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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[Forty years ago this month, I was com ...
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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PoliticalTheatreLewrockwell

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<title>Volcanic White Gold: A Lithium Deposit Valued at $1.5 Trillion Has Been Discovered in the U.S.</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/volcanic-white-gold-a-lithium-deposit-valued-at-1-5-trillion-has-been-discovered-in-the-u-s/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Charles Burris]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 20:26:02 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Volcanic white gold: A lithium deposit valued at $1.5 trillion has been discovered in the U.S.   By Jordan Joseph Earth.com staff writer McDermitt Caldera in Oregon is attracting attention for what could be one of the largest lithium deposits ever identified in the United States. Many view it as a potential boost for domestic battery production, while local communities voice concern over the impact on wildlife and cultural sites. The excitement stems from estimates that value the deposit at about $1.5 trillion. Some geologists say these ancient volcanic sediments could contain between 20 and 40 million metric tons of lithium. Lithium … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/volcanic-white-gold-a-lithium-deposit-valued-at-1-5-trillion-has-been-discovered-in-the-u-s/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/volcanic-white-gold-a-lithium-deposit-valued-at-1-5-trillion-has-been-discovered-in-the-u-s/">Volcanic White Gold: A Lithium Deposit Valued at $1.5 Trillion Has Been Discovered in the U.S.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-905716" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1-620x377.webp" alt="" width="620" height="377" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1-620x377.webp 620w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1-300x182.webp 300w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1-150x91.webp 150w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1-768x467.webp 768w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/lithium-mine_McDermitt-Caldera_1-5-trillion-dollars_1m-1400x850-1.webp 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />
<section class="page_container__juS3_">
<h1 class="page_title__rnfFC">Volcanic white gold: A lithium deposit valued at $1.5 trillion has been discovered in the U.S.</h1>
 
By Jordan Joseph
Earth.com staff writer
McDermitt Caldera in Oregon is attracting attention for what could be one of the largest lithium deposits ever identified in the United States. Many view it as a potential boost for domestic battery production, while local communities voice concern over the impact on wildlife and cultural sites.
The excitement stems from <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01273-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimates</a> that value the deposit at about $1.5 trillion. Some geologists say these ancient volcanic sediments could contain between 20 and 40 million metric tons of lithium.
<h2 id="h-lithium-deposit-exposes-priorities" class="wp-block-heading">Lithium deposit exposes priorities</h2>
“This feature is 16 million years old, and we’re making decisions in a matter of years,” said <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sammy-Castonguay" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sammy Castonguay</a>, a geologist at Treasure Valley Community College.
Castonguay’s statement has stirred local debate over how the development might reshape the high desert.
Industry advocates see a path to addressing the ballooning need for electric vehicle batteries.
Neighbors around the caldera and the <a href="https://mcdermittlithium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">McDermitt deposit</a> worry that large-scale extraction could damage an ecosystem that supports pronghorn antelope, sage-grouse, and other sensitive species.
<h2 id="h-the-environmental-dilemma" class="wp-block-heading">The environmental dilemma</h2>
A <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2025844/200559254/20083724/250089906/HiTechPlanOfOperations_Presentation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proposal</a> from HiTech Minerals Inc. seeks to add roads and hundreds of wells to test for lithium in Malheur County.
The Bureau of Land Management (<a href="https://www.blm.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BLM</a>) once offered a brief window for public comment, which drew criticism from groups who say that’s not enough time to evaluate lasting changes.
The Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club indicates they support cleaner energy but believe drilling must not come at the expense of fragile habitats.
Some see parallels to disputes in Nevada, where communities have fought lithium ventures they say <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invention-turns-toxic-e-waste-into-22-carat-gold-nuggets-instead-of-trash/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">threaten water sources</a>.
Malheur County is among Oregon’s poorest areas, and certain residents hope new jobs might brighten its economic outlook.
“We need to do this the Oregon way – with full accountability and shared benefits,” said <a href="https://repgregsmith.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greg Smith</a>, director of economic development in Malheur County.
<h2 id="h-why-lithium-deposits-are-so-valuable" class="wp-block-heading">Why lithium deposits are so valuable</h2>
Cleaner transportation and renewable energy storage have skyrocketed demand for lithium. Its light weight and excellent electrochemical properties make it key in modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electric-car-batteries-may-soon-be-made-of-rock/">battery</a> production.
Global interest in ramping up supply has fueled both exploration and debate. Many want a homegrown source to cut reliance on overseas materials, but critics stress that extracting metals can have lasting ecological implications.
Mining typically means large excavations, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/promethium-rare-earth-element-elusive-properties-finally-decoded-after-80-year/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chemical processing</a>, and water usage. Press releases and early studies mention concerns about dust, vehicle exhaust, and possible leakage of industrial byproducts.
Meanwhile, some economists argue that lithium’s high market price presents an opportunity to jump-start local development. Balancing those perspectives can be tough for rural communities.
<h2 id="h-unique-volcanic-origins" class="wp-block-heading">Unique volcanic origins</h2>
Past eruptions formed the caldera and left mineral-rich clays across a wide basin. The environment eventually became a semi-arid habitat that’s important for migrating wildlife.
One <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0360544278900312" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> found high levels of lithium in these sediments, suggesting an unusually concentrated resource. Analysts say that if extraction methods prove efficient, the U.S. could rank among the top global suppliers of this metal.
The caldera lies near the Oregon-Nevada border. Projects on both sides have followed a similar pattern: geological surveys, land modification, and pilot drilling.
Some scientists emphasize that claystone deposits differ from salt brine operations found in South America.
Processing claystone may require more complex techniques, including acid leaching, which can raise questions about waste disposal and water safety.
<h2 id="h-concerns-for-wildlife-and-culture" class="wp-block-heading">Concerns for wildlife and culture</h2>
Habitat for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hunting-regulations-have-helped-safeguard-the-sage-grouse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sage-grouse</a> is already shrinking, and many local groups fear the consequences of losing more desert terrain.
The region also holds deep cultural value for several Indigenous tribes.
Tribal leaders in nearby areas have contested past proposals by pointing to sites sacred for ceremonies and important for traditional ways of life. As the push for lithium grows, local voices want to remain central in discussions about land use.
Opponents argue that insufficient environmental reviews could harm unique species such as <a href="https://westernnativetrout.org/what-are-western-native-trout-and-char/lahontan-cutthroat-trout/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lahontan cutthroat trout</a>.
Past drilling in high desert regions showed that groundwater tables can be affected by large-scale operations. Proponents, though, say modern techniques and strong oversight may mitigate many risks.
<h2 id="h-mixed-signals-on-lithium-s-future" class="wp-block-heading">Mixed signals on lithium’s future</h2>
Experts note that the caldera deposit could give the U.S. a competitive advantage in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-electric-car-battery-charges-in-just-4-5-minutes/">battery</a> supply. At the same time, non-governmental organizations believe short-term profit shouldn’t overshadow the ecological and historical wealth found in Oregon’s high desert.
Mining companies emphasize their intent to follow federal standards and incorporate feedback from local communities. Yet friction persists over whether that outreach is genuine.
<a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/oregon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sierra Club Oregon</a> suggests it’s possible to develop lithium alternatives or find better ways to source the metal. Advocates of the project maintain that these clays represent a crucial resource in an era when every major carmaker is transitioning to electric models.
Disagreements arise from how fast these projects roll out, and whether rural populations have a real say in shaping them.
<h2 id="h-what-s-next-for-this-lithium-deposit" class="wp-block-heading">What’s next for this lithium deposit?</h2>
Local debates often center on water needs for drilling and processing. Some scientists point out that advanced recycling and new battery chemistries might alleviate the environmental strain.
Others say U.S. projects reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, which could lower geopolitical risks.
The trade-off is that most lithium deposits, wherever they are, carry <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-lithium-deposit-from-volanic-ash-found-in-pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">certain environmental implications</a>. A few watchers say this moment holds a chance to reevaluate how to conduct resource extraction.
As these Oregon proposals move ahead, investors are confident that demand for lithium won’t dip anytime soon, but local communities want to ensure they aren’t left with the mess once the initial excitement fades.
The study is published in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/10/1/68" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Minerals</a>.
</section>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/volcanic-white-gold-a-lithium-deposit-valued-at-1-5-trillion-has-been-discovered-in-the-u-s/">Volcanic White Gold: A Lithium Deposit Valued at $1.5 Trillion Has Been Discovered in the U.S.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Netanyahu ‘doesn’t care’ about hostages</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/netanyahu-doesnt-care-about-hostages/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 07:38:59 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905700</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, John Smith. DW News  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/netanyahu-doesnt-care-about-hostages/">Netanyahu ‘doesn’t care’ about hostages</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, John Smith. 
<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/netanyahu-doesnt-care-about-hostages/video-71967322">DW News</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/netanyahu-doesnt-care-about-hostages/">Netanyahu ‘doesn’t care’ about hostages</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>How the US use conflicts to control other countries’ economies”</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/how-the-us-use-conflicts-to-control-other-countries-economies/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 07:38:16 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905699</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks. John Smith. Middle East Eye  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/how-the-us-use-conflicts-to-control-other-countries-economies/">How the US use conflicts to control other countries’ economies”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks. John Smith. 
<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libya-and-trump-administration-discussed-sharing-billions-dollars-frozen-funds-sources-say">Middle East Eye</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/how-the-us-use-conflicts-to-control-other-countries-economies/">How the US use conflicts to control other countries’ economies”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>The Social media erupts in anger after Meta suspends Palestinian Pulitzer Prize winner’s account</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/the-social-media-erupts-in-anger-after-meta-suspends-palestinian-pulitzer-prize-winners-account/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 07:37:25 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905698</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, John Smith. Middle East Eye  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/the-social-media-erupts-in-anger-after-meta-suspends-palestinian-pulitzer-prize-winners-account/">The Social media erupts in anger after Meta suspends Palestinian Pulitzer Prize winner’s account</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, John Smith.
<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/meta-suspends-palestinian-poet-account-hours-after-winning-pulitzer-prize">Middle East Eye</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/the-social-media-erupts-in-anger-after-meta-suspends-palestinian-pulitzer-prize-winners-account/">The Social media erupts in anger after Meta suspends Palestinian Pulitzer Prize winner’s account</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Mitt Romney’s 9/11 involvement & Burisma / Ukraine</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/mitt-romneys-9-11-involvement-burisma-ukraine/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 07:35:06 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905697</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Gail Appel wrote: Hi Lew, I keep belaboring the scope of the Ukraine scenario and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Would it surprise you to learn it dates back to Brezinzski ,Carter Rockefeller , Albright and Kissinger? That Epstein, Soros, Nuland, Powers, Biden, Vindman, Obama, Avril Haines, Brennan , Muslim Brotherhood, McCain, Fiona Hill , Burissma , Atlantic Council were using Ukraine as a weigh station and weapons transfer for the Libya, Egypt and at the time, attempted Syrian and Netanyahu cups as well as Ukraine? That the operations also included plundering Africa’s phosphate/phosphorus down the African … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/mitt-romneys-9-11-involvement-burisma-ukraine/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/mitt-romneys-9-11-involvement-burisma-ukraine/">Mitt Romney’s 9/11 involvement & Burisma / Ukraine</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Gail Appel wrote:
Hi Lew,
I keep belaboring the scope of the Ukraine scenario and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Would it surprise you to learn it dates back to Brezinzski ,Carter Rockefeller , Albright and Kissinger?
That Epstein, Soros, Nuland, Powers, Biden, Vindman, Obama, Avril Haines, Brennan , Muslim Brotherhood, McCain, Fiona Hill , Burissma , Atlantic Council were using Ukraine as a weigh station and weapons transfer for the Libya, Egypt and at the time, attempted Syrian and Netanyahu cups as well as Ukraine?
That the operations also included plundering Africa’s phosphate/phosphorus down the African coast to Libya?
How far back do the lies and corruption go?
See <a href="https://radiopatriot.net/2022/08/02/mitt-romneys-9-11-involvement-burisma-ukraine/">here.</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/mitt-romneys-9-11-involvement-burisma-ukraine/">Mitt Romney’s 9/11 involvement & Burisma / Ukraine</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>The West Eats Itself</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-west-eats-itself/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905496</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The same Western leaders who speak endlessly about “protecting Democracy” continue to rig elections, outlaw political parties, and prosecute candidates. Germany has declared Alternative for Germany — now the country’s most popular party — an “extremist group” on par with domestic terror organizations. The European Union helped Marxist globalists in Romania invalidate a presidential election and ban the winner from office. France and Brazil have followed the U.S. example of bringing ludicrous criminal charges against popular anti-Establishment politicians, and while President Trump overcame the sham prosecutions targeting him, Marine Le Pen and Jair Bolsonaro are fighting just to survive. Let’s not forget either … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-west-eats-itself/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-west-eats-itself/">The West Eats Itself</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The same Western leaders who speak endlessly about “protecting Democracy” continue to rig elections, outlaw political parties, and prosecute candidates. Germany has declared Alternative for Germany — now the country’s most popular party — an “extremist group” on par with domestic terror organizations. The European Union helped Marxist globalists in Romania invalidate a presidential election and ban the winner from office. France and Brazil have followed the U.S. example of bringing ludicrous criminal charges against popular anti-Establishment politicians, and while President Trump overcame the sham prosecutions targeting him, Marine Le Pen and Jair Bolsonaro are fighting just to survive.
Let’s not forget either that the Ukraine-Russia War drags on today only because U.S. and European forces helped overthrow the legitimately elected Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, back in 2014. His transgression? Yanukovych’s government was pushing back against the EU’s efforts to absorb Ukraine into its continental empire. The same NATO and EU talking-heads who denounce Russia’s conquest of its neighbor are mostly mad because they hoped to conquer Ukraine first.
It’s a disorienting time for Westerners who once respected their civic institutions. The Cold War mentality of the twentieth century created clear distinctions between closed, communist systems and rights-based, free societies. In the West, people could freely practice the religious tenets of their respective faiths; in communist societies, people were expected to obey the quasi-divine strictures of the State. In the West, people could own property and freely exchange goods and services; in communist societies, people owned nothing and received only what the State gave them. In the West, people could speak their minds and publicly debate new ideas; in communist societies, people adhered to politically correct ideology under the constant threat of arrest, torture, and even death. The West was supposed to err on the side of individual freedoms, even when those freedoms permitted awful people to say awful things.
Western societies did not always live up to the principles that distinguished them from totalitarian regimes, but respect for personal freedom did serve as an effective guardrail that kept Western governments from careening toward totalitarianism, too.
What’s going on today is entirely different.
Western governments treat religious faith as a disease that must be cured. The faithful (particularly Christians and Jews) are quarantined from the rest of society and expected to hide their beliefs in public spaces. Law enforcement agencies in the U.S., U.K., and continental Europe arrest Christians praying silently outside of abortion facilities. When churches and synagogues are vandalized or burned down, those crimes are often excused and rarely solved. In Canada, arsonists have largely been given a free pass due to the government’s borderline hatred for the Catholic Church. During purported Catholic Joe Biden’s presidency, the FBI spied on Americans who celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass. Politicians casually blame Jews for genocide (a slander that is sickeningly ironic) and speak of Christians as “nationalists,” “fundamentalists,” “far-right extremists,” “fascists,” and “Nazis.”
The combined effect of these government-sanctioned attacks against people of faith is threefold: (1) religious freedom is undermined; (2) the State’s worldview is elevated over all others; and (3) religions not explicitly partnering with the State are deemed national security threats. These characteristics aptly describe the former Soviet Union’s hostility toward religion. They aptly describe the Chinese Communist Party’s hostility toward religion. And they aptly describe the West’s hostility toward religion today.
What about property and free markets? Most Westerners are in debt. They rent apartments or live in bank-owned homes. They make just enough to pay for their expenses each month and have no real savings. A substantial portion of their income is confiscated indirectly through government regulations or directly through a panoply of government taxes. Most Westerners receive some kind of government welfare in the form of subsidies, entitlements, healthcare, or retirement income. An ever-increasing share of the Western population depends almost entirely upon the State.
Even those with assets are kept under the government’s thumb. Fiat money (government-issued currency not backed by a physical commodity such as gold) and central banks are antithetical to truly free markets. By threat of violence, governments force citizens to buy and sell goods and services using innately worthless paper bills (or digital ones and zeroes) as a medium of exchange. Those currencies retain value only so long as a government’s threat of force maintains the State’s monopoly over legal tender. Gold doesn’t require a government agent with a gun to establish its value. When central banks manipulate the money supply, they effectively distort all markets. They create economic “winners” and “losers” by decree. That’s a hallmark of a State-controlled economy, not a free market. By increasing the money supply over time, central banks decrease the value of State-enforced currencies. Conversely, they artificially raise the currency-denominated valuation of homes, stocks, and other real assets.
<a href="https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/05/the_west_eats_itself.html">Read the Whole Article</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-west-eats-itself/">The West Eats Itself</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>What LRC Readers Are Buying This Week</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/what-lrc-readers-are-buying-this-week/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905593</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LewRockwell.com readers are supporting LRC and shopping at the same time. It’s easy and does not cost you a penny more than it would if you didn’t go through the LRC link. Just click on the Amazon link on LewRockwell.com’s homepage and add your items to your cart. It’s that easy! If you can’t live without your daily dose of LewRockwell.com in 2025, please remember to DONATE TODAY! War on Men: Why Society Hates Them and Why We Need Them The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/what-lrc-readers-are-buying-this-week/">Continue reading →</a>
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The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/what-lrc-readers-are-buying-this-week/">What LRC Readers Are Buying This Week</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>The Real Evil Empire May Surprise You</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-real-evil-empire-may-surprise-you/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Forty years ago this month, I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. I would be part of America’s all-volunteer force (AVF) for 20 years, hitting my marks and retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2005. In my two decades of service, I met a lot of fine and dedicated officers, enlisted members, and civilians. I worked with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps as well, and met officers and cadets from countries like Great Britain, Germany, Pakistan, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. I managed not to get shot at or kill anyone. Strangely enough, in other words, my military … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-real-evil-empire-may-surprise-you/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-real-evil-empire-may-surprise-you/">The Real Evil Empire May Surprise You</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Forty years ago this month, I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. I would be part of America’s <a href="https://www.armyupress.army.mil/journals/military-review/online-exclusive/2023-ole/cunningham/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">all-volunteer force</a> (AVF) for 20 years, hitting my marks and retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2005. In my two decades of service, I met a lot of fine and dedicated officers, enlisted members, and civilians. I worked with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps as well, and met officers and cadets from countries like Great Britain, Germany, Pakistan, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. I managed not to get shot at or kill anyone. Strangely enough, in other words, my military service was peaceful.
Don’t get me wrong: I was a <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/can-the-military-industrial-complex-be-tamed/" data-wpel-link="internal">card-carrying member</a> of America’s military-industrial complex. I’m under no illusions about what a military exists for, nor should you be. As an historian, having read military history for 50 years of my life and having taught it as well at the Air Force Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School, I know something of what war is all about, even if I haven’t experienced the chaos, the mayhem, the violence, or the atrocity of war directly.
Military service is about being prepared to kill. I was neither a trigger-puller nor a bomb-dropper. Nonetheless, I was part of a service that paradoxically preaches peace through superior firepower. The U.S. military and, of course, our government leaders, have had a misplaced — indeed, irrational — faith in the power of bullets and bombs to solve or resolve the most intractable of problems. Vietnam is going communist in 1965? Bomb it to hell and back. Afghanistan supports terrorism in 2001? Bomb it wildly. Iraq has weapons of mass destruction in 2003? Bomb it, too (even though it had no WMD). The Houthis in Yemen have the temerity to protest and strike out in relation to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza in 2025? Bomb them <a href="https://news.antiwar.com/2025/04/24/us-has-launched-750-airstrikes-on-yemen-since-march-15/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">to hell and back</a>.
Sadly, “bomb it” is this country’s <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/william-astore-the-dark-side-of-air-power/" data-wpel-link="internal">go-to option</a>, the one that’s always on the table, the one our leaders often reach for first. America’s “best and brightest,” whether in the Vietnam era or now, have a powerful yen for destruction or, as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_B%E1%BA%BFn_Tre" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">saying went</a> in that long-gone era, “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.” Judging them by their acts, our leaders indeed have long appeared to believe that all too many villages, towns, cities, and countries needed to be destroyed in order to save them.
My own Orwellian turn of phrase for such mania is: destruction is construction. In this country, an all-too-offensive military is sold as a defensive one, hence, of course, the rebranding of the Department of War as the Department of Defense. An imperial military is sold as so many <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/freedom-fighters-for-a-fading-empire/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">freedom-fighters</a> and -bringers. We have the mega-weapons and the urge to dominate of Darth Vader and yet, miraculously enough, we continue to believe that we’re Luke Skywalker.
This is just one of the many paradoxes and contradictions contained within the U.S. military and indeed my own life. Perhaps they’re worth teasing out and exploring, as I reminisce about being commissioned at the ripe old age of 22 in 1985 — a long time ago in a country far, far away.
The Evil Empire
When I went on active duty in 1985, the country that constituted the Evil Empire on this planet wasn’t in doubt. As President Ronald Reagan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do0x-Egc6oA&t=97s" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">said</a> then, it was the Soviet Union — authoritarian, militaristic, domineering, and decidedly untrustworthy. Forty years later, who, exactly, is the evil empire? Is it Vladimir Putin’s Russia with its invasion of Ukraine three years ago? The Biden administration surely thought so; the Trump administration isn’t so sure. Speaking of Trump (and how can I not?), isn’t it correct to say that the U.S. is increasingly authoritarian, domineering, <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/ending-militarism-in-america/" data-wpel-link="internal">militaristic</a>, and decidedly untrustworthy? Which country has <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Base-Nation-Military-America-American/dp/1627791698/ref=bracingviews-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">roughly 800</a> military bases globally? Which country’s leader <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/04/08/trump-promises-1-trillion-in-defense-spending-for-next-year/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">openly boasts</a> of trillion-dollar war budgets and dreams of <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/greenland-canada-the-panama-canal-the-gulf-of-america-gaza/" data-wpel-link="internal">the annexation</a> of Canada and Greenland? It’s not Russia, of course, nor is it China.
Back when I first put on a uniform, there was thankfully no Department of Homeland Security, even as the Reagan administration began to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust,_but_verify" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">trust (but verify!)</a> the Soviets in negotiations to reduce our mutual nuclear stockpiles. Interestingly, 1985 witnessed an aging Republican president, Reagan, working with his Soviet peer, even as he dreamed of creating a “space shield” (SDI, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">strategic defense initiative</a>) to protect America from nuclear attack. In 2025, we have an aging Republican president, Donald Trump, negotiating with Putin even as he floats the idea of a “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/g-s1-61658/trump-golden-dome-america-iron-military-defense" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Golden Dome</a>” to shield America from nukes. (Republicans in Congress already seek <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-congress-republicans-seek-27-billion-golden-dome-trump-tax-bill-2025-04-24/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">$27 billion</a> for that “dome,” so that “golden” moniker is weirdly appropriate and, given the history of cost overruns on American weaponry, you know that would be just the starting point of its soaring projected cost.)
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, fears of a third world war that would lead to a nuclear exchange (as caught in books of the time like Tom Clancy’s popular novel Red Storm Rising) abated. And for a brief shining moment, the U.S. military reigned supreme globally, pulverizing the junior varsity mirror image of the Soviet military in Iraq with Desert Storm in 1991. We had kicked the Vietnam Syndrome once and for all, President George H.W. Bush <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/03/04/kicking-the-vietnam-syndrome/b6180288-4b9e-4d5f-b303-befa2275524d/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">exulted</a>. It was high time for some genuine peace dividends, or so it seemed.
The real problem was that that seemingly instantaneous success against Saddam Hussein’s much-overrated Iraqi military reignited the real Vietnam Syndrome, which was Washington’s overconfidence in military force as the way to secure dominance, while allegedly strengthening democracy not just here in America but globally. Hubris led to the <a href="https://bracingviews.substack.com/p/a-few-thoughts-about-nato-and-russia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">expansion of NATO</a> to Russia’s borders; hubris led to unipolar dreams of total dominance everywhere; hubris meant that America could somehow have the most moral as well as lethal military in the world; hubris meant that one need never concern oneself about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blowback-Consequences-American-Empire-Project/dp/0805075593/ref=bracingviews-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">potential blowback</a> from allying with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan or the risk of provoking Russian aggression as NATO floated Ukraine and Georgia as future members of an alliance designed to keep Russia down.
It was the end of history (so it was said) and American-style democracy had prevailed.
Even so, militarily, this country did anything but demobilize. Under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, there was some budgetary trimming, but military Keynesianism remained a thing, as did the military-industrial-congressional complex. Clinton managed a rare balanced budget due to domestic spending cuts and welfare reform; his cuts to military spending, however, were modest indeed. Tragically, under him, America would not <a href="https://mondediplo.com/openpage/the-american-military-uncontained" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">become</a> “a normal country in normal times,” as former U.N. Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick once dreamed. It would remain an empire — and an increasingly hungry one at that.
In that vein, senior civilians like Secretary of State Madeleine Albright <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/10/18/remembering-powells-revealing-exchange-with-madeleine-albright/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">began to wonder</a> why this country had such a superb military if we weren’t prepared to use it to boss others around. Never mind concerns about the constitutionality of employing U.S. troops in conflicts without a congressional declaration of war. (How unnecessary! How old-fashioned!) It was time to unapologetically rule the world.
The calamitous events of 9/11 changed nothing except the impetus to punish those who’d challenged our illusions. Those same events also changed everything as America’s leaders decided it was then the moment to double down on empire, to become even more authoritarian (the Patriot Act, torture, and the like), to go openly to “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-dark-side/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">the dark side</a>,” to lash out in the only way they knew how — more bombing (Afghanistan, Iraq), followed by invasions and “surges” — then, wash, rinse, repeat.
So, had we really beaten the Vietnam Syndrome in the triumphant year of 1991? Of course not. A decade later, after 9/11, we met the enemy, and once again it was our unrepresentative government spoiling for war, no matter how ill-conceived and ill-advised — because war pays, because war is “presidential,” because America’s leaders believe that the true “power of its example” is example after example of its power, especially bombs bursting in air.
The “All-Volunteer” Force Isn’t What It Seems
Speaking as a veteran and a military historian, I believe America’s all-volunteer force has lost its way. Today’s military members — unlike those of the “greatest generation” of World War II fame — are no longer citizen-soldiers. Today’s “volunteers” have surrendered to the rhetoric of being “<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4040940/secretary-hegseths-message-to-the-force/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">warriors</a>” and “<a href="https://tomdispatch.com/william-astore-generation-warfighters/" data-wpel-link="internal">warfighters</a>.” They take their identity from fighting wars or preparing for the same, putting aside their oath to support and defend the Constitution. They forget (or were never taught) that they must be citizens first, soldiers second. They have, in truth, come to embrace a warrior mystique that is far more consistent with authoritarian regimes. They’ve come to think of themselves — proudly so — as a breed apart.
Far too often in this America, an affinitive patriotism has been replaced by a rabid nationalism. Consider that Christocentric “America First” ideals are now openly promoted by the civilian commander-in-chief, no matter that they remain antithetical to the Constitution and corrosive to democracy. The new “affirmative action” openly affirms faith in Christ and trust in Trump (leavened with lots of bombs and missiles against nonbelievers).
<a href="https://tomdispatch.com/william-astore-american-militarism-on-steroids/" data-wpel-link="internal">Citizen-soldiers</a> of my father’s generation, by way of contrast, thought for themselves. They chafed against military authority, confronting it when it seemed foolish, wasteful, or unlawful. They largely demobilized themselves in the aftermath of World War II. But warriors don’t think. They follow orders. They drop bombs on target. They make the war machine run on time.
Americans, when they’re not overwhelmed by their efforts to simply make ends meet, have largely washed their hands of whatever that warrior-military does in their name. They <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/william-astore-the-face-of-war-don-t-look/" data-wpel-link="internal">know little</a> about wars fought supposedly to protect them and care even less. Why should they care? They’re not asked to weigh in. They’re not even asked to sacrifice (other than to pay taxes and keep their mouths shut).
Too many people in America, it seems to me, are now playing a perilous game of make-believe. We make-believe that America’s wars are authorized when they clearly are not. For example, who, other than Donald Trump (and Joe Biden before him), gave the U.S. military the right to <a href="https://news.antiwar.com/2025/04/24/us-has-launched-750-airstrikes-on-yemen-since-march-15/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">bomb Yemen</a>?
We make-believe all our troops are volunteers. We make-believe we care about those “volunteers.” Sometimes, some of us even make-believe we care about those wars being waged in places and countries most Americans would be hard-pressed to find on a map. How confident are you that all too many Americans could even point to the right hemisphere to find Syria or Yemen or past war zones like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq?
War isn’t even that good at teaching Americans geography anymore!
What Is To Be Done?
If you accept that there’s a kernel of truth to what I’ve written so far, and that there’s definitely something wrong that should be fixed, the question remains: What is to be done?
Some concrete actions immediately demand our attention.
*Any ongoing wars, including “overseas contingency operations” and the like, must be stopped immediately unless Congress formally issues a declaration of war as required by the Constitution. No more nonsense about MOOTW, or “military operations other than war.” There is war or there is peace. Period. Want to bomb Yemen? First, declare war on Yemen through Congress.
*Wars, assuming they are supported by Congressional declarations, must be paid for with taxes raised above all from those Americans who benefit most handsomely from fighting them. There shall be no deficit spending for war.
*Americans are used to “sin” taxes for purchases like tobacco and alcohol. So, isn’t it time for a new “sin” tax related to profiteering from war, especially by the corporations that make the distinctly overpriced weaponry without which such wars couldn’t be waged?
To end wars and weaken militarism in America, we must render it unprofitable. As long as powerful forces continue to profit so handsomely from going to war — even as “volunteer” troops are told to aspire to be “warriors,” born and trained to kill — this violent madness in America will persist, if not expand.
Look, the 22-year-old version of me thought he knew who the evil empire was. He thought he was one of the good guys. He thought his country and his military stood for something worthy, even for “greatness” of a sort. Sure, he was naïve. Perhaps he was just another wet-behind-the-ears factotum of empire. But he took his oath to the Constitution seriously and looked to a brighter day when that military would serve only as a deterrent in a world largely at peace.
The soon-to-be-62-year-old me is no longer so naïve and, these days, none too sure who’s evil and who isn’t. He knows his country is on the wrong path, that the bloody path of bullets and bombs (and profiting from the same) is always perilous for any freedom-loving people to travel on.
Somehow, America needs to be put back on the freedom trail that inspires and empowers citizens rather than wannabe warriors brandishing weapons galore. Somehow, we need to aspire again to be a nation of laws. (Can we agree that due process is better than no process?) Somehow, we need to dream of being a nation where right makes might, one that knows that destruction is not construction, one that exchanges bullets and bombs for ballots and beauty.
How else are we to become <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">America the Beautiful</a>?
<footer class="entry-footer">Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://tomdispatch.com/the-real-evil-empire-may-surprise-you/">TomDispatch.com.</a></footer>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-real-evil-empire-may-surprise-you/">The Real Evil Empire May Surprise You</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Latest News on the Blackout in Spain</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/latest-news-on-the-blackout-in-spain/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905663</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Just as happened with the opening of the dams in Valencia (Spain), which official authorities continue to attribute solely to weather conditions without offering a complete explanation, the same situation is now repeating itself in the face of the widespread blackout in Spain, Portugal, and southern France. New data is emerging, but, as usual, more doubts than certainties prevail. We begin with the news that in 2021, the Austrian government warned of the possibility of a major blackout that could affect Europe in the next five years. Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner was the one who publicly warned about this threat, stressing the … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/latest-news-on-the-blackout-in-spain/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/latest-news-on-the-blackout-in-spain/">Latest News on the Blackout in Spain</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Just as happened with the opening of the dams in Valencia (Spain), which official authorities continue to attribute solely to weather conditions without offering a complete explanation, the same situation is now repeating itself in the face of the widespread blackout in Spain, Portugal, and southern France. New data is emerging, but, as usual, more doubts than certainties prevail.
We begin with the news that in 2021, the Austrian government warned of the possibility of a major blackout that could affect Europe in the next five years. Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner was the one who publicly warned about this threat, stressing the importance of taking preventive measures in the face of a potential energy crisis.
It was in October 2021 that the Austrian government issued a warning that, at the time, went unheeded by most in Europe (supposedly). However, today, in light of recent events, that warning seems like an eerie and chilling omen. Under the slogan “Blackout: What to do if everything shuts down?“, the Austrian Ministry of Defense distributed leaflets, organized national drills, and posted official videos on YouTube instructing the population on how to survive a massive energy collapse. Minister Claudia Tanner was clear: “Blackout is not a possibility, it is a certainty,” she stated, while General Robert Bridger warned of “an event that would paralyze cities and destroy the digital economy.“
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905665 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708.jpg" alt="" width="952" height="708" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708.jpg 952w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708-300x223.jpg 300w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708-620x461.jpg 620w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708-150x112.jpg 150w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/e16da870-b640-40d7-9e23-e02895c2af66_952x708-768x571.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px" />
Official video of the Austrian government

But what motivated Austria, a country with no obvious energy crisis at the time, to mobilize its army and civil society? Experts pointed to four critical factors: dependence on Russian gas, the increase in cyberattacks on infrastructure, the vulnerability of power grids due to reliance on intermittent renewable energy, and a lack of investment in maintenance. However, behind these technical reasons, many suspect a darker plan, and that what happened could only be a test or warning of what is to come.
On the other hand, there is a TikTok video published on April 15, 2025, in which he predicts a “partial global blackout” that would occur on April 28, 2025, stating that it would be “the beginning of a real blackout” with bank failures, social media outages, and urban chaos. The message, shared millions of times, included a reference to a forgotten episode of The Simpsons where Homer receives a message on his television: “Shutting down humanity.” We know this cartoon series is part of the system; it’s not just a coincidence, but functions as a tool that offers clues and snippets of what’s planned to happen, akin to Predictive Programming.
Finally, we have news of a strange text message that Catalan mayors (Spain) received warning of a power outage hours before the major blackout. On the night of Sunday, April 27, at 10:38 p.m., the mayor of Vilaplana, Josep Bigorra, received a message saying: “We are working to restore the power supply as soon as possible.” Minutes later, the mayor checked the E-Distribución website for “outage” symbols in places like Reus, the capital of Baix Camp. But nothing happened; the grid remained stable. “There wasn’t a single outage,” says Bigorra, who shared the text message on social media, puzzled. Was it a computer error? A false alarm? Or, as subsequent events suggest, a chilling warning of what was to come?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905666 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/f502eb56-1bdb-4cea-9ebf-56966ddcfd9e_717x650.jpg" alt="" width="717" height="650" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/f502eb56-1bdb-4cea-9ebf-56966ddcfd9e_717x650.jpg 717w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/f502eb56-1bdb-4cea-9ebf-56966ddcfd9e_717x650-300x272.jpg 300w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/f502eb56-1bdb-4cea-9ebf-56966ddcfd9e_717x650-620x562.jpg 620w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/f502eb56-1bdb-4cea-9ebf-56966ddcfd9e_717x650-150x136.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px" />
This message, however, was no exception. Other mayors in the region reported similar receipts, all at the same time and with the same contradiction: warnings of nonexistent outages.
Fourteen hours later, at 12:33 on Monday, April 28, Spain was completely blacked out, in an unprecedented event. A second text message arrived in Bigorra with a disturbing explanation: “Due to a national zero (sic), the power supply has been lost. We are awaiting instructions from Red Eléctrica Española (REE).“
The term “national zero” lacks a recognized technical definition. A typo? A cipher? While the Spanish government blames an “unprecedented incident,” official responses are brief. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced “open lines of investigation,” but no one explains why the alarm systems failed, or why it took some municipalities more than 24 hours to restore power. The coincidence between the premonitory text message and the massive blackout has generated a flurry of theories. Independent experts point out that the messages could be part of an internal emergency protocol at E-Distribución, designed to prepare authorities before a scheduled outage. But what does a “national zero” have to do with an unannounced blackout? Could the text message have been an unauthorized leak from a compromised system? The words “national zero” evoke scenarios from military drills, such as those described in declassified NATO documents.
Questions Officials Fail to Answer:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Why did E-Distribución send false alerts hours before the collapse?</li>
<li>What does the term “national zero” mean?</li>
<li>Why did the Iberian electricity system, designed to withstand isolated failures, collapse completely?</li>
<li>Are there internal records that prove a structural failure prior to the blackout?</li>
</ul>
While authorities persist in their attempt to clarify the facts, citizens remain in uncertainty facing an enigma that seems to have overtones of a cover-up. The text message, far from being a simple error, could represent the tip of the iceberg of secret plans.
<a href="https://preppgroup.home.blog/2025/05/08/latest-news-on-the-blackout-in-spain/">Read the Whole Article</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/latest-news-on-the-blackout-in-spain/">Latest News on the Blackout in Spain</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Israel’s Fires: a Precursor to Sodom and Gomorrah?</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/chuck-baldwin/israels-fires-a-precursor-to-sodom-and-gomorrah/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Chuck Baldwin]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905667</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Overall, the Zionist-dominated American media is silent, thus keeping the American people ignorant regarding the apocalyptic-type fires that are burning in Israel. In the summertime, wildfires are common in the Western United States (and Western Canada), as those of us who live in the West can testify. Fires are typically started by either human negligence (campers not extinguishing their campfires, smokers discarding burning cigarettes in tinder environments, etc.) or by nature, most notably lightning strikes. But the United States is an extremely large country, including millions of acres of natural habitat that is intrinsically highly flammable. On the other hand, … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/chuck-baldwin/israels-fires-a-precursor-to-sodom-and-gomorrah/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/chuck-baldwin/israels-fires-a-precursor-to-sodom-and-gomorrah/">Israel’s Fires: a Precursor to Sodom and Gomorrah?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Overall, the Zionist-dominated American media is silent, thus keeping the American people ignorant regarding the apocalyptic-type fires that are burning in Israel.
In the summertime, wildfires are common in the Western United States (and Western Canada), as those of us who live in the West can testify. Fires are typically started by either human negligence (campers not extinguishing their campfires, smokers discarding burning cigarettes in tinder environments, etc.) or by nature, most notably lightning strikes.
But the United States is an extremely large country, including millions of acres of natural habitat that is intrinsically highly flammable. On the other hand, Israel is a tiny country, about the size of the State of New Jersey—or even smaller. While wildfires in the Middle East are not uncommon, the endemic forests and wildernesses are not of the highly combustible varieties as are grown here in the U.S. and Canada.
Since the advent of the State of Israel in 1948, the Zionist state has planted hundreds of millions of non-native plants, trees and shrubbery that are highly combustible and have contributed to an increase of wildfire disasters not previously known in the region of Palestine—including Israel.
<a href="https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-852836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">See this report in the Jerusalem Post.</a>
But the current wildfires raging in Israel are unprecedented in their furor. This column will contain a couple of videos of the fires raging in Israel that I hope readers will take the time to watch. When you see them, I think you will agree with me that the fires are not only terrifying, but they possess an almost apocalyptic aura about them.
I’ll begin with a transcription of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zChQwpCE9Kg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this video report</a>:
Israel Now! Worst Wildfire in Jerusalem’s History Forces Thousands To Evacuate & Left Devastations
Jerusalem, Israel, April 30-May 1, 2025
On April 30, 2025, flames surged across Highway 1, the main artery between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, forcing terrified drivers to abandon their vehicles and flee on foot as smoke turned day into night.
This was not a scene from a disaster film. It was the grim reality when one of the most devastating wildfires in Israel’s history erupted just west of Jerusalem.
In a matter of hours, the fire advanced rapidly, threatening entire communities. Over 10,000 residents from at least 10 villages, including Beit Meir, Shoresh, Giv’at Ye’arim and Ramat Raziel, were forced to evacuate. The situation was chaotic as firefighters struggled to control the inferno, while entire families fled their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.
The Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital was also evacuated, with two patients initially reported missing amid the disorder.
Thick black smoke blanketed the capital, causing severe air pollution and triggering health alerts across the region.
Meanwhile, crucial highways, like Route 1, the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv route, were shut down, leading to heavy traffic and delays in evacuation efforts.
By the end of the day, the fire had consumed more than 17 square kilometers of land, devastating forests, agricultural land and natural reserves. The firestorm had reached near-catastrophic proportions, with wind speeds exceeding 50 kilometers per hour, pushing the flames rapidly through dry, overgrown vegetation. At least 20 homes were reported lost, and thousands more were left in danger. It became one of the largest wildfires in Israel’s history, underscoring the vulnerability of the region to such climate-related disasters.
Fire and Rescue Services Commissioner Dedi Simchi confirmed that the fire was man-made but stressed that investigations were ongoing. No formal arrests have been made as of yet, and the authorities are careful not to draw any conclusions before the investigation is complete. It is important to note that anyone arrested in connection with the fire is innocent until proven guilty, and further investigations will determine the exact cause.
In typical Netanyahu fashion, the Israeli prime minister was quick to blame the fires on Hamas. Israelis are experts at feigning perpetual victimhood status while hiding their own criminal aggression.
The region has experienced heightened temperatures and strong winds, both of which contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg linked the fire to broader climate change patterns, warning that these types of fires are becoming more frequent and intense across the country, especially as the climate crisis continues to take hold.
As the blaze raged on, emergency services were stretched to their limits. Israel declared a state of national emergency in response to the escalating crisis. Over 120 firefighting teams were mobilized, including specialized search and rescue units from the military. Twelve firefighting aircraft were deployed to contain the blaze, with support from international firefighting crews. Italy and Croatia sent planes to help extinguish the flames, while other countries, including Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria, were also asked to send additional firefighting planes to help fight the fires. But reports say that Greece and Cyprus refused to help. [Emphasis added]
Despite their best efforts, the firefighting teams struggled to access the worst-hit areas, as roads were closed and visibility was severely reduced due to smoke and ash.
In addition to the firefighting teams, medical emergency units were deployed across the region to assist evacuees and those trapped in the fire zone. At least 20 people were injured, most suffering from smoke inhalation or burns. Medical teams reported that the conditions were particularly dire for elderly people and young children, who were at higher risk due to the hazardous air quality.
Ambulances and rapid-response motorcycle units were stationed along key roads, ready to assist the injured and transport them to hospitals. These units worked tirelessly to evacuate civilians from the most dangerous zones, but the chaos of the situation made rescue operations extremely difficult. Some residents were forced to shelter in place, waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The damage was severe. The fire destroyed homes and businesses and inflicted lasting harm on the natural environment. Vast areas of forest in the Jerusalem hills, home to rare plant species and wildlife, were reduced to ash. The Environmental Protection Ministry issued high-pollution alerts, urging residents, especially those with respiratory issues, to stay indoors. Large sections of natural reserves and national parks were devastated, with critical habitats lost and ecosystems left in ruin. Recovery of these areas will take years.
As the fires came under control, focus shifted to relief. The Israeli government approved $21 million in emergency aid for shelter, medical care and immediate needs. Thousands of displaced residents were placed in temporary housing, supported by local councils and volunteers providing food, water and essentials.
But experts warn the recovery will be long. Rebuilding homes and infrastructure will take months. And restoring the damaged land will require major environmental efforts.
Again, I urge readers to watch the 9-minute video from which this transcription was taken.
As I watched this video and others, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EluNI5MmnU4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this one</a>, the thought that immediately came to my mind was “Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Contrary to the unscriptural assertions of evangelicals, modern Israel is anything but a “holy land.” Israel is a cesspool of debauchery, corruption and criminality rivaling anything found in the seven condemned Canaanite nations during the days of Moses and Joshua.
Israel is the abortion capital of the world; it is the sodomite capital of the world; it is the pornographic capital of the world; and it is the genocidal capital of the world. If God spares Zionist Israel, He will need to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.
But God is Just. And Zionist Israel will not be spared His justice. Neither will Israel’s puppet-state: America.
The blood of millions of innocents shed by seventy-seven years of pillage, rape, mass murder, genocide and ethnic cleansing by Jewish Zionists and their Christian Zionist collaborators in America cries out of the ground for justice. God hears those cries, and He will answer.
I, again, urge readers to read the book The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe. I mean it when I say, if you have not read this book, you are ignorant of the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank today.
I can say that because I thought I understood the Middle East, until I read Pappe’s blockbuster book. I then realized I knew almost nothing about Palestine—even after traveling there and seeing the land for myself. Albeit I did learn and can personally testify to the compassionate, kind and genuine Christ-like spirit of the tens of thousands of Palestinian Christians living in the land. They make America’s “Christians” look like heathens. And by virtue of the enthusiastic support of America’s “Christians” for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, they are proving that they are.
Pappe is one of Israel’s most renowned historians, and this book might be his pinnacle achievement.
<a href="https://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Store.aspx#!/The-Ethnic-Cleansing-Of-Palestine-Book-By-Ilan-Pappe-The-VERY-BEST-BOOK-explaining-the-Israeli-Palestinian-conflict/p/236715938/category=15986016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Find Pappe’s book here.</a>
In my third message in the Old Covenant Wars series last Sunday entitled Israel’s Laws of War Against The Seven Canaanite Nations, I showed the historical reality that indeed “God is no respecter of persons.”
The iniquities of the seven Canaanite nations that God used Israel to destroy were replicated in Israel itself. Accordingly, God used the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans to do to the Hebrew nations of Israel and Judah what God used Israel to do to the Canaanites.
Again, God is no respecter of persons—or nations. And that includes Zionist Israel.
Since the U.S. government—controlled by the Israel lobby—and evangelical Christians have shown no interest in holding Israel accountable to the “laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” the government of Heaven itself will doubtless be obliged to hold that iniquitous, murderous state to account.
The fires in Israel today could be a precursor to the fire of God’s judgment upon satanic Israel—fire that may make the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah look like child’s play.
If I were John Hagee, Robert Jeffress, John MacArthur and Greg Laurie, I would start preparing sermons explaining how the next destruction of Jerusalem fits into their propagandistic prophecy doctrines of Christian Zionism before the smoke starts rising, because by then no one will believe anything they have to say.
And the way things are going, that day might not be that far away.
P.S. Today I am announcing the release of my third message DVD in the Old Covenant Wars series that I delivered last Sunday entitled Israel’s Laws of War Against The Seven Canaanite Nations.
This one message, by itself, obliterates the prophecy doctrines of Christian Zionism. It shows the truth from the Old Testament of God’s divorce from Biblical Israel, how God cast Israel “out of [His] sight” and how God destroyed Israel in the same way and for the same reasons that He destroyed the Canaanite nations. Again, God is no respecter of persons—or nations.
I trust that after you watch this message, you will want to share it with as many people as you can.
Reprinted with permission from <a href="http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/">Chuck Baldwin Live</a>.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/chuck-baldwin/israels-fires-a-precursor-to-sodom-and-gomorrah/">Israel’s Fires: a Precursor to Sodom and Gomorrah?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Guess What Might Be Abolished Now</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/thomas-woods/guess-what-might-be-abolished-now/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom Woods]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905669</guid>
<description><![CDATA[From the Tom Woods Letter: Well, how about this: There have been sharp cutbacks at the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), amidst word that the President would like to see them both abolished. Word that the Department of Education would be abolished sent left-liberals into a frenzy: why, this will be a terrible blow for education! After all, the Department of Education has the word “Education” in its name! You, dear reader, are thankfully more sophisticated than that. You know perfectly well that the abolition of these unconstitutional federal departments will not … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/thomas-woods/guess-what-might-be-abolished-now/">Continue reading →</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[From the <a href="https://tomwoods.lpages.co/newsletter/">Tom Woods Letter</a>:
Well, how about this:
There have been sharp cutbacks at the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), amidst word that the President would like to see them both abolished.
Word that the Department of Education would be abolished sent left-liberals into a frenzy: why, this will be a terrible blow for education! After all, the Department of Education has the word “Education” in its name!
You, dear reader, are thankfully more sophisticated than that.
You know perfectly well that the abolition of these unconstitutional federal departments will not mean we won’t have any arts or humanities.
The annual budget of the National Endowment for the Arts is in the neighborhood of $200 million. Private funding of the arts, on the other hand, is in the billions annually. So we would indeed survive without the NEA — as indeed we did for our entire existence before 1965.
I might add that modernism in art often carried with it a sense of entitlement: artists came to believe that if voluntary support for their work was not forthcoming, this was a failure of the public rather than of their art.
These were misunderstood geniuses, you see, trying to challenge the public rather than cater to it. How dare you expect them to be like everyone else and have to create things people like in exchange for compensation! Why, you’re crushing their precious artistic freedom!
State funding in the United States, which eventually came in the form of the NEA, partially solved this problem. Now art could receive support on the basis of who wrote the best grant applications, as opposed to who created art that people could actually stand.
(Of course, there’s never been anything stopping private benefactors from supporting whatever art they like.)
As for the NEH: in an age of crowdfunding, worthy projects that may have been funded by federal dollars in the past can still proceed. Projects the regime would rather (in effect) keep secret because they’re woke and ridiculous will have less success.
The American Historical Association cautions us that we need the NEH in order to support “the complex, nuanced view of our nation’s history and culture that come only from deep research.”
Attend one of the professional societies’ academic conferences. Tell me that you’re encountering a “complex, nuanced view of our nation’s history” there. That’s leftspeak for “you’re a bunch of dumb racists, and your official history should be a series of Bolshevik-style humiliations.”
Thirteen years ago, having long since given up on our professional historical associations, I took matters into my own hands and launched Liberty Classroom, my dashboard university whose courses you can consume at any time or day or night.
Here you’ll find — taught by me, and by people I trust — the history your teachers kept from you, or didn’t know themselves. Economics, too. Even logic — which I’d say we could use more of, wouldn’t you?
Dozens of courses designed to make you a formidable debater, and to cure the educational malpractice that was imposed on us all.
Our master (lifetime) membership even includes my courses for the Ron Paul Curriculum, which means among other things you’ll learn Western civ directly from me, from the ancient world to the present.
Your school may have screwed you, but it’s never too late to become the educated person you want to be — and to have any lingering p.c. b.s. physically removed from your brain.
Until tomorrow we’re having our anniversary sale, celebrating 13 years of truth-telling.
The link:
<a href="https://www.libertyclassroom.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.LibertyClassroom.com</a>
<a href="https://libertyclassroom.com/?ref=lewrockwell1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-809478 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2021/07/tom-woods1.png" alt="" width="525" height="208" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2021/07/tom-woods1.png 525w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2021/07/tom-woods1-150x59.png 150w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2021/07/tom-woods1-300x119.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px" /></a>
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<title>Will Trump Follow Nixon’s IRS Road to Ruin?</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-bovard/will-trump-follow-nixons-irs-road-to-ruin/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[James Bovard]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905671</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On Friday morning, President Trump proclaimed on his Truth Social: “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump is being hailed as a hero for demanding that the IRS bring Harvard University to its knees. But Trump is following in the footsteps of President Richard Nixon, whose racketeering with the IRS helped pave the way to the collapse of his presidency. Trump is also forgetting the rallying cry of Republican opposition to the Obama regime. Political targeting of nonprofit entities is “the hallmark of authoritarian nations,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor declared in 2014. Trump’s triumphal … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-bovard/will-trump-follow-nixons-irs-road-to-ruin/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-bovard/will-trump-follow-nixons-irs-road-to-ruin/">Will Trump Follow Nixon’s IRS Road to Ruin?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[On Friday morning, President Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/02/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-revoke.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proclaimed</a> on his Truth Social: “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” Trump is being hailed as a hero for demanding that the IRS bring Harvard University to its knees.
But Trump is following in the footsteps of President Richard Nixon, whose racketeering with the IRS helped pave the way to the collapse of his presidency. Trump is also forgetting the rallying cry of Republican opposition to the Obama regime. Political targeting of nonprofit entities is “the hallmark of authoritarian nations,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2014/02/26/cantor-irs-actions-hallmark-of-authoritarian-nations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in 2014.
Trump’s triumphal tax code decree was a follow-up to an April 15 message he posted on Truth Social: “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!”
And who has unlimited prerogative to define the “PUBLIC INTEREST”? Donald Trump, of course!
Trump’s Treasury Department formally requested last month that the IRS revoke Harvard University’s tax exempt status. Trump ally Newt Gingrich <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/16/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-irs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predicts</a> that the Trump administration is “going to go after a whole bunch” of universities’ tax-exempt status.
This is not the first time that Trump sought to financially torpedo American colleges he disapproved. In July 2020, Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1281616586273468416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>:
Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status… and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!
Trump’s approved education program doesn’t include standard rules on capitalization. Also, what in hell is an “Act Against Public Policy”?
To understand this controversy, it is important to distinguish between direct government aid and federal tax laws that enable deductions. If the Trump administration seeks to curtail federal funding of colleges across-the-board, that is not a violation of the rights of any specific college. As Connor O’Keeffe argued here on April 23, there are <a href="https://mises.org/mises-wire/stop-all-federal-funding-universities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good reasons</a> to end all federal subsidies to universities and colleges.
But permitting a president to seize veto power over the tax status of any individual or organization in the land is a recipe for tyranny. According to the New York Times, “Even an attempt at changing Harvard’s tax status would signify a drastic breach in the independence of the I.R.S. and its historical insulation from political pressure.” But the official storyline overlooks more than a half century of sporadic IRS vendettas against non-profits.
President John F. Kennedy used the IRS to attack the tax-exempt status of conservative organizations. The Ideological Organizations Audit Project targeted the Christian Anti-Communist Crusade, the American Enterprise Institute, the Foundation for Economic Education, and many other organizations. A 1976 Senate committee report noted, “By directing tax audits at individuals and groups solely because of their political beliefs, the Ideological Organizations Audit Project established a precedent for a far more elaborate program of targeting ‘dissidents.’”
Richard Nixon—who became president in 1969—never let perfidious precedents gather any dust. His administration speedily created a Special Services Staff to mastermind what a memo called “all IRS activities involving ideological, militant, subversive, radical, and similar type organizations.” More than 10,000 individuals and groups were targeted because of their political activism or slant between 1969 and 1973, including Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling (a left-wing critic of the Vietnam War) and the far-right John Birch Society. The IRS was also given Nixon’s enemies list to, as White House counsel John Dean said, “use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.” The University of North Carolina non-profit tax status was one of the targets on the IRS list.
Congress responded to Nixon’s abuses by enacting legislation to severely restrict political contacts between the White House and the IRS. That legislation tacitly conceded that the 1952 legislation enacted to prevent the same problem had utterly failed. But the post-Watergate IRS reform did not impede President Bill Clinton. In 1995, the Clinton White House and the Democratic National Committee produced a 331-page report entitled “Communication Stream of Conspiracy Commerce” that attacked conservative magazines, think tanks, and other entities and individuals who had criticized President Clinton. More than 20 conservative organizations—including the Heritage Foundation and the American Spectator magazine—and almost a dozen individual high-profile Clinton accusers, such as Paula Jones and Gennifer Flowers, were audited.
During the Obama years, IRS officials blocked almost 300 conservative organizations from getting tax-exempt status, targeting groups with names such as “Tea Party” and those that “advocated education about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.” Conservative non-profits were also hit by far more audits. In 2016, a federal appeals court ruled the IRS had committed “unconstitutional acts against” right-wing nonprofits.
Trump’s command for the IRS to target Harvard <a href="https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2023/03/politics-nonprofits-deja-vu-all-over-again.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">violates a law</a> prohibiting the IRS from targeting nonprofits “for regulatory scrutiny based on their ideological beliefs.” Many Americans understandably despise a pompous institution whose graduates and professors perennially pay far more homage to Leviathan than to the Constitution. As heroic whistleblower <a href="https://jimbovard.com/blog/2019/06/21/warring-as-lying-throughout-american-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Ellsberg</a> declared in 1970, the Pentagon Papers provided thousands of pages documenting “twenty years of crime under four presidents. And every one of those presidents had a Harvard professor at his side, telling him how to do it and how to get away with it.” Harvard has sent far more warmongers, torture-apologists, and authoritarian zealots to Washington since the end of the Vietnam War.
But the Trump administration’s demands to Harvard could set precedents for obliterating academic freedom far and wide. The Trump administration wants to ban Harvard from enrolling any foreign students who Trump appointees label “<a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/4/28/harvard-loosens-commitment-intl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hostile to the American values</a>.” If Biden was still in power and inflicted a twisted version of that standard on young Americans—anyone who had attended a (privately-funded) Mises Institute program or seminar—might be banned from colleges that received any federal funds or a tax exemption. The administration is also demanding that Harvard appoint a Trump-approved auditor to assess whether its programs and departments suffer from “ideological capture.” Trusting a Trump appointee to be a fair judge of ideology is like appointing Bill Clinton to be chaperone of a girls basketball team.
Perhaps Trump presumes he has nothing to fear thanks to a Supreme Court ruling last summer that expanded presidential immunity. But Trump and his lawyers would do well to study how waves of scandals destroyed President Nixon despite his far more triumphant re-election than Trump enjoyed. In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee articles of impeachment charged Nixon with endeavoring “to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.” Nixon’s IRS machinations—along with that Watergate scandal and a bevy of other crimes and outrages—helped sway many people to view him as a scoundrel. Nixon resigned rather than face a Senate trial which he was sure to lose.
“Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’… teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds,” Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-he-will-revoke-harvard-tax-exempt-status" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raged</a> on Truth Social.
Contrary to Trump’s assumptions, “woke” is not such a grave and imminent peril as to nullify all limits on presidential power. Americans can enjoy scoffing at the Ivy League without cheering a politician seeking to financially raze any institution that fails to curtsy to him.
<section class="primary-content col-span-full print:col-span-full md:col-span-8">
<section class="relative w-full clear-both">Note: The views expressed on <a href="https://mises.org/">Mises.org</a> are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.</section>
</section>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-bovard/will-trump-follow-nixons-irs-road-to-ruin/">Will Trump Follow Nixon’s IRS Road to Ruin?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>The Hidden Secrets of Natural Milk</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-hidden-secrets-of-natural-milk/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905674</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A classic strategy in business is to replace something freely available with a patentable commodity everyone is then forced to purchase. Beyond this being highly exploitative, in many cases, the synthetic substitute is a poor imitation of what nature created and hence creates a myriad of problems for humanity. This very much characterizes what happened to infant nutrition and allowed formula sales to become a 90.91 billion annual market. In turn, two major problems have followed the switch away from natural milk: • Infant formula is full of unhealthy components that promote allergies and obesity (e.g., the first ingredient in formula is … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-hidden-secrets-of-natural-milk/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-hidden-secrets-of-natural-milk/">The Hidden Secrets of Natural Milk</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[A classic strategy in business is to replace something freely available with a patentable commodity everyone is then forced to purchase. Beyond this being highly exploitative, in many cases, the synthetic substitute is a poor imitation of what nature created and hence creates a myriad of problems for humanity.
This very much characterizes what happened to infant nutrition and allowed formula sales to become a <a href="https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/infant-formula-market-101498" rel="">90.91 billion annual market</a>. In turn, two major problems have followed the switch away from natural milk:
• Infant formula is full of unhealthy components <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-is-what-we-feed-infants-so-unhealthy" rel="">that promote allergies and obesity</a> (e.g., the first ingredient in formula is often corn syrup and then followed by <a href="https://takecontrol.substack.com/p/linoleic-acid" rel="">seed oils</a>—which remarkably federal law requires to be in infant formula due to a law <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-is-what-we-feed-infants-so-unhealthy" rel="">based on flawed nutritional science from the 1960s that was never updated</a>).
• Breast milk was designed to be one of most nutritious foods a developing infant could have and <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-is-what-we-feed-infants-so-unhealthy" rel="">contains many vital components</a> which will never be possible to synthetically replicate.
Note: in some cases, the milk a mother produces is not enough for her infant. In those cases, a supplemental natural infant formula <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-is-what-we-feed-infants-so-unhealthy" rel="">can be highly beneficial to her infant</a>, but only if it is composed of natural ingredients which adequately provide the critical nutrients infants need and if it uses raw rather than pasteurized milk (as this preserves the vital nutrients milk contains and prevents it from turning into a potent allergen).
In this article, we will explore the numerous benefits of breastmilk, not just for the infant, but for the mother as well. We’ll examine how the unique components of breastmilk contribute to a healthier immune system, stronger brain development, and even a reduced risk of chronic diseases later in life. Additionally, we’ll look at how maternal health and diet impact the quality of breastmilk, highlighting the importance of support systems for mothers to ensure successful breastfeeding. Ultimately, the evidence supports what many already know: breastmilk is truly irreplaceable.
Breastmilk: Nature’s Perfect Food
Breastmilk contains a variety of complex bioactive molecules which allow the mother to continually aid the growth and health of their child such as:
• Numerous vital growth factors (e.g., ones that facilitate the development of the gastrointestinal tract,<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9401175/" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2003355" rel="">2</a>,<a href="https://academic.oup.com/tropej/article-abstract/36/1/2/1668096?redirectedFrom=PDF&login=false" rel="">3</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2016150" rel="">4</a>).
• <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/2/248" rel="">MicroRNA</a> (which are <a href="https://umbalk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/04.THE-ROLE-OF-miRNA-AND-PLANT%E2%80%91BASED-miRNA-FOUND-IN-HUMAN-BREAST-MILK.pdf" rel="">protected from digestion</a> and hence able to absorb into the body), which <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366435/full" rel="">guides the development of tissues throughout the body</a>, <a href="https://umbalk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/04.THE-ROLE-OF-miRNA-AND-PLANT%E2%80%91BASED-miRNA-FOUND-IN-HUMAN-BREAST-MILK.pdf" rel="">regulate critical gene expression</a>, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10045994/" rel="">prevents allergies</a> (e.g., to foods), and <a href="https://pghn.org/DOIx.php?id=10.5223%2Fpghn.2024.27.5.322" rel="">produce many critical parts of the developing immune system</a>.
• A <a href="https://www.upmc.com/media/news/071823-breast-milk-antibodies" rel="">unique set of antibodies</a> and immunoglobulins are produced by the mother to both <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33740451/" rel="">protect the infant</a> against expected pathogens in the environment (e.g., what the mother has encountered) while the infant’s immune system is still developing, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33740451/" rel="">guide the development</a> of their immune system.
• Key cytokines such as TGF-β, IL-6 and IL-10 which also play a critical role in much of the previous (e.g., promoting oral tolerance, supporting immune system development, and enhancing intestinal epithelial proliferation and repair).<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2003279" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2003279" rel="">2</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr200026" rel="">3 
</a>Note: a major problem with many vaccines is that they tend to provoke <a href="https://www.invivogen.com/review-vaccine-adjuvants" rel="">a Th2 response</a> (which eliminates certain extracellular pathogens but also creates autoimmunity) and suppress the Th1 response (which eliminates intracellular pathogens <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16010587/" rel="">and cancers</a>). Breastmilk <a href="http://frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00016/full" rel="">inhibits immune cells shifting to a Th2 state</a> and can change <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2014160" rel="">a Th2 response into a more balanced Th1-Th2 response</a>.
• A variety of enzymes that both help the infant’s digestive tract break down the ingested milk and release key peptides from breastmilk components (that both develop the immune system and directly eliminate pathogenic organisms),<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5486212/" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf405601e" rel="">2</a>,<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4264622/" rel="">3</a> along with many other enzymes and bioactive molecules that inhibit microbial growth (e.g., lactoferrin, lysozymes and mucin, interferon and fibronectin).
• A protein with potent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12665051/" rel="">anticancer activity</a> (against <a href="https://hamletbiopharma.com/the-history-of-hamlet/" rel="">over 40 types of cancers</a>) that <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8248127/" rel="">does not harm normal cells</a> and <a href="https://hamletbiopharma.com/the-history-of-hamlet/" rel="">has successfully treated cancer in humans</a>. It also has powerful<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6879259/" rel=""> antimicrobial activity</a> and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0043514" rel="">enhances bacterial sensitivity</a> to antibiotics.
• Breastmilk <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014299904007423" rel="">contains endogenous cannabinoids</a> that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18426504/" rel="">are important for human development</a> (e.g. by affecting appetite, mother-child bonding, immune function, brain development and motor function).<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014299904007423" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18426504/" rel="">2</a>
Note: the most potent milk a mother releases is the colostrum (the first milk). In parallel, over the years, many have discovered that colostrum from healthy cows <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Healing-Suppression-Manipulation-American/dp/0982513879" rel="">has healed a variety of challenging illnesses and significant injuries</a>.
Furthermore, breastmilk also contains a variety of nutrients which are invaluable for the developing infant such as:
• Human Milk Oligosaccharides that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41040-5" rel="">support the growth of healthy gut bacteria</a> (e.g., <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10026937/" rel="">bifidobacteria and lactobacilli</a>), reduce inflammation, and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2018.00190/full" rel="">contribute to immune system development</a>.
• <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7468918/" rel="">Essential fatty acids</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22540113/" rel="">cholesterol</a> (and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.899401/full" rel="">many other unique lipids</a>) which are critical for <a href="https://oadd.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/yum.pdf" rel="">brain development</a>, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7468918/" rel="">eye development</a>, and cognitive function (e.g., <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140911094749.htm" rel="">academic success</a>). These fats are not present in infant formula (or present in relatively low levels—<a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ebook/chapter/9780643107427_Chapter9" rel="">except in animal milk substitutes</a>, as it’s well recognized copious fats are necessary for their growth) and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735" rel="">many experts in the field believe</a> their absence from formula is one of the reasons why breastmilk is so much healthier for infants. Human breastmilk also contains <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027153172030511X?via%3Dihub" rel="">bile salt-stimulated lipase</a>, an enzyme absent in cow’s milk and most other commonly consumed milks (e.g., formula) which is specifically adapted to enhance the digestion and absorption of fats and cholesterol in human infants.
Note: cholesterol is also necessary to produce hormones (e.g., boys <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3930918/" rel="">undergo a surge of testosterone in the first 1-3 months of life</a> which is pivotal in masculinizing their bodies).
• <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215837/" rel="">Highly bioavailable nutrients</a> (e.g., iron), which allows much lower concentrations of them needed in milk than formula (which then prevents those nutrients from competing with the absorption of other critical nutrients, such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3522825/" rel="">iron added to infant formula interfering with the critical absorption of zinc</a>).
Note: if breastmilk (or formula) is stored, it should never be microwaved to warm it (as this destroys many critical nutrients). Likewise, most sources of donated human breastmilk will pasteurize them (which destroys many of these vital components in milk).
In short, I would argue that the complexity of breastmilk makes it unlikely a synthetic substitute will ever be able to replace it (e.g., many of the bioactive molecules it contains cost thousands of dollars to synthesize).
The Benefits of Breastmilk
Beyond being less likely to be overweight or have a dysfunctional metabolism (e.g., <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/31/3/470/26076/Breast-Feeding-and-Type-2-Diabetes-in-the-Youth-of" rel="">breastfeeding halves the risk of diabetes</a>), many other benefits have also been attributed to breastfeeding such as:
• Lower rates of infections (e.g., <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">pneumonia</a>, <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">ear infections</a>) and <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15274-benefits-of-breastfeeding" rel="">lower hospitalization rates</a> (e.g., for infections).
• Lower rates of gastrointestinal issues (e.g., <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">stomach problems</a>, <a href="https://www.webmd.com/baby/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">constipation</a>, <a href="https://www.webmd.com/baby/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">gas</a>, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding/benefits/" rel="">diarrhea</a>) and <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding" rel="">allergies</a> (e.g., <a href="https://acaai.org/news/new-study-longer-duration-of-exclusive-breastfeeding-has-protective-effect-on-childhood-asthma/" rel="">being half as likely to develop asthma</a>).
• Being <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19254976/" rel="">half as likely to die</a> from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (a condition <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-century-of-evidence-that-vaccines" rel="">decades of evidence shows</a> is linked to vaccination).
• <a href="https://blogs.bcm.edu/2023/09/29/an-ounce-of-prevention-does-breastfeeding-protect-against-childhood-cancer/" rel="">Being less likely to develop cancers</a> (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38530315/" rel="">particularly leukemia</a>).
• Improved brain development (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr201066" rel="">particularly white matter growth</a>).
• Improved cognition (e.g., <a href="https://www.ndph.ox.ac.uk/news/new-study-finds-that-breastfeeding-directly-supports-children2019s-cognitive-development" rel="">verbal and spatial skills</a> or <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5651963/" rel="">mathematical ability and working memory</a>). Likewise, breastfeeding for 12 months was associated <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)70002-1/fulltext" rel="">with a three-point increase in IQ</a> (along with <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5651963/" rel="">a 0.8 point increase for each additional month</a>), and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)70002-1/fulltext" rel="">higher educational and financial success in life</a>.
• Being significantly less likely <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057989/188348/Technical-Report-Breastfeeding-and-the-Use-of?autologincheck=redirected" rel="">to develop autism or ADHD</a>.
Note: many of the conditions breastmilk prevents often follow vaccination. Breastmilk’s ability to prevent those conditions is likely due to it reducing the Th2 response, improving the <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/what-makes-all-vaccines-so-dangerous" rel="">physiologic zeta potential</a>, and reducing the total allergen burden seen with formula feeding (as consuming allergens exacerbates existing autoimmune processes). This is particularly consequential for premature infants, as for a variety of reasons they are <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10208505/" rel="">both significantly less likely to be breastfed</a> and significantly more vulnerable to vaccine injuries (e.g., this has extensively been shown with <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-century-of-evidence-that-vaccines" rel="">their risk for dying from vaccination</a>).
Breastfeeding also offers significant benefits to the mother, both immediately after pregnancy and later in life. In the short term, it promotes <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding/benefits/" rel="">better infant bonding</a>, <a href="https://laleche.org.uk/bf-postnatal-depression/" rel="">enhances maternal mood</a>, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4312189/" rel="">aids in post-pregnancy weight loss</a>, and reduces the likelihood of developing postpartum depression.<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/phn.12969" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/bfm.2021.0183" rel="">2</a> Over the long term, in addition to each childbirth <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12133652/" rel="">lowering the risk of breast cancer by 7%</a>, breastfeeding over 12-months of breastfeeding r<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12133652/" rel="">educes the risk of breast cancer by 4.3%</a>, ovarian cancer <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2763398" rel="">by 34%</a> (and by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523054151?via%3Dihub" rel="">up to 91%</a> with extended breastfeeding), as well as decreasing the risks of <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5473170/" rel="">endometrial cancer</a> and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2752994" rel="">high blood pressure.</a>
Early Feeding
As I show <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-hidden-dangers-of-hospital-births" rel="">here</a>, many of these benefits attributed to breastfeeding are also seen in mothers who avoid the more invasive (and often unnecessary) hospital birth procedures. It hence should come as no surprise that mothers who undergo invasive birthing procedures <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1988324/" rel="">are significantly less likely to breastfeed</a>—which again illustrates the critical need for our society to reexamine how we handle bringing our children into this world and raising them.
For example, skin-to-skin contact (which is often is prevented at hospital births) provides many immense benefits to infants (including make them less likely to cry<a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827" rel="">1</a>,<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/early-initiation-of-breastfeeding" rel="">2</a>,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4503340/" rel="">3</a>,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4390935/" rel="">4</a>) and to their mothers including stimulating the a critical maternal release of oxytocin (a hormone necessary for lactation), and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6741521/" rel="">in one study</a> infants separated from their mothers during the first week of life were half as likely to breast feed (37% vs. 72%). Newborns infants are eager to latch in the first 30 minutes following birth and this early period is critical for both the infant (e.g., to set the rhythm of feeding and to obtain the mother’s colostrum which is only present for a few days after birth) and the mother (as the maternal oxytocin release from suckling helps to expel the placenta, contract the uterus, and hence minimize postpartum blood loss). For these reasons, it is critical to ensure this early feeding occurs over the first several days of the child’s life, and if possible not to introduce any artificial nipples (e.g., pacifiers or bottles) during that time.
Likewise, analgesia during childbirth or delaying the start of breastfeeding <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7931694/" rel="">has been shown</a> to impair the ability of the infant to breastfeed. Because of this, it’s important to be informed <a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-hidden-dangers-of-hospital-births" rel="">about the hospital birthing process before you arrive</a>, have appropriate support while there, and if at all possible, to deliver at a “<a href="https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/" rel="">baby friendly</a>” hospital.
Note: one popular practice is to wrap infants in blankets to soothe them, prevent them from moving and help them get to sleep. While this practice is viewed as safe if done correctly (which it often is not) I am not a fan of swaddling infants as I feel they should be moving, swaddling has repeatedly been linked to <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/137/6/e20153275/52415/Swaddling-and-the-Risk-of-Sudden-Infant-Death?redirectedFrom=fulltext" rel="">doubling the risk of sudden infant death</a>, <a href="https://thischangedmypractice.com/swaddling-and-developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hips/" rel="">developmental hip dysplasia,</a> <a href="https://nursing.ceconnection.com/ovidfiles/00005721-201707000-00006.pdf" rel="">overheating the baby</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36787374/" rel="">and not breast feeding</a>—particularly if the infant is swaddled immediately after birth.
<a href="https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-hidden-secrets-of-natural-milk">Read the Whole Article</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/the-hidden-secrets-of-natural-milk/">The Hidden Secrets of Natural Milk</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Going Around. . . Coming Back Around</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-howard-kunstler/going-around-coming-back-around/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[James Howard Kunstler]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905675</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The funny part is that this swarm of Jacobin botflies from Norm Eisen to Sen. Thom Tillis thought (and acted) as if Ed Martin was the only MAGA lawyer capable of uncovering the steaming pile of seditious poo festering, lo these many years, in the DC federal district (i.e., the Swamp). Like, get rid of Ed and our troubles are over. Really? Don’t you suppose that there are dozens of other capable, patriotic, seasoned lawyers, seething over the corruption that is Swamp crime, who can effectively occupy the office of US Attorney for the District of Columbia. The second funniest part … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-howard-kunstler/going-around-coming-back-around/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-howard-kunstler/going-around-coming-back-around/">Going Around. . . Coming Back Around</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[The funny part is that this swarm of Jacobin botflies from Norm Eisen to Sen. Thom Tillis thought (and acted) as if Ed Martin was the only MAGA lawyer capable of uncovering the steaming pile of seditious poo festering, lo these many years, in the DC federal district (i.e., the Swamp). Like, get rid of Ed and our troubles are over. Really? Don’t you suppose that there are dozens of other capable, patriotic, seasoned lawyers, seething over the corruption that is Swamp crime, who can effectively occupy the office of US Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The second funniest part is apparently the Jacobins thought that Ed Martin would just skulk off into the gloaming like a whipped dog and be gone — when, in fact, Mr. Trump folded him at once into three jobs in the Department of Justice that don’t require confirmation by the Senate, and will allow him to attend to exactly the same set of grave problems afflicting this republic from a position of power. Mr. Martin will now serve as Director of the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney reviewing the legitimacy of “Joe Biden’s” auto-pen signing of important documents — meaning, he’ll have the power to bring cases on his own and make criminal referrals to the US Attorney for DC.
You must also imagine that in his 100-plus days as Interim US Attorney for DC, Mr. Martin assembled quite a portfolio of evidence around the manifold blob wrong-doings of the past decade, but especially the treachery of the J-6 / 2021 blob operation at the US Capitol, and the ensuing cover-up of all that, including the intel community’s role in it, the perfidy and perjuries of Chris Wray, Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and others, and the gong show of lies and villainy that was the House J-6 committee chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), (with remedial support from Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Jamie Raskin, (and, backstage as always, lawfare ninjas Norm Eisen, Mary McCord, Marc Elias, Ben Wittes, and Andrew Weissmann).
On the ostensible defeat of Ed Martin’s nomination, the president instantly turned around and installed Jeanine Pirro as Interim US Attorney for DC. Before retiring into a career as a TV talking head, Ms. Pirro was a Westchester County, New York, judge, and then elected District Attorney, so she knows how to work criminal cases. The interim appointment runs 120 days. In theory, Mr. Trump can appoint a new Interim US Attorney every 120 days, and keep rotating them until the cows come home — each successive one with the same support staff of assistant US attorneys underneath, the same cases ongoing, and the same trove of evidence catalogued.
All of which is to say, the blob officials and lawfare stormtroopers are mistaken to think that their ongoing circus of legalistic monkey business has somehow gained immunity from appraisal, investigation, and prosecution by de-railing Ed Martin. The cases themselves are bigger than any one particular US attorney and have a momentum of their own as the nation struggles to overcome the organized assault on the law itself that lawfare represents.
For instance, the case just opened against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who campaigned for office on the express promise to get Donald Trump on. . . something. . . anything! Which she did. . . bringing a bogus case against him in 2024 for allegedly mis-stating the value of his property collateral in a loan negotiation with Deutsche Bank. Of course, the bank did its own due diligence, which is standard practice, and the deal was concluded to the satisfaction of both parties, meaning no complaint of fraud was ever lodged by a plaintiff.
Instead, AG James cooked up a cockamamie narrative to launch the Deutsche Bank case. It was in every sense a malicious and false prosecution. Judge Arthur Engoron behaved maliciously and improperly throughout the trial, and leveled an absurd half-billion-dollar judgment on the guilty verdict. AG “Tish” James sat in the courtroom smirking at the proceedings for the benefit of the TV cameras. The spectacle was obscene and unjust. It may yet be overturned by a higher New York State court. The decision is expected imminently.
So, now, Letitia James herself is under formal investigation, prompted by a referral to the DOJ from the Federal Housing Authority. It alleges a series of mortgage frauds — oh, really? That? Among the allegations: she declared a home in Virginia as her principal residence, meaning she would have to vacate her post as New York AG. The other charges could send her to prison. The evidence is lodged in signed contracts and documents already made public. Doesn’t look good for Tish, despite the fact that unknown persons recently erected a statue of her in Times Square.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905676 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/aa07063d-0028-4e3f-8cbf-36066625a935_525x558.webp" alt="" width="525" height="558" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/aa07063d-0028-4e3f-8cbf-36066625a935_525x558.webp 525w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/aa07063d-0028-4e3f-8cbf-36066625a935_525x558-282x300.webp 282w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/aa07063d-0028-4e3f-8cbf-36066625a935_525x558-141x150.webp 141w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px" />
The Statue to Universal Strong Black Womanhood, Times Square, New York
For years now, the hustles and hoaxes have seemed never-ending. I know it is more than a little tiresome to point out that nobody has gone to jail, or even to court, over any of this since 2017. Looks like that lucky streak is coming to an end. Tish is just the beginning of a new trend. And the action will be moving from turbid backwater of New York State to the main Okefenokee-on-the-Potomac.
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://www.kunstler.com/">Kunstler.com.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/james-howard-kunstler/going-around-coming-back-around/">Going Around. . . Coming Back Around</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/would-americans-trade-liberty-for-security/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jacob G. Hornberger]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905677</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Benjamin Franklin stated, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Would modern-day Americans do that? Would they give up liberty to purchase a little temporary safety? There is no question about it. They already have. In fact, they have been doing it for their entire lives. Consider the fact that we live under a government that has the omnipotent power to assassinate, torture, and indefinitely incarcerate without trial any American citizen. It goes without saying that anyone who lives under a regime that wields that type of total power … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/would-americans-trade-liberty-for-security/">Continue reading →</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Benjamin Franklin stated, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Would modern-day Americans do that? Would they give up liberty to purchase a little temporary safety?
There is no question about it. They already have. In fact, they have been doing it for their entire lives.
Consider the fact that we live under a government that has the omnipotent power to assassinate, torture, and indefinitely incarcerate without trial any American citizen. It goes without saying that anyone who lives under a regime that wields that type of total power cannot possibly be considered to be a free person, even if the power isn’t being exercised widely. The fact that the government just wields the power is enough to nullify freedom in that country.
It wasn’t always that way. For the first 150 years or so of America’s existence, the federal government lacked those totalitarian-like powers. That was made clear in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which expressly forbade the federal government from killing people, including American citizens, without due process of law, from inflicting cruel and unusual punishments on people, such as torture, and from jailing people indefinitely without trial.
So, what happened? The American people in the 20th century became afraid, very afraid. They were afraid of the communists. They were convinced that Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, North Vietnam, and other Red nations were coming to get them.
Thus, to purchase a little temporary safety, Americans acceded to the conversion of the federal government, with its limited powers, to a national-security state, with its omnipotent, totalitarian-like powers of assassination, torture, and indefinite detention.
The same phenomenon has occurred with the war on drugs. At one time, Americans were free to ingest whatever they wanted, including drugs. They understood that the right to ingest whatever they wanted was necessarily part and parcel of a free society.
Later Americans, however, became afraid, very afraid. They were convinced that if drugs were readily available, everyone would become a drug addict. So, they purchased a little temporary safety by enacting drug prohibition, which not only punished people for ingesting unapproved substances but also subjected everyone to a massive destruction of civil liberties and privacy, especially financial privacy, at the hands of their own government. For modern-day Americans, the trade was worth it because it purchased a little temporary safety.
Consider Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, public housing, farm subsidies, education grants, corporate bailouts, and other welfare programs, along with the income tax that funds them and the IRS that enforces it. Americans lived without these things for more than 100 years because they understood that liberty entails the right to keep everything a person earns and decide for himself what to do with it.
Modern-day Americans, on the other hand, became afraid, very afraid. They became convinced that a free society would mean people dying in the streets from starvation, illness, or destitution. Thus they purchased a little temporary safety by converting America to a welfare state, one based on the concept of mandatory “charity.”
Another good example is immigration. Our American ancestors favored a system in which people were free to cross borders. They understood that freedom of movement, freedom of association, and liberty of contract were necessary aspects of a free society.
Later Americans, however, became afraid, very afraid. They convinced themselves that open borders would mean that murderers, robbers, rapists, invaders, and other scary entities would come and get them. Thus, today, Americans live under an expanding militarized immigration police state — especially those Americans who live on or near the U.S.-Mexico border. For modern-day Americans, the loss of liberty has been worth it because it enables them to purchase a little temporary safety from all those scary people.
Recall the 9/11 attacks. Americans became afraid, very afraid. They were convinced that the terrorists or the Muslims were coming to get them. So, they traded away liberty, like with the USA Patriot Act, in order to gain a little temporary safety.
One big problem, of course, is that the loss of liberty has become permanent because the American people have remained afraid, very afraid. Another big problem is that Americans have convinced themselves that they still live in a free country even though they have clearly traded away their liberty in the hope of gaining a little temporary safety. A third problem is that in trading away liberty, Americans failed to secure safety from the biggest threat of all — their very own government.
Franklin was right but we should modify his statement as follows: Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety and will inevitably end up with neither.
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://www.fff.org/2025/04/28/the-uhuru-prosecution-brings-egg-on-the-face-of-the-justice-department/">The Future of Freedom Foundation.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/would-americans-trade-liberty-for-security/">Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Who Killed the Rockers and the Comedians?</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/who-killed-the-rockers-and-the-comedians/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905685</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Long ago, in an America far removed from its present facsimile, there used to be rock and roll. It was a great thing. It started my little seven year old feet tapping, when I first heard Ricky Nelson, Leslie Gore, Del Shannon, Motown, Gene Pitney, Bobby Vee, and all those Phil Spector girl groups. I loved the wall of sound. And then I happened to be tuned in to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, on the day the crowd rated a new single from a band from Liverpool, I Want to Hold Your Hand. I was in love. My seven year old legs and arms … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/who-killed-the-rockers-and-the-comedians/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/who-killed-the-rockers-and-the-comedians/">Who Killed the Rockers and the Comedians?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Long ago, in an America far removed from its present facsimile, there used to be rock and roll. It was a great thing. It started my little seven year old feet tapping, when I first heard Ricky Nelson, Leslie Gore, Del Shannon, Motown, Gene Pitney, Bobby Vee, and all those Phil Spector girl groups. I loved the wall of sound.
And then I happened to be tuned in to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, on the day the crowd rated a new single from a band from Liverpool, I Want to Hold Your Hand. I was in love. My seven year old legs and arms joined my feet, in wriggling about in an original amalgamation of the Twist, the Pony, the Swim, and other dance crazes of the day. Every new dance looked even better when pretty go-go girls were doing them. I’m pretty sure I was far younger than Dick Clark’s targeted teenage demographic, but I was simply smitten with rock and roll. Like millions of other young Americans, I became a Beatles fanatic, even getting a wig that I donned when I used wooden spoons to bang on some boxes in the basement. I won’t belabor the point I’ve made so many times before, about wanting a Ludwig drum set. Just like Ringo. I loved the early Beatles; Beatlemania. When John Lennon was clearly responsible for almost all of it.
As a grade school kid who was rapidly attaining obesity status, I loved the pop brand of rock and roll. The Beach Boys. Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Tommy James and the Shondells. Lou Christie. The Turtles. The Lovin’ Spoonful. Then, as a slimmed down teenager, my musical tastes grew more sophisticated. Or so they say. Were the Beatles’ later albums really better than She Loves You and Please Please Me? Was Pet Sounds- as remarkable as it was- really more memorable than I Get Around or California Girls? I know which kinds of music I more enthusiastically sing along to now. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The critics were usually right, but not always in my estimation. Personal taste is personal taste. If someone likes Wayne Newton better than Wilson Pickett, that’s their prerogative. Musical taste is like food preferences; there is no “right” or “wrong.” Don’t demonize me for wanting a well done steak. It’s all related to free speech.
In the 1970s, album rock became all the rage. Forget about hit singles. Nobody bought 45s any more. The singer-songwriter was born. Jim Croce. Jackson Browne. Joni Mitchell. And, of course, the greatest songwriter, and least polished singer of them all, Bob Dylan. I spent far too much time poring over, and analyzing Dylan’s lyrics. I too was beginning to look for “all the agents and the superhuman crew” that strapped “heart attack machines” to inferred Thought Criminals. His songs were full of genuine poetry, and outrageous imagery. So I started writing my own songs. It was impossible to approach his profundity, especially as a teenager, but I humbly suggest I probably sang a little better than him. It was wonderful absorbing his older work, from the early to mid-1960s, as well as that of his female counterpart, Joni Mitchell. Disco had taken over 1970s culture, and I’ve made it very clear how I felt about that.
I admired the artistry of The Band, and think they sound even better today. With the recent death of Garth Hudson, all of them are gone now. And yet most of the Rolling Stones live on, still touring in their 80s. The Byrds and Roger McGuinn, who kind of influenced my own faulty singing voice. There are some perks to having offbeat tastes; I was usually able to find the music of Don McLean, or Procol Harum, perhaps even Roxy Music, in the cheap cut/out bins. For some reason, I was attracted to the work of Buffy Sainte-Marie. Some people made fun of me for that. I always got bargains on her albums. Yes, it was disillusioning to find out that she had never actually been an American Indian. A mere Italian? Mama Mia! But she sure played the part well. She certainly wasn’t the first entertainer to be playing a part offscreen.
Then came 1979. One of my best years. The year I discovered all the great New Wave music. I remember listening to Bram Tchaikovsky’s Girl of my Dreams on WHFS, the “progressive” or “album rock” radio station in our area. I was stunned. When I heard Nick Lowe’s Cruel to be Kind, it was like being a seven year old again, hearing the Beatles for the first time. I became obsessed with Elvis Costello, and played the grooves off of his Armed Forces LP. Elvis was barely older than me, and his birthday was almost the same. I found out he’d worked as a computer operator, biding his time while writing those great songs. As a computer operator myself, this made him all the more relevant to me. I was biding my time, too, writing the novel that would become The Unreals. One of us sold millions of records. The other sold about 4,000 copies of his magnus opus. I knew we’d probably have hit it off, but I’ve never been a stalker.
I discovered Tom Petty through my wife, who I started dating in 1979. I thought to myself, that guy sounds even more like me than Roger McGuinn does. Despite him blatantly mimicking my style, I found his music irresistible. But I wasn’t going to go as far as Mick Jagger, who reacted so favorably to Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes that he said he’d be willing to give him a blow job. I think Mick was found in bed with David Bowie one time. It’s hard to imagine how he managed to sire an estimated billion kids by various groupies. Kind of the Elon Musk of the rock world. I loved Bruce Springsteen, too, although I cringe when one of his songs comes on the airways, now. I think his bosom buddy Barack Obama has taken over the saxophone for the late Clarence Clemons. The crowd probably just sees another Black guy backing up the “Boss.” I don’t know, you really lose your cred by jamming with Barack Obama.
Imagine a song like Randy Newman’s Short People today. That actually raised the ire of percolating LaKarinas (don’t want to defame the good name of Karen any longer). And how about John Lennon’s Woman is the N****r of the World? That was considered a feminist manifesto back in the day. Today it literally cannot be played anywhere. Except perhaps in your basement, with the curtains drawn, and the speakers turned off, listening through headphones. Elvis Costello’s classic Oliver’s Army has that same pesky word in it, so needless to say he will never be playing that at any concerts. Randy Newman filled his Huey Long tribute album Good Old Boys with the “N” word, and took swipes at Jews as well. But few stations were going to play anything off of that album even when it came out in 1974. I’m surprised they still let Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey play Won’t Get Fooled Again. People might get the “wrong” ideas.
Rock and roll remained vibrant through the 1980s and into the 1990s. But it might as well have been assassinated at this point. Or outlawed by “cancel culture.” Other than the old guys still hanging on, and touring to support themselves in their twilight years, who are the rock and rollers today? Actually, who are the White musical artists today, other than Taylor Swift, Pink, and Miley Cyrus? Not exactly the Traveling Wilburys. Sure, you have White country performers, but that kind of mainstream pablum is like NASCAR; the White branch of our ghettoized culture. It’s not like they’re promoting the Dillards, or Flatt and Scruggs. Although I have heard some good stuff from Rascal Flatts. The rest of popular music today has been ceded to a bunch of DEI Black performers who won’t remind anyone of Louis Armstrong or Marvin Gaye. I don’t think Whites are allowed to win Grammys now.
<a href="https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/who-killed-the-rockers-and-the-comedians">Read the Whole Article</a>
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<title>Postscript: Concerns About Casey Means</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/postscript-concerns-about-casey-means/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905688</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I once asked my old mentor, Roger Scruton—a famous British political philosopher—why he’d never pursued a career in politics. Because intellectuals are ill-suited for political decision making, which is about dealing with aggressive competing interests and finding compromises that are seldom entirely satisfying for any particular party. This reminded me of a witty remark made by the 19th century Austrian statesman, Eduard Taaffe, who observed: Politics is the business of keeping all interested parties in a state of equal dissatisfaction. Yesterday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gave an interview with Brett Baier on FOX in which he endorsed President … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/postscript-concerns-about-casey-means/">Continue reading →</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[I once asked my old mentor, Roger Scruton—a famous British political philosopher—why he’d never pursued a career in politics.
Because intellectuals are ill-suited for political decision making, which is about dealing with aggressive competing interests and finding compromises that are seldom entirely satisfying for any particular party.
This reminded me of a witty remark made by the 19th century Austrian statesman, Eduard Taaffe, who observed:
Politics is the business of keeping all interested parties in a state of equal dissatisfaction.
Yesterday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gave an interview with Brett Baier on FOX in which he endorsed President Trump’s new pick for Surgeon General, Casey Means.
“She walked away from traditional medicine because she was not curing patients,” Kennedy said. He was referring to the fact that Means never finished her residency and does not have an active medical license.
She couldn’t get anybody within her profession to look at the nutrition contributions to illness. If we’re really going to heal people, if we’re healers, we can’t just be making our life about billing new procedures.
Judging from my reader comments, my defense of Secretary Kennedy’s decision to endorse Ms. Means has made many people unhappy.
I understand the concern about her lack of medical credentials. I would have preferred that President Trump have asked Dr. Joe Ladapo or Dr. Peter McCullough if either of them would be interested in holding the position.
I would also prefer that President Trump recognize that COVID-19 vaccines have done far more harm than good and to pull them off the market.
On the other hand, I believe that Secretary Kennedy made a good point in his interview with Brett Baier.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the U.S. medical profession has gone down a very dark cul-de-sac of orthodoxy and pharmaceutical industry capture.
I also recognize that President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are under pressure from an array of powerful interests and that neither man holds absolute executive authority. When we Americans grow weary of the messy business of politics, we should remember that the alternative is dictatorship or absolute monarchy.
In the final analysis, I believe the prudent thing to do in this situation is to defer to the judgement of Secretary Kennedy, who has carefully vetted Ms. Means. He is aware of the concerns that have been raised about her, and he is certainly taking them into consideration.
Now is a good time to remember that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been raising concerns about vaccine safety since 2005 and has taken more flak for it than everyone in the medical freedom movement combined.
Unlike most dissidents, he was a comfortably ensconced member of the upper echelon of American society when he began to vocalize his concerns and was made to suffer for it. How many other celebrities have dared to raise concerns about vaccines, much less made this concern a focus of their work in the public forum?
For her part, Ms. Means should consider that the tens of millions of people who supported Secretary Kennedy and President Trump are acutely aware of the mountains of evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines have inflicted grave harm on the health of humanity.
In light of this, she should speak more forthrightly about these concerns, which would go a long way to dispelling the suspicion that her interest in nutrition is a strategy for changing the subject away from vaccine harms.
COVID-19 vaccine harms and the shocking rise of profound autism are too glaring to ignore. If Ms. Means is confirmed as Surgeon General, she should focus as much (if not more) critical scrutiny on the evidence of vaccine harms as she is currently focusing on America’s abysmal food industry.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/postscript-concerns-about-casey-means">Courageous Discourse.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/postscript-concerns-about-casey-means/">Postscript: Concerns About Casey Means</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>America’s Untold Stories – Biden’s Book Deal Bombshell & RFK Assassination Docs</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/americas-untold-stories-bidens-book-deal-bombshell-rfk-assassination-docs/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Charles Burris]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 20:36:36 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=lrc-blog&p=905690</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In this explosive Free-form Friday episode of America’s Untold Stories, Mark Groubert and Eric Hunley dive into the newly released 60,000 RFK assassination files. What do these documents reveal—and what might still be hidden? But that’s just the beginning. From a MAGA revolt over Trump’s surgeon general pick to Pam Bondi being secretly recorded in a James O’Keefe-style sting, this episode is packed with intrigue. FBI Director Kash Patel confirms they’re “working through” Epstein’s files, while dramatic arrests at Columbia and Brooklyn College show campus unrest at a boiling point. Plus: • Pope Leo XIV’s surprising political history • Jill … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/americas-untold-stories-bidens-book-deal-bombshell-rfk-assassination-docs/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/americas-untold-stories-bidens-book-deal-bombshell-rfk-assassination-docs/">America’s Untold Stories – Biden’s Book Deal Bombshell & RFK Assassination Docs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[
In this explosive Free-form Friday episode of America’s Untold Stories, Mark Groubert and Eric Hunley dive into the newly released 60,000 RFK assassination files. What do these documents reveal—and what might still be hidden?
But that’s just the beginning.
From a MAGA revolt over Trump’s surgeon general pick to Pam Bondi being secretly recorded in a James O’Keefe-style sting, this episode is packed with intrigue. FBI Director Kash Patel confirms they’re “working through” Epstein’s files, while dramatic arrests at Columbia and Brooklyn College show campus unrest at a boiling point.
Plus: 
• Pope Leo XIV’s surprising political history 
• Jill Biden’s $30M tell-all diary deal 
• A terrifying on-air faint by a former Trump official 
• Shocking Target self-checkout changes 
• Hilaria Baldwin’s latest explanation for her fluctuating accent 
• A former MNPD lieutenant indicted over leaked shooting docs
From political chaos to cultural oddities, we cover the full scope of what mainstream media won’t.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/americas-untold-stories-bidens-book-deal-bombshell-rfk-assassination-docs/">America’s Untold Stories – Biden’s Book Deal Bombshell & RFK Assassination Docs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Romney’s Links to Burisma</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/romneys-links-to-burisma/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 18:50:15 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905686</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, Gail Appel. American Thinker  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/romneys-links-to-burisma/">Romney’s Links to Burisma</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, Gail Appel.
<a href="https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/romneys_links_to_burisma.html">American Thinker</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/romneys-links-to-burisma/">Romney’s Links to Burisma</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>The Blame Game: Tariff Trump & “Too Late” Powell</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/the-blame-game-tariff-trump-too-late-powell/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Daniel McAdams]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 17:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=lrc-blog&p=905680</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The government is not shrinking, but expanding with greater spending and debt. The most exciting part of the second Trump Administration – DOGE – is fading away. REAL ID surveillance has been shackled onto us. And President Trump is arbitrarily setting tariff rates, in the same way that Jerome Powell arbitrarily sets interest rates. We need a turnaround, because the status quo is tightening its grip on America.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/the-blame-game-tariff-trump-too-late-powell/">The Blame Game: Tariff Trump & “Too Late” Powell</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[The government is not shrinking, but expanding with greater spending and debt. The most exciting part of the second Trump Administration – DOGE – is fading away. REAL ID surveillance has been shackled onto us. And President Trump is arbitrarily setting tariff rates, in the same way that Jerome Powell arbitrarily sets interest rates. We need a turnaround, because the status quo is tightening its grip on America.

The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/the-blame-game-tariff-trump-too-late-powell/">The Blame Game: Tariff Trump & “Too Late” Powell</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Archbishop Prevost: ‘The bishop is a pastor, not a manager’</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/archbishop-prevost-the-bishop-is-a-pastor-not-a-manager/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 08:54:56 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905661</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, Joseph T. Salerno. Vatican News  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/archbishop-prevost-the-bishop-is-a-pastor-not-a-manager/">Archbishop Prevost: ‘The bishop is a pastor, not a manager’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, Joseph T. Salerno.
<a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/archbishop-prevost-the-bishop-is-a-pastor-not-a-manager.html">Vatican News</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/archbishop-prevost-the-bishop-is-a-pastor-not-a-manager/">Archbishop Prevost: ‘The bishop is a pastor, not a manager’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Ukrainian Nazis on Parade</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/ukrainian-nazis-on-parade/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 08:52:56 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905660</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, Gail Appell. See here.  
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/ukrainian-nazis-on-parade/">Ukrainian Nazis on Parade</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, Gail Appell.
See <a href="https://thedavidvance.substack.com/p/nazis-on-parade-during-ve80?r=os78h&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true">here.</a>
 
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/ukrainian-nazis-on-parade/">Ukrainian Nazis on Parade</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Israeli Cops BEAT UP Hasidic Jews Protesting War In Gaza!</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/israeli-cops-beat-up-hasidic-jews-protesting-war-in-gaza/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 08:51:54 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=political-theater&p=905659</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks, Chris Sullivan.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/israeli-cops-beat-up-hasidic-jews-protesting-war-in-gaza/">Israeli Cops BEAT UP Hasidic Jews Protesting War In Gaza!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks, Chris Sullivan.

The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/israeli-cops-beat-up-hasidic-jews-protesting-war-in-gaza/">Israeli Cops BEAT UP Hasidic Jews Protesting War In Gaza!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Why Western Governments Are Beating the Drums for Wars</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/why-western-governments-are-beating-the-drums-for-wars/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905608</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The only parts of American, German, British, French, and Italian industry that are booming right now, are their armaments manufacturers — the companies that sell far more to governments than to consumers, and that therefore boom while the economy busts. These are the companies that need to control the Government in order to control their biggest market (which IS the Government), and so their controlling owners, the billionaires who control their boards, need to control the influencers of the public, in order to get their candidates elected into Government so as to increase Government spending on their products and services, and to … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/why-western-governments-are-beating-the-drums-for-wars/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/why-western-governments-are-beating-the-drums-for-wars/">Why Western Governments Are Beating the Drums for Wars</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[The only parts of American, German, British, French, and Italian industry that are booming right now, are their armaments manufacturers — the companies that sell far more to governments than to consumers, and that therefore boom while the economy busts. These are the companies that need to control the Government in order to control their biggest market (which IS the Government), and so their controlling owners, the billionaires who control their boards, need to control the influencers of the public, in order to get their candidates elected into Government so as to increase Government spending on their products and services, and to either increase the national debt or else cut the Government’s expenditures for the health, education, and welfare, of the voters. Those “influencers of the public” are news-media, and are also the prestigious universities, and think tanks, whose professors and experts they hire as opinion-writers etc. to validate what these billionaires want to be validated so that the public will then vote for the politicians who support this idea of increasing the public debt and decreasing public spending for the benefit of the public, in order to increase military spending. And the way to do this is the type of scare-mongering that European Governments are doing right now to the effect that Russia is planning to conquer their countries, and that America’s Government is doing right now in order to scare-monger Americans to the effect that China is planning to conquer America — and that the U.S. Government had used also in 2002 and 2003 in order to scare-monger Americans into thinking that Iraq was preparing to attack America. This is the basic marketing plan for those billionaires, and it has always been extremely profitable for them.
For example, on May 2nd the U.S. White House — which has made clear that it’s beating the drums for war against China — headlined <a href="https://archive.ph/9vIiO" rel="">“Office of Management and Budget Releases the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Skinny Budget”</a> and reported that “The Budget, which reduces non-defense discretionary by $163 billion or 23 percent from the 2025 enacted level, guts a weaponized deep state while providing historic increases for defense and border security. … Defense spending would increase by 13 percent, and appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security would increase by nearly 65 percent, to ensure that our military and other agencies repelling the invasion of our border have the resources they need to complete the mission.” All of those increases would go towards the suppliers to the enormously militarized police-state at the same time that health, education, and welfare, of the voters, will be reduced by $165 billion or 23% from the current level. And notice that Trump’s propaganda-operation is alleging that they are “gutting a weaponized deep state” by cutting Governmental services to the poor. If that sounds stupid, it is no stupider <a href="https://archive.ph/qpmDX" rel="">than the electorate is</a>, but the electorate were given a choice between the nominees of two Parties, each of which is controlled by its billionaires; and in an election such at that, it is like having a choice between different ways to commit suicide; and, so, it is the billionaires who are to be blamed, not the voters (in both Parties) who have been deceived by them into voting for their candidates. But anyway: Trump revealed there his contempt for his voters, because even he knows that the Deep State does NOT consist of the poor, but instead <a href="https://archive.ph/LRlmt" rel="">it consists of the billionaires</a>.
The White House’s May 2nd <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250505023145/https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf" rel="">“Major Discretionary Funding Changes”</a> says that:
For Defense spending [ONLY the Defense Department, NOT including the approximately $700 billion yearly of annual U.S. military spending that is being paid out from OTHER federal Departments], the President proposes an increase of 13 percent to $1.01 trillion for FY 2026; for Homeland Security, the Budget commits a historic $175 billion investment to, at long last, fully secure our border. Under the proposal, a portion of these increases — at least $325 billion assumed in the budget resolution recently agreed to by the Congress — would be provided through reconciliation, to ensure that our military and other agencies repelling the invasion of our border have the resources needed to complete the mission. This mandatory supplement to discretionary spending would enable the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, among others, to clean up the mess President Trump inherited from the prior administration and harden the border and other defenses to protect America from foreign invasion.
Therefore, approximately $1.7T of total military spending is being sought by Trump, while he is proposing to cut all other discretionary spending (which had previously constituted the other 47% of all U.S. Government annually appropriated federal spending (and was previously around $800B per year) down by $165B to around $635B total, or about 37% of all annually appropriated federal spending.
Looking further at WHAT is being cut the most, the document shows that the only part of the Department of Education that will be increased — by $60 million — is “Charter Schools,” the part that privatizes public-school education, which is the part that billionaires want to increase. Meanwhile, Title 1 and K-12 federal spending will be reduced by $4.535 billion; the program to incentivize colleges to “to engage with low-income students and increase access” will be cut by $1.579 B.
The Department of Health and Human Services will cut $4.035 from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), $1.970B from the Refugee and Unaccompanied Alien Children Program, $1.732B from AIDS and financial-assistance health programs, $3.588B from CDC and Prevention programs, $17.965B from NIH, $1.065B from programs working with addicts to help them reduce their addictions.
The Environmental Protection Agency will be cut $2.460B for Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds, and under a billion dollars each for such programs as the Hazardos Substance Superfund.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will be cut by $26.718B for programs for the poor.
The Treasury Department will be cut by $2.488B for the IRS.
The National Science Foundation will be cut by $3.479B and by an additional $1.130B for “Broadening Participation.”
Most of the other cuts will be below a billion dollars.
On February 26th, I <a href="https://archive.is/v0HZD" rel="">reported</a> that:
On February 14th, the AP headlined <a href="https://archive.is/nkSFE" rel="">“Where US adults think the government is spending too much, according to AP-NORC polling”</a>, and listed in rank-order according to the opposite (“spending too little”) the following 8 Government functions: 1. Social Security; 2. Medicare; 3. Education; 4. Assistance to the poor; 5. Medicaid; 6. Border security; 7. Federal law enforcement; 8. The Military. That’s right: the American public (and by an overwhelming margin) are THE LEAST SUPPORTIVE of spending more money on the military, and the MOST SUPPORTIVE of spending more money on Social Security, Medicare, Education, Assistance to the poor, and Medicaid (the five functions the Republican Party has always been the most vocal to call “waste, fraud, and abuse” and try to cut). Meanwhile, The Military, which actually receives 53% (and in the latest year far more than that) of the money that the Congress allocates each year and gets signed into law by the President, keeps getting, each year, over 50% of the annually appropriated federal funds.
An important point to be made here is that both #s 4&5, Assistance to the poor, and Medicaid, are “discretionary federal spending” (i.e., controlled by the annual appropriations that get voted into law each year), whereas #s 1&2 (Social Security and Medicare) are “mandatory federal spending” (i.e., NOT controlled by Congress and the President). So, Trump and the Republicans are going after the poor because they CAN; they can’t (at least as-of YET) reduce or eliminate Social Security and Medicare. However, by now, it is crystal clear that Trump’s Presidency will be an enormous boon to America’s billionaires, and an enormous bane to the nation’s poor. The aristocratic ideology has always been: to get rid of poverty, we must get rid of the poor — work them so hard they will go away (let them seek ‘refugee’ status SOMEWHERE ELSE).
Trump is increasing the military and border security, and decreasing education, assistance to the poor, Medicaid, federal law enforcement, and even Social Security and Medicare (the latter two by laying off many of the people who staff those bureaucracies).
But Western Governments call this a “democracy.”
In Europe, the war they’re beating the drums for is instead against Russia. On April 30th, the <a href="https://archive.ph/E34Nv" rel="">Carnegie endowment for international war, which goes by the name Carnegie Endowment for International Peace</a>, and which was founded by Andrew Carnegie, who like Cecil Rhodes in the later part of the 1800s, <a href="https://archive.ph/E34Nv" rel="">co-invented neoconservatism</a> (the plan for the UK to take over the U.S. again and use it to spread universally the British Empire but which achieved that goal much later, on <a href="https://archive.ph/syA3F" rel="">25 July 1945</a>, when Truman was suckered into it by the Rhodesist Winston Churchill and by General Eisenhower, to start the Cold War to ultimately conquer Russia), headlined <a href="https://ghostarchive.org/archive/Nm2rq" rel="">“Europe Tried to Trump-Proof Itself. Now It’s Crafting a Plan B: The continent’s response to security and economic challenges could be transformative both at home and for post-American international relations.”</a>, and argued that
The building blocks of a response strategy are coming into focus in three key areas. First, Ukraine is Europe’s first line of defense. London and Paris have been convening a “coalition of the willing” to plot the next stages of European military and diplomatic support, with the goal of making Ukraine a “<a href="https://archive.ph/hIbOA" rel="">steel porcupine.</a>” … Second, the need for European states to increase their defense spending was long overdue, and the <a href="https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3jKRT" rel="">open discussion</a> about assuming responsibility for territorial defense and deterrence is unprecedented. Governments are taking drastic measures to increase defense spending, with Germany’s <a href="https://archive.ph/KOVI0" rel="">U-turn on public debt</a> as the most remarkable evidence that taboos can be broken. …
Politically, to ensure public support for rearming Europe and to offset the inevitable costs, defense efforts ought to be part of a broader strategy of economic and technological innovation. … The economic and social costs of the security and economic transition at home will lead to political challenges in a volatile context in which few governments enjoy wide popular support, though the EU is enjoying <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250410032727/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250317IPR27385/survey-confirms-europe-s-citizens-want-the-eu-to-protect-them-and-act-in-unity" rel="">positive public opinion polling</a> at the moment — likely <a href="https://archive.ph/T4EOB" rel="">a silver lining of the Trump effect</a>. The EU’s security turn will come at the expense of its soft power, with reputational costs at home and abroad. Making its economy fit for geopolitical disruption entails <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250401024136/https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/11/geopolitics-and-economic-statecraft-in-the-european-union?lang=en" rel="">daunting obstacles and difficult choices</a>.
The “Naked Capitalism” blog recently published some terrific articles documenting that European Governments are just as much oligarchies (or “aristocracies”) as is America’s Government:
<a href="https://archive.ph/hgTI8" rel="">“Coffee Break – Across the Pond: Lights Out Edition”</a>
<a href="https://archive.ph/7cTaB" rel="">“Coffee Break: Across the Pond, Tyrants Edition”</a>
<a href="https://archive.ph/X0DF8" rel="">“The EU Zombie Uses Trump as Cover to Further Feed on Citizens”</a>
Despite the cutesy, pretentious, vague, pompous, headlines at that site, some of the articles there (such as those three) are superb. Because of the lousy headlines there, it’s tedious to find which ones, if any, there might be worth reading.
While America’s billionaires are intent upon increasing their armaments-profits from a war-buildup against China, Europe’s billionaires are intent upon increasing their armaments-profits from a war-buildup against China. And on both sides of the Atlantic, the poor will suffer the most, and only the billionaires will profit the most, from the neoliberal-neoconservative (or libertarian and imperialistic) policies of these ‘democracies’ that actually aren’t. They are so corrupt, they are aristocracies. <a href="https://archive.ph/JtbFo" rel="">All electoral democracies ultimately degenerate into such dictatorships.</a> And now it is accelerating.
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://ericzuesse.substack.com/p/why-western-governments-are-beating">Eric’s Substack.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/why-western-governments-are-beating-the-drums-for-wars/">Why Western Governments Are Beating the Drums for Wars</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Debt Spiral, Treasury Market Stress, and a New Financial Order</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/doug-casey/debt-spiral-treasury-market-stress-and-a-new-financial-order/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Doug Casey]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905610</guid>
<description><![CDATA[International Man: In your view, what role does the Treasury market play in global finance, and how significant is it to the current financial system? Doug Casey: It’s only important because it exists—but it shouldn’t exist. People think that the Treasury market is part of the cosmic firmament, but there once was a time when the US government had little or no debt outstanding, and the world got by fine without it. It’s not a question of how significant it is so much as when the time bomb that it represents will go off. That’s because it’s not supported by any underlying … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/doug-casey/debt-spiral-treasury-market-stress-and-a-new-financial-order/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/doug-casey/debt-spiral-treasury-market-stress-and-a-new-financial-order/">Debt Spiral, Treasury Market Stress, and a New Financial Order</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[International Man: In your view, what role does the Treasury market play in global finance, and how significant is it to the current financial system?
Doug Casey: It’s only important because it exists—but it shouldn’t exist. People think that the Treasury market is part of the cosmic firmament, but there once was a time when the US government had little or no debt outstanding, and the world got by fine without it.
It’s not a question of how significant it is so much as when the time bomb that it represents will go off. That’s because it’s not supported by any underlying assets. Nor is the dollar that it’s denominated in.
Let me use a simple analogy. It’s much as if a king is taxing a farmer. But one year, the king is in a war and needs extra taxes. So he tells the farmer, “Look, I need your seed corn this year to fight the war, but I’ll give you a bond which guarantees that you’ll get it back next year, when you need it. Plus interest.”
The patriotic farmer says, “Okay.” The farmer gets the bond, and the king gets the seed corn. Both are happy until the next year, when the farmer wants to cash in the bond to retrieve his seed corn. Where did it go? It’s been consumed. Now there’s no seed corn, there’s no harvest, and they both starve to death.
That’s the eventual fate of the US debt market.
The financial markets would be much more stable without the government bond market. Government debt doesn’t finance new production, it finances consumption. Either by consuming past production, or mortgaging future production. We’d be much more prosperous, and safer, if it didn’t exist.
Around $2.7 trillion of US debt is held by Social Security. At some point, the people hoping to collect Social Security will come to recognize that it’s not a piggy bank or lockbox, as they used to say. The asset they’re counting on for retirement is the debt of a bankrupt Ponzi scheme. Very much like the bond guaranteeing the farmer’s seed corn.
International Man: In your opinion, what does the 10-year US Treasury yield tell us, and why is it considered one of the most important financial indicators?
Doug Casey: Perhaps it’s because around 20% to 25% of the Treasury market is denominated in 10-year notes. Or perhaps it’s because most mortgages are paid off in 10 years, not 30 years, as people trade houses. If the US chose to it could probably sell a 100-year bond. But it won’t, because that would be an extremely volatile piece of paper, which could shake the public’s faith in the system.
Don’t forget that it was only a few years ago that the Austrian government poked the markets in the eye with around 8 billion euros of 100-year bonds bearing coupons of 2.1% and 0.85%.
I thought it was laughable, and only an idiot would’ve bought those. Even though that was when euro interest rates were actually negative. Since then, their market values have fallen to around 44 and 34 euros per 100 euro face value, respectively. Some institutions are sitting on giant losses.
Even more laughable was in 2017, when the Argentine government somehow peddled $2.75 billion worth of 7.125% 100-year bonds which, of course, they defaulted on. Although they were later redeemed with short-term bonds to kick the can further down the road. Those will probably also be defaulted on. Or should be. Any fund manager buying the debt of a South American government should be punished with a jail term, not just losses in the market.
That said, with multi-trillion dollar deficits running far into the future, US government debt is no longer a AAA risk.
International Man: Where do you see Treasury yields headed?
Doug Casey: I wouldn’t own any bonds at this stage in the market—except as a short-term speculation on the direction of interest rates. But even that’s a bad idea. Let me refer you to my favorite financial joke to illustrate why.
Einstein dies and goes to heaven.
St. Peter welcomes him and says, “Unfortunately, we have a temporary housing shortage here in heaven because, for obvious reasons, we’re a centrally planned economy.”
But Einstein is fine with that, and they take him to his room, where he meets his three roommates.
The first guy says: “Mr. Einstein, I have an IQ of 130, and I want to get to know you.” Einstein says, “Great. After lunch, let’s bounce around some concepts of astrophysics that have been on my mind.”
The second guy comes up and says, “I’m not as smart as that first guy. I only have an IQ of 100.” So Einstein says, “Great. Let me put away my grip, and we’ll play a game of chess.”
The third guy comes up and says, “Mr. Einstein, I’m not as smart as those other two guys. I’ve only got an IQ of 70, but I still want to get to know you.” Einstein says, “So where do you think interest rates are going?”
That said, I wouldn’t own bonds at this point. They’re at least a triple threat to your money.
The first risk is interest rates. I think, for a number of reasons, interest rates are headed back up to the levels of the early 1980s, when the US government was paying almost 20% for its money. They trended down to near zero over 40 years, and the long-term trend has reversed.
Second is the rate of inflation. The government will continue running giant deficits, regardless of DOGE’s best efforts. Those deficits will necessarily be monetized. Monetary inflation is headed up, and the dollar is headed down.
Third is the default risk. There’s no guarantee that all that debt out there, even from the US government, will be paid off. In fact, I’m confident it won’t be. It can’t be, unless the dollar is destroyed—which is the worst alternative.
I wouldn’t touch long-term bonds with a barge pole. They’re toxic.
International Man: The Trump administration has explicitly expressed a desire to keep the 10-year Treasury yield under control, and some speculate that policy shifts—such as a reversal on tariffs—were responses to yield spikes.
Why is the 10-year yield such a pressure point for the US government, and to what extent can a president actually influence it?
Doug Casey: The bond market is mainly based on confidence, and confidence can blow away like a pile of feathers in a hurricane.
You shouldn’t have confidence in the US government or its debt at this point, notwithstanding the best efforts of DOGE—which are wonderful, but I believe will fail catastrophically.
Can a president influence interest rates? Not really. If Trump wants lower rates, the US government has to radically cut its spending, its size, its currency debasement, and its taxes. None of that is going to happen, however, so there’s no reason to have confidence in the dollar.
And frankly, nobody should believe anything that Trump says. I’m not kidding. Trump says things that are patently false and unbelievable. Get a load of his recent Tweet about the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end:
“Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other country, by far, in producing a victorious result in World War II and November 11 as Victory Day in World War I. We won both wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance…”
He’s probably unaware that although the US suffered about 180,000 combat deaths against the Germans, the Soviets lost about 10 million—plus about 17 million civilians. The Western allies inflicted about 250,000 KIA on the Wehrmacht, but the Soviets inflicted about 20 times as many. WW2 was really a battle to the death of the Germans against the Soviets. Trump’s comment was stupidly ignorant and insulting. But he does that kind of thing constantly.
So, any thoughtful person should have zero confidence in what the president says about interest rates—or anything else. That’s a pity, but it’s true.
International Man: If US Treasuries were to lose their role as the foundation of the international monetary system, could gold or Bitcoin take their place?
What would the investment implications be if such a shift were to occur?
Doug Casey: Treasuries are already losing their foundational role in the international monetary system. Why? Because dollars, not Boeings or soybeans, have been the major US export for the last 40 years.
There’s a huge overhang of many trillions in the hands of foreigners who, unlike US citizens, don’t have to hold US dollars or US bonds. And at some point—when confidence collapses, and there are lots of reasons it will—they’ll start unloading those Treasuries. Those dollars will come home to roost, taking prices to unbelievable levels and transferring physical assets in the US into the hands of foreigners and out of the hands of Americans.
What would the investment implications be of such a shift?
Well, it’s regrettable, but almost inevitable that it will happen. The investment implications are catastrophic for Americans and anybody who owns US dollars or US debt.
I therefore continue to own gold and Bitcoin. As far as other investments are concerned, almost everything today is a speculation. You can forget about the word “investment.”
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://internationalman.com/">International Man.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/doug-casey/debt-spiral-treasury-market-stress-and-a-new-financial-order/">Debt Spiral, Treasury Market Stress, and a New Financial Order</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Who Is Going To Use Nuclear Weapons First?</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/michael-snyder/who-is-going-to-use-nuclear-weapons-first/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Snyder]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905614</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Will we soon witness the world’s first nuclear war? Following nuclear-armed India’s attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan, media outlets all over the globe quickly published stories about the possibility of nuclear war. In fact, this morning the main headline on the Drudge Report was “WORLD HOLDS BREATH” in all capital letters. Yes, it is entirely possible that a nuclear war could erupt between India and Pakistan. But will someone else use nuclear weapons first? In the Middle East, a showdown is looming between Israel and Iran. We know that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, and there are some experts that are convinced … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/michael-snyder/who-is-going-to-use-nuclear-weapons-first/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/michael-snyder/who-is-going-to-use-nuclear-weapons-first/">Who Is Going To Use Nuclear Weapons First?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Will we soon witness the world’s first nuclear war? Following nuclear-armed India’s attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan, media outlets all over the globe quickly published stories about the possibility of nuclear war. In fact, this morning the main headline on the Drudge Report was “WORLD HOLDS BREATH” in all capital letters. Yes, it is entirely possible that a nuclear war could erupt between India and Pakistan. But will someone else use nuclear weapons first?
In the Middle East, a showdown is looming between Israel and Iran. We know that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, and there are some experts that are convinced that the Iranians have also acquired nukes. If an all-out war erupts between Israel and Iran, I have a feeling that both sides will be forced to show what cards they are holding.
If the Iranians do have nukes, they may have gotten them from the North Koreans. If a major war erupts on the Korean peninsula, and that is a very real possibility, the North Koreans would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
In Europe, the conflict in Ukraine definitely has the potential to go nuclear. The Ukrainians have targeted Moscow with drone attacks <a title="for three days in a row" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-thwarts-largest-drone-attack-history-sparking-airport-chaos-hours-victory-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">for three days in a row</a>, and they are threatening to attack Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9th. If that happens, we are being warned that Kyiv could be wiped <a title="“off the face of the Earth”" href="https://english.pravda.ru/news/world/162229-russia-ukraine-may-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“off the face of the Earth”</a>. Let us hope that the Russians will continue to resist the temptation to use tactical nukes against Ukraine, because if that line is crossed any hope of peace with Russia will be completely gone.
Once one nation breaks the taboo on using nuclear weapons, it will be much easier for other nations to follow suit.
At the moment, the eyes of the world are on India and Pakistan. The government of India says that the goal of their airstrikes was to destroy <a title="“terrorist infrastructure”" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/05/07/india-pakistan-attack-crisis-explained/83366981007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“terrorist infrastructure”</a> inside Pakistan…
India said it launched missiles targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory that India also controls a section of.
Pakistan’s military said it shot down five Indian aircraft during the attack – a claim unconfirmed by India.
Pakistan said India’s attack killed at least 26 civilians and wounded 46 more. India’s army said at least 10 civilians were killed and 35 injured in cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Kashmir.
Following the airstrikes, India’s Defense Ministry released a statement that emphasized that no military facilities in Pakistan were targeted…
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
I think that India was hoping to avoid any additional escalation, but the Pakistanis are furious because a number of mosques <a title="were targeted" href="https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/05/07/india-launches-precision-strike-blitz-targeting-alleged-terrorist-sites-pakistan-vows-to-retaliate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were targeted</a>…
In response to Pakistan’s complaint that some of India’s bombs struck mosques, India confirmed that it targeted mosques and madrassas (Islamic religious schools) that were headquarters for “training and indoctrination” by the terrorist groups. The Indian government pointed out that one of the madrassas used as a training camp by LT was funded by Osama bin Laden, the late founder of al-Qaeda and mastermind of the 9/11 attack on America.
Some of India’s targets seemed chosen to make the point that JM, HM, LT, and other terrorist groups are operating openly in Pakistan, with either the indulgence or active support of the government. A few of the targeted facilities were remote terrorist camps hidden in inaccessible terrain, but others were obvious and located near major roads. All of them were large, capable of training hundreds of militants at a time.
If Pakistan strikes back, India will almost certainly respond.
Unfortunately, it appears that is exactly what Pakistan <a title="is planning to do" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pakistan-closes-airspace-48-hours-authorizes-response-indian-attack-which-ignited" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is planning to do</a>…
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered his armed forces to prepare a plan for “self-defense” with “corresponding actions” in order “avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives”. The order was issued after an emergency National Security Commitee (NSC) meeting on Wednesday.
“Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” the NSC readout said. “The Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard.”
Pakistan’s Government Security Committee has charged that India has “ignited an inferno in the region”. These do indeed seem to be fighting words.
One of the sides is going to have to back down at some point or else this thing is going to spiral out of control very rapidly.
If a full-blown war erupts, India has <a title="a far larger military" href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/india-and-pakistan-s-nuclear-arsenal-compared/ar-AA1El4xR?cvid=2154fe70936d415eac2da2e08c1c4e3c&ei=10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a far larger military</a> than Pakistan does…
India outpaces Pakistan in active military personnel: 1.24 million in the army, 149,000 in the air force, and 75,500 in the navy. Pakistan has about 560,000 army troops, 70,000 in the air force, and 30,000 in its navy. India also operates a 13,350-strong coast guard.
A conventional war between India and Pakistan would be truly horrifying, and we are being warned that it could cause <a title="a global recession" href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2052001/india-pakistan-war-global-recession-ww3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a global recession</a>…
A potential war between India and Pakistan could “push the world in to a global recession” in a matter of months, an expert has warned. On Tuesday, India fired a series of missile strikes on Kashmir, with Pakistan vowing to “respond”, triggering fears of an all-out war between the huge nations.
Space race capable India currently hovers around number 5 in the list of the biggest economies in the world, just one place above the UK.
But a conventional war between these two nations is not the real danger.
If India’s military started pouring into Pakistani territory, officials in Pakistan may feel forced to use nuclear weapons.
Most people living in the western world do not realize this, but both India and Pakistan have <a title="enough nuclear warheads" href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/india-and-pakistan-s-nuclear-arsenal-compared/ar-AA1El4xR?cvid=2154fe70936d415eac2da2e08c1c4e3c&ei=10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">enough nuclear warheads</a> to virtually wipe the other side out…
India has about 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan possesses roughly 170, according to the Arms Control Association. Despite their similar numbers, the countries diverge in nuclear doctrine. India publicly maintains an NFU doctrine, pledging to use nuclear weapons only in retaliation. However, recent rhetoric from Indian leadership has hinted at revisiting that stance. Pakistan has never adopted a similar policy and reserves the option of preemptive use.
Don’t think that this can’t happen.
In fact, the head of Pakistan’s military <a title="just told the world" href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/14180429/india-pakistan-airstrikes-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">just told the world</a> that he believes “at any time a nuclear war can break out”…
NUCLEAR war could break out “at any time” if India continues strikes, Pakistan’s defence chief has warned as his country teeters on the brink of a conflict with India.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif gave the stark warning in an interview with Pakistani TV channel Geo News as tensions between the two nuclear powers continue to reach boiling point.
The minister said: “If they [India] impose an all-out war on the region and if such dangers arise in which there is a standoff, then at any time a nuclear war can break out.”
A full-blown nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would not be anything like a full-blown nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia.
But it would still create at least a limited version of a “nuclear winter”.
All of a sudden, it would become exceedingly difficult to grow crops all over the northern hemisphere, and we are already facing <a title="a global food crisis" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc5NefXwxvI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a global food crisis</a> of epic proportions.
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/">The Economic Collapse</a>.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/michael-snyder/who-is-going-to-use-nuclear-weapons-first/">Who Is Going To Use Nuclear Weapons First?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Ten Points To Keep in Mind Amidst Escalating Indo-Pak Tensions</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/ten-points-to-keep-in-mind-amidst-escalating-indo-pak-tensions/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[No Author]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905618</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone has the right to make up their own minds about these tensions and the Kashmir Conflict that lies at their core, but they should also know that there’s more to all this than what they might be led to be believe by the organized pro-Palestinian movement and the Alt-Media Community. India carried out several surgical strikes against Pakistan on Wednesday morning as part of “Operation Sindoor”, which is its response to last month’s Pahalgam terrorist attack that saw the allegedly Pakistani-affiliated culprits slaughter over two dozen Hindu tourists, who were targeted on the basis of their faith. Casual observers might be overwhelmed by the deluge … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/ten-points-to-keep-in-mind-amidst-escalating-indo-pak-tensions/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/ten-points-to-keep-in-mind-amidst-escalating-indo-pak-tensions/">Ten Points To Keep in Mind Amidst Escalating Indo-Pak Tensions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Everyone has the right to make up their own minds about these tensions and the Kashmir Conflict that lies at their core, but they should also know that there’s more to all this than what they might be led to be believe by the organized pro-Palestinian movement and the Alt-Media Community.
India carried out several surgical strikes against Pakistan on Wednesday morning as part of “<a href="https://www.rt.com/india/616873-pakistan-operation-kashmir-strikes/" rel="">Operation Sindoor</a>”, which is its response to last month’s <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/pakistans-military-leader-has-the-most-to-gain-lose-from-the-pahalgam-terrorist-attack" rel="">Pahalgam</a> <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/top-pakistani-officials-made-two-self-discrediting-claims-about-the-pahalgam-terrorist-attack" rel="">terrorist</a> <a href="https://korybko.substack.com/p/interpreting-trumps-reaction-to-the" rel="">attack</a> that saw the <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pahalgam-terror-attack-lashkar-pakistans-isi-nexus-mentioned-in-anti-terror-bodys-pahalgam-report-8309888#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll" rel="">allegedly Pakistani-affiliated</a> culprits slaughter over two dozen Hindu tourists, who were targeted on the basis of their faith. Casual observers might be overwhelmed by the deluge of information being spread by both sides’ online advocates amidst the resultantly escalating tensions so here are ten points for them to keep in mind:
———-
1. The British Role In Indo-Pak Tensions Is A Relic Of The Past
It’s true that the Indian Subcontinent’s imperfect division between Hindus and Muslims was authorized by the departing British, but the roots of this policy rest in some Muslim independence activists splitting from their Hindu comrades decades earlier to pursue their community’s own interests in this campaign. While the Brits exploited this for post-colonial divide-and-rule purposes, they no longer exert anywhere near the same degree of influence over Pakistan, which has much more independent agency nowadays.
2. Strategic, Religious, & Political Factors Are Behind Pakistan’s Claims
Pakistan’s claims to all of Kashmir are driven by the region’s hydrological importance, its majority-Muslim population, and the military’s interest in rallying the nation behind it on these grounds. These interests are typically ignored by activists in favor of drawing attention to the democratic and humanitarian dimensions of the conflict from the Pakistani perspective. This narrative diversion is meant to make their claims appeal to the widest possible array of people across the world for putting more pressure on India.
3. The Organized Pro-Palestinian Movement Largely Supports Pakistan
In connection with the above, the organized pro-Palestinian movement largely supports Pakistan due to their similar democratic-humanitarian messaging but also out of religious solidarity, though this is only rarely acknowledged due to concerns that it could discredit these movements’ incipient convergence. The reason this is relevant is because casual observers can therefore expect more pro-Pakistani content from pro-Palestinian activists-influencers, including that which disparages India as a “Zionist puppet”.
4. Israel Is Irrelevant To This Conflict No Matter What Alt-Media Claims
The <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/a-review-of-the-most-common-roles-in-the-alt-media-community" rel="">Alt-Media Community</a> (AMC) is mostly favorable to the organized pro-Palestinian movement so its leading voices might amplify the aforesaid allegation even though it’s bereft of truth. Many among their audience want to imagine that every major development across the world is somehow tied to a “Zionist plot”, but that’s not the case with this one. India’s closeness with Israel doesn’t mean that Israel controls it, just like Israel doesn’t control Russia, which is <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/why-do-false-perceptions-about-russian-policy-towards-israel-continue-to-proliferate" rel="">closer to Israel</a> than India is and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231008133800/https:/orientalreview.su/2018/05/10/president-putin-on-israel-quotes-from-the-kremlin-website/" rel="">has been so for longer</a>.
5. The Same Goes For Claims That This Is All About Sabotaging BRICS
Many in the AMC are also as obsessed with BRICS as they are with Israel so casual observers should prepare for a flood of claims about how these tensions are supposedly meant to sabotage BRICS. The reality though is that BRICS isn’t a bloc, in fact, it’s <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/did-the-latest-brics-summit-achieve-anything-of-tangible-significance-at-all" rel="">just a talking club</a> that discusses how to accelerate financial multipolarity processes and issues purely perfunctory joint statements every year. It’s therefore just as irrelevant to this conflict, which is driven by side’s conception of national interests, as Israel is.
6. India & Pakistan Accuse Each Other Of Terrorism But Respond Differently
Casual observers might soon hear about how Pakistan <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/2534043/india-behind-jaffar-express-terrorist-attack-fo" rel="">accused</a> India of being behind March’s <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/what-comes-next-after-the-jaffar-express-terrorist-attack-in-pakistan" rel="">Jaffar Express terrorist attack</a>, which builds upon years-long claims that they might also learn about, yet Pakistan didn’t kinetically retaliate against India like India just kinetically retaliated against Pakistan. This can be interpreted either as Pakistan having made up that claim (and earlier ones) for reasons of domestic political convenience or lacking the military confidence to initiate surgical strikes against India.
7. It’s Worth Recalling January 2024’s Tit-For-Tat Iranian-Pakistani Strikes
Iran and Pakistan carried out <a href="https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/iran-came-out-on-top-after-its-tit-for-tat-strikes-with-pakistan" rel="">tit-for-tat strikes</a> in January 2024 against alleged terrorists before <a href="https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-iranian-foreign-ministers-trip" rel="">patching up</a> their problems. Even though terrorist attacks <a href="https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-cia-isnt-responsible-for-the" rel="">have since surged</a> in Pakistan’s Balochistan region, Islamabad no longer blames Iran, let alone bombs what it claims to be terrorists there. This is worth recalling since it suggests that Pakistan either lied about Iran’s ties to terrorists or started ignoring them, with either explanation equivalent to politicizing terrorism, thus casting doubts on its claims about India.
8. Pakistan Consistently Seeks To Multilateralize Its Disputes With India
In contravention of the <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/616859-india-pakistan-row-why-broken/" rel="">1972 Simla Accord</a>, which it recently suspended, Pakistan consistently seeks to multilateralize its disputes with India as a means of rebalancing their power asymmetries. The trade-off though is that some of Pakistan’s partners try to use it against India on this pretext, the partial client state role of which its leadership willingly accepts in exchange for support. This insight directly leads into the last two points for casual observers to keep in mind amidst escalating Indo-Pak tensions.
9. There Are Double-Standards Towards Pakistan’s Nuclear Saber-Rattling
The world united to express disapproval to varying extents of what was popularly portrayed as <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/616859-india-pakistan-row-why-broken/" rel="">Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling</a> throughout the course of the Ukrainian Conflict yet few have condemned Pakistan much more explicitly doing the same via its <a href="https://www.rt.com/india/616708-pakistan-will-use-full-spectrum-india/" rel="">Ambassador to Russia</a> and <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/khawaja-asif-has-gone-crazy-ex-foreign-secretary-blasts-pak-minister-for-his-no-country-will-survive-threat/ar-AA1EfkWZ" rel="">Defense Minister</a>. These indisputable double standards lend credence to former Indian Ambassador to Russia Kanwal Sibal’s <a href="https://x.com/KanwalSibal/status/1918982403504169038" rel="">assessment</a> that “Pak is given a pass as if the West and others want India to hear Pak’s message.”
10. Some Forces Might Be Trying To Knock India Out Of The Great Power Game
India’s rapid rise scares the US “deep state’s” liberal-globalist policymaking faction, their European subordinates, China, and some in the Ummah like Turkiye’s Erdogan, the Qatari Emir, and ultra-hardline members of Iran’s IRGC. Just like the West tried to use Ukraine to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia for <a href="https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/military-and-security/why-did-u-s-prioritize-containing-russia-over-china/" rel="">knocking it out</a> of the Great Power game, so too might the aforesaid six actors be using Pakistan for the same goal against India or to at least contain it to their strategic benefit due to their shared interests.
———-
These points should help casual observers better understand the dynamics behind the escalating Indo-Pak tensions and the <a href="https://thewire.in/diplomacy/india-and-pakistan-must-avoid-maximalist-positions-for-lasting-solution-on-kashmir" rel="">Kashmir Conflict</a> that lies at their core. Everyone has the right to make up their own minds, but they should also know that there’s more to all this than what they might be led to be believe by the organized pro-Palestinian movement and the AMC. India’s future as a Great Power and all that entails for the <a href="https://korybko.substack.com/p/towards-tri-multipolarity-the-golden" rel="">global systemic transition</a> will depend on how it manages Pakistani-emanating threats.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://korybko.substack.com/p/ten-points-to-keep-in-mind-amidst">Andrew Korybko’s Newsletter.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/no_author/ten-points-to-keep-in-mind-amidst-escalating-indo-pak-tensions/">Ten Points To Keep in Mind Amidst Escalating Indo-Pak Tensions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>It Could Never Happen Here</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/it-could-never-happen-here/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jacob G. Hornberger]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905620</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Many Americans remain convinced that tyranny and oppression could never happen here in the United States. We are different from other countries, they say. We are more enlightened. We are exceptional. The United States will always be a free country, no matter what. Of course, there is always a problem with the meaning of the word “freedom.” It means different things to different people. For example, today’s Americans feel free because they live under a welfare state, a national-security state, a foreign military empire, a government-managed economy, a paper-money system directed by a central bank, an income tax, a drug … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/it-could-never-happen-here/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/it-could-never-happen-here/">It Could Never Happen Here</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Many Americans remain convinced that tyranny and oppression could never happen here in the United States. We are different from other countries, they say. We are more enlightened. We are exceptional. The United States will always be a free country, no matter what.
Of course, there is always a problem with the meaning of the word “freedom.” It means different things to different people.
For example, today’s Americans feel free because they live under a welfare state, a national-security state, a foreign military empire, a government-managed economy, a paper-money system directed by a central bank, an income tax, a drug war, and an immigration police state.
Yet, our American ancestors prior to 1910 rejected all those things and lived in a society that had none of them. Yet, they were convinced that they were free. I happen to believe that they were right and that today’s Americans have simply deluded themselves into thinking they are free.
But let’s take civil liberties. Many Americans would agree that people who live in a society in which civil liberties are absent cannot possibly be considered to be a free people. That is, many Americans favor the procedural protections found in the Bill of Rights.
Let’s assume that a duly elected president of a country has the full support of a big, permanent military-intelligence establishment that loyally obeys his orders. Due to an increase in violence in the government’s war on drugs, the president declares a “national emergency.” The president orders the military to begin rounding up people who are deemed to be threats to “national security.” Tens of thousands of people are quickly arrested, incarcerated in secret prisons, and brutally tortured to give up information on criminal activity. Some of them are executed. No trials are held.
The courts go into action and declare the president’s actions unconstitutional. The courts order the president to stop what he is doing. However, the president, citing his “national emergency,” simply ignores their rulings. When judges cite the president and his goons with contempt, the president and his military forces simply ignore them or, even worse, order their arrest and incarceration. The president also replaces recalcitrant judges with his own judicial lackeys.
A few members of the country’s legislature call for the president’s impeachment. But they are quickly shouted down by others who are loyal to the president or too scared to object to what he is doing. The president would ignore or shut down any impeachment proceedings anyway, citing his “national emergency.”
Again, I think most Americans would describe this as an unfree society. They would see that a system in which a ruler and his military-intelligence forces wield and exercise omnipotent power over the citizenry by being able to jail, torture, assassinate, and execute anyone without any interference whatsoever cannot possibly be considered a free society. I think many Americans would even think about Nazi Germany or George Orwell’s 1984 when hearing a description of that type of society.
Yet, the problem is that many American conservatives, as well as the U.S. national-security establishment (i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA), deeply admire and respect that kind of system in various foreign countries.
Consider the U.S. prison and torture center at Guantanamo Bay. The reason that the Pentagon and the CIA set it up in Cuba, with the full support of U.S. conservatives, was to enable them to avoid any interference by U.S. courts with how they treated people accused of terrorism. The Pentagon and the CIA wanted a total Constitution-free zone in which they would wield and exercise omnipotent powers over inmates, including being able to torture, indefinitely incarcerate, and even execute them.
Before that was right-wing Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who the U.S. national-security establishment helped take power in a coup in 1973 in Chile. He nullified the courts and the national congress. Employing Chile’s national-security establishment, he and his military-intelligence goons rounded up tens of thousands of suspected communists, incarcerated them in secret prisons, brutally tortured or raped them, and executed or disappeared thousands of them. No trials at all. Pinochet established “law and order” in Chile and restored a sense of “patriotism” to the land by purifying the nation of communists. Moreover, he brought “free enterprise” to Chile and even reformed Social Security to conform to conservative principles. American conservatives loved him and still do.
Look at the current dictator of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele. Declaring a “national emergency,” he assumed dictatorial powers that have enabled him and his military-intelligence goons to round up, incarcerate, and torture tens of thousands of people. No trials. No judicial interference. No congressional interference. Simply total, raw, dictatorial power. But Bukele has brought “law and order” and “patriotism” to El Salvador and, in the process, made El Salvador great again. Consequently, American conservatives have fallen in love with him. President Trump is even using Bukele’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” to imprison immigrants who have been accused of illegally entering the United States but who have never been tried or convicted in a trial in a court of law.
Why is the right-wing love of Gitmo, Pinochet, and Bukele a problem for Americans? Given that American conservatives love right-wing tyranny for foreigners, it is not beyond the realm of reasonable possibility that that, deep down, American right-wingers would love to impose the same system here at home — under the guise of establishing “law and order,” restoring “patriotism,” and, of course, “making America great again.”
Reprinted with permission from <a href="https://www.fff.org/2025/04/28/the-uhuru-prosecution-brings-egg-on-the-face-of-the-justice-department/">The Future of Freedom Foundation.</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/jacob-hornberger/it-could-never-happen-here/">It Could Never Happen Here</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>Without Religion There Is No Morality</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/paul-craig-roberts/without-religion-there-is-no-morality/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Craig Roberts]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905623</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When liberals destroyed religion, they destroyed morality. With the demise of morality went integrity and a person’s word. Today Western societies are overwhelmed by crime. Sexual morality is long gone. Young women compete for attention according to which woman can copulate with the most men in a 24-hour time period. One contestant says her father is very proud of her. See this. Journalists have no compulsion against lying to the public in behalf of an agenda or an advertiser. Medical practitioners have no hesitation in supporting treatments, such as the Covid “vaccine” that killed and maimed millions of people for the sake of … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/paul-craig-roberts/without-religion-there-is-no-morality/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/paul-craig-roberts/without-religion-there-is-no-morality/">Without Religion There Is No Morality</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[When liberals destroyed religion, they destroyed morality. With the demise of morality went integrity and a person’s word. Today Western societies are overwhelmed by crime. Sexual morality is long gone. Young women compete for attention according to which woman can copulate with the most men in a 24-hour time period. One contestant says her father is very proud of her. See <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/32172629/lily-phillips-first-person-bonk-1000-24-hours/">this. </a>
Journalists have no compulsion against lying to the public in behalf of an agenda or an advertiser.
Medical practitioners have no hesitation in supporting treatments, such as the Covid “vaccine” that killed and maimed millions of people for the sake of Big Pharma’s profits. And they refuse to be held accountable.
The list is long of morality’s absence. The worst is the immorality of the entire world, with the single exception of black South Africa, supporting, not opposing, Israel’s assassination of Palestine and Palestinians. American governments have made the genocide possible by supplying the bombs, money, and diplomatic cover. And we are faced with the prospect that Americans, who overthrew Iraq, Libya, and Syria for Israel, will be taken to war with Iran for Israel’s purposes. Will Americans ever stop dying for Satan’s Chosen People?
The shame that the Biden and Trump regimes have brought on every American is extraordinary. Two US presidential regimes have made Americans responsible for the support of genocide, and no one is ashamed. The Christian Zionists are well pleased. We are doing God’s will protecting Israel, they say. In fact, we are enabling Satan’s Chosen People whose extraordinary immorality resulted in God kicking the Israelis out of the Middle East and dispersing them among the world, stateless.
In the midst of Netanyahu’s extermination of Palestine, Netanyahu was invited to address a joint session of the US House and Senate and received 53 standing ovations. The American Congress could not refrain from pouring its consent on genocide.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-905624 alignleft" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Paul-Craig-Roberts-Copy-5.png" alt="" width="115" height="156" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Paul-Craig-Roberts-Copy-5.png 115w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Paul-Craig-Roberts-Copy-5-111x150.png 111w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 115px) 100vw, 115px" />Some countries in past times, such as Spain, recognized the exploitative practices of Jews and kicked them out. In Eastern European countries and in Russia the exploitative practices of Satan’s Chosen People against the indigenous populations resulted in pogroms against Jews, of which Jews only give one side, their propagandistic side.
Satan’s attack on Western morality has been led by Jews. They gave us pornography. They gave us the absence of Christian symbols in public spaces. They gave us the March Through the Institutions, which succeeded in destroying the self-belief of Western gentiles. And now they are bringing us to World War III.
It is extraordinary how 10 million Israelis rule the world.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/paul-craig-roberts/without-religion-there-is-no-morality/">Without Religion There Is No Morality</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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<title>A Photo of Cardinals</title>
<link>https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/ira-katz/a-photo-of-cardinals/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ira Katz]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 04:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.lewrockwell.com/?post_type=pending-article&p=905626</guid>
<description><![CDATA[No, this is not a photo of members of the College of Cardinals, the electors of the next Catholic Pope. I don’t know when I first saw this photo of the key players and manager of the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, nor for what particular reason it made an impression on me. As a ten-year old boy these Cardinals were the chief rival of my hometown Chicago Cubs (The Madeleine for a Chicagoan – LRC Blog). They were rivals due to the proximity of Chicago and St. Louis and because the Cardinals were the team to beat that … <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/ira-katz/a-photo-of-cardinals/">Continue reading →</a>
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/ira-katz/a-photo-of-cardinals/">A Photo of Cardinals</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[No, this is not a photo of members of the College of Cardinals, the electors of the next Catholic Pope.
I don’t know when I first saw this photo of the key players and manager of the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, nor for what particular reason it made an impression on me.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905627 size-large" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-620x616.png" alt="" width="620" height="616" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-620x616.png 620w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-300x298.png 300w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-150x150.png 150w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-32x32.png 32w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-64x64.png 64w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-96x96.png 96w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9-128x128.png 128w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Picture9.png 670w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />
As a ten-year old boy these Cardinals were the chief rival of my hometown Chicago Cubs (<a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/madeleine-chicagoan/">The Madeleine for a Chicagoan – LRC Blog</a>). They were rivals due to the proximity of Chicago and St. Louis and because the Cardinals were the team to beat that always got the better of the Cubs. In 1967 they won the World Series against the Boston Red Sox in seven games and in 1968 they lost the series in seven games to the Detroit Tigers. The nine players represent the starting lineup and the superstar starting pitcher (Bob Gibson, 3rd from the left). Four are members of the baseball hall of fame (Gibson, Brock; Cepeda, and Schoendienst). Three are St. Louis area natives who spent almost their whole careers (as players and afterwards) with the team (Shannon, Maxvill, and Schoendienst).
Visually, it seems even more than contrived, more like photo shopped. If it first appeared today I would have thought it was generated by AI. The hats and uniforms stand out as colorized, almost suspended in air. I love the colors of the shirts and sweaters. Was the photo of manager Schoendienst added to the photo of the players? But now what is most striking to me is the appearance of the players as members of a team. There is a team look. Individuality is limited. Soon afterward this radically changed in sports and in American life in general. Look at the images below of the Cardinals of the early 70s. Long sideburns, facial hair and long hair quickly became the norm. Individuality took over, but they still looked alike!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905629 size-large" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173850-620x332.png" alt="" width="620" height="332" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173850-620x332.png 620w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173850-300x161.png 300w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173850-150x80.png 150w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173850.png 738w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905631 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173935.png" alt="" width="555" height="693" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173935.png 555w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173935-240x300.png 240w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-173935-120x150.png 120w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-905632 size-full" src="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-174018.png" alt="" width="544" height="675" srcset="https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-174018.png 544w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-174018-242x300.png 242w, https://lrc-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-174018-121x150.png 121w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px" />
Short summaries of the life and career of each player (from left to right) and their manager follow below.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Maris">Roger Maris – Wikipedia</a>
Roger Eugene Maris (born Maras; September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961.
Maris played in the minor leagues from 1953 to 1956, and made his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1957. He was traded to the Kansas City Athletics during the 1958 season, and to the New York Yankees after the 1959 season. Maris finished his playing career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967 and 1968. Maris was an AL All-Star from 1959 through 1962,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Maris#cite_note-2">[a]</a> the AL Most Valuable Player in 1960 and 1961, and an AL Gold Glove Award winner in 1960. Maris appeared in seven World Series; he played for Yankees teams that won the World Series in 1961 and 1962 and for a Cardinals team that won the World Series in 1967.
Maris’s home run record was controversial, as the previous single-season home run record (60, set by Babe Ruth in 1927) was set during a period when MLB teams played 154 games per season. Maris broke Ruth’s record in the year the AL baseball season was extended to 162 games, hitting his 61st home run in the last game of the season, which led to questions about the legitimacy of his record.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Maris#cite_note-auto1-3">[2]</a> Maris’ major league record remained unbroken until Mark McGwire surpassed it in 1998; his AL record stood until 2022, when Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs for the New York Yankees.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McCarver">Tim McCarver – Wikipedia</a>
James Timothy McCarver (October 16, 1941 – February 16, 2023) was an American professional baseball catcher, television sports commentator, and singer.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McCarver#cite_note-:0-1">[1]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McCarver#cite_note-:1-2">[2]</a> He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1959 to 1980 for four teams, spending almost all of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. A two-time All-Star, he helped the Cardinals to the 1964 World Series title, batting .478 in the Series, including a three-run home run in the tenth inning to win Game 5. In 1966, he became the first catcher since the 19th century to lead the National League (NL) in triples with 13. McCarver was runner-up for the 1967 NL Most Valuable Player Award, behind teammate Orlando Cepeda, after batting .295 and leading NL catchers in assists and fielding percentage.
Traded to the Phillies after the 1969 season, he was later re-joined by pitcher and St. Louis teammate Steve Carlton, becoming his regular catcher as the team won three division titles from 1976 to 1978. After increased use as a pinch hitter in his last several seasons, in September 1980, McCarver became the 18th major league player to play in four decades.
After his playing career, McCarver became a television color commentator, most notably for Fox Sports after previous stints with the other three broadcast networks. He eventually set a record by calling 23 World Series as well as 20 All-Star Games, earning three Emmy Awards in the process. In 2012, McCarver was named the Ford C. Frick Award recipient. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McCarver#cite_note-HOF-3">[3]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McCarver#cite_note-4">[4]</a> and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2017.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Gibson">Bob Gibson – Wikipedia</a>
Robert Gibson (November 9, 1935 – October 2, 2020), nicknamed “Gibby” and “Hoot”, was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competitive nature, Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gibson overcame childhood illness to excel in youth sports, particularly basketball and baseball. After briefly playing with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, he chose to pursue baseball and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He became a full-time starting pitcher in July 1961 and earned his first All-Star appearance in 1962. Gibson won 2 of 3 games he pitched in the 1964 World Series, then won 20 games in a season for the first time in 1965. Gibson also pitched three complete game victories in the 1967 World Series. He is one of four players and two pitchers to win multiple World Series MVPs.
The pinnacle of Gibson’s career was 1968, during the “Year of the Pitcher”, which is regarded as one of the greatest single pitching seasons of all-time; he posted a 1.12 ERA for the season and then recorded 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. Gibson threw a no-hitter in 1971 but began experiencing swelling in his knee in subsequent seasons. At the time of his retirement in 1975, Gibson ranked second only to Walter Johnson among major-league pitchers in career strikeouts. When describing Gibson’s career, his former all-star teammate Tim McCarver jokingly remarked, “Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He always pitches when the other team doesn’t score any runs.”
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility, and the Cardinals retired his uniform number 45 in September 1975, the year he retired. Gibson was later selected for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 2, 2020.
<a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20694447/in-day-st-louis-cardinals-great-bob-gibson-was-feared-no-other-pitcher">In his day, St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Gibson was feared like no other pitcher – ESPN</a>
“No pitcher I faced competed like Gibson,” Hank Aaron said. “He hated you when he pitched.” That was Bob Gibson, a fighter, a ferocious competitor, to the end.
<a href="https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/10/up_close_with_bob_gibson_a_true_baseball_great.html">Up close with Bob Gibson, a true baseball great – American Thinker</a>
I expected Gibson to be a mean beast of a man as he appeared on the mound. Rather, he was the nicest guy in camp — nicest by a wide margin amid a bakers’ dozen of nice guys that included renown nice guys Roy Campanella and Ernie Banks. Gibson was cordial, humble, kind, considerate. Disarmingly so. By most accounts, on the mound, Gibson was fearsome, if in normal life a complete gentleman (with emphasis on “gentle”). How fearsome? The internet tells us Gibson once hit Bill White with a pitch for crowding the plate — in an Old Timers’ game.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Shannon">Mike Shannon – Wikipedia</a>
Thomas Michael Shannon (July 15, 1939 – April 29, 2023) was an American professional baseball third baseman and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962 to 1970, and then worked as a Cardinals radio broadcaster from 1972 to 2021.
Shannon was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and was an integral part of some of the Cards’ most successful seasons. He was a part of the 1964 World Series and 1967 World Series champions.
Shannon was the proprietor of Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood restaurant in downtown St. Louis until it closed on January 30, 2016.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Shannon#cite_note-1">[1]</a> Shannon continued to operate two Mike Shannon’s Grill locations, in Edwardsville, Illinois, that closed in 2022, and at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, which is run by his grandson, Justin VanMatre.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Shannon#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
<a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/mike-shannon/">Mike Shannon – Society for American Baseball Research</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Brock">Lou Brock – Wikipedia</a>
He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. An All-Star for six seasons, Brock was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 in his first year of eligibility<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Brock#cite_note-Lou_Brock_at_The_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame-1">[1]</a> and was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.
Best known for stealing bases,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Brock#cite_note-2">[2]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Brock#cite_note-3">[3]</a> Brock once held the major league records for most bases stolen in a single season and in a career. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases in eight seasons. A member of the 3,000-hit club, he led the NL in doubles and triples in 1968, and in singles in 1972. In 1974, he was the runner-up for the NL Most Valuable Player Award. After retiring as a player, he served as a special instructor coach for the Cardinals.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Cepeda">Orlando Cepeda – Wikipedia</a>
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (Spanish pronunciation: [oɾˈlando seˈpeða]; September 17, 1937 – June 28, 2024), nicknamed “the Baby Bull” and “Peruchin”, was a Puerto Rican first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for six teams from 1958 to 1974, primarily the San Francisco Giants. An 11-time All-Star, Cepeda was one of the most consistent power hitters in the National League (NL) through the 1960s and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
<a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/orlando-cepeda/">Orlando Cepeda – Society for American Baseball Research</a>
<a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/curt-flood/">Curt Flood – Society for American Baseball Research</a>
Flood’s legacy continues to benefit players more than ever, even if his name has been lost to history. Brad Snyder summarized Flood’s place in most contemporary players’ lives: “Today’s athletes have some control over where they play in part because in 1969 Flood refused to continue being treated like hired help. But while [Jackie] Robinson’s jersey has been retired in every major league park, few current players today know the name Curt Flood, and even fewer know about the sacrifices he made for them.”
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli%C3%A1n_Javier">Julián Javier – Wikipedia</a>
is a Dominican former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1960 to 1972, most prominently as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals where he became a two-time All-Star player, and was a member of two World Series winning teams (1964, 1967).
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal_Maxvill">Dal Maxvill – Wikipedia</a>
Maxvill’s best season with the bat was 1968 with the Cardinals. He set career highs in batting average (.253), on-base percentage (.329), and slugging percentage (.298). He also received his only Most Valuable Player award votes (finishing in twentieth place) and won his only Gold Glove.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal_Maxvill#cite_note-Statistics-2">[2]</a> In the World Series that year (the last of the pre-LCS era), he went 0-for-22, the worst performance in a World Series. It was also the worst hitless streak to start a postseason until 2022.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Schoendienst">Red Schoendienst – Wikipedia</a>
He played for 19 years with the Cardinals (1945–1956, 1961–1963), New York Giants (1956–1957) and Milwaukee Braves (1957–1960), and was named to 10 All Star teams. He then managed the Cardinals from 1965 through 1976 – the second-longest managerial tenure in the team’s history (behind Tony La Russa). Under his direction, St. Louis won the 1967 and 1968 National League pennants and the 1967 World Series, and he was named National League Manager of the Year in 1967 and 1968. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. At the time of his death, he had worn a Major League uniform for 74 consecutive years as a player, coach, or manager,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Schoendienst#cite_note-1">[1]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Schoendienst#cite_note-2">[2]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Schoendienst#cite_note-3">[3]</a> and had served 67 of his 76 years in baseball with the Cardinals.
The post <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/05/ira-katz/a-photo-of-cardinals/">A Photo of Cardinals</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com">LewRockwell</a>.
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