2) The global response to COVID-19 also appears to have been based on a seriously flawed and manipulated model of the potential impact of the pandemic.

Here is what the modelers say:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/covid-19/

And here is what an apologist for the model says:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-models-arent-supposed-be-right/609271/

In both cases, the implementation of the models was skewed in predetermined directions which do not agree with the facts. In the case of 9/11, most of the physical evidence was destroyed by the authorities, and eyewitness testimonies were covered up and/or ignored. In the case of COVID-19, the response appears to have been based on a horribly inaccurate worst-case estimate of the impact of the pandemic.

Time will tell whether our current and future responses to COVID-19 can benefit from adapting them to the facts as those facts are uncovered. I would certainly hope so.

By the way, there is another similarity between the two events:

(a) After 9/11, we silenced everyone who disagreed with the official story while we glorified those who publicized its nonsensical version of what happened.

(b) And in the wake of COVID-19, we're doing the same thing - silencing doctors and scientists who disagree with the official versions of what happened and what we should do about it.

Silencing dissent while politicizing the pandemic is one of the worst things we can do right now. PLEASE do not elect a new President who will do more of the same.

True Size Of Countries

As you may know, the Mercator projection map of the globe distorts the size and shape of many countries. Here is a unique map which corrects that:

Source - https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mercator-map-true-size-of-countries/

Cuts us all down to size, doesn't it? Especially those pesky Russkies.

Quote For The Day - 4/29/2020

"The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer."

Henry Kissinger

The US Hotspot

The US now has 1/3 of all COVID-19 cases worldwide:

https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/u-s-now-have-one-third-of-all-the-coronavirus-cases-on-the-planet-70-deaths-reported-in-one-veterans-home/

Considering that we only have 5% of the world's population, I can safely say our response to the pandemic has been pitiful.

And printing more fiat money solves nothing.

How do you suppose the next President will handle this? Hopefully he or she will set a better example than our clown of a VP:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/coronavirus-mike-pence-tours-mayo-clinic-without-mask.html

Fighting COVID-19 With Sex Change ???

US doctors will be giving men female hormones in an alleged attempt to fight COVID-19:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8261241/Could-giving-men-estrogen-help-recover-COVID-Female-hormones-prevent-inflammation.html

OK, so I'm exaggerating - it's not REALLY a "sex change".

But it does have similarities with the nicotine cure, the malaria drug cure, the Lysol cure, and all the other acts of apparent desperation which keep popping up in the news.

Here is something I got from a personal communication with a globally recognized expert on pulmonary physiology:

"The state of clinical knowledge on how to treat the disease is not much better, but is improving rapidly as critical care docs communicate thru blogs etc."

Yes, surprisingly such critical sharing of information is taking place via blogs. It makes me wonder what the hell the NIH, CDC, WHO, etc. are doing. Why aren't THEY leading the charge to investigate this disease and devise workable treatments?

The situation reminds me of something which happened over 100 years ago:

The first World War was bloody and vicious. By its end, it had taken the lives of more than 20 million people. That number a few times over perished in the Spanish Flu that followed in its wake. It is a story that has been retold a lot lately.

There were other casualties of the Great War, too. The narratives of a protective ruling class across Europe. Fervent embrace of trade and economic models based on colonialism and imperialism. Oligarchies and monarchies, yes, but belief in the capacity of oligarchies and monarchies to act benevolently and competently in the defense of the people, too.

First, the people die; then, the stories.

The human toll of COVID-19 is unlikely to approach even a mean fraction of the pain visited on humanity in the first quarter of the 20th century. But what about the stories we tell about our global institutions, our shared values, and our own orthodoxies and authorities?

Those stories are dying. They are dying because the institutions built on those stories failed us all, and all at once.

First, the people die; then, the stories.


Source - https://www.epsilontheory.com/first-the-people/

We are dying, and so are our governments and "our" global institutions. Our belief in their utility is being eroded to the point of being crushed. And what will replace it? Technocracy? The belief that Bill and Melinda Gates and their ilk can save us if we just let them take over every aspect of our lives?

Geez, I certainly hope not; since my perception of these ultra rich techies is that their foremost goal is to cull the human herd. And that makes me wonder why they didn't recommend just letting the virus "wash over us", killing some of us while allowing the survivors to achieve herd immunity. I think they didn't because they have something else in mind, something which will kill us off even faster while conferring no immunity at all.

Of course, since they work "in secret", we probably won't know what it is until they ram it down our throats some day:

https://sainthoward.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-rich-have-secret-plan-for-you.html

The Rich Have A Secret Plan For You

Here is discussion of a secret "Manhattan Project-type" plan the ultra rich are funding to allegedly combat COVID-19:

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/secret-covid-19-manhattan-project-led-billionaires-seeks-gain-trump-admins-ear

I see no reason for them to keep their work secret, unless it involves huge profits for themselves and/or unsavory prospects for us. And if it does, then it DEFINITELY should not be allowed to remain secret.

Never forget that to become ultra rich a person must put THEIR interests above all others. Whatever these guys come up with, it's not going to be an act of charity or compassion.

The Evolution Of Political Power

Here is the evolution of political power:

(1) First theory - use physical threats

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Chairman Mao Zedong

(2) Second theory - use mind control

"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind."

Jim Morrison

(3) Third theory - use mandatory vaccination

"It is equally true that in every well-ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members, the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand."

Justin John Marshall Harlan (in Jacobson v Massachusetts)

Whether it be the barrel of a gun, the barrel of a video tube, or the barrel of a syringe, the powers that be rely on a monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory to maintain the sovereignty of the state.

COVID-19 From A Military Intelligence Point Of View

Here is a strange 12 minute video which discusses COVID-19 from the POV of a Russian military intelligence officer:

https://youtu.be/cB07NvNCJ0k

I have no idea whether this guy is legit or not, and you may want to dismiss his comments as mere "conspiracy theory". But before you do, just listen to what he says (or read the subtitles) and see if you don't think a lot of what he claims makes perfect sense.

How Toxic Is Humanity ???

Apparently, humanity is more toxic than the radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant:

https://news.yahoo.com/theres-thriving-population-radioactive-animals-131000270.html

Perhaps THAT is why TPTB want to cull the human herd.

Would You Take This Vaccine ???

According to this report, COVID-19 vaccines are being developed in India. Here is a statement about one of them:

Now the firm has stitched up collaboration with Codagenix, an American biotech company, to develop a "live attenuated" vaccine, among the more than 80 reportedly in development all over the world.

Pune-based Serum Institute of India is the world's biggest vaccine maker
This vaccine is created by reducing the virulence - or removing the harmful properties - of a pathogen but keeping it alive. (They cause no or very mild disease because the pathogen is weakened under laboratory conditions.)

Source - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52363791

You may recall the Salk polio vaccine was a live attenuated vaccine, and some batches were improperly "weakened", with tragic consequences:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1383764/

Ask yourself this - If and when TPTB try to inoculate the entire human population with such a vaccine, how many of the doses will be defective? And how will the impact of that kind of blunder compare with just letting everyone develop herd immunity naturally?

I suggest these are valid questions which must be answered before we submit to taking ANY "mandatory" vaccines. NO medical treatment should be imposed without informed consent.

Some Fantasies

As you may have heard, some people believe smokers are partially immune to COVID-19 and that this alleged immunity is caused by nicotine:

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/world-about-panic-hoard-nicotine-products-after-frances-promising-coronavirus-study

That apparently is their fantasy. Here are two of mine:

1. The powers that be scared us into stopping smoking because they KNEW it would make us more susceptible to the virus.

2. They also got us off opioids because they KNEW it would make us more susceptible to the virus.

Once again, these are just two of my fantasies. But I think it's worth pursuing whether they have any validity, because you can be sure the powers that be didn't do either of these things because they give a damn about our welfare.

Famine - Behold A Pale Green Horse

The rumblings over food shortages are starting to turn into ominous warnings. You can read some of them here:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meat-supply-threats-grow-first-181155792.html

and

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/farms-across-delmarva-cull-millions-chickens-amid-virus-related-staff-shortages-processing

and

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/26/food-banks-coronavirus-agriculture-usda-207215

Obviously, "our" government SHOULD have acted swiftly both to protect our food supply and to purchase and distribute all the food which is being destroyed because of the lockdowns. And also obviously President Trump will get blamed for the lack of swift action, and deservedly so.

In light of this, I'd like you to consider something:

The so-called "resistance" has gone out of its way to be disloyal and insubordinate to the President, and even to break the law in their efforts to drive him from office. But can you name a SINGLE instance in which their disloyalty, insubordination, and/or law breaking resulted in a tangible benefit to We the People? I cannot.

They REALLY don't give a damn about us or our country. All they want is to be back in power.

As Alfred Henry Lewis observed in 1906, "There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy."

It should be clear to most of us that "our" leaders intend to use the coming food shortages to create both panic and anarchy to allow themselves to seize powers that no human being deserves to have, at any time or for any reason. And once we fall into their trap, it will be damned hard to ever escape from it.

Yes, There Will Be Blood

Here are some observations and predictions from James Howard Kunstler's CLUSTERFUCK NATION – BLOG:

The plague didn’t cause the economic crash. But the lockdown response certainly accelerated, amplified, and ramified it. The crash happened because we built up a hyper-complex, over-scaled, just-in-time economic system with all its ecological redundancy edited out for the sake of efficiency, making it hyper-fragile. The system’s basic power module (fossil fuel) was failing on a cost-basis and we tried to compensate for that with debt. The debt got out of hand in both sheer quantity and from the dishonest games that bankers and politicians were playing with it. All of this happened for the reason that most things happen in history: it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The old system is permanently broken now. We’re having a hard time recognizing that, plague or no plague.  Many activities have flunked the scale challenge and will not come back to running the way they used to, generally anything organized at the giant scale: global supply chains, global corporations that depend on them, fracking for shale oil, big institutions like colleges and even public school systems, commercial aviation and tourism, the auto industry, show business (including the Disney empire and things like it), suburbia as a general proposition, skyscrapers and megastructures, shopping malls, pension funds, insurance companies, mega-banks, and, of course, medical conglomerates.

You can read the rest @
https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/turning-and-churning/

There WILL be change, and the process WILL be bloody. One can only hope it will not involve ACTUAL bloodshed. Sadly we won't know for certain until all the money has run out:

https://www.goldmoney.com/research/goldmoney-insights/anatomy-of-a-fiat-currency-collapse

What Trump ACTUALLY Said About Bleach

Here are his actual words (according to PolitiFact):

"A question that probably some of you are thinking of if you’re totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting. So, supposedly we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it. And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. (To Bryan) And I think you said you’re going to test that, too. Sounds interesting, right?"

"And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful."

Source - https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/apr/24/context-what-donald-trump-said-about-disinfectant-/

Not all that smart, but he did NOT recommend or even suggest that anyone ingest or inject bleach. He asked if medical scientists could investigate similar ideas. And they did, and they rejected them. No big deal ... except to the people who hate Trump.

Now here is a claim even MORE dangerous than what Trump said:

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities have become hotspots for COVID-19, and in some neighborhoods, residents continue to ignore social distancing guidelines

A number of factors have contributed to the spread of the virus inside these communities including widespread suspicion of the government, adherence to communal prayer and activity, and high population density in these neighborhoods.

“We have the Torah. That’s the religious law. We can’t go by the laws of the state,” said Yoel Kraus, who lives in the Mea Shearim neighborhood with his wife and 17 children. [emphasis added]

Source - https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/884zbp/ultra-orthodox-communities-are-fighting-israels-coronavirus-lockdown

So, it's somehow OK for rabbis to reject science-based restrictions?

Or is the MSM just too cowardly to say anything critical about Israelis?

When Will We Be Safe ???

Here are the dates when one model predicts it will be safe for each US state to ease social restrictions:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/25/844088634/when-is-it-safe-to-ease-social-distancing-heres-what-one-model-says-for-each-sta

I think one case per million population is pretty stringent. And by the way, that means one reported case and not actual cases (since no one knows how many asymptomatic cases are out there).

But apparently no one is listening to these particular modelers, and many states will be opening up far sooner than recommended:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/25/business/economy/coronavirus-economy-reopening.html

US In Decline ???

Here is a discussion of the end of US hegemony:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/somebody-tell-the-establishment-that-american-hegemony-is-over/

I tend to agree. We seem to be on a downward trajectory, and whether it's a choice or not is irrelevant.

We outsourced everything except allowing the rich to prey on the poor. And now we're debasing our currency in a futile effort to save lives from a pandemic mostly of our own making.

When this is all over, China is going to kick our ass. Making them our permanent enemy is just the latest mistake among the many our leaders (sic) have made.

The American Century is over. Deal with it. And stop this kind of nonsense before it's too late:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/55099.htm

Quote For The Day - 4/25/2020

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

- UNITED NATIONS, UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, ARTICLE 19

To all the digital thugs at Facebook, Google, etc., please take note. You suck.

Trump's West Point Mafia

Here is wisdom from TomDispatch:

As TomDispatch regular, West Point graduate (class of 2005), and retired Army Major Danny Sjursen explains in remarkable detail today, while the president finally tossed “his” generals in the nearest trash can, the “adults” (and you do have to keep that word in quotation marks) didn’t, in fact, leave the toddler alone in the Oval Office. They simply militarized and de-militarized at the same time. In fact, one class from West Point, that of 1986, from which both Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo graduated, is essentially everywhere in a distinctly militarized (if still officially civilian) and wildly hawkish Washington in the Trumpian moment.

You can read the rest @
http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/176686/tomgram%3A_danny_sjursen%2C_trump%27s_own_military_mafia_/

I don't see this as a purely Trumpian problem. A military junta has been running the US since World War II. The generals and admirals come and go, but the wars go on and on.

If I had to pick a motto for ALL of them, it would be "war is a racket".

5 Reasons To End The Lockdowns

Here are 5 facts from Scott W. Atlas, MD:

Fact 1: The overwhelming majority of people do not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19.

Fact 2: Protecting older, at-risk people eliminates hospital overcrowding.

Fact 3: Vital population immunity is prevented by total isolation policies, prolonging the problem.

Fact 4: People are dying because other medical care is not getting done due to hypothetical projections.

Fact 5: We have a clearly defined population at risk who can be protected with targeted measures.

Source - https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/494034-the-data-are-in-stop-the-panic-and-end-the-total-isolation

Sounds good to me.

My only concern stems from being in the "clearly defined population at risk". Exactly how am I going to be protected, when the people around me are not taking the "targeted measures" seriously?

The Wuhan-Fentanyl Connection

Here is a revealing story from the Los Angeles Times:

For drug traffickers interested in getting in on the fentanyl business, all roads once led to Wuhan.

The sprawling industrial city built along the Yangtze River in east-central China is known for its production of chemicals, including the ingredients needed to cook fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids.

Vendors there shipped huge quantities around the world. The biggest customers were Mexican drug cartels, which have embraced fentanyl in recent years because it is cheaper and easier to produce than heroin.

But the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan late last year before spreading across the planet has upended the fentanyl supply chain, causing a ripple effect that has cut into the profits of Mexican traffickers and driven up street drug prices across the United States.

Few industries - illicit or not - have been unscathed by the pandemic that has upended the global economy and killed more than 190,000 people worldwide.

The narcotics trade, which relies on the constant movement of goods and people, has been stymied by lockdowns, travel bans and other efforts to contain the virus, according to government officials, academic researchers and drug traffickers.

Mexican production of fentanyl and methamphetamine appears especially hard hit.

Both drugs are made with precursor chemicals that are typically sent on planes or cargo ships from China, where despite U.S. pressure to ban them, they continue to be sold legally.

That supply chain was shut down in January when authorities in Wuhan enacted a lockdown that forced residents to stay inside for more than two months.

You can read the rest @
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-04-24/wuhan-china-coronavirus-fentanyl-global-drug-trade

I'm certain our Chinese friends had no idea how many Americans would be killed by the opioid epidemic spawned in part by their chemical factories.

What do you think?

Does The Test Even Work ???

Here is an excellent analysis of what the medical authorities themselves are saying about the PCR tests being used to diagnose COVID-19:

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2020/04/jon-rappoport/corona-creating-the-illusion-of-a-pandemic-through-diagnostic-tests/

I've often wondered how specific these tests are, and I guess now we know.

The blind leading the blind. What a freaking mess.

We're NOT In This Together

In spite of the endless media appeals to "we're in this together", I don't think we are.

Here's why:

https://pagesix.com/2020/04/23/wealthy-hamptonites-enjoy-coronavirus-concierge-at-1000-per-call/

and

https://capitalandmain.com/a-tale-of-two-pandemics-the-rich-are-getting-richer-0423

As always, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer and sicker.

Tell me again why we are rejecting social justice? Do we really like being hungry and sick?

Quote For The Day - 4/24/2020

"You can depend upon the Americans to do the right thing. But only after they have exhausted every other possibility."

Winston Churchill (attributed)

Source - https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/11/11/exhaust-alternatives/

Reminds me of our COVID-19 response.

Skynet

Google is creating an AI that evolves on its own:

One can only impishly guess at what self-replicating AI algorithms evolving on their own will mean for the future of life on Earth.

https://themindunleashed.com/2020/04/google-scientists-artificial-intelligence-evolves-on-its-own.html

I think we all know the answer to that question.

The End Of Small Business ???

Here is a great discussion of how government is destroying small businesses in the US:

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2020/04/small-business-firings-to-start/

Here is a related statistic:

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/565-americans-have-lost-their-job-every-confirmed-covid-19-death-us

Even state and local governments are getting creamed:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/coronavirus-relief-bill-layoffs-coming-to-state-local-governments.html

And here is a related discussion:

https://www.technocracy.news/killing-capitalism-10000s-of-u-s-businesses-permanently-shuttered/

This so-called pandemic seems to be proving two things:

1. Giant corporations now have a permanent edge over small businesses; and

2. Robots/AI now have a permanent edge over human employees.

Our world is being reinvented, but when the process is over it will not be "our" world anymore.

Fire On A Submarine

Here's a report about a fire on a Russian sub:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/world/europe/russian-submarine-fire-losharik.html

I have been underwater on a sub which experienced a fire. Fortunately no one was injured, but we all could have been killed. Not so much from the fire, but a resultant loss of power while in heavy seas could have led to sinking of the boat.

By the way, concerning Losharik's alleged mission to cut undersea cables: I have no direct knowledge of this, but it would not surprise me to learn that US subs have been on similar missions. Whatever they can do, we can do better (or so we tell ourselves).

Quote For The Day - 4/23/2020

"Anytime government gets the opportunity to expand its power, whether over one person or an entire city, it will. If there’s a scientific debate between two sides, and one of those sides is advocating a position that would give government a reason to justify its existence and flex its muscles, that is the side government will choose."

David Cole

Source - https://www.takimag.com/article/the-science-of-caging-a-compliant-majority/

Have We Finally Reached The Peak ???

Some, like President Trump, may think we're nearing the peak of COVID-19 infections, which will signal the time to reopen the country. This strategy seems to ignore an important fact:

PEAK daily new cases in a containment scenario is also PEAK infectivity if containment is abandoned at that moment.

Source - https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2020/04/the-peak/

We've really painted ourselves into a corner, haven't we?

Before you decide to rush outside and mingle again, take a look at some of these reports first:

https://gilad.online/writings/2020/4/20/is-amnesia-a-symptom-of-covid-19

https://mises.org/wire/experts-have-no-idea-how-many-covid-19-cases-there-are

https://www.foxnews.com/science/coronavirus-mutated-at-least-30-different-strains-study-finds

https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/21/21227855/coronavirus-spreading-by-state-instagram-effective-reproduction-rate

https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/21/21227855/coronavirus-spreading-by-state-instagram-effective-reproduction-rate

I think what bothers me the most about COVID-19 are these two things:

1. With the best scientists in the world focused on finding a solution to this pandemic, we still don't know how many people are infected, what the real death rate is, or why some people die horrible deaths while others seem unaffected; and

2. In spite of that lack of knowledge, we appear to have totally destroyed our nation's economy in an inept attempt to curb the number of deaths.

I'd also like to point out that the response to the virus appears to have satisfied the agenda of the technocrats and the climate change crazies more than any reasonable agenda of We the People. In this regard, it's starting to feel exactly like what we did in the wake of 9/11 - we embarked on an ill-considered "war on terror" which was extremely costly, totally unnecessary, and lasting in its negative impact on all humanity. Can we afford yet another screwup of that magnitude? I don't think so.

Michelle For President ???

Joe Biden seems to want Michael Michelle Obama as his VP candidate. You can read about it here:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/joe-biden-would-pick-michelle-obama-running-mate-heartbeat

If they win, Biden most likely would not live out his term. Putting her on the ticket would be like putting Harry Truman on FDR's ticket for his fourth, short-lived presidency.

And what are her qualifications? Smart? Well liked? An author (did she have a ghost writer)? Married (sic) to Obama ad-Dajjal? Does any of that make for a "good" president?

Strange how we now may have a choice between two spouses of former presidents (i.e., Hillary and Michelle). When did the highest office in the land become a monarchy?

I don't want ANY of these folks to be running the show. Do you?

The Virus From Hell

Apparently the COVID-19 virus attacks the lining of your blood vessels:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3080750/coronavirus-attacks-lining-blood-vessels-all-over-body-swiss

Here's additional discussion of what it does to your lungs:

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/visualizing-what-covid-19-does-your-body

If we need to stay locked up for a few more weeks, that's OK with me. Maybe we should cancel that family BBQ my wife scheduled for this Friday.

Update 4/22/2020

And here's another description of what it does to you:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/how-does-coronavirus-kill-clinicians-trace-ferocious-rampage-through-body-brain-toes#

This really is a virus from hell.

And these are just the near term effects. No one yet knows what it can do to us over time.

Boo-Hoo, Richard Branson

Dick Branson says he needs a government bailout:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2020/04/20/billionaire-branson-asks-for-government-money-to-save-virgin-atlantic-claims-he-did-not-leave-britain-for-tax-reasons/#66f214c0e218

Perhaps what he says is true, but if a government of the people bails out a billionaire and/or his corporations, then that government should acquire a controlling interest in said corporations.

In the long run, it is the people who are bailing out their jobs. Maintaining the lavish lifestyle of a billionaire should NOT be their responsibility. And if said corporations would otherwise go into receivership if not bailed out, then the government should be able to acquire them at fire sale prices.

The Evolution Of Europe

This animated graphic shows the last 2400 years of European history:

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/2400-years-of-european-history/

Quote For The Day - 4/20/2020

"Again, the new oligarchy must more and more base its claim to plan us on its claim to knowledge. If we are to be mothered, mother must know best. This means they must increasingly rely on the advice of scientists, till in the end the politicians proper become merely the scientists’ puppets. Technocracy is the form to which a planned society must tend. Now I dread specialists in power because they are specialists speaking outside their special subjects. Let scientists tell us about sciences. But government involves questions about the good for man, and justice, and what things are worth having at what price; and on these a scientific training gives a man’s opinion no added value. Let the doctor tell me I shall die unless I do so-and-so; but whether life is worth having on those terms is no more a question for him than for any other man."

C.S. Lewis

Source - http://www.theblogmire.com/led-by-the-science-towards-a-medical-despotism/

I completely agree.

I believe in the scientific method. It is both valid and useful. But it cannot answer all questions, and so-called rockstar scientists should stay in their lanes and stop telling us how to live our lives. A PhD in physics does not make you a philosopher or a jurist.

Are The Homeless Immune To COVID-19 ???

Now THIS is fascinating:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now “actively looking into” results from universal COVID-19 testing at Pine Street Inn homeless shelter.

The broad-scale testing took place at the shelter in Boston’s South End a week and a half ago because of a small cluster of cases there.

Of the 397 people tested, 146 people tested positive. Not a single one had any symptoms.

You can read the rest @
https://www.boston25news.com/news/cdc-reviewing-stunning-universal-testing-results-boston-homeless-shelter/Z253TFBO6RG4HCUAARBO4YWO64/

Instead of being "stunned", I think we should be elated. Understanding such anomalies could be the key to ending the pandemic.

Consider this - the homeless probably have poorer nutrition than most, less access to healthcare, and live in very stressful conditions. One would expect them to have compromised immune systems and be MORE susceptible to developing symptoms from the virus. But the opposite seems to be true. Why?

I'd like to take a wild-ass guess - I bet none of them get annual flu shots or any of the other noxious crap that BigMed and BigPharma have been pumping into our bodies for decades. And maybe THAT'S why they are symptom free.

Just saying ...

Hopefully CDC's study of these folks will reveal what's really going on here.