Less than two months...

For discussion of liberty, freedom, government and politics.
Finrock
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4426

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Finrock »

Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 2:12 pm
Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:47 pm
Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:35 pm
Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:11 pmSilver is just trolling. His judgments, accusations, and opinion pieces are meaningless. Classic fallacious reasoning and trolling.

In other words, it means nothing to anyone to have this poster called Silver accuse one of being a murderer, or a Gadianton, or whatever.

-Finrock
Et tu, Finrock? Thanks for the powerful counter-trolling laugh.

Except Trump really is surrounded by the CFR. And Trump really is selling weapons to the Saudis. And Trump really is allowing the Federal Reserve to make debt slaves out of us. But other than that I hear he's a great guy, low golf handicap and all that.

My, how the children of the covenant have learned to deny reality.
It's just funny that people are worried about you calling them Gadiantons, or a murderer. Its so silly that its hard for me to believe that someone would be phased by such words from some dude/gal on the internet. Anyways, just letting people know that because Silver thinks they are a murderer or Gadianton, or whatever, means about zero in real life; its not worth responding to; it is valueless, useless, pointless, absurd, etc.

-Finrock
Of course, you realize how it makes me smile when you respond as above all the while telling people not to respond. Couldn't follow your own advice? LOL.

I also note that you're good at ignoring the factual charges against Trump. If it makes you feel better, I'll change my accusation against Trump. He's not a Gadianton obviously since he is alive now, but he is a part of the secret combination that Moroni warned us about in Ether.
These posts aren't for you. They are for others. They are for identification and informational of who they are dealing with and speaking to and a reminder that what Silver thinks about them means nothing.

But, I don't really care what you do... :D

-Finrock

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 2:18 pm
Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 2:12 pm
Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:47 pm
Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:35 pm

Et tu, Finrock? Thanks for the powerful counter-trolling laugh.

Except Trump really is surrounded by the CFR. And Trump really is selling weapons to the Saudis. And Trump really is allowing the Federal Reserve to make debt slaves out of us. But other than that I hear he's a great guy, low golf handicap and all that.

My, how the children of the covenant have learned to deny reality.
It's just funny that people are worried about you calling them Gadiantons, or a murderer. Its so silly that its hard for me to believe that someone would be phased by such words from some dude/gal on the internet. Anyways, just letting people know that because Silver thinks they are a murderer or Gadianton, or whatever, means about zero in real life; its not worth responding to; it is valueless, useless, pointless, absurd, etc.

-Finrock
Of course, you realize how it makes me smile when you respond as above all the while telling people not to respond. Couldn't follow your own advice? LOL.

I also note that you're good at ignoring the factual charges against Trump. If it makes you feel better, I'll change my accusation against Trump. He's not a Gadianton obviously since he is alive now, but he is a part of the secret combination that Moroni warned us about in Ether.
These posts aren't for you. They are for others. They are for identification and informational of who they are dealing with and speaking to and a reminder that what Silver thinks about them means nothing.

But, I don't really care what you do... :D

-Finrock
Ha! You responded again. Thanks for being my penpal.

brianj
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4066
Location: Vineyard, Utah

Re: Less than two months...

Post by brianj »

Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:35 pm
Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:11 pmSilver is just trolling. His judgments, accusations, and opinion pieces are meaningless. Classic fallacious reasoning and trolling.

In other words, it means nothing to anyone to have this poster called Silver accuse one of being a murderer, or a Gadianton, or whatever.

-Finrock
Et tu, Finrock? Thanks for the powerful counter-trolling laugh.

Except Trump really is surrounded by the CFR. And Trump really is selling weapons to the Saudis. And Trump really is allowing the Federal Reserve to make debt slaves out of us. But other than that I hear he's a great guy, low golf handicap and all that.

My, how the children of the covenant have learned to deny reality.
It's too bad that angel Hillary wasn't elected and you didn't have the chance to let a woman rule over you, as you apparently think you are supposed to do after reading 2 Ne 13:12 and Isaiah 3:12.
And isn't it great that she was protected from punishment for her crimes so she could fight the Gaddiantons? If there's one sure way to identify who isn't a Gaddianton, its seeing who doesn't get held accountable for felonies.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

brianj wrote: October 6th, 2017, 8:08 pm
Silver wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:35 pm
Finrock wrote: October 6th, 2017, 1:11 pmSilver is just trolling. His judgments, accusations, and opinion pieces are meaningless. Classic fallacious reasoning and trolling.

In other words, it means nothing to anyone to have this poster called Silver accuse one of being a murderer, or a Gadianton, or whatever.

-Finrock
Et tu, Finrock? Thanks for the powerful counter-trolling laugh.

Except Trump really is surrounded by the CFR. And Trump really is selling weapons to the Saudis. And Trump really is allowing the Federal Reserve to make debt slaves out of us. But other than that I hear he's a great guy, low golf handicap and all that.

My, how the children of the covenant have learned to deny reality.
It's too bad that angel Hillary wasn't elected and you didn't have the chance to let a woman rule over you, as you apparently think you are supposed to do after reading 2 Ne 13:12 and Isaiah 3:12.
And isn't it great that she was protected from punishment for her crimes so she could fight the Gaddiantons? If there's one sure way to identify who isn't a Gaddianton, its seeing who doesn't get held accountable for felonies.
You assume too much, brian. I voted for Darrell Castle so your comment about women makes no sense, brian. However, since you brought Hillary and the Gadiantons up, why is it your hero Trump hasn't had her arrested, brian? Would you please, brian, recall vicariously for the whole forum that Trump, the puppet of the same secret combination as Hillary, was happy to let the crowds at his campaign events chant "Lock her up!" However, as soon as the election was over brian, he said: "I don't want to hurt her. They're good people."

Here it is on the TEEVEE program 60 Minutes, from Trump's own mouth, brian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPK7uStv6zA

So there you have it, brian. Trump protecting Hillary, one Gadianton for another, brian. brian, the NSA has every email that Hillary stored on her infamous server. The NSA reports to Trump now, brian. Trump could direct Sessions to have Hillary arrested today if he wanted, brian. Today, brian. Who is protecting who, brian.

Really, brian, you embarrass yourself trying to debate me. Go wipe the egg off your face, brian.

I win. I always win.

brianj
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4066
Location: Vineyard, Utah

Re: Less than two months...

Post by brianj »

I don't think you are winning in this case. Even ardent Clinton supporters know she committed felonies by sending classified information through outside systems and her private email server, but they deny it when confronted. These people, even though they know the truth deep down inside, would accuse Trump of being vindictive and political persecution. Then they would claim that all conservatives are the same.

I believe that Trump did the right thing in not pursuing criminal charges against Hillary. The election is over, he's the president, and he needs to take actions that may not be popular with his staunchest supporters to try and build some unity.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

brianj wrote: October 7th, 2017, 4:40 pm I don't think you are winning in this case. Even ardent Clinton supporters know she committed felonies by sending classified information through outside systems and her private email server, but they deny it when confronted. These people, even though they know the truth deep down inside, would accuse Trump of being vindictive and political persecution. Then they would claim that all conservatives are the same.

I believe that Trump did the right thing in not pursuing criminal charges against Hillary. The election is over, he's the president, and he needs to take actions that may not be popular with his staunchest supporters to try and build some unity.
You're basically giving Trump an excuse to not enforce the law. It's hard so lets not do it. Is that your strategy?

brianj
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4066
Location: Vineyard, Utah

Re: Less than two months...

Post by brianj »

Silver wrote: October 7th, 2017, 4:57 pm
brianj wrote: October 7th, 2017, 4:40 pm I don't think you are winning in this case. Even ardent Clinton supporters know she committed felonies by sending classified information through outside systems and her private email server, but they deny it when confronted. These people, even though they know the truth deep down inside, would accuse Trump of being vindictive and political persecution. Then they would claim that all conservatives are the same.

I believe that Trump did the right thing in not pursuing criminal charges against Hillary. The election is over, he's the president, and he needs to take actions that may not be popular with his staunchest supporters to try and build some unity.
You're basically giving Trump an excuse to not enforce the law. It's hard so lets not do it. Is that your strategy?
In essence, yes but no. Yes, in this one extremely limited case national interest is more important than the law. And no, it's not because enforcing the law is hard; it's because efforts to unify the nation are more important.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Silver wrote: September 15th, 2017, 9:07 pm The list is not complete:
What do we have to show for it?
1. An administration full of NWO/CFR/warmongers/Gadiantons
2. A lifelong Washington insider and CFR member appointed to the Supreme Court
3. A discovery that the Marmalade prefers spastic early morning tweets instead of rational negotiations, such a contrast from the person his ghost writer described in the best-selling The Art of the Deal
4. Reneging on campaign promises like Mexico will pay for the wall and "Lock Her Up"
5. War and threats of war as far as the eye can see
6. Debt ceilings ignored and national debt skyrocketing
7. He's in love DACA Dreamers
8. Obamacare never got repealed
9. Mnuchin, the law-breaking Treasury Secretary, and Trump lied about Trump's tax reform
10. President Jared Kushner is sitting on a couple hundred million dollars from George Soros and the Trump supporters want us to pretend that the Marmalade is a conservative

11. Fight like a high school kid on Twitter. Marmalade is so mature and grown up.
There...11 things to prove that Trump is no better than Hillary. They're all crooked. Sure glad I didn't vote for evil.
I'm sure somehow the usual suspects on LDSFF will make this my fault.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-0 ... stop-cowen

After "Surreal" Feud Between Trump And Corker, "Tax Reform Is Dead. Full Stop": Cowen

by Tyler Durden
Oct 9, 2017 8:39 AM

While Wall Street appears to have ignored the latest political spat within the Republican party over the weekend, in which Donald Trump lashed out at outgoing Senator Bob Corker, while the latter compared the White House to "daycare for adults", and later warned Trump may launch World War III, this particular feud involving the president may last longer than just the usual 24-hour news cycle, and could have dire consequences for the market, which in recent days has repriced a more than 60% probability (according to Goldman) that Trump's tax reform will pass.

Well, according to Cowen analyst Chris Krueger, not so fast.

In a note released this morning, Krueger writes that "tax euphoria may break this week, with the Senate budget back to zero-margin on vote as President Trump, Sen. Bob Corker feud." And without a budget, "tax is dead. Full stop," Krueger writes.

Cowen now sees the margin for passing a budget in the Senate as more challenging than in the House, plus "radically different" documents will have to be merged and passed again.

Passing FY 2018 Senate budget has "some eerie parallels" to health care, as no Democrats will vote for the budget; Sen. Rand Paul is expected to vote no because it doesn’t cut spending fast enough; Sen. John McCain also sounds like a no as it doesn’t repeal sequester, which disproportionately hits the Pentagon.

That means GOP can only afford one more defection, with Corker, a deficit hawk, engaging in "one of the more surreal public correspondence exchanges in recent memory" days after saying Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly help keep U.S. from chaos.

"Either Trump realizes that Corker can sink the remainder of the Trump/GOP legislative effort and is upset by that reality, or he didn’t/doesn’t know and just made it a reality. Either way, we see ZERO upside for the budget process/tax reform in this Twitter tantrum with the policy downside limit-down"

Maybe not: because in the premarket on Monday, bank stocks sensitive to potential tax cuts, are once again rising, suggesting all is well: JPMorgan up 0.3%, BofA +0.3%, Morgan Stanley +0.8%. Or perhaps this is just one more example of a market that is now so bored with incremental news flow which has zero impact on risk assets, that it is simply yet another "shock which no longer shocks." Then again, as so many Wall Street analysts have warned, it is only a matter of time before one shock does finally shock the S&P, unleashing the spire of shocks, built of over years and years of non-resolution, and merely swept away under the rug with trillions in central bank liquidity injections.

Stated simpler, if indeed Trump tax reform is dead - again - a sharp market turnaround may be imminent.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Warmonger. An appropriate title for the Marmalade In Chief and ZeroHedge has finally applied it to Trump. Truth for the masses.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-0 ... nger-chief

Donald Trump: Warmonger-In-Chief?

Oct 9, 2017 10:15 PM
Authored by Antonius Aquinas via Acting-Man.com,

Cryptic Pronouncements
If a world conflagration, God forbid, should break out during the Trump Administration, its genesis will not be too hard to discover: the thin-skinned, immature, shallow, doofus who currently resides in the Oval Office!

Donald-Trump-Nuclear-Codes-1024x512.jpg
Donald-Trump-Nuclear-Codes-1024x512.jpg (55.14 KiB) Viewed 669 times
The commander-in-chief – a potential source of radiation?



This past week, the Donald has continued his bellicose talk with both veiled and explicit threats against purported American adversaries throughout the world. In a cryptic exchange with reporters during a dinner with military leaders, he quipped:

You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm. It could be the calm… before… the storm.*
A reporter asked if he meant Iran or Isis which the POTUS responded, “you’ll find out.” Instead of threatening supposed overseas foes with nuclear annihilation, none of whom have taken any concrete military action against the US, why not go after someone who has actually compromised the country’s security, namely Hillary Rodham Clinton!

While some dismissed the comments as typical Trumpian bluster, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders added further ominous overtones when questioned saying they were “extremely serious.” Later in the week, Trump continued to threaten tiny North Korea, this time in not so veiled terms:

“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, making fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work”.**
If war erupts either on the Korean Peninsula or in any other part of the globe that the U.S has wantonly poked its nose into, it can be safely assured that neither Trump nor any of the other “military leaders,” with whom he recently had dinner with will be in the midst of hostilities as the bombs and bullets are being cast about.

No, these laptop bombers will be in safe quarters far away from enemy lines, giving orders, making speeches, and praising the troops, while Congress will be hurriedly passing more “defense” funding legislation further lining the pockets of the military industrial complex.

Armchair-General-post.jpg
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Too far removed from the battlefield…



Curtailing the Warmongers
The Warmonger-in-Chief, who has repeatedly bragged about America’s military prowess, had a chance to become a part of the organization he constantly gushes over during his youth at the time of the Vietnam War. Yet, he escaped military service, due to the machinations of his father, because of a mysterious foot/toe malady.

All those who avoided being conscripted into America’s disastrous imperial exercise in Southeast Asia during those years, whether it was from phony medical conditions, escaping to Canada or beyond, or going to jail, they did so for justifiable reasons.

The war was immoral, since Vietnam had taken no hostile action against the US and what made it worse, the government drafted thousands of America’s youth to fight it. It is reprehensible that those who got out of military service then are now at the forefront in advocating mass murder (war).

One resolution that would certainly curtail warmongering in the future would be that any legislator, president, cabinet officer, or ambassador who promotes military intervention abroad should be required to directly participate in field operations. This would quickly put the brakes on threatening talk from the likes of Trump and his crazed UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley.

A country’s leadership personally conducting military operations has a long tradition in Western history. During the era of the crusades, princes and kings led their retinues and forces into battle risking their own life and limb – such as the great Norman prince, Bohemond, whose courage, tenacity, and military acumen won the day for Christian forces at the battle of Antioch.



From left to right: Bohemond I of Antioch, Bohemond’s troops scaling the ramparts of Antioch in AD 1098, Bohemond’s mausoleum in Canosa di Puglia. Bohemond was the son of Rober Guiscard, the count of Apulia and Calabria. His real name was Mark Guiscard. He was a nicknamed Bohemond after a legendary giant – the name was given to him because he was an unusually tall and strong man, dwarfing those around him. Even for a crusader, Bohemond’s life was unusually colorful. [PT]



This venerable ideal can still be seen in Russia when recently one of its generals and two colonels lost their lives in the Syrian quagmire.*** When was the last time a US general has perished in active combat?

It is apparent that the current POTUS does not understand the catastrophic consequences of what his threats, if carried out, would lead to – death to millions, unimaginable destruction, and the end of civilization.



A brief history of US-North Korean relations in the 2000ds



Maybe, had he actually suffered through the horrors of combat or had been the victim of US aggression as the peoples of North Korea, Vietnam and Iraq have witnessed, he might refrain from such bellicose language.

Hopefully, cooler heads in the Administration will prevail, however, a more peaceful world is unlikely with the likes of Donald J. Trump at the command of the greatest destructive force in human history.

References:

*Tyler Durden, “President Trump Warns Ominously: ‘It’s the Calm Before the Storm.’” Zero Hedge. 6 October 2017.
**Tyler Durden, “Trump Hints at War With North Korea: ‘Sorry, But Only One Thing Will Work.’” Zerohedge, 7 October 2017.
***Alexander, “General Asapov Died Because as a Russian Officer He Led From the Front.” Russia Feed. 30 September 2017.

User avatar
Elizabeth
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11796
Location: East Coast Australia

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Elizabeth »

:lol: :lol: :lol: . . . . :lol: :lol: :lol: . . . . :lol: :lol: :lol:
Silver wrote: October 7th, 2017, 3:23 pm I win. I always win.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Are the Trumpsters happy that Trump threatens, via Twitter no less, to revoke NBC's broadcast license? Are you happy with that sort of authority being concentrated into the hands of a narcissist? If so, what happens when a new narcissist is elected and exercises that same authority in ways you don't like?

Trump supporters have no integrity.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... ar-arsenal

Trump Threatens Withdrawal Of NBC Broadcast License After "Fake" Tenfold-Nuke Story

Tyler Durden's picture
by Tyler Durden
Oct 11, 2017 9:58 AM

Update (1:25 pm ET): FCC Chairman Pai has yet to respond to Markey's letter urging him to resist any attempt by Trump to revoke NBC's license, but one of his fellow commissioners has, clarifying that the FCC doesn't have the power to revoke the license from an entire network - only its affiliate networks around the country.

Follow
Jessica Rosenworcel ✔@JRosenworcel
Not how it works.

See here: https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files ... asting.pdfhttps://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/sta ... 4630093825
9:33 AM - Oct 11, 2017
17 17 Replies 121 121 Retweets 248 248 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The more you know...

* * *

Update (12:30 pm ET): Even though Trump has a widely acknowledged habit of not following through with threats issued on twitter, at least one Democratic politician apparently felt compelled to chime in. Democratic Sen. Edward Markey is calling on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to resist any attempt by President Trump or his administration to pull the licenses of NBC or any broadcaster over coverage.

In his letter to Pai, he said the comment was "inappropriate."

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

War. That's the way Gadiantons force a false patriotism on the American Sheeple. Their narcissistic puppet, Trump, has made enough remarks about North Korea and Iran to eliminate any doubt about what he wants to do with the military. More precious blood spilt for the Luciferians.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... ump-part-2

Empire-Destroying Wars Are Coming To America Under Trump - Part 2

Oct 11, 2017 8:20 PM

Authored by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

– Major General Smedley Butler, War is a Racket (1935)
Yesterday’s post, Empire Destroying Wars Are Coming to America Under Trump – Part 1, outlined my view that President Donald Trump, despite campaign slogans to focus on “America First,” is likely to entangle the nation in major new wars which will precipitate a chaotic and dangerous collapse of U.S. empire.

I base this view on his actions since coming into office, as well as the bloodthirsty war hawks he’s increasingly turning to for advice, with Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton being the most concerning of all.

Today’s post will dig into how Trump will attempt to sell his wars, and will also address the role corporate media is likely to play in the legitimization of any future destructive conflagration.



To understand how Trump will attempt to rally his base to support another idiotic overseas conflict, all we have to do is look at his recent obsession with promoting fake patriotism via the NFL national anthem controversy. As I noted in the recent post, Thoughts on Trump, Fake Patriotism and ‘Taking a Knee’:

When I look at Trump’s commentary and tweets in aggregate one thing becomes crystal clear. Trump is trying to redefine America and what it means to be a patriot in superficial and jingoistic terms. He’s essentially grooming his supporters into thinking that worshipping a piece of fabric is what separates those who love this country from those who hate it and want to destroy it. By making this about a symbol as opposed to the ideas that this symbol represents, he allows his supporters to feel they are a part of “taking America back” while not even remotely comprehending what the country is actually all about. It’s like losing weight while eating whatever you want, all you have to do is vomit afterwards. Trump is essentially conditioning his supporters to follow him as he regurgitates all over the Constitution, because as long as they stay true to a piece of fabric or song, they honor the country. Patriotism made easy.

Which is why what Trump did here is the most dangerous thing he’s done since becoming President. He’s using an issue that existed and was already divisive as a way to redefine what patriotism means in America. It’s no longer about free speech, the right to privacy and the rest of it, but rather patriotism now revolves around a song and a flag. A societal embrace of this sort of fake patriotism is how horrible things happen, and I hope most Trump voters are wise enough to see this.
In case you haven’t noticed, Trump isn’t dropping the NFL thing, which makes me even more convinced I’m on to something. If he can convince his diehard supporters and other segments of the U.S. population that patriotism is as simple as flag worship versus adherence to our founding principles, he can surely convince them to support anther stupid war because it’d be unpatriotic not to.

This is precisely why I focused on the NFL issue a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think it’s a distraction at all, rather, I think it’s part of a much larger campaign to get his supporters to accept President Trump as the arbiter of what’s considered patriotic and what isn’t. Today it’s standing for the national anthem, tomorrow it’ll be whether or not you support a new crazy military adventure. He’s preemptively conditioning his groupies to follow him into cataclysm and cheer their own destruction along the way. Mike Pence was a willing participant in this manufacturing of fake patriotism over the weekend via his cheap stunt at the Colts game.

This will be Trump’s play. Given his clownish and undeniable betrayal when it comes to economic populism, he will increasingly focus on the culture war, and then ultimately, real war.

In order to successfully sell war, Trump will probably need one other thing in addition to a passive, slobbering base of fake patriots. He’ll also need the corporate media.

I know, I know, the media hates Trump, right? There’s no way they’ll support a major war launched by Trump you say. On this, I unfortunately will have to disagree.

On the question of war, the corporate media has proven itself to be craven bloodthirsty sycophants to the foreign policy establishment irrespective of who resides in the Oval Office. I suspect the same will be true when it comes to Trump, especially if Iran becomes the key target of mindless imperial aggression.

In order to understand how shamelessly and dishonestly the corporate media gets behind war based on total fabrications, let’s take a look at some comments from Chris Hedges in a recent must read interview.

I was on the investigative team at the New York Times during the lead-up to the Iraq War. I was based in Paris and covered Al Qaeda in Europe and the Middle East. Lewis Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney, Richard Perle and maybe somebody in an intelligence agency, would confirm whatever story the administration was attempting to pitch. Journalistic rules at the Times say you can’t go with a one-source story. But if you have three or four supposedly independent sources confirming the same narrative, then you can go with it, which is how they did it. The paper did not break any rules taught at Columbia journalism school, but everything they wrote was a lie.

The whole exercise was farcical. The White House would leak some bogus story to Judy Miller or Michael Gordon, and then go on the talk shows to say, ‘as the Times reported….’ It gave these lies the veneer of independence and reputable journalism. This was a massive institutional failing, and one the paper has never faced.
Have we seen any evidence that The New York Times or Washington Post have changed their ways? I say no, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them ultimately war-monger behind Trump on Iran. At the end of the day, they don’t dislike Trump’s policies so much as they dislike his personal style and demeanor. They prefer a slick marketer for the status quo like Barack Obama in the White House — a charismatic executioner, a man who calls Wall Street executives fat cats one day, then endorses trillions in no strings attached bailouts the next. The foreign policy establishment has been salivating about taking out Iran for decades, and if Trump goes there, I suspect corporate media will enthusiastically cheerlead him into battle.

Today’s post discussed how I think Trump will sell his wars, and explored the possibility that corporate media ultimately will get behind them. Tomorrow’s post will dig into why I think any major new wars under Trump will lead to an acceleration in U.S. imperial collapse. A decline we need to accept as both highly probable and dangerous, but also one that could provide once in a generation opportunities for meaningful positive change.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... -predators

Power Corrupts: A Culture Of Compliance Breeds Despots And Predators

Oct 11, 2017 11:20 PM
Authored by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

Power corrupts.

Worse, as 19th-century historian Lord Acton concluded, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a politician, an entertainment mogul, a corporate CEO or a police officer: give any one person (or government agency) too much power and allow him or her or it to believe that they are entitled, untouchable and will not be held accountable for their actions, and those powers will eventually be abused.

We’re seeing this dynamic play out every day in communities across America.

A cop shoots an unarmed citizen for no credible reason and gets away with it. A president employs executive orders to sidestep the Constitution and gets away with it. A government agency spies on its citizens’ communications and gets away with it. An entertainment mogul sexually harasses aspiring actresses and gets away with it.

Abuse of power - and the ambition-fueled hypocrisy and deliberate disregard for misconduct that make those abuses possible - works the same whether you’re talking about sexual harassment, government corruption, or the rule of law.

For instance, 20 years ago, I took up a sexual harassment lawsuit on behalf of a young woman - a state employee - who claimed that her boss, a politically powerful man, had arranged for her to meet him in a hotel room, where he then allegedly dropped his pants, propositioned her and invited her to perform oral sex on him.

Despite the fact that this man had a well-known reputation for womanizing and this woman was merely one in a long line of women who had accused the man of groping, propositioning, and pressuring them for sexual favors in the workplace, she was denounced as white trash and subjected to a massive smear campaign by the man’s wife, friends and colleagues (including the leading women’s rights organizations of the day), while he was given lucrative book deals and paid lavish sums for speaking engagements.

William Jefferson Clinton eventually agreed to settle the case and pay Paula Jones $850,000.


Here we are 20 years later and not much has changed.

We’re still shocked by sexual harassment in the workplace, the victims of these sexual predators are still being harassed and smeared, and those who stand to gain the most by overlooking wrongdoing (all across the political spectrum) are still turning a blind eye to misconduct when it’s politically expedient to do so.

This time, it’s Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein - longtime Clinton associate and a powerhouse when it comes to raising money for Democrats - who is being accused of decades of sexual assaults, aggressively sexual overtures and harassment.

I won’t go into the nauseating details here. You can read them for yourself at the New York Times and the New Yorker.

Suffice it to say that it’s the same old story all over again: man rises to power, man abuses power abominably, man intimidates and threatens anyone who challenges him with retaliation or worse, and man gets away with it because of a culture of compliance in which no one speaks up because they don’t want to lose their job or their money or their place among the elite.

This isn’t just happening in Hollywood, however.

And it’s not just sexual predators that we have to worry about.

For every high-profile power broker who eventually gets called out for his sexual misbehavior, there are hundreds - thousands - of others in the American police state who are getting away with murder - in many cases, literally - simply because they can.

The cop who shoots the unarmed citizen first and asks questions later might get put on paid leave for a while or take a job with another police department, but that’s just a slap on the wrist. The shootings and SWAT team raids and excessive use of force will continue, because the police unions and the politicians and the courts won’t do a thing to stop it. Case in point: The Justice Department will no longer attempt to police the police when it comes to official misconduct. Instead, it plans to give police agencies more money and authority to “fight” crime.

The war hawks who are making a profit by waging endless wars abroad, killing innocent civilians in hospitals and schools, and turning the American homeland into a domestic battlefield will continue to do so because neither the president nor the politicians will dare to challenge the military industrial complex. Case in point: Rather than scaling back on America’s endless wars, President Trump—like his predecessors—has continued to expand America’s military empire and its attempts to police the globe.

The National Security Agency that carries out warrantless surveillance on Americans’ internet and phone communications will continue to do so, because the government doesn’t want to relinquish any of its ill-gotten powers. Case in point: The USA Liberty Act, proposed as a way to “fix” all that’s wrong with domestic surveillance, will instead legitimize the government’s snooping powers.

Unless something changes in the way we deal with these ongoing, egregious abuses of power, the predators of the police state will continue to wreak havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives.

For starters, let’s recommit to abiding by the rule of law.

Here’s what the rule of law means in a nutshell: it means that everyone is treated the same under the law, everyone is held equally accountable to abiding by the law, and no one is given a free pass based on their politics, their connections, their wealth, their status or any other bright line test used to confer special treatment on the elite.

We need to stop being victimized by these predators.

As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, I’m not just talking about the political predators in office, but the ones who are running the show behind the scenes—the shadow government—comprised of unelected government bureaucrats whose powers are unaffected by elections, unaltered by populist movements, and beyond the reach of the law.

There is no way to erase the scars left by the government’s greed for money and power, its disregard for human life, its corruption and graft, its pollution of the environment, its reliance on excessive force in order to ensure compliance, its covert activities, its illegal surveillance, and its blatant disdain for the rule of law.

“We the people” - men and women alike - have been victims of the police state for so long that not many Americans even remember what it is to be truly free anymore. Worse, few want to shoulder the responsibility that goes along with maintaining freedom.

Still, we must try.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Proud. So proud.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... mple-chart

Trump's Afghanistan War Policy (In 1 Simple Chart)

by Tyler Durden
Oct 12, 2017 2:26 PM

President Trump’s coalition airpower in Afghanistan continued its annihilation of ‘extremist groups’. Latest figures from Air Force Central Command’s ‘Airpower Summary’ for September showed a 7-year high in airstrikes.

According to the report,

“September marked a record high month for weapons employed in Afghanistan since 2012, with 751 munitions being delivered against Taliban and ISIS –Khorasan targets; a 50 percent jump from August”.
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The more active air-war reflects the President’s strategy to target extremist groups that threaten the security of Afghanistan.

Defense One adds, U.S. leaders say there’s more to come. Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, promised “a tidal wave of air power is on the horizon.”

We suspect, President Trump, Warmonger-in-Chief, has just reignited a trend that the military industrial complex is very satisfied about.

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iWriteStuff
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Re: Less than two months...

Post by iWriteStuff »

Silver wrote: October 12th, 2017, 12:54 pm Proud. So proud.
Cue scene:
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Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Less than a month now from the first anniversary of a dark day in American history, and isn't it funny, in a nauseating way of course, how all the Trump supporters here still refuse to address the depths of the betrayal that The Marmalade has committed on his voters by having the NWO war criminal Henry Kissinger in the White House again?

Trump supporters are happy to attack me for copy/pasting articles that make them uncomfortable, but they refuse to acknowledge that their "Liddle" Tangerine is no better than Hillary or Obama. Those three are all pawns of the secret combinations. Full stop. What, did you think the Luciferians would just give up and walk away because Bubba and Bubbette 'Murica voted for a lame slogan like MAGA? What sort of fantasy castle in the clouds have you built?

Attacking Silver is easy. Trump supporters admitting their own costly mistake is hard. Reality is hard, like maff.

One more time, y'all, what do warmongers do? They monger war. Is that what you voted for?

http://www.mintpressnews.com/trump-frie ... rm/233137/

Henry Kissinger, seemingly returned from oblivion, has been in the ear of “old friend” Trump since mid-primary season, just after Trump declared himself open to negotiation with North Korea. Since that moment, Trump’s stance and rhetoric have veered inexorably toward war.
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by Whitney Webb
October 12th, 2017

President Donald Trump met with top defense officials Tuesday morning — including Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Joseph Dunford — in the White House Situation Room, to discuss potential options for responding to any North Korean “aggression” as well as how to prevent North Korea from threatening the United States with nuclear weapons.

The meeting, which was later confirmed by the State Department and a White House press release, came a day after Mattis instructed the U.S. Army to stand ready if North Korea diplomacy fails, and less than a week after Trump’s cryptic “calm before the storm” comments about a previous meeting with top military commanders. Some have noted that the decision to have the meeting in the Situation Room, sometimes called the War Room, was significant, as it is often used to hold secure meetings regarding disasters, military conflicts, and other major crises both domestic and global.

While most reporting gave some context to Trump’s most recent meeting with top defense officials on tensions with Pyongyang, hardly any mentioned that the meeting had been immediately preceded by another. This meeting, also on the topic of North Korea, was held between the president and former Secretary of State and unindicted war criminal Henry Kissinger.

In his post-meeting remarks, Trump praised Kissinger’s ‘immense talent.’ “Henry Kissinger has been a friend of mine,” he added. “I’ve liked him. I’ve respected him. But we’ve been friends for a long time, long before my emergence into the world of politics, which has not been too long.” Kissinger is also a long-time advisor and confidante of Trump’s former rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton.
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Henry Kissinger and Nancy Kissinger, Donald Trump and wife Ivana Trump backstage at a Liza Minelli show in New York, June 11, 1987. (AP/Ron Frehm)
Henry Kissinger and Nancy Kissinger, Donald Trump and wife Ivana Trump backstage at a Liza Minelli show in New York, June 11, 1987. (AP/Ron Frehm)

Tuesday’s meeting was not the first occasion Trump has met with Kissinger since becoming a fixture in American politics. The pair’s first meeting after Trump’s rise to political prominence took place in May of 2016. That meeting occurred a day after then-candidate Trump said he would open dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if elected President. Since that initial meeting, Kissinger and Trump met last November and have already met twice this year.

After their November meeting, Kissinger remarked that Trump would likely not be keeping all his campaign promises, as he was undergoing “the transition from being a campaigner to being a national strategist.” This apparently included his promise of opening dialogue with North Korea.

While often characterized by the mainstream press as a leading “statesman” and “diplomat,” Kissinger’s record shows he is anything but. While serving as Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State, Kissinger oversaw a bloody coup in Chile, an illegal bombing campaign in Cambodia, and millions dead in Vietnam.

Related | Henry Kissinger: Destroying ISIS Could Create ‘Radical Iranian Empire’

Despite overseeing such actions, Kissinger ended up being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in the same year as the Chilean coup, for his role in bringing “peace” to Vietnam and ending the Vietnam war, though he had actually worked to extend it. The choice of Kissinger was so outrageous that several members of the Nobel committee resigned in protest. Kissinger is also credited with transforming U.S. foreign policy into one of perpetual, undeclared war – a policy that continues today and one that Trump has embraced since becoming President.

Given Trump’s bellicose rhetoric and threats towards North Korea – as well as his rejection of diplomacy in resolving the crisis despite both Pyongyang’s and his own State Department’s apparent willingness to attempt it – Kissinger’s timely guidance to the President during “the calm before the storm” should give the American public considerable cause for concern.

Watch | Henry Kissinger on his 2016 meeting with Donald Trump

Top photo | President Donald Trump meets with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Can he do it? Can our hero actually reignite a war in Korea before a full year in office? America needs a new slogan. How about: We sure are good at killing poor brown people.©

That's right. I claim the copyright on that one. It's a good one, eh? Thunk it up all by myself. But the sad thing is, it fits the America of the last 65 years.

Well, y'all gather 'round the TEEVEE cause the Marmalade is gonna start the fireworks soon, maybe.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... nes-aboard

Trump Sends Second Aircraft Carrier To Korean Peninsula With 7,500 Marines Aboard

by Tyler Durden
Oct 13, 2017 7:15 AM

Just one week after uttering his now-infamous "this is the calm before the storm" statement to the press ahead of a dinner with military leaders, we now learn that President Trump has dispatched a second nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, filled with 7,500 marines, to the Korean Peninsula. Of course, this comes after rumors swirled earlier this week that North Korea is preparing to fire multiple short-range rockets around the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress on Oct. 18th.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is en route to the western Pacific after leaving San Diego port last week.

The Roosevelt will focus on maritime security operations in the Pacific and Middle East, the US military announced.

But the £3.4billion ($4.5billion) warship, known as “the Big Stick”, has been sent to boost US defence on the Korean peninsula, according to South Korean media.

It is expected to arrive in region in the coming weeks amid fears North Korea is about to test another missile or nuclear weapon.
Per the following map from Stratfor, the USS Theodore Roosevelt will join the USS Ronald Reagan which is already operating in the region.

Ship Positions

According to a statement from Admiral Steve Koehler, a strike group commander on the ship, the Roosevelt is carrying some 7,500 sailors and marines that are “ready as a war fighting force”.

“The US Navy carrier strike group is the most versatile, capable force at sea,” he said in a statement before the ship’s launch.

“After nearly a year of training and integration exercises, the entire team is ready as a warfighting force and ready to carry out the nation’s tasking.”
Of course, as we noted above, this buildup of naval forces in the Pacific follows an ominous warning from the President last week that preceded a dinner with military leaders: "You guys know what this represents? Maybe it's the calm before the storm," he said: "It could be the calm... before... the storm."

A reporter quickly asked what the storm might be -"Is it Iran, ISIS, what's the storm?" to which he replied... "...you'll find out."


So what say you? Just more bluster from a headline seeking President and normal-ish naval patrols in the Pacific or have we reached a point of no return in an escalating conflict with a rogue North Korean leader that could turn violent at any moment?

eddie
captain of 1,000
Posts: 2405

Re: Less than two months...

Post by eddie »

Silver wrote: September 15th, 2017, 12:35 pm Squirm all you want, Trump supporters. I just sit here and smile at how you call me a hater without acknowledging that Trump is murdering innocent people in the Middle East now. Or that Trump has more CFR in his administration that Obama.

So which is worse, me pointing out that Trump is a murderer or Trump actually murdering people? Yep, thought so. But y'all just keep on attacking ol' Silver.
You bring it on yourself, I like Trump even more because of your posts, get a grip..

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Amazing how priesthood holders can see with their own eyes that Trump is receiving advice from Kissinger and still deny the negative implications. When Hillary claimed Henry Kissinger among her friends, the pretend conservatives booed and hissed. When the Marmalade says Kissinger is an old friend, it's totally cool. Hypocrisy on full display.

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harakim
captain of 1,000
Posts: 2819
Location: Salt Lake Megalopolis

Re: Less than two months...

Post by harakim »

There is a lot of hate against Trump. I'm not a fan of hate. I am starting to think Trump might be a good guy, but misguided. In any case, I don't expect the situation to improve, but I hope and pray for it.

Tree
captain of 100
Posts: 164

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Tree »

Silver wrote: October 13th, 2017, 8:36 pm Amazing how priesthood holders can see with their own eyes that Trump is receiving advice from Kissinger and still deny the negative implications. When Hillary claimed Henry Kissinger among her friends, the pretend conservatives booed and hissed. When the Marmalade says Kissinger is an old friend, it's totally cool. Hypocrisy on full display.
Kissinger is not giving Trump advice on going to war but to delay war with NK. Globalist are not ready for a full blown nuclear war right now.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

Tree wrote: October 15th, 2017, 8:01 pm
Silver wrote: October 13th, 2017, 8:36 pm Amazing how priesthood holders can see with their own eyes that Trump is receiving advice from Kissinger and still deny the negative implications. When Hillary claimed Henry Kissinger among her friends, the pretend conservatives booed and hissed. When the Marmalade says Kissinger is an old friend, it's totally cool. Hypocrisy on full display.
Kissinger is not giving Trump advice on going to war but to delay war with NK. Globalist are not ready for a full blown nuclear war right now.
You know that how?

gardener4life
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Posts: 1690

Re: Less than two months...

Post by gardener4life »

Silver wrote: October 15th, 2017, 8:53 pm
Tree wrote: October 15th, 2017, 8:01 pm
Silver wrote: October 13th, 2017, 8:36 pm Amazing how priesthood holders can see with their own eyes that Trump is receiving advice from Kissinger and still deny the negative implications. When Hillary claimed Henry Kissinger among her friends, the pretend conservatives booed and hissed. When the Marmalade says Kissinger is an old friend, it's totally cool. Hypocrisy on full display.
Kissinger is not giving Trump advice on going to war but to delay war with NK. Globalist are not ready for a full blown nuclear war right now.
You know that how?
Since we're such good friends I thought that pasting this here might help you remember it doesn't help anyone to attack their own government.


D&C 134:5 We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
6 We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

gardener4life wrote: October 15th, 2017, 11:34 pm
Silver wrote: October 15th, 2017, 8:53 pm
Tree wrote: October 15th, 2017, 8:01 pm
Silver wrote: October 13th, 2017, 8:36 pm Amazing how priesthood holders can see with their own eyes that Trump is receiving advice from Kissinger and still deny the negative implications. When Hillary claimed Henry Kissinger among her friends, the pretend conservatives booed and hissed. When the Marmalade says Kissinger is an old friend, it's totally cool. Hypocrisy on full display.
Kissinger is not giving Trump advice on going to war but to delay war with NK. Globalist are not ready for a full blown nuclear war right now.
You know that how?
Since we're such good friends I thought that pasting this here might help you remember it doesn't help anyone to attack their own government.


D&C 134:5 We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
6 We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
Sorry, I hadn't recognized any sort of friendship between thee and me. I am open, however, to the possibility.

Let me fix your quote for you:
D&C 134:5 We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
6 We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.

As our inalienable rights are being willfully diminished, so is any requirement to remain loyal to the government.

Do you vote for Democratic candidates? If so, there's not much to discuss between us.
Do you vote for Republican candidates? If so, why, when they have proven themselves so undeserving of our trust and respect? Or do you believe it is OK to vote for the lesser of two evils? (Ether's Avenue is a great thread for everyone who tries to justify their vote for evil.)

I think a book as fresh as today's headlines makes my choice clear. See the Book of Mormon and Captain Moroni's Title of Liberty.

Silver
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 5247

Re: Less than two months...

Post by Silver »

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-1 ... om-failing

This Is How Tyranny Rises And Freedom Falls: The Experiment In Freedom Is Failing

Oct 17, 2017 10:05 PM

Authored by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

It is easy to be distracted right now by the circus politics that have dominated the news headlines for the past year, but don’t be distracted.

Don’t be fooled, not even a little.

We’re being subjected to the oldest con game in the books, the magician’s sleight of hand that keeps you focused on the shell game in front of you while your wallet is being picked clean by ruffians in your midst.

This is how tyranny rises and freedom falls.

What characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting and disingenuous curtain of political theater. And what political theater it is, diabolically Shakespearean at times, full of sound and fury, yet in the end, signifying nothing.

We are being ruled by a government of scoundrels, spies, thugs, thieves, gangsters, ruffians, rapists, extortionists, bounty hunters, battle-ready warriors and cold-blooded killers who communicate using a language of force and oppression.

The U.S. government now poses the greatest threat to our freedoms.

More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, even more than the perceived threat posed by any single politician, the U.S. government remains a greater menace to the life, liberty and property of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to protect us.

This has been true of virtually every occupant of the White House in recent years.

Unfortunately, nothing has changed for the better since Donald Trump ascended to the Oval Office.

Indeed, Trump may be the smartest move yet by the powers-that-be to keep the citizenry divided and at each other’s throats, because as long as we’re busy fighting each other, we’ll never manage to present a unified front against tyranny in any form.


The facts speak for themselves.

We’re being robbed blind by a government of thieves. Americans no longer have any real protection against government agents empowered to seize private property at will. For instance, police agencies under the guise of asset forfeiture laws are taking Americans’ personal property based on little more than a suspicion of criminal activity and keeping it for their own profit and gain.

We’re being taken advantage of by a government of scoundrels, idiots and cowards. When you’ve got government representatives who spend a large chunk of their work hours fundraising, being feted by lobbyists, shuffling through a lucrative revolving door between public service and lobbying, and making themselves available to anyone with enough money to secure access to a congressional office, you’re in the clutches of a corrupt oligarchy.

We’re being locked up by a government of greedy jailers. We have become a carceral state, spending three times more on our prisons than on our schools and imprisoning close to a quarter of the world’s prisoners, despite the fact that crime is at an all-time low and the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world’s population. The rise of overcriminalization and profit-driven private prisons provides even greater incentives for locking up American citizens for such non-violent “crimes” as having an overgrown lawn.

We’re being spied on by a government of Peeping Toms. The government is watching everything you do, reading everything you write, listening to everything you say, and monitoring everything you spend. Omnipresent surveillance is paving the way for government programs that profile citizens, document their behavior and attempt to predict what they might do in the future, whether it’s what they might buy, what politician they might support, or what kinds of crimes they might commit.

We’re being ravaged by a government of ruffians, rapists and killers. It’s not just the police shootings of unarmed citizens that are worrisome. It’s the SWAT team raids gone wrong—more than 80,000 annually—that are leaving innocent citizens wounded, children terrorized and family pets killed. It’s the roadside strip searches—in some cases, cavity searches of men and women alike carried out in full view of the public—in pursuit of drugs that are never found. It’s the potentially lethal—and unwarranted—use of so-called “nonlethal” weapons such as tasers on children for engaging in little more than childish behavior.

We’re being forced to surrender our freedoms—and those of our children—to a government of extortionists, money launderers and professional pirates. Under the guise of fighting its wars on terror, drugs and now domestic extremism, the government has spent billions in taxpayer dollars on endless wars that have not ended terrorism but merely sown the seeds of blowback, surveillance programs that have caught few terrorists while subjecting all Americans to a surveillance society, and militarized police that have done little to decrease crime while turning communities into warzones.

We’re being held at gunpoint by a government of soldiers: a standing army. As if it weren’t enough that the American military empire stretches around the globe (and continues to leech much-needed resources from the American economy), the U.S. government is creating its own standing army of militarized police and teams of weaponized bureaucrats. These civilian employees are being armed to the hilt with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment; trained in military tactics; and authorized to lock the nation down under martial law.

Whatever else it may be—a danger, a menace, a threat—the U.S. government is certainly no friend to freedom.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, you cannot have a republican form of government - nor a democratic one, for that matter - when the government views itself as superior to the citizenry, when it no longer operates for the benefit of the people, when the people are no longer able to peacefully reform their government, when government officials cease to act like public servants, when elected officials no longer represent the will of the people, when the government routinely violates the rights of the people and perpetrates more violence against the citizenry than the criminal class, when government spending is unaccountable and unaccounted for, when the judiciary act as courts of order rather than justice, and when the government is no longer bound by the laws of the Constitution.

We won’t be able to sustain this fiction much longer.

“Things fall apart,” wrote W.B. Yeats in his dark, forbidding poem “The Second Coming.”

“The centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world… Surely some revelation is at hand.”
Wake up, America, and break free of your chains.

Something wicked this way comes.

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